917 research outputs found
Master planned communities and the re-formation of cities for health and wellbeing
No full textMaster planned estates are a common feature of modern cities. This paper explores residents’ social practices to reveal connections between spatial and social features, daily routines and health and wellbeing.
AbstractMaster planned communities (MPCs) are designed to give residents a ‘complete living experience’ including access to educational facilities, shopping centres and parks. Although MPCs aspire to be suburban utopias much research focuses on identifying negative outcomes to reinforce notions that dreams of utopian futures are rarely realised. However, as a dynamic form of city re-formation, MPCs create an opportunity to ‘get it right’ by putting into practice lessons learnt from the past and principles of best practice planning. Selandra Rise is an MPC in Melbourne, Australia that has been designed to maximise the health and wellbeing of residents. Key elements incorporate access to nature, open space for physical activity, diverse housing, access to education, public transport, a local town centre and a focus on generating employment.
This paper presents the details of a study designed to measure the role of built, natural, social and economic environments in the health and wellbeing of residents, taking account of the key design features listed. Using a social practice approach rather than taking an individual behavioural stance, the research focuses on households as a unit of study to reveal the connection between spatial and social features, daily routines and health and wellbeing. The paper presents the methods, outlines findings to date, and reflects on potential policy implications for creating neighbourhoods and cities to improve social and physical health.
Presented at the International Making Cities Livable Conference –20-24 May, 2012, Portland, Oregon US
HISTORICAL SUBJECT MATTER IN ORAL LYRIC POETRY
No full textOno što se u usmenoj književnosti u prošlosti mijenjalo i kako se mijenjalo ostalo nam je slabo poznato. Zbog toga utječu na našu svijest oni aspekti koji se održavaju trajno i naglašenije negoli bi to bilo kad bismo mogli ravnomjerno poznavati međusobne odnose stabilnosti promjena u proteklim dugotrajnim razdobljima povijesti usmene književnosti. Međutim, trajnost pojava u usmenoj književnosti nije mjerilo njihove vrijednosti (premda i danas još postoji sklonost baštinjena iz romantičkih vremena, da se poistovjete ili bar blisko povežu starost i vrijednost).The relationship between lyrical oral poems and historial events is discussed. As contents of lyric oral poems, historical events are transformed according to poetical pattern. So transformed, they lose connection with the real historical data. The author concludes that it is necessary to distinguish the poetical pattern from the historical fact, and that the lyric poem has to be regarded as a folkloristic fact. Such a fact can only indirectly be considered as a testimony of historical data
A Continuous Time GARCH Process of Higher Order
No full textA continuous time GARCH model of order (p,q) is introduced, which is driven by a single Lévy process. It extends many of the features of discrete time GARCH(p,q) processes to a continuous time setting. When p=q=1, the process thus defined reduces to the COGARCH(1,1) process of Klüppelberg, Lindner and Maller (2004). We give sufficient conditions for the existence of stationary solutions and show that the volatility process has the same autocorrelation structure as a continuous time ARMA process. The autocorrelation of the squared increments of the process is also investigated, and conditions ensuring a positive volatility are discussed
Aplicación de soda en equipos de desarrollo de software científico-técnico
No full textFil: Salamon, Alicia G. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.Fil: Cuozzo, José D. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.Fil: Patricio Maller, María A. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.Fil: Boggio, Natalia C. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.Fil: Mira, Sofía B. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.Fil: Pérez, Francisco J. Coenda. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.El presente trabajo aplica una modificación a la metodología Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA) en el campo de la mejora continua de procesos de software. La hipótesis de este trabajo es que los mapas conceptuales, como representación gráfica de los modelos cognitivos de los decisores, son una herramienta que puede ser utilizada en situaciones donde el problema tenga impacto potencial y no haya situaciones de conflicto preexistentes entre los decisores. Se presenta una experiencia en la que líderes técnicos y de gestión de equipos de software debían identificar y priorizar áreas de mejora siguiendo los lineamientos de SODA y Haciendo el Viaje. La elaboración de mapas cognitivos individuales fue remplazada por una dinámica para consensuar objetivos comunes y elicitar una visión compartida.Fil: Salamon, Alicia G. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.Fil: Cuozzo, José D. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.Fil: Patricio Maller, María A. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.Fil: Boggio, Natalia C. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.Fil: Mira, Sofía B. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.Fil: Pérez, Francisco J. Coenda. Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina.Otras Ingenierías y Tecnología
