Motivated reflection on attitude-inconsistent information: an exploration of the role of fear of invalidity in self-persuasion.

PubMed

Clarkson, Joshua J; Valente, Matthew J; Leone, Christopher; Tormala, Zakary L

2013-12-01

The mere thought effect is defined in part by the tendency of self-reflective thought to heighten the generation of and reflection on attitude-consistent thoughts. By focusing on individuals' fears of invalidity, we explored the possibility that the mere opportunity for thought sometimes motivates reflection on attitude-inconsistent thoughts. Across three experiments, dispositional and situational fear of invalidity was shown to heighten reflection on attitude-inconsistent thoughts. This heightened reflection, in turn, interacted with individuals' thought confidence to determine whether attitude-inconsistent thoughts were assimilated or refuted and consequently whether individuals' attitudes and behavioral intentions depolarized or polarized following a sufficient opportunity for thought, respectively. These findings emphasize the impact of motivational influences on thought reflection and generation, the importance of thought confidence in the assimilation and refutation of self-generated thought, and the dynamic means by which the mere thought bias can impact self-persuasion.

Inconsistency of topologically massive hypergravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aragone, C.; Deser, S.

1985-01-01

The coupled topologically massive spin-5/2 gravity system in D = 3 dimensions whose kinematics represents dynamical propagating gauge invariant massive spin-5/2 and spin-2 excitations, is shown to be inconsistent, or equivalently, not locally hypersymmetric. In contrast to D = 4, the local constraints on the system arising from failure of the fermionic Bianchi identities do not involve the 'highest spin' components of the field, but rather the auxiliary spinor required to construct a consistent massive model.

Scattering from randomly oriented circular discs with application to vegetation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karam, M. A.; Fung, A. K.

1984-01-01

A vegetation layer is modeled by a collection of randomly oriented circular discs over a half space. The backscattering coefficient from such a half space is computed using the radiative transfer theory. It is shown that significantly different results are obtained from this theory as compared with some earlier investigations using the same modeling approach but with restricted disc orientations. In particular, the backscattered cross polarized returns cannot have a fast increasing angular trend which is inconsistent with measurements. By setting the appropriate angle of orientation to zero the theory reduces to previously published results. Comparisons are shown with measurements taken from milo, corn and wheat and good agreements are obtained for both polarized and cross polarized returns.

Scattering from randomly oriented circular discs with application to vegetation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karam, M. A.; Fung, A. K.

1983-01-01

A vegetation layer is modeled by a collection of randomly oriented circular discs over a half space. The backscattering coefficient from such a half space is computed using the radiative transfer theory. It is shown that significantly different results are obtained from this theory as compared with some earlier investigations using the same modeling approach but with restricted disc orientations. In particular, the backscattered cross-polarized returns cannot have a fast increasing angular trend which is inconsistent with measurements. By setting the appropriate angle of orientation to zero the theory reduces to previously published results. Comparisons are shown with measurements taken from milo, corn and wheat and good agreements are obtained for both polarized and cross-polarized returns.

Ancient heliocentrists, Ptolemy, and the equant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rawlins, Dennis

1987-03-01

Evidence is presented suggesting an ancient heliocentrist origin for geocentrist C. Ptolemy's planetary orbit elements and the equant. Pliny's data for Venus are shown to be inconsistent with geocentricity, and a heliocentric period-relation is found to be the basis of Ptolemy's previously unexplained and astonishingly accurate tables of the mean motion of Mars, the very planet whose orbit produced the equant. The admirable correctness of his adopted Mars elements is patently inconsistent with the ordmag 1° inaccuracy of Ptolemy's geocentric model and of his alleged empirical production.

A paleozoic pangaea.

PubMed

Boucot, A J; Gray, J

1983-11-11

Paleozoic paleogeographies should be consistent with all available, reliable data. However, comparison of three different Devonian paleogeographies that are based largely or wholly on the data of remanent magnetism show them to be inconsistent in many regards. When these three paleogeographies are provided with possible ocean surface current circulation patterns, and have added to them lithofacies and biogeographic data, they also are shown to be inconsistent with such data. A pangaeic reconstruction positioned in the Southern Hemisphere permits the lithofacies and biogeographical data to be reconciled in a plausible manner.

Is WD 1437-008 a cataclysmic variable?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimansky, V. V.; Nurtdinova, D. N.; Borisov, N. V.; Spiridonova, O. I.

2011-10-01

Comprehensive observations of a close binary candidate WD 1437-008 are performed. The shape and amplitude of the observed brightness variations are shown to be inconsistent with the hypothesis of reflection effects, and the photometric period of the system, P phot = 0. d 2775, is found to differ from the period of spectral variations, P sp = 0. d 272060. As a result, WD 1437-008 has been preliminarily classified as a low-inclination cataclysmic variable.

Developmental changes in coping: situational and methodological influences.

PubMed

Vierhaus, Marc; Lohaus, Arnold; Ball, Juliane

2007-09-01

Previous studies on the development of coping have shown rather inconsistent findings regarding the developmental trajectories for different coping dimensions. The aim of this study is to search for possible influences that might explain these inconsistencies. The analysis focuses on methodological influences (longitudinal vs. cross-sectional assessments) and situational influences. Two samples of children were traced longitudinally with yearly assessments from grade 2 to 5 (sample 1, N =432) and from grade 4 to 7 (sample 2, N =366). A third sample (N =849) was added with cross-sectional assessments from grade 2 to 7. The assessed coping dimensions were related to (a) problem solving, (b) seeking social support, (c) palliative coping, (d) externalizing emotional coping, and (e) avoidant coping. The use of the coping strategies had to be assessed for six stress-evoking situations. The results show only small differences between the longitudinal and the cross-sectional coping assessments. There are, however, clear situational influences on the choice of the coping strategies and also on the resulting developmental trajectories.

Large-scale clustering of galaxies in the CfA Redshift Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

1992-01-01

The power spectrum of the galaxy distribution in the Center for Astrophysics Redshift Survey (de Lapparent et al., 1986; Geller and Huchra, 1989; and Huchra et al., 1992) is measured up to wavelengths of 200/h Mpc. Results are compared with several cosmological simulations with Gaussian initial conditions. It is shown that the power spectrum of the standard CDM model is inconsistent with the observed power spectrum at the 99 percent confidence level.

Physics of risk and uncertainty in quantum decision making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yukalov, V. I.; Sornette, D.

2009-10-01

The Quantum Decision Theory, developed recently by the authors, is applied to clarify the role of risk and uncertainty in decision making and in particular in relation to the phenomenon of dynamic inconsistency. By formulating this notion in precise mathematical terms, we distinguish three types of inconsistency: time inconsistency, planning paradox, and inconsistency occurring in some discounting effects. While time inconsistency is well accounted for in classical decision theory, the planning paradox is in contradiction with classical utility theory. It finds a natural explanation in the frame of the Quantum Decision Theory. Different types of discounting effects are analyzed and shown to enjoy a straightforward explanation within the suggested theory. We also introduce a general methodology based on self-similar approximation theory for deriving the evolution equations for the probabilities of future prospects. This provides a novel classification of possible discount factors, which include the previously known cases (exponential or hyperbolic discounting), but also predicts a novel class of discount factors that decay to a strictly positive constant for very large future time horizons. This class may be useful to deal with very long-term discounting situations associated with intergenerational public policy choices, encompassing issues such as global warming and nuclear waste disposal.

Some current problems in oxidation kinetics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benson, S. W.

1972-01-01

Experimental data in low temperature and high temperature oxidations are examined from the point of view of reported quantitative inconsistencies. Activation energies for tBuO2 metathesis reactions with alkanes appear to be 7 kcal/mole higher than for comparable reactions of HO2. Related isomerization reactions are examined in the light of these differences without reaching any simple conclusions. The Russell mechanism for a 6-membered, cyclic, transition state for termination of primary and secondary alkyl peroxy radicals is shown to be either inconsistent with thermochemical data, or else unique to solution reactions. Addition reactions of O3 with olefins and acetylenes are shown thermochemically to have the possibility of following concerted and biradical pathways, respectively. Recent data showing strong inhibition by PbO coated surfaces of both oxidation and pyrolysis of i-C4H10 are examined in terms of mechanism.

Comment on the Jordan-Brands-Dicke universes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz-Petzold, D.

1987-06-01

It is shown that the recently obtained Jordan-Brans-Dicke solutions by Chauvet and Guzmán (1986) are either inconsistent, or only special power-law solutions derived previously by Lorenz-Petzold in various papers.

Vitamin D and Hypertension.

PubMed

Jeong, Hye Yun; Park, Kyung Mi; Lee, Mi Jung; Yang, Dong Ho; Kim, Sang Hoon; Lee, So-Young

2017-09-01

Vitamin D has the pleiotropic effects in multiple organ systems, and vitamin D deficiency was suggested to be associated with high blood pressure according to previous reports. Several interventional studies have examined the effect of vitamin D supplementation on high blood pressure patients, but the results have been inconsistent. In this article, we examined the literature that have proposed a mechanism involving vitamin D in the regulation of blood pressure and review previous observational and interventional studies that have shown the relationship between vitamin D and hypertension among various populations.

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

Tuo, Rui; Jeff Wu, C. F.

Calibration parameters in deterministic computer experiments are those attributes that cannot be measured or available in physical experiments. Here, an approach to estimate them by using data from physical experiments and computer simulations. A theoretical framework is given which allows us to study the issues of parameter identifiability and estimation. We define the L 2-consistency for calibration as a justification for calibration methods. It is shown that a simplified version of the original KO method leads to asymptotically L 2-inconsistent calibration. This L 2-inconsistency can be remedied by modifying the original estimation procedure. A novel calibration method, called the Lmore » 2 calibration, is proposed and proven to be L 2-consistent and enjoys optimal convergence rate. Furthermore a numerical example and some mathematical analysis are used to illustrate the source of the L 2-inconsistency problem.« less

Representational coexistence in the God concept: Core knowledge intuitions of God as a person are not revised by Christian theology despite lifelong experience.

PubMed

Barlev, Michael; Mermelstein, Spencer; German, Tamsin C

2018-01-25

Previous research has shown that in the minds of young adult religious adherents, acquired theology about the extraordinary characteristics of God (e.g., omniscience) coexists with, rather than replaces, an initial concept of God formed by co-option of the person concept. We tested the hypothesis that representational coexistence holds even after extensive experience with Christian theology, as indexed by age. Christian religious adherents ranging in age from 18 to 87 years were asked to evaluate as true or false statements on which core knowledge intuitions about persons and Christian theology about God were consistent (both true or both false) or inconsistent (true on one and false on the other). Results showed, across adulthood, more theological errors in evaluating inconsistent versus consistent statements. Older adults also exhibited slower response times to inconsistent versus consistent statements. These findings show that despite extensive experience, indeed a lifetime of experience for some participants, the Christian theological God concept does not separate from the initial person concept from which it is formed. In fact, behavioral signatures of representational coexistence were not attenuated by experience. We discuss the broader implications of these findings to the acquisition of evolutionarily new concepts.

On correct evaluation techniques of brightness enhancement effect measurement data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kukačka, Leoš; Dupuis, Pascal; Motomura, Hideki; Rozkovec, Jiří; Kolář, Milan; Zissis, Georges; Jinno, Masafumi

2017-11-01

This paper aims to establish confidence intervals of the quantification of brightness enhancement effects resulting from the use of pulsing bright light. It is found that the methods used so far may yield significant bias in the published results, overestimating or underestimating the enhancement effect. The authors propose to use a linear algebra method called the total least squares. Upon an example dataset, it is shown that this method does not yield biased results. The statistical significance of the results is also computed. It is concluded over an observation set that the currently used linear algebra methods present many patterns of noise sensitivity. Changing algorithm details leads to inconsistent results. It is thus recommended to use the method with the lowest noise sensitivity. Moreover, it is shown that this method also permits one to obtain an estimate of the confidence interval. This paper neither aims to publish results about a particular experiment nor to draw any particular conclusion about existence or nonexistence of the brightness enhancement effect.

VIPER: a visualisation tool for exploring inheritance inconsistencies in genotyped pedigrees

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Pedigree genotype datasets are used for analysing genetic inheritance and to map genetic markers and traits. Such datasets consist of hundreds of related animals genotyped for thousands of genetic markers and invariably contain multiple errors in both the pedigree structure and in the associated individual genotype data. These errors manifest as apparent inheritance inconsistencies in the pedigree, and invalidate analyses of marker inheritance patterns across the dataset. Cleaning raw datasets of bad data points (incorrect pedigree relationships, unreliable marker assays, suspect samples, bad genotype results etc.) requires expert exploration of the patterns of exposed inconsistencies in the context of the inheritance pedigree. In order to assist this process we are developing VIPER (Visual Pedigree Explorer), a software tool that integrates an inheritance-checking algorithm with a novel space-efficient pedigree visualisation, so that reported inheritance inconsistencies are overlaid on an interactive, navigable representation of the pedigree structure. Methods and results This paper describes an evaluation of how VIPER displays the different scales and types of dataset that occur experimentally, with a description of how VIPER's display interface and functionality meet the challenges presented by such data. We examine a range of possible error types found in real and simulated pedigree genotype datasets, demonstrating how these errors are exposed and explored using the VIPER interface and we evaluate the utility and usability of the interface to the domain expert. Evaluation was performed as a two stage process with the assistance of domain experts (geneticists). The initial evaluation drove the iterative implementation of further features in the software prototype, as required by the users, prior to a final functional evaluation of the pedigree display for exploring the various error types, data scales and structures. Conclusions The VIPER display was shown to effectively expose the range of errors found in experimental genotyped pedigrees, allowing users to explore the underlying causes of reported inheritance inconsistencies. This interface will provide the basis for a full data cleaning tool that will allow the user to remove isolated bad data points, and reversibly test the effect of removing suspect genotypes and pedigree relationships. PMID:22607476

A Theoretical Framework for Calibration in Computer Models: Parametrization, Estimation and Convergence Properties

DOE PAGES

Tuo, Rui; Jeff Wu, C. F.

2016-07-19

Calibration parameters in deterministic computer experiments are those attributes that cannot be measured or available in physical experiments. Here, an approach to estimate them by using data from physical experiments and computer simulations. A theoretical framework is given which allows us to study the issues of parameter identifiability and estimation. We define the L 2-consistency for calibration as a justification for calibration methods. It is shown that a simplified version of the original KO method leads to asymptotically L 2-inconsistent calibration. This L 2-inconsistency can be remedied by modifying the original estimation procedure. A novel calibration method, called the Lmore » 2 calibration, is proposed and proven to be L 2-consistent and enjoys optimal convergence rate. Furthermore a numerical example and some mathematical analysis are used to illustrate the source of the L 2-inconsistency problem.« less

Erratum to. Energy calibration of gamma spectra in plastic scintillators using Compton kinematics [Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 594 (2008) 232–243

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

Siciliano, Edward R.; Ely, James H.; Kouzes, Richard T.

2009-11-01

In recent work at our laboratory, we were re-examining our data and found an inconsistency between the values listed for 137Cs in Table 2 (Siciliano et al. 2008) and results plotted for that source in Figures 11 and 12. In the course of fitting the parabolic function (Equation 4) to the Compton maxima, two ranges of channels were used when determining the parameters for 137Cs. The parabolic fit curve shown in Figure 11 resulted from fitting channels 50 to 70. The parameters for that fit are: are: A = 0.972(12), B = 1.42(24) x 10 -3, and C NO =more » 60.2(5). The parameters for 137Cs listed in Table 2 (and also used to determine the calibration relations in Figure 12—the main result of this paper) came from fitting the 137Cs data in channels 40 to 80. Although the curves plotted from these two different sets of parameters would be visually distinguishable in Figure 11, when incorporated with the other isotope values shown in Figure 12 to obtain the linear energy-channel fit, the 50-70 channel parameter set plus the correction from the Compton maximum to the Compton edge gives a negligible change in the slope [6.470(41) as opposed to the reported 6.454(15) keV/channel] and a small change in the intercept [41(8) as opposed to 47(3) keV] for the dashed line. The conclusions of the article therefore do not change as a result of this inconsistency.« less

The contributions of handedness and working memory to episodic memory.

PubMed

Sahu, Aparna; Christman, Stephen D; Propper, Ruth E

2016-11-01

Past studies have independently shown associations of working memory and degree of handedness with episodic memory retrieval. The current study takes a step ahead by examining whether handedness and working memory independently predict episodic memory. In agreement with past studies, there was an inconsistent-handed advantage for episodic memory; however, this advantage was absent for working memory tasks. Furthermore, regression analyses showed handedness, and complex working memory predicted episodic memory performance at different times. Results are discussed in light of theories of episodic memory and hemispheric interaction.

Chemopreventive Activity of Vitamin E in Breast Cancer: A Focus on γ- and δ-Tocopherol

PubMed Central

Smolarek, Amanda K.; Suh, Nanjoo

2011-01-01

Vitamin E consists of eight different variants: α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherols (saturated phytyl tail) and α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocotrienols (unsaturated phytyl tail). Cancer prevention studies with vitamin E have primarily utilized the variant α-tocopherol. To no avail, a majority of these studies focused on variant α-tocopherol with inconsistent results. However, γ-tocopherol, and more recently δ-tocopherol, have shown greater ability to reduce inflammation, cell proliferation, and tumor burden. Recent results have shown that γ-enriched mixed tocopherols inhibit the development of mammary hyperplasia and tumorigenesis in animal models. In this review, we discuss the possible differences between the variant forms, molecular targets, and cancer-preventive effects of tocopherols. We recommend that a γ-enriched mixture, γ- and δ-tocopherol, but not α-tocopherol, are promising agents for breast cancer prevention and warrant further investigation. PMID:22254089

Chemopreventive activity of vitamin E in breast cancer: a focus on γ- and δ-tocopherol.

PubMed

Smolarek, Amanda K; Suh, Nanjoo

2011-11-01

Vitamin E consists of eight different variants: α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherols (saturated phytyl tail) and α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocotrienols (unsaturated phytyl tail). Cancer prevention studies with vitamin E have primarily utilized the variant α-tocopherol. To no avail, a majority of these studies focused on variant α-tocopherol with inconsistent results. However, γ-tocopherol, and more recently δ-tocopherol, have shown greater ability to reduce inflammation, cell proliferation, and tumor burden. Recent results have shown that γ-enriched mixed tocopherols inhibit the development of mammary hyperplasia and tumorigenesis in animal models. In this review, we discuss the possible differences between the variant forms, molecular targets, and cancer-preventive effects of tocopherols. We recommend that a γ-enriched mixture, γ- and δ-tocopherol, but not α-tocopherol, are promising agents for breast cancer prevention and warrant further investigation.

Parental Inconsistency: A Third Cross-Cultural Research on Parenting and Psychological Adjustment of Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dwairy, Marwan

2010-01-01

Inconsistency in parenting is a factor that may influence children's mental health. A questionnaire, measuring three parental inconsistencies (temporal, situational, and father-mother inconsistency) was administered to adolescents in nine countries to assess its association with adolescents' psychological disorders. The results show that parental…

Resolving an ostensible inconsistency in calculating the evaporation rate of sessile drops.

PubMed

Chini, S F; Amirfazli, A

2017-05-01

This paper resolves an ostensible inconsistency in the literature in calculating the evaporation rate for sessile drops in a quiescent environment. The earlier models in the literature have shown that adapting the evaporation flux model for a suspended spherical drop to calculate the evaporation rate of a sessile drop needs a correction factor; the correction factor was shown to be a function of the drop contact angle, i.e. f(θ). However, there seemed to be a problem as none of the earlier models explicitly or implicitly mentioned the evaporation flux variations along the surface of a sessile drop. The more recent evaporation models include this variation using an electrostatic analogy, i.e. the Laplace equation (steady-state continuity) in a domain with a known boundary condition value, or known as the Dirichlet problem for Laplace's equation. The challenge is that the calculated evaporation rates using the earlier models seemed to differ from that of the recent models (note both types of models were validated in the literature by experiments). We have reinvestigated the recent models and found that the mathematical simplifications in solving the Dirichlet problem in toroidal coordinates have created the inconsistency. We also proposed a closed form approximation for f(θ) which is valid in a wide range, i.e. 8°≤θ≤131°. Using the proposed model in this study, theoretically, it was shown that the evaporation rate in the CWA (constant wetted area) mode is faster than the evaporation rate in the CCA (constant contact angle) mode for a sessile drop. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mechanistic insight into nuclear receptor-mediated regulation of bile acid metabolism and lipid homeostasis by grape seed procyanidin extract (GSPE).

PubMed

Downing, Laura E; Edgar, Daniel; Ellison, Patricia A; Ricketts, Marie-Louise

2017-01-01

Dietary procyanidins have emerged as important bioactive components that regulate various metabolic pathways to maintain homeostasis. Grape seed procyanidin extract (GSPE), in particular, has demonstrated regulatory effects on bile acid and lipid metabolism in vivo. While numerous studies in rodent models have shown the potent hypolipidemic action of grape seed extracts, human studies have shown inconsistent results. This review will focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying the hypolipidemic actions of GSPE identified to date, specifically highlighting the effects exerted via nuclear receptors. Such evidence may provide avenues for future research in human subjects with GSPE as a therapeutic treatment for the prevention and amelioration of the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comparing persistence and fecundity of Florida-ecotype and non-Florida-ecotype wildflowers

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-04-01

Wildflower plantings by Florida DOT have long shown inconsistency in establishment from one site to the next. One theory for this was that the wildflower seed was predominantly purchased from the western plains states, thus not well adapted to the su...

Direct Effects on the Membrane Potential due to "Pumps" that Transfer No Net Charge

PubMed Central

Schwartz, Tobias L.

1971-01-01

The effects of active ionic transport are included in the derivation of a general expression for the zero current membrane potential. It is demonstrated that an active transport system that transfers no net charge (nonrheogenic) may, nevertheless, directly alter the membrane potential. This effect depends upon the exchange of matter within the membrane between the active and passive diffusion regimes. Furthermore, in the presence of such exchange, the transmembrane active fluxes measured by the usual techniques and the local pumped fluxes are not identical. Several common uses of the term “electrogenic pump” are thus shown to be inconsistent with each other. These inconsistencies persist when the derivation is extended to produce a Goldman equation modified to account for active transport; however, that equation is shown to be limited by less narrow constraints on membrane heterogeneity and internal electric field than those previously required. In particular, it is applicable to idealized mosaic membranes limited by these requirements. PMID:5113004

-The Influence of Scene Context on Parafoveal Processing of Objects.

PubMed

Castelhano, Monica S; Pereira, Effie J

2017-04-21

Many studies in reading have shown the enhancing effect of context on the processing of a word before it is directly fixated (parafoveal processing of words; Balota et al., 1985; Balota & Rayner, 1983; Ehrlich & Rayner, 1981). Here, we examined whether scene context influences the parafoveal processing of objects and enhances the extraction of object information. Using a modified boundary paradigm (Rayner, 1975), the Dot-Boundary paradigm, participants fixated on a suddenly-onsetting cue before the preview object would onset 4° away. The preview object could be identical to the target, visually similar, visually dissimilar, or a control (black rectangle). The preview changed to the target object once a saccade toward the object was made. Critically, the objects were presented on either a consistent or an inconsistent scene background. Results revealed that there was a greater processing benefit for consistent than inconsistent scene backgrounds and that identical and visually similar previews produced greater processing benefits than other previews. In the second experiment, we added an additional context condition in which the target location was inconsistent, but the scene semantics remained consistent. We found that changing the location of the target object disrupted the processing benefit derived from the consistent context. Most importantly, across both experiments, the effect of preview was not enhanced by scene context. Thus, preview information and scene context appear to independently boost the parafoveal processing of objects without any interaction from object-scene congruency.

Robust Bayesian hypocentre and uncertainty region estimation: the effect of heavy-tailed distributions and prior information in cases with poor, inconsistent and insufficient arrival times

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinsson, J.

2013-03-01

We propose methods for robust Bayesian inference of the hypocentre in presence of poor, inconsistent and insufficient phase arrival times. The objectives are to increase the robustness, the accuracy and the precision by introducing heavy-tailed distributions and an informative prior distribution of the seismicity. The effects of the proposed distributions are studied under real measurement conditions in two underground mine networks and validated using 53 blasts with known hypocentres. To increase the robustness against poor, inconsistent or insufficient arrivals, a Gaussian Mixture Model is used as a hypocentre prior distribution to describe the seismically active areas, where the parameters are estimated based on previously located events in the region. The prior is truncated to constrain the solution to valid geometries, for example below the ground surface, excluding known cavities, voids and fractured zones. To reduce the sensitivity to outliers, different heavy-tailed distributions are evaluated to model the likelihood distribution of the arrivals given the hypocentre and the origin time. Among these distributions, the multivariate t-distribution is shown to produce the overall best performance, where the tail-mass adapts to the observed data. Hypocentre and uncertainty region estimates are based on simulations from the posterior distribution using Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques. Velocity graphs (equivalent to traveltime graphs) are estimated using blasts from known locations, and applied to reduce the main uncertainties and thereby the final estimation error. To focus on the behaviour and the performance of the proposed distributions, a basic single-event Bayesian procedure is considered in this study for clarity. Estimation results are shown with different distributions, with and without prior distribution of seismicity, with wrong prior distribution, with and without error compensation, with and without error description, with insufficient arrival times and in presence of significant outliers. A particular focus is on visual results and comparisons to give a better understanding of the Bayesian advantage and to show the effects of heavy-tailed distributions and informative prior information on real data.

Performance variability is related to change in cognition: evidence from the Victoria Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

MacDonald, Stuart W S; Hultsch, David F; Dixon, Roger A

2003-09-01

Performance variability across repeated task administrations may be an important indicator of age-related cognitive functioning. In the present investigation, the authors examined whether age differences and change in inconsistency were related to 6-year (3 occasion) cognitive change. Inconsistency scores were computed from 4 reaction time tasks performed by 446 older adults (54-89 years). Replicating previous cross-sectional results, greater inconsistency was observed for older participants even after controlling for differences in response speed. New longitudinal results demonstrated (a) associations between inconsistency at baseline measurement and 6-year change in cognitive performance; (b) longitudinal change in inconsistency; and (c) intraindividual covariation between 6-year change in inconsistency and 6-year change in level of cognitive function. These findings support the view that performance variability serves as a marker of cognitive aging.

Factor Structure of a Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale in Clinically-Referred Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobson, Lisa A.; Murphy-Bowman, Sarah C.; Pritchard, Alison E.; Tart-Zelvin, Ariana; Zabel, T. Andrew; Mahone, E. Mark

2012-01-01

"Sluggish cognitive tempo" (SCT) is a construct hypothesized to describe a constellation of behaviors that includes daydreaming, lethargy, drowsiness, difficulty sustaining attention, and underactivity. Although the construct has been inconsistently defined, measures of SCT have shown associations with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity…

Temporal variability of glucocorticoid receptor activity is functionally important for the therapeutic action of fluoxetine in the hippocampus.

PubMed

Lee, M-S; Kim, Y-H; Park, W-S; Park, O-K; Kwon, S-H; Hong, K S; Rhim, H; Shim, I; Morita, K; Wong, D L; Patel, P D; Lyons, D M; Schatzberg, A F; Her, S

2016-02-01

Previous studies have shown inconsistent results regarding the actions of antidepressants on glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signalling. To resolve these inconsistencies, we used a lentiviral-based reporter system to directly monitor rat hippocampal GR activity during stress adaptation. Temporal GR activation was induced significantly by acute stress, as demonstrated by an increase in the intra-individual variability of the acute stress group compared with the variability of the non-stress group. However, the increased intra-individual variability was dampened by exposure to chronic stress, which was partly restored by fluoxetine treatment without affecting glucocorticoid secretion. Immobility in the forced-swim test was negatively correlated with the intra-individual variability, but was not correlated with the quantitative GR activity during fluoxetine therapy; this highlights the temporal variability in the neurobiological links between GR signalling and the therapeutic action of fluoxetine. Furthermore, we demonstrated sequential phosphorylation between GR (S224) and (S232) following fluoxetine treatment, showing a molecular basis for hormone-independent nuclear translocation and transcriptional enhancement. Collectively, these results suggest a neurobiological mechanism by which fluoxetine treatment confers resilience to the chronic stress-mediated attenuation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity.

Stress stiffening and approximate equations in flexible multibody dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Padilla, Carlos E.; Vonflotow, Andreas H.

1993-01-01

A useful model for open chains of flexible bodies undergoing large rigid body motions, but small elastic deformations, is one in which the equations of motion are linearized in the small elastic deformations and deformation rates. For slow rigid body motions, the correctly linearized, or consistent, set of equations can be compared to prematurely linearized, or inconsistent, equations and to 'oversimplified,' or ruthless, equations through the use of open loop dynamic simulations. It has been shown that the inconsistent model should never be used, while the ruthless model should be used whenever possible. The consistent and inconsistent models differ by stress stiffening terms. These are due to zeroth-order stresses effecting virtual work via nonlinear strain-displacement terms. In this paper we examine in detail the nature of these stress stiffening terms and conclude that they are significant only when the associated zeroth-order stresses approach 'buckling' stresses. Finally it is emphasized that when the stress stiffening terms are negligible the ruthlessly linearized equations should be used.

The hormonal correlates of implicit power motivation

PubMed Central

Stanton, Steven J.; Schultheiss, Oliver C.

2009-01-01

Attempts to link testosterone to dominance dispositions using self-report measures of dominance have yielded inconsistent findings. Similarly, attempts to link testosterone changes to a situational outcome like winning or losing a dominance contest have yielded inconsistent findings. However, research has consistently shown that an indirect measure of an individual’s dominance disposition, implicit power motivation, is positively related to baseline testosterone levels and, in interaction with situational outcomes, predicts testosterone changes. We propose a hormonal model of implicit power motivation that describes how testosterone levels change as an interactive function of individuals’ implicit power motivation and dominance situations. We also propose that estradiol, and not testosterone, plays a key role in dominance motivation in women. PMID:20161646

On the classic and modern theories of matching.

PubMed

McDowell, J J

2005-07-01

Classic matching theory, which is based on Herrnstein's (1961) original matching equation and includes the well-known quantitative law of effect, is almost certainly false. The theory is logically inconsistent with known experimental findings, and experiments have shown that its central constant-k assumption is not tenable. Modern matching theory, which is based on the power function version of the original matching equation, remains tenable, although it has not been discussed or studied extensively. The modern theory is logically consistent with known experimental findings, it predicts the fact and details of the violation of the classic theory's constant-k assumption, and it accurately describes at least some data that are inconsistent with the classic theory.

Sugar-sweetened beverage but not diet soda consumption is positively associated with progression of insulin resistance and prediabetes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Previous studies have shown an inconsistent relationship between habitual beverage consumption and insulin resistance and prediabetes. Objective: The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), rather than diet soda,...

Dimensions of Psychopathy and Their Relationships to Cognitive Functioning in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fontaine, Nathalie; Barker, Edward D.; Salekin, Randall T.; Viding, Essi

2008-01-01

Individuals with psychopathic traits are hypothesized to be free of intellectual deficits and possibly even to exhibit good cognitive abilities. Previous studies, based on clinical and incarcerated youth, have shown inconsistent findings. We investigated the relationships between different dimensions of psychopathy (callous/unemotional traits,…

Effect of environmental exposure to hydrogen sulfide on central nervous system and respiratory function: a systematic review of human studies

PubMed Central

Lim, Eunjung; Mbowe, Omar; Lee, Angela S. W.; Davis, James

2016-01-01

Background Assessment of the health effects of low-level exposure to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on humans through experiments, industrial, and community studies has shown inconsistent results. Objective To critically appraise available studies investigating the effect of H2S on the central nervous system (CNS) and on respiratory function. Methods A search was conducted in 16 databases for articles published between January 1980 and July 2014. Two researchers independently evaluated potentially relevant papers based on a set of inclusion/exclusion criteria. Results Twenty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria: 6 experimental, 12 industry-based studies, and 10 community-based studies (one article included both experimental and industry-based studies). The results of the systematic review varied by study setting and quality. Several community-based studies reported associations between day-to-day variations in H2S levels and health outcomes among patients with chronic respiratory conditions. However, evidence from the largest and better-designed community-based studies did not support that chronic, ambient H2S exposure has health effects on the CNS or respiratory function. Results from industry-based studies varied, reflecting the diversity of settings and the broad range of H2S exposures. Most studies did not have individual measurements of H2S exposure. Discussion The results across studies were inconsistent, justifying the need for further research. PMID:27128692

Selected aspects of lunar mare geology from Apollo orbital photography. [of lunar craters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, R. A.; Brennan, W. J.

1976-01-01

Crater size-frequency distributions were studied (100-500 m) and are shown to provide significant integrated information concerning mare surface ages, subsurface stratigraphy, and surficial geology. Equilibrium cratering is discussed gradually reducing the relative numbers of craters smaller than 300-400 m in diameter as surfaces age and regolith thickens. Results for surface ages are in good agreement with other published crater ages. The existing correlations of large ring structures among various circular mare basins are shown to be based on criteria that are inconsistent and nonstandardized. A means of comparing equivalent ring structures in the different maria is proposed which takes into account the important characteristics of young unflooded basins (Orientale) as well as the progressive development of tectonic and volcanic features within the older flooded maria. Specific geologic aspects of several of the lunar maria are discussed and especially Mare Smythii, because of its great age and significantly different surface morphology. Lunar photographs and maps are shown.

Stochastic Growth of Ion Cyclotron And Mirror Waves In Earth's Magnetosheath

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cairns, Iver H.; Grubits, K. A.

2001-01-01

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron and mirror waves in Earth's magnetosheath are bursty, have widely variable fields, and are unexpectedly persistent, properties difficult to reconcile with uniform secular growth. Here it is shown for specific periods that stochastic growth theory (SGT) quantitatively accounts for the functional form of the wave statistics and qualitatively explains the wave properties. The wave statistics are inconsistent with uniform secular growth or self-organized criticality, but nonlinear processes sometimes play a role at high fields. The results show SGT's relevance near marginal stability and suggest that it is widely relevant to space and astrophysical plasmas.

Selective attention during scene perception: evidence from negative priming.

PubMed

Gordon, Robert D

2006-10-01

In two experiments, we examined the role of semantic scene content in guiding attention during scene viewing. In each experiment, performance on a lexical decision task was measured following the brief presentation of a scene. The lexical decision stimulus named an object that was either present or not present in the scene. The results of Experiment 1 revealed no priming from inconsistent objects (whose identities conflicted with the scene in which they appeared), but negative priming from consistent objects. The results of Experiment 2 indicated that negative priming from consistent objects occurs only when inconsistent objects are present in the scenes. Together, the results suggest that observers are likely to attend to inconsistent objects, and that representations of consistent objects are suppressed in the presence of an inconsistent object. Furthermore, the data suggest that inconsistent objects draw attention because they are relatively difficult to identify in an inappropriate context.

Cooperative knowledge evolution: a construction-integration approach to knowledge discovery in medicine.

PubMed

Schmalhofer, F J; Tschaitschian, B

1998-11-01

In this paper, we perform a cognitive analysis of knowledge discovery processes. As a result of this analysis, the construction-integration theory is proposed as a general framework for developing cooperative knowledge evolution systems. We thus suggest that for the acquisition of new domain knowledge in medicine, one should first construct pluralistic views on a given topic which may contain inconsistencies as well as redundancies. Only thereafter does this knowledge become consolidated into a situation-specific circumscription and the early inconsistencies become eliminated. As a proof for the viability of such knowledge acquisition processes in medicine, we present the IDEAS system, which can be used for the intelligent documentation of adverse events in clinical studies. This system provides a better documentation of the side-effects of medical drugs. Thereby, knowledge evolution occurs by achieving consistent explanations in increasingly larger contexts (i.e., more cases and more pharmaceutical substrates). Finally, it is shown how prototypes, model-based approaches and cooperative knowledge evolution systems can be distinguished as different classes of knowledge-based systems.

Handedness differences in information framing.

PubMed

Jasper, John D; Fournier, Candice; Christman, Stephen D

2014-02-01

Previous research has shown that strength of handedness predicts differences in sensory illusions, Stroop interference, episodic memory, and beliefs about body image. Recent evidence also suggests handedness differences in the susceptibility to common decision biases such as anchoring and sunk cost. The present paper extends this line of work to attribute framing effects. Sixty-three undergraduates were asked to advise a friend concerning the use of a safe allergy medication during pregnancy. A third of the participants received negatively-framed information concerning the fetal risk of the drug (1-3% chance of having a malformed child); another third received positively-framed information (97-99% chance of having a normal child); and the final third received no counseling information and served as the control. Results indicated that, as predicted, inconsistent (mixed)-handers were more responsive than consistent (strong)-handers to information changes and readily update their beliefs. Although not significant, the data also suggested that only inconsistent handers were affected by information framing. Theoretical implications as well as ongoing work in holistic versus analytic processing, contextual sensitivity, and brain asymmetry will be discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A review of expectancy theory and alcohol consumption.

PubMed

Jones, B T; Corbin, W; Fromme, K

2001-01-01

Research is reviewed on the association between alcohol outcome expectancies and consumption which has led many to argue that manipulating expectancies might be a route to manipulating consumption for problem prevention and treatment. Studies indirectly and directly evaluating this latter position are reviewed. Expectancies predicting treatment outcome: two studies have shown that the more positive expectancies held at treatment, the poorer is treatment outcome, but five other studies have failed to find this. Three related studies have shown that the more negative expectancies held at treatment, the better the treatment outcome. This evaluation provides evidence inconsistent with the main position for positive expectancy and limited support for negative. Expectancy manipulations and ad libitum consumption: three studies in the laboratory have shown that increasing positive expectancies through word priming increases subsequent consumption and two studies have shown that increasing negative expectancies decreases it. A single study in the field showed a similar relationship. This evaluation provides evidence consistent with the main position but is limited by measuring consumption changes over only 1-2 hours. Prevention programmes with expectancy components: seven projects are reviewed in which positive expectancies were targeted, but only two report an expectancy change analysis and in both cases the expectancy change did not relate to subsequent consumption. This evaluation provides evidence inconsistent with the main position. Expectancy challenge: two related studies are reviewed in which positive expectancy challenges reduce subsequent consumption but changes in expectancy were not evaluated as predictors of consumption change. Two studies are reviewed which found a reduction in positive expectancy following expectancy challenge but no reduction in consumption. One study is reviewed in which when negative expectancy was increased in treatment there was a better treatment outcome at 3 months follow-up than when it was not. This evaluation provides evidence inconsistent with the main position for positive expectancy and limited consistent evidence for negative. It is concluded that the research has still to be done that securely links expectancy manipulations with subsequent changes in consumption, and fulfils the early promise from association studies.

Effect of environmental exposure to hydrogen sulfide on central nervous system and respiratory function: a systematic review of human studies.

PubMed

Lim, Eunjung; Mbowe, Omar; Lee, Angela S W; Davis, James

2016-01-01

Assessment of the health effects of low-level exposure to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on humans through experiments, industrial, and community studies has shown inconsistent results. To critically appraise available studies investigating the effect of H2S on the central nervous system (CNS) and on respiratory function. A search was conducted in 16 databases for articles published between January 1980 and July 2014. Two researchers independently evaluated potentially relevant papers based on a set of inclusion/exclusion criteria. Twenty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria: 6 experimental, 12 industry-based studies, and 10 community-based studies (one article included both experimental and industry-based studies). The results of the systematic review varied by study setting and quality. Several community-based studies reported associations between day-to-day variations in H2S levels and health outcomes among patients with chronic respiratory conditions. However, evidence from the largest and better-designed community-based studies did not support that chronic, ambient H2S exposure has health effects on the CNS or respiratory function. Results from industry-based studies varied, reflecting the diversity of settings and the broad range of H2S exposures. Most studies did not have individual measurements of H2S exposure. The results across studies were inconsistent, justifying the need for further research.

Learning to Detect Deception from Evasive Answers and Inconsistencies across Repeated Interviews: A Study with Lay Respondents and Police Officers

PubMed Central

Masip, Jaume; Martínez, Carmen; Blandón-Gitlin, Iris; Sánchez, Nuria; Herrero, Carmen; Ibabe, Izaskun

2018-01-01

Previous research has shown that inconsistencies across repeated interviews do not indicate deception because liars deliberately tend to repeat the same story. However, when a strategic interview approach that makes it difficult for liars to use the repeat strategy is used, both consistency and evasive answers differ significantly between truth tellers and liars, and statistical software (binary logistic regression analyses) can reach high classification rates (Masip et al., 2016b). Yet, if the interview procedure is to be used in applied settings the decision process will be made by humans, not statistical software. To address this issue, in the current study, 475 college students (Experiment 1) and 142 police officers (Experiment 2) were instructed to code and use consistency, evasive answers, or a combination or both before judging the veracity of Masip et al.'s (2016b) interview transcripts. Accuracy rates were high (60% to over 90%). Evasive answers yielded higher rates than consistency, and the combination of both these cues produced the highest accuracy rates in identifying both truthful and deceptive statements. Uninstructed participants performed fairly well (around 75% accuracy), apparently because they spontaneously used consistency and evasive answers. The pattern of results was the same among students, all officers, and veteran officers only, and shows that inconsistencies between interviews and evasive answers reveal deception when a strategic interview approach that hinders the repeat strategy is used. PMID:29354078

The Straight-Down Belief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCloskey, Michael; And Others

Through everyday experience people acquire knowledge about how moving objects behave. For example, if a rock is thrown up into the air, it will fall back to earth. Research has shown that people's ideas about why moving objects behave as they do are often quite inconsistent with the principles of classical mechanics. In fact, many people hold a…

Executive Functions in Asperger's Syndrome: An Empirical Investigation of Verbal and Nonverbal Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCrimmon, Adam W.; Schwean, Vicki L.; Saklofske, Donald H.; Montgomery, Janine M.; Brady, Danielle I.

2012-01-01

Deficits in executive functioning (EF) have been proposed to underlie the behavioural patterns of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. Researchers have shown that the Asperger's syndrome (AS) population performs more poorly than typically developing controls on many EF tasks. However, the research literature is inconsistent in identifying…

Confirmatory Analyses of Perfectionism on High School Students in Taipei

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeh, Yating; Ting, Yuanyu

2008-01-01

Perfectionism has been related to an individual's academic performance and mental health. Western research on perfectionism has shown inconsistent factor structures of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS). This study recruited 283 high school students ranging from 15 to 18 years old from urban areas in Taipei to examine factors of…

Dietary Antioxidants as Modifiers of Physiologic Adaptations to Exercise

PubMed Central

Mankowski, Robert T.; Anton, Stephen D.; Buford, Thomas W.; Leeuwenburgh, Christiaan

2015-01-01

Adaptive responses to exercise training (ET) are crucial in maintaining physiological homeostasis and health span. Exercise-induced aerobic bioenergetic reactions in mitochondria and cytosol increase production of reactive oxygen species (ROSs), where excess of ROS can be scavenged by enzymatic as well as non-enzymatic antioxidants to protect against deleterious oxidative stress. Free radicals, however, have recently been recognized as crucial signaling agents that promote adaptive mechanisms to ET, such as mitochondrial biogenesis, antioxidant (AO) enzyme activity defense system upregulation, insulin sensitivity, and glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. Commonly used non-enzymatic AO supplements, such as vitamins C and E, a-lipoic acid, and polyphenols, in combination with ET, have been proposed as ways to prevent exercise-induced oxidative stress and hence improve adaptation responses to endurance training. Preclinical and clinical studies to date have shown inconsistent results indicating either positive or negative effects of endurance training combined with different blends of AO supplements (mostly vitamins C and E and a-lipoic acid) on redox status, mitochondrial biogenesis pathways, and insulin sensitivity. Preclinical reports on ET combined with resveratrol, however, have shown consistent positive effects on exercise performance, mitochondrial biogenesis, and insulin sensitivity, with clinical trials reporting mixed effects. Relevant clinical studies have been few and have used inconsistent results and methodology (types of compounds, combinations, and supplementation time). The future studies would investigate the effects of specific antioxidants and other popular supplements, such as a-lipoic acid and resveratrol, on training effects in humans. Of particular importance are older adults who may be at higher risk of age-related increased oxidative stress, an impaired AO enzyme defense system, and comorbidities such as hypertension, insulin resistance, and diabetes. PMID:25606815

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

Puls, R.W.; Powell, R.M.

R.S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory (RSKERL) personnel have evaluated sampling procedures for the collection of representative, accurate, and reproducible ground water quality samples for metals for the past four years. Intensive sampling research at three different field sites has shown that the method by which samples are collected has a greater impact on sample quality, accuracy, and reproducibility than whether the samples are filtered or not. In particular, sample collection practices that induce artifically high levels of turbidity have been shown to have the greatest negative impacts on sample quality. Results indicated the ineffectiveness of bailer for collection of representativemore » metal samples. Inconsistent operator usage together with excessive purging generally resulted in excessive turbidity and large differences in filtered and unfiltered metal samples. The use of low flow rate purging and sampling consistently produced filtered and unfiltered samples that showed no significant differences in concentrations. Turbidity levels were generally less than 5 NTUs, even in fine-textured glacial till. The authors recommend the use of low flow rates, during both purging and sampling.« less

Mood-dependent integration in discourse comprehension: happy and sad moods affect consistency processing via different brain networks.

PubMed

Egidi, Giovanna; Caramazza, Alfonso

2014-12-01

According to recent research on language comprehension, the semantic features of a text are not the only determinants of whether incoming information is understood as consistent. Listeners' pre-existing affective states play a crucial role as well. The current fMRI experiment examines the effects of happy and sad moods during comprehension of consistent and inconsistent story endings, focusing on brain regions previously linked to two integration processes: inconsistency detection, evident in stronger responses to inconsistent endings, and fluent processing (accumulation), evident in stronger responses to consistent endings. The analysis evaluated whether differences in the BOLD response for consistent and inconsistent story endings correlated with self-reported mood scores after a mood induction procedure. Mood strongly affected regions previously associated with inconsistency detection. Happy mood increased sensitivity to inconsistency in regions specific for inconsistency detection (e.g., left IFG, left STS), whereas sad mood increased sensitivity to inconsistency in regions less specific for language processing (e.g., right med FG, right SFG). Mood affected more weakly regions involved in accumulation of information. These results show that mood can influence activity in areas mediating well-defined language processes, and highlight that integration is the result of context-dependent mechanisms. The finding that language comprehension can involve different networks depending on people's mood highlights the brain's ability to reorganize its functions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sampling artifacts in perspective and stereo displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfautz, Jonathan D.

2001-06-01

The addition of stereo cues to perspective displays is generally expected to improve the perception of depth. However, the display's pixel array samples both perspective and stereo depth cues, introducing inaccuracies and inconsistencies into the representation of an object's depth. The position, size and disparity of an object will be inaccurately presented and size and disparity will be inconsistently presented across depth. These inconsistencies can cause the left and right edges of an object to appear at different stereo depths. This paper describes how these inconsistencies result in conflicts between stereo and perspective depth information. A relative depth judgement task was used to explore these conflicts. Subjects viewed two objects and reported which appeared closer. Three conflicts resulting from inconsistencies caused by sampling were examined: (1) Perspective size and location versus stereo disparity. (2) Perspective size versus perspective location and stereo disparity. (3) Left and right edge disparity versus perspective size and location. In the first two cases, subjects achieved near-perfect accuracy when perspective and disparity cues were complementary. When size and disparity were inconsistent and thus in conflict, stereo dominated perspective. Inconsistency between the disparities of the horizontal edges of an object confused the subjects, even when complementary perspective and stereo information was provided. Since stereo was the dominant cue and was ambiguous across the object, this led to significantly reduced accuracy. Edge inconsistencies also led to more complaints about visual fatigue and discomfort.

Distributions of tunnel splittings in quantum tunneling of magnetization in the single-molecule magnet, manganese12-acetate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mertes, Kevin Mathias

I present the results of an experimental investigation of quantum tunneling of magnetization in the single molecule magnet, Mn12-acetate, for magnetic fields applied along the easy c-axis of the crystal. Magnetization measurements for temperatures below 2 Kelvin reveal new properties of the nature of tunneling in Mn12-acetate: an abrupt cross-over from thermally-assisted tunneling to pure ground state tunneling, strong suppression of ground state tunneling for temperatures corresponding to the thermally activated regime and the unexpected dependence of the tunnel splitting determined from the Landau-Zener-Stueckelberg formalism on the magnetic field sweep rate. It is shown that the measured data is inconsistent with a system of identical molecules. The data is shown to be consistent with the presence of a broad log-normal distribution of second order transverse anisotropy which drives the tunneling process. A general method of determining the distribution is developed.

Coupling Detonation Shock Dynamics in a Consistent Manner to Equations of State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belfield, William

2017-06-01

In hydrocode simulations, detonating high explosives (HE) are often modelled using programmed burn. Each HE cell is assigned a ``burn time'' at which it should begin to behave as HE products in the subsequent simulation. Traditionally, these burn times were calculated using a Huygens construction to propagate the detonation wave at a constant speed corresponding to the planar Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) velocity. The Detonation Shock Dynamics (DSD) model improves upon this approach by treating the local detonation velocity as a function of wave curvature, reflecting that the detonation speed is not constant in reality. However, without alterations being made, this variable detonation velocity is inconsistent with the CJ velocity associated with the HE products equation of state (EOS). Previous work has shown that the inconsistency can be resolved by modifying the HE product EOS, but this treatment is empirical in nature and has only been applied to the JWL EOS. This work investigates different methods to resolve the inconsistency that are applicable both to JWL and to tabular HE product EOS, and their impact on hydrocode simulations.

Point and Click, Carefully: Investigating Inconsistent Response Styles in Middle School and College Students Involved in Web-Based Longitudinal Substance Use Research

PubMed Central

Wardell, Jeffrey D.; Rogers, Michelle L.; Simms, Leonard J.; Jackson, Kristina M.; Read, Jennifer P.

2014-01-01

This study investigated inconsistent responding to survey items by participants involved in longitudinal, web-based substance use research. We also examined cross-sectional and prospective predictors of inconsistent responding. Middle school (N = 1,023) and college students (N = 995) from multiple sites in the United States responded to online surveys assessing substance use and related variables in three waves of data collection. We applied a procedure for creating an index of inconsistent responding at each wave that involved identifying pairs of items with considerable redundancy and calculating discrepancies in responses to these items. Inconsistent responding was generally low in the Middle School sample and moderate in the College sample, with individuals showing only modest stability in inconsistent responding over time. Multiple regression analyses identified several baseline variables—including demographic, personality, and behavioral variables—that were uniquely associated with inconsistent responding both cross-sectionally and prospectively. Alcohol and substance involvement showed some bivariate associations with inconsistent responding, but these associations largely were accounted for by other factors. The results suggest that high levels of carelessness or inconsistency do not appear to characterize participants’ responses to longitudinal web-based surveys of substance use and support the use of inconsistency indices as a tool for identifying potentially problematic responders. PMID:24092819

Building an information model (with the help of PSL/PSA). [Problem Statement Language/Problem Statement Analyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callender, E. D.; Farny, A. M.

1983-01-01

Problem Statement Language/Problem Statement Analyzer (PSL/PSA) applications, which were once a one-step process in which product system information was immediately translated into PSL statements, have in light of experience been shown to result in inconsistent representations. These shortcomings have prompted the development of an intermediate step, designated the Product System Information Model (PSIM), which provides a basis for the mutual understanding of customer terminology and the formal, conceptual representation of that product system in a PSA data base. The PSIM is initially captured as a paper diagram, followed by formal capture in the PSL/PSA data base.

Inconsistency in serial choice decision and motor reaction times dissociate in younger and older adults.

PubMed

Bunce, David; MacDonald, Stuart W S; Hultsch, David F

2004-12-01

Intraindividual variability (inconsistency) in reaction time (RT) latencies was investigated in a group of younger (M=25.46 years) and older (M=69.29 years) men. Both groups performed 300 trials in 2-, 4-, and 8-choice RT conditions where RTs for decision and motor components of the task were recorded separately. A dissociation was evident in that inconsistency was greater in older adults for decision RTs when task demands relating to the number of choices and fatigue arising from time-on-task were high. For younger persons, a weak trend toward greater inconsistency in motor RTs was evident. The results are consistent with accounts suggesting that inconsistency in neurobiological mechanisms increases with age, and that attentional lapses or fluctuations in executive control contribute to RT inconsistency.

The relationship between virtual body ownership and temperature sensitivity

PubMed Central

Llobera, Joan; Sanchez-Vives, M. V.; Slater, Mel

2013-01-01

In the rubber hand illusion, tactile stimulation seen on a rubber hand, that is synchronous with tactile stimulation felt on the hidden real hand, can lead to an illusion of ownership over the rubber hand. This illusion has been shown to produce a temperature decrease in the hidden hand, suggesting that such illusory ownership produces disownership of the real hand. Here, we apply immersive virtual reality (VR) to experimentally investigate this with respect to sensitivity to temperature change. Forty participants experienced immersion in a VR with a virtual body (VB) seen from a first-person perspective. For half the participants, the VB was consistent in posture and movement with their own body, and in the other half, there was inconsistency. Temperature sensitivity on the palm of the hand was measured before and during the virtual experience. The results show that temperature sensitivity decreased in the consistent compared with the inconsistent condition. Moreover, the change in sensitivity was significantly correlated with the subjective illusion of virtual arm ownership but modulated by the illusion of ownership over the full VB. This suggests that a full body ownership illusion results in a unification of the virtual and real bodies into one overall entity—with proprioception and tactile sensations on the real body integrated with the visual presence of the VB. The results are interpreted in the framework of a ‘body matrix’ recently introduced into the literature. PMID:23720537

Student Effort in Preparing for Exams: Intertemporal Preferences and Loss Aversion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wüst, Kirsten; Beck, Hanno

2012-01-01

In the last two decades, much empirical research has been done in the field of behavioral economics to explain the psychological foundations for economic decisions. In particular, it has been shown that people exhibit time-inconsistent behavior when making intertemporal decisions, i.e., they demand higher interest rates for a delay of their…

Mixed Messages: Inconsistent Sexual Scripts in Australian Teenage Magazines and Implications for Sexual Health Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Melanie C.

2018-01-01

Condom use among Australian adolescents has been shown to be variable, despite good knowledge among this group about sexual health risks and the promotion of condoms as a simple way to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections. This study explores dominant constructions of condom use within two Australian lifestyle magazines targeted…

Clausius-Clapeyron Equation and Saturation Vapour Pressure: Simple Theory Reconciled with Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koutsoyiannis, Demetris

2012-01-01

While the Clausius-Clapeyron equation is very important as it determines the saturation vapour pressure, in practice it is replaced by empirical, typically Magnus-type, equations which are more accurate. It is shown that the reduced accuracy reflects an inconsistent assumption that the latent heat of vaporization is constant. Not only is this…

Constructivist, Problem-Based Learning Does Work: A Meta-Analysis of Curricular Comparisons Involving a Single Medical School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Henk G.; van der Molen, Henk T.; te Winkel, Wilco W. R.; Wijnen, Wynand H. F. W.

2009-01-01

Effects of problem-based learning as reported in curricular comparison studies have been shown to be inconsistent over different medical schools. Therefore, we decided to summarize effects of a single well-established problem-based curriculum rather than to add up sometimes-conflicting findings from different problem-based curricula. Effect sizes…

A Purple Giraffe Is Faster than a Purple Elephant: Inconsistent Phonology Affects Determiner Selection in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spalek, Katharina; Bock, Kathryn; Schriefers, Herbert

2010-01-01

The form of a determiner is dependent on different contextual factors: in some languages grammatical number and grammatical gender determine the choice of a determiner variant. In other languages, the phonological onset of the element immediately following the determiner affects selection, too. Previous work has shown that the activation of…

Structural Changes of Lumbar Muscles in Non-specific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Goubert, Dorien; Oosterwijck, Jessica Van; Meeus, Mira; Danneels, Lieven

2016-01-01

Lumbar muscle dysfunction due to pain might be related to altered lumbar muscle structure. Macroscopically, muscle degeneration in low back pain (LBP) is characterized by a decrease in cross-sectional area and an increase in fat infiltration in the lumbar paraspinal muscles. In addition microscopic changes, such as changes in fiber distribution, might occur. Inconsistencies in results from different studies make it difficult to draw firm conclusions on which structural changes are present in the different types of non-specific LBP. Insights regarding structural muscle alterations in LBP are, however, important for prevention and treatment of non-specific LBP. The goal of this article is to review which macro- and/or microscopic structural alterations of the lumbar muscles occur in case of non-specific chronic low back pain (CLBP), recurrent low back pain (RLBP), and acute low back pain (ALBP). Systematic review. All selected studies were case-control studies. A systematic literature search was conducted in the databases PubMed and Web of Science. Only full texts of original studies regarding structural alterations (atrophy, fat infiltration, and fiber type distribution) in lumbar muscles of patients with non-specific LBP compared to healthy controls were included. All included articles were scored on methodological quality. Fifteen studies were found eligible after screening title, abstract, and full text for inclusion and exclusion criteria. In CLBP, moderate evidence of atrophy was found in the multifidus; whereas, results in the paraspinal and the erector spinae muscle remain inconclusive. Also moderate evidence occurred in RLBP and ALBP, where no atrophy was shown in any lumbar muscle. Conflicting results were seen in undefined LBP groups. Results concerning fat infiltration were inconsistent in CLBP. On the other hand, there is moderate evidence in RLBP that fat infiltration does not occur, although a larger muscle fat index was found in the erector spinae, multifidus, and paraspinal muscles, reflecting an increased relative amount of intramuscular lipids in RLBP. However, no studies were found investigating fat infiltration in ALBP. Restricted evidence indicates no abnormalities in fiber type in the paraspinal muscles in CLBP. No studies have examined fiber type in ALBP and RLBP. Lack of clarity concerning patient definitions, exact LBP symptoms, and applied methods. The results indicate atrophy in CLBP in the multifidus and paraspinal muscles but not in the erector spinae. No atrophy was shown in RLBP and ALBP. Fat infiltration did not occur in RLBP, but results in CLBP were inconsistent. No abnormalities in fiber type in the paraspinal muscles were found in CLBP. Low back pain, non-specific, chronic, recurrent, acute, muscle structure, fat infiltration, cross-sectional area, fiber type, review.

A magnetic pulse does not affect homing pigeon navigation: a GPS tracking experiment.

PubMed

Holland, Richard; Filannino, Caterina; Gagliardo, Anna

2013-06-15

The cues by which homing pigeons are able to return to a home loft after displacement to unfamiliar release sites remain debated. A number of experiments in which migratory birds have been treated with a magnetic pulse have produced a disruption in their orientation, which argues that a ferrimagnetic sense is used for navigation in birds. One previous experiment has also indicated an effect of magnetic pulses on homing pigeon navigation, although with inconsistent results. Previous studies have shown that some magnetic-related information is transmitted by the trigeminal nerve to the brain in some bird species, including the homing pigeon. The function of this information is still unclear. It has been suggested that this information is important for navigation. Previous studies with trigeminal nerve lesioned homing pigeons have clearly shown that the lack of trigeminally mediated information, even if magnetic, is not crucial for homing performance. However, this result does not completely exclude the possibility that other ferrimagnetic receptors in the homing pigeon play a role in navigation. Additionally, recent studies on homing pigeons suggested the existence of a ferrimagnetic sense in a novel location presumably located in the inner ear (lagena). In the present study, we tested whether any ferrimagnetic magnetoreceptors, irrespective of their location in the bird's head, are involved in pigeons' homing. To do this, we treated homing pigeons with a strong magnetic pulse before release, tracked birds with GPS loggers and analyzed whether this treatment affected homing performance. In the single previous magnetic pulse experiment on homing pigeons, only initial orientation at a release site was considered and the results were inconsistent. We observed no effect of the magnetic pulse at any of the sites used on initial orientation, homing performance, tortuosity or track efficiency, which does not support a role for the ferrimagnetic sense in homing pigeon navigation, at least not in this geographic area, where magnetic field variations are in the region of 200 nT intensity and 0.8 deg inclination.

Testing the internal consistency of the standard gamble in 'success' and 'failure' frames.

PubMed

Oliver, Adam

2004-06-01

Decision making behaviour has often been shown to vary following changes in the way in which choice problems are described (or 'framed'). Moreover, a number of researchers have demonstrated that the standard gamble is prone to internal inconsistency, and loss aversion has been proposed as an explanation for this observed bias. This study attempts to alter the influence of loss aversion by framing the treatment arm of the standard gamble in terms of success (where we may expect the influence of loss aversion to be relatively weak) and in terms of failure (where we may expect the influence of loss aversion to be relatively strong). The objectives of the study are (1) to test whether standard gamble values vary when structurally identical gambles are differentially framed, and (2) to test whether the standard gamble is equally prone to internal inconsistency across the two frames. The results show that compared to framing in terms of treatment success, significantly higher values were inferred when the gamble was framed in terms of treatment failure. However, there was no difference in the quite marked levels of internal inconsistency observed in both frames. It is possible that the essential construct of the standard gamble induces substantial and/or widespread loss aversion irrespective of the way in which the gamble is framed, which offers a fundamental challenge to the usefulness of this value elicitation instrument. It is therefore recommended that further tests are undertaken on more sophisticated corrective procedures designed to limit the influence of loss aversion.

Inconsistencies among secondary sources of Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) introductions to the United States.

PubMed

Moulton, Michael P; Cropper, Wendell P; Broz, Andrew J

2015-01-01

The propagule pressure hypothesis asserts that the number of individuals released is the key determinant of whether an introduction will succeed or not. It remains to be shown whether propagule pressure is more important than either species-level or site-level factors in determining the fate of an introduction. Studies claiming to show that propagule pressure is the primary determinant of introduction success must assume that the historical record as reported by secondary sources is complete and accurate. Here, examine a widely introduced game bird, the Chukar (Alectoris chukar), to the USA. We compare the records reported by two secondary sources (Long, 1981; Lever, 1987) to those in a primary source (Christensen, 1970) and to a recent study by Sol et al. (2012). Numerous inconsistencies exist in the records reported by Sol et al. (2012), Long (1981) and Lever (1987) when compared to the primary record of Christensen (1970). As reported by Christensen (1970), very large numbers of Chukars were released unsuccessfully in some states. Our results strongly imply that factors other than sheer numbers are more important. Site-to-site differences are the most likely explanation for the variation in success.

Accuracy of responses from postal surveys about continuing medical education and information behavior: experiences from a survey among German diabetologists

PubMed Central

Trelle, Sven

2002-01-01

Background Postal surveys are a popular instrument for studies about continuing medical education habits. But little is known about the accuracy of responses in such surveys. The objective of this study was to quantify the magnitude of inaccurate responses in a postal survey among physicians. Methods A sub-analysis of a questionnaire about continuing medical education habits and information management was performed. The five variables used for the quantitative analysis are based on a question about the knowledge of a fictitious technical term and on inconsistencies in contingency tables of answers to logically connected questions. Results Response rate was 52%. Non-response bias is possible but seems not very likely since an association between demographic variables and inconsistent responses could not be found. About 10% of responses were inaccurate according to the definition. Conclusion It was shown that a sub-analysis of a questionnaire makes a quantification of inaccurate responses in postal surveys possible. This sub-analysis revealed that a notable portion of responses in a postal survey about continuing medical education habits and information management was inaccurate. PMID:12153701

Comment on ``Counterfactual entanglement and nonlocal correlations in separable states.''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terno, Daniel R.

2001-01-01

The arguments of Cohen [Phys. Rev. A 60, 80 (1999)] against the ``ignorance interpretation'' of mixed states are questioned. The physical arguments are shown to be inconsistent and the supporting example illustrates the opposite of the original statement. The operational difference between two possible definitions of mixed states is exposed and the inadequacy of one of them is stressed.

Criterion Validity of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire for Depressive Episodes in Clinic and Non-Clinic Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daviss, W. Burleson; Birmaher, Boris; Melhem, Nadine A.; Axelson, David A.; Michaels, Shana M.; Brent, David A.

2006-01-01

Background: Previous measures of pediatric depression have shown inconsistent validity in groups with differing demographics, comorbid diagnoses, and clinic or non-clinic origins. The current study re-examines the criterion validity of child- and parent-versions of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-C, MFQ-P) in a heterogeneous sample of…

Disentangling the effects of spatial inconsistency of targets and distractors when searching in realistic scenes.

