Combining graded categories: Membership and typicality.

Forming a conjoint category (square tables) from constituent categories (squares and tables) has traditionally been remodeled by formal set intersection. In this traditional view, in which categories are treated as precisely defined sets, an item is a member of the conjoint category if and only if it is a member of both constituent categories. However, as is now widely believed, many categories should be treated as graded, with members that vary in typicality and boundaries that are inexact. In the present article, it is argued that set intersection is inappropriate for combining graded categories. The authors propose an alternative formal mechanism in which a conjoint category is constructed from constituent categories by forming a joint distribution of values. The proposed model accounts for both membership and typicality of instances in conjoint categories, but only when the constituent categories are independent, or the relation between them is known. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Taylor-Russell tables for dichotomous criterion variables.

Considers that the widely used tables of H. Taylor and T. Russell (see pa, vol. 14:1111) for evaluating the usefulness of selection tests are inappropriate for evaluating predictors used to discriminate discrete normally distributed criterion groups where a point-biserial correlation coefficient is the proper index of validity. A set of tables is presented, similar to the taylor-russell tables, for evaluating the usefulness of selection tests where the assumptions require point-biserial validity coefficients. A graphic illustration of the rationale for developing the tables is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An order-directed score test for trend in ordered 2 X K tables

This paper presents a new test procedure for detecting trend in ordered 2 X K tables. Using an order-directed score statistic, the procedure does not require a set of scores preassigned to the ordinal categories under consideration. Thus the problem of varying p-values of linear rank tests, due to choices of different scoring systems, is avoided. The proposed test procedure can be easily generalized to handle stratified analysis where data are represented by several 2 x K tables. Examples are given to illustrate the method.     

Attitudes toward older adults reported by young adults: Variation based on attitudinal task and attribute categories.

Negative attitudes toward older adults are thought to be prevalent within the American culture. However, research on attitudes presents conflicting results. In this study, 2 factors were hypothesized to influence reported attitudes toward older adults: the attitudinal instrument used (a rating task vs. an open-ended task) and the types of attributes assessed (cognitive, personal-expressive, and physical). The results confirmed that attitudes toward older adults were negative relative to attitudes toward younger and middle-aged adults, but the pattern of negativity differed by task and attribute category. Negativity was most apparent in the open-ended task and in the physical category. These results indicate that although general, negative stereotypes may exist, older adults are viewed as multidimensional people with both positive and negative attributes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity of alternative self-report indices of smoking among adolescents.

The convergent validity of popularly used open-ended and closed-ended self-report measures of smoking was examined. Carbon monoxide (CO) samples were obtained from 11th-grade Canadian students as an independent method of assessing recent smoking. In addition to CO, 5 known psychosocial correlates of smoking (attitude, subjective norm, risk taking, best friend's smoking, and other friends' smoking) were used to estimate convergence with the self-report smoking indices. Results indicate that both simple closed-ended scales, with only a few response options, and more continuous, open-ended measures performed about equally as well as correlates of CO and the psychosocial measures, but only if the open-ended scales were subjected to a normalizing transformation to optimize their convergence. After this transformation was performed, convergence depended more on the time-span covered by the self-report indices than on the open-ended/closed-ended distinction. Implications of these results for different assessment goals were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Product differentiation among health maintenance organizations: causes and consequences of offering open-ended products

Open-ended products that allow an HMO enrollee to use providers who are not affiliated with the HMO have become an important component of the Clinton administration's health reform proposal, because these products maintain consumer freedom of choice of any provider. However, little is known about the consequences of offering an open-ended product from an organizational standpoint. This paper uses a theory of "spatial competition" to examine the decisions of health maintenance organizations to offer an open-ended product and the effect of offering an open-ended product on their enrollment.     

Environmental Comfort Criteria: Weighting and Integration

This paper presents an integration method for evaluating environmental quality in office buildings based on a series of interviews with 50 experts in the field of environmental quality in the built environment. A structured questionnaire was completed by experts during the interviews. The categories of environmental quality considered in this evaluation include lighting comfort, acoustic comfort, thermal comfort, and acceptable indoor air quality. Each category includes a set of performance criteria. Sixty-five performance criteria covering the evaluation of environmental quality in office buildings were extracted from the interviewed experts. The development of this integration method for assessing the environmental quality of built environments is described and an illustration of its application is presented.     

Tests of significance in stepwise regression.

Tests of significance of the sample squared multiple correlation (R–2) in stepwise multiple regression have not been possible because its distribution is unknown. The present study used Monte Carlo simulation and least squares smoothing to construct tables of the upper 95th and 99th percentage points of the sample R–2 distribution in forward selection. A survey of published psychological research that used stepwise regression found a substantial inflation of reported significance levels when compared to the tabled values. Recommendations are given for use of these tables in evaluating results from forward selection and other stepwise methods. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Probabilistic Forecasting of Project Duration Using Kalman Filter and the Earned Value Method

The earned value method (EVM) is recognized as a viable method for evaluating and forecasting project cost performance. However, its application to schedule performance forecasting has been limited due to poor accuracy in predicting project durations. Recently, several EVM-based schedule forecasting methods were introduced. However, these are still deterministic and have large prediction errors early in the project due to small sample size. In this paper, a new forecasting method is developed based on Kalman filter and the earned schedule method. The Kalman filter forecasting method (KFFM) provides probabilistic predictions of project duration at completion and can be used from the beginning of a project without significant loss of accuracy. KFFM has been programmed in an add-in for Microsoft Excel and it can be implemented on all kinds of projects monitored by EVM or any other S-curve approach. Applications on two real projects are presented here to demonstrate the advantages of KFFM in extracting additional information from data about the status, trend, and future project schedule performance and associated risks.     

