Two-phase Design Research Articles

Multidisciplinary care for pregnant women with cardiac disease: A mixed methods evaluation

BackgroundCardiac disease is associated with adverse outcomes in pregnancy and is the leading cause of indirect maternal death in the United Kingdom (UK) and internationally. National and international guidelines recommend women should receive care from multidisciplinary teams; however evidence is lacking to inform how they should be operationalised. ObjectivesTo describe the composition and processes of multidisciplinary care between maternity and cardiac services before, during and after pregnancy for women with cardiac disease, and explore clinicians’ (cardiologists, obstetricians, nurses, midwives) and women’s experiences of delivering/receiving care within these models. DesignMixed-methods comprising case-note audit, interviews and observation. SettingTwo inner-city National Health Service (NHS) maternity units in the south of England serving similar obstetric populations, selected to represent different models of multidisciplinary team care. ParticipantsWomen with significant cardiac disease (either arrhythmic or structural, e.g. tetralogy of fallot) who gave birth between June 1 st 2014 and 31 st May 2015 (audit/interviews), or attended an multidisciplinary team clinic (obstetric/cardiac) during April 2016 (observation). MethodsA two-phase sequential explanatory design was undertaken. A retrospective case-note audit of maternity and medical records (n = 42 women) followed by interviews with a sub-sample (n = 7 women). Interviews were conducted with clinicians (n = 7) and observation of a multidisciplinary team clinic in one site (n = 8 women, n = 4 clinicians). ResultsThe interests and expertise of individual clinicians employed by the hospital trusts influenced the degree of integration between cardiac and maternity care. Integration between cardiac and maternity services varied from an ad-hoc ‘collaborative’ model at Site B to an ‘interdisciplinary’ approach at Site A. In both sites there was limited documented evidence of individualised postnatal care plans in line with national guidance. Unlike pathways for risk assessment, referral and joined care in pregnancy for women with congenital cardiac disease, pathways for women with acquired conditions lacked clarity. Midwives at both sites were often responsible for performing the initial maternal cardiac risk assessment despite minimal training in this. Clinicians and women’s perceptions of ‘normality’ in pregnancy/birth, and its relationship to ‘safe’ maternity care were at odds. ConclusionThe limited evidence and guidance to support multidisciplinary team working for pregnancy in women with cardiac disease – particularly those with acquired conditions – has resulted in variable models and pathways of care. Evidence-based guidance regarding the operationalisation of integrated care between maternity and cardiac services – including pathways between local and specialist centres – for all women with cardiac disease in pregnancy is urgently required.

How and when do employees identify with their organization? Perceived CSR, first-party (in)justice, and organizational (mis)trust at workplace

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to inquire how and when the CSR efforts of an organization can generate positive organizational outcomes by influencing individual employees at the workplace. Theorizing perceived first-party justice as psycho-cognitive and affect-based organizational trust as psycho-affective processes, respectively, in interpreting employees’ perception of organizational CSR initiatives provided a valid rationale behind this research.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a two-phase longitudinal research design, sample was drawn from six subsidiary organizations of a multinational conglomerate.FindingsThe findings indicated that the perceived internal image of CSR predicts employees’ deep organizational identification through the mediation of affect-based organizational trust, conditional on perceived first-party justice as a moderator.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributed to extant research by investigating the hitherto unexplored question of how and when employees’ perceived image of CSR delineates to their deep identification with the organization supported by affect-based organizational trust and self-experienced first-party justice. The collection of survey responses within six group organizations could limit the generalization of the findings from this study in other contexts.Practical implicationsThis study offers significant implications in terms of the managers’ role in involving employees in the organization’s CSR activities, using CSR as a platform for corporate branding to internal stakeholders, and attracting talent in knowledge intensive competition.Originality/valueThe study advances the emerging micro-level approach of CSR by exploring an employee centric, personalized view of organizational CSR and estimating its effect at the level of individual employees.

