The impact of large-scale, long-term optical surveys on pulsating star research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soszyński, Igor

2017-09-01

The era of large-scale photometric variability surveys began a quarter of a century ago, when three microlensing projects - EROS, MACHO, and OGLE - started their operation. These surveys initiated a revolution in the field of variable stars and in the next years they inspired many new observational projects. Large-scale optical surveys multiplied the number of variable stars known in the Universe. The huge, homogeneous and complete catalogs of pulsating stars, such as Cepheids, RR Lyrae stars, or long-period variables, offer an unprecedented opportunity to calibrate and test the accuracy of various distance indicators, to trace the three-dimensional structure of the Milky Way and other galaxies, to discover exotic types of intrinsically variable stars, or to study previously unknown features and behaviors of pulsators. We present historical and recent findings on various types of pulsating stars obtained from the optical large-scale surveys, with particular emphasis on the OGLE project which currently offers the largest photometric database among surveys for stellar variability.

Mapping the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manzotti, A.; Dodelson, S.

2014-12-01

On large scales, the anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) reflect not only the primordial density field but also the energy gain when photons traverse decaying gravitational potentials of large scale structure, what is called the integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect. Decomposing the anisotropy signal into a primordial piece and an ISW component, the main secondary effect on large scales, is more urgent than ever as cosmologists strive to understand the Universe on those scales. We present a likelihood technique for extracting the ISW signal combining measurements of the CMB, the distribution of galaxies, and maps of gravitational lensing. We test this technique with simulated data showing that we can successfully reconstruct the ISW map using all the data sets together. Then we present the ISW map obtained from a combination of real data: the NRAO VLA sky survey (NVSS) galaxy survey, temperature anisotropies, and lensing maps made by the Planck satellite. This map shows that, with the data sets used and assuming linear physics, there is no evidence, from the reconstructed ISW signal in the Cold Spot region, for an entirely ISW origin of this large scale anomaly in the CMB. However a large scale structure origin from low redshift voids outside the NVSS redshift range is still possible. Finally we show that future surveys, thanks to a better large scale lensing reconstruction will be able to improve the reconstruction signal to noise which is now mainly coming from galaxy surveys.

N-body simulations of gravitational redshifts and other relativistic distortions of galaxy clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Hongyu; Alam, Shadab; Croft, Rupert A. C.; Ho, Shirley; Giusarma, Elena

2017-10-01

Large redshift surveys of galaxies and clusters are providing the first opportunities to search for distortions in the observed pattern of large-scale structure due to such effects as gravitational redshift. We focus on non-linear scales and apply a quasi-Newtonian approach using N-body simulations to predict the small asymmetries in the cross-correlation function of two galaxy different populations. Following recent work by Bonvin et al., Zhao and Peacock and Kaiser on galaxy clusters, we include effects which enter at the same order as gravitational redshift: the transverse Doppler effect, light-cone effects, relativistic beaming, luminosity distance perturbation and wide-angle effects. We find that all these effects cause asymmetries in the cross-correlation functions. Quantifying these asymmetries, we find that the total effect is dominated by the gravitational redshift and luminosity distance perturbation at small and large scales, respectively. By adding additional subresolution modelling of galaxy structure to the large-scale structure information, we find that the signal is significantly increased, indicating that structure on the smallest scales is important and should be included. We report on comparison of our simulation results with measurements from the SDSS/BOSS galaxy redshift survey in a companion paper.

The large-scale distribution of galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geller, Margaret J.

1989-01-01

The spatial distribution of galaxies in the universe is characterized on the basis of the six completed strips of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics redshift-survey extension. The design of the survey is briefly reviewed, and the results are presented graphically. Vast low-density voids similar to the void in Bootes are found, almost completely surrounded by thin sheets of galaxies. Also discussed are the implications of the results for the survey sampling problem, the two-point correlation function of the galaxy distribution, the possibility of detecting large-scale coherent flows, theoretical models of large-scale structure, and the identification of groups and clusters of galaxies.

Student Perceptions of Classroom Learning Environments: Development of the ClassMaps Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doll, Beth; Spies, Robert A.; LeClair, Courtney M.; Kurien, Sarah A.; Foley, Brett P.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the means, variability, internal consistency reliability, and structural validity evidence of the ClassMaps Survey, a measure of student perceptions of classroom learning environments. The ClassMaps Survey is a 55-item student rating scale of eight important classroom characteristics. The survey provides a…

Fire Whirls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tohidi, Ali; Gollner, Michael J.; Xiao, Huahua

2018-01-01

Fire whirls present a powerful intensification of combustion, long studied in the fire research community because of the dangers they present during large urban and wildland fires. However, their destructive power has hidden many features of their formation, growth, and propagation. Therefore, most of what is known about fire whirls comes from scale modeling experiments in the laboratory. Both the methods of formation, which are dominated by wind and geometry, and the inner structure of the whirl, including velocity and temperature fields, have been studied at this scale. Quasi-steady fire whirls directly over a fuel source form the bulk of current experimental knowledge, although many other cases exist in nature. The structure of fire whirls has yet to be reliably measured at large scales; however, scaling laws have been relatively successful in modeling the conditions for formation from small to large scales. This review surveys the state of knowledge concerning the fluid dynamics of fire whirls, including the conditions for their formation, their structure, and the mechanisms that control their unique state. We highlight recent discoveries and survey potential avenues for future research, including using the properties of fire whirls for efficient remediation and energy generation.

Subjective Well-Being in a Multicultural Urban Population: Structural, and Multivariate Analyses of the Ontario Health Survey Well-Being Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

John, Lindsay Herbert

2004-01-01

The validity of a scale, from the Ontario Health Survey, measuring the subjective sense of well-being, for a large multicultural population in Metropolitan Toronto, is examined through principal components analysis with oblique rotation. Four factors are extracted. Factor 1, is a stress and strain factor, and consists of health worries, feeling…

Topological analysis of the CfA redshift survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vogeley, Michael S.; Park, Changbom; Geller, Margaret J.; Huchra, John P.; Gott, J. Richard, III

1994-01-01

We study the topology of large-scale structure in the Center for Astrophysics Redshift Survey, which now includes approximately 12,000 galaxies with limiting magnitude m(sub B) is less than or equal to 15.5. The dense sampling and large volume of this survey allow us to compute the topology on smoothing scales from 6 to 20/h Mpc; we thus examine the topology of structure in both 'nonlinear' and 'linear' regimes. On smoothing scales less than or equal to 10/h Mpc this sample has 3 times the number of resolution elements of samples examined in previous studies. Isodensity surface of the smoothed galaxy density field demonstrate that coherent high-density structures and large voids dominate the galaxy distribution. We compute the genus-threshold density relation for isodensity surfaces of the CfA survey. To quantify phase correlation in these data, we compare the CfA genus with the genus of realizations of Gaussian random fields with the power spectrum measured for the CfA survey. On scales less than or equal to 10/h Mpc the observed genus amplitude is smaller than random phase (96% confidence level). This decrement reflects the degree of phase coherence in the observed galaxy distribution. In other words the genus amplitude on these scales is not good measure of the power spectrum slope. On scales greater than 10/h Mpc, where the galaxy distribution is rougly in the 'linear' regime, the genus ampitude is consistent with the random phase amplitude. The shape of the genus curve reflects the strong coherence in the observed structure; the observed genus curve appears broader than random phase (94% confidence level for smoothing scales less than or equal to 10/h Mpc) because the topolgoy is spongelike over a very large range of density threshold. This departre from random phase consistent with a distribution like a filamentary net of 'walls with holes.' On smoothing scales approaching approximately 20/h Mpc the shape of the CfA genus curve is consistent with random phase. There is very weak evidence for a shift of the genus toward a 'bubble-like' topology. To test cosmological models, we compute the genus for mock CfA surveys drawn from large (L greater than or approximately 400/h Mpc) N-body simulations of three variants of the cold dark matter (CDM) cosmogony. The genus amplitude of the 'standard' CDM model (omega h = 0.5, b = 1.5) differs from the observations (96% confidence level) on smoothing scales is less than or approximately 10/h Mpc. An open CDM model (omega h = 0.2) and a CDM model with nonzero cosmological constant (omega h = 0.24, lambda (sub 0) = 0.6) are consistent with the observed genus amplitude over the full range of smoothing scales. All of these models fail (97% confidence level) to match the broadness of the observed genus curve on smoothing scales is less than or equal to 10/h Mpc.

An Open-Source Galaxy Redshift Survey Simulator for next-generation Large Scale Structure Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seijak, Uros

Galaxy redshift surveys produce three-dimensional maps of the galaxy distribution. On large scales these maps trace the underlying matter fluctuations in a relatively simple manner, so that the properties of the primordial fluctuations along with the overall expansion history and growth of perturbations can be extracted. The BAO standard ruler method to measure the expansion history of the universe using galaxy redshift surveys is thought to be robust to observational artifacts and understood theoretically with high precision. These same surveys can offer a host of additional information, including a measurement of the growth rate of large scale structure through redshift space distortions, the possibility of measuring the sum of neutrino masses, tighter constraints on the expansion history through the Alcock-Paczynski effect, and constraints on the scale-dependence and non-Gaussianity of the primordial fluctuations. Extracting this broadband clustering information hinges on both our ability to minimize and subtract observational systematics to the observed galaxy power spectrum, and our ability to model the broadband behavior of the observed galaxy power spectrum with exquisite precision. Rapid development on both fronts is required to capitalize on WFIRST's data set. We propose to develop an open-source computational toolbox that will propel development in both areas by connecting large scale structure modeling and instrument and survey modeling with the statistical inference process. We will use the proposed simulator to both tailor perturbation theory and fully non-linear models of the broadband clustering of WFIRST galaxies and discover novel observables in the non-linear regime that are robust to observational systematics and able to distinguish between a wide range of spatial and dynamic biasing models for the WFIRST galaxy redshift survey sources. We have demonstrated the utility of this approach in a pilot study of the SDSS-III BOSS galaxies, in which we improved the redshift space distortion growth rate measurement precision by a factor of 2.5 using customized clustering statistics in the non-linear regime that were immunized against observational systematics. We look forward to addressing the unique challenges of modeling and empirically characterizing the WFIRST galaxies and observational systematics.

Searching for modified growth patterns with tomographic surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Gong-Bo; Pogosian, Levon; Silvestri, Alessandra; Zylberberg, Joel

2009-04-01

In alternative theories of gravity, designed to produce cosmic acceleration at the current epoch, the growth of large scale structure can be modified. We study the potential of upcoming and future tomographic surveys such as Dark Energy Survey (DES) and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), with the aid of cosmic microwave background (CMB) and supernovae data, to detect departures from the growth of cosmic structure expected within general relativity. We employ parametric forms to quantify the potential time- and scale-dependent variation of the effective gravitational constant and the differences between the two Newtonian potentials. We then apply the Fisher matrix technique to forecast the errors on the modified growth parameters from galaxy clustering, weak lensing, CMB, and their cross correlations across multiple photometric redshift bins. We find that even with conservative assumptions about the data, DES will produce nontrivial constraints on modified growth and that LSST will do significantly better.

The Green Bank Ammonia Survey of the Gould Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friesen, Rachel; Pineda, Jaime; GAS Team

2018-01-01

The past several years have seen a tremendous advancement in our ability to characterize the structure of nearby molecular clouds traced by large-scale continuum surveys. Critical, comparable data on the dense gas kinematics and temperatures are needed to understand the history and future fate of star-forming material. Filling this gap is the Green Bank Ammonia Survey (GAS), an ambitious legacy survey for the Green Bank Telescope to observe key molecular tracers of dense gas within all Gould Belt clouds visible from the northern hemisphere. I will present the latest science from GAS, whose goals are to 1) evaluate the stability of dense gas structures as a function of scale, 2) track the dissipation of turbulence and evolution of angular momentum in filaments and cores, and 3) quantitatively test predictions of models of core and filament formation via mass flows and accretion.

Validation of the Chinese expanded Euthanasia Attitude Scale.

PubMed

Chong, Alice Ming-Lin; Fok, Shiu-Yeu

2013-01-01

This article reports the validation of the Chinese version of an expanded 31-item Euthanasia Attitude Scale. A 4-stage validation process included a pilot survey of 119 college students and a randomized household survey with 618 adults in Hong Kong. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a 4-factor structure of the scale, which can therefore be used to examine attitudes toward general, active, passive, and non-voluntary euthanasia. The scale considers the role effect in decision-making about euthanasia requests and facilitates cross-cultural comparison of attitudes toward euthanasia. The new Chinese scale is more robust than its Western predecessors conceptually and measurement-wise.

Survey on large scale system control methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mercadal, Mathieu

1987-01-01

The problem inherent to large scale systems such as power network, communication network and economic or ecological systems were studied. The increase in size and flexibility of future spacecraft has put those dynamical systems into the category of large scale systems, and tools specific to the class of large systems are being sought to design control systems that can guarantee more stability and better performance. Among several survey papers, reference was found to a thorough investigation on decentralized control methods. Especially helpful was the classification made of the different existing approaches to deal with large scale systems. A very similar classification is used, even though the papers surveyed are somehow different from the ones reviewed in other papers. Special attention is brought to the applicability of the existing methods to controlling large mechanical systems like large space structures. Some recent developments are added to this survey.

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

Tessore, Nicolas; Metcalf, R. Benton; Winther, Hans A.

A number of alternatives to general relativity exhibit gravitational screening in the non-linear regime of structure formation. We describe a set of algorithms that can produce weak lensing maps of large scale structure in such theories and can be used to generate mock surveys for cosmological analysis. By analysing a few basic statistics we indicate how these alternatives can be distinguished from general relativity with future weak lensing surveys.

Uncovering Implicit Assumptions: A Large-Scale Study on Students' Mental Models of Diffusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stains, Marilyne; Sevian, Hannah

2015-01-01

Students' mental models of diffusion in a gas phase solution were studied through the use of the Structure and Motion of Matter (SAMM) survey. This survey permits identification of categories of ways students think about the structure of the gaseous solute and solvent, the origin of motion of gas particles, and trajectories of solute particles in…

The Psychometric Properties of the Invitational School Survey (ISS): An Australian Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Kenneth H.; Barnard, John

2004-01-01

This study provides psychometric data on the Inviting School Survey (Purkey & Fuller, 1995) using a rating scale analysis within the framework of the Rasch measurement philosophy (Bond & Fox, 2001; Rasch, 1980). The Inviting School Survey's factor structure and internal consistency are examined and compared with the Invitational Education…

Improving Survey Methods with Cognitive Interviews in Small- and Medium-Scale Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Katherine; Gannon-Slater, Nora; Culbertson, Michael J.

2012-01-01

Findings derived from self-reported, structured survey questionnaires are commonly used in evaluation and applied research to inform policy-making and program decisions. Although there are a variety of issues related to the quality of survey evidence (e.g., sampling precision), the validity of response processes--how respondents process thoughts…

The luminosity function for the CfA redshift survey slices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

De Lapparent, Valerie; Geller, Margaret J.; Huchra, John P.

1989-01-01

The luminosity function for two complete slices of the extension of the CfA redshift survey is calculated. The nonparametric technique of Lynden-Bell (1971) and Turner (1979) is used to determine the shape for the luminosity function of the 12 deg slice of the redshift survey. The amplitude of the luminosity function is determined, taking large-scale inhomogeneities into account. The effects of the Malmquist bias on a magnitude-limited redshift survey are examined, showing that the random errors in the magnitudes for the 12 deg slice affect both the determination of the luminosity function and the spatial density constrast of large scale structures.

The beaming of subhalo accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Libeskind, Noam I.

2016-10-01

We examine the infall pattern of subhaloes onto hosts in the context of the large-scale structure. We find that the infall pattern is essentially driven by the shear tensor of the ambient velocity field. Dark matter subhaloes are preferentially accreted along the principal axis of the shear tensor which corresponds to the direction of weakest collapse. We examine the dependence of this preferential infall on subhalo mass, host halo mass and redshift. Although strongest for the most massive hosts and the most massive subhaloes at high redshift, the preferential infall of subhaloes is effectively universal in the sense that its always aligned with the axis of weakest collapse of the velocity shear tensor. It is the same shear tensor that dictates the structure of the cosmic web and hence the shear field emerges as the key factor that governs the local anisotropic pattern of structure formation. Since the small (sub-Mpc) scale is strongly correlated with the mid-range (~ 10 Mpc) scale - a scale accessible by current surveys of peculiar velocities - it follows that findings presented here open a new window into the relation between the observed large scale structure unveiled by current surveys of peculiar velocities and the preferential infall direction of the Local Group. This may shed light on the unexpected alignments of dwarf galaxies seen in the Local Group.

Studying the Formation and Development of Molecular Clouds: With the CCAT Heterodyne Array Instrument (CHAI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldsmith, Paul F.

2012-01-01

Surveys of all different types provide basic data using different tracers. Molecular clouds have structure over a very wide range of scales. Thus, "high resolution" surveys and studies of selected nearby clouds add critical information. The combination of large-area and high resolution allows Increased spatial dynamic range, which in turn enables detection of new and perhaps critical morphology (e.g. filaments). Theoretical modeling has made major progress, and suggests that multiple forces are at work. Galactic-scale modeling also progressing - indicates that stellar feedback is required. Models must strive to reproduce observed cloud structure at all scales. Astrochemical observations are not unrelated to questions of cloud evolution and star formation but we are still learning how to use this capability.

Development and validation of a Housing First fidelity survey.

PubMed

Gilmer, Todd P; Stefancic, Ana; Sklar, Marisa; Tsemberis, Sam

2013-09-01

Programs that use the Housing First model are being implemented throughout the United States and internationally. The authors describe the development and validation of a Housing First fidelity survey. A 46-item survey was developed to measure fidelity across five domains: housing process and structure, separation of housing and services, service philosophy, service array, and team structure. The survey was administered to staff and clients of 93 supported-housing programs in California. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to identify the items and model structure that best fit the data. Sixteen items were retained in a two-factor model, one related to approach to housing, separation of housing and services, and service philosophy and one related to service array and team structure. Our survey mapped program practices by using a common metric that captured variation in fidelity to Housing First across a large-scale implementation of supported-housing programs.

Redshift Survey Strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, A. W.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Kaiser, N.

1994-12-01

In the first half of 1995, the Anglo-Australian Observatory is due to commission a wide field (2.1(deg) ), 400-fiber, double spectrograph system (2dF) at the f/3.3 prime focus of the AAT 3.9m bi-national facility. The instrument should be able to measure ~ 4000 galaxy redshifts (assuming a magnitude limit of b_J ~\\ 20) in a single dark night and is therefore ideally suited to studies of large-scale structure. We have carried out simple 3D numerical simulations to judge the relative merits of sparse surveys and contiguous surveys. We generate a survey volume and fill it randomly with particles according to a selection function which mimics a magnitude-limited survey at b_J = 19.7. Each of the particles is perturbed by a gaussian random field according to the dimensionless power spectrum k(3) P(k) / 2pi (2) determined by Feldman, Kaiser & Peacock (1994) from the IRAS QDOT survey. We introduce some redshift-space distortion as described by Kaiser (1987), a `thermal' component measured from pairwise velocities (Davis & Peebles 1983), and `fingers of god' due to rich clusters at random density enhancements. Our particular concern is to understand how the window function W(2(k)) of the survey geometry compromises the accuracy of statistical measures [e.g., P(k), xi (r), xi (r_sigma ,r_pi )] commonly used in the study of large-scale structure. We also examine the reliability of various tools (e.g. genus) for describing the topological structure within a contiguous region of the survey.

HACC: Simulating sky surveys on state-of-the-art supercomputing architectures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habib, Salman; Pope, Adrian; Finkel, Hal; Frontiere, Nicholas; Heitmann, Katrin; Daniel, David; Fasel, Patricia; Morozov, Vitali; Zagaris, George; Peterka, Tom; Vishwanath, Venkatram; Lukić, Zarija; Sehrish, Saba; Liao, Wei-keng

2016-01-01

Current and future surveys of large-scale cosmic structure are associated with a massive and complex datastream to study, characterize, and ultimately understand the physics behind the two major components of the 'Dark Universe', dark energy and dark matter. In addition, the surveys also probe primordial perturbations and carry out fundamental measurements, such as determining the sum of neutrino masses. Large-scale simulations of structure formation in the Universe play a critical role in the interpretation of the data and extraction of the physics of interest. Just as survey instruments continue to grow in size and complexity, so do the supercomputers that enable these simulations. Here we report on HACC (Hardware/Hybrid Accelerated Cosmology Code), a recently developed and evolving cosmology N-body code framework, designed to run efficiently on diverse computing architectures and to scale to millions of cores and beyond. HACC can run on all current supercomputer architectures and supports a variety of programming models and algorithms. It has been demonstrated at scale on Cell- and GPU-accelerated systems, standard multi-core node clusters, and Blue Gene systems. HACC's design allows for ease of portability, and at the same time, high levels of sustained performance on the fastest supercomputers available. We present a description of the design philosophy of HACC, the underlying algorithms and code structure, and outline implementation details for several specific architectures. We show selected accuracy and performance results from some of the largest high resolution cosmological simulations so far performed, including benchmarks evolving more than 3.6 trillion particles.

HACC: Simulating sky surveys on state-of-the-art supercomputing architectures

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

Habib, Salman; Pope, Adrian; Finkel, Hal

2016-01-01

Current and future surveys of large-scale cosmic structure are associated with a massive and complex datastream to study, characterize, and ultimately understand the physics behind the two major components of the ‘Dark Universe’, dark energy and dark matter. In addition, the surveys also probe primordial perturbations and carry out fundamental measurements, such as determining the sum of neutrino masses. Large-scale simulations of structure formation in the Universe play a critical role in the interpretation of the data and extraction of the physics of interest. Just as survey instruments continue to grow in size and complexity, so do the supercomputers thatmore » enable these simulations. Here we report on HACC (Hardware/Hybrid Accelerated Cosmology Code), a recently developed and evolving cosmology N-body code framework, designed to run efficiently on diverse computing architectures and to scale to millions of cores and beyond. HACC can run on all current supercomputer architectures and supports a variety of programming models and algorithms. It has been demonstrated at scale on Cell- and GPU-accelerated systems, standard multi-core node clusters, and Blue Gene systems. HACC’s design allows for ease of portability, and at the same time, high levels of sustained performance on the fastest supercomputers available. We present a description of the design philosophy of HACC, the underlying algorithms and code structure, and outline implementation details for several specific architectures. We show selected accuracy and performance results from some of the largest high resolution cosmological simulations so far performed, including benchmarks evolving more than 3.6 trillion particles.« less

Effect of Language of Interview on the Validity and Reliability of Psychological Well-Being Scales.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tran, Thanh V.; Williams, Leon F.

1994-01-01

Tested hypothesis that use of different languages in telephone survey could adversely affect cross-cultural comparability of standardized research measures. Of 2,299 persons surveyed in 1988 National Survey of Hispanic Elderly People, 86.6% were interviewed in Spanish and 13.4% were interviewed in English. Factor structure associated with positive…

Tools for understanding landscapes: combining large-scale surveys to characterize change. Chapter 9.

Treesearch

W. Keith Moser; Janine Bolliger; Don C. Bragg; Mark H. Hansen; Mark A. Hatfield; Timothy A. Nigh; Lisa A. Schulte

2008-01-01

All landscapes change continuously. Since change is perceived and interpreted through measures of scale, any quantitative analysis of landscapes must identify and describe the spatiotemporal mosaics shaped by large-scale structures and processes. This process is controlled by core influences, or "drivers," that shape the change and affect the outcome...

On Galactic Density Modeling in the Presence of Dust Extinction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bovy, Jo; Rix, Hans-Walter; Green, Gregory M.; Schlafly, Edward F.; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.

2016-02-01

Inferences about the spatial density or phase-space structure of stellar populations in the Milky Way require a precise determination of the effective survey volume. The volume observed by surveys such as Gaia or near-infrared spectroscopic surveys, which have good coverage of the Galactic midplane region, is highly complex because of the abundant small-scale structure in the three-dimensional interstellar dust extinction. We introduce a novel framework for analyzing the importance of small-scale structure in the extinction. This formalism demonstrates that the spatially complex effect of extinction on the selection function of a pencil-beam or contiguous sky survey is equivalent to a low-pass filtering of the extinction-affected selection function with the smooth density field. We find that the angular resolution of current 3D extinction maps is sufficient for analyzing Gaia sub-samples of millions of stars. However, the current distance resolution is inadequate and needs to be improved by an order of magnitude, especially in the inner Galaxy. We also present a practical and efficient method for properly taking the effect of extinction into account in analyses of Galactic structure through an effective selection function. We illustrate its use with the selection function of red-clump stars in APOGEE using and comparing a variety of current 3D extinction maps.

Factor Structure of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) among Emerging Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bessaha, Melissa L.

2017-01-01

Objective: Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the factor structure of the 6-item version of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). Methods: A subsample of emerging adults, aged 18-29 (n = 20,699), from the 2013 National Survey of Drug Use and Health were used in this study. Results: Each of the models (one-factor, two-factor…

Historical changes in Nebraska's lotic fish assemblages: Implications of anthropogenic alterations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Christopher D.; Fischer, Jesse R.; Quist, Michael C.

2014-01-01

The plains of midwestern North America have undergone significant anthropogenic alterations following European settlement with consequent effects to lotic fish assemblage structure. We examined trends in fish assemblage structure and function in Nebraska's lotic systems using site-specific, presence-absence data from historical (1939–1940) and contemporary surveys (2003–2005; n  =  183). Shifts in fish assemblage structure were characterized by declines of specialist species (e.g., western silvery minnow Hybognathus argyritis) and increases in nonnative, sport, and generalist species (e.g., common carp Cyprinus carpio). Our research illustrates differences between historical and contemporary surveys for both taxonomic and functional metrics. Changes in fish assemblage structure were correlated with a contemporary measure of anthropogenic alteration (Human Threat Index; HTI) and were most pronounced for large-scale threats (i.e., watershed HTI, overall HTI). The HTI is a composite index of cumulative anthropogenic alterations experienced by a stream system and was used to investigate broad-scale implications of anthropogenic activity on fish assemblage structure. Fish assemblages among sites were more similar in contemporary surveys than in historical surveys, such changes might indicate a homogenization of the fish assemblages. Losses of native species and increases in introduced species have occurred in Nebraska's lotic systems across a broad temporal span and shifts are likely related to high levels of human perturbation.

Structural Equation Modeling of School Violence Data: Methodological Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayer, Matthew J.

2004-01-01

Methodological challenges associated with structural equation modeling (SEM) and structured means modeling (SMM) in research on school violence and related topics in the social and behavioral sciences are examined. Problems associated with multiyear implementations of large-scale surveys are discussed. Complex sample designs, part of any…

Evaluating habitat associations of a fish assemblage at multiple spatial scales in a minimally disturbed stream using low-cost remote sensing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cheek, Brandon D.; Grabowski, Timothy B.; Bean, Preston T.; Groeschel, Jillian R.; Magnelia, Stephan J.

2016-01-01

Habitat heterogeneity at multiple scales is a major factor affecting fish assemblage structure. However, assessments that examine these relationships at multiple scales concurrently are lacking. The lack of assessments at these scales is a critical gap in understanding as conservation and restoration efforts typically work at these levels.A combination of low-cost side-scan sonar surveys, aerial imagery using an unmanned aerial vehicle, and fish collections were used to evaluate the relationship between physicochemical and landscape variables at various spatial scales (e.g. micro-mesohabitat, mesohabitat, channel unit, stream reach) and stream–fish assemblage structure and habitat associations in the South Llano River, a spring-fed second-order stream on the Edwards Plateau in central Texas during 2012–2013.Low-cost side-scan sonar surveys have not typically been used to generate data for riverscape assessments of assemblage structure, thus the secondary objective was to assess the efficacy of this approach.The finest spatial scale (micro-mesohabitat) and the intermediate scale (channel unit) had the greatest explanatory power for variation in fish assemblage structure.Many of the fish endemic to the Edwards Plateau showed similar associations with physicochemical and landscape variables suggesting that conservation and restoration actions targeting a single endemic species may provide benefits to a large proportion of the endemic species in this system.Low-cost side-scan sonar proved to be a cost-effective means of acquiring information on the habitat availability of the entire river length and allowed the assessment of how a full suite of riverscape-level variables influenced local fish assemblage structure.

Questionnaire Construction Manual. Annex: Literature Survey and Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyer, Robert; And Others

A literature review and bibliography on questionnaire construction are presented. The broad definition of questionnaire includes scales, structured interview forms, survey forms, and similar paper and pencil instruments used to elicit responses and collect information. A comprehensive literature search of journal articles, books, and reports in…

Artificial selection for structural color on butterfly wings and comparison with natural evolution.

PubMed

Wasik, Bethany R; Liew, Seng Fatt; Lilien, David A; Dinwiddie, April J; Noh, Heeso; Cao, Hui; Monteiro, Antónia

2014-08-19

Brilliant animal colors often are produced from light interacting with intricate nano-morphologies present in biological materials such as butterfly wing scales. Surveys across widely divergent butterfly species have identified multiple mechanisms of structural color production; however, little is known about how these colors evolved. Here, we examine how closely related species and populations of Bicyclus butterflies have evolved violet structural color from brown-pigmented ancestors with UV structural color. We used artificial selection on a laboratory model butterfly, B. anynana, to evolve violet scales from UV brown scales and compared the mechanism of violet color production with that of two other Bicyclus species, Bicyclus sambulos and Bicyclus medontias, which have evolved violet/blue scales independently via natural selection. The UV reflectance peak of B. anynana brown scales shifted to violet over six generations of artificial selection (i.e., in less than 1 y) as the result of an increase in the thickness of the lower lamina in ground scales. Similar scale structures and the same mechanism for producing violet/blue structural colors were found in the other Bicyclus species. This work shows that populations harbor large amounts of standing genetic variation that can lead to rapid evolution of scales' structural color via slight modifications to the scales' physical dimensions.

The Phenomenology of Small-Scale Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sreenivasan, K. R.; Antonia, R. A.

I have sometimes thought that what makes a man's work classic is often just this multiplicity [of interpretations], which invites and at the same time resists our craving for a clear understanding. Wright (1982, p. 34), on Wittgenstein's philosophy Small-scale turbulence has been an area of especially active research in the recent past, and several useful research directions have been pursued. Here, we selectively review this work. The emphasis is on scaling phenomenology and kinematics of small-scale structure. After providing a brief introduction to the classical notions of universality due to Kolmogorov and others, we survey the existing work on intermittency, refined similarity hypotheses, anomalous scaling exponents, derivative statistics, intermittency models, and the structure and kinematics of small-scale structure - the latter aspect coming largely from the direct numerical simulation of homogeneous turbulence in a periodic box.

FOREST unbiased Galactic plane imaging survey with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope (FUGIN). I. Project overview and initial results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umemoto, Tomofumi; Minamidani, Tetsuhiro; Kuno, Nario; Fujita, Shinji; Matsuo, Mitsuhiro; Nishimura, Atsushi; Torii, Kazufumi; Tosaki, Tomoka; Kohno, Mikito; Kuriki, Mika; Tsuda, Yuya; Hirota, Akihiko; Ohashi, Satoshi; Yamagishi, Mitsuyoshi; Handa, Toshihiro; Nakanishi, Hiroyuki; Omodaka, Toshihiro; Koide, Nagito; Matsumoto, Naoko; Onishi, Toshikazu; Tokuda, Kazuki; Seta, Masumichi; Kobayashi, Yukinori; Tachihara, Kengo; Sano, Hidetoshi; Hattori, Yusuke; Onodera, Sachiko; Oasa, Yumiko; Kamegai, Kazuhisa; Tsuboi, Masato; Sofue, Yoshiaki; Higuchi, Aya E.; Chibueze, James O.; Mizuno, Norikazu; Honma, Mareki; Muller, Erik; Inoue, Tsuyoshi; Morokuma-Matsui, Kana; Shinnaga, Hiroko; Ozawa, Takeaki; Takahashi, Ryo; Yoshiike, Satoshi; Costes, Jean; Kuwahara, Sho

2017-10-01

The FUGIN project is one of legacy projects using a new multi-beam FOREST (four-beam receiver system on the 45 m telescope). This project aims to simultaneously investigate the distribution, kinematics, and physical properties of both diffuse and dense molecular gases in the Galaxy by observing 12CO, 13CO, and C18O J = 1-0 lines simultaneously. Mapping regions are parts of the first quadrant (10° ≤ l ≤ 50°, |b| ≤ 1°) and the third quadrant (198° ≤ l ≤ 236°, |b| ≤ 1°) of the Galaxy, where spiral arms, bar structure, and the molecular gas ring are included. This survey achieves the highest angular resolution to date (˜20″) for the Galactic plane survey in the CO J = 1-0 lines, which makes it possible to find dense clumps located farther away than the previous surveys. FUGIN will provide us an invaluable dataset for investigating the physics of the Galactic interstellar medium (ISM), particularly the evolution of interstellar gas covering galactic-scale structures to the internal structures of giant molecular clouds, such as small filaments/clumps/cores. We present an overview of the FUGIN project, the observation plan and initial results. These results reveal wide-field and detailed structures of molecular clouds, such as entangled filaments that have not been obvious in previous surveys, and large-scale kinematics of molecular gas, such as spiral arms.

Large-Scale Structure Behind The Milky Way with ALFAZOA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez Barrantes, Monica; Henning, Patricia A.; Momjian, Emmanuel; McIntyre, Travis; Minchin, Robert F.

2018-06-01

The region of the sky behind the Milky Way (the Zone of Avoidance; ZOA) is not well studied due to high obscuration from gas and dust in our galaxy as well as stellar confusion, which results in low detection rate of galaxies in this region. Because of this, little is known about the distribution of galaxies in the ZOA, and other all sky redshift surveys have incomplete maps (e.g. the 2MASS Redshift survey in NIR has a gap of 5-8 deg around the Galactic plane). There is still controversy about the dipole anisotropy calculated from the comparison between the CMB and galaxy and redshift surveys, in part due to the incomplete sky mapping and redshift depth of these surveys. Fortunately, there is no ZOA at radio wavelengths because such wavelengths can pass unimpeded through dust and are not affected by stellar confusion. Therefore, we can detect and make a map of the distribution of obscured galaxies that contain the 21cm neutral hydrogen emission line, and trace the large-scale structure across the Galactic plane. The Arecibo L-Band Feed Array Zone of Avoidance (ALFAZOA) survey is a blind HI survey for galaxies behind the Milky Way that covers more than 1000 square degrees of the sky, conducted in two phases: shallow (completed) and deep (ongoing). We show the results of the finished shallow phase of the survey, which mapped a region between the galactic longitude l=30-75 deg, and latitude b <|10 deg|, and detected 418 galaxies to about 12,000 km/s, including galaxy properties and mapped large-scale structure. We do the same for new results from the deep phase, which is ongoing and covers 30 < l < 75 deg and b < |2| deg for the inner galaxy and 175 < l < 207 deg, with -2 < b < 1 for the outer galaxy.

Psychometric characteristics of a public-domain self-report measure of vocational interests: the Oregon Vocational Interest Scales.

PubMed

Pozzebon, Julie A; Visser, Beth A; Ashton, Michael C; Lee, Kibeom; Goldberg, Lewis R

2010-03-01

We investigated the psychometric properties of the Oregon Vocational Interest Scales (ORVIS), a brief public-domain alternative to commercial inventories, in a large community sample and in a college sample. In both samples, we examined the factor structure, scale intercorrelations, and personality correlates of the ORVIS, and in the community sample, we also examined the correlations of the ORVIS scales with cognitive abilities and with the scales of a longer, proprietary interest survey. In both samples, all 8 scales-Leadership, Organization, Altruism, Creativity, Analysis, Producing, Adventuring, and Erudition-showed wide variation in scores, high internal-consistency reliabilities, and a pattern of high convergent and low discriminant correlations with the scales of the proprietary interest survey. Overall, the results support the construct validity of the scales, which are recommended for use in research on vocational interests and other individual differences.

An empirically derived short form of the Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey II.

PubMed

Grabman, J; Vajda Bailey, K; Schmidt, K; Cariou, B; Vaur, L; Madani, S; Cox, D; Gonder-Frederick, L

2017-04-01

To develop an empirically derived short version of the Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey II that still accurately measures fear of hypoglycaemia. Item response theory methods were used to generate an 11-item version of the Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey from a sample of 487 people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Subsequently, this scale was tested on a sample of 2718 people with Type 1 or insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes taking part in DIALOG, a large observational prospective study of hypoglycaemia in France. The short form of the Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey II matched the factor structure of the long form for respondents with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, while maintaining adequate internal reliability on the total scale and all three subscales. The two forms were highly correlated on both the total scale and each subscale (Pearson's R > 0.89). The short form of the Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey II is an important first step in more efficiently measuring fear of hypoglycaemia. Future prospective studies are needed for further validity testing and exploring the survey's applicability to different populations. © 2016 Diabetes UK.

Fatal Attraction? Intraguild Facilitation and Suppression among Predators.

PubMed

Sivy, Kelly J; Pozzanghera, Casey B; Grace, James B; Prugh, Laura R

2017-11-01

Competition and suppression are recognized as dominant forces that structure predator communities. Facilitation via carrion provisioning, however, is a ubiquitous interaction among predators that could offset the strength of suppression. Understanding the relative importance of these positive and negative interactions is necessary to anticipate community-wide responses to apex predator declines and recoveries worldwide. Using state-sponsored wolf (Canis lupus) control in Alaska as a quasi experiment, we conducted snow track surveys of apex, meso-, and small predators to test for evidence of carnivore cascades (e.g., mesopredator release). We analyzed survey data using an integrative occupancy and structural equation modeling framework to quantify the strengths of hypothesized interaction pathways, and we evaluated fine-scale spatiotemporal responses of nonapex predators to wolf activity clusters identified from radio-collar data. Contrary to the carnivore cascade hypothesis, both meso- and small predator occupancy patterns indicated guild-wide, negative responses of nonapex predators to wolf abundance variations at the landscape scale. At the local scale, however, we observed a near guild-wide, positive response of nonapex predators to localized wolf activity. Local-scale association with apex predators due to scavenging could lead to landscape patterns of mesopredator suppression, suggesting a key link between occupancy patterns and the structure of predator communities at different spatial scales.

Fatal attraction? Intraguild facilitation and suppression among predators

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sivy, Kelly J.; Pozzanghera, Casey B.; Grace, James B.; Prugh, Laura R.

2017-01-01

Competition and suppression are recognized as dominant forces that structure predator communities. Facilitation via carrion provisioning, however, is a ubiquitous interaction among predators that could offset the strength of suppression. Understanding the relative importance of these positive and negative interactions is necessary to anticipate community-wide responses to apex predator declines and recoveries worldwide. Using state-sponsored wolf (Canis lupus) control in Alaska as a quasi experiment, we conducted snow track surveys of apex, meso-, and small predators to test for evidence of carnivore cascades (e.g., mesopredator release). We analyzed survey data using an integrative occupancy and structural equation modeling framework to quantify the strengths of hypothesized interaction pathways, and we evaluated fine-scale spatiotemporal responses of nonapex predators to wolf activity clusters identified from radio-collar data. Contrary to the carnivore cascade hypothesis, both meso- and small predator occupancy patterns indicated guild-wide, negative responses of nonapex predators to wolf abundance variations at the landscape scale. At the local scale, however, we observed a near guild-wide, positive response of nonapex predators to localized wolf activity. Local-scale association with apex predators due to scavenging could lead to landscape patterns of mesopredator suppression, suggesting a key link between occupancy patterns and the structure of predator communities at different spatial scales.

Measurement equivalence of the German Job Satisfaction Survey used in a multinational organization: implications of Schwartz's culture model.

PubMed

Liu, Cong; Borg, Ingwer; Spector, Paul E

2004-12-01

The authors tested measurement equivalence of the German Job Satisfaction Survey (GJSS) using structural equation modeling methodology. Employees from 18 countries and areas provided data on 5 job satisfaction facets. The effects of language and culture on measurement equivalence were examined. A cultural distance hypothesis, based on S. H. Schwartz's (1999) theory, was tested with 4 cultural groups: West Europe, English speaking, Latin America, and Far East. Findings indicated the robustness of the GJSS in terms of measurement equivalence across countries. The survey maintained high transportability across countries speaking the same language and countries sharing similar cultural backgrounds. Consistent with Schwartz's model, a cultural distance effect on scale transportability among scales used in maximally dissimilar cultures was detected. Scales used in the West Europe group showed greater equivalence to scales used in the English-speaking and Latin America groups than scales used in the Far East group. 2004 APA, all rights reserved

Multi-level structure in the large scale distribution of optically luminous galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Xin-fa; Deng, Zu-gan; Liu, Yong-zhen

1992-04-01

Fractal dimensions in the large scale distribution of galaxies have been calculated with the method given by Wen et al. [1] Samples are taken from CfA redshift survey in northern and southern galactic [2] hemisphere in our analysis respectively. Results from these two regions are compared with each other. There are significant differences between the distributions in these two regions. However, our analyses do show some common features of the distributions in these two regions. All subsamples show multi-level fractal character distinctly. Combining it with the results from analyses of samples given by IRAS galaxies and results from samples given by redshift survey in pencil-beam fields, [3,4] we suggest that multi-level fractal structure is most likely to be a general and important character in the large scale distribution of galaxies. The possible implications of this character are discussed.

Large-Scale Structure Studies with the REFLEX Cluster Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuecker, P.; Bohringer, H.; Guzzo, L.; Collins, C.; Neumann, D. M.; Schindler, S.; Voges, W.

1998-12-01

First preliminary results of the ROSAT ESO Flux-Limited X-Ray (REFLEX) Cluster Survey are described. The survey covers 13,924 square degrees of the southern hemisphere. The present sample consists of about 470 rich clusters (1/3 non Abell/ACO clusters) with X-ray fluxes S >= 3.0 times 10^{-12} erg s^{-1} cm^{-2} (0.1-2.4 keV) and redshifts z <= 0.3. In contrast to other low-redshift surveys, the cumulative flux-number counts have an almost Euclidean slope. Comoving cluster number densities are found to be almost redshift-independent throughout the total survey volume. The X-ray luminosity function is well described by a Schechter function. The power spectrum of the number density fluctuations could be measured on scales up to 400 h^{-1} Mpc. A deeper survey with about 800 galaxy clusters in the same area is in progress.

AzTEC Millimetre Survey of the COSMOS field - II. Source count overdensity and correlations with large-scale structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Austermann, J. E.; Aretxaga, I.; Hughes, D. H.; Kang, Y.; Kim, S.; Lowenthal, J. D.; Perera, T. A.; Sanders, D. B.; Scott, K. S.; Scoville, N.; Wilson, G. W.; Yun, M. S.

2009-03-01

We report an overdensity of bright submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) in the 0.15 deg2 AzTEC/COSMOS survey and a spatial correlation between the SMGs and the optical-IR galaxy density at z <~ 1.1. This portion of the COSMOS field shows a ~3σ overdensity of robust SMG detections when compared to a background, or `blank-field', population model that is consistent with SMG surveys of fields with no extragalactic bias. The SMG overdensity is most significant in the number of very bright detections (14 sources with measured fluxes S1.1mm > 6 mJy), which is entirely incompatible with sample variance within our adopted blank-field number densities and infers an overdensity significance of >> 4σ. We find that the overdensity and spatial correlation to optical-IR galaxy density are most consistent with lensing of a background SMG population by foreground mass structures along the line of sight, rather than physical association of the SMGs with the z <~ 1.1 galaxies/clusters. The SMG positions are only weakly correlated with weak-lensing maps, suggesting that the dominant sources of correlation are individual galaxies and the more tenuous structures in the survey region, and not the massive and compact clusters. These results highlight the important roles cosmic variance and large-scale structure can play in the study of SMGs.

ON GALACTIC DENSITY MODELING IN THE PRESENCE OF DUST EXTINCTION

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

Bovy, Jo; Rix, Hans-Walter; Schlafly, Edward F.

Inferences about the spatial density or phase-space structure of stellar populations in the Milky Way require a precise determination of the effective survey volume. The volume observed by surveys such as Gaia or near-infrared spectroscopic surveys, which have good coverage of the Galactic midplane region, is highly complex because of the abundant small-scale structure in the three-dimensional interstellar dust extinction. We introduce a novel framework for analyzing the importance of small-scale structure in the extinction. This formalism demonstrates that the spatially complex effect of extinction on the selection function of a pencil-beam or contiguous sky survey is equivalent to amore » low-pass filtering of the extinction-affected selection function with the smooth density field. We find that the angular resolution of current 3D extinction maps is sufficient for analyzing Gaia sub-samples of millions of stars. However, the current distance resolution is inadequate and needs to be improved by an order of magnitude, especially in the inner Galaxy. We also present a practical and efficient method for properly taking the effect of extinction into account in analyses of Galactic structure through an effective selection function. We illustrate its use with the selection function of red-clump stars in APOGEE using and comparing a variety of current 3D extinction maps.« less

Development of social capital scale from a national longitudinal survey and examination of its validity and reliability.

PubMed

Aiba, Miyuki; Tachikawa, Hirokazu; Nakamine, Shin; Takahashi, Sho; Noguchi, Haruko; Takahashi, Hideto; Tamiya, Nanako

2017-01-01

Objectives　Social capital consists of two subordinate concepts; first one is structural formal, structural informal, or cognitive and second one is bonding or bridging. This study was designed to develop a social capital scale using samples from a national longitudinal survey and evaluate the validity and test-retest reliability of the scale.Methods　Data were collected from a nationwide panel survey, the "Longitudinal Survey of Middle-aged and Elderly Persons." Individuals aged 50-59 years living in Japan were selected by stratified random sampling in the first wave conducted in 2005. The first (n=34,240) and second (n=32,285) sets of data were used for Phase 1, and the sixth (n=26,220) and seventh (n=25,321) sets of data were used for Phase 2. In regard to first subordinate concept, the occurrence of six selected social activities with "neighborhood association" and "NPOs, or Public Interest Corporations" were calculated as the structural formal index, and the occurrence of six selected social activities with "families or friends" and "colleagues" were calculated as the structural informal index. Moreover, satisfaction with social activities (community activities, support for the elderly, and others) was used as the cognitive index. In regard to second subordinate concept, the bonding index was calculated using "families or friends," "colleagues," and "neighborhood association;" the bridging index was calculated using "NPOs or Public Interest Corporations." The diagnoses of heart disease, stroke, and cancer (yes=1, no=0) and self-rated health (1 item, 6-point scale) were used as variables for determining validity.Results　We categorized social capital indices into subordinate concepts based on the construct of social capital defined by professional agreement to assess content validity. The results showed that this survey questionnaire was constructed using items that assessed all the subordinate concepts. Hierarchical Linear Modeling examined the relationship between social capital and health as assessed by diagnoses of physical disease and self-rated health to examine convergent validity, which indicated that all social capital indices had significant positive effects on self-rated health at an individual or group level. However, the diagnosis of a stroke was negatively influenced by cognitive and formal social capital indices at a group level, whereas heart disease and cancer were not significantly affected.　Multilevel correlation analyses of Phase 1 (the first and second) and Phase 2 (sixth and seventh) were conducted to assess test-retest reliability, which indicated correlation coefficients of 0.392 to 0.999.Conclusion　The findings of this study indicated the content validity of the scale that was developed from the national longitudinal survey. Moreover, results of Hierarchical Linear Modeling confirmed the partial convergent validity of the scale. Furthermore, multilevel correlation analyses demonstrated the adequate test-retest reliability of the scale at the group level.

Hypogeal geological survey in the "Grotta del Re Tiberio" natural cave (Apennines, Italy): a valid tool for reconstructing the structural setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghiselli, Alice; Merazzi, Marzio; Strini, Andrea; Margutti, Roberto; Mercuriali, Michele

2011-06-01

As karst systems are natural windows to the underground, speleology, combined with geological surveys, can be useful tools for helping understand the geological evolution of karst areas. In order to enhance the reconstruction of the structural setting in a gypsum karst area (Vena del Gesso, Romagna Apennines), a detailed analysis has been carried out on hypogeal data. Structural features (faults, fractures, tectonic foliations, bedding) have been mapped in the "Grotta del Re Tiberio" cave, in the nearby gypsum quarry tunnels and open pit benches. Five fracture systems and six fault systems have been identified. The fault systems have been further analyzed through stereographic projections and geometric-kinematic evaluations in order to reconstruct the relative chronology of these structures. This analysis led to the detection of two deformation phases. The results permitted linking of the hypogeal data with the surface data both at a local and regional scale. At the local scale, fracture data collected in the underground have been compared with previous authors' surface data coming from the quarry area. The two data sets show a very good correspondence, as every underground fracture system matches with one of the surface fracture system. Moreover, in the cave, a larger number of fractures belonging to each system could be mapped. At the regional scale, the two deformation phases detected can be integrated in the structural setting of the study area, thereby enhancing the tectonic interpretation of the area ( e.g., structures belonging to a new deformation phase, not reported before, have been identified underground). The structural detailed hypogeal survey has, thus, provided very useful data, both by integrating the existing information and revealing new data not detected at the surface. In particular, some small structures ( e.g., displacement markers and short fractures) are better preserved in the hypogeal environment than on the surface where the outcropping gypsum is more exposed to dissolution and recrystallization. The hypogeal geological survey, therefore, can be considered a powerful tool for integrating the surface and log data in order to enhance the reconstruction of the deformational history and to get a three-dimensional model of the bedrock in karst areas.

Psychometric Characteristics of a Public-Domain Self-Report Measure of Vocational Interests: The Oregon Vocational Interest Scales

PubMed Central

Pozzebon, Julie A.; Visser, Beth A.; Ashton, Michael C.; Lee, Kibeom; Goldberg, Lewis R.

2009-01-01

We investigated the psychometric properties of the Oregon Vocational Interest Scales (ORVIS), a brief public-domain alternative to commercial inventories, in a large community sample and in a college sample. In both samples, we examined the factor structure, scale intercorrelations, and personality correlates of the ORVIS, and in the community sample we also examined the correlations of the ORVIS scales with cognitive abilities and with the scales of a longer, proprietary interest survey. In both samples, all eight scales—Leadership, Organization, Altruism, Creativity, Analysis, Producing, Adventuring, and Erudition—showed wide variation in scores, high internal-consistency reliabilities, and a pattern of high convergent and low discriminant correlations with the scales of the proprietary interest survey. Overall, the results support the construct validity of the scales, which are recommended for use in research on vocational interests and other individual differences. PMID:20155566

Impact of large-scale tides on cosmological distortions via redshift-space power spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akitsu, Kazuyuki; Takada, Masahiro

2018-03-01

Although large-scale perturbations beyond a finite-volume survey region are not direct observables, these affect measurements of clustering statistics of small-scale (subsurvey) perturbations in large-scale structure, compared with the ensemble average, via the mode-coupling effect. In this paper we show that a large-scale tide induced by scalar perturbations causes apparent anisotropic distortions in the redshift-space power spectrum of galaxies in a way depending on an alignment between the tide, wave vector of small-scale modes and line-of-sight direction. Using the perturbation theory of structure formation, we derive a response function of the redshift-space power spectrum to large-scale tide. We then investigate the impact of large-scale tide on estimation of cosmological distances and the redshift-space distortion parameter via the measured redshift-space power spectrum for a hypothetical large-volume survey, based on the Fisher matrix formalism. To do this, we treat the large-scale tide as a signal, rather than an additional source of the statistical errors, and show that a degradation in the parameter is restored if we can employ the prior on the rms amplitude expected for the standard cold dark matter (CDM) model. We also discuss whether the large-scale tide can be constrained at an accuracy better than the CDM prediction, if the effects up to a larger wave number in the nonlinear regime can be included.

Multidimensional and Hierarchical Assessment of School Motivation: Cross-Cultural Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McInerney, Dennis M.; Ali, Jinnat

2006-01-01

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

Reexamining the Validity and Dimensionality of the Moorong Self-Efficacy Scale: Improving Its Clinical Utility.

PubMed

Middleton, James W; Tran, Yvonne; Lo, Charles; Craig, Ashley

2016-12-01

To improve the clinical utility of the Moorong Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES) by reexamining its factor structure and comparing its performance against a measure of general self-efficacy in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). Cross-sectional survey design. Community. Adults with SCI (N=161; 118 men and 43 women) recruited from Australia (n=82) and the United States (n=79), including 86 with paraplegia and 75 with tetraplegia. None. Confirmatory factor analysis deriving fit indices on reported 1-, 2-, and 3-factor structures for the MSES. Exploratory factor analysis of MSES using principal component analysis with promax oblique rotation and structure validation, with correlations and multiple regression using cross-sectional data from the Sherer General Self-Efficacy Scale and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). The MSES was confirmed to have a 3-factor structure, explaining 61% of variance. Two of the factors, labeled social function self-efficacy and personal function self-efficacy, were SCI condition-specific, whereas the other factor (accounting for 9.7% of variance) represented general self-efficacy, correlating most strongly with the Sherer General Self-Efficacy Scale. Correlations and multiple regression analyses between MSES factors, Sherer General Self-Efficacy Scale total score, SF-36 Physical and Mental Component Summary scores, and SF-36 domain scores support validity of this MSES factor structure. No significant cross-cultural differences existed between Australia and the United States in total MSES or factor scores. The findings support a 3-factor structure encompassing general and SCI domain-specific self-efficacy beliefs and better position the MSES to assist SCI rehabilitation assessment, planning, and research. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Statistical Measures of Large-Scale Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogeley, Michael; Geller, Margaret; Huchra, John; Park, Changbom; Gott, J. Richard

1993-12-01

\\inv Mpc} To quantify clustering in the large-scale distribution of galaxies and to test theories for the formation of structure in the universe, we apply statistical measures to the CfA Redshift Survey. This survey is complete to m_{B(0)}=15.5 over two contiguous regions which cover one-quarter of the sky and include ~ 11,000 galaxies. The salient features of these data are voids with diameter 30-50\\hmpc and coherent dense structures with a scale ~ 100\\hmpc. Comparison with N-body simulations rules out the ``standard" CDM model (Omega =1, b=1.5, sigma_8 =1) at the 99% confidence level because this model has insufficient power on scales lambda >30\\hmpc. An unbiased open universe CDM model (Omega h =0.2) and a biased CDM model with non-zero cosmological constant (Omega h =0.24, lambda_0 =0.6) match the observed power spectrum. The amplitude of the power spectrum depends on the luminosity of galaxies in the sample; bright (L>L(*) ) galaxies are more strongly clustered than faint galaxies. The paucity of bright galaxies in low-density regions may explain this dependence. To measure the topology of large-scale structure, we compute the genus of isodensity surfaces of the smoothed density field. On scales in the ``non-linear" regime, <= 10\\hmpc, the high- and low-density regions are multiply-connected over a broad range of density threshold, as in a filamentary net. On smoothing scales >10\\hmpc, the topology is consistent with statistics of a Gaussian random field. Simulations of CDM models fail to produce the observed coherence of structure on non-linear scales (>95% confidence level). The underdensity probability (the frequency of regions with density contrast delta rho //lineρ=-0.8) depends strongly on the luminosity of galaxies; underdense regions are significantly more common (>2sigma ) in bright (L>L(*) ) galaxy samples than in samples which include fainter galaxies.

Factor Structure and Interpretation of the K10

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Robert T.; Beard, John; Steel, Zachary

2006-01-01

The Kessler 10 Psychological Distress Scale (K10) is a brief 10-item questionnaire designed to measure the level of distress and severity associated with psychological symptoms in population surveys. It is being used widely, including in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Survey, and as a clinical outcome measure, although little…

Characterizing unknown systematics in large scale structure surveys

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

Agarwal, Nishant; Ho, Shirley; Myers, Adam D.

Photometric large scale structure (LSS) surveys probe the largest volumes in the Universe, but are inevitably limited by systematic uncertainties. Imperfect photometric calibration leads to biases in our measurements of the density fields of LSS tracers such as galaxies and quasars, and as a result in cosmological parameter estimation. Earlier studies have proposed using cross-correlations between different redshift slices or cross-correlations between different surveys to reduce the effects of such systematics. In this paper we develop a method to characterize unknown systematics. We demonstrate that while we do not have sufficient information to correct for unknown systematics in the data,more » we can obtain an estimate of their magnitude. We define a parameter to estimate contamination from unknown systematics using cross-correlations between different redshift slices and propose discarding bins in the angular power spectrum that lie outside a certain contamination tolerance level. We show that this method improves estimates of the bias using simulated data and further apply it to photometric luminous red galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey as a case study.« less

The Large-scale Structure of the Universe: Probes of Cosmology and Structure Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noh, Yookyung

The usefulness of large-scale structure as a probe of cosmology and structure formation is increasing as large deep surveys in multi-wavelength bands are becoming possible. The observational analysis of large-scale structure guided by large volume numerical simulations are beginning to offer us complementary information and crosschecks of cosmological parameters estimated from the anisotropies in Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation. Understanding structure formation and evolution and even galaxy formation history is also being aided by observations of different redshift snapshots of the Universe, using various tracers of large-scale structure. This dissertation work covers aspects of large-scale structure from the baryon acoustic oscillation scale, to that of large scale filaments and galaxy clusters. First, I discuss a large- scale structure use for high precision cosmology. I investigate the reconstruction of Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) peak within the context of Lagrangian perturbation theory, testing its validity in a large suite of cosmological volume N-body simulations. Then I consider galaxy clusters and the large scale filaments surrounding them in a high resolution N-body simulation. I investigate the geometrical properties of galaxy cluster neighborhoods, focusing on the filaments connected to clusters. Using mock observations of galaxy clusters, I explore the correlations of scatter in galaxy cluster mass estimates from multi-wavelength observations and different measurement techniques. I also examine the sources of the correlated scatter by considering the intrinsic and environmental properties of clusters.

SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey data release 12: Galaxy target selection and large-scale structure catalogues

DOE PAGES

Reid, Beth; Ho, Shirley; Padmanabhan, Nikhil; ...

2015-11-17

The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) III project, has provided the largest survey of galaxy redshifts available to date, in terms of both the number of galaxy redshifts measured by a single survey, and the effective cosmological volume covered. Key to analysing the clustering of these data to provide cosmological measurements is understanding the detailed properties of this sample. Potential issues include variations in the target catalogue caused by changes either in the targeting algorithm or properties of the data used, the pattern of spectroscopic observations, the spatial distribution of targets formore » which redshifts were not obtained, and variations in the target sky density due to observational systematics. We document here the target selection algorithms used to create the galaxy samples that comprise BOSS. We also present the algorithms used to create large-scale structure catalogues for the final Data Release (DR12) samples and the associated random catalogues that quantify the survey mask. The algorithms are an evolution of those used by the BOSS team to construct catalogues from earlier data, and have been designed to accurately quantify the galaxy sample. Furthermore, the code used, designated mksample, is released with this paper.« less

Artificial selection for structural color on butterfly wings and comparison with natural evolution

PubMed Central

Wasik, Bethany R.; Liew, Seng Fatt; Lilien, David A.; Dinwiddie, April J.; Noh, Heeso; Cao, Hui; Monteiro, Antónia

2014-01-01

Brilliant animal colors often are produced from light interacting with intricate nano-morphologies present in biological materials such as butterfly wing scales. Surveys across widely divergent butterfly species have identified multiple mechanisms of structural color production; however, little is known about how these colors evolved. Here, we examine how closely related species and populations of Bicyclus butterflies have evolved violet structural color from brown-pigmented ancestors with UV structural color. We used artificial selection on a laboratory model butterfly, B. anynana, to evolve violet scales from UV brown scales and compared the mechanism of violet color production with that of two other Bicyclus species, Bicyclus sambulos and Bicyclus medontias, which have evolved violet/blue scales independently via natural selection. The UV reflectance peak of B. anynana brown scales shifted to violet over six generations of artificial selection (i.e., in less than 1 y) as the result of an increase in the thickness of the lower lamina in ground scales. Similar scale structures and the same mechanism for producing violet/blue structural colors were found in the other Bicyclus species. This work shows that populations harbor large amounts of standing genetic variation that can lead to rapid evolution of scales’ structural color via slight modifications to the scales’ physical dimensions. PMID:25092295

The relationship between observational scale and explained variance in benthic communities

PubMed Central

Flood, Roger D.; Frisk, Michael G.; Garza, Corey D.; Lopez, Glenn R.; Maher, Nicole P.

2018-01-01

This study addresses the impact of spatial scale on explaining variance in benthic communities. In particular, the analysis estimated the fraction of community variation that occurred at a spatial scale smaller than the sampling interval (i.e., the geographic distance between samples). This estimate is important because it sets a limit on the amount of community variation that can be explained based on the spatial configuration of a study area and sampling design. Six benthic data sets were examined that consisted of faunal abundances, common environmental variables (water depth, grain size, and surficial percent cover), and sonar backscatter treated as a habitat proxy (categorical acoustic provinces). Redundancy analysis was coupled with spatial variograms generated by multiscale ordination to quantify the explained and residual variance at different spatial scales and within and between acoustic provinces. The amount of community variation below the sampling interval of the surveys (< 100 m) was estimated to be 36–59% of the total. Once adjusted for this small-scale variation, > 71% of the remaining variance was explained by the environmental and province variables. Furthermore, these variables effectively explained the spatial structure present in the infaunal community. Overall, no scale problems remained to compromise inferences, and unexplained infaunal community variation had no apparent spatial structure within the observational scale of the surveys (> 100 m), although small-scale gradients (< 100 m) below the observational scale may be present. PMID:29324746

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: The large-scale structure of the universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shandarin, S. F.; Doroshkevich, A. G.; Zel'dovich, Ya B.

1983-01-01

A survey is given of theories for the origin of large-scale structure in the universe: clusters and superclusters of galaxies, and vast black regions practically devoid of galaxies. Special attention is paid to the theory of a neutrino-dominated universe—a cosmology in which electron neutrinos with a rest mass of a few tens of electron volts would contribute the bulk of the mean density. The evolution of small perturbations is discussed, and estimates are made for the temperature anisotropy of the microwave background radiation on various angular scales. The nonlinear stage in the evolution of smooth irrotational perturbations in a lowpressure medium is described in detail. Numerical experiments simulating large-scale structure formation processes are discussed, as well as their interpretation in the context of catastrophe theory.

HORIZON RUN 3: TOPOLOGY AS A STANDARD RULER

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

Speare, Robert; Gott, J. Richard; Kim, Juhan

2015-02-01

We study the physically self-bound cold dark matter halo distribution, which we associate with the massive galaxies within Horizon Run 3, to estimate the accuracy of the determination of the cosmological distance scale measured by the topology analysis. We apply the routine '''Contour 3D''' to the 108 Mock Survey of π steradians out to redshift z = 0.6, which effectively corresponds to the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) survey, and compare the topology with that of a Gaussian random phase field. We find that given three separate smoothing lengths λ = 15, 21, and 34 h {sup –1} Mpc,more » the least χ{sup 2} fit genus per unit volume (g) yields a 1.7% fractional uncertainty in smoothing length and angular diameter distance to z = 0.6. This is an improvement on former calibrations and presents an error estimate competitive with baryon acoustic oscillation scale techniques. We also present three-dimensional graphics of the Horizon Run 3 spherical mock survey to show a wealth of large-scale structures of the universe that are expected for surveys like BOSS.« less

Precarious employment in Chile: psychometric properties of the Chilean version of Employment Precariousness Scale in private sector workers.

PubMed

Vives-Vergara, Alejandra; González-López, Francisca; Solar, Orielle; Bernales-Baksai, Pamela; González, María José; Benach, Joan

2017-04-20

The purpose of this study is to perform a psychometric analysis (acceptability, reliability and factor structure) of the Chilean version of the new Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES). The data is drawn from a sample of 4,248 private salaried workers with a formal contract from the first Chilean Employment Conditions, Work, Health and Quality of Life (ENETS) survey, applied to a nationally representative sample of the Chilean workforce in 2010. Item and scale-level statistics were performed to assess scaling properties, acceptability and reliability. The six-dimensional factor structure was examined with confirmatory factor analysis. The scale exhibited high acceptability (roughly 80%) and reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.83) and the factor structure was confirmed. One subscale (rights) demonstrated poorer metric properties without compromising the overall scale. The Chilean version of the Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES-Ch) demonstrated good metric properties, pointing to its suitability for use in epidemiologic and public health research.

SHELS: A complete galaxy redshift survey with R ≤ 20.6

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

Geller, Margaret J.; Hwang, Ho Seong; Fabricant, Daniel G.

2014-08-01

The SHELS (Smithsonian Hectospec Lensing Survey) is a complete redshift survey covering two well-separated fields (F1 and F2) of the Deep Lens Survey to a limiting R = 20.6. Here we describe the redshift survey of the F2 field (R.A.{sub 2000} = 09{sup h}19{sup m}32.4 and decl.{sub 2000} = +30°00'00''). The survey includes 16,294 new redshifts measured with the Hectospec on the MMT. The resulting survey of the 4 deg{sup 2} F2 field is 95% complete to R = 20.6, currently the densest survey to this magnitude limit. The median survey redshift is z = 0.3; the survey provides a viewmore » of structure in the range 0.1 ≲ z ≲ 0.6. An animation displays the large-scale structure in the survey region. We provide a redshift, spectral index D {sub n}4000, and stellar mass for each galaxy in the survey. We also provide a metallicity for each galaxy in the range 0.2« less

Measuring Emergent Organizational Properties: A Structural Equation Modeling Test of Self- versus Group-Referent Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goddard, Roger D.; LoGerfo, Laura F.

2007-01-01

This article presents a theoretical rationale and empirical evidence regarding the validity of scores obtained from two competing approaches to operationalizing scale items to measure emergent organizational properties. The authors consider whether items in scales intended to measure organizational properties should prompt survey takers to provide…

Geologic map and map database of parts of Marin, San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Sonoma counties, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blake, M.C.; Jones, D.L.; Graymer, R.W.; digital database by Soule, Adam

2000-01-01

This digital map database, compiled from previously published and unpublished data, and new mapping by the authors, represents the general distribution of bedrock and surficial deposits in the mapped area. Together with the accompanying text file (mageo.txt, mageo.pdf, or mageo.ps), it provides current information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The scale of the source maps limits the spatial resolution (scale) of the database to 1:62,500 or smaller general distribution of bedrock and surficial deposits in the mapped area. Together with the accompanying text file (mageo.txt, mageo.pdf, or mageo.ps), it provides current information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The scale of the source maps limits the spatial resolution (scale) of the database to 1:62,500 or smaller.

The Future of Stellar Populations Studies in the Milky Way and the Local Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majewski, Steven R.

2010-04-01

The last decade has seen enormous progress in understanding the structure of the Milky Way and neighboring galaxies via the production of large-scale digital surveys of the sky like 2MASS and SDSS, as well as specialized, counterpart imaging surveys of other Local Group systems. Apart from providing snaphots of galaxy structure, these “cartographic” surveys lend insights into the formation and evolution of galaxies when supplemented with additional data (e.g., spectroscopy, astrometry) and when referenced to theoretical models and simulations of galaxy evolution. These increasingly sophisticated simulations are making ever more specific predictions about the detailed chemistry and dynamics of stellar populations in galaxies. To fully exploit, test and constrain these theoretical ventures demands similar commitments of observational effort as has been plied into the previous imaging surveys to fill out other dimensions of parameter space with statistically significant intensity. Fortunately the future of large-scale stellar population studies is bright with a number of grand projects on the horizon that collectively will contribute a breathtaking volume of information on individual stars in Local Group galaxies. These projects include: (1) additional imaging surveys, such as Pan-STARRS, SkyMapper and LSST, which, apart from providing deep, multicolor imaging, yield time series data useful for revealing variable stars (including critical standard candles, like RR Lyrae variables) and creating large-scale, deep proper motion catalogs; (2) higher accuracy, space-based astrometric missions, such as Gaia and SIM-Lite, which stand to provide critical, high precision dynamical data on stars in the Milky Way and its satellites; and (3) large-scale spectroscopic surveys provided by RAVE, APOGEE, HERMES, LAMOST, and the Gaia spectrometer, which will yield not only enormous numbers of stellar radial velocities, but extremely comprehensive views of the chemistry of stellar populations. Meanwhile, previously dust-obscured regions of the Milky Way will continue to be systematically exposed via large infrared surveys underway or on the way, such as the various GLIMPSE surveys from Spitzer's IRAC instrument, UKIDSS, APOGEE, JASMINE and WISE.

Large Scale Structure Studies: Final Results from a Rich Cluster Redshift Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slinglend, K.; Batuski, D.; Haase, S.; Hill, J.

1995-12-01

The results from the COBE satellite show the existence of structure on scales on the order of 10% or more of the horizon scale of the universe. Rich clusters of galaxies from the Abell-ACO catalogs show evidence of structure on scales of 100 Mpc and hold the promise of confirming structure on the scale of the COBE result. Unfortunately, until now, redshift information has been unavailable for a large percentage of these clusters, so present knowledge of their three dimensional distribution has quite large uncertainties. Our approach in this effort has been to use the MX multifiber spectrometer on the Steward 2.3m to measure redshifts of at least ten galaxies in each of 88 Abell cluster fields with richness class R>= 1 and mag10 <= 16.8 (estimated z<= 0.12) and zero or one measured redshifts. This work has resulted in a deeper, 95% complete and more reliable sample of 3-D positions of rich clusters. The primary intent of this survey has been to constrain theoretical models for the formation of the structure we see in the universe today through 2-pt. spatial correlation function and other analyses of the large scale structures traced by these clusters. In addition, we have obtained enough redshifts per cluster to greatly improve the quality and size of the sample of reliable cluster velocity dispersions available for use in other studies of cluster properties. This new data has also allowed the construction of an updated and more reliable supercluster candidate catalog. Our efforts have resulted in effectively doubling the volume traced by these clusters. Presented here is the resulting 2-pt. spatial correlation function, as well as density plots and several other figures quantifying the large scale structure from this much deeper and complete sample. Also, with 10 or more redshifts in most of our cluster fields, we have investigated the extent of projection effects within the Abell catalog in an effort to quantify and understand how this may effect the Abell sample.