PubMed

Spotorno, Sara; Malcolm, George L; Tatler, Benjamin W

2015-02-10

Previous research has suggested that correctly placed objects facilitate eye guidance, but also that objects violating spatial associations within scenes may be prioritized for selection and subsequent inspection. We analyzed the respective eye guidance of spatial expectations and target template (precise picture or verbal label) in visual search, while taking into account any impact of object spatial inconsistency on extrafoveal or foveal processing. Moreover, we isolated search disruption due to misleading spatial expectations about the target from the influence of spatial inconsistency within the scene upon search behavior. Reliable spatial expectations and precise target template improved oculomotor efficiency across all search phases. Spatial inconsistency resulted in preferential saccadic selection when guidance by template was insufficient to ensure effective search from the outset and the misplaced object was bigger than the objects consistently placed in the same scene region. This prioritization emerged principally during early inspection of the region, but the inconsistent object also tended to be preferentially fixated overall across region viewing. These results suggest that objects are first selected covertly on the basis of their relative size and that subsequent overt selection is made considering object-context associations processed in extrafoveal vision. Once the object was fixated, inconsistency resulted in longer first fixation duration and longer total dwell time. As a whole, our findings indicate that observed impairment of oculomotor behavior when searching for an implausibly placed target is the combined product of disruption due to unreliable spatial expectations and prioritization of inconsistent objects before and during object fixation. © 2015 ARVO.

Inconsistencies between alcohol screening results based on AUDIT-C scores and reported drinking on the AUDIT-C questions: prevalence in two US national samples

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The AUDIT-C is an extensively validated screen for unhealthy alcohol use (i.e. drinking above recommended limits or alcohol use disorder), which consists of three questions about alcohol consumption. AUDIT-C scores ≥4 points for men and ≥3 for women are considered positive screens based on US validation studies that compared the AUDIT-C to “gold standard” measures of unhealthy alcohol use from independent, detailed interviews. However, results of screening—positive or negative based on AUDIT-C scores—can be inconsistent with reported drinking on the AUDIT-C questions. For example, individuals can screen positive based on the AUDIT-C score while reporting drinking below US recommended limits on the same AUDIT-C. Alternatively, they can screen negative based on the AUDIT-C score while reporting drinking above US recommended limits. Such inconsistencies could complicate interpretation of screening results, but it is unclear how often they occur in practice. Methods This study used AUDIT-C data from respondents who reported past-year drinking on one of two national US surveys: a general population survey (N = 26,610) and a Veterans Health Administration (VA) outpatient survey (N = 467,416). Gender-stratified analyses estimated the prevalence of AUDIT-C screen results—positive or negative screens based on the AUDIT-C score—that were inconsistent with reported drinking (above or below US recommended limits) on the same AUDIT-C. Results Among men who reported drinking, 13.8% and 21.1% of US general population and VA samples, respectively, had screening results based on AUDIT-C scores (positive or negative) that were inconsistent with reported drinking on the AUDIT-C questions (above or below US recommended limits). Among women who reported drinking, 18.3% and 20.7% of US general population and VA samples, respectively, had screening results that were inconsistent with reported drinking. Limitations This study did not include an independent interview gold standard for unhealthy alcohol use and therefore cannot address how often observed inconsistencies represent false positive or negative screens. Conclusions Up to 21% of people who drink alcohol had alcohol screening results based on the AUDIT-C score that were inconsistent with reported drinking on the same AUDIT-C. This needs to be addressed when training clinicians to use the AUDIT-C. PMID:24468406

Detecting and Characterizing Semantic Inconsistencies in Ported Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ray, Baishakhi; Kim, Miryung; Person, Suzette J.; Rungta, Neha

2013-01-01

Adding similar features and bug fixes often requires porting program patches from reference implementations and adapting them to target implementations. Porting errors may result from faulty adaptations or inconsistent updates. This paper investigates (I) the types of porting errors found in practice, and (2) how to detect and characterize potential porting errors. Analyzing version histories, we define five categories of porting errors, including incorrect control- and data-flow, code redundancy, inconsistent identifier renamings, etc. Leveraging this categorization, we design a static control- and data-dependence analysis technique, SPA, to detect and characterize porting inconsistencies. Our evaluation on code from four open-source projects shows thai SPA can dell-oct porting inconsistencies with 65% to 73% precision and 90% recall, and identify inconsistency types with 58% to 63% precision and 92% to 100% recall. In a comparison with two existing error detection tools, SPA improves precision by 14 to 17 percentage points

Detecting and Characterizing Semantic Inconsistencies in Ported Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ray, Baishakhi; Kim, Miryung; Person,Suzette; Rungta, Neha

2013-01-01

Adding similar features and bug fixes often requires porting program patches from reference implementations and adapting them to target implementations. Porting errors may result from faulty adaptations or inconsistent updates. This paper investigates (1) the types of porting errors found in practice, and (2) how to detect and characterize potential porting errors. Analyzing version histories, we define five categories of porting errors, including incorrect control- and data-flow, code redundancy, inconsistent identifier renamings, etc. Leveraging this categorization, we design a static control- and data-dependence analysis technique, SPA, to detect and characterize porting inconsistencies. Our evaluation on code from four open-source projects shows that SPA can detect porting inconsistencies with 65% to 73% precision and 90% recall, and identify inconsistency types with 58% to 63% precision and 92% to 100% recall. In a comparison with two existing error detection tools, SPA improves precision by 14 to 17 percentage points.

Word production inconsistency of Singaporean-English-speaking adolescents with Down Syndrome.

PubMed

Wong, Betty; Brebner, Chris; McCormack, Paul; Butcher, Andy

2015-01-01

The nature of speech disorders in individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) remains controversial despite various explanations put forth in the literature to account for the observed speech profiles. A high level of word production inconsistency in children with DS has led researchers to query whether the inconsistency continues into adolescence, and if the inconsistency stems from inconsistent phonological disorder (IPD) or childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Of the studies that have been published, most suggest that the speech profile of individuals with DS is delayed, while a few recent studies suggest a combination of delayed and disordered patterns. However, no studies have explored the nature of word production inconsistency in this population, and the relationship between word production inconsistency, receptive vocabulary and severity of speech disorder. To investigate in a pilot study the extent of word production inconsistency in adolescents with DS and to examine the correlations between word production inconsistency, measures of receptive vocabulary, severity of speech disorder and oromotor skills in adolescents with DS. The participants were 32 native speakers of Singaporean-English adolescents, comprising 16 participants with DS and 16 typically developing (TD) participants. The participants completed a battery of standardized speech and language assessments, including The Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP) assessment. Results from each test were correlated to determine relationships. Qualitative analyses were also carried out on all the data collected. In this study, seven out of 16 participants with DS scored above 40% on word production inconsistency, a diagnostic criterion for IPD. In addition, all participants with DS performed poorly on the oromotor assessment of DEAP. The overall speech profile observed did not exactly correspond with the cluster symptoms observed in children with IPD or CAS. Word production inconsistency is a noticeable feature in the speech of individuals with DS. In addition, the speech profiles of individuals with DS consist of atypical and unusual errors alongside developmental errors. Significant correlations were found between the measures investigated, suggesting that speech disorder in DS is multifactorial. The results from this study will help to improve differential diagnosis of speech disorders and individualized treatment plans in the population with DS. © 2015 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Two new methods to fit models for network meta-analysis with random inconsistency effects.

PubMed

Law, Martin; Jackson, Dan; Turner, Rebecca; Rhodes, Kirsty; Viechtbauer, Wolfgang

2016-07-28

Meta-analysis is a valuable tool for combining evidence from multiple studies. Network meta-analysis is becoming more widely used as a means to compare multiple treatments in the same analysis. However, a network meta-analysis may exhibit inconsistency, whereby the treatment effect estimates do not agree across all trial designs, even after taking between-study heterogeneity into account. We propose two new estimation methods for network meta-analysis models with random inconsistency effects. The model we consider is an extension of the conventional random-effects model for meta-analysis to the network meta-analysis setting and allows for potential inconsistency using random inconsistency effects. Our first new estimation method uses a Bayesian framework with empirically-based prior distributions for both the heterogeneity and the inconsistency variances. We fit the model using importance sampling and thereby avoid some of the difficulties that might be associated with using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). However, we confirm the accuracy of our importance sampling method by comparing the results to those obtained using MCMC as the gold standard. The second new estimation method we describe uses a likelihood-based approach, implemented in the metafor package, which can be used to obtain (restricted) maximum-likelihood estimates of the model parameters and profile likelihood confidence intervals of the variance components. We illustrate the application of the methods using two contrasting examples. The first uses all-cause mortality as an outcome, and shows little evidence of between-study heterogeneity or inconsistency. The second uses "ear discharge" as an outcome, and exhibits substantial between-study heterogeneity and inconsistency. Both new estimation methods give results similar to those obtained using MCMC. The extent of heterogeneity and inconsistency should be assessed and reported in any network meta-analysis. Our two new methods can be used to fit models for network meta-analysis with random inconsistency effects. They are easily implemented using the accompanying R code in the Additional file 1. Using these estimation methods, the extent of inconsistency can be assessed and reported.

Variability in reaction time performance of younger and older adults.

PubMed

Hultsch, David F; MacDonald, Stuart W S; Dixon, Roger A

2002-03-01

Age differences in three basic types of variability were examined: variability between persons (diversity), variability within persons across tasks (dispersion), and variability within persons across time (inconsistency). Measures of variability were based on latency performance from four measures of reaction time (RT) performed by a total of 99 younger adults (ages 17--36 years) and 763 older adults (ages 54--94 years). Results indicated that all three types of variability were greater in older compared with younger participants even when group differences in speed were statistically controlled. Quantile-quantile plots showed age and task differences in the shape of the inconsistency distributions. Measures of within-person variability (dispersion and inconsistency) were positively correlated. Individual differences in RT inconsistency correlated negatively with level of performance on measures of perceptual speed, working memory, episodic memory, and crystallized abilities. Partial set correlation analyses indicated that inconsistency predicted cognitive performance independent of level of performance. The results indicate that variability of performance is an important indicator of cognitive functioning and aging.

ERPs Reveal Disengagement Processes Related to Condom Use Embarrassment in Intention-Behavior Inconsistent Young Adults.

PubMed

Brüll, Phil; Kessels, Loes T E; Repetto, Linda; Dirkson, Anne; Ruiter, Robert A C

2018-04-25

The use of barrier protections such as condoms has consistently been reported to reduce the acquisition of sexually transmitted infections. However, it has also been reported that the association between condom use intentions and behavior is, at best, often weak. Furthermore, embarrassment associated with purchasing condoms and negotiating their use has been shown to negatively impact the frequency of condom use. Using electroencephalography to analyze P300 event-related potential components known to measure early attention allocation, we examined electrophysiological evidence of early attention disengagement for embarrassing health information. Forty young adults-34 females and six males-participated in an adapted version of Posner's visual cueing paradigm. All were high in intention to use condoms, but half were intention-behavior consistent and half were intention-behavior inconsistent. Compared to intention-behavior consistent participants, those with intention-behavior inconsistency showed a reduced P300 component when attending to a visual target opposite to the field in which embarrassing self-relevant health information was presented, indicating more efficient early attention disengagement from such embarrassing health information. In conclusion, our electrophysiological data suggest that high intention alone may be not sufficient to predict adolescents' condom use behavior.

Prolonging dying is the same as prolonging living--one more response to Long.

PubMed Central

Kuhse, H; Singer, P

1991-01-01

In earlier publications, we had argued that Paul Ramsey is inconsistent because he simultaneously asserts that (i) 'all our days and years are of equal worth' and (ii) 'that it is permissible to refrain from prolonging the lives of some dying patients'. Thomas Long has suggested that we have not shown that Paul Ramsey is inconsistent. Ramsey and we, he holds, start from incommensurable metaphysical views: for Ramsey, the dying process has religious significance--God is calling his servant home. While it is normally a good thing to keep a patient alive, it would, for Ramsey, show deafness to God's call to keep a dying patient alive. It is true we do not share Paul Ramsey's religious views. It is, however, not necessary to rely on any particular metaphysical views to refute Ramsey's position. For Ramsey's view to be internally consistent, Ramsey would have to be able to distinguish between dying and non-dying patients. We examine some of Ramsey's examples and show that his practical judgements do not allow us to draw this distinction. This means that, contra Long, we hold fast to our charge that Ramsey's view is inconsistent. PMID:1787522

Time-dependent spherically symmetric accretion onto compact X-ray sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowie, L. L.; Ostriker, J. P.; Stark, A. A.

1978-01-01

Analytical arguments and a numerical hydrodynamic code are used to investigate spherically symmetric accretion onto a compact object, in an attempt to provide some insight into gas flows heated by an outgoing X-ray flux. It is shown that preheating of spherically symmetric accretion flows by energetic radiation from an X-ray source results in time-dependent behavior for a much wider range of source parameters than was determined previously and that there are two distinct types of instability. The results are compared with observations of X-ray bursters and transients as well as with theories on quasars and active galactic nuclei that involve quasi-spherically symmetric accretion onto massive black holes. Models based on spherically symmetric accretion are found to be inconsistent with observations of bursters and transients.

Semantic Ambiguity: Do Multiple Meanings Inhibit or Facilitate Word Recognition?

PubMed

Haro, Juan; Ferré, Pilar

2018-06-01

It is not clear whether multiple unrelated meanings inhibit or facilitate word recognition. Some studies have found a disadvantage for words having multiple meanings with respect to unambiguous words in lexical decision tasks (LDT), whereas several others have shown a facilitation for such words. In the present study, we argue that these inconsistent findings may be due to the approach employed to select ambiguous words across studies. To address this issue, we conducted three LDT experiments in which we varied the measure used to classify ambiguous and unambiguous words. The results suggest that multiple unrelated meanings facilitate word recognition. In addition, we observed that the approach employed to select ambiguous words may affect the pattern of experimental results. This evidence has relevant implications for theoretical accounts of ambiguous words processing and representation.

Evaluation of the Thermodynamic Consistency of Closure Approximations in Several Models Proposed for the Description of Liquid Crystalline Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, Brian J.

2002-05-01

Given the premise that a set of dynamical equations must possess a definite, underlying mathematical structure to ensure local and global thermodynamic stability, as has been well documented, several different models for describing liquid crystalline dynamics are examined with respect to said structure. These models, each derived during the past several years using a specific closure approximation for the fourth moment of the distribution function in Doi's rigid rod theory, are all shown to be inconsistent with this basic mathematical structure. The source of this inconsistency lies in Doi's expressions for the extra stress tensor and temporal evolution of the order parameter, which are rederived herein using a transformation that allows for internal compatibility with the underlying mathematical structure that is present on the distribution function level of description.

Does ipsilateral corticospinal excitability play a decisive role in the cross-education effect caused by unilateral resistance training? A systematic review.

PubMed

Colomer-Poveda, D; Romero-Arenas, S; Hortobagyi, T; Márquez, G

2018-01-02

Unilateral resistance training has been shown to improve muscle strength in both the trained and the untrained limb. One of the most widely accepted theories is that this improved performance is due to nervous system adaptations, specifically in the primary motor cortex. According to this hypothesis, increased corticospinal excitability (CSE), measured with transcranial magnetic stimulation, is one of the main adaptations observed following prolonged periods of training. The principal aim of this review is to determine the degree of adaptation of CSE and its possible functional association with increased strength in the untrained limb. We performed a systematic literature review of studies published between January 1970 and December 2016, extracted from Medline (via PubMed), Ovid, Web of Science, and Science Direct online databases. The search terms were as follows: (transcranial magnetic stimulation OR excitability) AND (strength training OR resistance training OR force) AND (cross transfer OR contralateral limb OR cross education). A total of 10 articles were found. Results regarding increased CSE were inconsistent. Although the possibility that the methodology had a role in this inconsistency cannot be ruled out, the results appear to suggest that there may not be a functional association between increases in muscle strength and in CSE. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Reaction time performance in adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: evidence of inconsistency in the fast and slow portions of the RT distribution.

PubMed

Williams, Benjamin R; Strauss, Esther H; Hultsch, David F; Hunter, Michael A; Tannock, Rosemary

2007-04-01

Inconsistency across trials of 2-choice reaction time (RT) data was analyzed in 72 adolescents (age 12-17 years) within 4 groups differentiated by the presence or absence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reading difficulties (RD). ADHD participants were more inconsistent (across all trials, and in the slow portion of the RT distribution) than controls, but only when RD was present. Within the fast portion of the RT distribution, ADHD participants were more inconsistent than controls regardless of RD. The results highlight the importance of fluctuations in cognitive performance in ADHD and suggest that there may be independent sources of variation in inconsistency affecting the fast and slow portions of the RT distribution.

Qigong Exercises for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

PubMed Central

Close, Jacqueline R.; Lilly, Harold Ryan; Guillaume, Nathalie; Sun, Guan-Cheng

2017-01-01

Background: The purpose of this article is to clarify and define medical qigong and to identify an appropriate study design and methodology for a large-scale study looking at the effects of qigong in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), specifically subject enrollment criteria, selection of the control group and study duration. Methods: A comprehensive literature review of English databases was used to locate articles from 1980–May 2017 involving qigong and T2DM. Control groups, subject criteria and the results of major diabetic markers were reviewed and compared within each study. Definitions of qigong and its differentiation from physical exercise were also considered. Results: After a thorough review, it was found that qigong shows positive effects on T2DM; however, there were inconsistencies in control groups, research subjects and diabetic markers analyzed. It was also discovered that there is a large variation in styles and definitions of qigong. Conclusions: Qigong exercise has shown promising results in clinical experience and in randomized, controlled pilot studies for affecting aspects of T2DM including blood glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, weight, BMI and insulin resistance. Due to the inconsistencies in study design and methods and the lack of large-scale studies, further well-designed randomized control trials (RCT) are needed to evaluate the ‘vital energy’ or qi aspect of internal medical qigong in people who have been diagnosed with T2DM. PMID:28930273

On the Melting Curve of Sulfur Hexafluoride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harvey, Allan H.

2017-12-01

A previous correlation for the melting curve of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is inconsistent with the thermodynamic slope at the triple point derived from the Clapeyron equation. It is shown that this is probably due to the previous authors combining an accurate measurement of the triple point with melting-curve data that were distorted by impurities. A new equation is proposed that is consistent with the Clapeyron slope.

Use of a portable, automated, open-circuit gas quantification system and the sulfur hexafluoride tracer technique for measuring enteric methane emissions in Holstein cows fed ad libitum or restricted

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The sulfur hexafluoride tracer technique (SF**6) is a commonly used method for measuring CH**4 enteric emissions in ruminants. Studies using SF**6 have shown large variation in CH**4 emissions data, inconsistencies in CH**4 emissions across studies, and potential methodological errors. Therefore, th...

Tree nut consumption is associated with better adiposity measures and cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome health risk factors in U.S adults: NHANES 2005-2010

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Previous research has shown inconsistencies in the association of tree nut consumption with risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS). To determine the association of tree nut consumption with risk factors for CVD and for MetS in adults. NHANES 2005-2010 data were u...

Getting it right by getting it wrong: When learners change languages

PubMed Central

Hudson Kam, Carla L.; Newport, Elissa L.

2009-01-01

When natural language input contains grammatical forms that are used probabilistically and inconsistently, learners will sometimes reproduce the inconsistencies; but sometimes they will instead regularize the use of these forms, introducing consistency in the language that was not present in the input. In this paper we ask what produces such regularization. We conducted three artificial language experiments, varying the use of determiners in the types of inconsistency with which they are used, and also comparing adult and child learners. In Experiment 1 we presented adult learners with scattered inconsistency – the use of multiple determiners varying in frequency in the same context – and found that adults will reproduce these inconsistencies at low levels of scatter, but at very high levels of scatter will regularize the determiner system, producing the most frequent determiner form almost all the time. In Experiment 2 we showed that this is not merely the result of frequency: when determiners are used with low frequencies but in consistent contexts, adults will learn all of the determiners veridically. In Experiment 3 we compared adult and child learners, finding that children will almost always regularize inconsistent forms, whereas adult learners will only regularize the most complex inconsistencies. Taken together, these results suggest that regularization processes in natural language learning, such as those seen in the acquisition of language from non-native speakers or in the formation of young languages, may depend crucially on the nature of language learning by young children. PMID:19324332

Cognitive integration of asynchronous natural or non-natural auditory and visual information in videos of real-world events: an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Liu, B; Wang, Z; Wu, G; Meng, X

2011-04-28

In this paper, we aim to study the cognitive integration of asynchronous natural or non-natural auditory and visual information in videos of real-world events. Videos with asynchronous semantically consistent or inconsistent natural sound or speech were used as stimuli in order to compare the difference and similarity between multisensory integrations of videos with asynchronous natural sound and speech. The event-related potential (ERP) results showed that N1 and P250 components were elicited irrespective of whether natural sounds were consistent or inconsistent with critical actions in videos. Videos with inconsistent natural sound could elicit N400-P600 effects compared to videos with consistent natural sound, which was similar to the results from unisensory visual studies. Videos with semantically consistent or inconsistent speech could both elicit N1 components. Meanwhile, videos with inconsistent speech would elicit N400-LPN effects in comparison with videos with consistent speech, which showed that this semantic processing was probably related to recognition memory. Moreover, the N400 effect elicited by videos with semantically inconsistent speech was larger and later than that elicited by videos with semantically inconsistent natural sound. Overall, multisensory integration of videos with natural sound or speech could be roughly divided into two stages. For the videos with natural sound, the first stage might reflect the connection between the received information and the stored information in memory; and the second one might stand for the evaluation process of inconsistent semantic information. For the videos with speech, the first stage was similar to the first stage of videos with natural sound; while the second one might be related to recognition memory process. Copyright © 2011 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Smoking education programs 1960-1976.

PubMed Central

Thompson, E L

1978-01-01

This paper is a review of published reports, in English, of educational programs designed to change smoking behavior. Attempts to change the smoking behavior of young people have included anti-smoking campaigns, youth-to-youth programs, and a variety of message themes and teaching methods. Instruction has been presented both by teachers who were committed or persuasive and by teachers who were neutral or presented both sides of the issue. Didactic teaching, group discussion, individual study, peer instruction, and mass media have been employed. Health effects of smoking, both short- and long-term effects, have been emphasized. Most methods used with youth have shown little success. Studies of other methods have produced contradictory results. Educational programs for adults have included large scale anti-smoking campaigns, smoking cessation clinics, and a variety of more specific withdrawal methods. These methods have included individual counseling, emotional role playing, aversive conditioning, desensitization, and specific techniques to reduce the likelihood that smoking will occur in situations previously associated with smoking. Some of these techniques have produced poor results while studies of other methods have shown inconsistent results. The two methods showing the most promise are individual counseling and smoking withdrawal clinics. PMID:25026

Smoking education programs 1960-1976.

PubMed

Thompson, E L

1978-03-01

This paper is a review of published reports, in English, of educational programs designed to change smoking behavior. Attempts to change the smoking behavior of young people have included anti-smoking campaigns, youth-to-youth programs, and a variety of message themes and teaching methods. Instruction has been presented both by teachers who were committed or persuasive and by teachers who were neutral or presented both sides of the issue. Didactic teaching, group discussion, individual study, peer instruction, and mass media have been employed. Health effects of smoking, both short- and long-term effects, have been emphasized. Most methods used with youth have shown little success. Studies of other methods have produced contradictory results. Educational programs for adults have included large scale anti-smoking campaigns, smoking cessation clinics, and a variety of more specific withdrawal methods. These methods have included individual counseling, emotional role playing, aversive conditioning, desensitization, and specific techniques to reduce the likelihood that smoking will occur in situations previously associated with smoking. Some of these techniques have produced poor results while studies of other methods have shown inconsistent results. The two methods showing the most promise are individual counseling and smoking withdrawal clinics.

Stereotypes help people connect with others in the community: a situated functional analysis of the stereotype consistency bias in communication.

PubMed

Clark, Anna E; Kashima, Yoshihisa

2007-12-01

Communicators tend to share more stereotype-consistent than stereotype-inconsistent information. The authors propose and test a situated functional model of this stereotype consistency bias: stereotype-consistent and inconsistent information differentially serve 2 central functions of communication--sharing information and regulating relationships; depending on the communication context, information seen to serve these different functions better is more likely communicated. Results showed that stereotype-consistent information is perceived as more socially connective but less informative than inconsistent information, and when the stereotype is perceived to be highly shared in the community, more stereotype-consistent than inconsistent information is communicated due to its greater social connectivity function. These results highlight the need to examine communication as a dynamic and situated social activity. (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

Statistical reporting inconsistencies in experimental philosophy

PubMed Central

Colombo, Matteo; Duev, Georgi; Nuijten, Michèle B.; Sprenger, Jan

2018-01-01

Experimental philosophy (x-phi) is a young field of research in the intersection of philosophy and psychology. It aims to make progress on philosophical questions by using experimental methods traditionally associated with the psychological and behavioral sciences, such as null hypothesis significance testing (NHST). Motivated by recent discussions about a methodological crisis in the behavioral sciences, questions have been raised about the methodological standards of x-phi. Here, we focus on one aspect of this question, namely the rate of inconsistencies in statistical reporting. Previous research has examined the extent to which published articles in psychology and other behavioral sciences present statistical inconsistencies in reporting the results of NHST. In this study, we used the R package statcheck to detect statistical inconsistencies in x-phi, and compared rates of inconsistencies in psychology and philosophy. We found that rates of inconsistencies in x-phi are lower than in the psychological and behavioral sciences. From the point of view of statistical reporting consistency, x-phi seems to do no worse, and perhaps even better, than psychological science. PMID:29649220

Unexplained Discontinuity in the US Radiosonde Temperature Data. Part 2; Stratosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redder, Christopher R.; Luers, Jim K.; Eskridge, Robert E.

2003-01-01

In part I of this paper, the United States (US) radiosonde temperature data are shown to have significant and unexplained inhomogeneities in the mid-troposphere. This part discusses the differences between observations taken at 0 and 12 UTC especially in the stratosphere by the Vaisala RS80 radiosondes that are integrated within the National Weather Service's (NWS) Micro-ART system. The results show that there is a large maxima in the horizontal distribution of the monthly means of the 0/12 UTC differences over the central US that is absent over Canada and this maxima is as large as 5 C at 10 hPa. The vertical profiles of the root-mean-square of the monthly means are much larger in the US than those else where. The data clearly shows that the 0/12 UTC differences are largely artificial especially over the central US and originate in the post processing software at observing stations, thus confirming the findings in part I. Special flight data from the NWS's test facility at Sterling, Va. have been obtained. This data can be used to deduce the bias correction applied by Vaisala's post processing system. By analyzing the correction data, it can be shown that the inconsistencies with non-US Vaisala RS80 data as well as most of the large 0/12 UTC differences over the US can be accounted for by multiplying the reported elapsed time (i.e. time since launch) by the factor which is incorrectly applied by the post processing software. After being presented with the findings in this paper, Vaisala further isolated the source of the inconsistencies to a software coding error in the radiation bias correction scheme. The error effects only the software installed at US stations.

Consistently estimating absolute risk difference when translating evidence to jurisdictions of interest.

PubMed

Eckermann, Simon; Coory, Michael; Willan, Andrew R

2011-02-01

Economic analysis and assessment of net clinical benefit often requires estimation of absolute risk difference (ARD) for binary outcomes (e.g. survival, response, disease progression) given baseline epidemiological risk in a jurisdiction of interest and trial evidence of treatment effects. Typically, the assumption is made that relative treatment effects are constant across baseline risk, in which case relative risk (RR) or odds ratios (OR) could be applied to estimate ARD. The objective of this article is to establish whether such use of RR or OR allows consistent estimates of ARD. ARD is calculated from alternative framing of effects (e.g. mortality vs survival) applying standard methods for translating evidence with RR and OR. For RR, the RR is applied to baseline risk in the jurisdiction to estimate treatment risk; for OR, the baseline risk is converted to odds, the OR applied and the resulting treatment odds converted back to risk. ARD is shown to be consistently estimated with OR but changes with framing of effects using RR wherever there is a treatment effect and epidemiological risk differs from trial risk. Additionally, in indirect comparisons, ARD is shown to be consistently estimated with OR, while calculation with RR allows inconsistency, with alternative framing of effects in the direction, let alone the extent, of ARD. OR ensures consistent calculation of ARD in translating evidence from trial settings and across trials in direct and indirect comparisons, avoiding inconsistencies from RR with alternative outcome framing and associated biases. These findings are critical for consistently translating evidence to inform economic analysis and assessment of net clinical benefit, as translation of evidence is proposed precisely where the advantages of OR over RR arise.

Predicting impending death: inconsistency in speed is a selective and early marker.

PubMed

Macdonald, Stuart W S; Hultsch, David F; Dixon, Roger A

2008-09-01

Among older adults, deficits in both level and variability of speeded performance are linked to neurological impairment. This study examined whether and when speed (rate), speed (inconsistency), and traditional accuracy-based markers of cognitive performance foreshadow terminal decline and impending death. Victoria Longitudinal Study data spanning 12 years (5 waves) of measurement were assembled for 707 adults aged 59 to 95 years. Whereas 442 survivors completed all waves and relevant measures, 265 decedents participated on at least 1 occasion and subsequently died. Four main results were observed. First, Cox regressions evaluating the 3 cognitive predictors of mortality replicated previous results for cognitive accuracy predictors. Second, level (rate) of speeded performance predicted survival independent of demographic indicators, cardiovascular health, and cognitive performance level. Third, inconsistency in speed predicted survival independent of all influences combined. Fourth, follow-up random-effects models revealed increases in inconsistency in speed per year closer to death, with advancing age further moderating the accelerated growth. Hierarchical prediction patterns support the view that inconsistency in speed is an early behavioral marker of neurological dysfunction associated with impending death. (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved

Predicting Impending Death: Inconsistency in Speed is a Selective and Early Marker

PubMed Central

MacDonald, Stuart W.S.; Hultsch, David F.; Dixon, Roger A.

2008-01-01

Among older adults, deficits in both level and variability of speeded performance are linked to neurological impairment. This study examined whether and when speed (rate), speed (inconsistency), and traditional accuracy-based markers of cognitive performance foreshadow terminal decline and impending death. Victoria Longitudinal Study data spanning 12 years (5 waves) of measurement were assembled for 707 adults aged 59 to 95 years. Whereas 442 survivors completed all waves and relevant measures, 265 decedents participated on at least one occasion and subsequently died. Four main results were observed. First, Cox regressions evaluating the three cognitive predictors of mortality replicated previous results for cognitive accuracy predictors. Second, level (rate) of speeded performance predicted survival independent of demographic indicators, cardiovascular health, and cognitive performance level. Third, inconsistency in speed predicted survival independent of all influences combined. Fourth, follow-up random-effects models revealed increases in inconsistency in speed per year closer to death, with advancing age further moderating the accelerated growth. Hierarchical prediction patterns support the view that inconsistency in speed is an early behavioral marker of neurological dysfunction associated with impending death. PMID:18808249

Forward Masking in Cochlear Implant Users: Electrophysiological and Psychophysical Data Using Pulse Train Maskers.

PubMed

Adel, Youssef; Hilkhuysen, Gaston; Noreña, Arnaud; Cazals, Yves; Roman, Stéphane; Macherey, Olivier

2017-06-01

Electrical stimulation of auditory nerve fibers using cochlear implants (CI) shows psychophysical forward masking (pFM) up to several hundreds of milliseconds. By contrast, recovery of electrically evoked compound action potentials (eCAPs) from forward masking (eFM) was shown to be more rapid, with time constants no greater than a few milliseconds. These discrepancies suggested two main contributors to pFM: a rapid-recovery process due to refractory properties of the auditory nerve and a slow-recovery process arising from more central structures. In the present study, we investigate whether the use of different maskers between eCAP and psychophysical measures, specifically single-pulse versus pulse train maskers, may have been a source of confound.In experiment 1, we measured eFM using the following: a single-pulse masker, a 300-ms low-rate pulse train masker (LTM, 250 pps), and a 300-ms high-rate pulse train masker (HTM, 5000 pps). The maskers were presented either at same physical current (Φ) or at same perceptual (Ψ) level corresponding to comfortable loudness. Responses to a single-pulse probe were measured for masker-probe intervals ranging from 1 to 512 ms. Recovery from masking was much slower for pulse trains than for the single-pulse masker. When presented at Φ level, HTM produced more and longer-lasting masking than LTM. However, results were inconsistent when LTM and HTM were compared at Ψ level. In experiment 2, masked detection thresholds of single-pulse probes were measured using the same pulse train masker conditions. In line with our eFM findings, masked thresholds for HTM were higher than those for LTM at Φ level. However, the opposite result was found when the pulse trains were presented at Ψ level.Our results confirm the presence of slow-recovery phenomena at the level of the auditory nerve in CI users, as previously shown in animal studies. Inconsistencies between eFM and pFM results, despite using the same masking conditions, further underline the importance of comparing electrophysiological and psychophysical measures with identical stimulation paradigms.

Basal jawed vertebrate phylogeny inferred from multiple nuclear DNA-coded genes

PubMed Central

Kikugawa, Kanae; Katoh, Kazutaka; Kuraku, Shigehiro; Sakurai, Hiroshi; Ishida, Osamu; Iwabe, Naoyuki; Miyata, Takashi

2004-01-01

Background Phylogenetic analyses of jawed vertebrates based on mitochondrial sequences often result in confusing inferences which are obviously inconsistent with generally accepted trees. In particular, in a hypothesis by Rasmussen and Arnason based on mitochondrial trees, cartilaginous fishes have a terminal position in a paraphyletic cluster of bony fishes. No previous analysis based on nuclear DNA-coded genes could significantly reject the mitochondrial trees of jawed vertebrates. Results We have cloned and sequenced seven nuclear DNA-coded genes from 13 vertebrate species. These sequences, together with sequences available from databases including 13 jawed vertebrates from eight major groups (cartilaginous fishes, bichir, chondrosteans, gar, bowfin, teleost fishes, lungfishes and tetrapods) and an outgroup (a cyclostome and a lancelet), have been subjected to phylogenetic analyses based on the maximum likelihood method. Conclusion Cartilaginous fishes have been inferred to be basal to other jawed vertebrates, which is consistent with the generally accepted view. The minimum log-likelihood difference between the maximum likelihood tree and trees not supporting the basal position of cartilaginous fishes is 18.3 ± 13.1. The hypothesis by Rasmussen and Arnason has been significantly rejected with the minimum log-likelihood difference of 123 ± 23.3. Our tree has also shown that living holosteans, comprising bowfin and gar, form a monophyletic group which is the sister group to teleost fishes. This is consistent with a formerly prevalent view of vertebrate classification, although inconsistent with both of the current morphology-based and mitochondrial sequence-based trees. Furthermore, the bichir has been shown to be the basal ray-finned fish. Tetrapods and lungfish have formed a monophyletic cluster in the tree inferred from the concatenated alignment, being consistent with the currently prevalent view. It also remains possible that tetrapods are more closely related to ray-finned fishes than to lungfishes. PMID:15070407

Language model: Extension to solve inconsistency, incompleteness, and short query in cultural heritage collection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Kian Lam; Lim, Chen Kim

2017-10-01

With the explosive growth of online information such as email messages, news articles, and scientific literature, many institutions and museums are converting their cultural collections from physical data to digital format. However, this conversion resulted in the issues of inconsistency and incompleteness. Besides, the usage of inaccurate keywords also resulted in short query problem. Most of the time, the inconsistency and incompleteness are caused by the aggregation fault in annotating a document itself while the short query problem is caused by naive user who has prior knowledge and experience in cultural heritage domain. In this paper, we presented an approach to solve the problem of inconsistency, incompleteness and short query by incorporating the Term Similarity Matrix into the Language Model. Our approach is tested on the Cultural Heritage in CLEF (CHiC) collection which consists of short queries and documents. The results show that the proposed approach is effective and has improved the accuracy in retrieval time.

Critical thinking in nursing: an integrated review.

PubMed

Brunt, Barbara A

2005-01-01

Critical thinking skills are essential to function in today's complex health care environment and to ensure continuing competence for the future. This article provides a review of various definitions and research studies related to critical thinking. Educators and researchers need to clearly define critical thinking, because there has been wide variation in definitions and descriptions of critical thinking. Research studies have shown inconsistent findings, and many have used a one-group pretest-posttest design over a single course or during the length of a nursing program. Studies have not shown an association between critical thinking and competence; rigorous research studies are needed to understand the process of critical thinking.

On Pokrovskii's anisotropic gap equations in superconductivity theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yisong

2003-11-01

An existence and uniqueness theorem for Pokrovskii's zero-temperature anisotropic gap equation is proved. Furthermore, it is shown that Pokrovskii's finite-temperature equation is inconsistent with the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory. A reformulation of the anisotropic gap equation is presented along the line of Pokrovskii and it is shown that the new equation is consistent with the BCS theory for the whole temperature range. As an application, the Markowitz-Kadanoff model for anisotropic superconductivity is considered and a rigorous proof of the half-integer-exponent isotope effect is obtained. Furthermore, a sharp estimate of the gap solution near the transition temperature is established.

Diagnostics for generalized linear hierarchical models in network meta-analysis.

PubMed

Zhao, Hong; Hodges, James S; Carlin, Bradley P

2017-09-01

Network meta-analysis (NMA) combines direct and indirect evidence comparing more than 2 treatments. Inconsistency arises when these 2 information sources differ. Previous work focuses on inconsistency detection, but little has been done on how to proceed after identifying inconsistency. The key issue is whether inconsistency changes an NMA's substantive conclusions. In this paper, we examine such discrepancies from a diagnostic point of view. Our methods seek to detect influential and outlying observations in NMA at a trial-by-arm level. These observations may have a large effect on the parameter estimates in NMA, or they may deviate markedly from other observations. We develop formal diagnostics for a Bayesian hierarchical model to check the effect of deleting any observation. Diagnostics are specified for generalized linear hierarchical NMA models and investigated for both published and simulated datasets. Results from our example dataset using either contrast- or arm-based models and from the simulated datasets indicate that the sources of inconsistency in NMA tend not to be influential, though results from the example dataset suggest that they are likely to be outliers. This mimics a familiar result from linear model theory, in which outliers with low leverage are not influential. Future extensions include incorporating baseline covariates and individual-level patient data. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cortical-Cortical Interactions and Sensory Information Processing in Autism

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

with younger subjects. For example, it has been shown that inconsistency across trials on RT performance increases with age ( Hultsch et al., 2000...adults. Hultsch et al. (2000) also demonstrated that performance variabilitywas greater in patientswithmild dementia than in healthy elderly subjects...alter lipofuscin accumulation in the hindlimb area of the aging rat brain. J. Chem. Neuroanat. 23, 199–209. Hultsch , D. F., Macdonald, S. W., and Dixon

Theory of short-scale field-aligned density striations due to ionospheric heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, M.-C.; Fejer, J. A.

1978-01-01

The theoretical saturation spectrum of parametrically excited Langmuir waves in a locally uniform ionosphere is shown by the present calculations to produce, by ohmic dissipation, short-scale field-aligned density striations. The spectrum of the calculated striations is not inconsistent with observations of field-aligned scatter of VHF and UHF waves in ionospheric modification experiments if local increases of the pump field due to focusing are invoked.

Identification and Characterization of Novel FMRP-Associated miRNAs

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

further - primarily because of advantages of the approaches described below (Figures 6 and 7). We next tried FMRP antibody covalently crosslinked to...hands, crosslinked FMRP antibody did not always efficiently pull down FMRP from fly brain extract (as shown in Figure 3A) and inconsistently pulled...these goals has shed light on the molecular pathogenesis of FXS. Progress towards completion of aims: First, after significant setbacks developing novel

Inconsistency as a diagnostic tool in a society of intelligent agents.

PubMed

McShane, Marjorie; Beale, Stephen; Nirenburg, Sergei; Jarrell, Bruce; Fantry, George

2012-07-01

To use the detection of clinically relevant inconsistencies to support the reasoning capabilities of intelligent agents acting as physicians and tutors in the realm of clinical medicine. We are developing a cognitive architecture, OntoAgent, that supports the creation and deployment of intelligent agents capable of simulating human-like abilities. The agents, which have a simulated mind and, if applicable, a simulated body, are intended to operate as members of multi-agent teams featuring both artificial and human agents. The agent architecture and its underlying knowledge resources and processors are being developed in a sufficiently generic way to support a variety of applications. We show how several types of inconsistency can be detected and leveraged by intelligent agents in the setting of clinical medicine. The types of inconsistencies discussed include: test results not supporting the doctor's hypothesis; the results of a treatment trial not supporting a clinical diagnosis; and information reported by the patient not being consistent with observations. We show the opportunities afforded by detecting each inconsistency, such as rethinking a hypothesis, reevaluating evidence, and motivating or teaching a patient. Inconsistency is not always the absence of the goal of consistency; rather, it can be a valuable trigger for further exploration in the realm of clinical medicine. The OntoAgent cognitive architecture, along with its extensive suite of knowledge resources an processors, is sufficient to support sophisticated agent functioning such as detecting clinically relevant inconsistencies and using them to benefit patient-centered medical training and practice. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Present-day plate motions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minster, J. B.; Jordan, T. H.

1977-01-01

A data set comprising 110 spreading rates, 78 transform fault azimuths and 142 earthquake slip vectors was inverted to yield a new instantaneous plate motion model, designated RM2. The mean averaging interval for the relative motion data was reduced to less than 3 My. A detailed comparison of RM2 with angular velocity vectors which best fit the data along individual plate boundaries indicates that RM2 performs close to optimally in most regions, with several notable exceptions. On the other hand, a previous estimate (RM1) failed to satisfy an extensive set of new data collected in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is shown that RM1 incorrectly predicts the plate kinematics in the South Atlantic because the presently available data are inconsistent with the plate geometry assumed in deriving RM1. It is demonstrated that this inconsistency can be remedied by postulating the existence of internal deformation with the Indian plate, although alternate explanations are possible.

Safety and efficacy of caffeine-augmented ECT in elderly depressives: a retrospective study.

PubMed

Kelsey, M C; Grossberg, G T

1995-07-01

Prior studies have shown that in younger depressives undergoing ECT whose seizure durations declined despite maximum settings on three different ECT devices, pretreatment with caffeine lengthened seizures and resulted in clinical improvement. Caffeine (half life, 140-270 minutes) was well tolerated even in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the safety and efficacy of caffeine augmented ECT in elderly depressed patients. The charts of 14 elderly depressives (average age 75.6, range 59-83; 2 males, 12 females) who received caffeine-augmented ECT were reviewed. Patients pre- and post-ECT medications, blood pressure, pulse, and seizure times (cuff and EEG) for each ECT performed were noted. The following conclusions were drawn from our study: (1) Caffeine definitely increases the seizure length and was useful in our setting when the energy settings could not be increased anymore. (2) Caffeine augmentation inconsistently causes an increase in pulse rate, on average, in the elderly. (3) Caffeine inconsistently produces an increase in mean arterial pressure. (4) Caffeine did not consistently produce an increase in the maximum rate-pressure product. We conclude from this study that caffeine-augmented ECT is safe and effective in increasing seizure duration in the elderly. However, more research needs to be done to determine optimal dosing and tolerability.

Investigation of different modeling approaches for computational fluid dynamics simulation of high-pressure rocket combustors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivancic, B.; Riedmann, H.; Frey, M.; Knab, O.; Karl, S.; Hannemann, K.

2016-07-01

The paper summarizes technical results and first highlights of the cooperation between DLR and Airbus Defence and Space (DS) within the work package "CFD Modeling of Combustion Chamber Processes" conducted in the frame of the Propulsion 2020 Project. Within the addressed work package, DLR Göttingen and Airbus DS Ottobrunn have identified several test cases where adequate test data are available and which can be used for proper validation of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools. In this paper, the first test case, the Penn State chamber (RCM1), is discussed. Presenting the simulation results from three different tools, it is shown that the test case can be computed properly with steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approaches. The achieved simulation results reproduce the measured wall heat flux as an important validation parameter very well but also reveal some inconsistencies in the test data which are addressed in this paper.

Sex, cheating, and disgust: enhanced source memory for trait information that violates gender stereotypes.

PubMed

Kroneisen, Meike; Bell, Raoul

2013-01-01

The present study examines memory for social-exchange-relevant information. In Experiment 1 male and female faces were shown together with behaviour descriptions of cheating, altruistic, and neutral behaviour. Previous results have led to the hypothesis that people preferentially remember schema-atypical information. Given the common gender stereotype that women are kinder and less egoistic than men, this atypicality account would predict that source memory (that is, memory for the type of context to which a face was associated) should be enhanced for female cheaters in comparison to male cheaters. The results of Experiment 1 confirmed this hypothesis. Experiment 2 reveals that source memory for female faces associated with disgusting behaviours is enhanced in comparison to male faces associated with disgusting behaviours. Thus the atypicality effect generalises beyond social-exchange-relevant information, a result which is inconsistent with the assumption that the findings can be ascribed to a highly specific cheater detection module.

Remote patient monitoring in chronic heart failure.

PubMed

Palaniswamy, Chandrasekar; Mishkin, Aaron; Aronow, Wilbert S; Kalra, Ankur; Frishman, William H

2013-01-01

Heart failure (HF) poses a significant economic burden on our health-care resources with very high readmission rates. Remote monitoring has a substantial potential to improve the management and outcome of patients with HF. Readmission for decompensated HF is often preceded by a stage of subclinical hemodynamic decompensation, where therapeutic interventions would prevent subsequent clinical decompensation and hospitalization. Various methods of remote patient monitoring include structured telephone support, advanced telemonitoring technologies, remote monitoring of patients with implanted cardiac devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators, and implantable hemodynamic monitors. Current data examining the efficacy of remote monitoring technologies in improving outcomes have shown inconsistent results. Various medicolegal and financial issues need to be addressed before widespread implementation of this exciting technology can take place.

Binding constants of phenylalanine for the four mononucleotides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khaled, M. A.; Mullins, D. W., Jr.; Lacey, J. C., Jr.

1984-01-01

Earlier work has shown that several properties of amino acids correlate directly with properties of their anticodonic nucleotides. Furthermore, in precipitation studies with thermal proteinoids and homopolyribonucleotides, an anticodonic preference was displayed between Lys-rich, Pro-rich and Gly-rich thermal proteinoids and their anticodonic polyribonucleotides. However, Phe-rich thermal proteinoid displayed a preference for its codonic nucleotide, poly U. This inconsistency seemed to be explained by a folding in of the hydrophobic residues of Phe causing the proteinoid to appear more hydrophilic. The present work used nuclear magnetic resonance techniques to resolve a limited question: to which of the four nucleotides does Phe bind most strongly? The results show quite clearly that Phe binds most strongly to its anticodonic nucleotide, AMP.

An improved model for the combustion of AP composite propellants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, N. S.; Strand, L. D.

1981-01-01

This paper presents several improvements to the BDP model of steady-state burning of AP composite solid propellants. The Price-Boggs-Derr model of AP monopropellant burning is incorporated to represent the AP. A separate energy equation is written for the binder to permit a different surface temperature from the AP; this includes an analysis of the sharing of primary diffusion flame energy, and correction of a BDP model inconsistency in treating the binder regression rate. A method for assembling component contributions to calculate the burning rates of multimodal propellants is also presented. Results are shown in the form of representative burning rate curves, comparisons with data, and calculated internal details of interest. Ideas for future work are discussed in an Appendix.

Gender symmetry, sexism, and intimate partner violence.

PubMed

Allen, Christopher T; Swan, Suzanne C; Raghavan, Chitra

2009-11-01

This study of a predominantly Hispanic sample of 92 male and 140 female college students examines both gender symmetry in intimate partner violence (IPV) and inconsistent relationships found in previous studies between sexist attitudes and IPV. Results indicate that although comparable numbers of men and women perpetrate and are victimized in their relationships with intimate partners, the path models suggest that women's violence tends to be in reaction to male violence, whereas men tend to initiate violence and then their partners respond with violence. Benevolent sexism was shown to have a protective effect against men's violence toward partners. Findings highlight the importance of studying women's violence not only in the context of men's violence but also within a broader sociocultural context.

Neurocognitive markers of cognitive impairment: exploring the roles of speed and inconsistency.

PubMed

Dixon, Roger A; Garrett, Douglas D; Lentz, Tanya L; MacDonald, Stuart W S; Strauss, Esther; Hultsch, David F

2007-05-01

A well-known challenge for research in the cognitive neuropsychology of aging is to distinguish between the deficits and changes associated with normal aging and those indicative of early cognitive impairment. In a series of 2 studies, the authors explored whether 2 neurocognitive markers, speed (mean level) and inconsistency (intraindividual variability), distinguished between age groups (64-73 and 74-90+ years) and cognitive status groups (nonimpaired, mildly impaired, and moderately impaired). Study 1 (n = 416) showed that both level and inconsistency distinguished between the age and 2 cognitive status (not impaired, mildly impaired) groups, with a modest tendency for inconsistency to predict group membership over and above mean level. Study 2 (n = 304) replicated these results but extended them because of the qualifying effects associated with the unique moderately impaired oldest group. Specifically, not only were the groups more firmly distinguished by both indicators of speed, but evidence for the differential contribution of performance inconsistency was stronger. Neurocognitive markers of speed and inconsistency may be leading indicators of emerging cognitive impairment. (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved

Neural dissociations between meaningful and mere inconsistency in impression updating

PubMed Central

Todorov, Alexander

2016-01-01

Recent neuroimaging work has identified a network of regions that work in concert to update impressions of other people, particularly in response to inconsistent behavior. However, the specific functional contributions of these regions to the updating process remain unclear. Using fMRI, we tested whether increases in activity triggered by inconsistent behavior reflect changes in the stored representations of other people in response to behavioral inconsistency, or merely a response to the inconsistency itself. Participants encountered a series of individuals whose behavior either changed in an attributionally meaningful fashion or was merely inconsistent with the immediately preceding behavior. We observed that left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were preferentially recruited in response to unexpected, immoral behavior, whereas a separate set of regions (including dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex and temporoparietal junction/inferior parietal lobule) was preferentially recruited in response to more mundane inconsistencies in behavior. These results shed light on the distributed systems supporting impression updating. Specifically, while many regions supporting updating may primarily respond to moment-to-moment changes in behavior, a subset of regions (e.g. vlPFC and IFG) may contribute to updating person representations in response to trait-relevant changes in behavior. PMID:27217118

A novel consistent and well-balanced algorithm for simulations of multiphase flows on unstructured grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Jitendra Kumar; Natarajan, Ganesh

2017-12-01

We discuss the development and assessment of a robust numerical algorithm for simulating multiphase flows with complex interfaces and high density ratios on arbitrary polygonal meshes. The algorithm combines the volume-of-fluid method with an incremental projection approach for incompressible multiphase flows in a novel hybrid staggered/non-staggered framework. The key principles that characterise the algorithm are the consistent treatment of discrete mass and momentum transport and the similar discretisation of force terms appearing in the momentum equation. The former is achieved by invoking identical schemes for convective transport of volume fraction and momentum in the respective discrete equations while the latter is realised by representing the gravity and surface tension terms as gradients of suitable scalars which are then discretised in identical fashion resulting in a balanced formulation. The hybrid staggered/non-staggered framework employed herein solves for the scalar normal momentum at the cell faces, while the volume fraction is computed at the cell centroids. This is shown to naturally lead to similar terms for pressure and its correction in the momentum and pressure correction equations respectively, which are again treated discretely in a similar manner. We show that spurious currents that corrupt the solution may arise both from an unbalanced formulation where forces (gravity and surface tension) are discretised in dissimilar manner and from an inconsistent approach where different schemes are used to convect the mass and momentum, with the latter prominent in flows which are convection-dominant with high density ratios. Interestingly, the inconsistent approach is shown to perform as well as the consistent approach even for high density ratio flows in some cases while it exhibits anomalous behaviour for other scenarios, even at low density ratios. Using a plethora of test problems of increasing complexity, we conclusively demonstrate that the consistent transport and balanced force treatment results in a numerically stable solution procedure and physically consistent results. The algorithm proposed in this study qualifies as a robust approach to simulate multiphase flows with high density ratios on unstructured meshes and may be realised in existing flow solvers with relative ease.

Node-Splitting Generalized Linear Mixed Models for Evaluation of Inconsistency in Network Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Yu-Kang, Tu

2016-12-01

Network meta-analysis for multiple treatment comparisons has been a major development in evidence synthesis methodology. The validity of a network meta-analysis, however, can be threatened by inconsistency in evidence within the network. One particular issue of inconsistency is how to directly evaluate the inconsistency between direct and indirect evidence with regard to the effects difference between two treatments. A Bayesian node-splitting model was first proposed and a similar frequentist side-splitting model has been put forward recently. Yet, assigning the inconsistency parameter to one or the other of the two treatments or splitting the parameter symmetrically between the two treatments can yield different results when multi-arm trials are involved in the evaluation. We aimed to show that a side-splitting model can be viewed as a special case of design-by-treatment interaction model, and different parameterizations correspond to different design-by-treatment interactions. We demonstrated how to evaluate the side-splitting model using the arm-based generalized linear mixed model, and an example data set was used to compare results from the arm-based models with those from the contrast-based models. The three parameterizations of side-splitting make slightly different assumptions: the symmetrical method assumes that both treatments in a treatment contrast contribute to inconsistency between direct and indirect evidence, whereas the other two parameterizations assume that only one of the two treatments contributes to this inconsistency. With this understanding in mind, meta-analysts can then make a choice about how to implement the side-splitting method for their analysis. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topological Relations-Based Detection of Spatial Inconsistency in GLOBELAND30

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, S.; Chen, J.; Peng, S.

2017-09-01

Land cover is one of the fundamental data sets on environment assessment, land management and biodiversity protection, etc. Hence, data quality control of land cover is extremely critical for geospatial analysis and decision making. Due to the similar remote-sensing reflectance for some land cover types, omission and commission errors occurred in preliminary classification could result to spatial inconsistency between land cover types. In the progress of post-classification, this error checking mainly depends on manual labour to assure data quality, by which it is time-consuming and labour intensive. So a method required for automatic detection in post-classification is still an open issue. From logical inconsistency point of view, an inconsistency detection method is designed. This method consist of a grids extended 4-intersection model (GE4IM) for topological representation in single-valued space, by which three different kinds of topological relations including disjoint, touch, contain or contained-by are described, and an algorithm of region overlay for the computation of spatial inconsistency. The rules are derived from universal law in nature between water body and wetland, cultivated land and artificial surface. Through experiment conducted in Shandong Linqu County, data inconsistency can be pointed out within 6 minutes through calculation of topological inconsistency between cultivated land and artificial surface, water body and wetland. The efficiency evaluation of the presented algorithm is demonstrated by Google Earth images. Through comparative analysis, the algorithm is proved to be promising for inconsistency detection in land cover data.

Occupation and Thyroid Cancer

PubMed Central

Aschebrook-Kilfoy, Briseis; Ward, Mary H.; Valle, Curt T. Della; Friesen, Melissa C.

2014-01-01

Objectives Numerous occupational and environmental exposures have been shown to disrupt thyroid hormones, but much less is known about their relationships with thyroid cancer. Here we review the epidemiology studies of occupations and occupational exposures and thyroid cancer incidence to provide insight into preventable risk factors for thyroid cancer. Methods The published literature was searched using the Web of Knowledge database for all articles through August 2013 that had in their text “occupation” “job” ”employment” or “work” and “thyroid cancer”. After excluding 10 mortality studies and 4 studies with less than 5 exposed incident cases, we summarized the findings of 30 articles that examined thyroid cancer incidence in relation to occupations or occupational exposure. The studies were grouped by exposure/occupation category, study design, and exposure assessment approach. Where available, gender stratified results are reported. Results The most studied (19 of 30 studies) and the most consistent associations were observed for radiation-exposed workers and health care occupations. Suggestive, but inconsistent, associations were observed in studies of pesticide-exposed workers and agricultural occupations. Findings for other exposures and occupation groups were largely null. The majority of studies had few exposed cases and assessed exposure based on occupation or industry category, self-report, or generic (population-based) job exposure matrices. Conclusion The suggestive, but inconsistent findings for many of the occupational exposures reviewed here indicate that more studies with larger numbers of cases and better exposure assessment are necessary, particularly for exposures known to disrupt thyroid homeostasis. PMID:24604144

Development of an Inconsistent Responding Scale for the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure.

PubMed

Mowle, Elyse N; Kelley, Shannon E; Edens, John F; Donnellan, M Brent; Smith, Shannon Toney; Wygant, Dustin B; Sellbom, Martin

2017-08-01

Inconsistent or careless responding to self-report measures is estimated to occur in approximately 10% of university research participants and may be even more common among offender populations. Inconsistent responding may be a result of a number of factors including inattentiveness, reading or comprehension difficulties, and cognitive impairment. Many stand-alone personality scales used in applied and research settings, however, do not include validity indicators to help identify inattentive response patterns. Using multiple archival samples, the current study describes the development of an inconsistent responding scale for the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM; Patrick, 2010), a widely used self-report measure of psychopathy. We first identified pairs of correlated TriPM items in a derivation sample (N = 2,138) and then created a total score based on the sum of the absolute value of the differences for each item pair. The resulting scale, the Triarchic Assessment Procedure for Inconsistent Responding (TAPIR), strongly differentiated between genuine TriPM protocols and randomly generated TriPM data (N = 1,000), as well as between genuine protocols and those in which 50% of the original data were replaced with random item responses. TAPIR scores demonstrated fairly consistent patterns of association with some theoretically relevant correlates (e.g., inconsistency scales embedded in other personality inventories), although not others (e.g., measures of conscientiousness) across our cross-validation samples. Tentative TAPIR cut scores that may discriminate between attentively and carelessly completed protocols are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Toward Consistent Terminology for Cyclohexane Conformers in Introductory Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Donna J.; Brammer, Christopher N.

2011-01-01

Recommended changes in use of cyclohexane conformers and their nomenclature will remedy inconsistencies in cyclohexane conformers and their nomenclature that exist across currently used organic chemistry textbooks. These inconsistencies prompted this logical analysis and the resulting recommendations. Recommended conformer names are "chair",…

Day-to-Day Inconsistency in Parent Knowledge: Links with Youth Health and Parents’ Stress

PubMed Central

Lippold, Melissa A.; McHale, Susan M.; Davis, Kelly D.; Kossek, Ellen Ernst

2015-01-01

Purpose Considerable evidence documents the linkages between higher levels of parental knowledge about youth activities and positive youth outcomes. This study investigated how day-to-day inconsistency in parental knowledge of youth activities was linked to youth behavioral, psychological, and physical health as well as parents’ stress. Methods Participants were employees in the Information Technology division of a Fortune 500 company and their children (N =129, Mean age youth = 13.39 years, 55% female). Data were collected from parents and youth via separate workplace and in-home surveys as well as telephone diary surveys on 8 consecutive evenings. We assessed day-to-day inconsistency in parental knowledge across these eight calls. Results Parents differed in their knowledge from day to day almost as much as their average knowledge scores differed from those of other parents. Controlling for mean levels of knowledge, youth whose parents exhibited more knowledge inconsistency reported more physical health symptoms (e.g., colds, flu). Knowledge inconsistency was also associated with more risky behavior for girls but greater psychological well-being for older adolescents. Parents who reported more stressors also had higher knowledge inconsistency. Conclusions Assessing only average levels of parental knowledge does not fully capture how this parenting dimension is associated with youth health. Consistent knowledge may promote youth physical health and less risky behavior for girls. Yet knowledge inconsistency also may reflect normative increases in autonomy as it was positively associated with psychological well-being for older adolescents. Given the linkages between parental stress and knowledge inconsistency, parent interventions should include stress-management components. PMID:25703318

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

NONE

Work under DOE Grant No. DE-FG47-93R701314, to investigate a Novel Process for Fabricating MOSFET Devices, has progressed to a point where feasibility of producing MOSFETS using Chromium Disilicide Schottky barrier junctions at Source and Drain has been shown. Devices fabricated, however, show inconsistent operating characteristics from device to device, and further work is required to overcome the defects. Some fabrication procedures have produced a relatively high, (e.g., ninety-five (95%) percent), yield of devices on a substrate which show at least some transistor action, while others have resulted in very low yield, (e.g., five (5%) percent). Consistency of results from devicemore » to device is less than desired. However, considering that the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL) Electrical Engineering Fabrication Lab is not what industry can provide, it is reasonable to project that essentially one-hundred (99.99+%) percent yield should be achievable in an industrial setting because of the simplicity in the fabrication procedure.« less

HOTEX: An Approach for Global Mapping of Human Built-Up and Settlement Extent

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Panshi; Huang, Chengquan; Tilton, James C.; Tan, Bin; Brown De Colstoun, Eric C.

2017-01-01

Understanding the impacts of urbanization requires accurate and updatable urban extent maps. Here we present an algorithm for mapping urban extent at global scale using Landsat data. An innovative hierarchical object-based texture (HOTex) classification approach was designed to overcome spectral confusion between urban and nonurban land cover types. VIIRS nightlights data and MODIS vegetation index datasets are integrated as high-level features under an object-based framework. We applied the HOTex method to the GLS-2010 Landsat images to produce a global map of human built-up and settlement extent. As shown by visual assessments, our method could effectively map urban extent and generate consistent results using images with inconsistent acquisition time and vegetation phenology. Using scene-level cross validation for results in Europe, we assessed the performance of HOTex and achieved a kappa coefficient of 0.91, compared to 0.74 from a baseline method using per-pixel classification using spectral information.

Three-dimensional single-cell imaging with X-ray waveguides in the holographic regime

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

Krenkel, Martin; Toepperwien, Mareike; Alves, Frauke

X-ray tomography at the level of single biological cells is possible in a low-dose regime, based on full-field holographic recordings, with phase contrast originating from free-space wave propagation. Building upon recent progress in cellular imaging based on the illumination by quasi-point sources provided by X-ray waveguides, here this approach is extended in several ways. First, the phase-retrieval algorithms are extended by an optimized deterministic inversion, based on a multi-distance recording. Second, different advanced forms of iterative phase retrieval are used, operational for single-distance and multi-distance recordings. Results are compared for several different preparations of macrophage cells, for different staining andmore » labelling. As a result, it is shown that phase retrieval is no longer a bottleneck for holographic imaging of cells, and how advanced schemes can be implemented to cope also with high noise and inconsistencies in the data.« less

Short-range components of nuclear forces: Experiment versus mythology

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

Kukulin, V. I.; Platonova, M. N., E-mail: platonova@nucl-th.sinp.msu.ru

2013-12-15

The present-day situation around the description of various (central, spin-orbit, and tensor) components of short-range nuclear forces is discussed. A traditional picture of these interactions based on the idea of one-meson exchange is contrasted against numerous results of recent experiments. As is shown in the present study, these results often deviate strongly from the predictions of traditional models. One can therefore state that such models are inapplicable to describing short-range nuclear forces and that it is necessary to go over from a traditional description to some alternative QCD-based (or QCD-motivated) picture. This means that, despite the widespread popularity of traditionalmore » concepts of short-range nuclear forces and their applicability in many particular cases, these concepts are not more than scientific myths that show their inconsistency when analyzed from the viewpoint of the modern experiment.« less

Three-dimensional single-cell imaging with X-ray waveguides in the holographic regime

DOE PAGES

Krenkel, Martin; Toepperwien, Mareike; Alves, Frauke; ...

2017-06-29

X-ray tomography at the level of single biological cells is possible in a low-dose regime, based on full-field holographic recordings, with phase contrast originating from free-space wave propagation. Building upon recent progress in cellular imaging based on the illumination by quasi-point sources provided by X-ray waveguides, here this approach is extended in several ways. First, the phase-retrieval algorithms are extended by an optimized deterministic inversion, based on a multi-distance recording. Second, different advanced forms of iterative phase retrieval are used, operational for single-distance and multi-distance recordings. Results are compared for several different preparations of macrophage cells, for different staining andmore » labelling. As a result, it is shown that phase retrieval is no longer a bottleneck for holographic imaging of cells, and how advanced schemes can be implemented to cope also with high noise and inconsistencies in the data.« less

Lower limit to the scale of an effective quantum theory of gravitation.

PubMed

Caldwell, R R; Grin, Daniel

2008-01-25

An effective quantum theory of gravitation in which gravity weakens at energies higher than approximately 10(-3) eV is one way to accommodate the apparent smallness of the cosmological constant. Such a theory predicts departures from the Newtonian inverse-square force law on distances below approximately 0.05 mm. However, it is shown that this modification also leads to changes in the long-range behavior of gravity and is inconsistent with observed gravitational lenses.

