A Meta-Analysis of the Convergent Validity of Self-Control Measures

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Duckworth, Angela Lee; Kern, Margaret L.

2011-01-01

There is extraordinary diversity in how the construct of self-control is operationalized in research studies. We meta-analytically examined evidence of convergent validity among executive function, delay of gratification, and self- and informant-report questionnaire measures of self-control. Overall, measures demonstrated moderate convergence (rrandom = .27 [95% CI = .24, .30]; rfixed = .34 [.33, .35], k = 282 samples, N = 33,564 participants), although there was substantial heterogeneity in the observed correlations. Correlations within and across types of self-control measures were strongest for informant-report questionnaires and weakest for executive function tasks. Questionnaires assessing sensation seeking impulses could be distinguished from questionnaires assessing processes of impulse regulation. We conclude that self-control is a coherent but multidimensional construct best assessed using multiple methods. PMID:21643479

Evaluating the Social Validity of the Early Start Denver Model: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study

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Ogilvie, Emily; McCrudden, Matthew T.

2017-01-01

An intervention has social validity to the extent that it is socially acceptable to participants and stakeholders. This pilot convergent mixed methods study evaluated parents' perceptions of the social validity of the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), a naturalistic behavioral intervention for children with autism. It focused on whether the parents…

Internal Consistency and Convergent Validity of the Klontz Money Behavior Inventory (KMBI

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Colby D. Taylor

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Klontz Money Behavior Inventory (KMBI is a standalone, multi-scale measure than can screen for the presence of eight distinct money disorders. Given the well-established relationship between mental health and financial behaviors, results from the KMBI can be used to inform both mental health care professionals and financial planners. The present study examined the internal consistency and convergent validity of the KMBI, through comparison with similar measures, among a sample of college students (n = 232. Results indicate that the KMBI demonstrates acceptable internal consistency reliability and some convergence for most subscales when compared to other analogous measures. These findings highlight a need for literature and assessments to identify and describe disordered money behaviors.

Brief report: The Brief Alcohol Social Density Assessment (BASDA): convergent, criterion-related, and incremental validity.

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MacKillop, James; Acker, John D; Bollinger, Jared; Clifton, Allan; Miller, Joshua D; Campbell, W Keith; Goodie, Adam S

2013-09-01

Alcohol misuse is substantially influenced by social factors, but systematic assessments of social network drinking are typically lengthy. The goal of the present study was to provide further validation of a brief measure of social network alcohol use, the Brief Alcohol Social Density Assessment (BASDA), in a sample of emerging adults. Specifically, the study sought to examine the BASDA's convergent, criterion, and incremental validity in relation to well-established measures of drinking motives and problematic drinking. Participants were 354 undergraduates who were assessed using the BASDA, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and the Drinking Motives Questionnaire. Significant associations were observed between the BASDA index of alcohol-related social density and alcohol misuse, social motives, and conformity motives, supporting convergent validity. Criterion-related validity was supported by evidence that significantly greater alcohol involvement was present in the social networks of individuals scoring at or above an AUDIT score of 8, a validated criterion for hazardous drinking. Finally, the BASDA index was significantly associated with alcohol misuse above and beyond drinking motives in relation to AUDIT scores, supporting incremental validity. Taken together, these findings provide further support for the BASDA as an efficient measure of drinking in an individual's social network. Methodological considerations as well as recommendations for future investigations in this area are discussed.

Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale (S-STS): reliability, convergent and discriminative validity in young Italian adults.