Surveying the meritocracy: the problems of intelligence and mobility in the studies of the Population Investigation Committee.

PubMed

Ramsden, Edmund

2014-09-01

The post-war era saw the emergence of large-scale and longitudinal social and medical surveys in Britain. That these surveys were both representative of an entire nation and could follow individuals throughout their lives, gave them a privileged position in relation to policy-making. This paper will focus on two closely interrelated surveys, both instigated by the Population Investigation Committee at London School of Economics-the National Survey of Health and Development, which began in 1946, and the Scottish Mental Survey of 1947. These surveys had a critical role in educational research and policy and, more specifically, in changing perspectives regarding the concept and measurement of intelligence. They were seen to privilege social and environmental factors as determinants of mental ability, and they shifted attention away from genetic factors and eugenic concerns. However, while the surveys were indeed powerful tools, their structure, the questions they asked, the methods they used and the choices made over the data to be tabulated, also determined what could be known. The paper will examine the growing criticism and debate over the large-scale survey. Many argued that smaller-scale studies were more effective in understanding the social and biological causes of intellectual differences, and better for identifying the benefits and dangers of using intelligence and merit as a means of organising society. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Surveying Galaxy Evolution in the Far-Infrared: A Far-Infrared All-Sky Survey Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benford, D. J.; Amato, M. J.; Dwek, E.; Freund, M. M.; Gardner, J. P.; Kashlinsky, A.; Leisawitz, D. T.; Mather, J. C.; Moseley, S. H.; Shafer, R. A.

2004-01-01

Half of the total luminosity in the Universe is emitted at rest wavelengths approximately 80-100 microns. At the highest known galaxy redshifts (z greater than or equal to 6) this energy is redshifted to approximately 600 microns. Quantifying the evolution of galaxies at these wavelengths is crucial to our understanding of the formation of structure in the Universe following the big bang. Surveying the whole sky will find the rare and unique objects, enabling follow-up observations. SIRCE, the Survey of Infrared Cosmic Evolution, is such a mission concept under study at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. A helium-cooled telescope with ultrasensitive detectors can image the whole sky to the confusion limit in 6 months. Multiple wavelength bands permit the extraction of photometric redshifts, while a large telescope yields a low confusion limit. We discuss the implications of such a survey for galaxy formation and evolution, large-scale structure, star formation, and the structure of interstellar dust.

An Exploration of the Effects of Skin Tone on African American Life Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breland, Alfiee M.; Collins, Wanda; Damico, Karen Lowenstein; Steward, Robbie; King, Jennifer

This study surveys African Americans to assess perceptions of and life experiences with the issue of skin tone. Thirty-seven African American adults agreed to complete a survey packet and participate in a semi-structured focus group discussion. Participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, the Skin…

The Medical School Learning Environment Survey: An Examination of Its Factor Structure and Relationship to Student Performance and Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rusticus, Shayna; Worthington, Anne; Wilson, Derek; Joughin, Karen

2014-01-01

The Medical School Learning Environment Survey (MSLES) was used with a sample of 311 undergraduate medical students in British Columbia, Canada, to assess the seven scales of Medical Breadth of Interest, Personal Breadth of Interest, Emotional Climate, Flexibility, Meaningful Learning Experience, Organization, Nurturance and Student-Student…

The Relationship of the Jenkins Activity Survey to Type A Behavior among Business Executives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Begley, Thomas M.; Boyd, David P.

1985-01-01

Examined the internal structure of the Jenkins Activity Survey. Results include identification of five factors, three of which are similar to factors identified in earlier studies, identification of a subset of items that show consistency across studies, and discovery that two scales are essentially the same in their defining items. (Author/BL)

Statistical Issues in Galaxy Cluster Cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mantz, Adam

2013-01-01

The number and growth of massive galaxy clusters are sensitive probes of cosmological structure formation. Surveys at various wavelengths can detect clusters to high redshift, but the fact that cluster mass is not directly observable complicates matters, requiring us to simultaneously constrain scaling relations of observable signals with mass. The problem can be cast as one of regression, in which the data set is truncated, the (cosmology-dependent) underlying population must be modeled, and strong, complex correlations between measurements often exist. Simulations of cosmological structure formation provide a robust prediction for the number of clusters in the Universe as a function of mass and redshift (the mass function), but they cannot reliably predict the observables used to detect clusters in sky surveys (e.g. X-ray luminosity). Consequently, observers must constrain observable-mass scaling relations using additional data, and use the scaling relation model in conjunction with the mass function to predict the number of clusters as a function of redshift and luminosity.

The effect of scale on the interpretation of geochemical anomalies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Theobald, P.K.; Eppinger, R.G.; Turner, R.L.; Shiquan, S.

1991-01-01

The purpose of geochemical surveys changes with scale. Regional surveys identify areas where mineral deposits are most likely to occur, whereas intermediate surveys identify and prioritize specific targets. At detailed scales specific deposit models may be applied and deposits delineated. The interpretation of regional geochemical surveys must take into account scale-dependent difference in the nature and objectives of this type of survey. Overinterpretation of regional data should be resisted, as should recommendations to restrict intermediate or detailed follow-up surveys to the search for specific deposit types or to a too limited suite of elements. Regional surveys identify metallogenic provinces within which a variety of deposit types and metals are most likely to be found. At intermediate scale, these regional provinces often dissipate into discrete clusters of anomalous areas. At detailed scale, individual anomalous areas reflect local conditions of mineralization and may seem unrelated to each other. Four examples from arid environments illustrate the dramatic change in patterns of anomalies between regional and more detailed surveys. On the Arabian Shield, a broad regional anomaly reflects the distribution of highly differentiated anorogenic granites. A particularly prominent part of the regional anomaly includes, in addition to the usual elements related to the granites, the assemblage of Mo, W and Sn. Initial interpretation suggested potential for granite-related, stockwork Mo deposits. Detailed work identified three separate sources for the anomaly: a metal-rich granite, a silicified and stockwork-veined area with scheelite and molybdenite, and scheelite/powellite concentrations in skarn deposits adjacent to a ring-dike complex. Regional geochemical, geophysical and remote-sensing data in the Sonoran Desert, Mexico, define a series of linear features interpreted to reflect fundamental, northeast-trending fractures in the crust that served as the prime conduits for mineralizing fluids. At a larger scale, the linear, northeast-trending anomalies can be shown to result from a series of discrete mineralized systems with different ages and mineral assemblages. The linear pattern of anomalies disintegrates. A regional geochemical survey in the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona displays a cluster of samples anomalous in Pb, Mo, Bi and W. In detail, the original regional anomaly separates into four discrete anomalous areas, each with its own distinctive suite of elements, geographic distribution and age of mineralization. A prominent regional gold anomaly in the Gobi Desert, Xinjiang, Peoples Republic of China, extends southeastward for 30 km from known lode gold deposits. Because the anomaly cuts both lithologic units and the structural grain, and because it parallels the prevailing direction of high-velocity winds, it was originally attributed to eolian dispersion. In detail, the regional anomaly consists of several east-west-trending anomalies, parallel to local lithology and structure that most likely reflect independent sources of lode gold. The regional anomaly results from smoothing of an en-echelon set of local anomalies. These examples emphasize that interpretation of regional anomalies must be tempered to consider regional-sized geologic features. Attempts to overinterpret anomalies by assigning deposit-scale attributes to regional anomalies can lead to confusion and incorrect interpretations. Potential targets that can be readily resolved only at intermediate or detailed scales of study may be overlooked. ?? 1991.

Ethical issues in palliative care for nursing homes: Development and testing of a survey instrument.

PubMed

Preshaw, Deborah Hl; McLaughlin, Dorry; Brazil, Kevin

2018-02-01

To develop and psychometrically assess a survey instrument identifying ethical issues during palliative care provision in nursing homes. Registered nurses and healthcare assistants have reported ethical issues in everyday palliative care provision. Identifying these issues provides evidence to inform practice development to support healthcare workers. Cross-sectional survey of Registered nurses and healthcare assistants in nursing homes in one region of the UK. A survey instrument, "Ethical issues in Palliative Care for Nursing homes", was developed through the findings of qualitative interviews with Registered nurses and healthcare assistants in nursing homes and a literature review. It was reviewed by an expert panel and piloted prior to implementation in a survey in 2015 with a convenience sample of 596 Registered nurses and healthcare assistants. Descriptive and exploratory factor analyses were used to assess the underlying structure of the Frequency and Distress Scales within the instrument. Analysis of 201 responses (response rate = 33.7%) revealed four factors for the Frequency Scale and five factors for the Distress Scale that comprise the Ethical issues in Palliative Care for Nursing homes. Factors common to both scales included "Processes of care," "Resident autonomy" and "Burdensome treatment." Additionally, the Frequency Scale included "Competency," and the Distress Scale included "Quality of care" and "Communication." The Ethical issues in Palliative Care for Nursing homes instrument has added to the palliative care knowledge base by considering the ethical issues experienced specifically by Registered nurses and healthcare assistants within the nursing home. This research offers preliminary evidence of the psychometric properties of the Ethical issues in Palliative Care for Nursing homes survey instrument. The two largest factors highlight the need to address the organisational aspects of caring and provide training in negotiating conflicting ethical principles. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

On the recovery of the local group motion from galaxy redshift surveys

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

Nusser, Adi; Davis, Marc; Branchini, Enzo, E-mail: adi@physics.technion.ac.il, E-mail: mdavis@berkeley.edu, E-mail: branchin@fis.uniroma3.it

2014-06-20

There is an ∼150 km s{sup –1} discrepancy between the measured motion of the Local Group (LG) of galaxies with respect to the cosmic microwave background and the linear theory prediction based on the gravitational force field of the large-scale structure in full-sky redshift surveys. We perform a variety of tests which show that the LG motion cannot be recovered to better than 150-200 km s{sup –1} in amplitude and within ≈10° in direction. The tests rely on catalogs of mock galaxies identified in the Millennium simulation using semi-analytic galaxy formation models. We compare these results to the K{sub s}more » = 11.75 Two-Mass Galaxy Redshift Survey, which provides the deepest and most complete all-sky spatial distribution of galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts available thus far. In our analysis, we use a new concise relation for deriving the LG motion and bulk flow from the true distribution of galaxies in redshift space. Our results show that the main source of uncertainty is the small effective depth of surveys like the Two-Mass Redshift Survey (2MRS), which prevents a proper sampling of the large-scale structure beyond ∼100 h {sup –1} Mpc. Deeper redshift surveys are needed to reach the 'convergence scale' of ≈250 h {sup –1} Mpc in a ΛCDM universe. Deeper surveys would also mitigate the impact of the 'Kaiser rocket' which, in a survey like 2MRS, remains a significant source of uncertainty. Thanks to the quiet and moderate density environment of the LG, purely dynamical uncertainties of the linear predictions are subdominant at the level of ∼90 km s{sup –1}. Finally, we show that deviations from linear galaxy biasing and shot noise errors provide a minor contribution to the total error budget.« less

Measuring Bystander Attitudes and Behavior to Prevent Sexual Violence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMahon, Sarah; Allen, Christopher T.; Postmus, Judy L.; McMahon, Sheila M.; Peterson, N. Andrew; Lowe Hoffman, Melanie

2014-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study is to further investigate the factor structure and strength of the Bystander Attitude Scale-Revised and Bystander Behavior Scale-Revised (BAS-R and BBS-R). Participants: First-year students (N = 4,054) at a large public university in the Northeast completed a survey in 2010 as part of a larger longitudinal…

Validation of the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Scale with American College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gong, Xiaopeng; Paulson, Sharon E.

2018-01-01

The current study examined the factor structure of the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence (SSREI) scale with an American college sample (n = 404, 322 females, 88.9% Whites). Data were collected through an online survey, and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test several proposed factor models from previous studies. The results…

Galaxy two-point covariance matrix estimation for next generation surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howlett, Cullan; Percival, Will J.

2017-12-01

We perform a detailed analysis of the covariance matrix of the spherically averaged galaxy power spectrum and present a new, practical method for estimating this within an arbitrary survey without the need for running mock galaxy simulations that cover the full survey volume. The method uses theoretical arguments to modify the covariance matrix measured from a set of small-volume cubic galaxy simulations, which are computationally cheap to produce compared to larger simulations and match the measured small-scale galaxy clustering more accurately than is possible using theoretical modelling. We include prescriptions to analytically account for the window function of the survey, which convolves the measured covariance matrix in a non-trivial way. We also present a new method to include the effects of super-sample covariance and modes outside the small simulation volume which requires no additional simulations and still allows us to scale the covariance matrix. As validation, we compare the covariance matrix estimated using our new method to that from a brute-force calculation using 500 simulations originally created for analysis of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Main Galaxy Sample. We find excellent agreement on all scales of interest for large-scale structure analysis, including those dominated by the effects of the survey window, and on scales where theoretical models of the clustering normally break down, but the new method produces a covariance matrix with significantly better signal-to-noise ratio. Although only formally correct in real space, we also discuss how our method can be extended to incorporate the effects of redshift space distortions.

Nonparametric Multiple Imputation for Questionnaires with Individual Skip Patterns and Constraints: The Case of Income Imputation in The National Educational Panel Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aßmann, Christian; Würbach, Ariane; Goßmann, Solange; Geissler, Ferdinand; Bela, Anika

2017-01-01

Large-scale surveys typically exhibit data structures characterized by rich mutual dependencies between surveyed variables and individual-specific skip patterns. Despite high efforts in fieldwork and questionnaire design, missing values inevitably occur. One approach for handling missing values is to provide multiply imputed data sets, thus…

The SAAS-R: A New Instrument to Assess the School Attitudes of Students with High and Low Academic Achievement in Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miñano Pérez, Pablo; Costa, Juan Luis Castejón; Corbi, Raquel Gilar; Iniesta, Alejandro Veas

2017-01-01

We examined the psychometric properties of the School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised in a Spanish population (n = 1,398). Confirmatory factor analysis procedures supported the instrument's five-factor structure. The results of discriminant analysis demonstrated the predictive power of the School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised scales as…

New Probe of Departures from General Relativity Using Minkowski Functionals.

PubMed

Fang, Wenjuan; Li, Baojiu; Zhao, Gong-Bo

2017-05-05

The morphological properties of the large scale structure of the Universe can be fully described by four Minkowski functionals (MFs), which provide important complementary information to other statistical observables such as the widely used 2-point statistics in configuration and Fourier spaces. In this work, for the first time, we present the differences in the morphology of the large scale structure caused by modifications to general relativity (to address the cosmic acceleration problem), by measuring the MFs from N-body simulations of modified gravity and general relativity. We find strong statistical power when using the MFs to constrain modified theories of gravity: with a galaxy survey that has survey volume ∼0.125(h^{-1}  Gpc)^{3} and galaxy number density ∼1/(h^{-1}  Mpc)^{3}, the two normal-branch Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati models and the F5 f(R) model that we simulated can be discriminated from the ΛCDM model at a significance level ≳5σ with an individual MF measurement. Therefore, the MF of the large scale structure is potentially a powerful probe of gravity, and its application to real data deserves active exploration.

Characteristics of the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami and introduction of two level tsunamis for tsunami disaster mitigation

PubMed Central

SATO, Shinji

2015-01-01

Characteristics of the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami have been revealed by collaborative tsunami surveys extensively performed under the coordination of the Joint Tsunami Survey Group. The complex behaviors of the mega-tsunami were characterized by the unprecedented scale and the low occurrence frequency. The limitation and the performance of tsunami countermeasures were described on the basis of tsunami surveys, laboratory experiments and numerical analyses. These findings contributed to the introduction of two-level tsunami hazards to establish a new strategy for tsunami disaster mitigation, combining structure-based flood protection designed by the Level-1 tsunami and non-structure-based damage reduction planned by the Level-2 tsunami. PMID:26062739

Characteristics of the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami and introduction of two level tsunamis for tsunami disaster mitigation.

PubMed

Sato, Shinji

2015-01-01

Characteristics of the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami have been revealed by collaborative tsunami surveys extensively performed under the coordination of the Joint Tsunami Survey Group. The complex behaviors of the mega-tsunami were characterized by the unprecedented scale and the low occurrence frequency. The limitation and the performance of tsunami countermeasures were described on the basis of tsunami surveys, laboratory experiments and numerical analyses. These findings contributed to the introduction of two-level tsunami hazards to establish a new strategy for tsunami disaster mitigation, combining structure-based flood protection designed by the Level-1 tsunami and non-structure-based damage reduction planned by the Level-2 tsunami.

Bayesian analysis of the dynamic cosmic web in the SDSS galaxy survey

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

Leclercq, Florent; Wandelt, Benjamin; Jasche, Jens, E-mail: florent.leclercq@polytechnique.org, E-mail: jasche@iap.fr, E-mail: wandelt@iap.fr

Recent application of the Bayesian algorithm \\textsc(borg) to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) main sample galaxies resulted in the physical inference of the formation history of the observed large-scale structure from its origin to the present epoch. In this work, we use these inferences as inputs for a detailed probabilistic cosmic web-type analysis. To do so, we generate a large set of data-constrained realizations of the large-scale structure using a fast, fully non-linear gravitational model. We then perform a dynamic classification of the cosmic web into four distinct components (voids, sheets, filaments, and clusters) on the basis of themore » tidal field. Our inference framework automatically and self-consistently propagates typical observational uncertainties to web-type classification. As a result, this study produces accurate cosmographic classification of large-scale structure elements in the SDSS volume. By also providing the history of these structure maps, the approach allows an analysis of the origin and growth of the early traces of the cosmic web present in the initial density field and of the evolution of global quantities such as the volume and mass filling fractions of different structures. For the problem of web-type classification, the results described in this work constitute the first connection between theory and observations at non-linear scales including a physical model of structure formation and the demonstrated capability of uncertainty quantification. A connection between cosmology and information theory using real data also naturally emerges from our probabilistic approach. Our results constitute quantitative chrono-cosmography of the complex web-like patterns underlying the observed galaxy distribution.« less

An exploration of the structure of mentors' behavior in nursing education using exploratory factor analysis and Mokken scale analysis.

PubMed

Chen, Yanhua; Watson, Roger; Hilton, Andrea

2016-05-01

To understand nursing students' expectation from their mentors and assess mentors' performance, a scale of mentors' behavior was developed based on literature review and focus group in China. This study aims to explore the structure of mentors' behavior. A cross-sectional survey. Data were collected from nursing students in three hospitals in southwest China in 2014. A total of 669 pre-registered nursing students in their final year clinical learning participated in this study. Exploratory factor analysis and Mokken scale analysis was employed to explore the structure and hierarchical property of mentors' behavior. Three dimensions (professional development, facilitating learning and psychosocial support) were identified by factor analysis and confirmed by Mokken scaling analysis. The three sub-scales showed internal consistency reliability from 87% to 91%, and moderate to strong precision in ordering students' expectation about mentors' behavior and a small Mokken scale showing hierarchy was identified. Some insight into the structure of mentoring in nursing education has been obtained and a scale which could be used in the study of mentoring and in the preparation of mentors has been developed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nitrogen availability alters macrofungal basidiomycete Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. community structure in optimally fertilized loblolly pine forests

Treesearch

Ivan P. Edwards; Jennifer L. Cripliver; Andrew R. Gillespie; Kurt H. Johnsen; M. Scholler; Ronald F. Turco

2004-01-01

We investigated the effect of an optimal nutrition strategy designed to maximize loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) growth on the rank abundance structure and diversity of associated basidiomycete communities.We conducted both small- and large-scale below-ground surveys 10 years after the initiation of optimal...

Ocean acoustic reverberation tomography.

PubMed

Dunn, Robert A

2015-12-01

Seismic wide-angle imaging using ship-towed acoustic sources and networks of ocean bottom seismographs is a common technique for exploring earth structure beneath the oceans. In these studies, the recorded data are dominated by acoustic waves propagating as reverberations in the water column. For surveys with a small receiver spacing (e.g., <10 km), the acoustic wave field densely samples properties of the water column over the width of the receiver array. A method, referred to as ocean acoustic reverberation tomography, is developed that uses the travel times of direct and reflected waves to image ocean acoustic structure. Reverberation tomography offers an alternative approach for determining the structure of the oceans and advancing the understanding of ocean heat content and mixing processes. The technique has the potential for revealing small-scale ocean thermal structure over the entire vertical height of the water column and along long survey profiles or across three-dimensional volumes of the ocean. For realistic experimental geometries and data noise levels, the method can produce images of ocean sound speed on a smaller scale than traditional acoustic tomography.

Present and Future Redshift Surveys: ORS, DOGS and 2dF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahav, O.

Three galaxy redshifts surveys and their analyses are discussed. (i) The recently completed Optical Redshift Survey (ORS) includes galaxies larger than 1.9 arcmin and/or brighter than $14.5^m$. It provides redshifts for $\\sim 8300 $ galaxies at Galactic latitude $|b|>20^o$. A new analysis of the survey explores the existence and extent of the Supergalactic Plane (SGP). Its orientation is found to be in good agreement with the standard SGP coordinates, and suggests that the SGP is at least as large as the survey (16000 km/sec in diameter). (ii) The Dwingeloo Obscured Galaxy Survey is aimed at finding galaxies hidden behind the Milky-Way using a blind search in 21 cm. The discovery of Dwingeloo1 illustrates that the survey will allow us to systematically survey the region $30^o < l < 200^o$ out to 4000 km/sec. (iii) The Anglo-Australian 2-degree-Field (2dF) survey will yield 250,000 redshifts for APM-selected galaxies brighter than $19.5^m$ to map the large scale structure on scales larger than $\\sim 30 \\Mpc$. To study morphological segregation and biasing the spectra will be classified using Artificial Neural Networks.

The Center for Astrophysics Redshift Survey - Recent results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geller, Margaret J.; Huchra, John P.

1989-01-01

Six strips of the CfA redshift survey extension are now complete. The data continue to support a picture in which galaxies are on thin sheets which nearly surround vast low-density voids. The largest structures are comparable with the extent of the survey. Voids like the one in Bootes are a common feature of the large-scale distribution of galaxies. The issue of fair samples of the galaxy distribution is discussed, examining statistical measures of the galaxy distribution including the two-point correlation functions.

A topological analysis of large-scale structure, studied using the CMASS sample of SDSS-III

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

Parihar, Prachi; Gott, J. Richard III; Vogeley, Michael S.

2014-12-01

We study the three-dimensional genus topology of large-scale structure using the northern region of the CMASS Data Release 10 (DR10) sample of the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. We select galaxies with redshift 0.452 < z < 0.625 and with a stellar mass M {sub stellar} > 10{sup 11.56} M {sub ☉}. We study the topology at two smoothing lengths: R {sub G} = 21 h {sup –1} Mpc and R {sub G} = 34 h {sup –1} Mpc. The genus topology studied at the R {sub G} = 21 h {sup –1} Mpc scale results in the highest genusmore » amplitude observed to date. The CMASS sample yields a genus curve that is characteristic of one produced by Gaussian random phase initial conditions. The data thus support the standard model of inflation where random quantum fluctuations in the early universe produced Gaussian random phase initial conditions. Modest deviations in the observed genus from random phase are as expected from shot noise effects and the nonlinear evolution of structure. We suggest the use of a fitting formula motivated by perturbation theory to characterize the shift and asymmetries in the observed genus curve with a single parameter. We construct 54 mock SDSS CMASS surveys along the past light cone from the Horizon Run 3 (HR3) N-body simulations, where gravitationally bound dark matter subhalos are identified as the sites of galaxy formation. We study the genus topology of the HR3 mock surveys with the same geometry and sampling density as the observational sample and find the observed genus topology to be consistent with ΛCDM as simulated by the HR3 mock samples. We conclude that the topology of the large-scale structure in the SDSS CMASS sample is consistent with cosmological models having primordial Gaussian density fluctuations growing in accordance with general relativity to form galaxies in massive dark matter halos.« less

Inverse Problems in Complex Models and Applications to Earth Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosch, M. E.

2015-12-01

The inference of the subsurface earth structure and properties requires the integration of different types of data, information and knowledge, by combined processes of analysis and synthesis. To support the process of integrating information, the regular concept of data inversion is evolving to expand its application to models with multiple inner components (properties, scales, structural parameters) that explain multiple data (geophysical survey data, well-logs, core data). The probabilistic inference methods provide the natural framework for the formulation of these problems, considering a posterior probability density function (PDF) that combines the information from a prior information PDF and the new sets of observations. To formulate the posterior PDF in the context of multiple datasets, the data likelihood functions are factorized assuming independence of uncertainties for data originating across different surveys. A realistic description of the earth medium requires modeling several properties and structural parameters, which relate to each other according to dependency and independency notions. Thus, conditional probabilities across model components also factorize. A common setting proceeds by structuring the model parameter space in hierarchical layers. A primary layer (e.g. lithology) conditions a secondary layer (e.g. physical medium properties), which conditions a third layer (e.g. geophysical data). In general, less structured relations within model components and data emerge from the analysis of other inverse problems. They can be described with flexibility via direct acyclic graphs, which are graphs that map dependency relations between the model components. Examples of inverse problems in complex models can be shown at various scales. At local scale, for example, the distribution of gas saturation is inferred from pre-stack seismic data and a calibrated rock-physics model. At regional scale, joint inversion of gravity and magnetic data is applied for the estimation of lithological structure of the crust, with the lithotype body regions conditioning the mass density and magnetic susceptibility fields. At planetary scale, the Earth mantle temperature and element composition is inferred from seismic travel-time and geodetic data.

The Origin of Clusters and Large-Scale Structures: Panoramic View of the High-z Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouchi, Masami

We will report results of our on-going survey for proto-clusters and large-scale structures at z=3-6. We carried out very wide and deep optical imaging down to i=27 for a 1 deg^2 field of the Subaru/XMM Deep Field with 8.2m Subaru Telescope. We obtain maps of the Universe traced by ~1,000 Ly-a galaxies at z=3, 4, and 6 and by ~10,000 Lyman break galaxies at z=3-6. These cosmic maps have a transverse dimension of ~150 Mpc x 150 Mpc in comoving units at these redshifts, and provide us, for the first time, a panoramic view of the high-z Universe from the scales of galaxies, clusters to large-scale structures. Major results and implications will be presented in our talk. (Part of this work is subject to press embargo.)

The large-scale environment from cosmological simulations - I. The baryonic cosmic web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Weiguang; Knebe, Alexander; Yepes, Gustavo; Yang, Xiaohu; Borgani, Stefano; Kang, Xi; Power, Chris; Staveley-Smith, Lister

2018-01-01

Using a series of cosmological simulations that includes one dark-matter-only (DM-only) run, one gas cooling-star formation-supernova feedback (CSF) run and one that additionally includes feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we classify the large-scale structures with both a velocity-shear-tensor code (VWEB) and a tidal-tensor code (PWEB). We find that the baryonic processes have almost no impact on large-scale structures - at least not when classified using aforementioned techniques. More importantly, our results confirm that the gas component alone can be used to infer the filamentary structure of the universe practically un-biased, which could be applied to cosmology constraints. In addition, the gas filaments are classified with its velocity (VWEB) and density (PWEB) fields, which can theoretically connect to the radio observations, such as H I surveys. This will help us to bias-freely link the radio observations with dark matter distributions at large scale.

MEASURING LENSING MAGNIFICATION OF QUASARS BY LARGE SCALE STRUCTURE USING THE VARIABILITY-LUMINOSITY RELATION

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

Bauer, Anne H.; Seitz, Stella; Jerke, Jonathan

2011-05-10

We introduce a technique to measure gravitational lensing magnification using the variability of type I quasars. Quasars' variability amplitudes and luminosities are tightly correlated, on average. Magnification due to gravitational lensing increases the quasars' apparent luminosity, while leaving the variability amplitude unchanged. Therefore, the mean magnification of an ensemble of quasars can be measured through the mean shift in the variability-luminosity relation. As a proof of principle, we use this technique to measure the magnification of quasars spectroscopically identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), due to gravitational lensing by galaxy clusters in the SDSS MaxBCG catalog. The Palomar-QUESTmore » Variability Survey, reduced using the DeepSky pipeline, provides variability data for the sources. We measure the average quasar magnification as a function of scaled distance (r/R{sub 200}) from the nearest cluster; our measurements are consistent with expectations assuming Navarro-Frenk-White cluster profiles, particularly after accounting for the known uncertainty in the clusters' centers. Variability-based lensing measurements are a valuable complement to shape-based techniques because their systematic errors are very different, and also because the variability measurements are amenable to photometric errors of a few percent and to depths seen in current wide-field surveys. Given the volume data of the expected from current and upcoming surveys, this new technique has the potential to be competitive with weak lensing shear measurements of large-scale structure.« less

Genome-wide survey of single-nucleotide polymorphisms reveals fine-scale population structure and signs of selection in the threatened Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The advent of next-generation sequencing tools has made it possible to conduct fine-scale surveys of population differentiation and genome-wide scans for signatures of selection in non-model organisms. Such surveys are of particular importance in sharply declining coral species, since knowledge of population boundaries and signs of local adaptation can inform restoration and conservation efforts. Here, we use genome-wide surveys of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the threatened Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, to reveal fine-scale population structure and infer the major barrier to gene flow that separates the eastern and western Caribbean populations between the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. The exact location of this break had been subject to discussion because two previous studies based on microsatellite data had come to differing conclusions. We investigate this contradiction by analyzing an extended set of 11 microsatellite markers including the five previously employed and discovered that one of the original microsatellite loci is apparently under selection. Exclusion of this locus reconciles the results from the SNP and the microsatellite datasets. Scans for outlier loci in the SNP data detected 13 candidate loci under positive selection, however there was no correlation between available environmental parameters and genetic distance. Together, these results suggest that reef restoration efforts should use local sources and utilize existing functional variation among geographic regions in ex situ crossing experiments to improve stress resistance of this species. PMID:29181279

Multi-scale, Hierarchically Nested Young Stellar Structures in LEGUS Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thilker, David A.; LEGUS Team

2017-01-01

The study of star formation in galaxies has predominantly been limited to either young stellar clusters and HII regions, or much larger kpc-scale morphological features such as spiral arms. The HST Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey (LEGUS) provides a rare opportunity to link these scales in a diverse sample of nearby galaxies and obtain a more comprehensive understanding of their co-evolution for comparison against model predictions. We have utilized LEGUS stellar photometry to identify young, resolved stellar populations belonging to several age bins and then defined nested hierarchical structures as traced by these subsamples of stars. Analagous hierarchical structures were also defined using LEGUS catalogs of unresolved young stellar clusters. We will present our emerging results concerning the physical properties (e.g. area, star counts, stellar mass, star formation rate, ISM characteristics), occupancy statistics (e.g. clusters per substructure versus age and scale, parent/child demographics) and relation to overall galaxy morphology/mass for these building blocks of hierarchical star-forming structure.

Topology Analysis of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. Scale and Luminosity Dependence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Changbom; Choi, Yun-Young; Vogeley, Michael S.; Gott, J. Richard, III; Kim, Juhan; Hikage, Chiaki; Matsubara, Takahiko; Park, Myeong-Gu; Suto, Yasushi; Weinberg, David H.; SDSS Collaboration

2005-11-01

We measure the topology of volume-limited galaxy samples selected from a parent sample of 314,050 galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), which is now complete enough to describe the fully three-dimensional topology and its dependence on galaxy properties. We compare the observed genus statistic G(νf) to predictions for a Gaussian random field and to the genus measured for mock surveys constructed from new large-volume simulations of the ΛCDM cosmology. In this analysis we carefully examine the dependence of the observed genus statistic on the Gaussian smoothing scale RG from 3.5 to 11 h-1 Mpc and on the luminosity of galaxies over the range -22.50

Development and validation of a short-form Pain Medication Attitudes Questionnaire (PMAQ-14).

PubMed

Elander, James; Said, Omimah; Maratos, Frances A; Dys, Ada; Collins, Hannah; Schofield, Malcolm B

2017-03-01

Attitudes to pain medication are important aspects of adjustment to chronic pain. They are measured by the 47-item Pain Medication Attitudes Questionnaire (PMAQ). To measure those attitudes more quickly and easily, we developed and evaluated a 14-item PMAQ using data from 3 separate surveys of people with pain in the general population. In survey 1, participants (n = 295) completed the 47-item PMAQ and measures of pain, analgesic use, analgesic dependence, and attitudes to self-medication. For each of the 7 PMAQ scales, the 2 items that best preserved the content of the full parent scales were identified using correlation and regression. The 2-item and full parent scales had very similar relationships with other measures, indicating that validity had been maintained. The resulting 14-item PMAQ was then completed by participants in survey 2 (n = 241) and survey 3 (n = 147), along with the same other measures as in survey 1. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the 14-item PMAQ retained the 7-factor structure of the 47-item version, and correlations with other measures showed that it retained the validity of the 47-item version. The PMAQ scale Need was the most significant independent predictor of analgesic dependence in each of 4 separate multiple regression analyses. This short form of the PMAQ allows attitudes to pain medications to be measured in a valid and more efficient way.

Structural changes and shallow geological structure of the isolated basins in the forearc slope of the Japan Trench

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misawa, A.; Arai, K.; Fujiwara, T.; Sato, M.; Shin'ichiro, Y.; Hirata, K.; Kanamatsu, T.

2017-12-01

On the forearc slope of the Japan Trench is a typical subsidence region associated with the subduction erosion in the Japan Trench. Arai et al. (2014) reported the existence of the isolated basins with widths of up to several tens of kilometers using the seismic profiles that acquired before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake (Mw 9.0) in the forearc slope. The isolated basin probably formed due to subsidence accompanying the regional activity of normal fault systems in the forearc slope. Arai et al. (2014) suggested that the geological structures of the forearc slope along the Japan Trench are typical of those resulting from subduction erosion and proposed that the episodic subsidence accompanied by normal faulting is the most recent deformation. During the 2011 large earthquake, seafloor on the landward slope of the Japan Trench moved 50 m east-southeast toward trench (Fujiwara et al., 2011). In addition, aftershock activity after the 2011 large earthquake have predominated in the activity of the normal fault system. Therefore, there have a possibility that new isolated basin is formed after the 2011 large earthquake in the forearc slope of the Japan Trench. In order to capture the structural change in the isolated basins, we compared the seismic profiles acquired before (Multi-Channel Seismic (MCS) data acquired with KR07-05 cruise) and after (Single-Channel Seismic (SCS) data acquired with NT15-07 cruise) the 2011 large earthquake. However, the large-scale structural changes are not identified around the isolated basin. In order to capture the small-scale structural change in the shallow part of the isolated basins using high-resolution data, we make an attempt at the marine geological and geophysical survey in the offshore Tohoku region using R/V Shinsei-Maru of JAMSTEC (KS-17-8 cruise) in August 2017. In this cruise, we plan to carry out the following surveys; (1) swath bathymetric survey, (2) high-resolution parametric subbottom profiler (SBP) survey, (3) geomagnetic survey. In this presentation, we will show the latest results about the shallow structure of the isolated basin in the forearc slope.

THE CHALLENGE OF THE LARGEST STRUCTURES IN THE UNIVERSE TO COSMOLOGY

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

Park, Changbom; Choi, Yun-Young; Kim, Sungsoo S.

2012-11-01

Large galaxy redshift surveys have long been used to constrain cosmological models and structure formation scenarios. In particular, the largest structures discovered observationally are thought to carry critical information on the amplitude of large-scale density fluctuations or homogeneity of the universe, and have often challenged the standard cosmological framework. The Sloan Great Wall (SGW) recently found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) region casts doubt on the concordance cosmological model with a cosmological constant (i.e., the flat {Lambda}CDM model). Here we show that the existence of the SGW is perfectly consistent with the {Lambda}CDM model, a result that onlymore » our very large cosmological N-body simulation (the Horizon Run 2, HR2) could supply. In addition, we report on the discovery of a void complex in the SDSS much larger than the SGW, and show that such size of the largest void is also predicted in the {Lambda}CDM paradigm. Our results demonstrate that an initially homogeneous isotropic universe with primordial Gaussian random phase density fluctuations growing in accordance with the general relativity can explain the richness and size of the observed large-scale structures in the SDSS. Using the HR2 simulation we predict that a future galaxy redshift survey about four times deeper or with 3 mag fainter limit than the SDSS should reveal a largest structure of bright galaxies about twice as big as the SGW.« less

Development of the parental needs scale for rare diseases: a tool for measuring the supportive care needs of parents caring for a child with a rare disease.

PubMed

Pelentsov, Lemuel J; Fielder, Andrea L; Laws, Thomas A; Esterman, Adrian J

2016-01-01

Children and families affected by rare diseases have received scant consideration from the medical, scientific, and political communities, with parents' needs especially having received little attention. Affected parents often have limited access to information and support and appropriate health care services. While scales to measure the needs of parents of children with chronic illnesses have been developed, there have been no previous attempts to develop a scale to assess the needs of parents of children with rare diseases. To develop a scale for measuring the supportive care needs of parents of children with rare diseases. A total of 301 responses to our Parental Needs Survey were randomly divided into two halves, one for exploratory factor analysis and the other for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). After removing unsuitable items, exploratory factor analysis was undertaken to determine the factor structure of the data. CFA using structural equation modeling was then undertaken to confirm the factor structure. Seventy-two items were entered into the CFA, with a scree plot showing a likely four-factor solution. The results provided four independent subscales of parental needs: Understanding the disease (four items); Working with health professionals (four items); Emotional issues (three items); and Financial needs (three items). The structural equation modeling confirmed the suitability of the four-factor solution and demonstrated that the four subscales could be added to provide an overall scale of parental need. This is the first scale developed to measure the supportive care needs of parents of children with rare diseases. The scale is suitable for use in surveys to develop policy, in individual clinical assessments, and, potentially, for evaluating new programs. Measuring the supportive care needs of parents caring for a child with a rare disease will hopefully lead to better physical and psychological health outcomes for parents and their affected children.

Structural and Functional Aspects of Social Support for Mothers of Children with and without Cognitive Delays in Vietnam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, So-Youn; Glidden, Laraine M.; Shin, Jin Y.

2010-01-01

Background: This study reports development of a social support scale appropriate to the Vietnamese culture and the impact of social support on mothers of children with cognitive delays by using the developing scale. Method: Interview surveys were conducted with 225 mothers of children with and without cognitive delays in Vietnam. The structural…

Teacher Reporting Attitudes Scale (TRAS): Confirmatory and Exploratory Factor Analyses with a Malaysian Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choo, Wan Yuen; Walsh, Kerryann; Chinna, Karuthan; Tey, Nai Peng

2013-01-01

The Teacher Reporting Attitude Scale (TRAS) is a newly developed tool to assess teachers' attitudes toward reporting child abuse and neglect. This article reports on an investigation of the factor structure and psychometric properties of the short form Malay version of the TRAS. A self-report cross-sectional survey was conducted with 667 teachers…

Spatial patterns of native freshwater mussels in the Upper Mississippi River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ries, Patricia R.; DeJager, Nathan R.; Zigler, Steven J.; Newton, Teresa

2016-01-01

Multiple physical and biological factors structure freshwater mussel communities in large rivers, and their distributions have been described as clumped or patchy. However, few surveys of mussel populations have been conducted over areas large enough and at resolutions fine enough to quantify spatial patterns in their distribution. We used global and local indicators of spatial autocorrelation (i.e., Moran’s I) to quantify spatial patterns of adult and juvenile (≤5 y of age) freshwater mussels across multiple scales based on survey data from 4 reaches (navigation pools 3, 5, 6, and 18) of the Upper Mississippi River, USA. Native mussel densities were sampled at a resolution of ∼300 m and across distances ranging from 21 to 37 km, making these some of the most spatially extensive surveys conducted in a large river. Patch density and the degree and scale of patchiness varied by river reach, age group, and the scale of analysis. In all 4 pools, some patches of adults overlapped patches of juveniles, suggesting spatial and temporal persistence of adequate habitat. In pools 3 and 5, patches of juveniles were found where there were few adults, suggesting recent emergence of positive structuring mechanisms. Last, in pools 3, 5, and 6, some patches of adults were found where there were few juveniles, suggesting that negative structuring mechanisms may have replaced positive ones, leading to a lack of localized recruitment. Our results suggest that: 1) the detection of patches of freshwater mussels requires a multiscaled approach, 2) insights into the spatial and temporal dynamics of structuring mechanisms can be gained by conducting independent analyses of adults and juveniles, and 3) maps of patch distributions can be used to guide restoration and management actions and identify areas where mussels are most likely to influence ecosystem function.

Past and present cosmic structure in the SDSS DR7 main sample

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

Jasche, J.; Leclercq, F.; Wandelt, B.D., E-mail: jasche@iap.fr, E-mail: florent.leclercq@polytechnique.org, E-mail: wandelt@iap.fr

2015-01-01

We present a chrono-cosmography project, aiming at the inference of the four dimensional formation history of the observed large scale structure from its origin to the present epoch. To do so, we perform a full-scale Bayesian analysis of the northern galactic cap of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7 main galaxy sample, relying on a fully probabilistic, physical model of the non-linearly evolved density field. Besides inferring initial conditions from observations, our methodology naturally and accurately reconstructs non-linear features at the present epoch, such as walls and filaments, corresponding to high-order correlation functions generated by late-time structuremore » formation. Our inference framework self-consistently accounts for typical observational systematic and statistical uncertainties such as noise, survey geometry and selection effects. We further account for luminosity dependent galaxy biases and automatic noise calibration within a fully Bayesian approach. As a result, this analysis provides highly-detailed and accurate reconstructions of the present density field on scales larger than ∼ 3 Mpc/h, constrained by SDSS observations. This approach also leads to the first quantitative inference of plausible formation histories of the dynamic large scale structure underlying the observed galaxy distribution. The results described in this work constitute the first full Bayesian non-linear analysis of the cosmic large scale structure with the demonstrated capability of uncertainty quantification. Some of these results will be made publicly available along with this work. The level of detail of inferred results and the high degree of control on observational uncertainties pave the path towards high precision chrono-cosmography, the subject of simultaneously studying the dynamics and the morphology of the inhomogeneous Universe.« less

Percolation analysis of nonlinear structures in scale-free two-dimensional simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominik, Kurt G.; Shandarin, Sergei F.

1992-01-01

Results are presented of applying percolation analysis to several two-dimensional N-body models which simulate the formation of large-scale structure. Three parameters are estimated: total area (a(c)), total mass (M(C)), and percolation density (rho(c)) of the percolating structure at the percolation threshold for both unsmoothed and smoothed (with different scales L(s)) nonlinear with filamentary structures, confirming early speculations that this type of model has several features of filamentary-type distributions. Also, it is shown that, by properly applying smoothing techniques, many problems previously considered detrimental can be dealt with and overcome. Possible difficulties and prospects with the use of this method are discussed, specifically relating to techniques and methods already applied to CfA deep sky surveys. The success of this test in two dimensions and the potential for extrapolation to three dimensions is also discussed.

Estimation of velocity structure around a natural gas reservoir at Yufutsu, Japan, by microtremor survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiraishi, H.; Asanuma, H.; Tezuka, K.

2010-12-01

Seismic reflection survey has been commonly used for exploration and time-lapse monitoring of oil/gas resources. Seismic reflection images typically have reasonable reliability and resolution for commercial production. However, cost consideration sometimes avoids deployment of widely distributed array or repeating survey in cases of time lapse monitoring or exploration of small-scale reservoir. Hence, technologies to estimate structures and physical properties around the reservoir with limited cost would be effectively used. Microtremor survey method (MSM) has an ability to realize long-term monitoring of reservoir with low cost, because this technique has a passive nature and minimum numbers of the monitoring station is four. MSM has been mainly used for earthquake disaster prevention, because velocity structure of S-wave is directly estimated from velocity dispersion of the Rayleigh wave. The authors experimentally investigated feasibility of the MSM survey for exploration of oil/gas reservoir. The field measurement was carried out around natural gas reservoir at Yufutsu, Hokkaido, Japan. Four types of arrays with array radii of 30m, 100m, 300m and 600m are deployed in each area. Dispersion curves of the velocity of Rayleigh wave were estimated from observed microtremors, and S-wave velocity structures were estimated by an inverse analysis of the dispersion curves with genetic algorism (GA). The estimated velocity structures showed good consistency with one dimensional velocity structure by previous reflection surveys up to 4-5 km. We also found from the field experiment that a data of 40min is effective to estimate the velocity structure even the seismometers are deployed along roads with heavy traffic.

Pulsating Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catelan, M.; Smith, H. A.

2015-03-01

This book surveys our understanding of stars which change in brightness because they pulsate. Pulsating variable stars are keys to distance scales inside and beyond the Milky Way galaxy. They test our understanding not only of stellar pulsation theory but also of stellar structure and evolution theory. Moreover, pulsating stars are important probes of the formation and evolution of our own and neighboring galaxies. Our understanding of pulsating stars has greatly increased in recent years as large-scale surveys of pulsating stars in the Milky Way and other Local Group galaxies have provided a wealth of new observations and as space-based instruments have studied particular pulsating stars in unprecedented detail.

Mathematical geophysics: A survey of recent developments in seismology and geodynamics

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

Vlaar, N.J.

1988-01-01

This survey deals with modern methods for the determination of the structure of the Earth and for the analysis and modeling of the dynamic processes in the Earth's interior. Seismology and the three-dimensional structure of the Earth are covered in chapters devoted to waves in the three-dimensional Earth and large-scale inversion, while the discussion of convection and lithospheric processes focuses on geomagnetism, mantle convection, post-glacial rebound, and thermomechanical processes in the lithosphere. The emphasis of the work is theoretical, but the reader will find a discussion of the pertinent observational evidence.

Resurrecting hot dark matter - Large-scale structure from cosmic strings and massive neutrinos

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scherrer, Robert J.

1988-01-01

These are the results of a numerical simulation of the formation of large-scale structure from cosmic-string loops in a universe dominated by massive neutrinos (hot dark matter). This model has several desirable features. The final matter distribution contains isolated density peaks embedded in a smooth background, producing a natural bias in the distribution of luminous matter. Because baryons can accrete onto the cosmic strings before the neutrinos, the galaxies will have baryon cores and dark neutrino halos. Galaxy formation in this model begins much earlier than in random-phase models. On large scales the distribution of clustered matter visually resembles the CfA survey, with large voids and filaments.

Measuring Cosmic Expansion and Large Scale Structure with Destiny

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benford, Dominic J.; Lauer, Tod R.

2007-01-01

Destiny is a simple, direct, low cost mission to determine the properties of dark energy by obtaining a cosmologically deep supernova (SN) type Ia Hubble diagram and by measuring the large-scale mass power spectrum over time. Its science instrument is a 1.65m space telescope, featuring a near-infrared survey camera/spectrometer with a large field of view. During its first two years, Destiny will detect, observe, and characterize 23000 SN Ia events over the redshift interval 0.4lo00 square degrees to measure the large-scale mass power spectrum. The combination of surveys is much more powerful than either technique on its own, and will have over an order of magnitude greater sensitivity than will be provided by ongoing ground-based projects.

A new probe of the magnetic field power spectrum in cosmic web filaments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hales, Christopher A.; Greiner, Maksim; Ensslin, Torsten A.

2015-08-01

Establishing the properties of magnetic fields on scales larger than galaxy clusters is critical for resolving the unknown origin and evolution of galactic and cluster magnetism. More generally, observations of magnetic fields on cosmic scales are needed for assessing the impacts of magnetism on cosmology, particle physics, and structure formation over the full history of the Universe. However, firm observational evidence for magnetic fields in large scale structure remains elusive. In an effort to address this problem, we have developed a novel statistical method to infer the magnetic field power spectrum in cosmic web filaments using observation of the two-point correlation of Faraday rotation measures from a dense grid of extragalactic radio sources. Here we describe our approach, which embeds and extends the pioneering work of Kolatt (1998) within the context of Information Field Theory (a statistical theory for Bayesian inference on spatially distributed signals; Enfllin et al., 2009). We describe prospects for observation, for example with forthcoming data from the ultra-deep JVLA CHILES Con Pol survey and future surveys with the SKA.

The Relationship Between Galaxies and the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coil, Alison L.

2018-06-01

I will describe our current understanding of the relationship between galaxies and the large-scale structure of the Universe, often called the galaxy-halo connection. Galaxies are thought to form and evolve in the centers of dark matter halos, which grow along with the galaxies they host. Large galaxy redshift surveys have revealed clear observational signatures of connections between galaxy properties and their clustering properties on large scales. For example, older, quiescent galaxies are known to cluster more strongly than younger, star-forming galaxies, which are more likely to be found in galactic voids and filaments rather than the centers of galaxy clusters. I will show how cosmological numerical simulations have aided our understanding of this galaxy-halo connection and what is known from a statistical point of view about how galaxies populate dark matter halos. This knowledge both helps us learn about galaxy evolution and is fundamental to our ability to use galaxy surveys to reveal cosmological information. I will talk briefly about some of the current open questions in the field, including galactic conformity and assembly bias.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Korean Scale for Internet Addiction (K-Scale) in Japanese high school students.

PubMed

Mak, Kwok-Kei; Nam, JeeEun Karin; Kim, Dongil; Aum, Narae; Choi, Jung-Seok; Cheng, Cecilia; Ko, Huei-Chen; Watanabe, Hiroko

2017-03-01

The Korean Scale for Internet Addiction (K-Scale) was developed in Korea for assessing addictive internet behaviors. This study aims to adopt K-Scale and examine its psychometric properties in Japanese adolescents. In 2014, 589 (36.0% boys) high school students (Grade 10-12) from Japan completed a survey, including items of Japanese versions of K-Scale and Smartphone Scale for Smartphone Addiction (S-Scale). Model fit indices of the original four-factor structure, three-factor structure obtained from exploratory factor analysis, and improved two-factor structure of K-Scale were computed using confirmatory factor analysis, with internal reliability of included items reported. The convergent validity of K-Scale was tested against self-rated internet addiction, and S-Scale using multiple regression models. The results showed that a second-order two-factor 13-item structure was the most parsimonious model (NFI=0.919, NNFI=0.935, CFI=0.949, and RMSEA=0.05) with good internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.87). The two factors revealed were "Disturbance of Adaptation and Life Orientation" and "Withdrawal and Tolerance". Moreover, the correlation between internet user classifications defined by K-Scale and self-rating was significant. K-Scale total score was significantly and positively associated with S-Scale total (adjusted R 2 =0.440) and subscale scores (adjusted R 2 =0.439). In conclusion, K-Scale is a valid and reliable assessment scale of internet addiction for Japanese high school students after modifications. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Future Cosmic Microwave Background Delensing with Galaxy Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manzotti, Alessandro

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization is a promising experimental dataset to test the inflationary paradigm and to probe the physics of the early universe. A particular component, the so-called B-modes, is indeed a direct signature of a prediction of inflation: the presence of gravitational waves in the early universe. However, reducing the instrumental noise in future experiments will not be enough to detect this signal. Secondary effects in the low redshift universe will also produce non-primordial B-modes adding confusion to the inflationary signal. In particular, the gravitational interactions of CMB photons with large scale structures will distort the primordial E-modes adding a lensing B-mode component to the primordial signal. Removing the lensing part ("delensing") from the measurement of CMB B-modes will then be necessary to constrain the amplitude of the primordial gravitational waves. Here we discuss the role of current and future large scale structure surveys in a multi-tracers approach to delensing that will improve the reconstruction of the lensing potential that lenses the CMB photons and, as a consequence, the delensing efficiency. We quantify this by the improvement due to delensing on the constraints on the inflationary tensor perturbations amplitude and shape (r and nt). We find that, in general, galaxy surveys should be split into tomographic bins as this can improve the correlation with CMB lensing by 30%. Among currently available surveys, a DES-like galaxy survey can remove about 14% of the lensing signal. Ongoing CMB experiments (CMB-S2) will particularly benefit from large scale structure tracers that, once properly combined, will have a better performance than a CMB internal reconstruction. With the decrease of instrumental noise, the CMB internal reconstruction will increase its efficiency and the fraction of removed lensing B-modes with CMB alone will rapidly improve from the current level of Planck (8%) and SPTPol (35%) to 3G (56%) and CMB S4 (85%) level. Nevertheless optical galaxy surveys will still play an important role even for CMB S4. In particular an LSST-like survey can a achieve a delensing performance comparable to a 3G CMB experiment but with completely different systematics. This will be important to prove the robustness against systematics of an eventual detection of primordial B-modes.

Survey of seismic conditions of drilling and blasting operations near overhead electricity power lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korshunov, G. I.; Afanasev, P. I.; Bulbasheva, I. A.

2017-10-01

The monitoring and survey results of drilling and blasting operations are specified during the development of Afanasyevsky deposit of cement raw materials for a 110 kV electricity power lines structure. Seismic explosion waves and air shock waves were registered in the course of monitoring. The dependency of peak particle velocities on the scaled distance and explosive weight by the delay time was obtained.

Assessment of the structural validity of the domestic violence healthcare providers’ survey questionnaire using a Nigerian sample

PubMed Central

John, Ime A; Lawoko, Stephen

2010-01-01

Abstract: Background: There has been increased advocacy to involve healthcare providers in the prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV) through screening for it in healthcare. Yet, only one in ten providers screen for IPV, suggesting barriers. Understanding the readiness of healthcare providers to screen for IPV is therefore paramount. The Domestic Violence Healthcare Provider Survey Scales (DVHPSS) is a previously validated, comprehensive scale to study readiness of healthcare providers to screen for IPV. However, an understanding of its usefulness in the Sub-Saharan African context remains elusive. The current study undertook to examine the structural validity of the DVHPSS in Nigeria. Methods: Exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's Alpha were run to reveal the factorial structure and reliability of the instrument/subscales respectively. Established thresholds were used to determine significant factor loadings and alphas coefficient. Results: A six factor model emerged, with 2 factors similar to the original scale, another two differing slightly and a further two factors resulting from a splitting up of the original combination of victim/provider safety to having distinct victim and provider safety subscales. Conclusions: With slight modifications, the DVHPSS can be use to study IPV screening among Nigerian healthcare professionals. Introducing screening protocols could promote better understanding of crucial questions that were lost in the analysis. PMID:21483202

Reconstruction of halo power spectrum from redshift-space galaxy distribution: cylinder-grouping method and halo exclusion effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okumura, Teppei; Takada, Masahiro; More, Surhud; Masaki, Shogo

2017-07-01

The peculiar velocity field measured by redshift-space distortions (RSD) in galaxy surveys provides a unique probe of the growth of large-scale structure. However, systematic effects arise when including satellite galaxies in the clustering analysis. Since satellite galaxies tend to reside in massive haloes with a greater halo bias, the inclusion boosts the clustering power. In addition, virial motions of the satellite galaxies cause a significant suppression of the clustering power due to non-linear RSD effects. We develop a novel method to recover the redshift-space power spectrum of haloes from the observed galaxy distribution by minimizing the contamination of satellite galaxies. The cylinder-grouping method (CGM) we study effectively excludes satellite galaxies from a galaxy sample. However, we find that this technique produces apparent anisotropies in the reconstructed halo distribution over all the scales which mimic RSD. On small scales, the apparent anisotropic clustering is caused by exclusion of haloes within the anisotropic cylinder used by the CGM. On large scales, the misidentification of different haloes in the large-scale structures, aligned along the line of sight, into the same CGM group causes the apparent anisotropic clustering via their cross-correlation with the CGM haloes. We construct an empirical model for the CGM halo power spectrum, which includes correction terms derived using the CGM window function at small scales as well as the linear matter power spectrum multiplied by a simple anisotropic function at large scales. We apply this model to a mock galaxy catalogue at z = 0.5, designed to resemble Sloan Digital Sky Survey-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) CMASS galaxies, and find that our model can predict both the monopole and quadrupole power spectra of the host haloes up to k < 0.5 {{h Mpc^{-1}}} to within 5 per cent.

The Skin Picking Impact Scale: Factor structure, validity and development of a short version.

PubMed

Snorrason, Ivar; Olafsson, Ragnar P; Flessner, Christopher A; Keuthen, Nancy J; Franklin, Martin E; Woods, Douglas W

2013-08-01

In the present study, we examined the psychometric properties of the Skin Picking Impact Scale (SPIS; Keuthen, Deckersbach, Wilhelm et al., 2001), a 10 item self-report questionnaire designed to assess the psychosocial impact of skin picking disorder (SPD). Participants were 650 individuals who met criteria for SPD in an online survey. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated a unitary factor structure with high internal consistency (α = 0.94). Consequently, we constructed an abbreviated 4-item version that retained good internal consistency (α = 0.87) and a robust factor structure. Both the short and the full versions demonstrated discriminant and convergent/concurrent validity. In conclusion, the findings indicate that both versions are psychometrically sound measures of SPD related psychosocial impact; however, some potential limitations of the full scale are discussed. © 2013 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Rapid change with depth in megabenthic structure-forming communities of the Makapu'u deep-sea coral bed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Dustin J.; Baco, Amy R.

2014-01-01

Seamounts are largely unexplored undersea mountains rising abruptly from the ocean floor, which can support an increased abundance and diversity of organisms. Deep-sea corals are important benthic structure-formers on current-swept hard substrates in these habitats. While depth is emerging as a factor structuring the fauna of seamounts on a large spatial scale, most work addressing deep-sea coral and seamount community structure has not considered the role of small-scale variation in species distributions. Video from six ROV dives over a depth range of ~320-530 m were analyzed to assess the diversity and density of benthic megafaunal invertebrates across the Makapu'u deep-sea coral bed, offshore of Oahu, Hawaii. At the same time, the physical environment along the dive track was surveyed to relate biotic patterns with abiotic variables including depth, aspect, rugosity, substrate, slope and relief to test the factors structuring community assemblages. Despite the narrow range examined, depth was found to be the strongest structuring gradient, and six unique macrobenthic communities were found, with a 93% faunal dissimilarity over the depth surveyed. Relief, rugosity and slope were also factors in the final model. Alcyonacean octocorals were the dominant macrofaunal invertebrates at all but the deepest depth zone. The commercially harvested precious coral C. secundum was the dominant species at depths 370-470 m, with a distribution that is on average deeper than similar areas. This may be artificial due to the past harvesting of this species on the shallower portion of its range. Primnoid octocorals were the most abundant octocoral family overall. This work yields new insight on the spatial ecology of seamounts, pointing out that community changes can occur over narrow depth ranges and that communities can be structured by small-scale physiography.

Structural dynamics payload loads estimates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engels, R. C.

1982-01-01

Methods for the prediction of loads on large space structures are discussed. Existing approaches to the problem of loads calculation are surveyed. A full scale version of an alternate numerical integration technique to solve the response part of a load cycle is presented, and a set of short cut versions of the algorithm developed. The implementation of these techniques using the software package developed is discussed.

Corporal punishment in rural Colombian families: prevalence, family structure and socio-demographic variables.

PubMed

González, Martha Rocío; Trujillo, Angela; Pereda, Noemí

2014-05-01

To reveal the prevalence of corporal punishment in a rural area of Colombia and its correlates to family structure and other socio-demographic variables. A survey about childrearing and childcare was developed for this study, including a specific question about corporal punishment that was developed based on the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS). Family structure was categorized as follows, based on previous literature: 'nuclear family,' 'single parent' family, 'extended family,' 'simultaneous family' and 'composed family.' Forty-one percent of the parents surveyed admitted they had used corporal punishment of their children as a disciplinary strategy. The type of family structure, the number of children living at home, the age of the children, the gender of the parent who answered the survey, and the age and gender of the partner were significant predictors of corporal punishment. Family structure is an important variable in the understanding of corporal punishment, especially in regard to nuclear families that have a large number of children and parents who started their parental role early in life. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploration of geomagnetic field anomaly with balloon for geophysical research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Wen-Kui

The use of a balloon to explore the geomagnetic field anomaly in the area east of Beijing is demonstrated. The present results are compared with those of aerial surveys. Descriptions are given of the fluxgate magnetometer, the sensor's attitude control and measurement, and data transmission and processing. At an altitude of about 30 km, a positive anomaly of the vertical component of about 100 nanoteslas was measured. The results suggest that, for this particular area, the shallow layer of a small-scale geological structure differs from the deep layer of a large-scale geological structure.

Galaxies and Their Host Dark Matter Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, ChangHoon

Through their connection with dark matter structures, galaxies act as tracers of the underlying matter distribution in the Universe. Their observed spatial distribution allows us to precisely measure large scale structure and effectively test cosmological models that explain the content, geometry, and history of the Universe. Current observations from galaxy surveys such as the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey have already probed vast cosmic volumes with millions of galaxies and ushered in an era of precision cosmology. The next surveys will probe over an order of magnitude more. With this unprecedented statistical power, the bottleneck of scientific discovery is in the methodology. In this dissertation, I address major methodological challenges in constraining cosmology with the large-scale distribution of galaxies. I develop a robust framework for treating systematic effects, which significantly bias galaxy clustering measurements. I apply new innovative approaches to probabilistic parameter inference that challenge and test the in- correct assumptions of the standard approach. Furthermore, I use precise predictions of structure formation from cosmology and observations of galaxies during the last eight billion years to develop detailed models of how galaxies are impacted by their host dark matter structures. These models provide key insight into the galaxy-halo connection, which bridges the gap between cosmology theory and observations. They also answer crucial questions of how galaxies form and evolve. The developments in this dissertation will help unlock the full potential of future observations and allow us to precisely test cosmological models, General Relativity and modified gravity scenarios, and even particle physics theory beyond the Standard Model.

Development of a survey instrument to measure connectivity to evaluate national public health preparedness and response performance.

PubMed

Dorn, Barry C; Savoia, Elena; Testa, Marcia A; Stoto, Michael A; Marcus, Leonard J

2007-01-01

Survey instruments for evaluating public health preparedness have focused on measuring the structure and capacity of local, state, and federal agencies, rather than linkages among structure, process, and outcomes. To focus evaluation on the latter, we evaluated the linkages among individuals, organizations, and systems using the construct of "connectivity" and developed a measurement instrument. Results from focus groups of emergency preparedness first responders generated 62 items used in the development sample of 187 respondents. Item reduction and factors analyses were conducted to confirm the scale's components. The 62 items were reduced to 28. Five scales explained 70% of the total variance (number of items, percent variance explained, Cronbach's alpha) including connectivity with the system (8, 45%, 0.94), coworkers (7, 7%, 0.91), organization (7, 12%, 0.93), and perceptions (6, 6%, 0.90). Discriminant validity was found to be consistent with the factor structure. We developed a Connectivity Measurement Tool for the public health workforce consisting of a 34-item questionnaire found to be a reliable measure of connectivity with preliminary evidence of construct validity.

Masked areas in shear peak statistics. A forward modeling approach

DOE PAGES

Bard, D.; Kratochvil, J. M.; Dawson, W.

2016-03-09

The statistics of shear peaks have been shown to provide valuable cosmological information beyond the power spectrum, and will be an important constraint of models of cosmology in forthcoming astronomical surveys. Surveys include masked areas due to bright stars, bad pixels etc., which must be accounted for in producing constraints on cosmology from shear maps. We advocate a forward-modeling approach, where the impacts of masking and other survey artifacts are accounted for in the theoretical prediction of cosmological parameters, rather than correcting survey data to remove them. We use masks based on the Deep Lens Survey, and explore the impactmore » of up to 37% of the survey area being masked on LSST and DES-scale surveys. By reconstructing maps of aperture mass the masking effect is smoothed out, resulting in up to 14% smaller statistical uncertainties compared to simply reducing the survey area by the masked area. We show that, even in the presence of large survey masks, the bias in cosmological parameter estimation produced in the forward-modeling process is ≈1%, dominated by bias caused by limited simulation volume. We also explore how this potential bias scales with survey area and evaluate how much small survey areas are impacted by the differences in cosmological structure in the data and simulated volumes, due to cosmic variance.« less

MASKED AREAS IN SHEAR PEAK STATISTICS: A FORWARD MODELING APPROACH

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

Bard, D.; Kratochvil, J. M.; Dawson, W., E-mail: djbard@slac.stanford.edu

2016-03-10

The statistics of shear peaks have been shown to provide valuable cosmological information beyond the power spectrum, and will be an important constraint of models of cosmology in forthcoming astronomical surveys. Surveys include masked areas due to bright stars, bad pixels etc., which must be accounted for in producing constraints on cosmology from shear maps. We advocate a forward-modeling approach, where the impacts of masking and other survey artifacts are accounted for in the theoretical prediction of cosmological parameters, rather than correcting survey data to remove them. We use masks based on the Deep Lens Survey, and explore the impactmore » of up to 37% of the survey area being masked on LSST and DES-scale surveys. By reconstructing maps of aperture mass the masking effect is smoothed out, resulting in up to 14% smaller statistical uncertainties compared to simply reducing the survey area by the masked area. We show that, even in the presence of large survey masks, the bias in cosmological parameter estimation produced in the forward-modeling process is ≈1%, dominated by bias caused by limited simulation volume. We also explore how this potential bias scales with survey area and evaluate how much small survey areas are impacted by the differences in cosmological structure in the data and simulated volumes, due to cosmic variance.« less

2MASS - The 2 Micron All Sky Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kleinmann, S. G.

1992-01-01

This paper describes a new sky survey to be carried out in three wavebands, J(1.25 m), H(1.65 m), and K(2.2 m). The limiting sensitivity of the survey, 10 sigma detection of point sources with K not greater than 14 mag, coupled with its all-sky coverage, were selected primarily to support studies of the large-scale structure of the Milky Way and the Local Universe. The survey requires construction of a pair of observing facilities, one each for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Operations are scheduled to begin in 1995. The data will begin becoming publicly available soon thereafter.

Observational tests of cosmic acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hojjati, Alireza

The accelerating expansion of the universe is considered to be a well-established fact. However, a physical explanation of its origin is still missing. While the cosmological constant, Λ, is the favorite candidate, a multitude of other theories have been proposed. Rather than testing every theory against data, one can adapt phenomenological approaches aimed at testing Λ. Adopting a model-independent approach to studying dark energy, we have investigated the utility of wavelets for constraining the redshift evolution of the dark energy equation of state, w(z), from a combination of the type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), cosmic microwave background (CMB) and baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) data. We have shown that sharp deviations from wΛ = -1 can be detected efficiently. Applying this method to the "Constitution" SNe Ia data, combined with the CMB data from Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe (WMAP) and BAO data from Sloan digital sky survey, provided only weak hints of dark energy dynamics. Future weak lensing surveys will have the ability to measure the growth of large scale structure with accuracy sufficient for discriminating between different theories of dark energy and modified gravity (MG). The growth of structure can be tested, in a modelindependent way, by parametrizing the evolution equations of cosmological perturbations. At the linear level, this can be achieved by introducing two scale- and time-dependent functions (MG functions). We have consistently implemented the parametrized equations in the commonly used public codes, CAMB and CosmoMC, while preserving the covariant conservation of the energy-momentum. As a demonstration, we have obtained joint constraints on the neutrino mass and parameters of a scalar-tensor gravity model from the CMB, SNe Ia and the correlation of CMB with large scale structure. We have performed a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to find the eigenmodes and eigenvalues of the forecasted covariance matrix of the MG functions for surveys like Dark Energy Survey and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. By examining the eigenmodes, we can learn about the scales and redshifts where the surveys are most sensitive to modification of the growth. We have considered the impact of some of the systematic effects expected in weak lensing surveys. Also, we have demonstrated the utility of the PCA as an efficient way of storing information about the linear growth of perturbations. Finally, we have analyzed the degeneracy between the MG functions and other cosmological parameters, paying special attention to the effective equation of state w(z). We have taken several models with different MG parametrizations and studied their merits. We have shown how the complementarity of different observables helps break the degeneracies. Key words: dark energy, modified gravity, cosmological parameters, observational constraints, principal component analysis, massive neutrinos.

Constraints on inflation with LSS surveys: features in the primordial power spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palma, Gonzalo A.; Sapone, Domenico; Sypsas, Spyros

2018-06-01

We analyse the efficiency of future large scale structure surveys to unveil the presence of scale dependent features in the primordial spectrum—resulting from cosmic inflation—imprinted in the distribution of galaxies. Features may appear as a consequence of non-trivial dynamics during cosmic inflation, in which one or more background quantities experienced small but rapid deviations from their characteristic slow-roll evolution. We consider two families of features: localised features and oscillatory extended features. To characterise them we employ various possible templates parametrising their scale dependence and provide forecasts on the constraints on these parametrisations for LSST like surveys. We perform a Fisher matrix analysis for three observables: cosmic microwave background (CMB), galaxy clustering and weak lensing. We find that the combined data set of these observables will be able to limit the presence of features down to levels that are more restrictive than current constraints coming from CMB observations only. In particular, we address the possibility of gaining information on currently known deviations from scale invariance inferred from CMB data, such as the feature appearing at the l ~ 20 multipole (which is the main contribution to the low-l deficit) and another one around l ~ 800.