NGO grassroots participatory approaches to promoting sustainable agriculture: reality or Myth in Ghana's Upper-West Region?

AbstractMany NGOs pride themselves with their ability to use grassroots participatory approaches when working with economically disadvantaged farmers. I asked whether current participatory approaches could be relied on to promote sustainable agriculture among subsistence farmers in Ghana's Upper-West Region. To ascertain this, I employed Arnstein's (2015) ladder of citizen participation as a theoretical basis. A two-phase exploratory sequential mixed method design was also used. Phase one consisted of a qualitative comparative analysis of the various participatory approaches of two purposively sampled NGOs using FGDs and in-depth interviews. In phase two, themes from phase one guided the formulation of a structured questionnaire, which ascertained the differences in grassroots participatory approaches between the two identified NGOs and how these differences influenced the likelihood of their respective beneficiary farmers adopting sustainable agronomic practices using chi-square and logistic regression. Findings show statistically significant associations between grassroots participation and farmers’ adoption of sustainable agronomic practices. The findings suggest that farmers who were engaged in higher levels of Arnstein's (2015) typology of participation were more likely to adopt sustainable agronomic practices than those who minimally participated. This suggests that development interventions can be most beneficial to the grassroots when intended beneficiaries fully participate in them.

Quantitizing and qualitizing (im-)possibilities in mixed methods research

Mixed methods research has gained momentum over the past decade, but critics rightly charge that the integration of qualitative and quantitative data remains an unresolved methodological issue. While each of the dualistic and canonized methodological paradigms has its own way of handling analysis, researchers in mixed methods as a new paradigm have invested considerable efforts in more complex mixed analysis. They use the quantitizing of qualitative data and qualitizing of quantitative data as the strategies to effect data integration in mixed methods research. While attempts have been made to achieve quantitizing and qualitizing of data, few empirical studies have been conducted in a two-phase convergent parallel mixed methods design to investigate such data conversion approaches, especially dichotomization, within a single inquiry. To contribute to this ongoing methodological quest, this article explores the possibilities and impossibilities offered by either strategy to convert narratives into numerical data and numerical data into narratives.

Epidemiological study of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders in Lithuania

BackgroundFrom the public health perspective, epidemiological data of child mental health and psychosocial correlates were necessary and very lacking in Lithuanian society that has been undergoing rapid socio-economic change since the past decades. Together with determining the prevalence rates of disorders and assessing the needs for the services, this study has also shifted attention from the highly selective samples of children attending children and adolescent mental health services towards less severe cases of psychopathology as well as different attitudes of parents and teachers. The aim of the first epidemiological study in Lithuania was to identify the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the community sample of children.MethodsChild psychiatric disorders were investigated in a representative sample of 3309 children aged 7–16 years (1162 7–10-year-olds and 2147 11–16-year-olds), using a two-phase design with the Lithuanian version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in the first screening phase, and the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) in the second diagnostic phase.ResultsThe estimated point prevalence of ICD-10 psychiatric disorders was 13.1% for the total sample (14.0% for the child sample and 12.1% for adolescent sample). The most common groups of disorders were Conduct disorders 6.6% (7.1% for child sample and 6.0% for adolescent sample), Anxiety disorders 5.0% (5.9% for child sample and 6.0% for adolescent sample), with Hyperkinesis being less common 2.0% (2.7% for child sample and 1.2% for adolescent sample). Potential risk factors were related to individual characteristics of the child (gender, poor general health, and stressful life experiences), and the family (single parenthood, foster care, unfavourable family climate, disciplining difficulties, worries related to TV or computer use).ConclusionsThe overall prevalence of youth psychiatric disorders was relatively high in this representative Lithuanian sample compared to Western European countries. The SDQ and DAWBA measures appear useful for the further research and clinical practice in this society.

