Pairs Of People Research Articles

Spatially prioritizing mitigation for amphibian roadkills based on fatality estimation and landscape conversion

Roads cause biodiversity loss and the effects of wildlife-vehicle collisions may ripple from individuals and populations to ecosystem functioning. Amphibians are threatened worldwide and, despite being particularly prone to roadkill impacts, they are often neglected in assessments. Here, we develop a sampling and analytical framework for spatially prioritizing mitigation actions for anuran amphibian roadkills based on fatality estimation and landscape conversion. The framework is composed of the six following steps: (1) pre-selection of segments to survey using the wetland coverage in the surroundings and the presence of roadkills of aquatic reptiles as a proxy for wet areas; (2) spatiotemporally replicated counts with a dependent double-observer protocol, that is, each segment is sampled multiple times by two pairs of people on foot; (3) extraction of covariates hypothesized to affect spatial and temporal variation in roadkill rates and persistence; (4) hierarchical open-population N-mixture modelling to estimate population dynamics parameters, which accounts for imperfect detection and spatiotemporal heterogeneity in removal, detection, and roadkill rates, and explicitly estimates carcass entries per time interval. (5) Assessment of land cover transition to infer landscape stability; and (6) prioritization of segments based on higher fatality rates and lower landscape conversion rates. We estimated a mean of 136 (95%CrI = 130–142) anurans roadkill per km per day in the 50 sample sites selected. The initial number of carcasses had a positive relationship with the percentage occupied by wetlands and a negative association with the percentage occupied by urban areas. The number of entrant carcass per interval was higher in the presence of rainfall and had a positive association with the wetlands cover. Carcass persistence probability was higher at night and lower in sites with high traffic volume. Ten segments (~1% of road extension) were prioritized using the median as threshold for fatality estimates and landscape conversion. It is urgent to appropriately evaluate the number of amphibians roadkilled aiming to plan and implement mitigation measures specifically designed for these small animals. Our approach accounts for feasibility (focused on sites with greater relevance), robustness (considering imperfect detection), and steadiness (less prone to loss of effectiveness due to landscape dynamics).

Eye Gaze and Dominance, Cues for Online Communication with Strangers

Many digital communication platforms of the new economy are built up on mechanisms to initially communicate and/or develop an acquaintance with “strangers” over displayed profile pictures. This study aims to reveal the impact of the direction of eye gaze and perceived dominance from those pictures during the process of pairing online with a stranger, for spending time in a closed environment. Preference between pairs of 66 participants through their profile pictures having a direct or averted gaze and some manipulated by facial width height ratio (fWHR) aiming to increase perceived dominance, were measured by the eye- tracking device. The findings show that when observing the profile pictures of strangers (i) gaze attracts attention to the face of gazing person, (ii) in case of perceived dominance, the gaze of a stranger induces gaze avoidance for participants. The study further predicted when the user is to prefer between pairs of people that one is perceived to be dominant, the probability of choosing the perceived non-dominant is higher. The participants’ preference of the former holdout sample was predicted consecutively by hit ratios of 81.5, 91.4 and 94.9 for three different cases. Analysis of the data revealed no systematic differences between males and females.

Fiscal consequences of Alzheimer's disease and informal care provision in the UK: A “government perspective” microsimulation

• Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has a substantial impact on the UK government finances. • The fiscal loss to the UK government is £73,749 per person and carer affected by AD. • Welfare support and payments account for 60% of the estimated fiscal loss due to AD. • Lost earnings for informal carers are estimated at £27,189 over the AD continuum. • Total fiscal consequences of diseases should inform health policy decision-making. Estimating the fiscal consequences of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) on patients and informal carers using a UK public economic perspective. A simulated cohort of 1,000 pairs of people with AD and informal carers was compared with 1,000 demographically identical pairs in the general population. Both cohorts enter the model at the mean age of mild cognitive impairment onset. Time to AD onset was based on the literature and AD progression was modelled using published equations and a state-transition microsimulation. Labour participation, financial support, and paid taxes were linked to cognitive decline and caregiving needs using UK labour statistics and tax rates. Healthcare costs were based on published literature. Future costs and life-years were discounted at 3.5%. Results were reported as incremental differences in total tax revenue, financial support, and healthcare costs, over the AD continuum, between cohorts affected and unaffected by AD. Each AD-affected pair was associated with estimated incremental fiscal losses of £73,749 to the UK government. Financial support and healthcare costs were responsible for 59.3% and 22.2% of AD’s fiscal burden, respectively. Total lost tax revenue due to PwAD and carers’ reduced earnings represented 18.5% of total government losses. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the results. Assuming mild cognitive impairment onset at age 60 let to incremental fiscal losses of £141,323 per AD-affected pair. Fiscal costs for entire UK population with AD were predicted to be £16 billion annually. Alzheimer’s disease strongly impacts UK’s public economy and should be considered to inform healthcare policymaking.

Evaluation of the Fiscal Costs and Consequences of Alzheimer’s Disease in Germany: Microsimulation of Patients’ and Caregivers’ Pathways

BackgroundAlzheimer’s disease is a severe condition, impacting individual’s wellbeing and independence in daily activities. Informal care provision is common and of great value to societies but is not without negative externalities to households and the broader economy.ObjectivesEstimate the lifetime incremental fiscal consequences of Alzheimer’s disease in community-based individuals and their informal caregivers.SettingThe fiscal consequences of Alzheimer’s disease was modeled using the German government and social security perspective.ParticipantsSynthetic cohort containing 1,000 pairs of people with Alzheimer’s disease and their informal caregivers, compared to 1,000 demographically identical pairs from the general population.DesignDisease progression was modeled using published equations and a state-transition microsimulation framework. Labor participation, financial support and paid taxes were estimated according to cognitive decline and caregiving responsibilities using German labor statistics and tax rates. Healthcare costs were sourced from several German publications. Costs and life-years were discounted at 3% annually.MeasurementsResults are reported as lifetime incremental differences in total tax revenue and transfer payments between the cohort affected by Alzheimer’s disease and their general population analogues.ResultsThe Alzheimer’s disease-affected pair was associated with net incremental fiscal losses of €74,288 ($85,037) to the German government and social security over the lifetime of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Most costs were lost taxes on employment earnings (48.4%) due to caregivers working reduced hours. Caregivers were estimated to earn €56,967 ($65,209) less than their general population analogues. Financial support for informal and formal care accounted for 20.4%, and medical healthcare costs represented 24.0% of the incremental fiscal losses. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the model results. In a cohort with early onset Alzheimer’s disease, incremental fiscal losses were predicted to be €118,533 ($114,209) over the lifetime of people with Alzheimer’s disease.ConclusionsAlzheimer’s disease externalities profoundly impact public economics for governments and should be considered to inform policy making and healthcare planning.

Testing the Validity of the Health Mavenness Self-Report Measure with Self-Other Correlations

The three superdiffuser traits (health maven, connector, persuader) are identified using a self-report measure. The construct validity of the health maven measure requires that the health maven’s social network perceive the health maven to be a health maven. To test this validity hypothesis, a sample of 98 pairs of people who knew each other was drawn such that one member completed the self-reported superdiffuser measures and the other completed a modified version targeted at the other person. Closeness was also measured as a potential moderator. The self-other correlation for the health maven measure was positive, medium in size, and unmoderated. The self-other correlation for the connector scale was moderated by closeness such that it was stronger among closer pairs.

Recognizing affiliation in colaughter and cospeech.