Inventory of Problematic Internet Experiences Encountered in Clinical Practice.

People are bringing a variety of Internet-related problems into consultation with mental health professionals. This exploratory study used a systematic sample of mental health professionals and obtained both structured and open-ended information from 1,504 practitioners who reported having at least 1 client with an Internet-related problem. This article proposes an inventory of 11 types of problematic Internet experiences reported by youth and adult clients: (a) overuse; (b) pornography; (c) infidelity; (d) sexual exploitation and abuse; (e) gaming, gambling, and role-playing; (f) harassment; (g) isolative-avoidant use; (h) fraud, stealing, and deception; (i) failed online relationships; (j) harmful influence websites; and (k) risky or inappropriate use, not otherwise specified. The authors discuss the spectrum of cases within each category and implications for clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Automated Code Compliance Checking for Building Envelope Design

Automating the checking of building envelope design according to design regulations is a complex process because these regulations consist of complicated logic sentences covering multiple functions. Existing mechanisms of building code computer-aided checking have some limitations dealing with design regulations. This paper presents a new integrated approach to automated code compliance checking for building envelope design based on simulation results and building codes. In this approach, building codes and simulation results are seamlessly linked with the compliance checking software. A hierarchical object-based representation of simulation results is proposed as an extended building information model (EBIM) to describe the attributes of a building and its subsystems. A representation of building codes based on decision tables and compatible with the EBIM is also proposed so that users can check the building envelope design against building codes based on the standardized simulation results. A prototype system is developed and a case study gives an example of evaluating the hygrothermal performance of an exterior wall.     

Interpersonal preference and cognitive organization.

The paper describes "an empirical test of certain aspects of Heider's theory of cognitive organization." The method, procedures, and results are described and illustrated by tables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Shaft Capacity of Open-Ended Piles in Sand

This paper presents the results from an experimental investigation designed to examine the effect of soil-core development and cyclic loading on the shaft resistance developed by open-ended piles in sand. An instrumented open-ended model pile was installed either by driving or jacking into an artificially-created loose sand deposit in Blessington, Ireland. The tests provided continuous measurements of the soil-core development and the radial effective stresses during installation and subsequent load tests. The equalized radial effective stresses developed at the pile-soil interface were seen to be dependent on the degree of soil displacement (plugging) experienced during installation, the distance from the pile toe, and the number of load cycles experienced by a soil element adjacent to the pile shaft. A new design method for estimating the shaft capacity of piles in sand is proposed and compared with measurements made on prototype field-scale piles.     

Potential years of life lost between ages 1 and 70: an indicator of premature mortality for health planning

The indicator of Potential Years of Life Lost between ages 1 and 70 (PYLL) is proposed with the primary objective of ranking major causes of premature mortality. This proposal is based on a review of existing mortality indicators and indices and of the history of the concept of potential years of life lost. The method of calculation along with the corresponding rate and the age-adjusted rate are discussed and presented with applications to Canadian data and interpretation. Several methodological aspects are discussed, particularly the comparison with more sophisticated approaches based on life tables which do not appear to alter the ranking of major causes of premature death. This indicator fits well into the category of Social Indicators and can help health planners define priorities for the prevention of premature deaths. Epidemiological studies could also make use of this indicator of premature mortality. The simplicity of calculation and ease of comprehension should facilitate its use.     

矿区生态系统健康趋势评价方法研究

根据矿区生态系统健康内涵,建立了评价指标体系,提出了矿区生态系统健康趋势评价方法。通过建立的方法,对研究矿区的生态系统健康趋势进行了评价,并提出了相应的对策和建议。     

热电材料的研究现状

本文介绍热电材料的种类、制备方法、发展趋势及应用前景,重点讨论几种主要的热电材料的基本结构、性能特征与研究进展.     

Effects of insulin therapy on non-insulin-dependent diabetics with secondary oral hypoglycemic agent failure

A recent trend among physicians is the categorisation of lung scans as normal [excludes pulmonary embolism (PE)], high probability (confirms PE) and non-diagnostic (no judgement on PE risk). The low probability scan is therefore being eliminated as a functional category. This occasional survey contends that such an approach is misguided. Correction of the original PIOPED data with certain assumptions provides a more reproducible, albeit restricted, low probability scan category which excludes PE in 97% of cases in the low pre-test clinical category. Patients with a low probability scan with risk factors for PE (i.e. medium clinical risk) will require further investigation. More important, the very low probability scan category excludes PE in 98% of patients with low and more than 92% of patients with medium pre-test clinical likelihood. The demise of "low probability" is premature.     

Outcome studies in industry: cost-effectiveness of cumulative trauma disorder prevention

Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is a method for choosing between alternative strategies to achieve a specified outcome in an environment of limited resources. This paper discusses the use of CEA in evaluating prevention strategies in industrial settings, using cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) prevention programs as an example. Methodologic issues in designing studies of cost-effectiveness for preventive interventions are discussed. A decision analysis model of a CTD prevention program is described as a means of studying the program's cost-effectiveness. The relationship between CEA and outcomes research, and the strengths and limitations of CEA in evaluating occupational health prevention programs is considered.