Construction materials management practices enhancing labour productivity in multi-storey building projects

ABSTRACTImplementation of good construction materials management practices can improve productivity in construction projects. The purpose of this research is to identify and prioritise construction materials management practices that have the potential to enhance labour productivity in multi-storey building projects. The study adopted two-phase mixed-methods research design and it was conducted in the Victoria State, Australia. Fifty-eight project managers, contract administrators and project coordinators were involved in the survey. During Phase I, qualitative data was collected from 19 experts using interviews and the construction materials management practices that could increase labour productivity in multi-storey building projects were identified. In Phase-II, quantitative data was collected from 39 contractors involved in the delivery of multi-storey building projects by using questionnaires. The data was analysed to prioritise the materials management practices identified in Phase-I. Long-lead materials identification (RII = 0.92), procurement plans for materials (RII = 0.85) and materials delivery schedule (RII = 0.75) are found to be the three most important construction materials management practices.

Psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy in women with pregnancies ending in birth.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy in women with pregnancies ending in birth.MethodsA two-phase psychometric evaluation design was set-up. Phase I comprised the translation from English into Dutch and pretesting with 6 women using cognitive interviews. In phase II, the reliability and validity of the Dutch version of the LMUP was assessed in 517 women giving birth recently. Reliability (internal consistency) was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, inter-item correlations, and corrected item-total correlations. Construct validity was assessed using principal components analysis and hypothesis testing. Exploratory Mokken scale analysis was carried out.Results517 women aged 15–45 completed the Dutch version of the LMUP. Reliability testing showed acceptable internal consistency (alpha = 0.74, positive inter-item correlations between all items, all corrected item-total correlations >0.20). Validity testing confirmed the unidimensional structure of the scale and all hypotheses were confirmed. The overall Loevinger’s H coefficient was 0.57, representing a ‘strong’ scale.ConclusionThe Dutch version of the LMUP is a reliable and valid measure that can be used in the Dutch-speaking population in Belgium to assess pregnancy planning. Future research is necessary to assess the stability of the Dutch version of the LMUP, and to evaluate its psychometric properties in women with abortions.

Terrorism, competitiveness, and international marketing: an empirical investigation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to research the relationship between terrorism and multinational enterprises (MNEs), focusing on operational costs, marketing planning, supply chain management, and distribution activities. Terrorism is a growing threat to internationally active firms, but there has been no empirical research to address the distinctive challenges that terrorism poses for the international marketing activities of firms.Design/methodology/approachThe paper opted for an exploratory investigation, following a two-phase research design. In the first phase it was based on qualitative interviews with internationally active firms. In the second phase, an online survey of a large sample of international firms based in the USA was performed. All measures were developed specifically for the study.FindingsThe paper provides empirical insights about how terrorism affects MNEs, especially those operating in emerging markets. It suggests that terrorism accounts for significant costs in the international marketing budget of MNEs, as well as in planning, and the design of supply chains and distribution channels. Findings also reveal that firms with significant resources and international experience appear to cope better with terrorism’s effects.Research limitations/implicationsGiven the early stage of empirical research on terrorism and international marketing, this study was necessarily exploratory.Practical implicationsThe paper includes implications and suggestions for multinational companies to increase the security of their businesses through the development of corporate preparedness.Social implicationsTerrorism represents not only an organizational crisis at the level of a firm, but it affects the whole society.Originality/valueThis paper fulfills an identified need to study the relationship between the growing threat of terrorism and international business.

THE SCAFFOLDING CAUSALITIC-THINKING APPROACH TO INCREASE THE PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITY OF STUDENTS ON FLUIDS