Theories of vocal signalling in humans typically only consider communication within the interactive group and ignore intergroup dynamics. Recent work has found that colaughter generated between pairs of people in conversation can afford accurate judgements of affiliation across widely disparate cultures, and the acoustic features that listeners use to make these judgements are linked to speaker arousal. But to what extent does colaughter inform third party listeners beyond other dynamic information between interlocutors such as overlapping talk? We presented listeners with short segments (1–3 s) of colaughter and simultaneous speech (i.e. cospeech) taken from natural conversations between established friends and newly acquainted strangers. Participants judged whether the pairs of interactants in the segments were friends or strangers. Colaughter afforded more accurate judgements of affiliation than did cospeech, despite cospeech being over twice in duration relative to colaughter on average. Sped-up versions of colaughter and cospeech (proxies of speaker arousal) did not improve accuracy for either identifying friends or strangers, but faster versions of both modes increased the likelihood of tokens being judged as being between friends. Overall, results are consistent with research showing that laughter is well suited to transmit rich information about social relationships to third party overhearers—a signal that works between, and not just within conversational groups.

Predicting Homophily and Social Network Connectivity From Dyadic Behavioral Similarity Trajectory Clusters

The similarity between pairs of people is often measured on relatively static traits and at a given point in time. Moving beyond this approach, a burgeoning line of research is investigating temporal dyadic similarity on traits and behaviors, such as health activities. Our study contributes to this line of inquiry by using fine-grained longitudinal data obtained from sensors, mobile devices, and surveys to examine whether we can observe distinct types of dyadic similarity trajectories based on physical activity, and if so, what dyad-level properties predict membership in each trajectory class. Treating daily differences in the steps for dyads as time series, we use k-shape clustering to identify classes of similarity trajectories and logistic regression to examine the link between trajectory class and key dyad-level factors. We identify 21 dyadic trajectory clusters and find that trajectory membership predicts dyadic connectivity in the communication network, as well as racial and religious—but not gender-based—similarity. We conclude by noting how research on dyadic similarity trajectories can be further integrated with ongoing work in social network analysis.

Consciousness and Topology

Most philosophers of the self would take what David Barnett calls ‘The Datum’—that “pairs of people themselves are incapable of experience”—to merit its name. Barnett argues abductively from The Datum to Simplicity, the view that conscious beings must be simple. The truth of Simplicity would upend almost all materialist accounts of what we are, so Barnett’s argument and attempted rebuttals of it merit scrutiny. Rory Madden charges Barnett with overlooking a rival, better explanation, deriving from Integrity: the thesis that our naïve conception of a conscious subject demands that conscious beings be topologically integrated. The content of this naïve conception is supposed to be superior to Simplicity in explaining The Datum. I argue here that Madden is mistaken: the requirement of topological integration cannot explain The Datum, and Barnett’s argument survives Madden’s challenge.

Conversational speech levels and signal-to-noise ratios in realistic acoustic conditions.

Estimating the basic acoustic parameters of conversational speech in noisy real-world conditions has been an elusive task in hearing research. Nevertheless, these data are essential ingredients for speech intelligibility tests and fitting rules for hearing aids. Previous surveys did not provide clear methodology for their acoustic measurements and setups, were opaque about their samples, or did not control for distance between the talker and listener, even though people are known to adapt their distance in noisy conversations. In the present study, conversations were elicited between pairs of people by asking them to play a collaborative game that required them to communicate. While performing this task, the subjects listened to binaural recordings of different everyday scenes, which were presented to them at their original sound pressure level (SPL) via highly open headphones. Their voices were recorded separately using calibrated headset microphones. The subjects were seated inside an anechoic chamber at 1 and 0.5 m distances. Precise estimates of realistic speech levels and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) were obtained for the different acoustic scenes, at broadband and third octave levels. It is shown that with acoustic background noise at above approximately 69 dB SPL at 1 m distance, or 75 dB SPL at 0.5 m, the average SNR can become negative. It is shown through interpolation of the two conditions that if the conversation partners would have been allowed to optimize their positions by moving closer to each other, then positive SNRs should be only observed above 75 dB SPL. The implications of the results on speech tests and hearing aid fitting rules are discussed.