Sex in murky waters: algal-induced turbidity increases sexual selection in pipefish.

PubMed

Sundin, Josefin; Aronsen, Tonje; Rosenqvist, Gunilla; Berglund, Anders

2017-01-01

Algal-induced turbidity has been shown to alter several important aspects of reproduction and sexual selection. However, while turbidity has been shown to negatively affect reproduction and sexually selected traits in some species, it may instead enhance reproductive success in others, implying that the impact of eutrophication is far more complex than originally believed. In this study, we aimed to provide more insight into these inconsistent findings. We used molecular tools to investigate the impact of algal turbidity on reproductive success and sexual selection on males in controlled laboratory experiments, allowing mate choice, mating competition, and mate encounter rates to affect reproduction. As study species, we used the broad-nosed pipefish, Syngnathus typhle , a species practicing male pregnancy and where we have previously shown that male mate choice is impaired by turbidity. Here, turbidity instead enhanced sexual selection on male size and mating success as well as reproductive success. Effects from mating competition and mate encounter rates may thus override effects from mate choice based on visual cues, producing an overall stronger sexual selection in turbid waters. Hence, seemingly inconsistent effects of turbidity on sexual selection may depend on which mechanisms of sexual selection that have been under study. Algal blooms are becoming increasingly more common due to eutrophication of freshwater and marine environments. The high density of algae lowers water transparency and reduces the possibility for fish and other aquatic animals to perform behaviors dependent on vision. We have previously shown that pipefish are unable to select the best partner in mate choice trials when water transparency was reduced. However, fish might use other senses than vision to compensate for the reduction in water transparency. In this study, we found that when fish were allowed to freely interact, thereby allowing competition between partners and direct contact between the fish, the best partner was indeed chosen. Hence, the negative effects of reduced water visibility due to algal blooms may be counteracted by the use of other senses in fish.

Set size influences the relationship between ANS acuity and math performance: a result of different strategies?

PubMed

Dietrich, Julia Felicitas; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph; Klein, Elise; Moeller, Korbinian; Huber, Stefan

2017-08-29

Previous research has proposed that the approximate number system (ANS) constitutes a building block for later mathematical abilities. Therefore, numerous studies investigated the relationship between ANS acuity and mathematical performance, but results are inconsistent. Properties of the experimental design have been discussed as a potential explanation of these inconsistencies. In the present study, we investigated the influence of set size and presentation duration on the association between non-symbolic magnitude comparison and math performance. Moreover, we focused on strategies reported as an explanation for these inconsistencies. In particular, we employed a non-symbolic magnitude comparison task and asked participants how they solved the task. We observed that set size was a significant moderator of the relationship between non-symbolic magnitude comparison and math performance, whereas presentation duration of the stimuli did not moderate this relationship. This supports the notion that specific design characteristics contribute to the inconsistent results. Moreover, participants reported different strategies including numerosity-based, visual, counting, calculation-based, and subitizing strategies. Frequencies of these strategies differed between different set sizes and presentation durations. However, we found no specific strategy, which alone predicted arithmetic performance, but when considering the frequency of all reported strategies, arithmetic performance could be predicted. Visual strategies made the largest contribution to this prediction. To conclude, the present findings suggest that different design characteristics contribute to the inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between non-symbolic magnitude comparison and mathematical performance by inducing different strategies and additional processes.

Broken symmetry and critical transport properties of random metals

PubMed Central

Phillips, J. C.

1997-01-01

Recent experimental data on the conductivity σ+(T), T → 0, on the metallic side of the metal–insulator transition in ideally random (neutron transmutation-doped) 70Ge:Ga have shown that σ+(0) ∝ (N − Nc)μ with μ = ½, confirming earlier ultra-low-temperature results for Si:P. This value is inconsistent with theoretical predictions based on diffusive classical scaling models, but it can be understood by a quantum-directed percolative filamentary amplitude model in which electronic basis states exist which have a well-defined momentum parallel but not normal to the applied electric field. The model, which is based on a new kind of broken symmetry, also explains the anomalous sign reversal of the derivative of the temperature dependence in the critical regime. PMID:11038579

Principle of least decoherence for Newtonian semiclassical gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tilloy, Antoine; Diósi, Lajos

2017-11-01

Recent works have proved that semiclassical theories of gravity needed not be fundamentally inconsistent, at least in the Newtonian regime. Using the machinery of continuous measurement theory and feedback, it was shown that one could construct well-behaved models of hybrid quantum-classical dynamics at the price of an imposed (nonunique) decoherence structure. We introduce a principle of least decoherence (PLD) which allows us to naturally single out a unique model from all the available options; up to some unspecified short distance regularization scale. Interestingly, the resulting model is found to coincide with the old—erstwhile only heuristically motivated—proposal of Penrose and one of us for gravity-related spontaneous decoherence and collapse. Finally, this paper suggests that it is in the submillimeter behavior of gravity that new phenomena might be found.

Comfort with Gays and Lesbians after a Class Discussion on Homophobia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swank, Eric; Raiz, Lisa; Faulkner, Cynthia; Faulkner, Samuel; Hesterberg, Latonya

2008-01-01

As some educators try to eradicate homophobia among their students, the literature on how classroom interventions lessen homophobia has netted inconsistent results. Most studies have found modest curriculum effects, while some have not. In addressing these inconsistencies, this study investigates the way some mitigating factors may either augment…

Measuring Competition: Inconsistent Definitions, Inconsistent Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linick, Matthew Allen

2014-01-01

There is a developing literature examining how charter schools, through the effects of competition, impact performance in public school districts and district-run public schools, also known as the second-level effects of competition. What follows is an examination of how competition is measured in this literature that offers a critique of existing…

Preschool Children's Development in Classic Montessori, Supplemented Montessori, and Conventional Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lillard, Angeline S.

2012-01-01

Research on the outcomes of Montessori education is scarce and results are inconsistent. One possible reason for the inconsistency is variations in Montessori implementation fidelity. To test whether outcomes vary according to implementation fidelity, we examined preschool children enrolled in high fidelity classic Montessori programs, lower…

Health Promotion of Faculty and Staff: The School Nurse's Role

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Kelly M.

2008-01-01

Health promotion of school faculty and staff is an important part of a coordinated school health program. The lack of evaluation of health promotion programs and inconsistent results highlighting the efficacy and benefits of programs adds to employers' perceptions of inconsistent benefits. More studies evaluating effectiveness and development of…

The Effect of Inconsistency Appeals on the Influence of Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertisements: An Application of Goal Disruption Theory.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Benjamin D; Siegel, Jason T

2016-01-01

Scholars across multiple domains have identified the presence of inconsistency-arousing information in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisements and have suggested that these appeals, which highlight differences between people's actual and desired lives, may create psychological disequilibrium. However, experimental assessment of the distinct influence of inconsistency-arousing information in this domain is rare. Guided by goal disruption theory-a framework that outlines people's reactions to goal expectation violations-we created direct-to-consumer advertisements designed to make people's life inconsistencies salient. The influence of these ads on people's perceptions of, and intentions to use, prescription drugs was then assessed. Results from a structural equation modeling analysis supported the proposed model, indicating that compared to a control ad, an ad containing a goal expectation violation manipulation resulted in higher levels of psychological disequilibrium; in turn, psychological disequilibrium led to positive evaluations of the ad and the drug, positive outcome expectations of the drug, increased purposive harm endurance, and increased usage intentions. The current results suggest a psychological pathway that begins with a negative goal expectation violation and ends with increased usage intentions and a greater willingness to endure harm to make use possible.

Determining Financial Capability of SSI/SSDI Beneficiaries with Psychiatric Disabilities: A Case Series

PubMed Central

Lazar, Christina M.; Black, Anne C.; McMahon, Thomas J; O’Shea, Kevin; Rosen, Marc I.

2015-01-01

Objective Social Security beneficiaries’ liberty is constrained if they are judged incapable of managing their disability payments and are assigned a fiduciary to manage benefit payments on their behalf. Conversely, beneficiaries’ well-being may be compromised if they misspend money that they need to survive. Several studies have shown that determinations of financial capability are made inconsistently and capability guidelines appear to be applied inconsistently in practice. This case series describes the ambiguities remaining for a small number of individuals even after published criteria for capability— failing to meet basic needs and/or harmful spending on drugs— are applied. Methods Trained, experienced assessors rated the financial capability of 119 individuals in intensive outpatient or inpatient psychiatric facilities who received SSI or SSDI payments. Ten individuals’ cases were determined difficult to judge. Results Six sources of ambiguity were identified by case review: distinguishing incapability from the challenges of navigating poverty, the amount of nonessential spending needed to be considered incapable, the amount of spending on harmful things needed to be considered incapable, how intermittent periods of capability and incapability should be considered, the relative weighting of past behavior and future plans to change, and discrepancies between different sources of information. Conclusion The cases raise fundamental questions about what financial incapability is, but also illustrate how detailed consideration of beneficiaries’ living situations and decision making can inform the difficult dichotomous decision about capability. PMID:25727116

Deformation of Surface Nanobubbles Induced by Substrate Hydrophobicity.

PubMed

Wei, Jiachen; Zhang, Xianren; Song, Fan

2016-12-13

Recent experimental measurements have shown that there exists a population of nanobubbles with different curvature radii, whereas both computer simulations and theoretical analysis indicated that the curvature radii of different nanobubbles should be the same at a given supersaturation. To resolve such inconsistency, we perform molecular dynamics simulations on surface nanobubbles that are stabilized by heterogeneous substrates either in the geometrical heterogeneity model (GHM) or in the chemical heterogeneity model (CHM) and propose that the inconsistency could be ascribed to the substrate-induced nanobubble deformation. We find that, as expected from theory and computer simulation, for either the GHM or the CHM, there exists a universal upper limit of contact angle for the nanobubbles, which is determined by the degree of supersaturation alone. By analyzing the evolution of the shape of nanobubbles as a function of substrate hydrophobicity that is controlled here by the liquid-solid interaction, two different origins of nanobubble deformation are identified. For substrates in the GHM, where the contact line is pinned by surface roughness, variation in the liquid-solid interaction changes only the location of the contact line and the measured contact angle, without causing a change in the nanobubble curvature. For substrates in the CHM, however, the liquid-solid interaction exerted by the bottom substrate can deform the vapor-liquid interface, resulting in variations in both the curvature of the vapor-liquid interface and the contact angle.

Impact of Smoking Ban on Passive Smoke Exposure in Pregnant Non-Smokers in the Southeastern United States.

PubMed

Schechter, Julia C; Fuemmeler, Bernard F; Hoyo, Cathrine; Murphy, Susan K; Zhang, Junfeng Jim; Kollins, Scott H

2018-01-06

Prenatal passive smoke exposure raises risk for negative birth outcomes. Legislation regulating public smoking has been shown to impact exposure levels, though fewer studies involving pregnant women have been conducted within the U.S. where bans are inconsistent across regions. This study examined the effect of a ban enacted in the southeastern U.S. on pregnant women's cotinine levels. Additional analyses compared self-reported exposure to cotinine and identified characteristics associated with passive exposure. Pregnant women ( N = 851) were recruited prospectively between 2005 and 2011 in North Carolina. Sociodemographic and health data were collected via surveys; maternal blood samples were assayed for cotinine. Among non-active smokers who provided self-report data regarding passive exposure ( N = 503), 20% were inconsistent with corresponding cotinine. Among all non-smokers ( N = 668), being unmarried, African American, and less educated were each associated with greater passive exposure. Controlling for covariates, mean cotinine was higher prior to the ban compared to after, F (1, 640) = 24.65, p < 0.001. Results suggest that banning smoking in public spaces may reduce passive smoke exposure for non-smoking pregnant women. These data are some of the first to examine the impact of legislation on passive smoke exposure in pregnant women within the U.S. using a biomarker and can inform policy in regions lacking comprehensive smoke-free legislation.

Impact of Smoking Ban on Passive Smoke Exposure in Pregnant Non-Smokers in the Southeastern United States

PubMed Central

Schechter, Julia C.; Fuemmeler, Bernard F.; Hoyo, Cathrine; Murphy, Susan K.; Zhang, Junfeng (Jim); Kollins, Scott H.

2018-01-01

Prenatal passive smoke exposure raises risk for negative birth outcomes. Legislation regulating public smoking has been shown to impact exposure levels, though fewer studies involving pregnant women have been conducted within the U.S. where bans are inconsistent across regions. This study examined the effect of a ban enacted in the southeastern U.S. on pregnant women’s cotinine levels. Additional analyses compared self-reported exposure to cotinine and identified characteristics associated with passive exposure. Pregnant women (N = 851) were recruited prospectively between 2005 and 2011 in North Carolina. Sociodemographic and health data were collected via surveys; maternal blood samples were assayed for cotinine. Among non-active smokers who provided self-report data regarding passive exposure (N = 503), 20% were inconsistent with corresponding cotinine. Among all non-smokers (N = 668), being unmarried, African American, and less educated were each associated with greater passive exposure. Controlling for covariates, mean cotinine was higher prior to the ban compared to after, F(1, 640) = 24.65, p < 0.001. Results suggest that banning smoking in public spaces may reduce passive smoke exposure for non-smoking pregnant women. These data are some of the first to examine the impact of legislation on passive smoke exposure in pregnant women within the U.S. using a biomarker and can inform policy in regions lacking comprehensive smoke-free legislation. PMID:29316617

Occupation and thyroid cancer.

PubMed

Aschebrook-Kilfoy, Briseis; Ward, Mary H; Della Valle, Curt T; Friesen, Melissa C

2014-05-01

Numerous occupational and environmental exposures have been shown to disrupt thyroid hormones, but much less is known about their relationships with thyroid cancer. Here we review the epidemiology studies of occupations and occupational exposures and thyroid cancer incidence to provide insight into preventable risk factors for thyroid cancer. The published literature was searched using the Web of Knowledge database for all articles through August 2013 that had in their text 'occupation' 'job' 'employment' or 'work' and 'thyroid cancer'. After excluding 10 mortality studies and 4 studies with less than 5 exposed incident cases, we summarised the findings of 30 articles that examined thyroid cancer incidence in relation to occupations or occupational exposure. The studies were grouped by exposure/occupation category, study design and exposure assessment approach. Where available, gender-stratified results are reported. The most studied (19 of 30 studies) and the most consistent associations were observed for radiation-exposed workers and healthcare occupations. Suggestive, but inconsistent, associations were observed in studies of pesticide-exposed workers and agricultural occupations. Findings for other exposures and occupation groups were largely null. The majority of studies had few exposed cases and assessed exposure based on occupation or industry category, self-report, or generic (population-based) job exposure matrices. The suggestive, but inconsistent findings for many of the occupational exposures reviewed here indicate that more studies with larger numbers of cases and better exposure assessment are necessary, particularly for exposures known to disrupt thyroid homeostasis.

Kinematic Origins of Motor Inconsistency in Expert Pianists.

PubMed

Tominaga, Kenta; Lee, André; Altenmüller, Eckart; Miyazaki, Fumio; Furuya, Shinichi

2016-01-01

For top performers, including athletes and musicians, even subtle inconsistencies in rhythm and force during movement production decrease the quality of performance. However, extensive training over many years beginning in childhood is unable to perfect dexterous motor performance so that it is without any error. To gain insight into the biological mechanisms underlying the subtle defects of motor actions, the present study sought to identify the kinematic origins of inconsistency of dexterous finger movements in musical performance. Seven highly-skilled pianists who have won prizes at international piano competitions played a short sequence of tones with the right hand at a predetermined tempo. Time-varying joint angles of the fingers were recorded using a custom-made data glove, and the timing and velocity of the individual keystrokes were recorded from a digital piano. Both ridge and stepwise multiple regression analyses demonstrated an association of the inter-trial variability of the inter-keystroke interval (i.e., rhythmic inconsistency) with both the rotational velocity of joints of the finger used for a keystroke (i.e., striking finger) and the movement independence between the striking and non-striking fingers. This indicates a relationship between rhythmic inconsistency in musical performance and the dynamic features of movements in not only the striking finger but also the non-striking fingers. In contrast, the inter-trial variability of the key-descending velocity (i.e., loudness inconsistency) was associated mostly with the kinematic features of the striking finger at the moment of the keystroke. Furthermore, there was no correlation between the rhythmic and loudness inconsistencies. The results suggest distinct kinematic origins of inconsistencies in rhythm and loudness in expert musical performance.

COHeRE: Cross-Ontology Hierarchical Relation Examination for Ontology Quality Assurance.

PubMed

Cui, Licong

Biomedical ontologies play a vital role in healthcare information management, data integration, and decision support. Ontology quality assurance (OQA) is an indispensable part of the ontology engineering cycle. Most existing OQA methods are based on the knowledge provided within the targeted ontology. This paper proposes a novel cross-ontology analysis method, Cross-Ontology Hierarchical Relation Examination (COHeRE), to detect inconsistencies and possible errors in hierarchical relations across multiple ontologies. COHeRE leverages the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) knowledge source and the MapReduce cloud computing technique for systematic, large-scale ontology quality assurance work. COHeRE consists of three main steps with the UMLS concepts and relations as the input. First, the relations claimed in source vocabularies are filtered and aggregated for each pair of concepts. Second, inconsistent relations are detected if a concept pair is related by different types of relations in different source vocabularies. Finally, the uncovered inconsistent relations are voted according to their number of occurrences across different source vocabularies. The voting result together with the inconsistent relations serve as the output of COHeRE for possible ontological change. The highest votes provide initial suggestion on how such inconsistencies might be fixed. In UMLS, 138,987 concept pairs were found to have inconsistent relationships across multiple source vocabularies. 40 inconsistent concept pairs involving hierarchical relationships were randomly selected and manually reviewed by a human expert. 95.8% of the inconsistent relations involved in these concept pairs indeed exist in their source vocabularies rather than being introduced by mistake in the UMLS integration process. 73.7% of the concept pairs with suggested relationship were agreed by the human expert. The effectiveness of COHeRE indicates that UMLS provides a promising environment to enhance qualities of biomedical ontologies by performing cross-ontology examination.

Health literacy and logical inconsistencies in valuations of hypothetical health states: results from the Canadian EQ-5D-5L valuation study.

PubMed

Al Sayah, Fatima; Johnson, Jeffrey A; Ohinmaa, Arto; Xie, Feng; Bansback, Nick

2017-06-01

To examine the association of health literacy with logical inconsistencies in time trade-off valuations of hypothetical health states described by the EQ-5D-5L classification system. Data from the EQ-5D-5L Canadian Valuation study were used. Health literacy was assessed using the Brief Health Literacy Screen. A health state valuation was considered logically inconsistent if a respondent gave the same or lower value for a very mild health state compared to the value given to 55555, or gave the same or lower value for a very mild health state compared to value assigned to the majority of the health states that are dominated by the very mild health state. Average age of respondents (N = 1209) was 48 (SD = 17) years, 45% were male, 7% reported inadequate health literacy, and 11% had a logical inconsistency. In adjusted analysis, participants with inadequate health literacy were 2.2 (95%CI: 1.2, 4.0; p = 0.014) times more likely to provide an inconsistent valuation compared to those with adequate health literacy. More specifically, those who had problems in "understanding written information" and "reading health information" were more likely to have a logical inconsistency compared to those who did not. However, lacking "confidence in completing medical forms" was not associated with logical inconsistencies. Health literacy was associated with logical inconsistencies in valuations of hypothetical health states described by the EQ-5D-5L classification system. Valuations studies should consider assessing health literacy, and explore better ways to introduce the valuation tasks or use simpler approaches of health preferences elicitation for individuals with inadequate health literacy.

[Gene method for inconsistent hydrological frequency calculation. I: Inheritance, variability and evolution principles of hydrological genes].

PubMed

Xie, Ping; Wu, Zi Yi; Zhao, Jiang Yan; Sang, Yan Fang; Chen, Jie

2018-04-01

A stochastic hydrological process is influenced by both stochastic and deterministic factors. A hydrological time series contains not only pure random components reflecting its inheri-tance characteristics, but also deterministic components reflecting variability characteristics, such as jump, trend, period, and stochastic dependence. As a result, the stochastic hydrological process presents complicated evolution phenomena and rules. To better understand these complicated phenomena and rules, this study described the inheritance and variability characteristics of an inconsistent hydrological series from two aspects: stochastic process simulation and time series analysis. In addition, several frequency analysis approaches for inconsistent time series were compared to reveal the main problems in inconsistency study. Then, we proposed a new concept of hydrological genes origined from biological genes to describe the inconsistent hydrolocal processes. The hydrologi-cal genes were constructed using moments methods, such as general moments, weight function moments, probability weight moments and L-moments. Meanwhile, the five components, including jump, trend, periodic, dependence and pure random components, of a stochastic hydrological process were defined as five hydrological bases. With this method, the inheritance and variability of inconsistent hydrological time series were synthetically considered and the inheritance, variability and evolution principles were fully described. Our study would contribute to reveal the inheritance, variability and evolution principles in probability distribution of hydrological elements.

Theory of Planned Behavior and Teachers' Decisions regarding Use of Educational Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jung; Cerreto, Frank A.; Lee, Jihyun

2010-01-01

According to Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), behavioral intention (BI) is predicted by attitude toward the behavior (AB), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC). Previous studies using the TPB to explain teachers' intentions to use technology have resulted in inconsistent findings. This inconsistency might be due to…

Toward unification of taxonomy databases in a distributed computer environment

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

Kitakami, Hajime; Tateno, Yoshio; Gojobori, Takashi

1994-12-31

All the taxonomy databases constructed with the DNA databases of the international DNA data banks are powerful electronic dictionaries which aid in biological research by computer. The taxonomy databases are, however not consistently unified with a relational format. If we can achieve consistent unification of the taxonomy databases, it will be useful in comparing many research results, and investigating future research directions from existent research results. In particular, it will be useful in comparing relationships between phylogenetic trees inferred from molecular data and those constructed from morphological data. The goal of the present study is to unify the existent taxonomymore » databases and eliminate inconsistencies (errors) that are present in them. Inconsistencies occur particularly in the restructuring of the existent taxonomy databases, since classification rules for constructing the taxonomy have rapidly changed with biological advancements. A repair system is needed to remove inconsistencies in each data bank and mismatches among data banks. This paper describes a new methodology for removing both inconsistencies and mismatches from the databases on a distributed computer environment. The methodology is implemented in a relational database management system, SYBASE.« less

Factors associated with cardiac mortality in developed countries with particular reference to the consumption of wine.

PubMed

St Leger, A S; Cochrane, A L; Moore, F

1979-05-12

Deaths from ischaemic heart-disease in 18 developed countries are not strongly associated with health-service factors such as doctor and nurse density. There is a negative association with gross national product per capita and a positive but inconsistent association with saturated and monounsaturated fat intake. The principal finding is a strong and specific negative association between ischaemic heart-disease deaths and alcohol consumption. This is shown to be wholly attributable to wine consumption.

Modeling the Effects of Ecosystem Fragmentation and Restoration: Management Models for Mobile Animals. Volume 2. Appendices 3-7

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-12-01

Spizella passerina 0.331 (+0.066) 0.058 (+0.032) 0.001 91 Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis 0.277 (+0.056) 0.125 (+0.037) 0.01 93 Western Tanager...cues such as vegetation structure as surrogates for the factors such as prey availability and predation risk that actually determine habitat quality...foliage prey as well as foliage predators has shown inconsistent patterns between forest edge and interior in different studies (Yahner 1995, De

The role of beliefs on learning about homosexuality in a college course.

PubMed

Vaughn, James; Kennison, Shelia; Byrd-Craven, Jennifer

2014-01-01

The present research investigated how personal beliefs about homosexuality influence learning in a college course. We tested students in introductory psychology over material on the science of homosexuality by Simon LeVay (2010). All students reported information about their typical academic habits and the extent to which homosexuality was consistent with their beliefs and values. The results showed that students' personal beliefs were related to academic behaviors (e.g., reading assignments, skipping class) and retention of the course material. The results also showed that students' recall of course material six weeks later was predicted by the extent to which they reported studying information that is inconsistent with their beliefs for an exam and then forgetting it. Students who reported the material to be inconsistent with their beliefs engaged in selective forgetting of the material on homosexuality. The results provide evidence that personal beliefs can reduce the retention of belief-inconsistent information in a college course.

Scaling Soil Microbe-Water Interactions from Pores to Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manzoni, S.; Katul, G. G.

2014-12-01

The spatial scales relevant to soil microbial activity are much finer than scales relevant to whole-ecosystem function and biogeochemical cycling. On the one hand, how to link such different scales and develop scale-aware biogeochemical and ecohydrological models remains a major challenge. On the other hand, resolving these linkages is becoming necessary for testing ecological hypotheses and resolving data-theory inconsistencies. Here, the relation between microbial respiration and soil moisture expressed in water potential is explored. Such relation mediates the water availability effects on ecosystem-level heterotrophic respiration and is of paramount importance for understanding CO2 emissions under increasingly variable rainfall regimes. Respiration has been shown to decline as the soil dries in a remarkably consistent way across climates and soil types (open triangles in Figure). Empirical models based on these respiration-moisture relations are routinely used in Earth System Models to predict moisture effects on ecosystem respiration. It has been hypothesized that this consistency in microbial respiration decline is due to breakage of water film continuity causing in turn solute diffusion limitations in dry conditions. However, this hypothesis appears to be at odds with what is known about soil hydraulic properties. Water film continuity estimated from soil water retention (SWR) measurements at the 'Darcy' scale breaks at far less negative water potential (<-0.1 MPa) levels than where microbial respiration ceases (approximately -15 MPa) as shown in the Figure (violet frequency distribution). Also, this threshold point inferred from SWR shows strong texture dependence, in contrast to the respiration curves. Employing theoretical tools from percolation theory, it is demonstrated that hydrological measurements can be spatially downscaled at a micro-level relevant to microbial activity. Such downscaling resolves the inconsistency between respiration thresholds and hydrological thresholds. This result, together with observations of residual microbial activity well below -15 MPa (dashed back curve in Figure), lends support to the hypothesis that soil microbes are substrate-limited in dry conditions.

How Well Can Analytic Hierarchy Process be Used to Elicit Individual Preferences? Insights from a Survey in Patients Suffering from Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

PubMed

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

2016-10-01

In this study, we tested the feasibility of an interviewer-assisted analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in a special patient population with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). One aim was to generate preference weights regarding AMD treatment characteristics. A secondary aim was to explore the consistency of preference judgments and reasons for inconsistency. We generated quantitative importance weights for decision criteria using the matrix multiplication method. A qualitative study component in the form of asking patients to think aloud throughout their judgments was implemented to facilitate understanding of quantitative findings. Consistency ratios were calculated as a measure of logical judgment performance within AHP. If consistency ratios exceeded 0.2, we explored reasons for inconsistency. We interviewed 86 patients and generated preference weights for criteria. Patients rated the injection's effect on visual function the highest (0.44), followed by the frequency of monitoring visits (0.18), approval status (0.13), injection frequency (0.13), and side effects (0.12). Inconsistency in judgments was prevalent at the subcriteria level. Whereas much of the observed inconsistency was due to an excessive use of high/extreme value judgments, these judgments seemed to result from patients reasonably trying to highlight their strong preferences. Our study combines quantitative with qualitative data to explore patients' preference weights and decision processes using the AHP. It suggests that the type of inconsistency observed in judgments of AMD patients mostly results from rational decision making, not from error or lack of understanding. Further research should address which type and extent of inconsistency might be acceptable in different AHP settings.

Reporting discrepancies between the ClinicalTrials.gov results database and peer-reviewed publications.

PubMed

Hartung, Daniel M; Zarin, Deborah A; Guise, Jeanne-Marie; McDonagh, Marian; Paynter, Robin; Helfand, Mark

2014-04-01

ClinicalTrials.gov requires reporting of result summaries for many drug and device trials. To evaluate the consistency of reporting of trials that are registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov results database and published in the literature. ClinicalTrials.gov results database and matched publications identified through ClinicalTrials.gov and a manual search of 2 electronic databases. 10% random sample of phase 3 or 4 trials with results in the ClinicalTrials.gov results database, completed before 1 January 2009, with 2 or more groups. One reviewer extracted data about trial design and results from the results database and matching publications. A subsample was independently verified. Of 110 trials with results, most were industry-sponsored, parallel-design drug studies. The most common inconsistency was the number of secondary outcome measures reported (80%). Sixteen trials (15%) reported the primary outcome description inconsistently, and 22 (20%) reported the primary outcome value inconsistently. Thirty-eight trials inconsistently reported the number of individuals with a serious adverse event (SAE); of these, 33 (87%) reported more SAEs in ClinicalTrials.gov. Among the 84 trials that reported SAEs in ClinicalTrials.gov, 11 publications did not mention SAEs, 5 reported them as zero or not occurring, and 21 reported a different number of SAEs. Among 29 trials that reported deaths in ClinicalTrials.gov, 28% differed from the matched publication. Small sample that included earliest results posted to the database. Reporting discrepancies between the ClinicalTrials.gov results database and matching publications are common. Which source contains the more accurate account of results is unclear, although ClinicalTrials.gov may provide a more comprehensive description of adverse events than the publication. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Changing your mind.

PubMed

Walsh, Clare R; Johnson-Laird, P N

2009-07-01

When individuals detect an inconsistency in a set of propositions, they tend to change their minds about at least one proposition to resolve the inconsistency. The orthodox view from William James (1907) onward has been that a rational change should be minimal. We propose an alternative hypothesis according to which individuals seek to resolve inconsistencies by explaining their origins. We report four experiments corroborating the explanatory hypothesis. Experiment 1 showed that participants' explanations revised general conditional claims rather than specific categorical propositions. Experiment 2 showed that, when explanations did revise the categorical proposition, participants also tended to deny the consequences of a second generalization. Experiment 3 showed that this tendency persists when participants previously affirmed these consequences explicitly. Experiment 4 showed that, when participants could easily explain an inconsistency by revising a generalization, they were more likely to accept the consequences of a second generalization. All four results contravene minimalism but support the explanatory hypothesis.

Child Maltreatment Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Cortisol Levels in Women: A Literature Review.

PubMed

Li, Yang; Seng, Julia S

Studies of the relationship between cortisol and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have had inconsistent results. Gender, trauma type, and age at trauma exposure may explain the inconsistencies. The objective of the review was to examine cortisol levels in relation to PTSD in women with a history of child maltreatment trauma. A review of literature found 13 articles eligible for inclusion. Despite limiting focus to the relatively homogeneous population, the patterns of associations between PTSD and cortisol levels were still inconsistent. The reasons for the inconsistencies likely include highly varied methods across studies, small convenience samples, and unmeasured neuroendocrine hormones that may be stronger predictors of PTSD. The review does not point to a clear bio-behavioral target for psychiatric nursing intervention. It is important to continue to address the developmental and clinical stress response aspects of child maltreatment trauma-related PTSD without assuming that these stress responses are hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis driven.

Interference between wave modes may contribute to the apparent negative dispersion observed in cancellous bone

PubMed Central

Anderson, Christian C.; Marutyan, Karen R.; Holland, Mark R.; Wear, Keith A.; Miller, James G.

2008-01-01

Previous work has shown that ultrasonic waves propagating through cancellous bone often exhibit a linear-with-frequency attenuation coefficient, but a decrease in phase velocity with frequency (negative dispersion) that is inconsistent with the causality-imposed Kramers–Kronig relations. In the current study, interfering wave modes similar to those observed in bone are shown to potentially contribute to the observed negative dispersion. Biot theory, the modified Biot–Attenborogh model, and experimental results are used to aid in simulating multiple-mode wave propagation through cancellous bone. Simulations entail constructing individual wave modes exhibiting a positive dispersion using plausible velocities and amplitudes, and then summing the individual modes to create mixed-mode output wave forms. Results of the simulations indicate that mixed-mode wave forms can exhibit negative dispersion when analyzed conventionally under the assumption that only one wave is present, even when the individual interfering waves exhibit positive dispersions in accordance with the Kramers–Kronig relations. Furthermore, negative dispersion is observed when little or no visual evidence of interference exists in the time-domain data. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for the observed negative dispersion could aid in determining the true material properties of cancellous bone, as opposed to the apparent properties measured using conventional data analysis techniques. PMID:19045668

Investigation of IRT-Based Equating Methods in the Presence of Outlier Common Items

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Huiqin; Rogers, W. Todd; Vukmirovic, Zarko

2008-01-01

Common items with inconsistent b-parameter estimates may have a serious impact on item response theory (IRT)--based equating results. To find a better way to deal with the outlier common items with inconsistent b-parameters, the current study investigated the comparability of 10 variations of four IRT-based equating methods (i.e., concurrent…

Hand Path Priming in Manual Obstacle Avoidance: Rapid Decay of Dorsal Stream Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jax, Steven A.; Rosenbaum, David A.

2009-01-01

The dorsal, action-related, visual stream has been thought to have little or no memory. This hypothesis has seemed credible because functions related to the dorsal stream have been generally unsusceptible to priming from previous experience. Tests of this claim have yielded inconsistent results, however. We argue that these inconsistencies may be…

Intraindividual variability in reaction time predicts cognitive outcomes 5 years later.

PubMed

Bielak, Allison A M; Hultsch, David F; Strauss, Esther; Macdonald, Stuart W S; Hunter, Michael A

2010-11-01

Building on results suggesting that intraindividual variability in reaction time (inconsistency) is highly sensitive to even subtle changes in cognitive ability, this study addressed the capacity of inconsistency to predict change in cognitive status (i.e., cognitive impairment, no dementia [CIND] classification) and attrition 5 years later. Two hundred twelve community-dwelling older adults, initially aged 64-92 years, remained in the study after 5 years. Inconsistency was calculated from baseline reaction time performance. Participants were assigned to groups on the basis of their fluctuations in CIND classification over time. Logistic and Cox regressions were used. Baseline inconsistency significantly distinguished among those who remained or transitioned into CIND over the 5 years and those who were consistently intact (e.g., stable intact vs. stable CIND, Wald (1) = 7.91, p < .01, Exp(β) = 1.49). Average level of inconsistency over time was also predictive of study attrition, for example, Wald (1) = 11.31, p < .01, Exp(β) = 1.24. For both outcomes, greater inconsistency was associated with a greater likelihood of being in a maladaptive group 5 years later. Variability based on moderately cognitively challenging tasks appeared to be particularly sensitive to longitudinal changes in cognitive ability. Mean rate of responding was a comparable predictor of change in most instances, but individuals were at greater relative risk of being in a maladaptive outcome group if they were more inconsistent rather than if they were slower in responding. Implications for the potential utility of intraindividual variability in reaction time as an early marker of cognitive decline are discussed. (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved

Dietary factors associated with bladder cancer.

PubMed

Piyathilake, Chandrika

2016-06-01

It is biologically plausible for dietary factors to influence bladder cancer risk considering that beneficial as well as harmful components of a diet are excreted through the urinary tract and in direct contact with the epithelium of the bladder. However, studies that investigated the association between dietary factors and bladder cancer (BC) risk have largely reported inconsistent results. The macronutrient intake and risk of BC could have yield inconsistent results across studies because of lack of details on the type, source and the quantities of different dietary fatty acids consumed. There is evidence to suggest that consumption of processed meat may increase BC risk. Dietary carbohydrate intake does not appear to be directly associated with BC risk. Even though a large number of studies have investigated the association between fruit/vegetable consumption/micronutrients in those and BC risk, they have yielded inconsistent results. Gender-specific subgroup analysis, details of how fruits and vegetables are consumed (raw vs. cooked), adequate control for smoking status/aggressiveness of the cancer and consideration of genetic make-up may clarify these inconsistent results. There is no strong evidence to suggest that supplementation with any common micronutrient is effective in reducing BC risk. These limitations in published research however do not totally eclipse the observation that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in processed meat along with especially smoking cessation may convey some protective effects against BC risk.

Self-functioning and perceived parenting: relations of parental empathy and love inconsistency with narcissism, depression, and self-esteem.

PubMed

Trumpeter, Nevelyn N; Watson, P J; O'Leary, Brian J; Weathington, Bart L

2008-03-01

In Heinz Kohut's (1977, 1984) theory of the psychology of the self, good parenting provides a child with optimal frustration and just the right amount of loving empathic concern. In the present study, the authors examined the relations of perceived parental empathy and love inconsistency with measures of narcissism, self-esteem, and depression. In a sample of university undergraduates (N=232; 78 men, 153 women, and 1 nonresponder), perceived parental empathy predicted more adaptive self-functioning, whereas parental love inconsistency was related to psychological maladjustment. These results support the theoretical assumption that perceived parental empathy is associated with healthy self-development.

X-Ray Source Heights in a Solar Flare: Thick-Target Versus Thermal Conduction Front Heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reep, J. W.; Bradshaw, S. J.; Holman, G. D.

2016-01-01

Observations of solar flares with RHESSI have shown X-ray sources traveling along flaring loops, from the corona down to the chromosphere and back up. The 2002 November 28 C1.1 flare, first observed with RHESSI by Sui et al. and quantitatively analyzed by O'Flannagain et al., very clearly shows this behavior. By employing numerical experiments, we use these observations of X-ray source height motions as a constraint to distinguish between heating due to a non-thermal electron beam and in situ energy deposition in the corona. We find that both heating scenarios can reproduce the observed light curves, but our results favor non-thermal heating. In situ heating is inconsistent with the observed X-ray source morphology and always gives a height dispersion with photon energy opposite to what is observed.

The topology of large-scale structure. VI - Slices of the universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Changbom; Gott, J. R., III; Melott, Adrian L.; Karachentsev, I. D.

1992-03-01

Results of an investigation of the topology of large-scale structure in two observed slices of the universe are presented. Both slices pass through the Coma cluster and their depths are 100 and 230/h Mpc. The present topology study shows that the largest void in the CfA slice is divided into two smaller voids by a statistically significant line of galaxies. The topology of toy models like the white noise and bubble models is shown to be inconsistent with that of the observed slices. A large N-body simulation was made of the biased cloud dark matter model and the slices are simulated by matching them in selection functions and boundary conditions. The genus curves for these simulated slices are spongelike and have a small shift in the direction of a meatball topology like those of observed slices.

The topology of large-scale structure. VI - Slices of the universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Changbom; Gott, J. R., III; Melott, Adrian L.; Karachentsev, I. D.

1992-01-01

Results of an investigation of the topology of large-scale structure in two observed slices of the universe are presented. Both slices pass through the Coma cluster and their depths are 100 and 230/h Mpc. The present topology study shows that the largest void in the CfA slice is divided into two smaller voids by a statistically significant line of galaxies. The topology of toy models like the white noise and bubble models is shown to be inconsistent with that of the observed slices. A large N-body simulation was made of the biased cloud dark matter model and the slices are simulated by matching them in selection functions and boundary conditions. The genus curves for these simulated slices are spongelike and have a small shift in the direction of a meatball topology like those of observed slices.

Socioeconomic status inconsistency and risk of stroke among Japanese middle-aged women.

PubMed

Honjo, Kaori; Iso, Hiroyasu; Inoue, Manami; Sawada, Norie; Tsugane, Shoichiro

2014-09-01

Little research has been conducted to examine the effect of inconsistencies in socioeconomic status on cardiovascular health. In particular, no studies have been reported in Asian countries, including Japan, which is thought to have high socioeconomic status inconsistency among women. We examined the effect of status inconsistency between education level and occupation on stroke risk in a prospective 20-year study of 14 742 middle-aged Japanese women included in the prospective Japan Public Health Center-based (JPHC) Study Cohort I in 1990. Status inconsistency between education level and occupation was determined (qualified, overqualified, and underqualified), and the association with risk of stroke was examined. Cox proportional regression analysis was used to determine hazard ratios, which were adjusted for age, marital status, and geographical area. Adjusted hazard ratio for stroke in overqualified compared with qualified women was 2.06 (95% confidence interval, 1.13-3.78). Adjusted hazard ratios for stroke among highly educated manual workers and workers in service industry were 3.47 (95% confidence interval, 1.54-7.84) and 3.21 (95% confidence interval, 1.49-6.90), respectively, when compared with highly educated professionals/managers. High academic qualifications without an appropriate job could be a risk factor for stroke among Japanese women. Our result suggests that status inconsistency could be a potential explanation for the increased stroke risk among highly educated women. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

[Gene method for inconsistent hydrological frequency calculation. 2: Diagnosis system of hydrological genes and method of hydrological moment genes with inconsistent characters].

PubMed

Xie, Ping; Zhao, Jiang Yan; Wu, Zi Yi; Sang, Yan Fang; Chen, Jie; Li, Bin Bin; Gu, Hai Ting

2018-04-01

The analysis of inconsistent hydrological series is one of the major problems that should be solved for engineering hydrological calculation in changing environment. In this study, the diffe-rences of non-consistency and non-stationarity were analyzed from the perspective of composition of hydrological series. The inconsistent hydrological phenomena were generalized into hydrological processes with inheritance, variability and evolution characteristics or regulations. Furthermore, the hydrological genes were identified following the theory of biological genes, while their inheritance bases and variability bases were determined based on composition of hydrological series under diffe-rent time scales. To identify and test the components of hydrological genes, we constructed a diagnosis system of hydrological genes. With the P-3 distribution as an example, we described the process of construction and expression of the moment genes to illustrate the inheritance, variability and evolution principles of hydrological genes. With the annual minimum 1-month runoff series of Yunjinghong station in Lancangjiang River basin as an example, we verified the feasibility and practicability of hydrological gene theory for the calculation of inconsistent hydrological frequency. The results showed that the method could be used to reveal the evolution of inconsistent hydrological series. Therefore, it provided a new research pathway for engineering hydrological calculation in changing environment and an essential reference for the assessment of water security.

Do your extractable TPH concentrations represent dissolved petroleum? An update on applied research

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

Zemo, D.A.

1997-12-31

Elevated concentrations of {open_quotes}dissolved-phase{close_quotes} extractable total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in groundwater samples can be a significant impediment to site closure in states that regulate groundwater using TPH criteria. These analytical results are inconsistent with petroleum chemistry because of the relatively low water solubility of petroleum products. This paper presents an update of our research into the source of medium- to high-boiling TPH detections in groundwater samples and application of the results to multiple projects. This work follows from a 1995 publication in which positive interferences to the Method 8015M (GC-FID) TPH measurement by soluble, non-petroleum hydrocarbons resulting from intrinsic bioremediationmore » or non-dissolved petroleum adhered to particulates was described. The 1995 paper was largely theoretical and focused on one case study. Since 1995, we have evaluated the source of TPH detections in groundwater at numerous petroleum sites and have demonstrated the significance of interferences to the Method 8015M measurement to the California regulatory community. Our work has shown conclusively that elevated concentrations of extractable TPH are not representative of dissolved petroleum constituents. We have shown that a sample cleanup prior to analysis using silica gel cleanup (to remove polar non-petroleum hydrocarbons) and/or laboratory filtration (to reduce petroleum-affected particulates) is required to overcome the false positives caused by interferences to the Method 8015M measurement.« less

Gradient Phonological Inconsistency Affects Vocabulary Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muench, Kristin L.; Creel, Sarah C.

2013-01-01

Learners frequently experience phonologically inconsistent input, such as exposure to multiple accents. Yet, little is known about the consequences of phonological inconsistency for language learning. The current study examines vocabulary acquisition with different degrees of phonological inconsistency, ranging from no inconsistency (e.g., both…

Young Children Detect and Avoid Logically Inconsistent Sources: The Importance of Communicative Context and Executive Function

PubMed Central

Doebel, Sabine; Rowell, Shaina F.; Koenig, Melissa A.

2016-01-01

The reported research tested the hypothesis that young children detect logical inconsistency in communicative contexts that support the evaluation of speakers’ epistemic reliability. In two experiments (N = 194), 3- to 5-year-olds were presented with two speakers who expressed logically consistent or inconsistent claims. Three-year-olds failed to detect inconsistencies (Experiment 1), 4-year-olds detected inconsistencies when expressed by human speakers but not when read from books, and 5-year-olds detected inconsistencies in both contexts (Experiment 2). In both experiments, children demonstrated skepticism toward testimony from previously inconsistent sources. Executive function and working memory each predicted inconsistency detection. These findings indicate logical inconsistency understanding emerges in early childhood, is supported by social and domain general cognitive skills, and plays a role in adaptive learning from testimony. PMID:27317511

Making adjustments to event annotations for improved biological event extraction.

PubMed

Baek, Seung-Cheol; Park, Jong C

2016-09-16

Current state-of-the-art approaches to biological event extraction train statistical models in a supervised manner on corpora annotated with event triggers and event-argument relations. Inspecting such corpora, we observe that there is ambiguity in the span of event triggers (e.g., "transcriptional activity" vs. 'transcriptional'), leading to inconsistencies across event trigger annotations. Such inconsistencies make it quite likely that similar phrases are annotated with different spans of event triggers, suggesting the possibility that a statistical learning algorithm misses an opportunity for generalizing from such event triggers. We anticipate that adjustments to the span of event triggers to reduce these inconsistencies would meaningfully improve the present performance of event extraction systems. In this study, we look into this possibility with the corpora provided by the 2009 BioNLP shared task as a proof of concept. We propose an Informed Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm, which trains models using the EM algorithm with a posterior regularization technique, which consults the gold-standard event trigger annotations in a form of constraints. We further propose four constraints on the possible event trigger annotations to be explored by the EM algorithm. The algorithm is shown to outperform the state-of-the-art algorithm on the development corpus in a statistically significant manner and on the test corpus by a narrow margin. The analysis of the annotations generated by the algorithm shows that there are various types of ambiguity in event annotations, even though they could be small in number.

Self-reported cognitive inconsistency in older adults.

PubMed

Vanderhill, Susan; Hultsch, David F; Hunter, Michael A; Strauss, Esther

2010-01-01

Insight into one's own cognitive abilities, or metacognition, has been widely studied in developmental psychology. Relevance to the clinician is high, as memory complaints in older adults show an association with impending dementia, even after controlling for likely confounds. Another candidate marker of impending dementia under study is inconsistency in cognitive performance over short time intervals. Although there has been a recent proliferation of studies of cognitive inconsistency in older adults, to date, no one has examined adults' self-perceptions of cognitive inconsistency. Ninety-four community-dwelling older adults (aged 70-91) were randomly selected from a parent longitudinal study of short-term inconsistency and long-term cognitive change in aging. Participants completed a novel 40-item self-report measure of everyday cognitive inconsistency, including parallel scales indexing perceived inconsistency 5 years ago and at present, yielding measures of past, present, and 5-year change in inconsistency. The questionnaire showed acceptable psychometric characteristics. The sample reported an increase in perceived inconsistency over time. Higher reported present inconsistency and greater 5-year increase in inconsistency were associated with noncognitive (e.g., older age, poorer ADLs, poorer health, higher depression), metacognitive (e.g., poorer self-rated memory) and neuropsychological (e.g., poorer performance and greater 5-year decline in global cognitive status, vocabulary, and memory) measures. Correlations between self-reported inconsistency and neuropsychological performance were attenuated, but largely persisted when self-rated memory and age were controlled. Observed relationships between self-reported inconsistency and measures of neuropsychological (including memory) status and decline suggest that self-perceived inconsistency may be an area of relevance in evaluating older adults for memory disorders.

A Perceptual and Electropalatographic Study of /Esh/ in Young People with Down's Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Timmins, Claire; Cleland, Joanne; Wood, Sara E.; Hardcastle, William J.; Wishart, Jennifer G.

2009-01-01

Speech production in young people with Down's syndrome has been found to be variable and inconsistent. Errors tend to be more in the production of sounds that typically develop later, for example, fricatives and affricates, rather than stops and nasals. It has been suggested that inconsistency in production is a result of a motor speech deficit.…

Effects of implicit theories of ability and stereotype-inconsistent information on handgrip strength in older adults: A regulatory fit perspective.

PubMed

Emile, Mélanie; Chalabaev, Aina; Colson, Serge S; Vaulerin, Jerome; Falzon, Charlene; D'Arripe-Longueville, Fabienne

2017-03-01

This study examined whether stereotype-inconsistent information interacts with implicit theories of ability to affect handgrip strength in older adults. Eighty-two retired older adults (13 men and 69 women) from 61 to 89 years old (M age = 75.8 years; SD = 6.9) performed maximum voluntary contractions (MVC) during a handgrip task in a design manipulating implicit theories of ability and stereotype-inconsistent information related to physical decline with aging. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: incremental condition, entity condition, or control group. The results showed that in the incremental condition the stereotype-inconsistent information improved the peak MVC, the average MVC, the peak rate of force development (RFD), and RFD in the initial 50 ms of the MVC. This study therefore demonstrated that individuals with an incremental mindset who are exposed to stereotype-inconsistent information can boost their physical performance. These findings are discussed from the perspective of regulatory fit (i.e., when task framing is congruent with the individual's goal). © 2016 The Authors. Psychophysiology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Consistency Analysis of Genome-Scale Models of Bacterial Metabolism: A Metamodel Approach

PubMed Central

Ponce-de-Leon, Miguel; Calle-Espinosa, Jorge; Peretó, Juli; Montero, Francisco

2015-01-01

Genome-scale metabolic models usually contain inconsistencies that manifest as blocked reactions and gap metabolites. With the purpose to detect recurrent inconsistencies in metabolic models, a large-scale analysis was performed using a previously published dataset of 130 genome-scale models. The results showed that a large number of reactions (~22%) are blocked in all the models where they are present. To unravel the nature of such inconsistencies a metamodel was construed by joining the 130 models in a single network. This metamodel was manually curated using the unconnected modules approach, and then, it was used as a reference network to perform a gap-filling on each individual genome-scale model. Finally, a set of 36 models that had not been considered during the construction of the metamodel was used, as a proof of concept, to extend the metamodel with new biochemical information, and to assess its impact on gap-filling results. The analysis performed on the metamodel allowed to conclude: 1) the recurrent inconsistencies found in the models were already present in the metabolic database used during the reconstructions process; 2) the presence of inconsistencies in a metabolic database can be propagated to the reconstructed models; 3) there are reactions not manifested as blocked which are active as a consequence of some classes of artifacts, and; 4) the results of an automatic gap-filling are highly dependent on the consistency and completeness of the metamodel or metabolic database used as the reference network. In conclusion the consistency analysis should be applied to metabolic databases in order to detect and fill gaps as well as to detect and remove artifacts and redundant information. PMID:26629901

Reliability and validity of the Parenting Scale of Inconsistency.

PubMed

Yoshizumi, Takahiro; Murase, Satomi; Murakami, Takashi; Takai, Jiro

2006-08-01

The purposes of the present study were to develop a Parenting Scale of Inconsistency and to evaluate its initial reliability and validity. The 12 items assess the inconsistency among parents' moods, behaviors, and attitudes toward children. In the primary study, 517 participants completed three measures: the new Parenting Scale of Inconsistency, the Parental Bonding Instrument, and the Depression Scale of the General Health Questionnaire. The Parenting Scale of Inconsistency had good test-retest reliability of .85 and internal consistency of .88 (Cronbach coefficient alpha). Construct validity was good as Inconsistency scores were significantly correlated with the Care and Overprotection scores of the Parental Bonding Instrument and with the Depression scores. Moreover, Inconsistency scores' relation with a dimension of parenting style distinct from Care and Overprotection suggested that the Parenting Scale of Inconsistency had factorial validity. This scale seems a potential measure for examining the relationships between inconsistent parenting and the mental health of children.

Inconsistent self-reported mammography history: Findings from the National Population Health Survey longitudinal cohort

PubMed Central

Bancej, Christina M; Maxwell, Colleen J; Snider, Judy

2004-01-01

Background Self-reported information has commonly been used to monitor mammography utilization across populations and time periods. However, longitudinal investigations regarding the prevalence and determinants of inconsistent responses over time and the impact of such responses on population screening estimates are lacking. Methods Based on longitudinal panel data for a representative cohort of Canadian women aged 40+ years (n = 3,537) assessed in the 1994–95 (baseline) and 1996–97 (follow-up) National Population Health Survey (NPHS), we examined the prevalence of inconsistent self-reports of mammography utilization. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between women's baseline sociodemographic and health characteristics and 2 types of inconsistent responses: (i) baseline reports of ever use which were subsequently contradicted by follow-up reports of never use; and (ii) baseline reports of never use which were contradicted by follow-up reports of use prior to 1994–95. Results Among women who reported having a mammogram at baseline, 5.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 4.6–7.3%) reported at follow-up that they had never had one. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that women with such inconsistent responses were more often outside target age groups, from low income households and less likely to report hormone replacement therapy and Pap smear use. Among women reporting never use at baseline and ever use at follow-up, 17.4% (95%CI: 11.7–23.1%) reported their most recent mammogram as occurring prior to 1994–95 (baseline) and such responses were more common among women aged 70+ years and those in poorer health. Conclusions Women with inconsistent responses of type (i), i.e., ever users at baseline but never users at follow-up, appeared to exhibit characteristics typical of never users of mammography screening. Although limited by sample size, our preliminary analyses suggest that type (ii) responses are more likely to be the result of recall bias due to competing morbidity and age. Inconsistent responses, if removed from the analyses, may be a greater source of loss to follow-up than deaths/institutionalization or item non-response. PMID:15541176

Masculinities and condom use patterns among young rural South Africa men: a cross-sectional baseline survey

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Notions of ideal manhood in South Africa are potentially prescriptive of male sexuality thus accounting for the behaviors which may lead to men being at greater HIV risk. We tested the hypothesis that gender and relationship constructs are associated with condom use among young men living in rural South Africa. Methods 1219 men aged 15–26 years completed a cross-sectional baseline survey from an IsiXhosa questionnaire asking about sexual behaviour and relationships. Univariate and bivariate analyses described condom use patterns and explanatory variables, and multinomial regression modeling assessed the factors associated with inconsistent versus consistent and non-condom use. Results 47.7% of men never used condoms, when 36.9% were inconsistent and 15.4% were consistent with any partner in the past year. Condom use patterns differed in association with gender relations attitudes: never users were significantly more conservative than inconsistent or consistent users. Three gender positions emerged indicating that inconsistent users were most physically/sexually violent and sexually risky; never users had more conservative gender attitudes but were less violent and sexually risky; and consistent users were less conservative, less violent and sexually risky with notably fewer sexual partners than inconsistent users. Conclusions The confluence of conservative gender attitudes, perpetration of violence against women and sexual risk taking distinguished inconsistent condom users as the most risky compared to never condom users, and rendered inconsistent use one of the basic negative attributes of dominant masculinities in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This finding is important for the design of HIV prevention and gender equity interventions and emphasizes the need for a wider roll-out of interventions that promote progressive and healthy masculine practices in the country. PMID:22892159

Dimensions of poverty and inconsistent condom use among youth in urban Kenya.

PubMed

Davidoff-Gore, Alena; Luke, Nancy; Wawire, Salome

2011-10-01

To date, research on the link between poverty and unsafe sexual behaviors has utilized limited measures of socioeconomic status and has overlooked key dimensions of poverty at the individual level. This study explored how various dimensions of socioeconomic status are associated with inconsistent condom use and how these associations vary by gender. We analyzed unique life history survey data from 261 young men and women in Kisumu, Kenya, and conducted analyses based on 959 person-months in which respondents had been sexually active in nonmarital relationships. Dependent variables were inconsistent condom use (not always using a condom) and never use of condoms. Condoms were used inconsistently in 57% of months and were never used in 31%. Corroborating existing literature, lower household wealth and lower educational attainment were associated with inconsistent condom use. Lower individual economic status (lower earned income, food insufficiency, and larger material transfers from partners) were also important determinants of inconsistent condom use. There were no significant differences in these associations by gender, with the exception of food insufficiency, which increased the risk of inconsistent condom use for young women but not for young men. None of these individual measures of socioeconomic status were associated with never use of a condom. The findings suggest that both household- and individual-level measures of socioeconomic status are important correlates of condom use and that individual economic resources play a crucial role in negotiations over the highest level of usage. The results highlight the importance of poverty in shaping sexual behavior, and, in particular, that increasing individual access to resources beyond the household, including ensuring access to food and providing educational and work opportunities, could prove to be effective strategies for decreasing the risk of HIV among youth.

Periodic Variations in the O - C Diagrams of Five Pulsation Frequencies of the DB White Dwarf EC 20058-5234

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalessio, J.; Sullivan, D. J.; Provencal, J. L.; Shipman, H. L.; Sullivan, T.; Kilkenny, D.; Fraga, L.; Sefako, R.

2013-03-01

Variations in the pulsation arrival time of five independent pulsation frequencies of the DB white dwarf EC 20058-5234 individually imitate the effects of reflex motion induced by a planet or companion but are inconsistent when considered in unison. The pulsation frequencies vary periodically in a 12.9 year cycle and undergo secular changes that are inconsistent with simple neutrino plus photon-cooling models. The magnitude of the periodic and secular variations increases with the period of the pulsations, possibly hinting that the corresponding physical mechanism is located near the surface of the star. The phase of the periodic variations appears coupled to the sign of the secular variations. The standards for pulsation-timing-based detection of planetary companions around pulsating white dwarfs, and possibly other variables such as subdwarf B stars, should be re-evaluated. The physical mechanism responsible for this surprising result may involve a redistribution of angular momentum or a magnetic cycle. Additionally, variations in a supposed combination frequency are shown to match the sum of the variations of the parent frequencies to remarkable precision, an expected but unprecedented confirmation of theoretical predictions. Based on observations obtained at the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope, which is a joint project of the Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, e Inovação (MCTI) da República Federativa do Brasil, the US National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and Michigan State University (MSU).

Nonequilibrium partitioning during rapid solidification of SiAs alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kittl, J. A.; Aziz, M. J.; Brunco, D. P.; Thompson, M. O.

1995-02-01

The velocity dependence of the partition coefficient was measured for rapid solidification of polycrystalline Si-4.5 at% As and Si-9 at% As alloys induced by pulsed laser melting. The results constitute the first test of partitioning models both for the high velocity regime and for non-dilute alloys. The continuous growth model (CGM) of Aziz and Kaplan fits the data well, but with an unusually low diffusive speed of 0.46 m/s. The data show negligible dependence of partitioning on concentration, also consistent with the CGM. The predictions of the Hillert-Sundman model are inconsistent with partitioning results. Using the aperiodic stepwise growth model (ASGM) of Goldman and Aziz, an average over crystallographic orientations with parameters from independent single-crystal experiments is shown to be reasonably consistent with these polycrystalline partitioning results. The results, combined with others, indicate that the CGM without solute drag and its extension to lateral ledge motion, the ASGM, are the only models that fit the data for both solute partioning and kinetic undercooling interface response functions. No current solute drag models can match both partitioning and undercooling measurements.

Predicting date rape perceptions: the effects of gender, gender role attitudes, and victim resistance.

PubMed

Black, Katherine A; McCloskey, Kathy A

2013-08-01

The effects of participant gender and victim resistance on date rape perceptions have been inconsistent. Participant gender role attitudes may contribute to these inconsistencies. We found women with traditional gender role attitudes were least likely to agree that the perpetrator was guilty of rape. Participants were less convinced of the perpetrator's guilt when the victim resisted verbally than when she resisted verbally and physically, and participants with traditional gender role attitudes were less convinced of the negative impact on the victim when she resisted verbally than when she resisted verbally and physically. Perhaps previous inconsistencies resulted from varying proportions of men and women with traditional versus liberal gender role attitudes in the samples.

Altruism as hedonism: a social development perspective on the relationship of negative mood state and helping.

PubMed

Cialdini, R B; Kenrick, D T

1976-11-01

A study was conducted to provide a means for reconciliation of the conflicting data on the relationship of negative mood state to altruism. Whereas some studies have shown that negative mood leads to increases in altruistic action, others have shown the reverse. It was hypothesized that the inconsistency of these results was due to differences in the ages and consequent levels of socialization of the subjects employed in the earlier studies. In order to test the hypothesis, subjects from three age groups (6-8, 10-12, and 15-18 years old) were asked to think of either depressing or neutral events and were subsequently given the opportunity to be privately generous. Consistent with predictions from the negative state relief model of altruism, the youngest, least socialized subjects were somewhat less generous in the negative mood condition, but this relationship progressively reversed itself until in the oldest, most socialized group, the negative mood subjects were significantly more generous than neutral mood controls. The data were taken as support for a hedonistic conception of altruism that views adult benevolence as self-gratification. It is suggested that the reward character of benevolence derives from the socialization experience.

Relative abundance of heavy ions in the inner zone of the radiation belts of the earth

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

Panasyuk, M.I.

1986-03-01

The energy dependences of the relative abundances of energetic (E > 1 MeV/nucleon) H, He, and O ions in the radiation belts are analyzed on the basis of experimental results obtained from measurement of their spectral characteristics on several satellites: Molniya-2, Kosmos-900, Prognoz-5, Explorer-45, ISEE-1, and OV1-19. It is shown that the formation of the energy dependence of He/H and O/H can be explained with a model providing for ion diffusion into the interior of the radiation belts with Coulomb losses taken into account under thecondition that the total-energy spectra at the boundary are more rigid for the heavy ionsmore » and are determined by such parameters of the quiet solar wind as the relative concentrations of the individual ion components and their charge states. It is shown that the fluxes of O and Fe ions with E > 1 MeV/nucleon measured on the orbital stations Salyut-6 and Skylab have an energy dependence of the relative abundances not inconsistent with above-noted mechanism for the formation of energetic ions of the inner radiation belt.« less

Love, Hate and Murder: Commitment Devices in Violent Relationships

PubMed Central

Aizer, Anna; Bó, Pedro Dal

2009-01-01

Many violent relationships are characterized by a high degree of cyclicality: women who are the victims of domestic violence often leave and return multiple times. To explain this we develop a model of time inconsistent preferences in the context of domestic violence. This time inconsistency generates a demand for commitment. We present supporting evidence that women in violent relationships display time inconsistent preferences by examining their demand for commitment devices. We find that no-drop policies – which compel the prosecutor to continue with prosecution even if the victim expresses a desire to drop the charges – result in an increase in reporting. No-drop policies also result in a decrease in the number of men murdered by intimates suggesting that some women in violent relationships move away from an extreme type of commitment device when a less costly one is offered. PMID:24244055

Photothermal measurement of absorption and scattering losses in thin films excited by surface plasmons.

PubMed

Domené, Esteban A; Balzarotti, Francisco; Bragas, Andrea V; Martínez, Oscar E

2009-12-15

We present a novel noncontact, photothermal technique, based on the focus error signal of a commercial CD pickup head that allows direct determination of absorption in thin films. Combined with extinction methods, this technique yields the scattering contribution to the losses. Surface plasmon polaritons are excited using the Kretschmann configuration in thin Au films of varying thickness. By measuring the extinction and absorption simultaneously, it is shown that dielectric constants and thickness retrieval leads to inconsistencies if the model does not account for scattering.

Inconsistency between direct and indirect comparisons of competing interventions: meta-epidemiological study

PubMed Central

Xiong, Tengbin; Parekh-Bhurke, Sheetal; Loke, Yoon K; Sutton, Alex J; Eastwood, Alison J; Holland, Richard; Chen, Yen-Fu; Glenny, Anne-Marie; Deeks, Jonathan J; Altman, Doug G

2011-01-01

Objective To investigate the agreement between direct and indirect comparisons of competing healthcare interventions. Design Meta-epidemiological study based on sample of meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials. Data sources Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and PubMed. Inclusion criteria Systematic reviews that provided sufficient data for both direct comparison and independent indirect comparisons of two interventions on the basis of a common comparator and in which the odds ratio could be used as the outcome statistic. Main outcome measure Inconsistency measured by the difference in the log odds ratio between the direct and indirect methods. Results The study included 112 independent trial networks (including 1552 trials with 478 775 patients in total) that allowed both direct and indirect comparison of two interventions. Indirect comparison had already been explicitly done in only 13 of the 85 Cochrane reviews included. The inconsistency between the direct and indirect comparison was statistically significant in 16 cases (14%, 95% confidence interval 9% to 22%). The statistically significant inconsistency was associated with fewer trials, subjectively assessed outcomes, and statistically significant effects of treatment in either direct or indirect comparisons. Owing to considerable inconsistency, many (14/39) of the statistically significant effects by direct comparison became non-significant when the direct and indirect estimates were combined. Conclusions Significant inconsistency between direct and indirect comparisons may be more prevalent than previously observed. Direct and indirect estimates should be combined in mixed treatment comparisons only after adequate assessment of the consistency of the evidence. PMID:21846695

Role of muscarinic receptor antagonists in urgency and nocturia.