<p>Scaffolding causalitic-thinking is a specific approach to facilitate students in analyzing cause and effect of a phenomenon and in establishing reason where some assistance stages are given. Patterns of the assistance include informing number of causes, effects, or both, some example of causes, effects, or both (causes and effects), or some of its arguments. This scaffolding orientation was to facilitate students to increase their Problem-solving Ability (PSA) and had been implemented on fluid in Senior High School (SHS). The PSA includes understanding, selecting, differentiating, determining, applying and identifying. This research aimed to investigate an impact of the approach on the PSA that is related to gender and Junior High School (JHS) origin of the students, Sekolah Menengah Pertama (SMP) and other (non-SMP). This research used mixed method of embedded experimental two-phase design and with sample of 33 students, 22 females and 11 males, for control class and 32 students, 17 females and 15 males, for experiment class. Total score of the six abilities were tested with ANAVA two factor design. The results, among 6 pairs of <em>F</em><sub>counted</sub> and <em>F</em><sub>table</sub> showed 67% that indicate <em>F</em><sub>counted</sub> > <em>F<sub>table</sub></em>. The results indicated that the approach affects PSA of students and the effect was different between male and female, also the interaction between the origin of JHS students and the approach. Next, patterns of the scaffolding approach are considerably used as reference when arranging worksheet to conduct Physics or other discipline learning with this approach in practice or further research.</p><p> </p><p> </p><center><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" rel="license"><img src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/4.0/88x31.png" alt="Creative Commons License" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a></center><p> </p>

PIV test methods and mechanism on liquid turbulence modulation by solid-particles inside a centrifugal pump

As one of high energy consumption pumps, pump used for solid-liquid two-phase mixture transportation, such as slurry pump and mud pump, is extensively used in the hydraulic transportation of solid-liquid mixture through pipes in various fields. The erosion wear in slurry pumps has been identified as a critical issue during transportation of slurry as it affects the equipment performance and reduces its reliability and operation life, leading to the waste of energy. Many studies indicate that the performance and efficiency of solid-liquid two-phase centrifugal pump is controlled by the two-phase flow pattern inside the pump, so understanding flow characteristics and abrasion mechanism has important significance to improve the hydraulic design of the impeller for decreasing the abrasion and increasing the service life of the pump. In the present study, based on solid-liquid two-phase flow as object, an improved experimental facility without agitation was developed can improve the test precision by eliminating the influence of agitation on flow inside pump and improving particle-liquid two-phase flow circulation way. On the base of experimental studies, POD methods were applied to analysis the liquid turbulence modulation by solid-particles and the behavior of large eddy structures will be clearly understood. Thus, the theoretical system of the solid-liquid two-phase flow will be further improved. And a theoretical principle for the solid-liquid two-phase pump optimal design will be presented. The following conclusions are obtained: (ⅰ) a superior PIV two-phase test platform than that in the previous literature is designed and it can be very good to realize a stable solid-liquid two-phase flow measurement of centrifugal pump. Compared with the traditional platform, the results obtained by the novel solid-liquid two-phase centrifugal pump PIV test platform has a very high accuracy and it has a good reference value to understand flow mechanism of a centrifugal slurry pump. The two particle images with and without agitating are shown in Figure 5. As can be seen that a large number of bubbles are brought into the circulation line (Figure 5(a)), which is caused by a higher stirring speed for suspending solid particles, and thus the actual flow images shows a gas-liquid-solid three-phase flow. However, for the present test facility without stirring, there is no such problem, and the original image is very clear without bubbles. (ⅱ) The POD analyses show that the solid-particles injection has an important influence on the large scale turbulence structures which contain a large amount of energy. The modal energy distribution as a function of the POD mode number is displayed in Figure 10. The energy contribution of these large scale structures to the total energy becomes larger due to the injection of solid-particles, whereas the contribution of the small scale structures, which denotes the energy dissipation, becomes smaller. This is why the low solid-phase volume concentration has higher pump head and efficiency. The addition of solid-particle increases the friction loss, but reduces the flow separation loss and inhibits the development of small scale vortex. However, with the increase of solid-particle concentration, the friction loss increases is greater than the flow separation loss reduction, and thus pump head and efficiency decrease. The above phenomena show fully that the solid-particles addition has an important influence on the large scale energetic eddy structures. This is confirmed by the measurement results as shown in Figure 11.

