Number Of Different Measures Research Articles

The Relationship Between Artificial and Second Language Learning.

Artificial language learning (ALL) experiments have become an important tool in exploring principles of language and language learning. A persistent question in all of this work, however, is whether ALL engages the linguistic system and whether ALL studies are ecologically valid assessments of natural language ability. In the present study, we considered these questions by examining the relationship between performance in an ALL task and second language learning ability. Participants enrolled in a Spanish language class were evaluated using a number of different measures of Spanish ability and classroom performance, which was compared to IQ and a number of different measures of ALL performance. The results show that success in ALL experiments, particularly more complex artificial languages, correlates positively with indices of L2 learning even after controlling for IQ. These findings provide a key link between studies involving ALL and our understanding of second language learning in the classroom.

Examining Mental Health Illness in a Community Based Sample of Pregnant and Postpartum Youth: A Pilot Study

Background: One in five women will suffer from mental health (MH) disorders during their pregnancy or first year postpartum. These rates are even higher in adolescent mothers. In an attempt to optimize health outcomes for young mothers and their families, a multi-disciplinary clinic for pregnant and post-partum adolescents was established at a community based young parent’s outreach center in Ottawa in 2004 (St. Mary’s Home). An on-site psychiatric clinic was piloted at the center in 2013. The current study aimed to describe characteristics of patients using data obtained at initial assessment. Methods: A total of 36 patients were referred over the recruitment timeframe, of which 28 attended the first assessment and consented to participate. The patients completed a battery of psychological measures and assessment tools which screened for issues relating to mood, anxiety, attachment, level of functioning and distress, substance use, and coping skills. Our institution’s research ethics board approved the study. Results: Thirty nine percent of those assessed were adolescents (<18 years). The mean age of all participants was 19.4 years (+/-2.3 years). Just over 80% (82%) of assessments were initiated in the antenatal period. Approximately 1/5 of patients were rated as having severe mental health problems at intake when the Threshold Assessment Grid (TAG) was applied. Over 80% (82.1%) of the sample demonstrated moderate to severe levels of depression on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and half of all participants reported anxiety levels in the moderate to severe level. In addition, the majority of participants experienced insecure anxiety-based and avoidance-based attachments with close relationships and low scores on measures of infant-attachment. At least 10% of the sample endorsed other symptoms that would suggest other possible mental health diagnoses, including drug and alcohol abuse (11% each) and panic syndrome (43%). Conclusions: Assessed patients demonstrated high rates of psychiatric morbidity and distress as evident by clinical scores on a number of different measures. It is vital that any program that offers care to pregnant and postpartum youth have sufficient resources to address these issues in order to help optimize overall health outcomes.

Support Detection for SAR Tomographic Reconstructions from Compressive Measurements.

The problem of detecting and locating multiple scatterers in multibaseline Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) tomography, starting from compressive measurements and applying support detection techniques, is addressed. Different approaches based on the detection of the support set of the unknown sparse vector, that is, of the position of the nonzero elements in the unknown sparse vector, are analyzed. Support detection techniques have already proved to allow a reduction in the number of measurements required for obtaining a reliable solution. In this paper, a support detection method, based on a Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (Sup-GLRT), is proposed and compared with the SequOMP method, in terms of probability of detection achievable with a given probability of false alarm and for different numbers of measurements.

Szacowanie wartosci handlowej wybranych elementow tuszy wieprzowej na podstawie grubosci sloniny