PubMed

Michel, Martin C; de la Rosette, Jean J M C H

2005-09-01

The overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome is defined as urgency, with or without urgency incontinence, usually accompanied by frequency and nocturia. Muscarinic receptor antagonists are the most established form of treatment for OAB, but until recently their effectiveness was only confirmed for symptoms of incontinence and frequency. In recent studies, selected muscarinic antagonists, including darifenacin, solifenacin, tolterodine and trospium, significantly reduced the number of urgency episodes per day relative to placebo. While some data raise the possibility that certain of these agents may be more effective than others in this regard, this variability in their effect on urgency needs to be confirmed in future studies. Moreover, it remains to be determined whether counting the number of urgency episodes or assessing the subjective intensity of the sensation of urgency more adequately reflects patient needs and therapeutic efficacy. For nocturia, muscarinic receptor antagonists have only inconsistently shown statistically greater effects than placebo. This inconsistency may relate to the multifactorial nature of nocturia, which even in patients with OAB can have many causes, not all of which may respond/be sensitive to muscarinic receptor antagonism.

Childhood victimization and HIV risk behaviors among university students in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

PubMed

Bogolyubova, Olga; Skochilov, Roman; Smykalo, Lyubov

2016-12-01

Exposure to childhood victimization and abuse has been shown to affect HIV risk in adult populations. In Russia, the existence of child abuse was largely unrecognized until 1990s and its behavioral consequences remain understudied. Our goal was to assess childhood victimization and HIV risk behavior among young adults in Saint-Petersburg, Russia: 743 students from 15 local universities were surveyed. Unprotected sexual intercourse was the most common type of HIV risk behavior: study participants reported no condom use at last intercourse (65.17%), inconsistent condom use (58.43%) and 30.81% never used condoms in the past 3 months. Childhood sexual victimization was significantly associated with unprotected sex at last intercourse and with inconsistent condom use in the past 3 months. Young adults in Russia are vulnerable to HIV epidemic due to the pervasiveness of unprotected sexual intercourse, and childhood sexual victimization is associated with risky sexual behavior in this population. Efforts to combat HIV epidemic in Russia must include programming for the prevention of childhood sexual abuse and the development of services for the survivors of childhood victimization.

Affective response to 5 microT ELF magnetic field-induced physiological changes.

PubMed

Stevens, Paul

2007-02-01

Research into effects of weak magnetic fields (MFs) at biologically relevant frequencies has produced ambiguous results. Although they do affect human physiology and behaviour, the direction of effects is inconsistent, with a range of complex and unrelated behaviours being susceptible. A possible explanation is that these effects, rather than being directly caused, are instead related to changes in affective state. A previous study showed that MFs altered the affective content of concurrent perceptions, but it was unclear whether the emotional response was direct or indirect. Here it is shown that exposure to a 0-5 microT MF (DC-offset sinudsoidal wave form) within EEG alpha-band frequencies (8-12 Hz), results in a reported change in emotional state. This relates to a decrease global field power but lacks the frontal alpha-asymmetry that would physiologically indicate a directly induced emotional state, suggesting that participant experiences are due to an interpretation of the effects of MF exposure.

New Mass-Conserving Bedrock Topography for Pine Island Glacier Impacts Simulated Decadal Rates of Mass Loss

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nias, I. J.; Cornford, S. L.; Payne, A. J.

2018-04-01

High-resolution ice flow modeling requires bedrock elevation and ice thickness data, consistent with one another and with modeled physics. Previous studies have shown that gridded ice thickness products that rely on standard interpolation techniques (such as Bedmap2) can be inconsistent with the conservation of mass, given observed velocity, surface elevation change, and surface mass balance, for example, near the grounding line of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica. Using the BISICLES ice flow model, we compare results of simulations using both Bedmap2 bedrock and thickness data, and a new interpolation method that respects mass conservation. We find that simulations using the new geometry result in higher sea level contribution than Bedmap2 and reveal decadal-scale trends in the ice stream dynamics. We test the impact of several sliding laws and find that it is at least as important to accurately represent the bedrock and initial ice thickness as the choice of sliding law.

Investigation of the Evolutionary Development of the Genus Bifidobacterium by Comparative Genomics

PubMed Central

Lugli, Gabriele Andrea; Milani, Christian; Turroni, Francesca; Duranti, Sabrina; Ferrario, Chiara; Viappiani, Alice; Mancabelli, Leonardo; Mangifesta, Marta; Taminiau, Bernard; Delcenserie, Véronique; van Sinderen, Douwe

2014-01-01

The Bifidobacterium genus currently encompasses 48 recognized taxa, which have been isolated from different ecosystems. However, the current phylogeny of bifidobacteria is hampered by the relative paucity of genotypic data. Here, we reassessed the taxonomy of this bacterial genus using genome-based approaches, which demonstrated that the previous taxonomic view of bifidobacteria contained several inconsistencies. In particular, high levels of genetic relatedness were shown to exist between particular Bifidobacterium taxa which would not justify their status as separate species. The results presented are here based on average nucleotide identity analysis involving the genome sequences for each type strain of the 48 bifidobacterial taxa, as well as phylogenetic comparative analysis of the predicted core genome of the Bifidobacterium genus. The results of this study demonstrate that the availability of complete genome sequences allows the reconstruction of a more robust bifidobacterial phylogeny than that obtained from a single gene-based sequence comparison, thus discouraging the assignment of a new or separate bifidobacterial taxon without such a genome-based validation. PMID:25107967

Investigating Cultural Evolution Using Phylogenetic Analysis: The Origins and Descent of the Southeast Asian Tradition of Warp Ikat Weaving

PubMed Central

Buckley, Christopher D.

2012-01-01

The warp ikat method of making decorated textiles is one of the most geographically widespread in southeast Asia, being used by Austronesian peoples in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and Daic peoples on the Asian mainland. In this study a dataset consisting of the decorative characters of 36 of these warp ikat weaving traditions is investigated using Bayesian and Neighbornet techniques, and the results are used to construct a phylogenetic tree and taxonomy for warp ikat weaving in southeast Asia. The results and analysis show that these diverse traditions have a common ancestor amongst neolithic cultures the Asian mainland, and parallels exist between the patterns of textile weaving descent and linguistic phylogeny for the Austronesian group. Ancestral state analysis is used to reconstruct some of the features of the ancestral weaving tradition. The widely held theory that weaving motifs originated in the late Bronze Age Dong-Son culture is shown to be inconsistent with the data. PMID:23272211

Content-independent embedding scheme for multi-modal medical image watermarking.

PubMed

Nyeem, Hussain; Boles, Wageeh; Boyd, Colin

2015-02-04

As the increasing adoption of information technology continues to offer better distant medical services, the distribution of, and remote access to digital medical images over public networks continues to grow significantly. Such use of medical images raises serious concerns for their continuous security protection, which digital watermarking has shown great potential to address. We present a content-independent embedding scheme for medical image watermarking. We observe that the perceptual content of medical images varies widely with their modalities. Recent medical image watermarking schemes are image-content dependent and thus they may suffer from inconsistent embedding capacity and visual artefacts. To attain the image content-independent embedding property, we generalise RONI (region of non-interest, to the medical professionals) selection process and use it for embedding by utilising RONI's least significant bit-planes. The proposed scheme thus avoids the need for RONI segmentation that incurs capacity and computational overheads. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed embedding scheme performs consistently over a dataset of 370 medical images including their 7 different modalities. Experimental results also verify how the state-of-the-art reversible schemes can have an inconsistent performance for different modalities of medical images. Our scheme has MSSIM (Mean Structural SIMilarity) larger than 0.999 with a deterministically adaptable embedding capacity. Our proposed image-content independent embedding scheme is modality-wise consistent, and maintains a good image quality of RONI while keeping all other pixels in the image untouched. Thus, with an appropriate watermarking framework (i.e., with the considerations of watermark generation, embedding and detection functions), our proposed scheme can be viable for the multi-modality medical image applications and distant medical services such as teleradiology and eHealth.

Reference-free ground truth metric for metal artifact evaluation in CT images.

PubMed

Kratz, Bärbel; Ens, Svitlana; Müller, Jan; Buzug, Thorsten M

2011-07-01

In computed tomography (CT), metal objects in the region of interest introduce data inconsistencies during acquisition. Reconstructing these data results in an image with star shaped artifacts induced by the metal inconsistencies. To enhance image quality, the influence of the metal objects can be reduced by different metal artifact reduction (MAR) strategies. For an adequate evaluation of new MAR approaches a ground truth reference data set is needed. In technical evaluations, where phantoms can be measured with and without metal inserts, ground truth data can easily be obtained by a second reference data acquisition. Obviously, this is not possible for clinical data. Here, an alternative evaluation method is presented without the need of an additionally acquired reference data set. The proposed metric is based on an inherent ground truth for metal artifacts as well as MAR methods comparison, where no reference information in terms of a second acquisition is needed. The method is based on the forward projection of a reconstructed image, which is compared to the actually measured projection data. The new evaluation technique is performed on phantom and on clinical CT data with and without MAR. The metric results are then compared with methods using a reference data set as well as an expert-based classification. It is shown that the new approach is an adequate quantification technique for artifact strength in reconstructed metal or MAR CT images. The presented method works solely on the original projection data itself, which yields some advantages compared to distance measures in image domain using two data sets. Beside this, no parameters have to be manually chosen. The new metric is a useful evaluation alternative when no reference data are available.

Visual information processing in the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus): mental rotation or rotational invariance?

PubMed

Burmann, Britta; Dehnhardt, Guido; Mauck, Björn

2005-01-01

Mental rotation is a widely accepted concept indicating an image-like mental representation of visual information and an analogue mode of information processing in certain visuospatial tasks. In the task of discriminating between image and mirror-image of rotated figures, human reaction times increase with the angular disparity between the figures. In animals, tests of this kind yield inconsistent results. Pigeons were found to use a time-independent rotational invariance, possibly indicating a non-analogue information processing system that evolved in response to the horizontal plane of reference birds perceive during flight. Despite similar ecological demands concerning the visual reference plane, a sea lion was found to use mental rotation in similar tasks, but its processing speed while rotating three-dimensional stimuli seemed to depend on the axis of rotation in a different way than found for humans in similar tasks. If ecological demands influence the way information processing systems evolve, hominids might have secondarily lost the ability of rotational invariance while retreating from arboreal living and evolving an upright gait in which the vertical reference plane is more important. We therefore conducted mental rotation experiments with an arboreal living primate species, the lion-tailed macaque. Performing a two-alternative matching-to-sample procedure, the animal had to decide between rotated figures representing image and mirror-image of a previously shown upright sample. Although non-rotated stimuli were recognized faster than rotated ones, the animal's mean reaction times did not clearly increase with the angle of rotation. These results are inconsistent with the mental rotation concept but also cannot be explained assuming a mere rotational invariance. Our study thus seems to support the idea of information processing systems evolving gradually in response to specific ecological demands.

Inconsistent Responses of Hot Extremes to Historical Land Use and Cover Change Among the Selected CMIP5 Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xing; Chen, Haishan; Wei, Jiangfeng; Hua, Wenjian; Sun, Shanlei; Ma, Hedi; Li, Xiao; Li, Jingping

2018-04-01

Land use and cover change (LUCC) is an important anthropogenic forcing of the climate system. Previous studies have demonstrated that LUCC significantly impacts both mean and extreme temperatures. In this study, we explored the multimodel performance of simulating LUCC-induced asymmetric effects on the different percentiles of maximum temperatures (Tmax) as well as the possible reasons for these effects using results from the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). Four state-of-art Earth system models (which provide the necessary data) are selected for investigating this issue. In general, all the cases of the model from the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory show robust asymmetric responses between the 90th (TX90P) and 10th percentiles (TX10P) of Tmax, mainly due to cropland expansions, especially over India, the Sahel, and some parts of North America. However, weak and insignificant responses are shown for both the TX90P and TX10P in other models. The different changes in the Tmax variability among the models are primarily responsible for the occurrence of asymmetric features. Furthermore, by decomposing the Tmax changes over three typical regions, we analyze the potential causes for the inconsistencies among these models' results and find two crucial processes, that is, the repartitioning of the turbulent heat fluxes and the changes of the diurnal cycle variability due to LUCC. Whether these processes are pronounced determines the occurrence of the asymmetric Tmax responses. Overall, this study provides a critical clue for reducing the uncertainties of the LUCC effects on temperature extremes, which should be evaluated against observations.

Effects of vitamin K in postmenopausal women: mini review.

PubMed

Guralp, Onur; Erel, Cemal Tamer

2014-03-01

Possible benefits of vitamin K on bone health, fracture risk, markers of bone formation and resorption, cardiovascular health, and cancer risk in postmenopausal women have been investigated for over three decades; yet there is no clear evidence-based universal recommendation for its use. Interventional studies showed that vitamin K1 provided significant improvement in undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) levels in postmenopausal women with normal bone mineral density (BMD); however, there are inconsistent results in women with low BMD. There is no study showing any improvement in bone-alkaline-phosphatase (BAP), n-telopeptide of type-1 collagen (NTX), 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, and urinary markers. Improvement in BMD could not be shown in the majority of the studies; there is no interventional study evaluating the fracture risk. Studies evaluating the isolated effects of menatetrenone (MK-4) showed significant improvement in osteocalcin (OC); however, there are inconsistent results on BAP, NTX, and urinary markers. BMD was found to be significantly increased in the majority of studies. The fracture risk was assessed in three studies, which showed decreased fracture risk to some extent. Although there are proven beneficial effects on some of the bone formation markers, there is not enough evidence-based data to support a role for vitamin K supplementation in osteoporosis prevention among healthy, postmenopausal women receiving vitamin D and calcium supplementation. Interventional studies investigating the isolated role of vitamin K on cardiovascular health are required. Longterm clinical trials are required to evaluate the effect of vitamin K on gynecological cancers. MK-4 seems safe even at doses as high as 45 mg/day. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

"Good job, you're so smart": The effects of inconsistency of praise type on young children's motivation.

PubMed

Zentall, Shannon R; Morris, Bradley J

2010-10-01

Previous research has demonstrated that generic praise ("good drawer") is related to children giving up after failure because failure implies the lack of a critical trait (e.g., drawing ability). Conversely, nongeneric praise ("good job drawing") is related to mastery motivation because it implies that success is related to effort. Yet children may receive a mixture of these praise types (i.e., inconsistent praise), the effects of which are unclear. We tested how inconsistent praise influenced two components of motivation: self-evaluation and persistence. Kindergarteners (N=135) were randomly assigned to one of five conditions in which consistency of praise type was varied. After two failure scenarios, children reported self-evaluations and persistence. Results indicated that more nongeneric praise related linearly to greater motivation, yet self-evaluation and persistence were impacted differently by inconsistent praise types. Hearing even a small amount of generic praise reduced persistence, whereas hearing a small amount of nongeneric praise preserved self-evaluation. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inconsistency of residents' communication performance in challenging consultations.

PubMed

Wouda, Jan C; van de Wiel, Harry B M

2013-12-01

Communication performance inconsistency between consultations is usually regarded as a measurement error that jeopardizes the reliability of assessments. However, inconsistency is an important phenomenon, since it indicates that physicians' communication may be below standard in some consultations. Fifty residents performed two challenging consultations. Residents' communication competency was assessed with the CELI instrument. Residents' background in communication skills training (CST) was also established. We used multilevel analysis to explore communication performance inconsistency between the two consultations. We also established the relationships between inconsistency and average performance quality, the type of consultation, and CST background. Inconsistency accounted for 45.5% of variance in residents' communication performance. Inconsistency was dependent on the type of consultation. The effect of CST background training on performance quality was case specific. Inconsistency and average performance quality were related for those consultation combinations dissimilar in goals, structure, and required skills. CST background had no effect on inconsistency. Physician communication performance should be of high quality, but also consistent regardless of the type and complexity of the consultation. In order to improve performance quality and reduce performance inconsistency, communication education should offer ample opportunities to practice a wide variety of challenging consultations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flight test evaluation of predicted light aircraft drag, performance, and stability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smetana, F. O.; Fox, S. R.

1979-01-01

A technique was developed which permits simultaneous extraction of complete lift, drag, and thrust power curves from time histories of a single aircraft maneuver such as a pull up (from V max to V stall) and pushover (to V max for level flight). The technique, which is an extension of nonlinear equations of motion of the parameter identification methods of Iliff and Taylor and includes provisions for internal data compatibility improvement as well, was shown to be capable of correcting random errors in the most sensitive data channel and yielding highly accurate results. Flow charts, listings, sample inputs and outputs for the relevant routines are provided as appendices. This technique was applied to flight data taken on the ATLIT aircraft. Lack of adequate knowledge of the correct full throttle thrust horsepower true airspeed variation and considerable internal data inconsistency made it impossible to apply the trajectory matching features of the technique.

Modeling the Plasma Flow in the Inner Heliosheath with a Spatially Varying Compression Ratio

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

Nicolaou, G.; Livadiotis, G.

2017-03-20

We examine a semi-analytical non-magnetic model of the termination shock location previously developed by Exarhos and Moussas. In their study, the plasma flow beyond the shock is considered incompressible and irrotational, thus the flow potential is analytically derived from the Laplace equation. Here we examine the characteristics of the downstream flow in the heliosheath in order to resolve several inconsistencies existing in the Exarhos and Moussas model. In particular, the model is modified in order to be consistent with the Rankine–Hugoniot jump conditions and the geometry of the termination shock. It is shown that a shock compression ratio varying alongmore » the latitude can lead to physically correct results. We describe the new model and present several simplified examples for a nearly spherical, strong termination shock. Under those simplifications, the upstream plasma is nearly adiabatic for large (∼100 AU) heliosheath thickness.« less

Perceptions of intimacy and friendship reciprocity moderate peer influence on aggression.

PubMed

Meter, Diana J; Casper, Deborah M; Card, Noel A

2015-01-01

Previous research has shown that close friends' influence can exacerbate adolescents' aggressive behavior, but results of studies which examine whether friendships of greater or lesser qualities moderate peer influence effects are inconsistent. The present study tested whether the perception of the positive friendship quality of intimate exchange and friendship reciprocity moderated best friend influence on participant aggression over time. The 243 participants were approximately 12 years old and ethnically diverse. Neither intimate exchange nor reciprocity significantly moderated friend influence on aggression in a simple way, but the interaction of intimate exchange and friendship reciprocity predicted peer influence on participants' aggression over time. Specifically, highly intimate, nonreciprocal best friendships and less intimate, reciprocal best friendships showed greatest influence when friends' proportion of peer nominations for aggression was high. Reciprocity and intimacy should be considered when predicting peer influence on aggression. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Practical moral codes in the transgenic organism debate.

PubMed

Cooley, D R; Goreham, Gary; Youngs, George A

2004-01-01

In one study funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, people from North Dakota were interviewed to discover which moral principles they use in evaluating the morality of transgenic organisms and their introduction into markets. It was found that although the moral codes the human subjects employed were very similar, their views on transgenics were vastly different. In this paper, the codes that were used by the respondents are developed, compared to that of the academically composed Belmont Report, and then modified to create the more practical Common Moral Code. At the end, it is shown that the Common Moral Code has inherent inconsistency flaws that might be resolvable, but would require extensive work on the definition of terms and principles. However, the effort is worthwhile, especially if it results in a common moral code that all those involved in the debate are willing to use in negotiating a resolution to their differences.

Determination of serum hCG levels by radioreactor assay in the clinical laboratory

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

Boyko, W.L.

1979-09-01

The radioreceptorassay (RRA) has been used for measuring human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in sera from 751 individuals. The RRA is shown to be sensitive (98%) and specific (99.8%) in detecting hCG in a wide variety of conditions, including normal pregnancy and threatened or missed abortions. As a rapid qualitative or semiquantitative assay for hCG, the RRA is a valuable adjunct in the laboratory to less sensitive tests for hCG. Variation among different quantitative assays for hCG is examined, and it is concluded that the same assay system should be used for monitoring hCG levels in a single individual over amore » period of time in order to avoid inconsistent results. Application of the quantitative RRA for hCG in detecting the midcycle luteinizing hormone surge in infertillity is also presented.« less

Framing and conflict: aspiration level contingency, the status quo, and current theories of risky choice.

PubMed

Schneider, S L

1992-09-01

The effect of positive versus negative frames on risky choice was examined for a variety of scenarios and risks. Preferences in the positive domain were strong and mainly risk averse, with notable exceptions. Preferences in the negative domain, however, were marked by their inconsistency, shown both by an overwhelming lack of significant majority preferences and a surprisingly strong tendency of individual subjects to vacillate in their negatively framed choices across presentations. This finding is accounted for by a proposed aspiration level contingency in which aspiration levels are systematically set to be more difficult to achieve in the face of a perceived loss than a gain. The implications of the results, and the aspiration level contingency, are explored with respect to current theories of risky choice, including Kahneman and Tversky's (1979) prospect theory and Lopes's (1987, 1990) security-potential/aspiration theory.

Perceptions of intimacy and friendship reciprocity moderate peer influence on aggression.

PubMed

Meter, Diana J; Casper, Deborah M; Card, Noel A

2014-12-15

Previous research has shown that close friends' influence can exacerbate adolescents' aggressive behavior, but results of studies which examine whether friendships of greater or lesser qualities moderate peer influence effects are inconsistent. The present study tested whether the perception of the positive friendship quality of intimate exchange and friendship reciprocity moderated best friend influence on participant aggression over time. The 243 participants were approximately 12 years old and ethnically diverse. Neither intimate exchange nor reciprocity significantly moderated friend influence on aggression in a simple way, but the interaction of intimate exchange and friendship reciprocity predicted peer influence on participants' aggression over time. Specifically, highly intimate, nonreciprocal best friendships and less intimate, reciprocal best friendships showed greatest influence when friends' proportion of peer nominations for aggression was high. Reciprocity and intimacy should be considered when predicting peer influence on aggression. Aggr. Behav. 9999:1-11, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Anti-forensics of chromatic aberration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, Owen; Stamm, Matthew C.

2015-03-01

Over the past decade, a number of information forensic techniques have been developed to identify digital image manipulation and falsification. Recent research has shown, however, that an intelligent forger can use anti-forensic countermeasures to disguise their forgeries. In this paper, an anti-forensic technique is proposed to falsify the lateral chromatic aberration present in a digital image. Lateral chromatic aberration corresponds to the relative contraction or expansion between an image's color channels that occurs due to a lens's inability to focus all wavelengths of light on the same point. Previous work has used localized inconsistencies in an image's chromatic aberration to expose cut-and-paste image forgeries. The anti-forensic technique presented in this paper operates by estimating the expected lateral chromatic aberration at an image location, then removing deviations from this estimate caused by tampering or falsification. Experimental results are presented that demonstrate that our anti-forensic technique can be used to effectively disguise evidence of an image forgery.

ROLE OF ESTROGEN RECEPTOR-α ON FOOD DEMAND ELASTICITY

PubMed Central

Minervini, Vanessa; Rowland, Neil E.; Robertson, Kimberly L.; Foster, Thomas C.

2016-01-01

Estrogens have been shown to have an inhibitory effect on food intake under free-feeding conditions, yet the effects of estrogens on food-maintained operant responding have been studied to a much lesser extent and, thus, are not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of the present experiment was to use a behavioral economics paradigm to assess differences in demand elasticity between mice with knockout of the estrogen receptor subtype α, knockout of subtype β, and their wild type controls. The mice responded in a closed economy, and the price of food was increased by increasing the fixed-ratio response requirement every four sessions. Overall, we found that mice with the knockout of receptor subtype α had the most elastic demand functions. Therefore, under these conditions, estrogens increased food seeking via activation of the receptor subtype α. The results were inconsistent with those reported by previous studies that employed free-feeding conditions. PMID:25869426

Micronutrients and Dengue

PubMed Central

Ahmed, Sundus; Finkelstein, Julia L.; Stewart, Anna M.; Kenneth, John; Polhemus, Mark E.; Endy, Timothy P.; Cardenas, Washington; Mehta, Saurabh

2014-01-01

Dengue virus infection is the most widespread mosquito-borne viral infection in humans and has emerged as a serious global health challenge. In the absence of effective treatment and vaccine, host factors including nutritional status, which may alter disease progression, need investigation. The interplay between nutrition and other infections is well-established, and modulation of nutritional status often presents a simple low-cost method of interrupting transmission, reducing susceptibility, and/or ameliorating disease severity. This review examines the evidence on the role of micronutrients in dengue virus infection. We found critical issues and often inconsistent results across studies; this finding along with the lack of sufficient literature in this field have limited our ability to make any recommendations. However, vitamins D and E have shown promise in small supplementation trials. In summary, the role of micronutrients in dengue virus infection is an exciting research area and needs to be examined in well-designed studies with larger samples. PMID:25200269

The moderating role of parental warmth on the effects of exposure to family violence.

PubMed

Harper, Felicity W K; Arias, Ileana; House, Amy S

2003-06-01

Previous research has shown parental warmth to have mixed effects on individuals in violent families. While positively associated with psychological health in some victims, parental warmth has also been positively associated with measures of psychological distress in other victims. The current study examined two models (the "buffering" and "inconsistency" theories) to clarify the effects of parental warmth. The current study also sought to clarify the role of parental warmth within the context of exposure to different types of family violence (i.e., witnessing versus victimization). Results differed depending on the type of violence exposure. Both mother and father warmth were negatively associated with secure attachment and self-esteem in combined victims and witnesses of violence, whereas, mother warmth was positively associated with self-esteem in witnesses of violence. Father warmth did not significantly impact either outcome for witnesses. Parental warmth did not influence either outcome for those who had only experienced victimization.

Attenuation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytotoxicity by tocopherols and tocotrienols.

PubMed

Nishio, Keiko; Horie, Masanori; Akazawa, Yoko; Shichiri, Mototada; Iwahashi, Hitoshi; Hagihara, Yoshihisa; Yoshida, Yasukazu; Niki, Etsuo

2013-01-01

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces host inflammatory responses and tissue injury and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various age-related diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, vascular diseases, and periodontal disease. Antioxidants, particularly vitamin E, have been shown to suppress oxidative stress induced by LPS, but the previous studies with different vitamin E isoforms gave inconsistent results. In the present study, the protective effects of α- and γ-tocopherols and α- and γ-tocotrienols on the oxidative stress induced by LPS against human lung carcinoma A549 cells were studied. They suppressed intracellular reactive oxygen formation, lipid peroxidation, induction of inflammatory mediator cytokines, and cell death. Tocopherols were incorporated into cultured cells much slower than tocotrienols but could suppress LPS-induced oxidative stress at much lower intracellular concentration than tocotrienols. Considering the bioavailability, it was concluded that α-tocopherol may exhibit the highest protective capacity among the vitamin E isoforms against LPS-induced oxidative stress.

Environmental Effects of Pervious Pavement as a Low Impact ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Pervious pavement systems can be used to reduce stormwater runoff volume and are efficient at removing solids from runoff; however, the pollutant removal efficiency for nutrients, metals, and organic contaminants is yet to be determined due to either a lack of data or inconsistent results. Groundwater recharge through the use of pervious pavement systems has not been proven, although runoff infiltration to underlying soils has been shown under certain conditions. The potential for groundwater contamination through the infiltration of runoff through pervious pavement is dependent on the stressor of interest, its mobility, its concentration in runoff, and its partitioning in runoff (dissolved or particle-bound). Every site is different and care should be taken to examine site conditions, underlying soil characteristics, and local climate prior to determining if the installation of pervious pavement would be an appropriate best management practice for stormwater management at a particular location. To inform the public.

Development of cortical orientation selectivity in the absence of visual experience with contour

PubMed Central

Hussain, Shaista; Weliky, Michael

2011-01-01

Visual cortical neurons are selective for the orientation of lines, and the full development of this selectivity requires natural visual experience after eye opening. Here we examined whether this selectivity develops without seeing lines and contours. Juvenile ferrets were reared in a dark room and visually trained by being shown a movie of flickering, sparse spots. We found that despite the lack of contour visual experience, the cortical neurons of these ferrets developed strong orientation selectivity and exhibited simple-cell receptive fields. This finding suggests that overt contour visual experience is unnecessary for the maturation of orientation selectivity and is inconsistent with the computational models that crucially require the visual inputs of lines and contours for the development of orientation selectivity. We propose that a correlation-based model supplemented with a constraint on synaptic strength dynamics is able to account for our experimental result. PMID:21753023

Learning from Inconsistency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Easterbrook, Steve

1996-01-01

This position paper argues that inconsistencies that occur during the development of a software specification offer an excellent way of learning more about the development process. We base this argument on our work on inconsistency management. Much attention has been devoted recently to the need to allow inconsistencies to occur during software development, to facilitate flexible development strategies, especially for collaborative work. Recent work has concentrated on reasoning in the presence of inconsistency, tracing inconsistencies with 'pollution markers' and supporting resolution. We argue here that one of the most important aspects of inconsistency is the learning opportunity it provides. We are therefore concerned with how to capture this learning outcome so that its significance is not lost. We present a small example of how apprentice software engineers learn from their mistakes, and outline how an inconsistency management tool could support this learning. We then argue that the approach can be used more generally as part of continuous process improvement.

A practical material decomposition method for x-ray dual spectral computed tomography.

PubMed

Hu, Jingjing; Zhao, Xing

2016-03-17

X-ray dual spectral CT (DSCT) scans the measured object with two different x-ray spectra, and the acquired rawdata can be used to perform the material decomposition of the object. Direct calibration methods allow a faster material decomposition for DSCT and can be separated in two groups: image-based and rawdata-based. The image-based method is an approximative method, and beam hardening artifacts remain in the resulting material-selective images. The rawdata-based method generally obtains better image quality than the image-based method, but this method requires geometrically consistent rawdata. However, today's clinical dual energy CT scanners usually measure different rays for different energy spectra and acquire geometrically inconsistent rawdata sets, and thus cannot meet the requirement. This paper proposes a practical material decomposition method to perform rawdata-based material decomposition in the case of inconsistent measurement. This method first yields the desired consistent rawdata sets from the measured inconsistent rawdata sets, and then employs rawdata-based technique to perform material decomposition and reconstruct material-selective images. The proposed method was evaluated by use of simulated FORBILD thorax phantom rawdata and dental CT rawdata, and simulation results indicate that this method can produce highly quantitative DSCT images in the case of inconsistent DSCT measurements.

Stereotype Strength and Attentional Bias: Preference for Confirming versus Disconfirming Information Depends on Processing Capacity

PubMed Central

Allen, Thomas J.; Sherman, Jeffrey W.; Conrey, Frederica R.; Stroessner, Steven J.

2009-01-01

In two experiments, we investigated the relationships among stereotype strength, processing capacity, and the allocation of attention to stereotype-consistent versus stereotype-inconsistent information describing a target person. The results of both experiments showed that, with full capacity, greater stereotype strength was associated with increased attention toward stereotype-consistent versus stereotype-inconsistent information. However, when capacity was diminished, greater stereotype strength was associated with increased attention toward inconsistent versus consistent information. Thus, strong stereotypes may act as self-confirming filters when processing capacity is plentiful, but as efficient information gathering devices that maximize the acquisition of novel (disconfirming) information when capacity is depleted. Implications for models of stereotyping and stereotype change are discussed. PMID:20161043

Hostility and Withdrawal in Marital Conflict: Effects on Parental Emotional Unavailability and Inconsistent Discipline

PubMed Central

Sturge-Apple, Melissa L.; Davies, Patrick T.; Cummings, E. Mark

2012-01-01

This study examined the nature of pathways between marital hostility and withdrawal, parental disagreements about child rearing issues, and subsequent changes in parental emotional unavailability and inconsistent discipline in a sample of 225 mothers, fathers, and 6-year-old children. Results of autoregressive, structural equation models indicated that marital withdrawal and hostility were associated with increases in parental emotional unavailability over the one-year period, whereas marital hostility and withdrawal did not predict changes in parental inconsistency in discipline. Additional findings supported the role of child rearing disagreements as an intervening or mediating mechanism in links between specific types of marital conflict and parenting practices. Implications for clinicians and therapists working with maritally distressed parents and families are discussed. PMID:16756398

Inconsistency in Reporting Abstention and Heavy Drinking Frequency: Associations with Sex and Socioeconomic Status, and Potential Impacts

PubMed Central

Kydd, Robyn M.; Connor, Jennie

2015-01-01

Aims: To describe inconsistencies in reporting past-year drinking status and heavy drinking occasions (HDOs) on single questions from two different instruments, and to identify associated characteristics and impacts. Methods: We compared computer-presented Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) with categorical response options, and mental health interview (MHI) with open-ended consumption questions, completed on the same day. Participants were 464 men and 459 women aged 38 (91.7% of surviving birth cohort members). Differences in dichotomous single-item measures of abstention and HDO frequency, associations of inconsistent reporting with sex, socioeconomic status (SES) and survey order, and impacts of instrument choice on associations of alcohol with sex and SES were examined. Results: The AUDIT-C drinking frequency question estimated higher past-year abstention prevalence (AUDIT = 7.6%, MHI = 5.4%), with one-third of AUDIT-C abstainers being MHI drinkers. Only AUDIT-C produced significant sex differences in abstainer prevalence. Inconsistencies in HDO classifications were bidirectional, but with fewer HDOs reported on the MHI than AUDIT-C question. Lower SES was associated with inconsistency in abstention and weekly+ HDOs. Abstention and higher HDO frequency were associated with lower SES overall, but sex-specific associations differed by instrument. Conclusions: In this context, data collection method affected findings, with inconsistencies in abstention reports having most impact. Future studies should: (a) confirm self-reported abstention; (b) consider piloting data collection methods in target populations; (c) expect impacts of sex and SES on measurements and analyses. PMID:25648932

Comparing Individual Differences in Inconsistency and Plasticity as Predictors of Cognitive Function in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Grand, Jacob H.G.; Stawski, Robert S.; MacDonald, Stuart W.S.

2016-01-01

Introduction Recent theorizing differentiates key constraints on cognition, including one’s current range of processing efficiency (i.e., flexibility or inconsistency) as well as the capacity to expand flexibility over time (i.e., plasticity). The present study uses intensive assessment of response time data to examine the interplay between markers of intraindividual variability (inconsistency) and gains across biweekly retest sessions (plasticity) in relation to age-related cognitive function. Method Participants included 304 adults (aged 64 to 92 years: M=74.02, SD=5.95) from Project MIND, a longitudinal burst design study assessing performance across micro and macro intervals (response latency trials, weekly bursts, annual retests). For two reaction time measures (choice RT and one-back choice RT), baseline measures of response time (RT) inconsistency (intraindividual standard deviation (ISD) across-trials at the first testing session) and plasticity (within-person performance gains in average RT across the 5 biweekly burst sessions) were computed, and then employed in linear mixed models as predictors of individual differences in cognitive function and longitudinal (6 year) rates of cognitive change. Results Independent of chronological age and years of education, higher RT inconsistency was associated uniformly with poorer cognitive function at baseline and with increased cognitive decline for measures of episodic memory and crystallized verbal ability. In contrast, predictive associations for plasticity were more modest for baseline cognitive function and were absent for 6-year cognitive change. Conclusions These findings underscore the potential utility of response times for articulating inconsistency and plasticity as dynamic predictors of cognitive function in older adults. PMID:26898536

How students deal with inconsistencies in health knowledge.

PubMed

Bientzle, Martina; Cress, Ulrike; Kimmerle, Joachim

2013-07-01

In their work, health care professionals have to deal daily with inconsistent health information and are confronted with differing therapeutic health concepts. Medical education should prepare students to handle these challenges adequately. The aim of this study was to contribute to a better understanding of how students deal with inconsistencies in health knowledge when they are presented with either a therapeutic concept they accept or one they reject. Seventy-six students of physiotherapy participated in this 2 × 2 experiment with health information (consistent versus inconsistent information) and therapeutic concept (congruent versus contradictory therapeutic concept) as between-group factors. The participants' task was to improve the quality of a text about the effectiveness of stretching; participants were randomly assigned to one of four texts. Knowledge acquisition and text modification were measured as dependent variables. Students acquired more knowledge when they worked with a text containing inconsistent information. Medical information that was presented in agreement with a student's therapeutic concept was also more readily acquired than the same information presented posing a contradictory therapeutic concept. Participants modified the contradictory text in order to adapt it to their own point of view. Disagreement resulted in a disregard or devaluation of the information itself, which in turn was detrimental to learning. It is a problem when prospective health care professionals turn a blind eye to discrepancies that do not fit their view of the world. It may be useful for educational purposes to include a knowledge conflict caused by a combination of conviction and inconsistent information to facilitate learning processes. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

47 CFR 73.3518 - Inconsistent or conflicting applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Inconsistent or conflicting applications. 73... SERVICES RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES Rules Applicable to All Broadcast Stations § 73.3518 Inconsistent or conflicting applications. While an application is pending and undecided, no subsequent inconsistent or...

Trajectory analysis of land use and land cover maps to improve spatial-temporal patterns, and impact assessment on groundwater recharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zomlot, Z.; Verbeiren, B.; Huysmans, M.; Batelaan, O.

2017-11-01

Land use/land cover (LULC) change is a consequence of human-induced global environmental change. It is also considered one of the major factors affecting groundwater recharge. Uncertainties and inconsistencies in LULC maps are one of the difficulties that LULC timeseries analysis face and which have a significant effect on hydrological impact analysis. Therefore, an accuracy assessment approach of LULC timeseries is needed for a more reliable hydrological analysis and prediction. The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of land use uncertainty and to improve the accuracy of a timeseries of CORINE (coordination of information on the environment) land cover maps by using a new approach of identifying spatial-temporal LULC change trajectories as a pre-processing tool. This ensures consistency of model input when dealing with land-use dynamics and as such improves the accuracy of land use maps and consequently groundwater recharge estimation. As a case study the impact of consistent land use changes from 1990 until 2013 on groundwater recharge for the Flanders-Brussels region is assessed. The change trajectory analysis successfully assigned a rational trajectory to 99% of all pixels. The methodology is shown to be powerful in correcting interpretation inconsistencies and overestimation errors in CORINE land cover maps. The overall kappa (cell-by-cell map comparison) improved from 0.6 to 0.8 and from 0.2 to 0.7 for forest and pasture land use classes respectively. The study shows that the inconsistencies in the land use maps introduce uncertainty in groundwater recharge estimation in a range of 10-30%. The analysis showed that during the period of 1990-2013 the LULC changes were mainly driven by urban expansion. The results show that the resolution at which the spatial analysis is performed is important; the recharge differences using original and corrected CORINE land cover maps increase considerably with increasing spatial resolution. This study indicates that improving consistency of land use map timeseries is of critical importance for assessing land use change and its environmental impact.

Does Status Inconsistency Matter for Marital Quality?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gong, Min

2007-01-01

This study tests status inconsistency theory by examining the associations between wives' and husbands' relative statuses--that is, earnings, work-time, occupational, and educational inconsistencies--and marital quality and global happiness. The author asks three questions: (a) Is status inconsistency associated with marital quality and overall…

Effects of Inconsistent Behaviors on Person Impressions: A Multidimensional Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vonk, Roos

1995-01-01

Examined effects of unexpected behavioral information on person impressions. Inconsistency was manipulated with respect to Implicit Personality Theory. Found that behaviors with inconsistent evaluation implications did not affect impressions and that effects of inconsistent information depended on dimension of contrast, valence of initial…

Developing a workflow to identify inconsistencies in volunteered geographic information: a phenological case study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mehdipoor, Hamed; Zurita-Milla, Raul; Rosemartin, Alyssa; Gerst, Katharine L.; Weltzin, Jake F.

2015-01-01

Recent improvements in online information communication and mobile location-aware technologies have led to the production of large volumes of volunteered geographic information. Widespread, large-scale efforts by volunteers to collect data can inform and drive scientific advances in diverse fields, including ecology and climatology. Traditional workflows to check the quality of such volunteered information can be costly and time consuming as they heavily rely on human interventions. However, identifying factors that can influence data quality, such as inconsistency, is crucial when these data are used in modeling and decision-making frameworks. Recently developed workflows use simple statistical approaches that assume that the majority of the information is consistent. However, this assumption is not generalizable, and ignores underlying geographic and environmental contextual variability that may explain apparent inconsistencies. Here we describe an automated workflow to check inconsistency based on the availability of contextual environmental information for sampling locations. The workflow consists of three steps: (1) dimensionality reduction to facilitate further analysis and interpretation of results, (2) model-based clustering to group observations according to their contextual conditions, and (3) identification of inconsistent observations within each cluster. The workflow was applied to volunteered observations of flowering in common and cloned lilac plants (Syringa vulgaris and Syringa x chinensis) in the United States for the period 1980 to 2013. About 97% of the observations for both common and cloned lilacs were flagged as consistent, indicating that volunteers provided reliable information for this case study. Relative to the original dataset, the exclusion of inconsistent observations changed the apparent rate of change in lilac bloom dates by two days per decade, indicating the importance of inconsistency checking as a key step in data quality assessment for volunteered geographic information. Initiatives that leverage volunteered geographic information can adapt this workflow to improve the quality of their datasets and the robustness of their scientific analyses.

Development of a Response Inconsistency Scale for the Personality Inventory for DSM-5.

PubMed

Keeley, Jared W; Webb, Christopher; Peterson, Destiny; Roussin, Lindsey; Flanagan, Elizabeth H

2016-01-01

The advent of a dimensional model of personality disorder included in DSM-5 has necessitated the development of a new measurement scheme, specifically a self-report questionnaire termed the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5; Krueger, Derringer, Markon, Watson, & Skodol, 2012 ). However, there are many threats to the validity of a self-report measure, including response inconsistency. This study outlines the development of an inconsistency scale for the PID-5. Across both college student and clinical samples, the inconsistency scale was able to reliably differentiate real from random responding. Random responses led to increased scores on the PID-5 facets, indicating the importance of detecting inconsistent responding prior to test interpretation. Thus, this inconsistency scale could be of use to researchers and clinicians in detecting inconsistent responses to this new personality disorder measure.

Visual search for emotional expressions: Effect of stimulus set on anger and happiness superiority.

PubMed

Savage, Ruth A; Becker, Stefanie I; Lipp, Ottmar V

2016-01-01

Prior reports of preferential detection of emotional expressions in visual search have yielded inconsistent results, even for face stimuli that avoid obvious expression-related perceptual confounds. The current study investigated inconsistent reports of anger and happiness superiority effects using face stimuli drawn from the same database. Experiment 1 excluded procedural differences as a potential factor, replicating a happiness superiority effect in a procedure that previously yielded an anger superiority effect. Experiments 2a and 2b confirmed that image colour or poser gender did not account for prior inconsistent findings. Experiments 3a and 3b identified stimulus set as the critical variable, revealing happiness or anger superiority effects for two partially overlapping sets of face stimuli. The current results highlight the critical role of stimulus selection for the observation of happiness or anger superiority effects in visual search even for face stimuli that avoid obvious expression related perceptual confounds and are drawn from a single database.

Intraindividual variability as a marker of neurological dysfunction: a comparison of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Burton, Catherine L; Strauss, Esther; Hultsch, David F; Moll, Alex; Hunter, Michael A

2006-01-01

Individuals with certain neurological conditions may demonstrate greater inconsistency (i.e., intraindividual variability) on cognitive tasks compared to healthy controls. Several researchers have suggested that intraindividual variability may be a behavioral marker of compromised neurobiological mechanisms associated with aging, disease, or injury. The present study sought to investigate whether intraindividual variability is associated with general nervous system compromise, or rather, with certain types of neurological disturbances by comparing healthy adults, adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Parkinson's disease (PD). Participants were assessed on four separate occasions using measures of reaction time and memory. Results indicated that inconsistency was correlated with indices of severity of impairment suggesting a dose-response relationship between cognitive disturbance and intraindividual variability: the more severe the cognitive disturbance, the greater the inconsistency. However, participants with AD were more inconsistent than those with PD, with both groups being more variable than the healthy group, even when controlling for group differences in overall severity of cognitive impairment or cognitive decline. Consequently, intraindividual variability may index both the severity of cognitive impairment and the nature of the neurological disturbance.

State-of-charge inconsistency estimation of lithium-ion battery pack using mean-difference model and extended Kalman filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yuejiu; Gao, Wenkai; Ouyang, Minggao; Lu, Languang; Zhou, Long; Han, Xuebing

2018-04-01

State-of-charge (SOC) inconsistency impacts the power, durability and safety of the battery pack. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the SOC inconsistency of the battery pack with good accuracy. We explore a novel method for modeling and estimating the SOC inconsistency of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery pack with low computation effort. In this method, a second-order RC model is selected as the cell mean model (CMM) to represent the overall performance of the battery pack. A hypothetical Rint model is employed as the cell difference model (CDM) to evaluate the SOC difference. The parameters of mean-difference model (MDM) are identified with particle swarm optimization (PSO). Subsequently, the mean SOC and the cell SOC differences are estimated by using extended Kalman filter (EKF). Finally, we conduct an experiment on a small Li-ion battery pack with twelve cells connected in series. The results show that the evaluated SOC difference is capable of tracking the changing of actual value after a quick convergence.

Consistency of gene starts among Burkholderia genomes

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Evolutionary divergence in the position of the translational start site among orthologous genes can have significant functional impacts. Divergence can alter the translation rate, degradation rate, subcellular location, and function of the encoded proteins. Results Existing Genbank gene maps for Burkholderia genomes suggest that extensive divergence has occurred--53% of ortholog sets based on Genbank gene maps had inconsistent gene start sites. However, most of these inconsistencies appear to be gene-calling errors. Evolutionary divergence was the most plausible explanation for only 17% of the ortholog sets. Correcting probable errors in the Genbank gene maps decreased the percentage of ortholog sets with inconsistent starts by 68%, increased the percentage of ortholog sets with extractable upstream intergenic regions by 32%, increased the sequence similarity of intergenic regions and predicted proteins, and increased the number of proteins with identifiable signal peptides. Conclusions Our findings highlight an emerging problem in comparative genomics: single-digit percent errors in gene predictions can lead to double-digit percentages of inconsistent ortholog sets. The work demonstrates a simple approach to evaluate and improve the quality of gene maps. PMID:21342528

24 CFR 3500.13 - Relation to State laws.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

.... (1) The Secretary may not determine that a State law or regulation is inconsistent with any provision... affiliated business arrangements are inconsistent with RESPA or this part, the Secretary may not construe... that are inconsistent with RESPA or this part are preempted to the extent of the inconsistency. However...

Development based on carrying capacity. A strategy for environmental protection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carey, D.I.

1993-01-01

Environmental degradation has accelerated in recent years because economic development activities have been inconsistent with a sustainable environment. In human ecology, the concept of 'carrying capacity' implies an optimum level of development and population size based on a complex of interacting factors - physical, institutional, social, and psychological. Development studies which have explicitly recognized carrying capacity have shown that this approach can be used to promote economic activities which are consistent with a sustainable social and physical environment. The concept of carrying capacity provides a framework for integrating physical, socioeconomic, and environmental systems into planning for a sustainable environment. ?? 1993.

Application of the scalar and vector potentials to the aerodynamics of jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, H. L.; Skifstad, J. G.

1973-01-01

The applicability of a method based on the Stokes potentials (vector and scalar potentials) to computations associated with the aerodynamics of jets was examined. The aerodynamic field near the nozzle could be represented and that the influence of a nonuniform velocity profile at the nozzle exit plane could be determined. Also computations were made for an axisymmetric jet exhausting into a quiescient atmosphere. The velocity at the axis of the jet, and the location of the half-velocity points along the jet yield accurate aerodynamic field computations. Inconsistencies among the different theoretical characterizations of jet flowfields are shown.

Liquefaction of Saturated Soil and the Diffusion Equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawicki, Andrzej; Sławińska, Justyna

2015-06-01

The paper deals with the diffusion equation for pore water pressures with the source term, which is widely promoted in the marine engineering literature. It is shown that such an equation cannot be derived in a consistent way from the mass balance and the Darcy law. The shortcomings of the artificial source term are pointed out, including inconsistencies with experimental data. It is concluded that liquefaction and the preceding process of pore pressure generation and the weakening of the soil skeleton should be described by constitutive equations within the well-known framework of applied mechanics. Relevant references are provided

Absorption and scattering of light by nonspherical particles. [in atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bohren, C. F.

1986-01-01

Using the example of the polarization of scattered light, it is shown that the scattering matrices for identical, randomly ordered particles and for spherical particles are unequal. The spherical assumptions of Mie theory are therefore inconsistent with the random shapes and sizes of atmospheric particulates. The implications for corrections made to extinction measurements of forward scattering light are discussed. Several analytical methods are examined as potential bases for developing more accurate models, including Rayleigh theory, Fraunhoffer Diffraction theory, anomalous diffraction theory, Rayleigh-Gans theory, the separation of variables technique, the Purcell-Pennypacker method, the T-matrix method, and finite difference calculations.

Soil Conservation Service Curve Number method: How to mend a wrong soil moisture accounting procedure?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michel, Claude; Andréassian, Vazken; Perrin, Charles

2005-02-01

This paper unveils major inconsistencies in the age-old and yet efficient Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) procedure. Our findings are based on an analysis of the continuous soil moisture accounting procedure implied by the SCS-CN equation. It is shown that several flaws plague the original SCS-CN procedure, the most important one being a confusion between intrinsic parameter and initial condition. A change of parameterization and a more complete assessment of the initial condition lead to a renewed SCS-CN procedure, while keeping the acknowledged efficiency of the original method.

Behavior data of battery and battery pack SOC estimation under different working conditions.

PubMed

Zhang, Xu; Wang, Yujie; Yang, Duo; Chen, Zonghai

2016-12-01

This article provides the dataset of operating conditions of battery behavior. The constant current condition and the dynamic stress test (DST) condition were carried out to analyze the battery discharging and charging features. The datasets were achieved at room temperature, in April, 2016. The shared data contributes to clarify the battery pack state-of-charge (SOC) and the battery inconsistency, which is also shown in the article of "An on-line estimation of battery pack parameters and state-of-charge using dual filters based on pack model" (X. Zhang, Y. Wang, D. Yang, et al., 2016) [1].

Parental inconsistency, impulsive choice and neural value representations in healthy adolescents

PubMed Central

Schneider, S; Peters, J; Peth, J M; Büchel, C

2014-01-01

A well-characterized potential marker for addiction is impulsive choice, stably measured by delay discounting (DD) paradigms. While genetic influences partly account for inter-individual variance in impulsivity, environmental factors such as parenting practices may have an important role. The present study investigates how inconsistent fulfillment of delayed reward promises impacts on DD. A combined correlational and experimental functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design was performed in a sample of 48 healthy adolescents (13–15 years). More specifically, neural activation during a DD task was investigated at two assessment points (T0 and T1). Adolescents' self-reports of parenting and substance use were assessed at T0. Between assessment points, we experimentally varied the reliability of delayed reward promises, measuring the impact of this intervention on DD and neural value processing at T1. In the correlational part, same-sex parent reward inconsistency was associated with steeper DD and an attenuated subjective value (SV) representation in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Steeper DD was in turn associated with alcohol use during the past year. In the experimental part, the reward inconsistency manipulation resulted in an attenuation of the NAcc SV representation, similar to the parental inconsistency effect. Together, our correlational and experimental findings raise new light on how parents may influence their children's degree of impulsivity, making parenting a potential target in addiction prevention. PMID:24736798

Interinstitutional review of slides for forensic pathology: types of inconsistencies.

PubMed

Ersoy, Gokhan; Akyildiz, Elif Ulker; Korkmaz, Gulay; Albek, Emre

2010-09-01

Because of the specific structure of forensic medicine in Turkey, reexamination of histopathologic specimens is a frequent practice. The aim of the present study is the assessment of microscopic diagnostic consistency in forensic pathology between different laboratories. Reports of the Council of Forensic Medicine between 2001 and 2004 were examined, and 150 cases with second pathologic examination were found. Results of histopathologic reports from peripheral laboratories were compared with those made by the Council pathologists with regard to diagnostic consistency. Consistency was assessed in 3 groups and 1 subgroup. Group 1, consistent and minor inconsistency; includes a major consistency subgroup. Group 2, major inconsistency, is the second diagnosis which is lethal; group 3, major inconsistency, is the first diagnosis which is lethal. The lung was found to be the organ with the highest frequency of diagnostic major inconsistency (group 2 and 3) and major consistency. Bronchopneumonia was the most common diagnosis. The brain had the highest frequency of intercenter diagnostic overall consistency (90.2%, group 1). Myocardial infarction was the diagnosis most frequently rejected on reevaluation (group 3). In conclusion, forensic pathology requires different experience than surgical ones. In cases of discrepancy between the anamnesis of the lethal event and pathologic findings, reevaluation of specimen is mandatory to avoid any diagnostic errors. Quality assurance systems with all include internal and external control mechanisms will improve the diagnostic reliability.

Religious variations in perceived infertility and inconsistent contraceptive use among unmarried young adults in the United States.

PubMed

Burdette, Amy M; Haynes, Stacy H; Hill, Terrence D; Bartkowski, John P

2014-06-01

In this paper, we examine associations among personal religiosity, perceived infertility, and inconsistent contraceptive use among unmarried young adults (ages 18-29). The data for this investigation came from the National Survey of Reproductive and Contraceptive Knowledge (n = 1,695). We used multinomial logistic regression to model perceived infertility, adjusted probabilities to model rationales for perceived infertility, and binary logistic regression to model inconsistent contraceptive use. Evangelical Protestants were more likely than non-affiliates to believe that they were infertile. Among the young women who indicated some likelihood of infertility, evangelical Protestants were also more likely than their other Protestant or non-Christian faith counterparts to believe that they were infertile because they had unprotected sex without becoming pregnant. Although evangelical Protestants were more likely to exhibit inconsistent contraception use than non-affiliates, we were unable to attribute any portion of this difference to infertility perceptions. Whereas most studies of religion and health emphasize the salubrious role of personal religiosity, our results suggest that evangelical Protestants may be especially likely to hold misconceptions about their fertility. Because these misconceptions fail to explain higher rates of inconsistent contraception use among evangelical Protestants, additional research is needed to understand the principles and motives of this unique religious community. Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Feeding the brain - The effects of micronutrient interventions on cognitive performance among school-aged children: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Lam, Long Fung; Lawlis, Tanya R

2017-08-01

Micronutrients are essential for brain development with deficiencies in specific nutrients linked to impaired cognitive function. Interventions are shown to be beneficial to children's mental development, particularly in subjects who were micronutrient-deficient at baseline but results on healthy subjects remain inconsistent. This systematic review evaluated the effect of micronutrient inventions on different cognitive domains. Studies conducted in both developing and developed countries, and trials that investigate the effect of both single and multiple micronutrient intervention were reviewed. Systematic searches of Medline, CINAHL Plus and Academic Search database were undertaken to identify trials published after year 2000. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluate the effect of micronutrients on cognitive performance or academic performance among children aged 4-18 years were included. 19 trials were identified from 18 articles. The major cognitive outcomes assessed included fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, short-term memory, long-term memory, cognitive processing speed, attention and concentration, and school performance. Eight of ten trials assessing fluid intelligence reported significant positive effects of micronutrient supplementation among micronutrient-deficient children, especially those who were iron-deficient or iodine-deficient at baseline. The effects of micronutrient interventions on other domains were inconsistent. Improvement in fluid intelligence among micronutrient-deficient children was consistently reported. Further research is needed to provide more definite evidence on the beneficial effects of micronutrient inventions on other cognitive domains and the effects in healthy subjects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Inconsistency in reaction time across the life span.

PubMed

Williams, Benjamin R; Hultsch, David F; Strauss, Esther H; Hunter, Michael A; Tannock, Rosemary

2005-01-01

Inconsistency in latency across trials of 2-choice reaction time data was analyzed in 273 participants ranging in age from 6 to 81 years. A U-shaped curve defined the relationship between age and inconsistency, with increases in age associated with lower inconsistency throughout childhood and higher inconsistency throughout adulthood. Differences in inconsistency were independent of practice, fatigue, and age-related differences in mean level of performance. Evidence for general and specific variability-producing processes was found in those aged less than 21 years, whereas only a specific process, such as attentional blocks, was evident for those 21 years and older. The findings highlight the importance of considering moment-to-moment changes in performance in psychological research. 2005 APA

The relationship between everyday problem solving and inconsistency in reaction time in older adults.

PubMed

Burton, Catherine L; Strauss, Esther; Hultsch, David F; Hunter, Michael A

2009-09-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether inconsistency in reaction time (RT) is predictive of older adults' ability to solve everyday problems. A sample of 304 community dwelling non-demented older adults, ranging in age from 62 to 92, completed a measure of everyday problem solving, the Everyday Problems Test (EPT). Inconsistency in latencies across trials was assessed on four RT tasks. Performance on the EPT was found to vary according to age and cognitive status. Both mean latencies and inconsistency were significantly associated with EPT performance, such that slower and more inconsistent RTs were associated with poorer everyday problem solving abilities. Even after accounting for age, education, and mean level of performance, inconsistency in reaction time continued to account for a significant proportion of the variance in EPT scores. These findings suggest that indicators of inconsistency in RT may be of functional relevance.

18- and 24-month-olds' discrimination of gender-consistent and inconsistent activities.

PubMed

Hill, Sara E; Flom, Ross

2007-02-01

18- and 24-month-olds' ability to discriminate gender-stereotyped activities was assessed. Using a preferential looking paradigm, toddlers viewed male and female actors performing masculine and feminine-stereotyped activities. Consistent with our predictions, and previous research, 24-month-olds, but not 18-month-olds, looked longer at the gender-inconsistent activities than the gender-consistent activities. Results are discussed in terms of toddlers emerging gender stereotypes and perception of everyday events.

26 CFR 1.1311(b)-1 - Maintenance of an inconsistent position.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., or nonrecognition, as the case may be, in the year of the error, and (ii) such inconsistent position... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Maintenance of an inconsistent position. 1.1311....1311(b)-1 Maintenance of an inconsistent position. (a) In general. Under the circumstances stated in...

Structural Determinants of Inconsistent Condom Use with Clients Among Migrant Sex Workers: Findings of Longitudinal Research in an Urban Canadian Setting

PubMed Central

Sou, Julie; Shannon, Kate; Li, Jane; Nguyen, Paul; Strathdee, Steffanie; Shoveller, Jean; Goldenberg, Shira M.

2015-01-01

Background Migrant women in sex work experience unique risks and protective factors related to their sexual health. Given the dearth of knowledge in high-income countries, we explored factors associated with inconsistent condom use by clients among migrant female sex workers over time in Vancouver, BC. Methods Questionnaire and HIV/STI testing data from a longitudinal cohort, AESHA, were collected from 2010–2013. Logistic regression using generalized estimating equations (GEE) was used to model correlates of inconsistent condom use by clients among international migrant sex workers over a 3-year study period. Results Of 685 participants, analyses were restricted to 182 (27%) international migrants who primarily originated from China. In multivariate GEE analyses, difficulty accessing condoms (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 3.76, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.13–12.47) independently correlated with increased odds of inconsistent condom use by clients. Servicing clients in indoor sex work establishments (e.g., massage parlours) (AOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.15–0.77), and high school attainment (AOR 0.22, 95% CI 0.09–0.50) had independent protective effects on the odds of inconsistent condom use by clients. Conclusions Findings of this longitudinal study highlight the persistent challenges faced by migrant sex workers in terms of accessing and using condoms. Migrant sex workers who experienced difficulty in accessing condoms were more than three times as likely to report inconsistent condom use by clients. Laws, policies and programs promoting access to safer, decriminalized indoor work environments remain urgently needed to promote health, safety and human rights for migrant workers in the sex industry. PMID:25970307

Age Matters: Increased Risk of Inconsistent HIV Care and Viremia Among Adolescents and Young Adults on Antiretroviral Therapy in Nigeria

PubMed Central

Ahonkhai, Aimalohi A.; Banigbe, Bolanle; Adeola, Juliet; Adegoke, Abdulkabir B.; Regan, Susan; Bassett, Ingrid V.; Idigbe, Ifeoma; Losina, Elena; Okonkwo, Prosper; Freedberg, Kenneth A.

2016-01-01

Purpose Interruptions in HIV care are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in resource-limited settings. We compared engagement in care and virologic outcomes between HIV-infected adolescents and young adults (AYA) and older adults (OA) one year after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Nigeria. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of AYA (15–24 years) and OA (>24 years) who initiated ART from 2009–2011. We used negative binomial regression to model the risk of inconsistent care and viremia (HIV RNA >1,000 copies/mL) among AYA and OA in the first year on ART. Regular care included monthly ART pick-up and 3-monthly clinical visits. Patients with ≤3 months between consecutive visits were considered in care. Those with inconsistent care had >3 months between consecutive visits. Results The cohort included 354 AYA and 2,140 OA. More AYA than OA were female (89% vs. 65%, p<0.001). Median baseline CD4 was 252/µL in AYA and 204/µL in OA (p=0.002). More AYA had inconsistent care than OA (55% vs. 47%, p=0.001). Adjusting for sex, baseline CD4, and education, AYA had a greater risk of inconsistent care than OA (RR 1.11, p=0.033). Among those in care after one year on ART, viremia was more common in AYA than OA (40% vs. 26% p=0.003, RR 1.53, p=0.002). Conclusions In a Nigerian cohort, AYA were at increased risk for inconsistent HIV care. Of patients remaining in care, youth was the only independent predictor of viremia at 1 year. Youth-friendly models of HIV care are needed to optimize health outcomes. PMID:27329680

Speech Inconsistency in Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Language Impairment, and Speech Delay: Depends on the Stimuli.

PubMed

Iuzzini-Seigel, Jenya; Hogan, Tiffany P; Green, Jordan R

2017-05-24

The current research sought to determine (a) if speech inconsistency is a core feature of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) or if it is driven by comorbid language impairment that affects a large subset of children with CAS and (b) if speech inconsistency is a sensitive and specific diagnostic marker that can differentiate between CAS and speech delay. Participants included 48 children ranging between 4;7 to 17;8 (years;months) with CAS (n = 10), CAS + language impairment (n = 10), speech delay (n = 10), language impairment (n = 9), or typical development (n = 9). Speech inconsistency was assessed at phonemic and token-to-token levels using a variety of stimuli. Children with CAS and CAS + language impairment performed equivalently on all inconsistency assessments. Children with language impairment evidenced high levels of speech inconsistency on the phrase "buy Bobby a puppy." Token-to-token inconsistency of monosyllabic words and the phrase "buy Bobby a puppy" was sensitive and specific in differentiating children with CAS and speech delay, whereas inconsistency calculated on other stimuli (e.g., multisyllabic words) was less efficacious in differentiating between these disorders. Speech inconsistency is a core feature of CAS and is efficacious in differentiating between children with CAS and speech delay; however, sensitivity and specificity are stimuli dependent.

The dead donor rule: a defense.

PubMed

Birch, Samuel C M

2013-08-01

Miller, Truog, and Brock have recently argued that the "dead donor rule," the requirement that donors be determined to be dead before vital organs are procured for transplantation, cannot withstand ethical scrutiny. In their view, the dead donor rule is inconsistent with existing life-saving practices of organ transplantation, lacks a cogent ethical rationale, and is not necessary for maintenance of public trust in organ transplantation. In this paper, the second of these claims will be evaluated. (The first and third are not addressed.) The claim that the dead donor rule lacks a cogent ethical rationale will be shown to be an expression of the contemporary rejection of the moral significance of the traditional distinction between killing and allowing to die. The moral significance of this traditional distinction, and the associated norm that doctors should not kill their patients, will be defended, and this critique of it shown to be unsuccessful.

Dynamic multipopulation and density dependent evolutionary games related to replicator dynamics. A metasimplex concept.

PubMed

Argasinski, Krzysztof

2006-07-01

This paper contains the basic extensions of classical evolutionary games (multipopulation and density dependent models). It is shown that classical bimatrix approach is inconsistent with other approaches because it does not depend on proportion between populations. The main conclusion is that interspecific proportion parameter is important and must be considered in multipopulation models. The paper provides a synthesis of both extensions (a metasimplex concept) which solves the problem intrinsic in the bimatrix model. It allows us to model interactions among any number of subpopulations including density dependence effects. We prove that all modern approaches to evolutionary games are closely related. All evolutionary models (except classical bimatrix approaches) can be reduced to a single population general model by a simple change of variables. Differences between classic bimatrix evolutionary games and a new model which is dependent on interspecific proportion are shown by examples.