Survey of management practices enhancing labor productivity in multi-storey building construction projects

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and prioritize management practices that have the potential to improve labor productivity in multi-storey building construction projects.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted two-phase mixed-methods research design and 58 project managers, contract administrators and project coordinators were involved in the survey. During Phase I, qualitative data were collected from 19 experts using interviews and the management practices that could enhance labor productivity in multi-storey building construction projects were identified. In Phase II, quantitative data were collected from 39 contractors involved in the delivery of multi-storey building projects by using questionnaires. The data were analyzed to prioritize the practices identified in Phase I.FindingsWell-defined scope of work, safety and health policy, safety and health plan, hazard analysis, long-lead materials identification, safe work method statement, and toolbox safety meetings are the top seven practices that have the potential to improve labor productivity in multi-storey building projects.Originality/valueThe research identifies the management practices that can be implemented to enhance labor productivity in multi-storey building construction projects in the context of Australia. Being the first study in the Australian context, the findings can be used as benchmark for international comparison.

Above, Beyond, and Over the Side rails: Evaluating the New Memorial Emergency Department Fall–Risk-Assessment Tool

IntroductionPatient falls are a significant issue in hospitalized patients and financially costly to hospitals. The Joint Commission requires that patients be assessed for fall risk and interventions in place to mitigate the risk of falls. It is imperative to have a patient population/setting specific fall risk assessment tool to identify patients at risk for falling. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the 2013 Memorial ED Fall Risk Assessment tool (MEDFRAT) specifically designed for the ED population. MethodA two-phase prospective design was used for this study. Phase one determined the interrater reliability of the MEDFRAT. Phase two assessed the validity of the MEDFRAT in an emergency department (ED) within a 600-bed academic/teaching institution; Level II Trauma Center with >100,000 annual patient visits. ResultsThe Memorial ED Fall Risk Assessment Tool was validated in this ED setting. The tool demonstrated positive interrater reliability (k=0.701) and when implemented with a falls prevention strategy and staff education demonstrated a 48% decrease in ED fall rate (0.57 falls/1000 patient visits) post implementation during the study period. DiscussionThe MEDFRAT, an evidenced based ED-specific fall risk tool was implemented on the basis of the risk factors consistently identified in the literature: prior fall history, impaired mobility, altered mental status, altered elimination, and the use of sedative medication. The Memorial ED Fall Risk Assessment Tool demonstrated to be a valid tool for this hospital system.Unlabelled Box

On the use of imputation methods for missing data in estimation of population mean under two-phase sampling design

Non-response is an unavoidable feature in sample surveys and it needs to be carefully handled to avoid the biased estimates of population characteristics/parameters. Imputation is one of the latest fascinating methods which is attracting the attention of survey practitioners to deal with the problems of non-response because it makes the survey data complete before the beginning of generating the survey estimates. The present work proposes some new imputation methods to compensate the missing data in two-phase sampling when non-response observed in samples of both the phases. The proposed imputation methods result in chain type estimators of population mean of study variable and the resultant estimators have shown the efficacious performances in terms of producing the more precise estimates. Properties of the proposed estimators are examined with the help of empirical and simulation studies. Results are critically analyzed and suitable recommendations are put forward to the survey practitioners.

Generalized Exponential-Type Estimators for Population Mean Taking Two Auxiliary Variables for Unknown Means in Stratified Sampling with Sub-sampling the Non-Respondents

In this paper, we have considered stratified two-phase sampling design with sub-sampling the non-respondents in the presence of non-response for estimating population mean considering the information of two auxiliary variables. The proposed estimators are the exponential function of two auxiliary variables when means of the two auxiliary variables are not known in prior. Further the proposed estimators are provided with their generalized form. The bias and mean square error expressions of the proposed estimators have been derived in two different cases of non-response. The conditions for which proposed estimators are more efficient as compared to some other estimators, have also been discussed in each case of non-response. It is shown that the proposed estimators are more efficient as compared to Hansen and Hurwitz (J Am Stat Assoc 41:517–529, 1946) unbiased estimator and Tabasum and Khan (Assam Stat Rev 20(1):73–83, 2006) two-phase ratio and product estimators modified to the stratified sampling. An empirical study has also been carried out to demonstrate the performances of the estimators.