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of pork carcass backfat thickness on the dissection efficiency of four primal cuts (ham, loin, shoulder, belly), including correlation coefficients. The research material consisted of 80 pork carcasses. Backfat thickness (mm) was measured on cold half-carcasses using a vernier caliper at 6 points: at the first cervical vertebra (atlas), over shoulder at the thickest point, on the back, at the beginning, center, end of the gluteus medius muscle (CI, CII, CIII). On the basis of the average backfat thickness, measurements from 6 points were separated into two experimental groups: I (<25 mm); II (≥25 mm). Detailed dissection of the elements was performed to define mass (g): total, intermuscular fat, bones and lean meat. The significant effect of fat thickness on intermuscular fat content regardless of the cut was noted. Correlations between the average backfat thickness of 6 points and the total weight of the four main elements were calculated. In addition, the correlation coefficients were compared between the dissection elements and the average backfat thickness of 6 and 5 points. Higher backfat thickness determined the increase in the total mass of loin, shoulder and belly. A statistically proven correlation was shown between the average backfat thickness and the total mass of the analysed elements (r=0.293). When comparing the correlation coefficients of a different number of measurements a specific tendency was observed. Positive correlation coefficients were slightly higher for an average of 5 points of backfat thickness and negative correlation coefficients were slightly higher for an average of 6 points. Statistical differences between groups were recorded at the same level for the same parameters (P≤0.001 and 0.01<P≤0.05). The average backfat thickness of 6 points can be used as an indicator of the amount and quality of pork carcass primal cuts, with no adverse effects compared to standard 5 points.

Powerful CEOs and employee relations: evidence from corporate social responsibility indicators

In this paper, we investigate whether powerful CEOs who dominate the top management team exhibit positive or negative behavior towards their employees. Somewhat surprisingly, we find that CEO power as evidenced by high pay disparity between the CEO and top management, results in positive Employee Relations as measured by the KLD Statistics. We also find that CEO power affects the individual categories of Employee Involvement as well as Employee Health and Safety, indicating that pay disparity positively effects Employee Relations on a number of measures. However, the strong positive relationship is not found when the CEO holds the dual role of Chairman. In addition, neither measure tests positive for union relations, although high profitability, as measured by industry adjusted Return on Assets, appears to permit firms to have positive relations with employees on a number of different measures.

Localization Performance of Multiple Scatterers in Compressive Sampling SAR Tomography: Results on COSMO-SkyMed Data

The 3-D SAR tomographic technique based on compressive sampling (CS) has been proven very performing in recovering the 3-D reflectivity function and hence in estimating multiple scatterers lying in the same range-azimuth resolution cell, but at different elevations. In this paper, a detection method for multiple scatterers, assuming the number of scatterers to be known or preliminarily estimated, has been investigated. The performance of CS processing for identifying and locating multiple scatterers has been analyzed for different number of measurements and different reciprocal distances between the scatterers, in presence of the off-grid effect, and in the case of super-resolution imaging. The proposed method has been tested on simulated and real COSMO-SkyMed data.

Assessment of Occupational Exposure to Chemicals by Air Sampling for Comparison With Limit Values: The Influence of Sampling Strategy

This study was aimed at quantifying the impact of sampling duration and the number of measurements taken on the quality of assessing occupational exposure to toluene. To this end, a measurement database was built, based on four campaigns carried out in an industrial printing facility. Five homogeneous exposure groups (HEGs) were set up and between 120 and 290 individual measurements lasting from 2 to 8 h were collected for each of them. These measurements were performed with the objective of comparing them to the 8-h Occupational Exposure Limit (8-h OEL). The resulting data were used to define a reference exposure profile per HEG: the 'gold standard'. This exposure profile corresponds to a log-normal distribution of measurements from which compliance/non-compliance with the 8-h OEL decision is derived. To simulate the possible sampling strategies used by industrial hygienists, six scenarios were defined, each containing a different number of measurements: 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, and 12 measurements performed per HEG, over different working days and different seasons of the year. The measurement values per scenario were simulated by sampling from the real measurement per HEG. For each scenario, 1000 simulated exposure profiles and corresponding simulated compliance decisions were computed. They were compared to the gold standard compliance decision using statistical indicators. Three methods were used for computing the simulated compliance decision: (i) the 95th percentile must be lower than the 8-h OEL, (ii) the exceedance fraction with respect to the 8-h OEL must be <0.1% (as defined by standard CEN 689, Appendix D), and (iii) the 70% upper confidence limit of the exceedance fraction with respect to the 8-h OEL must be <5% (as defined by French regulations). The results show that exposure assessment quality increases with both the number of measurements and sampling duration when using the 95th percentile and exposure assessment based on French regulations, whereas it decreases when using the standard. Moreover, guidelines for the efficient evaluation of chemical exposure in the workplace can be drawn up to help professional occupational hygienists. Indeed, boundaries can be recommended regarding the number of measurements and sampling duration necessary to obtain a reliable exposure assessment while minimizing effort devoted to sampling and analysis.