Testing for Discrimination: Teaching Audit Studies in Quantitative Methods Courses

This article demonstrates a method for teaching students to conduct audit studies of discrimination. The assignment can be used in courses on quantitative methods, race, gender, or other topics. Audit studies test for unequal treatment by having otherwise identical pairs of people who vary on a single trait, such as race or gender, apply for the same sets of opportunities, such as apartment vacancies or job openings. Once intricate and expensive to conduct, the online shift of the past 15 years has streamlined the approach, enabling researchers to execute audits via email. I show how to lead students through designing and conducting original audit studies. I present evidence that this approach yields significant engagement, builds students’ abilities, and produces excellent work.

Persons, Simplicity, and Substance

A novel argument has recently been advanced against materialism—the view that human persons are identical to composite, material objects. The argument claims that pairs of people are not conscious and that the only viable explanation for why they are not is because pairs of people are not simple. The argument concludes that only a simple thing can be the subject of conscious states. In this paper, I offer an alternative explanation for why pairs of people are not conscious: pairs of people are not substances. I provide two characterizations of substantiality. The first proposal claims that substances have irreducible causal powers, and the second claims that substances cannot have other substances as proper parts. The alternative explanation based on these characterizations of substantiality shows that being conscious is compatible with materialism.

Neural responses to visually observed social interactions

Success in the social world requires the ability to perceive not just individuals and their actions, but pairs of people and the interactions between them. Despite the complexity of social interactions, humans are adept at interpreting those interactions they observe. Although the brain basis of this remarkable ability has remained relatively unexplored, converging functional MRI evidence suggests the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) is centrally involved. Here, we sought to determine whether this region is sensitive to both the presence of interactive information, as well as to the content of qualitatively different interactions (i.e. competition vs. cooperation). Using point-light human figure stimuli, we demonstrate that the right pSTS is maximally activated when contrasting dyadic interactions vs. dyads performing independent, non-interactive actions. We then used this task to localize the same pSTS region in an independent participant group, and tested responses to non-human moving shape stimuli (i.e. two circles’ movements conveying either interactive or non-interactive behaviour). We observed significant support vector machine classification for both the presence and type of interaction (i.e. interaction vs. non-interaction, and competition vs. cooperation, respectively) in the pSTS, as well as neighbouring temporo-parietal junction (TPJ). These findings demonstrate the important role that these regions play in perceiving and understanding social interactions, and lay the foundations for further research to fully characterize interaction responses in these areas.

Population-based cohort study suggesting a significantly increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus

AimsTo investigate whether type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) increases the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MethodsThis population-based cohort study used Taiwan’s National Health insurance claim data to investigate the association of T2DM with the risk of COPD. A total of 716,623 pairs of people (patients with T2DM and their age-, sex-, and calendar year-matched controls) were identified in 2002–2003 and were followed until the occurrence of newly-diagnosed COPD or the end of 2011. Cox proportional hazard models were used to relate COPD incidence to T2DM. ResultsPeople with T2DM experienced a higher incidence rate of COPD than controls (159.6 vs 122.7 per 104 person-years). After controlling for confounders, T2DM significantly increased the hazard of COPD (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.15, 95% confidence interval = 1.14–1.16). Stratified analysis indicated that the association between T2DM and COPD was slightly greater in women than in men (HR, 1.15 vs. 1.11) and in people aged <65 years than in people aged ≥65 years (HR, 1.17 vs. 1.05 in men; 1.16 vs. 1.13 in women). ConclusionsOur findings demonstrated a modest association of T2DM with the risk of developing COPD, possibly shedding light into the adverse effects of hyperglycemia on pulmonary function.