Developing a tool to support diagnostic delivery of dementia.

It is increasingly recognised that there are challenges affecting the current delivery of dementia diagnoses. Steps are required to address this. Current good practice guidelines provide insufficient direction and interventions from other healthcare settings do not appear to fully translate to dementia care settings. This project has taken a sequential two-phase design to developing a tool specific to dementia diagnostic delivery. Interviews with 14 participants explored good diagnostic delivery. Thematic analysis produced key themes (overcoming barriers, navigation of multiple journeys and completing overt and covert tasks) that were used to inform the design of a tool for use by clinicians, patients and companions. The tool was evaluated for acceptability in focused group discussions with 13 participants, which indicated a desire to use the tool and that it could encourage good practice. Adaptations were highlighted and incorporated to improve acceptability. Future research is now required to further evaluate the tool.

A two-phase human activity classification design using accelerometer data from smartphone

This paper presents a two-phase design for the classification of the human movement activities of running, walking and standing by using accelerometer data logged from smartphone. The first phase of the design is, the two-stage filter applied for the process of raw acceleration data collected from the accelerometer; and the second phase of the design is, the classification of human movements using Logistic Regression with Gradient Descent Algorithm as classifier from the clean data produced by first phase of the design. The raw acceleration data from the tri-axial accelerometer of smartphone contains three axes accelerations. This acceleration data are collected separately for each movement activity and are used for the training and testing of design by using a simulation environment. The activity classification results are promising and show that the proposed design provides an overall accuracy of more than 97% on both train data and the separate independent test data for the classification of human movement activities of running, walking and standing.

A two-phase human activity classification design using accelerometer data from smartphone

This paper presents a two-phase design for the classification of the human movement activities of running, walking and standing by using accelerometer data logged from smartphone. The first phase of the design is, the two-stage filter applied for the process of raw acceleration data collected from the accelerometer; and the second phase of the design is, the classification of human movements using Logistic Regression with Gradient Descent Algorithm as classifier from the clean data produced by first phase of the design. The raw acceleration data from the tri-axial accelerometer of smartphone contains three axes accelerations. This acceleration data are collected separately for each movement activity and are used for the training and testing of design by using a simulation environment. The activity classification results are promising and show that the proposed design provides an overall accuracy of more than 97% on both train data and the separate independent test data for the classification of human movement activities of running, walking and standing.

Effect of DNase Treatment on Adhesion and Early Biofilm Formation of Enterococcus Faecalis.

Objective:Extracellular DNA (eDNA) has been shown to be important for biofilm stability of the endodontic pathogen Enterococcus faecalis. In this study, we hypothesized that treatment with DNase prevents adhesion and disperses young E. faecalis biofilms in 96-well plates and root canals of extracted teeth.Methods:E. faecalis eDNA in 96-well plates was visualized with TOTO-1®. The effect of DNase treatment was assessed in 96-well plates and in extracted single-rooted premolars (n=37) using a two-phase crossover design. E. faecalis was treated with DNase (50 Kunitz/mL) or heat-inactivated DNase for 1 h during adhesion or after 24 h of biofilm formation. In 96-well plates, adhering cells were quantified using confocal microscopy and digital image analysis. In root canals, the number of adhering cells was determined in dentine samples based on colony forming unit counts. Data from the 96-well plate were analyzed using one-tailed t-tests, and data from extracted teeth were analyzed using mixed-effect Poisson regressions.Results:eDNA was present in wells colonized by E. faecalis after 1 h of adhesion and 24 h of biofilm formation; it was removed by DNase treatment, as evidenced by TOTO®-1 staining. DNase treatment reduced the area covered by cells in 96-well plates after 1 h (P<0.05), but not after 24 h (P=0.96). No significant differences in the number of adhering cells were observed in extracted teeth after 1 (P=0.14) and 24 h (P=0.98).Conclusion:DNase treatment does not disperse endodontic E. faecalis biofilms. The sole use of DNase as an anti-biofilm agent in root canal treatments is not recommendable.

