32 research outputs found
Revealed likelihood and knightian uncertainty
No full textexpected utility theory;uncertainty;revealed preference
A power-based measurement approach to specify macroeconomic competitiveness of countries
No full textÖnsel Ekici, Şule (Dogus Author)The World Economic Forum (Geneva), and the Institute for Management Development (Lausanne) have jointlycreat ed, and continue to maintain, a competitiveness rating and ranking for selected countriesFthe World Competitiveness Index (WCI). The WCI depends on a number of qualitative factors, which, in turn depend on the perception of executives. This paper offers a more robust and objective wayof evaluating the competitiveness of countries while replicating the WCI results in a statisticallysigni ficant manner. The hypothesis is that the long-term competitiveness of a country can be estimated using objective attributes. After validation of results based on this hypothesis versus those of the WCI, the paper explains the relative competitive level of the countries analyzed by using explanatory variables. A sensitivity analysis is used to show how movements, bydesign or byhapp enstance, in levels of some of the attributes/indicators mayaffect a country’s overall competitiveness. The paper suggests some important guidelines for policy formulation at the national level in both developed and developing countries as well as in multinational organizations. These can be used for evaluating changes in a given country’s competitive status between reevaluations of the WCI. Theycan also be used for estimating the competitiveness of countries which have not yet been rated by WCI, or which might not have existed before being considered
An Evaluation of the Ministry of Wise Counsel Inc. to Christian Entrepreneurs
No full textThe author presents the challenge Christian entrepreneurs face delaring their core values and aligning their organizations with those values. This ministry challenge is compounded by a shortage of trusted advisors to support them on their journey. He created an intervention, which consisted of trusted counsel and legacy coaching from Wise Counsel Inc. (WCI). He recruited 13 participants and used one-to-one interviews to collect qualitative data to measure the impact on their ability to align their organizations with their values. He interviewed the 13 participants and searched for indicators of increased alignment and its impact on their sense of wellbeing throughout their work with WCI. The author discovered that with high levels of trust and transparency, combined with appropriate levels of challenge and support, Christian entrepreneurs can align their organizations with their core values. The impact the relationship with WCI had on these research participants reveals that having a trusted legacy advisor represents a significant ministry opportunity to Christian entrepreneurs and their families
Over twenty years of publications in Ecology: Over-contribution of women reveals a new dimension of gender bias
No full textBiographical features like social and economic status, ethnicity, sexuality, care roles, and gender unfairly disadvantage individuals within academia. Authorship patterns should reflect the social dimension behind the publishing process and co-authorship dynamics. To detect potential gender biases in the authorship of papers and examine the extent of women’s contribution in terms of the substantial volume of scientific production in Ecology, we surveyed papers from the top-ranked journal Ecology from 1999 to 2021. We developed a Women’s Contribution Index (WCI) to measure gender-based individual contributions. Considering gender, allocation in the author list, and the total number of authors, the WCI calculates the sum of each woman’s contribution per paper. We compared the WCI with women’s expected contributions in a non-gender-biased scenario. Overall, women account for 30% of authors of Ecology, yet their contribution to papers is higher than expected by chance (i.e., over-contribution). Additionally, by comparing the WCI with an equivalent Men’s Contribution Index, we found that women consistently have higher contributions compared to men. We also observed a temporal trend of increasing women’s authorship and mixed-gender papers. This suggests some progress in addressing gender bias in the field of ecology. However, we emphasize the need for a better understanding of the pattern of over-contribution, which may partially stem from the phenomenon of over-compensation. In this context, women might need to outperform men to be perceived and evaluated as equals. The WCI provides a valuable tool for quantifying individual contributions and understanding gender biases in academic publishing. Moreover, the index could be customized to suit the specific question of interest. It serves to uncover a previously non-quantified type of bias (over-contribution) that, we argue, is the response to the inequitable structure of the scientific system, leading to differences in the roles of individuals within a scientific publishing team
Association Between Mindful Eating and Weight Cycling in Middle Age Women
No full textabstract: Introduction: Weight cycling is defined as happening when an individual intentionally loses weight and then subsequently regaining the weight over time. Weight cycling has been associated with a number of adverse health consequences and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The large majority of behaviorally based weight loss interventions typically result in full weight regain often with additional weight gained over time with each repeated bout of weight cycling. Mindful eating, which is defined as a non-judgmental awareness of meal related factors, has been found to influence negative behaviors related to weight cycling. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between mindful eating and weight cycling in middle aged women.
