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Continuous variable dichotomization is a popular technique used in the estimation of the effect of risk factors on health outcomes in multivariate regression settings. Researchers follow this practice in order to simplify data analysis, which it unquestionably does. However thresholds used to dichotomize those variables are usually ad-hoc, based on expert opinions, or mean, median or quantile splits and can add bias to the effect of the risk factors on specific outcomes and underestimate such effect. In this paper, we suggest the use of a semi-parametric method and visualization for improvement of the threshold selection in variable dichotomization while accounting for mixture distributions in the outcome of interest and adjusting for covariates. For clinicians, these empirically based thresholds of risk factors, if they exist, could be informative in terms of the highest or lowest point of a risk factor beyond which no additional impact on the outcome should be expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In areas of varying geology, it is difficult to infer water quality from specific conductance or electrical conductivity (EC) data without an understanding of the expected range of EC values based on local bedrock composition. This paper describes a user-friendly graphical screening method that addresses this issue by plotting the EC against concurrent alkalinity data, which correlates well with the presence of carbonate bedrock under natural conditions, and thus serves as an index of bedrock type. The upper limit of EC vs. alkalinity expected in a stream is determined using regional groundwater quality data, based on the assumption that stream chemistry reflects groundwater under baseflow conditions. Stream samples with EC/alkalinity values that consistently plot above this limit are considered impacted by anthropogenic sources. The effect of dilution and runoff on the EC vs. alkalinity plot of stream samples is considered using a simple baseflow/storm runoff-mixing model. The graphical method''s utility as a screening tool is demonstrated by application to stream chemistry data from watersheds of southeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey conductivity in several distinct geologic settings; however the method is general and widely applicable to watersheds in humid temperate regions. Its use is intended for watershed stewards of both professional and nonprofessional qualification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An editorial on changing demographic trends in HIV diagnosis is presented. The authors discuss the demographic changes in persons diagnosed with HIV, present the use of data movies as a graphical method to demonstrate these changes, and discuss how this graphical information can add to allocation of resources.

This paper proposes a new epidemic prediction model that hybridizes several models, such as the autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA), random forest (RF), and response surface method (RSM). The modeling process based on ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) is particularly suitable for dealing with non-stationary and nonlinear data. ARIMA's timeliness and difference have strong deterministic information extraction ability. RF is robust and stable, with fast speed, and strong generalization ability. Under the adjustability and correspondence of the response surface, the comprehensiveness of the model is well demonstrated. Taking the United States as an example, the proposed ARIMA-RF-RSM model is used to explore the development mechanism of the early epidemic according to the data of the early epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The proposed model has high prediction accuracy (mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) is 1.97% and root mean square error (RSME) is 7.24%). It helps to take effective prevention and control measures in time. In addition, the model has universal applicability to the analysis of disease transmission in relevant areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desirable qualities of milling oat varieties include low hull content (high groat content), high beta-glucan content, high groat protein, low oil concentration, low kernel breakage, high grain yield, and superior yield stability. The objective of this study was to develop a graphical method for understanding the influence of environment on genetic relationships among traits. Associations among agronomic and quality traits in 67 oat (Avena sativa L.) performance trials conducted during 1996-2003 across Canada and some northern US states were studied using a trait-association by environment biplot, which allows visual study of pair-wise trait associations in multiple environments (year-location combinations). Based on the differential association of yield with days to heading and plant height, the North American spring oat growing regions can be divided into Northern mega-environment (Canadian Prairies plus North Dakota and Idaho) and Southern mega-environment (Minnesota, South Dakota, and Ontario). We also found that the following trait associations were relatively stable across environments: (1) negative association of protein content vs. oat yield, (2) positive association of beta-glucan vs. groat oil, (3) positive association of beta-glucan vs. protein content, and (4) negative association of beta-glucan vs. breakage. All trait-associations were of moderate magnitude and were responsive to the environment. This suggests that breeding for superior oat varieties with desired trait combinations is possible, but it must be achieved through direct selection for multiple traits in representative environments. doi:10.1300/J411v20n01_01 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

General Aviation is the main component of the United States civil aviation and the most aviation accidents concern this aviation category. Between early 2015 and May 17, 2016, a total of 1546 general aviation accidents in the United States has left 466 fatalities and 384 injured. Hence, in this study, we investigate the risk of U.S. General Aviation accidents by examining historical U.S. General Aviation accidents. Using the Peak Over Threshold approach and Generalized Pareto Distribution, we predict the number of fatalities resulting in extreme GA accidents in the future operations. We use a graphical method and intensive parameters estimates to obtain the optimal range of the threshold. In order to assess the uncertainty in the inference and the accuracy of the results, we use the nonparametric bootstrap approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have shown cycles in the vote for political parties in American presidential elections, raising the question of whether cycles are unique to two-party systems. This study extends the investigation of cycles to parliamentary elections in several countries that have multiple political parties: Japan, Germany, Norway, and Canada. Phase-space analysis, a graphical method, is used to show that these countries have a variety of cyclic voting patterns in the distribution of votes among their political parties. Voting cycles may be associated with significant changes in the political party system and with stability of the government. Voting in presidential elections in Alabama is shown to have some characteristics of chaotic change, which is an extreme form of cyclic behavior. The possibility of chaos in voting behavior raises important research issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although there is general consensus about the behavioural, clinical and sociodemographic variables that are risk factors for reoffending, optimal statistical modelling of these variables is less clear. Machine learning techniques offer