Abstract 021: Most People Who Need to Perform CPR in Their Home Cannot

Objective: To determine by examining the physical characteristics of pairs of people who cohabitate whether each is physically capable of performing two-inch chest compression on the other. Methods: Name, gender, age, total body weight, and hands on scale weight (“HOSW”) data was collected from couples. HOSW is the reading on a scale when one is kneeling in front of the scale and pressing down with the hands as if performing CPR, until the knees barely leave the ground. One member of the cohort mechanically measured his chest stiffness. Chest stiffness for the cohort was calculated from a simplistic model where the measured subject’s relationship between chest stiffness and total body weight was assumed to prevail in all other test subjects. Doing so yielded an average chest stiffness of 128 pounds, as compared to the actual average adult chest stiffness of 130 pounds. A similar method was used with the heel of the foot. The result was FOSW, the force one could apply to a chest while performing Pedal Compression. A subject with an HOSW or FOSW equal to or greater than their partner’s chest stiffness was judged to be capable of performing guideline-compliant chest compression on the other using manual or pedal compression, respectively. The two outcome measures for each couple were: each’s physical ability to perform two-inch compression on the other, using manual and pedal compression. Results: At the time this abstract was submitted, data from twelve couples showed that slightly more than half the male subjects had sufficient HOSW to perform two-inch manual compression on their wife, and no wives had sufficient HOSW TO PERFORM a two-inch compression on their husband. In the 700 cardiac arrests in a private residence each day, two-thirds of the victims are male and will not receive two-inch compression. The results show the number of females and males that can apply enough force to their spouse’s chest to perform a two-inch compression with manual chest compression and pedal (heel) compression with FOSW at 95 and 90 percent of body weight. Zero of twelve females weighed enough to perform and seven of twelve males weighed enough to perform a two inch compression on their spouse using manual compression. One of twelve females and ten of twelve males weighed enough to perform a two inch compression on their spouse using pedal compression under the 95% of body weight equals FOSW model. Zero of twelve females and ten of twelve males weighed enough to perform a two inch compression on their spouse using pedal compression under the 90% of body weight equals FOSW model. Heel compression increases the likelihood of a male’s being able to perform a two inch compression significantly. Heel compression only improves a female’s likelihood of performing a two-inch compression using the 95% of body weight assumption.

Constant and Variable Time Delays of Synchrony of Facial Expressions in Dyadic Conversations

Face models (combined appearance models, Cootes, Edwards & Taylor, 2001) were used to study synchrony in the facial expressions of several pairs of people in previously recorded 2- to 4-minute dyad...

Dutch translation and validation of the readiness for interprofessional learning scale (RIPLS) in a primary healthcare context

Background: Interprofessional education and collaborative practice are gradually gaining importance in the context of growing healthcare complexity. The readiness for interprofessional learning scale (RIPLS) is a well-known scale that can identify attitudinal barriers and variance across professions, which may affect educational interventions.Objectives: This study aims to translate the English RIPLS into Dutch and to test its reliability and validity.Methods: The scale was translated and back-translated by two pairs of people independently and tested for feasibility and comprehensibility. The translated scale was used with 219 general practitioners, 238 community nurses, and 53 palliative home-care nurses. Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess construct validity. Confirmatory factor analysis was done to generate a fit model. Cronbach’s alpha was computed to evaluate internal consistency. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of the RIPLS score on the level of learning through collaboration and to gauge the influence of the participants’ gender, age, previous palliative care education, type of practice and years in practice.Results: Confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis confirms the factor structure of the original version. The Dutch version shows good reliability (overall Cronbach’s alpha: 0.88; intraclass correlation coefficient after test-retest: 0.718 (95%CI: 0.499–0.852). The RIPLS score correlates with the amount of workplace learning during collaboration (discriminant validity: P < 0.001).Conclusion: The Dutch translation of the RIPLS is now ready for comparative studies.

The diversity rank-score function for combining human visual perception systems.

There are many situations in which a joint decision, based on the observations or decisions of multiple individuals, is desired. The challenge is determining when a combined decision is better than each of the individual systems, along with choosing the best way to perform the combination. It has been shown that the diversity between systems plays a role in the performance of their fusion. This study involved several pairs of people, each viewing an event and reporting an observation, along with their confidence level. Each observer is treated as a visual perception system, and hence an associated scoring system is created based on the observer’s confidence. A diversity rank-score function on a set of observation pairs is calculated using the notion of cognitive diversity between two scoring systems in the combinatorial fusion analysis framework. The resulting diversity rank-score function graph provides a powerful visualization tool for the diversity variation among a set of system pairs, helping to identify which system pairs are most likely to show improved performance with combination.