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Preti, Antonio; Sheehan, David V; Coric, Vladimir; Distinto, Marco; Pitanti, Mirko; Vacca, Irene; Siddi, Alessandra; Masala, Carmelo; Petretto, Donatella Rita

2013-10-01

The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale (S-STS) is a patient self-report or clinician-administered rating scale that tracks spontaneous and treatment-emergent suicidal ideation and behaviors. This study set out to evaluate the reliability, convergent and divergent validity of the S-STS in a sample of college students, a population with a high risk of completed and attempted suicide. Cross-sectional, survey design. Participants (303 undergraduate students; males: 42%) completed several measures assessing psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire; GHQ); self-esteem (Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale; RSES); social support (Modified Social Support Survey; MOSSS); and suicidal behavior, including ideation and attempts (S-STS). Both internal consistency and test-retest stability were excellent for the S-STS-global score. The S-STS subscale on suicide ideation also showed good reliability, while the subscale on suicidal behavior showed some inconsistency at retest. Convergent and divergent validity of S-STS was confirmed. All S-STS items loaded on a single factor, which had an excellent fit for the unidimensional model, thus justifying the use of the S-STS as a screening tool. In a mediation model, self-esteem and social support explained 45% of the effects of psychological distress on suicide ideation and behavior as measured by the S-STS-global score. This study provided promising evidence on the convergent, divergent, internal consistency and test-retest stability of the Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale. The cross-sectional design and lack of measures of hopelessness and helplessness prevent any conclusion about the links of suicidal behavior with self-esteem and social support. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Global Sensitivity Analysis of Environmental Models: Convergence, Robustness and Validation

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Sarrazin, Fanny; Pianosi, Francesca; Khorashadi Zadeh, Farkhondeh; Van Griensven, Ann; Wagener, Thorsten

2015-04-01

Global Sensitivity Analysis aims to characterize the impact that variations in model input factors (e.g. the parameters) have on the model output (e.g. simulated streamflow). In sampling-based Global Sensitivity Analysis, the sample size has to be chosen carefully in order to obtain reliable sensitivity estimates while spending computational resources efficiently. Furthermore, insensitive parameters are typically identified through the definition of a screening threshold: the theoretical value of their sensitivity index is zero but in a sampling-base framework they regularly take non-zero values. There is little guidance available for these two steps in environmental modelling though. The objective of the present study is to support modellers in making appropriate choices, regarding both sample size and screening threshold, so that a robust sensitivity analysis can be implemented. We performed sensitivity analysis for the parameters of three hydrological models with increasing level of complexity (Hymod, HBV and SWAT), and tested three widely used sensitivity analysis methods (Elementary Effect Test or method of Morris, Regional Sensitivity Analysis, and Variance-Based Sensitivity Analysis). We defined criteria based on a bootstrap approach to assess three different types of convergence: the convergence of the value of the sensitivity indices, of the ranking (the ordering among the parameters) and of the screening (the identification of the insensitive parameters). We investigated the screening threshold through the definition of a validation procedure. The results showed that full convergence of the value of the sensitivity indices is not necessarily needed to rank or to screen the model input factors. Furthermore, typical values of the sample sizes that are reported in the literature can be well below the sample sizes that actually ensure convergence of ranking and screening.

Convergent validity between SF-36 and WHOQOL-BREF in older adults

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Paula Costa Castro

2014-02-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE : To compare the reliability and convergent validity of instruments assessing quality of life in Brazilian older adults. METHODS : Cross-sectional study of 278 literate, community-dwelling older adults attending a municipal university for the elderly in Sao Carlos, SP, Southeastern Brazil between 2006 and 2008. The Brazilian versions of the SF-36 and WHOQOL-BREF instruments to assess quality of life were compared. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to estimate reliability and Pearson’s correlation for comparison between the two scales. RESULTS : Most of participants were women (87.8% with a mean age of 63.83±7.22 years. Both scales showed an acceptable internal consistency – WHOQOL-BREF Cronbach’s alpha was 0.832 and SF-36 was 0.868. There was a weak (r ≤ 0.6 correlation between the related fields in the two questionnaires. CONCLUSIONS : The SF-36 and WHOQOL-BREF are reliable instruments for clinical and research uses in Brazilian older women. To select one, researchers should consider which aspects of quality of life they aim to capture because of weak convergent validity signs. This study’s results indicate that WHOQOL-BREF may be more relevant to evaluate changes in the quality of life of older women because it prioritizes responses to the aging process and avoids focusing on impairment.