an approach that may provide greater accuracy than traditional methods. Aim: To compare the performance of advanced machine learning techniques (classification trees and random forests) to logistic regression in classifying correlates of rearrest among adult probationers and parolees in the United States. Method: Data were from the subgroup of people on probation or parole who had taken part in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health for the years 2015–2019. We compared the performance of logistic regression, classification trees and random forests, using receiver operating characteristic curves, to examine the correlates of arrest within the past 12 months. Results: We found that machine learning techniques, specifically random forests, possessed significantly greater accuracy than logistic regression in classifying correlates of arrest. Conclusions: Our findings suggest the potential for enhanced risk classification. The next step would be to develop applications for criminal justice and clinical practice to inform better support and management strategies for former offenders in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the theory of student involvement, the purpose of this study was to compare sport club participation and health-related outcomes, as well as the association between these two variables by sex and academic classification among college students. Participants were 127 sport club members recruited from a university in the southwestern United States. MANOVA analyses indicated that males reported more recreation center visits, greater sport club satisfaction, and lower subjective vitality than females; freshmen reported more recreation center visits and higher grade point averages (GPAs) than nonfreshmen. Canonical correlation analyses revealed that sport club satisfaction was positively related to GPA and subjective vitality, and sport club memberships were positively related to body mass index in the overall sample. Group differences were found in the direction and magnitude of these relationships. Thus, campus recreation professionals should consider sex and freshman status of sport club participants to target their diverse needs for optimal health-related outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the populations of the United States and developed nations age, motor control performance is adversely impacted, resulting in functional impairments that can diminish quality of life. Generally, force control in the lower limb worsens with age, with older adults (OA) displaying more variable and less accurate submaximal forces. Corticospinal inhibitory signaling may influence force control, with those OA who maintain corticospinal inhibitory signaling capacity achieving steadier forces. This study aimed to assess the relationships between lower limb force control and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) measures of corticospinal inhibition (i.e., cortical silent period (cSP) duration and depth). 15 OA and 14 young adults (YA) were recruited for this study. All subjects underwent a TMS protocol to elicit the cSP while maintaining 15% of their maximal force in their knee extensor muscles. OA and YA did not display differences in force control metrics or corticospinal inhibitory measures. However, in OA, maximal cSP depth (%dSP max) was associated with lower force variability. No other significant relationships existed in the YA or OA groups. Future studies will benefit from evaluating a range of target forces and target muscles to assess potential relationships between sensorimotor inhibitory capacity and control of muscle force output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naked barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grain threshes freely from its hull during harvesting and cleaning. Much of the available naked barley germplasm is unadapted to U.S. barley growing regions, and few genotypes have been selected to thrive under organic systems. The goal of this research was to characterize a set of spring naked barley genotypes for agronomic traits in the northern United States under organic conditions and estimate the degree of genotype × environment interaction (GEI). To achieve this goal, a multienvironment trial was conducted over 3 yr. Experiments were grown under organic conditions where traits including grain yield, test weight, plant height, heading date, and threshability were evaluated. Contributions of environment, genotype, and GEI to the phenotypic variance were calculated. In the tested germplasm, test weight, plant height, heading date, and threshability were found to have higher variance attributed to genotypic effects compared to GEI. Grain yield variance attributed to GEI was five times greater than that of genotype alone. Genotype + GEI (GGE) and location‐grouping (LG) biplots showed two sets of environments where naked barley genotypes performed similarly. Sensitivity analysis by Finlay–Wilkinson regression found that grain yield was highly sensitive to changes in environment mean yield. These results show that selection for grain yield should be conducted within mega‐environments to leverage GEI patterns. Heading date, plant height, test weight, and threshability can be selected across mega‐environments. Core Ideas: There is five‐times greater genotype × environment interaction (GEI) than genetic variance for grain yield. Biplots define two mega‐environments in the northern United States for naked barley grain yield. Other assessed agronomic traits and threshability are more affected by genotype than GEI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association of biologic therapy use for psoriasis with incident psoriatic arthritis (PsA) diagnosis.Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in the OptumInsights Electronic Health Record Database between 2006 and 2017 among patients with psoriasis between the ages of 16 and 90 initiating a therapy for psoriasis (oral, biologic or phototherapy). The incidence of PsA was calculated within each therapy group. Multivariable Cox models were used to calculate the HR for biologic versus oral or phototherapy using biologics as a time-varying exposure and next in a propensity score-matched cohort.Results: Among 1 93 709 patients with psoriasis without PsA, 14 569 biologic and 20 321 cumulative oral therapy and phototherapy initiations were identified. Mean age was lower among biologic initiators compared with oral/phototherapy initiators (45.9 vs 49.8). The incidence of PsA regardless of therapy exposure was 9.75 per 1000 person-years compared with 77.26 among biologic users, 61.99 among oral therapy users, 26.11 among phototherapy users and 5.85 among those without a prescription for one of the target therapies. Using a multivariable adjustment approach with time-varying exposure, adjusted HR (95% CI) for biologic users was 4.48 (4.23 to 4.75) compared with oral or phototherapy users. After propensity score matching, the HR (95% CI) was 2.14 (2.00 to 2.28).Conclusions: In this retrospective cohort study, biologic use was associated with the development of PsA among patients with psoriasis. This may be related to confounding by indication and protopathic bias. Prospective studies are needed to address this important question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the mathematical solutions to Jug problem in the secondary mathematics education in the U.S. The problem is classified into two types: classic Jug problem and modified Jug problem. According to the author, Jug problems can be analyzed through the use of algebraic representation and algebraic counting argument, as well as graphical method. He concludes that the solvability of a Jug problem depends on the number of jugs needed to create is multiple of the greatest common divisor of the jug sizes.