Estimates of repeatability coefficients and selection gains in Jatropha indicate that higher cumulative genetic gains can be obtained by relaxing the degree of certainty in predicting the best families

The aim of this study was to estimate the repeatability coefficient of grain production in Jatropha, the minimum number of measurements needed to reliably predict the genetic value of selected families, and to determine the cumulative genetic gains when considering the selection of the best families based on different number of measurements. The experiment was conducted with 175 accessions (half-siblings progenies derived from selected plants in the field) that compose part of a germplasm collection. Such bank was established in a randomized block design with two blocks. In each block a given accession was represented in a 5plant/plot scheme (half-siblings). For the analysis, yield data obtained in the years of 2009–2012 were considered. The results of this study indicate that the repeatability coefficient of grain production in Jatropha is low (0.37), but comparable to other perennial species, and that to achieve reliabilities of 70 and 80% in the prediction of breeding values of selected families, 4 and 7 years of evaluation, respectively, are needed. The results of this study also indicate that the efficiency of early selection seems to be small in Jatropha since the coincidence rate of selected genotypes at early age (1 or 2 years of evaluation) and genotypes selected in adult age (4 years assessment) is small (17–23%). Finally, taking into account the repeatability coefficients and coefficients of determination, in a hypothetical period of 21 years (which is equivalent to three selection cycles using seven consecutive measurements – R2=80%), this paper demonstrates that higher cumulative genetic gains can be obtained (159% over 108%) by relaxing the degree of certainty in predicting the best families (R2=65% instead of R2=80%), since it makes possible to perform a greater number of selection cycles in the same period (7 cycles instead of 4).

THU0391 Is there a Relationship between Hip Structural Analysis and Bone Mineral Density at the Hip and Spine?

BackgroundHip structural analysis (HSA) has been suggested as possible method of improving prediction of hip fracture risk above that provided by current bone mineral density (BMD) use alone. To our...

Depression, Readiness for Change, and Treatment Among Court-Mandated DUI Offenders

Objective: The current study is part of a larger study that was designed to evaluate the impact of brief interventions on subsequent alcohol and drug use in individuals convicted of driving under the influence (DUI). This element considers the interaction of depression levels with treatment on subsequent substance use and problems related to substance use. Methods: Subjects were referred to the Research Institute on Addictions from various courts in the Western New York area for clinical evaluation and treatment referral, if further treatment was indicated. A total of 765 individuals were referred to the program, with 549 agreeing to participate. Participants were assessed at baseline using a number of different measures, with depression and readiness to change among them. A follow-up assessment took place 18 to 24 months following the baseline, with subsequent treatment experiences being one of the primary measures of interest for this study. A total of 443 participants were successfully interviewed at follow-up. Results: The high depression group had greater readiness to change and a greater likelihood of entering treatment than the low depression group (p's < .001). ANCOVAs showed depression by treatment interactions for drug problem severity, drug use, DUI risk, alcohol expectancies, abstinence self-efficacy, and psychiatric distress (all p's < .05). Furthermore, the treated high depression group made the largest positive gains across all outcomes (all p's < .01). Conclusions: The readiness to change, treatment entry, and ANCOVA results all support the approach of Wells-Parker et al. (2006) that depression may be a strong indicator of DUI offenders’ readiness to change their substance use behavior.

