Using icon arrays to communicate medical risks: Overcoming low numeracy.

Objective: Icon arrays have been suggested as a potentially promising format for communicating risks to patients—especially those with low numeracy skills—but experimental studies are lacking. This study investigates whether icon arrays increase accuracy of understanding medical risks, and whether they affect perceived seriousness of risks and helpfulness of treatments. Design: Two experiments were conducted on samples of older adults (n = 59, 62 to 77 years of age) and university students (n = 112, 26 to 35 years of age). Main Outcome Measures: Accuracy of understanding risk reduction; perceived seriousness of risks; perceived helpfulness of treatments. Results: Icon arrays increased accuracy of both low- and high-numeracy people, even when transparent numerical representations were used. Risks presented via icon arrays were perceived as less serious than those presented numerically. With larger icon arrays (1,000 instead of 100 icons) risks were perceived more serious, and risk reduction larger. Conclusions: Icon arrays are a promising way of communicating medical risks to a wide range of patient groups, including older adults with lower numeracy skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spectroscopic and photoelectric investigations of resonance effects in selected sulfonated phthalocyanines

Zinc phthalocyanine dyes, which had been symmetrically and asymmetrically substituted with sulfonate groups were investigated using absorption, fluorescence and photoacoustic spectroscopic methods, supported by light-induced optoacoustic spectroscopy and photoelectric measurements; unsubstituted zinc phthalocyanine was employed as reference. Fluorescence quantum yields were determined on the basis of absorption and fluorescence spectra, whereas thermal parameters as well as the yield of triplet state population and the kinetics of thermal relaxation at microsecond intervals were determined using with photoacoustic methods. The effect of the sulfonate groups on photocurrent generation was discussed in terms of the dye's molecular structure and resonance (mesomeric, inductive, steric) effects. Sulfonation of zinc phthalocyanine changed markedly its absorption and fluorescence properties owing to redistribution of the electron density within the molecule as a result of both mesomeric and inductive effects, although other effects cannot be excluded. The enhanced light-generated photocurrent observed for phthalocyanine with two sulfonate groups is explained in terms of mesomeric effects, whereas in phthalocyanine with three and four sulfonate groups, inductive effects are essential and lead to photocurrent decline.     

基于NSGA-II的改进多目标遗传算法

在已有多目标优化算法(NSGA-II)研究和分析的基础上,为加快收敛速度,提高收敛精度,设计了新的初始筛选机制,改进了交叉算子的系数生成,提出了更为合理的排挤机制。通过典型应用函数的计算测试,结果表明:上述改进不仅具有较高的计算效率,而且能够得到分布更为合理的解,且能保持解的多样性分布。     

Maternal variations in stress reactivity: Implications for harsh parenting practices with very young children.

Although a wide array of variables has been found to predict harsh parenting, less is known about the linkages among these variables. It is suggested here that stress reactivity, as reflected in cortisol changes, is an important mediating variable. In a high-risk population, mothers (N = 60) with low perceived power (as measured by the Parent Attribution Test; D. B. Bugental, J. B. Blue, & M. Cruzcosa, 1989), were highly reactive to infants and toddlers with a difficult temperament pattern. In response to such children, they (a) manifested high cortisol reactivity and (b) reported greater use of harsh control practices (e.g., spanking). Cortisol reactivity was found to mediate the observed relationship between the predictor variable (the interaction between maternal "powerlessness" and the child's temperament) and parental harshness. These findings have clinical implications for the ways in which parental empowerment (via early interventions) can serve to reduce stress and thus the negative outcomes at-risk children may experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

基于分布种群遗传算法的PID控制器参数优化整定

Enlightened by distribution of creatures in natural ecology environment, the distribution population-based genetic algorithm (DPGA) is presented in this paper. The searching capability of the algorithm is improved by competition between distribution populations to reduce the search zone. This method is applied to design of optimal parameters of PID controllers with examples, and the simulation results show that satisfactory performances are obtained.     

证明人口系统稳定性与妇女临界生育率的一种新方法

在时间年龄座标平面中,人口系统中同龄人群的生命历程可用一个与两座标轴正向成45°夹角的定向矢量函数表示。在此基础上,定义了死亡率、女性比例函数、生育模态归一函数,即可简捷得出妇女临界生育率。最后,以1978年度的妇女临界生育率为基准,分析了近年来我国人口数量的变化趋向。     

Difference estimators of quantiles in finite populations

This paper deals with the inference of finite populations quantiles by using auxiliary information. The population information considered on the proposed estimatiors is a population quantile of the auxiliary variable with the same order as that of the quantile of the main variable to be estimated. A simulation study based on three real finite populations is performed and comparisons of the proposed estimators with other common estimators for quantile estimation are carried out.     

The factor structure of situational and dispositional versions of the Smith Irrational Beliefs Inventory in a Spanish student population.

This study attempted to identify and replicate the factor structure of English and Spanish versions of the Smith Irrational Beliefs Inventory (SIBI). Factor analyses of irrational beliefs have yielded conflicting results. In contrast to the results of studies on clinical populations, studies on college students have mostly resulted in unifactorial solutions. Factor analyses of situational and dispositional Spanish versions of the SIBI on 960 Spanish college students resulted in 7 factors: Negativity, Distorted Egocentrism, Perfectionism, Catastrophizing-Task Exaggeration, Minimizing-Avoiding, Needless Other- Blaming, and Distorted Isolation. The results suggest that the SIBI displays a consistent factor structure across cultures and situational/dispositional formats. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

AGGREGATION,EMERGENCE AND IMMERGENCE IN HIERARCHICALLY ORGANIZED SYSTEMS

Abstract

The aim of this work is to show that couplings between fast micro-dynamics and slow macro-dynamics can make emerge global properties. Emergence corresponds to a bottom-up coupling, that is to the effect exerted by a micro-level at a macro-level. Immergence corresponds to the inverse process, that is to an up-down coupling. As an example, we present a prey-predator model with different time scales in a heterogeneous environment. A fast time scale is associated to the migration process on spatial patches and a slow time scale is associated to growth and interactions between the populations. Preys go on spatial patches where resources are located and where predators can attack them. The efficiency of predators is patch-dependent. Perturbation theory is used in order to aggregate the initial system of ordinary differential equations for patch sub-populations into a macro-system of two differential equations governing total populations. First, we study a case of density-independent migrations, for which no emergence occurs. Then, we study some examples of density-dependent migrations. In this case, emerging properties appear at the population level.     

Bounds on the deviation of discrete-time Markov chains from their mean-field model

We consider a generic mean-field scenario, in which a sequence of population models, described by discrete-time Markov chains (DTMCs), converges to a deterministic limit in discrete time. Under the assumption that the limit has a globally attracting equilibrium, the steady states of the sequence of DTMC models converge to the point-mass distribution concentrated on this equilibrium. In this paper we provide explicit bounds in probability for the convergence of such steady states, combining the stochastic bounds on the local error with control-theoretic tools used in the stability analysis of perturbed dynamical systems to bound the global accumulation of error. We also adapt this method to compute bounds on the transient dynamics. The approach is illustrated by a wireless sensor network example.