To evaluate the spatial structure of seismicity in the Wabash Valley of southern Indiana and Illinois, we analyzed data from a temporary seismic network that included 10 three-component, short-period seismometers and a 10-component dense phased array. We produced the first comprehensive catalog of local earthquakes recorded during the 211-day deployment, from November 1995 through June 1996. The results are dominated by a cluster of 534 microearthquakes, with magnitudes ranging from 0.6 to 1.8, near the town of New Harmony, Indiana, that were detected and recorded only by the phased array. The remarkable similarity of the cluster events in terms of waveform, magnitude, and temporal distribution suggests a tightly spaced grouping from a single seismic source. We relocated the earthquakes using improved relative arrival times of P and S waves computed by time-domain cross-correlation of the vertical beam traces and by complex cross-correlation of the horizontal beam traces, respectively. Additional constraints on absolute locations were applied using a graphical method of arrival-time difference analysis for six earthquakes recorded by two network stations outside the phased array. The resulting locations define a tight spatial grouping about a zone of post-Paleozoic faulting just west of the Indiana-Illinois border, in White County, Illinois. Average source depths from phased-array location methods and waveform modeling with synthetic seismograms indicate, in contrast to larger events in the region, that the earthquakes occurred at depths less than 4 km, within the sedimentary section of the Illinois Basin. We propose that these earthquakes are artificially induced events, likely related to water injection for the purpose of secondary recovery of petroleum in the Illinois Basin. The primary evidence for this includes: (1) tight spatial clustering of earthquakes; (2) unusually shallow earthquake depths; (3) good spatial correlation of the relocated hypocenters to existing wells and oil fields; and (4) highly repetitive events with only a small range in magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-parameter recursive digital filter method (Eckhardt) and the conductivity mass balance (CMB) method are two widely used baseflow separation methods favored by hydrologists. Some divergences in the application of these two methods have emerged in recent years. Some scholars believe that deviation of baseflow separation results of the two methods is due to uncertainty of the parameters of the Eckhardt method and that the Eckhardt method should be corrected by reference to the CMB method. However, other scholars attribute the deviation to the fact that they contain different transient water components. This study aimed to resolve this disagreement by analyzing the effectiveness of the CMB method for correcting the Eckhardt method through application of the methods to 26 basins in the United States by comparison of the biases between the generated daily baseflow series. The results showed that the approach of calibrating the Eckhardt method against the CMB method provides a "false" calibration of total baseflow by offsetting the inherent biases in the baseflow sequences generated by the two methods. The baseflow sequence generated by the Eckhardt method usually includes slow interflow and bank storage return flow, whereas that of the CMB method usually includes high-conductivity water flushed from swamps and depressions by rainfall, but not low-conductivity interflow and bank storage return flow. This difference results in obvious peak misalignment and periodic deviation between the baseflow sequences obtained by the two methods, thereby preventing calibration. However, multi-component separation of streamflow can be achieved through comparison. Future research should recognize the deviations between the separation results obtained by the different methods, identify the reasons for these differences, and explore the hydrological information contained therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 1873 to 1878, the American physicist Josiah Willard Gibbs offered to the scientific community three great articles that proved to be a milestone for the science of thermodynamics. On the other hand, between 1886 and 1896, the French physicist Pierre Maurice Marie Duhem translated thermodynamics into the language of Lagrange's analytical mechanics. At the same time, he expanded its scope to include thermal phenomena, electromagnetic phenomena, and all kinds of irreversible processes. Duhem formulated a version of thermodynamics characterized by the conceptual unification of mechanics, physics, and chemistry. Overall, the work of both physicists on thermodynamics is tremendous, full of axioms, theorems, corollaries, proofs, and hundreds of equations. Therefore, it would be a utopian aim to provide a short analysis of their work. Instead, the present study will attempt to give a brief outline of the main tools and concepts used by the two physicists. I will argue that each scientist approaches thermodynamics in a new and unique way, which reveals their scientific styles as reflected in their personalities, the writing styles, their behavior toward publicity, and their inclination for publication. Finally, I will examine the influence of their theories on the development of chemical thermodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to predict healthcare cost trajectories for patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) receiving allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT), as a function of days since chemotherapy initiation, days relative to alloHCT, and days before death or last date of insurance eligibility (LDE). An exploratory objective examined patients with AML receiving chemotherapy only.Methods: We used Optum's de-identified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database to construct cumulative cost trajectories from chemotherapy initiation to death or LDE (through 31 December 2014) for US patients aged 20-74 years diagnosed between 1 March 2004 and 31 December 2013 (n = 187 alloHCT; n = 253 chemotherapy only). We used generalized additive modeling (GAM) to predict expected trajectories and bootstrapped confidence intervals (CIs) at user-specified intervals conditional on dates of alloHCT and death or LDE relative to chemotherapy initiation.Results: Expected costs (in 2017 values) for a hypothetical patient receiving alloHCT 60 days after chemotherapy initiation and followed for 5 years were $US572,000 (95% CI 517,000-633,000); $US119,000 (95% CI 51,000-192,000); $US102,000 (95% CI 0-285,000); $US79,000 (95% CI 0-233,000), for years 1-4, respectively, and either $US494,000 (95% CI 212,000-799,000) or $US108,000 (95% CI 0-230,000) in year 5, whether the patient died or was lost to follow-up on day 1825, respectively.Conclusions: Rates of cost accrual varied over time since chemotherapy initiation, with accelerations around the time of alloHCT and death. GAM is a potentially useful approach for imputing longitudinal costs relative to treatment initiation and one or more intercurrent, clinical, or terminal events in randomized controlled trials or registries with unrecorded costs or for dynamic decision-analytic models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The house cricket, Acheta domesticus L. (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) is one of the most important species of industrialized insects in the United States. Within the past five years the market of cricket powder as a food ingredient has been growing with increasing consumer interest on more sustainable sources of food. However, high labor costs of cricket production and high prices of cricket feed formulations result in cricket powder market prices much higher than other protein-rich food ingredients, making cricket powder only competitive within the novelty food