The Impact of Teacher's Practices and Content of Mathematics on Student's Anxiety in Secondary and Intermediate Classes

The objectives of this research were to determine if the content of mathematics as a whole (not distinct math themes as in Algebra, 2D geometry, 3D geometry, trigonometry, complex numbers, probability, etc) is a factor contributing to student’s anxiety; and to examine the extent of teacher’s practices, through cognitive and social interactions, on student’s math anxiety. Student’s gender was not a factor tackled by the study thus gender specific differences in classes and levels towards math anxiety were not tested. In addition, the study did not compare the impact of math anxiety on students in middle schools to that of students in the secondary level. The study utilized a two-phase design labelled as a sequential explanatory design “descriptive quantitative data collection followed by a qualitative design through structured interviews to further understand and interpret the data collected from the quantitative findings”. The instrument employed for data collection was a 5 Point-Likert scale survey questionnaire of standardized items developed by the universities of Georgia, Southampton, New Hampshire and Windsor Scholarship, and the Theo Wubbels and Jack Levy’s Student Questionnaire of Teacher Interaction. The statistics used for the data collected concerning the study were descriptive inferential statistics (the mean, the standard deviation, the mode and the median), and the Pearson’s Chi-Square test. Through the study results, the researcher concluded that math content as a whole is a factor that contributes to student’s math anxiety in the intermediate and secondary levels which indicates that the current curriculum is built on knowledge and not proper understanding of the subject material and that the content of mathematics in diverse classes is stuffed to the limit that it causes students daily anxiety thus their math specific deficits cannot be properly dealt from one class to another, and that teacher’s practices represent a main reason that influences student’s math anxiety; and even-though, some of these practices derived from weak to moderate to strong association with student’s anxiety, the researcher deduced that items concerning teacher’s practices in lower levels should be seriously treated for it causes students math anxiety that may probably keep up with them in later stages.

Large-area hybrid estimation of aboveground biomass in interior Alaska using airborne laser scanning data

Use of data from airborne laser scanning (ALS) is a well-established practice for enhancing the accuracy of forest inventories in combination with ground-based observations. For regular monitoring of large areas, wall-to-wall ALS data is economically prohibitive. However, when data are acquired in a strip-sampling mode, ALS can support the estimation of forest resources on large areas such as counties, states, and nations. This study investigated the combined use of ALS data acquired along parallel strips and co-located field observations of live and standing dead trees to estimate aboveground biomass (AGB) at regional and sub-regional levels. The study area comprised the Tanana Inventory Unit (TIU) (138,566km2), located in interior Alaska, and four sub-regions (106–7282km2) within the TIU. The field data consisted of 1676 ground observations from six independent field campaigns. Ninety-four plots came from the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the USDA Forest Service. The FIA plots, each consisting of four 1/60ha subplots, were acquired using a probabilistic sampling design. The remaining ground observations were collected during field inventories across TIU, and consisted of 335 independent field plots and 257 clusters containing up to four plots each. The estimation procedure followed a two-phase sampling design grounded within a hybrid inferential framework, which combines design-based estimation for the first phase and model-based inference in the second phase. Post-stratified estimation by land-cover class indicated that the hybrid estimation obtained 11–55% better precision compared to direct (design-based) estimation based solely on field observations. When the field sample sizes were reduced to 25%, the standard errors for the hybrid estimation increased by 3 to 5pp. Direct and hybrid estimates were compared for two sub-regions, and the hybrid estimated AGBs were 6.4% and 13.3% larger than the direct estimates. On both these study sub-regions, the 95% confidence interval of the hybrid estimated mean AGB included the direct estimate of the mean and vice versa.