The Potential for Excess Correlation (Entanglement) between Flow States in Pairs of Gamers Sharing Specific Circumcerebral Rotating Magnetic Fields

Excess correlation between the activity or properties of two particles separated by non-local distances has been demonstrated for photons, shifts in relative proton and hydroxyl ratios in spring water, and the distribution of values from random number generators if both loci shared a specific type of rotational magnetic field. Previous experiments had shown that specific responses from pairs of people who shared circumcerebral magnetic fields with changing angular velocities revealed significant excess correlation. The most significant differences occurred during the component of the field exposure that has previously been associated with “excess correlation”. In the present experiments, we found evidence of excess correlation of performance (serial in-game scores) occurred between pairs (separated by 10 m) of experienced gamers during the relative measures for the central portion of the protocol but was diminished when the “excess correlation” electromagnetic fields were activated, suggesting a similar competing mechanism. The results are consistent with the interpretation that shared video systems and activities may enhance excess correlation of responses. This can be simulated in novice players by experimentally inducing excess correlation through appropriate application of changing, circumcerebral angular velocity magnetic fields that were similar in magnitude to those associated with computer systems and time frames that define human consciousness.

DNA transfer—a never ending story. A study on scenarios involving a second person as carrier

The transfer of DNA directly from one item to another has been shown in many studies with elaborate discussions on the nature of the DNA donor as well as material and surface of the items or surrounding features. Every DNA transfer scenario one can imagine seems to be possible. This evokes more and more intricate scenarios proposed by lawyers or attorneys searching for an explanation of the DNA of a certain person on a distinct item with impact on a crime. At court, the forensic genetic scientist has to comment on the probability of these scenarios thus calling for extensive studies on such settings. Here, the possibility of an involvement of a second person as a carrier of the donor's DNA in a variety of different scenarios including three pairs of people and two kinds of items (textiles and plastic bags) was investigated. All transfer settings were executed with and without gloves on the carrier's hands. DNA left on the items was isolated and analyzed using the Powerplex® ESX17 kit. In 21 out of 180 samples, all alleles of the donor DNA could be obtained on the second item (12%), on eight samples, the donor's DNA was dominant compared to all other alleles (38% of samples with complete donor profile). Additionally, 51 samples displayed at least more than half of the donor's alleles (28%). The complete DNA profile of the carrier was found in 47 out of 180 samples (42 partial profiles). In summary, it could be shown that a transfer of donor DNA from epithelial cells through a carrier to a second item is possible, even if the carrier does not wear gloves.

Single digits: in praise of small numbers

The numbers one through nine have remarkable mathematical properties and characteristics. For instance, why do eight perfect card shuffles leave a standard deck of cards unchanged? Are there really six degrees of separation between all pairs of people? And how can any map need only four colors to ensure that no regions of the same color touch? In Single Digits, Marc Chamberland takes readers on a fascinating exploration of small numbers, from one to nine, looking at their history, applications, and connections to various areas of mathematics, including number theory, geometry, chaos theory, numerical analysis, and mathematical physics. Each chapter focuses on a single digit, beginning with easy concepts that become more advanced as the chapter progresses. Chamberland covers vast numerical territory, such as illustrating the ways that the number three connects to chaos theory, an unsolved problem involving Egyptian fractions, the number of guards needed to protect an art gallery, and problematic election results. He considers the role of the number seven in matrix multiplication, the Transylvania lottery, synchronizing signals, and hearing the shape of a drum. Throughout, he introduces readers to an array of puzzles, such as perfect squares, the four hats problem, Strassen multiplication, Catalan's conjecture, and so much more. The book's short sections can be read independently and digested in bite-sized chunks--especially good for learning about the Ham Sandwich Theorem and the Pizza Theorem. Appealing to high school and college students, professional mathematicians, and those mesmerized by patterns, this book shows that single digits offer a plethora of possibilities that readers can count on.