market. In this study new diets formulated using by-products were developed using dietary self-selection followed by regression analysis. Crickets selected among seven different combinations of ingredients. Consumption ratios of food ingredients and by-products were used to determine macro and micro-nutrient intake. Regression analysis was used to determine the individual nutrient intake effect on cricket biomass production. Intake of vitamin C, sterol, manganese, and vitamins B1 and B5 had the most significant impact on live biomass production. Four diets were formulated based on this information and compared with a reference (Patton's 13) and a commercial diet. Although, crickets reared on Patton's diet 13 produced the most dry-weight biomass and developed the fastest, diet 4 (consisting of 92% by-products) generated the most profit (with a cost of $0.39 USD per kg) after an economic analysis that did not include the commercial formulation. Dry-weight biomass production was not significantly different among the four new diets and the commercial diet. This study demonstrated the value of dietary self-selection studies in developing oligidic insect diets and in studies of insect nutrition. This is the first such study involving farmed edible crickets and agricultural by-products. Four new cricket diet formulations contain between 62 and 92% agricultural by-products are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marshallia mohrii (Asteraceae) is a perennial forb endemic to grasslands in the southeastern United States. Despite having been listed as federally threatened for three decades, little is known about its biology and life history. In this study, we examined the role of light, temperature, seed age, and cold stratification on seed dormancy break and germination in M. mohrii. We also quantified soil temperatures in a Ketona glade population of M. mohrii to infer dormancy breaking and germination phenologies under natural conditions. Relatively high proportions (>65%) of cold stratified seeds germinated across a range of temperature regimes in both light and darkness, whereas nonstratified seeds only germinated to high proportions in light at high temperatures. Germination proportions of laboratory stored seeds were slightly greater than freshly matured seeds, but remained much lower than those of cold stratified seeds. According to laboratory experiments, both autumn and spring germination phenologies are possible depending on the temperature and light conditions seeds experience after dispersal. Seeds of M. mohrii exhibited type 3 non-deep conditional physiological dormancy, which has been found in other members of Asteraceae from temperate grasslands. Overall, the germination niche of M. mohrii is defined by conditional seed dormancy, reduced dormancy levels following cold stratification, dark germination after dormancy loss, seasonal germination cueing, and seed traits consistent with short-term persistence in soil. Results from our study are useful for future conservation and recovery actions with M. mohrii and represent the first known published report of germination traits in this genus, which contains several other rare and range-restricted species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Global rating of change (GROC) scores provide a means of measuring patients' self-perceived change in health status over time. Objectives: The purposes of the study were to examine agreement of GROC ratings between the patient (GROCp) and the treating therapist (GROCt), the impact on the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) estimates by reporting resources, and the relationships between the subjective GROC scores and objective outcome measures. Methods: Data from 52,767 patients with orthopedic lumbar spine impairments treated in 623 outpatient rehabilitation clinics in 34 states (United States) were analyzed. Patient's functional status (FS) before and after the treatment was measured using the Lumbar Computerized Adaptive Testing (LCAT) survey (0–100 scale). The GROC ratings were obtained from both the patients and their caring therapists at discharge. Results: On average, GROCp (mean [(SD] = 3.1 [4.1]) was 1.9 points lower than GROCt (mean [SD] = 5.0 [1.9]). There were negligible differences between MCID estimates derived from the patients' GROC ratings (MCID cutoff = 9.2) and from the therapists' GROC ratings (MCID cutoff = 9.5). While only analyzing patient data whose GROCp ≥ 0, the intraclass correlation coefficient between GROCp and GROCt was 0.61, the GROCp correlated with FS at intake at r = 0.12, with FS at discharge at r = 0.56, and with FS change scores at r = 0.47. Conclusions: Therapists tended to report higher GROC ratings than their patients did but there were negligible differences between MCID estimates derived from GROCp and that derived from GROCt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the link between droughts and heat waves is widely recognized, how climate change affects this link remains uncertain. Here we assess how, and by how much, human-induced climate change affects summertime hot drought compound events over the contiguous United States. Results are derived by comparing hot drought statistics in long simulations of a coupled climate model (CESM1) subjected to year-1850 and year-2000 radiative forcings. Within each climate state, a strong and nonlinear dependency of heat-wave intensity on drought severity is found in water-limited regions of the southern Great Plains and southwestern United States whereas heat-wave intensity is found to be insensitive to drought severity in energy-limited regions of the northern and/or northeastern United States. Applying a statistical model that is based on pair-copula constructions, we find that anthropogenic warming leads to enhanced soil moisture–temperature coupling in water-limited areas of the southern Great Plains and/or southwestern United States and consequently amplifies the intensity of extreme heat waves during severe droughts. This strengthened coupling accounts for a substantial fraction of rising temperature extremes related to the long-term climate change in CESM1, highlighting the importance of changes in land–atmosphere feedback in a warmer climate. In contrast, coupling effects remain weak and largely unchanged in energy-limited regions, thereby yielding no appreciable contribution to heat-wave intensification over the northern and/or northeastern United States apart from the long-term warming effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choosing a probability distribution to represent daily precipitation depths is important for precipitation frequency analysis, stochastic precipitation modeling and in climate trend assessments. Early studies identified the two-parameter gamma (G2) distribution as a suitable distribution for wet-day precipitation based on the traditional goodness-of-fit tests. Here, probability plot correlation coefficients and L-moment diagrams are used to examine distributional alternatives for the wet-day series of daily precipitation for hundreds of stations at the point and catchment scales in the United States. Importantly, both Pearson Type-III (P3) and kappa (KAP) distributions perform very well, particularly for point rainfall. Our analysis indicates that the KAP distribution best describes the distribution of wet-day precipitation at the point scale, whereas the performance of G2 and P3 distributions are comparable for wet-day precipitation at the catchment scale, with P3 generally providing the improved goodness of fit over G2. Since the G2 distribution is currently the most widely used probability density function, our findings could be considerably important, especially within the context of climate change investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has suggested the need to use a person-centred approach to examine multidimensionality