Intensity dependent repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation modulation of blood oxygenation
No full textBackground: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is increasingly being investigated in clinical settings for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders such as dystonia, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder (MDD). Using near infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS), very short trains of rTMS have previously been shown to modulate cortical blood oxygenation. Methods: In order to investigate the effect of longer, clinically relevant trains of 1 Hz rTMS on oxy-hemoglobin (HbO) at prefrontal cortex, the current study applied ten minute trains of rTMS at both subthreshold and suprathreshold intensities. Results: A similar profile of oxygenation change was observed during the beginning 30-40 s of the trains, however for the remainder, subthreshold rTMS returned to baseline while the suprathreshold TMS resulted in a long period of reduced oxygenation. Limitations: Small sample size. Conclusions: The differences observed may be a product of changes in HbO requirements by inhibitory/excitatory neural circuits, either by reduced HbO demand or by increased HbO consumption, while sustained HbO reduction may be a consequence of a modulation of vaso-motor reactivity. This study has implications for understanding the mechanisms involved in the physiological changes evoked by rTMS and efficacious clinical application of rTMS in disorders such as MDD.Richard H. Thomson, Nigel C. Rogasch, Jerome J. Maller, Zafiris J. Daskalakis, Paul B. Fitzgeral
Analysis of immune-related loci identifies 48 new susceptibility variants for multiple sclerosis
No full textUsing the ImmunoChip custom genotyping array, we analyzed 14,498 subjects with multiple sclerosis and 24,091 healthy controls for 161,311 autosomal variants and identified 135 potentially associated regions (P < 1.0 × 10−4). In a replication phase, we combined these data with previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from an independent 14,802 subjects with multiple sclerosis and 26,703 healthy controls. In these 80,094 individuals of European ancestry, we identified 48 new susceptibility variants (P < 5.0 × 10−8), 3 of which we found after conditioning on previously identified variants. Thus, there are now 110 established multiple sclerosis risk variants at 103 discrete loci outside of the major histocompatibility complex. With high-resolution Bayesian fine mapping, we identified five regions where one variant accounted for more than 50% of the posterior probability of association. This study enhances the catalog of multiple sclerosis risk variants and illustrates the value of fine mapping in the resolution of GWAS signals
Continuous time volatility modelling: COGARCH versus Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models
No full textWe compare the probabilistic properties of the non-Gaussian Ornstein-Uhlenbeck based stochastic volatility model of Barndorff-Nielsen and Shephard (2001) with those of the COGARCH process. The latter is a continuous time GARCH process introduced by the authors (2004). Many features are shown to be shared by both processes, but differences are pointed out as well. Furthermore, it is shown that the COGARCH process has Pareto like tails under weak regularity conditions
Inclusive strategy with structural equation modeling, multiple imputation, and all incomplete variables
No full textEven very well-designed, well-executed research can result in missing responses at any rate, particularly in survey research. This Monte Carlo study investigated the effectiveness of the inclusive strategy with incomplete data, in a structural equation modeling framework with multiple imputation. Specifically, the study examined the influence of sample size, missing rates, various missingness mechanism combinations, and the inclusive strategy on convergence failure, bias, standard error, and confidence interval coverage of parameters, and model fit. The inclusive strategy, which includes additional variables in the imputation model, was found to improve parameter estimation in most cases, particularly with the convex type of missingness and the nonignorable cases caused by MAR and the restrictive strategy. Implications and future directions are discussed