Competency measurements: testing convergent validity for two measures.

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Cowin, Leanne S; Hengstberger-Sims, Cecily; Eagar, Sandy C; Gregory, Linda; Andrew, Sharon; Rolley, John

2008-11-01

This paper is a report of a study to investigate whether the Australian National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses demonstrate correlations with the Finnish Nurse Competency Scale. Competency assessment has become popular as a key regulatory requirement and performance indicator. The term competency, however, does not have a globally accepted definition and this has the potential to create controversy, ambiguity and confusion. Variations in meaning and definitions adopted in workplaces and educational settings will affect the interpretation of research findings and have implications for the nursing profession. A non-experimental cross-sectional survey design was used with a convenience sample of 116 new graduate nurses in 2005. The second version of the Australian National Competency Standards and the Nurse Competency Scale was used to elicit responses to self-assessed competency in the transitional year (first year as a Registered Nurse). Correlational analysis of self-assessed levels of competence revealed a relationship between the Australian National Competency Standards (ANCI) and the Nurse Competency Scale (NCS). The correlational relation between ANCI domains and NCS factors suggests that these scales are indeed used to measure related dimensions. A statistically significant relationship (r = 0.75) was found between the two competency measures. Although the finding of convergent validity is insufficient to establish construct validity for competency as used in both measures in this study, it is an important step towards this goal. Future studies on relationships between competencies must take into account the validity and reliability of the tools.

Convergent validity of the short-EMBU and the parental bonding instrument (PBI) : Dutch findings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arrindell, W.A.; Engebretsen, A.A

2000-01-01

Using a large sample of Spanish students (N = 796), Livianos-Aldana and Rojo-Moreno (1999) found poor evidence of convergent validity of the homologous dimensions that underlie the EMBU and the Parental Bonding Instrument. The Spanish findings however are neither in line with previous ones that were

Bilingual Advantages in Executive Functioning: Problems in Convergent Validity, Discriminant Validity, and the Identification of the Theoretical Constructs

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Kenneth R. Paap

2014-09-01

Full Text Available A sample of 58 bilingual and 62 monolingual university students completed four tasks commonly used to test for bilingual advantages in executive functioning (EF: antisaccade, flanker, Simon, and color-shape switching. Across the four tasks, 13 different indices were derived that are assumed to reflect individual differences in inhibitory control, monitoring, or switching. The effects of bilingualism on the 13 measures were explored by directly comparing the means of the two language groups and through regression analyses using a continuous measure of bilingualism and multiple demographic characteristics as predictors. Across the 13 different measures and two types of data analysis there were very few significant results and those that did occur supported a monolingual advantage. An equally important goal was to assess the convergent validity through cross-task correlations of indices assume to measure the same component of executive functioning. Most of the correlations using difference-score measures were nonsignificant and many near zero. Although modestly higher levels of convergent validity are sometimes reported, a review of the existing literature suggests that bilingual advantages (or disadvantages may reflect task-specific differences that are unlikely to generalize to important general differences in EF. Finally, as cautioned by Salthouse, assumed measures of executive functioning may also be threatened by a lack of divergent validity that separates individual or group differences in EF from those in general fluid intelligence or simple processing speed.

Convergent and divergent validity of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning in young children with and without autism spectrum disorder.