Incentive Magnitude, Job Satisfaction, Perceived Stress, and Performance: Interrelationships in an Organizational Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-07-01

scale developed by Szilagyi and Wallace (1980), and three items adapted from the Survey of Organizations (Taylor & Bowers, 1972). The Szilagyi and...Counselors keep busy. (June 1, 1983). The Wall Street Journal, pp. 1, 24. Szilagyi , A. D., Jr., & Wallace , M. J., Jr. (1980). Organizational... Wallace scale contains the five-factor structure most commonly associated with job satisfaction: the work itself, pay, promotion, supervision, and co

Inflation physics from the cosmic microwave background and large scale structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abazajian, K. N.; Arnold, K.; Austermann, J.; Benson, B. A.; Bischoff, C.; Bock, J.; Bond, J. R.; Borrill, J.; Buder, I.; Burke, D. L.; Calabrese, E.; Carlstrom, J. E.; Carvalho, C. S.; Chang, C. L.; Chiang, H. C.; Church, S.; Cooray, A.; Crawford, T. M.; Crill, B. P.; Dawson, K. S.; Das, S.; Devlin, M. J.; Dobbs, M.; Dodelson, S.; Doré, O.; Dunkley, J.; Feng, J. L.; Fraisse, A.; Gallicchio, J.; Giddings, S. B.; Green, D.; Halverson, N. W.; Hanany, S.; Hanson, D.; Hildebrandt, S. R.; Hincks, A.; Hlozek, R.; Holder, G.; Holzapfel, W. L.; Honscheid, K.; Horowitz, G.; Hu, W.; Hubmayr, J.; Irwin, K.; Jackson, M.; Jones, W. C.; Kallosh, R.; Kamionkowski, M.; Keating, B.; Keisler, R.; Kinney, W.; Knox, L.; Komatsu, E.; Kovac, J.; Kuo, C.-L.; Kusaka, A.; Lawrence, C.; Lee, A. T.; Leitch, E.; Linde, A.; Linder, E.; Lubin, P.; Maldacena, J.; Martinec, E.; McMahon, J.; Miller, A.; Mukhanov, V.; Newburgh, L.; Niemack, M. D.; Nguyen, H.; Nguyen, H. T.; Page, L.; Pryke, C.; Reichardt, C. L.; Ruhl, J. E.; Sehgal, N.; Seljak, U.; Senatore, L.; Sievers, J.; Silverstein, E.; Slosar, A.; Smith, K. M.; Spergel, D.; Staggs, S. T.; Stark, A.; Stompor, R.; Vieregg, A. G.; Wang, G.; Watson, S.; Wollack, E. J.; Wu, W. L. K.; Yoon, K. W.; Zahn, O.; Zaldarriaga, M.

2015-03-01

Fluctuations in the intensity and polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the large-scale distribution of matter in the universe each contain clues about the nature of the earliest moments of time. The next generation of CMB and large-scale structure (LSS) experiments are poised to test the leading paradigm for these earliest moments-the theory of cosmic inflation-and to detect the imprints of the inflationary epoch, thereby dramatically increasing our understanding of fundamental physics and the early universe. A future CMB experiment with sufficient angular resolution and frequency coverage that surveys at least 1% of the sky to a depth of 1 uK-arcmin can deliver a constraint on the tensor-to-scalar ratio that will either result in a 5 σ measurement of the energy scale of inflation or rule out all large-field inflation models, even in the presence of foregrounds and the gravitational lensing B-mode signal. LSS experiments, particularly spectroscopic surveys such as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, will complement the CMB effort by improving current constraints on running of the spectral index by up to a factor of four, improving constraints on curvature by a factor of ten, and providing non-Gaussianity constraints that are competitive with the current CMB bounds.

SPECTRAL LINE DE-CONFUSION IN AN INTENSITY MAPPING SURVEY

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

Cheng, Yun-Ting; Bock, James; Bradford, C. Matt

2016-12-01

Spectral line intensity mapping (LIM) has been proposed as a promising tool to efficiently probe the cosmic reionization and the large-scale structure. Without detecting individual sources, LIM makes use of all available photons and measures the integrated light in the source confusion limit to efficiently map the three-dimensional matter distribution on large scales as traced by a given emission line. One particular challenge is the separation of desired signals from astrophysical continuum foregrounds and line interlopers. Here we present a technique to extract large-scale structure information traced by emission lines from different redshifts, embedded in a three-dimensional intensity mapping data cube.more » The line redshifts are distinguished by the anisotropic shape of the power spectra when projected onto a common coordinate frame. We consider the case where high-redshift [C ii] lines are confused with multiple low-redshift CO rotational lines. We present a semi-analytic model for [C ii] and CO line estimates based on the cosmic infrared background measurements, and show that with a modest instrumental noise level and survey geometry, the large-scale [C ii] and CO power spectrum amplitudes can be successfully extracted from a confusion-limited data set, without external information. We discuss the implications and limits of this technique for possible LIM experiments.« less

Inflation Physics from the Cosmic Microwave Background and Large Scale Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abazajian, K.N.; Arnold,K.; Austermann, J.; Benson, B.A.; Bischoff, C.; Bock, J.; Bond, J.R.; Borrill, J.; Buder, I.; Burke, D.L.;

Inflation physics from the cosmic microwave background and large scale structure

DOE PAGES

Abazajian, K. N.; Arnold, K.; Austermann, J.; ...

2014-06-26

Here, fluctuations in the intensity and polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the large-scale distribution of matter in the universe each contain clues about the nature of the earliest moments of time. The next generation of CMB and large-scale structure (LSS) experiments are poised to test the leading paradigm for these earliest moments—the theory of cosmic inflation—and to detect the imprints of the inflationary epoch, thereby dramatically increasing our understanding of fundamental physics and the early universe. A future CMB experiment with sufficient angular resolution and frequency coverage that surveys at least 1% of the sky to amore » depth of 1 uK-arcmin can deliver a constraint on the tensor-to-scalar ratio that will either result in a 5σ measurement of the energy scale of inflation or rule out all large-field inflation models, even in the presence of foregrounds and the gravitational lensing B -mode signal. LSS experiments, particularly spectroscopic surveys such as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, will complement the CMB effort by improving current constraints on running of the spectral index by up to a factor of four, improving constraints on curvature by a factor of ten, and providing non-Gaussianity constraints that are competitive with the current CMB bounds.« less

The reliability and validity of the Caregiver Work Limitations Questionnaire.

PubMed

Lerner, Debra; Parsons, Susan K; Chang, Hong; Visco, Zachary L; Pawlecki, J Brent

2015-01-01

To test a new Caregiver Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ). On the basis of the original WLQ, this new survey instrument assesses the effect of caregiving for ill and/or disabled persons on the caregiver's work performance. A questionnaire was administered anonymously to employees of a large business services company. Scale reliability and validity were tested with psychometric methods. Of 4128 survey participants, 18.3% currently were caregivers, 10.2% were past caregivers, and 71.5% were not caregivers. Current caregivers were limited in their ability to perform basic job tasks between mean 10.3% and 16.8% of the time. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a scale structure similar to the WLQ's. Scales reliabilities (the Cronbach's α) ranged from 0.91 to 0.95. The Caregiver WLQ is a new tool for understanding the workplace effect of caregiving.

A Close Look At The Relationship Between WMAP (ILC) Small-Scale Features And Galactic HI Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verschuur, Gerrit L.

2012-05-01

Galactic HI emission profiles surrounding two pairs of features located where large-scale filaments at very different velocities overlap were decomposed into Gaussian components. Families of components defined by similarity of center velocities and line widths were identified and found to be spatially related. Each of the two pairs of HI peaks straddle a high-frequency continuum source revealed in the WMAP survey data. It is suggested that where filamentary HI features are directly interacting high-frequency continuum radiation is being produced. The previously hypothesized mechanism for producing high-frequency continuum radiation involving free-free emission from electrons in the interstellar medium, in this case created where HI filaments interact to produce fractional ionizations of order 5 to 15%, fit the data very closely. The results confirm that WMAP data on small-scale structures believed to be cosmological in origin are in fact compromised by the presence of intervening galactic sources of interstellar electrons clumped on scales typical of interstellar HI structure.

Finite Element Estimation of Meteorite Structural Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hart, Kenneth Arthur

2015-01-01

The goal of the project titled Asteroid Threat Assessment at NASA Ames Research Center is to develop risk assessment tools. The expertise in atmospheric entry in the Entry Systems and Technology Division is being used to describe the complex physics of meteor breakup in the atmosphere. The breakup of a meteor is dependent on its structural properties, including homogeneity of the material. The present work describes an 11-week effort in which a literature survey was carried for structural properties of meteoritic material. In addition, the effect of scale on homogeneity isotropy was studied using a Monte Carlo approach in Nastran. The properties were then in a static structural response simulation of an irregularly-shape meteor (138-scale version of Asteroid Itokawa). Finally, an early plan was developed for doctoral research work at Georgia Tech. in the structural failure fragmentation of meteors.

LYα FOREST TOMOGRAPHY FROM BACKGROUND GALAXIES: THE FIRST MEGAPARSEC-RESOLUTION LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURE MAP AT z > 2

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

Lee, Khee-Gan; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Eilers, Anna-Christina

2014-11-01

We present the first observations of foreground Lyα forest absorption from high-redshift galaxies, targeting 24 star-forming galaxies (SFGs) with z ∼ 2.3-2.8 within a 5' × 14' region of the COSMOS field. The transverse sightline separation is ∼2 h {sup –1} Mpc comoving, allowing us to create a tomographic reconstruction of the three-dimensional (3D) Lyα forest absorption field over the redshift range 2.20 ≤ z ≤ 2.45. The resulting map covers 6 h {sup –1} Mpc × 14 h {sup –1} Mpc in the transverse plane and 230 h {sup –1} Mpc along the line of sight with a spatialmore » resolution of ≈3.5 h {sup –1} Mpc, and is the first high-fidelity map of a large-scale structure on ∼Mpc scales at z > 2. Our map reveals significant structures with ≳ 10 h {sup –1} Mpc extent, including several spanning the entire transverse breadth, providing qualitative evidence for the filamentary structures predicted to exist in the high-redshift cosmic web. Simulated reconstructions with the same sightline sampling, spectral resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio recover the salient structures present in the underlying 3D absorption fields. Using data from other surveys, we identified 18 galaxies with known redshifts coeval with our map volume, enabling a direct comparison with our tomographic map. This shows that galaxies preferentially occupy high-density regions, in qualitative agreement with the same comparison applied to simulations. Our results establish the feasibility of the CLAMATO survey, which aims to obtain Lyα forest spectra for ∼1000 SFGs over ∼1 deg{sup 2} of the COSMOS field, in order to map out the intergalactic medium large-scale structure at (z) ∼ 2.3 over a large volume (100 h {sup –1} Mpc){sup 3}.« less

Fine-scale population dynamics in a marine fish species inferred from dynamic state-space models.

PubMed

Rogers, Lauren A; Storvik, Geir O; Knutsen, Halvor; Olsen, Esben M; Stenseth, Nils C

2017-07-01

Identifying the spatial scale of population structuring is critical for the conservation of natural populations and for drawing accurate ecological inferences. However, population studies often use spatially aggregated data to draw inferences about population trends and drivers, potentially masking ecologically relevant population sub-structure and dynamics. The goals of this study were to investigate how population dynamics models with and without spatial structure affect inferences on population trends and the identification of intrinsic drivers of population dynamics (e.g. density dependence). Specifically, we developed dynamic, age-structured, state-space models to test different hypotheses regarding the spatial structure of a population complex of coastal Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Data were from a 93-year survey of juvenile (age 0 and 1) cod sampled along >200 km of the Norwegian Skagerrak coast. We compared two models: one which assumes all sampled cod belong to one larger population, and a second which assumes that each fjord contains a unique population with locally determined dynamics. Using the best supported model, we then reconstructed the historical spatial and temporal dynamics of Skagerrak coastal cod. Cross-validation showed that the spatially structured model with local dynamics had better predictive ability. Furthermore, posterior predictive checks showed that a model which assumes one homogeneous population failed to capture the spatial correlation pattern present in the survey data. The spatially structured model indicated that population trends differed markedly among fjords, as did estimates of population parameters including density-dependent survival. Recent biomass was estimated to be at a near-record low all along the coast, but the finer scale model indicated that the decline occurred at different times in different regions. Warm temperatures were associated with poor recruitment, but local changes in habitat and fishing pressure may have played a role in driving local dynamics. More generally, we demonstrated how state-space models can be used to test evidence for population spatial structure based on survey time-series data. Our study shows the importance of considering spatially structured dynamics, as the inferences from such an approach can lead to a different ecological understanding of the drivers of population declines, and fundamentally different management actions to restore populations. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.

Large-scale fluctuations in the number density of galaxies in independent surveys of deep fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirokov, S. I.; Lovyagin, N. Yu.; Baryshev, Yu. V.; Gorokhov, V. L.

2016-06-01

New arguments supporting the reality of large-scale fluctuations in the density of the visible matter in deep galaxy surveys are presented. A statistical analysis of the radial distributions of galaxies in the COSMOS and HDF-N deep fields is presented. Independent spectral and photometric surveys exist for each field, carried out in different wavelength ranges and using different observing methods. Catalogs of photometric redshifts in the optical (COSMOS-Zphot) and infrared (UltraVISTA) were used for the COSMOS field in the redshift interval 0.1 < z < 3.5, as well as the zCOSMOS (10kZ) spectroscopic survey and the XMM-COSMOS and ALHAMBRA-F4 photometric redshift surveys. The HDFN-Zphot and ALHAMBRA-F5 catalogs of photometric redshifts were used for the HDF-N field. The Pearson correlation coefficient for the fluctuations in the numbers of galaxies obtained for independent surveys of the same deep field reaches R = 0.70 ± 0.16. The presence of this positive correlation supports the reality of fluctuations in the density of visible matter with sizes of up to 1000 Mpc and amplitudes of up to 20% at redshifts z ~ 2. The absence of correlations between the fluctuations in different fields (the correlation coefficient between COSMOS and HDF-N is R = -0.20 ± 0.31) testifies to the independence of structures visible in different directions on the celestial sphere. This also indicates an absence of any influence from universal systematic errors (such as "spectral voids"), which could imitate the detection of correlated structures.

The XXL Survey. VII. A supercluster of galaxies at z = 0.43

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pompei, E.; Adami, C.; Eckert, D.; Gastaldello, F.; Lavoie, S.; Poggianti, B.; Altieri, B.; Alis, S.; Baran, N.; Benoist, C.; Jaffé, Y. L.; Koulouridis, E.; Maurogordato, S.; Pacaud, F.; Pierre, M.; Sadibekova, T.; Smolčić, V.; Valtchanov, I.

2016-06-01

Context. The XXL Survey is the largest homogeneous and contiguous survey carried out with XMM-Newton. Covering an area of 50 deg2 distributed over two fields, it primarily investigates the large-scale structures of the Universe using the distribution of galaxy clusters and active galactic nuclei as tracers of the matter distribution. Aims: Given its depth and sky coverage, XXL is particularly suited to systematically unveiling the clustering of X-ray clusters and to identifying superstructures in a homogeneous X-ray sample down to the typical mass scale of a local massive cluster. Methods: A friends-of-friends algorithm in three-dimensional physical space was run to identify large-scale structures. In this paper we report the discovery of the highest redshift supercluster of galaxies found in the XXL Survey. We describe the X-ray properties of the clusters members of the structure and the optical follow-up. Results: The newly discovered supercluster is composed of six clusters of galaxies at a median redshift z ~ 0.43 and distributed across ~30'× 15' (10 × 5 Mpc) on the sky. This structure is very compact with all the clusters residing in one XMM pointing; for this reason this is the first supercluster discovered with the XXL Survey. Photometric redshifts from the CFHTLS (Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey) data release T0007 placed the supercluster at an approximate redshift of zphot ~ 0.45; subsequent spectroscopic follow-up with WHT (William Herschel Telescope) and NTT (New Technology Telescope) confirmed a median redshift of z ~ 0.43. An estimate of the X-ray mass and luminosity of this supercluster returns values of 1.7 × 1015 M⊙ and of 1.68 × 1044 erg s-1, respectively, and a total gas mass of Mgas = 9.3 × 1013 M⊙. These values put XLSSC-e at the average mass range of superclusters; its appearance, with two members of equal size, is quite unusual with respect to other superclusters and provides a unique view of the formation process of a massive structure. This work is based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and the USA (NASA) and on observations obtained at the WHT thanks to the International Time Programme (CCI) and the Opticon FP7 program. It also used observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under programme LP 191.A-0268.The Master Catalogue is available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/592/A2

Can high resolution topographic surveys provide reliable grain size estimates?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearson, Eleanor; Smith, Mark; Klaar, Megan; Brown, Lee

2017-04-01

High resolution topographic surveys contain a wealth of information that is not always exploited in the generation of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). In particular, several authors have related sub-grid scale topographic variability (or 'surface roughness') to particle grain size by deriving empirical relationships between the two. Such relationships would permit rapid analysis of the spatial distribution of grain size over entire river reaches, providing data to drive distributed hydraulic models and revolutionising monitoring of river restoration projects. However, comparison of previous roughness-grain-size relationships shows substantial variability between field sites and do not take into account differences in patch-scale facies. This study explains this variability by identifying the factors that influence roughness-grain-size relationships. Using 275 laboratory and field-based Structure-from-Motion (SfM) surveys, we investigate the influence of: inherent survey error; irregularity of natural gravels; particle shape; grain packing structure; sorting; and form roughness on roughness-grain-size relationships. A suite of empirical relationships is presented in the form of a decision tree which improves estimations of grain size. Results indicate that the survey technique itself is capable of providing accurate grain size estimates. By accounting for differences in patch facies, R2 was seen to improve from 0.769 to R2 > 0.9 for certain facies. However, at present, the method is unsuitable for poorly sorted gravel patches. In future, a combination of a surface roughness proxy with photosieving techniques using SfM-derived orthophotos may offer improvements on using either technique individually.

Determining the 3D Subsurface Density Structure of Taurus Littrow Valley Using Apollo 17 Gravity Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Urbancic, N.; Ghent, R.; Stanley, S,; Johnson, C. L.; Carroll, K. A.; Hatch, D.; Williamson, M. C.; Garry, W. B.; Talwani, M.

2016-01-01

Surface gravity surveys can detect subsurface density variations that can reveal subsurface geologic features. In 1972, the Apollo 17 (A17) mission conducted the Traverse Gravimeter Experiment (TGE) using a gravimeter that measured the local gravity field near Taurus Littrow Valley (TLV), located on the south-eastern rim of the Serenitatis basin. TLV is hypothesized to be a basaltfilled radial graben resulting from the impact that formed Mare Serenitatis. It is bounded by both the North and South Massifs (NM and SM) as well as other smaller mountains to the East that are thought to be mainly composed of brecciated highland material. The TGE is the first and only successful gravity survey on the surface of the Moon. Other more recent satellite surveys, such as NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission (2011- 2012), have produced the best global gravity field to date (approx. 13km resolution). However, these satellite surveys are not sensitive enough to detect fine-scale (<1km) lunar subsurface structures. This underscores the value of the data collected at the surface by A17. In the original analysis of the data a 2D forward-modelling approach was used to derive a thickness of the subsurface basalt layer of 1.0 km by assuming a simple flat-faced rectangular geometry and using densities derived from Apollo lunar samples. We are investigating whether modern 3D modelling techniques in combination with high-resolution topographical and image datasets can reveal additional fine-scale subsurface structure in TLV.

Spanish adaptation of the internal functioning of the Work Teams Scale (QFI-22).

PubMed

Ficapal-Cusí, Pilar; Boada-Grau, Joan; Torrent-Sellens, Joan; Vigil-Colet, Andreu

2014-05-01

The aim of this article is to develop the Spanish adaptation of the internal functioning of Work Teams Scale (QFI-22). The scale was adapted from the French version, and was applied to a sample of 1,055 employees working for firms operating in Spain. The article analyses the internal structure (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis) and internal consistency, and provides convergent validity evidence of the scale. The QFI-22 scale shows the same internal structure as the original. Factor analysis confirmed the existence of two factors: interpersonal support and team work management, with good internal consistency coefficients (α1 = .93, α2 = .92). Regarding validity evidence, the QFI-22 scale has significant correlations with other correlates and alternative scales used for comparison purposes. The two factors correlated positively with team vision, participation safety, task orientation and support for innovation (Team Climate Inventory, TCI scale), with progressive culture (Organisational Culture, X-Y scale), and with creating change, customer focus and organisational learning (Denison Organizational Culture Survey, DOCS scale). In contrast, the two factors correlated negatively with traditional culture (X-Y scale). The QFI-22 scale is a useful instrument for assessing the internal functioning of work teams.

The failing measurement of attitudes: How semantic determinants of individual survey responses come to replace measures of attitude strength.

PubMed

Arnulf, Jan Ketil; Larsen, Kai Rune; Martinsen, Øyvind Lund; Egeland, Thore

2018-01-12

The traditional understanding of data from Likert scales is that the quantifications involved result from measures of attitude strength. Applying a recently proposed semantic theory of survey response, we claim that survey responses tap two different sources: a mixture of attitudes plus the semantic structure of the survey. Exploring the degree to which individual responses are influenced by semantics, we hypothesized that in many cases, information about attitude strength is actually filtered out as noise in the commonly used correlation matrix. We developed a procedure to separate the semantic influence from attitude strength in individual response patterns, and compared these results to, respectively, the observed sample correlation matrices and the semantic similarity structures arising from text analysis algorithms. This was done with four datasets, comprising a total of 7,787 subjects and 27,461,502 observed item pair responses. As we argued, attitude strength seemed to account for much information about the individual respondents. However, this information did not seem to carry over into the observed sample correlation matrices, which instead converged around the semantic structures offered by the survey items. This is potentially disturbing for the traditional understanding of what survey data represent. We argue that this approach contributes to a better understanding of the cognitive processes involved in survey responses. In turn, this could help us make better use of the data that such methods provide.

Reliability, Factor Structure, and Measurement Invariance of the Dominic Interactive Across European Countries: Cross-Country Utility of a Child Mental Health Self-Report

PubMed Central

Kuijpers, Rowella C. W. M.; Otten, Roy; Vermulst, Ad A.; Bitfoi, Adina; Goelitz, Dietmar; Koç, Ceren; Mihova, Zlatka; Pez, Ondine; Carta, Mauro; Keyes, Katherine; Lesinskiene, Sigita; Engels, Rutger C. M. E.; Kovess, Viviane

2015-01-01

Large-scale international surveys are important to globally evaluate, monitor, and promote children's mental health. However, use of young children's self-reports in these studies is still controversial. The Dominic Interactive, a computerized DSM-IV–based child mental health self-report questionnaire, has unique characteristics that may make it preeminently appropriate for usage in cross-country comparisons. This study aimed to determine scale score reliabilities (omega) of the Dominic Interactive in a sample of 8,135 primary school children, ages 6–11 years old, in 7 European countries, to confirm the proposed 7-scale factor structure, and to test for measurement invariance of scale and item scores across countries. Omega reliability values for scale scores were good to high in every country, and the factor structure was confirmed for all countries. A thorough examination of measurement invariance provided evidence for cross-country test score comparability of 5 of the 7 scales and partial scale score invariance of 2 anxiety scales. Possible explanations for this partial invariance include cross-country differences in conceptualizing items and defining what is socially and culturally acceptable anxiety. The convincing evidence for validity of score interpretation makes the Dominic Interactive an indispensable tool for cross-country screening purposes. PMID:26237209

Database for the geologic map of the Chelan 30-minute by 60-minute quadrangle, Washington (I-1661)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tabor, R.W.; Frizzell, V.A.; Whetten, J.T.; Waitt, R.B.; Swanson, D.A.; Byerly, G.R.; Booth, D.B.; Hetherington, M.J.; Zartman, R.E.

2006-01-01

This digital map database has been prepared by R. W. Tabor from the published Geologic map of the Chelan 30-Minute Quadrangle, Washington. Together with the accompanying text files as PDF, it provides information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The authors mapped most of the bedrock geology at 1:100,000 scale, but compiled Quaternary units at 1:24,000 scale. The Quaternary contacts and structural data have been much simplified for the 1:100,000-scale map and database. The spatial resolution (scale) of the database is 1:100,000 or smaller. This database depicts the distribution of geologic materials and structures at a regional (1:100,000) scale. The report is intended to provide geologic information for the regional study of materials properties, earthquake shaking, landslide potential, mineral hazards, seismic velocity, and earthquake faults. In addition, the report contains information and interpretations about the regional geologic history and framework. However, the regional scale of this report does not provide sufficient detail for site development purposes.

Database for the geologic map of the Snoqualmie Pass 30-minute by 60-minute quadrangle, Washington (I-2538)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tabor, R.W.; Frizzell, V.A.; Booth, D.B.; Waitt, R.B.

2006-01-01

This digital map database has been prepared by R.W. Tabor from the published Geologic map of the Snoqualmie Pass 30' X 60' Quadrangle, Washington. Together with the accompanying text files as PDF, it provides information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The authors mapped most of the bedrock geology at 1:100,000 scale, but compiled Quaternary units at 1:24,000 scale. The Quaternary contacts and structural data have been much simplified for the 1:100,000-scale map and database. The spatial resolution (scale) of the database is 1:100,000 or smaller. This database depicts the distribution of geologic materials and structures at a regional (1:100,000) scale. The report is intended to provide geologic information for the regional study of materials properties, earthquake shaking, landslide potential, mineral hazards, seismic velocity, and earthquake faults. In addition, the report contains information and interpretations about the regional geologic history and framework. However, the regional scale of this report does not provide sufficient detail for site development purposes.

Geologic Map of the Wenatchee 1:100,000 Quadrangle, Central Washington: A Digital Database

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tabor, R.W.; Waitt, R.B.; Frizzell, V.A.; Swanson, D.A.; Byerly, G.R.; Bentley, R.D.

2005-01-01

This digital map database has been prepared by R.W. Tabor from the published Geologic map of the Wenatchee 1:100,000 Quadrangle, Central Washington. Together with the accompanying text files as PDF, it provides information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The authors mapped most of the bedrock geology at 1:100,000 scale, but compiled Quaternary units at 1:24,000 scale. The Quaternary contacts and structural data have been much simplified for the 1:100,000-scale map and database. The spatial resolution (scale) of the database is 1:100,000 or smaller. This database depicts the distribution of geologic materials and structures at a regional (1:100,000) scale. The report is intended to provide geologic information for the regional study of materials properties, earthquake shaking, landslide potential, mineral hazards, seismic velocity, and earthquake faults. In addition, the report contains information and interpretations about the regional geologic history and framework. However, the regional scale of this report does not provide sufficient detail for site development purposes.

Modeling CMB lensing cross correlations with CLEFT

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

Modi, Chirag; White, Martin; Vlah, Zvonimir, E-mail: modichirag@berkeley.edu, E-mail: mwhite@berkeley.edu, E-mail: zvlah@stanford.edu

2017-08-01

A new generation of surveys will soon map large fractions of sky to ever greater depths and their science goals can be enhanced by exploiting cross correlations between them. In this paper we study cross correlations between the lensing of the CMB and biased tracers of large-scale structure at high z . We motivate the need for more sophisticated bias models for modeling increasingly biased tracers at these redshifts and propose the use of perturbation theories, specifically Convolution Lagrangian Effective Field Theory (CLEFT). Since such signals reside at large scales and redshifts, they can be well described by perturbative approaches.more » We compare our model with the current approach of using scale independent bias coupled with fitting functions for non-linear matter power spectra, showing that the latter will not be sufficient for upcoming surveys. We illustrate our ideas by estimating σ{sub 8} from the auto- and cross-spectra of mock surveys, finding that CLEFT returns accurate and unbiased results at high z . We discuss uncertainties due to the redshift distribution of the tracers, and several avenues for future development.« less

Constraints on Primordial Non-Gaussianity from 800 000 Photometric Quasars.

PubMed

Leistedt, Boris; Peiris, Hiranya V; Roth, Nina

2014-11-28

We derive robust constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity (PNG) using the clustering of 800 000 photometric quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in the redshift range 0.5

Modelling galaxy clustering on small scales to tighten constraints on dark energy and modified gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yun

2017-01-01

We present a new approach to measuring cosmic expansion history and growth rate of large-scale structure using the anisotropic two-dimensional galaxy correlation function (2DCF) measured from data; it makes use of the empirical modelling of small-scale galaxy clustering derived from numerical simulations by Zheng et al. We validate this method using mock catalogues, before applying it to the analysis of the CMASS sample from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 10 of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. We find that this method enables accurate and precise measurements of cosmic expansion history and growth rate of large-scale structure. Modelling the 2DCF fully including non-linear effects and redshift space distortions in the scale range of 16-144 h-1 Mpc, we find H(0.57)rs(zd)/c = 0.0459 ± 0.0006, DA(0.57)/rs(zd) = 9.011 ± 0.073, and fg(0.57)σ8(0.57) = 0.476 ± 0.050, which correspond to precisions of 1.3 per cent, 0.8 per cent, and 10.5 per cent, respectively. We have defined rs(zd) to be the sound horizon at the drag epoch computed using a simple integral, fg(z) as the growth rate at redshift z, and σ8(z) as the matter power spectrum normalization on 8 h-1 Mpc scale at z. We find that neglecting the small-scale information significantly weakens the constraints on H(z) and DA(z), and leads to a biased estimate of fg(z). Our results indicate that we can significantly tighten constraints on dark energy and modified gravity by reliably modelling small-scale galaxy clustering.

A PORTRAIT OF COLD GAS IN GALAXIES AT 60 pc RESOLUTION AND A SIMPLE METHOD TO TEST HYPOTHESES THAT LINK SMALL-SCALE ISM STRUCTURE TO GALAXY-SCALE PROCESSES

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

Leroy, Adam K.; Hughes, Annie; Schruba, Andreas

2016-11-01

The cloud-scale density, velocity dispersion, and gravitational boundedness of the interstellar medium (ISM) vary within and among galaxies. In turbulent models, these properties play key roles in the ability of gas to form stars. New high-fidelity, high-resolution surveys offer the prospect to measure these quantities across galaxies. We present a simple approach to make such measurements and to test hypotheses that link small-scale gas structure to star formation and galactic environment. Our calculations capture the key physics of the Larson scaling relations, and we show good correspondence between our approach and a traditional “cloud properties” treatment. However, we argue thatmore » our method is preferable in many cases because of its simple, reproducible characterization of all emission. Using, low- J {sup 12}CO data from recent surveys, we characterize the molecular ISM at 60 pc resolution in the Antennae, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), M31, M33, M51, and M74. We report the distributions of surface density, velocity dispersion, and gravitational boundedness at 60 pc scales and show galaxy-to-galaxy and intragalaxy variations in each. The distribution of flux as a function of surface density appears roughly lognormal with a 1 σ width of ∼0.3 dex, though the center of this distribution varies from galaxy to galaxy. The 60 pc resolution line width and molecular gas surface density correlate well, which is a fundamental behavior expected for virialized or free-falling gas. Varying the measurement scale for the LMC and M31, we show that the molecular ISM has higher surface densities, lower line widths, and more self-gravity at smaller scales.« less

Fast Generation of Ensembles of Cosmological N-Body Simulations via Mode-Resampling

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

Schneider, M D; Cole, S; Frenk, C S

2011-02-14

We present an algorithm for quickly generating multiple realizations of N-body simulations to be used, for example, for cosmological parameter estimation from surveys of large-scale structure. Our algorithm uses a new method to resample the large-scale (Gaussian-distributed) Fourier modes in a periodic N-body simulation box in a manner that properly accounts for the nonlinear mode-coupling between large and small scales. We find that our method for adding new large-scale mode realizations recovers the nonlinear power spectrum to sub-percent accuracy on scales larger than about half the Nyquist frequency of the simulation box. Using 20 N-body simulations, we obtain a powermore » spectrum covariance matrix estimate that matches the estimator from Takahashi et al. (from 5000 simulations) with < 20% errors in all matrix elements. Comparing the rates of convergence, we determine that our algorithm requires {approx}8 times fewer simulations to achieve a given error tolerance in estimates of the power spectrum covariance matrix. The degree of success of our algorithm indicates that we understand the main physical processes that give rise to the correlations in the matter power spectrum. Namely, the large-scale Fourier modes modulate both the degree of structure growth through the variation in the effective local matter density and also the spatial frequency of small-scale perturbations through large-scale displacements. We expect our algorithm to be useful for noise modeling when constraining cosmological parameters from weak lensing (cosmic shear) and galaxy surveys, rescaling summary statistics of N-body simulations for new cosmological parameter values, and any applications where the influence of Fourier modes larger than the simulation size must be accounted for.« less

The Evaluation of a Self-Enumerated Scale of Quality of Life (CASP-19) in the Context of Research on Ageing: A Combination of Exploratory and Confirmatory Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiggins, R. D.; Netuveli, G.; Hyde, M.; Higgs, P.; Blane, D.

2008-01-01

This paper describes the conceptual development of a self-enumerated scale of quality of life (CASP-19) and presents an empirical evaluation of its structure using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approaches across three different survey settings for older people living in England and Wales in the new millennium. All…

Large scale structures in the kinetic gravity braiding model that can be unbraided

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

Kimura, Rampei; Yamamoto, Kazuhiro, E-mail: rampei@theo.phys.sci.hiroshima-u.ac.jp, E-mail: kazuhiro@hiroshima-u.ac.jp

2011-04-01

We study cosmological consequences of a kinetic gravity braiding model, which is proposed as an alternative to the dark energy model. The kinetic braiding model we study is characterized by a parameter n, which corresponds to the original galileon cosmological model for n = 1. We find that the background expansion of the universe of the kinetic braiding model is the same as the Dvali-Turner's model, which reduces to that of the standard cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant (ΛCDM model) for n equal to infinity. We also find that the evolution of the linear cosmological perturbation inmore » the kinetic braiding model reduces to that of the ΛCDM model for n = ∞. Then, we focus our study on the growth history of the linear density perturbation as well as the spherical collapse in the nonlinear regime of the density perturbations, which might be important in order to distinguish between the kinetic braiding model and the ΛCDM model when n is finite. The theoretical prediction for the large scale structure is confronted with the multipole power spectrum of the luminous red galaxy sample of the Sloan Digital Sky survey. We also discuss future prospects of constraining the kinetic braiding model using a future redshift survey like the WFMOS/SuMIRe PFS survey as well as the cluster redshift distribution in the South Pole Telescope survey.« less

Red, Straight, no bends: primordial power spectrum reconstruction from CMB and large-scale structure

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

Ravenni, Andrea; Verde, Licia; Cuesta, Antonio J., E-mail: andrea.ravenni@pd.infn.it, E-mail: liciaverde@icc.ub.edu, E-mail: ajcuesta@icc.ub.edu

2016-08-01

We present a minimally parametric, model independent reconstruction of the shape of the primordial power spectrum. Our smoothing spline technique is well-suited to search for smooth features such as deviations from scale invariance, and deviations from a power law such as running of the spectral index or small-scale power suppression. We use a comprehensive set of the state-of the art cosmological data: Planck observations of the temperature and polarisation anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background, WiggleZ and Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 galaxy power spectra and the Canada-France-Hawaii Lensing Survey correlation function. This reconstruction strongly supports the evidencemore » for a power law primordial power spectrum with a red tilt and disfavours deviations from a power law power spectrum including small-scale power suppression such as that induced by significantly massive neutrinos. This offers a powerful confirmation of the inflationary paradigm, justifying the adoption of the inflationary prior in cosmological analyses.« less

Measuring science or religion? A measurement analysis of the National Science Foundation sponsored science literacy scale 2006-2010.

PubMed

Roos, J Micah

2014-10-01

High scientific literacy is widely considered a public good. Methods of assessing public scientific knowledge or literacy are equally important. In an effort to measure lay scientific literacy in the United States, the National Science Foundation (NSF) science literacy scale has been a part of the last three waves of the General Social Survey. However, there has been debate over the validity of some survey items as indicators of science knowledge. While many researchers treat the NSF science scale as measuring a single dimension, previous work (Bann and Schwerin, 2004; Miller, 1998, 2004) suggests a bidimensional structure. This paper hypothesizes and tests a new measurement model for the NSF science knowledge scale and finds that two items about evolution and the big bang are more measures of a religious belief dimension termed "Young Earth Worldview" than they are measures of scientific knowledge. Results are replicated in seven samples. © The Author(s) 2013.

Red, Straight, no bends: primordial power spectrum reconstruction from CMB and large-scale structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravenni, Andrea; Verde, Licia; Cuesta, Antonio J.

2016-08-01

We present a minimally parametric, model independent reconstruction of the shape of the primordial power spectrum. Our smoothing spline technique is well-suited to search for smooth features such as deviations from scale invariance, and deviations from a power law such as running of the spectral index or small-scale power suppression. We use a comprehensive set of the state-of the art cosmological data: Planck observations of the temperature and polarisation anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background, WiggleZ and Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 galaxy power spectra and the Canada-France-Hawaii Lensing Survey correlation function. This reconstruction strongly supports the evidence for a power law primordial power spectrum with a red tilt and disfavours deviations from a power law power spectrum including small-scale power suppression such as that induced by significantly massive neutrinos. This offers a powerful confirmation of the inflationary paradigm, justifying the adoption of the inflationary prior in cosmological analyses.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: 100-Mpc-scale structures of radio galaxies (Brand+, 2003)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brand, K.; Rawlings, S.; Hill, G. J.; Lacy, M.; Mitchell, E.; Tufts, J.

2003-09-01

The TONS08 survey is in one of the areas covered by the 7CRS (Willott et al., 2002MNRAS.335.1120W) and the TexOx-1000 (TOOT) survey (Hill & Rawlings, 2002, ASP Conf. Proc., Leiden. Astron. Soc. Pac., San Francisco). It covers the region 08h 10m 20s <= RA <= 08h 29m 20s and 24{deg} 10' 00" <= DE<= 29{deg} 30' 00" (J2000). Unlike the low-frequency-selected 7CRS and TOOT, the TONS08 survey is selected at 1.4GHz from the NVSS. (1 data file).

VISIONS - Vista Star Formation Atlas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meingast, Stefan; Alves, J.; Boui, H.; Ascenso, J.

2017-06-01

In this talk I will present the new ESO public survey VISIONS. Starting in early 2017 we will use the ESO VISTA survey telescope in a 550 h long programme to map the largest molecular cloud complexes within 500 pc in a multi-epoch program. The survey is optimized for measuring the proper motions of young stellar objects invisible to Gaia and mapping the cloud-structure with extinction. VISIONS will address a series of ISM topics ranging from the connection of dense cores to YSOs and the dynamical evolution of embedded clusters to variations in the reddening law on both small and large scales.

THE ARECIBO L-BAND FEED ARRAY ZONE OF AVOIDANCE SURVEY. I. PRECURSOR OBSERVATIONS THROUGH THE INNER AND OUTER GALAXY

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

Henning, P. A.; McIntyre, T.; Day, F.

The Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA) is being used to conduct a low-Galactic latitude survey, to map the distribution of galaxies and large-scale structures behind the Milky Way through detection of galaxies' neutral hydrogen (H I) 21 cm emission. This Zone of Avoidance (ZOA) survey finds new H I galaxies which lie hidden behind the Milky Way, and also provides redshifts for partially obscured galaxies known at other wavelengths. Before the commencement of the full survey, two low-latitude precursor regions were observed, totaling 138 deg{sup 2}, with 72 H I galaxies detected. Detections through the inner Galaxy generally have nomore » cataloged counterparts in any other waveband, due to the heavy extinction and stellar confusion. Detections through the outer Galaxy are more likely to have Two Micron All Sky Survey counterparts. We present the results of these precursor observations, including a catalog of the detected galaxies, with their H I parameters. The survey sensitivity is well described by a flux- and linewidth-dependent signal-to-noise ratio of 6.5. ALFA ZOA galaxies, which also have H I measurements in the literature, show good agreement between our measurements and previous work. The inner Galaxy precursor region was chosen to overlap the H I Parkes Zone of Avoidance Survey, so ALFA performance could be quickly assessed. The outer Galaxy precursor region lies north of the Parkes sky. Low-latitude large-scale structure in this region is revealed, including an overdensity of galaxies near l = 183{sup 0} and between 5000-6000 km s{sup -1} in the ZOA. The full ALFA ZOA survey will be conducted in two phases: a shallow survey using the observing techniques of the precursor observations, and also a deep phase with much longer integration time, with thousands of galaxies predicted for the final catalog.« less

Cosmology and the neutrino mass ordering

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

Hannestad, Steen; Schwetz, Thomas, E-mail: sth@phys.au.dk, E-mail: schwetz@kit.edu

We propose a simple method to quantify a possible exclusion of the inverted neutrino mass ordering from cosmological bounds on the sum of the neutrino masses. The method is based on Bayesian inference and allows for a calculation of the posterior odds of normal versus inverted ordering. We apply the method for a specific set of current data from Planck CMB data and large-scale structure surveys, providing an upper bound on the sum of neutrino masses of 0.14 eV at 95% CL. With this analysis we obtain posterior odds for normal versus inverted ordering of about 2:1. If cosmological datamore » is combined with data from oscillation experiments the odds reduce to about 3:2. For an exclusion of the inverted ordering from cosmology at more than 95% CL, an accuracy of better than 0.02 eV is needed for the sum. We demonstrate that such a value could be reached with planned observations of large scale structure by analysing artificial mock data for a EUCLID-like survey.« less

Projection Effects of Large-scale Structures on Weak-lensing Peak Abundances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Shuo; Liu, Xiangkun; Pan, Chuzhong; Wang, Qiao; Fan, Zuhui

2018-04-01

High peaks in weak lensing (WL) maps originate dominantly from the lensing effects of single massive halos. Their abundance is therefore closely related to the halo mass function and thus a powerful cosmological probe. However, besides individual massive halos, large-scale structures (LSS) along lines of sight also contribute to the peak signals. In this paper, with ray-tracing simulations, we investigate the LSS projection effects. We show that for current surveys with a large shape noise, the stochastic LSS effects are subdominant. For future WL surveys with source galaxies having a median redshift z med ∼ 1 or higher, however, they are significant. For the cosmological constraints derived from observed WL high-peak counts, severe biases can occur if the LSS effects are not taken into account properly. We extend the model of Fan et al. by incorporating the LSS projection effects into the theoretical considerations. By comparing with simulation results, we demonstrate the good performance of the improved model and its applicability in cosmological studies.

Reliability and Validity of the Telephone-Based eHealth Literacy Scale Among Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Survey.

PubMed

Stellefson, Michael; Paige, Samantha R; Tennant, Bethany; Alber, Julia M; Chaney, Beth H; Chaney, Don; Grossman, Suzanne

2017-10-26

Only a handful of studies have examined reliability and validity evidence of scores produced by the 8-item eHealth literacy Scale (eHEALS) among older adults. Older adults are generally more comfortable responding to survey items when asked by a real person rather than by completing self-administered paper-and-pencil or online questionnaires. However, no studies have explored the psychometrics of this scale when administered to older adults over the telephone. The objective of our study was to examine the reliability and internal structure of eHEALS data collected from older adults aged 50 years or older responding to items over the telephone. Respondents (N=283) completed eHEALS as part of a cross-sectional landline telephone survey. Exploratory structural equation modeling (E-SEM) analyses examined model fit of eHEALS scores with 1-, 2-, and 3-factor structures. Subsequent analyses based on the partial credit model explored the internal structure of eHEALS data. Compared with 1- and 2-factor models, the 3-factor eHEALS structure showed the best global E-SEM model fit indices (root mean square error of approximation=.07; comparative fit index=1.0; Tucker-Lewis index=1.0). Nonetheless, the 3 factors were highly correlated (r range .36 to .65). Item analyses revealed that eHEALS items 2 through 5 were overfit to a minor degree (mean square infit/outfit values <1.0; t statistics less than -2.0), but the internal structure of Likert scale response options functioned as expected. Overfitting eHEALS items (2-5) displayed a similar degree of information for respondents at similar points on the latent continuum. Test information curves suggested that eHEALS may capture more information about older adults at the higher end of the latent continuum (ie, those with high eHealth literacy) than at the lower end of the continuum (ie, those with low eHealth literacy). Item reliability (value=.92) and item separation (value=11.31) estimates indicated that eHEALS responses were reliable and stable. Results support administering eHEALS over the telephone when surveying older adults regarding their use of the Internet for health information. eHEALS scores best captured 3 factors (or subscales) to measure eHealth literacy in older adults; however, statistically significant correlations between these 3 factors suggest an overarching unidimensional structure with 3 underlying dimensions. As older adults continue to use the Internet more frequently to find and evaluate health information, it will be important to consider modifying the original eHEALS to adequately measure societal shifts in online health information seeking among aging populations. ©Michael Stellefson, Samantha R Paige, Bethany Tennant, Julia M Alber, Beth H Chaney, Don Chaney, Suzanne Grossman. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 26.10.2017.

DISCOVERY OF A LARGE NUMBER OF CANDIDATE PROTOCLUSTERS TRACED BY ∼15 Mpc-SCALE GALAXY OVERDENSITIES IN COSMOS

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

Chiang, Yi-Kuan; Gebhardt, Karl; Overzier, Roderik

2014-02-10

To demonstrate the feasibility of studying the epoch of massive galaxy cluster formation in a more systematic manner using current and future galaxy surveys, we report the discovery of a large sample of protocluster candidates in the 1.62 deg{sup 2} COSMOS/UltraVISTA field traced by optical/infrared selected galaxies using photometric redshifts. By comparing properly smoothed three-dimensional galaxy density maps of the observations and a set of matched simulations incorporating the dominant observational effects (galaxy selection and photometric redshift uncertainties), we first confirm that the observed ∼15 comoving Mpc-scale galaxy clustering is consistent with ΛCDM models. Using further the relation between high-z overdensitymore » and the present day cluster mass calibrated in these matched simulations, we found 36 candidate structures at 1.6 < z < 3.1, showing overdensities consistent with the progenitors of M{sub z} {sub =} {sub 0} ∼ 10{sup 15} M {sub ☉} clusters. Taking into account the significant upward scattering of lower mass structures, the probabilities for the candidates to have at least M{sub z=} {sub 0} ∼ 10{sup 14} M {sub ☉} are ∼70%. For each structure, about 15%-40% of photometric galaxy candidates are expected to be true protocluster members that will merge into a cluster-scale halo by z = 0. With solely photometric redshifts, we successfully rediscover two spectroscopically confirmed structures in this field, suggesting that our algorithm is robust. This work generates a large sample of uniformly selected protocluster candidates, providing rich targets for spectroscopic follow-up and subsequent studies of cluster formation. Meanwhile, it demonstrates the potential for probing early cluster formation with upcoming redshift surveys such as the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment and the Subaru Prime Focus Spectrograph survey.« less

Mapping the universe.

PubMed

Geller, M J; Huchra, J P

1989-11-17

Maps of the galaxy distribution in the nearby universe reveal large coherent structures. The extent of the largest features is limited only by the size of the survey. Voids with a density typically 20 percent of the mean and with diameters of 5000 km s(-1) are present in every survey large enough to contain them. Many galaxies lie in thin sheet-like structures. The largest sheet detected so far is the "Great Wall" with a minimum extent of 60 h(-1) Mpc x 170 h(-1) Mpc, where h is the Hubble constant in units of 100 km s(-1) Mpc(-1). The frequent occurrence of these structures is one of several serious challenges to our current understanding of the origin and evolution of the large-scale distribution of matter in the universe.

Infrared astronomical satellite (IRAS) catalogs and atlases. Volume 7: The small scale structure catalog

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helou, George (Editor); Walker, D. W. (Editor)

1988-01-01

The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was launched January 26, 1983. During its 300-day mission, it surveyed over 96 pct of the celestial sphere at four infrared wavelengths, centered approximately at 12, 25, 60, and 100 microns. Volume 1 describes the instrument, the mission, and the data reduction process. Volumes 2 through 6 present the observations of the approximately 245,000 individual point sources detected by IRAS; each volume gives sources within a specified range of declination. Volume 7 gives the observations of the approximately 16,000 sources spatially resolved by IRAS and smaller than 8'. This is Volume 7, The Small Scale Structure Catalog.

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

Hearin, Andrew P.; Zentner, Andrew R., E-mail: aph15@pitt.edu, E-mail: zentner@pitt.edu

Forthcoming projects such as the Dark Energy Survey, Joint Dark Energy Mission, and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, aim to measure weak lensing shear correlations with unprecedented accuracy. Weak lensing observables are sensitive to both the distance-redshift relation and the growth of structure in the Universe. If the cause of accelerated cosmic expansion is dark energy within general relativity, both cosmic distances and structure growth are governed by the properties of dark energy. Consequently, one may use lensing to check for this consistency and test general relativity. After reviewing the phenomenology of such tests, we address a major challenge tomore » such a program. The evolution of the baryonic component of the Universe is highly uncertain and can influence lensing observables, manifesting as modified structure growth for a fixed cosmic distance scale. Using two proposed methods, we show that one could be led to reject the null hypothesis of general relativity when it is the true theory if this uncertainty in baryonic processes is neglected. Recent simulations suggest that we can correct for baryonic effects using a parameterized model in which the halo mass-concentration relation is modified. The correction suffices to render biases small compared to statistical uncertainties. We study the ability of future weak lensing surveys to constrain the internal structures of halos and test the null hypothesis of general relativity simultaneously. Compared to alternative methods which null information from small-scales to mitigate sensitivity to baryonic physics, this internal calibration program should provide limits on deviations from general relativity that are several times more constraining. Specifically, we find that limits on general relativity in the case of internal calibration are degraded by only {approx} 30% or less compared to the case of perfect knowledge of nonlinear structure.« less

Multi-Scale Measures of Rugosity, Slope and Aspect from Benthic Stereo Image Reconstructions

PubMed Central

Friedman, Ariell; Pizarro, Oscar; Williams, Stefan B.; Johnson-Roberson, Matthew

2012-01-01

This paper demonstrates how multi-scale measures of rugosity, slope and aspect can be derived from fine-scale bathymetric reconstructions created from geo-referenced stereo imagery. We generate three-dimensional reconstructions over large spatial scales using data collected by Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), manned submersibles and diver-held imaging systems. We propose a new method for calculating rugosity in a Delaunay triangulated surface mesh by projecting areas onto the plane of best fit using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Slope and aspect can be calculated with very little extra effort, and fitting a plane serves to decouple rugosity from slope. We compare the results of the virtual terrain complexity calculations with experimental results using conventional in-situ measurement methods. We show that performing calculations over a digital terrain reconstruction is more flexible, robust and easily repeatable. In addition, the method is non-contact and provides much less environmental impact compared to traditional survey techniques. For diver-based surveys, the time underwater needed to collect rugosity data is significantly reduced and, being a technique based on images, it is possible to use robotic platforms that can operate beyond diver depths. Measurements can be calculated exhaustively at multiple scales for surveys with tens of thousands of images covering thousands of square metres. The technique is demonstrated on data gathered by a diver-rig and an AUV, on small single-transect surveys and on a larger, dense survey that covers over . Stereo images provide 3D structure as well as visual appearance, which could potentially feed into automated classification techniques. Our multi-scale rugosity, slope and aspect measures have already been adopted in a number of marine science studies. This paper presents a detailed description of the method and thoroughly validates it against traditional in-situ measurements. PMID:23251370

Non-Gaussian shape discrimination with spectroscopic galaxy surveys

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

Byun, Joyce; Bean, Rachel, E-mail: byun@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: rbean@astro.cornell.edu

2015-03-01

We consider how galaxy clustering data, from Mpc to Gpc scales, from upcoming large scale structure surveys, such as Euclid and DESI, can provide discriminating information about the bispectrum shape arising from a variety of inflationary scenarios. Through exploring in detail the weighting of shape properties in the calculation of the halo bias and halo mass function we show how they probe a broad range of configurations, beyond those in the squeezed limit, that can help distinguish between shapes with similar large scale bias behaviors. We assess the impact, on constraints for a diverse set of non-Gaussian shapes, of galaxymore » clustering information in the mildly non-linear regime, and surveys that span multiple redshifts and employ different galactic tracers of the dark matter distribution. Fisher forecasts are presented for a Euclid-like spectroscopic survey of Hα-selected emission line galaxies (ELGs), and a DESI-like survey, of luminous red galaxies (LRGs) and [O-II] doublet-selected ELGs, in combination with Planck-like CMB temperature and polarization data.While ELG samples provide better probes of shapes that are divergent in the squeezed limit, LRG constraints, centered below z<1, yield stronger constraints on shapes with scale-independent large-scale halo biases, such as the equilateral template. The ELG and LRG samples provide complementary degeneracy directions for distinguishing between different shapes. For Hα-selected galaxies, we note that recent revisions of the expected Hα luminosity function reduce the halo bias constraints on the local shape, relative to the CMB. For galaxy clustering constraints to be comparable to those from the CMB, additional information about the Gaussian galaxy bias is needed, such as can be determined from the galaxy clustering bispectrum or probing the halo power spectrum directly through weak lensing. If the Gaussian galaxy bias is constrained to better than a percent level then the LSS and CMB data could provide complementary constraints that will enable differentiation of bispectrum with distinct theoretical origins but with similar large scale, squeezed-limit properties.« less

The Updating of Geospatial Base Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alrajhi, Muhamad N.; Konecny, Gottfried

2018-04-01

Topopographic mapping issues concern the area coverage at different scales and their age. The age of the map is determined by the system of updating. The United Nations (UNGGIM) have attempted to track the global map coverage at various scale ranges, which has greatly improved in recent decades. However the poor state of updating of base maps is still a global problem. In Saudi Arabia large scale mapping is carried out for all urban, suburban and rural areas by aerial surveys. Updating is carried out by remapping every 5 to 10 years. Due to the rapid urban development this is not satisfactory, but faster update methods are forseen by use of high resolution satellite imagery and the improvement of object oriented geodatabase structures, which will permit to utilize various survey technologies to update the photogrammetry established geodatabases. The longterm goal is to create an geodata infrastructure, which exists in Great Britain or Germany.

Problems with small area surveys: lensing covariance of supernova distance measurements.

PubMed

Cooray, Asantha; Huterer, Dragan; Holz, Daniel E

2006-01-20

While luminosity distances from type Ia supernovae (SNe) are a powerful probe of cosmology, the accuracy with which these distances can be measured is limited by cosmic magnification due to gravitational lensing by the intervening large-scale structure. Spatial clustering of foreground mass leads to correlated errors in SNe distances. By including the full covariance matrix of SNe, we show that future wide-field surveys will remain largely unaffected by lensing correlations. However, "pencil beam" surveys, and those with narrow (but possibly long) fields of view, can be strongly affected. For a survey with 30 arcmin mean separation between SNe, lensing covariance leads to a approximately 45% increase in the expected errors in dark energy parameters.

Joint analysis of galaxy-galaxy lensing and galaxy clustering: Methodology and forecasts for Dark Energy Survey

DOE PAGES

Park, Y.; Krause, E.; Dodelson, S.; ...

2016-09-30

The joint analysis of galaxy-galaxy lensing and galaxy clustering is a promising method for inferring the growth function of large scale structure. Our analysis will be carried out on data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES), with its measurements of both the distribution of galaxies and the tangential shears of background galaxies induced by these foreground lenses. We develop a practical approach to modeling the assumptions and systematic effects affecting small scale lensing, which provides halo masses, and large scale galaxy clustering. Introducing parameters that characterize the halo occupation distribution (HOD), photometric redshift uncertainties, and shear measurement errors, we studymore » how external priors on different subsets of these parameters affect our growth constraints. Degeneracies within the HOD model, as well as between the HOD and the growth function, are identified as the dominant source of complication, with other systematic effects sub-dominant. The impact of HOD parameters and their degeneracies necessitate the detailed joint modeling of the galaxy sample that we employ. Finally, we conclude that DES data will provide powerful constraints on the evolution of structure growth in the universe, conservatively/optimistically constraining the growth function to 7.9%/4.8% with its first-year data that covered over 1000 square degrees, and to 3.9%/2.3% with its full five-year data that will survey 5000 square degrees, including both statistical and systematic uncertainties.« less

Joint analysis of galaxy-galaxy lensing and galaxy clustering: Methodology and forecasts for Dark Energy Survey

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

Park, Y.; Krause, E.; Dodelson, S.

The joint analysis of galaxy-galaxy lensing and galaxy clustering is a promising method for inferring the growth function of large scale structure. Our analysis will be carried out on data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES), with its measurements of both the distribution of galaxies and the tangential shears of background galaxies induced by these foreground lenses. We develop a practical approach to modeling the assumptions and systematic effects affecting small scale lensing, which provides halo masses, and large scale galaxy clustering. Introducing parameters that characterize the halo occupation distribution (HOD), photometric redshift uncertainties, and shear measurement errors, we studymore » how external priors on different subsets of these parameters affect our growth constraints. Degeneracies within the HOD model, as well as between the HOD and the growth function, are identified as the dominant source of complication, with other systematic effects sub-dominant. The impact of HOD parameters and their degeneracies necessitate the detailed joint modeling of the galaxy sample that we employ. Finally, we conclude that DES data will provide powerful constraints on the evolution of structure growth in the universe, conservatively/optimistically constraining the growth function to 7.9%/4.8% with its first-year data that covered over 1000 square degrees, and to 3.9%/2.3% with its full five-year data that will survey 5000 square degrees, including both statistical and systematic uncertainties.« less

Disentangling dark energy and cosmic tests of gravity from weak lensing systematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laszlo, Istvan; Bean, Rachel; Kirk, Donnacha; Bridle, Sarah

2012-06-01

We consider the impact of key astrophysical and measurement systematics on constraints on dark energy and modifications to gravity on cosmic scales. We focus on upcoming photometric ‘stage III’ and ‘stage IV’ large-scale structure surveys such as the Dark Energy Survey (DES), the Subaru Measurement of Images and Redshifts survey, the Euclid survey, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) and Wide Field Infra-Red Space Telescope (WFIRST). We illustrate the different redshift dependencies of gravity modifications compared to intrinsic alignments, the main astrophysical systematic. The way in which systematic uncertainties, such as galaxy bias and intrinsic alignments, are modelled can change dark energy equation-of-state parameter and modified gravity figures of merit by a factor of 4. The inclusion of cross-correlations of cosmic shear and galaxy position measurements helps reduce the loss of constraining power from the lensing shear surveys. When forecasts for Planck cosmic microwave background and stage IV surveys are combined, constraints on the dark energy equation-of-state parameter and modified gravity model are recovered, relative to those from shear data with no systematic uncertainties, provided fewer than 36 free parameters in total are used to describe the galaxy bias and intrinsic alignment models as a function of scale and redshift. While some uncertainty in the intrinsic alignment (IA) model can be tolerated, it is going to be important to be able to parametrize IAs well in order to realize the full potential of upcoming surveys. To facilitate future investigations, we also provide a fitting function for the matter power spectrum arising from the phenomenological modified gravity model we consider.

Finding structure in the dark: Coupled dark energy, weak lensing, and the mildly nonlinear regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miranda, Vinicius; González, Mariana Carrillo; Krause, Elisabeth; Trodden, Mark

2018-03-01

We reexamine interactions between the dark sectors of cosmology, with a focus on robust constraints that can be obtained using only mildly nonlinear scales. While it is well known that couplings between dark matter and dark energy can be constrained to the percent level when including the full range of scales probed by future optical surveys, calibrating matter power spectrum emulators to all possible choices of potentials and couplings requires many computationally expensive n-body simulations. Here we show that lensing and clustering of galaxies in combination with the cosmic microwave background (CMB) are capable of probing the dark sector coupling to the few percent level for a given class of models, using only linear and quasilinear Fourier modes. These scales can, in principle, be described by semianalytical techniques such as the effective field theory of large-scale structure.

The Spanish version of the Emotional Labour Scale (ELS): a validation study.

PubMed

Picardo, Juan M; López-Fernández, Consuelo; Hervás, María José Abellán

2013-10-01

To validate the Spanish version of the Emotional Labour Scale (ELS), an instrument widely used to understand how professionals working with people face emotional labor in their daily job. An observational, cross-sectional and multicenter survey was used. Nursing students and their clinical tutors (n=211) completed the self-reported ELS when the clinical practice period was over. First order and second order Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) were estimated in order to test the factor structure of the scale. The results of the CFA confirm a factor structure of the scale with six first order factors (duration, frequency, intensity, variety, surface acting and deep acting) and two larger second order factors named Demands (duration, frequency, intensity and variety) and Acting (surface acting and deep acting) establishing the validity of the Spanish version of the ELS. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

`Orphan' afterglows in the Universal structured jet model for γ-ray bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Elena M.; Perna, Rosalba; Daigne, Frédéric

2008-10-01

The paucity of reliable achromatic breaks in γ-ray burst afterglow light curves motivates independent measurements of the jet aperture. Serendipitous searches of afterglows, especially at radio wavelengths, have long been the classic alternative. These survey data have been interpreted assuming a uniformly emitting jet with sharp edges (`top-hat' jet), in that case the ratio of weakly relativistically beamed afterglows to GRBs scales with the jet solid angle. In this paper, we consider, instead, a very wide outflow with a luminosity that decreases across the emitting surface. In particular, we adopt the universal structured jet (USJ) model, which is an alternative to the top-hat model for the structure of the jet. However, the interpretation of the survey data is very different: in the USJ model, we only observe the emission within the jet aperture and the observed ratio of prompt emission rate to afterglow rate should solely depend on selection effects. We compute the number and rate of afterglows expected in all-sky snapshot observations as a function of the survey sensitivity. We find that the current (negative) results for OA searches are in agreement with our expectations. In radio and X-ray bands, this was mainly due to the low sensitivity of the surveys, while in the optical band the sky coverage was not sufficient. In general, we find that X-ray surveys are poor tools for OA searches, if the jet is structured. On the other hand, the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-cm radio survey and future instruments like the Allen Telescope Array (in the radio band) and especially GAIA, Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (in the optical band) will have chances to detect afterglows.

Measuring BAO and non-Gaussianity via QSO clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawangwit, U.; Shanks, T.; Croom, S. M.; Drinkwater, M. J.; Fine, S.; Parkinson, D.; Ross, Nicholas P.

2012-03-01

Our goals are (i) to search for BAO and large-scale structure in current quasi-stellar object (QSO) survey data and (ii) to use these and simulation/forecast results to assess the science case for a new, ≳10 times larger, QSO survey. We first combine the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), 2dF QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ) and 2dF-SDSS LRG and QSO (2SLAQ) surveys to form a survey of ≈60 000 QSOs. We find a hint of a peak in the QSO two-point correlation function, ξ(s), at the same scale (≈105 h-1 Mpc) as detected by Eisenstein et al. in their sample of Data Release 5 (DR5) Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) but only at low statistical significance. We then compare these data with QSO mock catalogues from the Hubble Volume N-body light-cone simulation used by Hoyle et al. and find that both routes give statistical error estimates that are consistent at ≈100 h-1 Mpc scales. Mock catalogues are then used to estimate the nominal survey size needed for a 3-4σ detection of the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) peak. We find that a redshift survey of ≈250 000 z < 2.2 QSOs is required over ≈3000 deg2. This is further confirmed by static lognormal simulations where the BAO are clearly detectable in the QSO power spectrum and correlation function. The nominal survey would on its own produce the first detection of, for example, discontinuous dark energy evolution in the so far uncharted 1 < z < 2.2 redshift range. We further find that a survey with ≈50 per cent higher QSO sky densities and 50 per cent bigger area will give an ≈6σ BAO detection, leading to an error ≈60 per cent of the size of the BOSS error on the dark energy evolution parameter, wa. Another important aim of a QSO survey is to place new limits on primordial non-Gaussianity at large scales. In particular, it is important to test tentative evidence we have found for the evolution of the linear form of the combined SDSS+2QZ+2SLAQ QSO ξ(s) at z≈ 1.6, which may be caused by the existence of non-Gaussian clustering features at high redshift. Such a QSO survey will also determine the gravitational growth rate at z≈ 1.6 via redshift-space distortions, allow lensing tomography via QSO magnification bias while also measuring the exact luminosity dependence of small-scale QSO clustering.

Impacts and recovery from severe tropical cyclone Yasi on the Great Barrier Reef.

PubMed

Beeden, Roger; Maynard, Jeffrey; Puotinen, Marjetta; Marshall, Paul; Dryden, Jen; Goldberg, Jeremy; Williams, Gareth

2015-01-01

Full recovery of coral reefs from tropical cyclone (TC) damage can take decades, making cyclones a major driver of habitat condition where they occur regularly. Since 1985, 44 TCs generated gale force winds (≥17 metres/second) within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP). Of the hurricane strength TCs (≥H1-Saffir Simpson scale; ≥ category 3 Australian scale), TC Yasi (February, 2011) was the largest. In the weeks after TC Yasi crossed the GBRMP, participating researchers, managers and rangers assessed the extent and severity of reef damage via 841 Reef Health and Impact Surveys at 70 reefs. Records were scaled into five damage levels representing increasingly widespread colony-level damage (1, 2, 3) and reef structural damage (4, 5). Average damage severity was significantly affected by direction (north vs south of the cyclone track), reef shelf position (mid-shelf vs outer-shelf) and habitat type. More outer-shelf reefs suffered structural damage than mid-shelf reefs within 150 km of the track. Structural damage spanned a greater latitudinal range for mid-shelf reefs than outer-shelf reefs (400 vs 300 km). Structural damage was patchily distributed at all distances, but more so as distance from the track increased. Damage extended much further from the track than during other recent intense cyclones that had smaller circulation sizes. Just over 15% (3,834 km2) of the total reef area of the GBRMP is estimated to have sustained some level of coral damage, with ~4% (949 km2) sustaining a degree of structural damage. TC Yasi likely caused the greatest loss of coral cover on the GBR in a 24-hour period since 1985. Severely impacted reefs have started to recover; coral cover increased an average of 4% between 2011 and 2013 at re-surveyed reefs. The in situ assessment of impacts described here is the largest in scale ever conducted on the Great Barrier Reef following a reef health disturbance.

Impacts and Recovery from Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi on the Great Barrier Reef

PubMed Central

Beeden, Roger; Maynard, Jeffrey; Puotinen, Marjetta; Marshall, Paul; Dryden, Jen; Goldberg, Jeremy; Williams, Gareth

2015-01-01

Full recovery of coral reefs from tropical cyclone (TC) damage can take decades, making cyclones a major driver of habitat condition where they occur regularly. Since 1985, 44 TCs generated gale force winds (≥17 metres/second) within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP). Of the hurricane strength TCs (≥H1—Saffir Simpson scale; ≥ category 3 Australian scale), TC Yasi (February, 2011) was the largest. In the weeks after TC Yasi crossed the GBRMP, participating researchers, managers and rangers assessed the extent and severity of reef damage via 841 Reef Health and Impact Surveys at 70 reefs. Records were scaled into five damage levels representing increasingly widespread colony-level damage (1, 2, 3) and reef structural damage (4, 5). Average damage severity was significantly affected by direction (north vs south of the cyclone track), reef shelf position (mid-shelf vs outer-shelf) and habitat type. More outer-shelf reefs suffered structural damage than mid-shelf reefs within 150 km of the track. Structural damage spanned a greater latitudinal range for mid-shelf reefs than outer-shelf reefs (400 vs 300 km). Structural damage was patchily distributed at all distances, but more so as distance from the track increased. Damage extended much further from the track than during other recent intense cyclones that had smaller circulation sizes. Just over 15% (3,834 km2) of the total reef area of the GBRMP is estimated to have sustained some level of coral damage, with ~4% (949 km2) sustaining a degree of structural damage. TC Yasi likely caused the greatest loss of coral cover on the GBR in a 24-hour period since 1985. Severely impacted reefs have started to recover; coral cover increased an average of 4% between 2011 and 2013 at re-surveyed reefs. The in situ assessment of impacts described here is the largest in scale ever conducted on the Great Barrier Reef following a reef health disturbance. PMID:25874718

The Variance of Intraclass Correlations in Three- and Four-Level Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hedges, Larry V.; Hedberg, E. C.; Kuyper, Arend M.

2012-01-01

Intraclass correlations are used to summarize the variance decomposition in populations with multilevel hierarchical structure. There has recently been considerable interest in estimating intraclass correlations from surveys or designed experiments to provide design parameters for planning future large-scale randomized experiments. The large…

The Variance of Intraclass Correlations in Three and Four Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hedges, Larry V.; Hedberg, Eric C.; Kuyper, Arend M.

2012-01-01

Intraclass correlations are used to summarize the variance decomposition in popula- tions with multilevel hierarchical structure. There has recently been considerable interest in estimating intraclass correlations from surveys or designed experiments to provide design parameters for planning future large-scale randomized experiments. The large…

Assessing health professionals' perceptions of family presence during resuscitation: a replication study.

PubMed

Chapman, Rose; Watkins, Rochelle; Bushby, Angela; Combs, Shane

2013-01-01

Family witnessed resuscitation is the practice of enabling patients' family members to be present during resuscitation. Research is inconsistent as to the effectiveness or usefulness of this initiative. To evaluate the performance of two scales that assess perceptions of family witnessed resuscitation among a sample of health professionals, in an Australian non-teaching hospital, and explore differences in perceptions according to sociodemographic characteristics and previous experience. Descriptive, replication study, using a cross-sectional survey. An anonymous survey was distributed to 221 emergency department clinicians. Sociodemographic characteristics and perceptions of family witnessed resuscitation using the Family Presence Risk-Benefit and Family Presence Self-confidence Scales were assessed. Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate the performance of the scales. One hundred and fourteen doctors and nurses returned the survey (response rate of 51.6%). Both Scales were found to have a single factor structure and a high level of internal consistency. Approximately two-thirds of participants considered that family presence was a right of patients and families, and almost a quarter of respondents had invited family presence during resuscitation on more than five occasions. We found no significant differences in scale scores between doctors and nurses. Our findings confirm the validity of the Family Presence Risk-Benefit and Family Presence Self-Confidence Scales in the Australian context, and highlight the need to support clinicians in the provision of family witnessed resuscitation to all families. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Control-Structure-Interaction (CSI) technologies and trends to future NASA missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Control-structure-interaction (CSI) issues which are relevant for future NASA missions are reviewed. This goal was achieved by: (1) reviewing large space structures (LSS) technologies to provide a background and survey of the current state of the art (SOA); (2) analytically studying a focus mission to identify opportunities where CSI technology may be applied to enhance or enable future NASA spacecraft; and (3) expanding a portion of the focus mission, the large antenna, to provide in-depth trade studies, scaling laws, and methodologies which may be applied to other NASA missions. Several sections are presented. Section 1 defines CSI issues and presents an overview of the relevant modeling and control issues for LLS. Section 2 presents the results of the three phases of the CSI study. Section 2.1 gives the results of a CSI study conducted with the Geostationary Platform (Geoplat) as the focus mission. Section 2.2 contains an overview of the CSI control design methodology available in the technical community. Included is a survey of the CSI ground-based experiments which were conducted to verify theoretical performance predictions. Section 2.3 presents and demonstrates a new CSI scaling law methodology for assessing potential CSI with large antenna systems.

Probing dark energy with lensing magnification in photometric surveys.

PubMed

Schneider, Michael D

2014-02-14

I present an estimator for the angular cross correlation of two tracers of the cosmological large-scale structure that utilizes redshift information to isolate separate physical contributions. The estimator is derived by solving the Limber equation for a reweighting of the foreground tracer that nulls either clustering or lensing contributions to the cross correlation function. Applied to future photometric surveys, the estimator can enhance the measurement of gravitational lensing magnification effects to provide a competitive independent constraint on the dark energy equation of state.

22 GHz VLBI Survey: Status Report and Preliminary Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moellenbrock, G.; Fujisawa, K.; Preston, R.; Gurvits, L.; Dewey, R.; Hirabayashi, H.; Inoue, M.; Jauncey, D.; Migenes, V.; Roberts, D.;

Basic Equations Interrelate Atomic and Nuclear Properties to Patterns at the Size Scales of the Cosmos, Extended Clusters of Galaxies, Galaxies, and Nebulae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Rob

2016-09-01

Structures within molecules and nuclei have relationships to astronomical patterns. The COBE cosmic scale plots, and large scale surveys of galaxy clusters have patterns also repeating and well known at atomic scales. The Induction, Strong Force, and Nuclear Binding Energy Periods within the Big Bang are revealed to have played roles in the formation of these large scale distributions. Equations related to the enormous patterns also model chemical bonds and likely nucleus and nucleon substructures. ratios of the forces that include gravity are accurately calculated from the distributions and shapes. In addition, particle masses and a great many physical constants can be derived with precision and accuracy from astrophysical shapes. A few very basic numbers can do modelling from nucleon internals to molecules to super novae, and up to the Visible Universe. Equations are also provided along with possible structural configurations for some Cold Dark Matter and Dark Energy.

Cosmological consistency tests of gravity theory and cosmic acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishak-Boushaki, Mustapha B.

2017-01-01

Testing general relativity at cosmological scales and probing the cause of cosmic acceleration are among the important objectives targeted by incoming and future astronomical surveys and experiments. I present our recent results on consistency tests that can provide insights about the underlying gravity theory and cosmic acceleration using cosmological data sets. We use statistical measures, the rate of cosmic expansion, the growth rate of large scale structure, and the physical consistency of these probes with one another.

Form and function in hillslope hydrology: in situ imaging and characterization of flow-relevant structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackisch, Conrad; Angermann, Lisa; Allroggen, Niklas; Sprenger, Matthias; Blume, Theresa; Tronicke, Jens; Zehe, Erwin

2017-07-01

The study deals with the identification and characterization of rapid subsurface flow structures through pedo- and geo-physical measurements and irrigation experiments at the point, plot and hillslope scale. Our investigation of flow-relevant structures and hydrological responses refers to the general interplay of form and function, respectively. To obtain a holistic picture of the subsurface, a large set of different laboratory, exploratory and experimental methods was used at the different scales. For exploration these methods included drilled soil core profiles, in situ measurements of infiltration capacity and saturated hydraulic conductivity, and laboratory analyses of soil water retention and saturated hydraulic conductivity. The irrigation experiments at the plot scale were monitored through a combination of dye tracer, salt tracer, soil moisture dynamics, and 3-D time-lapse ground penetrating radar (GPR) methods. At the hillslope scale the subsurface was explored by a 3-D GPR survey. A natural storm event and an irrigation experiment were monitored by a dense network of soil moisture observations and a cascade of 2-D time-lapse GPR trenches. We show that the shift between activated and non-activated state of the flow paths is needed to distinguish structures from overall heterogeneity. Pedo-physical analyses of point-scale samples are the basis for sub-scale structure inference. At the plot and hillslope scale 3-D and 2-D time-lapse GPR applications are successfully employed as non-invasive means to image subsurface response patterns and to identify flow-relevant paths. Tracer recovery and soil water responses from irrigation experiments deliver a consistent estimate of response velocities. The combined observation of form and function under active conditions provides the means to localize and characterize the structures (this study) and the hydrological processes (companion study Angermann et al., 2017, this issue).

Surveying the CGM and IGM across 4 orders of magnitude in environmental density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burchett, Joseph

2017-08-01

Environment matters when it comes to galaxy evolution, and the mechanisms driving this evolution are reflected in the diffuse gas residing within the large-scale structures enveloping the cosmic galaxy population. QSO absorption lines effectively probe the circumgalactic medium (CGM) and intragroup and intracluster media, and work thus far hints at profound environmental effects on the CGM. However, sample sizes remain small, and a unifying picture of the gas characteristics across diverse environments has yet to emerge. Within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we have identified a sample volume containing a remarkable diversity in large-scale environment with an array of voids, >10,000 groups, several filaments, and 5 clusters, including the Coma Supercluster and CfA Great Wall. Leveraging the Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive (HSLA), we propose a study using >360 background QSOs probing this volume to study the effects of large-scale environment on CGM and intergalactic medium (IGM) gas. The z = 0.019-0.028 spectroscopic galaxy sample is uniformly complete to galaxies L > 0.03 L* and, with the HSLA, produces 200 galaxy/sightline pairs within 300-kpc impact parameters across a wide range of environmental densities and structures.Upon quantifying the galaxy environment and identifying/measuring the QSO absorption lines at z = 0.019-0.028, we will pursue the following primary science goals:1. Constrain the CGM/IGM physical conditions across four orders of magnitude in galaxy density2. Compare ionic abundances and ionization states in the CGM of galaxies in filaments vs. voids3. Statistically investigate the IGM/CGM gas properties from structure to structure

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

Sunayama, Tomomi; Padmanabhan, Nikhil; Heitmann, Katrin

Precision measurements of the large scale structure of the Universe require large numbers of high fidelity mock catalogs to accurately assess, and account for, the presence of systematic effects. We introduce and test a scheme for generating mock catalogs rapidly using suitably derated N-body simulations. Our aim is to reproduce the large scale structure and the gross properties of dark matter halos with high accuracy, while sacrificing the details of the halo's internal structure. By adjusting global and local time-steps in an N-body code, we demonstrate that we recover halo masses to better than 0.5% and the power spectrum tomore » better than 1% both in real and redshift space for k =1 h Mpc{sup −1}, while requiring a factor of 4 less CPU time. We also calibrate the redshift spacing of outputs required to generate simulated light cones. We find that outputs separated by Δ z =0.05 allow us to interpolate particle positions and velocities to reproduce the real and redshift space power spectra to better than 1% (out to k =1 h Mpc{sup −1}). We apply these ideas to generate a suite of simulations spanning a range of cosmologies, motivated by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) but broadly applicable to future large scale structure surveys including eBOSS and DESI. As an initial demonstration of the utility of such simulations, we calibrate the shift in the baryonic acoustic oscillation peak position as a function of galaxy bias with higher precision than has been possible so far. This paper also serves to document the simulations, which we make publicly available.« less

Revealing the z ~ 2.5 Cosmic Web with 3D Lyα Forest Tomography: a Deformation Tensor Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Khee-Gan; White, Martin

2016-11-01

Studies of cosmological objects should take into account their positions within the cosmic web of large-scale structure. Unfortunately, the cosmic web has only been extensively mapped at low redshifts (z\\lt 1), using galaxy redshifts as tracers of the underlying density field. At z\\gt 1, the required galaxy densities are inaccessible for the foreseeable future, but 3D reconstructions of Lyα forest absorption in closely separated background QSOs and star-forming galaxies already offer a detailed window into z˜ 2-3 large-scale structure. We quantify the utility of such maps for studying the cosmic web by using realistic z = 2.5 Lyα forest simulations matched to observational properties of upcoming surveys. A deformation tensor-based analysis is used to classify voids, sheets, filaments, and nodes in the flux, which are compared to those determined from the underlying dark matter (DM) field. We find an extremely good correspondence, with 70% of the volume in the flux maps correctly classified relative to the DM web, and 99% classified to within one eigenvalue. This compares favorably to the performance of galaxy-based classifiers with even the highest galaxy densities from low-redshift surveys. We find that narrow survey geometries can degrade the recovery of the cosmic web unless the survey is ≳ 60 {h}-1 {Mpc} or ≳ 1 deg on the sky. We also examine halo abundances as a function of the cosmic web, and find a clear dependence as a function of flux overdensity, but little explicit dependence on the cosmic web. These methods will provide a new window on cosmological environments of galaxies at this very special time in galaxy formation, “high noon,” and on overall properties of cosmological structures at this epoch.

Short assessment of the Big Five: robust across survey methods except telephone interviewing.

PubMed

Lang, Frieder R; John, Dennis; Lüdtke, Oliver; Schupp, Jürgen; Wagner, Gert G

2011-06-01

We examined measurement invariance and age-related robustness of a short 15-item Big Five Inventory (BFI-S) of personality dimensions, which is well suited for applications in large-scale multidisciplinary surveys. The BFI-S was assessed in three different interviewing conditions: computer-assisted or paper-assisted face-to-face interviewing, computer-assisted telephone interviewing, and a self-administered questionnaire. Randomized probability samples from a large-scale German panel survey and a related probability telephone study were used in order to test method effects on self-report measures of personality characteristics across early, middle, and late adulthood. Exploratory structural equation modeling was used in order to test for measurement invariance of the five-factor model of personality trait domains across different assessment methods. For the short inventory, findings suggest strong robustness of self-report measures of personality dimensions among young and middle-aged adults. In old age, telephone interviewing was associated with greater distortions in reliable personality assessment. It is concluded that the greater mental workload of telephone interviewing limits the reliability of self-report personality assessment. Face-to-face surveys and self-administrated questionnaire completion are clearly better suited than phone surveys when personality traits in age-heterogeneous samples are assessed.

Galaxies Detected by the Dwingeloo Obscured Galaxies Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivers, A. J.; Henning, P. A.; Kraan-Korteweg, R. C.

1999-04-01

The Dwingeloo Obscured Galaxies Survey (DOGS) is a 21-cm blind survey for galaxies hidden in the northern `Zone of Avoidance' (ZOA): the portion of the optical extragalactic sky which is obscured by dust in the Milky Way. Like the Parkes southern hemisphere ZOA survey, the DOGS project is designed to reveal hidden dynamically important nearby galaxies and to help `fill in the blanks' in the local large scale structure. To date, 36 galaxies have been detected by the Dwingeloo survey; 23 of these were previously unknown [no corresponding sources recorded in the NASA Extragalactic Database (NED)]. Among the interesting detections are three nearby galaxies in the vicinity of NGC 6946 and 11 detections in the Supergalactic plane crossing region. VLA follow-up observations have been conducted for several of the DOGS detections.

A quantitative approach to the topology of large-scale structure. [for galactic clustering computation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gott, J. Richard, III; Weinberg, David H.; Melott, Adrian L.

1987-01-01

A quantitative measure of the topology of large-scale structure: the genus of density contours in a smoothed density distribution, is described and applied. For random phase (Gaussian) density fields, the mean genus per unit volume exhibits a universal dependence on threshold density, with a normalizing factor that can be calculated from the power spectrum. If large-scale structure formed from the gravitational instability of small-amplitude density fluctuations, the topology observed today on suitable scales should follow the topology in the initial conditions. The technique is illustrated by applying it to simulations of galaxy clustering in a flat universe dominated by cold dark matter. The technique is also applied to a volume-limited sample of the CfA redshift survey and to a model in which galaxies reside on the surfaces of polyhedral 'bubbles'. The topology of the evolved mass distribution and 'biased' galaxy distribution in the cold dark matter models closely matches the topology of the density fluctuations in the initial conditions. The topology of the observational sample is consistent with the random phase, cold dark matter model.

Mapping forest canopy gaps using air-photo interpretation and ground surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fox, T.J.; Knutson, M.G.; Hines, R.K.

2000-01-01

Canopy gaps are important structural components of forested habitats for many wildlife species. Recent improvements in the spatial accuracy of geographic information system tools facilitate accurate mapping of small canopy features such as gaps. We compared canopy-gap maps generated using ground survey methods with those derived from air-photo interpretation. We found that maps created from high-resolution air photos were more accurate than those created from ground surveys. Errors of omission were 25.6% for the ground-survey method and 4.7% for the air-photo method. One variable of inter est in songbird research is the distance from nests to gap edges. Distances from real and simulated nests to gap edges were longer using the ground-survey maps versus the air-photo maps, indicating that gap omission could potentially bias the assessment of spatial relationships. If research or management goals require location and size of canopy gaps and specific information about vegetation structure, we recommend a 2-fold approach. First, canopy gaps can be located and the perimeters defined using 1:15,000-scale or larger aerial photographs and the methods we describe. Mapped gaps can then be field-surveyed to obtain detailed vegetation data.

Cosmological surveys with multi-object spectrographs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colless, Matthew

2016-08-01

Multi-object spectroscopy has been a key technique contributing to the current era of `precision cosmology.' From the first exploratory surveys of the large-scale structure and evolution of the universe to the current generation of superbly detailed maps spanning a wide range of redshifts, multi-object spectroscopy has been a fundamentally important tool for mapping the rich structure of the cosmic web and extracting cosmological information of increasing variety and precision. This will continue to be true for the foreseeable future, as we seek to map the evolving geometry and structure of the universe over the full extent of cosmic history in order to obtain the most precise and comprehensive measurements of cosmological parameters. Here I briefly summarize the contributions that multi-object spectroscopy has made to cosmology so far, then review the major surveys and instruments currently in play and their prospects for pushing back the cosmological frontier. Finally, I examine some of the next generation of instruments and surveys to explore how the field will develop in coming years, with a particular focus on specialised multi-object spectrographs for cosmology and the capabilities of multi-object spectrographs on the new generation of extremely large telescopes.

Relationships of New Teachers' Beliefs and Instructional Practices: Comparisons across Four Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shi, Qingmin; Zhang, Shaoan; Lin, Emily

2014-01-01

Drawing on large-scale international teachers' data from Hungary, Korea, Norway, and Turkey in the Teaching and Learning International Survey in 2008 assessment, this study examined the relationships between new teachers' beliefs about instruction (direct transmission and constructivist beliefs) and teaching practices (structured, student…

Multi-scale variation in spatial heterogeneity for microbial community structure in an eastern Virginia agricultural field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Franklin, Rima B.; Mills, Aaron L.

2003-01-01

To better understand the distribution of soil microbial communities at multiple spatial scales, a survey was conducted to examine the spatial organization of community structure in a wheat field in eastern Virginia (USA). Nearly 200 soil samples were collected at a variety of separation distances ranging from 2.5 cm to 11 m. Whole-community DNA was extracted from each sample, and community structure was compared using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) DNA fingerprinting. Relative similarity was calculated between each pair of samples and compared using geostatistical variogram analysis to study autocorrelation as a function of separation distance. Spatial autocorrelation was found at scales ranging from 30 cm to more than 6 m, depending on the sampling extent considered. In some locations, up to four different correlation length scales were detected. The presence of nested scales of variability suggests that the environmental factors regulating the development of the communities in this soil may operate at different scales. Kriging was used to generate maps of the spatial organization of communities across the plot, and the results demonstrated that bacterial distributions can be highly structured, even within a habitat that appears relatively homogeneous at the plot and field scale. Different subsets of the microbial community were distributed differently across the plot, and this is thought to be due to the variable response of individual populations to spatial heterogeneity associated with soil properties. c2003 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Predictors of violence and depression: the case of adolescents in Turkey.

PubMed

Çiftçi, Ali; Kasapoglu, Aytul

2015-11-01

Violence is a leading problem that has a negative impact on daily living. Today, it continues to be an important topic owing to its widespread occurrence, especially among the youth. The main objective of this study is to specify the predictors that influence violence and depression observed among youth aged 15-18 years. While some of these factors are individual (age, gender, flirting, sports. etc.), the subjects' background, such as the family's education level, sibling number, etc., were investigated as social and environmental factors. In the survey, data were obtained from 109 high school students receiving education in a private teaching institution using a structured questionnaire technique. With regards the reliability of the survey, equal numbers of boys and girls were chosen from each year in high school lasting for 4 years. After asking questions that aim to obtain students' sociodemographic features, their depression level was surveyed using the Beck Depression Scale; meanwhile, the Violence Tendency Scale was used to survey their tendency to be violent. Findings revealed that some individual and domestic features of adolescents have significant impacts on their tendencies towards violence and depression.

Cluster mass estimators from CMB temperature and polarization lensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Wayne; DeDeo, Simon; Vale, Chris

2007-12-01

Upcoming Sunyaev Zel'dovich surveys are expected to return ~104 intermediate mass clusters at high redshift. Their average masses must be known to the same accuracy as desired for the dark energy properties. Internal to the surveys, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) potentially provides a source for lensing mass measurements whose distance is precisely known and behind all clusters. We develop statistical mass estimators from six quadratic combinations of CMB temperature and polarization fields that can simultaneously recover large-scale structure and cluster mass profiles. The performance of these estimators on idealized Navarro Frenk White (NFW) clusters suggests that surveys with a ~1' beam and 10\\,\\muK^{\\prime} noise in uncontaminated temperature maps can make a ~10σ detection, or equivalently a ~10% mass measurement for each 103 set of clusters. With internal or external acoustic scale E-polarization measurements, the ET cross-correlation estimator can provide a stringent test for contaminants on a first detection at ~1/3 the significance. For surveys that reach below 3\\,\\muK^{\\prime}, the EB cross-correlation estimator should provide the most precise measurements and potentially the strongest control over contaminants.

Snow depth spatial structure from hillslope to basin scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deems, J. S.

2017-12-01

Knowledge of spatial patterns of snow accumulation is required for understanding the hydrology, climatology, and ecology of mountain regions. Spatial structure in snow accumulation patterns changes with the scale of observation, a feature that has been characterized using fractal dimensions calculated from lidar-derived snow depth maps: fractal scaling structure at short length scales, with a `scale break' transition to more stochastic patterns at longer separation distances. Previous work has shown that this fractal structure of snow depth distributions differs between sites with different vegetation and terrain characteristics. Forested areas showed a transition to a nearly random spatial distribution at a much shorter lag distance than do unforested sites, enabling a statistical characterization. Alpine areas, however, showed strong spatial structure for a much wider scale range, and were the source of the dominant spatial pattern observable over a wider area. These spatial structure characteristics suggest that the choice of measurement or model resolution (satellite sensor, DEM, field survey point spacing, etc.) will strongly affect the estimates of snow volume or mass, as well as the magnitude of spatial variability. These prior efforts used data sets that were high resolution ( 1 m laser point spacing) but of limited extent ( 1 km2), constraining detection of scale features such as fractal dimension or scale breaks to areas of relatively similar characteristics and to lag distances of under 500 m. New datasets available from the NASA JPL Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) provide similar resolution but over large areas, enabling assessment of snow spatial structure across an entire watershed, or in similar vegetation or physiography but in different parts of the basin. Additionally, the multi-year ASO time series allows an investigation into the temporal stability of these scale characteristics, within a single snow season and between seasons of strongly varying accumulation totals and patterns. This presentation will explore initial results from this study, using data from the Tuolumne River Basin in California, USA. Fractal scaling characteristics derived from ASO lidar snow depth measurements are examined at the basin scale, as well as in varying topographic and forest cover environments.

Influence of scale-dependent fracture intensity on block size distribution and rock slope failure mechanisms in a DFN framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agliardi, Federico; Galletti, Laura; Riva, Federico; Zanchi, Andrea; Crosta, Giovanni B.

2017-04-01

An accurate characterization of the geometry and intensity of discontinuities in a rock mass is key to assess block size distribution and degree of freedom. These are the main controls on the magnitude and mechanisms of rock slope instabilities (structurally-controlled, step-path or mass failures) and rock mass strength and deformability. Nevertheless, the use of over-simplified discontinuity characterization approaches, unable to capture the stochastic nature of discontinuity features, often hampers a correct identification of dominant rock mass behaviour. Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) modelling tools have provided new opportunities to overcome these caveats. Nevertheless, their ability to provide a representative picture of reality strongly depends on the quality and scale of field data collection. Here we used DFN modelling with FracmanTM to investigate the influence of fracture intensity, characterized on different scales and with different techniques, on the geometry and size distribution of generated blocks, in a rock slope stability perspective. We focused on a test site near Lecco (Southern Alps, Italy), where 600 m high cliffs in thickly-bedded limestones folded at the slope scale impend on the Lake Como. We characterized the 3D slope geometry by Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry (range: 150-1500m; point cloud density > 50 pts/m2). Since the nature and attributes of discontinuities are controlled by brittle failure processes associated to large-scale folding, we performed a field characterization of meso-structural features (faults and related kinematics, vein and joint associations) in different fold domains. We characterized the discontinuity populations identified by structural geology on different spatial scales ranging from outcrops (field surveys and photo-mapping) to large slope sectors (point cloud and photo-mapping). For each sampling domain, we characterized discontinuity orientation statistics and performed fracture mapping and circular window analyses in order to measure fracture intensity (P21) and persistence (trace length distributions). Then, we calibrated DFN models for different combinations of P21/P32 and trace length distributions, characteristic of data collected on different scale. Comparing fracture patterns and block size distributions obtained from different models, we outline the strong influence of field data quality and scale on the rock mass behaviours predicted by DFN. We show that accounting for small scale features (close but short fractures) results in smaller but more interconnected blocks, eventually characterized by low removability and partly supported by intact rock strength. On the other hand, DFN based on data surveyed on slope scale enhance the structural control of persistent fracture on the kinematic degree-of freedom of medium-sized blocks, with significant impacts on the selection and parametrization of rock slope stability modelling approaches.

Defining the student burnout construct: a structural analysis from three burnout inventories.

PubMed

Maroco, João; Campos, Juliana Alvares Duarte Bonini

2012-12-01

College student burnout has been assessed mainly with the Maslach burnout inventory (MBI). However, the construct's definition and measurement with MBI has drawn several criticisms and new inventories have been suggested for the evaluation of the syndrome. A redefinition of the construct of student burnout is proposed by means of a structural equation model, reflecting burnout as a second order factor defined by factors from the MBI-student survey (MBI-SS); the Copenhagen burnout inventory-student survey (CBI-SS) and the Oldenburg burnout inventory-student survey (OLBI-SS). Standardized regression weights from Burnout to Exhaustion and Cynicism from the MBI-SS scale, personal burnout and studies related burnout from the CBI, and exhaustion and disengagement from OLBI, show that these factors are strong manifestations of students' burnout. For college students, the burnout construct is best defined by two dimensions described as "physical and psychological exhaustion" and "cynicism and disengagement".

COLAcode: COmoving Lagrangian Acceleration code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tassev, Svetlin V.

2016-02-01

COLAcode is a serial particle mesh-based N-body code illustrating the COLA (COmoving Lagrangian Acceleration) method; it solves for Large Scale Structure (LSS) in a frame that is comoving with observers following trajectories calculated in Lagrangian Perturbation Theory (LPT). It differs from standard N-body code by trading accuracy at small-scales to gain computational speed without sacrificing accuracy at large scales. This is useful for generating large ensembles of accurate mock halo catalogs required to study galaxy clustering and weak lensing; such catalogs are needed to perform detailed error analysis for ongoing and future surveys of LSS.

Clusters of Galaxies at High Redshift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fort, Bernard

For a long time, the small number of clusters at z > 0.3 in the Abell survey catalogue and simulations of the standard CDM formation of large scale structures provided a paradigm where clusters were considered as young merging structures. At earlier times, loose concentrations of galaxy clumps were mostly anticipated. Recent observations broke the taboo. Progressively we became convinced that compact and massive clusters at z = 1 or possibly beyond exist and should be searched for.

Measuring a hospital's ability to improve.

PubMed

Meurer, Steven J; Counte, Michael A; Rubio, Doris M; Arrington, Barbara

2004-01-01

The aim of this study was to test whether a recently developed measure of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) implementation can provide health care researchers and administrators with a tool to assist in understanding and with developing an appropriate structure for improvement efforts in hospitals. Two hundred respondents from 40 Missouri hospitals completed a 28-item survey addressing 8 domains of CQI. Overall, hospital scores showed low implementation of a structure that supports improvement efforts. All survey domains showed acceptable psychometric results. Leadership proved to be the most important domain of CQI because it differentiated well between all levels of the scale. Because of its ease of administration and analysis, and its reliability, validity, and level differentiation results, the researchers recommend the widespread use of this tool to understand and develop a hospital's organizational structure to support improvement activities.

Lightning protection guidelines and test data for adhesively bonded aircraft structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pryzby, J. E.; Plumer, J. A.

1984-01-01

The highly competitive marketplace and increasing cost of energy has motivated manufacturers of general aviation aircraft to utilize composite materials and metal-to-metal bonding in place of conventional fasteners and rivets to reduce weight, obtain smoother outside surfaces and reduce drag. The purpose of this program is protection of these new structures from hazardous lightning effects. The program began with a survey of advance-technology materials and fabrication methods under consideration for future designs. Sub-element specimens were subjected to simulated lightning voltages and currents. Measurements of bond line voltages, electrical sparking, and mechanical strength degradation were made to comprise a data base of electrical properties for new technology materials and basic structural configurations. The second hase of the program involved tests on full scale wing structures which contained integral fuel tanks and which were representative of examples of new technology structures and fuel systems. The purpose of these tests was to provide a comparison between full scale structural measurements and those obtained from the sub-element specimens.

Exploring cosmic homogeneity with the BOSS DR12 galaxy sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ntelis, Pierros; Hamilton, Jean-Christophe; Le Goff, Jean-Marc; Burtin, Etienne; Laurent, Pierre; Rich, James; Guillermo Busca, Nicolas; Tinker, Jeremy; Aubourg, Eric; du Mas des Bourboux, Hélion; Bautista, Julian; Palanque Delabrouille, Nathalie; Delubac, Timothée; Eftekharzadeh, Sarah; Hogg, David W.; Myers, Adam; Vargas-Magaña, Mariana; Pâris, Isabelle; Petitjean, Partick; Rossi, Graziano; Schneider, Donald P.; Tojeiro, Rita; Yeche, Christophe

2017-06-01

In this study, we probe the transition to cosmic homogeneity in the Large Scale Structure (LSS) of the Universe using the CMASS galaxy sample of BOSS spectroscopic survey which covers the largest effective volume to date, 3 h-3 Gpc3 at 0.43 <= z <= 0.7. We study the scaled counts-in-spheres, N(2.97 for r>RH, we find RH = (63.3±0.7) h-1 Mpc, in agreement at the percentage level with the predictions of the ΛCDM model RH=62.0 h-1 Mpc. Thanks to the large cosmic depth of the survey, we investigate the redshift evolution of the transition to homogeneity scale and find agreement with the ΛCDM prediction. Finally, we find that Script D2 is compatible with 3 at scales larger than 300 h-1 Mpc in all redshift bins. These results consolidate the Cosmological Principle and represent a precise consistency test of the ΛCDM model.

Database for the geologic map of the Sauk River 30-minute by 60-minute quadrangle, Washington (I-2592)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tabor, R.W.; Booth, D.B.; Vance, J.A.; Ford, A.B.

2006-01-01

This digital map database has been prepared by R.W. Tabor from the published Geologic map of the Sauk River 30- by 60 Minute Quadrangle, Washington. Together with the accompanying text files as PDF, it provides information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The authors mapped most of the bedrock geology at 1:100,000 scale, but compiled most Quaternary units at 1:24,000 scale. The Quaternary contacts and structural data have been much simplified for the 1:100,000-scale map and database. The spatial resolution (scale) of the database is 1:100,000 or smaller. This database depicts the distribution of geologic materials and structures at a regional (1:100,000) scale. The report is intended to provide geologic information for the regional study of materials properties, earthquake shaking, landslide potential, mineral hazards, seismic velocity, and earthquake faults. In addition, the report contains information and interpretations about the regional geologic history and framework. However, the regional scale of this report does not provide sufficient detail for site development purposes.

Unmasking the masked Universe: the 2M++ catalogue through Bayesian eyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavaux, Guilhem; Jasche, Jens

2016-01-01

This work describes a full Bayesian analysis of the Nearby Universe as traced by galaxies of the 2M++ survey. The analysis is run in two sequential steps. The first step self-consistently derives the luminosity-dependent galaxy biases, the power spectrum of matter fluctuations and matter density fields within a Gaussian statistic approximation. The second step makes a detailed analysis of the three-dimensional large-scale structures, assuming a fixed bias model and a fixed cosmology. This second step allows for the reconstruction of both the final density field and the initial conditions at z = 1000 assuming a fixed bias model. From these, we derive fields that self-consistently extrapolate the observed large-scale structures. We give two examples of these extrapolation and their utility for the detection of structures: the visibility of the Sloan Great Wall, and the detection and characterization of the Local Void using DIVA, a Lagrangian based technique to classify structures.

The Effect of Response Scale, Administration Mode, and Format on Responses to the CAHPS Clinician and Group Survey

PubMed Central

Drake, Keith M; Hargraves, J Lee; Lloyd, Stephanie; Gallagher, Patricia M; Cleary, Paul D

2014-01-01

Objective To examine how different response scales, methods of survey administration, and survey format affect responses to the CAHPS (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Clinician and Group (CG-CAHPS) survey. Study Design A total of 6,500 patients from a university health center were randomly assigned to receive the following: standard 12-page mail surveys using 4-category or 6-category response scales (on CG-CAHPS composite items), telephone surveys using 4-category or 6-category response scales, or four-page mail surveys. Principal Findings A total of 3,538 patients completed surveys. Composite score means and provider-level reliabilities did not differ between respondents receiving 4-category or 6-category response scale surveys or between 12-page and four-page mail surveys. Telephone respondents gave more positive responses than mail respondents. Conclusions We recommend using 4-category response scales and the four-page mail CG-CAHPS survey. PMID:24471975

The effect of response scale, administration mode, and format on responses to the CAHPS Clinician and Group survey.

PubMed

Drake, Keith M; Hargraves, J Lee; Lloyd, Stephanie; Gallagher, Patricia M; Cleary, Paul D

2014-08-01

To examine how different response scales, methods of survey administration, and survey format affect responses to the CAHPS (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Clinician and Group (CG-CAHPS) survey. A total of 6,500 patients from a university health center were randomly assigned to receive the following: standard 12-page mail surveys using 4-category or 6-category response scales (on CG-CAHPS composite items), telephone surveys using 4-category or 6-category response scales, or four-page mail surveys. A total of 3,538 patients completed surveys. Composite score means and provider-level reliabilities did not differ between respondents receiving 4-category or 6-category response scale surveys or between 12-page and four-page mail surveys. Telephone respondents gave more positive responses than mail respondents. We recommend using 4-category response scales and the four-page mail CG-CAHPS survey. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

The genus curve of the Abell clusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rhoads, James E.; Gott, J. Richard, III; Postman, Marc

1994-01-01

We study the topology of large-scale structure through a genus curve measurement of the recent Abell catalog redshift survey of Postman, Huchra, and Geller (1992). The structure is found to be spongelike near median density and to exhibit isolated superclusters and voids at high and low densities, respectively. The genus curve shows a slight shift toward 'meatball' topology, but remains consistent with the hypothesis of Gaussian random phase initial conditions. The amplitude of the genus curve corresponds to a power-law spectrum with index n = 0.21(sub -0.47 sup +0.43) on scales of 48/h Mpc or to a cold dark matter power spectrum with omega h = 0.36(sub -0.17 sup +0.46).

The genus curve of the Abell clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhoads, James E.; Gott, J. Richard, III; Postman, Marc

1994-01-01

We study the topology of large-scale structure through a genus curve measurement of the recent Abell catalog redshift survey of Postman, Huchra, and Geller (1992). The structure is found to be spongelike near median density and to exhibit isolated superclusters and voids at high and low densities, respectively. The genus curve shows a slight shift toward 'meatball' topology, but remains consistent with the hypothesis of Gaussian random phase initial conditions. The amplitude of the genus curve corresponds to a power-law spectrum with index n = 0.21-0.47+0.43 on scales of 48/h Mpc or to a cold dark matter power spectrum with omega h = 0.36-0.17+0.46.

Requirements and principles for the implementation and construction of large-scale geographic information systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Terence R.; Menon, Sudhakar; Star, Jeffrey L.; Estes, John E.

1987-01-01

This paper provides a brief survey of the history, structure and functions of 'traditional' geographic information systems (GIS), and then suggests a set of requirements that large-scale GIS should satisfy, together with a set of principles for their satisfaction. These principles, which include the systematic application of techniques from several subfields of computer science to the design and implementation of GIS and the integration of techniques from computer vision and image processing into standard GIS technology, are discussed in some detail. In particular, the paper provides a detailed discussion of questions relating to appropriate data models, data structures and computational procedures for the efficient storage, retrieval and analysis of spatially-indexed data.

Interferometric Mapping of Perseus Outflows with MASSES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephens, Ian; Dunham, Michael; Myers, Philip C.; MASSES Team

2017-01-01

The MASSES (Mass Assembly of Stellar Systems and their Evolution with the SMA) survey, a Submillimeter Array (SMA) large-scale program, is mapping molecular lines and continuum emission about the 75 known Class 0/I sources in the Perseus Molecular Cloud. In this talk, I present some of the key results of this project, with a focus on the CO(2-1) maps of the molecular outflows. In particular, I investigate how protostars inherit their rotation axes from large-scale magnetic fields and filamentary structure.

Statistical Analysis of Small-Scale Magnetic Flux Emergence Patterns: A Useful Subsurface Diagnostic?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamb, Derek A.

2016-10-01

While sunspots follow a well-defined pattern of emergence in space and time, small-scale flux emergence is assumed to occur randomly at all times in the quiet Sun. HMI's full-disk coverage, high cadence, spatial resolution, and duty cycle allow us to probe that basic assumption. Some case studies of emergence suggest that temporal clustering on spatial scales of 50-150 Mm may occur. If clustering is present, it could serve as a diagnostic of large-scale subsurface magnetic field structures. We present the results of a manual survey of small-scale flux emergence events over a short time period, and a statistical analysis addressing the question of whether these events show spatio-temporal behavior that is anything other than random.

Galaxy power-spectrum responses and redshift-space super-sample effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yin; Schmittfull, Marcel; Seljak, Uroš

2018-02-01

As a major source of cosmological information, galaxy clustering is susceptible to long-wavelength density and tidal fluctuations. These long modes modulate the growth and expansion rate of local structures, shifting them in both amplitude and scale. These effects are often named the growth and dilation effects, respectively. In particular the dilation shifts the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) peak and breaks the assumption of the Alcock-Paczynski (AP) test. This cannot be removed with reconstruction techniques because the effect originates from long modes outside the survey. In redshift space, the long modes generate a large-scale radial peculiar velocity that affects the redshift-space distortion (RSD) signal. We compute the redshift-space response functions of the galaxy power spectrum to long density and tidal modes at leading order in perturbation theory, including both the growth and dilation terms. We validate these response functions against measurements from simulated galaxy mock catalogs. As one application, long density and tidal modes beyond the scale of a survey correlate various observables leading to an excess error known as the super-sample covariance, and thus weaken their constraining power. We quantify the super-sample effect on BAO, AP, and RSD measurements, and study its impact on current and future surveys.

Fluid Lensing and Applications to Remote Sensing of Aquatic Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chirayath, Ved

2017-01-01

The use of fluid lensing technology on UAVs is presented as a novel means for 3D imaging of aquatic ecosystems from above the water's surface at the centimeter scale. Preliminary results are presented from airborne fluid lensing campaigns conducted over the coral reefs of Ofu Island, American Samoa (2013) and the stromatolite reefs of Shark Bay, Western Australia (2014), covering a combined area of 15km2. These reef ecosystems were revealed with centimetre-scale 2D resolution, and an accompanying 3D bathymetry model was derived using fluid lensing, Structure from Motion and UAV position data. Data products were validated from in-situ survey methods including underwater calibration targets, depth measurements and millimetre-scale high-dynamic range gigapixel photogrammetry. Fluid lensing is an experimental technology that uses water transmitting wavelengths to passively image underwater objects at high-resolution by exploiting time-varying optical lensing events caused by surface waves. Fluid lensing data are captured from low-altitude, cost-effective electric UAVs to achieve multispectral imagery and bathymetry models at the centimetre scale over regional areas. As a passive system, fluid lensing is presently limited by signal-to-noise ratio and water column inherent optical properties to approximately 10 m depth over visible wavelengths in clear waters. The datasets derived from fluid lensing present the first centimetre-scale images of a reef acquired from above the ocean surface, without wave distortion. The 3D multispectral data distinguish coral, fish and invertebrates in American Samoa, and reveal previously undocumented, morphologically distinct, stromatolite structures in Shark Bay. These findings suggest fluid lensing and multirotor electric drones represent a promising advance in the remote sensing of aquatic environments at the centimetre scale, or 'reef scale' relevant to the conservation of reef ecosystems. Pending further development and validation of fluid lensing methods, these technologies present a solution for large-scale 3D surveys of shallow aquatic habitats with centimetre-scale spatial resolution and hourly temporal sampling.

Adaptive Fusion of Information for Seeing into Ordos Basin, China: A China-Germany-US Joint Venture.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, T. C. J.; Yin, L.; Sauter, M.; Hu, R.; Ptak, T.; Hou, G. C.

2014-12-01

Adaptive fusion of information for seeing into geological basins is the theme of this joint venture. The objective of this venture is to initiate possible collaborations between scientists from China, Germany, and US to develop innovative technologies, which can be utilized to characterize geological and hydrological structures and processes as well as other natural resources in regional scale geological basins of hundreds of thousands of kilometers (i.e., the Ordos Basin, China). This adaptive fusion of information aims to assimilate active (manmade) and passive (natural) hydrologic and geophysical tomography surveys to enhance our ability of seeing into hydrogeological basins at the resolutions of our interests. The active hydrogeophysical tomography refers to recently developed hydraulic tomgoraphic surveys by Chinese and German scientists, as well as well-established geophysical tomography surveys (such as electrical resistivity tomography, cross-borehole radars, electrical magnetic surveys). These active hydrogeophysical tomgoraphic surveys have been proven to be useful high-resolution surveys for geological media of tens and hundreds of meters wide and deep. For basin-scale (i.e., tens and hundreds of kilometers) problems, their applicabilities are however rather limited. The passive hydrogeophysical tomography refers to unexplored technologies that exploit natural stimuli as energy sources for tomographic surveys, which include direct lightning strikes, groundwater level fluctuations due to earthquakes, river stage fluctuations, precipitation storms, barometric pressure variations, and long term climate changes. These natural stimuli are spatially varying, recurrent, and powerful, influencing geological media over great distances and depths (e.g., tens and hundreds of kilometers). Monitoring hydrological and geophysical responses of geological media to these stimuli at different locations is tantamount to collecting data of naturally occurring tomographic surveys. Exploiting natural stimuli as tomographic surveys is a novel concept for cost-effective characterization and monitor of subsurface processes in regional-scale basins at great depths.

Psychometric testing of the Chinese version of the medical outcomes study social support survey (MOS-SSS-C).

PubMed

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

2004-04-01

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

A marked correlation function for constraining modified gravity models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Martin

2016-11-01

Future large scale structure surveys will provide increasingly tight constraints on our cosmological model. These surveys will report results on the distance scale and growth rate of perturbations through measurements of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and Redshift-Space Distortions. It is interesting to ask: what further analyses should become routine, so as to test as-yet-unknown models of cosmic acceleration? Models which aim to explain the accelerated expansion rate of the Universe by modifications to General Relativity often invoke screening mechanisms which can imprint a non-standard density dependence on their predictions. This suggests density-dependent clustering as a `generic' constraint. This paper argues that a density-marked correlation function provides a density-dependent statistic which is easy to compute and report and requires minimal additional infrastructure beyond what is routinely available to such survey analyses. We give one realization of this idea and study it using low order perturbation theory. We encourage groups developing modified gravity theories to see whether such statistics provide discriminatory power for their models.

The factor structure of the Buss and Plomin EAS Temperament Survey (parental ratings) in a Dutch sample of elementary school children.

PubMed

Boer, F; Westenberg, P M

1994-06-01

The psychometric properties of the Buss and Plomin (1984) EAS Temperament Survey for Children (Parental Ratings) were examined in a sample of Dutch children between 4 and 13 years of age. Ratings were obtained from 230 mothers and 172 fathers. The findings presented here provide the lacking cross-validation of the original analyses by Rowe and Plomin (1977): Emotionality, activity, and shyness were independent temperaments, regardless of age and gender. The factorial position of the yet experimental Sociability scale is more ambiguous: Sociability was significantly related to both shyness and activity but was more strongly associated with shyness in the youngest age cohort and most strongly with activity in the oldest cohort. This age trend, combined with a positive association with activity, supports the premise that sociability cannot be equated to nonshyness and justifies the inclusion of a separate Sociability scale in the EAS. All four EAS scales are reliable in terms of internal consistency and interrater agreement, but one modification of the Sociability scale is needed.

Large-scale structure in the Southern Sky Redshift Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Changbom; Gott, J. R., III; Da Costa, L. N.

1992-01-01

The power spectrum from the Southern Sky Redshift Survey and the CfA samples are measured in order to explore the amplitude of fluctuation in the galaxy density. At lambda of less than or equal to 30/h Mpc the observed power spectrum is quite consistent with the standard CDM model. At larger scales the data indicate an excess of power over the standard CDM model. The observed power spectrum from these optical galaxy samples is in good agreement with that drawn from the sparsely sampled IRAS galaxies. The shape of the power spectrum is also studied by examining the relation between the genus per unit volume and the smoothing length. It is found that, over Gaussian smoothing scales from 6 to 14/h Mpc, the power spectrum has a slope of about -1. The topology of the galaxy density field is studied by measuring the shift of the genus curve from the Gaussian case. Over all smoothing scales studied, the observed genus curves are consistent with a random phase distribution of the galaxy density field, as predicted by the inflationary scenarios.

The relatives' perspective on advanced cancer care in Denmark. A cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Johnsen, Anna T; Ross, Lone; Petersen, Morten A; Lund, Line; Groenvold, Mogens

2012-12-01

In order to improve advanced cancer care, evaluations are necessary. An important element of such evaluations is the perspective of the patient's relatives who have the role of being caregivers as well as co-users of the health care system. The aims were to investigate the scale structure of the FAMCARE scale, to investigate satisfaction with advanced cancer care from the perspective of the relatives of a representative sample of advanced cancer patients, and to investigate whether some sub-groups of relatives were more dissatisfied than others. From 977 patients treated at 54 different Danish hospital departments, 569 patients provided us with the name and address of their relative. Of these, 544 received the FAMCARE scale that measures the families' satisfaction with advanced cancer care. For the four FAMCARE sub-scales, internal consistency was analyzed using Cronbach's alpha; convergent and discriminant validity was analyzed using multitrait-scaling analysis. Associations between the relatives' dissatisfaction and clinical and sociodemographic variables were investigated in explorative analyses using multiple logistic regressions. Of the relatives receiving the questionnaire, 467 (86%) responded. The original scale structure of FAMCARE could not be supported in the present sample, and therefore, results are reported at singe-item level. The proportion of dissatisfied relatives ranged from 5% to 28% (median 13%). Highest levels of dissatisfaction were found for time taken to make a diagnosis (28%) and the speed with which symptoms were treated (25%). Younger relatives were more dissatisfied than older relatives. Other sociodemographic and clinical variables had little impact on the relatives' levels of satisfaction. The relatives' level of dissatisfaction with some of the areas included in this survey needs to be taken seriously. Younger relatives were most dissatisfied.

Correlation of generation interval and scale of large-scale submarine landslides using 3D seismic data off Shimokita Peninsula, Northeast Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Yuki; Ashi, Juichiro; Morita, Sumito

2016-04-01

To clarify timing and scale of past submarine landslides is important to understand formation processes of the landslides. The study area is in a part of continental slope of the Japan Trench, where a number of large-scale submarine landslide (slump) deposits have been identified in Pliocene and Quaternary formations by analysing METI's 3D seismic data "Sanrikuoki 3D" off Shimokita Peninsula (Morita et al., 2011). As structural features, swarm of parallel dikes which are likely dewatering paths formed accompanying the slumping deformation, and slip directions are basically perpendicular to the parallel dikes. Therefore, parallel dikes are good indicator for estimation of slip directions. Slip direction of each slide was determined one kilometre grid in the survey area of 40 km x 20 km. The remarkable slip direction varies from Pliocene to Quaternary in the survey area. Parallel dike structure is also available for the distinguishment of the slump deposit and normal deposit on time slice images. By tracing outline of slump deposits at each depth, we identified general morphology of the overall slump deposits, and calculated the volume of the extracted slump deposits so as to estimate the scale of each event. We investigated temporal and spatial variation of depositional pattern of the slump deposits. Calculating the generation interval of the slumps, some periodicity is likely recognized, especially large slump do not occur in succession. Additionally, examining the relationship of the cumulative volume and the generation interval, certain correlation is observed in Pliocene and Quaternary. Key words: submarine landslides, 3D seismic data, Shimokita Peninsula

Scale development on consumer behavior toward counterfeit drugs in a developing country: a quantitative study exploiting the tools of an evolving paradigm.

PubMed

Alfadl, Abubakr A; Ibrahim, Mohamed Izham b Mohamed; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi Ahmad

2013-09-11

Although desperate need and drug counterfeiting are linked in developing countries, little research has been carried out to address this link, and there is a lack of proper tools and methodology. This study addresses the need for a new methodological approach by developing a scale to aid in understanding the demand side of drug counterfeiting in a developing country. The study presents a quantitative, non-representative survey conducted in Sudan. A face-to-face structured interview survey methodology was employed to collect the data from the general population (people in the street) in two phases: pilot (n = 100) and final survey (n = 1003). Data were analyzed by examining means, variances, squared multiple correlations, item-to-total correlations, and the results of an exploratory factor analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis. As an approach to scale purification, internal consistency was examined and improved. The scale was reduced from 44 to 41 items and Cronbach's alpha improved from 0.818 to 0.862. Finally, scale items were assessed. The result was an eleven-factor solution. Convergent and discriminant validity were demonstrated. The results of this study indicate that the "Consumer Behavior Toward Counterfeit Drugs Scale" is a valid, reliable measure with a solid theoretical base. Ultimately, the study offers public health policymakers a valid measurement tool and, consequently, a new methodological approach with which to build a better understanding of the demand side of counterfeit drugs and to develop more effective strategies to combat the problem.

An instrument to characterize the environment for residents' evidence-based medicine learning and practice.

PubMed

Mi, Misa; Moseley, James L; Green, Michael L

2012-02-01

Many residency programs offer training in evidence-based medicine (EBM). However, these curricula often fail to achieve optimal learning outcomes, perhaps because they neglect various contextual factors in the learning environment. We developed and validated an instrument to characterize the environment for EBM learning and practice in residency programs. An EBM Environment Scale was developed following scale development principles. A survey was administered to residents across six programs in primary care specialties at four medical centers. Internal consistency reliability was analyzed with Cronbach's coefficient alpha. Validity was assessed by comparing predetermined subscales with the survey's internal structure as assessed via factor analysis. Scores were also compared for subgroups based on residency program affiliation and residency characteristics. Out of 262 eligible residents, 124 completed the survey (response rate 47%). The overall mean score was 3.89 (standard deviation=0.56). The initial reliability analysis of the 48-item scale had a high reliability coefficient (Cronbach α=.94). Factor analysis and further item analysis resulted in a shorter 36-item scale with a satisfactory reliability coefficient (Cronbach α=.86). Scores were higher for residents with prior EBM training in medical school (4.14 versus 3.62) and in residency (4.25 versus 3.69). If further testing confirms its properties, the EBM Environment Scale may be used to understand the influence of the learning environment on the effectiveness of EBM training. Additionally, it may detect changes in the EBM learning environment in response to programmatic or institutional interventions.

Large Scale Structure From Motion for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Surveys

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-09-01

Govern the Formation of Multiple Images of a Scene and Some of Their Applications. MIT Press, 2001. [26] 0. Faugeras and S. Maybank . Motion from point...Machine Vision Conference, volume 1, pages 384-393, September 2002. [69] S. Maybank and 0. Faugeras. A theory of self-calibration of a moving camera

Confirmatory Factor Analysis on the Professional Suitability Scale for Social Work Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tam, Dora M. Y.; Twigg, Robert C.; Boey, Kam-Wing; Kwok, Siu-Ming

2013-01-01

Objective: This article presents a validation study to examine the factor structure of an instrument designed to measure professional suitability for social work practice. Method: Data were collected from registered social workers in a provincial mailed survey. The response rate was 23.2%. After eliminating five cases with multivariate outliers,…

Attitude towards Pre-Marital Genetic Screening among Students of Osun State Polytechnics in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odelola, J. O.; Adisa, O.; Akintaro, O. A.

2013-01-01

This study investigated the attitude towards pre-marital genetic screening among students of Osun State Polytechnics. Descriptive survey design was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was self developed and structured questionnaire in four-point likert scale format. Descriptive statistics of frequency count and percentages were…

Knowledge and Perceived Social Norm Predict Parents' Attitudes towards Inclusive Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lui, Ming; Sin, Kuen-Fung; Yang, Lan; Forlin, Chris; Ho, Fuk-Chuen

2015-01-01

Parents are key stakeholders in education and their support is pivotal to policy implementation. Through a large-scale survey, the present study investigated the validity of a structural model describing the relationship between attitude, knowledge, and perceived social norm among parents of children with special needs. Results revealed that…

On the Determinants of Employment-Related Organised Education and Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilsson, Staffan; Rubenson, Kjell

2014-01-01

This paper analyses the distribution of employment-related organised education and informal learning in the Canadian workforce. The paper draws on a large-scale survey, the Changing Nature of Work and Lifelong Learning (WALL), which was based on structured and standardised telephone interviews with a representative sample of 5783 Canadian members…

Computational Cosmology at the Bleeding Edge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habib, Salman

2013-04-01

Large-area sky surveys are providing a wealth of cosmological information to address the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter. Observational probes based on tracking the formation of cosmic structure are essential to this effort, and rely crucially on N-body simulations that solve the Vlasov-Poisson equation in an expanding Universe. As statistical errors from survey observations continue to shrink, and cosmological probes increase in number and complexity, simulations are entering a new regime in their use as tools for scientific inference. Changes in supercomputer architectures provide another rationale for developing new parallel simulation and analysis capabilities that can scale to computational concurrency levels measured in the millions to billions. In this talk I will outline the motivations behind the development of the HACC (Hardware/Hybrid Accelerated Cosmology Code) extreme-scale cosmological simulation framework and describe its essential features. By exploiting a novel algorithmic structure that allows flexible tuning across diverse computer architectures, including accelerated and many-core systems, HACC has attained a performance of 14 PFlops on the IBM BG/Q Sequoia system at 69% of peak, using more than 1.5 million cores.

A Large number of fast cosmological simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koda, Jun; Kazin, E.; Blake, C.

2014-01-01

Mock galaxy catalogs are essential tools to analyze large-scale structure data. Many independent realizations of mock catalogs are necessary to evaluate the uncertainties in the measurements. We perform 3600 cosmological simulations for the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey to obtain the new improved Baron Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) cosmic distance measurements using the density field "reconstruction" technique. We use 1296^3 particles in a periodic box of 600/h Mpc on a side, which is the minimum requirement from the survey volume and observed galaxies. In order to perform such large number of simulations, we developed a parallel code using the COmoving Lagrangian Acceleration (COLA) method, which can simulate cosmological large-scale structure reasonably well with only 10 time steps. Our simulation is more than 100 times faster than conventional N-body simulations; one COLA simulation takes only 15 minutes with 216 computing cores. We have completed the 3600 simulations with a reasonable computation time of 200k core hours. We also present the results of the revised WiggleZ BAO distance measurement, which are significantly improved by the reconstruction technique.

MRS3D: 3D Spherical Wavelet Transform on the Sphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanusse, F.; Rassat, A.; Starck, J.-L.

2011-12-01

Future cosmological surveys will provide 3D large scale structure maps with large sky coverage, for which a 3D Spherical Fourier-Bessel (SFB) analysis is natural. Wavelets are particularly well-suited to the analysis and denoising of cosmological data, but a spherical 3D isotropic wavelet transform does not currently exist to analyse spherical 3D data. We present a new fast Discrete Spherical Fourier-Bessel Transform (DSFBT) based on both a discrete Bessel Transform and the HEALPIX angular pixelisation scheme. We tested the 3D wavelet transform and as a toy-application, applied a denoising algorithm in wavelet space to the Virgo large box cosmological simulations and found we can successfully remove noise without much loss to the large scale structure. The new spherical 3D isotropic wavelet transform, called MRS3D, is ideally suited to analysing and denoising future 3D spherical cosmological surveys; it uses a novel discrete spherical Fourier-Bessel Transform. MRS3D is based on two packages, IDL and Healpix and can be used only if these two packages have been installed.

Cosmological constraint on the light gravitino mass from CMB lensing and cosmic shear

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

Osato, Ken; Yoshida, Naoki; Sekiguchi, Toyokazu

2016-06-01

Light gravitinos of mass ∼< O (10) eV are of particular interest in cosmology, offering various baryogenesis scenarios without suffering from the cosmological gravitino problem. The gravitino may contribute considerably to the total matter content of the Universe and affect structure formation from early to present epochs. After the gravitinos decouple from other particles in the early Universe, they free-stream and consequently suppress density fluctuations of (sub-)galactic length scales. Observations of structure at the relevant length-scales can be used to infer or constrain the mass and the abundance of light gravitinos. We derive constraints on the light gravitino mass usingmore » the data of cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing from Planck and of cosmic shear from the Canada France Hawaii Lensing Survey survey, combined with analyses of the primary CMB anisotropies and the signature of baryon acoustic oscillations in galaxy distributions. The obtained constraint on the gravitino mass is m {sub 3/2} < 4.7 eV (95 % C.L.), which is substantially tighter than the previous constraint from clustering analysis of Ly-α forests.« less

RESISTANCE OF EARTH BANK AGAINST TSUNAMI AND STRUCTURE OF DUG POOL FORMED BY TSUNAMI IN THE 2011 OFF THE PACIFIC COAST OF TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokida, Ken-Ichi; Tanimoto, Ryusuke

In the 2011 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake, very huge damages of civil engineering structures etc. occurred by tsunami strikes along the rias coast and plane coast of the Pacific Ocean. For the urgent repair and the future reconstruction of these structures, the fundamental damage characteristics of these structures should be clarified by the field surveys from which effective lessons can be expected. In this paper, several important lessons on the resistance characteristics of 13 earth structures such as river dykes and sand banks which are obtained from the field surveys conducted by the authors are indicated. Because many dug pools were formed by the tsunami overflow at the backside of earth embankments and sea walls in this earthquake, the fundamental characteristics of the 10 dug pools are investigated thorough the field survey to estimate the effects of the dug pools quantitatively in the future. Furthermore through the field survey conducted at the representative site named Idoura, the scale and waterbed conditions of the natural canals and the strength characteristics of the river dykes and the base ground neighboring the natural canals are measured in detail and discussed. These fundamental lessons and data on the earth banks and dug pools will be able to be used to simulate the effects of the dug pools and to discuss the artificial canals as one of the hard countermeasures to reduce the tsunami height and/or force.

Magnetotelluric Imaging of the Lithosphere Across the Variscan Orogen (Iberian Autochthonous Domain, NW Iberia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves Ribeiro, J.; Monteiro-Santos, F. A.; Pereira, M. F.; Díez Fernández, R.; Dias da Silva, Í.; Nascimento, C.; Silva, J. B.

2017-12-01

A new magnetotelluric (MT) survey comprising 17 MT soundings throughout a 30 km long N30°W transect in the Iberian autochthons domain of NW Iberia (Central Iberian Zone) is presented. The 2-D inversion model shows the resistivity structure of the continental crust up to 10 km depth, heretofore unavailable for this region of the Variscan Orogen. The MT model reveals a wavy structure separating a conductive upper layer underlain by a resistive layer, thus picturing the two main tectonic blocks of a large-scale D2 extensional shear zone (i.e., Pinhel shear zone). The upper layer represents a lower grade metamorphic domain that includes graphite-rich rocks. The lower layer consists of high-grade metamorphic rocks that experienced partial melting and are associated with granites (more resistive) emplaced during crustal thinning. The wavy structure is the result of superimposed crustal shortening responsible for the development of large-scale D3 folds (e.g., Marofa synform), later deflected and refolded by a D4 strike-slip shear zone (i.e., Juzbado-Penalva do Castelo shear zone). The later contribution to the final structure of the crust is marked by the intrusion of postkinematic granitic rocks and the propagation of steeply dipping brittle fault zones. Our study demonstrates that MT imaging is a powerful tool to understand complex crustal structures of ancient orogens in order to design future prospecting surveys for mineral deposits of economic interest.

Rapid, Quantitative Assessment of Submerged Cultural Resource Degradation Using Repeat Video Surveys and Structure from Motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mertes, J. R.; Zant, C. N.; Gulley, J. D.; Thomsen, T. L.

2017-08-01

Monitoring, managing and preserving submerged cultural resources (SCR) such as shipwrecks can involve time consuming detailed physical surveys, expensive side-scan sonar surveys, the study of photomosaics and even photogrammetric analysis. In some cases, surveys of SCR have produced 3D models, though these models have not typically been used to document patterns of site degradation over time. In this study, we report a novel approach for quantifying degradation and changes to SCR that relies on diver-acquired video surveys, generation of 3D models from data acquired at different points in time using structure from motion, and differencing of these models. We focus our study on the shipwreck S.S. Wisconsin, which is located roughly 10.2 km southeast of Kenosha, Wisconsin, in Lake Michigan. We created two digital elevation models of the shipwreck using surveys performed during the summers of 2006 and 2015 and differenced these models to map spatial changes within the wreck. Using orthomosaics and difference map data, we identified a change in degradation patterns. Degradation was anecdotally believed to be caused by inward collapse, but maps indicated a pattern of outward collapse of the hull structure, which has resulted in large scale shifting of material in the central upper deck. In addition, comparison of the orthomosaics with the difference map clearly shows movement of objects, degradation of smaller pieces and in some locations, an increase in colonization of mussels.

The Sloan Lens ACS Survey. XIII. Discovery of 40 New Galaxy-scale Strong Lenses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Yiping; Brownstein, Joel R.; Bolton, Adam S.; Koopmans, Léon V. E.; Treu, Tommaso; Montero-Dorta, Antonio D.; Auger, Matthew W.; Czoske, Oliver; Gavazzi, Raphaël; Marshall, Philip J.; Moustakas, Leonidas A.

2017-12-01

We present the full sample of 118 galaxy-scale strong-lens candidates in the Sloan Lens ACS (SLACS) Survey for the Masses (S4TM) Survey, which are spectroscopically selected from the final data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Follow-up Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging observations confirm that 40 candidates are definite strong lenses with multiple lensed images. The foreground-lens galaxies are found to be early-type galaxies (ETGs) at redshifts 0.06–0.44, and background sources are emission-line galaxies at redshifts 0.22–1.29. As an extension of the SLACS Survey, the S4TM Survey is the first attempt to preferentially search for strong-lens systems with relatively lower lens masses than those in the pre-existing strong-lens samples. By fitting HST data with a singular isothermal ellipsoid model, we find that the total projected mass within the Einstein radius of the S4TM strong-lens sample ranges from 3 × 1010 M ⊙ to 2 × 1011 M ⊙. In Shu et al., we have derived the total stellar mass of the S4TM lenses to be 5 × 1010 M ⊙ to 1 × 1012 M ⊙. Both the total enclosed mass and stellar mass of the S4TM lenses are on average almost a factor of 2 smaller than those of the SLACS lenses, which also represent the typical mass scales of the current strong-lens samples. The extended mass coverage provided by the S4TM sample can enable a direct test, with the aid of strong lensing, for transitions in scaling relations, kinematic properties, mass structure, and dark-matter content trends of ETGs at intermediate-mass scales as noted in previous studies. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST), obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by AURA, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with HST program #12210.

The Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire: Mokken Scaling Analysis

PubMed Central

Shenkin, Susan D.; Watson, Roger; Laidlaw, Ken; Starr, John M.; Deary, Ian J.

2014-01-01

Background Hierarchical scales are useful in understanding the structure of underlying latent traits in many questionnaires. The Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ) explored the attitudes to ageing of older people themselves, and originally described three distinct subscales: (1) Psychosocial Loss (2) Physical Change and (3) Psychological Growth. This study aimed to use Mokken analysis, a method of Item Response Theory, to test for hierarchies within the AAQ and to explore how these relate to underlying latent traits. Methods Participants in a longitudinal cohort study, the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936, completed a cross-sectional postal survey. Data from 802 participants were analysed using Mokken Scaling analysis. These results were compared with factor analysis using exploratory structural equation modelling. Results Participants were 51.6% male, mean age 74.0 years (SD 0.28). Three scales were identified from 18 of the 24 items: two weak Mokken scales and one moderate Mokken scale. (1) ‘Vitality’ contained a combination of items from all three previously determined factors of the AAQ, with a hierarchy from physical to psychosocial; (2) ‘Legacy’ contained items exclusively from the Psychological Growth scale, with a hierarchy from individual contributions to passing things on; (3) ‘Exclusion’ contained items from the Psychosocial Loss scale, with a hierarchy from general to specific instances. All of the scales were reliable and statistically significant with ‘Legacy’ showing invariant item ordering. The scales correlate as expected with personality, anxiety and depression. Exploratory SEM mostly confirmed the original factor structure. Conclusions The concurrent use of factor analysis and Mokken scaling provides additional information about the AAQ. The previously-described factor structure is mostly confirmed. Mokken scaling identifies a new factor relating to vitality, and a hierarchy of responses within three separate scales, referring to vitality, legacy and exclusion. This shows what older people themselves consider important regarding their own ageing. PMID:24892302

Three-dimensional Crustal Structure beneath the Tibetan Plateau Revealed by Multi-scale Gravity Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, C.; Luo, Z.; Sun, R.; Li, Q.

2017-12-01

The Tibetan Plateau, the largest and highest plateau on Earth, was uplifted, shorten and thicken by the collision and continuous convergence of the Indian and Eurasian plates since 50 million years ago, the Eocene epoch. Fine three-dimensional crustal structure of the Tibetan Plateau is helpful in understanding the tectonic development. At present, the ordinary method used for revealing crustal structure is seismic method, which is inhibited by poor seismic station coverage, especially in the central and western plateau primarily due to the rugged terrain. Fortunately, with the implementation of satellite gravity missions, gravity field models have demonstrated unprecedented global-scale accuracy and spatial resolution, which can subsequently be employed to study the crustal structure of the entire Tibetan Plateau. This study inverts three-dimensional crustal density and Moho topography of the Tibetan Plateau from gravity data using multi-scale gravity analysis. The inverted results are in agreement with those provided by the previous works. Besides, they can reveal rich tectonic development of the Tibetan Plateau: (1) The low-density channel flow can be observed from the inverted crustal density; (2) The Moho depth in the west is deeper than that in the east, and the deepest Moho, which is approximately 77 km, is located beneath the western Qiangtang Block; (3) The Moho fold, the directions of which are in agreement with the results of surface movement velocities estimated from Global Positioning System, exists clearly on the Moho topography.This study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41504015), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2015M572146), and the Surveying and Mapping Basic Research Programme of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation (Grant No. 15-01-08).

What drives the formation of massive stars and clusters?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ochsendorf, Bram; Meixner, Margaret; Roman-Duval, Julia; Evans, Neal J., II; Rahman, Mubdi; Zinnecker, Hans; Nayak, Omnarayani; Bally, John; Jones, Olivia C.; Indebetouw, Remy

2018-01-01

Galaxy-wide surveys allow to study star formation in unprecedented ways. In this talk, I will discuss our analysis of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Milky Way, and illustrate how studying both the large and small scale structure of galaxies are critical in addressing the question: what drives the formation of massive stars and clusters?I will show that ‘turbulence-regulated’ star formation models do not reproduce massive star formation properties of GMCs in the LMC and Milky Way: this suggests that theory currently does not capture the full complexity of star formation on small scales. I will also report on the discovery of a massive star forming complex in the LMC, which in many ways manifests itself as an embedded twin of 30 Doradus: this may shed light on the formation of R136 and 'Super Star Clusters' in general. Finally, I will highlight what we can expect in the next years in the field of star formation with large-scale sky surveys, ALMA, and our JWST-GTO program.

HIRAX: a probe of dark energy and radio transients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newburgh, L. B.; Bandura, K.; Bucher, M. A.; Chang, T.-C.; Chiang, H. C.; Cliche, J. F.; Davé, R.; Dobbs, M.; Clarkson, C.; Ganga, K. M.; Gogo, T.; Gumba, A.; Gupta, N.; Hilton, M.; Johnstone, B.; Karastergiou, A.; Kunz, M.; Lokhorst, D.; Maartens, R.; Macpherson, S.; Mdlalose, M.; Moodley, K.; Ngwenya, L.; Parra, J. M.; Peterson, J.; Recnik, O.; Saliwanchik, B.; Santos, M. G.; Sievers, J. L.; Smirnov, O.; Stronkhorst, P.; Taylor, R.; Vanderlinde, K.; Van Vuuren, G.; Weltman, A.; Witzemann, A.

2016-08-01

The Hydrogen Intensity and Real-time Analysis eXperiment (HIRAX) is a new 400{800MHz radio interferometer under development for deployment in South Africa. HIRAX will comprise 1024 six meter parabolic dishes on a compact grid and will map most of the southern sky over the course of four years. HIRAX has two primary science goals: to constrain Dark Energy and measure structure at high redshift, and to study radio transients and pulsars. HIRAX will observe unresolved sources of neutral hydrogen via their redshifted 21-cm emission line (`hydrogen intensity mapping'). The resulting maps of large-scale structure at redshifts 0.8{2.5 will be used to measure Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO). BAO are a preferential length scale in the matter distribution that can be used to characterize the expansion history of the Universe and thus understand the properties of Dark Energy. HIRAX will improve upon current BAO measurements from galaxy surveys by observing a larger cosmological volume (larger in both survey area and redshift range) and by measuring BAO at higher redshift when the expansion of the universe transitioned to Dark Energy domination. HIRAX will complement CHIME, a hydrogen intensity mapping experiment in the Northern Hemisphere, by completing the sky coverage in the same redshift range. HIRAX's location in the Southern Hemisphere also allows a variety of cross-correlation measurements with large-scale structure surveys at many wavelengths. Daily maps of a few thousand square degrees of the Southern Hemisphere, encompassing much of the Milky Way galaxy, will also open new opportunities for discovering and monitoring radio transients. The HIRAX correlator will have the ability to rapidly and efficiently detect transient events. This new data will shed light on the poorly understood nature of fast radio bursts (FRBs), enable pulsar monitoring to enhance long-wavelength gravitational wave searches, and provide a rich data set for new radio transient phenomena searches. This paper discusses the HIRAX instrument, science goals, and current status.

A Large-Scale Super-Structure at z=0.65 in the UKIDSS Ultra-Deep Survey Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galametz, Audrey; Candels Clustering Working Group

2017-07-01

In hierarchical structure formation scenarios, galaxies accrete along high density filaments. Superclusters represent the largest density enhancements in the cosmic web with scales of 100 to 200 Mpc. As they represent the largest components of LSS, they are very powerful tools to constrain cosmological models. Since they also offer a wide range of density, from infalling group to high density cluster core, they are also the perfect laboratory to study the influence of environment on galaxy evolution. I will present a newly discovered large scale structure at z=0.65 in the UKIDSS UDS field. Although statistically predicted, the presence of such structure in UKIDSS, one of the most extensively covered and studied extragalactic field, remains a serendipity. Our follow-up confirmed more than 15 group members including at least three galaxy clusters with M200 10^14Msol . Deep spectroscopy of the quiescent core galaxies reveals that the most massive structure knots are at very different formation stage with a range of red sequence properties. Statistics allow us to map formation age across the structure denser knots and identify where quenching is most probably occurring across the LSS. Spectral diagnostics analysis also reveals an interesting population of transition galaxies we suspect are transforming from star-forming to quiescent galaxies.

A Statistical Model for Estimation of Fish Density Including Correlation in Size, Space, Time and between Species from Research Survey Data

PubMed Central

Bastardie, Francois

2014-01-01

Trawl survey data with high spatial and seasonal coverage were analysed using a variant of the Log Gaussian Cox Process (LGCP) statistical model to estimate unbiased relative fish densities. The model estimates correlations between observations according to time, space, and fish size and includes zero observations and over-dispersion. The model utilises the fact the correlation between numbers of fish caught increases when the distance in space and time between the fish decreases, and the correlation between size groups in a haul increases when the difference in size decreases. Here the model is extended in two ways. Instead of assuming a natural scale size correlation, the model is further developed to allow for a transformed length scale. Furthermore, in the present application, the spatial- and size-dependent correlation between species was included. For cod (Gadus morhua) and whiting (Merlangius merlangus), a common structured size correlation was fitted, and a separable structure between the time and space-size correlation was found for each species, whereas more complex structures were required to describe the correlation between species (and space-size). The within-species time correlation is strong, whereas the correlations between the species are weaker over time but strong within the year. PMID:24911631

DeepLensing: The Use of Deep Machine Learning to Find Strong Gravitational Lenses in Astronomical Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nord, Brian

2017-01-01

Strong gravitational lenses have potential as very powerful probes of dark energy and cosmic structure. However, efficiently finding lenses poses a significant challenge—especially in the era of large-scale cosmological surveys. I will present a new application of deep machine learning algorithms to find strong lenses, as well as the strong lens discovery program of the Dark Energy Survey (DES).Strong lenses provide unique information about the evolution of distant galaxies, the nature of dark energy, and the shapes of dark matter haloes. Current and future surveys, like DES and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, present an opportunity to find many thousands of strong lenses, far more than have ever been discovered. By and large, searches have heretofore relied on the time-consuming effort of human scanners. Deep machine learning frameworks, like convolutional neural nets, have revolutionized the task of image recognition, and have a natural place in the processing of astronomical images, including the search for strong lenses.Over five observing seasons, which started in August 2013, DES will carry out a wide-field survey of 5000 square degrees of the Southern Galactic Cap. DES has identified nearly 200 strong lensing candidates in the first two seasons of data. We have performed spectroscopic follow-up on a subsample of these candidates at Gemini South, confirming over a dozen new strong lenses. I will present this DES discovery program, including searches and spectroscopic follow-up of galaxy-scale, cluster-scale and time-delay lensing systems.I will focus, however, on a discussion of the successful search for strong lenses using deep learning methods. In particular, we show that convolutional neural nets present a new set of tools for efficiently finding lenses, and accelerating advancements in strong lensing science.

The Large Local Hole in the Galaxy Distribution: The 2MASS Galaxy Angular Power Spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frith, W. J.; Outram, P. J.; Shanks, T.

2005-06-01

We present new evidence for a large deficiency in the local galaxy distribution situated in the ˜4000 deg2 APM survey area. We use models guided by the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS) n(z) as a probe of the underlying large-scale structure. We first check the usefulness of this technique by comparing the 2dFGRS n(z) model prediction with the K-band and B-band number counts extracted from the 2MASS and 2dFGRS parent catalogues over the 2dFGRS Northern and Southern declination strips, before turning to a comparison with the APM counts. We find that the APM counts in both the B and K-bands indicate a deficiency in the local galaxy distribution of ˜30% to z ≈ 0.1 over the entire APM survey area. We examine the implied significance of such a large local hole, considering several possible forms for the real-space correlation function. We find that such a deficiency in the APM survey area indicates an excess of power at large scales over what is expected from the correlation function observed in 2dFGRS correlation function or predicted from ΛCDM Hubble Volume mock catalogues. In order to check further the clustering at large scales in the 2MASS data, we have calculated the angular power spectrum for 2MASS galaxies. Although in the linear regime (l<30), ΛCDM models can give a good fit to the 2MASS angular power spectrum, over a wider range (l<100) the power spectrum from Hubble Volume mock catalogues suggests that scale-dependent bias may be needed for ΛCDM to fit. However, the modest increase in large-scale power observed in the 2MASS angular power spectrum is still not enough to explain the local hole. If the APM survey area really is 25% deficient in galaxies out to z≈0.1, explanations for the disagreement with observed galaxy clustering statistics include the possibilities that the galaxy clustering is non-Gaussian on large scales or that the 2MASS volume is still too small to represent a `fair sample' of the Universe. Extending the 2dFGRS redshift survey over the whole APM area would resolve many of the remaining questions about the existence and interpretation of this local hole.

Detecting the Reconnection Electron Diffusion Regions in Magnetospheric MultiScale mission high resolution data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimoda, E.; Eriksson, S.; Ahmadi, N.; Ergun, R.; Wilder, F. D.; Goodrich, K.

2017-12-01

The Magnetospheric Multi-Scale (MMS) mission resolves the small-scale structure of the Reconnection Electron Diffusion Regions (EDRs) using four spacecraft. We have surveyed two years of MMS data to find the candidates for the EDRs. We searched all the high-resolution segments when Fast Plasma Investigation (FPI) instrument was on. The search criteria are based on measuring the dissipation rate, agyrotropy, a reversal in jet velocity and magnetic field. Once these events were found for MMS1 data, the burst period for the other spacecraft was analyzed. We present our results of the best possible EDR candidates.

Recovering the full velocity and density fields from large-scale redshift-distance samples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bertschinger, Edmund; Dekel, Avishai

1989-01-01

A new method for extracting the large-scale three-dimensional velocity and mass density fields from measurements of the radial peculiar velocities is presented. Galaxies are assumed to trace the velocity field rather than the mass. The key assumption made is that the Lagrangian velocity field has negligible vorticity, as might be expected from perturbations that grew by gravitational instability. By applying the method to cosmological N-body simulations, it is demonstrated that it accurately reconstructs the velocity field. This technique promises a direct determination of the mass density field and the initial conditions for the formation of large-scale structure from galaxy peculiar velocity surveys.

Single-field consistency relations of large scale structure part III: test of the equivalence principle

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

Creminelli, Paolo; Gleyzes, Jérôme; Vernizzi, Filippo

2014-06-01

The recently derived consistency relations for Large Scale Structure do not hold if the Equivalence Principle (EP) is violated. We show it explicitly in a toy model with two fluids, one of which is coupled to a fifth force. We explore the constraints that galaxy surveys can set on EP violation looking at the squeezed limit of the 3-point function involving two populations of objects. We find that one can explore EP violations of order 10{sup −3}÷10{sup −4} on cosmological scales. Chameleon models are already very constrained by the requirement of screening within the Solar System and only a verymore » tiny region of the parameter space can be explored with this method. We show that no violation of the consistency relations is expected in Galileon models.« less

An AZTEC/ASTE 1.1mm Survey Of The Young, Dense, Nearby Star-forming Region, Serpens South

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gutermuth, Robert A.; Bourke, T.; Matthews, B.; Dunham, M.; Allen, L.; Myers, P.; Jorgensen, J.; Wilson, G.; Yun, M.; Hughes, D.; Aretxaga, I.; Ryohei, K.; Kotaro, K.; Scott, K.; Austermann, J.

2010-01-01

The Serpens South embedded cluster, recently discovered by the Spitzer Gould Belt Legacy Survey, stands out among over 100 clusters and groups surveyed by Spitzer as the densest (>430 pc-2) and youngest (77% Class I protostars) clustered star forming region known within the nearest 400 pc. In order to better characterize the primordial structure of the cluster's natal cloud, we have made a 1.1mm dust continuum map of Serpens South from the AzTEC instrument on the 10m Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE). The projected morphology of the emission is best described by a central dense hub with numerous 0.5 pc-long filaments radiating away from the center. Large scale flux features that are typically removed via modern sky subtraction techniques are recovered using a novel iterative flux retrieval algorithm. Using standard assumptions (emissivity, dust-to-gas ratio, and T=10K), we compute the total mass of the Serpens South cloud core and filaments to be 480 Msun. We construct separate large and small scale structure maps via wavelet decomposition, and deploy a watershed structure isolation technique separately to each map in order to isolate all empirically observed substructure. This technique confirms our qualitative observation that the filaments north of the hub are notably less clumpy than those to the south, while the total mass is similar between the two regions. Both regions have relatively small numbers of young stellar objects, thus we speculate that we have caught this cloud in the act of fragmenting into pre-stellar cores.

Ecological scale of bird community response to piñon-juniper removal

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knick, Steven T.; Hanser, Steven E.; Leu, Matthias

2014-01-01

Piñon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) removal is a common management approach to restore sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) vegetation in areas experiencing woodland expansion. Because many management treatments are conducted to benefit sagebrush-obligate birds, we surveyed bird communities to assess treatment effectiveness in establishing sagebrush bird communities at study sites in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon. Our analyses included data from 1 or 2 yr prior to prescribed fire or mechanical treatment and 3 to 5 yr posttreatment. We used detrended correspondence analysis to 1) identify primary patterns of bird communities surveyed from 2006 to 2011 at point transects, 2) estimate ecological scale of change needed to achieve treatment objectives from the relative dissimilarity of survey points to the ordination region delineating sagebrush bird communities, and 3) measure changes in pre- and posttreatment bird communities. Birds associated with sagebrush, woodlands, and ecotones were detected on our surveys; increased dissimilarity of survey points to the sagebrush bird community was characterized by a gradient of increased juniper and decreased sagebrush cover. Prescribed fires burned between 30% and 97% of our bird survey points. However, from 6% to 24% cover of piñon-juniper still remained posttreatment on the four treatment plots. We measured only slight changes in bird communities, which responded primarily to current vegetation rather than relative amount of change from pretreatment vegetation structure. Bird communities at survey points located at greater ecological scales from the sagebrush bird community changed least and will require more significant impact to achieve changes. Sagebrush bird communities were established at only two survey points, which were adjacent to a larger sagebrush landscape and following almost complete juniper removal by mechanical treatment. Our results indicate that management treatments that leave residual woodland cover and are not adjacent to extensive sagebrush stands are unlikely to establish sagebrush birds.

The impact of stellar feedback on the density and velocity structure of the interstellar medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grisdale, Kearn; Agertz, Oscar; Romeo, Alessandro B.; Renaud, Florent; Read, Justin I.

2017-04-01

We study the impact of stellar feedback in shaping the density and velocity structure of neutral hydrogen (H I) in disc galaxies. For our analysis, we carry out ˜4.6 pc resolution N-body+adaptive mesh refinement hydrodynamic simulations of isolated galaxies, set up to mimic a Milky Way and a Large and Small Magellanic Cloud. We quantify the density and velocity structure of the interstellar medium using power spectra and compare the simulated galaxies to observed H I in local spiral galaxies from THINGS (The H I Nearby Galaxy Survey). Our models with stellar feedback give an excellent match to the observed THINGS H I density power spectra. We find that kinetic energy power spectra in feedback-regulated galaxies, regardless of galaxy mass and size, show scalings in excellent agreement with supersonic turbulence (E(k) ∝ k-2) on scales below the thickness of the H I layer. We show that feedback influences the gas density field, and drives gas turbulence, up to large (kpc) scales. This is in stark contrast to density fields generated by large-scale gravity-only driven turbulence. We conclude that the neutral gas content of galaxies carries signatures of stellar feedback on all scales.

The Two Micron All Sky Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kleinmann, S. G.; Lysaght, M. G.; Pughe, W. L.; Schneider, S. E.; Skrutskie, M. F.; Weinberg, M. D.; Price, S. D.; Matthews, K.; Soifer, B. T.; Huchra, J. P.

1994-01-01

The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) will provide a uniform survey of the entire sky at three near-infrared wavebands: J(lambda(sub eff) = 1.25 micrometers), H(lambda(sub eff) = 1.65 micrometers), and K(sub s)(lambda(sub eff) = 2.16 micrometers). A major goal of the survey is to probe large scale structures in the Milky Way and in the Local Universe, exploiting the relatively high transparency of the interstellar medium in the near-infrared, and the high near-infrared luminosities of evolved low- and intermediate-mass stars. A sensitive overview of the near-infrared sky is also an essential next step to maximize the gains achievable with infrared array technology. Our assessment of the astrophysical questions that might be addressed with these new arrays is currently limited by the very bright flux limit of the only preceding large scale near-infrared sky survey, the Two Micron Sky Survey carried out at Caltech in the late 1960's. Near-infrared instruments based on the new array technology have already obtained spectra of objects 1 million times fainter than the limit of the TMSS! This paper summarizes the essential parameters of the 2MASS project and the rationale behind those choices, and gives an overview of results obtained with a prototype camera that has been in operation since May 1992. We conclude with a list of expected data products and a statement of the data release policy.

Decentralized control of large-scale systems: Fixed modes, sensitivity and parametric robustness. Ph.D. Thesis - Universite Paul Sabatier, 1985

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tarras, A.

1987-01-01

The problem of stabilization/pole placement under structural constraints of large scale linear systems is discussed. The existence of a solution to this problem is expressed in terms of fixed modes. The aim is to provide a bibliographic survey of the available results concerning the fixed modes (characterization, elimination, control structure selection to avoid them, control design in their absence) and to present the author's contribution to this problem which can be summarized by the use of the mode sensitivity concept to detect or to avoid them, the use of vibrational control to stabilize them, and the addition of parametric robustness considerations to design an optimal decentralized robust control.

Weak Lensing by Large-Scale Structure: A Dark Matter Halo Approach.

PubMed

Cooray; Hu; Miralda-Escudé

2000-05-20

Weak gravitational lensing observations probe the spectrum and evolution of density fluctuations and the cosmological parameters that govern them, but they are currently limited to small fields and subject to selection biases. We show how the expected signal from large-scale structure arises from the contributions from and correlations between individual halos. We determine the convergence power spectrum as a function of the maximum halo mass and so provide the means to interpret results from surveys that lack high-mass halos either through selection criteria or small fields. Since shot noise from rare massive halos is mainly responsible for the sample variance below 10&arcmin;, our method should aid our ability to extract cosmological information from small fields.

Database for the geologic map of the Mount Baker 30- by 60-minute quadrangle, Washington (I-2660)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tabor, R.W.; Haugerud, R.A.; Hildreth, Wes; Brown, E.H.

2006-01-01

This digital map database has been prepared by R.W. Tabor from the published Geologic map of the Mount Baker 30- by 60-Minute Quadrangle, Washington. Together with the accompanying text files as PDF, it provides information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The authors mapped most of the geology at 1:100,000. The Quaternary contacts and structural data have been much simplified for the 1:100,000-scale map and database. The spatial resolution (scale) of the database is 1:100,000 or smaller. This database depicts the distribution of geologic materials and structures at a regional (1:100,000) scale. The report is intended to provide geologic information for the regional study of materials properties, earthquake shaking, landslide potential, mineral hazards, seismic velocity, and earthquake faults. In addition, the report contains information and interpretations about the regional geologic history and framework. However, the regional scale of this report does not provide sufficient detail for site development purposes.

Beyond δ: Tailoring marked statistics to reveal modified gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valogiannis, Georgios; Bean, Rachel

2018-01-01

Models which attempt to explain the accelerated expansion of the universe through large-scale modifications to General Relativity (GR), must satisfy the stringent experimental constraints of GR in the solar system. Viable candidates invoke a “screening” mechanism, that dynamically suppresses deviations in high density environments, making their overall detection challenging even for ambitious future large-scale structure surveys. We present methods to efficiently simulate the non-linear properties of such theories, and consider how a series of statistics that reweight the density field to accentuate deviations from GR can be applied to enhance the overall signal-to-noise ratio in differentiating the models from GR. Our results demonstrate that the cosmic density field can yield additional, invaluable cosmological information, beyond the simple density power spectrum, that will enable surveys to more confidently discriminate between modified gravity models and ΛCDM.

Exploring cosmic homogeneity with the BOSS DR12 galaxy sample

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

Ntelis, Pierros; Hamilton, Jean-Christophe; Busca, Nicolas Guillermo

2017-06-01

In this study, we probe the transition to cosmic homogeneity in the Large Scale Structure (LSS) of the Universe using the CMASS galaxy sample of BOSS spectroscopic survey which covers the largest effective volume to date, 3 h {sup −3} Gpc{sup 3} at 0.43 ≤ z ≤ 0.7. We study the scaled counts-in-spheres, N(< r ), and the fractal correlation dimension, D{sub 2}( r ), to assess the homogeneity scale of the universe using a Landy and Szalay inspired estimator. Defining the scale of transition to homogeneity as the scale at which D{sub 2}( r ) reaches 3 within 1%,more » i.e. D{sub 2}( r )>2.97 for r >R {sub H} , we find R {sub H} = (63.3±0.7) h {sup −1} Mpc, in agreement at the percentage level with the predictions of the ΛCDM model R {sub H} =62.0 h {sup −1} Mpc. Thanks to the large cosmic depth of the survey, we investigate the redshift evolution of the transition to homogeneity scale and find agreement with the ΛCDM prediction. Finally, we find that D{sub 2} is compatible with 3 at scales larger than 300 h {sup −1} Mpc in all redshift bins. These results consolidate the Cosmological Principle and represent a precise consistency test of the ΛCDM model.« less

Decision maker perceptions of resource allocation processes in Canadian health care organizations: a national survey.

PubMed

Smith, Neale; Mitton, Craig; Bryan, Stirling; Davidson, Alan; Urquhart, Bonnie; Gibson, Jennifer L; Peacock, Stuart; Donaldson, Cam

2013-07-02

Resource allocation is a key challenge for healthcare decision makers. While several case studies of organizational practice exist, there have been few large-scale cross-organization comparisons. Between January and April 2011, we conducted an on-line survey of senior decision makers within regional health authorities (and closely equivalent organizations) across all Canadian provinces and territories. We received returns from 92 individual managers, from 60 out of 89 organizations in total. The survey inquired about structures, process features, and behaviours related to organization-wide resource allocation decisions. We focus here on three main aspects: type of process, perceived fairness, and overall rating. About one-half of respondents indicated that their organization used a formal process for resource allocation, while the others reported that political or historical factors were predominant. Seventy percent (70%) of respondents self-reported that their resource allocation process was fair and just over one-half assessed their process as 'good' or 'very good'. This paper explores these findings in greater detail and assesses them in context of the larger literature. Data from this large-scale cross-jurisdictional survey helps to illustrate common challenges and areas of positive performance among Canada's health system leadership teams.

Diagnosis of sustainable collaboration in health promotion – a case study

PubMed Central

Leurs, Mariken TW; Mur-Veeman, Ingrid M; van der Sar, Rosalie; Schaalma, Herman P; de Vries, Nanne K

2008-01-01

Background Collaborations are important to health promotion in addressing multi-party problems. Interest in collaborative processes in health promotion is rising, but still lacks monitoring instruments. The authors developed the DIagnosis of Sustainable Collaboration (DISC) model to enable comprehensive monitoring of public health collaboratives. The model focuses on opportunities and impediments for collaborative change, based on evidence from interorganizational collaboration, organizational behavior and planned organizational change. To illustrate and assess the DISC-model, the 2003/2004 application of the model to the Dutch whole-school health promotion collaboration is described. Methods The study combined quantitative research, using a cross-sectional survey, with qualitative research using the personal interview methodology and document analysis. A DISC-based survey was sent to 55 stakeholders in whole-school health promotion in one Dutch region. The survey consisted of 22 scales with 3 to 8 items. Only scales with a reliability score of 0.60 were accepted. The analysis provided for comparisons between stakeholders from education, public service and public health. The survey was followed by approaching 14 stakeholders for a semi-structured DISC-based interview. As the interviews were timed after the survey, the interviews were used to clarify unexpected and unclear outcomes of the survey as well. Additionally, a DISC-based document analysis was conducted including minutes of meetings, project descriptions and correspondence with schools and municipalities. Results Response of the survey was 77% and of the interviews 86%. Significant differences between respondents of different domains were found for the following scales: organizational characteristics scale, the change strategies, network development, project management, willingness to commit and innovative actions and adaptations. The interviews provided a more specific picture of the state of the art of the studied collaboration regarding the DISC-constructs. Conclusion The DISC-model is more than just the sum of the different parameters provided in the literature on interorganizational collaboration, organization change, networking and setting-approaches. Monitoring a collaboration based on the DISC-model yields insight into windows of opportunity and current impediments for collaborative change. DISC-based monitoring is a promising strategy enabling project managers and social entrepreneurs to plan change management strategies systematically. PMID:18992132

Airborne Gravity Gradiometry Resolves a Full Range of Gravity Frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mataragio, J.; Brewster, J.; Mims, J.

2007-12-01

Airborne Full Tensor Gradiometry (Air\\-FTGR) was flown at high altitude coincident with Airborne Gravity (AG) flown in 2003 in West Arnhem Land, Australia. A preliminary analysis of two data sets indicates that the Air\\-FTGR system has the capability of resolving intermediate to long wavelengths features that may be associated with relatively deeper geological structures. A comparison of frequency filtered slices and power spectral density (PSD) for both data sets using the short (> 5 km), intermediate (10 km) and long (20 km) wavelengths reveals that high altitude Air\\-FTGR data show greater response in high frequency anomalies than a conventional Airborne Gravity and matches well with the AG even at the longest wavelengths anomalies. The effect of line spacing and target resolution was examined between the two data sets. Reprocessed gradient and AG data at 2, 4 and 6 km line spacing suggest that Air\\-FTGR could be effectively flown at a comparatively wider line spacing to resolve similar targets the AG would resolve with tighter line spacing. Introduction Airborne Full Tensor Gradiometry (Air\\-FTGR) data have been available to the mining industry since 2002 and their use for geologic applications is well established. However, Air\\-FTGR data has been mostly considered and used in mapping and delineation of near surface geological targets. This is due to the fact that gravity gradiometer measurements are well suited to capture the high frequency signal associated with near\\-surface targets ( Li, 2001). This is possible because the gradiometer signal strength falls off with the cube of the distance to the target. Nonetheless, in recent years there has been an increasing demand from the mining, oil, and gas industry in utilizing Full Tensor Gravity Gradiometer as a mapping tool for both regional and prospect level surveys. Air\\-FTGR as a Regional Mapping Tool Several, relatively low altitude surveys have been successfully flown in Brazil, Canada and Australia mostly targeting large, regional\\- scale crustal structures as well as regional mapping of both lithology and regolith. Air\\-FTGR mapping is especially effective in areas of thick lateritic and/or clay cover where other geophysical methods such as airborne magnetics or electromagnetics become less effective. For instance, an Air\\-FTGR survey was successfully flown in Brazil in the Province of Minas Gerais, where several crustal\\-scale structures associated with iron oxide mineralization were identified ( Mataragio et. al., 2006). In addition, in 2006 Air\\-FTGR had good success in the regional mapping of structures associated with Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) and uranium mineralization in the Wernecke Mountains in the Yukon, and Northwest Territories, Canada. On the basis of these successful surveys, Bell Geospace has initiated a number of high altitude test surveys aiming at evaluating the performance of the Air\\-FTGR system in capturing low frequency signal that may be associated with regional\\-scale, deeper structures. One of the test surveys was conducted in December of 2006 in Australia, where the performance of Air\\-FTGR and the conventional Airborne Gravity were evaluated. Airborne gravity is currently considered well suited for capturing low frequency signal.

The detection of the imprint of filaments on cosmic microwave background lensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Siyu; Alam, Shadab; Ferraro, Simone; Chen, Yen-Chi; Ho, Shirley

2018-05-01

Galaxy redshift surveys, such as the 2-Degree-Field Survey (2dF)1, Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)2, 6-Degree-Field Survey (6dF)3, Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey (GAMA)4 and VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS)5, have shown that the spatial distribution of matter forms a rich web, known as the cosmic web6. Most galaxy survey analyses measure the amplitude of galaxy clustering as a function of scale, ignoring information beyond a small number of summary statistics. Because the matter density field becomes highly non-Gaussian as structure evolves under gravity, we expect other statistical descriptions of the field to provide us with additional information. One way to study the non-Gaussianity is to study filaments, which evolve non-linearly from the initial density fluctuations produced in the primordial Universe. In our study, we report the detection of lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by filaments, and we apply a null test to confirm our detection. Furthermore, we propose a phenomenological model to interpret the detected signal, and we measure how filaments trace the matter distribution on large scales through filament bias, which we measure to be around 1.5. Our study provides new scope to understand the environmental dependence of galaxy formation. In the future, the joint analysis of lensing and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich observations might reveal the properties of `missing baryons', the vast majority of the gas that resides in the intergalactic medium, which has so far evaded most observations.

Reducing, Maintaining, or Escalating Uncertainty? The Development and Validation of Four Uncertainty Preference Scales Related to Cancer Information Seeking and Avoidance.

PubMed

Carcioppolo, Nick; Yang, Fan; Yang, Qinghua

2016-09-01

Uncertainty is a central characteristic of many aspects of cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Brashers's (2001) uncertainty management theory details the multifaceted nature of uncertainty and describes situations in which uncertainty can both positively and negatively affect health outcomes. The current study extends theory on uncertainty management by developing four scale measures of uncertainty preferences in the context of cancer. Two national surveys were conducted to validate the scales and assess convergent and concurrent validity. Results support the factor structure of each measure and provide general support across multiple validity assessments. These scales can advance research on uncertainty and cancer communication by providing researchers with measures that address multiple aspects of uncertainty management.

The VMC Survey. XXVII. Young Stellar Structures in the LMC’s Bar Star-forming Complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Ning-Chen; de Grijs, Richard; Subramanian, Smitha; Bekki, Kenji; Bell, Cameron P. M.; Cioni, Maria-Rosa L.; Ivanov, Valentin D.; Marconi, Marcella; Oliveira, Joana M.; Piatti, Andrés E.; Ripepi, Vincenzo; Rubele, Stefano; Tatton, Ben L.; van Loon, Jacco Th.

2017-11-01

Star formation is a hierarchical process, forming young stellar structures of star clusters, associations, and complexes over a wide range of scales. The star-forming complex in the bar region of the Large Magellanic Cloud is investigated with upper main-sequence stars observed by the VISTA Survey of the Magellanic Clouds. The upper main-sequence stars exhibit highly nonuniform distributions. Young stellar structures inside the complex are identified from the stellar density map as density enhancements of different significance levels. We find that these structures are hierarchically organized such that larger, lower-density structures contain one or several smaller, higher-density ones. They follow power-law size and mass distributions, as well as a lognormal surface density distribution. All these results support a scenario of hierarchical star formation regulated by turbulence. The temporal evolution of young stellar structures is explored by using subsamples of upper main-sequence stars with different magnitude and age ranges. While the youngest subsample, with a median age of log(τ/yr) = 7.2, contains the most substructure, progressively older ones are less and less substructured. The oldest subsample, with a median age of log(τ/yr) = 8.0, is almost indistinguishable from a uniform distribution on spatial scales of 30-300 pc, suggesting that the young stellar structures are completely dispersed on a timescale of ˜100 Myr. These results are consistent with the characteristics of the 30 Doradus complex and the entire Large Magellanic Cloud, suggesting no significant environmental effects. We further point out that the fractal dimension may be method dependent for stellar samples with significant age spreads.

The phase-space structure of nearby dark matter as constrained by the SDSS

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

Leclercq, Florent; Percival, Will; Jasche, Jens

Previous studies using numerical simulations have demonstrated that the shape of the cosmic web can be described by studying the Lagrangian displacement field. We extend these analyses, showing that it is now possible to perform a Lagrangian description of cosmic structure in the nearby Universe based on large-scale structure observations. Building upon recent Bayesian large-scale inference of initial conditions, we present a cosmographic analysis of the dark matter distribution and its evolution, referred to as the dark matter phase-space sheet, in the nearby universe as probed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey main galaxy sample. We consider its stretchings andmore » foldings using a tetrahedral tessellation of the Lagrangian lattice. The method provides extremely accurate estimates of nearby density and velocity fields, even in regions of low galaxy density. It also measures the number of matter streams, and the deformation and parity reversals of fluid elements, which were previously thought inaccessible using observations. We illustrate the approach by showing the phase-space structure of known objects of the nearby Universe such as the Sloan Great Wall, the Coma cluster and the Boötes void. We dissect cosmic structures into four distinct components (voids, sheets, filaments, and clusters), using the Lagrangian classifiers DIVA, ORIGAMI, and a new scheme which we introduce and call LICH. Because these classifiers use information other than the sheer local density, identified structures explicitly carry physical information about their formation history. Accessing the phase-space structure of dark matter in galaxy surveys opens the way for new confrontations of observational data and theoretical models. We have made our data products publicly available.« less

The phase-space structure of nearby dark matter as constrained by the SDSS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leclercq, Florent; Jasche, Jens; Lavaux, Guilhem; Wandelt, Benjamin; Percival, Will

2017-06-01

Previous studies using numerical simulations have demonstrated that the shape of the cosmic web can be described by studying the Lagrangian displacement field. We extend these analyses, showing that it is now possible to perform a Lagrangian description of cosmic structure in the nearby Universe based on large-scale structure observations. Building upon recent Bayesian large-scale inference of initial conditions, we present a cosmographic analysis of the dark matter distribution and its evolution, referred to as the dark matter phase-space sheet, in the nearby universe as probed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey main galaxy sample. We consider its stretchings and foldings using a tetrahedral tessellation of the Lagrangian lattice. The method provides extremely accurate estimates of nearby density and velocity fields, even in regions of low galaxy density. It also measures the number of matter streams, and the deformation and parity reversals of fluid elements, which were previously thought inaccessible using observations. We illustrate the approach by showing the phase-space structure of known objects of the nearby Universe such as the Sloan Great Wall, the Coma cluster and the Boötes void. We dissect cosmic structures into four distinct components (voids, sheets, filaments, and clusters), using the Lagrangian classifiers DIVA, ORIGAMI, and a new scheme which we introduce and call LICH. Because these classifiers use information other than the sheer local density, identified structures explicitly carry physical information about their formation history. Accessing the phase-space structure of dark matter in galaxy surveys opens the way for new confrontations of observational data and theoretical models. We have made our data products publicly available.

The Impacts of Pine Tree Die-Off on Snow Accumulation and Distribution at Plot to Catchment Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biederman, J. A.; Harpold, A. A.; Gutmann, E. D.; Reed, D. E.; Gochis, D. J.; Brooks, P. D.

2011-12-01

Seasonal snow cover is a primary water source throughout much of Western North America, where insect-induced tree die-off is changing the montane landscape. Widespread mortality from insects or drought differs from well-studied cases of fire and logging in that tree mortality is not accompanied by other immediate biophysical changes. Much of the impacted landscape is a mosaic of stands of varying species, structure, management history and health overlain on complex terrain. To address the challenge of predicting the effects of forest die-off on snow water input, we quantified snow accumulation and ablation at scales ranging from individual trees, through forest stands, to nested small catchments. Our study sites in Northern Colorado and Southern Wyoming are dominated by lodgepole pine, but they include forest stands that are naturally developed, managed and clear-cut with varying mortality from Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB). Our record for winters 2010 and 2011 includes continuous meteorological data and snow depth in plots with varying MPB impact as well as stand- to catchment-scale snow surveys mid-winter and near maximal accumulation. At the plot scale, snow depth sensors in healthy stands recorded greater inputs during storms (21-42% of depth) and greater seasonal accumulation (15-40%) in canopy gaps than under trees, whereas no spatial effects of canopy geometry were observed in stands with heavy mortality. Similar patterns were observed in snow surveys near peak accumulation. At both impacted and thinned sites, spatial variability in snow depth was more closely associated with larger scale topography and changes in stand structure than with canopy cover. The role of aspect in ablation was observed to increase in impacted stands as both shading and wind attenuation decreased. Evidence of wind-controlled snow distribution was found 80-100 meters from exposed stand edges in impacted forest as compared to 10-15 meters in healthy forest. Integrating from the scale of stands to small catchments, maximal snow water equivalent (SWE) as a fraction of winter precipitation (P) ranged from 62 to 74%. Despite an expectation of decreased interception and increased snow accumulation with advanced mortality, surveys at stand and catchment scales found no significant increases in net snow water input between healthy and impacted forests. These observations suggest that the spatial scale of processes affecting net snow accumulation and ablation increase following die-off. Using data from our sites and other studies, this presentation will develop a predictive model of how interception, shading, and wind redistribution interact to control net snow water input following large-scale forest mortality.

THE STRUCTURE OF VARIATION AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE ESTIMATION OF STATUS: INDICATORS OF CONDITION OF LAKES IN THE NORTHEAST, U.S.A.

EPA Science Inventory

One goal of regional-scale sample surveys is to estimate the status of a resource of interest from a statistically drawn representative sample of that resource. An expression of status is a frequency distribution of indicator scores capturing the variability of the attributes of...

Factors Affecting Perceived Learning, Satisfaction, and Quality in the Online MBA: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sebastianelli, Rose; Swift, Caroline; Tamimi, Nabil

2015-01-01

The authors examined how six factors related to content and interaction affect students' perceptions of learning, satisfaction, and quality in online master of business administration (MBA) courses. They developed three scale items to measure each factor. Using survey data from MBA students at a private university, the authors estimated structural…

Assessing Mothers' and Fathers' Authoritarian Attitudes: The Psychometric Properties of a Brief Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shears, Jeffrey K.; Whiteside-Mansell, Leanne; McKelvey, Lorraine; Selig, James

2008-01-01

This study used confirmatory factor analysis to examine the structure and factor loadings of an authoritarian parenting scale. The study used data from 315 married couples who had toddlers participating in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project located in 14 communities across the United States. The sample was diverse and consisted…

Gender Inequality in Female-Dominated Occupation: The Earnings of Male and Female Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verdugo, Richard R.; Schneider, Jeffrey M.

1994-01-01

Examines earnings differentials between male and female teachers, using data from the 1987 Schools and Staffing Survey by the U.S. Department of Education. The estimated cost of being a female teacher is 5% in annual contract salary. In the female-dominated teaching profession, despite regulated pay scales and other structures to ensure pay…

Multimodal Teaching and Learning with the Use of Technology: Meanings, Practices and Discourses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papageorgiou, Vasiliki; Lameras, Petros

2017-01-01

The aim of this paper is to report on teachers' experiences of, and approaches to, multimodality in teaching and learning. A small-scale online survey with closed and semi-structured questions has been deployed to school and university teachers (n = 68) for eliciting their experiences in multimodal teaching and learning. Thematic analysis has been…

A Psychometric Analysis of the Italian Version of the eHealth Literacy Scale Using Item Response and Classical Test Theory Methods

PubMed Central

Dima, Alexandra Lelia; Schulz, Peter Johannes

2017-01-01

Background The eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) is a tool to assess consumers’ comfort and skills in using information technologies for health. Although evidence exists of reliability and construct validity of the scale, less agreement exists on structural validity. Objective The aim of this study was to validate the Italian version of the eHealth Literacy Scale (I-eHEALS) in a community sample with a focus on its structural validity, by applying psychometric techniques that account for item difficulty. Methods Two Web-based surveys were conducted among a total of 296 people living in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland (Ticino). After examining the latent variables underlying the observed variables of the Italian scale via principal component analysis (PCA), fit indices for two alternative models were calculated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The scale structure was examined via parametric and nonparametric item response theory (IRT) analyses accounting for differences between items regarding the proportion of answers indicating high ability. Convergent validity was assessed by correlations with theoretically related constructs. Results CFA showed a suboptimal model fit for both models. IRT analyses confirmed all items measure a single dimension as intended. Reliability and construct validity of the final scale were also confirmed. The contrasting results of factor analysis (FA) and IRT analyses highlight the importance of considering differences in item difficulty when examining health literacy scales. Conclusions The findings support the reliability and validity of the translated scale and its use for assessing Italian-speaking consumers’ eHealth literacy. PMID:28400356

Interpretation of multispectral and infrared thermal surveys of the Suez Canal Zone, Egypt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elshazly, E. M.; Hady, M. A. A. H.; Hafez, M. A. A.; Salman, A. B.; Morsy, M. A.; Elrakaiby, M. M.; Alaassy, I. E. E.; Kamel, A. F.

1977-01-01

Remote sensing airborne surveys were conducted, as part of the plan of rehabilitation, of the Suez Canal Zone using I2S multispectral camera and Bendix LN-3 infrared passive scanner. The multispectral camera gives four separate photographs for the same scene in the blue, green, red, and near infrared bands. The scanner was operated in the microwave bands of 8 to 14 microns and the thermal surveying was carried out both at night and in the day time. The surveys, coupled with intensive ground investigations, were utilized in the construction of new geological, structural lineation and drainage maps for the Suez Canal Zone on a scale of approximately 1:20,000, which are superior to the maps made by normal aerial photography. A considerable number of anomalies belonging to various types were revealed through the interpretation of the executed multispectral and infrared thermal surveys.

2MTF - VI. Measuring the velocity power spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howlett, Cullan; Staveley-Smith, Lister; Elahi, Pascal J.; Hong, Tao; Jarrett, Tom H.; Jones, D. Heath; Koribalski, Bärbel S.; Macri, Lucas M.; Masters, Karen L.; Springob, Christopher M.

2017-11-01

We present measurements of the velocity power spectrum and constraints on the growth rate of structure fσ8, at redshift zero, using the peculiar motions of 2062 galaxies in the completed 2MASS Tully-Fisher survey (2MTF). To accomplish this we introduce a model for fitting the velocity power spectrum including the effects of non-linear redshift space distortions (RSD), allowing us to recover unbiased fits down to scales k = 0.2 h Mpc-1 without the need to smooth or grid the data. Our fitting methods are validated using a set of simulated 2MTF surveys. Using these simulations we also identify that the Gaussian distributed estimator for peculiar velocities of Watkins & Feldman is suitable for measuring the velocity power spectrum, but sub-optimal for the 2MTF data compared to using magnitude fluctuations δm, and that, whilst our fits are robust to a change in fiducial cosmology, future peculiar velocity surveys with more constraining power may have to marginalize over this. We obtain scale-dependent constraints on the growth rate of structure in two bins, finding fσ 8 = [0.55^{+0.16}_{-0.13},0.40^{+0.16}_{-0.17}] in the ranges k = [0.007-0.055, 0.55-0.150] h Mpc-1. We also find consistent results using four bins. Assuming scale-independence we find a value fσ 8 = 0.51^{+0.09}_{-0.08}, a ˜16 per cent measurement of the growth rate. Performing a consistency check of general relativity (GR) and combining our results with cosmic microwave background data only we find γ = 0.45^{+0.10}_{-0.11}, a remarkable constraint considering the small number of galaxies. All of our results are completely independent of the effects of galaxy bias, and fully consistent with the predictions of GR (scale-independent fσ8 and γ ≈ 0.55).

Measuring Risk Perception in Later Life: The Perceived Risk Scale.

PubMed

Lifshitz, Rinat; Nimrod, Galit; Bachner, Yaacov G

2016-11-01

Risk perception is a subjective assessment of the actual or potential threat to one's life or, more broadly, to one's psychological well-being. Given the various risks associated with later life, a valid and reliable integrative screening tool for assessing risk perception among the elderly is warranted. The study examined the psychometric properties and factor structure of a new integrative risk perception instrument, the Perceived Risk Scale. This eight-item measure refers to various risks simultaneously, including terror, health issues, traffic accidents, violence, and financial loss, and was developed specifically for older adults. An online survey was conducted with 306 participants aged 50 years and older. The scale was examined using exploratory factor analysis and concurrent validity testing. Factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure: later-life risks and terror risks A high percentage of explained variance, as well as internal consistency, was found for the entire scale and for both factors. Concurrent validity was supported by significant positive associations with participants' depression and negative correlations with their life satisfaction. These findings suggest that the Perceived Risk Scale is internally reliable, valid, and appropriate for evaluating risk perception in later life. The scale's potential applications are discussed. © The Author(s) 2016.

Factor structure of the arthritis body experience scale (ABES) in a U.S. population of people with osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), fibromyalgia (FM) and other rheumatic conditions.

PubMed

Boyington, J E A; Devellis, R; Shreffler, J; Schoster, B; Callahan, L F

2008-01-01

To examine the psychometric properties of the Arthritis Body Experience Scale (ABES) in a US sample of people with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and other rheumatic conditions. The ABES, with the scoring direction modified, was phone-administered to 937 individuals who self-identified as having one or more arthritis conditions based on a validated, US, national survey assessment tool. Descriptive statistics of demographic variables and factor analysis of scale items were conducted. Scale dimensionality was assessed using principal component analysis (PCA) with oblique rotation. Criteria for assessing factors were eigenvalues > 1, visual assessment of scree plot, and structure and pattern matrices. The predominantly female (74.2%) and Caucasian (79.9%) sample had a mean age of 61.0 ± 13.1 years, and a mean BMI of 30.2 ± 7.1. Major arthritis conditions reported were rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. A three-factor structure with cronbach alpha values of .84, .85 and .53 was elicited, and accounted for 72% of the variance. Compared to the two-factor structure evidenced by the original ABES scale in a sample of UK adults, the data from this sample evidenced a three-factor structure with higher variance. The third factor's cronbach alpha of .53 was low and could be improved by the addition of salient questions derived from further qualitative interviews with patients with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions and from current literature findings. The observed psychometrics indicate the scale usefully assesses body image in populations with arthritis and related conditions. However, further testing and refinement is needed to determine its utility in clinical and other settings.

Impact of small-scale vegetation structure on tephra layer preservation

PubMed Central

Cutler, Nick A.; Shears, Olivia M.; Streeter, Richard T.; Dugmore, Andrew J.

2016-01-01

The factors that influence tephra layer taphonomy are poorly understood, but vegetation cover is likely to play a role in the preservation of terrestrial tephra deposits. The impact of vegetation on tephra layer preservation is important because: 1) the morphology of tephra layers could record key characteristics of past land surfaces and 2) vegetation-driven variability in tephra thickness could affect attempts to infer eruption and dispersion parameters. We investigated small- (metre-) scale interactions between vegetation and a thin (<10 cm), recent tephra layer. We conducted surveys of vegetation structure and tephra thickness at two locations which received a similar tephra deposit, but had contrasting vegetation cover (moss vs shrub). The tephra layer was thicker and less variable under shrub cover. Vegetation structure and layer thickness were correlated on the moss site but not under shrub cover, where the canopy reduced the influence of understory vegetation on layer morphology. Our results show that vegetation structure can influence tephra layer thickness on both small and medium (site) scales. These findings suggest that some tephra layers may carry a signal of past vegetation cover. They also have implications for the sampling effort required to reliably estimate the parameters of initial deposits. PMID:27845415

Development and Evaluation of the Telephone Crisis Support Skills Scale.

PubMed

Kitchingman, Taneile A; Wilson, Coralie J; Caputi, Peter; Woodward, Alan; Hunt, Tara

2015-01-01

Although telephone services continue to play an important role in the delivery of front-line crisis support, published evidence of the standardized assessment of such services does not exist to date. To describe the development of the Telephone Crisis Support Skills Scale (TCSSS), an instrument to assess workers' intentions to use recommended skills with callers, and to evaluate its factor structure and reliability. TCSSS items were mapped to a national telephone crisis support practice model. A national sample of workers (n = 210) completed the TCSSS as part of a larger online survey. Principal axis factoring was used to evaluate the structure of the instrument. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's α values. A single factor accounted for more than 40% of the variance within TCSSS ratings, indicating unidimensional structure. Cronbach's α coefficients suggested adequate internal consistency. Results indicate that the TCSSS is an internally consistent, unidimensional scale, sufficiently sensitive to detect workers' skill priorities for different caller problem types. Further study is required to confirm the factor structure and reliability of the TCSSS using workers from different organizations. Following further evaluation, the TCSSS may be applied to assessing readiness for and quality of service delivery.

The psychometric characteristics of the revised depression attitude questionnaire (R-DAQ) in Pakistani medical practitioners: a cross-sectional study of doctors in Lahore.

PubMed

Haddad, Mark; Waqas, Ahmed; Sukhera, Ahmed Bashir; Tarar, Asad Zaman

2017-07-27

Depression is common mental health problem and leading contributor to the global burden of disease. The attitudes and beliefs of the public and of health professionals influence social acceptance and affect the esteem and help-seeking of people experiencing mental health problems. The attitudes of clinicians are particularly relevant to their role in accurately recognising and providing appropriate support and management of depression. This study examines the characteristics of the revised depression attitude questionnaire (R-DAQ) with doctors working in healthcare settings in Lahore, Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 using the revised depression attitude questionnaire (R-DAQ). A convenience sample of 700 medical practitioners based in six hospitals in Lahore was approached to participate in the survey. The R-DAQ structure was examined using Parallel Analysis from polychoric correlations. Unweighted least squares analysis (ULSA) was used for factor extraction. Model fit was estimated using goodness-of-fit indices and the root mean square of standardized residuals (RMSR), and internal consistency reliability for the overall scale and subscales was assessed using reliability estimates based on Mislevy and Bock (BILOG 3 Item analysis and test scoring with binary logistic models. Mooresville: Scientific Software, 55) and the McDonald's Omega statistic. Findings using this approach were compared with principal axis factor analysis based on Pearson correlation matrix. 601 (86%) of the doctors approached consented to participate in the study. Exploratory factor analysis of R-DAQ scale responses demonstrated the same 3-factor structure as in the UK development study, though analyses indicated removal of 7 of the 22 items because of weak loading or poor model fit. The 3 factor solution accounted for 49.8% of the common variance. Scale reliability and internal consistency were adequate: total scale standardised alpha was 0.694; subscale reliability for professional confidence was 0.732, therapeutic optimism/pessimism was 0.638, and generalist perspective was 0.769. The R-DAQ was developed with a predominantly UK-based sample of health professionals. This study indicates that this scale functions adequately and provides a valid measure of depression attitudes for medical practitioners in Pakistan, with the same factor structure as in the scale development sample. However, optimal scale function necessitated removal of several items, with a 15-item scale enabling the most parsimonious factor solution for this population.

Molecular clouds and the large-scale structure of the galaxy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thaddeus, Patrick; Stacy, J. Gregory

1990-01-01

The application of molecular radio astronomy to the study of the large-scale structure of the Galaxy is reviewed and the distribution and characteristic properties of the Galactic population of Giant Molecular Clouds (GMCs), derived primarily from analysis of the Columbia CO survey, and their relation to tracers of Population 1 and major spiral features are described. The properties of the local molecular interstellar gas are summarized. The CO observing programs currently underway with the Center for Astrophysics 1.2 m radio telescope are described, with an emphasis on projects relevant to future comparison with high-energy gamma-ray observations. Several areas are discussed in which high-energy gamma-ray observations by the EGRET (Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope) experiment aboard the Gamma Ray Observatory will directly complement radio studies of the Milky Way, with the prospect of significant progress on fundamental issues related to the structure and content of the Galaxy.

The Experimental Evidence in Support of Glycosylation Mechanisms at the SN1-SN2 Interface.

PubMed

Adero, Philip Ouma; Amarasekara, Harsha; Wen, Peng; Bohé, Luis; Crich, David

2018-05-30

A critical review of the state-of-the-art evidence in support of the mechanisms of glycosylation reactions is provided. Factors affecting the stability of putative oxocarbenium ions as intermediates at the S N 1 end of the mechanistic continuum are first surveyed before the evidence, spectroscopic and indirect, for the existence of such species on the time scale of glycosylation reactions is presented. Current models for diastereoselectivity in nucleophilic attack on oxocarbenium ions are then described. Evidence in support of the intermediacy of activated covalent glycosyl donors is reviewed, before the influences of the structure of the nucleophile, of the solvent, of temperature, and of donor-acceptor hydrogen bonding on the mechanism of glycosylation reactions are surveyed. Studies on the kinetics of glycosylation reactions and the use of kinetic isotope effects for the determination of transition-state structure are presented, before computational models are finally surveyed. The review concludes with a critical appraisal of the state of the art.

Stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental disorders: a comparison of Australian health professionals with the general community.

PubMed

Reavley, Nicola J; Mackinnon, Andrew J; Morgan, Amy J; Jorm, Anthony F

2014-05-01

The aim of this paper was to explore attitudes towards people with mental disorders among Australian health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists and general practitioners (GPs)) and to compare their attitudes with members of the general community. The study involved a postal survey of 518 GPs, 506 psychiatrists and 498 clinical psychologists and a telephone survey of 6019 members of the general community. Participants were given a case vignette describing a person with either depression, depression with suicidal thoughts, early schizophrenia, chronic schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or social phobia and two questionnaires to assess stigmatising attitudes (the Depression Stigma Scale and the Social Distance Scale). Exploratory structural equation modelling was used to elucidate the structure of stigma as measured by the two scales, to establish dimensions of stigma and to compare patterns of association according to gender, age, vignette and professional grouping. The measurement characteristics of stigmatising attitudes in health professionals were found to be comparable to those in members of the general community in social distance and also in personal and perceived attitude stigma, with each forming distinct dimensions and each comprising 'Weak-not-sick' and 'Dangerous/unpredictable' components. Among health professionals, female gender, age and being a GP were associated with higher scores on the personal stigma scales. Mental health professionals had lower scores on the personal 'Weak-not-sick' and 'Dangerous/unpredictable' scales than members of the general community, while there were no significant differences in the desire for social distance between health professionals and the general community. While mental health professionals have less stigmatising attitudes than the general public, the greater beliefs in dangerousness and personal weakness by GPs should be addressed.

Scale development on consumer behavior toward counterfeit drugs in a developing country: a quantitative study exploiting the tools of an evolving paradigm

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Although desperate need and drug counterfeiting are linked in developing countries, little research has been carried out to address this link, and there is a lack of proper tools and methodology. This study addresses the need for a new methodological approach by developing a scale to aid in understanding the demand side of drug counterfeiting in a developing country. Methods The study presents a quantitative, non-representative survey conducted in Sudan. A face-to-face structured interview survey methodology was employed to collect the data from the general population (people in the street) in two phases: pilot (n = 100) and final survey (n = 1003). Data were analyzed by examining means, variances, squared multiple correlations, item-to-total correlations, and the results of an exploratory factor analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis. Results As an approach to scale purification, internal consistency was examined and improved. The scale was reduced from 44 to 41 items and Cronbach’s alpha improved from 0.818 to 0.862. Finally, scale items were assessed. The result was an eleven-factor solution. Convergent and discriminant validity were demonstrated. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that the “Consumer Behavior Toward Counterfeit Drugs Scale” is a valid, reliable measure with a solid theoretical base. Ultimately, the study offers public health policymakers a valid measurement tool and, consequently, a new methodological approach with which to build a better understanding of the demand side of counterfeit drugs and to develop more effective strategies to combat the problem. PMID:24020730

Measuring Work Ability with Its Antecedents: Evaluation of the Work Ability Survey.

PubMed

Voltmer, Jan-Bennet; Deller, Jürgen

2017-07-24

Purpose The revised version of the Work Ability Survey (WAS-R) assesses work ability on several sub-scales at the intersection of personal and organizational capacity, thus adding to the measurement of work ability by integrating the holistic model. It, therefore, improves on two features of the current standard measurement tool of work ability, the Work Ability Index (WAI): (1) a ceiling effect and (2) limited detail due to a focus on physical health and personal capacity. Method In two samples (n 1  = 1093, n 2  = 359), psychometric properties and the structure of the WAS-R were analyzed. To evaluate construct validity, inter-correlations of the WAS-R and WAI, sickness absence, expected and desired retirement age, and post-retirement work intention were calculated. Results The WAS-R was found to be distributed closer to normality than the WAI. The structural analyses yielded acceptable results for the hypothesized model. The WAS-R was adequately correlated with the WAI, negatively with sickness absence, and positively with desired retirement age. Conclusions The WAS-R extends the measurement of work ability, reflecting organizations' work demands. Its broad sub-scales lead to high acceptance of the results within the participating companies. In particular, the organizational capacity scales can be used to guide interventions aiming at organizational characteristics to improve work ability.

Small-scale plasma irregularities in the nightside Venus ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grebowsky, J. M.; Curtis, S. A.; Brace, L. H.

1991-12-01

The individual volt-ampere curves from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter electron temperature probe showed evidence for small-scale density irregularities, or short-period plasma waves, in regions of the nightside ionosphere where the Orbiter electric field detector observed waves in its 100-Hz channel. A survey of the nightside volt-ampere curves has revealed several hundred examples of such irregularities. The I-V structures correspond to plasma density structure with spatial scale sizes in the range of about 100-2000 m, or alternatively they could be viewed as waves having frequencies extending toward 100 Hz. They are often seen as isolated events, with spatial extent along the orbit frequently less than 80 km. The density irregularities or waves occur in or near prominent gradients in the ambient plasma concentrations both at low altitudes where molecular ions are dominant and at higher altitudes in regions of reduced plasma density where O(+) is the major ion. Electric field 100-Hz bursts occur simultaneously, with the majority of the structured I-V curves providing demonstrative evidence that at least some of the E field signals are produced within the ionosphere.

Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Circumnuclear Environments of the CfA Seyfert Galaxies: Nuclear Spirals and Fueling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pogge, Richard W.; Martini, Paul

2002-01-01

We present archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of the nuclear regions of 43 of the 46 Seyfert galaxies found in the volume limited,spectroscopically complete CfA Redshift Survey sample. Using an improved method of image contrast enhancement, we created detailed high-quality " structure maps " that allow us to study the distributions of dust, star clusters, and emission-line gas in the circumnuclear regions (100-1000 pc scales) and in the associated host galaxy. Essentially all of these Seyfert galaxies have circumnuclear dust structures with morphologies ranging from grand-design two-armed spirals to chaotic dusty disks. In most Seyfert galaxies there is a clear physical connection between the nuclear dust spirals on hundreds of parsec scales and large-scale bars and spiral arms in the host galaxies proper. These connections are particularly striking in the interacting and barred galaxies. Such structures are predicted by numerical simulations of gas flows in barred and interacting galaxies and may be related to the fueling of active galactic nuclei by matter inflow from the host galaxy disks. We see no significant differences in the circumnuclear dust morphologies of Seyfert 1s and 2s, and very few Seyfert 2 nuclei are obscured by large-scale dust structures in the host galaxies. If Sevfert 2s are obscured Sevfert Is, then the obscuration must occur on smaller scales than those probed by HST.

Validation of the French version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire.

PubMed

Occelli, P; Quenon, J-L; Kret, M; Domecq, S; Delaperche, F; Claverie, O; Castets-Fontaine, B; Amalberti, R; Auroy, Y; Parneix, P; Michel, P

2013-09-01

To assess the psychometric properties of the French version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire (HSOPSC) and study the hierarchical structure of the measured dimensions. Cross-sectional survey of the safety culture. 18 acute care units of seven hospitals in South-western France. Full- and part-time healthcare providers who worked in the units. None. Item responses measured with 5-point agreement or frequency scales. Data analyses A principal component analysis was used to identify the emerging components. Two structural equation modeling methods [LInear Structural RELations (LISREL) and Partial Least Square (PLS)] were used to verify the model and to study the relative importance of the dimensions. Internal consistency of the retained dimensions was studied. A test-retest was performed to assess reproducibility of the items. Overall response rate was 77% (n = 401). A structure in 40 items grouped in 10 dimensions was proposed. The LISREL approach showed acceptable data fit of the proposed structure. The PLS approach indicated that three dimensions had the most impact on the safety culture: 'Supervisor/manager expectations & actions promoting safety' 'Organizational learning-continuous improvement' and 'Overall perceptions of safety'. Internal consistency was above 0.70 for six dimensions. Reproducibility was considered good for four items. The French HSOPSC questionnaire showed acceptable psychometric properties. Classification of the dimensions should guide future development of safety culture improving action plans.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of State Self-Esteem Scale: an analysis of data from a cross-sectional survey of patients in the first four months after stroke.

PubMed

Chau, Janita P C; Thompson, David R; Chang, Anne M; Woo, Jean

2012-11-01

To establish the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the State Self-Esteem Scale in stroke patients. Self-esteem is seen to enhance peoples' ability to cope with disease: low self-esteem may inhibit participation in rehabilitation and thus result in poor health and social outcomes. Although the Chinese version of the State Self-Esteem Scale has been used as an outcome measure for stroke rehabilitation, no study has examined its factor structure in this patient group. A cross-sectional design. A convenience sample of 265 Chinese stroke patients (mean age 71·4, SD 10·3 years), with a minimum score of 18 out of a possible 30 for the Mini Mental State Exam recruited from two regional rehabilitation hospitals in Hong Kong. An exploratory factor analysis and an internal consistency analysis of the State Self-Esteem Scale were conducted. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated between the State Self-Esteem Scale and the Geriatric Depression Scale to determine convergent validity. The final factor solution comprised a three-factor model with correlated constructs and accounted for 49·5% of the total variance. Significant negative correlations were found between the Geriatric Depression Scale and the State Self-Esteem Scale subscale scores (r-0·31 to -0·55, p < 0·01), indicating that the State Self-Esteem Scale had acceptable convergent validity. The new three-factor structure had higher Cronbach's alphas when compared with the original three-factor structure. The State Self-Esteem Scale appears to be a useful measure for assessing state self-esteem in stroke patients. To establish the concurrent, discriminative and construct validities, the factor structure of the SSES could be further developed and tested. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Seeing the Forest Through the Trees: The Distribution and Properties of Dense Molecular Gas in the Milky Way Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellsworth-Bowers, Timothy P.

The Milky Way Galaxy serves as a vast laboratory for studying the dynamics and evolution of the dense interstellar medium and the processes of and surrounding massive star formation. From our vantage point within the Galactic plane, however, it has been extremely difficult to construct a coherent picture of Galactic structure; we cannot see the forest for the trees. The principal difficulties in studying the structure of the Galactic disk have been obscuration by the ubiquitous dust and molecular gas and confusion between objects along a line of sight. Recent technological advances have led to large-scale blind surveys of the Galactic plane at (sub-)millimeter wavelengths, where Galactic dust is generally optically thin, and have opened a new avenue for studying the forest. The Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS) observed over 190 deg 2 of the Galactic plane in dust continuum emission near lambda = 1.1 mm, producing a catalog of over 8,000 dense molecular cloud structures across a wide swath of the Galactic disk. Deriving the spatial distribution and physical properties of these objects requires knowledge of distance, a component lacking in the data themselves. This thesis presents a generalized Bayesian probabilistic distance estimation method for dense molecular cloud structures, and demonstrates it with the BGPS data set. Distance probability density functions (DPDFs) are computed from kinematic distance likelihoods (which may be double- peaked for objects in the inner Galaxy) and an expandable suite of prior information to produce a comprehensive tally of our knowledge (and ignorance) of the distances to dense molecular cloud structures. As part of the DPDF formalism, this thesis derives several prior DPDFs for resolving the kinematic distance ambiguity in the inner Galaxy. From the collection of posterior DPDFs, a set of objects with well-constrained distance estimates is produced for deriving Galactic structure and the physical properties of dense molecular cloud structures. This distance catalog of 1,802 objects across the Galactic plane represents the first large-scale analysis of clump-scale objects in a variety of Galactic environments. The Galactocentric positions of these objects begin to trace out the spiral structure of the Milky Way, and suggest that dense molecular gas settles nearer the Galactic midplane than tracers of less-dense gas such as CO. Physical properties computed from the DPDFs reveal that BGPS objects trace a continuum of scales within giant molecular clouds, and extend the scaling relationships known as Larson's Laws to lower-mass substructures. The results presented here represent the first step on the road to seeing the molecular content of the Milky Way as a forest rather than individual nearby trees.

Tornado Damage Assessment: Reconstructing the Wind Through Debris Tracking and Treefall Pattern Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godfrey, C. M.; Peterson, C. J.; Lombardo, F.

2017-12-01

Efforts to enhance the resilience of communities to tornadoes requires an understanding of the interconnected nature of debris and damage propagation in both the built and natural environment. A first step toward characterizing the interconnectedness of these elements within a given community involves detailed post-event surveys of tornado damage. Such damage surveys immediately followed the 22 January 2017 EF3 tornadoes in the southern Georgia towns of Nashville and Albany. After assigning EF-scale ratings to impacted structures, the authors geotagged hundreds of pieces of debris scattered around selected residential structures and outbuildings in each neighborhood and paired each piece of debris with its source structure. Detailed information on trees in the vicinity of the structures supplements the debris data, including the species, dimensions, location, fall direction, and level of damage. High-resolution satellite imagery helps to identify the location and fall direction of hundreds of additional forest trees. These debris and treefall patterns allow an estimation of the near-surface wind field using a Rankine vortex model coupled with both a tree stability model and an infrastructure fragility model that simulates debris flight. Comparisons between the modeled damage and the actual treefall and debris field show remarkable similarities for a selected set of vortex parameters, indicating the viability of this approach for estimating enhanced Fujita scale levels, determining the near-surface wind field of a tornado during its passage through a neighborhood, and identifying how debris may contribute to the overall risk from tornadoes.

A multi-range approach for Cultural Heritage survey: a case study in Mantua Unesco site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiarini, S.; Cremonesi, S.; Fregonese, L.; Fassi, F.; Taffurelli, L.

2014-06-01

In this paper, a Cultural Heritage survey, performed by employing and integrating different type of acquisition technologies (imagebased and active sensor based) is presented. The aim of the survey is to create a 3D multiscale database, therefore, different restitution scales, from the architectural-urban one to a detail one are taken in consideration. This research is part of a project financed by the Unesco for the study of historical gardens located in Mantua and Sabbioneta, and in particular for the Palazzo Te renaissance gardens in Mantua, which are reported in this paper. First of all, a general survey of the area has been realized by employing the classical aerial photogrammetry in order to provide the actual arboreal and urban furniture conditions of the gardens (1:500 scale). Next, a detailed photogrammetric survey of the Esedra courtyard in Palazzo Te has been performed by using a UAV system. At the end, laser scanning and traditional topography have been used for the terrestrial detailed acquisition of gardens and architectural façades (1:50-1:20 scale). The aim of this research is to create a suitable graphical documentation support for the study of the structure of the gardens, to analyze how they have been modified over the years and as an effective support for eventual future re-design. Moreover, the research has involved a certain number of botanic and archeological investigations, which have been duly acquired and modeled with image based systems. Starting from the acquired datasets with their acquisition scales, a series of comparative analysis have been performed, especially for those areas in which all the systems have been employed. The comparisons have been extracted by analyzing point cloud models obtained by using a topographical network. As a result, the multi-range approach efficiency, obtained by employing the actual available technologies have been illustrated in the present work.

[Development of Autogenic Training Clinical Effectiveness Scale (ATCES)].

PubMed

Ikezuki, Makoto; Miyauchi, Yuko; Yamaguchi, Hajime; Koshikawa, Fusako

2002-02-01

The purpose of the present study was to develop a scale measuring clinical effectiveness of autogenic training. In Study 1, 167 undergraduates completed a survey of items concerning physical and mental states, which were thought to vary in the course of autogenic training. With item and factor analyses, 20 items were selected, and the resulting scale (ATCES) had high discrimination and clear factor structure. In Study 2, reliability and concurrent and clinical validity of the scale were examined with three groups of respondents: 85 mentally healthy, 31 control, 13 clinical persons. The scale showed a high test-retest correlation (r = .83) and alpha coefficient (alpha = .86). ATCES had a Pearson correlation coefficient of r = .56 with General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and r = .73 with trait anxiety (STAI-T). And ATCES successfully discriminated the mentally healthy and clinical groups in terms of clinical effectiveness. These results demonstrated high reliability and sufficient concurrent and clinical validity of the new scale.

Prospects for AGN Science using the ART-XC on the SRG Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swartz, Douglas A.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Gubarev, Mikhail V.; O'Dell, Stephen L.; Ramsey, Brian D.; Bonamente, Massimiliano

2012-01-01

The enhanced hard X-ray sensitivity provided by the Astronomical Roentgen Telescope to the Spectrum Roentgen Gamma mission facilitates the detection of heavily obscured and other hard-spectrum cosmic X-ray sources. The SRG all-sky survey will obtain large, statistically-well-defined samples of active galactic nuclei (AGN) including a significant population of local heavily-obscured AGN. In anticipation of the SRG all-sky survey, we investigate the prospects for refining the bright end of the AGN luminosity function and determination of the local black hole mass function and comparing the spatial distribution of AGN with large-scale structure defined by galaxy clusters and groups. Particular emphasis is placed on studies of the deep survey Ecliptic Pole regions.

Psychometric analysis of the leadership environment scale (LENS): Outcome from the Oregon research initiative on the organisation of nursing (ORION).

PubMed

Ross, Amy M; Ilic, Kelley; Kiyoshi-Teo, Hiroko; Lee, Christopher S

2017-12-26

The purpose of this study was to establish the psychometric properties of the new 16-item leadership environment scale. The leadership environment scale was based on complexity science concepts relevant to complex adaptive health care systems. A workforce survey of direct-care nurses was conducted (n = 1,443) in Oregon. Confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, concordant validity test and reliability tests were conducted to establish the structure and internal consistency of the leadership environment scale. Confirmatory factor analysis indices approached acceptable thresholds of fit with a single factor solution. Exploratory factor analysis showed improved fit with a two-factor model solution; the factors were labelled 'influencing relationships' and 'interdependent system supports'. Moderate to strong convergent validity was observed between the leadership environment scale/subscales and both the nursing workforce index and the safety organising scale. Reliability of the leadership environment scale and subscales was strong, with all alphas ≥.85. The leadership environment scale is structurally sound and reliable. Nursing management can employ adaptive complexity leadership attributes, measure their influence on the leadership environment, subsequently modify system supports and relationships and improve the quality of health care systems. The leadership environment scale is an innovative fit to complex adaptive systems and how nurses act as leaders within these systems. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Classifying a Smoker Scale in Adult Daily and Nondaily Smokers

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Introduction: Smoker identity, or the strength of beliefs about oneself as a smoker, is a robust marker of smoking behavior. However, many nondaily smokers do not identify as smokers, underestimating their risk for tobacco-related disease and resulting in missed intervention opportunities. Assessing underlying beliefs about characteristics used to classify smokers may help explain the discrepancy between smoking behavior and smoker identity. This study examines the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Classifying a Smoker scale among a racially diverse sample of adult smokers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered through an online panel survey service to 2,376 current smokers who were at least 25 years of age. The sample was stratified to obtain equal numbers of 3 racial/ethnic groups (African American, Latino, and White) across smoking level (nondaily and daily smoking). Results: The Classifying a Smoker scale displayed a single factor structure and excellent internal consistency (α = .91). Classifying a Smoker scores significantly increased at each level of smoking, F(3,2375) = 23.68, p < .0001. Those with higher scores had a stronger smoker identity, stronger dependence on cigarettes, greater health risk perceptions, more smoking friends, and were more likely to carry cigarettes. Classifying a Smoker scores explained unique variance in smoking variables above and beyond that explained by smoker identity. Conclusions: The present study supports the use of the Classifying a Smoker scale among diverse, experienced smokers. Stronger endorsement of characteristics used to classify a smoker (i.e., stricter criteria) was positively associated with heavier smoking and related characteristics. Prospective studies are needed to inform prevention and treatment efforts. PMID:24297807

All Together Now: Measuring Staff Cohesion in Special Education Classrooms

PubMed Central

Kratz, Hilary E.; Locke, Jill; Piotrowski, Zinnia; Ouellette, Rachel R.; Xie, Ming; Stahmer, Aubyn C.; Mandell, David S.

2015-01-01

This study sought to validate a new measure, the Classroom Cohesion Survey (CCS), designed to examine the relationship between teachers and classroom assistants in autism support classrooms. Teachers, classroom assistants, and external observers showed good inter-rater agreement on the CCS and good internal consistency for all scales. Simple factor structures were found for both teacher- and classroom assistant–rated scales, with one-factor solutions for both scales. Paired t tests revealed that on average, classroom assistants rated classroom cohesion stronger than teachers. The CCS may be an effective tool for measuring cohesion between classroom staff and may have an important impact on various clinical and implementation outcomes in school settings. PMID:26213443

Aeromagnetic data in the UK: a study of the information content of baseline and modern surveys across Anglesey, North Wales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beamish, David; White, James C.

2011-01-01

A number of modern, multiparameter, high resolution airborne geophysical surveys (termed HiRES) have been conducted over the past decade across onshore UK. These were undertaken, in part, as a response to the limited resolution of the existing UK national baseline magnetic survey data set acquired in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Modern magnetic survey data, obtained with higher precision and reduced line spacing and elevation, provide an improved data set; however the distinctions between the two available resources, existing and new, are rarely quantified. In this contribution we demonstrate and quantify the improvements that can be anticipated using the new data. The information content of the data sets is examined using a series of modern processing and modelling procedures that provide a full assessment of their resolution capabilities. The framework for the study involves two components. The first relates to the definition of the shallow magnetic structure in relation to an ongoing 1:10 k and 1:50 k geological map revision. The second component relates to the performance of the datasets in defining maps of magnetic basement and assisting with larger scale geological and structural interpretation. One of the smaller HiRES survey areas, the island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn), off the coast of NW Wales is used to provide a series of comparative studies. The geological setting here is both complex and debated and cultural interference is prevalent in the low altitude modern survey data. It is demonstrated that successful processing and interpretation can be carried out on data that have not been systematically corrected (decultured) for non-geological perturbations. Across the survey area a wide number of near-surface magnetic features are evident and are dominated by a reversely magnetized Palaeogene dyke swarm that extends offshore. The average depth to the upper surfaces of the dykes is found to be 44 m. The existing baseline data are necessarily limited in resolving features <1 km in scale; however a detailed comparison of the existing and new data reveals the extent to which these quasi-linear features can be resolved and mapped. The precise limitations of the baseline data in terms of detection, location and estimated depth are quantified. The spectral content of both data sets is examined and the longest wavelength information is extracted to estimate the resolution of magnetic basement features in the two data sets. A significant finding is the lack of information in the baseline data set across wavelengths of between 1 and ˜10 km. Here the HiRES data provide a detailed mapping of shallow magnetic basement features (1-3 km) that display a relevance to current understanding of the fault-bounded terranes that cross the survey area. Equally, the compact scale of the modern survey does not provide deeper (>3 km to upper surface) assessments of magnetic basement. This further assessment is successfully provided by the larger scale baseline data which locates and defines a mid-crustal magnetic basement feature, centred beneath the Snowdon Massif, and illustrates that basement of similar characteristic extends beneath much of Anglesey.

Development of a Comprehensive Assessment of Food Parenting Practices: The Home Self-Administered Tool for Environmental Assessment of Activity and Diet Family Food Practices Survey.

PubMed

Vaughn, Amber E; Dearth-Wesley, Tracy; Tabak, Rachel G; Bryant, Maria; Ward, Dianne S

2017-02-01

Parents' food parenting practices influence children's dietary intake and risk for obesity and chronic disease. Understanding the influence and interactions between parents' practices and children's behavior is limited by a lack of development and psychometric testing and/or limited scope of current measures. The Home Self-Administered Tool for Environmental Assessment of Activity and Diet (HomeSTEAD) was created to address this gap. This article describes development and psychometric testing of the HomeSTEAD family food practices survey. Between August 2010 and May 2011, a convenience sample of 129 parents of children aged 3 to 12 years were recruited from central North Carolina and completed the self-administered HomeSTEAD survey on three occasions during a 12- to 18-day window. Demographic characteristics and child diet were assessed at Time 1. Child height and weight were measured during the in-home observations (following Time 1 survey). Exploratory factor analysis with Time 1 data was used to identify potential scales. Scales with more than three items were examined for scale reduction. Following this, mean scores were calculated at each time point. Construct validity was assessed by examining Spearman rank correlations between mean scores (Time 1) and children's diet (fruits and vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages, snacks, sweets) and body mass index (BMI) z scores. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine differences in mean scores between time points, and single-measure intraclass correlations were calculated to examine test-retest reliability between time points. Exploratory factor analysis identified 24 factors and retained 124 items; however, scale reduction narrowed items to 86. The final instrument captures five coercive control practices (16 items), seven autonomy support practices (24 items), and 12 structure practices (46 items). All scales demonstrated good internal reliability (α>.62), 18 factors demonstrated construct validity (significant association with child diet, P<0.05), and 22 demonstrated good reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient>0.61). The HomeSTEAD family food practices survey provides a brief, yet comprehensive and psychometrically sound assessment of food parenting practices. Copyright © 2017 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Clustering fossils in solid inflation

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

Akhshik, Mohammad, E-mail: m.akhshik@ipm.ir

In solid inflation the single field non-Gaussianity consistency condition is violated. As a result, the long tenor perturbation induces observable clustering fossils in the form of quadrupole anisotropy in large scale structure power spectrum. In this work we revisit the bispectrum analysis for the scalar-scalar-scalar and tensor-scalar-scalar bispectrum for the general parameter space of solid. We consider the parameter space of the model in which the level of non-Gaussianity generated is consistent with the Planck constraints. Specializing to this allowed range of model parameter we calculate the quadrupole anisotropy induced from the long tensor perturbations on the power spectrum ofmore » the scalar perturbations. We argue that the imprints of clustering fossil from primordial gravitational waves on large scale structures can be detected from the future galaxy surveys.« less

Three-dimensional Structure of the Milky Way Dust: Modeling of LAMOST Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Linlin; Shen, Shiyin; Hou, Jinliang; Yuan, Haibo; Xiang, Maosheng; Chen, Bingqiu; Huang, Yang; Liu, Xiaowei

2018-05-01

We present a three-dimensional modeling of the Milky Way dust distribution by fitting the value-added star catalog of the LAMOST spectral survey. The global dust distribution can be described by an exponential disk with a scale length of 3192 pc and a scale height of 103 pc. In this modeling, the Sun is located above the dust disk with a vertical distance of 23 pc. Besides the global smooth structure, two substructures around the solar position are also identified. The one located at 150° < l < 200° and ‑5° < b < ‑30° is consistent with the Gould Belt model of Gontcharov, and the other one located at 140° < l < 165° and 0° < b < 15° is associated with the Camelopardalis molecular clouds.

MIGHTEE: The MeerKAT International GHz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, A. Russ; Jarvis, Matt

2017-05-01

The MeerKAT telescope is the precursor of the Square Kilometre Array mid-frequency dish array to be deployed later this decade on the African continent. MIGHTEE is one of the MeerKAT large survey projects designed to pathfind SKA key science in cosmology and galaxy evolution. Through a tiered radio continuum deep imaging project including several fields totaling 20 square degrees to microJy sensitivities and an ultra-deep image of a single 1 square degree field of view, MIGHTEE will explore dark matter and large scale structure, the evolution of galaxies, including AGN activity and star formation as a function of cosmic time and environment, the emergence and evolution of magnetic fields in galaxies, and the magnetic counter part to large scale structure of the universe.

On Visualizing Mixed-Type Data: A Joint Metric Approach to Profile Construction and Outlier Detection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grané, Aurea; Romera, Rosario

2018-01-01

Survey data are usually of mixed type (quantitative, multistate categorical, and/or binary variables). Multidimensional scaling (MDS) is one of the most extended methodologies to visualize the profile structure of the data. Since the past 60s, MDS methods have been introduced in the literature, initially in publications in the psychometrics area.…

Exposure to Terrorism, Stress-Related Mental Health Symptoms, and Defensive Coping among Jews and Arabs in Israel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hobfoll, Stevan E.; Canetti-Nisim, Daphna; Johnson, Robert J.

2006-01-01

The authors conducted a large-scale study of terrorism in Israel via telephone surveys in September 2003 with 905 adult Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel (PCIs). Structural equation path modeling indicated that exposure to terrorism was significantly related to greater loss and gain of psychosocial resources and to greater posttraumatic…

Quality of Life in Caregivers of Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities: Use of WHOQOL-BREF Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Jin-Ding; Hu, Jung; Yen, Chia-Feng; Hsu, Shang-Wei; Lin, Lan-Ping; Loh, Ching-Hui; Chen, Mei-Hua; Wu, Sheng-Ru; Chu, Cordia M.; Wu, Jia-Ling

2009-01-01

The present study based on World Health Organization quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) scale to examine quality of life of the caregivers caring for their children/adolescents with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan, and the factors contributing to their quality of life. Structured interviews were conducted with 597 caregivers of children/adolescents…

VizieR Online Data Catalog: REFLEX Galaxy Cluster Survey catalogue (Boehringer+, 2004)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boehringer, H.; Schuecker, P.; Guzzo, L.; Collins, C. A.; Voges, W.; Cruddace, R. G.; Ortiz-Gil, A.; Chincarini, G.; de Grandi, S.; Edge, A. C.; MacGillivray, H. T.; Neumann, D. M.; Schindler, S.; Shaver, P.

2004-05-01

The following tables provide the catalogue as well as several data files necessary to reproduce the sample preparation. These files are also required for the cosmological modeling of these observations in e.g. the study of the statistics of the large-scale structure of the matter distribution in the Universe and related cosmological tests. (13 data files).

En torno al rechazo, la salud mental y la resiliencia en un grupo de jóvenes universitarios gays, lesbianas y bisexuales

PubMed Central

del C. Fernández Rodríguez, María; Calle, Fernando Vázquez

2014-01-01

These descriptive cross-sectional study explores aspects related to mental health and resilience in 44 youth identified as gays, lesbians and bisexuals (GLB). A survey and a semi structured interviews were conducted. Approximately one in three young people surveyed showed suicidal thoughts. The 18.2% of all young people carried out suicide attempts, which represented about 50% of those who expressed suicidal thoughts. Young people respondents with suicidal thoughts reported a mean score significantly lower on scales of mental health and vitality, but a higher score on the scale of perceived stigma. 75% of GLB youth respondents exhibited high levels of self-esteem and resilience. These findings account for the inherent complexity related to be accepted as gay, lesbian or bisexual, since the person wants to express himself, even with the social costs that entails and implies. PMID:25664146

En torno al rechazo, la salud mental y la resiliencia en un grupo de jóvenes universitarios gays, lesbianas y bisexuales.

PubMed

Del C Fernández Rodríguez, María; Calle, Fernando Vázquez

2013-12-01

These descriptive cross-sectional study explores aspects related to mental health and resilience in 44 youth identified as gays, lesbians and bisexuals (GLB). A survey and a semi structured interviews were conducted. Approximately one in three young people surveyed showed suicidal thoughts. The 18.2% of all young people carried out suicide attempts, which represented about 50% of those who expressed suicidal thoughts. Young people respondents with suicidal thoughts reported a mean score significantly lower on scales of mental health and vitality, but a higher score on the scale of perceived stigma. 75% of GLB youth respondents exhibited high levels of self-esteem and resilience. These findings account for the inherent complexity related to be accepted as gay, lesbian or bisexual, since the person wants to express himself, even with the social costs that entails and implies.

Scaling laws for light-weight optics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valente, Tina M.

1990-01-01

Scaling laws for light-weight optical systems are examined. A cubic relationship between mirror diameter and weight has been suggested and used by many designers of optical systems as the best description for all light-weight mirrors. A survey of existing light-weight systems in the open literature has been made to clarify this issue. Fifty existing optical systems were surveyed with all varieties of light-weight mirrors including glass and beryllium structured mirrors, contoured mirrors, and very thin solid mirrors. These mirrors were then categorized and weight to diameter ratio was plotted to find a best fit curve for each case. A best fitting curve program tests nineteen different equations and ranks a 'goodness of fit' for each of these equations. The resulting relationship found for each light-weight mirror category helps to quantify light-weight optical systems and methods of fabrication and provides comparisons between mirror types.

STarlight Absorption Reduction through a Survey of Multiple Occulting Galaxies (STARSMOG)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holwerda, Benne

2014-10-01

Dust absorption remains the poorest constrained parameter in both Cosmological distances and multi-wavelength studies of galaxy populations. A galaxy's dust distribution can be measured to great accuracy in the case of an overlapping pair of galaxies, i.e., when a foreground spiral galaxy accidentally overlaps a more distant, preferably elliptical galaxy. We have identified over 300 bona-fide overlapping pairs --well separated in redshift but close on the sky-- in the GAMA spectroscopic survey, taking advantage of its high completeness (98%) on small scales. We propose to map the fine-scale (~50pc) dust structure in these occulting galaxies, using HST/WFC3 SNAP observations. The resulting dust maps will (1) serve as an extinction probability for supernova lightcurve fits in similar type host galaxies, (2) strongly constrain the role of ISM structure in Spectral Energy Distribution models of spiral galaxies, and (3) map the level of ISM turbulence (through the spatial power-spectrum). We ask for SNAP observations with a parent list of 355 targets to ensure a complete and comprehensive coverage of each foreground galaxy mass, radius and inclination. The resulting extinction maps will serve as a library for SNIa measurements, galaxy SED modelling and ISM turbulence measurements.

Psychometrics of the chronic liver disease questionnaire for Southern Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

PubMed Central

Lam, Elegance Ting Pui; Lam, Cindy Lo Kuen; Lai, Ching Lung; Yuen, Man Fung; Fong, Daniel Yee Tak

2009-01-01

AIM: To test the psychometric properties of a Chinese [(Hong Kong) HK] translation of the chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ). METHODS: A Chinese (HK) translation of the CLDQ was developed by iterative translation and cognitive debriefing. It was then administered to 72 uncomplicated and 78 complicated chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in Hong Kong together with a structured questionnaire on service utilization, and the Chinese (HK) SF-36 Health Survey Version 2 (SF-36v2). RESULTS: Scaling success was ≥ 80% for all but three items. A new factor assessing sleep was found and items of two (Fatigue and Systemic Symptoms) subscales tended to load on the same factor. Internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities ranged from 0.58-0.90 for different subscales. Construct validity was confirmed by the expected correlations between the SF-36v2 Health Survey and CLDQ scores. Mean scores of CLDQ were significantly lower in complicated compared with uncomplicated CHB, supporting sensitivity in detecting differences between groups. CONCLUSION: The Chinese (HK) CLDQ is valid, reliable and sensitive for patients with CHB. Some modifications to the scaling structure might further improve its psychometric properties. PMID:19598306

Constraining the Galactic structure parameters with the XSTPS-GAC and SDSS photometric surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, B.-Q.; Liu, X.-W.; Yuan, H.-B.; Robin, A. C.; Huang, Y.; Xiang, M.-S.; Wang, C.; Ren, J.-J.; Tian, Z.-J.; Zhang, H.-W.

2017-01-01

Photometric data from the Xuyi Schmidt Telescope Photometric Survey of the Galactic Anticentre (XSTPS-GAC) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) are used to derive the global structure parameters of the smooth components of the Milky Way. The data, which cover nearly 11 000 deg2 sky area and the full range of Galactic latitude, allow us to construct a globally representative Galactic model. The number density distribution of Galactic halo stars is fitted with an oblate spheroid that decays by power law. The best fitting yields an axis ratio and a power-law index κ = 0.65 and p = 2.79, respectively. The r-band differential star counts of three dwarf samples are then fitted with a Galactic model. The best-fitting model yielded by a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis has thin and thick disc scale heights and lengths of H1 = 322 pc and L1 = 2343 pc, H2 = 794 pc and L2 = 3638 pc, a local thick-to-thin disc density ratio of f2 = 11 per cent, and a local density ratio of the oblate halo to the thin disc of fh = 0.16 per cent. The measured star count distribution, which is in good agreement with the above model for most of the sky area, shows a number of statistically significant large-scale overdensities, including some of the previously known substructures, such as the Virgo overdensity and the so-called `north near structure', and a new feature between 150° < l < 240° and -1° < b < -5°, at an estimated distance between 1.0 and 1.5 kpc. The Galactic North-South asymmetry in the anticentre is even stronger than previously thought.

Cross-cultural validation of the parent-patient activation measure in low income Spanish- and English-speaking parents.

PubMed

DeCamp, Lisa Ross; Leifheit, Kathryn; Shah, Harita; Valenzuela-Araujo, Doris; Sloand, Elizabeth; Polk, Sarah; Cheng, Tina L

2016-12-01

(1) To measure healthcare activation among low-income parents by language (English/Spanish); and (2) to assess the psychometrics of the Parent-Patient Activation Measure (P-PAM) in the study population. We surveyed parents/guardians of publicly-insured children who were established patients at a pediatrics clinic for ≥6months. Surveys included the Parent-Patient Activation Measure (P-PAM), a 13-item measure adapted from the well-validated Patient Activation Measure (PAM). Of 316 surveys, 68% were completed in Spanish. Mean activation score in the English-language survey group was 79.1 (SD 16.2); mean score in the Spanish-language group was 70.7 (SD 17.9) (p<0.001). Scale reliability was high (English α=0.90; Spanish α=0.93). The P-PAM had acceptable test-retest reliability, but no previously reported PAM factor structure fit the study data adequately for either language. Healthcare activation among low-income parents was greater for parents surveyed in English compared with those surveyed in Spanish. The P-PAM has acceptable reliability and validity in English and Spanish, but a different factor structure than the PAM. Activation as measured by the P-PAM may not have the same associations with or impact on health/healthcare outcomes in pediatrics compared with adults owing to possible measure differences between the P-PAM and PAM. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

[Case Study] CityCenter and Cosmopolitan Construction Projects, Las Vegas, Nevada: lessons learned from the use of multiple sources and mixed methods in a safety needs assessment.

PubMed

Gittleman, Janie L; Gardner, Paige C; Haile, Elizabeth; Sampson, Julie M; Cigularov, Konstantin P; Ermann, Erica D; Stafford, Pete; Chen, Peter Y

2010-06-01

The present study describes a response to eight tragic deaths over an eighteen month times span on a fast track construction project on the largest commercial development project in U.S. history. Four versions of a survey were distributed to workers, foremen, superintendents, and senior management. In addition to standard Likert-scale safety climate scale items, an open-ended item was included at the end of the survey. Safety climate perceptions differed by job level. Specifically, management perceived a more positive safety climate as compared to workers. Content analysis of the open-ended item was used to identify important safety and health concerns which might have been overlooked with the qualitative portion of the survey. The surveys were conducted to understand workforce issues of concern with the aim of improving site safety conditions. Such efforts can require minimal investment of resources and time and result in critical feedback for developing interventions affecting organizational structure, management processes, and communication. The most important lesson learned was that gauging differences in perception about site safety can provide critical feedback at all levels of a construction organization. Implementation of multi-level organizational perception surveys can identify major safety issues of concern. Feedback, if acted upon, can potentially result in fewer injuries and fatal events. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psychometric Properties of the Canadian Nurse Informatics Competency Assessment Scale.

PubMed

Kleib, Manal; Nagle, Lynn

2018-04-10

Assessment of nursing informatics competencies has gained momentum in the scholarly literature in response to the increased need for resources available to support informatics capacity in nursing. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure and internal consistency reliability of the Canadian Nurse Informatics Competency Assessment Scale, a newly developed 21-item measure based on published entry-to-practice informatics competencies for RNs. For this study, 2844 nurses completed the Canadian Nurse Informatics Competency Assessment Scale through a cross-sectional survey. Exploratory principal component analysis with oblique promax rotation revealed a four-component/factor structure for the 21-item Canadian Nurse Informatics Competency Assessment Scale, explaining 61.04% of the variance. Item loading per each component reflected the original Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing grouping of nursing informatics competency indicators, as per three key domains of competency: information and knowledge management (α = .85); professional and regulatory accountability (α = .81); and use of information and communication technology in the delivery of patient care (α = .87) with the exception of one item (Indicator 3), which loaded into the category of foundational information and communication technology skills (α = .81). This study provided preliminary evidence for the construct validity of the entry-to-practice competency domains and the factor structure and reliability of the Canadian Nurse Informatics Competency Assessment Scale among practicing nurses. Further testing among nurses in other settings and among nursing students is recommended.

Parallel block schemes for large scale least squares computations

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

Golub, G.H.; Plemmons, R.J.; Sameh, A.

1986-04-01

Large scale least squares computations arise in a variety of scientific and engineering problems, including geodetic adjustments and surveys, medical image analysis, molecular structures, partial differential equations and substructuring methods in structural engineering. In each of these problems, matrices often arise which possess a block structure which reflects the local connection nature of the underlying physical problem. For example, such super-large nonlinear least squares computations arise in geodesy. Here the coordinates of positions are calculated by iteratively solving overdetermined systems of nonlinear equations by the Gauss-Newton method. The US National Geodetic Survey will complete this year (1986) the readjustment ofmore » the North American Datum, a problem which involves over 540 thousand unknowns and over 6.5 million observations (equations). The observation matrix for these least squares computations has a block angular form with 161 diagnonal blocks, each containing 3 to 4 thousand unknowns. In this paper parallel schemes are suggested for the orthogonal factorization of matrices in block angular form and for the associated backsubstitution phase of the least squares computations. In addition, a parallel scheme for the calculation of certain elements of the covariance matrix for such problems is described. It is shown that these algorithms are ideally suited for multiprocessors with three levels of parallelism such as the Cedar system at the University of Illinois. 20 refs., 7 figs.« less

Understanding the large-scale structure from the cosmic microwave background: shear calibration with CMB lensing; gas physics from the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaan, Emmanuel

2017-01-01

I will present two promising ways in which the cosmic microwave background (CMB) sheds light on critical uncertain physics and systematics of the large-scale structure. Shear calibration with CMB lensing: Realizing the full potential of upcoming weak lensing surveys requires an exquisite understanding of the errors in galaxy shape estimation. In particular, such errors lead to a multiplicative bias in the shear, degenerate with the matter density parameter and the amplitude of fluctuations. Its redshift-evolution can hide the true evolution of the growth of structure, which probes dark energy and possible modifications to general relativity. I will show that CMB lensing from a stage 4 experiment (CMB S4) can self-calibrate the shear for an LSST-like optical lensing survey. This holds in the presence of photo-z errors and intrinsic alignment. Evidence for the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (kSZ) effect; cluster energetics: Through the kSZ effect, the baryon momentum field is imprinted on the CMB. I will report significant evidence for the kSZ effect from ACTPol and peculiar velocities reconstructed from BOSS. I will present the prospects for constraining cluster gas profiles and energetics from the kSZ effect with SPT-3G, AdvACT and CMB S4. This will provide constraints on galaxy formation and feedback models.

Validating LiDAR Derived Estimates of Canopy Height, Structure and Fractional Cover in Riparian Areas: A Comparison of Leaf-on and Leaf-off LiDAR Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasser, L. A.; Chasmer, L. E.; Taylor, A.; Day, R.

2010-12-01

Characterization of riparian buffers is integral to understanding the landscape scale impacts of disturbance on wildlife and aquatic ecosystems. Riparian buffers may be characterized using in situ plot sampling or via high resolution remote sensing. Field measurements are time-consuming and may not cover a broad range of ecosystem types. Further, spectral remote sensing methods introduce a compromise between spatial resolution (grain) and area extent. Airborne LiDAR can be used to continuously map and characterize riparian vegetation structure and composition due to the three-dimensional reflectance of laser pulses within and below the canopy, understory and at the ground surface. The distance between reflections (or ‘returns’) allows for detection of narrow buffer corridors at the landscape scale. There is a need to compare leaf-off and leaf-on surveyed LiDAR data with in situ measurements to assess accuracy in landscape scale analysis. These comparisons are particularly important considering increased availability of leaf-off surveyed LiDAR datasets. And given this increased availability, differences between leaf-on and leaf-off derived LiDAR metrics are largely unknown for riparian vegetation of varying composition and structure. This study compares the effectiveness of leaf-on and leaf-off LiDAR in characterizing riparian buffers of varying structure and composition as compared to field measurements. Field measurements were used to validate LiDAR derived metrics. Vegetation height, canopy cover, density and overstory and understory species composition were recorded in 80 random plots of varying vegetation type, density and structure within a Pennsylvania watershed (-77.841, 40.818). Plot data were compared with LiDAR data collected during leaf on and leaf off conditions to determine 1) accuracy of LiDAR derived metrics compared to field measures and 2) differences between leaf-on and leaf-off LiDAR metrics. Results illustrate that differences exist between metrics derived from leaf on and leaf-off surveyed LiDAR. There is greater variability between the two datasets within taller deciduous and mixed (conifer and deciduous) vegetation compared to shorter deciduous and mixed vegetation. Differences decrease as stand density increases for both mixed and deciduous forests. LiDAR derived canopy height is more sensitive to understory vegetation as stand density decreases making measurement of understory vegetation in the field important in the validation process. Finally, while leaf-on LiDAR is often preferred for vegetation analysis, results suggest that leaf-off LiDAR may be sufficient to categorize vegetation into height classes to be used for landscape scale habitat models.

Reconciling tensor and scalar observables in G-inflation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramírez, Héctor; Passaglia, Samuel; Motohashi, Hayato; Hu, Wayne; Mena, Olga

2018-04-01

The simple m2phi2 potential as an inflationary model is coming under increasing tension with limits on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r and measurements of the scalar spectral index ns. Cubic Galileon interactions in the context of the Horndeski action can potentially reconcile the observables. However, we show that this cannot be achieved with only a constant Galileon mass scale because the interactions turn off too slowly, leading also to gradient instabilities after inflation ends. Allowing for a more rapid transition can reconcile the observables but moderately breaks the slow-roll approximation leading to a relatively large and negative running of the tilt αs that can be of order ns‑1. We show that the observables on CMB and large scale structure scales can be predicted accurately using the optimized slow-roll approach instead of the traditional slow-roll expansion. Upper limits on |αs| place a lower bound of rgtrsim 0.005 and, conversely, a given r places a lower bound on |αs|, both of which are potentially observable with next generation CMB and large scale structure surveys.

A Psychometric Analysis of the Italian Version of the eHealth Literacy Scale Using Item Response and Classical Test Theory Methods.

PubMed

Diviani, Nicola; Dima, Alexandra Lelia; Schulz, Peter Johannes

2017-04-11

The eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) is a tool to assess consumers' comfort and skills in using information technologies for health. Although evidence exists of reliability and construct validity of the scale, less agreement exists on structural validity. The aim of this study was to validate the Italian version of the eHealth Literacy Scale (I-eHEALS) in a community sample with a focus on its structural validity, by applying psychometric techniques that account for item difficulty. Two Web-based surveys were conducted among a total of 296 people living in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland (Ticino). After examining the latent variables underlying the observed variables of the Italian scale via principal component analysis (PCA), fit indices for two alternative models were calculated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The scale structure was examined via parametric and nonparametric item response theory (IRT) analyses accounting for differences between items regarding the proportion of answers indicating high ability. Convergent validity was assessed by correlations with theoretically related constructs. CFA showed a suboptimal model fit for both models. IRT analyses confirmed all items measure a single dimension as intended. Reliability and construct validity of the final scale were also confirmed. The contrasting results of factor analysis (FA) and IRT analyses highlight the importance of considering differences in item difficulty when examining health literacy scales. The findings support the reliability and validity of the translated scale and its use for assessing Italian-speaking consumers' eHealth literacy. ©Nicola Diviani, Alexandra Lelia Dima, Peter Johannes Schulz. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 11.04.2017.

Survey of organizational research climates in three research intensive, doctoral granting universities.

PubMed

Wells, James A; Thrush, Carol R; Martinson, Brian C; May, Terry A; Stickler, Michelle; Callahan, Eileen C; Klomparens, Karen L

2014-12-01

The Survey of Organizational Research Climate (SOuRCe) is a new instrument that assesses dimensions of research integrity climate, including ethical leadership, socialization and communication processes, and policies, procedures, structures, and processes to address risks to research integrity. We present a descriptive analysis to characterize differences on the SOuRCe scales across departments, fields of study, and status categories (faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students) for 11,455 respondents from three research-intensive universities. Among the seven SOuRCe scales, variance explained by status and fields of study ranged from 7.6% (Advisor-Advisee Relations) to 16.2% (Integrity Norms). Department accounted for greater than 50% of the variance explained for each of the SOuRCe scales, ranging from 52.6% (Regulatory Quality) to 80.3% (Integrity Inhibitors). It is feasible to implement this instrument in large university settings across a broad range of fields, department types, and individual roles within academic units. Published baseline results provide initial data for institutions using the SOuRCe who wish to compare their own research integrity climates. © The Author(s) 2014.

Connecting the small scale to the large scale: young massive stars and their environments from the Red MSX Source Survey.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Figura, Charles C.; Urquhart, James S.; Morgan, Lawrence

2015-01-01

We have conducted a detailed multi-wavelength investigation of a variety of massive star forming regions in order to characterise the impact of the interactions between the substructure of the dense protostellar clumps and their local environment, including feedback from the embedded proto-cluster.A selection of 70 MYSOs and HII regions identified by the RMS survey have been followed up with observations of the ammonia (1,1) and (2,2) inversion transitions made with the KFPA on the GBT. These maps have been combined with archival CO data to investigate the thermal and kinematic structure of the extended envelopes down to the dense clumps. We complement this larger-scale picture with high resolution near- and mid-infrared images to probe the properties of the embedded objects themselves.We present an overview of several sources from this sample that illustrate some of the the interactions that we observe. We find that high molecular column densities and kinetic temperatures are coincident with embedded sources and with shocks and outflows as exhibited in gas kinematics.

Herschel-ATLAS/GAMA: SDSS cross-correlation induced by weak lensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Nuevo, J.; Lapi, A.; Negrello, M.; Danese, L.; De Zotti, G.; Amber, S.; Baes, M.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Bourne, N.; Brough, S.; Bussmann, R. S.; Cai, Z.-Y.; Cooray, A.; Driver, S. P.; Dunne, L.; Dye, S.; Eales, S.; Ibar, E.; Ivison, R.; Liske, J.; Loveday, J.; Maddox, S.; Michałowski, M. J.; Robotham, A. S. G.; Scott, D.; Smith, M. W. L.; Valiante, E.; Xia, J.-Q.

2014-08-01

We report a highly significant (>10σ) spatial correlation between galaxies with S350 μm ≥ 30 mJy detected in the equatorial fields of the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS) with estimated redshifts ≳ 1.5, and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) or Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) galaxies at 0.2 ≤ z ≤ 0.6. The significance of the cross-correlation is much higher than those reported so far for samples with non-overlapping redshift distributions selected in other wavebands. Extensive, realistic simulations of clustered sub-mm galaxies amplified by foreground structures confirm that the cross-correlation can be explained by weak gravitational lensing (μ < 2). The simulations also show that the measured amplitude and range of angular scales of the signal are larger than can be accounted for by galaxy-galaxy weak lensing. However, for scales ≲ 2 arcmin, the signal can be reproduced if SDSS/GAMA galaxies act as signposts of galaxy groups/clusters with halo masses in the range 1013.2-1014.5 M⊙. The signal detected on larger scales appears to reflect the clustering of such haloes.

Study deviance-type scale in the development of Korean elder.

PubMed

Cho, Gun-Sang; Yi, Eun-Surk; Hwang, Hee-Jeong

2015-12-01

This research aims to develop a questionnaire of deviant behavior for the Korean elderly people which may make a big contribution to the examination of deviance behavior of the elderly people and may play an important role in providing a methodological basis. In order to accomplish the purpose of the this study, there were three different stages; (a) making preliminary question items, (b) refining the items of the scale through a plot study, and (c) finalizing question items by a main survey. In the first stage, 43 question items were developed using the open-ended questionnaire and structural inquiry of succession from 137 elderly people who are over 65 yr. In the second phase, based on data collected by the 200 elderly people pilot testing was performed through exploratory factor analysis and reliability test. The scale is a 27-item self-report questionnaire. In the main survey conducted by 184 elderly people, 21 items, which consisted of four subfactors, were finalized in order to measure deviance behaviors of the Korean elderly people: social deviance (n=8), economic deviance (n=5), psychological deviance (n=5), and physical deviance (n=3).

Does Fire Influence the Landscape-Scale Distribution of an Invasive Mesopredator?

PubMed Central

Payne, Catherine J.; Ritchie, Euan G.; Kelly, Luke T.; Nimmo, Dale G.

2014-01-01

Predation and fire shape the structure and function of ecosystems globally. However, studies exploring interactions between these two processes are rare, especially at large spatial scales. This knowledge gap is significant not only for ecological theory, but also in an applied context, because it limits the ability of landscape managers to predict the outcomes of manipulating fire and predators. We examined the influence of fire on the occurrence of an introduced and widespread mesopredator, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), in semi-arid Australia. We used two extensive and complimentary datasets collected at two spatial scales. At the landscape-scale, we surveyed red foxes using sand-plots within 28 study landscapes – which incorporated variation in the diversity and proportional extent of fire-age classes – located across a 104 000 km2 study area. At the site-scale, we surveyed red foxes using camera traps at 108 sites stratified along a century-long post-fire chronosequence (0–105 years) within a 6630 km2 study area. Red foxes were widespread both at the landscape and site-scale. Fire did not influence fox distribution at either spatial scale, nor did other environmental variables that we measured. Our results show that red foxes exploit a broad range of environmental conditions within semi-arid Australia. The presence of red foxes throughout much of the landscape is likely to have significant implications for native fauna, particularly in recently burnt habitats where reduced cover may increase prey species’ predation risk. PMID:25291186

A VLA (Very Large Array) Search for 5 GHz Radio Transients and Variables at Low Galactic Latitudes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ofek, E. O.; Frail, D. A.; Breslauer, B.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Chandra, P.; Gal-Yam, A.; Kasliwal, M. M.; Gehrels, N.

2012-01-01

We present the results of a 5GHz survey with the Very Large Array (VLA) and the expanded VLA, designed to search for short-lived (approx < 1 day) transients and to characterize the variability of radio sources at milli-Jansky levels. A total sky area of 2.66 sq. deg, spread over 141 fields at low Galactic latitudes (b approx equals 6 - 8 deg) was observed 16 times with a cadence that was chosen to sample timescales of days, months and years. Most of the data were reduced, analyzed and searched for transients in near real time. Interesting candidates were followed up using visible light telescopes (typical delays of 1 - 2 hr) and the X-Ray Telescope on board the Swift satellite. The final processing of the data revealed a single possible transient with a flux density of f(sub v) approx equals 2.4mJy. This implies a transients sky surface density of kappa(f(sub v) > 1.8mJy) = 0.039(exp +0.13,+0.18) (sub .0.032,.0.038) / sq. deg (1, 2 sigma confidence errors). This areal density is consistent with the sky surface density of transients from the Bower et al. survey extrapolated to 1.8mJy. Our observed transient areal density is consistent with a Neutron Stars (NSs) origin for these events. Furthermore, we use the data to measure the sources variability on days to years time scales, and we present the variability structure function of 5GHz sources. The mean structure function shows a fast increase on approximately 1 day time scale, followed by a slower increase on time scales of up to 10 days. On time scales between 10 - 60 days the structure function is roughly constant. We find that approx > 30% of the unresolved sources brighter than 1.8mJy are variable at the > 4-sigma confidence level, presumably due mainly to refractive scintillation.

Environment-based selection effects of Planck clusters

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

Kosyra, R.; Gruen, D.; Seitz, S.

2015-07-24

We investigate whether the large-scale structure environment of galaxy clusters imprints a selection bias on Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (SZ) catalogues. Such a selection effect might be caused by line of sight (LoS) structures that add to the SZ signal or contain point sources that disturb the signal extraction in the SZ survey. We use the Planck PSZ1 union catalogue in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) region as our sample of SZ-selected clusters. We calculate the angular two-point correlation function (2pcf) for physically correlated, foreground and background structure in the RedMaPPer SDSS DR8 catalogue with respect to each cluster. We compare ourmore » results with an optically selected comparison cluster sample and with theoretical predictions. In contrast to the hypothesis of no environment-based selection, we find a mean 2pcf for background structures of -0.049 on scales of ≲40 arcmin, significantly non-zero at ~4σ, which means that Planck clusters are more likely to be detected in regions of low background density. We hypothesize this effect arises either from background estimation in the SZ survey or from radio sources in the background. We estimate the defect in SZ signal caused by this effect to be negligibly small, of the order of ~10 -4 of the signal of a typical Planck detection. Analogously, there are no implications on X-ray mass measurements. However, the environmental dependence has important consequences for weak lensing follow up of Planck galaxy clusters: we predict that projection effects account for half of the mass contained within a 15 arcmin radius of Planck galaxy clusters. We did not detect a background underdensity of CMASS LRGs, which also leaves a spatially varying redshift dependence of the Planck SZ selection function as a possible cause for our findings.« less

Low-Intensity Agricultural Landscapes in Transylvania Support High Butterfly Diversity: Implications for Conservation

PubMed Central

Loos, Jacqueline; Dorresteijn, Ine; Hanspach, Jan; Fust, Pascal; Rakosy, László; Fischer, Joern

2014-01-01

European farmland biodiversity is declining due to land use changes towards agricultural intensification or abandonment. Some Eastern European farming systems have sustained traditional forms of use, resulting in high levels of biodiversity. However, global markets and international policies now imply rapid and major changes to these systems. To effectively protect farmland biodiversity, understanding landscape features which underpin species diversity is crucial. Focusing on butterflies, we addressed this question for a cultural-historic landscape in Southern Transylvania, Romania. Following a natural experiment, we randomly selected 120 survey sites in farmland, 60 each in grassland and arable land. We surveyed butterfly species richness and abundance by walking transects with four repeats in summer 2012. We analysed species composition using Detrended Correspondence Analysis. We modelled species richness, richness of functional groups, and abundance of selected species in response to topography, woody vegetation cover and heterogeneity at three spatial scales, using generalised linear mixed effects models. Species composition widely overlapped in grassland and arable land. Composition changed along gradients of heterogeneity at local and context scales, and of woody vegetation cover at context and landscape scales. The effect of local heterogeneity on species richness was positive in arable land, but negative in grassland. Plant species richness, and structural and topographic conditions at multiple scales explained species richness, richness of functional groups and species abundances. Our study revealed high conservation value of both grassland and arable land in low-intensity Eastern European farmland. Besides grassland, also heterogeneous arable land provides important habitat for butterflies. While butterfly diversity in arable land benefits from heterogeneity by small-scale structures, grasslands should be protected from fragmentation to provide sufficiently large areas for butterflies. These findings have important implications for EU agricultural and conservation policy. Most importantly, conservation management needs to consider entire landscapes, and implement appropriate measures at multiple spatial scales. PMID:25058307

Galaxy Evolution Viewed as Functions of Environment and Mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kodama, Tadayuki; Tanaka, Masayuki; Tanaka, Ichi; Kajisawa, Masaru

We present two large surveys of distant clusters currently being carried out with Subaru, making use of its great capability of wide-field study both in the optical and in the near-infrared. The optical surveys, called PISCES, have mapped out large scale structures in and around 8 distant clusters at 0.4 < z <1.3, composed of multiple filaments and clumps extended over 15-30 Mpc scale. From the photometric and spectroscopic properties of galaxies over a wide range in environment, we find that the truncation of galaxies is seen in the outskirts of clusters rather than in the cluster cores.We also see a clear environmental dependence of the down-sizing (progressively later quenching of star formation in smaller galaxies). The near-infrared surveys are being conducted with a new wide-field instrument targeting proto-clusters around high-zradio-loud galaxies up to z ~4. Most of these field are known to show a large number of Lyαand/or Hαemitters at the same redshifts of the radio galaxies. We see a clear excess of near-infrared selected galaxies (JHK s -selected galaxies as well as DRG) in these fields, and they are indeed proto-clusters with not only young emitters but also evolved populations. Spatial distribution of such NIR selected galaxies is filamentary and track similar structures traced by the emitters. There is an hint that the bright-end of the red sequence first appeared between z= 3 and 2.

Social support and substitute voice acquisition on psychological adjustment among patients after laryngectomy.

PubMed

Kotake, Kumiko; Suzukamo, Yoshimi; Kai, Ichiro; Iwanaga, Kazuyo; Takahashi, Aya

2017-03-01

The objective is to clarify whether social support and acquisition of alternative voice enhance the psychological adjustment of laryngectomized patients and which part of the psychological adjustment structure would be influenced by social support. We contacted 1445 patients enrolled in a patient association using mail surveys and 679 patients agreed to participate in the study. The survey items included age, sex, occupation, post-surgery duration, communication method, psychological adjustment (by the Nottingham Adjustment Scale Japanese Laryngectomy Version: NAS-J-L), and the formal support (by Hospital Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-25: HPSQ-25). Social support and communication methods were added to the three-tier structural model of psychological adjustment shown in our previous study, and a covariance structure analysis was conducted. Formal/informal supports and acquisition of alternative voice influence only the "recognition of oneself as voluntary agent", the first tier of the three-tier structure of psychological adjustment. The results suggest that social support and acquisition of alternative voice may enhance the recognition of oneself as voluntary agent and promote the psychological adjustment.

Low-Cost Composite Materials and Structures for Aircraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deo, Ravi B.; Starnes, James H., Jr.; Holzwarth, Richard C.

2003-01-01

A survey of current applications of composite materials and structures in military, transport and General Aviation aircraft is presented to assess the maturity of composites technology, and the payoffs realized. The results of the survey show that performance requirements and the potential to reduce life cycle costs for military aircraft and direct operating costs for transport aircraft are the main reasons for the selection of composite materials for current aircraft applications. Initial acquisition costs of composite airframe components are affected by high material costs and complex certification tests which appear to discourage the widespread use of composite materials for aircraft applications. Material suppliers have performed very well to date in developing resin matrix and fiber systems for improved mechanical, durability and damage tolerance performance. The next challenge for material suppliers is to reduce material costs and to develop materials that are suitable for simplified and inexpensive manufacturing processes. The focus of airframe manufacturers should be on the development of structural designs that reduce assembly costs by the use of large-scale integration of airframe components with unitized structures and manufacturing processes that minimize excessive manual labor.

Geologic map of the Grand Canyon 30' x 60' quadrangle, Coconino and Mohave Counties, northwestern Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Billingsley, G.H.

2000-01-01

This digital map database, compiled from previously published and unpublished data as well as new mapping by the author, represents the general distribution of bedrock and surficial deposits in the map area. Together with the accompanying pamphlet, it provides current information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the Grand Canyon area. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The scale of the source maps limits the spatial resolution (scale) of the database to 1:100,000 or smaller.

Philippines: Small-scale renewable energy update

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

NONE

1997-12-01

This paper gives an overview of the application of small scale renewable energy sources in the Philippines. Sources looked at include solar, biomass, micro-hydroelectric, mini-hydroelectric, wind, mini-geothermal, and hybrid. A small power utilities group is being spun off the major utility, to provide a structure for developing rural electrification programs. In some instances, private companies have stepped forward, avoiding what is perceived as overwhelming beaurocracy, and installed systems with private financing. The paper provides information on survey work which has been done on resources, and the status of cooperative programs to develop renewable systems in the nation.

Relationship of pass/fail grading and curriculum structure with well-being among preclinical medical students: a multi-institutional study.

PubMed

Reed, Darcy A; Shanafelt, Tait D; Satele, Daniel W; Power, David V; Eacker, Anne; Harper, William; Moutier, Christine; Durning, Steven; Massie, F Stanford; Thomas, Matthew R; Sloan, Jeff A; Dyrbye, Liselotte N

2011-11-01

Psychological distress is common among medical students. Curriculum structure and grading scales are modifiable learning environment factors that may influence student well-being. The authors sought to examine relationships among curriculum structures, grading scales, and student well-being. The authors surveyed 2,056 first- and second-year medical students at seven U.S. medical schools in 2007. They used the Perceived Stress Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-8) to measure stress, burnout, and quality of life, respectively. They measured curriculum structure using hours spent in didactic, clinical, and testing experiences. Grading scales were categorized as two categories (pass/fail) versus three or more categories (e.g., honors/pass/fail). Of the 2,056 students, 1,192 (58%) responded. In multivariate analyses, students in schools using grading scales with three or more categories had higher levels of stress (beta 2.65; 95% CI 1.54-3.76, P<.0001), emotional exhaustion (beta 5.35; 95% CI 3.34-7.37, P<.0001), and depersonalization (beta 1.36; 95% CI 0.53-2.19, P=.001) and were more likely to have burnout (OR 2.17; 95% CI 1.41-3.35, P=.0005) and to have seriously considered dropping out of school (OR 2.24; 95% CI 1.54-3.27, P<.0001) compared with students in schools using pass/fail grading. There were no relationships between time spent in didactic and clinical experiences and well-being. How students are evaluated has a greater impact than other aspects of curriculum structure on their well-being. Curricular reform intended to enhance student well-being should incorporate pass/fail grading.

Spanish Validation of the Care Evaluation Scale for Measuring the Quality of Structure and Process of Palliative Care From the Family Perspective.

PubMed

Benitez-Rosario, Miguel Angel; Caceres-Miranda, Raquel; Aguirre-Jaime, Armando

2016-03-01

A reliable and valid measure of the structure and process of end-of-life care is important for improving the outcomes of care. This study evaluated the validity and reliability of the Spanish adaptation of a satisfaction tool of the Care Evaluation Scale (CES), which was developed in Japan to evaluate palliative care structure and process from the perspective of family members. Standard forward-backward translation and a pilot test were conducted. A multicenter survey was conducted with the relatives of patients admitted to palliative care units for symptom control. The dimensional structure was assessed using confirmatory factor analyses. Concurrent and discriminant validity were tested by correlation with the SERQVHOS, a Spanish hospital care satisfaction scale and with an 11-point rating scale on satisfaction with care. The reliability of the CES was tested by Cronbach α and by test-retest correlation. A total of 284 primary caregivers completed the CES, with low missing response rates. The results of the factor analysis suggested a six-factor solution explaining 69% of the total variance. The CES moderately correlated with the SERQVHOS and with the overall satisfaction scale (intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.66 and 0.44, respectively; P = 0.001). Cronbach α was 0.90 overall and ranged from 0.85 to 0.89 for subdomains. Intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.88 (P = 0.001) for test-retest analysis. The Spanish CES was found to be a reliable and valid measure of the satisfaction with end-of-life care structure and process from family members' perspectives. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Decision maker perceptions of resource allocation processes in Canadian health care organizations: a national survey

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Resource allocation is a key challenge for healthcare decision makers. While several case studies of organizational practice exist, there have been few large-scale cross-organization comparisons. Methods Between January and April 2011, we conducted an on-line survey of senior decision makers within regional health authorities (and closely equivalent organizations) across all Canadian provinces and territories. We received returns from 92 individual managers, from 60 out of 89 organizations in total. The survey inquired about structures, process features, and behaviours related to organization-wide resource allocation decisions. We focus here on three main aspects: type of process, perceived fairness, and overall rating. Results About one-half of respondents indicated that their organization used a formal process for resource allocation, while the others reported that political or historical factors were predominant. Seventy percent (70%) of respondents self-reported that their resource allocation process was fair and just over one-half assessed their process as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. This paper explores these findings in greater detail and assesses them in context of the larger literature. Conclusion Data from this large-scale cross-jurisdictional survey helps to illustrate common challenges and areas of positive performance among Canada’s health system leadership teams. PMID:23819598

Comparing two remote video survey methods for spatial predictions of the distribution and environmental niche suitability of demersal fishes.

PubMed

Galaiduk, Ronen; Radford, Ben T; Wilson, Shaun K; Harvey, Euan S

2017-12-15

Information on habitat associations from survey data, combined with spatial modelling, allow the development of more refined species distribution modelling which may identify areas of high conservation/fisheries value and consequentially improve conservation efforts. Generalised additive models were used to model the probability of occurrence of six focal species after surveys that utilised two remote underwater video sampling methods (i.e. baited and towed video). Models developed for the towed video method had consistently better predictive performance for all but one study species although only three models had a good to fair fit, and the rest were poor fits, highlighting the challenges associated with modelling habitat associations of marine species in highly homogenous, low relief environments. Models based on baited video dataset regularly included large-scale measures of structural complexity, suggesting fish attraction to a single focus point by bait. Conversely, models based on the towed video data often incorporated small-scale measures of habitat complexity and were more likely to reflect true species-habitat relationships. The cost associated with use of the towed video systems for surveying low-relief seascapes was also relatively low providing additional support for considering this method for marine spatial ecological modelling.

A Synthesis of Paleo-Present Stress and Structural Evolution in the Western Anadarko Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gragg, E.; van Wijk, J.

2017-12-01

This research uses a compilation of geological and geophysical data from literature and public databases paired with new seismic, petrophysical and core analyses to deduce the stress and structural histories of the western Anadarko Basin from 1.3 Ga to present day. Paleo-stress fields are vital to understand fold-faulting styles, fracture networks, and the evolution of stratigraphic mechanics through time. These are features that can drastically influence paleo-present fluid migration and accumulations in the subsurface. This work is conducted in an effort to characterize risks to commercial-scale geologic carbon storage via CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery. We conducted palinspastic restorations on a field-scale fault system using a 3D seismic survey, and also used a fault database produced by the Oklahoma Geological Survey in the analysis. Preliminary results indicate that stress field reorganization occurred multiple times, and is related to a variety of orogenic and epeirogenic events. Sparse age data allow us to constrain at least four of these stress field phases: 1) Mid-Proterozoic crustal grain development; 2) Cambrian Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen; 3) Late Mississippian orogeny, and Pennsylvanian epeirogeny; and 4) Cenozoic Laramide convergence. Stress states influence faulting style and fracture development that can impact CO2 storage and production performance. Future work will explore anthropogenic effects of prior and future production on the stress states and structures at the field scale via the construction of a 3D mechanical earth model coupled to flow simulators. Funding for this project is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) through the Southwest Partnership on Carbon Sequestration (SWP) under Award No. DE-FC26-05NT42591.

A psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the nursing home survey on patient safety culture.

PubMed

Lin, Shu-Yuan; Tseng, Wei Ting; Hsu, Miao-Ju; Chiang, Hui-Ying; Tseng, Hui-Chen

2017-12-01

To test the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture scale among staff in long-term care facilities. The Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture scale is a standard tool for safety culture assessment in nursing homes. Extending its application to different types of long-term care facilities and varied ethnic populations is worth pursuing. A national random survey. A total of 306 managers and staff completed the Chinese version of the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture scale among 30 long-term care facilities in Taiwan. Content validity and construct validity were tested by content validity index (CVI) and principal axis factor analysis (PAF) with Promax rotation. Concurrent validity was tested through correlations between the scale and two overall rating items. Reliability was computed by intraclass correlation coefficient and Cronbach's α coefficients. Statistical analyses such as descriptive, Pearson's and Spearman's rho correlations and PAF were completed. Scale-level and item-level CVIs (0.91-0.98) of the Chinese version of the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture scale were satisfactory. Four-factor construct and merged item composition differed from the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture scale, and it accounted for 53% of variance. Concurrent validity was evident by existing positive correlations between the scale and two overall ratings of resident safety. Cronbach's α coefficients of the subscales and the Chinese version of the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture scale ranged from .76-.94. The Chinese version of the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture scale identified essential dimensions to reflect the important features of a patient safety culture in long-term care facilities. The researchers introduced the Chinese version of the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture for safety culture assessment in long-term care facilities, but further testing of the reliability of the scale in a large Chinese sample and in different long-term care facilities was recommended. The Chinese version of the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture scale was developed to increase the users' intention towards safety culture assessment. It can identify areas for improvement, understand safety culture changes over time and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Origin of the cosmic network in ΛCDM: Nature vs nurture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shandarin, Sergei; Habib, Salman; Heitmann, Katrin

2010-05-01

The large-scale structure of the Universe, as traced by the distribution of galaxies, is now being revealed by large-volume cosmological surveys. The structure is characterized by galaxies distributed along filaments, the filaments connecting in turn to form a percolating network. Our objective here is to quantitatively specify the underlying mechanisms that drive the formation of the cosmic network: By combining percolation-based analyses with N-body simulations of gravitational structure formation, we elucidate how the network has its origin in the properties of the initial density field (nature) and how its contrast is then amplified by the nonlinear mapping induced by the gravitational instability (nurture).

The revised Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue measures and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease scale: validation in six countries

PubMed Central

Kirwan, John; Bode, Christina; Cramp, Fiona; Carmona, Loreto; Dures, Emma; Englbrecht, Matthias; Fransen, Jaap; Greenwood, Rosemary; Hagel, Sofia; van de Laar, Maart; Molto, Anna; Nicklin, Joanna; Petersson, Ingemar F; Redondo, Marta; Schett, Georg; Gossec, Laure

2018-01-01

Abstract Objective To evaluate the Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Multidimensional Questionnaire (BRAF-MDQ), the revised Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Numerical Rating Scales (BRAF-NRS V2) and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID) scale in six countries. Methods We surveyed RA patients in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK, including the HAQ, 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and potential revisions of the BRAF-NRS coping and Spanish RAID coping items. Factor structure and internal consistency were examined by factor analysis and Cronbach’s α and construct validity by Spearman’s correlation. Results A total of 1276 patients participated (76% female, 25% with a disease duration <5 years, median HAQ 1.0). The original BRAF-MDQ four-factor structure and RAID single-factor structure were confirmed in every country with ⩾66% of variation in items explained by each factor and all item factor loadings of 0.71–0.98. Internal consistency for the BRAF-MDQ total and subscales was a Cronbach’s α of 0.75–0.96 and for RAID, 0.93–0.96. Fatigue construct validity was shown for the BRAF-MDQ and BRAF-NRS severity and effect scales, correlated internally with SF-36 vitality and with RAID fatigue (r = 0.63–0.93). Broader construct validity for the BRAFs and RAID was shown by correlation with each other, HAQ and SF-36 domains (r = 0.46–0.82), with similar patterns in individual countries. The revised BRAF-NRS V2 Coping item had stronger validity than the original in all analyses. The revised Spanish RAID coping item performed as well as the original. Conclusion Across six European countries, the BRAF-MDQ identifies the same four aspects of fatigue, and along with the RAID, shows strong factor structure and internal consistency and moderate–good construct validity. The revised BRAF-NRS V2 shows improved construct validity and replaces the original. PMID:29087507

The revised Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue measures and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease scale: validation in six countries.

PubMed

Hewlett, Sarah; Kirwan, John; Bode, Christina; Cramp, Fiona; Carmona, Loreto; Dures, Emma; Englbrecht, Matthias; Fransen, Jaap; Greenwood, Rosemary; Hagel, Sofia; van de Laar, Maart; Molto, Anna; Nicklin, Joanna; Petersson, Ingemar F; Redondo, Marta; Schett, Georg; Gossec, Laure

2018-02-01

To evaluate the Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Multidimensional Questionnaire (BRAF-MDQ), the revised Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Numerical Rating Scales (BRAF-NRS V2) and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID) scale in six countries. We surveyed RA patients in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK, including the HAQ, 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and potential revisions of the BRAF-NRS coping and Spanish RAID coping items. Factor structure and internal consistency were examined by factor analysis and Cronbach's α and construct validity by Spearman's correlation. A total of 1276 patients participated (76% female, 25% with a disease duration <5 years, median HAQ 1.0). The original BRAF-MDQ four-factor structure and RAID single-factor structure were confirmed in every country with ⩾66% of variation in items explained by each factor and all item factor loadings of 0.71-0.98. Internal consistency for the BRAF-MDQ total and subscales was a Cronbach's α of 0.75-0.96 and for RAID, 0.93-0.96. Fatigue construct validity was shown for the BRAF-MDQ and BRAF-NRS severity and effect scales, correlated internally with SF-36 vitality and with RAID fatigue (r = 0.63-0.93). Broader construct validity for the BRAFs and RAID was shown by correlation with each other, HAQ and SF-36 domains (r = 0.46-0.82), with similar patterns in individual countries. The revised BRAF-NRS V2 Coping item had stronger validity than the original in all analyses. The revised Spanish RAID coping item performed as well as the original. Across six European countries, the BRAF-MDQ identifies the same four aspects of fatigue, and along with the RAID, shows strong factor structure and internal consistency and moderate-good construct validity. The revised BRAF-NRS V2 shows improved construct validity and replaces the original. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology.

Prospectivity Modeling of Karstic Groundwater Using a Sequential Exploration Approach in Tepal Area, Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharifi, Fereydoun; Arab-Amiri, Ali Reza; Kamkar-Rouhani, Abolghasem; Yousefi, Mahyar; Davoodabadi-Farahani, Meysam

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study is water prospectivity modeling (WPM) for recognizing karstic water-bearing zones by using analyses of geo-exploration data in Kal-Qorno valley, located in Tepal area, north of Iran. For this, a sequential exploration method applied on geo-evidential data to delineate target areas for further exploration. In this regard, two major exploration phases including regional and local scales were performed. In the first phase, indicator geological features, structures and lithological units, were used to model groundwater prospectivity as a regional scale. In this phase, for karstic WPM, fuzzy lithological and structural evidence layers were generated and combined using fuzzy operators. After generating target areas using WPM, in the second phase geophysical surveys including gravimetry and geoelectrical resistivity were carried out on the recognized high potential zones as a local scale exploration. Finally the results of geophysical analyses in the second phase were used to select suitable drilling locations to access and extract karstic groundwater in the study area.

Validation of the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS) with Supervisors' Self-Ratings.

PubMed

Torres, Elisa M; Ehrhart, Mark G; Beidas, Rinad S; Farahnak, Lauren R; Finn, Natalie K; Aarons, Gregory A

2018-01-01

Although often discussed, there is a lack of empirical research on the role of leadership in the management and delivery of health services. The implementation leadership scale (ILS) assesses the degree to which leaders are knowledgeable, proactive, perseverant, and supportive during evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the ILS for leaders' self-ratings using a sample of mental health clinic supervisors (N = 119). Supervisors (i.e., leaders) completed surveys including self-ratings of their implementation leadership. Confirmatory factor analysis, reliability, and validity of the ILS were evaluated. The ILS factor structure was supported in the sample of supervisors. Results demonstrated internal consistency reliability and validity. Cronbach alpha's ranged from 0.92 to 0.96 for the ILS subscales and 0.95 for the ILS overall scale. The factor structure replication and reliability of the ILS in a sample of supervisors demonstrates its applicability with employees across organizational levels.

SPIN ALIGNMENTS OF SPIRAL GALAXIES WITHIN THE LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURE FROM SDSS DR7

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

Zhang, Youcai; Yang, Xiaohu; Luo, Wentao

Using a sample of spiral galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 and Galaxy Zoo 2, we investigate the alignment of spin axes of spiral galaxies with their surrounding large-scale structure, which is characterized by the large-scale tidal field reconstructed from the data using galaxy groups above a certain mass threshold. We find that the spin axes only have weak tendencies to be aligned with (or perpendicular to) the intermediate (or minor) axis of the local tidal tensor. The signal is the strongest in a cluster environment where all three eigenvalues of the local tidal tensor aremore » positive. Compared to the alignments between halo spins and the local tidal field obtained in N-body simulations, the above observational results are in best agreement with those for the spins of inner regions of halos, suggesting that the disk material traces the angular momentum of dark matter halos in the inner regions.« less

The topology of large-scale structure. I - Topology and the random phase hypothesis. [galactic formation models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinberg, David H.; Gott, J. Richard, III; Melott, Adrian L.

1987-01-01

Many models for the formation of galaxies and large-scale structure assume a spectrum of random phase (Gaussian), small-amplitude density fluctuations as initial conditions. In such scenarios, the topology of the galaxy distribution on large scales relates directly to the topology of the initial density fluctuations. Here a quantitative measure of topology - the genus of contours in a smoothed density distribution - is described and applied to numerical simulations of galaxy clustering, to a variety of three-dimensional toy models, and to a volume-limited sample of the CfA redshift survey. For random phase distributions the genus of density contours exhibits a universal dependence on threshold density. The clustering simulations show that a smoothing length of 2-3 times the mass correlation length is sufficient to recover the topology of the initial fluctuations from the evolved galaxy distribution. Cold dark matter and white noise models retain a random phase topology at shorter smoothing lengths, but massive neutrino models develop a cellular topology.

Ultrasonic Nondestructive Evaluation of Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS) During Large-Scale Load Testing and Rod Push-Out Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Patrick H.; Juarez, Peter D.

2016-01-01

The Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS) is a structural concept developed by the Boeing Company to address the complex structural design aspects associated with a pressurized hybrid wing body (HWB) aircraft configuration. The HWB has long been a focus of NASA's environmentally responsible aviation (ERA) project, following a building block approach to structures development, culminating with the testing of a nearly full-scale multi-bay box (MBB), representing a segment of the pressurized, non-circular fuselage portion of the HWB. PRSEUS is an integral structural concept wherein skins, frames, stringers and tear straps made of variable number of layers of dry warp-knit carbon-fiber stacks are stitched together, then resin-infused and cured in an out-of-autoclave process. The PRSEUS concept has the potential for reducing the weight and cost and increasing the structural efficiency of transport aircraft structures. A key feature of PRSEUS is the damage-arresting nature of the stitches, which enables the use of fail-safe design principles. During the load testing of the MBB, ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) was used to monitor several sites of intentional barely-visible impact damage (BVID) as well as to survey the areas surrounding the failure cracks after final loading to catastrophic failure. The damage-arresting ability of PRSEUS was confirmed by the results of NDE. In parallel with the large-scale structural testing of the MBB, mechanical tests were conducted of the PRSEUS rod-to-overwrap bonds, as measured by pushing the rod axially from a short length of stringer.

Factor structure and psychometric properties of a French and German shortened version of the Behavioural Inhibition System/Behavioural Activation System scales.

PubMed

Studer, Joseph; Baggio, Stéphanie; Mohler-Kuo, Meichun; Daeppen, Jean-Bernard; Gmel, Gerhard

2016-03-01

The Behavioural Inhibition System/Behavioural Activation System scales (BIS/BAS scales) constitute one of the most prominent questionnaires to assess individual differences in sensitivity to punishment and reward. However, some studies questioned its validity, especially that of the French and German translations. The aim of the present study was to re-evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the BIS/BAS scales in a large sample of French- and German-speaking young Swiss men (N = 5872). Results showed that factor structures previously found in the literature did not meet the standards of fit. Nine items had to be removed to achieve adequate fit statistics in confirmatory factor analysis, yielding a shortened version with four factors: one BIS factor comprising five items and three BAS factors, namely Reward Reactivity, Drive and Fun Seeking, each comprising two items. Convergent validity and group invariance analyses suggest that the shortened BIS/BAS scales constitute a valid and reliable instrument. Researchers interested in assessing individual differences in BIS and BAS reactivity in French- and German-speaking individuals should avoid using the BIS/BAS scales as originally specified. The shortened version may be a sound alternative at least in samples of young adults. Its shorter format may be particularly suited for surveys with constraints on questionnaire length.

Structure in the 3D Galaxy Distribution. III. Fourier Transforming the Universe: Phase and Power Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scargle, Jeffrey D.; Way, M. J.; Gazis, P. G.

2017-01-01

We demonstrate the effectiveness of a relatively straightforward analysis of the complex 3D Fourier transform of galaxy coordinates derived from redshift surveys. Numerical demonstrations of this approach are carried out on a volume-limited sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey redshift survey. The direct unbinned transform yields a complex 3D data cube quite similar to that from the Fast Fourier Transform of finely binned galaxy positions. In both cases, deconvolution of the sampling window function yields estimates of the true transform. Simple power spectrum estimates from these transforms are roughly consistent with those using more elaborate methods. The complex Fourier transform characterizes spatial distributional properties beyond the power spectrum in a manner different from (and we argue is more easily interpreted than) the conventional multipoint hierarchy. We identify some threads of modern large-scale inference methodology that will presumably yield detections in new wider and deeper surveys.

Large-area Soil Moisture Surveys Using a Cosmic-ray Rover: Approaches and Results from Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawdon, A. A.; McJannet, D. L.; Renzullo, L. J.; Baker, B.; Searle, R.

2017-12-01

Recent improvements in satellite instrumentation has increased the resolution and frequency of soil moisture observations, and this in turn has supported the development of higher resolution land surface process models. Calibration and validation of these products is restricted by the mismatch of scales between remotely sensed and contemporary ground based observations. Although the cosmic ray neutron soil moisture probe can provide estimates soil moisture at a scale useful for the calibration and validation purposes, it is spatially limited to a single, fixed location. This scaling issue has been addressed with the development of mobile soil moisture monitoring systems that utilizes the cosmic ray neutron method, typically referred to as a `rover'. This manuscript describes a project designed to develop approaches for undertaking rover surveys to produce soil moisture estimates at scales comparable to satellite observations and land surface process models. A custom designed, trailer-mounted rover was used to conduct repeat surveys at two scales in the Mallee region of Victoria, Australia. A broad scale survey was conducted at 36 x 36 km covering an area of a standard SMAP pixel and an intensive scale survey was conducted over a 10 x 10 km portion of the broad scale survey, which is at a scale equivalent to that used for national water balance modelling. We will describe the design of the rover, the methods used for converting neutron counts into soil moisture and discuss factors controlling soil moisture variability. We found that the intensive scale rover surveys produced reliable soil moisture estimates at 1 km resolution and the broad scale at 9 km resolution. We conclude that these products are well suited for future analysis of satellite soil moisture retrievals and finer scale soil moisture models.

Validity evidence for the measurement of the strength of motivation for medical school.

PubMed

Kusurkar, Rashmi; Croiset, Gerda; Kruitwagen, Cas; ten Cate, Olle

2011-05-01

The Strength of Motivation for Medical School (SMMS) questionnaire is designed to determine the strength of motivation of students particularly for medical study. This research was performed to establish the validity evidence for measuring strength of motivation for medical school. Internal structure and relations to other variables were used as the sources of validity evidence. The SMMS questionnaire was filled out by 1,494 medical students in different years of medical curriculum. The validity evidence for the internal structure was analyzed by principal components analysis with promax rotation. Validity evidence for relations to other variables was tested by comparing the SMMS scores with scores on the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and the exhaustion scale of Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) for measuring study stress. Evidence for internal consistency was determined through the Cronbach's alpha for reliability. The analysis showed that the SMMS had a 3-factor structure. The validity in relations to other variables was established as both, the subscales and full scale scores significantly correlated positively with the intrinsic motivation scores and with the more autonomous forms of extrinsic motivation, the correlation decreasing and finally becoming negative towards the extrinsic motivation end of the spectrum. They also had significant negative correlations with amotivation scale of the AMS and exhaustion scale of MBI-SS. The Cronbach's alpha for reliability of the three subscales and full SMMS scores was 0.70, 0.67, 0.55 and 0.79. The strength of motivation for medical school has a three factor structure and acceptable validity evidence was found in our study.

On the validity of popular masculinity rating scales with gay men.

PubMed

Alt, Marcus; Lewis, Adam M; Liu, William Ming; Vilain, Eric; Sánchez, Francisco J

2014-11-01

During the past decade, greater quantitative attention has been given to how gay men's lives are affected by traditional notions of masculinity. Consequently, it is important that masculinity-related measures that are often used in research are valid for use with gay men. This study examined the factor structures, loadings, and psychometric properties of three commonly used masculinity-related measures: the Gender Role Conflict Scale, the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory, and the Reference Group Identity Dependence Scale. Data were collected via an online survey of 920 self-identified gay men (M(age) = 32.48 years, SD = 11.73). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that while the goodness of fit statistics did not always indicate the model fit, there were similar endorsements of items across the three masculinity scales and subscale factor loadings consistent with published studies using mostly heterosexual male samples. Implications for future masculinity scale research on gay men are discussed.

Cosmic homogeneity: a spectroscopic and model-independent measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonçalves, R. S.; Carvalho, G. C.; Bengaly, C. A. P., Jr.; Carvalho, J. C.; Bernui, A.; Alcaniz, J. S.; Maartens, R.

2018-03-01

Cosmology relies on the Cosmological Principle, i.e. the hypothesis that the Universe is homogeneous and isotropic on large scales. This implies in particular that the counts of galaxies should approach a homogeneous scaling with volume at sufficiently large scales. Testing homogeneity is crucial to obtain a correct interpretation of the physical assumptions underlying the current cosmic acceleration and structure formation of the Universe. In this letter, we use the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey to make the first spectroscopic and model-independent measurements of the angular homogeneity scale θh. Applying four statistical estimators, we show that the angular distribution of galaxies in the range 0.46 < z < 0.62 is consistent with homogeneity at large scales, and that θh varies with redshift, indicating a smoother Universe in the past. These results are in agreement with the foundations of the standard cosmological paradigm.

Large-scale patterns of insect and disease activity in the conterminous United States and Alaska from the National Insect and Disease Detection Survey Database, 2010

Treesearch

Kevin M. Potter; Jeanine L. Paschke

2013-01-01

Analyzing patterns of forest pest infestations, diseases occurrences, forest declines and related biotic stress factors is necessary to monitor the health of forested ecosystems and their potential impacts on forest structure, composition, biodiversity, and species distributions (Castello and others 1995). Introduced nonnative insects and diseases, in particular, can...

Large-scale patterns of insect and disease activity in the conterminous United States and Alaska from the national insect and disease detection survey, 2009

Treesearch

Kevin M. Potter

2013-01-01

Analyzing patterns of forest pest infestation, disease occurrences, forest declines, and related biotic stress factors is necessary to monitor the health of forested ecosystems and their potential impacts on forest structure, composition, biodiversity, and species distributions (Castello and others 1995). Introduced nonnative insects and diseases, in particular, can...

Chapter 2 - Large-scale patterns of insect and disease activity in the conterminous United States, Alaska, and Hawaii from the national Insect and Disease Survey, 2016

Treesearch

Kevin M. Potter; Jeanne L. Paschke; Mark O. Zweifler

2018-01-01

Insects and diseases cause changes in forest structure and function, species succession, and biodiversity, which may be considered negative or positive depending on management objectives (Edmonds and others 2011). An important task for forest managers, pathologists, and entomologists is recognizing and distinguishing between natural and excessive mortality, a task

Computer-based synthetic data to assess the tree delineation algorithm from airborne LiDAR survey

Treesearch

Lei Wang; Andrew G. Birt; Charles W. Lafon; David M. Cairns; Robert N. Coulson; Maria D. Tchakerian; Weimin Xi; Sorin C. Popescu; James M. Guldin

2013-01-01

Small Footprint LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) has been proposed as an effective tool for measuring detailed biophysical characteristics of forests over broad spatial scales. However, by itself LiDAR yields only a sample of the true 3D structure of a forest. In order to extract useful forestry relevant information, this data must be interpreted using mathematical...

Texting while driving: the development and validation of the distracted driving survey and risk score among young adults.

PubMed

Bergmark, Regan W; Gliklich, Emily; Guo, Rong; Gliklich, Richard E

Texting while driving and other cell-phone reading and writing activities are high-risk activities associated with motor vehicle collisions and mortality. This paper describes the development and preliminary evaluation of the Distracted Driving Survey (DDS) and score. Survey questions were developed by a research team using semi-structured interviews, pilot-tested, and evaluated in young drivers for validity and reliability. Questions focused on texting while driving and use of email, social media, and maps on cellular phones with specific questions about the driving speeds at which these activities are performed. In 228 drivers 18-24 years old, the DDS showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.93) and correlations with reported 12-month crash rates. The score is reported on a 0-44 scale with 44 being highest risk behaviors. For every 1 unit increase of the DDS score, the odds of reporting a car crash increases 7 %. The survey can be completed in two minutes, or less than five minutes if demographic and background information is included. Text messaging was common; 59.2 and 71.5 % of respondents said they wrote and read text messages, respectively, while driving in the last 30 days. The DDS is an 11-item scale that measures cell phone-related distracted driving risk and includes reading/viewing and writing subscores. The scale demonstrated strong validity and reliability in drivers age 24 and younger. The DDS may be useful for measuring rates of cell-phone related distracted driving and for evaluating public health interventions focused on reducing such behaviors.

Texting while driving: the development and validation of the distracted driving survey and risk score among young adults.

PubMed

Bergmark, Regan W; Gliklich, Emily; Guo, Rong; Gliklich, Richard E

2016-12-01

Texting while driving and other cell-phone reading and writing activities are high-risk activities associated with motor vehicle collisions and mortality. This paper describes the development and preliminary evaluation of the Distracted Driving Survey (DDS) and score. Survey questions were developed by a research team using semi-structured interviews, pilot-tested, and evaluated in young drivers for validity and reliability. Questions focused on texting while driving and use of email, social media, and maps on cellular phones with specific questions about the driving speeds at which these activities are performed. In 228 drivers 18-24 years old, the DDS showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.93) and correlations with reported 12-month crash rates. The score is reported on a 0-44 scale with 44 being highest risk behaviors. For every 1 unit increase of the DDS score, the odds of reporting a car crash increases 7 %. The survey can be completed in two minutes, or less than five minutes if demographic and background information is included. Text messaging was common; 59.2 and 71.5 % of respondents said they wrote and read text messages, respectively, while driving in the last 30 days. The DDS is an 11-item scale that measures cell phone-related distracted driving risk and includes reading/viewing and writing subscores. The scale demonstrated strong validity and reliability in drivers age 24 and younger. The DDS may be useful for measuring rates of cell-phone related distracted driving and for evaluating public health interventions focused on reducing such behaviors.

A longitudinal study of empathy in pre-clinical and clinical medical students and clinical supervisors.

PubMed

Mahoney, Sarah; Sladek, Ruth M; Neild, Tim

2016-10-18

Although appropriate empathy in health professionals is essential, a loss of empathy can occur during medical education. The structure of clinical learning may be one factor that is implicated in a loss of empathy. This study examines student and doctor empathy, and possible associations between empathy and the structure of clinical learning. There were three groups of participants: medical students (n = 281), who completed a longitudinal survey consisting of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and an open question about empathy at the beginning and end of the 2013 academic year; private doctors (medical practitioners) in South Australia (n = 78) who completed a survey consisting of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and an open question about empathy at the end of the students' academic year; and doctors (medical practitioners) from public teaching hospitals (n = 72) in southern Adelaide, South Australia who completed a survey consisting of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy at the end of the students' academic year . Year one students' empathy scores at the end of the year (102.8 ± 17.7) were significantly lower than at the start of the year (112.3 ± 9.6) p < .05). There were no other significant differences in students' empathy scores by year groups or across the two time points. Empathy scores were almost identical for private and hospital clinicians and higher than average scores for students. Free-text comments highlighted the importance students and doctors place on empathy. Students described issues that adversely affected their empathy, including specific incidents, systemic issues, and course structure, but also described some positive role models. Doctors' comments focused on the importance of empathy but qualified its meaning in the therapeutic setting. Medical students and practitioners alike ascribe importance to empathy in clinical practice, yet its developmental course remains poorly understood with possible decrement across the course of medical education. A more sophisticated understanding of empathy in medical students is needed, with attention to issues that might adversely impact on this crucial aspect of their development. This was not undertaken as the research did not involve a health care intervention on human participants.

Modeling Forest Structure and Vascular Plant Diversity in Piedmont Forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hakkenberg, C.

2014-12-01

When the interacting stressors of climate change and land cover/land use change (LCLUC) overwhelm ecosystem resilience to environmental and climatic variability, forest ecosystems are at increased risk of regime shifts and hyperdynamism in process rates. To meet the growing range of novel biotic and environmental stressors on human-impacted ecosystems, the maintenance of taxonomic diversity and functional redundancy in metacommunities has been proposed as a risk spreading measure ensuring that species critical to landscape ecosystem functioning are available for recruitment as local systems respond to novel conditions. This research is the first in a multi-part study to establish a dynamic, predictive model of the spatio-temporal dynamics of vascular plant diversity in North Carolina Piedmont mixed forests using remotely sensed data inputs. While remote sensing technologies are optimally suited to monitor LCLUC over large areas, direct approaches to the remote measurement of plant diversity remain a challenge. This study tests the efficacy of predicting indices of vascular plant diversity using remotely derived measures of forest structural heterogeneity from aerial LiDAR and high spatial resolution broadband optical imagery in addition to derived topo-environmental variables. Diversity distribution modelling of this sort is predicated upon the idea that environmental filtering of dispersing species help define fine-scale (permeable) environmental envelopes within which biotic structural and compositional factors drive competitive interactions that, in addition to background stochasticity, determine fine-scale alpha diversity. Results reveal that over a range of Piedmont forest communities, increasing structural complexity is positively correlated with measures of plant diversity, though the nature of this relationship varies by environmental conditions and community type. The diversity distribution model is parameterized and cross-validated using three high quality vegetation survey datasets, including Duke Forest Korstian permanent plots, Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA), and the scale transgressive, nested module Carolina Vegetation Survey (CVS).

Cosmological parameter constraints with the Deep Lens Survey using galaxy-shear correlations and galaxy clustering properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Mijin; Jee, Myungkook James; Tyson, Tony

2018-01-01

The Deep Lens Survey (DLS), a precursor to the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), is a 20 sq. deg survey carried out with NOAO’s Blanco and Mayall telescopes. The strength of the survey lies in its depth reaching down to ~27th mag in BVRz bands. This enables a broad redshift baseline study and allows us to investigate cosmological evolution of the large-scale structure. In this poster, we present the first cosmological analysis from the DLS using galaxy-shear correlations and galaxy clustering signals. Our DLS shear calibration accuracy has been validated through the most recent public weak-lensing data challenge. Photometric redshift systematic errors are tested by performing lens-source flip tests. Instead of real-space correlations, we reconstruct band-limited power spectra for cosmological parameter constraints. Our analysis puts a tight constraint on the matter density and the power spectrum normalization parameters. Our results are highly consistent with our previous cosmic shear analysis and also with the Planck CMB results.

Measuring smoking knowledge, attitudes and services (S-KAS) among clients in addiction treatment

PubMed Central

Guydish, Joseph; Tajima, Barbara; Chan, Mable; Delucchi, Kevin L.; Ziedonis, Douglas

2010-01-01

Background Addiction treatment programs are increasingly working to address prevalent and comorbid tobacco dependence in their service populations. However at present there are few published measurement tools, with known psychometric properties, that can be used to assess client-level constructs related to tobacco dependence in addiction treatment settings. Following on previous work that developed a staff-level survey instrument, this report describes the development and measurement characteristics of the Smoking Knowledge, Attitudes and Services (S-KAS) for use with clients in addiction treatment settings. Method 250 clients enrolled in residential drug abuse treatment programs were surveyed. Summary statistics were used to characterize both the participants and their responses, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to examine the underlying factor structure. Results Examination of the rotated factor pattern indicated that the latent structure was formed by one Knowledge factor, one Attitude factor, and two “service” factors reflecting Program Services and Clinician Services related to tobacco dependence. Standardized Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the four scales were, respectively, .57, .75, .82 and .82. Conclusions The proposed scales have reasonably good psychometric characteristics, although the knowledge scale leaves room for improvement, and will allow researchers to quantify client knowledge, attitudes and services regarding tobacco dependence treatment. Researchers, program administrators, and clinicians may find the S-KAS useful in changing organizational culture and clinical practices related to tobacco addiction, help in program evaluation studies, and in tracking and improving client motivation. PMID:21055884

Milky Way tomography with K and M dwarf stars: The vertical structure of the galactic disk

DOE PAGES

Ferguson, Deborah; Gardner, Susan; Yanny, Brian

2017-06-02

Here, we use the number density distributions of K and M dwarf stars with vertical height from the Galactic disk, determined using observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), to probe the structure of the Milky Way disk across the survey's footprint. Using photometric parallax as a distance estimator we analyze a sample of several million disk stars in matching footprints above and below the Galactic plane, and we determine the location and extent of vertical asymmetries in the number counts in a variety of thin and thick disk subsamples in regions of some 200 square degrees within 2more » kpc in vertical distance from the Galactic disk. These disk asymmetries present wave-like features as previously observed on other scales and distances from the Sun. We additionally explore the scale height of the disk and the implied offset of the Sun from the Galactic plane at different locations, noting that the scale height of the disk can differ significantly when measured using stars only above or only below the plane. Moreover, we compare the shape of the number density distribution in the north for different latitude ranges with a fixed range in longitude and find the shape to be sensitive to the selected latitude window. We explain why this may be indicative of a change in stellar populations in the compared latitude regions, possibly allowing access to the systematic metallicity difference between thin and thick disk populations through photometry.« less

Use of large-scale multi-configuration EMI measurements to characterize heterogeneous subsurface structures and their impact on crop productivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brogi, Cosimo; Huisman, Johan Alexander; Kaufmann, Manuela Sarah; von Hebel, Christian; van der Kruk, Jan; Vereecken, Harry

2017-04-01

Soil subsurface structures can play a key role in crop performance, especially during water stress periods. Geophysical techniques like electromagnetic induction EMI have been shown to be able of providing information about dominant shallow subsurface features. However, previous work with EMI has typically not reached beyond the field scale. The objective of this study is to use large-scale multi-configuration EMI to characterize patterns of soil structural organization (layering and texture) and the associated impact on crop vegetation at the km2 scale. For this, we carried out an intensive measurement campaign and collected high spatial resolution multi-configuration EMI data on an agricultural area of approx. 1 km2 (102 ha) near Selhausen (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) with a maximum depth of investigation of around 2.5 m. We measured using two EMI instruments simultaneously with a total of nine coil configurations. The instruments were placed inside polyethylene sleds that were pulled by an all-terrain-vehicle along parallel lines with a spacing of 2 to 2.5 m. The driving speed was between 5 and 7 km h-1 and we used a 0.2 Hz sampling frequency to obtain an in-line resolution of approximately 0.3 m. The survey area consists of almost 50 different fields managed in different way. The EMI measurements were collected between April and December 2016 within a few days after the harvest of each field. After data acquisition, EMI data were automatically filtered, temperature corrected, and interpolated onto a common grid. The resulting EMI maps allowed us to identify three main areas with different subsurface heterogeneities. The differences between these areas are likely related to the late quaternary geological history (Pleistocene and Holocene) of the area that resulted in spatially variable soil texture and layering, which has a strong impact on spatio-temporal soil water content variability. The high resolution surveys also allowed us to identify small scale geomorphological structures as well as anthropogenic activities such as soil management and drainage networks carried out in the last 150 years. To identify areas with similar subsurface structures with high spatial resolution, we applied multiband image classification using the nine coil configurations as bands of a single image. We compared both supervised and unsupervised classification and obtained promising preliminary results showing a good degree of conformity between EMI supervised classification maps and observed patterns in plant productivity.

5 CFR 532.233 - Preparation for full-scale wage surveys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Preparation for full-scale wage surveys... REGULATIONS PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS Prevailing Rate Determinations § 532.233 Preparation for full-scale wage... the local wage survey committee. (e) Selection and appointment of data collectors. (1) The local wage...

Authentic leadership, performance, and job satisfaction: the mediating role of empowerment.

PubMed

Wong, Carol A; Laschinger, Heather K S

2013-04-01

To report a study conducted to test a model linking authentic leadership of managers with nurses' perceptions of structural empowerment, performance, and job satisfaction. Authentic leadership has been proposed as the root element of effective leadership needed to build healthier work environments because there is special attention to the development of empowering leader-follower relationships. Although the influence of leadership style and empowerment on job satisfaction is well documented, there are few studies examining the influence of authentic leadership on nurses' empowerment and work outcomes. A non-experimental, predictive survey. In 2008, a random sample of 600 Registered Nurses working in acute care hospitals across Ontario in Canada was surveyed. The final sample consisted of 280 (48% response rate) nurses. Variables were measured using the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire, Global Job Satisfaction Survey, and General Performance scale. The theoretical model was tested using structural equation modelling. The final model fit the data acceptably. Authentic leadership significantly and positively influenced staff nurses' structural empowerment, which in turn increased job satisfaction and self-rated performance. The results suggest that the more managers are seen as authentic, by emphasizing transparency, balanced processing, self-awareness and high ethical standards, the more nurses perceive they have access to workplace empowerment structures, are satisfied with their work, and report higher performance. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The Spiritual Well-Being Scale: Psychometric Evaluation of the Shortened Version in Czech Adolescents.

PubMed

Malinakova, Klara; Kopcakova, Jaroslava; Kolarcik, Peter; Geckova, Andrea Madarasova; Solcova, Iva Polackova; Husek, Vit; Kracmarova, Lucie Kluzova; Dubovska, Eva; Kalman, Michal; Puzova, Zuzana; van Dijk, Jitse P; Tavel, Peter

2017-04-01

The aim of this study was to psychometrically evaluate the shortened version of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) in Czech adolescents. A nationally representative sample of 4217 adolescents participated in the 2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. The internal consistency of the SWBS was assessed using Cronbach's alpha (α) and Mean Inter-Item Correlation (MIIC) values. The factor structure was evaluated using principal component analyses. After adjustment, our new seven-item version of the scale supports a two-factorial model of the SWBS with satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.814, MIIC = 0.379). This version of the SWBS is suitable for measuring spiritual well-being in a secularising environment.

3-D imaging of large scale buried structure by 1-D inversion of very early time electromagnetic (VETEM) data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aydmer, A.A.; Chew, W.C.; Cui, T.J.; Wright, D.L.; Smith, D.V.; Abraham, J.D.

2001-01-01

A simple and efficient method for large scale three-dimensional (3-D) subsurface imaging of inhomogeneous background is presented. One-dimensional (1-D) multifrequency distorted Born iterative method (DBIM) is employed in the inversion. Simulation results utilizing synthetic scattering data are given. Calibration of the very early time electromagnetic (VETEM) experimental waveforms is detailed along with major problems encountered in practice and their solutions. This discussion is followed by the results of a large scale application of the method to the experimental data provided by the VETEM system of the U.S. Geological Survey. The method is shown to have a computational complexity that is promising for on-site inversion.

New Mesoscale Fluvial Landscapes - Seismic Geomorphology and Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkinson, M. J.

2013-01-01

Megafans (100-600 km radius) are very large alluvial fans that cover significant areas on most continents, the surprising finding of recent global surveys. The number of such fans and patterns of sedimentation on them provides new mesoscale architectures that can now be applied on continental fluvial depositional systems, and therefore on. Megafan-scale reconstructions underground as yet have not been attempted. Seismic surveys offer new possibilities in identifying the following prospective situations at potentially unsuspected locations: (i) sand concentrations points, (ii) sand-mud continuums at the mesoscale, (iii) paleo-valley forms in these generally unvalleyed landscapes, (iv) stratigraphic traps, and (v) structural traps.

THE SPATIAL STRUCTURE OF MONO-ABUNDANCE SUB-POPULATIONS OF THE MILKY WAY DISK

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

Bovy, Jo; Rix, Hans-Walter; Liu Chao

2012-07-10

The spatial, kinematic, and elemental-abundance structure of the Milky Way's stellar disk is complex, and has been difficult to dissect with local spectroscopic or global photometric data. Here, we develop and apply a rigorous density modeling approach for Galactic spectroscopic surveys that enables investigation of the global spatial structure of stellar sub-populations in narrow bins of [{alpha}/Fe] and [Fe/H], using 23,767 G-type dwarfs from SDSS/SEGUE, which effectively sample 5 kpc < R{sub GC} < 12 kpc and 0.3 kpc {approx}< |Z| {approx}< 3 kpc. We fit models for the number density of each such ([{alpha}/Fe] and [Fe/H]) mono-abundance component, properlymore » accounting for the complex spectroscopic SEGUE sampling of the underlying stellar population, as well as for the metallicity and color distributions of the samples. We find that each mono-abundance sub-population has a simple spatial structure that can be described by a single exponential in both the vertical and radial directions, with continuously increasing scale heights ( Almost-Equal-To 200 pc to 1 kpc) and decreasing scale lengths (>4.5 kpc to 2 kpc) for increasingly older sub-populations, as indicated by their lower metallicities and [{alpha}/Fe] enhancements. That the abundance-selected sub-components with the largest scale heights have the shortest scale lengths is in sharp contrast with purely geometric 'thick-thin disk' decompositions. To the extent that [{alpha}/Fe] is an adequate proxy for age, our results directly show that older disk sub-populations are more centrally concentrated, which implies inside-out formation of galactic disks. The fact that the largest scale-height sub-components are most centrally concentrated in the Milky Way is an almost inevitable consequence of explaining the vertical structure of the disk through internal evolution. Whether the simple spatial structure of the mono-abundance sub-components and the striking correlations between age, scale length, and scale height can be plausibly explained by satellite accretion or other external heating remains to be seen.« less

Canopy structural complexity predicts forest canopy light absorption at continental scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atkins, J. W.; Fahey, R. T.; Hardiman, B. S.; Gough, C. M.

2017-12-01

Understanding how the physical structure of forest canopies influence light acquisition is a long-standing area of inquiry fundamental to advancing understanding of many areas of the physical sciences, including the modeling and interpretation of biogeochemical cycles. Conventional measures of forest canopy structure employed in earth system models are often limited to leaf area index (LAI)—a measure of the quantity of leaves in the canopy. However, more novel multi-dimensional measures of canopy structural complexity (CSC) that describe the arrangement of vegetation are now possible because of technological advances, and may improve modeled estimates of canopy light absorption. During 2016 and 2017, we surveyed forests at sites from across the eastern, southern, and midwestern United States using portable canopy LiDAR (PCL). This survey included 14 National Ecological Observation Network (NEON), Long-Term Ecological Research Network (LTER,) Ameriflux, and University affiliated sites. Our findings show that a composite model including CSC parameters and LAI explains 96.8% of the variance in light acquisition, measured as the fraction of photosynthetically absorbed radiation (fPAR) at the continental scale, and improvement of 12% over an LAI only model. Under high light sky conditions, measures of CSC are more strongly coupled with light acquisition than under low light, possibly because light scattering partially decouples CSC from canopy light absorption under low, predominately diffuse light conditions. We conclude that scalable estimates of CSC metrics may improve continent-wide estimates of canopy light absorption and, therefore, carbon uptake, with implications for remote sensing and earth system modeling.

Influence of static habitat attributes on local and regional Rocky intertidal community structure

USGS Publications Warehouse

Konar, B.; Iken, K.; Coletti, H.; Monson, Daniel H.; Weitzman, Ben P.

2016-01-01

Rocky intertidal communities are structured by local environmental drivers, which can be dynamic, fluctuating on various temporal scales, or static and not greatly varying across years. We examined the role of six static drivers (distance to freshwater, tidewater glacial presence, wave exposure, fetch, beach slope, and substrate composition) on intertidal community structure across the northern Gulf of Alaska. We hypothesized that community structure is less similar at the local scale compared with the regional scale, coinciding with static drivers being less similar on smaller than larger scales. We also hypothesized that static attributes mainly drive local biological community structure. For this, we surveyed five to six sites in each of the six regions in the mid and low intertidal strata. Across regions, static attributes were not consistently different and only small clusters of sites had similar attributes. Additionally, intertidal communities were less similar on the site compared with the region level. These results suggest that these biological communities are not strongly influenced by the local static attributes measured in this study. An alternative explanation is that static attributes among our regions are not different enough to influence the biological communities. This lack of evidence for a strong static driver may be a result of our site selection, which targeted rocky sheltered communities. This suggests that this habitat may be ideal to examine the influence of dynamic drivers. We recommend that future analyses of dynamic attributes may best be performed after analyses have demonstrated that sites do not differ in static attributes.

The Chinese Youth Attitudes toward Young Drug Users scale: an initial scale development and refinement.

PubMed

Chui, Wing Hong; Chan, Heng Choon Oliver

2012-06-01

Little is known about adolescents' perspectives of young drug users, especially in the Chinese context. This study aimed to develop a scale to measure Chinese youth attitudes toward young drug users. Initially, a total of 26 non-at-risk and at-risk adolescents (15 male and 11 female) aged 13 to 20 years were interviewed in five separate focus group sessions to explore their general views of young drug users. At-risk youths recruited in this study were adolescents who previously had contact with the juvenile justice system. The responses of these 26 adolescents were documented, and subsequently 25 items were generated out of the respondents' common themes. These 25 items were then surveyed in a group of 137 secondary school-aged adolescents (68 male and 69 female), ranging 13 to 17 years, to examine its underlying factor structure for further scale refinement, with the use of the exploratory factor analysis. A five-factor structure with 12 items was ultimately selected for the Chinese Youth Attitudes toward Young Drug Users (CYAYDU) scale. This newly developed scale is anticipated to provide utility in the social work settings, especially for youth social workers to assist in providing effective social services to young drug users. Despite the promising strength of the CYAYDU scale, further validation with large sample size is needed. © 2011 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Proper orthogonal decomposition analysis of scanning laser Doppler vibrometer measurements of plaster status at the U.S. Capitol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vignola, Joseph F.; Bucaro, Joseph A.; Tressler, James F.; Ellingston, Damon; Kurdila, Andrew J.; Adams, George; Marchetti, Barbara; Agnani, Alexia; Esposito, Enrico; Tomasini, Enrico P.

2004-06-01

A large-scale survey (~700 m2) of frescos and wall paintings was undertaken in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. to identify regions that may need structural repair due to detachment, delamination, or other defects. The survey encompassed eight pre-selected spaces including: Brumidi's first work at the Capitol building in the House Appropriations Committee room; the Parliamentarian's office; the House Speaker's office; the Senate Reception room; the President's Room; and three areas of the Brumidi Corridors. Roughly 60% of the area surveyed was domed or vaulted ceilings, the rest being walls. Approximately 250 scans were done ranging in size from 1 to 4 m2. The typical mesh density was 400 scan points per square meter. A common approach for post-processing time series called Proper Orthogonal Decomposition, or POD, was adapted to frequency-domain data in order to extract the essential features of the structure. We present a POD analysis for one of these panels, pinpointing regions that have experienced severe substructural degradation.

Critical Zone structure inferred from multiscale near surface geophysical and hydrological data across hillslopes at the Eel River CZO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S. S.; Rempe, D. M.; Holbrook, W. S.; Schmidt, L.; Hahm, W. J.; Dietrich, W. E.

2017-12-01

Except for boreholes and road cut, landslide, and quarry exposures, the subsurface structure of the critical zone (CZ) of weathered bedrock is relatively invisible and unmapped, yet this structure controls the short and long term fluxes of water and solutes. Non-invasive geophysical methods such as seismic refraction are widely applied to image the structure of the CZ at the hillslope scale. However, interpretations of such data are often limited due to heterogeneity and anisotropy contributed from fracturing, moisture content, and mineralogy on the seismic signal. We develop a quantitative framework for using seismic refraction tomography from intersecting geophysical surveys and hydrologic data obtained at the Eel River Critical Zone Observatory (ERCZO) in Northern California to help quantify the nature of subsurface structure across multiple hillslopes of varying topography in the area. To enhance our understanding of modeled velocity gradients and boundaries in relation to lithological properties, we compare refraction tomography results with borehole logs of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gamma and neutron density, standard penetration testing, and observation drilling logs. We also incorporate laboratory scale rock characterization including mineralogical and elemental analyses as well as porosity and density measurements made via pycnometry, helium and mercury porosimetry, and laboratory scale NMR. We evaluate the sensitivity of seismically inferred saprolite-weathered bedrock and weathered-unweathered bedrock boundaries to various velocity and inversion parameters in relation with other macro scale processes such as gravitational and tectonic forces in influencing weathered bedrock velocities. Together, our sensitivity analyses and multi-method data comparison provide insight into the interpretation of seismic refraction tomography for the quantification of CZ structure and hydrologic dynamics.

A longitudinal study of women’s memories of their childbirth experiences at five years postpartum

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Few studies have investigated whether women can accurately recall their birthing experiences after a long period. We investigated the consistency of women’s memories of their childbirth experiences between those at a few days postpartum and 5 years later. Methods This prospective cohort study comprised 1,168 women who delivered at a maternity hospital and four maternity homes in Japan between May 2002 and August 2003. Data were collected using structured interviews and transcriptions from medical records. The childbirth experience was assessed using the Childbirth Experience Scale (CBE-Scale) at a few days postpartum and 5 years later. Results We obtained 584 (50.0%) valid responses from women who completed the survey at a few days postpartum and 5 years later. Significant differences were observed in 16 out of 18 items on the CBE-Scale when responses were compared at both time points. Women who answered "yes" to any item on the CBE-Scale at the baseline survey tended to demonstrate a more precise recollection for that item 5 years after childbirth than those who answered "no" for the corresponding item. Conclusions We conclude that women remember their childbirth experience clearly at 5 years after the childbirth. PMID:24996683

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a normative Chinese sample of youth: prevalence, symptom dimensions, and factor structure of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory--Child Version.

PubMed

Sun, Jing; Boschen, Mark J; Farrell, Lara J; Buys, Nicholas; Li, Zhan-Jiang

2014-08-01

Chinese adolescents face life stresses from multiple sources, with higher levels of stress predictive of adolescent mental health outcomes, including in the area of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD). Valid assessment of OCD among this age group is therefore a critical need in China. This study aims to standardise the Chinese version of the Leyton short version scale for adolescents of secondary schools in order to assess this condition. Stratified randomly selected adolescents were selected from four high schools located in Beijing, China. The Chinese version of the Leyton scale was administered to 3221 secondary school students aged between 12 and 18 years. A high response rate was achieved, with 3185 adolescents responding to the survey (98.5 percent). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted four factors from the scale: compulsive thoughts, concerns of cleanliness, lucky number, repetitiveness and repeated checking. The four-factor structures were confirmed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Overall the four-factor structure had a good model fit and high levels of reliability for each individual dimension and reasonable content validity. Invariance analyses in unconstrained, factor loading, and error variance models demonstrated that the Leyton scale is invariant in relation to the presence or absence OCD, age and gender. Discriminant validity analysis demonstrated that the four-factor structure scale also had excellent ability to differentiate between OCD and non-OCD students, male and female students, and age groups. The dataset was a non-clinical sample of high school students, rather than a sample of individuals with OCD. Future research may examine symptom structure in clinical populations to assess whether this structure fits into both clinical and community population. The structure derived from the Leyton short version scale in a non-clinical secondary school sample of adolescents, suggests that a four-factor solution can be utilised as a screening tool to assess adolescents׳ psychopathological symptoms in the area of OCD in mainland Chinese non-clinical secondary school students. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Renewable Energy Feasibility Study Leading to Development of the Native Spirit Solar Energy Facility

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

Carolyn Stewart; Tracey LeBeau

2008-01-31

DOE-funded renewable energy feasibility study conducted by Red Mountain Tribal Energy on behalf of the Southwest Tribal Energy Consortium (SWTEC). During the course of the study, SWTEC members considered multiple options for the organization structure, selected a proposed organization structure, and drafted a Memorandum of Understanding for the SWTEC organization. High-level resource assessments for SWTEC members were completed; surveys were developed and completed to determine each member’s interest in multiple participation options, including on-reservation projects. With the survey inputs in mind, multiple energy project options were identified and evaluated on a high-level basis. That process led to a narrowing ofmore » the field of technology options to solar generation, specifically, utility-scale Concentrating Solar-Powered Generation projects, with a specific, tentative project location identified at the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation -- the Native Spirit Solar Energy Facility.« less

Insights into a spatially embedded social network from a large-scale snowball sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Illenberger, J.; Kowald, M.; Axhausen, K. W.; Nagel, K.

2011-12-01

Much research has been conducted to obtain insights into the basic laws governing human travel behaviour. While the traditional travel survey has been for a long time the main source of travel data, recent approaches to use GPS data, mobile phone data, or the circulation of bank notes as a proxy for human travel behaviour are promising. The present study proposes a further source of such proxy-data: the social network. We collect data using an innovative snowball sampling technique to obtain details on the structure of a leisure-contacts network. We analyse the network with respect to its topology, the individuals' characteristics, and its spatial structure. We further show that a multiplication of the functions describing the spatial distribution of leisure contacts and the frequency of physical contacts results in a trip distribution that is consistent with data from the Swiss travel survey.

Psychometric properties of Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale in a Spanish sample of entrepreneurs.

PubMed

Manzano-García, Guadalupe; Ayala Calvo, Juan Carlos

2013-01-01

The literature regarding entrepreneurship suggests that the resilience of entrepreneurs may help to explain entrepreneurial success, but there is no resilience measure widely accepted by researchers. This study analyzes the psychometric properties of the Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in a sample of Spanish entrepreneurs. A telephone survey research method was used. The participants were entrepreneurs operating in the business services sector. Interviewers telephoned a total of 900 entrepreneurs of whom 783 produced usable questionnaires. The CD-RISC was used as data collection instrument. We used principal component analysis factor and confirmatory factor analysis to determine the factor structure of the CD-RISC. Confirmatory factor analysis failed to verify the original five-factor structure of the CD-RISC, whereas principal component analysis factor yielded a 3-factor structure of resilience (hardiness, resourcefulness and optimism). In this research, 47.48% of the total variance was accounted for by three factors, and the obtained factor structure was verified through confirmatory factor analysis. The CD-RISC has been shown to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring entrepreneurs' resilience.

Variable Grid Traveltime Tomography for Near-surface Seismic Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, A.; Zhang, J.

2017-12-01

We present a new algorithm of traveltime tomography for imaging the subsurface with automated variable grids upon geological structures. The nonlinear traveltime tomography along with Tikhonov regularization using conjugate gradient method is a conventional method for near surface imaging. However, model regularization for any regular and even grids assumes uniform resolution. From geophysical point of view, long-wavelength and large scale structures can be reliably resolved, the details along geological boundaries are difficult to resolve. Therefore, we solve a traveltime tomography problem that automatically identifies large scale structures and aggregates grids within the structures for inversion. As a result, the number of velocity unknowns is reduced significantly, and inversion intends to resolve small-scale structures or the boundaries of large-scale structures. The approach is demonstrated by tests on both synthetic and field data. One synthetic model is a buried basalt model with one horizontal layer. Using the variable grid traveltime tomography, the resulted model is more accurate in top layer velocity, and basalt blocks, and leading to a less number of grids. The field data was collected in an oil field in China. The survey was performed in an area where the subsurface structures were predominantly layered. The data set includes 476 shots with a 10 meter spacing and 1735 receivers with a 10 meter spacing. The first-arrival traveltime of the seismogram is picked for tomography. The reciprocal errors of most shots are between 2ms and 6ms. The normal tomography results in fluctuations in layers and some artifacts in the velocity model. In comparison, the implementation of new method with proper threshold provides blocky model with resolved flat layer and less artifacts. Besides, the number of grids reduces from 205,656 to 4,930 and the inversion produces higher resolution due to less unknowns and relatively fine grids in small structures. The variable grid traveltime tomography provides an alternative imaging solution for blocky structures in the subsurface and builds a good starting model for waveform inversion and statics.

A multiscale Bayesian data integration approach for mapping air dose rates around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

PubMed

Wainwright, Haruko M; Seki, Akiyuki; Chen, Jinsong; Saito, Kimiaki

2017-02-01

This paper presents a multiscale data integration method to estimate the spatial distribution of air dose rates in the regional scale around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. We integrate various types of datasets, such as ground-based walk and car surveys, and airborne surveys, all of which have different scales, resolutions, spatial coverage, and accuracy. This method is based on geostatistics to represent spatial heterogeneous structures, and also on Bayesian hierarchical models to integrate multiscale, multi-type datasets in a consistent manner. The Bayesian method allows us to quantify the uncertainty in the estimates, and to provide the confidence intervals that are critical for robust decision-making. Although this approach is primarily data-driven, it has great flexibility to include mechanistic models for representing radiation transport or other complex correlations. We demonstrate our approach using three types of datasets collected at the same time over Fukushima City in Japan: (1) coarse-resolution airborne surveys covering the entire area, (2) car surveys along major roads, and (3) walk surveys in multiple neighborhoods. Results show that the method can successfully integrate three types of datasets and create an integrated map (including the confidence intervals) of air dose rates over the domain in high resolution. Moreover, this study provides us with various insights into the characteristics of each dataset, as well as radiocaesium distribution. In particular, the urban areas show high heterogeneity in the contaminant distribution due to human activities as well as large discrepancy among different surveys due to such heterogeneity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey (PILS): Constraining the formation of complex organic molecules with ALMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorgensen, Jes K.; Coutens, Audrey; Bourke, Tyler L.; Favre, Cecile; Garrod, Robin; Lykke, Julie; Mueller, Holger; Oberg, Karin I.; Schmalzl, Markus; van der Wiel, Matthijs; van Dishoeck, Ewine; Wampfler, Susanne F.

2015-08-01

Understanding how, when and where complex organic and potentially prebiotic molecules are formed is a fundamental goal of astrochemistry and an integral part of origins of life studies. Already now ALMA is showing its capabilities for studies of the chemistry of solar-type stars with its high sensitivity for faint lines, high spectral resolution which limits line confusion, and high angular resolution making it possible to study the structure of young protostars on solar-system scales. We here present the first results from a large unbiased survey “Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey (PILS)” targeting one of the astrochemical template sources, the low-mass protostellar binary IRAS 16293-2422. The survey is more than an order of magnitude more sensitive than previous surveys of the source and provide imaging down to 25 AU scales (radius) around each of the two components of the binary. An example of one of the early highlights from the survey is unambiguous detections of the (related) prebiotic species glycolaldehyde, ethylene glycol (two lowest energy conformers), methyl formate and acetic acid. The glycolaldehyde-ethylene glycol abundance ratio is high in comparison to comets and other protostars - but agrees with previous measurements, e.g., in the Galactic Centre clouds possibly reflecting different environments and/or evolutionary histories. Complete mapping of this and other chemical networks in comparison with detailed chemical models and laboratory experiments will reveal the origin of complex organic molecules in a young protostellar system and investigate the link between these protostellar stages and the early Solar System.

Distributions of Gas and Galaxies from Galaxy Clusters to Larger Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patej, Anna

2017-01-01

We address the distributions of gas and galaxies on three scales: the outskirts of galaxy clusters, the clustering of galaxies on large scales, and the extremes of the galaxy distribution. In the outskirts of galaxy clusters, long-standing analytical models of structure formation and recent simulations predict the existence of density jumps in the gas and dark matter profiles. We use these features to derive models for the gas density profile, obtaining a simple fiducial model that is in agreement with both observations of cluster interiors and simulations of the outskirts. We next consider the galaxy density profiles of clusters; under the assumption that the galaxies in cluster outskirts follow similar collisionless dynamics as the dark matter, their distribution should show a steep jump as well. We examine the profiles of a low-redshift sample of clusters and groups, finding evidence for the jump in some of these clusters. Moving to larger scales where massive galaxies of different types are expected to trace the same large-scale structure, we present a test of this prediction by measuring the clustering of red and blue galaxies at z 0.6, finding low stochasticity between the two populations. These results address a key source of systematic uncertainty - understanding how target populations of galaxies trace large-scale structure - in galaxy redshift surveys. Such surveys use baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) as a cosmological probe, but are limited by the expense of obtaining sufficiently dense spectroscopy. With the intention of leveraging upcoming deep imaging data, we develop a new method of detecting the BAO in sparse spectroscopic samples via cross-correlation with a dense photometric catalog. This method will permit the extension of BAO measurements to higher redshifts than possible with the existing spectroscopy alone. Lastly, we connect galaxies near and far: the Local Group dwarfs and the high redshift galaxies observed by Hubble and Spitzer. We examine how the local dwarfs may have appeared in the past and compare their properties to the detection limits of the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), finding that JWST should be able to detect galaxies similar to the progenitors of a few of the brightest of the local galaxies, revealing a hitherto unobserved population of galaxies at high redshifts.

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Patient Perception of Integrated Care Survey.

PubMed

Tietschert, Maike V; Angeli, Federica; van Raak, Arno J A; Ruwaard, Dirk; Singer, Sara J

2017-07-20

To test the cross-cultural validity of the U.S. Patient Perception of Integrated Care (PPIC) Survey in a Dutch sample using a standardized procedure. Primary data collected from patients of five primary care centers in the south of the Netherlands, through survey research from 2014 to 2015. Cross-sectional data collected from patients who saw multiple health care providers during 6 months preceding data collection. The PPIC survey includes 59 questions that measure patient perceived care integration across providers, settings, and time. Data analysis followed a standardized procedure guiding data preparation, psychometric analysis, and included invariance testing with the U.S. dataset. Latent scale structures of the Dutch and U.S. survey were highly comparable. Factor "Integration with specialist" had lower reliability scores and noninvariance. For the remaining factors, internal consistency and invariance estimates were strong. The standardized cross-cultural validation procedure produced strong support for comparable psychometric characteristics of the Dutch and U.S. surveys. Future research should examine the usability of the proposed procedure for contexts with greater cultural differences. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

High-Temperature Modal Survey of a Hot-Structure Control Surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spivey, Natalie D.

2011-01-01

Ground vibration tests are routinely conducted for supporting flutter analysis for subsonic and supersonic vehicles; however, for hypersonic vehicles, thermoelastic vibration testing techniques are neither well established nor routinely performed. New high-temperature material systems, fabrication technologies and high-temperature sensors expand the opportunities to develop advanced techniques for performing ground vibration tests at elevated temperatures. When high-temperature materials, which increase in stiffness when heated, are incorporated into a hot-structure that contains metallic components that decrease in stiffness when heated, the interaction between those materials can affect the hypersonic flutter analysis. A high-temperature modal survey will expand the research database for hypersonics and improve the understanding of this dual-material interaction. This report discusses the vibration testing of the carbon-silicon carbide Ruddervator Subcomponent Test Article, which is a truncated version of a full-scale hot-structure control surface. Two series of room-temperature modal test configurations were performed in order to define the modal characteristics of the test article during the elevated-temperature modal survey: one with the test article suspended from a bungee cord (free-free) and the second with it mounted on the strongback (fixed boundary). Testing was performed in the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Flight Loads Laboratory Large Nitrogen Test Chamber.

The SPHEREx All-Sky Spectral Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bock, James; SPHEREx Science Team

2018-01-01

SPHEREx, a mission in NASA's Medium Explorer (MIDEX) program that was selected for Phase A in August 2017, is an all-sky survey satellite designed to address all three science goals in NASA's astrophysics division, with a single instrument, a wide-field spectral imager. SPHEREx will probe the physics of inflation by measuring non-Gaussianity by studying large-scale structure, surveying a large cosmological volume at low redshifts, complementing high-z surveys optimized to constrain dark energy. The origin of water and biogenic molecules will be investigated in all phases of planetary system formation - from molecular clouds to young stellar systems with protoplanetary disks - by measuring ice absorption spectra. We will chart the origin and history of galaxy formation through a deep survey mapping large-scale spatial power in two deep fields located near the ecliptic poles. Following in the tradition of all-sky missions such as IRAS, COBE and WISE, SPHEREx will be the first all-sky near-infrared spectral survey. SPHEREx will create spectra (0.75 – 4.2 um at R = 41; and 4.2 – 5 um at R = 135) with high sensitivity making background-limited observations using a passively-cooled telescope with a wide field-of-view for large mapping speed. During its two-year mission, SPHEREx will produce four complete all-sky maps that will serve as a rich archive for the astronomy community. With over a billion detected galaxies, hundreds of millions of high-quality stellar and galactic spectra, and over a million ice absorption spectra, the archive will enable diverse scientific investigations including studies of young stellar systems, brown dwarfs, high-redshift quasars, galaxy clusters, the interstellar medium, asteroids and comets. All aspects of the instrument and spacecraft have high heritage. SPHEREx requires no new technologies and carries large technical and resource margins on every aspect of the design. SPHEREx is a partnership between Caltech and JPL, following the successful management structure of the NuSTAR and GALEX missions. The spacecraft will be supplied by Ball Aerospace. The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute will contribute test hardware and scientific analysis.

Seismic Vulnerability Evaluations Within The Structural And Functional Survey Activities Of The COM Bases In Italy

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

Zuccaro, G.; Cacace, F.; Albanese, V.

The paper describes technical and functional surveys on COM buildings (Mixed Operative Centre). This activity started since 2005, with the contribution of both Italian Civil Protection Department and the Regions involved. The project aims to evaluate the efficiency of COM buildings, checking not only structural, architectonic and functional characteristics but also paying attention to surrounding real estate vulnerability, road network, railways, harbours, airports, area morphological and hydro-geological characteristics, hazardous activities, etc. The first survey was performed in eastern Sicily, before the European Civil Protection Exercise 'EUROSOT 2005'. Then, since 2006, a new survey campaign started in Abruzzo, Molise, Calabria andmore » Puglia Regions. The more important issue of the activity was the vulnerability assessment. So this paper deals with a more refined vulnerability evaluation technique by means of the SAVE methodology, developed in the 1st task of SAVE project within the GNDT-DPC programme 2000-2002 (Zuccaro, 2005); the SAVE methodology has been already successfully employed in previous studies (i.e. school buildings intervention programme at national scale; list of strategic public buildings in Campania, Sicilia and Basilicata). In this paper, data elaborated by SAVE methodology are compared with expert evaluations derived from the direct inspections on COM buildings. This represents a useful exercise for the improvement either of the survey forms or of the methodology for the quick assessment of the vulnerability.« less

Future constraints on angle-dependent non-Gaussianity from large radio surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raccanelli, Alvise; Shiraishi, Maresuke; Bartolo, Nicola; Bertacca, Daniele; Liguori, Michele; Matarrese, Sabino; Norris, Ray P.; Parkinson, David

2017-03-01

We investigate how well future large-scale radio surveys could measure different shapes of primordial non-Gaussianity; in particular we focus on angle-dependent non-Gaussianity arising from primordial anisotropic sources, whose bispectrum has an angle dependence between the three wavevectors that is characterized by Legendre polynomials PL and expansion coefficients cL. We provide forecasts for measurements of galaxy power spectrum, finding that Large-Scale Structure (LSS) data could allow measurements of primordial non-Gaussianity that would be competitive with, or improve upon, current constraints set by CMB experiments, for all the shapes considered. We argue that the best constraints will come from the possibility to assign redshift information to radio galaxy surveys, and investigate a few possible scenarios for the EMU and SKA surveys. A realistic (futuristic) modeling could provide constraints of fNLloc ≈ 1(0 . 5) for the local shape, fNL of O(10) (O(1)) for the orthogonal, equilateral and folded shapes, and cL=1 ≈ 80(2) , cL=2 ≈ 400(10) for angle-dependent non-Gaussianity showing that only futuristic galaxy surveys will be able to set strong constraints on these models. Nevertheless, the more futuristic forecasts show the potential of LSS analyses to considerably improve current constraints on non-Gaussianity, and so on models of the primordial Universe. Finally, we find the minimum requirements that would be needed to reach σ(cL=1) = 10, which can be considered as a typical (lower) value predicted by some (inflationary) models.

Pediatric disaster preparedness and response and the nation's children's hospitals.

PubMed

Lyle, Kristin C; Milton, Jerrod; Fagbuyi, Daniel; LeFort, Roxanna; Sirbaugh, Paul; Gonzalez, Jacqueline; Upperman, Jeffrey S; Carmack, Tim; Anderson, Michael

2015-01-01

Children account for 30 percent of the US population; as a result, many victims of disaster events are children. The most critically injured pediatric victims would be best cared for in a tertiary care pediatric hospital. The Children's Hospital Association (CHA) undertook a survey of its members to determine their level of readiness to respond to a mass casualty disaster. The Disaster Response Task Force constructed survey questions in October 2011. The survey was distributed via e-mail to the person listed as an "emergency manager/disaster contact" at each association member hospital and was designed to take less than 15 minutes to complete. The survey sought to determine how children's hospitals address disaster preparedness, how prepared they feel for disaster events, and how CHA could support their efforts in preparedness. One hundred seventy-nine surveys were distributed with a 36 percent return rate. Seventy percent of respondent hospitals have a structure in place to plan for disaster response. There was a stronger level of confidence for hospitals in responding to local casualty events than for those responding to large-scale regional, national, and international events. Few hospitals appear to interact with nonmedical facilities with a high concentration of children such as schools or daycares. Little commonality exists among children's hospitals in approaches to disaster preparedness and response. Universally, respondents can identify a disaster response plan and routinely participate in drills, but the scale and scope of these plans and drills vary substantially.

Is Cold Gas Removed from Galaxies in Filaments and Tendrils?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crone Odekon, Mary; Shah, Ebrahim; Hall, Ryan; Cane, Thomas; Maloney, Erin; Hallenbeck, Gregory; Haynes, Martha P.; Koopmann, Rebecca A.; APPSS Team, Undergraduate ALFALFA Team, ALFALFA Team

2018-01-01

We present results from an ALFALFA HI study to examine whether the cold gas reservoirs of galaxies are inhibited or enhanced in large-scale filaments, and we discuss implications for follow-up work using the new Arecibo Pisces-Perseus Supercluster survey (APPSS). From the ALFALFA survey, we find that the HI deficiency for galaxies in the range 10^8.5-10^10.5 solar masses decreases with distance from the filament spine, suggesting that galaxies are cut off from cold gas, possibly by heating or by dynamical detachment from the smaller-scale cosmic web. This contrasts with previous results for larger galaxies in the HI Parkes All-Sky Survey. We discuss the prospects for elucidating this apparent dependence on galaxy mass with data from the APPSS, which will extend to smaller masses. We also find that the most gas-rich galaxies at fixed local density and stellar mass are those in small, correlated ``tendril” structures within voids: although galaxies in tendrils are in significantly denser environments, on average, than galaxies in voids, they are not redder or more HI deficient. This work has been supported by NSF grants AST-1211005 and AST-1637339.

Spanning the scales of mechanical metamaterials using time domain simulations in transformed crystals, graphene flakes and structured soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aznavourian, Ronald; Puvirajesinghe, Tania M.; Brûlé, Stéphane; Enoch, Stefan; Guenneau, Sébastien

2017-11-01

We begin with a brief historical survey of discoveries of quasi-crystals and graphene, and then introduce the concept of transformation crystallography, which consists of the application of geometric transforms to periodic structures. We consider motifs with three-fold, four-fold and six-fold symmetries according to the crystallographic restriction theorem. Furthermore, we define motifs with five-fold symmetry such as quasi-crystals generated by a cut-and-projection method from periodic structures in higher-dimensional space. We analyze elastic wave propagation in the transformed crystals and (Penrose-type) quasi-crystals with the finite difference time domain freeware SimSonic. We consider geometric transforms underpinning the design of seismic cloaks with square, circular, elliptical and peanut shapes in the context of honeycomb crystals that can be viewed as scaled-up versions of graphene. Interestingly, the use of morphing techniques leads to the design of cloaks with interpolated geometries reminiscent of Victor Vasarely’s artwork. Employing the case of transformed graphene-like (honeycomb) structures allows one to draw useful analogies between large-scale seismic metamaterials such as soils structured with columns of concrete or grout with soil and nanoscale biochemical metamaterials. We further identify similarities in designs of cloaks for elastodynamic and hydrodynamic waves and cloaks for diffusion (heat or mass) processes, as these are underpinned by geometric transforms. Experimental data extracted from field test analysis of soil structured with boreholes demonstrates the application of crystallography to large scale phononic crystals, coined as seismic metamaterials, as they might exhibit low frequency stop bands. This brings us to the outlook of mechanical metamaterials, with control of phonon emission in graphene through extreme anisotropy, attenuation of vibrations of suspension bridges via low frequency stop bands and the concept of transformed meta-cities. We conclude that these novel materials hold strong applications spanning different disciplines or across different scales from biophysics to geophysics.

High-Temperature Modal Survey of a Hot-Structure Control Surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spivey, Natalie Dawn

2010-01-01

Ground vibration tests or modal surveys are routinely conducted for supporting flutter analysis for subsonic and supersonic vehicles; however, for hypersonic vehicle applications, thermoelastic vibration testing techniques are not well established and are not routinely performed for supporting hypersonic flutter analysis. New high-temperature material systems, fabrication technologies and high-temperature sensors expand the opportunities to develop advanced techniques for performing ground vibration tests at elevated temperatures. High-temperature materials have the unique property of increasing in stiffness when heated. When these materials are incorporated into a hot-structure, which includes metallic components that decrease in stiffness with increasing temperature, the interaction between the two materials systems needs to be understood because that interaction could ultimately affect the hypersonic flutter analysis. Performing a high-temperature modal survey will expand the research database for hypersonics and will help build upon the understanding of the dual material interaction. This paper will discuss the vibration testing of the Carbon-Silicon Carbide Ruddervator Subcomponent Test Article which is a truncated version of the full-scale X-37 hot-structure control surface. In order to define the modal characteristics of the test article during the elevated-temperature modal survey, two series of room-temperature modal test configurations had to be performed. The room-temperature test series included one with the test article suspended from a bungee cord (free-free) and the second with it mounted on the strongback (fixed boundary condition) in NASA Dryden's Flight Loads Lab large nitrogen test chamber.

Radio variability in the Phoenix Deep Survey at 1.4 GHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hancock, P. J.; Drury, J. A.; Bell, M. E.; Murphy, T.; Gaensler, B. M.

2016-09-01

We use archival data from the Phoenix Deep Survey to investigate the variable radio source population above 1 mJy beam-1 at 1.4 GHz. Given the similarity of this survey to other such surveys we take the opportunity to investigate the conflicting results which have appeared in the literature. Two previous surveys for variability conducted with the Very Large Array (VLA) achieved a sensitivity of 1 mJy beam-1. However, one survey found an areal density of radio variables on time-scales of decades that is a factor of ˜4 times greater than a second survey which was conducted on time-scales of less than a few years. In the Phoenix deep field we measure the density of variable radio sources to be ρ = 0.98 deg-2 on time-scales of 6 months to 8 yr. We make use of Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer infrared cross-ids, and identify all variable sources as an active galactic nucleus of some description. We suggest that the discrepancy between previous VLA results is due to the different time-scales probed by each of the surveys, and that radio variability at 1.4 GHz is greatest on time-scales of 2-5 yr.

Scale-dependent geomorphic responses to active restoration and implications for cutthroat trout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salant, N.; Miller, S. W.

2009-12-01

The predominant goal of instream habitat restoration is to increase the diversity, density and/or biomass of aquatic organisms through enhanced physical heterogeneity and increased food availability. In physically homogenized systems, habitat restoration is most commonly achieved at the reach-scale through the addition of structures or channel reconfiguration. Despite the completion of over 6,000 restoration projects in the United States, studies of fish responses to habitat restoration have largely produced equivocal results. Paradoxically, restoration monitoring overwhelmingly focuses on fish response without understanding how these responses link to the physical variables being altered and the scale at which geomorphic changes occur. Our study investigates whether instream habitat restoration affects geomorphic conditions at spatial scales relevant to the organism of interest (i.e. the spatial scale of the variables limiting to that organism). We measure the effects of active restoration on geomorphic metrics at three spatial scales (local, unit, and reach) using a before-after-control-impact design in a historically disturbed and heavily managed cutthroat trout stream. Observed trout habitat preferences (for spawning and juvenile/adult residence) are used to identify the limiting physical variables and are compared to the scale of spatially explicit geomorphic responses. Four reaches representing three different stages of restoration (before, one month and one year after) are surveyed for local-scale physical conditions, unit- and reach-scale morphology, resident fish use, and redd locations. Local-scale physical metrics include depth, nearbed and average velocity, overhead cover, particle size, and water quality metrics. Point measurements stratified by morphological unit are used to determine physical variability among unit types. Habitat complexity and availability are assessed at the reach-scale from topographic surveys and unit maps. Our multi-scale, process-based approach evaluates whether a commonly used restoration strategy creates geomorphic heterogeneity at scales relevant to fish diversity and microhabitat utilization, an understanding that will improve the efficiency and success of future restoration projects.

Large-scale patterns of insect and disease activity in the Conterminous United States and Alaska from the National Insect and Disease Detection Survey Database, 2007 and 2008

Treesearch

Kevin M. Potter

2012-01-01

Analyzing patterns of forest pest infestation is necessary for monitoring the health of forested ecosystems because of the impacts that insects and diseases can have on forest structure, composition, biodiversity, and species distributions (Castello and others 1995). In particular, introduced nonnative insects and diseases can extensively damage the diversity, ecology...

The large-scale structure of the asteroid belt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zellner, B.; Thirunagari, A.; Bender, D.

1985-01-01

The distributions of 2888 numbered minor planets over orbital inclination, eccentricity, and semimajor axis are examined, and 19 zones believed to adequately isolate the selection biases in survey programs of the physical properties of minor planets are defined. Six numbered asteroids have exceptional orbits and fall into no zone. Attention is called to rather sharp upper limits, which become increasingly stringent at larger heliocentric distances, on orbital inclinations and eccentricity.

Theory and laboratory astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schramm, David N.; Mckee, Christopher F.; Alcock, Charles; Allamandola, Lou; Chevalier, Roger A.; Cline, David B.; Dalgarno, Alexander; Elmegreen, Bruce G.; Fall, S. Michael; Ferland, Gary J.

1991-01-01

Science opportunities in the 1990's are discussed. Topics covered include the large scale structure of the universe, galaxies, stars, star formation and the interstellar medium, high energy astrophysics, and the solar system. Laboratory astrophysics in the 1990's is briefly surveyed, covering such topics as molecular, atomic, optical, nuclear and optical physics. Funding recommendations are given for the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Department of Energy. Recommendations for laboratory astrophysics research are given.

Lack of symmetry in employees' perceptions of the psychological contract.

PubMed

Jepsen, Denise M; Rodwell, John J

2012-06-01

Despite debate on the nature of employees' perceptions of their psychological contract, little research has compared employees' and employers' sides of the psychological contract. All 80 items from both scales in the Psychological Contract Inventory were used in a survey of 436 currently working, non-student respondents. Structural equation modeling yielded nonsymmetrical perspectives on promises and obligations, highlighting the validity of approaching the issues via individual perceptions.

Engineering survey planning for the alignment of a particle accelerator: part II. Design of a reference network and measurement strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Junqueira Leão, Rodrigo; Raffaelo Baldo, Crhistian; Collucci da Costa Reis, Maria Luisa; Alves Trabanco, Jorge Luiz

2018-03-01

The building blocks of particle accelerators are magnets responsible for keeping beams of charged particles at a desired trajectory. Magnets are commonly grouped in support structures named girders, which are mounted on vertical and horizontal stages. The performance of this type of machine is highly dependent on the relative alignment between its main components. The length of particle accelerators ranges from small machines to large-scale national or international facilities, with typical lengths of hundreds of meters to a few kilometers. This relatively large volume together with micrometric positioning tolerances make the alignment activity a classical large-scale dimensional metrology problem. The alignment concept relies on networks of fixed monuments installed on the building structure to which all accelerator components are referred. In this work, the Sirius accelerator is taken as a case study, and an alignment network is optimized via computational methods in terms of geometry, densification, and surveying procedure. Laser trackers are employed to guide the installation and measure the girders’ positions, using the optimized network as a reference and applying the metric developed in part I of this paper. Simulations demonstrate the feasibility of aligning the 220 girders of the Sirius synchrotron to better than 0.080 mm, at a coverage probability of 95%.

Cosmological Distortions in Redshift Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryden, Barbara S.

1995-05-01

The long-sought value of q_0, the deceleration parameter, remains elusive. One method of finding q_0 is to measure the distortions of large scale structure in redshift space. If the Hubble constant changes with time, then the mapping between redshift space and real space is nonlinear, even in the absence of peculiar motions. When q_0 > -1, structures in redshift space will be distorted along the line of sight; the distortion is proportional to (1 + q_0 ) z in the limit that the redshift z is small. The cosmological distortions at z <= 0.2 can be found by measuring the shapes of voids in redshift surveys of galaxies (such as the upcoming Sloane Digital Sky Survey). The cosmological distortions are masked to some extent by the distortions caused by small-scale peculiar velocities; it is difficult to measure the shape of a void when the fingers of God are poking into it. The cosmological distortions at z ~ 1 can be found by measuring the correlation function of quasars as a function of redshift and of angle relative to the line of sight. Finding q_0 by measuring distortions in redshift space, like the classical methods of determining q_0, is simple and elegant in principle but complicated and messy in practice.

Imaging the Chicxulub central crater zone from large scale seismic acoustic wave propagation and gravity modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fucugauchi, J. U.; Ortiz-Aleman, C.; Martin, R.

2017-12-01

Large complex craters are characterized by central uplifts that represent large-scale differential movement of deep basement from the transient cavity. Here we investigate the central sector of the large multiring Chicxulub crater, which has been surveyed by an array of marine, aerial and land-borne geophysical methods. Despite high contrasts in physical properties,contrasting results for the central uplift have been obtained, with seismic reflection surveys showing lack of resolution in the central zone. We develop an integrated seismic and gravity model for the main structural elements, imaging the central basement uplift and melt and breccia units. The 3-D velocity model built from interpolation of seismic data is validated using perfectly matched layer seismic acoustic wave propagation modeling, optimized at grazing incidence using shift in the frequency domain. Modeling shows significant lack of illumination in the central sector, masking presence of the central uplift. Seismic energy remains trapped in an upper low velocity zone corresponding to the sedimentary infill, melt/breccias and surrounding faulted blocks. After conversion of seismic velocities into a volume of density values, we use massive parallel forward gravity modeling to constrain the size and shape of the central uplift that lies at 4.5 km depth, providing a high-resolution image of crater structure.The Bouguer anomaly and gravity response of modeled units show asymmetries, corresponding to the crater structure and distribution of post-impact carbonates, breccias, melt and target sediments

ngVLA Key Science Goal 3: Charting the Assembly, Structure, and Evolution of Galaxies Over Cosmic Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riechers, Dominik A.; Bolatto, Alberto D.; Carilli, Chris; Casey, Caitlin M.; Decarli, Roberto; Murphy, Eric Joseph; Narayanan, Desika; Walter, Fabian; ngVLA Galaxy Assembly through Cosmic Time Science Working Group, ngVLA Galaxy Ecosystems Science Working Group

2018-01-01

The Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) will fundamentally advance our understanding of the formation processes that lead to the assembly of galaxies throughout cosmic history. The combination of large bandwidth with unprecedented sensitivity to the critical low-level CO lines over virtually the entire redshift range will open up the opportunity to conduct large-scale, deep cold molecular gas surveys, mapping the fuel for star formation in galaxies over substantial cosmic volumes. Imaging of the sub-kiloparsec scale distribution and kinematic structure of molecular gas in both normal main-sequence galaxies and large starbursts back to early cosmic epochs will reveal the physical processes responsible for star formation and black hole growth in galaxies over a broad range in redshifts. In the nearby universe, the ngVLA has the capability to survey the structure of the cold, star-forming interstellar medium at parsec-resolution out to the Virgo cluster. A range of molecular tracers will be accessible to map the motion, distribution, and physical and chemical state of the gas as it flows in from the outer disk, assembles into clouds, and experiences feedback due to star formation or accretion into central super-massive black holes. These investigations will crucially complement studies of the star formation and stellar mass histories with the Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor and the Origins Space Telescope, providing the means to obtain a comprehensive picture of galaxy evolution through cosmic times.

Cluster richness-mass calibration with cosmic microwave background lensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geach, James E.; Peacock, John A.

2017-11-01

Identifying galaxy clusters through overdensities of galaxies in photometric surveys is the oldest1,2 and arguably the most economical and mass-sensitive detection method3,4, compared with X-ray5-7 and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect8 surveys that detect the hot intracluster medium. However, a perennial problem has been the mapping of optical `richness' measurements onto total cluster mass3,9-12. Emitted at a conformal distance of 14 gigaparsecs, the cosmic microwave background acts as a backlight to all intervening mass in the Universe, and therefore has been gravitationally lensed13-15. Experiments such as the Atacama Cosmology Telescope16, South Pole Telescope17-19 and the Planck20 satellite have now detected gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background and produced large-area maps of the foreground deflecting structures. Here we present a calibration of cluster optical richness at the 10% level by measuring the average cosmic microwave background lensing measured by Planck towards the positions of large numbers of optically selected clusters, detecting the deflection of photons by structures of total mass of order 1014 M⊙. Although mainly aimed at the study of larger-scale structures, the Planck estimate of the cosmic microwave background lensing field can be used to recover a nearly unbiased lensing signal for stacked clusters on arcminute scales15,21. This approach offers a clean measure of total cluster masses over most of cosmic history, largely independent of baryon physics.

The structure and statistics of interstellar turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kritsuk, A. G.; Ustyugov, S. D.; Norman, M. L.

2017-06-01

We explore the structure and statistics of multiphase, magnetized ISM turbulence in the local Milky Way by means of driven periodic box numerical MHD simulations. Using the higher order-accurate piecewise-parabolic method on a local stencil (PPML), we carry out a small parameter survey varying the mean magnetic field strength and density while fixing the rms velocity to observed values. We quantify numerous characteristics of the transient and steady-state turbulence, including its thermodynamics and phase structure, kinetic and magnetic energy power spectra, structure functions, and distribution functions of density, column density, pressure, and magnetic field strength. The simulations reproduce many observables of the local ISM, including molecular clouds, such as the ratio of turbulent to mean magnetic field at 100 pc scale, the mass and volume fractions of thermally stable Hi, the lognormal distribution of column densities, the mass-weighted distribution of thermal pressure, and the linewidth-size relationship for molecular clouds. Our models predict the shape of magnetic field probability density functions (PDFs), which are strongly non-Gaussian, and the relative alignment of magnetic field and density structures. Finally, our models show how the observed low rates of star formation per free-fall time are controlled by the multiphase thermodynamics and large-scale turbulence.

J plots: a new method for characterizing structures in the interstellar medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaffa, S. E.; Whitworth, A. P.; Clarke, S. D.; Howard, A. D. P.

2018-06-01

Large-scale surveys have brought about a revolution in astronomy. To analyse the resulting wealth of data, we need automated tools to identify, classify, and quantify the important underlying structures. We present here a method for classifying and quantifying a pixelated structure, based on its principal moments of inertia. The method enables us to automatically detect, and objectively compare, centrally condensed cores, elongated filaments, and hollow rings. We illustrate the method by applying it to (i) observations of surface density from Hi-GAL, and (ii) simulations of filament growth in a turbulent medium. We limit the discussion here to 2D data; in a future paper, we will extend the method to 3D data.

Origin of the cosmic network in {Lambda}CDM: Nature vs nurture

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

Shandarin, Sergei; Habib, Salman; Heitmann, Katrin

The large-scale structure of the Universe, as traced by the distribution of galaxies, is now being revealed by large-volume cosmological surveys. The structure is characterized by galaxies distributed along filaments, the filaments connecting in turn to form a percolating network. Our objective here is to quantitatively specify the underlying mechanisms that drive the formation of the cosmic network: By combining percolation-based analyses with N-body simulations of gravitational structure formation, we elucidate how the network has its origin in the properties of the initial density field (nature) and how its contrast is then amplified by the nonlinear mapping induced by themore » gravitational instability (nurture).« less

Geologic map and map database of the Palo Alto 30' x 60' quadrangle, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brabb, E.E.; Jones, D.L.; Graymer, R.W.

2000-01-01

This digital map database, compiled from previously published and unpublished data, and new mapping by the authors, represents the general distribution of bedrock and surficial deposits in the mapped area. Together with the accompanying text file (pamf.ps, pamf.pdf, pamf.txt), it provides current information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The scale of the source maps limits the spatial resolution (scale) of the database to 1:62,500 or smaller.

Geologic map and map database of western Sonoma, northernmost Marin, and southernmost Mendocino counties, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blake, M.C.; Graymer, R.W.; Stamski, R.E.

2002-01-01

This digital map database, compiled from previously published and unpublished data, and new mapping by the authors, represents the general distribution of bedrock and surficial deposits in the mapped area. Together with the accompanying text file (wsomf.ps, wsomf.pdf, wsomf.txt), it provides current information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The scale of the source maps limits the spatial resolution (scale) of the database to 1:62,500 or smaller.

Lensing corrections to the Eg(z) statistics from large scale structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moradinezhad Dizgah, Azadeh; Durrer, Ruth

2016-09-01

We study the impact of the often neglected lensing contribution to galaxy number counts on the Eg statistics which is used to constrain deviations from GR. This contribution affects both the galaxy-galaxy and the convergence-galaxy spectra, while it is larger for the latter. At higher redshifts probed by upcoming surveys, for instance at z = 1.5, neglecting this term induces an error of (25-40)% in the spectra and therefore on the Eg statistics which is constructed from the combination of the two. Moreover, including it, renders the Eg statistics scale and bias-dependent and hence puts into question its very objective.

Evaluating the truth brand.

PubMed

Evans, W Douglas; Price, Simani; Blahut, Steven

2005-03-01

The American Legacy Foundation developed the truth campaign, an aspirational antismoking brand for adolescents. This study tested whether a multidimensional scale, brand equity in truth, mediates the relationship between campaign exposure and youth smoking. We collected brand equity responses from 2,306 youth on a nationally representative telephone survey. Factor analysis indicates that the scale has excellent psychometric properties and effectively measures brand equity. We developed a structural equation model to test the mediation hypothesis. Results show that brand equity mediates the relationship between truth and smoking. Analyses of potential cofounders show this relationship is robust. Behavioral branding (brands about a behavior or a lifestyle) is an important public health strategy.

How can core self-evaluations influence job burnout? The key roles of organizational commitment and job satisfaction.

PubMed

Peng, Jiaxi; Li, Dongdong; Zhang, Zhenjiang; Tian, Yu; Miao, Danmin; Xiao, Wei; Zhang, Jiaxi

2016-01-01

This study aimed to explore how core self-evaluations influenced job burnout and mainly focused on the confirmation of the mediator roles of organizational commitment and job satisfaction. A total of 583 female nurses accomplished the Core Self-Evaluation Scale, Organizational Commitment Scale, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey. The results revealed that core self-evaluations, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and job burnout were significantly correlated with each other. Structural equation modeling indicated that core self-evaluations can significantly influence job burnout and are completely mediated by organizational commitment and job satisfaction. © The Author(s) 2014.

Factorial invariance and stability of the Effort-Reward Imbalance Scales: a longitudinal analysis of two samples with different time lags.

PubMed

de Jonge, Jan; van der Linden, Sjaak; Schaufeli, Wilmar; Peter, Richard; Siegrist, Johannes

2008-01-01

Key measures of Siegrist's (1996) Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) Model (i.e., efforts, rewards, and overcommitment) were psychometrically tested. To study change in organizational interventions, knowledge about the type of change underlying the instruments used is needed. Next to assessing baseline factorial validity and reliability, the factorial stability over time - known as alpha-beta-gamma change - of the ERI scales was examined. Psychometrics were tested among 383 and 267 healthcare workers from two Dutch panel surveys with different time lags. Baseline results favored a five-factor model (i.e., efforts, esteem rewards, financial/career-related aspects, job security, and overcommitment) over and above a three-factor solution (i.e., efforts, composite rewards, and overcommitment). Considering changes as a whole, particularly the factor loadings of the three ERI scales were not equal over time. Findings suggest in general that moderate changes in the ERI factor structure did not affect the interpretation of mean changes over time. Occupational health researchers utilizing the ERI scales can feel confident that self-reported changes are more likely to be due to factors other than structural change of the ERI scales over time, which has important implications for evaluating job stress and health interventions.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Arabic version of the knee outcome survey-activities for daily living scale.

PubMed

Bouzubar, Fawzi F; Aljadi, Sameera H; Alotaibi, Naser M; Irrgang, James J

2018-07-01

The purpose of this study is to cross-culturally adapt the Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale into Arabic and to assess its psychometric properties (internal consistency, reliability, validity, and responsiveness) in patients with knee disorders. The cross-cultural adaptation process for the Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale into Arabic was performed consistent with the published guidelines. The psychometric properties of this Arabic version were then evaluated. Participants completed this version three times: at baseline, 2-4 days later, and 4 weeks later. Correlations between the Arabic version of Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale and the Arabic version of the Short Form-36 Health Survey, Get Up and Go, and Ascending/Descending stairs tests were evaluated. Linguistic and cultural issues were addressed. The Arabic version of the Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.97) and excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.97). Construct validity of the Arabic version of the Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale with the Arabic version of Short Form-36 Health Survey subscales ranged from r = 0.28 to 0.53, p < 0.001. Criterion validity with the Get Up and Go and Ascending/Descending stairs tests ranged from r = -0.47 to -0.60, p < 0.01. This Arabic version was able to detect changes 4 weeks later (effect size = 1.12 and minimum clinically important difference = 14 points). The Arabic version of the Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale is a reliable, valid and responsive measure for assessing knee-related symptoms and functional limitations Implications for rehabilitation The Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale-Arabic is a reliable, valid and responsive measure for assessing knee-related functional limitations. This Arabic version can be used in clinical practice and for research purposes to assess symptoms and functional limitations in Arabic-speaking patients with knee disorders. This scale is responsive to track therapeutic outcome of Arabic-speaking patients with knee disorders.

The build up of the correlation between halo spin and the large-scale structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Peng; Kang, Xi

2018-01-01

Both simulations and observations have confirmed that the spin of haloes/galaxies is correlated with the large-scale structure (LSS) with a mass dependence such that the spin of low-mass haloes/galaxies tend to be parallel with the LSS, while that of massive haloes/galaxies tend to be perpendicular with the LSS. It is still unclear how this mass dependence is built up over time. We use N-body simulations to trace the evolution of the halo spin-LSS correlation and find that at early times the spin of all halo progenitors is parallel with the LSS. As time goes on, mass collapsing around massive halo is more isotropic, especially the recent mass accretion along the slowest collapsing direction is significant and it brings the halo spin to be perpendicular with the LSS. Adopting the fractional anisotropy (FA) parameter to describe the degree of anisotropy of the large-scale environment, we find that the spin-LSS correlation is a strong function of the environment such that a higher FA (more anisotropic environment) leads to an aligned signal, and a lower anisotropy leads to a misaligned signal. In general, our results show that the spin-LSS correlation is a combined consequence of mass flow and halo growth within the cosmic web. Our predicted environmental dependence between spin and large-scale structure can be further tested using galaxy surveys.