Validity and Fairness Studies of the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test: Differential Item Functioning, Factor Structure, and Profile Analysis
No full textThree validity and fairness studies of the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test (KAIT; Kaufman & Kaufman, 1993) were conducted, based on data obtained from the standardization sample (N = 2,000). The instrument\u27s theoretical structure is based on Horn and Cattell\u27s (1966) fluid and crystallized theory of intelligence. The Standard Battery includes Fluid (Rebus Learning, Logical Steps, Mystery Codes) and Crystallized ( Definitions, Auditory Comprehension, Double Meaning) subtests; the Extended Battery includes an additional Fluid (Memory for Block Designs) and Crystallized (Famous Faces) subtest. Composite scores (M = 100, SD = 15) include: Crystallized, Fluid, and Composite. Study One derived and described a normative typology of KAIT core profiles. Results indicated a three-cluster solution meet all statistical criteria (e.g., between-cluster dissimilarity, internal homogeneity, and replicability) for the Standard and Extended Batteries. Core profiles were labeled: Below Average, Average , and Above Average, and did not differ in terms of gender. Study Two used the item response theory likelihood ratio approach, based on a 2-parameter logistic model, to investigate gender differential item functioning (DIF) in KAIT items. Subtest items examined for DIF included: Definitions, Auditory Comprehension, Double Meaning, Famous Faces, Mystery Codes, and Memory for Block Designs. Results indicated the presence of uniform (i,e., difficulty differences) and nonuniform (i.e., discrimination differences) DIF in several of the items in the Crystallized subtests. Study Three used multisample confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) and latent means structures analysis (LMS) to test factorial invariance and latent mean differences across gender groups. MCFA found that the error variance of Famous Faces lacked invariance. LMS found that the intercepts of Memory for Block Designs, Famous Faces, Auditory Comprehension , and Logical Steps lacked invariance, with effect size estimates indicating that males obtained slightly higher expected scores than females. Consequently, latent mean differences were not conducted. As such, the KAIT demonstrated partial measurement invariance (Byrne, Shavelson, & Múthen, 1989). Collectively, the results of these studies indicate the degree to which KAIT scores can be used as comparable measures of intelligence across gender groups. Implications for test users are provided
Does DIF signal a lack of essential unidimensionality?
No full textThe majority of applied differential item functioning (DIF) studies test hypotheses regarding probability differences. The presence of DIF then is often attributed to the assumption of multidimensionality, without any empirical evidence of a demonstrable additional dimension when all that has been found is that the grouping variable influenced measurement, which any number of rival hypotheses might explain. Therefore, it is of interest to know whether DIF can manifest itself as multidimensionality through a dimensionality assessment procedure. Specifically, the current study investigated under what conditions a DIF-contaminated test could display a lack of essential unidimensionality via DIMTEST. DIF data were modeled using two simulation methods. One used Raju’s (1988) formula (item characteristic curve, ICC area difference) and the other used Shealy and Stout’s (1993a, 1993b) multidimensional model for DIF (MMD). A variety of factors were manipulated in the study (e.g., DIF magnitude, percentage of DIF items). Additionally, SIBTEST (Simultaneous Item Bias Test) was used to examine DIF conditions (modeled by both methods) with similar DIMTEST rejection rates to determine whether a MMD based DIF detection method can correctly identify known DIF items modeled by both the area difference and MMD methods. The study results suggest that a test can be contaminated with detectable DIF items but still hold essential unidimensionality. It is hoped that the study results can motivate psychometricians to revisit theoretically/methodologically/analytically/scientifically the appealing conceptualization of DIF as signaling multidimensionality and ponder important questions such as whether the influence of an external variable -group membership- equals the presence of multidimensionality, or whether rival hypotheses other than multidimensionality might explain DIF, thus affecting the very way in which DIF is conceptualized and interpreted in both applied and methodological studies, potentially having an impact on millions of test takers
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