of motivation. Guided by self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), the primary aim of the present study was to examine the motivational profiles in table tennis players and their composition by gender, country, training status, and competition levels (from recreational to international). The secondary aim was to examine the differences in performance anxiety and subjective vitality across the motivational profiles. Participants were 281 table tennis players from multiple countries, mostly the U.S. and China. Hierarchical and nonhierarchical cluster analyses were conducted and showed three motivational profiles with distinct quantity and quality: “low”, “controlled”, and “self-determined”. Chi-square tests of independence demonstrated significant differences in their cluster membership by country, formal training with a coach, and competition levels, but not gender. MANCOVA results indicated differences in performance anxiety and subjective vitality across the motivational profiles, in which the controlled profile had the greatest anxiety symptoms. These differences are attributed to the quality over quantity of motivation, which have meaningful implications for table tennis coaches and sport psychology consultants to diagnose and intervene with players in order to reduce their performance anxiety and improve their well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the developments and applications of direct space broadcasting in the U.S. It is a kind of communication medium that utilizes relay satellites to connect one point on earth to another for sending messages. It has three basic types of communication satellites which include point-to-point relay, distribution, and broadcast satellites. Several operational problems must also be considered in establishing a space broadcasting system such as signal standards, language gap, and interference.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between contingency factors and reshoring drivers in the US textile and apparel industry.Design/methodology/approach Secondary data on the reshoring drivers and contingency factors for 140 US textile and apparel companies are analyzed using analysis of proportions.Findings The findings show that total annual revenue is significantly related to the reshoring driver of skilled workforce. No significant relationships are present between reshoring drivers and the region of the world reshored from not the region of the USA from which a company operates. There is a significant relationship between market segment and the reshoring driver of manufacturing process. The US production category (reshored, FDI, or kept from offshoring) exhibits a significant relationship with sustainability-related and cost-related reshoring drivers. Quality is a significant driver for reshoring from 2010 to 2016, although decreasing as a reported reason over that time period.Research limitations/implications Limitations include a focus on one industry, the lack of information to investigate the differences between companies making captive or outsourced reshoring decisions, and the use of companies who publicly announced reshoring.Practical implications This study outlines the relationships between contingency factors and reshoring drivers. The results provide companies with information about resources that will be demand (e.g. skilled workers) as well as policies and regulations that may be developed to address concerns such as sustainability.Originality/value This study adds to the limited number of studies on the relationships between contingency factors and reshoring drivers and contributes to the quantitative research on reshoring drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To understand the effects of interviewers on the responses they collect for measures of food security, income and selected survey quality measures (i.e. discrepancy between reported Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) status and administrative data, length of time between initial and final interview, and missing income data) in the US Department of Agriculture's National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS).Design: Using data from FoodAPS, multilevel models with random interviewer effects were fitted to estimate the variance in each outcome measure arising from effects of the interviewers. Covariates describing each household's socio-economic status, demographics and experience in taking the survey, and interviewer-level experience were included as fixed effects. The variance components in the outcomes due to interviewers were estimated. Outlier interviewers were profiled.Setting: Non-institutionalized households in the continental USA (April 2012-January 2013).Subjects: Individuals (n 14 317) in 4826 households who responded to FoodAPS.Results: There was a substantial amount of variability in the distributions of the outcomes examined (i.e. time between initial and final interview, reported values for food security, individual income, missing income) among the FoodAPS interviewers, even after accounting for the fixed effects of the household- and interviewer-level covariates and removing extreme outlier interviewers.Conclusions: Interviewers may introduce error in food acquisition survey data when they are asked to interact with the respondents. Managers of future surveys with similarly complex data collection procedures could consider using multilevel models to adaptively identify and retrain interviewers who have extreme effects on data collection outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing image classification is a common application of remote sensing images. In order to improve the performance of Remote sensing image classification, multiple classifier combinations are used to classify the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (Landsat-8 OLI) images. Some techniques and classifier combination algorithms are investigated. The classifier ensemble consisting of five member classifiers is constructed. The results of every member classifier are evaluated. The voting strategy is experimented to combine the classification results of the member classifier. The results show that all the classifiers have different performances and the multiple classifier combination provides better performance than a single classifier, and achieves higher overall accuracy of classification. The experiment shows that the multiple classifier combination using producer’s accuracy as voting-weight (MCCmod2 and MCCmod3) present higher classification accuracy than the algorithm using overall accuracy as voting-weight (MCCmod1).And the multiple classifier combinations using different voting-weights affected the classification result in different land-cover types. The multiple classifier combination algorithm presented in this article using voting-weight based on the accuracy of multiple classifier may have stability problems, which need to be addressed in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent substance use continues to be a significant public health problem. Parent training interventions are effective preventive strategies to reduce youth substance use. However, little is known about differences in effectiveness for youth across demographic characteristics. This review assessed the effectiveness of parent training programs at reducing adolescent substance use by participant gender, age, and race/ethnicity. Pubmed/MEDLINE, ERIC, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched from database origin to October 31, 2016. We included randomized controlled trials that evaluated parent training interventions; reported youth initiation or use of tobacco, alcohol, or other illicit substances; and included adolescents aged 10 to 19. Two independent reviewers extracted data. Disagreements were resolved by consensus or a third researcher. Data were synthesized using harvest plots stratified by participant demographics. A total of 1806 publications were identified and reviewed; 38 unique studies were included. Risk of bias of included studies was high. No studies targeted male teens or youth in late adolescence. Few studies targeted Asian-American, Black/African-American, or Hispanic/Latino adolescents. Overall, interventions including male and female youth and youth in early adolescence (age 10 to 14 or in 5th to 8th grade) were more beneficial than interventions including female-only or both young and older adolescents. Programs tailored to specific racial/ethnic groups, as well as programs designed for youth from multiple races/ethnic groups, were effective. Current evidence supports the benefits of offering parenting guidance to all families with adolescent children, regardless of the gender, age, or race/ethnicity of the adolescent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous reports showed an increased early mortality after chronic dialysis initiation among the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population. We hypothesized that ESRD patients in the Military Health System (MHS) would have greater access to pre-ESRD care and hence better survival rates during this early high-risk period.Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, using the US Renal Data System database, we identified 1,256,640 patients initiated on chronic dialysis from January 2, 2004 through December 31, 2014, from which a bootstrap sample of 3,984 non-MHS incident dialysis patients were compared with 996 MHS patients. We assessed care by a nephrologist and dietitian, erythropoietin administration, and vascular access use at dialysis initiation as well as all-cause mortality as outcome variables.Results: MHS patients were significantly more likely to have had pre-ESRD nephrology care (adjusted OR [aOR] 2.9; 95% CI 2.3-3.7) and arteriovenous fistula used at dialysis initiation (aOR 2.2; 95% CI 1.7-2.7). Crude mortality rates peaked between the 4th and the 8th week for both cohorts but were reduced among MHS patients. The baseline adjusted Cox model showed significantly lower death rates among MHS vs. non-MHS patients at 6, 9, and 12 months. This survival advantage among MHS patients was attenuated after further adjustment for pre-ESRD nephrology care and dialysis vascular access.Conclusions: MHS patients had improved survival within the first 12 months compared to the general ESRD population, which may be explained in part by differences in pre-ESRD nephrology care and vascular access types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy termination has received less scholarly attention than policy diffusion, and empirical state-level studies that examine the rise and fall of the same policy are mostly absent from the literature. This study assesses the factors that led more than 45 states to enact and some to later repeal Motion Picture Incentive programs, a collection of tax incentives aimed at facilitating job creation and economic diversification. We find program enactments were driven by rising unemployment and national but not bordering state imitation. Falling unemployment and national trends drove subsequent terminations, but in many states, their impact was overwhelmed by the influence of incentive spending, which greatly reduced termination likelihood. These results not only shed light on policy enactments and terminations in general, but also inform scholarship on state tax incentives and the role of competitive factors in their creation and repeal—or lack thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feeding habits of red porgy (Pagrus pagrus) and gray triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) were investigated by examining the gut contents of specimens collected during 2009-2011 from live bottom habitats off the southeastern United States. Red porgy had a diverse diet of 188 different taxa. Decapods, barnacles, and bivalves were their main prey. Canonical correlation analysis indicated that depth, season, and fish length were statistically significant factors determining the degree of variability in the diet of red porgy. Gray triggerfish also had a diverse diet, composed of 131 different prey taxa. Barnacles, gastropods, and decapods were their main prey. Of the 4 explanatory variables, latitude was highly significant, and season, depth, and length were statistically significant. Red porgy and gray triggerfish were observed to have a generalized feeding strategy of feeding opportunistically on a wide range of prey. This study contains fundamental trophic data on 2 important fishery species in the southeastern United States. Most importantly, it provides fisheries managers with some of the data necessary for the implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS) has proven to be a powerful technique revealing complexity and diversity of natural DOM molecules, but its application to DOM analysis in grazing-impacted agricultural systems remains scarce. In the present study, we presented a case study of using ESI-FTICR-MS in analyzing DOM from four headwater streams draining forest- or pasture-dominated watersheds in Virginia, USA. In all samples, most formulas were CHO compounds (71.8–87.9%), with other molecular series (CHOS, CHON, CHONS, and CHOP (N, S)) accounting for only minor fractions. All samples were dominated by molecules falling in the lignin-like region (H/C = 0.7–1.5, O/C = 0.1–0.67), suggesting the predominance of allochthonous, terrestrial plant-derived DOM. Relative to the two pasture streams, DOM formulas in the two forest streams were more similar, based on Jaccard similarity coefficients and nonmetric multidimensional scaling calculated from Bray-Curtis distance. Formulas from the pasture streams were characterized by lower proportions of aromatic formulas and lower unsaturation, suggesting that the allochthonous versus autochthonous contributions of organic matter to streams were modified by pasture land use. The number of condensed aromatic structures (CAS) was higher for the forest streams, which is possibly due to the controlled burning in the forest-dominated watersheds and suggests that black carbon was mobilized from soils to streams. During 15-day biodegradation experiments, DOM from the two pasture streams was altered to a greater extent than DOM from the forest streams, with formulas with H/C and O/C ranges similar to protein (H/C = 1.5–2.2, O/C = 0.3–0.67), lipid (H/C = 1.5–2.0, O/C = 0–0.3), and unsaturated hydrocarbon (H/C = 0.7–1.5, O/C = 0–0.1) being the most bioreactive groups. Aromatic compound formulas including CAS were preferentially removed during combined light+bacterial incubations, supporting the contention that black carbon is labile to light alterations. Collectively, our data demonstrate that headwater DOM composition contains integrative information on watershed sources and processes, and the application of ESI-FTICR-MS technique offers additional insights into compound composition and reactivity unrevealed by fluorescence and stable carbon isotopic measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that family income's relations to early childhood achievement is stronger in large inner cities and weaker in less urbanized areas. Research has not yet considered whether links between family income and achievement in adolescence differ across the urban to rural landscape. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 ( N ≈ 9,350), this study examines differences in family income's links with eighth-grade achievement across large urban, small urban, suburban, and rural communities. The point at which income-achievement links plateau occurs later in the income distribution in less urbanized areas. The magnitude of the association between family income and reading and science skills also differs across the urban-rural continuum, such that family income has stronger relations to reading and science achievement in urban cities and weaker links in suburban and rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We evaluated bias in estimated obesity prevalence owing to error in parental reporting. We also evaluated bias mitigation through application of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s biologically implausible value (BIV) cutoffs. Methods. We simulated obesity prevalence of children aged 2 to 5 years in 2 panel surveys after counterfactually substituting parameters estimated from 1999–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data for prevalence of extreme height and weight and for proportions obese in extreme height or weight categories. Results. Heights reported below the first and fifth height-for-age percentiles explained between one half and two thirds, respectively, of total bias in obesity prevalence. Bias was reduced by one tenth when excluding cases with height-for- age and weight-for-age BIVs and by one fifth when excluding cases with body mass–index-for-age BIVs. Applying BIVs, however, resulted in incorrect exclusion of nonnegligible proportions of obese children. Conclusions. Correcting the reporting of children’s heights in the first percentile Alone may reduce overestimation of early childhood obesity prevalence in surveys with parental reporting by one half to two thirds. Excluding BIVs has limited effectiveness in mitigating this bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent theoretical and empirical evidence has been pointing toward a new development with regard to religion in the Western world: one of polarization between secular and religious individuals. Statistical analyses test the existence of such a trend from 1985 until 2009–2010 at a regional level within three separate national contexts: the United States, the UK, and Canada. Repeated cross-sectional survey data are studied by means of a series of multinomial logit and logistic regression models with generated predicted probabilities. The results show the existence of three distinct patterns of trends since the mid-1980s, one of which consists of religious polarization as measured by the present study: the proportional decline of nominal affiliates coupled with no decline or an increase of unaffiliated and religiously committed individuals. This trend can be found in Great Britain as well as in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pecan orchards are the largest agricultural water consumer in the lower part of the Mesilla Valley, NM, USA. Knowledge of fractional canopy (FC) cover allows better crop water use assessment and orchard management. FC can be estimated from vegetation indices (VIs), such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), the simple ratio (SR), and the triangular vegetation index (TVI), using satellite imagery. The main objective of this research is to develop an approach to determine the FC from a simultaneous imagery campaign consisting of aerial imagery, orchard floor photographs, and satellite images. All the required data were collected based on satellite overpass times at three different times during the initial part of the growing season to enhance the quality of data and reduce errors. The data were processed using the software package Environment for Visualizing Images (ENVI®4.6.1; ITT Research Systems Inc.). The orchard floor digital photographs were used as a ground truth data set that gave a good correlation to the aerial photography. The aerial images were then used to determine the relationship between the FC and the VIs using these ‘corrected FCs’. The results showed significant correlation between NDVI and FC (R2= 0.80;p< 0.0001). Likewise, the calculated SR not only showed good correlation to the FCs but also verified the calculated NDVI. The results indicated that the methodology of this research can be applied to other tree crops as an aid in estimating the FC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review the applicability of Bayesian networks (BNs) for discovering relations between genes, environment, and disease. By translating probabilistic dependencies among variables into graphical models and vice versa, BNs provide a comprehensible and modular framework for representing complex systems. We first describe the Bayesian network approach and its applicability to understanding the genetic and environmental basis of disease. We then describe a variety of algorithms for learning the structure of a network from observational data. Because of their relevance to real-world applications, the topics of missing data and causal interpretation are emphasized. The BN approach is then exemplified through application to data from a population-based study of bladder cancer in New Hampshire, USA. For didactical purposes, we intentionally keep this example simple. When applied to complete data records, we find only minor differences in the performance and results of different algorithms. Subsequent incorporation of partial records through application of the EM algorithm gives us greater power to detect relations. Allowing for network structures that depart from a strict causal interpretation also enhances our ability to discover complex associations including gene-gene (epistasis) and gene-environment interactions. While BNs are already powerful tools for the genetic dissection of disease and generation of prognostic models, there remain some conceptual and computational challenges. These include the proper handling of continuous variables and unmeasured factors, the explicit incorporation of prior knowledge, and the evaluation and communication of the robustness of substantive conclusions to alternative assumptions and data manifestations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jurassic kimberlites in the southern Superior Province in northern Michigan contain a variety of possible lower-crustal xenoliths, including mafic garnet granulites, rare garnet-free granulites, amphibolites and eclogites. Whole-rock major-element data for the granulites suggest affinities with tholeiitic basalts. P–T estimates for granulites indicate peak temperatures of 690–730°C and pressures of 9–12 kbar, consistent with seismic estimates of crustal thickness in the region. The granulites can be divided into two groups based on trace-element characteristics. Group 1 granulites have trace-element signatures similar to average Archean lower crust; they are light rare earth element (LREE)-enriched, with high La/Nb ratios and positive Pb anomalies. Most plot to the left of the geochron on a 206Pb/204Pb vs 207Pb/204Pb diagram, and there was probably widespread incorporation of Proterozoic to Archean components into the magmatic protoliths of these rocks. Although the age of the Group 1 granulites is not well constrained, their protoliths appear to be have been emplaced during the Mesoproterozoic and to be older than those for Group 2 granulites. Group 2 granulites are also LREE-enriched, but have strong positive Nb and Ta anomalies and low La/Nb ratios, suggesting intraplate magmatic affinities. They have trace-element characteristics similar to those of some Mid-Continent Rift (Keweenawan) basalts. They yield a Sm–Nd whole-rock errorchron age of 1046 ± 140 Ma, similar to that of Mid-Continent Rift plume magmatism. These granulites have unusually radiogenic Pb isotope compositions that plot above the 207Pb/204Pb vs 206Pb/204Pb growth curve and to the right of the 4·55 Ga geochron, and closely resemble the Pb isotope array defined by Mid-Continent Rift basalts. These Pb isotope data indicate that ancient continental lower crust is not uniformly depleted in U (and Th) relative to Pb. One granulite xenolith, S69-5, contains quartz, and has a unique peraluminous composition. It has the lowest &varepsilon;Nd and &varepsilon;Hf values of the suite. Its isotopic compositions indicate that it is significantly older than the other granulites. Broken zircon cores encased by younger overgrowths suggest that this granulite includes a large component of pre-existing sedimentary rocks. Two distinct populations of zircons from S69-5 were dated by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe. Abundant rounded zircons yield ages of 1104 ± 42 (2σ) Ma, which coincide with the Mid-Continent Rift flood basalt eruptions. Their morphology is similar to those found in lower-crustal rocks that have undergone granulite-facies metamorphism and thus they are considered to represent the age of Group 2 granulites. Also present are less abundant elongate zircon grains that yield a mean age of 1387 ± 32 (2σ) Ma. Their elongate shapes indicate growth from a melt or fluid, possibly associated with 1·3–1·5 Ga anorogenic granite magmatism exposed in the shallow crust to the south in Wisconsin, or related to an initial encroachment of the Keweenawan plume upon the lower crust. Older ages recognized in zircon cores are less well constrained but may be related to tectono-magmatic events in the southern Superior craton. Within the studied suite only S69-5 was recognized as a remnant of the Late Archean lower crust into which the Group 1 and 2 mafic granulite precursor basalts were intruded. Collectively, the data show that the lower crust beneath northern Michigan formed in Archean times and underwent a variety of tectono-magmatic processes throughout the Proterozoic, including orogenesis, partial melting and mafic magmatic underplating in response to upwelling mantle plumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal extreme daily precipitation is analyzed in the ensemble of NARCAPP regional climate models. Significant variation in these models' abilities to reproduce observed precipitation extremes over the contiguous United States is found. Model performance metrics are introduced to characterize overall biases, seasonality, spatial extent and the shape of the precipitation distribution. Comparison of the models to gridded observations that include an elevation correction is found to be better than to gridded observations without this correction. A complicated model weighting scheme based on model performance in simulating observations is found to cause significant improvements in ensemble mean skill only if some of the models are poorly performing outliers. The effect of lateral boundary conditions are explored by comparing the integrations driven by reanalysis to those driven by global climate models. Projected mid-century future changes in seasonal precipitation means and extremes are presented and discussions of the sources of uncertainty and the mechanisms causing these changes are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early 1880s, biologist Henry Fairfield Osborn conducted some of the first questionnaire research in American psychology. This article details how he came to distribute Francis Galton's questionnaire on mental imagery in the United States, as well as how he altered it to suit his own burgeoning psychological research interests. The development and circulation of questionnaires at the very beginning of American scientific psychology, first by Osborn and later by G. Stanley Hall, is discussed in terms of the new psychology's often-overlooked methodological plurality. Further, Osborn's late nineteenth century interest in individual variation and group differences in mental imagery ability are discussed in relation to his pervasive educational and social concerns, as well as his eventual status as a prominent eugenicist in the twentieth century United States. This research into mental imagery ability foreshadows the eugenic-oriented intelligence testing that developed in the early twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Accounting has been faced with a severe shortage in the supply of qualified doctoral faculty. Drawing upon the international mobility of foreign scholars and the spirit of the international medical graduate program, this article suggests a model to fill the demand in accounting doctoral faculty. The underlying assumption of the suggested model is that there is enough qualified international accounting doctoral scholars who are willing to work in the United States because of natural and artificial benefits, such as the existence of national innovation, knowledge-intensive clusters system, favorable working conditions, and career and earning prospects. A 10-week International Accounting Post-Doctoral Program (IAPDP) is designed to prepare academically competent international accounting faculty to be qualified to work in the United States at AACSB International-accredited institutions. A survey was employed to examine the viability of the proposed model. Our results indicate that qualified international accounting doctoral scholars are interested in the suggested model and the nondoctoral U.S. accounting programs will represent the major job market for these IAPDP graduates. This article should be of interest to accounting educators, business schools, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, and the American Accounting Association (AAA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

- The grains returned by NASA's Stardust mission from comet 81P/Wild 2 represent a valuable sample set that is significantly advancing our understanding of small solar system bodies. However, the grains were captured via impact at ∼6.1 km s−1 and have experienced pressures and temperatures that caused alteration. To ensure correct interpretations of comet 81P/Wild 2 mineralogy, and therefore preaccretional or parent body processes, an understanding of the effects of capture is required. Using a two-stage light-gas gun, we recreated Stardust encounter conditions and generated a series of impact analogs for a range of minerals of cometary relevance into flight spare Al foils. Through analyses of both preimpact projectiles and postimpact analogs by transmission electron microscopy, we explore the impact processes occurring during capture and distinguish between those materials inherent to the impactor and those that are the product of capture. We review existing and present additional data on olivine, diopside, pyrrhotite, and pentlandite. We find that surviving crystalline material is observed in most single grain impactor residues. However, none is found in that of a relatively monodisperse aggregate. A variety of impact-generated components are observed in all samples. Al incorporation into melt-derived phases allows differentiation between melt and shock-induced phases. In single grain impactor residues, impact-generated phases largely retain original (nonvolatile) major element ratios. We conclude that both surviving and impact-generated phases in residues of single grain impactors provide valuable information regarding the mineralogy of the impacting grain whilst further studies are required to fully understand aggregate impacts and the role of subgrain interactions during impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A graphical procedure for calculating peak discharge from small catchments is developed on the basis of the standard Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) rainfall-runoff hydrologic methods, in which rainfall excess obtained using the curve-number approach applied to 24-h design storms is transformed to runoff by means of triangular unit hydrographs. The solution is made dimensionless by grouping parameters, and, as a result, can be condensed into uncomplicated graphical relations that provide numerically precise peak flow rates. Mathematical expressions are also given that provide accurate approximations to the peak-discharge graphical relations. An additional result of the analysis is a comprehensive means of estimating rational-formula runoff coefficients for any location in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]