Needlestick injuries and safety syringes: a review of the literature

Needlestick injuries are a serious concern for nurses and other healthcare workers. One of the main clinical risks from needlestick injury is the possible infection by blood-borne diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV. A number of different measures have been introduced to minimise the risk and impact of needlestick injuries, including the use of fixed-needle safety syringes. However, some healthcare workers refuse to use such devices, for reasons that include the perceived need to change syringe needles between drawing up a medicine and its administration to a patient. This paper will explore the literature relating to needlestick injuries and the reasons commonly given for not using fixed-needle safety syringes.

Implementation and Comparison of EKF and UKF Based Tracking Loop at Low Carrier-to-Noise Ratio Conditions

The carrier and code phases tracking is the central work of Global Position System (GPS) receivers. A number of algorithms have been developed to improve the performance of the receivers in tracking the carrier and code phase in challenging environments, such as the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) and the Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). This paper uses GPS software receiver to implement the algorithms, provides details about the implementation, deeply compares the two different methods and takes into consideration different numbers of measurements. To evaluate the performance effectively, some criterions to compare these two algorithms are proposed. The results show although both algorithms have satisfying performance in tracking weak signals, the UKF exceeds in some aspects. The results also indicate that algorithms with more measurements in the measurement model could track the signals more accurately, but the outperformance becomes less obvious when the number of measurements surpasses certain threshold.

Creation of an adiposity index for children aged 6-8 years: the Gateshead Millennium Study.

Objective. A number of measures of childhood adiposity are in use, but all are relatively imprecise and prone to bias. We constructed an adiposity index (AI) using a number of different measures. Methods. Detailed body composition data on 460 of the Gateshead Millennium Study cohort at the age of 6–8 years were analysed. The AI was calculated using factor analysis on age plus thirteen measures of adiposity and/or size. Correlations between these variables, the AI, and more traditional measures of adiposity in children were investigated. Results. Based on the factor loading sizes, the first component, taken to be the AI, consisted mainly of measures of fat-mass (the skinfold measurements, fat mass score, and waist circumference). The second comprised variables measuring frame size, while the third consisted mainly of age. The AI had a high correlation with body mass index (BMI) (rho = 0.81). Conclusions. While BMI is practical for assessing adiposity in children, the AI combines a wider range of data related to adiposity than BMI alone and appears both valid and valuable as a research tool for studies of childhood adiposity. Further research is necessary to investigate the utility of AI for research in other samples of children and also in adults.

Measurements of the Electrical Incidence Angle Modifiers of an Asymmetrical Photovoltaic/Thermal Compound Parabolic Concentrating-Collector

Reflector edges, sharp acceptance angles and by-pass diodes introduce large variations in the electrical performance of asymmetrical concentrating photovoltaic/thermal modules over a short incidence angle interval. It is therefore important to quantify these impacts precisely. The impact on the electrical performance of the optical properties of an asymmetrical photovoltaic/thermal CPC-collector was measured in Maputo, Mozambique. The measurements were carried out with the focus on attaining a high resolution incidence angle modifier in both the longitudinal and transversal directions, since large variations were expected over small angle intervals. A detailed analysis of the contribution of the diffuse radiation to the total output was also carried out. The solar cells have an electrical efficiency of 18% while the maximum measured electrical efficiency of the collector was 13.9 % per active glazed area and 20.9 % per active cell area, at 25 °C. Such data make it possible to quantify not only the electrical performance for different climatic and operating conditions but also to determine potential improvements to the collector design. The electrical output can be increased by a number of different measures, e.g. removing the outermost cells, turning the edge cells 90°, dividing each receiver side into three or four parts and directing the tracking, when used, along a north-south axis.

An Index of Canada - U.S. Economic Integration

It is widely believed that the Canadian and U.S. economies have become more integrated following the implementation of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement. In this study, we develop an integration index that combines a number of different measures of cross-border commercial activity into one indicator. We find that the two economies did indeed become much more integrated over the past decade and a half with the integration index more than tripling compared to Canadian nominal GDP which doubled over the same period. However, we also find that even though the level of the index has continued to increase since 2000, it has not kept pace with growth in Canadian GDP and thus, by this measure, the level of Canada-U.S. integration has declined. The reasons for this are likely a combination of the high-tech bust in 2000, strong Canadian domestic economic performance, a weakening U.S. dollar and strengthening linkages with countries other than the U.S.