Detection of the baryon acoustic peak in the large-scale correlation function of SDSS luminous red galaxies

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

Eisenstein, Daniel J.; Zehavi, Idit; Hogg, David W.

2005-01-01

We present the large-scale correlation function measured from a spectroscopic sample of 46,748 luminous red galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The survey region covers 0.72h{sup -3} Gpc{sup 3} over 3816 square degrees and 0.16 < z < 0.47, making it the best sample yet for the study of large-scale structure. We find a well-detected peak in the correlation function at 100h{sup -1} Mpc separation that is an excellent match to the predicted shape and location of the imprint of the recombination-epoch acoustic oscillations on the low-redshift clustering of matter. This detection demonstrates the linear growth of structure bymore » gravitational instability between z {approx} 1000 and the present and confirms a firm prediction of the standard cosmological theory. The acoustic peak provides a standard ruler by which we can measure the ratio of the distances to z = 0.35 and z = 1089 to 4% fractional accuracy and the absolute distance to z = 0.35 to 5% accuracy. From the overall shape of the correlation function, we measure the matter density {Omega}{sub m}h{sup 2} to 8% and find agreement with the value from cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. Independent of the constraints provided by the CMB acoustic scale, we find {Omega}{sub m} = 0.273 {+-} 0.025 + 0.123(1 + w{sub 0}) + 0.137{Omega}{sub K}. Including the CMB acoustic scale, we find that the spatial curvature is {Omega}{sub K} = -0.010 {+-} 0.009 if the dark energy is a cosmological constant. More generally, our results provide a measurement of cosmological distance, and hence an argument for dark energy, based on a geometric method with the same simple physics as the microwave background anisotropies. The standard cosmological model convincingly passes these new and robust tests of its fundamental properties.« less

Can AGN and galaxy clusters explain the surface brightness fluctuations of the cosmic X-ray background?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolodzig, Alexander; Gilfanov, Marat; Hütsi, Gert; Sunyaev, Rashid

2017-04-01

Fluctuations of the surface brightness of cosmic X-ray background (CXB) carry unique information about faint and low-luminosity source populations, which is inaccessible for conventional large-scale structure (LSS) studies based on resolved sources. We used XBOOTES (5ks deep Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS-I maps of the ˜ 9 deg2 Bootes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey) to conduct the most accurate measurement to date of the power spectrum of fluctuations of the unresolved CXB on the angular scales of 3 arcsec-17 arcmin. We find that at sub-arcmin angular scales, the power spectrum is consistent with the active galactic nucleus (AGN) shot noise, without much need for any significant contribution from their one-halo term. This is consistent with the theoretical expectation that low-luminosity AGN reside alone in their dark matter haloes. However, at larger angular scales, we detect a significant LSS signal above the AGN shot noise. Its power spectrum, obtained after subtracting the AGN shot noise, follows a power law with the slope of -0.8 ± 0.1 and its amplitude is much larger than what can be plausibly explained by the two-halo term of AGN. We demonstrate that the detected LSS signal is produced by unresolved clusters and groups of galaxies. For the flux limit of the XBOOTES survey, their flux-weighted mean redshift equals ˜ 0.3, and the mean temperature of their intracluster medium (ICM), ≈ 1.4 keV, corresponds to the mass of M500 ˜ 1013.5 M⊙. The power spectrum of CXB fluctuations carries information about the redshift distribution of these objects and the spatial structure of their ICM on the linear scales of up to ˜Mpc, I.e. of the order of the virial radius.

Kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect with Projected Fields: A Novel Probe of the Baryon Distribution with Planck, WMAP, and WISE Data.

PubMed

Hill, J Colin; Ferraro, Simone; Battaglia, Nick; Liu, Jia; Spergel, David N

2016-07-29

The kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (KSZ) effect-the Doppler boosting of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons due to Compton scattering off free electrons with nonzero bulk velocity-probes the abundance and the distribution of baryons in the Universe. All KSZ measurements to date have explicitly required spectroscopic redshifts. Here, we implement a novel estimator for the KSZ-large-scale structure cross-correlation based on projected fields: it does not require redshift estimates for individual objects, allowing KSZ measurements from large-scale imaging surveys. We apply this estimator to cleaned CMB temperature maps constructed from Planck and WMAP data and a galaxy sample from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). We measure the KSZ effect at 3.8σ-4.5σ significance, depending on the use of additional WISE galaxy bias constraints. We verify that our measurements are robust to possible dust emission from the WISE galaxies. Assuming the standard Λ cold dark matter cosmology, we directly constrain (f_{b}/0.158)(f_{free}/1.0)=1.48±0.19 (statistical error only) at redshift z≈0.4, where f_{b} is the fraction of matter in baryonic form and f_{free} is the free electron fraction. This is the tightest KSZ-derived constraint reported to date on these parameters. Astronomers have long known that baryons do not trace dark matter on ∼ kiloparsec scales and there has been strong evidence that galaxies are baryon poor. The consistency between the f_{b} value found here and the values inferred from analyses of the primordial CMB and big bang nucleosynthesis verifies that baryons approximately trace the dark matter distribution down to ∼ megaparsec scales. While our projected-field estimator is already competitive with other KSZ approaches when applied to current data sets (because we are able to use the full-sky WISE photometric survey), it will yield enormous signal-to-noise ratios when applied to upcoming high-resolution, multifrequency CMB surveys.

Kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect with Projected Fields: A Novel Probe of the Baryon Distribution with Planck, WMAP, and WISE Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, J. Colin; Ferraro, Simone; Battaglia, Nick; Liu, Jia; Spergel, David N.

2016-07-01

The kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (KSZ) effect—the Doppler boosting of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons due to Compton scattering off free electrons with nonzero bulk velocity—probes the abundance and the distribution of baryons in the Universe. All KSZ measurements to date have explicitly required spectroscopic redshifts. Here, we implement a novel estimator for the KSZ—large-scale structure cross-correlation based on projected fields: it does not require redshift estimates for individual objects, allowing KSZ measurements from large-scale imaging surveys. We apply this estimator to cleaned CMB temperature maps constructed from Planck and WMAP data and a galaxy sample from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). We measure the KSZ effect at 3.8 σ - 4.5 σ significance, depending on the use of additional WISE galaxy bias constraints. We verify that our measurements are robust to possible dust emission from the WISE galaxies. Assuming the standard Λ cold dark matter cosmology, we directly constrain (fb/0.158 ) (ffree/1.0 ) =1.48 ±0.19 (statistical error only) at redshift z ≈0.4 , where fb is the fraction of matter in baryonic form and ffree is the free electron fraction. This is the tightest KSZ-derived constraint reported to date on these parameters. Astronomers have long known that baryons do not trace dark matter on ˜ kiloparsec scales and there has been strong evidence that galaxies are baryon poor. The consistency between the fb value found here and the values inferred from analyses of the primordial CMB and big bang nucleosynthesis verifies that baryons approximately trace the dark matter distribution down to ˜ megaparsec scales. While our projected-field estimator is already competitive with other KSZ approaches when applied to current data sets (because we are able to use the full-sky WISE photometric survey), it will yield enormous signal-to-noise ratios when applied to upcoming high-resolution, multifrequency CMB surveys.

Reducing the two-loop large-scale structure power spectrum to low-dimensional, radial integrals

DOE PAGES

Schmittfull, Marcel; Vlah, Zvonimir

2016-11-28

Modeling the large-scale structure of the universe on nonlinear scales has the potential to substantially increase the science return of upcoming surveys by increasing the number of modes available for model comparisons. One way to achieve this is to model nonlinear scales perturbatively. Unfortunately, this involves high-dimensional loop integrals that are cumbersome to evaluate. Here, trying to simplify this, we show how two-loop (next-to-next-to-leading order) corrections to the density power spectrum can be reduced to low-dimensional, radial integrals. Many of those can be evaluated with a one-dimensional fast Fourier transform, which is significantly faster than the five-dimensional Monte-Carlo integrals thatmore » are needed otherwise. The general idea of this fast fourier transform perturbation theory method is to switch between Fourier and position space to avoid convolutions and integrate over orientations, leaving only radial integrals. This reformulation is independent of the underlying shape of the initial linear density power spectrum and should easily accommodate features such as those from baryonic acoustic oscillations. We also discuss how to account for halo bias and redshift space distortions.« less

Voids and constraints on nonlinear clustering of galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vogeley, Michael S.; Geller, Margaret J.; Park, Changbom; Huchra, John P.

1994-01-01

Void statistics of the galaxy distribution in the Center for Astrophysics Redshift Survey provide strong constraints on galaxy clustering in the nonlinear regime, i.e., on scales R equal to or less than 10/h Mpc. Computation of high-order moments of the galaxy distribution requires a sample that (1) densely traces the large-scale structure and (2) covers sufficient volume to obtain good statistics. The CfA redshift survey densely samples structure on scales equal to or less than 10/h Mpc and has sufficient depth and angular coverage to approach a fair sample on these scales. In the nonlinear regime, the void probability function (VPF) for CfA samples exhibits apparent agreement with hierarchical scaling (such scaling implies that the N-point correlation functions for N greater than 2 depend only on pairwise products of the two-point function xi(r)) However, simulations of cosmological models show that this scaling in redshift space does not necessarily imply such scaling in real space, even in the nonlinear regime; peculiar velocities cause distortions which can yield erroneous agreement with hierarchical scaling. The underdensity probability measures the frequency of 'voids' with density rho less than 0.2 -/rho. This statistic reveals a paucity of very bright galaxies (L greater than L asterisk) in the 'voids.' Underdensities are equal to or greater than 2 sigma more frequent in bright galaxy samples than in samples that include fainter galaxies. Comparison of void statistics of CfA samples with simulations of a range of cosmological models favors models with Gaussian primordial fluctuations and Cold Dark Matter (CDM)-like initial power spectra. Biased models tend to produce voids that are too empty. We also compare these data with three specific models of the Cold Dark Matter cosmogony: an unbiased, open universe CDM model (omega = 0.4, h = 0.5) provides a good match to the VPF of the CfA samples. Biasing of the galaxy distribution in the 'standard' CDM model (omega = 1, b = 1.5; see below for definitions) and nonzero cosmological constant CDM model (omega = 0.4, h = 0.6 lambda(sub 0) = 0.6, b = 1.3) produce voids that are too empty. All three simulations match the observed VPF and underdensity probability for samples of very bright (M less than M asterisk = -19.2) galaxies, but produce voids that are too empty when compared with samples that include fainter galaxies.

Fold-structure analysis of paleozoic rocks in the Variscan Harz Mountains (Lautenthal, Central Germany) based on laserscanning and 3D modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Bianca; Leiss, Bernd; Stöpler, Ralf; Zahnow, Fabian

2017-04-01

Folded paleozoic sedimentary rocks of Upper Devonian to Lower Carboniferous age are very well exposed in the abandoned chert quarry of Lautenthal in the western Harz Mountains. The outcrop represents typical structures of the Rhenohercynian thrust and fold belt of the Variscan orogen and therefore allows quantitative studies for the understanding of e.g. fold mechanisms and the amount of shortening. The sequence is composed of alternating beds of cherts, shales and tuffites, which show varying thicknesses, undulating and thinning out of certain layers. Irregularly occurring lenses of greywackes are interpreted as sedimentary intrusions. The compressive deformation style is expressed by different similar and parallel fold structures at varying scales as well as small-scale reverse faults and triangle structures. An accurate mapping of the outcrop in the classical way is very challenging due to distant and unconnected outcrop parts with differing elevations and orientations. Furthermore, the visibility is limited because of nearby trees, diffuse vegetation cover and no available total view. Therefore, we used a FARO 120 3D laserscanner and Trimble GNSS device to generate a referenced and drawn to scale point cloud of the complete quarry. Based on the point cloud a geometric 3D model of prominent horizons and structural features of various sizes was constructed. Thereafter, we analyzed the structures in matters of orientation and deformation mechanisms. Finally, we applied a retrodeformation algorithm on the model to restore the original sedimentary sequence and to calculate shortening including the amount of pressure solution. Only digital mapping allows such a time-saving, accurate and especially complete 3D survey of this excellent study object. We demonstrated that such 3D-models enable spatial correlations with other complex structures cropping out in the area. Moreover, we confirmed that a structural upscaling to the 100 to 1000 m scale is much easier and much more instructive than it could have been done in the classical way.

Small-Scale Habitat Structure Modulates the Effects of No-Take Marine Reserves for Coral Reef Macroinvertebrates

PubMed Central

Dumas, Pascal; Jimenez, Haizea; Peignon, Christophe; Wantiez, Laurent; Adjeroud, Mehdi

2013-01-01

No-take marine reserves are one of the oldest and most versatile tools used across the Pacific for the conservation of reef resources, in particular for invertebrates traditionally targeted by local fishers. Assessing their actual efficiency is still a challenge in complex ecosystems such as coral reefs, where reserve effects are likely to be obscured by high levels of environmental variability. The goal of this study was to investigate the potential interference of small-scale habitat structure on the efficiency of reserves. The spatial distribution of widely harvested macroinvertebrates was surveyed in a large set of protected vs. unprotected stations from eleven reefs located in New Caledonia. Abundance, density and individual size data were collected along random, small-scale (20×1 m) transects. Fine habitat typology was derived with a quantitative photographic method using 17 local habitat variables. Marine reserves substantially augmented the local density, size structure and biomass of the target species. Density of Trochus niloticus and Tridacna maxima doubled globally inside the reserve network; average size was greater by 10 to 20% for T. niloticus. We demonstrated that the apparent success of protection could be obscured by marked variations in population structure occurring over short distances, resulting from small-scale heterogeneity in the reef habitat. The efficiency of reserves appeared to be modulated by the availability of suitable habitats at the decimetric scale (“microhabitats”) for the considered sessile/low-mobile macroinvertebrate species. Incorporating microhabitat distribution could significantly enhance the efficiency of habitat surrogacy, a valuable approach in the case of conservation targets focusing on endangered or emblematic macroinvertebrate or relatively sedentary fish species PMID:23554965

Probing features in the primordial perturbation spectrum with large-scale structure data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

L'Huillier, Benjamin; Shafieloo, Arman; Hazra, Dhiraj Kumar; Smoot, George F.; Starobinsky, Alexei A.

2018-06-01

The form of the primordial power spectrum (PPS) of cosmological scalar (matter density) perturbations is not yet constrained satisfactorily in spite of the tremendous amount of information from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data. While a smooth power-law-like form of the PPS is consistent with the CMB data, some PPSs with small non-smooth features at large scales can also fit the CMB temperature and polarization data with similar statistical evidence. Future CMB surveys cannot help distinguish all such models due to the cosmic variance at large angular scales. In this paper, we study how well we can differentiate between such featured forms of the PPS not otherwise distinguishable using CMB data. We ran 15 N-body DESI-like simulations of these models to explore this approach. Showing that statistics such as the halo mass function and the two-point correlation function are not able to distinguish these models in a DESI-like survey, we advocate to avoid reducing the dimensionality of the problem by demonstrating that the use of a simple three-dimensional count-in-cell density field can be much more effective for the purpose of model distinction.

Global spectroscopic survey of cloud thermodynamic phase at high spatial resolution, 2005-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, David R.; Kahn, Brian H.; Green, Robert O.; Chien, Steve A.; Middleton, Elizabeth M.; Tran, Daniel Q.

2018-02-01

The distribution of ice, liquid, and mixed phase clouds is important for Earth's planetary radiation budget, impacting cloud optical properties, evolution, and solar reflectivity. Most remote orbital thermodynamic phase measurements observe kilometer scales and are insensitive to mixed phases. This under-constrains important processes with outsize radiative forcing impact, such as spatial partitioning in mixed phase clouds. To date, the fine spatial structure of cloud phase has not been measured at global scales. Imaging spectroscopy of reflected solar energy from 1.4 to 1.8 µm can address this gap: it directly measures ice and water absorption, a robust indicator of cloud top thermodynamic phase, with spatial resolution of tens to hundreds of meters. We report the first such global high spatial resolution survey based on data from 2005 to 2015 acquired by the Hyperion imaging spectrometer onboard NASA's Earth Observer 1 (EO-1) spacecraft. Seasonal and latitudinal distributions corroborate observations by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). For extratropical cloud systems, just 25 % of variance observed at GCM grid scales of 100 km was related to irreducible measurement error, while 75 % was explained by spatial correlations possible at finer resolutions.

Relationships among Communication Self-Efficacy, Communication Burden, and the Mental Health of the Families of Persons with Aphasia.

PubMed

Tatsumi, Hiroshi; Nakaaki, Shutaro; Satoh, Masayuki; Yamamoto, Masahiko; Chino, Naohito; Hadano, Kazuo

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the relationships among communication self-efficacy (SE), communication burden, and the mental health of the families of persons with aphasia using structural equation modeling (SEM). This study examined 110 pairs of persons with aphasia receiving home care and 1 family caregiver per person with aphasia. The survey items for this study consisted of the Communication Self-efficacy Scale, the Communication Burden Scale, the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form-Japanese, and the Health-Related Quality of Life: SF-8 Health Survey. The relationships between the constructive concept of "communication self-efficacy" and "communication burden," and "mental-health status" were analyzed using SEM. The results of the SEM analysis revealed that a high communication SE of the families was associated with low burden of communication and good mental-health status. Psychoeducational programs that address the communication SE of family caregivers may have the potential to reduce the burden of communication and to improve the mental health of caregivers. These programs could lead to an enhanced quality of life for both persons with aphasia and their families. Copyright © 2015 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessing the impacts of bait collection on inter-tidal sediment and the associated macrofaunal and bird communities: The importance of appropriate spatial scales.

PubMed

Watson, G J; Murray, J M; Schaefer, M; Bonner, A; Gillingham, M

2017-09-01

Bait collection is a multibillion dollar worldwide activity that is often managed ineffectively. For managers to understand the impacts on protected inter-tidal mudflats and waders at appropriate spatial scales macrofaunal surveys combined with video recordings of birds and bait collectors were undertaken at two UK sites. Dug sediment constituted approximately 8% of the surveyed area at both sites and is less muddy (lower organic content) than undug sediment. This may have significant implications for turbidity. Differences in the macrofaunal community between dug and undug areas if the same shore height is compared as well as changes in the dispersion of the community occurred at one site. Collection also induces a 'temporary loss of habitat' for some birds as bait collector numbers negatively correlate with wader and gull abundance. Bait collection changes the coherence and ecological structure of inter-tidal mudflats as well as directly affecting wading birds. However, as β diversity increased we suggest that management at appropriate hectare/site scales could maximise biodiversity/function whilst still supporting collection. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study deviance-type scale in the development of Korean elder

PubMed Central

Cho, Gun-Sang; Yi, Eun-Surk; Hwang, Hee-Jeong

2015-01-01

This research aims to develop a questionnaire of deviant behavior for the Korean elderly people which may make a big contribution to the examination of deviance behavior of the elderly people and may play an important role in providing a methodological basis. In order to accomplish the purpose of the this study, there were three different stages; (a) making preliminary question items, (b) refining the items of the scale through a plot study, and (c) finalizing question items by a main survey. In the first stage, 43 question items were developed using the open-ended questionnaire and structural inquiry of succession from 137 elderly people who are over 65 yr. In the second phase, based on data collected by the 200 elderly people pilot testing was performed through exploratory factor analysis and reliability test. The scale is a 27-item self-report questionnaire. In the main survey conducted by 184 elderly people, 21 items, which consisted of four subfactors, were finalized in order to measure deviance behaviors of the Korean elderly people: social deviance (n=8), economic deviance (n=5), psychological deviance (n=5), and physical deviance (n=3). PMID:26730382

Tax Compliance Inventory: TAX-I Voluntary tax compliance, enforced tax compliance, tax avoidance, and tax evasion

PubMed Central

Kirchler, Erich; Wahl, Ingrid

2010-01-01

Surveys on tax compliance and non-compliance often rely on ad hoc formulated items which lack standardization and empirical validation. We present an inventory to assess tax compliance and distinguish between different forms of compliance and non-compliance: voluntary versus enforced compliance, tax avoidance, and tax evasion. First, items to measure voluntary and enforced compliance, avoidance, and evasion were drawn up (collected from past research and newly developed), and tested empirically with the aim of producing four validated scales with a clear factorial structure. Second, findings from the first analyses were replicated and extended to validation on the basis of motivational postures. A standardized inventory is provided which can be used in surveys in order to collect data which are comparable across research focusing on self-reports. The inventory can be used in either of two ways: either in its entirety, or by applying the single scales independently, allowing an economical and fast assessment of different facets of tax compliance. PMID:20502612

Evaluating the SF-36 Health Survey (Version 2) in Older Vietnamese Americans

PubMed Central

Ngo-Metzger, Quyen; Sorkin, Dara H.; Mangione, Carol M.; Gandek, Barbara; Hays, Ron D.

2014-01-01

Objectives The SF-36® Health Survey (Version 2; SF-36) was evaluated among older Vietnamese Americans to determine whether underlying dimensions of physical and mental health were similar to those of other groups in the United States. Method Field testing of participants from senior centers. Results The study provided support for the reliability and validity of the SF-36. Structural equation modeling provided confirmation of physical and mental health factors. However, the factor loadings for the SF-36 scales were more consistent with previous results from Asian countries than the typical pattern observed in the United States. Discussion As the older populations in the United States become more diverse, it is important to have standardized health-related quality of life measures. However, the conceptualization of physical and mental health and associations among different scales may be different for Asian immigrants than for other groups. Thus, the interpretation of the SF-36 scores needs to account for cultural differences. PMID:18381886

Challenge or hindrance: Does job stress affect presenteeism among Chinese healthcare workers?

PubMed

Yang, Tianan; Ma, Mingxu; Zhu, Mingjing; Liu, Yuanling; Chen, Qian; Zhang, Shiyang; Deng, Jianwei

2018-03-27

We examined the effects of challenge stress and hindrance stress on general health and presenteeism among Chinese healthcare workers. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate data from a national hospital survey in China (n = 1392). Job stress, general health, and presenteeism were measured by the Perceived Ability to Work Scale, the 8-item Short-Form Health Survey, and the Challenge- and Hindrance-Related Self-reported Stress Scale. Challenge stress and hindrance stress were significantly positively correlated (β = 0.62, SE = 0.021; p < 0.001). Challenge stress was directly negatively associated with presenteeism (β = -0.05, SE = 0.037; p < 0.001), while hindrance stress was positively associated with presenteeism (β = 0.25, SE = 0.040; p < 0.001). These associations with presenteeism were partially mediated by health. Hospital managers should provide healthcare workers with an appropriate level of challenge, but employee health is the most important consideration. Further efforts targeting job stress and health of junior healthcare workers are required.

LSSGalPy: Interactive Visualization of the Large-scale Environment Around Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argudo-Fernández, M.; Duarte Puertas, S.; Ruiz, J. E.; Sabater, J.; Verley, S.; Bergond, G.

2017-05-01

New tools are needed to handle the growth of data in astrophysics delivered by recent and upcoming surveys. We aim to build open-source, light, flexible, and interactive software designed to visualize extensive three-dimensional (3D) tabular data. Entirely written in the Python language, we have developed interactive tools to browse and visualize the positions of galaxies in the universe and their positions with respect to its large-scale structures (LSS). Motivated by a previous study, we created two codes using Mollweide projection and wedge diagram visualizations, where survey galaxies can be overplotted on the LSS of the universe. These are interactive representations where the visualizations can be controlled by widgets. We have released these open-source codes that have been designed to be easily re-used and customized by the scientific community to fulfill their needs. The codes are adaptable to other kinds of 3D tabular data and are robust enough to handle several millions of objects. .

Tax Compliance Inventory: TAX-I Voluntary tax compliance, enforced tax compliance, tax avoidance, and tax evasion.

PubMed

Kirchler, Erich; Wahl, Ingrid

2010-06-01

Surveys on tax compliance and non-compliance often rely on ad hoc formulated items which lack standardization and empirical validation. We present an inventory to assess tax compliance and distinguish between different forms of compliance and non-compliance: voluntary versus enforced compliance, tax avoidance, and tax evasion. First, items to measure voluntary and enforced compliance, avoidance, and evasion were drawn up (collected from past research and newly developed), and tested empirically with the aim of producing four validated scales with a clear factorial structure. Second, findings from the first analyses were replicated and extended to validation on the basis of motivational postures. A standardized inventory is provided which can be used in surveys in order to collect data which are comparable across research focusing on self-reports. The inventory can be used in either of two ways: either in its entirety, or by applying the single scales independently, allowing an economical and fast assessment of different facets of tax compliance.

Scaling laws for light weight optics, studies of light weight mirrors mounting and dynamic mirror stress, and light weight mirror and mount designs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vukobratovich, Daniel; Richard, Ralph M.; Valente, Tina M.; Cho, Myung K.

1990-01-01

Scaling laws for light-weight optical systems are examined. A cubic relationship between mirror diameter and weight has been suggested and used by many designers of optical systems as the best description for all light-weight mirrors. A survey of existing light-weight systems in the open literature was made to clarify this issue. Fifty existing optical systems were surveyed with all varieties of light-weight mirrors including glass and beryllium structured mirrors, contoured mirrors, and very thin solid mirrors. These mirrors were then categorized and weight to diameter ratio was plotted to find a best curve for each case. A best fitting curve program tests nineteen different equations and ranks a goodness-to-fit for each of these equations. The resulting relationship found for each light-weight mirror category helps to quantify light-weight optical systems and methods of fabrication and provides comparisons between mirror types.

Low cultural identification, low parental involvement and adverse peer influences as risk factors for delinquent behaviour among Filipino youth in Hawai'i.

PubMed

Guerrero, Anthony P S; Nishimura, Stephanie T; Chang, Janice Y; Ona, Celia; Cunanan, Vanessa L; Hishinuma, Earl S

2010-07-01

Among Filipino youth in Hawai'i, low Filipino cultural identification and low family support may be important risk factors for delinquency. To examine, in a sample of Filipino youth in Hawai'i, correlations between delinquent behaviour and the aforementioned - as well as other, potentially mediating - variables. A youth risk survey and Filipino Culture Scale were administered to Filipino students (N = 150) in Hawai'i. A parent risk survey was administered to available and consenting parents. Delinquent behaviour correlated positively with acculturative stress, low cultural identification and adverse peer influences; and negatively with total Filipino Culture Scale score. Structural equation modelling suggested that absent/ineffective adults and adverse peer influences might be more important variables compared to low self-esteem and less religiosity, linking low cultural identification to delinquent behaviour. Although further studies are warranted, to be effective, efforts to prevent delinquency by enhancing Filipino youths' cultural connectedness may also need to enhance family connectedness and address adverse peer influences.

Magnetic mapping of Spanish Canary archipelago [ZEEE project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catalan, M.; Martin, J.; Marin, J. A.; Agudo, L. M.

2003-04-01

The Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone [ZEEE] Project constitutes the most intensive mapping to date of the sea floor off Spain's coast. This extensive geophysical survey is being undertaken by a Spanish government team. The first phase [1995-1997] concentrated its efforts in the Balearic sea. The geomagnetic data acquired for this area, has already being reduced and stored as a data base, and six scalar magnetic anomaly maps have been produced at a scale of 1:200.000, and another that cover the whole zone at a scale of 1:500.000. Since 1998, the Project has systematically surveyed the Canary archipelago, ending on October 2002. This group of islands, located off the West African Continental Margin, conform an intraplate volcanic archipelago which reflects a magmatic story that started probably at Tertiary. This Communication describes its main technical details, discusses the scalar magnetic map and presents a regional analysis of the Canary islands magnetic picture, trying to identify the different intra-crustal structures which generate the anomalies.

Network design and quality checks in automatic orientation of close-range photogrammetric blocks.

PubMed

Dall'Asta, Elisa; Thoeni, Klaus; Santise, Marina; Forlani, Gianfranco; Giacomini, Anna; Roncella, Riccardo

2015-04-03

Due to the recent improvements of automatic measurement procedures in photogrammetry, multi-view 3D reconstruction technologies are becoming a favourite survey tool. Rapidly widening structure-from-motion (SfM) software packages offer significantly easier image processing workflows than traditional photogrammetry packages. However, while most orientation and surface reconstruction strategies will almost always succeed in any given task, estimating the quality of the result is, to some extent, still an open issue. An assessment of the precision and reliability of block orientation is necessary and should be included in every processing pipeline. Such a need was clearly felt from the results of close-range photogrammetric surveys of in situ full-scale and laboratory-scale experiments. In order to study the impact of the block control and the camera network design on the block orientation accuracy, a series of Monte Carlo simulations was performed. Two image block configurations were investigated: a single pseudo-normal strip and a circular highly-convergent block. The influence of surveying and data processing choices, such as the number and accuracy of the ground control points, autofocus and camera calibration was investigated. The research highlights the most significant aspects and processes to be taken into account for adequate in situ and laboratory surveys, when modern SfM software packages are used, and evaluates their effect on the quality of the results of the surface reconstruction.

Cosmology without cosmic variance

DOE PAGES

Bernstein, Gary M.; Cai, Yan -Chuan

2011-10-01

The growth of structures in the Universe is described by a function G that is predicted by the combination of the expansion history of the Universe and the laws of gravity within it. We examine the improvements in constraints on G that are available from the combination of a large-scale galaxy redshift survey with a weak gravitational lensing survey of background sources. We describe a new combination of such observations that in principle this yields a measure of the growth rate that is free of sample variance, i.e. the uncertainty in G can be reduced without bound by increasing themore » number of redshifts obtained within a finite survey volume. The addition of background weak lensing data to a redshift survey increases information on G by an amount equivalent to a 10-fold increase in the volume of a standard redshift-space distortion measurement - if the lensing signal can be measured to sub-per cent accuracy. This argues that a combined lensing and redshift survey over a common low-redshift volume of the Universe is a more powerful test of general relativity than an isolated redshift survey over larger volume at high redshift, especially as surveys begin to cover most of the available sky.« less

SEDIGISM: Structure, excitation, and dynamics of the inner Galactic interstellar medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuller, F.; Csengeri, T.; Urquhart, J. S.; Duarte-Cabral, A.; Barnes, P. J.; Giannetti, A.; Hernandez, A. K.; Leurini, S.; Mattern, M.; Medina, S.-N. X.; Agurto, C.; Azagra, F.; Anderson, L. D.; Beltrán, M. T.; Beuther, H.; Bontemps, S.; Bronfman, L.; Dobbs, C. L.; Dumke, M.; Finger, R.; Ginsburg, A.; Gonzalez, E.; Henning, T.; Kauffmann, J.; Mac-Auliffe, F.; Menten, K. M.; Montenegro-Montes, F. M.; Moore, T. J. T.; Muller, E.; Parra, R.; Perez-Beaupuits, J.-P.; Pettitt, A.; Russeil, D.; Sánchez-Monge, Á.; Schilke, P.; Schisano, E.; Suri, S.; Testi, L.; Torstensson, K.; Venegas, P.; Wang, K.; Wienen, M.; Wyrowski, F.; Zavagno, A.

2017-05-01

Context. The origin and life-cycle of molecular clouds are still poorly constrained, despite their importance for understanding the evolution of the interstellar medium. Many large-scale surveys of the Galactic plane have been conducted recently, allowing for rapid progress in this field. Nevertheless, a sub-arcminute resolution global view of the large-scale distribution of molecular gas, from the diffuse medium to dense clouds and clumps, and of their relationshipto the spiral structure, is still missing. Aims: We have carried out a systematic, homogeneous, spectroscopic survey of the inner Galactic plane, in order to complement the many continuum Galactic surveys available with crucial distance and gas-kinematic information. Our aim is to combine this data set with recent infrared to sub-millimetre surveys at similar angular resolutions. Methods: The SEDIGISM survey covers 78 deg2 of the inner Galaxy (-60°≤ℓ≤ 18°, |b|≤ 0.5°) in the J = 2-1 rotational transition of 13CO. This isotopologue of CO is less abundant than 12CO by factors up to 100. Therefore, its emission has low to moderate optical depths, and higher critical density, making it an ideal tracer of the cold, dense interstellar medium. The data have been observed with the SHFI single-pixel instrument at APEX. The observational setup covers the 13CO(2-1) and C18O(2-1) lines, plus several transitions from other molecules. Results: The observations have been completed. Data reduction is in progress, and the final data products will be made available in the near future. Here we give a detailed description of the survey and the dedicated data reduction pipeline. To illustrate the scientific potential of this survey, preliminary results based on a science demonstration field covering -20°≤ℓ ≤ -18.5° are presented. Analysis of the 13CO(2-1) data in this field reveals compact clumps, diffuse clouds, and filamentary structures at a range of heliocentric distances. By combining our data with data in the (1-0) transition of CO isotopologues from the ThrUMMS survey, we are able to compute a 3D realization of the excitation temperature and optical depth in the interstellar medium. Ultimately, this survey will provide a detailed, global view of the inner Galactic interstellar medium at an unprecedented angular resolution of 30''. This publication is based on data acquired with the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) under programmes 092.F-9315(A) and 193.C-0584(A). APEX is a collaboration between the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, the European Southern Observatory, and the Onsala Space Observatory.Full Table 5 and Table A.1 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/601/A124

Rasch Validation of a Measure of Reform-Oriented Science Teaching Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Hye Sun

2016-06-01

Growing evidence from recent curriculum documents and previous research suggests that reform-oriented science teaching practices promote students' conceptual understanding, levels of achievement, and motivation to learn, especially when students are actively engaged in constructing their ideas through scientific inquiries. However, it is difficult to identify to what extent science teachers engage students in reform-oriented teaching practices (RTPs) in their science classrooms. In order to exactly diagnose the current status of science teachers' implementation of the RTPs, a valid and reliable instrument tool is needed. The principles of validity and reliability are fundamental cornerstones in developing a robust measurement tool. As such, this study was motivated by the desire to point out the limitations of the existing statistical and psychometric analyses and to further examine the validation of the RTP survey instrument. This paper thus aims at calibrating the items of the RTPs for science teachers using the Rasch model. The survey instrument scale was adapted from the 2012 National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education (NSSME) data. A total of 3701 science teachers from 1403 schools from across the USA participated in the NSSME survey. After calibrating the RTP items and persons on the same scale, the RTP instrument well represented the population of US science teachers. Model-data fit determined by Infit and Outfit statistics was within an appropriate range (0.5-1.5), supporting the unidimensional structure of the RTPs. The ordered category thresholds and the probability of the thresholds showed that the five-point rating scale functioned well. The results of this study support the use of the RTP measure from the 2012 NSSME in assessing usage of RTPs.

Factor structure of the Japanese Interpersonal Competence Scale.

PubMed

Matsudaira, Tomomi; Fukuhara, Taihei; Kitamura, Toshinori

2008-04-01

Assessing social competence is important for clinical and preventive interventions of depression. The aim of the present paper was to examine the factor structure of the Japanese Interpersonal Competence Scale (JICS). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the survey responses of 730 participants. Simultaneous multigroup analyses were conducted to confirm factor stability across psychological health status and sex differences. Two factors, which represent Perceptive Ability and Self-Restraint, were confirmed to show a moderate correlation. Perceptive Ability involves a more cognitive aspect of social competence, while Self-Restraint involves a more behavioral aspect, both of which are considered to reflect the emotion-based relating style specific to the Japanese people: indulgent dependence (amae) and harmony (wa). In addition, Self-Restraint may be linked to social functioning. Both constructs may confound a respondent's perceived confidence. Despite its shortcomings, the JICS is a unique measure of social competence in the Japanese cultural context.

StePS: Stereographically Projected Cosmological Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rácz, Gábor; Szapudi, István; Csabai, István; Dobos, László

2018-05-01

StePS (Stereographically Projected Cosmological Simulations) compactifies the infinite spatial extent of the Universe into a finite sphere with isotropic boundary conditions to simulate the evolution of the large-scale structure. This eliminates the need for periodic boundary conditions, which are a numerical convenience unsupported by observation and which modifies the law of force on large scales in an unrealistic fashion. StePS uses stereographic projection for space compactification and naive O(N2) force calculation; this arrives at a correlation function of the same quality more quickly than standard (tree or P3M) algorithms with similar spatial and mass resolution. The N2 force calculation is easy to adapt to modern graphics cards, hence StePS can function as a high-speed prediction tool for modern large-scale surveys.

Preliminary Geologic Map of the Buxton 7.5' Quadrangle, Washington County, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dinterman, Philip A.; Duvall, Alison R.

2009-01-01

This map, compiled from previously published and unpublished data, and new mapping by the authors, represents the general distribution of bedrock and surficial deposits of the Buxton 7.5-minute quadrangle. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The scale of the source maps limits the spatial resolution (scale) of the database to 1:24,000 or smaller. This plot file and accompanying database depict the distribution of geologic materials and structures at a regional (1:24,000) scale. The report is intended to provide geologic information for the regional study of materials properties, earthquake shaking, landslide potential, mineral hazards, seismic velocity, and earthquake faults. In addition, the report contains new information and interpretations about the regional geologic history and framework. However, the regional scale of this report does not provide sufficient detail for site development purposes.

The Use of Weighted Graphs for Large-Scale Genome Analysis

PubMed Central

Zhou, Fang; Toivonen, Hannu; King, Ross D.

2014-01-01

There is an acute need for better tools to extract knowledge from the growing flood of sequence data. For example, thousands of complete genomes have been sequenced, and their metabolic networks inferred. Such data should enable a better understanding of evolution. However, most existing network analysis methods are based on pair-wise comparisons, and these do not scale to thousands of genomes. Here we propose the use of weighted graphs as a data structure to enable large-scale phylogenetic analysis of networks. We have developed three types of weighted graph for enzymes: taxonomic (these summarize phylogenetic importance), isoenzymatic (these summarize enzymatic variety/redundancy), and sequence-similarity (these summarize sequence conservation); and we applied these types of weighted graph to survey prokaryotic metabolism. To demonstrate the utility of this approach we have compared and contrasted the large-scale evolution of metabolism in Archaea and Eubacteria. Our results provide evidence for limits to the contingency of evolution. PMID:24619061

Redshift surveys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geller, Margaret J.; Huchra, J. P.

1991-01-01

Present-day understanding of the large-scale galaxy distribution is reviewed. The statistics of the CfA redshift survey are briefly discussed. The need for deeper surveys to clarify the issues raised by recent studies of large-scale galactic distribution is addressed.

An Analysis of Rich Cluster Redshift Survey Data for Large Scale Structure Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slinglend, K.; Batuski, D.; Haase, S.; Hill, J.

1994-12-01

The results from the COBE satellite show the existence of structure on scales on the order of 10% or more of the horizon scale of the universe. Rich clusters of galaxies from Abell's catalog show evidence of structure on scales of 100 Mpc and may hold the promise of confirming structure on the scale of the COBE result. However, many Abell clusters have zero or only one measured redshift, so present knowledge of their three dimensional distribution has quite large uncertainties. The shortage of measured redshifts for these clusters may also mask a problem of projection effects corrupting the membership counts for the clusters. Our approach in this effort has been to use the MX multifiber spectrometer on the Steward 2.3m to measure redshifts of at least ten galaxies in each of 80 Abell cluster fields with richness class R>= 1 and mag10 <= 16.8 (estimated z<= 0.12) and zero or one measured redshifts. This work will result in a deeper, more complete (and reliable) sample of positions of rich clusters. Our primary intent for the sample is for two-point correlation and other studies of the large scale structure traced by these clusters in an effort to constrain theoretical models for structure formation. We are also obtaining enough redshifts per cluster so that a much better sample of reliable cluster velocity dispersions will be available for other studies of cluster properties. To date, we have collected such data for 64 clusters, and for most of them, we have seven or more cluster members with redshifts, allowing for reliable velocity dispersion calculations. Velocity histograms and stripe density plots for several interesting cluster fields are presented, along with summary tables of cluster redshift results. Also, with 10 or more redshifts in most of our cluster fields (30({') } square, just about an `Abell diameter' at z ~ 0.1) we have investigated the extent of projection effects within the Abell catalog in an effort to quantify and understand how this may effect the Abell sample.

Ground-based structure from motion - multi view stereo (SFM-MVS) for upland soil erosion assessment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McShane, Gareth; James, Mike; Quniton, John; Farrow, Luke; Glendell, Miriam; Jones, Lee; Kirkham, Matthew; Morgan, David; Evans, Martin; Anderson, Karen; Lark, Murray; Rawlins, Barry; Rickson, Jane; Quine, Timothy; Benaud, Pia; Brazier, Richard

2016-04-01

In upland environments, quantifying soil loss through erosion processes at a high resolution can be time consuming, costly and logistically difficult. In this pilot study 'A cost effective framework for monitoring soil erosion in England and Wales', funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), we evaluate the use of annually repeated ground-based photography surveys, processed using structure-from-motion and multi-view stereo (SfM-MVS) 3-D reconstruction software (Agisoft Photoscan). The aim is to enable efficient but detailed site-scale studies of erosion forms in inaccessible UK upland environments, in order to quantify dynamic processes, such as erosion and mass movement. The evaluation of the SfM-MVS technique is particularly relevant in upland landscapes, where the remoteness and inaccessibility of field sites may render some of the more established survey techniques impractical. We present results from 5 upland sites across the UK, acquired over a 2-year period. Erosion features of varying width (3 m to 35 m) and length (20 m to 60 m), representing a range of spatial scales (from 100 m2 to 1000 m2) were surveyed, in upland habitats including bogs, peatland, upland grassland and moorland. For each feature, around 150 to 600 ground-based photographs were taken at oblique angles over a 10 to 20 minute period, using an uncalibrated Canon 600D SLR camera with a 28 mm lens (focal length set to infinity). Camera settings varied based upon light conditions (exposure 100-400 ISO, aperture F4.5 to F8, shutter speed 1/100 to 1/250 second). For inter-survey comparisons, models were geo-referenced using 20 to 30 ground control points (numbered black markers with a white target) placed around and within the feature, with their co-ordinates measured by survey-grade differential GNSS (Trimble R4). Volumetric estimates of soil loss were quantified using digital surface models (DSMs) derived from the repeat survey data and subtracted from a modelled pre-erosion surface (CloudCompare, Golden Software Surfer). We discuss the survey performance achieved in terms of the time required and the precisions delivered, and consider the practical application of SfM-MVS for long-term upland erosion monitoring.

Galaxy evolution and large-scale structure in the far-infrared. II - The IRAS faint source survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lonsdale, Carol J.; Hacking, Perry B.; Conrow, T. P.; Rowan-Robinson, M.

1990-07-01

The new IRAS Faint Source Survey data base is used to confirm the conclusion of Hacking et al. (1987) that the 60 micron source counts fainter than about 0.5 Jy lie in excess of predictions based on nonevolving model populations. The existence of an anisotropy between the northern and southern Galactic caps discovered by Rowan-Robinson et al. (1986) and Needham and Rowan-Robinson (1988) is confirmed, and it is found to extend below their sensitivity limit to about 0.3 Jy in 60 micron flux density. The count anisotropy at f(60) greater than 0.3 can be interpreted reasonably as due to the Local Supercluster; however, no one structure accounting for the fainter anisotropy can be easily identified in either optical or far-IR two-dimensional sky distributions. The far-IR galaxy sky distributions are considerably smoother than distributions from the published optical galaxy catalogs. It is likely that structure of the large size discussed here have been discriminated against in earlier studies due to insufficient volume sampling.

Galaxy evolution and large-scale structure in the far-infrared. II. The IRAS faint source survey

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

Lonsdale, C.J.; Hacking, P.B.; Conrow, T.P.

1990-07-01

The new IRAS Faint Source Survey data base is used to confirm the conclusion of Hacking et al. (1987) that the 60 micron source counts fainter than about 0.5 Jy lie in excess of predictions based on nonevolving model populations. The existence of an anisotropy between the northern and southern Galactic caps discovered by Rowan-Robinson et al. (1986) and Needham and Rowan-Robinson (1988) is confirmed, and it is found to extend below their sensitivity limit to about 0.3 Jy in 60 micron flux density. The count anisotropy at f(60) greater than 0.3 can be interpreted reasonably as due to themore » Local Supercluster; however, no one structure accounting for the fainter anisotropy can be easily identified in either optical or far-IR two-dimensional sky distributions. The far-IR galaxy sky distributions are considerably smoother than distributions from the published optical galaxy catalogs. It is likely that structure of the large size discussed here have been discriminated against in earlier studies due to insufficient volume sampling. 105 refs.« less

Galaxy evolution and large-scale structure in the far-infrared. II - The IRAS faint source survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lonsdale, Carol J.; Hacking, Perry B.; Conrow, T. P.; Rowan-Robinson, M.

1990-01-01

The new IRAS Faint Source Survey data base is used to confirm the conclusion of Hacking et al. (1987) that the 60 micron source counts fainter than about 0.5 Jy lie in excess of predictions based on nonevolving model populations. The existence of an anisotropy between the northern and southern Galactic caps discovered by Rowan-Robinson et al. (1986) and Needham and Rowan-Robinson (1988) is confirmed, and it is found to extend below their sensitivity limit to about 0.3 Jy in 60 micron flux density. The count anisotropy at f(60) greater than 0.3 can be interpreted reasonably as due to the Local Supercluster; however, no one structure accounting for the fainter anisotropy can be easily identified in either optical or far-IR two-dimensional sky distributions. The far-IR galaxy sky distributions are considerably smoother than distributions from the published optical galaxy catalogs. It is likely that structure of the large size discussed here have been discriminated against in earlier studies due to insufficient volume sampling.

Genetic variation and population structure of the mixed-mating cactus, Melocactus curvispinus (Cactaceae).

PubMed

Nassar, J M; Hamrick, J L; Fleming, T H

2001-07-01

Genetic diversity was measured in the mixed-mating cactus, Melocactus curvispinus, in Venezuela. Allozyme diversity was surveyed in 19 putative loci over 18 populations. Compared to other plant taxa, this cactus is rich in polymorphic loci (Ps=89.5%), with high numbers of alleles per polymorphic locus (APs=3.82), but moderate levels of heterozygosity (Hes=0.145). Substantial levels of inbreeding were detected across loci and populations at macrogeographic (FIS=0.348) and regional levels (FIS=0.194-0.402). Moderate levels of genetic differentiation among populations were detected at macrogeographical (FST=0.193) and regional (FST=0.084-0.187) scales, suggesting that gene flow is relatively restricted, but increases within regions without topographic barriers. The population genetic structure observed for this cactus was attributed to, at least, three factors: short-distance pollination and seed dispersal, the mixed-mating condition of the species, and genetic drift. High genetic identities between populations (I=0.942) supported the conspecific nature of all populations surveyed. The levels and patterns of genetic structure observed for M. curvispinus were consistent with its mating system and gene dispersal mechanisms.

Middle school sexual harassment, violence and social networks.

PubMed

Mumford, Elizabeth A; Okamoto, Janet; Taylor, Bruce G; Stein, Nan

2013-11-01

To pilot a study of social networks informing contextual analyses of sexual harassment and peer violence (SH/PV). Seventh and 8th grade students (N = 113) in an urban middle school were surveyed via a Web-based instrument. Boys and girls reported SH/PV victimization and perpetration at comparable rates. The proportion of nominated friends who reported SH/ PV outcomes was greater in boys' than in girls' social networks. Structural descriptors of social networks were not significant predictors of SH/PV outcomes. Collection of sensitive relationship data via a school-based Web survey is feasible. Full-scale studies and greater flexibility regarding the number of friendship nominations are recommended for subsequent investigations of potential sex differences.

ROSAT x ray survey observations of active chromospheric binary systems and other selected sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramsey, Lawrence W.

1993-01-01

The connection between processes that produce optical chromospheric activity indicators and those that produce x-rays in RS CVn binary systems by taking advantage of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS) results and our unique ground-based data set was investigated. In RS CVn systems, excess emission in the Ca 2 resonance (K & H) and infrared triplet (IRT) lines and in the Balmer lines of hydrogen is generally cited as evidence for chromospheric activity, which is usually modeled as scaled up solar-type activity. X-ray emission in RS CVn systems is believed to arise from coronal loop structures. Results from spectra data obtained from RASS observations are discussed and presented.

Relationships between bullying, school climate, and student risk behaviors.

PubMed

Klein, Jennifer; Cornell, Dewey; Konold, Timothy

2012-09-01

This study examined whether characteristics of a positive school climate were associated with lower student risk behavior in a sample of 3,687 high school students who completed the School Climate Bullying Survey and questions about risk behavior from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBS). Confirmatory factor analyses established fit for 20 items with three hypothesized school climate scales measuring (1) prevalence of bullying and teasing; (2) aggressive attitudes; and (3) student willingness to seek help. Structural equation modeling established the relationship of these measures with student reports of risk behavior. Multigroup analyses identified differential effects across gender and race. A positive school climate could be an important protective factor in preventing student risk behavior.

Galaxy Transformations In The Cosmic Web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jablonka, Pascale

2017-06-01

In this talk, I present a new survey, the Spatial Extended EDisCS Survey (SEEDisCS), that aims at understanding how clusters assemble and the level at which galaxies are preprocessed before falling on the cluster cores. SEEDisCS therefore focusses on the changes in galaxy properties along the large scale structures surrounding a couple of z 0.5 medium mass clusters, I first describe how spiral disc stellar populations are affected by the environment,and how we can get constraints on the timescale of star formation quenching. I then present new NOEMA and ALMA CO observations that trace the fate of the galaxy cold gas content along the infalling paths towards the cluster cores.

The embodiment of tourism among bisexually-behaving Dominican male sex workers.

PubMed

Padilla, Mark B

2008-10-01

While theories of "structure" and social inequality have increasingly informed global health efforts for HIV prevention--with growing recognition of the linkages between large-scale political and economic factors in the distribution and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic--there is still little theorization of precisely how structural factors shape the very bodies and sexualities of specific populations and groups. In order to extend the theoretical understanding of these macro-micro linkages, this article examines how the growth of the tourism industry in the Dominican Republic has produced sexual practices and identities that reflect both the influence of large-scale structural processes and the resistant responses of local individuals. Drawing on social science theories of political economy, embodiment, and authenticity, I argue that an understanding of patterns of sexuality and HIV risk in the region requires analysis of how political-economic transformations related to tourism intersect with the individual experiences and practices of sexuality on the ground. The analysis draws on long-term ethnographic research with bisexually behaving male sex workers in two cities in the Dominican Republic, including participant observation, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and surveys. By examining the global and local values placed on these men's bodies and the ways sex workers use their bodies to broker tourists' pleasure, we may better understand how the large-scale structures of the tourism industry are linked to the specific meanings and practices of sexuality.

3D Inversion of Natural Source Electromagnetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holtham, E. M.; Oldenburg, D. W.

2010-12-01

The superior depth of investigation of natural source electromagnetic techniques makes these methods excellent candidates for crustal studies as well as for mining and hydrocarbon exploration. The traditional natural source method, the magnetotelluric (MT) technique, has practical limitations because the surveys are costly and time consuming due to the labor intensive nature of ground based surveys. In an effort to continue to use the penetration advantage of natural sources, it has long been recognized that tipper data, the ratio of the local vertical magnetic field to the horizontal magnetic field, provide information about 3D electrical conductivity structure. It was this understanding that prompted the development of AFMAG (Audio Frequency Magnetics) and recently the new airborne Z-Axis Tipper Electromagnetic Technique (ZTEM). In ZTEM, the vertical component of the magnetic field is recorded above the entire survey area, while the horizontal fields are recorded at a ground-based reference station. MT processing techniques yield frequency domain transfer functions typically between 30-720 Hz that relate the vertical fields over the survey area to the horizontal fields at the reference station. The result is a cost effective procedure for collecting natural source EM data and for finding large scale targets at moderate depths. It is well known however that 1D layered structures produce zero vertical magnetic fields and thus ZTEM data cannot recover such background conductivities. This is in sharp contrast to the MT technique where electric fields are measured and a 1D background conductivity can be recovered from the off diagonal elements of the impedance tensor. While 1D models produce no vertical fields, two and three dimensional structures will produce anomalous currents and a ZTEM response. For such models the background conductivity structure does affect the data. In general however, the ZTEM data have weak sensitivity to the background conductivity and while we show that it is possible to obtain the background structure by inverting the ZTEM data alone, it is desirable to obtain robust background conductivity information from other sources. This information could come from a priori geologic and petrophysical information or from additional geophysical data such as MT. To counter the costly nature of large MT surveys and the limited sensitivity of the ZTEM technique to the background conductivity we show that an effective method is to collect and invert both MT and ZTEM data. A sparse MT survey grid can gather information about the background conductivity and deep structures while keeping the survey costs affordable. Higher spatial resolution at moderate depths can be obtained by flying multiple lines of ZTEM data.

Habitat and landscape characteristics underlying anuran community structure along an urban-rural gradient.

PubMed

Pillsbury, Finn C; Miller, James R

2008-07-01

Urbanization has been cited as an important factor in worldwide amphibian declines, and although recent work has illustrated the important influence of broad-scale ecological patterns and processes on amphibian populations, little is known about the factors structuring amphibian communities in urban landscapes. We therefore examined amphibian community responses to wetland habitat availability and landscape characteristics along an urban-rural gradient in central Iowa, USA, a region experiencing rapid suburban growth. We conducted call surveys at 61 wetlands to estimate anuran calling activity, and quantified wetland habitat structure and landscape context. We used canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to examine patterns in anuran community structure and identify the most important variables associated with those patterns. Urban density at the landscape scale had a significant negative influence on overall anuran abundance and diversity. While every species exhibited a decrease in abundance with increasing urban density, this pattern was especially pronounced for species requiring post-breeding upland habitats. Anurans most affected by urbanization were those associated with short hydroperiods, early breeding activity, and substantial upland habitat use. We suggest that broad-scale landscape fragmentation is an important factor underlying anuran community structure in this region, possibly due to limitations on the accessibility of otherwise suitable habitat in fragmented urban landscapes. This study underscores the importance of a regional approach to amphibian conservation in urban and urbanizing areas; in fragmented landscapes, a network of interconnected wetland and upland habitats may be more likely to support a successful, diverse anuran community than will isolated sites.

Ladder Structures and Magnetic Surveys: New Insights into the Near Surface, Three-Dimensional Shape and Orientation of Plutonic Structures in the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite, Yosemite National Park, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyd, J. D.

2017-12-01

The study of pluton emplacement and growth history offers a window into the evolution of the continental crust. Plutons, however, are often largely homogeneous in outcrop, lacking reliable structural markers for tracking their emplacement and growth through time. The ladder structures exposed on the glacially polished surfaces of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite (TIS) in Yosemite National Park, California are an exception. Ladder structures (LS) are eye-catching concentrations of alternating mafic and felsic mineral assemblages in dominantly cresent-shaped, meter to sub-meter scale bands in outcrop that locally terminate into a mafic band forming a circular-shaped enclosure. Their geochemistry and modal mineralogy diverge sharply from host rock trends with large quantities of magnetite, titanite, and zircon in the mafic assemblages. The limited exposure of LS in outcrops has led to much debate as to their true geometries and orientations. The high concentration of magnetite in the LS is fortuitous in that it allows these features to be investigated by magnetic techniques. The preliminary results of new high resolution magnetic surveys of these LS are presented here. A grid of total magnetic intensity (TMI) was collected across the ladder structures. The TMI's were then inverted and modeled to determine the orientation of the magnetic bodies with depth using PyGMI freeware. With sufficient contrast in the magnetic susceptibility (Km) between the feature being imaged and the host rock, meter to sub-meter scale features can be resolved. The average Km of the LS mafic bands and the host rock is approximately 200-850 x10-3 and 15-20×10-3 SI units respectively. These measurements along with oriented samples were collected to determine input parameters (e.g. anisotropy and remanence) for the geocellular model used in this study.

Adaptation of the Practice Environment Scale for military nurses: a psychometric analysis.

PubMed

Swiger, Pauline A; Raju, Dheeraj; Breckenridge-Sproat, Sara; Patrician, Patricia A

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to confirm the psychometric properties of Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index in a military population. This study also demonstrates association rule analysis, a contemporary exploratory technique. One of the instruments most commonly used to evaluate the nursing practice environment is the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index. Although the instrument has been widely used, the reliability, validity and individual item function are not commonly evaluated. Gaps exist with regard to confirmatory evaluation of the subscale factors, individual item analysis and evaluation in the outpatient setting and with non-registered nursing staff. This was a secondary data analysis of existing survey data. Multiple psychometric methods were used for this analysis using survey data collected in 2014. First, descriptive analyses were conducted, including exploration using association rules. Next, internal consistency was tested and confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the factor structure. The specified factor structure did not hold; therefore, exploratory factor analysis was performed. Finally, item analysis was executed using item response theory. The differential item functioning technique allowed the comparison of responses by care setting and nurse type. The results of this study indicate that responses differ between groups and that several individual items could be removed without altering the psychometric properties of the instrument. The instrument functions moderately well in a military population; however, researchers may want to consider nurse type and care setting during analysis to identify any meaningful variation in responses. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Adaptation and validation of the Evidence-Based Practice Belief and Implementation scales for French-speaking Swiss nurses and allied healthcare providers.

PubMed

Verloo, Henk; Desmedt, Mario; Morin, Diane

2017-09-01

To evaluate two psychometric properties of the French versions of the Evidence-Based Practice Beliefs and Evidence-Based Practice Implementation scales, namely their internal consistency and construct validity. The Evidence-Based Practice Beliefs and Evidence-Based Practice Implementation scales developed by Melnyk et al. are recognised as valid, reliable instruments in English. However, no psychometric validation for their French versions existed. Secondary analysis of a cross sectional survey. Source data came from a cross-sectional descriptive study sample of 382 nurses and other allied healthcare providers. Cronbach's alpha was used to evaluate internal consistency, and principal axis factor analysis and varimax rotation were computed to determine construct validity. The French Evidence-Based Practice Beliefs and Evidence-Based Practice Implementation scales showed excellent reliability, with Cronbach's alphas close to the scores established by Melnyk et al.'s original versions. Principal axis factor analysis showed medium-to-high factor loading scores without obtaining collinearity. Principal axis factor analysis with varimax rotation of the 16-item Evidence-Based Practice Beliefs scale resulted in a four-factor loading structure. Principal axis factor analysis with varimax rotation of the 17-item Evidence-Based Practice Implementation scale revealed a two-factor loading structure. Further research should attempt to understand why the French Evidence-Based Practice Implementation scale showed a two-factor loading structure but Melnyk et al.'s original has only one. The French versions of the Evidence-Based Practice Beliefs and Evidence-Based Practice Implementation scales can both be considered valid and reliable instruments for measuring Evidence-Based Practice beliefs and implementation. The results suggest that the French Evidence-Based Practice Beliefs and Evidence-Based Practice Implementation scales are valid and reliable and can therefore be used to evaluate the effectiveness of organisational strategies aimed at increasing professionals' confidence in Evidence-Based Practice, supporting its use and implementation. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Biasing and the search for primordial non-Gaussianity beyond the local type

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

Gleyzes, Jérôme; De Putter, Roland; Doré, Olivier

Primordial non-Gaussianity encodes valuable information about the physics of inflation, including the spectrum of particles and interactions. Significant improvements in our understanding of non-Gaussanity beyond Planck require information from large-scale structure. The most promising approach to utilize this information comes from the scale-dependent bias of halos. For local non-Gaussanity, the improvements available are well studied but the potential for non-Gaussianity beyond the local type, including equilateral and quasi-single field inflation, is much less well understood. In this paper, we forecast the capabilities of large-scale structure surveys to detect general non-Gaussianity through galaxy/halo power spectra. We study how non-Gaussanity can bemore » distinguished from a general biasing model and where the information is encoded. For quasi-single field inflation, significant improvements over Planck are possible in some regions of parameter space. We also show that the multi-tracer technique can significantly improve the sensitivity for all non-Gaussianity types, providing up to an order of magnitude improvement for equilateral non-Gaussianity over the single-tracer measurement.« less

An abbreviated Faecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale for Chinese-speaking population with colorectal cancer after surgery: cultural adaptation and item reduction.

PubMed

Hsu, L-F; Hung, C-L; Kuo, L-J; Tsai, P-S

2017-09-01

No instrument is available to assess the impact of faecal incontinence (FI) of quality of life for Chinese-speaking population. The purpose of the study was to adapt the Faecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale (FIQL) for patients with colorectal cancer, assess the factor structure and reduce the items for brevity. A sample of 120 participants were enrolled. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent and contrasted-groups validity were assessed. Construct validity was analysed using an exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). The internal consistency (Cronbach's α of the total scale and four subscales = 0.98 and 0.97, 0.96, 0.92, 0.82 respectively), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients ≥.98 for all scales with p < .001) and significant correlations of all scales with selected subscales of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and the Wexner scale suggested satisfactory reliability and validity. The severe FI group (with a Wexner score ≥9) scored significantly lower on the scale than the less severe FI group (with a Wexner score <9) did (p < .001). The CFA supported a two-factor structure and demonstrated an excellent model fit of the 15-item abbreviated version of the FIQL-Chinese. The FIQL-Chinese has satisfactory validity and reliability and the abbreviated version may be more practical and applicable. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The short form of the fear survey schedule for children-revised (FSSC-R-SF): an efficient, reliable, and valid scale for measuring fear in children and adolescents.

PubMed

Muris, Peter; Ollendick, Thomas H; Roelofs, Jeffrey; Austin, Kristin

2014-12-01

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Short Form of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R-SF) in non-clinical and clinically referred children and adolescents from the Netherlands and the United States. Exploratory as well as confirmatory factor analyses of the FSSC-R-SF yielded support for the hypothesized five-factor structure representing fears in the domains of (1) failure and criticism, (2) the unknown, (3) animals, (4) danger and death, and (5) medical affairs. The FSSC-R-SF showed satisfactory reliability and was capable of assessing gender and age differences in youths' fears and fearfulness that have been documented in previous research. Further, the convergent validity of the scale was good as shown by substantial and meaningful correlations with the full-length FSSC-R and alternative childhood anxiety measures. Finally, support was found for the discriminant validity of the scale. That is, clinically referred children and adolescents exhibited higher scores on the FSSC-R-SF total scale and most subscales as compared to their non-clinical counterparts. Moreover, within the clinical sample, children and adolescents with a major anxiety disorder generally displayed higher FSSC-R-SF scores than youths without such a diagnosis. Altogether, these findings indicate that the FSSC-R-SF is a brief, reliable, and valid scale for assessing fear sensitivities in children and adolescents. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Employment insecurity, workplace justice and employees' burnout in Taiwanese employees: a validation study.

PubMed

Cheng, Yawen; Huang, Hsun-Yin; Li, Pei-Rong; Hsu, Jin-Huei

2011-12-01

Employment insecurity and workplace injustice are important psychosocial hazards. However, few studies of these associations have been conducted in Chinese-speaking populations. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of employment insecurity and workplace justice scales, and examined their associations with the levels of workers' burnout status in Taiwanese workers. Study subjects were participants in a national survey of employees in Taiwan, consisting of 9,636 men and 7,406 women. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess employment insecurity (six items) and workplace justice (nine items), as well as other psychosocial work characteristics. After the survey was completed, in-depth interviews with 10 employees were conducted for a qualitative evaluation. Cronbach's α was 0.87 or greater for the workplace justice scale and 0.76 or greater for the employment insecurity scale, indicating satisfactory internal consistencies. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a factor pattern consistent with the theoretically assumed structure, except that the items with statements in reversed direction were loaded on separated factors. Higher levels of employment insecurity and lower levels of workplace justice were associated with higher burnout scores. However, results from the qualitative interviews suggested that some questionnaire items contained double-barreled questions, and some questions were misinterpreted or considered irrelevant by participants. The Chinese version of employment insecurity and workplace justice scales were found to have satisfactory reliability and validity. However, improvement of these scales is still needed.

Structural Area Inspection Frequency Evaluation (SAIFE). Volume III. Demonstration Input, Inspection Survey, and MRR Data

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-04-01

3 1.7 Production Rate Change Time . . . . 3 1.8 Time of Fatigue Test Start . ..... 3 1.9 Fatigue Test Acceleration Factor . 3 1.10 Corrosion...simulation logic. SAIFE accounts for the following factors : (1) aircraft design analysis; (2) component and full-scale fatigue testing; (3) production ...reliability; production , servi ce,Information Service, Springfield, and corrosion defects; crack or corrosi on Virginia 22151 detection probability; crack

Personal, Role, Structural, Alternative and Affective Correlates of Organizational Commitment.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

relationships (p. 79). Farrell and Rusbult (1981) seek to integrate the commitment literature through a model based on the social psychological exchange theory...permits testing a number of the components of the Farrell and Rusbult model . Hypotheses Drawing on the recent reviews and conceptual developments of... Climate Questionnalre (OCQ), (Porter et al., 1974) and the short version of the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS), (Hackman and Oldham, 1975). The JDS scales

Cosmology: A research briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

As part of its effort to update topics dealt with in the 1986 decadal physics survey, the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Research Council (NRC) formed a Panel on Cosmology. The Panel produced this report, intended to be accessible to science policymakers and nonscientists. The chapters include an overview ('What Is Cosmology?'), a discussion of cosmic microwave background radiation, the large-scale structure of the universe, the distant universe, and physics of the early universe.

Quantifying Channelized Submarine Depositional Systems From Bed to Basin Scale

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-09-01

Union of South Africa and South West Africa . Memoirs of the Geological Survey of South Africa , 39:177, 1944. C.D. Winker and J.R. Booth. Sedimentary ...overbank locations. Sedimentary structures, textures and facies preserved in core recovered from the Late Pliocene section of Fisk Basin are consistent...France or Tanqua, Karoo Basin, South Africa in Pickering et al. (1995)) falling well short of the desirable continuous regional exposure. As a result of

Survey of methods of facial palsy documentation in use by members of the Sir Charles Bell Society.

PubMed

Fattah, Adel Y; Gavilan, Javier; Hadlock, Tessa A; Marcus, Jeffrey R; Marres, Henri; Nduka, Charles; Slattery, William H; Snyder-Warwick, Alison K

2014-10-01

Facial palsy manifests a broad array of deficits affecting function, form, and psychological well-being. Assessment scales were introduced to standardize and document the features of facial palsy and to facilitate the exchange of information and comparison of outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine which assessment methodologies are currently employed by those involved in the care of patients with facial palsy as a first step toward the development of consensus on the appropriate assessments for this patient population. Online questionnaire. The Sir Charles Bell Society, a group of professionals dedicated to the care of patients with facial palsy, were surveyed to determine the scales used to document facial nerve function, patient reported outcome measures (PROM), and photographic documentation. Fifty-five percent of the membership responded (n = 83). Grading scales were used by 95%, most commonly the House-Brackmann and Sunnybrook scales. PROMs were used by 58%, typically the Facial Clinimetric Evaluation scale or Facial Disability Index. All used photographic recordings, but variability existed among the facial expressions used. Videography was performed by 82%, and mostly involved the same views as still photography; it was also used to document spontaneous movement and speech. Three-dimensional imaging was employed by 18% of respondents. There exists significant heterogeneity in assessments among clinicians, which impedes straightforward comparisons of outcomes following recovery and intervention. Widespread adoption of structured assessments, including scales, PROMs, photography, and videography, will facilitate communication and comparison among those who study the effects of interventions on this population. © 2014 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Do they actually work across borders? Evaluation of two measures of psychological distress as screening instruments in a non Anglo-Saxon country.

PubMed

Carrà, G; Sciarini, P; Segagni-Lusignani, G; Clerici, M; Montomoli, C; Kessler, R C

2011-03-01

Screening scales can be useful in searching for common mental disorders in primary care and in tracking relevant prevalence and correlates in community surveys. However, it is important to document their validity, before using them. We developed Italian versions of the widely-used K10 and K6 screening scales following the WHO forward-translation and back-translation protocol. To evaluate their effectiveness as screens for DSM-IV 12-month mood or anxiety disorders and "serious mental illness" (SMI), the scales were validated in a two-stage clinical reappraisal survey. In the first-phase, the scales were administered to 605 people. In the second-phase, a sub-sample of 147 first-phase respondents over-sampling screened positives was administered the 12-month version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders as a clinical gold standard. Performance of the scales in screening for chosen disorders was assessed by calculating area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and stratum-specific likelihood ratios. Both the K10 and K6 performed well in detecting DSM-IV mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and serious mental illness (SMI), with areas under the curve (AUCs) (95% CIs) between 0.82 (0.75-0.89) and 0.91 (0.85-0.96). The Italian versions of the K6 and K10 scales have good psychometric properties, making them attractive inexpensive screens for mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and SMI. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

STRUCTURE IN THE 3D GALAXY DISTRIBUTION: III. FOURIER TRANSFORMING THE UNIVERSE: PHASE AND POWER SPECTRA.

PubMed

Scargle, Jeffrey D; Way, M J; Gazis, P R

2017-04-10

We demonstrate the effectiveness of a relatively straightforward analysis of the complex 3D Fourier transform of galaxy coordinates derived from redshift surveys. Numerical demonstrations of this approach are carried out on a volume-limited sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey redshift survey. The direct unbinned transform yields a complex 3D data cube quite similar to that from the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of finely binned galaxy positions. In both cases deconvolution of the sampling window function yields estimates of the true transform. Simple power spectrum estimates from these transforms are roughly consistent with those using more elaborate methods. The complex Fourier transform characterizes spatial distributional properties beyond the power spectrum in a manner different from (and we argue is more easily interpreted than) the conventional multi-point hierarchy. We identify some threads of modern large scale inference methodology that will presumably yield detections in new wider and deeper surveys.