Modeling fixed and fluidized reactors for cassava starch Saccharification with immobilized enzyme

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

Zanin, G.M.; De Moraes, F.F.

1997-12-31

Cassava starch saccharification in fixed-and fluidized-bed reactors using immobilized enzyme was modeled in a previous paper using a simple model in which all dextrins were grouped in a single substrate. In that case, although good fit of the model to experimental data was obtained, physical inconsistency appeared as negative kinetic constants. In this work, a multisubstrate model, developed earlier for saccharification with free enzyme, is adapted for immobilized enzyme. This latter model takes into account the formation of intermediate substrates, which are dextrins competing for the catalytic site of the enzyme, reversibility of some reactions, inhibition by substrate and product,more » and the formation of isomaltose. Kinetic parameters to be used with this model were obtained from initial velocity saccharification tests using the immobilized enzyme and different liquefied starch concentrations. The new model was found to be valid for modeling both fixed- and fluidized-bed reactors. It did not present inconsistencies as the earlier one had and has shown that apparent glucose inhibition is about seven times higher in the fixed-bed than in fluidized-bed reactor. 13 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.« less

Reliability models: the influence of model specification in generation expansion planning

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

Stremel, J.P.

1982-10-01

This paper is a critical evaluation of reliability methods used for generation expansion planning. It is shown that the methods for treating uncertainty are critical for determining the relative reliability value of expansion alternatives. It is also shown that the specification of the reliability model will not favor all expansion options equally. Consequently, the model is biased. In addition, reliability models should be augmented with an economic value of reliability (such as the cost of emergency procedures or energy not served). Generation expansion evaluations which ignore the economic value of excess reliability can be shown to be inconsistent. The conclusionsmore » are that, in general, a reliability model simplifies generation expansion planning evaluations. However, for a thorough analysis, the expansion options should be reviewed for candidates which may be unduly rejected because of the bias of the reliability model. And this implies that for a consistent formulation in an optimization framework, the reliability model should be replaced with a full economic optimization which includes the costs of emergency procedures and interruptions in the objective function.« less

Helicon waves in uniform plasmas. IV. Bessel beams, Gendrin beams, and helicons

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

Urrutia, J. M.; Stenzel, R. L.

Electromagnetic waves in the low frequency whistler mode regime are investigated experimentally and by digital data superposition. The radiation from a novel circular antenna array is shown to produce highly collimated helicon beams in a uniform unbounded plasma. The differences to Bessel beams in free space are remarked upon. Low divergence beams arise from the parallel group velocity of whistlers with phase velocity either along the guide field or at the Gendrin angle. Waves with angular momentum are produced by phasing the array in the circular direction. The differences in the field topologies for positive and negative modes numbers aremore » shown. It is also shown that in uniform plasmas, the radial amplitude profile of the waves depends on the antenna field topology. Thus, there are no helicon “eigenmodes” with radial Bessel function profiles in uniform plasmas. It is pointed out that phase measurements in helicon devices indicate radial wave propagation which is inconsistent with helicon eigenmode theory based on paraxial wave propagation. Trivelpiece-Gould modes also exist in uniform unbounded plasmas.« less

Gamma-ray spectroscopy in the decay of (83)Se to levels of (83)Br.

PubMed

Krane, K S

2015-03-01

High-resolution γ ray spectroscopy experiments have been done to study the emissions from the radioactive decay of 22-min (83g)Se produced from neutron capture using samples of enriched (82)Se. Energy and intensity values have been obtained to roughly an order of magnitude greater precision than in previous studies. Based on energy sums, 2 new levels are proposed in the daughter (83)Br and one previously proposed level is shown to be doubtful. Some 25 new transitions appear to decay with the (83)Se halflife, about half of which can be accommodated among the previous or newly proposed levels. Several previous γ ray placements are shown to be inconsistent with the new determinations of the (83)Br energy levels, but cannot be accommodated anywhere else among the known levels. As a result of the missing γ ray placements, some of the β branchings in the decay to levels of (83)Br appear to be negative. Gamma rays from the 2.4-h decay of the daughter (83)Br to levels of (83)Kr have also been observed, along with decays of (81g)(,m)Se present as a small impurity in the enriched samples and also as a strong component in irradiated samples of natural Se. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Belief that Alcohol Use is Inconsistent with Personal Autonomy: A Promotive Factor for Younger Adolescents

PubMed Central

Henry, Kimberly L.; Shtivelband, Annette; Comello, Maria Leonora G.; Slater, Michael D.

2011-01-01

This study explored an understudied promotive factor, a belief that alcohol use is inconsistent with personal autonomy, which may reduce adolescent intention to drink and subsequent alcohol use. Autonomy was examined as an attitudinal construct within the Theory of Reasoned Action. Longitudinal data from 2,493 seventh grade students nested in 40 schools were analyzed using a structural equation model. Autonomy was negatively correlated with intention to use alcohol and subsequent alcohol use at a later wave, and intention to use fully mediated the effect of autonomy on subsequent alcohol use. These results are consistent with the proposition that when personal autonomy is perceived as inconsistent with alcohol use among younger adolescents, students indicate a lower intention to use alcohol and use less alcohol during the following school year. PMID:23519434

Probing gravity theory and cosmic acceleration using (in)consistency tests between cosmological data sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishak-Boushaki, Mustapha B.

2018-06-01

Testing general relativity at cosmological scales and probing the cause of cosmic acceleration are among important objectives targeted by incoming and future astronomical surveys and experiments. I present our recent results on (in)consistency tests that can provide insights about the underlying gravity theory and cosmic acceleration using cosmological data sets. We use new statistical measures that can detect discordances between data sets when present. We use an algorithmic procedure based on these new measures that is able to identify in some cases whether an inconsistency is due to problems related to systematic effects in the data or to the underlying model. Some recent published tensions between data sets are also examined using our formalism, including the Hubble constant measurements, Planck and Large-Scale-Structure. (Work supported in part by NSF under Grant No. AST-1517768).

The Belief that Alcohol Use is Inconsistent with Personal Autonomy: A Promotive Factor for Younger Adolescents.

PubMed

Henry, Kimberly L; Shtivelband, Annette; Comello, Maria Leonora G; Slater, Michael D

2011-08-01

This study explored an understudied promotive factor, a belief that alcohol use is inconsistent with personal autonomy, which may reduce adolescent intention to drink and subsequent alcohol use. Autonomy was examined as an attitudinal construct within the Theory of Reasoned Action. Longitudinal data from 2,493 seventh grade students nested in 40 schools were analyzed using a structural equation model. Autonomy was negatively correlated with intention to use alcohol and subsequent alcohol use at a later wave, and intention to use fully mediated the effect of autonomy on subsequent alcohol use. These results are consistent with the proposition that when personal autonomy is perceived as inconsistent with alcohol use among younger adolescents, students indicate a lower intention to use alcohol and use less alcohol during the following school year.

On The Behavior of Subgradient Projections Methods for Convex Feasibility Problems in Euclidean Spaces

PubMed Central

Butnariu, Dan; Censor, Yair; Gurfil, Pini; Hadar, Ethan

2010-01-01

We study some methods of subgradient projections for solving a convex feasibility problem with general (not necessarily hyperplanes or half-spaces) convex sets in the inconsistent case and propose a strategy that controls the relaxation parameters in a specific self-adapting manner. This strategy leaves enough user-flexibility but gives a mathematical guarantee for the algorithm’s behavior in the inconsistent case. We present numerical results of computational experiments that illustrate the computational advantage of the new method. PMID:20182556

On The Behavior of Subgradient Projections Methods for Convex Feasibility Problems in Euclidean Spaces.

PubMed

Butnariu, Dan; Censor, Yair; Gurfil, Pini; Hadar, Ethan

2008-07-03

We study some methods of subgradient projections for solving a convex feasibility problem with general (not necessarily hyperplanes or half-spaces) convex sets in the inconsistent case and propose a strategy that controls the relaxation parameters in a specific self-adapting manner. This strategy leaves enough user-flexibility but gives a mathematical guarantee for the algorithm's behavior in the inconsistent case. We present numerical results of computational experiments that illustrate the computational advantage of the new method.

Different alterations in brain functional networks according to direct and indirect topological connections in patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Park, Chang-Hyun; Lee, Seungyup; Kim, Taewon; Won, Wang Yeon; Lee, Kyoung-Uk

2017-10-01

Schizophrenia displays connectivity deficits in the brain, but the literature has shown inconsistent findings about alterations in global efficiency of brain functional networks. We supposed that such inconsistency at the whole brain level may be due to a mixture of different portions of global efficiency at sub-brain levels. Accordingly, we considered measuring portions of global efficiency in two aspects: spatial portions by considering sub-brain networks and topological portions by considering contributions to global efficiency according to direct and indirect topological connections. We proposed adjacency and indirect adjacency as new network parameters attributable to direct and indirect topological connections, respectively, and applied them to graph-theoretical analysis of brain functional networks constructed from resting state fMRI data of 22 patients with schizophrenia and 22 healthy controls. Group differences in the network parameters were observed not for whole brain and hemispheric networks, but for regional networks. Alterations in adjacency and indirect adjacency were in opposite directions, such that adjacency increased, but indirect adjacency decreased in patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, over connections in frontal and parietal regions, increased adjacency was associated with more severe negative symptoms, while decreased adjacency was associated with more severe positive symptoms of schizophrenia. This finding indicates that connectivity deficits associated with positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia may involve topologically different paths in the brain. In patients with schizophrenia, although changes in global efficiency may not be clearly shown, different alterations in brain functional networks according to direct and indirect topological connections could be revealed at the regional level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Learning from moral inconsistency.

PubMed

Campbell, Richmond

2017-10-01

Moral inconsistency is an understudied phenomenon in cognitive moral psychology and deserves in depth empirical study. Moral inconsistency, as understood here, is not formal inconsistency but inconsistency in moral emotion and belief in response to particular cases. It occurs when persons treat cases as morally different that are really morally the same, even from their moral perspective. Learning to recognize and avoid such moral inconsistency in non-trivial but is a form of moral learning that complements and enhances other psychological and social mechanisms through which persons learn how to apply shared moral norms when their applications are uncertain and threaten to lapse into moral inconsistency. The same psychological process also can function to revise current moral norms when their straightforward applications are morally inconsistent with more basic moral commitments. Through this moral learning and related kinds, people can learn how to identify issues of moral priority when moral norms conflict and, when necessary, how to revise their moral norms. The recent revolution in dominant moral norms around gay sex and gay marriage in Europe and North America provides a possible illustration. When coupled with other modes of moral learning in the context of ambiguous but deeply rooted moral norms, such as those of sanctity and authority, reflection on moral inconsistency can help to justify this large-scale moral change, even among those who find gay sex, by its nature, morally repugnant. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reaction time inconsistency in a spatial stroop task: age-related differences through childhood and adulthood.

PubMed

Williams, Benjamin R; Strauss, Esther H; Hultsch, David F; Hunter, Michael A

2007-07-01

Age-related differences in inconsistency of reaction time (RT) across the life span were examined on a task with differing levels of demand on executive control. A total of 546 participants, aged 5 to 76 years, completed a spatial Stroop task that permitted observations under three conditions (congruent, incongruent, and neutral) according to the correspondence between the required response (based on stimulus direction) and stimulus location. An interference effect was observed across all ages. Analyses of neutral condition data replicated previous research demonstrating RT inconsistency follows a U-shaped developmental curve across the life span. The relationship between age and inconsistency, however, depended on condition: inconsistency in the congruent condition was higher than inconsistency in both the neutral and incongruent conditions across middle-aged groups. Reaction time inconsistency may reflect processing efficiency that is maximal in young adulthood and may also be sensitive to fluctuations in performance that reflect momentarily highly efficient responding.

Inconsistency and social decision making in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder.

PubMed

Preuss, Nora; Brändle, Laura S; Hager, Oliver M; Haynes, Melanie; Fischbacher, Urs; Hasler, Gregor

2016-09-30

Inconsistent social behavior is a core psychopathological feature of borderline personality disorder. The goal of the present study was to examine inconsistency in social decision-making using simple economic social experiments. We investigated the decisions of 17 female patients with BPD, 24 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), and 36 healthy controls in three single shot economic experiments measuring trust, cooperation, and punishment. BPD severity was assessed using the Zanarini Rating Scale for BPD. Investments across identical one-shot trust and punishment games were significantly more inconsistent in BPD patients than in controls. Such inconsistencies were only found in the social risk conditions of the trust and punishment conditions but not in the non-social control conditions. MDD patients did not show such inconsistencies. Furthermore, social support was negatively correlated with inconsistent decision-making in the trust and punishment game, which underscores the clinical relevance of this finding. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stereotype activation is unintentional: Behavioural and event-related potenials evidence.

PubMed

Wang, Pei; Yang, Ya-Ping; Tan, Chen-Hao; Zhao, Xiang-Xia; Liu, Yong-He; Lin, Chong-De

2016-04-01

In this study, a priming Stroop paradigm was used to determine whether stereotype activation is unintentional. Priming conditions (priming/no-priming) and the relationship between priming and target (consistent/inconsistent/no-relation) were the independent variables; accuracy, reaction time and N400 amplitude were used as dependent variables. The reaction time revealed that stereotype activation is, to some extent, unintentional. Furthermore, the event-related potenial (ERP) results showed that N400 amplitude was larger for inconsistent conditions than for consistent conditions. This result supported the notion that stereotype activation is an unintentional and automatic process. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Burnout Syndrome: Global Medicine Volunteering as a Possible Treatment Strategy.

PubMed

Iserson, Kenneth V

2018-04-01

In the last few decades, "burnout syndrome" has become more common among clinicians, or at least more frequently recognized. Methods to prevent and treat burnout have had inconsistent results. Simultaneously, clinicians' interest in global medicine has increased dramatically, offering a possible intervention strategy for burnout while providing help to underserved areas. Caused by a variety of stressors, burnout syndrome ultimately results in physicians feeling that their work no longer embodies why they entered the medical field. This attitude harms clinicians, their patients and colleagues, and society. Few consistently successful interventions exist. At the same time, clinicians' interest in global medicine has risen exponentially. This paper reviews the basics of both phenomena and posits that global medicine experiences, although greatly assisting target populations, also may offer a strategy for combating burnout by reconnecting physicians with their love of the profession. Because studies have shown that regular volunteering improves mental health, short-term global medicine experiences may reinvigorate and reengage clinicians on the verge of, or suffering from, persistent burnout syndrome. Fortuitously, this intervention often will greatly benefit medically underserved populations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Closed-Loop Neuromodulation Systems: Next-Generation Treatments for Psychiatric Illness

PubMed Central

Lo, Meng-Chen; Widge, Alik S.

2017-01-01

Despite deep brain stimulation’s positive early results in psychiatric disorders, well-designed clinical trials have yielded inconsistent clinical outcomes. One path to more reliable benefit is closed-loop therapy: stimulation that is automatically adjusted by a device or algorithm in response to changes in the patient’s electrical brain activity. These interventions may provide more precise and patient-specific treatments. In this article, we first introduce the available closed-loop neuromodulation platforms, which have shown clinical efficacy in epilepsy and strong early results in movement disorders. We discuss the strengths and limitations of these devices in the context of psychiatric illness. We then describe emerging technologies to address these limitations, including pre-clinical developments such as wireless deep neurostimulation and genetically targeted neuromodulation. Finally, we discuss ongoing challenges and limitations for closed-loop psychiatric brain stimulation development, most notably the difficulty of identifying meaningful biomarkers for titration. We consider this in the recently-released Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework and describe how neuromodulation and RDoC are jointly very well suited to address the problem of treatment-resistant illness. PMID:28523978

Impact of practice leadership management style on staff experience in services for people with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour: A further examination and partial replication.

PubMed

Deveau, Roy; McGill, Peter

2016-09-01

Practice leadership (PL) style of frontline management has been shown to be associated with better experiences for staff working with people who may exhibit challenging behaviours (Deveau & McGill, 2014). This study aimed to examine additional staff experience factors with a different, larger sample and to partially replicate the findings of (Deveau & McGill, 2014). This study was a survey of staff self-reported data collected as part of a larger study. Information was collected on PL and staff experiences of: stress, turnover, job satisfaction and positive work experiences. The results broadly supported Deveau and McGill (2014) and demonstrated an association between PL and greater job satisfaction and positive experiences for staff. Results on staff turnover were inconsistent. The positive impact of PL on staff experience was further supported by this study. Suggestions are made for further research. These findings suggest further research is needed to examine the potential of interventions in frontline management/leadership practice to improve staff experience of working in challenging environments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Runoff generation in karst catchments: multifractal analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majone, Bruno; Bellin, Alberto; Borsato, Andrea

2004-07-01

Time series of hydrological and geochemical signals at two karst springs, located in the Dolomiti del Brenta region, near Trento, Italy, are used to infer how karst catchments work internally to generate runoff. The data analyzed include precipitation, spring flow and electric conductivity of the spring water. All the signals show the signature of multifractality but with different intermittency and non-stationarity. In particular, precipitation and spring flow are shown to have nearly the same degree of non-stationarity and intermittency, while electric conductivity, which mimics the travel time distribution of water in the karst system, is less intermittent and smoother than both spring flow and precipitations. We found that spring flow can be obtained from precipitation through fractional convolution with a power law transfer function. An important result of our study is that the probability distribution of travel times is inconsistent with the advection dispersion equation, while it supports the anomalous transport model. This result is in line with what was observed by Painter et al. [Geophys. Res. Lett. 29 (2002) 21.1] for transport in fractured rocks.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with musculoskeletal complaints among users of mobile handheld devices: A systematic review.

PubMed

Xie, Yanfei; Szeto, Grace; Dai, Jie

2017-03-01

This systematic review aimed at evaluating the prevalence and risk factors for musculoskeletal complaints associated with mobile handheld device use. Pubmed, Medline, Web of Science, CINAHL and Embase were searched. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed. Strength of evidence for risk factors was determined based on study designs, methodological quality and consistency of results. Five high-quality, eight acceptable-quality and two low-quality peer-reviewed articles were included. This review demonstrates that the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints among mobile device users ranges from 1.0% to 67.8% and neck complaints have the highest prevalence rates ranging from 17.3% to 67.8%. This study also finds some evidence for neck flexion, frequency of phone calls, texting and gaming in relation to musculoskeletal complaints among mobile device users. Inconclusive evidence is shown for other risk factors such as duration of use and human-device interaction techniques due to inconsistent results or a limited number of studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parallel halftoning technique using dot diffusion optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina-Garcia, Javier; Ponomaryov, Volodymyr I.; Reyes-Reyes, Rogelio; Cruz-Ramos, Clara

2017-05-01

In this paper, a novel approach for halftone images is proposed and implemented for images that are obtained by the Dot Diffusion (DD) method. Designed technique is based on an optimization of the so-called class matrix used in DD algorithm and it consists of generation new versions of class matrix, which has no baron and near-baron in order to minimize inconsistencies during the distribution of the error. Proposed class matrix has different properties and each is designed for two different applications: applications where the inverse-halftoning is necessary, and applications where this method is not required. The proposed method has been implemented in GPU (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti), multicore processors (AMD FX(tm)-6300 Six-Core Processor and in Intel core i5-4200U), using CUDA and OpenCV over a PC with linux. Experimental results have shown that novel framework generates a good quality of the halftone images and the inverse halftone images obtained. The simulation results using parallel architectures have demonstrated the efficiency of the novel technique when it is implemented in real-time processing.

A study on risk factors associated with inconsistent condom and lubricant use among men who have sex with men in central Karnataka, India.

PubMed

Kiran, D; Manjunath, R; Aswin K, K; Patil, Bk; Mahabalaraju, Dk

2011-01-01

Among the sexual minority groups, the Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) community is a large and scattered network. Sexual activity among MSM is frequent and often unplanned. STI and HIV are major medical problems faced by this vulnerable group. Stigma and discrimination towards this group result in poor access to preventive services that encourage condom and lubricant usage. A cross-sectional, community-based study of 309 MSM was carried out in the Davangere district between December 2008 and February 2010. Participants were identified in three stages: cruising venue identification and mapping; determining eligibility and willingness to participate; and recruitment to the study. Consecutive sampling was used to recruit the participants with the help of a snowball technique, obtaining informed and written consent. Of the participants 79.61% and 88.03% reported inconsistent use of condom and lubricant during the three months prior to the interview, respectively. In multivariate analysis, middle socioeconomic class, sex in a public place and increased frequency of sex were significantly associated with inconsistent condom use. Whereas, practising both types of anal sex (receptive and insertive), not using a condom during the last sexual encounter and increased frequency of sex were significantly associated with inconsistent lubricant use. Many social and behavioural factors are involved in the inconsistent use of condom and lubricant among MSM. Preventive programmes must identify these factors in order to target consistent condom and lubricant use among the MSM community.

A Graph-based Approach to Auditing RxNorm

PubMed Central

Bodenreider, Olivier; Peters, Lee B.

2009-01-01

Objectives RxNorm is a standardized nomenclature for clinical drug entities developed by the National Library of Medicine. In this paper, we audit relations in RxNorm for consistency and completeness through the systematic analysis of the graph of its concepts and relationships. Methods The representation of multi-ingredient drugs is normalized in order to make it compatible with that of single-ingredient drugs. All meaningful paths between two nodes in the type graph are computed and instantiated. Alternate paths are automatically compared and manually inspected in case of inconsistency. Results The 115 meaningful paths identified in the type graph can be grouped into 28 groups with respect to start and end nodes. Of the 19 groups of alternate paths (i.e., with two or more paths) between the start and end nodes, 9 (47%) exhibit inconsistencies. Overall, 28 (24%) of the 115 paths are inconsistent with other alternate paths. A total of 348 inconsistencies were identified in the April 2008 version of RxNorm and reported to the RxNorm team, of which 215 (62%) had been corrected in the January 2009 version of RxNorm. Conclusion The inconsistencies identified involve missing nodes (93), missing links (17), extraneous links (237) and one case of mix-up between two ingredients. Our auditing method proved effective in identifying a limited number of errors that had defeated the quality assurance mechanisms currently in place in the RxNorm production system. Some recommendations for the development of RxNorm are provided. PMID:19394440

Risky Decisions Despite Counter Evidence: Modeling a Culture of Safer Sexual Practices

PubMed Central

Patel, Vimla L.; Yoskowitz, Nicole A.; Kaufman, David R.; Gutnik, Lily A.; Shortliffe, Edward H.

2005-01-01

To create a culture of safe practices, we need to understand how and under what conditions the public makes risky decisions about their health. Because risky sexual behaviors are known to be common in young adults, we investigated their decision making regarding sexual activities that could incur a high risk of HIV infection. Sixty young urban adults maintained journals for two weeks and were interviewed regarding condom use and sexual history. We characterized four patterns of condom use behavior: consistent (35.0%), inconsistent (16.7%), consistent to inconsistent (35.0%), and inconsistent to consistent (13.3%). Directionality of reasoning was analyzed in the explanations provided for condom use decisions. The consistent and inconsistent patterns were associated with data-driven heuristic reasoning, where behavior becomes automated and is associated with a high level of confidence in one’s judgment. In the other two patterns, the shift in behavior was due to a significant event that influenced a change in directionality to explanation-based reasoning. We discuss these results within the framework of identifying potentially high-risk groups for whom customized intervention strategies (such as computer-based educational programs) can be used to reduce risk, thereby creating a culture of safer sexual practices. PMID:16779109

Risky decisions despite counter evidence: modeling a culture of safer sexual practices.

PubMed

Patel, Vimla L; Yoskowitz, Nicole A; Kaufman, David R; Gutnik, Lily A; Shortliffe, Edward H

2005-01-01

To create a culture of safe practices, we need to understand how and under what conditions the public makes risky decisions about their health. Because risky sexual behaviors are known to be common in young adults, we investigated their decision making regarding sexual activities that could incur a high risk of HIV infection. Sixty young urban adults maintained journals for two weeks and were interviewed regarding condom use and sexual history. We characterized four patterns of condom use behavior: consistent (35.0%), inconsistent (16.7%), consistent to inconsistent (35.0%), and inconsistent to consistent (13.3%). Directionality of reasoning was analyzed in the explanations provided for condom use decisions. The consistent and inconsistent patterns were associated with data-driven heuristic reasoning, where behavior becomes automated and is associated with a high level of confidence in one's judgment. In the other two patterns, the shift in behavior was due to a significant event that influenced a change in directionality to explanation-based reasoning. We discuss these results within the framework of identifying potentially high-risk groups for whom customized intervention strategies (such as computer-based educational programs) can be used to reduce risk, thereby creating a culture of safer sexual practices.

Detecting fast, online reasoning processes in clinical decision making.

PubMed

Flores, Amanda; Cobos, Pedro L; López, Francisco J; Godoy, Antonio

2014-06-01

In an experiment that used the inconsistency paradigm, experienced clinical psychologists and psychology students performed a reading task using clinical reports and a diagnostic judgment task. The clinical reports provided information about the symptoms of hypothetical clients who had been previously diagnosed with a specific mental disorder. Reading times of inconsistent target sentences were slower than those of control sentences, demonstrating an inconsistency effect. The results also showed that experienced clinicians gave different weights to different symptoms according to their relevance when fluently reading the clinical reports provided, despite the fact that all the symptoms were of equal diagnostic value according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The diagnostic judgment task yielded a similar pattern of results. In contrast to previous findings, the results of the reading task may be taken as direct evidence of the intervention of reasoning processes that occur very early, rapidly, and online. We suggest that these processes are based on the representation of mental disorders and that these representations are particularly suited to fast retrieval from memory and to making inferences. They may also be related to the clinicians' causal reasoning. The implications of these results for clinician training are also discussed.

Development and Validation of Culture-Specific Variable Response Inconsistency and True Response Inconsistency Scales for Use with the Korean MMPI-2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ketterer, Holly L.; Han, Kyunghee; Hur, Jaehong; Moon, Kyungjoo

2010-01-01

In response to the concern that Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; J. N. Butcher, W. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989; J. N. Butcher et al., 2001) Variable Response Inconsistency (VRIN) and True Response Inconsistency (TRIN) score invalidity criteria recommended for use with American samples results…

Association between an individual housing-based socioeconomic index and inconsistent self-reporting of health conditions: a prospective cohort study in the Mayo Clinic Biobank.

PubMed

Ryu, Euijung; Olson, Janet E; Juhn, Young J; Hathcock, Matthew A; Wi, Chung-Il; Cerhan, James R; Yost, Kathleen J; Takahashi, Paul Y

2018-05-14

Using surveys to collect self-reported information on health and disease is commonly used in clinical practice and epidemiological research. However, the inconsistency of self-reported information collected longitudinally in repeated surveys is not well investigated. We aimed to investigate whether a socioeconomic status based on current housing characteristics, HOUsing-based SocioEconomic Status (HOUSES) index linking current address information to real estate property data, is associated with inconsistent self-reporting. We performed a prospective cohort study using the Mayo Clinic Biobank (MCB) participants who resided in Olmsted County, Minnesota, USA, at the time of enrolment between 2009 and 2013, and were invited for a 4-year follow-up survey (n=11 717). Using repeated survey data collected at the baseline and 4 years later, the primary outcome was the inconsistency in survey results when reporting prevalent diseases, defined by reporting to have 'ever' been diagnosed with a given disease in the baseline survey but reported 'never' in the follow-up survey. Secondary outcome was the response rate for the 4-year follow-up survey. Among the MCB participants invited for the 4-year follow-up survey, 8508/11 717 (73%) responded to the survey. Forty-three per cent had at least one inconsistent self-reported disease. Lower HOUSES was associated with higher inconsistency rates, and the association remained significant after pertinent characteristics such as age and perceived general health (OR=1.46; 95% CI 1.17 to 1.84 for the lowest compared with the highest HOUSES decile). HOUSES was also associated with lower response rate for the follow-up survey (56% vs 77% for the lowest vs the highest HOUSES decile). This study demonstrates the importance of using the HOUSES index that reflects current SES when using self-reporting through repeated surveys, as the HOUSES index at baseline survey was inversely associated with inconsistent self-report and the response rate for the follow-up survey. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Antidiabetic Effects of Tea.

PubMed

Fu, Qiu-Yue; Li, Qing-Sheng; Lin, Xiao-Ming; Qiao, Ru-Ying; Yang, Rui; Li, Xu-Min; Dong, Zhan-Bo; Xiang, Li-Ping; Zheng, Xin-Qiang; Lu, Jian-Liang; Yuan, Cong-Bo; Ye, Jian-Hui; Liang, Yue-Rong

2017-05-20

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic endocrine disease resulted from insulin secretory defect or insulin resistance and it is a leading cause of death around the world. The care of DM patients consumes a huge budget due to the high frequency of consultations and long hospitalizations, making DM a serious threat to both human health and global economies. Tea contains abundant polyphenols and caffeine which showed antidiabetic activity, so the development of antidiabetic medications from tea and its extracts is increasingly receiving attention. However, the results claiming an association between tea consumption and reduced DM risk are inconsistent. The advances in the epidemiologic evidence and the underlying antidiabetic mechanisms of tea are reviewed in this paper. The inconsistent results and the possible causes behind them are also discussed.

Empirical evidence about inconsistency among studies in a pair‐wise meta‐analysis

PubMed Central

Turner, Rebecca M.; Higgins, Julian P. T.

2015-01-01

This paper investigates how inconsistency (as measured by the I2 statistic) among studies in a meta‐analysis may differ, according to the type of outcome data and effect measure. We used hierarchical models to analyse data from 3873 binary, 5132 continuous and 880 mixed outcome meta‐analyses within the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Predictive distributions for inconsistency expected in future meta‐analyses were obtained, which can inform priors for between‐study variance. Inconsistency estimates were highest on average for binary outcome meta‐analyses of risk differences and continuous outcome meta‐analyses. For a planned binary outcome meta‐analysis in a general research setting, the predictive distribution for inconsistency among log odds ratios had median 22% and 95% CI: 12% to 39%. For a continuous outcome meta‐analysis, the predictive distribution for inconsistency among standardized mean differences had median 40% and 95% CI: 15% to 73%. Levels of inconsistency were similar for binary data measured by log odds ratios and log relative risks. Fitted distributions for inconsistency expected in continuous outcome meta‐analyses using mean differences were almost identical to those using standardized mean differences. The empirical evidence on inconsistency gives guidance on which outcome measures are most likely to be consistent in particular circumstances and facilitates Bayesian meta‐analysis with an informative prior for heterogeneity. © 2015 The Authors. Research Synthesis Methods published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2015 The Authors. Research Synthesis Methods published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID:26679486

Inference regarding multiple structural changes in linear models with endogenous regressors☆

PubMed Central

Hall, Alastair R.; Han, Sanggohn; Boldea, Otilia

2012-01-01

This paper considers the linear model with endogenous regressors and multiple changes in the parameters at unknown times. It is shown that minimization of a Generalized Method of Moments criterion yields inconsistent estimators of the break fractions, but minimization of the Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS) criterion yields consistent estimators of these parameters. We develop a methodology for estimation and inference of the parameters of the model based on 2SLS. The analysis covers the cases where the reduced form is either stable or unstable. The methodology is illustrated via an application to the New Keynesian Phillips Curve for the US. PMID:23805021

Cosmic-ray streaming perpendicular to the mean magnetic field. II - The gyrophase distribution function

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forman, M. A.; Jokipii, J. R.

1978-01-01

The distribution function of cosmic rays streaming perpendicular to the mean magnetic field in a turbulent medium is reexamined. Urch's (1977) discovery that in quasi-linear theory, the flux is due to particles at 90 deg pitch angle is discussed and shown to be consistent with previous formulations of the theory. It is pointed out that this flux of particles at 90 deg cannot be arbitrarily set equal to zero, and hence the alternative theory which proceeds from this premise is dismissed. A further, basic inconsistency in Urch's transport equation is demonstrated, and the connection between quasi-linear theory and compound diffusion is discussed.

Bias, misleading information and lack of respect for alternative views have distorted perceptions of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and its treatment.

PubMed

Goudsmit, Ellen; Howes, Sandra

2017-08-01

The PACE trial is one of the most recent studies evaluating cognitive behavioural therapy and graded exercise therapy for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. These interventions are based on a model which assumes that symptoms are perpetuated by factors such as misguided beliefs and a lack of activity. Our analysis indicates that the researchers have shown significant bias in their accounts of the literature and may also have overstated the effectiveness of the above treatments. We submit that their approach to criticisms undermines the scientific process and is inconsistent with best practice.

The Heart Trumps the Head: Desirability Bias in Political Belief Revision

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Understanding how individuals revise their political beliefs has important implications for society. In a preregistered study (N = 900), we experimentally separated the predictions of 2 leading theories of human belief revision—desirability bias and confirmation bias—in the context of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Participants indicated who they desired to win, and who they believed would win, the election. Following confrontation with evidence that was either consistent or inconsistent with their desires or beliefs, they again indicated who they believed would win. We observed a robust desirability bias—individuals updated their beliefs more if the evidence was consistent (vs. inconsistent) with their desired outcome. This bias was independent of whether the evidence was consistent or inconsistent with their prior beliefs. In contrast, we found limited evidence of an independent confirmation bias in belief updating. These results have implications for the relevant psychological theories and for political belief revision in practice. PMID:28557511

Intraindividual variability in cognitive performance in three groups of older adults: cross-domain links to physical status and self-perceived affect and beliefs.

PubMed

Strauss, Esther; MacDonald, Stuart W S; Hunter, Michael; Moll, Alex; Hultsch, David F

2002-11-01

Intraindividual variability of physical status and affect/beliefs as well as their relations with cognition were examined in 3 groups of older adults: healthy elderly, individuals with a nonneurological health-related disturbance (arthritis) and people with neurological compromise (dementia). The findings showed that greater inconsistency in physical performance was observed in groups characterized by central nervous system dysfunction. By contrast, fluctuations in affect appeared to reflect other more transient sources, such as pain. In general, increased inconsistency in non-cognitive domains was associated with poorer cognitive function. There were cross-domain links between inconsistency in physical functioning and fluctuations in cognitive performance, although the nature of the links depended largely upon the neurological status of the individuals. Considered together, the result indicated that measures of cognitive as well as physical variability are important behavioral markers of neurological integrity.

Auditory and Visual Attention Performance in Children With ADHD: The Attentional Deficiency of ADHD Is Modality Specific.

PubMed

Lin, Hung-Yu; Hsieh, Hsieh-Chun; Lee, Posen; Hong, Fu-Yuan; Chang, Wen-Dien; Liu, Kuo-Cheng

2017-08-01

This study explored auditory and visual attention in children with ADHD. In a randomized, two-period crossover design, 50 children with ADHD and 50 age- and sex-matched typically developing peers were measured with the Test of Various Attention (TOVA). The deficiency of visual attention is more serious than that of auditory attention in children with ADHD. On the auditory modality, only the deficit of attentional inconsistency is sufficient to explain most cases of ADHD; however, most of the children with ADHD suffered from deficits of sustained attention, response inhibition, and attentional inconsistency on the visual modality. Our results also showed that the deficit of attentional inconsistency is the most important indicator in diagnosing and intervening in ADHD when both auditory and visual modalities are considered. The findings provide strong evidence that the deficits of auditory attention are different from those of visual attention in children with ADHD.

Therapeutic Potential of Enoxaparin in Lichen Planus: Exploring Reasons for Inconsistent Reports

PubMed Central

Patel, Rahul P.; Shastri, Madhur D.; Ming, Long Chiau; Zaidi, Syed Tabish R.; Peterson, Gregory M.

2018-01-01

Lichen planus (LP) is an uncommon mucocutaneous inflammatory condition, that is immunologically mediated, typically pruritic and often recurs. The currently advocated therapies are either not highly effective or associated with severe side effects. Enoxaparin, a widely used anticoagulant, is composed of both anticoagulant and non-anticoagulant fragments. Enoxaparin is reported to have anti-inflammatory properties and it was found to be effective in LP. However, the results from clinical studies have varied substantially and, therefore, the clinical role of enoxaparin in LP remains uncertain. This review focuses on potential reasons for the reported inconsistent outcomes, as well as proposing solutions; these include identifying batch-to-batch inconsistency in the composition of enoxaparin. The potential therapeutic value of enoxaparin in LP must be explored using well-designed clinical trials, combined with experimental studies that focus on identifying the anti-inflammatory fragments of enoxaparin and elucidating the mechanism of action of these non-anticoagulant fragments.

Inconsistencies in quality of life data collection in clinical trials: a potential source of bias? Interviews with research nurses and trialists.

PubMed

Kyte, Derek; Ives, Jonathan; Draper, Heather; Keeley, Thomas; Calvert, Melanie

2013-01-01

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), such as health-related quality of life (HRQL) are increasingly used to evaluate treatment effectiveness in clinical trials, are valued by patients, and may inform important decisions in the clinical setting. It is of concern, therefore, that preliminary evidence, gained from group discussions at UK-wide Medical Research Council (MRC) quality of life training days, suggests there are inconsistent standards of HRQL data collection in trials and appropriate training and education is often lacking. Our objective was to investigate these reports, to determine if they represented isolated experiences, or were indicative of a potentially wider problem. We undertook a qualitative study, conducting 26 semi-structured interviews with research nurses, data managers, trial coordinators and research facilitators involved in the collection and entry of HRQL data in clinical trials, across one primary care NHS trust, two secondary care NHS trusts and two clinical trials units in the UK. We used conventional content analysis to analyze and interpret our data. Our study participants reported (1) inconsistent standards in HRQL measurement, both between, and within, trials, which appeared to risk the introduction of bias; (2), difficulties in dealing with HRQL data that raised concern for the well-being of the trial participant, which in some instances led to the delivery of non-protocol driven co-interventions, (3), a frequent lack of HRQL protocol content and appropriate training and education of trial staff, and (4) that HRQL data collection could be associated with emotional and/or ethical burden. Our findings suggest there are inconsistencies in the standards of HRQL data collection in some trials resulting from a general lack of HRQL-specific protocol content, training and education. These inconsistencies could lead to biased HRQL trial results. Future research should aim to develop HRQL guidelines and training programmes aimed at supporting researchers to carry out high quality data collection.

Inconsistencies in Quality of Life Data Collection in Clinical Trials: A Potential Source of Bias? Interviews with Research Nurses and Trialists

PubMed Central

Kyte, Derek; Ives, Jonathan; Draper, Heather; Keeley, Thomas; Calvert, Melanie

2013-01-01

Background Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), such as health-related quality of life (HRQL) are increasingly used to evaluate treatment effectiveness in clinical trials, are valued by patients, and may inform important decisions in the clinical setting. It is of concern, therefore, that preliminary evidence, gained from group discussions at UK-wide Medical Research Council (MRC) quality of life training days, suggests there are inconsistent standards of HRQL data collection in trials and appropriate training and education is often lacking. Our objective was to investigate these reports, to determine if they represented isolated experiences, or were indicative of a potentially wider problem. Methods And Findings We undertook a qualitative study, conducting 26 semi-structured interviews with research nurses, data managers, trial coordinators and research facilitators involved in the collection and entry of HRQL data in clinical trials, across one primary care NHS trust, two secondary care NHS trusts and two clinical trials units in the UK. We used conventional content analysis to analyze and interpret our data. Our study participants reported (1) inconsistent standards in HRQL measurement, both between, and within, trials, which appeared to risk the introduction of bias; (2), difficulties in dealing with HRQL data that raised concern for the well-being of the trial participant, which in some instances led to the delivery of non-protocol driven co-interventions, (3), a frequent lack of HRQL protocol content and appropriate training and education of trial staff, and (4) that HRQL data collection could be associated with emotional and/or ethical burden. Conclusions Our findings suggest there are inconsistencies in the standards of HRQL data collection in some trials resulting from a general lack of HRQL-specific protocol content, training and education. These inconsistencies could lead to biased HRQL trial results. Future research should aim to develop HRQL guidelines and training programmes aimed at supporting researchers to carry out high quality data collection. PMID:24124580

Twisted trees and inconsistency of tree estimation when gaps are treated as missing data - The impact of model mis-specification in distance corrections.

PubMed

McTavish, Emily Jane; Steel, Mike; Holder, Mark T

2015-12-01

Statistically consistent estimation of phylogenetic trees or gene trees is possible if pairwise sequence dissimilarities can be converted to a set of distances that are proportional to the true evolutionary distances. Susko et al. (2004) reported some strikingly broad results about the forms of inconsistency in tree estimation that can arise if corrected distances are not proportional to the true distances. They showed that if the corrected distance is a concave function of the true distance, then inconsistency due to long branch attraction will occur. If these functions are convex, then two "long branch repulsion" trees will be preferred over the true tree - though these two incorrect trees are expected to be tied as the preferred true. Here we extend their results, and demonstrate the existence of a tree shape (which we refer to as a "twisted Farris-zone" tree) for which a single incorrect tree topology will be guaranteed to be preferred if the corrected distance function is convex. We also report that the standard practice of treating gaps in sequence alignments as missing data is sufficient to produce non-linear corrected distance functions if the substitution process is not independent of the insertion/deletion process. Taken together, these results imply inconsistent tree inference under mild conditions. For example, if some positions in a sequence are constrained to be free of substitutions and insertion/deletion events while the remaining sites evolve with independent substitutions and insertion/deletion events, then the distances obtained by treating gaps as missing data can support an incorrect tree topology even given an unlimited amount of data. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of compression and attention allocation on speech intelligibility. II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Sangsook; Carrell, Thomas

2004-05-01

Previous investigations of the effects of amplitude compression on measures of speech intelligibility have shown inconsistent results. Recently, a novel paradigm was used to investigate the possibility of more consistent findings with a measure of speech perception that is not based entirely on intelligibility (Choi and Carrell, 2003). That study exploited a dual-task paradigm using a pursuit rotor online visual-motor tracking task (Dlhopolsky, 2000) along with a word repetition task. Intensity-compressed words caused reduced performance on the tracking task as compared to uncompressed words when subjects engaged in a simultaneous word repetition task. This suggested an increased cognitive load when listeners processed compressed words. A stronger result might be obtained if a single resource (linguistic) is required rather than two (linguistic and visual-motor) resources. In the present experiment a visual lexical decision task and an auditory word repetition task were used. The visual stimuli for the lexical decision task were blurred and presented in a noise background. The compressed and uncompressed words for repetition were placed in speech-shaped noise. Participants with normal hearing and vision conducted word repetition and lexical decision tasks both independently and simultaneously. The pattern of results is discussed and compared to the previous study.

Peri-Implant Crevicular Fluid Analysis, Enzymes and Biomarkers: a Systemetic Review

PubMed Central

Dursun, Erhan

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Objectives To review the current understanding of the biomarkers and enzymes associated with different forms peri-implant diseases and how their level changes influence the pathogenesis of the inflammatory diseases around dental implants. Material and Methods An electronic search in two different databases was performed including MEDLINE (PubMed) and EMBASE between 1996 to 2016. Human studies analyse peri-implant crevicular fluid (PICF) biomarker and enzyme levels of implants having peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis published in English language, were evaluated. A systematic review was performed to assess which biomarkers and enzymes in PICF were used to identify the inflammatory conditions around dental implants. Results Fifty-one articles were identified of which 41 were further evaluated and included in the analysis. Due to significant heterogeneity between included studies, a meta-analysis could not be performed. Instead, a systematic descriptive review was performed. Conclusions Biomarkers and enzymes in peri-implant crevicular fluid have shown promising results in differentiating from peri-implant disease condition to health. However, due to inconsistent results and acquiring much evidence from cross-sectional studies, additional evidence supported by randomized-controlled trials is needed to validate the links reported. PMID:27833734

Optimization of Process Parameters for High Efficiency Laser Forming of Advanced High Strength Steels within Metallurgical Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheikholeslami, Ghazal; Griffiths, Jonathan; Dearden, Geoff; Edwardson, Stuart P.

Laser forming (LF) has been shown to be a viable alternative to form automotive grade advanced high strength steels (AHSS). Due to their high strength, heat sensitivity and low conventional formability show early fractures, larger springback, batch-to-batch inconsistency and high tool wear. In this paper, optimisation of the LF process parameters has been conducted to further understand the impact of a surface heat treatment on DP1000. A FE numerical simulation has been developed to analyse the dynamic thermo-mechanical effects. This has been verified against empirical data. The goal of the optimisation has been to develop a usable process window for the LF of AHSS within strict metallurgical constraints. Results indicate it is possible to LF this material, however a complex relationship has been found between the generation and maintenance of hardness values in the heated zone. A laser surface hardening effect has been observed that could be beneficial to the efficiency of the process.

A new method for enhancer prediction based on deep belief network.

PubMed

Bu, Hongda; Gan, Yanglan; Wang, Yang; Zhou, Shuigeng; Guan, Jihong

2017-10-16

Studies have shown that enhancers are significant regulatory elements to play crucial roles in gene expression regulation. Since enhancers are unrelated to the orientation and distance to their target genes, it is a challenging mission for scholars and researchers to accurately predicting distal enhancers. In the past years, with the high-throughout ChiP-seq technologies development, several computational techniques emerge to predict enhancers using epigenetic or genomic features. Nevertheless, the inconsistency of computational models across different cell-lines and the unsatisfactory prediction performance call for further research in this area. Here, we propose a new Deep Belief Network (DBN) based computational method for enhancer prediction, which is called EnhancerDBN. This method combines diverse features, composed of DNA sequence compositional features, DNA methylation and histone modifications. Our computational results indicate that 1) EnhancerDBN outperforms 13 existing methods in prediction, and 2) GC content and DNA methylation can serve as relevant features for enhancer prediction. Deep learning is effective in boosting the performance of enhancer prediction.

Experimental determination of plasma detachment from the diverging magnetic nozzle of the VASIMR VX-200 Electric Thruster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olsen, Christopher; Squire, Jared; Longmier, Benjamin; Ballenger, Maxwell; Cassady, Leonard; Carter, Mark; Ilin, Andrew; Cloutier, Paul; Bering, Edgar; Giambusso, Matthew; Ad Astra Rocket Company Team; Rice University Collaboration; University of Houston Collaboration

2011-10-01

Theories of magnetized plasma detachment in an expanding magnetic field have been lacking detailed experimental evidence. Recent experiments using a 200 kW class electric rocket (VX-200), run at 100 kW using argon and a peak magnetic field of 2 T, produced ion energies greater than 100 eV with a flux of 2x1022 ions/s in a 150 m3 vacuum facility. Ion-neutral charge exchange effects were reduced and the resultant data show evidence of plasma detachment in a diverging magnetic field on a scale length of 2 m. The detachment is confirmed using multiple plasma diagnostics and magnetic nozzle topologies. Spatial maps of the data are compared to simulations from a particle detachment model, ParTraj, as well as MHD detachment theory. ParTraj, when compared to experiment, is shown to be more consistent in describing the data. Unless the MHD models are modified to incorporation two-fluid effects, single fluid MHD theory is inconsistent with the observations.

On geometric classification of 5d SCFTs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jefferson, Patrick; Katz, Sheldon; Kim, Hee-Cheol; Vafa, Cumrun

2018-04-01

We formulate geometric conditions necessary for engineering 5d superconformal field theories (SCFTs) via M-theory compactification on a local Calabi-Yau 3-fold. Extending the classification of the rank 1 cases, which are realized geometrically as shrinking del Pezzo surfaces embedded in a 3-fold, we propose an exhaustive classification of local 3-folds engineering rank 2 SCFTs in 5d. This systematic classification confirms that all rank 2 SCFTs predicted using gauge theoretic arguments can be realized as consistent theories, with the exception of one family which is shown to be non-perturbatively inconsistent and thereby ruled out by geometric considerations. We find that all rank 2 SCFTs descend from 6d (1,0) SCFTs compactified on a circle possibly twisted with an automorphism together with holonomies for global symmetries around the Kaluza-Klein circle. These results support our conjecture that every 5d SCFT can be obtained from the circle compactification of some parent 6d (1,0) SCFT.

Synoptic scale wind field properties from the SEASAT SASS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pierson, W. J., Jr.; Sylvester, W. B.; Salfi, R. E.

1984-01-01

Dealiased SEASAT SEASAT A Scatterometer System SASS vector winds obtained during the Gulf Of Alaska SEASAT Experiment GOASEX program are processed to obtain superobservations centered on a one degree by one degree grid. The grid. The results provide values for the combined effects of mesoscale variability and communication noise on the individual SASS winds. These superobservations winds are then processed further to obtain estimates of synoptic scale vector winds stress fields, the horizontal divergence of the wind, the curl of the wind stress and the vertical velocity at 200 m above the sea surface, each with appropriate standard deviations of the estimates for each grid point value. They also explain the concentration of water vapor, liquid water and precipitation found by means of the SMMR Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer at fronts and occlusions in terms of strong warm, moist air advection in the warm air sector accompanied by convergence in the friction layer. Their quality is far superior to that of analyses based on conventional data, which are shown to yield many inconsistencies.

Development of heuristic bias detection in elementary school.

PubMed

De Neys, Wim; Feremans, Vicky

2013-02-01

Although human reasoning is often biased by intuitive heuristics, recent studies have shown that adults and adolescents detect the biased nature of their judgments. The present study focused on the development of this critical bias sensitivity by examining the detection skills of young children in elementary school. Third and 6th graders were presented with child-friendly versions of classic base-rate problems in which a cued heuristic response could be inconsistent or consistent with the base rates. After each problem children were asked to indicate their subjective response confidence to assess their bias detection skills. Results indicated that 6th graders showed a clear confidence decrease when they gave a heuristic response that conflicted with the base rates. However, this confidence decrease was not observed for 3rd graders, suggesting that they did not yet acknowledge that their judgment was not fully warranted. Implications for the development of efficient training programs and the debate on human rationality are discussed. (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Effects of the MAOA gene and levels of exposure to violence on antisocial outcomes.

PubMed

Ouellet-Morin, Isabelle; Côté, Sylvana M; Vitaro, Frank; Hébert, Martine; Carbonneau, René; Lacourse, Éric; Turecki, Gustavo; Tremblay, Richard E

2016-01-01

The monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene has been shown to moderate the impact of maltreatment on antisocial behaviour. Replication efforts have, however, yielded inconsistent results. To investigate whether the interaction between the MAOA gene and violence is present across the full distribution of violence or emerges at higher levels of exposure. Participants were 327 male members of the Québec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children. Exposure to violence comprised retrospective reports of mother's and father's maltreatment, sexual and physical abuse. Conduct disorder and antisocial personality symptoms were assessed in semi-structured interviews and partner violence, property-violent crimes and arrest were self-reported. Non-linear interactions between the MAOA gene and violence were detected, suggesting that the genetic moderation may come about once a certain level of violence is experienced. Future studies should investigate the mechanisms translating substantial violence exposure, which could, subsequently, trigger the expression of genetically based differences in antisocial behaviour. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016.

Robust estimation procedure in panel data model

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

Shariff, Nurul Sima Mohamad; Hamzah, Nor Aishah

2014-06-19

The panel data modeling has received a great attention in econometric research recently. This is due to the availability of data sources and the interest to study cross sections of individuals observed over time. However, the problems may arise in modeling the panel in the presence of cross sectional dependence and outliers. Even though there are few methods that take into consideration the presence of cross sectional dependence in the panel, the methods may provide inconsistent parameter estimates and inferences when outliers occur in the panel. As such, an alternative method that is robust to outliers and cross sectional dependencemore » is introduced in this paper. The properties and construction of the confidence interval for the parameter estimates are also considered in this paper. The robustness of the procedure is investigated and comparisons are made to the existing method via simulation studies. Our results have shown that robust approach is able to produce an accurate and reliable parameter estimates under the condition considered.« less

Placental weight and foetal growth rate as predictors of ischaemic heart disease in a Swedish cohort.

PubMed

Heshmati, A; Koupil, I

2014-06-01

Studies on placental size and cardiovascular disease have shown inconsistent results. We followed 10,503 men and women born in Uppsala, Sweden, 1915-1929 from 1964 to 2008 to assess whether birth characteristics, including placental weight and placenta/birth weight ratio, were predictive of future ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Adjustments were made for birth cohort, age, sex, mother's parity, birth weight, gestational age and social class at birth. Placental weight and birth weight were negatively associated with IHD. The effect of placental weight on IHD was stronger in individuals from medium social class at birth and in those with low education. Men and women from non-manual social class at birth had the lowest risk for IHD as adults. We conclude that low foetal growth rate rather than placental weight was more predictive of IHD in the Swedish cohort. However, the strong effect of social class at birth on risk for IHD did not appear to be mediated by foetal growth rate.

Prevention and management of incontinence-associated dermatitis using a barrier cream.

PubMed

Holroyd, Sharon; Graham, Katriona

2014-12-01

Incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) is a common skin disorder affecting patients with urinary and/or faecal incontinence. Maintaining the skin's integrity is a challenge, particularly in the elderly and individuals with medical or surgical comorbidities. It is widely reported that the issue is complex and recognition is inconsistent, with symptoms often being confused with those of pressure ulcers. This article explores the causes of IAD, looking at the structure of healthy skin and the pathology that occurs during skin breakdown. It identifies risk factors and prevention and management strategies, including the use of barrier creams. The article then presents the results of a large product evaluation that took place with Cavilon Durable Barrier Cream (3M). The barrier cream was shown to be more effective in treating and managing patients with IAD than the previous product that patients had been using. A case study is also included to demonstrate the efficacy of the newest version of Cavilon Durable Barrier Cream.

On The Geometric Nature of ``Singlet Fission'' in Certain Crystalline Conjugated Polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Noah

2013-03-01

In recent years, the coherent fission of low-lying singlet electronic excitations in conjugated polymers has attracted interest as a possible way to exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit in organic photovoltaics. Femtosecond spectroscopic and fluorescence measurements of such singlets and the resulting triplets in crystalline anthracene, tetracene and naphthalene reveal curious phenomena associated with certain vibrational modes, such as ultrafast propagation on a timescale inconsistent with conventional intersystem crossing, long-lived electronic coherence, and triplet magnetic anisotropy whose structure is consistent across all three materials. This conflicts with NRG and quantum chemical simulations, which posit isotropic triplets. I explain this by a dynamical Rashba spin-orbit interaction that decays as R-6. This arises from a geometric SU(2) gauge potential generated by a nuclear-motion-induced parametric near-degeneracy of the molecular electronic states. The anisotropy is shown to follow from the work of Affleck and Oshikawa on spin one-half Heisenberg chains. Possible directions for future work are discussed, especially with regard to adiabatic pumping and topological insulators.

Role of estrogen receptor-α on food demand elasticity.

PubMed

Minervini, Vanessa; Rowland, Neil E; Robertson, Kimberly L; Foster, Thomas C

2015-05-01

Estrogens have been shown to have an inhibitory effect on food intake under free-feeding conditions, yet the effects of estrogens on food-maintained operant responding have been studied to a much lesser extent and, thus, are not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of the present experiment was to use a behavioral economics paradigm to assess differences in demand elasticity between mice with knockout of the estrogen receptor subtype α, knockout of subtype β, and their wild type controls. The mice responded in a closed economy, and the price of food was increased by increasing the fixed-ratio response requirement every four sessions. Overall, we found that mice with the knockout of receptor subtype α had the most elastic demand functions. Therefore, under these conditions, estrogens increased food seeking via activation of the receptor subtype α. The results were inconsistent with those reported by previous studies that employed free-feeding conditions. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Surface Expression of Precursor N-cadherin Promotes Tumor Cell Invasion12

PubMed Central

Maret, Deborah; Gruzglin, Eugenia; Sadr, Mohamad Seyed; Siu, Vincent; Shan, Weisong; Koch, Alexander W; Seidah, Nabil G; Del Maestro, Rolando F; Colman, David R

2010-01-01

The expression of N-cadherin (NCAD) has been shown to correlate with increased tumor cell motility and metastasis. However, NCAD-mediated adhesion is a robust phenomenon and therefore seems to be inconsistent with the “release” from intercellular adhesion required for invasion. We show that in the most invasive melanoma and brain tumor cells, altered posttranslational processing results in abundant nonadhesive precursor N-cadherin (proNCAD) at the cell surface, although total NCAD levels remain constant. We demonstrate that aberrantly processed proNCAD promotes cell migration and invasion in vitro. Furthermore, in human tumor specimens, we find high levels of proNCAD as well, supporting an overall conclusion that proNCAD and mature NCAD coexist on these tumor cell surfaces and that it is the ratio between these functionally antagonistic moieties that directly correlates with invasion potential. Our work provides insight into what may be a widespread mechanism for invasion and metastasis and challenges the current dogma of the functional roles played by classic cadherins in tumor progression. PMID:21170270

Technical Note: Adjoint formulation of the TOMCAT atmospheric transport scheme in the Eulerian backtracking framework (RETRO-TOM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haines, P. E.; Esler, J. G.; Carver, G. D.

2014-06-01

A new methodology for the formulation of an adjoint to the transport component of the chemistry transport model TOMCAT is described and implemented in a new model, RETRO-TOM. The Eulerian backtracking method is used, allowing the forward advection scheme (Prather's second-order moments) to be efficiently exploited in the backward adjoint calculations. Prather's scheme is shown to be time symmetric, suggesting the possibility of high accuracy. To attain this accuracy, however, it is necessary to make a careful treatment of the "density inconsistency" problem inherent to offline transport models. The results are verified using a series of test experiments. These demonstrate the high accuracy of RETRO-TOM when compared with direct forward sensitivity calculations, at least for problems in which flux limiters in the advection scheme are not required. RETRO-TOM therefore combines the flexibility and stability of a "finite difference of adjoint" formulation with the accuracy of an "adjoint of finite difference" formulation.

Technical Note: Adjoint formulation of the TOMCAT atmospheric transport scheme in the Eulerian backtracking framework (RETRO-TOM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haines, P. E.; Esler, J. G.; Carver, G. D.

2014-01-01

A new methodology for the formulation of an adjoint to the transport component of the chemistry transport model TOMCAT is described and implemented in a new model RETRO-TOM. The Eulerian backtracking method is used, allowing the forward advection scheme (Prather's second-order moments), to be efficiently exploited in the backward adjoint calculations. Prather's scheme is shown to be time-symmetric suggesting the possibility of high accuracy. To attain this accuracy, however, it is necessary to make a careful treatment of the "density inconsistency" problem inherent to offline transport models. The results are verified using a series of test experiments. These demonstrate the high accuracy of RETRO-TOM when compared with direct forward sensitivity calculations, at least for problems in which flux-limiters in the advection scheme are not required. RETRO-TOM therefore combines the flexibility and stability of a "finite difference of adjoint" formulation with the accuracy of an "adjoint of finite difference" formulation.

Specialized Binary Analysis for Vetting Android APPS Using GUI Logic

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

the use of high- level reasoning based on the GUI design logic of an app to enable a security analyst to diagnose and triage the potentially sensitive...execution paths of an app. Levels of Inconsistency We have identified three- levels of logical inconsistencies: Event- level inconsistency A sensitive...operation (e.g., taking a picture) is not trigged by user action on a GUI component. Layout- level inconsistency A sensitive operation is triggered by

Effects of intranasal oxytocin on symptoms of schizophrenia: A multivariate Bayesian meta-analysis.

PubMed

Williams, Donald R; Bürkner, Paul-Christian

2017-01-01

Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder in which psychiatric symptoms are classified into two general subgroups-positive and negative symptoms. Current antipsychotic drugs are effective for treating positive symptoms, whereas negative symptoms are less responsive. Since the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been shown to mediate social behavior in animals and humans, it has been used as an experimental therapeutic for treating schizophrenia and in particular negative symptoms which includes social deficits. Through eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and three meta-analyses, evidence for an effect of intranasal OT (IN-OT) has been inconsistent. We therefore conducted an updated meta-analysis that offers several advantages when compared to those done previously: (1) We used a multivariate analysis which allows for comparisons between symptoms and accounts for correlations between symptoms; (2) We controlled for baseline scores; (3) We used a fully Bayesian framework that allows for assessment of evidence in favor of the null hypothesis using Bayes factors; and (4) We addressed inconsistencies in the primary studies and previous meta-analyses. Eight RCTs (n=238) were included in the present study and we found that oxytocin did not improve any aspect of symptomology in schizophrenic patients and there was moderate evidence in favor of the null (no effect of oxytocin) for negative symptoms. Multivariate comparisons between symptom types revealed that oxytocin was not especially beneficial for treating negative symptoms. The effect size estimates were not moderated, publication bias was absent, and our estimates were robust to sensitivity analyses. These results suggest that IN-OT is not an effective therapeutic for schizophrenia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Early insulin sensitivity after restrictive bariatric surgery, inconsistency between HOMA-IR and steady-state plasma glucose levels.

PubMed

van Dielen, Francois M H; Nijhuis, Jeroen; Rensen, Sander S M; Schaper, Nicolaas C; Wiebolt, Janneke; Koks, Afra; Prakken, Fred J; Buurman, Wim A; Greve, Jan Willem M

2010-01-01

The low-grade inflammatory condition present in morbid obesity is thought to play a causative role in the pathophysiology of insulin resistance (IR). Bariatric surgery fails to improve this inflammatory condition during the first months after surgery. Considering the close relation between inflammation and IR, we conducted a study in which insulin sensitivity was measured during the first months after bariatric surgery. Different methods to measure IR shortly after bariatric surgery have given inconsistent data. For example, the Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) levels have been reported to decrease rapidly after bariatric surgery, although clamp techniques have shown sustained insulin resistance. In the present study, we evaluated the use of steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) levels to assess insulin sensitivity 2 months after bariatric surgery. Insulin sensitivity was measured using HOMA-IR and SSPG levels in 11 subjects before surgery and at 26% excess weight loss (approximately 2 months after restrictive bariatric surgery). The SSPG levels after 26% excess weight loss did not differ from the SSPG levels before surgery (14.3 +/- 5.4 versus 14.4 +/- 2.7 mmol/L). In contrast, the HOMA-IR values had decreased significantly (3.59 +/- 1.99 versus 2.09 +/- 1.02). During the first months after restrictive bariatric surgery, we observed a discrepancy between the HOMA-IR and SSPG levels. In contrast to the HOMA-IR values, the SSPG levels had not improved, which could be explained by the ongoing inflammatory state after bariatric surgery. These results suggest that during the first months after restrictive bariatric surgery, HOMA-IR might not be an adequate marker of insulin sensitivity. Copyright 2010 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sleep in schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of polysomnographic findings in case-control studies.

PubMed

Chan, Man-Sum; Chung, Ka-Fai; Yung, Kam-Ping; Yeung, Wing-Fai

2017-04-01

Polysomnographic studies have been performed to examine the sleep abnormalities in schizophrenia, but the results are inconsistent. An updated systematic review, meta-analysis, and moderator analysis was conducted. Major databases were searched without language restriction from 1968 to January 2014. Data were analyzed using the random-effects model and summarized using the Hedges's g. Thirty-one studies with 574 patients and 515 healthy controls were evaluated. Limited by the number of studies and a lack of patient-level data, moderator analysis was restricted to medication status, duration of medication withdrawal, and illness duration. We showed that patients with schizophrenia have significantly shorter total sleep time, longer sleep onset latency, more wake time after sleep onset, lower sleep efficiency, and decreased stage 4 sleep, slow wave sleep, and duration and latency of rapid eye movement sleep compared to healthy controls. The findings on delta waves and sleep spindles were inconsistent. Moderator analysis could not find any abnormalities in sleep architecture in medication-naïve patients. Patients with antipsychotic withdrawal for longer than eight weeks were shown to have less sleep architectural abnormalities, compared to shorter duration of withdrawal, but the abnormalities in sleep continuity were similar. Slow wave sleep deficit was found in patients with schizophrenia for more than three years, while sleep onset latency was increased in medication-naïve, medication-withdrawn, and medicated patients. Our study showed that polysomnographic abnormalities are present in schizophrenia. Illness duration, medication status, and duration of medication withdrawal are several of the clinical factors that contribute to the heterogeneity between studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical evaluation of 4D PET motion compensation strategies for treatment verification in ion beam therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gianoli, Chiara; Kurz, Christopher; Riboldi, Marco; Bauer, Julia; Fontana, Giulia; Baroni, Guido; Debus, Jürgen; Parodi, Katia

2016-06-01

A clinical trial named PROMETHEUS is currently ongoing for inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT, Germany). In this framework, 4D PET-CT datasets are acquired shortly after the therapeutic treatment to compare the irradiation induced PET image with a Monte Carlo PET prediction resulting from the simulation of treatment delivery. The extremely low count statistics of this measured PET image represents a major limitation of this technique, especially in presence of target motion. The purpose of the study is to investigate two different 4D PET motion compensation strategies towards the recovery of the whole count statistics for improved image quality of the 4D PET-CT datasets for PET-based treatment verification. The well-known 4D-MLEM reconstruction algorithm, embedding the motion compensation in the reconstruction process of 4D PET sinograms, was compared to a recently proposed pre-reconstruction motion compensation strategy, which operates in sinogram domain by applying the motion compensation to the 4D PET sinograms. With reference to phantom and patient datasets, advantages and drawbacks of the two 4D PET motion compensation strategies were identified. The 4D-MLEM algorithm was strongly affected by inverse inconsistency of the motion model but demonstrated the capability to mitigate the noise-break-up effects. Conversely, the pre-reconstruction warping showed less sensitivity to inverse inconsistency but also more noise in the reconstructed images. The comparison was performed by relying on quantification of PET activity and ion range difference, typically yielding similar results. The study demonstrated that treatment verification of moving targets could be accomplished by relying on the whole count statistics image quality, as obtained from the application of 4D PET motion compensation strategies. In particular, the pre-reconstruction warping was shown to represent a promising choice when combined with intra-reconstruction smoothing.

Demographic and clinical characteristics of consistent and inconsistent longitudinal reporters of lifetime suicide attempts in adolescence through young adulthood.

PubMed

Hart, Shelley R; Musci, Rashelle J; Ialongo, Nicholas; Ballard, Elizabeth D; Wilcox, Holly C

2013-10-01

Within the context of the recent release of the 2012 National Suicide Prevention Strategy, and as the third leading cause of death for individuals 10- to 24-years-old, suicide prevention is a national priority. A consistently reported and robust risk factor for suicide is a prior suicide attempt; however few studies have investigated the consistency of self-reported lifetime suicide attempts. The goal of this study is to describe the prevalence and characteristics of inconsistent reporting of suicide attempt in a longitudinal cohort of participants annually assessed in 12 waves of data collected from middle school (age 12) to early adulthood (age 22). Among this cohort (n = 678), we compared those who consistently, inconsistently, and never reported a suicide attempt according to demographic and clinical variables. Almost 90% (88.5%) of our sample inconsistently reported a lifetime suicide attempt. Consistent and inconsistent reporters of lifetime suicide attempt did not differ on demographic or clinical variables with the exception of higher rates of lifetime suicidal ideation among consistent reporters (P < .001). Significant clinical differences were evident between inconsistent reporters and nonattempters. Some level of inconsistent reporting of suicide attempt is inevitable when schools or health care systems systematically screen for suicide risk in adolescents. Inconsistent and consistent reporters of suicide attempt differ on few demographic or clinical variables; further prospective research should investigate the reasons for inconsistent reporting as well as the validity and stability of reporting in predicting future suicidal behavior. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Empirical evidence about inconsistency among studies in a pair-wise meta-analysis.

PubMed

Rhodes, Kirsty M; Turner, Rebecca M; Higgins, Julian P T

2016-12-01

This paper investigates how inconsistency (as measured by the I 2 statistic) among studies in a meta-analysis may differ, according to the type of outcome data and effect measure. We used hierarchical models to analyse data from 3873 binary, 5132 continuous and 880 mixed outcome meta-analyses within the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Predictive distributions for inconsistency expected in future meta-analyses were obtained, which can inform priors for between-study variance. Inconsistency estimates were highest on average for binary outcome meta-analyses of risk differences and continuous outcome meta-analyses. For a planned binary outcome meta-analysis in a general research setting, the predictive distribution for inconsistency among log odds ratios had median 22% and 95% CI: 12% to 39%. For a continuous outcome meta-analysis, the predictive distribution for inconsistency among standardized mean differences had median 40% and 95% CI: 15% to 73%. Levels of inconsistency were similar for binary data measured by log odds ratios and log relative risks. Fitted distributions for inconsistency expected in continuous outcome meta-analyses using mean differences were almost identical to those using standardized mean differences. The empirical evidence on inconsistency gives guidance on which outcome measures are most likely to be consistent in particular circumstances and facilitates Bayesian meta-analysis with an informative prior for heterogeneity. © 2015 The Authors. Research Synthesis Methods published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2015 The Authors. Research Synthesis Methods published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2015 The Authors. Research Synthesis Methods published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Testing the white dwarf mass-radius relation and comparing optical and far-UV spectroscopic results with Gaia DR2, HST and FUSE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joyce, S. R. G.; Barstow, M. A.; Casewell, S. L.; Burleigh, M. R.; Holberg, J. B.; Bond, H. E.

2018-05-01

Observational tests of the white dwarf mass-radius relationship have always been limited by the uncertainty in the available distance measurements. Most studies have focused on Balmer line spectroscopy because these spectra can be obtained from ground based observatories, while the Lyman lines are only accessible to space based UV telescopes. We present results using parallax data from Gaia DR2 combined with space based spectroscopy from HST and FUSE covering the Balmer and Lyman lines. We find that our sample supports the theoretical relation, although there is at least one star which is shown to be inconsistent. Comparison of results between Balmer and Lyman line spectra shows they are in agreement when the latest broadening tables are used. We also assess the factors which contribute to the error in the mass-radius calculations and confirm the findings of other studies which show that the spread in results for targets where multiple spectra are available is larger than the statistical error. The uncertainty in the spectroscopically derived log g parameter is now the main source of error rather than the parallax. Finally, we present new results for the radius and spectroscopic mass of Sirius B which agree with the dynamical mass and mass-radius relation within 1σ.

Chemical Characterization of an Envelope B/D Sample from Hanford Tank 241-AZ-102

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

Hay, M.S.

2000-08-23

A sample from Hanford waste tank 241-AZ-102 was received at the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and chemically characterized. The sample containing supernate and a small amount of sludge solids was analyzed as-received. The filtered supernatant liquid, the total dried solids of the sample, and the washed insoluble solids obtained from filtration of the sample were analyzed. A mass balance calculation of the three fractions of the sample analyzed indicate the analytical results appear relatively self-consistent for major components of the sample. However, some inconsistency was observed between results were more than one method of determination was employed and formore » species present in low concentrations. The actinides isotopes, plutonium, americium, and curium, present analytical challenges due to the low concentration of these species and the potential for introduction of small amounts of contamination during sampling handling resulting in large uncertainties. A direct comparison to previous analyses of material from tank 241-AZ-102 showed good agreement with the filtered supernatant liquid. However, the comparison of solids data showed poor agreement. The poor agreement shown between the current results for the solids samples and previous analyses most likely results from the uncertainties associated with obtaining small solids samples from a large non-homogenized waste tank.« less

Determining an empirical estimate of the tracking inconsistency component for true astrometric uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramanjooloo, Yudish; Tholen, David J.; Fohring, Dora; Claytor, Zach; Hung, Denise

2017-10-01

The asteroid community is moving towards the implementation of a new astrometric reporting format. This new format will finally include of complementary astrometric uncertainties in the reported observations. The availability of uncertainties will allow ephemeris predictions and orbit solutions to be constrained with greater reliability, thereby improving the efficiency of the community's follow-up and recovery efforts.Our current uncertainty model involves our uncertainties in centroiding on the trailed stars and asteroid and the uncertainty due to the astrometric solution. The accuracy of our astrometric measurements are reliant on how well we can minimise the offset between the spatial and temporal centroids of the stars and the asteroid. This offset is currently unmodelled and can be caused by variations in the cloud transparency, the seeing and tracking inconsistencies. The magnitude zero point of the image, which is affected by fluctuating weather conditions and the catalog bias in the photometric magnitudes, can serve as an indicator of the presence and thickness of clouds. Through comparison of the astrometric uncertainties to the orbit solution residuals, it was apparent that a component of the error analysis remained unaccounted for, as a result of cloud coverage and thickness, telescope tracking inconsistencies and variable seeing. This work will attempt to quantify the tracking inconsistency component. We have acquired a rich dataset with the University of Hawaii 2.24 metre telescope (UH-88 inch) that is well positioned to construct an empirical estimate of the tracking inconsistency component. This work is funded by NASA grant NXX13AI64G.

The Effect of School Status and Academic Skills on the Reporting of Premarital Sexual Behavior: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study in Rural Malawi

PubMed Central

Soler-Hampejsek, Erica; Grant, Monica J.; Mensch, Barbara S.; Hewett, Paul C.; Rankin, Johanna

2013-01-01

Purpose Reliable data on sexual behavior are needed to identify adolescents at risk of acquiring HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as unintended pregnancies. This study aims to investigate whether schooling status and literacy and numeracy skills affect adolescents’ reports of premarital sex collected using audio computer-assisted self-interviews (ACASI). Methods Data on 2320 participants in the first three rounds of the Malawi Schooling and Adolescent Study were analyzed to estimate the level of inconsistency in reporting premarital sex among rural Malawian adolescents. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine the relationships between school status and academic skills and premarital sexual behavior reports. Results Males were more likely than females to report premarital sex at baseline while females were more likely than males to report sex inconsistently within and across rounds. School-going females and males were more likely to report never having had sex at baseline and to “retract” reports of ever having sex across rounds than their peers who had recently left school. School-going females were also more likely to report sex inconsistently at baseline. Literate and numerate respondents were less likely to report sex inconsistently at baseline; however, they were more likely to retract sex reports across rounds. Conclusions The level of inconsistency both within a survey round and across rounds reflects the difficulties in collecting reliable sexual behavior data from young people in settings such as rural Malawi, where education levels are low, and sex among school-going females is not socially accepted. PMID:23688856

A review method for UML requirements analysis model employing system-side prototyping.

PubMed

Ogata, Shinpei; Matsuura, Saeko

2013-12-01

User interface prototyping is an effective method for users to validate the requirements defined by analysts at an early stage of a software development. However, a user interface prototype system offers weak support for the analysts to verify the consistency of the specifications about internal aspects of a system such as business logic. As the result, the inconsistency causes a lot of rework costs because the inconsistency often makes the developers impossible to actualize the system based on the specifications. For verifying such consistency, functional prototyping is an effective method for the analysts, but it needs a lot of costs and more detailed specifications. In this paper, we propose a review method so that analysts can verify the consistency among several different kinds of diagrams in UML efficiently by employing system-side prototyping without the detailed model. The system-side prototype system does not have any functions to achieve business logic, but visualizes the results of the integration among the diagrams in UML as Web pages. The usefulness of our proposal was evaluated by applying our proposal into a development of Library Management System (LMS) for a laboratory. This development was conducted by a group. As the result, our proposal was useful for discovering the serious inconsistency caused by the misunderstanding among the members of the group.

Search for Expectancy-Inconsistent Information Reduces Uncertainty Better: The Role of Cognitive Capacity

PubMed Central

Strojny, Paweł; Kossowska, Małgorzata; Strojny, Agnieszka

2016-01-01

Motivation and cognitive capacity are key factors in people’s everyday struggle with uncertainty. However, the exact nature of their interplay in various contexts still needs to be revealed. The presented paper reports on two experimental studies which aimed to examine the joint consequences of motivational and cognitive factors for preferences regarding incomplete information expansion. In Study 1 we demonstrate the interactional effect of motivation and cognitive capacity on information preference. High need for closure resulted in a stronger relative preference for expectancy-inconsistent information among non-depleted individuals, but the opposite among cognitively depleted ones. This effect was explained by the different informative value of questions in comparison to affirmative sentences and the potential possibility of assimilation of new information if it contradicts prior knowledge. In Study 2 we further investigated the obtained effect, showing that not only questions but also other kinds of incomplete information are subject to the same dependency. Our results support the expectation that, in face of incomplete information, motivation toward closure may be fulfilled efficiently by focusing on expectancy-inconsistent pieces of data. We discuss the obtained effect in the context of previous assumptions that high need for closure results in a simple processing style, advocating a more complex approach based on the character of the provided information. PMID:27047422

Perceived consequences of hypothetical identity-inconsistent sexual experiences: effects of perceiver's sex and sexual identity.

PubMed

Preciado, Mariana A; Johnson, Kerri L

2014-04-01

Most people organize their sexual orientation under a single sexual identity label. However, people may have sexual experiences that are inconsistent with their categorical sexual identity label. A man might identify as heterosexual but still experience some attraction to men; a woman might identify as lesbian yet enter into a romantic relationship with a man. Identity-inconsistent experiences are likely to have consequences. In the present study, we examined lay perceptions of the consequences of identity-inconsistent sexual experiences for self-perceived sexuality and for social relationships among a sexually diverse sample (N = 283). We found that the perceived consequences of identity-inconsistent experiences for self-perception, for social stigmatization, and for social relationships varied as a function of participant sex, participant sexual identity (heterosexual, gay, lesbian), and experience type (fantasy, attraction, behavior, love). We conclude that not all identity-inconsistent sexual experiences are perceived as equally consequential and that the perceived consequences of such experiences vary predictably as a function of perceiver sex and sexual identity. We discuss the role lay perceptions of the consequences of identity-inconsistent sexual experiences may play in guiding attitudes and behavior.

17 CFR 250.28 - Inconsistent financial statements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Accounts § 250.28 Inconsistent financial statements. Except as otherwise authorized or required by the..., financial statements which are inconsistent with the book accounts of such company or financial statements... prevent the distribution or publication of reasonable condensations or of unaudited financial statements...

Memory Errors in Alibi Generation: How an Alibi Can Turn Against Us.

PubMed

Crozier, William E; Strange, Deryn; Loftus, Elizabeth F

2017-01-01

Alibis play a critical role in the criminal justice system. Yet research on the process of alibi generation and evaluation is still nascent. Indeed, similar to other widely investigated psychological phenomena in the legal system - such as false confessions, historical claims of abuse, and eyewitness memory - the basic assumptions underlying alibi generation and evaluation require closer empirical scrutiny. To date, the majority of alibi research investigates the social psychological aspects of the process. We argue that applying our understanding of basic human memory is critical to a complete understanding of the alibi process. Specifically, we challenge the use of alibi inconsistency as an indication of guilt by outlining the "cascading effects" that can put innocents at risk for conviction. We discuss how normal encoding and storage processes can pose problems at retrieval, particularly for innocent suspects that can result in alibi inconsistencies over time. Those inconsistencies are typically misunderstood as intentional deception, first by law enforcement, affecting the investigation, then by prosecutors affecting prosecution decisions, and finally by juries, ultimately affecting guilt judgments. Put differently, despite the universal nature of memory inconsistencies, a single error can produce a cascading effect, rendering an innocent individual's alibi, ironically, proof of guilt. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Publication Rates and Inconsistencies of the Abstracts Presented at the National Anatomy Congresses in 2007 and 2008

PubMed Central

Gürses, İlke Ali; Gayretli, Özcan; Gürtekin, Başak; Öztürk, Adnan

2017-01-01

Background: Despite significant efforts made for, most abstracts presented during a meeting do not proceed and publish as a manuscript in scientific journals. Aims: To investigate publication rates of national anatomy congresses. Study Design: Descriptive study. Methods: All abstracts presented at two annual meetings in 2007 and 2008 were extracted. PubMed and Google Scholar database search used for publication history. Presentation and study types, publication rates and mean publishing times were evaluated. Inconsistency rates between meeting abstract and final published article were also considered. Results: Among 342 abstracts, 195 (57%) were followed by a full-text article. Publication rates for oral and poster presentations were 75% and 52.2%, respectively. The mean publication time was 23.7±23 months. Overall, 89.2% of the articles were published within 5 years. There were no inconsistencies in 50 (25.6%) articles, while 145 (74.4%) had inconsistencies compared to the abstracts presented at the congress. Getting adequate information for 45 (23.1%) articles was not possible. There was no standard reporting format for the abstracts. Conclusion: Our study shows that, overall publication rates for abstracts presented at national anatomy meetings were higher than those presented at national meetings for clinical specialties. PMID:28251026

Dentists interacting and working with female dental nurses: a qualitative investigation of gender differences in primary dental care.

PubMed

Freeman, R; Gorter, R; Braam, A

2004-02-14

To investigate if women compared with men dentists experience deferential treatment from their female nurses, what workplace strategies women use to manage chair-side assistance and to examine if these were country related. A convenience sample of 22 male and female dentists of different ages working in general dental practice in The Netherlands and Northern Ireland participated. The sample framework was determined by saturation of the concepts. All informants were interviewed in a clinical setting. The data was subjected to rigorous line by line coding in order to identify clusters of codes, themes and concepts. Three themes were identified. These were: experiencing deferential nursing assistance; adopting 'friendly-like' working strategies and adopting business-like, hierarchical working strategies. Gender differences were shown for each of the themes. Women rather than men made friends with their nurses and attempted to reduce status inequalities. This led to workplace strategy inconsistencies. This suggested that it was not the type of strategy adopted but the inconsistency with which it was implemented that caused difficulties between younger women dentists and their nurses. Training dental students and young graduates how to interact appropriately in the clinical situation and to appreciate the nurses' work status will assist in improving working relationships.

Scientific evidence contradicts findings and assumptions of Canadian Safety Panel 6: microwaves act through voltage-gated calcium channel activation to induce biological impacts at non-thermal levels, supporting a paradigm shift for microwave/lower frequency electromagnetic field action.

PubMed

Pall, Martin L

2015-01-01

This review considers a paradigm shift on microwave electromagnetic field (EMF) action from only thermal effects to action via voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) activation. Microwave/lower frequency EMFs were shown in two dozen studies to act via VGCC activation because all effects studied were blocked by calcium channel blockers. This mode of action was further supported by hundreds of studies showing microwave changes in calcium fluxes and intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i signaling. The biophysical properties of VGCCs/similar channels make them particularly sensitive to low intensity, non-thermal EMF exposures. Non-thermal studies have shown that in most cases pulsed fields are more active than are non-pulsed fields and that exposures within certain intensity windows have much large biological effects than do either lower or higher intensity exposures; these are both consistent with a VGCC role but inconsistent with only a heating/thermal role. Downstream effects of VGCC activation include calcium signaling, elevated nitric oxide (NO), NO signaling, peroxynitrite, free radical formation, and oxidative stress. Downstream effects explain repeatedly reported biological responses to non-thermal exposures: oxidative stress; single and double strand breaks in cellular DNA; cancer; male and female infertility; lowered melatonin/sleep disruption; cardiac changes including tachycardia, arrhythmia, and sudden cardiac death; diverse neuropsychiatric effects including depression; and therapeutic effects. Non-VGCC non-thermal mechanisms may occur, but none have been shown to have effects in mammals. Biologically relevant safety standards can be developed through studies of cell lines/cell cultures with high levels of different VGCCs, measuring their responses to different EMF exposures. The 2014 Canadian Report by a panel of experts only recognizes thermal effects regarding safety standards for non-ionizing radiation exposures. Its position is therefore contradicted by each of the observations above. The Report is assessed here in several ways including through Karl Popper's assessment of strength of evidence. Popper argues that the strongest type of evidence is evidence that falsifies a theory; second strongest is a test of "risky prediction"; the weakest confirms a prediction that the theory could be correct but in no way rules out alternative theories. All of the evidence supporting the Report's conclusion that only thermal effects need be considered are of the weakest type, confirming prediction but not ruling out alternatives. In contrast, there are thousands of studies apparently falsifying their position. The Report argues that there are no biophysically viable mechanisms for non-thermal effects (shown to be false, see above). It claims that there are many "inconsistencies" in the literature causing them to throw out large numbers of studies; however, the one area where it apparently documents this claim, that of genotoxicity, shows no inconsistencies; rather it shows that various cell types, fields and end points produce different responses, as should be expected. The Report claims that cataract formation is produced by thermal effects but ignores studies falsifying this claim and also studies showing [Ca2+]i and VGCC roles. It is time for a paradigm shift away from only thermal effects toward VGCC activation and consequent downstream effects.

19 CFR 177.13 - Inconsistent customs decisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Inconsistent customs decisions. 177.13 Section 177.13 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) ADMINISTRATIVE RULINGS General Ruling Procedure § 177.13 Inconsistent customs...

19 CFR 177.13 - Inconsistent customs decisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Inconsistent customs decisions. 177.13 Section 177.13 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) ADMINISTRATIVE RULINGS General Ruling Procedure § 177.13 Inconsistent customs...

19 CFR 177.13 - Inconsistent customs decisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Inconsistent customs decisions. 177.13 Section 177.13 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) ADMINISTRATIVE RULINGS General Ruling Procedure § 177.13 Inconsistent customs...

Inconsistencies in Autism-Specific Emotion Interventions: Cause for Concern

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caldeira, Monica; Edmunds, Alan

2012-01-01

Precise educational interventions are the sine qua non of services for students with exceptionalities. Applying interventions riddled with inconsistencies, therefore, interferes with the growth and learning potential of students who need these interventions. This research synthesis documents the inconsistencies revealed during a critical analysis…

Rough Evaluation Structure: Application of Rough Set Theory to Generate Simple Rules for Inconsistent Preference Relation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gehrmann, Andreas; Nagai, Yoshimitsu; Yoshida, Osamu; Ishizu, Syohei

Since management decision-making becomes complex and preferences of the decision-maker frequently becomes inconsistent, multi-attribute decision-making problems were studied. To represent inconsistent preference relation, the concept of evaluation structure was introduced. We can generate simple rules to represent inconsistent preference relation by the evaluation structures. Further rough set theory for the preference relation was studied and the concept of approximation was introduced. One of our main aims of this paper is to introduce a concept of rough evaluation structure for representing inconsistent preference relation. We apply rough set theory to the evaluation structure, and develop a method for generating simple rules for inconsistent preference relations. In this paper, we introduce concepts of totally ordered information system, similarity class of preference relation, upper and lower approximation of preference relations. We also show the properties of rough evaluation structure and provide a simple example. As an application of rough evaluation structure, we analyze questionnaire survey of customer preferences about audio players.

Enhancing Spatial Attention and Working Memory in Younger and Older Adults

PubMed Central

Rolle, Camarin E.; Anguera, Joaquin A.; Skinner, Sasha N.; Voytek, Bradley; Gazzaley, Adam

2018-01-01

Daily experiences demand both focused and broad allocation of attention for us to interact efficiently with our complex environments. Many types of attention have shown age-related decline, although there is also evidence that such deficits may be remediated with cognitive training. However, spatial attention abilities have shown inconsistent age-related differences, and the extent of potential enhancement of these abilities remains unknown. Here, we assessed spatial attention in both healthy younger and older adults and trained this ability in both age groups for 5 hr over the course of 2 weeks using a custom-made, computerized mobile training application. We compared training-related gains on a spatial attention assessment and spatial working memory task to age-matched controls who engaged in expectancy-matched, active placebo computerized training. Age-related declines in spatial attention abilities were observed regardless of task difficulty. Spatial attention training led to improved focused and distributed attention abilities as well as improved spatial working memory in both younger and older participants. No such improvements were observed in either of the age-matched control groups. Note that these findings were not a function of improvements in simple response time, as basic motoric function did not change after training. Furthermore, when using change in simple response time as a covariate, all findings remained significant. These results suggest that spatial attention training can lead to enhancements in spatial working memory regardless of age. PMID:28654361

Enhancing Spatial Attention and Working Memory in Younger and Older Adults.

PubMed

Rolle, Camarin E; Anguera, Joaquin A; Skinner, Sasha N; Voytek, Bradley; Gazzaley, Adam

2017-09-01

Daily experiences demand both focused and broad allocation of attention for us to interact efficiently with our complex environments. Many types of attention have shown age-related decline, although there is also evidence that such deficits may be remediated with cognitive training. However, spatial attention abilities have shown inconsistent age-related differences, and the extent of potential enhancement of these abilities remains unknown. Here, we assessed spatial attention in both healthy younger and older adults and trained this ability in both age groups for 5 hr over the course of 2 weeks using a custom-made, computerized mobile training application. We compared training-related gains on a spatial attention assessment and spatial working memory task to age-matched controls who engaged in expectancy-matched, active placebo computerized training. Age-related declines in spatial attention abilities were observed regardless of task difficulty. Spatial attention training led to improved focused and distributed attention abilities as well as improved spatial working memory in both younger and older participants. No such improvements were observed in either of the age-matched control groups. Note that these findings were not a function of improvements in simple response time, as basic motoric function did not change after training. Furthermore, when using change in simple response time as a covariate, all findings remained significant. These results suggest that spatial attention training can lead to enhancements in spatial working memory regardless of age.

Some Results Relevant to Statistical Closures for Compressible Turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ristorcelli, J. R.

1998-01-01

For weakly compressible turbulent fluctuations there exists a small parameter, the square of the fluctuating Mach number, that allows an investigation using a perturbative treatment. The consequences of such a perturbative analysis in three different subject areas are described: 1) initial conditions in direct numerical simulations, 2) an explanation for the oscillations seen in the compressible pressure in the direct numerical simulations of homogeneous shear, and 3) for turbulence closures accounting for the compressibility of velocity fluctuations. Initial conditions consistent with small turbulent Mach number asymptotics are constructed. The importance of consistent initial conditions in the direct numerical simulation of compressible turbulence is dramatically illustrated: spurious oscillations associated with inconsistent initial conditions are avoided, and the fluctuating dilatational field is some two orders of magnitude smaller for a compressible isotropic turbulence. For the isotropic decay it is shown that the choice of initial conditions can change the scaling law for the compressible dissipation. A two-time expansion of the Navier-Stokes equations is used to distinguish compressible acoustic and compressible advective modes. A simple conceptual model for weakly compressible turbulence - a forced linear oscillator is described. It is shown that the evolution equations for the compressible portions of turbulence can be understood as a forced wave equation with refraction. Acoustic modes of the flow can be amplified by refraction and are able to manifest themselves in large fluctuations of the compressible pressure.

Three-dimensional wave-induced current model equations and radiation stresses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Hua-yong

2017-08-01

After the approach by Mellor (2003, 2008), the present paper reports on a repeated effort to derive the equations for three-dimensional wave-induced current. Via the vertical momentum equation and a proper coordinate transformation, the phase-averaged wave dynamic pressure is well treated, and a continuous and depth-dependent radiation stress tensor, rather than the controversial delta Dirac function at the surface shown in Mellor (2008), is provided. Besides, a phase-averaged vertical momentum flux over a sloping bottom is introduced. All the inconsistencies in Mellor (2003, 2008), pointed out by Ardhuin et al. (2008) and Bennis and Ardhuin (2011), are overcome in the presently revised equations. In a test case with a sloping sea bed, as shown in Ardhuin et al. (2008), the wave-driving forces derived in the present equations are in good balance, and no spurious vertical circulation occurs outside the surf zone, indicating that Airy's wave theory and the approach of Mellor (2003, 2008) are applicable for the derivation of the wave-induced current model.

The generalized accessibility and spectral gap of lower hybrid waves in tokamaks

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

Takahashi, Hironori

1994-03-01

The generalized accessibility of lower hybrid waves, primarily in the current drive regime of tokamak plasmas, which may include shifting, either upward or downward, of the parallel refractive index (n{sub {parallel}}), is investigated, based upon a cold plasma dispersion relation and various geometrical constraint (G.C.) relations imposed on the behavior of n{sub {parallel}}. It is shown that n{sub {parallel}} upshifting can be bounded and insufficient to bridge a large spectral gap to cause wave damping, depending upon whether the G.C. relation allows the oblique resonance to occur. The traditional n{sub {parallel}} upshifting mechanism caused by the pitch angle of magneticmore » field lines is shown to lead to contradictions with experimental observations. An upshifting mechanism brought about by the density gradient along field lines is proposed, which is not inconsistent with experimental observations, and provides plausible explanations to some unresolved issues of lower hybrid wave theory, including generation of {open_quote}seed electrons.{close_quote}« less

Common misconceptions about the dynamical theory of crystal lattices: Cauchy relations, lattice potentials and infinite crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elcoro, Luis; Etxebarria, Jesús

2011-01-01

The requirement of rotational invariance for lattice potential energies is investigated. Starting from this condition, it is shown that the Cauchy relations for the elastic constants are fulfilled if the lattice potential is built from pair interactions or when the first-neighbour approximation is adopted. This is seldom recognized in widely used solid-state textbooks. Frequently, pair interaction is even considered to be the most general situation. In addition, it is shown that the demand of rotational invariance in an infinite crystal leads to inconsistencies in the symmetry of the elastic tensor. However, for finite crystals, no problems arise, and the Huang conditions are deduced using exclusively a microscopic approach for the elasticity theory, without making any reference to macroscopic parameters. This work may be useful in both undergraduate and graduate level courses to point out the crudeness of the pair-potential interaction and to explore the limits of the infinite-crystal approximation.

Complementary and alternative therapies for back pain II.

PubMed

Furlan, Andrea D; Yazdi, Fatemeh; Tsertsvadze, Alexander; Gross, Anita; Van Tulder, Maurits; Santaguida, Lina; Cherkin, Dan; Gagnier, Joel; Ammendolia, Carlo; Ansari, Mohammed T; Ostermann, Thomas; Dryden, Trish; Doucette, Steve; Skidmore, Becky; Daniel, Raymond; Tsouros, Sophia; Weeks, Laura; Galipeau, James

2010-10-01

Back and neck pain are important health problems with serious societal and economic implications. Conventional treatments have been shown to have limited benefit in improving patient outcomes. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies offer additional options in the management of low back and neck pain. Many trials evaluating CAM therapies have poor quality and inconsistent results. To systematically review the efficacy, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and harms of acupuncture, spinal manipulation, mobilization, and massage techniques in management of back, neck, and/or thoracic pain. MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL, and EMBASE were searched up to 2010; unpublished literature and reference lists of relevant articles were also searched. study selection: All records were screened by two independent reviewers. Primary reports of comparative efficacy, effectiveness, harms, and/or economic evaluations from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the CAM therapies in adults (age ≥ 18 years) with back, neck, or thoracic pain were eligible. Non-randomized controlled trials and observational studies (case-control, cohort, cross-sectional) comparing harms were also included. Reviews, case reports, editorials, commentaries or letters were excluded. Two independent reviewers using a predefined form extracted data on study, participants, treatments, and outcome characteristics. 265 RCTs and 5 non-RCTs were included. Acupuncture for chronic nonspecific low back pain was associated with significantly lower pain intensity than placebo but only immediately post-treatment (VAS: -0.59, 95 percent CI: -0.93, -0.25). However, acupuncture was not different from placebo in post-treatment disability, pain medication intake, or global improvement in chronic nonspecific low back pain. Acupuncture did not differ from sham-acupuncture in reducing chronic non-specific neck pain immediately after treatment (VAS: 0.24, 95 percent CI: -1.20, 0.73). Acupuncture was superior to no treatment in improving pain intensity (VAS: -1.19, 95 percent CI: 95 percent CI: -2.17, -0.21), disability (PDI), functioning (HFAQ), well-being (SF-36), and range of mobility (extension, flexion), immediately after the treatment. In general, trials that applied sham-acupuncture tended to produce negative results (i.e., statistically non-significant) compared to trials that applied other types of placebo (e.g., TENS, medication, laser). Results regarding comparisons with other active treatments (pain medication, mobilization, laser therapy) were less consistent Acupuncture was more cost-effective compared to usual care or no treatment for patients with chronic back pain. For both low back and neck pain, manipulation was significantly better than placebo or no treatment in reducing pain immediately or short-term after the end of treatment. Manipulation was also better than acupuncture in improving pain and function in chronic nonspecific low back pain. Results from studies comparing manipulation to massage, medication, or physiotherapy were inconsistent, either in favor of manipulation or indicating no significant difference between the two treatments. Findings of studies regarding costs of manipulation relative to other therapies were inconsistent. Mobilization was superior to no treatment but not different from placebo in reducing low back pain or spinal flexibility after the treatment. Mobilization was better than physiotherapy in reducing low back pain (VAS: -0.50, 95 percent CI: -0.70, -0.30) and disability (Oswestry: -4.93, 95 percent CI: -5.91, -3.96). In subjects with acute or subacute neck pain, mobilization compared to placebo significantly reduced neck pain. Mobilization and placebo did not differ in subjects with chronic neck pain. Massage was superior to placebo or no treatment in reducing pain and disability only amongst subjects with acute/sub-acute low back pain. Massage was also significantly better than physical therapy in improving back pain (VAS: -2.11, 95 percent CI: -3.15, -1.07) or disability. For subjects with neck pain, massage was better than no treatment, placebo, or exercise in improving pain or disability, but not neck flexibility. Some evidence indicated higher costs for massage use compared to general practitioner care for low back pain. Reporting of harms in RCTs was poor and inconsistent. Subjects receiving CAM therapies reported soreness or bleeding on the site of application after acupuncture and worsening of pain after manipulation or massage. In two case-control studies cervical manipulation was shown to be significantly associated with vertebral artery dissection or vertebrobasilar vascular accident. Evidence was of poor to moderate grade and most of it pertained to chronic nonspecific pain, making it difficult to draw more definitive conclusions regarding benefits and harms of CAM therapies in subjects with acute/subacute, mixed, or unknown duration of pain. The benefit of CAM treatments was mostly evident immediately or shortly after the end of the treatment and then faded with time. Very few studies reported long-term outcomes. There was insufficient data to explore subgroup effects. The trial results were inconsistent due probably to methodological and clinical diversity, thereby limiting the extent of quantitative synthesis and complicating interpretation of trial results. Strong efforts are warranted to improve the conduct methodology and reporting quality of primary studies of CAM therapies. Future well powered head to head comparisons of CAM treatments and trials comparing CAM to widely used active treatments that report on all clinically relevant outcomes are needed to draw better conclusions.

What predicts persistent early conduct problems? Evidence from the Growing Up in Scotland cohort

PubMed Central

Bradshaw, Paul; Tipping, Sarah; Henderson, Marion; Der, Geoff; Minnis, Helen

2013-01-01

Background There is a strong case for early identification of factors predicting life-course-persistent conduct disorder. The authors aimed to identify factors associated with repeated parental reports of preschool conduct problems. Method Nested case–control study of Scottish children who had behavioural data reported by parents at 3, 4 and 5 years. Results 79 children had abnormal conduct scores at all three time points (‘persistent conduct problems’) and 434 at one or two points (‘inconsistent conduct problems’). 1557 children never had abnormal scores. Compared with children with no conduct problems, children with reported problems were significantly more likely to have mothers who smoked during pregnancy. They were less likely to be living with both parents and more likely to be in poor general health, to have difficulty being understood, to have a parent who agrees that smacking is sometimes necessary and to be taken to visit other people with children rarely. The results for children with persistent and inconsistent conduct problems were similar, but associations with poverty and maternal smoking were significantly less strong in the inconsistent group. Conclusion These factors may be valuable in early identification of risk of major social difficulties. PMID:22844082

A Note on Inconsistent Axioms in Rushby's Systematic Formal Verification for Fault-Tolerant Time-Triggered Algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pike, Lee

2005-01-01

I describe some inconsistencies in John Rushby s axiomatization of time-triggered algorithms that he presents in these transactions and that he formally specifies and verifies in a mechanical theorem-prover. I also present corrections for these inconsistencies.

Eating Disorders in Non-Dance Performing Artists: A Systematic Literature Review.

PubMed

Kapsetaki, Marianna E; Easmon, Charlie

2017-12-01

Previous literature on dancers and athletes has shown a large impact of eating disorders (EDs) on these individuals, but there is limited research on EDs affecting non-dance performing artists (i.e., musicians, actors, etc.). This systematic review aimed to identify and evaluate the literature on EDs in non-dance performing artists. A systematic review of the literature was performed on 24 databases, using search terms related to EDs and non-dance performing artists. All results from the databases were systematically screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria. The initial search returned 86,383 total articles, which after screening and removal of duplicates and irrelevant papers yielded 129 results. After screening the 129 full-text results for eligibility, 10 studies met criteria for inclusion: 6 papers addressed EDs in musicians, and 4 papers addressed EDs in theatre performers. Most studies used questionnaires and body mass index (BMI) as diagnostic tools for EDs. Most were small-scale studies and participants were mostly students. Because of the studies' heterogeneity and varying quality, the results obtained were often contradictory and questionable. Although there has been a lot of literature in dancers, we found relatively few studies associating EDs with other performing artists, and most were inconsistent in their information.

Sculpting the UMLS Refined Semantic Network

PubMed Central

Morrey, C. Paul; Perl, Yehoshua; Elhanan, Gai; Chen, Ling; Chen, Yan; Geller, James

2014-01-01

Background The Refined Semantic Network (RSN) for the UMLS was previously introduced to complement the UMLS Semantic Network (SN). The RSN partitions the UMLS Metathesaurus (META) into disjoint groups of concepts. Each such group is semantically uniform. However, the RSN was initially an order of magnitude larger than the SN, which is undesirable since to be useful, a semantic network should be compact. Most semantic types in the RSN represent combinations of semantic types in the UMLS SN. Such a “combination semantic type” is called Intersection Semantic Type (IST). Many ISTs are assigned to very few concepts. Moreover, when reviewing those concepts, many semantic type assignment inconsistencies were found. After correcting those inconsistencies many ISTs, among them some that contradicted UMLS rules, disappeared, which made the RSN smaller. Objective The authors performed a longitudinal study with the goal of reducing the size of the RSN to become compact. This goal was achieved by correcting inconsistencies and errors in the IST assignments in the UMLS, which additionally helped identify and correct ambiguities, inconsistencies, and errors in source terminologies widely used in the realm of public health. Methods In this paper, we discuss the process and steps employed in this longitudinal study and the intermediate results for different stages. The sculpting process includes removing redundant semantic type assignments, expanding semantic type assignments, and removing illegitimate ISTs by auditing ISTs of small extents. However, the emphasis of this paper is not on the auditing methodologies employed during the process, since they were introduced in earlier publications, but on the strategy of employing them in order to transform the RSN into a compact network. For this paper we also performed a comprehensive audit of 168 “small ISTs” in the 2013AA version of the UMLS to finalize the longitudinal study. Results Over the years it was found that the editors of the UMLS introduced some new inconsistencies that resulted in the reintroduction of unwarranted ISTs that had already been eliminated as a result of their previous corrections. Because of that, the transformation of the RSN into a compact network covering all necessary categories for the UMLS was slowed down. The corrections suggested by an audit of the 2013AA version of the UMLS achieve a compact RSN of equal magnitude as the UMLS SN. The number of ISTs has been reduced to 336. We also demonstrate how auditing the semantic type assignments of UMLS concepts can expose other modeling errors in the UMLS source terminologies, e.g., SNOMED CT, LOINC, and RxNORM that are important for health informatics. Such errors would otherwise stay hidden. Conclusions It is hoped that the UMLS curators will implement all required corrections and use the RSN along with the SN when maintaining and extending the UMLS. When used correctly, the RSN will support the prevention of the accidental introduction of inconsistent semantic type assignments into the UMLS. Furthermore, this way the RSN will support the exposure of other hidden errors and inconsistencies in health informatics terminologies, which are sources of the UMLS. Notably, the development of the RSN materializes the deeper, more refined Semantic Network for the UMLS that its designers envisioned originally but had not implemented. PMID:25422719

Improvements in world-wide intercomparison of PV module calibration

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

Salis, E.; Pavanello, D.; Field, M.

The calibration of the electrical performance of seven photovoltaic (PV) modules was compared between four reference laboratories on three continents. The devices included two samples in standard and two in high-efficiency crystalline silicon technology, two CI(G)S and one CdTe module. The reference value for each PV module parameter was calculated from the average of the results of all four laboratories, weighted by the respective measurement uncertainties. All single results were then analysed with respect to this reference value using the E n number approach. For the four modules in crystalline silicon technology, the results agreed in general within +/-0.5%, withmore » all values within +/-1% and all E n numbers well within [-1, 1], indicating further scope for reducing quoted measurement uncertainty. Regarding the three thin-film modules, deviations were on average roughly twice as large, i.e. in general from +/-1% to +/-2%. A number of inconsistent results were observable, although within the 5% that can be statistically expected on the basis of the E n number approach. Most inconsistencies can be traced to the preconditioning procedure of one participant, although contribution of other factors cannot be ruled out. After removing these obvious inconsistent results, only two real outliers remained, representing less than 2% of the total number of measurands. The results presented show improved agreement for the calibration of PV modules with respect to previous international exercises. For thin-film PV modules, the preconditioning of the devices prior to calibration measurements is the most critical factor for obtaining consistent results, while the measurement processes seem consistent and repeatable.« less

Improvements in world-wide intercomparison of PV module calibration

DOE PAGES

Salis, E.; Pavanello, D.; Field, M.; ...

2017-09-14

The calibration of the electrical performance of seven photovoltaic (PV) modules was compared between four reference laboratories on three continents. The devices included two samples in standard and two in high-efficiency crystalline silicon technology, two CI(G)S and one CdTe module. The reference value for each PV module parameter was calculated from the average of the results of all four laboratories, weighted by the respective measurement uncertainties. All single results were then analysed with respect to this reference value using the E n number approach. For the four modules in crystalline silicon technology, the results agreed in general within +/-0.5%, withmore » all values within +/-1% and all E n numbers well within [-1, 1], indicating further scope for reducing quoted measurement uncertainty. Regarding the three thin-film modules, deviations were on average roughly twice as large, i.e. in general from +/-1% to +/-2%. A number of inconsistent results were observable, although within the 5% that can be statistically expected on the basis of the E n number approach. Most inconsistencies can be traced to the preconditioning procedure of one participant, although contribution of other factors cannot be ruled out. After removing these obvious inconsistent results, only two real outliers remained, representing less than 2% of the total number of measurands. The results presented show improved agreement for the calibration of PV modules with respect to previous international exercises. For thin-film PV modules, the preconditioning of the devices prior to calibration measurements is the most critical factor for obtaining consistent results, while the measurement processes seem consistent and repeatable.« less

Chemical taxonomy of the hinge-ligament proteins of bivalves according to their amino acid compositions.

PubMed Central

Kikuchi, Y; Tamiya, N

1987-01-01

The proteins in the hinge ligaments of molluscan bivalves were subjected to chemotaxonomic studies according to their amino acid compositions. The hinge-ligament protein is a new class of structure proteins, and this is the first attempt to introduce chemical taxonomy into the systematics of bivalves. The hinge-ligament proteins from morphologically close species, namely mactra (superfamily Mactracea) or scallop (family Pectinidae) species, showed high intraspecific homology in their compositions. On the other hand, inconsistent results were obtained with two types of ligament proteins in pearl oyster species (genus Pinctada). The results of our chemotaxonomic analyses were sometimes in good agreement with the morphological classifications and sometimes inconsistent, implying a complicated phylogenetic relationship among the species. PMID:3593265

HESS Opinions "On forecast (in)consistency in a hydro-meteorological chain: curse or blessing?"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pappenberger, F.; Cloke, H. L.; Persson, A.; Demeritt, D.

2011-01-01

Flood forecasting increasingly relies on Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) forecasts to achieve longer lead times (see Cloke et al., 2009; Cloke and Pappenberger, 2009). One of the key difficulties that is emerging in constructing a decision framework for these flood forecasts is when consecutive forecasts are different, leading to different conclusions regarding the issuing of forecasts, and hence inconsistent. In this opinion paper we explore some of the issues surrounding such forecast inconsistency (also known as "jumpiness", "turning points", "continuity" or number of "swings"; Zoster et al., 2009; Mills and Pepper, 1999; Lashley et al., 2008). We begin by defining what forecast inconsistency is; why forecasts might be inconsistent; how we should analyse it; what we should do about it; how we should communicate it and whether it is a totally undesirable property. The property of consistency is increasingly emerging as a hot topic in many forecasting environments (for a limited discussion on NWP inconsistency see Persson, 2011). However, in this opinion paper we restrict the discussion to a hydro-meteorological forecasting chain in which river discharge forecasts are produced using inputs from NWP. In this area of research (in)consistency is receiving recent interest and application (see e.g., Bartholmes et al., 2008; Pappenberger et al., 2011).

Superior episodic memory in inconsistent-handers: a replication and extension using fNIRS.

PubMed

Propper, Ruth E; Patel, Neil; Christman, Stephen D; Carlei, Christophe

2017-11-01

A large body of evidence supports the existence of a robust handedness difference in episodic memory retrieval, with inconsistent-handedness being associated with superior memory across a wide variety of paradigms, including superior retrieval of lab-based and real world memories. Despite superior episidoc memory in inconsistent-handers, and despite neuroanatomical and neurophysiological differences in cortical regions between inconsistent- and consistent-handers, we are aware of no studies to date that have examined physiological activity in the brains of inconsistent- versus consistent-handers while engaged in memory tasks. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to present a first look at this issue, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a simple, non-invasive measure of frontal lobe activity during encoding and recall of list words in inconsistent- and consistent-handers. Behaviourally, we replicated prior studies, finding a significant inconsistent-handed advantage in free recall. Using fNIRS-derived oxygenated haemoglobin (O 2 Hb) as a measure of frontal lobe activity, we found the first evidence for handedness differences in brain activity that are associated with the handedness differences in episodic retrieval. Specifically, the primary finding was that increased O 2 Hb in the right hemisphere during recall was associated with better retrieval, but for consistent-handers only.

Sculpting the UMLS Refined Semantic Network.

PubMed

He, Zhe; Morrey, C Paul; Perl, Yehoshua; Elhanan, Gai; Chen, Ling; Chen, Yan; Geller, James

2014-01-01

The Refined Semantic Network (RSN) for the UMLS was previously introduced to complement the UMLS Semantic Network (SN). The RSN partitions the UMLS Metathesaurus (META) into disjoint groups of concepts. Each such group is semantically uniform. However, the RSN was initially an order of magnitude larger than the SN, which is undesirable since to be useful, a semantic network should be compact. Most semantic types in the RSN represent combinations of semantic types in the UMLS SN. Such a "combination semantic type" is called Intersection Semantic Type (IST). Many ISTs are assigned to very few concepts. Moreover, when reviewing those concepts, many semantic type assignment inconsistencies were found. After correcting those inconsistencies many ISTs, among them some that contradicted UMLS rules, disappeared, which made the RSN smaller. The authors performed a longitudinal study with the goal of reducing the size of the RSN to become compact. This goal was achieved by correcting inconsistencies and errors in the IST assignments in the UMLS, which additionally helped identify and correct ambiguities, inconsistencies, and errors in source terminologies widely used in the realm of public health. In this paper, we discuss the process and steps employed in this longitudinal study and the intermediate results for different stages. The sculpting process includes removing redundant semantic type assignments, expanding semantic type assignments, and removing illegitimate ISTs by auditing ISTs of small extents. However, the emphasis of this paper is not on the auditing methodologies employed during the process, since they were introduced in earlier publications, but on the strategy of employing them in order to transform the RSN into a compact network. For this paper we also performed a comprehensive audit of 168 "small ISTs" in the 2013AA version of the UMLS to finalize the longitudinal study. Over the years it was found that the editors of the UMLS introduced some new inconsistencies that resulted in the reintroduction of unwarranted ISTs that had already been eliminated as a result of their previous corrections. Because of that, the transformation of the RSN into a compact network covering all necessary categories for the UMLS was slowed down. The corrections suggested by an audit of the 2013AA version of the UMLS achieve a compact RSN of equal magnitude as the UMLS SN. The number of ISTs has been reduced to 336. We also demonstrate how auditing the semantic type assignments of UMLS concepts can expose other modeling errors in the UMLS source terminologies, e.g., SNOMED CT, LOINC, and RxNORM that are important for health informatics. Such errors would otherwise stay hidden. It is hoped that the UMLS curators will implement all required corrections and use the RSN along with the SN when maintaining and extending the UMLS. When used correctly, the RSN will support the prevention of the accidental introduction of inconsistent semantic type assignments into the UMLS. Furthermore, this way the RSN will support the exposure of other hidden errors and inconsistencies in health informatics terminologies, which are sources of the UMLS. Notably, the development of the RSN materializes the deeper, more refined Semantic Network for the UMLS that its designers envisioned originally but had not implemented.

Reply to Comment on Axial oxygen-centered lattice instabilities in YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7]: An application of the analysis of extended x-ray-absorption fine structure in anharmonic systems' ''

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

Mustre de Leon, J.; Batistic, I.; Bishop, A.R.

1993-05-01

We assert that the one-site Cu(1)-O(4) model, suggested in the Comment by Thomsen and Cardona [Phys. Rev. B 47, 12 320 (1993)] is inconsistent with polarized x-ray-absorption fine-structure and diffraction results. We also show that the two-site Cu(1)-O(4) distribution is not inconsistent with optical measurements, although a rigid double-well modeling of this distribution is [Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 3236 (1992)].

Socioeconomic status, status inconsistency and risk of ischaemic heart disease: a prospective study among members of a statutory health insurance company

PubMed Central

Peter, Richard; Gässler, Holger; Geyer, Siegfried

2007-01-01

Background Inconsistency in social status and its impact on health have been a focus of research 30–40 years ago. Yet, there is little recent information on it's association with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) morbidity and IHD is still defined as one of the major health problems in socioeconomically developed societies. Methods A secondary analysis of prospective historical data from 68 805 male and female members of a statutory German health insurance company aged 25–65 years was conducted. Data included information on sociodemographic variables, social status indicators (education, occupational grade and income) and hospital admissions because of IHD. Results Findings from Cox regression analysis showed an increased risk for IHD in the group with the highest educational level, whereas the lowest occupational and income groups had the highest hazard ratio (HR). Further analysis revealed that after adjustment for income status inconsistency (defined by the combination of higher educational level with lower occupational status) accounts for increased risk of IHD (HR for men, 3.14 and for women, 3.63). An association of similar strength was observed regarding high education/low income in women (HR 3.53). The combination of low education with high income reduced the risk among men (HR 0.29). No respective findings were observed concerning occupational group and income. Conclusions Status inconsistency is associated with the risk of IHD as well as single traditional indicators of socioeconomic position. Information on status inconsistency should be measured in addition to single indicators of socioeconomic status to achieve a more appropriate estimation of the risk of IHD. PMID:17568052

Interviewing Suspects in Denial: On How Different Evidence Disclosure Modes Affect the Elicitation of New Critical Information

PubMed Central

May, Lennart; Granhag, Pär Anders; Tekin, Serra

2017-01-01

This study examines how different evidence disclosure modes affect the elicitation of new critical information. Two modes derived from the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) framework were compared against an early disclosure mode (i.e., the evidence was disclosed at the outset of the interview). Participants (N = 88) performed a mock crime consisting of several actions before they were interviewed as suspects. In both SUE conditions the interviewer elicited and disclosed statement-evidence inconsistencies in two phases after an introductory phase. For the SUE-Confrontation (SUE-C) condition, the interview was introduced in a business-like manner, and the interviewer confronted the suspects with the in/consistencies without giving them a chance to comment on these. For the SUE-Introduce-Present-Respond (SUE-IPR) condition, the interviewer introduced the interview in a non-guilt-presumptive way, presented the in/consistencies and allowed the suspects to comment on these, and then responded to their comments; at all times in a non-judgmental manner. Both SUE conditions generated comparatively more statement-evidence inconsistencies. The SUE-IPR condition resulted in more new critical information about the phase of the crime for which the interviewer lacked information, compared to the Early disclosure condition. A likely explanation for this was that (for the SUE-IPR condition) the interviewer used the inconsistencies to create a fostering interview atmosphere and made the suspects overestimate the interviewer's knowledge about the critical phase of the crime. In essence, this study shows that in order to win the game (i.e., obtaining new critical information), the interviewer needs to keep the suspect in the game (i.e., by not being too confrontational and judgmental). PMID:28769829

Interviewing Suspects in Denial: On How Different Evidence Disclosure Modes Affect the Elicitation of New Critical Information.

PubMed

May, Lennart; Granhag, Pär Anders; Tekin, Serra

2017-01-01

This study examines how different evidence disclosure modes affect the elicitation of new critical information. Two modes derived from the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) framework were compared against an early disclosure mode (i.e., the evidence was disclosed at the outset of the interview). Participants ( N = 88) performed a mock crime consisting of several actions before they were interviewed as suspects. In both SUE conditions the interviewer elicited and disclosed statement-evidence inconsistencies in two phases after an introductory phase. For the SUE-Confrontation (SUE-C) condition, the interview was introduced in a business-like manner, and the interviewer confronted the suspects with the in/consistencies without giving them a chance to comment on these. For the SUE-Introduce-Present-Respond (SUE-IPR) condition, the interviewer introduced the interview in a non-guilt-presumptive way, presented the in/consistencies and allowed the suspects to comment on these, and then responded to their comments; at all times in a non-judgmental manner. Both SUE conditions generated comparatively more statement-evidence inconsistencies. The SUE-IPR condition resulted in more new critical information about the phase of the crime for which the interviewer lacked information, compared to the Early disclosure condition. A likely explanation for this was that (for the SUE-IPR condition) the interviewer used the inconsistencies to create a fostering interview atmosphere and made the suspects overestimate the interviewer's knowledge about the critical phase of the crime. In essence, this study shows that in order to win the game (i.e., obtaining new critical information), the interviewer needs to keep the suspect in the game (i.e., by not being too confrontational and judgmental).

Is nucleon spin structure inconsistent with the constituent quark model?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qing, Di; Chen, Xiang-Song; Wang, Fan

1998-12-01

Proton spin structure discovered in polarized deep inelastic scattering is shown to be consistent with the valence-sea quark mixing constituent quark model. The relativistic correction and quark-antiquark pair creation (annihilation) terms inherently involved in the quark axial vector current suppress the quark spin contribution to the proton spin. The relativistic quark orbital angular momentum provides compensative terms to keep the proton spin 12 untouched. The tensor charge of the proton is predicted to have a similar but smaller suppression. An explanation on why baryon magnetic moments can be parametrized by the naive quark model spin content as well as the spin structure discovered in polarized deep inelastic scattering is given.

Carl Cohen's 'kind' arguments for animal rights and against human rights.

PubMed

Nobis, Nathan

2004-01-01

Carl Cohen's arguments against animal rights are shown to be unsound. His strategy entails that animals have rights, that humans do not, the negations of those conclusions, and other false and inconsistent implications. His main premise seems to imply that one can fail all tests and assignments in a class and yet easily pass if one's peers are passing and that one can become a convicted criminal merely by setting foot in a prison. However, since his moral principles imply that nearly all exploitive uses of animals are wrong anyway, foes of animal rights are advised to seek philosophical consolations elsewhere. I note that some other philosophers' arguments are subject to similar objections.

Consistency of certain constitutive relations with quantum electromagnetism

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

Horsley, S. A. R.

2011-12-15

Recent work by Philbin [New J. Phys. 12, 123008 (2010)] has provided a Lagrangian theory that establishes a general method for the canonical quantization of the electromagnetic field in any dispersive, lossy, linear dielectric. Working from this theory, we extend the Lagrangian description to reciprocal and nonreciprocal magnetoelectric (bianisotropic) media, showing that some versions of the constitutive relations are inconsistent with a real Lagrangian, and hence with quantization. This amounts to a restriction on the magnitude of the magnetoelectric coupling. Moreover, from the point of view of quantization, moving media are shown to be fundamentally different from stationary magnetoelectrics, despitemore » the formal similarity in the constitutive relations.« less

Are neurocognitive speed and inconsistency similarly affected in type 2 diabetes?

PubMed

Whitehead, Bonnie P; Dixon, Roger A; Hultsch, David F; MacDonald, Stuart W S

2011-07-01

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a disease of aging with indirect but detectable and cumulative neurological implications. We systematically tested whether neurocognitive speed (mean rate) or inconsistency (intraindividual variability) was the more sensitive clinical marker of T2D. Three of four research questions used a cross-sectional wave of the Victoria Longitudinal Study (VLS) divided into T2D (age 55-81 years) and control (age = 53-91 years) groups. The fourth question addressed relative two-wave longitudinal changes. Each of four speeded tasks produced intraindividual mean rate (IM) and intraindividual standard deviation (ISD) scores. First, the T2D group performed more slowly than the controls. Second, this deficit extended to inconsistency, but less uniformly. Third, based on logistic regression analyses, IM was the more effective predictor of T2D status. Fourth, we observed similar longitudinal change patterns for IM and ISD. Results are linked to the theoretical location of T2D on an adjusted neural vulnerability continuum.

Are Neurocognitive Speed and Inconsistency Similarly Affected in Type 2 Diabetes?

PubMed Central

Whitehead, Bonnie P.; Dixon, Roger A.; Hultsch, David F.; MacDonald, Stuart W.S.

2011-01-01

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a disease of aging with indirect but detectable and cumulative neurological implications. We systematically tested whether neurocognitive speed (mean rate) or inconsistency (intraindividual variability) was the more sensitive clinical marker of T2D. Three of four research questions used a cross-sectional wave of the Victoria Longitudinal Study (VLS) divided into T2D (age 55-81 years) and control (age = 53-91 years) groups. The fourth question addressed relative two-wave longitudinal changes. Each of four speeded tasks produced intraindividual mean rate (IM) and intraindividual standard deviation (ISD) scores. First, the T2D group performed more slowly than the controls. Second, this deficit extended to inconsistency, but less uniformly. Third, based on logistic regression analyses, IM was the more effective predictor of T2D status. Fourth, we observed similar longitudinal change patterns for IM and ISD. Results are linked to the theoretical location of T2D on an adjusted neural vulnerability continuum. PMID:21416426

Predictors of alcohol abusers' inconsistent self-reports of their drinking and life events.

PubMed

Toneatto, T; Sobell, L C; Sobell, M B

1992-06-01

Although considerable research supports the veridicality of alcohol abusers' self-reports, all studies find that some proportion of self-reports are inaccurate. Recently, a few studies have examined variables predictive of inaccurate self-reports and found considerable intersubject variability. The present study examined predictors of alcohol abusers' inconsistent reports of life events and drinking using test-retest reliability data from two questionnaires. Results indicated that inconsistent self-reports were associated with the type (i.e., objective versus subjective) and amount (i.e., more drinking involvement at the first interview was associated with greater discrepant reports at the second interview) of information to be recalled. It appears that the nature of the questions asked may be as much or more of a contributing factor to inaccurate self-reports as subject or setting factors, especially for individuals who report high levels of alcohol use, for whom special efforts may be necessary to gather valid self-report data.

Factors Associated with Inconsistent Sun Protection in First-Degree Relatives of Melanoma Survivors

PubMed Central

Shuk, Elyse; Burkhalter, Jack; Baguer, Carlos; Holland, Susan; Pinkhasik, Alisa; Brady, Mary Sue; Coit, Daniel; Ariyan, Charlotte; Hay, Jennifer

2014-01-01

First-degree relatives (FDRs) of melanoma survivors are at heightened risk for developing melanoma, but sporadically use sun protection. To develop appropriate interventions, in this article we identify factors related to sun protection inconsistency in melanoma FDRs using ethnographic decision tree modeling. We conducted in-home interviews with 25 melanoma FDRs balanced across gender and sunbathing attitudes and identified factors related to daily decision making about use of sunscreen, shade seeking, hats, and clothing. Results indicated primary facilitators for sun protection involved water settings and sunny weather. Physical activities such as exercise served to promote as well as inhibit sun protection. If participants anticipated shade cover, they tended to forgo other sun protection. The use of hats and clothing was often dictated by non-sun protection goals. Understanding factors related to inconsistent sun protection with detail and nuance is an important prerequisite to interventions aimed to improve sun protection maintenance in this population. PMID:22645220

Inconsistencies in spontaneous and intentional trait inferences.

PubMed

Ma, Ning; Vandekerckhove, Marie; Baetens, Kris; Van Overwalle, Frank; Seurinck, Ruth; Fias, Wim

2012-11-01

This study explores the fMRI correlates of observers making trait inferences about other people under conflicting social cues. Participants were presented with several behavioral descriptions involving an agent that implied a particular trait. The last behavior was either consistent or inconsistent with the previously implied trait. This was done under instructions that elicited either spontaneous trait inferences ('read carefully') or intentional trait inferences ('infer a trait'). The results revealed that when the behavioral descriptions violated earlier trait implications, regardless of instruction, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was more strongly recruited as well as the domain-general conflict network including the posterior medial frontal cortex (pmFC) and the right prefrontal cortex (rPFC). These latter two areas were more strongly activated under intentional than spontaneous instructions. These findings suggest that when trait-relevant behavioral information is inconsistent, not only is activity increased in the mentalizing network responsible for trait processing, but control is also passed to a higher level conflict monitoring network in order to detect and resolve the contradiction.

Internal Structure and Clinical Utility of the Anxiety Control Questionnaire-Revised (ACQ-R) Spanish Version.

PubMed

Osma, Jorge; Barrada, Juan Ramón; García-Palacios, Azucena; Navarro-Haro, María; Aguilar, Alejandra

2016-10-03

Perceived control has shown predictive value for anxiety severity symptoms as well as cognitive-behavior therapy outcomes. The most commonly used measure of perceived control is the Anxiety Control Questionnaire (ACQ), and more recently the ACQ Revised (ACQ-R). However, both questionnaires have shown structural inconsistencies among several studies. Also, although the ACQ and ACQ-R seem to be multidimensional instruments, a single total score have been commonly used. This study examined the internal structure of the ACQ-R Spanish version using exploratory factor and exploratory bi-factor analysis in a sample of 382 college students and 52 people diagnosed of panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia). Also, in this study we assessed the preliminary diagnostic value of the ACQ-R scores. The results indicated that the ACQ-R Spanish version structure consisted of two factors: one related with perceived control of internal emotional reactions (Emotion Control) and another related with perceived control of external events (Threat and Stress Control). Both specific factors can be adequately summarized by a general factor (General Anxiety Perception of Control; CFI = .973, TLI = .954, RMSEA = .039; p = .002), which accounted for 70% of the common explained variance. The correlations between the ACQ-R scores and with variables like anxiety (r = -.66) or anxiety sensitivity (r = -.50) presented the expected pattern of results. Either the two dimensions structure or the total score have proved to be a good tool to distinguish between participants with panic disorder and non-clinical samples (area under the curve = 0.79).

Dispelling the myth: Exploring associations between the HPV vaccine and inconsistent condom use among college students.

PubMed

Vázquez-Otero, Coralia; Thompson, Erika L; Daley, Ellen M; Griner, Stacey B; Logan, Rachel; Vamos, Cheryl A

2016-12-01

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is safe and effective in preventing anogenital cancers and warts. However, myths have surrounded the HPV vaccine since its approval, including the possibility that HPV vaccinated young people are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between HPV vaccination and engaging in inconsistent condom use in a sample of U.S. college students. A secondary data analysis of the National College Health Assessment-II (Fall 2013) was conducted in 2015. Risky sexual activity was operationalized as inconsistent condom use for oral, vaginal or anal sexual activity. Logistic regression models were stratified by sexual activity and gender, and controlled for socio-demographics and history of STIs. Inconsistent condom use was reported among females for vaginal (47%), oral (94%), and anal sex (75%); while males reported levels of inconsistency for vaginal (38%), oral (94%), and anal sex (58%). Sixty-nine percent of females reported receiving the HPV vaccine compared to 43% of males. Among females, there was no significant association between HPV vaccination and inconsistent condom use in any of the sexual activities. Among males, there was no significant association between HPV vaccination and inconsistent condom use in oral or vaginal sex. HPV-vaccinated males were less likely to report inconsistent condom use during anal sexual activity. This study contributes to the increasing evidence that HPV vaccination is not associated with risky sexual behavior. Dispelling this myth is important to facilitate uptake and completion of the HPV vaccine in the U.S. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adult Regularization of Inconsistent Input Depends on Pragmatic Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perfors, Amy

2016-01-01

In a variety of domains, adults who are given input that is only partially consistent do not discard the inconsistent portion (regularize) but rather maintain the probability of consistent and inconsistent portions in their behavior (probability match). This research investigates the possibility that adults probability match, at least in part,…

31 CFR 212.9 - Preemption of State law.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Preemption of State law. 212.9 Section... PAYMENTS § 212.9 Preemption of State law. (a) Inconsistent law preempted. Any State or local government law... inconsistency. A State law or regulation is inconsistent with this part if it requires a financial institution...

Word Production Inconsistency of Singaporean-English-Speaking Adolescents with Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Betty; Brebner, Chris; McCormack, Paul; Butcher, Andy

2015-01-01

Background: The nature of speech disorders in individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) remains controversial despite various explanations put forth in the literature to account for the observed speech profiles. A high level of word production inconsistency in children with DS has led researchers to query whether the inconsistency continues into…

Inconsistencies in Everyday Patterns of School Rules

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thornberg, Robert

2007-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate and explain inconsistencies within the social constructions of school rules as they take shape in everyday interactions between teachers and students, and to explore how students interpret these inconsistencies. An ethnographic study is conducted in two primary schools in Sweden. According to the findings,…

Differential electrophysiological signatures of semantic and syntactic scene processing.

PubMed

Võ, Melissa L-H; Wolfe, Jeremy M

2013-09-01

In sentence processing, semantic and syntactic violations elicit differential brain responses observable in event-related potentials: An N400 signals semantic violations, whereas a P600 marks inconsistent syntactic structure. Does the brain register similar distinctions in scene perception? To address this question, we presented participants with semantic inconsistencies, in which an object was incongruent with a scene's meaning, and syntactic inconsistencies, in which an object violated structural rules. We found a clear dissociation between semantic and syntactic processing: Semantic inconsistencies produced negative deflections in the N300-N400 time window, whereas mild syntactic inconsistencies elicited a late positivity resembling the P600 found for syntactic inconsistencies in sentence processing. Extreme syntactic violations, such as a hovering beer bottle defying gravity, were associated with earlier perceptual processing difficulties reflected in the N300 response, but failed to produce a P600 effect. We therefore conclude that different neural populations are active during semantic and syntactic processing of scenes, and that syntactically impossible object placements are processed in a categorically different manner than are syntactically resolvable object misplacements.

HESS Opinions "On forecast (in)consistency in a hydro-meteorological chain: curse or blessing?"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pappenberger, F.; Cloke, H. L.; Persson, A.; Demeritt, D.

2011-07-01

Flood forecasting increasingly relies on numerical weather prediction forecasts to achieve longer lead times. One of the key difficulties that is emerging in constructing a decision framework for these flood forecasts is what to dowhen consecutive forecasts are so different that they lead to different conclusions regarding the issuing of warnings or triggering other action. In this opinion paper we explore some of the issues surrounding such forecast inconsistency (also known as "Jumpiness", "Turning points", "Continuity" or number of "Swings"). In thsi opinion paper we define forecast inconsistency; discuss the reasons why forecasts might be inconsistent; how we should analyse inconsistency; and what we should do about it; how we should communicate it and whether it is a totally undesirable property. The property of consistency is increasingly emerging as a hot topic in many forecasting environments.

Simple relationship between the virial-route hypernetted-chain and the compressibility-route Percus-Yevick values of the fourth virial coefficient.

PubMed

Santos, Andrés; Manzano, Gema

2010-04-14

As is well known, approximate integral equations for liquids, such as the hypernetted chain (HNC) and Percus-Yevick (PY) theories, are in general thermodynamically inconsistent in the sense that the macroscopic properties obtained from the spatial correlation functions depend on the route followed. In particular, the values of the fourth virial coefficient B(4) predicted by the HNC and PY approximations via the virial route differ from those obtained via the compressibility route. Despite this, it is shown in this paper that the value of B(4) obtained from the virial route in the HNC theory is exactly three halves the value obtained from the compressibility route in the PY theory, irrespective of the interaction potential (whether isotropic or not), the number of components, and the dimensionality of the system. This simple relationship is confirmed in one-component systems by analytical results for the one-dimensional penetrable-square-well model and the three-dimensional penetrable-sphere model, as well as by numerical results for the one-dimensional Lennard-Jones model, the one-dimensional Gaussian core model, and the three-dimensional square-well model.

Dimensionality and measurement invariance in the Satisfaction with Life Scale in Norway.

PubMed

Clench-Aas, Jocelyne; Nes, Ragnhild Bang; Dalgard, Odd Steffen; Aarø, Leif Edvard

2011-10-01

Results from previous studies examining the dimensionality and factorial invariance of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) are inconsistent and often based on small samples. This study examines the factorial structure and factorial invariance of the SWLS in a Norwegian sample. Confirmatory factor analysis (AMOS) was conducted to explore dimensionality and test for measurement invariance in factor structure, factor loadings, intercepts, and residual variance across gender and four age groups in a large (N = 4,984), nationally representative sample of Norwegian men and women (15-79 years). The data supported a modified unidimensional structure. Factor loadings could be constrained to equality between the sexes, indicating metric invariance between genders. Further testing indicated invariance also at the strong and strict levels, thus allowing analyses involving group means. The SWLS was shown to be sensitive to age, however, at the strong and strict levels of invariance testing. In conclusion, the results in this Norwegian study seem to confirm that a unidimensional structure is acceptable, but that a modified single-factor model with correlations between error terms of items 4 and 5 is preferred. Additionally, comparisons may be made between the genders. Caution must be exerted when comparing age groups.

Dietary Restriction Affects Neuronal Response Property and GABA Synthesis in the Primary Visual Cortex.

PubMed

Yang, Jinfang; Wang, Qian; He, Fenfen; Ding, Yanxia; Sun, Qingyan; Hua, Tianmiao; Xi, Minmin

2016-01-01

Previous studies have reported inconsistent effects of dietary restriction (DR) on cortical inhibition. To clarify this issue, we examined the response properties of neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) of DR and control groups of cats using in vivo extracellular single-unit recording techniques, and assessed the synthesis of inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in the V1 of cats from both groups using immunohistochemical and Western blot techniques. Our results showed that the response of V1 neurons to visual stimuli was significantly modified by DR, as indicated by an enhanced selectivity for stimulus orientations and motion directions, decreased visually-evoked response, lowered spontaneous activity and increased signal-to-noise ratio in DR cats relative to control cats. Further, it was shown that, accompanied with these changes of neuronal responsiveness, GABA immunoreactivity and the expression of a key GABA-synthesizing enzyme GAD67 in the V1 were significantly increased by DR. These results demonstrate that DR may retard brain aging by increasing the intracortical inhibition effect and improve the function of visual cortical neurons in visual information processing. This DR-induced elevation of cortical inhibition may favor the brain in modulating energy expenditure based on food availability.

Dietary Restriction Affects Neuronal Response Property and GABA Synthesis in the Primary Visual Cortex

PubMed Central

Sun, Qingyan; Hua, Tianmiao; Xi, Minmin

2016-01-01

Previous studies have reported inconsistent effects of dietary restriction (DR) on cortical inhibition. To clarify this issue, we examined the response properties of neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) of DR and control groups of cats using in vivo extracellular single-unit recording techniques, and assessed the synthesis of inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in the V1 of cats from both groups using immunohistochemical and Western blot techniques. Our results showed that the response of V1 neurons to visual stimuli was significantly modified by DR, as indicated by an enhanced selectivity for stimulus orientations and motion directions, decreased visually-evoked response, lowered spontaneous activity and increased signal-to-noise ratio in DR cats relative to control cats. Further, it was shown that, accompanied with these changes of neuronal responsiveness, GABA immunoreactivity and the expression of a key GABA-synthesizing enzyme GAD67 in the V1 were significantly increased by DR. These results demonstrate that DR may retard brain aging by increasing the intracortical inhibition effect and improve the function of visual cortical neurons in visual information processing. This DR-induced elevation of cortical inhibition may favor the brain in modulating energy expenditure based on food availability. PMID:26863207

Referrals for Dental Care During Pregnancy

PubMed Central

Kloetzel, Megan K.; Huebner, Colleen E.; Milgrom, Peter

2011-01-01

Oral health is essential to overall health in the prenatal period. Pregnancy is not a time to delay dental care. Several studies have shown an association between periodontal disease and poor pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth. Interventions to provide periodontal treatment to pregnant women yield inconsistent results regarding preterm birth but have established the safety of periodontal therapy during pregnancy. Postpartum, women in poor dental health readily transmit the tooth decay pathogen Streptococcus mutans from their saliva to their infants resulting in increased risk of early childhood caries. Preventive services and treatment for acute problems should be recommended, fears allayed, and women referred. Dental x-rays may be performed safely with the use of appropriate shielding. Non-emergent interventions are best provided between 14 and 20 weeks of gestation for comfort and optimal fetal safety. Most gravid women do not seek dental care. Increased interprofessional communication to encourage dentists to treat pregnant women will reduce the number of women without care. In states where it is available, Medicaid coverage of dental services for pregnant women is typically allowed during pregnancy and for two months postpartum. Women’s health providers should understand the importance of protecting oral health during pregnancy and educate their patients accordingly. PMID:21429074

The correlation of sperm morphology with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Cao, Xiaodan; Cui, Yun; Zhang, Xiaoxia; Lou, Jiangtao; Zhou, Jun; Wei, Renxiong

2017-01-01

Sperm morphology displays a potential impact on sperm function and may ultimately impact reproductive function. Current studies have investigated the correlation between sperm morphology with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) but have shown inconsistent results. Hence, we systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI databases, as well as the Cochrane Library for studies that examined the association between sperm morphology and unexplained RSA. Fifteen studies were identified, including 883 cases and 530 controls. Our meta-analysis results indicated that the percentage of normal sperm morphology from men with RSA partners was significantly lower than those from normal controls(SMD [95% CI]: − 0.60 [−0.81, −0.40]; P<0.00001) and the percentage of sperm morphologic alterations was significantly higher in patients with RSA compared with the control group (SMD [95% CI]: 0.92 [0.42, 1.43]; P=0.0004). The present study suggested that the percentage of normal sperm morphology may indeed decrease in men from RSA group compared with controls. However, there were some limitations in the study such as the differences in stain techniques and classification criteria. Further evidences are needed to better elucidate the relationship between sperm morphology and unexplained RSA. PMID:28903451

[Disinfecting contact tonometers - a systematic review].

PubMed

Neubauer, A S; Heeg, P; Kampik, A; Hirneiss, C

2009-05-01

The aim of this study is to provide the best available evidence on how to disinfect contact Goldman tonometers. A systematic review of all articles on disinfection of contact tonometers was conducted. Articles published up to July 2008 were identified in Medline, Embase and references from included articles. Two observers participated in the data retrieval and assessment of the studies identified. A total of 89 articles was retrieved, of which 58 could be included. Of those, 18 were clinical studies, 17 experimental microbiological studies, 8 expert assessments or guidelines and 15 reviews, surveys, descriptions of new methods. The clinical studies illustrate the importance of the problem, possible side effects of some disinfection methods but yield inconclusive results regarding efficacy. Experimental studies investigated a variety of bacterial and virological questions as well as material damage by disinfection. Both chlorine-based and hydrogen peroxide-based liquid disinfection were shown to be effective if applied for 5 min. Inconsistent results exist for alcohol wipes and UV disinfection - material damage has been described for both. The US guidelines and most expert recommendations are supported by evidence of the existing data. Chlorine-based and hydrogen peroxide-based liquid disinfections for 5 minutes are effective and relatively safe for disinfecting contact tonometers.

Referrals for dental care during pregnancy.

PubMed

Kloetzel, Megan K; Huebner, Colleen E; Milgrom, Peter

2011-01-01

Oral health is essential to overall health in the prenatal period. Pregnancy is not a time to delay dental care. Several studies have shown an association between periodontal disease and poor pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth. Interventions to provide periodontal treatment to pregnant women yield inconsistent results regarding preterm birth but have established the safety of periodontal therapy during pregnancy. Postpartum women in poor dental health readily transmit the tooth decay pathogen Streptococcus mutans from their saliva to their infants, resulting in increased risk of early childhood caries. Preventive services and treatment for acute problems should be recommended, fears allayed, and women referred. Dental radiographs may be performed safely with the use of appropriate shielding. Nonemergent interventions are best provided between 14 and 20 weeks' gestation for comfort and optimal fetal safety. Most gravid women do not seek dental care. Increased interprofessional communication to encourage dentists to treat pregnant women will reduce the number of women without care. In states where it is available, Medicaid coverage of dental services for pregnant women is typically allowed during pregnancy and for 2 months postpartum. Women's health providers should understand the importance of protecting oral health during pregnancy and educate their patients accordingly. © 2011 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

The microbiome and HIV prevention strategies in women.

PubMed

Abdool Karim, Salim S; Passmore, Jo-Ann S; Baxter, Cheryl

2018-01-01

HIV prevention approaches that women can use and control are a priority. Results from topical and oral preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) HIV prevention trials have produced inconsistent results in women. One of the main behavioural factors impacting effectiveness of PrEP has been suboptimal adherence. In this review, we examine biological factors that modulate topical PrEP efficacy, with particular focus on the vaginal microbiome. Genital inflammation is an independent risk factor for HIV acquisition in women. Using 16S rRNA sequencing of the vaginal microbiota, anaerobic bacteria linked with bacterial vaginosis have been shown to be associated with both genital inflammation and HIV risk. Using proteomics, it was recently discovered that a dysbiotic vaginal microbiome, comprising less than 50% Lactobacillus spp., directly influenced topical PrEP efficacy. Gardnerella vaginalis, the dominant vaginal species in dysbiotic women, was able to directly degrade tenofovir, but not dapivirine, an antiretroviral also being developed for topical PrEP. The link between bacterial vaginosis-associated organisms with HIV risk and altered tenofovir gel effectiveness underscores the importance of good vaginal health and good adherence for women to benefit maximally from topical PrEP. Altering the vaginal microbiome is one of the new directions being pursued for HIV prevention.

Decisions about restorative dental treatment among dentists attending a postgraduate continuing professional development course.

PubMed

Maidment, Y; Durey, K; Ibbetson, R

2010-11-01

Continuing professional development (CPD) courses seek to inform, educate and develop practitioners' patterns of prescribing in line with the evidence base. When devising such courses it would be useful for organisers to have some idea of what current practice is and the decision-making process as this would inform the development of appropriate continuing education courses. A questionnaire comprising ten questions was given to 90 dentists at the start of a day's lecture course run under Section 63 regulations. The dentists were then shown a series of pictures and asked how they would manage each of the cases presented. Eighty-nine dentists completed the questionnaire and the results were tabulated and fed back to the group at the end of their day's course. Results showed varied and inconsistent application of advances in restorative techniques among the respondents. Despite a definite interest in more modern treatment options, many practitioners continued to support the use of traditional techniques that could be considered outdated. Further investigation of the practices of GDPs and their decision-making processes would be useful in targeting postgraduate education programmes to encourage the uptake of evidence-based practice.

Inconsistent condom use by male clients during anal intercourse with occasional and regular female sex workers (FSWs): survey findings from southern states of India

PubMed Central

Ramanathan, Shreena; Nagarajan, Karikalan; Ramakrishnan, Lakshmi; Mainkar, Mandar K; Goswami, Prabuddhagopal; Yadav, Diwakar; Sen, Shrabanti; George, Bitra; Rachakulla, Harikumar; Subramanian, Thilakavathi; Paranjape, Ramesh S

2014-01-01

Objectives Self-reported anal intercourse by female sex workers (FSWs) documented in recent studies from India range between 11.9% and 22%. However, comparable data on anal intercourse and condom use from male clients of FSWs is lacking. Using data from a bio-behavioural survey (2009–2010), we examined prevalence of anal intercourse, male clients’ self-reported inconsistent condom use during anal intercourse with FSWs, and correlates of this behaviour in India's high HIV prevalence southern states (Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu combined). Methods Using two-stage time location cluster sampling, we recruited 4803 clients of FSWs, ages 18–60 years, who had purchased sex from an FSW in the past month. After obtaining informed consent, respondents were interviewed and tested for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with inconsistent condom use during anal intercourse (in the past 6 months) with FSWs. Results Overall, 12.3% clients reported anal intercourse in the past 6 months, of whom 48.4% used condoms inconsistently. Clients of FSWs who were ages 26 years or older (AOR 2.68, p=0.032); employed as manual labourers (AOR 2.43, p=0.013); consumed alcohol (AOR 2.63, p=0.001); reported five or more sex acts with FSWs in the past month (AOR 2.53, p=0.031); and perceived themselves to be at higher risk for HIV (AOR 4.82, p=0.001) were more likely to inconsistently use condoms during anal intercourse. Conclusions The results suggest that sex workers and their clients commonly practice anal intercourse, but a relatively high proportion of clients do not consistently use condoms, leading to a greater risk of acquiring HIV and its further transmission to other male and female sexual partners. Given the multidirectional risk, safer sex communication on heterosexual anal intercourse must be incorporated into HIV prevention programmes. PMID:25410604

Influence of semantic consistency and perceptual features on visual attention during scene viewing in toddlers.

PubMed

Helo, Andrea; van Ommen, Sandrien; Pannasch, Sebastian; Danteny-Dordoigne, Lucile; Rämä, Pia

2017-11-01

Conceptual representations of everyday scenes are built in interaction with visual environment and these representations guide our visual attention. Perceptual features and object-scene semantic consistency have been found to attract our attention during scene exploration. The present study examined how visual attention in 24-month-old toddlers is attracted by semantic violations and how perceptual features (i. e. saliency, centre distance, clutter and object size) and linguistic properties (i. e. object label frequency and label length) affect gaze distribution. We compared eye movements of 24-month-old toddlers and adults while exploring everyday scenes which either contained an inconsistent (e.g., soap on a breakfast table) or consistent (e.g., soap in a bathroom) object. Perceptual features such as saliency, centre distance and clutter of the scene affected looking times in the toddler group during the whole viewing time whereas looking times in adults were affected only by centre distance during the early viewing time. Adults looked longer to inconsistent than consistent objects either if the objects had a high or a low saliency. In contrast, toddlers presented semantic consistency effect only when objects were highly salient. Additionally, toddlers with lower vocabulary skills looked longer to inconsistent objects while toddlers with higher vocabulary skills look equally long to both consistent and inconsistent objects. Our results indicate that 24-month-old children use scene context to guide visual attention when exploring the visual environment. However, perceptual features have a stronger influence in eye movement guidance in toddlers than in adults. Our results also indicate that language skills influence cognitive but not perceptual guidance of eye movements during scene perception in toddlers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SCEGRAM: An image database for semantic and syntactic inconsistencies in scenes.

PubMed

Öhlschläger, Sabine; Võ, Melissa Le-Hoa

2017-10-01

Our visual environment is not random, but follows compositional rules according to what objects are usually found where. Despite the growing interest in how such semantic and syntactic rules - a scene grammar - enable effective attentional guidance and object perception, no common image database containing highly-controlled object-scene modifications has been publically available. Such a database is essential in minimizing the risk that low-level features drive high-level effects of interest, which is being discussed as possible source of controversial study results. To generate the first database of this kind - SCEGRAM - we took photographs of 62 real-world indoor scenes in six consistency conditions that contain semantic and syntactic (both mild and extreme) violations as well as their combinations. Importantly, always two scenes were paired, so that an object was semantically consistent in one scene (e.g., ketchup in kitchen) and inconsistent in the other (e.g., ketchup in bathroom). Low-level salience did not differ between object-scene conditions and was generally moderate. Additionally, SCEGRAM contains consistency ratings for every object-scene condition, as well as object-absent scenes and object-only images. Finally, a cross-validation using eye-movements replicated previous results of longer dwell times for both semantic and syntactic inconsistencies compared to consistent controls. In sum, the SCEGRAM image database is the first to contain well-controlled semantic and syntactic object-scene inconsistencies that can be used in a broad range of cognitive paradigms (e.g., verbal and pictorial priming, change detection, object identification, etc.) including paradigms addressing developmental aspects of scene grammar. SCEGRAM can be retrieved for research purposes from http://www.scenegrammarlab.com/research/scegram-database/ .

Evaluation of Split Version and Feedback Module on the Improvement of Time Trade-Off Data.

PubMed

Wong, Eliza L Y; Shah, Koonal; Cheung, Annie W L; Wong, Amy Y K; Visser, Martijn; Stolk, Elly

2018-06-01

EQ-5D-5L valuation studies previously reported many inconsistent responses in time trade-off (TTO) data. A number of possible elements, including ordering effects of the valuation tasks, mistakes at the sorting question, and interviewers' (learning) effects, may contribute to their inconsistency. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two modifications on consistency of TTO data in The Netherlands (NL) and Hong Kong (HK): (1) separating the valuation of the Better than Dead (BTD) and Worse than Dead (WTD) states; and (2) Implementation of feedback (FB) module by offering an opportunity to review TTO responses. A crossover design with two study arms was used to test the effect of the modifications. In each jurisdiction, six interviewers were involved where half the interviewers started using the standard version, and the other half started with the split version. Each version was switched after every 25 (NL) or 30 (HK) interviews until 400 interviews were completed. In the NL and HK, 404 and 403 respondents participated, respectively. With the use of the FB module, the proportion of respondents with inconsistent responses was lowered from 17.8% to 10.6% (P < 0.001) in NL and from 31.8% to 22.3% (P = 0.003) in HK. The result of separating the valuation of BTD and WTD states was not straightforward because it reduced the inconsistency rate in NL but not in HK. The results support implementation of the FB module to promote the consistency of the data. The separation of the BTD and WTD task is not supported. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Discrepancies and rates of publication in orthopaedic sports medicine abstracts.

PubMed

Kleweno, Conor P; Bryant, Whitney K; Jacir, Albert M; Levine, William N; Ahmad, Christopher S

2008-10-01

Presentations of clinically relevant data at AOSSM national meetings are presented yearly and may influence clinical decision making. The incidence of presentations that do not subsequently get published is high, and the numbers of major and minor inconsistencies, once published, are also high. Systematic review. A database was created of all abstracts presented at AOSSM meetings from 1999 to 2001 from official program books. To assess whether each abstract had been followed by publication in a peer-reviewed journal, a PubMed search was conducted to include a 5-year follow-up for each conference. Minor inconsistencies included differences in title, authors, presentation of all outcomes, and authors' interpretation of data. Major inconsistencies included discrepancies in study objective and/or hypothesis, study design, primary and secondary outcome measures, sample size, statistical analysis, results, and standard deviations/confidence intervals. Overall, 98 of the 165 abstracts presented at AOSSM national meetings from 1999 to 2001 were published in a peer-reviewed journal within 5 years, a publication rate of 59.4%. The median time to publication for all articles was 21 (range, 1-60) months. The majority of articles (61) were published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine (62.2%). The median number of major and minor inconsistencies from abstract to publication was 1 (range, 0-5) and 1 (range, 0-4), respectively. Sixty-two of the 98 published abstracts (63%) had at least 1 major inconsistency, while 79 (81%) had at least 1 minor inconsistency. In 5 manuscripts (5%), the authors' interpretation of the data had changed, and in 2 (2%), the change essentially invalidated the abstract. A large number of scientific presentations do not get published in a peer-reviewed journal. In addition, those published have a significant number of changes that, in a small percentage of cases, alter the validity of the original presentation. Orthopaedic surgeons and other attendees as well as nonattendees who reference conference abstracts need to exercise good judgment when considering the implications of oral presentations of unpublished materials. When reviewing meeting presentation abstracts, readers should remember that the material being presented is often not in its definitive or ultimate form.

Test suite for image-based motion estimation of the brain and tongue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramsey, Jordan; Prince, Jerry L.; Gomez, Arnold D.

2017-03-01

Noninvasive analysis of motion has important uses as qualitative markers for organ function and to validate biomechanical computer simulations relative to experimental observations. Tagged MRI is considered the gold standard for noninvasive tissue motion estimation in the heart, and this has inspired multiple studies focusing on other organs, including the brain under mild acceleration and the tongue during speech. As with other motion estimation approaches, using tagged MRI to measure 3D motion includes several preprocessing steps that affect the quality and accuracy of estimation. Benchmarks, or test suites, are datasets of known geometries and displacements that act as tools to tune tracking parameters or to compare different motion estimation approaches. Because motion estimation was originally developed to study the heart, existing test suites focus on cardiac motion. However, many fundamental differences exist between the heart and other organs, such that parameter tuning (or other optimization) with respect to a cardiac database may not be appropriate. Therefore, the objective of this research was to design and construct motion benchmarks by adopting an "image synthesis" test suite to study brain deformation due to mild rotational accelerations, and a benchmark to model motion of the tongue during speech. To obtain a realistic representation of mechanical behavior, kinematics were obtained from finite-element (FE) models. These results were combined with an approximation of the acquisition process of tagged MRI (including tag generation, slice thickness, and inconsistent motion repetition). To demonstrate an application of the presented methodology, the effect of motion inconsistency on synthetic measurements of head- brain rotation and deformation was evaluated. The results indicated that acquisition inconsistency is roughly proportional to head rotation estimation error. Furthermore, when evaluating non-rigid deformation, the results suggest that inconsistent motion can yield "ghost" shear strains, which are a function of slice acquisition viability as opposed to a true physical deformation.

Test Suite for Image-Based Motion Estimation of the Brain and Tongue

PubMed Central

Ramsey, Jordan; Prince, Jerry L.; Gomez, Arnold D.

2017-01-01

Noninvasive analysis of motion has important uses as qualitative markers for organ function and to validate biomechanical computer simulations relative to experimental observations. Tagged MRI is considered the gold standard for noninvasive tissue motion estimation in the heart, and this has inspired multiple studies focusing on other organs, including the brain under mild acceleration and the tongue during speech. As with other motion estimation approaches, using tagged MRI to measure 3D motion includes several preprocessing steps that affect the quality and accuracy of estimation. Benchmarks, or test suites, are datasets of known geometries and displacements that act as tools to tune tracking parameters or to compare different motion estimation approaches. Because motion estimation was originally developed to study the heart, existing test suites focus on cardiac motion. However, many fundamental differences exist between the heart and other organs, such that parameter tuning (or other optimization) with respect to a cardiac database may not be appropriate. Therefore, the objective of this research was to design and construct motion benchmarks by adopting an “image synthesis” test suite to study brain deformation due to mild rotational accelerations, and a benchmark to model motion of the tongue during speech. To obtain a realistic representation of mechanical behavior, kinematics were obtained from finite-element (FE) models. These results were combined with an approximation of the acquisition process of tagged MRI (including tag generation, slice thickness, and inconsistent motion repetition). To demonstrate an application of the presented methodology, the effect of motion inconsistency on synthetic measurements of head-brain rotation and deformation was evaluated. The results indicated that acquisition inconsistency is roughly proportional to head rotation estimation error. Furthermore, when evaluating non-rigid deformation, the results suggest that inconsistent motion can yield “ghost” shear strains, which are a function of slice acquisition viability as opposed to a true physical deformation. PMID:28781414

12 CFR Appendix C to Part 1030 - Effect on State Laws

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 9 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Effect on State Laws C Appendix C to Part 1030.... C Appendix C to Part 1030—Effect on State Laws (a) Inconsistent Requirements State law requirements... inconsistency. A state law is inconsistent if it requires a depository institution to make disclosures or take...

Neuroticism Moderates the Relation between Parenting and Empathy and between Empathy and Prosocial Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chaparro, Maria Paula; Grusec, Joan E.

2016-01-01

Links among neuroticism, inconsistent discipline, and empathy were assessed in a longitudinal study of adolescents. Mothers', but not fathers', inconsistent discipline predicted decreases in empathy 2 years later, but only for adolescents who were low in neuroticism. For those who were high, there was no effect of inconsistent discipline.…

Young Children Detect and Avoid Logically Inconsistent Sources: The Importance of Communicative Context and Executive Function

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doebel, Sabine; Rowell, Shaina F.; Koenig, Melissa A.

2016-01-01

The reported research tested the hypothesis that young children detect logical inconsistency in communicative contexts that support the evaluation of speakers' epistemic reliability. In two experiments (N = 194), 3- to 5-year-olds were presented with two speakers who expressed logically consistent or inconsistent claims. Three-year-olds failed to…

Day-to-day inconsistency in parent knowledge: links with youth health and parents' stress.

PubMed

Lippold, Melissa A; McHale, Susan M; Davis, Kelly D; Kossek, Ellen Ernst

2015-03-01

Considerable evidence documents the linkages between higher levels of parental knowledge about youth activities and positive youth outcomes. This study investigated how day-to-day inconsistency in parental knowledge of youth activities was linked to youth behavioral, psychological, and physical health and parents' stress. Participants were employees in the Information Technology Division of a Fortune 500 company and their children (N = 129, mean age of youth = 13.39 years, 55% female). Data were collected from parents and youth via separate workplace and in-home surveys as well as telephone diary surveys on eight consecutive evenings. We assessed day-to-day inconsistency in parental knowledge across these eight calls. Parents differed in their knowledge from day to day almost as much as their average knowledge scores differed from those of other parents. Controlling for mean levels of knowledge, youth whose parents exhibited more knowledge inconsistency reported more physical health symptoms (e.g., colds and flu). Knowledge inconsistency was also associated with more risky behavior for girls but greater psychological well-being for older adolescents. Parents who reported more stressors also had higher knowledge inconsistency. Assessing only average levels of parental knowledge does not fully capture how this parenting dimension is associated with youth health. Consistent knowledge may promote youth physical health and less risky behavior for girls. Yet knowledge inconsistency also may reflect normative increases in autonomy as it was positively associated with psychological well-being for older adolescents. Given the linkages between parental stress and knowledge inconsistency, parent interventions should include stress management components. Copyright © 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spatial Interpolation of Historical Seasonal Rainfall Indices over Peninsular Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Zulkarnain; Haidir, Ahmad; Saad, Farah Naemah Mohd; Ayob, Afizah; Rahim, Mustaqqim Abdul; Ghazaly, Zuhayr Md.

2018-03-01

The inconsistency in inter-seasonal rainfall due to climate change will cause a different pattern in the rainfall characteristics and distribution. Peninsular Malaysia is not an exception for this inconsistency, in which it is resulting extreme events such as flood and water scarcity. This study evaluates the seasonal patterns in rainfall indices such as total amount of rainfall, the frequency of wet days, rainfall intensity, extreme frequency, and extreme intensity in Peninsular Malaysia. 40 years (1975-2015) data records have been interpolated using Inverse Distance Weighted method. The results show that the formation of rainfall characteristics are significance during the Northeast monsoon (NEM), as compared to Southwest monsoon (SWM). Also, there is a high rainfall intensity and frequency related to extreme over eastern coasts of Peninsula during the NEM season.

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

Chemerisov, S.; Bailey, J.; Heltemes, T.

A series of four one-day irradiations was conducted with 100Mo-enriched disk targets. After irradiation, the enriched disks were removed from the target and dissolved. The resulting solution was processed using a NorthStar RadioGenix™ 99mTc generator either at Argonne National Laboratory or at the NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes facility. Runs on the RadioGenix system produced inconsistent analytical results for 99mTc in the Tc/Mo solution. These inconsistencies were attributed to the impurities in the solution or improper column packing. During the irradiations, the performance of the optic transitional radiation (OTR) and infrared cameras was tested in high radiation field. The OTR cameras survivedmore » all irradiations, while the IR cameras failed every time. The addition of X-ray and neutron shielding improved camera survivability and decreased the number of upsets.« less

A re-examination of the effects of biased lineup instructions in eyewitness identification.

PubMed

Clark, Steven E

2005-10-01

A meta-analytic review of research comparing biased and unbiased instructions in eyewitness identification experiments showed an asymmetry; specifically, that biased instructions led to a large and consistent decrease in accuracy in target-absent lineups, but produced inconsistent results for target-present lineups, with an average effect size near zero (Steblay, 1997). The results for target-present lineups are surprising, and are inconsistent with statistical decision theories (i.e., Green & Swets, 1966). A re-examination of the relevant studies and the meta-analysis of those studies shows clear evidence that correct identification rates do increase with biased lineup instructions, and that biased witnesses make correct identifications at a rate considerably above chance. Implications for theory, as well as police procedure and policy, are discussed.

A re-examination of the effects of biased lineup instructions in eyewitness identification.

PubMed

Clark, Steven E

2005-08-01

A meta-analytic review of research comparing biased and unbiased instructions in eyewitness identification experiments showed an asymmetry, specifically that biased instructions led to a large and consistent decrease in accuracy in target-absent lineups, but produced inconsistent results for target-present lineups, with an average effect size near zero (N. M. Steblay, 1997). The results for target-present lineups are surprising, and are inconsistent with statistical decision theories (i.e., D. M. Green & J. A. Swets, 1966). A re-examination of the relevant studies and the meta-analysis of those studies shows clear evidence that correct identification rates do increase with biased lineup instructions, and that biased witnesses make correct identifications at a rate considerably above chance. Implications for theory, as well as police procedure and policy, are discussed.

Full-Stokes modeling of grounding line dynamics: some first interplay with measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durand, G.; Gagliardini, O.; Zwinger, T.; Ritz, C.; Le Meur, E.; Rémy, F.

2009-12-01

Movement of the grounding line (i.e, the line between the grounded and the floating part of a marine ice-sheet) is one of the key processes that governs the mass balance of marine ice-sheets. So far, modeling of grounding line migration was inconsistent, leading to poorly reliable forecast of marine ice-sheet evolution. Important theoretical progress has been made these last years to describe the dynamics of the grounding line, and a recently developed full-Stokes model gives consistent results in comparison to this theory. Despite these important breakthroughs, theory as well as the model are restricted to two-dimensional flow line and therefore unable to be applied to a particular three-dimensional glaciological problem. Nevertheless, some first insights can be already drawn from 2D modeling results to improve the adequacy between future modeling and field measurements. We will particularly emphasize on two different aspects. (i) Modeling results have shown the major importance of high grid resolution in the vicinity of the grounding line, questioning strategies for future measurement campaigns of bedrock elevation of coastal glaciers. (ii) An approximately 10 m depression of the surface at the vertical position above the grounding line is a very stable feature produced by the model. Careful investigation of the surface curvature should help to locate grounding line position.

Crane cabins' interior space multivariate anthropometric modeling.

PubMed

Essdai, Ahmed; Spasojević Brkić, Vesna K; Golubović, Tamara; Brkić, Aleksandar; Popović, Vladimir

2018-01-01

Previous research has shown that today's crane cabins fail to meet the needs of a large proportion of operators. Performance and financial losses and effects on safety should not be overlooked as well. The first aim of this survey is to model the crane cabin interior space using up-to-date crane operator anthropometric data and to compare the multivariate and univariate method anthropometric models. The second aim of the paper is to define the crane cabin interior space dimensions that enable anthropometric convenience. To facilitate the cabin design, the anthropometric dimensions of 64 crane operators in the first sample and 19 more in the second sample were collected in Serbia. The multivariate anthropometric models, spanning 95% of the population on the basis of a set of 8 anthropometric dimensions, have been developed. The percentile method was also used on the same set of data. The dimensions of the interior space, necessary for the accommodation of the crane operator, are 1174×1080×1865 mm. The percentiles results for the 5th and 95th model are within the obtained dimensions. The results of this study may prove useful to crane cabin designers in eliminating anthropometric inconsistencies and improving the health of operators, but can also aid in improving the safety, performance and financial results of the companies where crane cabins operate.

Analytical studies on ascosin, candicidin and levorin multicomponent antifungal antibiotic complexes. The stereostructure of ascosin A2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szczeblewski, Paweł; Laskowski, Tomasz; Kubacki, Bartosz; Dziergowska, Marta; Liczmańska, Magda; Grynda, Jakub; Kubica, Paweł; Kot-Wasik, Agata; Borowski, Edward

2017-01-01

In the class of polyene macrolides, there is a subgroup of aromatic heptaenes, which exhibit the highest antifungal activity within this type of antibiotics. Yet, due to their complex nature, aromatic heptaenes were not extensively studied and their potential as drugs is currently underexploited. Moreover, there are many inconsistencies in the literature regarding the composition and the structures of the individual components of the aromatic heptaene complexes. Inspired by one of such cases, herein we conducted the analytical studies on ascosin, candicidin and levorin using HPLC-DAD-(ESI)Q-TOF techniques. The resulting chromatograms and the molecular masses of the individual components of these three complexes strongly indicated that the major components of ascosin, candicidin and levorin are structurally identical. In order to validate these results, the main component of previously structurally uncharacterized ascosin was derivatized, isolated and subjected to 2D NMR studies. The resulting structure of the ascosin’s main component, herein named ascosin A2, was shown to be identical with the earlier reported structures of the main components of candicidin and levorin complexes: candicidin D and levorin A2. In the end, all the structural knowledge regarding these three antibiotic complexes was gathered, systematized and completed, and the new nomenclature was proposed.

A comparison of quantum limited dose and noise equivalent dose

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Job, Isaias D.; Boyce, Sarah J.; Petrillo, Michael J.; Zhou, Kungang

2016-03-01

Quantum-limited-dose (QLD) and noise-equivalent-dose (NED) are performance metrics often used interchangeably. Although the metrics are related, they are not equivalent unless the treatment of electronic noise is carefully considered. These metrics are increasingly important to properly characterize the low-dose performance of flat panel detectors (FPDs). A system can be said to be quantum-limited when the Signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) is proportional to the square-root of x-ray exposure. Recent experiments utilizing three methods to determine the quantum-limited dose range yielded inconsistent results. To investigate the deviation in results, generalized analytical equations are developed to model the image processing and analysis of each method. We test the generalized expression for both radiographic and fluoroscopic detectors. The resulting analysis shows that total noise content of the images processed by each method are inherently different based on their readout scheme. Finally, it will be shown that the NED is equivalent to the instrumentation-noise-equivalent-exposure (INEE) and furthermore that the NED is derived from the quantum-noise-only method of determining QLD. Future investigations will measure quantum-limited performance of radiographic panels with a modified readout scheme to allow for noise improvements similar to measurements performed with fluoroscopic detectors.

Aggressive Versus Nonaggressive Antisocial Behavior: Distinctive Etiological Moderation by Age

PubMed Central

Burt, S. Alexandra; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.

2015-01-01

Research has supported the existence of distinct behavioral patterns, demographic correlates, and etiologic mechanisms for aggressive (AGG) versus nonaggressive but delinquent (DEL) antisocial behavior. Though behavioral genetic studies have the potential to further crystallize these dimensions, inconsistent results have limited their contribution. These inconsistencies may stem in part from the limited attention paid to the impact of age. In the current study, the authors thus examined age-related etiological moderation of AGG and DEL antisocial behavior in a sample of 720 sibling pairs (ranging in age from 10 to 18 years) with varying degrees of genetic relatedness. Results reveal that the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on AGG remained stable across adolescence. By contrast, genetic influences on DEL increased dramatically with age, whereas shared environmental influences decreased. Subsequent longitudinal analyses fully replicated these results. Such findings highlight etiological distinctions between aggression and delinquency, and offer insights into the expression of genetic influences during development. PMID:19586186

Reduction of image-based ADI-to-AEI overlay inconsistency with improved algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yen-Liang; Lin, Shu-Hong; Chen, Kai-Hsiung; Ke, Chih-Ming; Gau, Tsai-Sheng

2013-04-01

In image-based overlay (IBO) measurement, the measurement quality of various measurement spectra can be judged by quality indicators and also the ADI-to-AEI similarity to determine the optimum light spectrum. However we found some IBO measured results showing erroneous indication of wafer expansion from the difference between the ADI and the AEI maps, even after their measurement spectra were optimized. To reduce this inconsistency, an improved image calculation algorithm is proposed in this paper. Different gray levels composed of inner- and outer-box contours are extracted to calculate their ADI overlay errors. The symmetry of intensity distribution at the thresholds dictated by a range of gray levels is used to determine the particular gray level that can minimize the ADI-to-AEI overlay inconsistency. After this improvement, the ADI is more similar to AEI with less expansion difference. The same wafer was also checked by the diffraction-based overlay (DBO) tool to verify that there is no physical wafer expansion. When there is actual wafer expansion induced by large internal stress, both the IBO and the DBO measurements indicate similar expansion results. The scanning white-light interference microscope was used to check the variation of wafer warpage during the ADI and AEI stages. It predicts a similar trend with the overlay difference map, confirming the internal stress.

Choice Inconsistencies among the Elderly: Evidence from Plan Choice in the Medicare Part D Program: Reply

PubMed Central

ABALUCK, JASON

2017-01-01

We explore the in- and out- of sample robustness of tests for choice inconsistencies based on parameter restrictions in parametric models, focusing on tests proposed by Ketcham, Kuminoff and Powers (KKP). We argue that their non-parametric alternatives are inherently conservative with respect to detecting mistakes. We then show that our parametric model is robust to KKP’s suggested specification checks, and that comprehensive goodness of fit measures perform better with our model than the expected utility model. Finally, we explore the robustness of our 2011 results to alternative normative assumptions highlighting the role of brand fixed effects and unobservable characteristics. PMID:29170561

Phonological Inconsistency in Word Naming: Determinants of the Interference Effect between Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smits, Erica; Sandra, Dominiek; Martensen, Heike; Dijkstra, Ton

2009-01-01

Dutch-English participants named words and nonwords with a between-language phonologically inconsistent rime, e.g., GREED and PREED, and control words with a language-typical rime, e.g., GROAN, in a monolingual stimulus list or in a mixed list containing Dutch words. Inconsistent items had longer latencies and more errors than typical items in the…

Speed and direction changes induce the perception of animacy in 7-month-old infants

PubMed Central

Träuble, Birgit; Pauen, Sabina; Poulin-Dubois, Diane

2014-01-01

A large body of research has documented infants’ ability to classify animate and inanimate objects based on static or dynamic information. It has been shown that infants less than 1 year of age transfer animacy-specific expectations from dynamic point-light displays to static images. The present study examined whether basic motion cues that typically trigger judgments of perceptual animacy in older children and adults lead 7-month-olds to infer an ambiguous object’s identity from dynamic information. Infants were tested with a novel paradigm that required inferring the animacy status of an ambiguous moving shape. An ambiguous shape emerged from behind a screen and its identity could only be inferred from its motion. Its motion pattern varied distinctively between scenes: it either changed speed and direction in an animate way, or it moved along a straight path at a constant speed (i.e., in an inanimate way). At test, the identity of the shape was revealed and it was either consistent or inconsistent with its motion pattern. Infants looked longer on trials with the inconsistent outcome. We conclude that 7-month-olds’ representations of animates and inanimates include category-specific associations between static and dynamic attributes. Moreover, these associations seem to hold for simple dynamic cues that are considered minimal conditions for animacy perception. PMID:25346712

'Worth the test?' Pragmatism, pill testing and drug policy in Australia.

PubMed

Groves, Andrew

2018-04-10

Recent deaths of young Australian music festival attendees from 'party-drug' overdoses have sparked debate about the effectiveness of drug policies. Australia is widely lauded for its harm minimisation approach to drugs, and yet, over the last 30 years, it can be argued its policies have been fragmented, sometimes inconsistent and contradictory. The present article examines the root of this inconsistency, using it as a foundation to advocate for drug policy reform. In keeping with the goals of the National Drug Strategy to promote policy innovation, there is an opportunity to learn from international studies which have shown promising findings in the reduction of party-drug use and its harms through application of pill testing. This paper evaluates Australia's National Drug Strategy and pill testing through a lens of pragmatism, to determine whether there is space for testing practices in contemporary policy. Specifically, the paper analyses current drug policy literature and research studies, examining a range of key drug use indicators, social and political debate and research evidence. The need for policy reform, attitudinal and cultural shifts and development of stronger cross-sectoral partnerships is highlighted, to ensure a rational and logical approach that genuinely tackles drug policy-making and strategy from a broad public health perspective. Using a theoretical frame of pragmatism and drawing from national and international research evidence, this paper recommends the integration of pill testing into Australia's harm minimisation strategy.

Assessment of moderate coffee consumption and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer: a Mendelian randomization study.

PubMed

Ong, Jue-Sheng; Hwang, Liang-Dar; Cuellar-Partida, Gabriel; Martin, Nicholas G; Chenevix-Trench, Georgia; Quinn, Michael C J; Cornelis, Marilyn C; Gharahkhani, Puya; Webb, Penelope M; MacGregor, Stuart

2018-04-01

Coffee consumption has been shown to be associated with various health outcomes in observational studies. However, evidence for its association with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is inconsistent and it is unclear whether these associations are causal. We used single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with (i) coffee and (ii) caffeine consumption to perform Mendelian randomization (MR) on EOC risk. We conducted a two-sample MR using genetic data on 44 062 individuals of European ancestry from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC), and combined instrumental variable estimates using a Wald-type ratio estimator. For all EOC cases, the causal odds ratio (COR) for genetically predicted consumption of one additional cup of coffee per day was 0.92 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.79, 1.06]. The COR was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.73, 1.10) for high-grade serous EOC. The COR for genetically predicted consumption of an additional 80 mg caffeine was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.92, 1.11) for all EOC cases and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.73, 1.10) for high-grade serous cases. We found no evidence indicative of a strong association between EOC risk and genetically predicted coffee or caffeine levels. However, our estimates were not statistically inconsistent with earlier observational studies and we were unable to rule out small protective associations.

Ambiguity in determining financial capability of SSI and SSDI beneficiaries with psychiatric disabilities.

PubMed

Lazar, Christina M; Black, Anne C; McMahon, Thomas J; O'Shea, Kevin; Rosen, Marc I

2015-03-01

The liberty of individuals who receive Social Security disability payments is constrained if they are judged incapable of managing their payments and are assigned a payee or conservator to manage benefit payments on their behalf. Conversely, beneficiaries' well-being may be compromised if they misspend money that they need to survive. Several studies have shown that determinations of financial capability are made inconsistently and that capability guidelines appear to be applied inconsistently. This article describes ambiguities that remained for individuals even after a comprehensive assessment of financial capability was conducted by independent assessors. Trained, experienced assessors rated the financial capability of 118 individuals in intensive outpatient or inpatient psychiatric facilities who received Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. Ten individuals' cases were determined to be difficult to judge. Six sources of ambiguity were identified by case review: distinguishing incapability from the challenges of navigating poverty, the amount of nonessential spending that indicates incapability, the amount of spending on harmful things that indicates incapability, how to consider intermittent periods of capability and incapability, the relative weighting of past behavior and future plans to change, and discrepancies between different sources of information. The cases raise fundamental questions about how to define and identify financial incapability, but they also illustrate how detailed consideration of beneficiaries' living situations and decision making can inform the difficult dichotomous decision about capability.

Preprocessing Inconsistent Linear System for a Meaningful Least Squares Solution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sen, Syamal K.; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

2011-01-01

Mathematical models of many physical/statistical problems are systems of linear equations. Due to measurement and possible human errors/mistakes in modeling/data, as well as due to certain assumptions to reduce complexity, inconsistency (contradiction) is injected into the model, viz. the linear system. While any inconsistent system irrespective of the degree of inconsistency has always a least-squares solution, one needs to check whether an equation is too much inconsistent or, equivalently too much contradictory. Such an equation will affect/distort the least-squares solution to such an extent that renders it unacceptable/unfit to be used in a real-world application. We propose an algorithm which (i) prunes numerically redundant linear equations from the system as these do not add any new information to the model, (ii) detects contradictory linear equations along with their degree of contradiction (inconsistency index), (iii) removes those equations presumed to be too contradictory, and then (iv) obtain the minimum norm least-squares solution of the acceptably inconsistent reduced linear system. The algorithm presented in Matlab reduces the computational and storage complexities and also improves the accuracy of the solution. It also provides the necessary warning about the existence of too much contradiction in the model. In addition, we suggest a thorough relook into the mathematical modeling to determine the reason why unacceptable contradiction has occurred thus prompting us to make necessary corrections/modifications to the models - both mathematical and, if necessary, physical.

Preprocessing in Matlab Inconsistent Linear System for a Meaningful Least Squares Solution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sen, Symal K.; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

2011-01-01

Mathematical models of many physical/statistical problems are systems of linear equations Due to measurement and possible human errors/mistakes in modeling/data, as well as due to certain assumptions to reduce complexity, inconsistency (contradiction) is injected into the model, viz. the linear system. While any inconsistent system irrespective of the degree of inconsistency has always a least-squares solution, one needs to check whether an equation is too much inconsistent or, equivalently too much contradictory. Such an equation will affect/distort the least-squares solution to such an extent that renders it unacceptable/unfit to be used in a real-world application. We propose an algorithm which (i) prunes numerically redundant linear equations from the system as these do not add any new information to the model, (ii) detects contradictory linear equations along with their degree of contradiction (inconsistency index), (iii) removes those equations presumed to be too contradictory, and then (iv) obtain the . minimum norm least-squares solution of the acceptably inconsistent reduced linear system. The algorithm presented in Matlab reduces the computational and storage complexities and also improves the accuracy of the solution. It also provides the necessary warning about the existence of too much contradiction in the model. In addition, we suggest a thorough relook into the mathematical modeling to determine the reason why unacceptable contradiction has occurred thus prompting us to make necessary corrections/modifications to the models - both mathematical and, if necessary, physical.

Contrasting lexical similarity and formal definitions in SNOMED CT: consistency and implications.

PubMed

Agrawal, Ankur; Elhanan, Gai

2014-02-01

To quantify the presence of and evaluate an approach for detection of inconsistencies in the formal definitions of SNOMED CT (SCT) concepts utilizing a lexical method. Utilizing SCT's Procedure hierarchy, we algorithmically formulated similarity sets: groups of concepts with similar lexical structure of their fully specified name. We formulated five random samples, each with 50 similarity sets, based on the same parameter: number of parents, attributes, groups, all the former as well as a randomly selected control sample. All samples' sets were reviewed for types of formal definition inconsistencies: hierarchical, attribute assignment, attribute target values, groups, and definitional. For the Procedure hierarchy, 2111 similarity sets were formulated, covering 18.1% of eligible concepts. The evaluation revealed that 38 (Control) to 70% (Different relationships) of similarity sets within the samples exhibited significant inconsistencies. The rate of inconsistencies for the sample with different relationships was highly significant compared to Control, as well as the number of attribute assignment and hierarchical inconsistencies within their respective samples. While, at this time of the HITECH initiative, the formal definitions of SCT are only a minor consideration, in the grand scheme of sophisticated, meaningful use of captured clinical data, they are essential. However, significant portion of the concepts in the most semantically complex hierarchy of SCT, the Procedure hierarchy, are modeled inconsistently in a manner that affects their computability. Lexical methods can efficiently identify such inconsistencies and possibly allow for their algorithmic resolution. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Message Framing in Vaccine Communication: A Systematic Review of Published Literature.

PubMed

Penţa, Marcela A; Băban, Adriana

2018-03-01

Suboptimal vaccination rates are a significant problem in many countries today, in spite of improved access to vaccine services. As a result, there has been a recent expansion of research on how best to communicate about vaccines. The purpose of the present article is to provide an updated review of published, peer-reviewed empirical studies that examined the effectiveness of gain versus loss framing (i.e., goal framing) in the context of vaccine communication. To locate studies, we examined the reference list from the previous meta-analytic review (O'Keefe & Nan, 2012), and we conducted systematic searches across multiple databases. We included 34 studies in the qualitative synthesis. The relative effectiveness of goal-framed vaccine messages was often shown to depend on characteristics of the message recipient, perceived risk, or situational factors, yet most effects were inconsistent across studies, or simply limited by an insufficient number of studies. Methodological characteristics and variations are noted and discussed. The review points to several directions concerning moderators and mediators of framing effects where additional rigorous studies would be needed.

Solid rocket combustion simulator technology using the hybrid rocket for simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramohalli, Kumar

1994-01-01

The hybrid rocket is reexamined in light of several important unanswered questions regarding its performance. The well-known heat transfer limited burning rate equation is quoted, and its limitations are pointed out. Several inconsistencies in the burning rate determination through fuel depolymerization are explicitly discussed. The resolution appears to be through the postulate of (surface) oxidative degradation of the fuel. Experiments are initiated to study the fuel degradation in mixtures of nitrogen/oxygen in the 99.9 percent/0.1 percent to 98 percent/2 percent range. The overall hybrid combustion behavior is studied in a 2 in-diameter rocket motor, where a PMMA tube is used as the fuel. The results include detailed, real-time infrared video images of the combustion zone. Space- and time-averaged images give a broad indication of the temperature reached in the gases. A brief outline is shown of future work, which will specifically concentrate on the exploration of the role of the oxidizer transport to the fuel surface, and the role of the unburned fuel that is reported to escape below the classical time-averaged boundary layer flame.

Limited response of ponderosa pine bole defenses to wounding and fungi.

PubMed

Gaylord, Monica L; Hofstetter, Richard W; Kolb, Thomas E; Wagner, Michael R

2011-04-01

Tree defense against bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and their associated fungi generally comprises some combination of constitutive (primary) and induced (secondary) defenses. In pines, the primary constitutive defense against bark beetles consists of preformed resin stored in resin ducts. Induced defenses at the wound site (point of beetle entry) in pines may consist of an increase in resin flow and necrotic lesion formation. The quantity and quality of both induced and constitutive defenses can vary by species and season. The inducible defense response in ponderosa pine is not well understood. Our study examined the inducible defense response in ponderosa pine using traumatic mechanical wounding, and wounding with and without fungal inoculations with two different bark beetle-associated fungi (Ophiostoma minus and Grosmannia clavigera). Resin flow did not significantly increase in response to any treatment. In addition, necrotic lesion formation on the bole after fungal inoculation was minimal. Stand thinning, which has been shown to increase water availability, had no, or inconsistent, effects on inducible tree defense. Our results suggest that ponderosa pine bole defense against bark beetles and their associated fungi is primarily constitutive and not induced.

Pituitary-adrenal hormones and testosterone across the menstrual cycle in women with premenstrual syndrome and controls.

PubMed

Bloch, M; Schmidt, P J; Su, T P; Tobin, M B; Rubinow, D R

1998-06-15

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a cyclic mood disorder, widely believed, yet not conclusively shown, to be of endocrine etiology. This study examines basal levels of several hormones reported, albeit inconsistently, to differ in women with PMS compared with controls. Subjects (10 PMS patients and 10 controls) had their blood drawn for one full menstrual cycle. Subjects' mood and behavioral symptoms were assessed by daily self-ratings and objective ratings. Plasma was assayed for total and free testosterone (T), beta-endorphin (beta-EP), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and cortisol. No differences were observed between the PMS and control groups for beta-EP, ACTH, or cortisol. PMS subjects had significantly lower total and free T plasma levels with a blunting of the normal periovulatory peak, a finding that may be epiphenomenal to age. This study does not confirm previous reports of abnormalities in plasma levels of either ACTH or beta-EP in women with PMS; it also fails to replicate a previous observation of high free T levels in women with PMS. These results are not supportive of a primary endocrine abnormality in PMS patients.

Mysteries of R ik = 0: A novel paradigm in Einstein's theory of gravitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vishwakarma, Ram Gopal

2014-02-01

Despite a century-long effort, a proper energy-stress tensor of the gravitational field, could not have been discovered. Furthermore, it has been discovered recently that the standard formulation of the energy-stress tensor of matter, suffers from various inconsistencies and paradoxes, concluding that the tensor is not consistent with the geometric formulation of gravitation [Astrophys. Space Sci., 2009, 321: 151; Astrophys. Space Sci., 2012, 340: 373]. This perhaps hints that a consistent theory of gravitation should not have any bearing on the energy-stress tensor. It is shown here that the so-called "vacuum" field equations R ik = 0 do not represent an empty spacetime, and the energy, momenta and angular momenta of the gravitational and the matter fields are revealed through the geometry, without including any formulation thereof in the field equations. Though, this novel discovery appears baffling and orthogonal to the usual understanding, is consistent with the observations at all scales, without requiring the hypothetical dark matter, dark energy or inflation. Moreover, the resulting theory circumvents the long-standing problems of the standard cosmology, besides explaining some unexplained puzzles.

On the Monoheme Character of Cytochromes c′

PubMed Central

Kennel, S. J.; Meyer, T. E.; Kamen, M. D.; Bartsch, R. G.

1972-01-01

Interpretations of data bearing on structures of cytochromes cc′—a class of variant c-type heme proteins from bacteria—in support of a diheme-bearing single chain as a basic structural unit, appear to be invalid in the light of recent studies. These reveal that nearly all members of this class exist as dimers that can be dissociated into, if they do not already exist as, monoheme-bearing monomers. The particular case of the Chromatium protein, held to be the source of a peptic-“core” peptide containing two covalently-bonded heme groups, has been re-examined by preparation of tryptic and chymotryptic peptides derived from the heme-bearing region of the protein, as well as by repetition of experiments on peptic digestion, with more rigorous purification of the resultant peptides than was previously done. It is shown that this protein can also be dissociated into identical subunits, bearing a single heme prosthetic group, and accounting essentially for all its heme content. Thus, the previous terminology—cytochromes cc′—based on supposition of heme group heterogeneity, is inconsistent with these findings and should be replaced by cytochromes c′. PMID:4343972

Moderating effects of salivary testosterone levels on associations between job demand and psychological stress response in Japanese medical workers

PubMed Central

HIROKAWA, Kumi; MIWA, Machiko; TANIGUCHI, Toshiyo; TSUCHIYA, Masao; KAWAKAMI, Norito

2015-01-01

Levels of job stress have been shown to be inversely associated with testosterone levels, but some inconsistent results have been documented. We investigated the moderating effects of testosterone levels on associations between job stress-factors and psychological stress responses in Japanese medical workers. The participants were 63 medical staff (20 males and 43 women; mean age: 30.6 years; SD=7.3) in Okayama, Japan. Their job-stress levels and psychological stress responses were evaluated using self-administered questionnaires, and their salivary testosterone collected. Multiple regression analyses showed that job demand was positively associated with stress responses in men and women. An interaction between testosterone and support from colleagues had a significant effect on depression and anxiety for women. In women with lower testosterone levels, a reducing effect of support from colleagues on depression and anxiety was intensified. In women with higher testosterone levels, depression and anxiety levels were identical regardless of support from colleagues. Testosterone may function as a moderator between perceived work environment and psychological stress responses for female medical workers. PMID:26632120

Influence of fusion dynamics on fission observables: A multidimensional analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, C.; Mazurek, K.; Nadtochy, P. N.

2018-01-01

An attempt to unfold the respective influence of the fusion and fission stages on typical fission observables, and namely the neutron prescission multiplicity, is proposed. A four-dimensional dynamical stochastic Langevin model is used to calculate the decay by fission of excited compound nuclei produced in a wide set of heavy-ion collisions. The comparison of the results from such a calculation and experimental data is discussed, guided by predictions of the dynamical deterministic HICOL code for the compound-nucleus formation time. While the dependence of the latter on the entrance-channel properties can straigthforwardly explain some observations, a complex interplay between the various parameters of the reaction is found to occur in other cases. A multidimensional analysis of the respective role of these parameters, including entrance-channel asymmetry, bombarding energy, compound-nucleus fissility, angular momentum, and excitation energy, is proposed. It is shown that, depending on the size of the system, apparent inconsistencies may be deduced when projecting onto specific ordering parameters. The work suggests the possibility of delicate compensation effects in governing the measured fission observables, thereby highlighting the necessity of a multidimensional discussion.

Reduced specificity in emotion judgment in people with autism spectrum disorder

PubMed Central

Wang, Shuo; Adolphs, Ralph

2017-01-01

There is a conflicting literature on facial emotion processing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD): both typical and atypical performance have been reported, and inconsistencies in the literature may stem from different processes examined (emotion judgment, face perception, fixations) as well as differences in participant populations. Here we conducted a detailed investigation of the ability to discriminate graded emotions shown in morphs of fear-happy faces, in a well-characterized high-functioning sample of participants with ASD and matched controls. Signal detection approaches were used in the analyses, and concurrent high-resolution eye-tracking was collected. Although people with ASD had typical thresholds for categorical fear and confidence judgments, their psychometric specificity to detect emotions across the entire range of intensities was reduced. However, fixation patterns onto the stimuli were typical and could not account for the reduced specificity of emotion judgment. Together, our results argue for a subtle and specific deficit in emotion perception in ASD that, from a signal detection perspective, is best understood as a reduced specificity due to increased noise in central processing of the face stimuli. PMID:28343960

Measures of rheumatoid arthritis disease activity in Australian clinical practice.

PubMed

Taylor, Andrew; Bagga, Hanish

2011-01-01

Objectives. To investigate which rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity measures are being collected in patients receiving glucocorticoids, non-biologic or biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in Australian rheumatology practice. Methods. A retrospective audit of medical records was conducted from eight rheumatology practices around Australia. Each rheumatologist recruited 30 consecutive eligible patients into the review, 10 of whom must have been receiving a biological agent for rheumatoid arthritis. Disease activity measures and radiographic assessments were collected from each patient's last consultation. For biologic patients, disease activity measures were also collected from when the patient was first initiated on the biological agent. Results. At last consultation, the disease measures that were recorded most often were ESR (89.2%), haemoglobin (87.5%), and CRP (84.2%). DAS28 was infrequently recorded (16.3%). The rate of recording disease activity measures for patients receiving biologic DMARDs decreased over time (mean 27 months). Conclusion. This review has shown inconsistency of RA activity measures being recorded in Australian rheumatology clinical practice. An accurate assessment of the disease process is necessary to effectively target rheumatoid arthritis patients to treat in order to achieve optimal outcomes.

KSHV Targeted Therapy: An Update on Inhibitors of Viral Lytic Replication

PubMed Central

Coen, Natacha; Duraffour, Sophie; Snoeck, Robert; Andrei, Graciela

2014-01-01

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the causative agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman’s disease. Since the discovery of KSHV 20 years ago, there is still no standard treatment and the management of virus-associated malignancies remains toxic and incompletely efficacious. As the majority of tumor cells are latently infected with KSHV, currently marketed antivirals that target the virus lytic cycle have shown inconsistent results in clinic. Nevertheless, lytic replication plays a major role in disease progression and virus dissemination. Case reports and retrospective studies have pointed out the benefit of antiviral therapy in the treatment and prevention of KSHV-associated diseases. As a consequence, potent and selective antivirals are needed. This review focuses on the anti-KSHV activity, mode of action and current status of antiviral drugs targeting KSHV lytic cycle. Among these drugs, different subclasses of viral DNA polymerase inhibitors and compounds that do not target the viral DNA polymerase are being discussed. We also cover molecules that target cellular kinases, as well as the potential of new drug targets and animal models for antiviral testing. PMID:25421895

Polyphenols and Glycemic Control

PubMed Central

Kim, Yoona; Keogh, Jennifer B.; Clifton, Peter M.

2016-01-01

Growing evidence from animal studies supports the anti-diabetic properties of some dietary polyphenols, suggesting that dietary polyphenols could be one dietary therapy for the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes. This review aims to address the potential mechanisms of action of dietary polyphenols in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity based on in vitro and in vivo studies, and to provide a comprehensive overview of the anti-diabetic effects of commonly consumed dietary polyphenols including polyphenol-rich mixed diets, tea and coffee, chocolate and cocoa, cinnamon, grape, pomegranate, red wine, berries and olive oil, with a focus on human clinical trials. Dietary polyphenols may inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase, inhibit glucose absorption in the intestine by sodium-dependent glucose transporter 1 (SGLT1), stimulate insulin secretion and reduce hepatic glucose output. Polyphenols may also enhance insulin-dependent glucose uptake, activate 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), modify the microbiome and have anti-inflammatory effects. However, human epidemiological and intervention studies have shown inconsistent results. Further intervention studies are essential to clarify the conflicting findings and confirm or refute the anti-diabetic effects of dietary polyphenols. PMID:26742071

The Relationship between Feelings-of-Knowing and Partial Knowledge for General Knowledge Questions

PubMed Central

Norman, Elisabeth; Blakstad, Oskar; Johnsen, Øivind; Martinsen, Stig K.; Price, Mark C.

2016-01-01

Feelings of knowing (FoK) are introspective self-report ratings of the felt likelihood that one will be able to recognize a currently unrecallable memory target. Previous studies have shown that FoKs are influenced by retrieved fragment knowledge related to the target, which is compatible with the accessibility hypothesis that FoK is partly based on currently activated partial knowledge about the memory target. However, previous results have been inconsistent as to whether or not FoKs are influenced by the accuracy of such information. In our study (N = 26), we used a recall-judge-recognize procedure where stimuli were general knowledge questions. The measure of partial knowledge was wider than those applied previously, and FoK was measured before rather than after partial knowledge. The accuracy of reported partial knowledge was positively related to subsequent recognition accuracy, and FoK only predicted recognition on trials where there was correct partial knowledge. Importantly, FoK was positively related to the amount of correct partial knowledge, but did not show a similar incremental relation with incorrect knowledge. PMID:27445950

Are negative symptoms in schizophrenia a distinct therapeutic target?