Methods: This study used an observational design to explore the relationships and characterize responses to the Mindfulness Eating Questionnaire (MEQ) in 75 overweight women (BMI > 25) who self-reported a history of weight cycling using a weight cycling index (WCI). The participants were divided into three groups: non-cyclers (NC) less than three cycles of 10 lbs; moderate cyclers (MC) at least three weight cycles of 10lbs; and severe cyclers (SC) at least three weight cycles of at least 20lbs. Results: NC were significantly (p < 0.05) younger and had lower BMI than the MC and SC groups. There were no significant differences in any of the MEQ subscores based on WCI groups. There were no significant relationships between WCI and any of the MEQ subscores. Conclusion: The Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ), was an insufficient discriminatory measure for use in an observational study on a complex behavior such as weight cycling. Further research to understand eating behavior domains, mindful awareness skills, and risk of weight cycling is needed.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Exercise and Wellness 201
Is it Hunger or Hormones? Association of Plasma Ghrelin Levels with Eating Behaviors and Weight Cycling History in Obese and Overweight Women
No full textabstract: Weight cycling (WC) is characterized by repeated bouts of weight loss followed by regain. WC has been associated with a number of adverse health consequences and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Body weight regulation is complex. Little is known about why women who intentionally lose weight are so likely to regain their weight back. Humans are motivated by a variety of psychological pressures as well as physiological stimuli that influence eating behaviors and weight control. One of the complex factors that has been shown to predict weight regain, in weight-reduced individuals, is hunger. Ghrelin is a known gastrointestinal hormone that rises during weight loss and is a strong trigger of hunger and increased appetite. Increased ghrelin levels have been associated with disordered eating behaviors and active weight loss. The Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R18) describes elements that may affect hunger and satiety. These factors are: cognitive restraint (CR, defined as regulating food intake because of weight maintenance), uncontrolled eating (UE, defined as difficulty in regulating eating), and emotional eating (EE, refers to the tendency to eat more than needed because of mood state). Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the associations of fasting plasma ghrelin with eating behaviors and weight cycling in overweight and obese women. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observation of women aged 20-60 years who completed a Weight and Lifestyle Inventory (WALI) and the TFEQ-R18. Women provided a 12-h fasting blood sample and plasma ghrelin was measured using a commercial radioimmunoassay (ELISA kit Cat# EZGRA-88k). Intra- and inter-assay CVs were 88.4% + 13.8% and 84.4% + 8.4% respectively. Descriptive data were computed and Pearson correlations were assessed adjusting for age and body weight (SPSS, v23). Results: A WC Index (WCI) was computed as number of WC reported x the amount of weight lost per cycle. 61 women (mean age: 39.3 + 11 yr; BMI: 31.4 + 7; WCI: 70 + 60; range = 0 to 253) completed questionnaires. Ghrelin was significantly and negatively correlated to weight (R= -0.25, P = 0.03), BMI (R= -0.32, P = .006), UE (R = -0.29, p = 0.02), and EE (R = -0.29, p = 0.04). Ghrelin was not significantly related to WCI. WCI was not significantly correlated with any TFEQ-18 subscales. Conclusion: In this observational study, lower ghrelin was associated with higher UE and EE. Thus physiological hunger sensations from ghrelin secretion, is not a likely stimulus of eating behavior in these women. There are a host of psychological triggers, such as stress, loneliness, guilt, anger etc. that may enhance eating. Future research will need to explore what psychological triggers influence eating behavior and why obese women are resistant to the powerful physiological hunger cues of ghrelin
Probing the function of neuronal populations : combining micromirror-based optogenetic photostimulation with voltage-sensitive dye imaging
No full textAuthor Posting. © The Author(s), 2012. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Neuroscience Research 75 (2013): 76-81, doi:10.1016/j.neures.2012.11.006.Recent advances in our understanding of brain function have come from using light to either
control or image neuronal activity. Here we describe an approach that combines both
techniques: a micromirror array is used to photostimulate populations of presynaptic
neurons expressing channelrhodopsin-2, while a red-shifted voltage-sensitive dye allows
optical detection of resulting postsynaptic activity. Such technology allowed us to control the
activity of cerebellar interneurons while simultaneously recording inhibitory responses in
multiple Purkinje neurons, their postsynaptic targets. This approach should substantially
accelerate our understanding of information processing by populations of neurons within
brain circuits.This work was
supported by a Grass Foundation fellowship, National Institutes of Health (NIH grant: R01
EB001963), Duke‐NUS Signature Research Program (SRP) block grant, CRP grant from
the National Research Foundation (Singapore) and by the World Class Institute (WCI)
Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of
Education, Science and Technology of Korea (MEST) (NRF Grant Number: WCI 2009-003)
All-optical mapping of barrel cortex circuits based on simultaneous voltage-sensitive dye imaging and channelrhodopsin-mediated photostimulation
No full text© The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Neurophotonics 2 (2015): 021013, doi:10.1117/1.NPh.2.2.021013.We describe an experimental approach that uses light to both control and detect neuronal activity in mouse barrel cortex slices: blue light patterned by a digital micromirror array system allowed us to photostimulate specific layers and columns, while a red-shifted voltage-sensitive dye was used to map out large-scale circuit activity. We demonstrate that such all-optical mapping can interrogate various circuits in somatosensory cortex by sequentially activating different layers and columns. Further, mapping in slices from whisker-deprived mice demonstrated that chronic sensory deprivation did not significantly alter feedforward inhibition driven by layer 5 pyramidal neurons. Further development of voltage-sensitive optical probes should allow this all-optical mapping approach to become an important and high-throughput tool for mapping circuit interactions in the brain.This work was supported by the World Class Institute (WCI) program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Korea (MEST) (NRF) Grant No. WCI 2009-003 and by the Competitive Research Programme (CRP) of NRF (Singapore) Grant No. NRF 2008 NRF-CRP 002-082