Bell inequalities from variable-elimination methods

Tight Bell inequalities are facets of Pitowsky’s correlation polytope and are usually obtained from its extreme points by solving the hull problem. Here, we present an alternative method based on a combination of algebraic results on extensions of measures and variable-elimination methods, e.g., the Fourier–Motzkin method. Our method is shown to overcome some of the computational difficulties associated with the hull problem in some non-trivial cases. Moreover, it provides an explanation for the arising of only a finite number of families of Bell inequalities in measurement scenarios where one experimenter can choose between an arbitrary number of different measurements.

A Psychometric Evaluation of Two Teaching Effectiveness Scales

The call for teaching accountability in higher education initiated teaching effectiveness research and its scales development. Attention in many institutions of higher learning has been diverted recently to the improvement of teaching performance as another way besides academic research to promote the higher institutions. The diversity of attention is a response to external calls for accountability in teaching as a result of the under-estimation of the significance of the teaching process compared to research activities. As research on teaching effectiveness has increased, so has the number of different measures of teaching effectiveness. Hence, in this article, the researchers examined the psychometric properties of two teaching effectiveness scales, namely the Marsh Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (1987) and Mahfooz Ansari and Mustafa Achoui Ansari Teaching Feedback Survey (2000) in terms of their factorial and construct validity. A total of 1504 3rd and 4th year and postgraduate students were selected from four renowned Malaysian public Universities, namely USIM, UM, UPM and IIUM. The study found that although the two scales were constructed to assess teaching effectiveness in higher institutions, the Marsh scale was extensively used in the literature and more comprehensive in relation to the numbers of factors. The study found that although there is room for improvement for both scales, the Marsh’s scale is psychometrically more sound, and theoretically more comprehensive than Ansari and Ansari’s scale.

An efficient method for segmentation of images based on fractional calculus and natural selection

Image segmentation has been widely used in document image analysis for extraction of printed characters, map processing in order to find lines, legends, and characters, topological features extraction for extraction of geographical information, and quality inspection of materials where defective parts must be delineated among many other applications. In image analysis, the efficient segmentation of images into meaningful objects is important for classification and object recognition. This paper presents two novel methods for segmentation of images based on the Fractional-Order Darwinian Particle Swarm Optimization (FODPSO) and Darwinian Particle Swarm Optimization (DPSO) for determining the n-1 optimal n-level threshold on a given image. The efficiency of the proposed methods is compared with other well-known thresholding segmentation methods. Experimental results show that the proposed methods perform better than other methods when considering a number of different measures.

Measuring accessibility: positive and normative implementations of various accessibility indicators

Accessibility is a concept of continuing relevance in transportation research. A number of different measures of accessibility, defined as the potential to reach spatially dispersed opportunities, have been proposed in the literature, and used to address various substantive planning and policy questions. Our objective in this paper is to conduct a review of various commonly used measures of accessibility, with a particular view to clarifying their normative (i.e. prescriptive), as well as positive (i.e. descriptive) aspects. This is a distinction that has seldom been made in the literature and that helps to better understand the meaning of alternative ways to implement the concept of accessibility. Our discussion of the positive and normative aspects of accessibility measurements is illustrated using the city of Montreal, Canada, as a case study. The example highlights the differences in the measured levels of accessibility depending on implementation. Comparison of the two by means of a relative indicator of accessibility helps to identify the gap between desired (as normative defined) and actual (as revealed) accessibility levels.

Dimensional reduction of fermions in the Gross-Neveu model under the conditions of violated Lorentz invariance

The Gross-Neveu model with violated Lorentz invariance is analyzed. The effective potential for the 3D and 2D cases is calculated. The gap equation is obtained and the symmetry features of the model are considered. Dimensional reduction allows the establishment of the concordance between the results for a different number of measurements.