PubMed Central

MICLUTIA, IOANA VALENTINA

2018-01-01

Background and aims The relationship between negative symptoms and cognition in schizophrenia is not clear, inconsistent findings have been reported by multiple authors and meta analyses. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognition and primary negative symptoms. Methods 67 outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia were evaluated using PANSS and the NSA-16 scale. Correlation and regression analyses were used in the present study to investigate the relationship between the primary negative symptoms and cognition. Results No relationship was found between the PANSS Cognitive factor and Negative factor, but when investigating the relationship of the Cognitive PANSS factor with the negative symptoms evaluated with the NSA-16 scale, it was shown that there is a significant association between cognition and motor retardation. Conclusions Our study reveals the relative independence of cognitive factor from the global negative domain of the psychopathology, even though the association with motor retardation was clear. These findings also support the need of using appropriate assessment tools in order to gain a more refined understanding of the phenomenology of schizophrenia. PMID:29440953

The influence of projectile ion induced chemistry on surface pattern formation

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

Karmakar, Prasanta, E-mail: prasantak@vecc.gov.in; Satpati, Biswarup

We report the critical role of projectile induced chemical inhomogeneity on surface nanostructure formation. Experimental inconsistency is common for low energy ion beam induced nanostructure formation in the presence of uncontrolled and complex contamination. To explore the precise role of contamination on such structure formation during low energy ion bombardment, a simple and clean experimental study is performed by selecting mono-element semiconductors as the target and chemically inert or reactive ion beams as the projectile as well as the source of controlled contamination. It is shown by Atomic Force Microscopy, Cross-sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy, and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy measurementsmore » that bombardment of nitrogen-like reactive ions on Silicon and Germanium surfaces forms a chemical compound at impact zones. Continuous bombardment of the same ions generates surface instability due to unequal sputtering and non-uniform re-arrangement of the elemental atom and compound. This instability leads to ripple formation during ion bombardment. For Argon-like chemically inert ion bombardment, the chemical inhomogeneity induced boost is absent; as a result, no ripples are observed in the same ion energy and fluence.« less

Therapeutic drug monitoring in pregnancy.

PubMed

Matsui, Doreen M

2012-10-01

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is commonly recommended to optimize drug dosing regimens of various medications. It has been proposed to guide therapy in pregnant women, in whom physiological changes may lead to altered pharmacokinetics resulting in difficulty in predicting the appropriate drug dosage. Ideally, TDM may play a role in enhancing the effectiveness of treatment while minimizing toxicity of both the mother and fetus. Monitoring of drug levels may also be helpful in assessing adherence to prescribed therapy in selected cases. Limitations exist as therapeutic ranges have only been defined for a limited number of drugs and are based on data obtained in nonpregnant patients. TDM has been suggested for anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and antiretroviral drugs, based on pharmacokinetic studies that have shown reduced drug concentrations. However, there is only relatively limited (and sometimes inconsistent) information regarding the clinical impact of these pharmacokinetic changes during pregnancy and the effect of subsequent dose adjustments. Further studies are required to determine whether implementation of TDM during pregnancy improves outcome and is associated with any benefit beyond that achieved by clinical judgment alone. The cost effectiveness of TDM programs during pregnancy also remains to be examined.

A new test set for validating predictions of protein-ligand interaction.

PubMed

Nissink, J Willem M; Murray, Chris; Hartshorn, Mike; Verdonk, Marcel L; Cole, Jason C; Taylor, Robin

2002-12-01

We present a large test set of protein-ligand complexes for the purpose of validating algorithms that rely on the prediction of protein-ligand interactions. The set consists of 305 complexes with protonation states assigned by manual inspection. The following checks have been carried out to identify unsuitable entries in this set: (1) assessing the involvement of crystallographically related protein units in ligand binding; (2) identification of bad clashes between protein side chains and ligand; and (3) assessment of structural errors, and/or inconsistency of ligand placement with crystal structure electron density. In addition, the set has been pruned to assure diversity in terms of protein-ligand structures, and subsets are supplied for different protein-structure resolution ranges. A classification of the set by protein type is available. As an illustration, validation results are shown for GOLD and SuperStar. GOLD is a program that performs flexible protein-ligand docking, and SuperStar is used for the prediction of favorable interaction sites in proteins. The new CCDC/Astex test set is freely available to the scientific community (http://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk). Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A fully 3D approach for metal artifact reduction in computed tomography.

PubMed

Kratz, Barbel; Weyers, Imke; Buzug, Thorsten M

2012-11-01

In computed tomography imaging metal objects in the region of interest introduce inconsistencies during data acquisition. Reconstructing these data leads to an image in spatial domain including star-shaped or stripe-like artifacts. In order to enhance the quality of the resulting image the influence of the metal objects can be reduced. Here, a metal artifact reduction (MAR) approach is proposed that is based on a recomputation of the inconsistent projection data using a fully three-dimensional Fourier-based interpolation. The success of the projection space restoration depends sensitively on a sensible continuation of neighboring structures into the recomputed area. Fortunately, structural information of the entire data is inherently included in the Fourier space of the data. This can be used for a reasonable recomputation of the inconsistent projection data. The key step of the proposed MAR strategy is the recomputation of the inconsistent projection data based on an interpolation using nonequispaced fast Fourier transforms (NFFT). The NFFT interpolation can be applied in arbitrary dimension. The approach overcomes the problem of adequate neighborhood definitions on irregular grids, since this is inherently given through the usage of higher dimensional Fourier transforms. Here, applications up to the third interpolation dimension are presented and validated. Furthermore, prior knowledge may be included by an appropriate damping of the transform during the interpolation step. This MAR method is applicable on each angular view of a detector row, on two-dimensional projection data as well as on three-dimensional projection data, e.g., a set of sequential acquisitions at different spatial positions, projection data of a spiral acquisition, or cone-beam projection data. Results of the novel MAR scheme based on one-, two-, and three-dimensional NFFT interpolations are presented. All results are compared in projection data space and spatial domain with the well-known one-dimensional linear interpolation strategy. In conclusion, it is recommended to include as much spatial information into the recomputation step as possible. This is realized by increasing the dimension of the NFFT. The resulting image quality can be enhanced considerably.

Speech Inconsistency in Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Language Impairment, and Speech Delay: Depends on the Stimuli

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iuzzini-Seigel, Jenya; Hogan, Tiffany P.; Green, Jordan R.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The current research sought to determine (a) if speech inconsistency is a core feature of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) or if it is driven by comorbid language impairment that affects a large subset of children with CAS and (b) if speech inconsistency is a sensitive and specific diagnostic marker that can differentiate between CAS and…

On the far-IR and sub-mm spectra of spiral galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stark, A. A.; Davidson, J. A.; Harper, D. A.; Pernic, R.; Loewenstein, R.

1989-01-01

Photometric measurements of three Virgo cluster spirals (NGC4254, NGC4501, and NGC4654) at 160-microns (far-infrared) and 360-microns (submillimeter) wavelengths are compared with theoretical models and observations at other wavelengths. It is shown that the data at the observed wavelengths do not fit any of interstellar dust grain models very well; four possibilities are given in order to explain discrepancies: the observed wavelength points are incorrect; previously observed data is incorrect; both data are incorrect; and the premise of the analysis is incorrect - a composite far-infrared spectrum of normal spiral galaxies is meaningless because they vary considerably in their far-infrared properties. It is also noted that the observed data are inconsistent with models having large cold grains.

There is no right to the death of the fetus.

PubMed

Hendricks, Perry

2018-06-08

Joona Räsänen, in his article 'Ectogenesis, abortion and a right to the death of the fetus' (this journal), has argued for the view that parents have a right to the death of the fetus. In this brief article, I will explicate the three arguments Räsänen defends, and show that two of them have false or unmotivated premises and hence fail, and that the support he offers for his third argument is inconsistent with other views he expresses in his article. Therefore, I conclude that there is no right to the death of the fetus, or, if there is one, Räsänen has not shown it. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Linear clusters of galaxies - A194

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapman, G. N. F.; Geller, M. J.; Huchra, J. P.

1988-01-01

New measurements for 160 redshifts and previous measurements for 108 other redshifts are presented for galaxies within 5 deg of A194. The galaxy distribution in A194 is shown to be inconsistent with a spherically symmetric King model. A mass-to-light ratio is derived using the virial theorem which is lower than the mean for the groups in the CfA redshift survey (Huchra and Geller, 1982; Geller, 1984). A nonparametric test for galaxy-cluster alignment and a Chi-squared test are used to search for alignment of galaxy major axes with the axis of A194. Evidence for neither luminosity segregation nor significant differences in the velocity or surface distributions of galaxies as a function of morphological type is found.

Posttraumatic Stress and Depression in the Nonoffending Caregivers of Sexually Abused Children: Associations with Parenting Practices

PubMed Central

Jobe-Shields, Lisa; Swiecicki, Carole C.; Fritz, Darci R.; Stinnette, Jessica S.; Hanson, Rochelle F.

2016-01-01

Caregiver mental health is a known correlate of parenting practices, and recent research indicated that parental depression following childhood sexual abuse disclosure is associated with concurrent parenting difficulties. The present study extended this line of research by investigating posttraumatic stress symptoms and depression in a sample of caregivers (N=96) of children who experienced sexual abuse recruited from a Children’s Advocacy Center, as well as parenting practices reported by both caregivers and their children (Mean age = 10.79 years, SD = 3.29; 79% female). Twenty four percent of caregivers met criteria for presumptive clinical depression, clinically significant posttraumatic stress, or both. Results indicated elevated caregiver-reported inconsistent parenting in the context of clinically significant distress across symptom groups; children reported particularly elevated inconsistent parenting for caregivers with posttraumatic stress only. Caregiver depression was associated with low self-reported positive parenting and caregiver involvement, in addition to self-reported inconsistencies. Directions for future research are offered to further elucidate the relationships between caregiver mental health and parenting practices following childhood sexual abuse. PMID:26808966

Stereotypical images and implicit weight bias in overweight/obese people

PubMed Central

Hinman, Nova G.; Burmeister, Jacob M.; Hoffmann, Debra A.; Ashrafioun, Lisham; Koball, Afton M.

2013-01-01

Purpose In this brief report, an unanswered question in implicit weight bias research is addressed: Is weight bias stronger when obese and thin people are pictured engaging in stereotype consistent behaviors (e.g., obese—watching TV/eating junk food; thin—exercising/eating healthy) as opposed to the converse? Methods Implicit Associations Test (IAT) data were collected from two samples of overweight/obese adults participating in weight loss treatment. Both samples completed two IATs. In one IAT, obese and thin people were pictured engaging in stereotype consistent behaviors (e.g., obese—watching TV/eating junk food; thin—exercising/eating healthy). In the second IAT, obese and thin people were pictured engaging in stereotype inconsistent behaviors (e.g., obese—exercising/eating healthy; thin—watching TV/eating junk food). Results Implicit weight bias was evident regardless of whether participants viewed stereotype consistent or inconsistent pictures. However, implicit bias was significantly stronger for stereotype consistent compared to stereotype inconsistent images. Conclusion Implicit anti-fat attitudes may be connected to the way in which people with obesity are portrayed. PMID:24057679

Quantum non-objectivity from performativity of quantum phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khrennikov, Andrei; Schumann, Andrew

2014-12-01

We analyze the logical foundations of quantum mechanics (QM) by stressing non-objectivity of quantum observables, which is a consequence of the absence of logical atoms in QM. We argue that the matter of quantum non-objectivity is that, on the one hand, the formalism of QM constructed as a mathematical theory is self-consistent, but, on the other hand, quantum phenomena as results of experimenters’ performances are not self-consistent. This self-inconsistency is an effect of the language of QM differing greatly from the language of human performances. The former is the language of a mathematical theory that uses some Aristotelian and Russellian assumptions (e.g., the assumption that there are logical atoms). The latter language consists of performative propositions that are self-inconsistent only from the viewpoint of conventional mathematical theory, but they satisfy another logic that is non-Aristotelian. Hence, the representation of quantum reality in linguistic terms may be different: the difference between a mathematical theory and a logic of performative propositions. To solve quantum self-inconsistency, we apply the formalism of non-classical self-referent logics.

Vestibular influences on autonomic cardiovascular control in humans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biaggioni, I.; Costa, F.; Kaufmann, H.; Robertson, D. (Principal Investigator)

1998-01-01

There is substantial evidence that anatomical connections exist between vestibular and autonomic nuclei. Animal studies have shown functional interactions between the vestibular and autonomic systems. The nature of these interactions, however, is complex and has not been fully defined. Vestibular stimulation has been consistently found to reduce blood pressure in animals. Given the potential interaction between vestibular and autonomic pathways this finding could be explained by a reduction in sympathetic activity. However, rather than sympathetic inhibition, vestibular stimulation has consistently been shown to increase sympathetic outflow in cardiac and splanchnic vascular beds in most experimental models. Several clinical observations suggest that a link between vestibular and autonomic systems may also exist in humans. However, direct evidence for vestibular/autonomic interactions in humans is sparse. Motion sickness has been found to induce forearm vasodilation and reduce baroreflex gain, and head down neck flexion induces transient forearm and calf vasoconstriction. On the other hand, studies using optokinetic stimulation have found either very small, variable, or inconsistent changes in heart rate and blood pressure, despite substantial symptoms of motion sickness. Furthermore, caloric stimulation severe enough to produce nystagmus, dizziness, and nausea had no effect on sympathetic nerve activity measured directly with microneurography. No effect was observed on heart rate, blood pressure, or plasma norepinephrine. Several factors may explain the apparent discordance of these results, but more research is needed before we can define the potential importance of vestibular input to cardiovascular regulation and orthostatic tolerance in humans.

Plant diversity drives soil microbial biomass carbon in grasslands irrespective of global environmental change factors.

PubMed

Thakur, Madhav Prakash; Milcu, Alexandru; Manning, Pete; Niklaus, Pascal A; Roscher, Christiane; Power, Sally; Reich, Peter B; Scheu, Stefan; Tilman, David; Ai, Fuxun; Guo, Hongyan; Ji, Rong; Pierce, Sarah; Ramirez, Nathaly Guerrero; Richter, Annabell Nicola; Steinauer, Katja; Strecker, Tanja; Vogel, Anja; Eisenhauer, Nico

2015-11-01

Soil microbial biomass is a key determinant of carbon dynamics in the soil. Several studies have shown that soil microbial biomass significantly increases with plant species diversity, but it remains unclear whether plant species diversity can also stabilize soil microbial biomass in a changing environment. This question is particularly relevant as many global environmental change (GEC) factors, such as drought and nutrient enrichment, have been shown to reduce soil microbial biomass. Experiments with orthogonal manipulations of plant diversity and GEC factors can provide insights whether plant diversity can attenuate such detrimental effects on soil microbial biomass. Here, we present the analysis of 12 different studies with 14 unique orthogonal plant diversity × GEC manipulations in grasslands, where plant diversity and at least one GEC factor (elevated CO2 , nutrient enrichment, drought, earthworm presence, or warming) were manipulated. Our results show that higher plant diversity significantly enhances soil microbial biomass with the strongest effects in long-term field experiments. In contrast, GEC factors had inconsistent effects with only drought having a significant negative effect. Importantly, we report consistent non-significant effects for all 14 interactions between plant diversity and GEC factors, which indicates a limited potential of plant diversity to attenuate the effects of GEC factors on soil microbial biomass. We highlight that plant diversity is a major determinant of soil microbial biomass in experimental grasslands that can influence soil carbon dynamics irrespective of GEC. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Globus

MedlinePlus

... the contraction of the muscles of the upper esophageal sphincter have garnered inconsistent results, and no related anatomical abnormalities have been observed in the throat and larynx. Nevertheless, a troubled patient may be greatly ... Globus Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction Lower ...

Sexual behavior, psychosocial and knowledge differences between consistent, inconsistent and non-users of condoms: a study of female bar and hotel workers in Moshi, Tanzania.

PubMed

Tassiopoulos, Katherine K; Seage, George R; Sam, Noel E; Ao, Trong T H; Masenga, Elisante J; Hughes, Michael D; Kapiga, Saidi H

2006-07-01

Understanding psychosocial, sexual behavior and knowledge differences between never, inconsistent and consistent condom users can improve interventions to increase condom use in resource-poor countries, but they have not been adequately studied. We examined these differences in a cohort of 961 female hotel and bar workers in Moshi, Tanzania. Forty-nine percent of women reported no condom use; 39% reported inconsistent use, and 12% reported consistent use. Women with multiple sexual partners in the past five years were less likely to be consistent rather than inconsistent users as were women who had ever exchanged sex for gifts or money. Inconsistent users had higher condom knowledge and higher perceived acceptability of condom use than did never users, but they did not differ from consistent users by these factors. There are important differences between women by level of condom use. These findings can help inform interventions to increase condom use.

Nonsymmetric gravity theories: Inconsistencies and a cure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damour, T.; Deser, S.; McCarthy, J.

1993-02-01

Motivated by the apparent dependence of string σ models on the sum of spacetime metric and antisymmetric tensor fields, we reconsider gravity theories constructed from a nonsymmetric metric. We first show, by expanding in powers of the antisymmetric field, that all such ``geometrical'' theories homogeneous in second derivatives violate standard physical requirements: ghost freedom, absence of algebraic inconsistencies, or continuity of degree-of-freedom content. This no-go result applies in particular to the old unified theory of Einstein and its recent avatars. However, we find that the addition of nonderivative, ``cosmological'' terms formally restores consistency by giving a mass to the antisymmetric tensor field, thereby transmuting it into a fifth-force-like massive vector but with novel possible matter couplings. The resulting macroscopic models also exhibit ``van der Waals''-type gravitational effects, and may provide useful phenomenological foils to general relativity.

Using multi-level Bayesian lesion-symptom mapping to probe the body-part-specificity of gesture imitation skills.

PubMed

Achilles, Elisabeth I S; Weiss, Peter H; Fink, Gereon R; Binder, Ellen; Price, Cathy J; Hope, Thomas M H

2017-11-01

Past attempts to identify the neural substrates of hand and finger imitation skills in the left hemisphere of the brain have yielded inconsistent results. Here, we analyse those associations in a large sample of 257 left hemisphere stroke patients. By introducing novel Bayesian methods, we characterise lesion symptom associations at three levels: the voxel-level, the single-region level (using anatomically defined regions), and the region-pair level. The results are inconsistent across those three levels and we argue that each level of analysis makes assumptions which constrain the results it can produce. Regardless of the inconsistencies across levels, and contrary to past studies which implicated differential neural substrates for hand and finger imitation, we find no consistent voxels or regions, where damage affects one imitation skill and not the other, at any of the three analysis levels. Our novel Bayesian approach indicates that any apparent differences appear to be driven by an increased sensitivity of hand imitation skills to lesions that also impair finger imitation. In our analyses, the results of the highest level of analysis (region-pairs) emphasise a role of the primary somatosensory and motor cortices, and the occipital lobe in imitation. We argue that this emphasis supports an account of both imitation tasks based on direct sensor-motor connections, which throws doubt on past accounts which imply the need for an intermediate (e.g. body-part-coding) system of representation. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Segregation analysis of cryptogenic epilepsy and an empirical test of the validity of the results

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

Ottman, R.; Hauser, W.A.; Barker-Cummings, C.

1997-03-01

We used POINTER to perform segregation analysis of crytogenic epilepsy in 1,557 three-generation families (probands and their parents, siblings, and offspring) ascertained from voluntary organizations. Analysis of the full data set indicated that the data were most consistent with an autosomal dominant (AD) model with 61% penetrance of the susceptibility gene. However, subsequent analyses revealed that the patterns of familial aggregation differed markedly between siblings and offspring of the probands. Risks in siblings were consistent with an autosomal recessive (AR) model and inconsistent with an AD model, whereas risks in offspring were inconsistent with an AR model and more consistentmore » with an AD model. As a further test of the validity of the AD model, we used sequential ascertainment to extend the family history information in the subset of families judged likely to carry the putative susceptibility gene because they contained at least three affected individuals. Prevalence of idiopathic/cryptogenic epilepsy was only 3.7% in newly identified relatives expected to have a 50% probability of carrying the susceptibility gene under an AD model. Approximately 30% (i.e., 50% X 61%) were expected to be affected under the AD model resulting from the segregation analysis. These results suggest that the familial distribution of cryptogenic epilepsy is inconsistent with any conventional genetic model. The differences between siblings and offspring in the patterns of familial risk are intriguing and should be investigated further. 28 refs., 6 tabs.« less

How long-term memory and accentuation interact during spoken language comprehension.

PubMed

Li, Xiaoqing; Yang, Yufang

2013-04-01

Spoken language comprehension requires immediate integration of different information types, such as semantics, syntax, and prosody. Meanwhile, both the information derived from speech signals and the information retrieved from long-term memory exert their influence on language comprehension immediately. Using EEG (electroencephalogram), the present study investigated how the information retrieved from long-term memory interacts with accentuation during spoken language comprehension. Mini Chinese discourses were used as stimuli, with an interrogative or assertive context sentence preceding the target sentence. The target sentence included one critical word conveying new information. The critical word was either highly expected or lowly expected given the information retrieved from long-term memory. Moreover, the critical word was either consistently accented or inconsistently de-accented. The results revealed that for lowly expected new information, inconsistently de-accented words elicited a larger N400 and larger theta power increases (4-6 Hz) than consistently accented words. In contrast, for the highly expected new information, consistently accented words elicited a larger N400 and larger alpha power decreases (8-14 Hz) than inconsistently de-accented words. The results suggest that, during spoken language comprehension, the effect of accentuation interacted with the information retrieved from long-term memory immediately. Moreover, our results also have important consequences for our understanding of the processing nature of the N400. The N400 amplitude is not only enhanced for incorrect information (new and de-accented word) but also enhanced for correct information (new and accented words). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hypermnesia: a further examination of age differences between young and older adults.

PubMed

Otani, Hajime; Kato, Koichi; Von Glahn, Nicholas R; Nelson, Meghann E; Widner, Robert L; Goernert, Phillip N

2008-05-01

Previous studies that examined age differences in hypermnesia reported inconsistent results. The present experiment investigated whether the different study materials in these studies were responsible for the inconsistency. In particular, the present experiment examined whether the use of a video, as opposed to words and pictures, would eliminate previously reported age differences in hypermnesia. Fifteen college students and 15 older adults viewed a 3-minute video clip followed by two free-recall tests. The results indicated that older adults, as a whole, did not show hypermnesia. However, when older adults were divided into low and high memory groups based on test 1 performance, the high memory group showed hypermnesia whereas the low memory group did not show hypermnesia. The older adults in the low memory group were significantly older than the older adults in the high memory group - indicating that hypermnesia is inversely related to age in older adults. Reminiscence did not show an age-related difference in either the low or high memory group whereas inter-test forgetting did show an age difference in the low memory group. As expected, older adults showed greater inter-test forgetting than young adults in the low memory group. Findings from the present experiment suggest that video produces a pattern of results that is similar to the patterns obtained when words and pictures are used as study material. Thus, it appears that the nature of study material is not the source of inconsistency across the previous studies.

The Estrogenic Content of Rodent Diets, Bedding, Cages, and Water Bottles and Its Effect on Bisphenol A Studies

PubMed Central

Thigpen, Julius E; Setchell, Kenneth DR; Kissling, Grace E; Locklear, Jacqueline; Caviness, Gordon F; Whiteside, Tanya; Belcher, Scott M; Brown, Nadine M; Collins, Bradley J; Lih, Fred B; Tomer, Kenneth B; Padilla-Banks, Elizabeth; Camacho, Luísa; Adsit, Floyd G; Grant, Mary

2013-01-01

The lowest observed adverse effect level for bisphenol A (BPA) in mice and rats is currently poorly defined due to inconsistent study designs and results in published studies. The objectives of the current study were to (1) compare the estrogenic content of rodent diets, bedding, cages, and water bottles to evaluate their impact on the estrogenic activity of BPA and (2) review the literature on BPA to determine the most frequently reported diets, beddings, cages, and water bottles used in animal studies. Our literature review indicated that low-dose BPA animal studies have inconsistent results and that factors contributing to this inconsistency are the uses of high-phytoestrogen diets and the different routes of exposure. In 44% (76 of 172) of all reports, rodents were exposed to BPA via the subcutaneous route. Our literature review further indicated that the type of diet, bedding, caging, and water bottles used in BPA studies were not always reported. Only 37% (64 of 172) of the reports described the diet used. In light of these findings, we recommend the use of a diet containing low levels of phytoestrogen (less than 20 µg/g diet) and metabolizable energy (approximately 3.1 kcal/g diet) and estrogen-free bedding, cages, and water bottles for studies evaluating the estrogenic activity of endocrine-disrupting compounds such as BPA. The oral route of BPA exposure should be used when results are to be extrapolated to humans. PMID:23562095

The elephant in the room: Inconsistency in scene viewing and representation.

PubMed

Spotorno, Sara; Tatler, Benjamin W

2017-10-01

We examined the extent to which semantic informativeness, consistency with expectations and perceptual salience contribute to object prioritization in scene viewing and representation. In scene viewing (Experiments 1-2), semantic guidance overshadowed perceptual guidance in determining fixation order, with the greatest prioritization for objects that were diagnostic of the scene's depicted event. Perceptual properties affected selection of consistent objects (regardless of their informativeness) but not of inconsistent objects. Semantic and perceptual properties also interacted in influencing foveal inspection, as inconsistent objects were fixated longer than low but not high salience diagnostic objects. While not studied in direct competition with each other (each studied in competition with diagnostic objects), we found that inconsistent objects were fixated earlier and for longer than consistent but marginally informative objects. In change detection (Experiment 3), perceptual guidance overshadowed semantic guidance, promoting detection of highly salient changes. A residual advantage for diagnosticity over inconsistency emerged only when selection prioritization could not be based on low-level features. Overall these findings show that semantic inconsistency is not prioritized within a scene when competing with other relevant information that is essential to scene understanding and respects observers' expectations. Moreover, they reveal that the relative dominance of semantic or perceptual properties during selection depends on ongoing task requirements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

The effect of the position of atypical character-to-sound correspondences on reading kanji words aloud: Evidence for a sublexical serially operating kanji reading process.

PubMed

Sambai, Ami; Coltheart, Max; Uno, Akira

2018-04-01

In English, the size of the regularity effect on word reading-aloud latency decreases across position of irregularity. This has been explained by a sublexical serially operating reading mechanism. It is unclear whether sublexical serial processing occurs in reading two-character kanji words aloud. To investigate this issue, we studied how the position of atypical character-to-sound correspondences influenced reading performance. When participants read inconsistent-atypical words aloud mixed randomly with nonwords, reading latencies of words with an inconsistent-atypical correspondence in the initial position were significantly longer than words with an inconsistent-atypical correspondence in the second position. The significant difference of reading latencies for inconsistent-atypical words disappeared when inconsistent-atypical words were presented without nonwords. Moreover, reading latencies for words with an inconsistent-atypical correspondence in the first position were shorter than for words with a typical correspondence in the first position. This typicality effect was absent when the atypicality was in the second position. These position-of-atypicality effects suggest that sublexical processing of kanji occurs serially and that the phonology of two-character kanji words is generated from both a lexical parallel process and a sublexical serial process.

Consistency of communication among intensive care unit staff as perceived by family members of patients surviving to discharge.

PubMed

Hwang, David Y; Yagoda, Daniel; Perrey, Hilary M; Tehan, Tara M; Guanci, Mary; Ananian, Lillian; Currier, Paul F; Cobb, J Perren; Rosand, Jonathan

2014-02-01

We hypothesize that intensive care unit (ICU) families frequently perceive that they have received inconsistent information from staff about their relatives and that these inconsistencies influence abilities to make medical decisions, as well as satisfaction. We performed a prospective cohort study in the neurosciences and medical ICU at a university hospital. One hundred twenty-four family members of adult patients surviving to ICU discharge completed a questionnaire regarding perceptions of inconsistent information. Of 193 eligible patients, 64.2% had family complete the survey. Thirty-one respondents (25.0%; 95% confidence interval, 7.7) reported at least 1 instance of inconsistent information during their family member's admission, with no difference between the neurosciences ICU (21.5%; 9.3) and the medical ICU (31.1%; 14.1; P = .28). Of those who did receive inconsistent information, 38.7% (95% confidence interval, 18.2) reported multiple episodes and 74.2% (16.3) indicated that episodes occurred within the first 48 hours of admission. These episodes had an adverse effect, with 19.4% (14.7) indicating that they affected satisfaction and 9.7% (11.0) indicating that they made decision making difficult. Episodes involving inconsistent information from staff as perceived by families may be quite prevalent and may influence decision-making abilities and satisfaction.

A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials of omega-3 fatty acid augmentation in schizophrenia: Possible stage-specific effects.

PubMed

Chen, Alexander T; Chibnall, John T; Nasrallah, Henry A

2015-11-01

Omega-3 fatty acids have shown promise as an adjunctive treatment for schizophrenia. However, efficacy across studies has been inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis of published controlled studies with the goal of detecting different efficacy profiles at various stages of schizophrenia. An online search was conducted for randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials, and a meta-analysis was conducted. Ten studies met the criteria for inclusion. Among patients in the prodromal phase of schizophrenia, omega-3 supplementation reduced psychotic symptom severity and lowered conversion rates to first-episode psychosis. In patients with first-episode schizophrenia, omega-3 decreased nonpsychotic symptoms, required lower antipsychotic medication dosages, and improved early treatment response rates. Omega-3 had mixed results in patients with stable chronic schizophrenia, with only some patients experiencing significant benefits. Among patients with chronic schizophrenia, use of omega-3 fatty acids both by those experiencing acute exacerbations and those who had discontinued antipsychotic medications resulted in worsening of psychotic symptoms. The data suggest that omega-3 fatty acids may be efficacious in reducing clinical symptoms for patients in the earlier stages of schizophrenia (prodrome and first episode), while producing mixed results for patients in the chronic stages. Based on these results, omega-3 fatty acids would not be recommended for acute exacerbations in patients with chronic schizophrenia nor for relapse prevention after discontinuation of antipsychotics.

Surface Brightness Test and Plasma Redshift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brynjolfsson, Ari

2006-03-01

The plasma redshift of photons in a hot sparse plasma follows from basic axioms of physics. It has no adjustable parameters (arXiv:astro-ph/0406437). Both the distance-redshift relation and the magnitude-redshift relation for supernovae and galaxies are well-defined functions of the average electron densities in intergalactic space. We have previously shown that the predictions of the magnitude-redshift relation in plasma- redshift cosmology match well the observed relations for the type Ia supernovae (SNe). No adjustable parameters such as the time variable ``dark energy'' and ``dark matter'' are needed. We have also shown that plasma redshift cosmology predicts well the intensity and black body spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Plasma redshift explains also the spectrum below and above the 2.73 K black body CMB, and the X-ray background. In the following, we will show that the good observations and analyses of the relation between surface brightness and redshift for galaxies, as determined by Allan Sandage and Lori M. Lubin in 2001, are well predicted by the plasma redshift. All these relations are inconsistent with cosmic time dilation and the contemporary big-bang cosmology.

Four Bad Habits of Modern Psychologists

PubMed Central

Grice, James; Cota, Lisa; Taylor, Zachery; Garner, Samantha; Medellin, Eliwid; Vest, Adam

2017-01-01

Four data sets from studies included in the Reproducibility Project were re-analyzed to demonstrate a number of flawed research practices (i.e., “bad habits”) of modern psychology. Three of the four studies were successfully replicated, but re-analysis showed that in one study most of the participants responded in a manner inconsistent with the researchers’ theoretical model. In the second study, the replicated effect was shown to be an experimental confound, and in the third study the replicated statistical effect was shown to be entirely trivial. The fourth study was an unsuccessful replication, yet re-analysis of the data showed that questioning the common assumptions of modern psychological measurement can lead to novel techniques of data analysis and potentially interesting findings missed by traditional methods of analysis. Considered together, these new analyses show that while it is true replication is a key feature of science, causal inference, modeling, and measurement are equally important and perhaps more fundamental to obtaining truly scientific knowledge of the natural world. It would therefore be prudent for psychologists to confront the limitations and flaws in their current analytical methods and research practices. PMID:28805739

Four Bad Habits of Modern Psychologists.

PubMed

Grice, James; Barrett, Paul; Cota, Lisa; Felix, Crystal; Taylor, Zachery; Garner, Samantha; Medellin, Eliwid; Vest, Adam

2017-08-14

Four data sets from studies included in the Reproducibility Project were re-analyzed to demonstrate a number of flawed research practices (i.e., "bad habits") of modern psychology. Three of the four studies were successfully replicated, but re-analysis showed that in one study most of the participants responded in a manner inconsistent with the researchers' theoretical model. In the second study, the replicated effect was shown to be an experimental confound, and in the third study the replicated statistical effect was shown to be entirely trivial. The fourth study was an unsuccessful replication, yet re-analysis of the data showed that questioning the common assumptions of modern psychological measurement can lead to novel techniques of data analysis and potentially interesting findings missed by traditional methods of analysis. Considered together, these new analyses show that while it is true replication is a key feature of science, causal inference, modeling, and measurement are equally important and perhaps more fundamental to obtaining truly scientific knowledge of the natural world. It would therefore be prudent for psychologists to confront the limitations and flaws in their current analytical methods and research practices.

Analysis of the data on pregnancy and lactation provided by patient information leaflets of anti-rheumatic drugs in Argentina.

PubMed

Sabando, Miguel Ormaza; Saavedra, Maira Arias; Sequeira, Gabriel; Kerzberg, Eduardo

2018-04-01

To analyse the level of consistency and updating of the information on pregnancy and lactation provided by patient information leaflets (PILs) of the antirheumatic drugs approved in Argentina. Inconsistencies between the 2016 EULAR Task Force recommendations on the use of anti-rheumatic drugs during pregnancy and lactation and the information provided by PILs of the same drugs approved in Argentina were analysed along with inconsistencies within the PILs of different registered trademarks of these drugs. Eighty-eight PILs of 32 drugs were analysed. Out of the 88 PILs, 50% presented information inconsistencies as to pregnancy. Medications comprised in this group were: hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine, azathioprine, tacrolimus, cyclosporine, NSAIDs (during the first two trimesters), celecoxib, some glucocorticoids, colchicine, and some anti-TNF drugs (etanercept, adalimumab and infliximab) during part of the pregnancy. As for lactation, 56% had information inconsistencies. Medications encompassed in this group were: hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, sulfasalazine, azathioprine, tacrolimus, cyclosporine, NSAIDs, celecoxib, meprednisone, prednisone, colchicine, and anti-TNF drugs. Out of 17 drugs that had more than one registered trademark, information inconsistencies on pregnancy were found in the PILs of sulfasalazine, diclofenac, ibuprofen and methylprednisolone. Concerning lactation, inconsistencies were present in the PILs of hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, meprednisone, and colchicine. At least half of the PILs of anti-rheumatic drugs analysed in this study had information inconsistencies on pregnancy and lactation. This is a serious state of affairs because the consensual decision-making process between patient and professional may be compromised, which, in turn, may give rise to medical-legal issues.

Reasons for Inconsistent Condom Use Found as Answers to a Multiple Response Question: A National Survey of Iranian Adults, 2013.

PubMed

Mirzaee, Moghaddameh; Jahani, Yunes; Sharifi, Hamid

2017-08-10

The use of condoms is important for preventing Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). However, the prevalence of condom use is not satisfactory. The aim of this study was to assess the reasons for inconsistent condom use in Iranian adults. Cross-sectional study. Data were gathered through multi-stage sampling. Participants were enrolled from 13 provinces in Iran aged between 19 and 29 years. They had ever-extramarital sex and did not use condoms regularly in their sexual contacts, asked the reasons for inconsistent condom use. We had 3,246 adults, from which 635 (19.5%) had ever-extramarital sex. Among them, 495 (77.96%) did not use condoms with regularity. The reason frequently chosen for inconsistent condom use was 'that it is not accessible' (49.3%). The differences between the categories of some variables, according to the choice of reasons for inconsistent condom use, were significant (P<0.05): age, gender, knowledge of HIV, attitude towards HIV, knowing infected HIV person and alcohol or stimulant(s) used before sexual contact. According to multivariate multilevel logistic, the effect of gender was significant on most of reasons for inconsistent condom use (P <0.05). Most of the reasons that were selected for inconsistent condom use were inaccessibility and not knowing that its use is essential. Hence, it is important to improve the knowledge of adults regarding STI/HIV and extend the locations of condom distribution. We should try to promote the culture of condom use as a routine.

What is This Thing Called Sensemaking?: A Theoretical Framework for How Physics Students Resolve Inconsistencies in Understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Odden, Tor Ole B.

Students often emerge from introductory physics courses with a feeling that the concepts they have learned do not make sense. In recent years, science education researchers have begun to attend to this type of problem by studying the ways in which students make sense of science concepts. However, although many researchers agree intuitively on what sensemaking looks like, the literature on sensemaking is both theoretically fragmented and provides few guidelines for how to encourage and support the process. In this dissertation, I address this challenge by proposing a theoretical framework to describe students' sensemaking processes. I base this framework both on the science education research literature on sensemaking and on a series of video-recorded cognitive, clinical interviews conducted with introductory physics students enrolled in a course on electricity and magnetism. Using the science education research literature on sensemaking as well as a cognitivist, dynamic network model of mind as a theoretical lens, I first propose a coherent definition of sensemaking. Then, using this definition I analyze the sensemaking processes of these introductory physics students during episodes when they work to articulate and resolve gaps or inconsistencies in their understanding. Based on the students' framing, gestures, and dialogue I argue that the process of sensemaking unfolds in a distinct way, which we can describe as an epistemic game in which students first build a framework of knowledge, then identify a gap or inconsistency in that framework, iteratively build an explanation to resolve the gap or inconsistency, and (sometimes) successfully resolve it. I further argue that their entry into the sensemaking frame is facilitated by a specific question, which is in turn motivated by a gap or inconsistency in knowledge that I call the vexation point. I also investigate the results of sensemaking, arguing that students may use the technique of conceptual blending to both "defragment" their knowledge and resolve their vexation points.

The Role of Dyad-Level Factors in Shaping Sexual and Drug-Related HIV/STI Risks among Sex Workers with Intimate Partners

PubMed Central

Argento, Elena; Shannon, Kate; Nguyen, Paul; Dobrer, Sabina; Chettiar, Jill; Deering, Kathleen N.

2015-01-01

Background Despite high HIV burden among sex workers (SWs) globally, and relatively high prevalence of client condom use, research on potential HIV/STI risk pathways of intimate partnerships is limited. This study investigated partner/dyad-level factors associated with inconsistent condom use among SWs with intimate partners in Vancouver, Canada. Methods Baseline data (2010–2013) were drawn from a community-based prospective cohort of women SWs. Multivariable generalized estimating equations logistic regression examined dyad-level factors associated with inconsistent condom use (<100% in last six months) with up to three male intimate partners per SW. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were reported (AOR[95%CI]). Results Overall, 369 SWs reported having at least one intimate partner, with 70.1% reporting inconsistent condom use. Median length of partnerships was 1.8 years, with longer duration linked to inconsistent condom use. In multivariable analysis, dyad factors significantly associated with increased odds of inconsistent condom use included: having a cohabiting (5.43[2.53–11.66]) or non-cohabiting intimate partner (2.15[1.11–4.19]) (versus casual partner), providing drugs (3.04[1.47–6.30]) or financial support to an intimate partner (2.46[1.05–5.74]), physical intimate partner violence (2.20[1.17–4.12]), and an intimate partner providing physical safety (2.08[1.11–3.91]); non-injection drug use was associated with a 68% reduced odds (0.32[0.17–0.60]). Conclusions Our study highlights the complex role of dyad-level factors in shaping sexual and drug-related HIV/STI risk pathways for SWs from intimate partners. Couple and gender-focused interventions efforts are needed to reduce HIV/STI risks to SWs through intimate partnerships. This research supports further calls for integrated violence and HIV prevention within broader sexual/reproductive health efforts for SWs. PMID:26585612

Application of the method of images on electrostatic phenomena in aqueous Al2O3 and ZrO2 suspensions.

PubMed

Cordelair, Jens; Greil, Peter

2003-09-15

A new solution for the Poisson equation for the diffuse part of the double layer around spherical particles will be presented. The numerical results are compared with the solution of the well-known DLVO theory. The range of the diffuse layer differs considerably in the two theories. Also, the inconsistent representation of the surface and diffuse layer charge in the DLVO theory do not occur in the new theory. Experimental zeta potential measurements were used to determine the charge of colloidal Al2O3 and ZrO2 particles. It is shown that the calculated charge can be interpreted as a superposition of independent H+ and OH- adsorption isotherms. The corresponding Langmuir adsorption isotherms are taken to model the zeta potential dependence on pH. In the vicinity of the isoelectric point the model fits well with the experimental data, but at higher ion concentrations considerable deviations occur. The deviations are discussed. Furthermore, the numerical results for the run of the potential in the diffuse part of the double layer were used to determine the electrostatic interaction potential between the particles in correlation with the zeta potential measurements. The corresponding total interaction potentials, including the van der Waals attraction, were taken to calculate the coagulation half-life for a suspension with a particle loading of 2 vol%. It is shown that stability against coagulation is maintained for Al2O3 particles in the pH region between 3.3 and 7 and for ZrO2 only around pH 5. Stability against flocculation can be achieved in the pH regime between 4.5 and 7 for Al2O3, while the examined ZrO2 particles are not stable against flocculation in aqueous suspensions.

Transcranial direct current stimulation enhances verbal working memory training performance over time and near transfer outcomes.

PubMed

Richmond, Lauren L; Wolk, David; Chein, Jason; Olson, Ingrid R

2014-11-01

Studies attempting to increase working memory (WM) capacity show promise in enhancing related cognitive functions but have also raised criticism in the broader scientific community given the inconsistent findings produced by these studies. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to enhance WM performance in a single session [Fregni, F., Boggio, P., Nitsche, M., Bermpohl, F., Anatal, A., Feredoes, E., et al. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of prefrontal cortex enhances working memory. Experimental Brain Research, 166, 23-30, 2005]; however, the extent to which tDCS might enhance learning on a WM training regime and the extent to which learning gains might transfer outside the training task remains largely unknown. To this end, participants engaged in an adaptive WM training task [previously utilized in Richmond, L., Morrison, A., Chein, J., & Olson, I. Working memory training and transfer in older adults. Psychology & Aging, 26, 813-822, 2011; Chein, J., & Morrison, A. Expanding the mind's workspace: Training and transfer effects with a complex working memory span task. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 17, 193-199, 2010] for 10 sessions over 2 weeks, concurrent with either active or sham stimulation of dorsolateral pFC. Before and after training, a battery of tests tapping domains known to relate to WM abilities was administered. Results show that tDCS enhanced learning on the verbal portion of the training task by 3.65 items. Furthermore, tDCS was shown to enhance near transfer to other untrained WM tasks in comparison with a no-contact control group. These results lend support to the idea that tDCS might bolster training and transfer gains in populations with compromised WM abilities.

Puzzling Facts From Lunar Exploration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Page, Thornton

1973-01-01

Inconsistencies have arisen between earth-bound observations and data collected from space probes. These inconsistencies center on the moon's structure, temperature, magnetization, composition, and origin. (DF)

Inconsistencies between Academic E-Book Platforms: A Comparison of Metadata and Search Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiersma, Gabrielle; Tovstiadi, Esta

2017-01-01

This article presents the results of a study of academic e-books that compared the metadata and search results from major academic e-book platforms. The authors collected data and performed a series of test searches designed to produce the same result regardless of platform. Testing, however, revealed metadata-related errors and significant…

An examination of three theoretical models to explain the organ donation attitude--registration discrepancy among mature adults.

PubMed

Quick, Brian L; Anker, Ashley E; Feeley, Thomas Hugh; Morgan, Susan E

2016-01-01

An inconsistency in the research indicates positive attitudes toward organ donation do not map reliably onto organ donor registrations. Various models have sought to explain this inconsistency and the current analysis formally compared three models: the Bystander Intervention Model (BIM), the Organ Donor Model (ODM), and Vested Interest Theory (VIT). Mature (N = 688) adults between the ages of 50 to 64 years completed surveys related to organ donation. Results revealed that VIT accounted for the most variance in organ donation registrations followed by the BIM and ODM. The discussion emphasizes the importance of employing theories to explain a phenomenon as well as the practical implications of the findings.

Auditing the NCI Thesaurus with Semantic Web Technologies

PubMed Central

Mougin, Fleur; Bodenreider, Olivier

2008-01-01

Auditing biomedical terminologies often results in the identification of inconsistencies and thus helps to improve their quality. In this paper, we present a method based on Semantic Web technologies for auditing biomedical terminologies and apply it to the NCI thesaurus. We stored the NCI thesaurus concepts and their properties in an RDF triple store. By querying this store, we assessed the consistency of both hierarchical and associative relations from the NCI thesaurus among themselves and with corresponding relations in the UMLS Semantic Network. We show that the consistency is better for associative relations than for hierarchical relations. Causes for inconsistency and benefits from using Semantic Web technologies for auditing purposes are discussed. PMID:18999265

Auditing the NCI thesaurus with semantic web technologies.

PubMed

Mougin, Fleur; Bodenreider, Olivier

2008-11-06

Auditing biomedical terminologies often results in the identification of inconsistencies and thus helps to improve their quality. In this paper, we present a method based on Semantic Web technologies for auditing biomedical terminologies and apply it to the NCI thesaurus. We stored the NCI thesaurus concepts and their properties in an RDF triple store. By querying this store, we assessed the consistency of both hierarchical and associative relations from the NCI thesaurus among themselves and with corresponding relations in the UMLS Semantic Network. We show that the consistency is better for associative relations than for hierarchical relations. Causes for inconsistency and benefits from using Semantic Web technologies for auditing purposes are discussed.

Analysis of Moms Across America report suggesting bioaccumulation of glyphosate in U.S. mother's breast milk: Implausibility based on inconsistency with available body of glyphosate animal toxicokinetic, human biomonitoring, and physico-chemical data.

PubMed

Bus, James S

2015-12-01

The non-peer-reviewed biomonitoring report published online by Moms Across America (MAA; Honeycutt and Rowlands, 2014) does not support the conclusion that glyphosate concentrations detected in a limited number of urine samples from women, men and children, or breast milk from nursing mothers, pose a health risk to the public, including nursing children. Systemically absorbed doses of glyphosate estimated from the MAA urine biomonitoring data and from other published biomonitoring studies indicate that daily glyphosate doses are substantially below health protective reference standards (ADIs; RfDs) established by regulatory agencies. The MAA report also suggested that detection of relatively high glyphosate concentrations in breast milk in 3 of 10 sampled women raised a concern for bioaccumulation in breast milk. However, the breast milk concentrations reported by MAA are highly implausible when considered in context to low daily systemic doses of glyphosate estimated from human urine biomonitoring data, and also are inconsistent with animal toxicokinetic data demonstrating no evidence of retention in tissues or milk after single- or multiple-dose glyphosate treatment. In addition, toxicokinetic studies in lactating goats have shown that glyphosate does not partition into milk at concentrations greater than blood, and that only a very small percentage of the total administered dose (<0.03%) is ultimately excreted into milk. The toxicokinetic studies also indicate that human glyphosate exposures estimated from urine biomonitoring fall thousands-of-fold short of external doses capable of producing blood concentrations sufficient to result in the breast milk concentrations described in the MAA report. Finally, in contrast to highly lipophilic compounds with bioaccumulation potential in breast milk, the physico-chemical properties of glyphosate indicate that it is highly hydrophilic (ionized) at physiological pH and unlikely to preferentially distribute into breast milk. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Prevention of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents : Critical appraisal of the evidence base].

PubMed

Pigeot, Iris; Baranowski, Tom; Lytle, Leslie; Ahrens, Wolfgang

2016-11-01

Despite careful planning and implementation, overweight/obesity prevention interventions in children and adolescents typically show no, inconsistent or merely weak effects. Such programs usually aim at behavior changes, rarely also at environmental changes, that draw upon conventional wisdom regarding the commonly accepted determinants of childhood overweight/obesity. This paper evaluates the evidence base of the apparently overweight-/obesity-related determinants diet, physical activity and stress. The results of international intervention studies are discussed against this background. Based on the mediating-moderating variable model, we investigate the effect of theory specified mediating variables and how potential moderating variables may impact these relationships. Contrary to common beliefs, recent research has revealed inconsistent evidence regarding associations between potentially obesogenic behaviors and overweight/obesity in youth. Moreover, the evidence for strong and causal relationships between mediating variables and targeted behaviors seems to be inconsistent. In addition, inadequate attention is paid to moderating effects. The etiology of overweight/obesity in youth is likely the result of a complex interplay of multi-causal influences. Future prevention interventions would benefit from a more thorough understanding of the complex relationships that have been hypothesized and of the mechanisms of suspected behaviors for affecting overweight/obesity. Only if substantial change can be demonstrated in mediators with reasonable effort under real world circumstances, it will make sense to progress to community behavior change trials.

Statistical Reporting Errors and Collaboration on Statistical Analyses in Psychological Science.

PubMed

Veldkamp, Coosje L S; Nuijten, Michèle B; Dominguez-Alvarez, Linda; van Assen, Marcel A L M; Wicherts, Jelte M

2014-01-01

Statistical analysis is error prone. A best practice for researchers using statistics would therefore be to share data among co-authors, allowing double-checking of executed tasks just as co-pilots do in aviation. To document the extent to which this 'co-piloting' currently occurs in psychology, we surveyed the authors of 697 articles published in six top psychology journals and asked them whether they had collaborated on four aspects of analyzing data and reporting results, and whether the described data had been shared between the authors. We acquired responses for 49.6% of the articles and found that co-piloting on statistical analysis and reporting results is quite uncommon among psychologists, while data sharing among co-authors seems reasonably but not completely standard. We then used an automated procedure to study the prevalence of statistical reporting errors in the articles in our sample and examined the relationship between reporting errors and co-piloting. Overall, 63% of the articles contained at least one p-value that was inconsistent with the reported test statistic and the accompanying degrees of freedom, and 20% of the articles contained at least one p-value that was inconsistent to such a degree that it may have affected decisions about statistical significance. Overall, the probability that a given p-value was inconsistent was over 10%. Co-piloting was not found to be associated with reporting errors.

Statistical Reporting Errors and Collaboration on Statistical Analyses in Psychological Science

PubMed Central

Veldkamp, Coosje L. S.; Nuijten, Michèle B.; Dominguez-Alvarez, Linda; van Assen, Marcel A. L. M.; Wicherts, Jelte M.

2014-01-01

Statistical analysis is error prone. A best practice for researchers using statistics would therefore be to share data among co-authors, allowing double-checking of executed tasks just as co-pilots do in aviation. To document the extent to which this ‘co-piloting’ currently occurs in psychology, we surveyed the authors of 697 articles published in six top psychology journals and asked them whether they had collaborated on four aspects of analyzing data and reporting results, and whether the described data had been shared between the authors. We acquired responses for 49.6% of the articles and found that co-piloting on statistical analysis and reporting results is quite uncommon among psychologists, while data sharing among co-authors seems reasonably but not completely standard. We then used an automated procedure to study the prevalence of statistical reporting errors in the articles in our sample and examined the relationship between reporting errors and co-piloting. Overall, 63% of the articles contained at least one p-value that was inconsistent with the reported test statistic and the accompanying degrees of freedom, and 20% of the articles contained at least one p-value that was inconsistent to such a degree that it may have affected decisions about statistical significance. Overall, the probability that a given p-value was inconsistent was over 10%. Co-piloting was not found to be associated with reporting errors. PMID:25493918

A systematic review of the effects of experimental fasting on cognition.

PubMed

Benau, Erik M; Orloff, Natalia C; Janke, E Amy; Serpell, Lucy; Timko, C Alix

2014-06-01

Numerous investigations have been conducted on the impact of short-term fasting on cognition in healthy individuals. Some studies have suggested that fasting is associated with executive function deficits; however, findings have been inconsistent. The lack of consensus regarding the impact of short-term fasting in healthy controls has impeded investigation of the impact of starvation or malnutrition in clinical groups, such as anorexia nervosa (AN). One method of disentangling these effects is to examine acute episodes of starvation experimentally. The present review systematically investigated the impact of short-term fasting on cognition. Studies investigating attentional bias to food-related stimuli were excluded so as to focus on general cognition. Ten articles were included in the review. The combined results are equivocal: several studies report no observable differences as a result of fasting and others show specific deficits on tasks designed to test psychomotor speed, executive function, and mental rotation. This inconsistent profile of fasting in healthy individuals demonstrates the complexity of the role of short-term fasting in cognition; the variety of tasks used, composition of the sample, and type and duration of fasting across studies may also have contributed to the inconsistent profile. Additional focused studies on neuropsychological profiles of healthy individuals are warranted in order to better develop an understanding of the role of hunger in cognition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inconsistency of speech in children with childhood apraxia of speech, phonological disorders, and typical speech

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iuzzini, Jenya

There is a lack of agreement on the features used to differentiate Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) from Phonological Disorders (PD). One criterion which has gained consensus is lexical inconsistency of speech (ASHA, 2007); however, no accepted measure of this feature has been defined. Although lexical assessment provides information about consistency of an item across repeated trials, it may not capture the magnitude of inconsistency within an item. In contrast, segmental analysis provides more extensive information about consistency of phoneme usage across multiple contexts and word-positions. The current research compared segmental and lexical inconsistency metrics in preschool-aged children with PD, CAS, and typical development (TD) to determine how inconsistency varies with age in typical and disordered speakers, and whether CAS and PD were differentiated equally well by both assessment levels. Whereas lexical and segmental analyses may be influenced by listener characteristics or speaker intelligibility, the acoustic signal is less vulnerable to these factors. In addition, the acoustic signal may reveal information which is not evident in the perceptual signal. A second focus of the current research was motivated by Blumstein et al.'s (1980) classic study on voice onset time (VOT) in adults with acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) which demonstrated a motor impairment underlying AOS. In the current study, VOT analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between age and group with the voicing distribution for bilabial and alveolar plosives. Findings revealed that 3-year-olds evidenced significantly higher inconsistency than 5-year-olds; segmental inconsistency approached 0% in 5-year-olds with TD, whereas it persisted in children with PD and CAS suggesting that for child in this age-range, inconsistency is a feature of speech disorder rather than typical development (Holm et al., 2007). Likewise, whereas segmental and lexical inconsistency were moderately-highly correlated, even the most highly-related segmental and lexical measures agreed on only 76% of classifications (i.e., to CAS and PD). Finally, VOT analyses revealed that CAS utilized a distinct distribution pattern relative to PD and TD. Discussion frames the current findings within a profile of CAS and provides a validated list of criteria for the differential diagnosis of CAS and PD.

Examination of the Gender-Student Engagement Relationship at One University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tison, Emilee B.; Bateman, Tanner; Culver, Steven M.

2011-01-01

Research examining the relationship between gender and student engagement at the post secondary level has provided mixed results. The current study explores two possible reasons for lack of clarity regarding this relationship: improper parameter estimation resulting from a lack of multi-level analyses and inconsistent conceptions/measures of…

Comparative In vivo, Ex vivo, and In vitro Toxicity Studies of Engineered Nanomaterials

EPA Science Inventory

Efforts to reduce the number of animals in engineered nanomaterials (ENM) toxicity testing have resulted in the development of numerous alternative toxicity testing methods, but in vivo and in vitro results are still evolving and variable. This inconsistency could be due to the f...

EFFECTS OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE OF INTERPERSONAL AND TASK PERFORMANCE UPON LEADER PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOR.

DTIC Science & Technology

officer. The results were consistent with the interpretation that high LPC leaders obtain self - esteem and adjustment through the interpersonal...aspects of the situation. However, the results were inconsistent with the interpretation that low LPC leaders obtain self - esteem from the intrinsic

Environmental Concern and Sociodemographic Variables: A Study of Statistical Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiao, Chenyang; McCright, Aaron M.

2007-01-01

Studies of the social bases of environmental concern over the past 30 years have produced somewhat inconsistent results regarding the effects of sociodemographic variables, such as gender, income, and place of residence. The authors argue that model specification errors resulting from violation of two statistical assumptions (interval-level…

An Automated Method for Identifying Inconsistencies within Diagrammatic Software Requirements Specifications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Zhong

1997-01-01

The development of large-scale, composite software in a geographically distributed environment is an evolutionary process. Often, in such evolving systems, striving for consistency is complicated by many factors, because development participants have various locations, skills, responsibilities, roles, opinions, languages, terminology and different degrees of abstraction they employ. This naturally leads to many partial specifications or viewpoints. These multiple views on the system being developed usually overlap. From another aspect, these multiple views give rise to the potential for inconsistency. Existing CASE tools do not efficiently manage inconsistencies in distributed development environment for a large-scale project. Based on the ViewPoints framework the WHERE (Web-Based Hypertext Environment for requirements Evolution) toolkit aims to tackle inconsistency management issues within geographically distributed software development projects. Consequently, WHERE project helps make more robust software and support software assurance process. The long term goal of WHERE tools aims to the inconsistency analysis and management in requirements specifications. A framework based on Graph Grammar theory and TCMJAVA toolkit is proposed to detect inconsistencies among viewpoints. This systematic approach uses three basic operations (UNION, DIFFERENCE, INTERSECTION) to study the static behaviors of graphic and tabular notations. From these operations, subgraphs Query, Selection, Merge, Replacement operations can be derived. This approach uses graph PRODUCTIONS (rewriting rules) to study the dynamic transformations of graphs. We discuss the feasibility of implementation these operations. Also, We present the process of porting original TCM (Toolkit for Conceptual Modeling) project from C++ to Java programming language in this thesis. A scenario based on NASA International Space Station Specification is discussed to show the applicability of our approach. Finally, conclusion and future work about inconsistency management issues in WHERE project will be summarized.

Comparison of reporting phase III randomized controlled trials of antibiotic treatment for common bacterial infections in ClinicalTrials.gov and matched publications.

PubMed

Shepshelovich, D; Yelin, D; Gafter-Gvili, A; Goldman, S; Avni, T; Yahav, D

2018-02-15

Discrepancies between ClinicalTrials.gov entries and matching publications were previously described in general medicine. We aimed to evaluate the consistency of reporting in trials addressing systemic antibiotic therapy. We searched ClinicalTrials.gov for completed phase III trials comparing antibiotic regimens until May 2017. Matched publications were identified in PubMed. Two independent reviewers extracted data and identified inconsistencies. Reporting was assessed among studies started before and after 1 July 2005, when the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) required mandatory registration as a prerequisite for considering a trial for publication. Matching publications were identified for 75 (70%) of 107 ClinicalTrials.gov entries. Median time from study completion to publication was 26 months (interquartile range 19-42). Primary outcome definition was inconsistent between ClinicalTrials.gov and publications in seven trials (7/72, 10%) and reporting of the primary outcome timeframe was inconsistent in 14 (14/71, 20%). Secondary outcomes definitions were inconsistent in 36 trials (36/66, 55%). Reporting of inclusion criteria and study timeline were inconsistent in 17% (13/65) and 3% (2/65), respectively. Trials started after July 2005 were significantly less likely to have reporting inconsistencies and were published in higher impact factor journals. We found a lower inconsistency rate of outcome reporting compared with other medical disciplines. Reporting completeness and consistency were significantly better after July 2005. The ICMJE requirement for mandatory registration was associated with significant improvement in reporting quality in infectious diseases trials. Prolonged time lag to publication and missing data from unpublished trials should raise a discussion on current reporting and publishing procedures. Copyright © 2018 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Masculinities and condom use patterns among young rural South Africa men: a cross-sectional baseline survey.

PubMed

Shai, N Jama; Jewkes, R; Nduna, M; Dunkle, K

2012-06-20

Notions of ideal manhood in South Africa are potentially prescriptive of male sexuality thus accounting for the behaviors which may lead to men being at greater HIV risk. We tested the hypothesis that gender and relationship constructs are associated with condom use among young men living in rural South Africa. 1219 men aged 15-26 years completed a cross-sectional baseline survey from an IsiXhosa questionnaire asking about sexual behaviour and relationships. Univariate and bivariate analyses described condom use patterns and explanatory variables, and multinomial regression modeling assessed the factors associated with inconsistent versus consistent and non-condom use. 47.7% of men never used condoms, when 36.9% were inconsistent and 15.4% were consistent with any partner in the past year. Condom use patterns differed in association with gender relations attitudes: never users were significantly more conservative than inconsistent or consistent users. Three gender positions emerged indicating that inconsistent users were most physically/sexually violent and sexually risky; never users had more conservative gender attitudes but were less violent and sexually risky; and consistent users were less conservative, less violent and sexually risky with notably fewer sexual partners than inconsistent users. The confluence of conservative gender attitudes, perpetration of violence against women and sexual risk taking distinguished inconsistent condom users as the most risky compared to never condom users, and rendered inconsistent use one of the basic negative attributes of dominant masculinities in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This finding is important for the design of HIV prevention and gender equity interventions and emphasizes the need for a wider roll-out of interventions that promote progressive and healthy masculine practices in the country.

Factors associated with inconsistency in self-reported mild traumatic brain injury over time among military personnel in Iraq.

PubMed

Nelson, Nathaniel W; Anderson, Carolyn R; Thuras, Paul; Kehle-Forbes, Shannon M; Arbisi, Paul A; Erbes, Christopher R; Polusny, Melissa A

2015-03-01

Estimates of the prevalence of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among military personnel and combat veterans rely almost exclusively on retrospective self-reports; however, reliability of these reports has received little attention. To examine the consistency of reporting of mTBI over time and identify factors associated with inconsistent reporting. A longitudinal cohort of 948 US National Guard Soldiers deployed to Iraq completed self-report questionnaire screening for mTBI and psychological symptoms while in-theatre 1 month before returning home (time 1, T1) and 1 year later (time 2, T2). Most respondents (n = 811, 85.5%) were consistent in their reporting of mTBI across time. Among those who were inconsistent in their reports (n = 137, 14.5%), the majority denied mTBI at T1 and affirmed mTBI at T2 (n = 123, 89.8%). Respondents rarely endorsed mTBI in-theatre and later denied mTBI (n = 14, 10.2% of those with inconsistent reports). Post-deployment post-traumatic stress symptoms and non-specific physical complaints were significantly associated with inconsistent report of mTBI. Military service members' self-reports of mTBI are generally consistent over time; however, inconsistency in retrospective self-reporting of mTBI status is associated with current post-traumatic stress symptoms and non-specific physical health complaints. Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Identifying Inconsistencies and Reporting Deficits in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (TMB) Case Reports Authored by TMB Practitioners: a TMB-Adapted CAse REport (CARE) Guidelines Audit Through 2014†

PubMed Central

Munk, Niki; Shue, Sarah; Freeland, Emilee; Ralston, Rick; Boulanger, Karen T.

2016-01-01

Introduction Case reports are a fundamental tool through which therapeutic massage and bodywork (TMB) practitioners can inform research and impact their field by detailing the presentation, treatment, and follow-up of a single individual encountered in practice. Inconsistencies in case reporting limit their impact as fundamental sources of clinical evidence. Using the TMB-adapted CAse REport (CARE) guidelines, the current study sought to provide a rich description regarding the reporting quality of TMB practitioner authored TMB case reports in the literature. Methods 1) Systematic identification of published, peer-reviewed TMB case reports authored by TMB practitioners following PRISMA recommendations; 2) audit development based on TMB-adapted CARE guidelines; 3) audit implementation; and 4) descriptive analysis of audit scores. Results Our search identified 977 articles and 35 met study inclusion criteria. On average, TMB case reports included approximately 58% of the total items identified as necessary by the TMB-adapted CARE guidelines. Introduction sections of case reports had the best item reporting (80% on average), while Case Presentation (54%) and Results (52%) sections scored moderately overall, with only 20% of necessary Practitioner Description items included on average. Audit scores revealed inconsistent abstract reporting and few audited case reports including client race (20%), perspective (26%), and occupation/activities (40%); practitioner practice setting (12%), training (12%), scope-of-practice (29%), and credentialing (20%); adverse events or lack thereof (17%); and some aspect of informed consent (34%). Treatment descriptor item reporting varied from high to low. Various implications of concern are discussed. Conclusion The current audit and descriptive analysis highlight several reporting inconsistencies in TMB case reports prior to 2015. Reporting guidelines for case reports are important if standards for, and impact of, TMB case reports are desired. Adherence to reporting specifications outlined by the TMB-adapted CARE guidelines could improve the impact and usability of TMB case reports in research, education, and practice. PMID:27648108