From months to minutes: Creating Hyperion, a novel data management system expediting data insights for oncology research and patient care
No full textHere we describe the design and implementation of a novel data management platform for an academic cancer center which meets the needs of multiple stakeholders. A small, cross-functional technical team identified key challenges to creating a broad data management and access software solution: lowering the technical skill floor, reducing cost, enhancing user autonomy, optimizing data governance, and reimagining technical team structures in academia. The Hyperion data management platform was designed to meet these challenges in addition to usual considerations of data quality, security, access, stability, and scalability. Implemented between May 2019 and December 2020 at the Wilmot Cancer Institute, Hyperion includes a sophisticated custom validation and interface engine to process data from multiple sources, storing it in a database. Graphical user interfaces and custom wizards permit users to directly interact with data across operational, clinical, research, and administrative contexts. The use of multi-threaded processing, open-source programming languages, and automated system tasks (normally requiring technical expertise) minimizes costs. An integrated ticketing system and active stakeholder committee support data governance and project management. A co-directed, cross-functional team with flattened hierarchy and integration of industry software management practices enhances problem solving and responsiveness to user needs. Access to validated, organized, and current data is critical to the functioning of multiple domains in medicine. Although there are downsides to developing in-house customized software, we describe a successful implementation of custom data management software in an academic cancer center. Author summary Ensuring timely access to accurate data is critical for the functioning of a cancer center. Despite overlapping data needs, data are often fragmented and sequestered across multiple systems (such as the electronic health record, state and federal registries, and research databases), creating high barriers to data access for clinicians, researchers, administrators, quality officers, and patients. The creation of integrated data systems also faces technical, leadership, cost, and human resource barriers, among others. The University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Institute (WCI) hired a small team of individuals with both technical and clinical expertise to develop a custom data management software platform addressing five challenges: lowering the skill level required to maintain the system, reducing costs, allowing users to access data autonomously, optimizing data security and utilization, and shifting technological team structure to encourage rapid innovation. We describe how this platform, Hyperion, was successfully designed, developed, and implemented at WCI. We offer an overview of the data architecture, provide insight into the design elements that address our identified challenges, and discuss the performance of the system in terms of cost, speed, and user engagement
The effect of age, environment and management on social contact patterns in sheep
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordSocial structures of group-living farm animals can have important implications for animal welfare and
productivity. Understanding which factors can have an effect on social behaviour is thus important
in order to develop the best management strategies in livestock industries. Here, we studied the
social network structure of a flock of 84 Poll Dorset ewes and collecting dyadic associations data
through the use of proximity sensors during two study periods. First, we analysed the social structure
of ewes at a group-level, by analysing the community structure, and at individual-level, by
determining whether the ewes showed social differentiation in their association patterns. Second,
we measured for the contribution of genetic relatedness, age, weight, reproductive status and
previous management sub grouping on social associations to test for homophily effects. Lastly, we
evaluated whether social clustering was influenced by the stocking density of individuals in a field,
and by weather parameters, through the use of two climatic indices, the Temperature-Humidity
Index (THI) and the Wind Chill Index (WCI). Our results showed that the pairwise associations
between ewes are not-random and highly heterogeneous, both in total time spent in contact and in
contacts duration. There was no evidence that ewes were subdivided into social communities, and
at individual level, they showed markedly differentiated social relationships, demonstrating
preferences in social ties. However, the factors that influenced the preferred social interactions
between individuals changed over time. In the first study period ewes tended to maintain the social
bonds formed in previous management sub grouping, most likely due to a social familiarization
resulting from repeated interactions with the same individuals. In the second study period similarity
in age influenced the strength of associations among ewes. We found no significant influence of
reproductive status, weight (as an indicator of body size) and genetic relatedness on proximity
associations in either study period. Moreover, our results showed the tendency of the ewes to form
social clusters varied in relation to animals’ density, and Wind Chill Index (WCI). The identification of
conditions that modify the social behaviour of sheep is critically important in order to implement
management and productivity strategies and our results highlight how flock social structure can
change depending on environmental and social contextsBiotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC