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Swineford, Lauren B; Guthrie, Whitney; Thurm, Audrey

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to report on the construct, convergent, and divergent validity of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), a widely used test of development for young children. The sample consisted of 399 children with a mean age of 3.38 years (SD = 1.14) divided into a group of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a group of children not on the autism spectrum, with and without developmental delays. The study used the MSEL and several other measures assessing constructs relevant to the age range--including developmental skills, autism symptoms, and psychopathology symptoms--across multiple methods of assessment. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses revealed good overall fit and equal form of the MSEL 1-factor model across the ASD and nonspectrum groups, supporting the construct validity of the MSEL. However, neither full nor partial invariance of factor loadings was established because of the lower loadings in the ASD group compared with the nonspectrum group. Exploratory structural equation modeling revealed that other measures of developmental skills loaded together with the MSEL domain scores on a Developmental Functioning factor, supporting convergent validity of the MSEL. Divergent validity was supported by the lack of loading of MSEL domain scores on Autism Symptoms or Emotion/Behavior Problems factors. Although factor structure and loadings varied across groups, convergent and divergent validity findings were similar in the ASD and nonspectrum samples. Together, these results demonstrate evidence for the construct, convergent, and divergent validity of the MSEL using powerful data-analytic techniques. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Factorial Invariance and Convergent Validity of the Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale across Gender and Ethnoracial Identity.

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Wheldon, Christopher W; Kolar, Stephanie K; Hernandez, Natalie D; Daley, Ellen M

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to assess the factorial invariance and convergent validity of the Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale (GBMMS) across gender (male and female) and ethnoracial identity (Latino and Black). Minority students (N = 686) attending a southeastern university were surveyed in the fall of 2011. Psychometric analysis of the GBMMS was performed. A three-factor solution fit the data after the omission of two problematic items. This revised version of the GBMMS exhibited sufficient configural, metric, and scalar invariance. Convergence of the GBMMS with conceptually related measures provided further evidence of validity; however, there was variation across ethnoracial identity. The GBMMS has viable psychometric properties across gender and ethnoracial identity in Black and Latino populations.

CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE IN EUROPEAN UNION: EVIDENCE FOR BETA CONVERGENCE AMONG NEW EU MEMBER STATES

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Ioana Sorina Mihuț

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract: Convergence may be considered a central issue of the current economic literature, and not only, concentrating upon income distribution within different economies, but also focusing on different aspects of polarity and inequality that characterize especially the emerging economies. Testing convergence within economies may serve as a useful instrument for the validation of the economic growth models. While convergence was considered a defining element of the neoclassical growth models, the majority of the new endogenous growth models argue in favour of divergence across different economies. Testing convergence among European Union is even more challenging due to the high degree of heterogeneity that characterizes these economies. The recent accessions with ten new countries in 2004 and with another two in 2007 were considered only the first step towards assuring a sustainable convergence and finally adopting a common currency-the euro. A series of empirical studies concentrated upon testing convergence among EU, using as benchmark the real convergence quantified by the level of GDP/capita as an indicator for the living standards of every economy. The most popular approach rely on Beta and Sigma convergence, the first one being and indicator of the GDP/capita dispersion between different economies, and the later one being an estimator of the reverse relationship between GDP/capita and its initial level. The main purpose of this paper is to test Beta converge among the new EU member states, in order to obtained more information about the fact whether the poor countries are trying to catch-up with the more developed one. Also Beta convergence indicator embodies useful information about conditional and un-conditional convergence, two leading hypothesis within the neoclassical and endogenous growth models. For Beta convergence hypothesis to be valid it should be taken into consideration a ”catch-up” mechanism over a longer period of time

Social skills of adolescents: convergent validity between IHSA-Del-Prette and MESSY

OpenAIRE

Del Prette,Zilda Aparecida Pereira; Teodoro,Maycoln; Del Prette,Almir

2014-01-01

This research investigates the evidence demonstrating the reliability and convergent validity between the Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents and the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters in two groups: the first with 136 adolescents from a public school (89 females and 47 males, with ages ranging from 12 to 17 years, 13.98 ± 1.24 years); the second with 24 adolescents from a socio-educational program (ages ranging from 13 to 17 years, 15.64 ± 1.18 years). The results showed ...

Validation of two conceptualizations of fragile self-esteem: Contingent high self-esteem and incongruent high self-esteem

OpenAIRE

Bodroža Bojana

2014-01-01

The aim of this research was to validate two aspects of fragile high self-esteem: a combination of contingent and high (explicit) self-esteem and a combination of high explicit and low implicit self-esteem (i.e. incongruent high self-esteem), as well as to examine the relationship between these aspects of fragile self-esteem and narcissism. No convergence was found between contingent high and incongruent high self-esteem. The result was consistent regardles...

Factor Structure and Convergent Validity of the Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents (SIPA) in Adolescents With ADHD.

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Eadeh, Hana-May; Langberg, Joshua M; Molitor, Stephen J; Behrhorst, Katie; Smith, Zoe R; Evans, Steven W

2018-02-01

Parenting stress is common in families with an adolescent with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents (SIPA) was developed to assess parenting stress but has not been validated outside of the original development work. This study examined the factor structure and sources of convergent validity of the SIPA in a sample of adolescents diagnosed with ADHD ( M age = 12.3, N = 327) and their caregivers. Three first-order models, two bifactor models, and one higher order model were evaluated; none met overall model fit criteria but the first-order nine-factor model displayed the best fit. Convergent validity was also assessed and the SIPA adolescent domain was moderately correlated with measures of family impairment and conflict after accounting for ADHD symptom severity. Implications of these findings for use of the SIPA in ADHD samples are discussed along with directions for future research focused on parent stress and ADHD.

Examination of the Structural, Convergent, and Incremental Validity of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) with a Clinical Sample

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Nelson, Jason M.; Canivez, Gary L.

2012-01-01

Empirical examination of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS; C. R. Reynolds & R. W. Kamphaus, 2003a) has produced mixed results regarding its internal structure and convergent validity. Various aspects of validity of RIAS scores with a sample (N = 521) of adolescents and adults seeking psychological evaluations at a university-based…

Convergency analysis of the high-order mimetic finite difference method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lipnikov, Konstantin [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Veiga Da Beirao, L [UNIV DEGLI STUDI; Manzini, G [NON LANL

2008-01-01

We prove second-order convergence of the conservative variable and its flux in the high-order MFD method. The convergence results are proved for unstructured polyhedral meshes and full tensor diffusion coefficients. For the case of non-constant coefficients, we also develop a new family of high-order MFD methods. Theoretical result are confirmed through numerical experiments.

Convergent validity of actigraphy with polysomnography and parent reports when measuring sleep in children with Down syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Esbensen, A J; Hoffman, E K; Stansberry, E; Shaffer, R

2018-04-01

There is a need for rigorous measures of sleep in children with Down syndrome as sleep is a substantial problem in this population and there are barriers to obtaining the gold standard polysomnography (PSG). PSG is cost-prohibitive when measuring treatment effects in some clinical trials, and children with Down syndrome may not cooperate with undergoing a PSG. Minimal information is available on the validity of alternative methods of assessing sleep in children with Down syndrome, such as actigraphy and parent ratings. Our study examined the concurrent and convergent validity of different measures of sleep, including PSG, actigraphy and parent reports of sleep among children with Down syndrome. A clinic (n = 27) and a community (n = 47) sample of children with Down syndrome were examined. In clinic, children with Down syndrome wore an actigraph watch during a routine PSG. In the community, children with Down syndrome wore an actigraph watch for a week at home at night as part of a larger study on sleep and behaviour. Their parent completed ratings of the child's sleep during that same week. Actigraph watches demonstrated convergent validity with PSG when measuring a child with Down syndrome's total amount of sleep time, total wake time after sleep onset and sleep period efficiency. In contrast, actigraph watches demonstrated poor correlations with parent reports of sleep, and with PSG when measuring the total time in bed and total wake episodes. Actigraphy, PSG and parent ratings of sleep demonstrated poor concurrent validity with clinical diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea. Our current data suggest that actigraph watches demonstrate convergent validity and are sensitive to measuring certain sleep constructs (duration, efficiency) in children with Down syndrome. However, parent reports, such as the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, may be measuring other sleep constructs. These findings highlight the importance of selecting measures of sleep related to

Psychological Capital: Convergent and discriminant validity of a reconfigured measure

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Anton Grobler

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Although attention has been given to the importance of positivity in the workplace, it has only recently been proposed as a new way in which to focus on organisational behaviour. The psychological resources which meet the criteria for positive organisational behaviour best are hope, self-efficacy, optimism and resilience.   Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the construct validity of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ, with specific reference to its psychometric properties.   Setting: The sample included a total of 1749 respondents, 60 each from 30 organisations in South Africa.   Methods: A multi-factorial model was statistically explored and confirmed (with exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively.   Results: The results support the original conceptualisation and empirically-confirmed factorial composition of Psychological Capital (PsyCap by four elements, namely Hope, Optimism, Resilience and Self-efficacy. However, the study yielded a three-factor solution, with Hope and Optimism as a combined factor and Resilience and Self-efficacy made up of a reconfigured set of substantively justifiable items (three of the original 24 items were found not to be suitable. The three reconfigured factors showed good psychometric properties, good fit (in support of construct validity and acceptable levels of convergent and discriminant validity. Recommendations were made for further studies.   Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, it seems that the PCQ is a suitable (valid and reliable instrument for measuring PsyCap. This study could thus serve as a reference for the accurate measurement of PsyCap.

AULA virtual reality test as an attention measure: convergent validity with Conners' Continuous Performance Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Díaz-Orueta, Unai; Garcia-López, Cristina; Crespo-Eguílaz, Nerea; Sánchez-Carpintero, Rocío; Climent, Gema; Narbona, Juan

2014-01-01

The majority of neuropsychological tests used to evaluate attention processes in children lack ecological validity. The AULA Nesplora (AULA) is a continuous performance test, developed in a virtual setting, very similar to a school classroom. The aim of the present study is to analyze the convergent validity between the AULA and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) of Conners. The AULA and CPT were administered correlatively to 57 children, aged 6-16 years (26.3% female) with average cognitive ability (IQ mean = 100.56, SD = 10.38) who had a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. Spearman correlations analyses were conducted among the different variables. Significant correlations were observed between both tests in all the analyzed variables (omissions, commissions, reaction time, and variability of reaction time), including for those measures of the AULA based on different sensorial modalities, presentation of distractors, and task paradigms. Hence, convergent validity between both tests was confirmed. Moreover, the AULA showed differences by gender and correlation to Perceptual Reasoning and Working Memory indexes of the WISC-IV, supporting the relevance of IQ measures in the understanding of cognitive performance in ADHD. In addition, the AULA (but not Conners' CPT) was able to differentiate between ADHD children with and without pharmacological treatment for a wide range of measures related to inattention, impulsivity, processing speed, motor activity, and quality of attention focus. Additional measures and advantages of the AULA versus Conners' CPT are discussed.

LES Modeling with Experimental Validation of a Compound Channel having Converging Floodplain

Science.gov (United States)

Mohanta, Abinash; Patra, K. C.

2018-04-01

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is often used to predict flow structures in developing areas of a flow field for the determination of velocity field, pressure, shear stresses, effect of turbulence and others. A two phase three-dimensional CFD model along with the large eddy simulation (LES) model is used to solve the turbulence equation. This study aims to validate CFD simulations of free surface flow or open channel flow by using volume of fluid method by comparing the data observed in hydraulics laboratory of the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. The finite volume method with a dynamic sub grid scale was carried out for a constant aspect ratio and convergence condition. The results show that the secondary flow and centrifugal force influence flow pattern and show good agreement with experimental data. Within this paper over-bank flows have been numerically simulated using LES in order to predict accurate open channel flow behavior. The LES results are shown to accurately predict the flow features, specifically the distribution of secondary circulations both for in-bank channels as well as over-bank channels at varying depth and width ratios in symmetrically converging flood plain compound sections.

High-intensity ionization approximations: test of convergence in a one-dimensional model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antunes Neto, H.S.; Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro); Davidovich, L.; Marchesin, D.

1983-06-01

By solving numerically a one-dimensional model, the range of validity of some non-perturbative treatments proposed for the problem of atomic ionization by strong laser fields is examined. Some scalling properties of the ionization probability are stablished and a new approximation, which converges to the exact results in the limit of very strong fields is proposed. (Author) [pt

Assessing the relative and absolute reliability of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International questionnaire in elderly individuals with increased fall risk and the questionnaire's convergent validity in elderly women with osteoporosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Halvarsson, A; Franzén, E; Ståhle, A

2013-06-01

The Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) is a highly reliable questionnaire for assessing fear of falling in elderly individuals with increased fall risk and has low or no convergent validity with balance performance tests and health-related quality of life (HRQL) among elderly women with osteoporosis, which indicates that both measurements should be included as they are measuring different components. Fear of falling is increased in elderly individuals with osteoporosis and FES-I is a widely used questionnaire to assess fear of falling. There is limited evidence of the reliability and convergent validity in elderly with increased risk of falling and osteoporosis. Reliability and validity study of the FES-I. Community-dwelling elderly with increased fall risk, 59 subjects, were recruited to the reliability assessment, and 81 women with osteoporosis, in the validity assessment. For the reliability assessment, two postal surveys were used. For the validity assessment, we used baseline data from an on-going study in women with osteoporosis. The FES-I was correlated to a single-item question regarding fear of falling, self-reported history of falls, balance performance tests and health-related quality of life. The FES-I had very good relative reliability (intra-class correlation 0.88) and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.94). The value for absolute reliability was a standard error of measure 2.9 (10.6 %), smallest real difference 7.9 (29 %). There was "little if any" to "low" correlation between the FES-I and the single-item question regarding fear of falling and self-reported history of falls, HRQL and balance performance tests. The FES-I seems to be a highly reliable questionnaire for assessing fear of falling in elderly with increased fall risk but has low relation to/convergent validity with balance performance and HRQL among elderly women with osteoporosis.

Indirectly driven, high convergence inertial confinement fusion implosions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cable, M.D.; Hatchett, S.P.; Caird, J.A.; Kilkenny, J.D.; Kornblum, H.N.; Lane, S.M.; Laumann, C.; Lerche, R.A.; Murphy, T.J.; Murray, J.; Nelson, M.B.; Phillion, D.W.; Powell, H.; Ress, D.B.

1994-01-01

A series of high convergence indirectly driven implosions has been done with the Nova Laser Fusion facility. These implosions were well characterized by a variety of measurements; computer models are in good agreement. The imploded fuel areal density was measured using a technique based on secondary neutron spectroscopy. At capsule convergences of 24:1, comparable to what is required for the hot spot of ignition scale capsules, these capsules achieved fuel densities of 19 g/cm 3 . Independent measurements of density, burn duration, and ion temperature gave nτθ=1.7±0.9x10 14 keV s/cm 3

All framing effects are not created equal: Low convergent validity between two classic measurements of framing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhen, Shanshan; Yu, Rongjun

2016-07-20

Human risk-taking attitudes can be influenced by two logically equivalent but descriptively different frames, termed the framing effect. The classic hypothetical vignette-based task (Asian disease problem) and a recently developed reward-based gambling task have been widely used to assess individual differences in the framing effect. Previous studies treat framing bias as a stable trait that has genetic basis. However, these two paradigms differ in terms of task domain (loss vs. gain) and task context (vignette-based vs. reward-based) and the convergent validity of these measurements remains unknown. Here, we developed a vignette-based task and a gambling task in both gain and loss domains and tested correlations of the framing effect among these tasks in 159 young adults. Our results revealed no significant correlation between the vignette-based task in the loss domain and the gambling task in the gain domain, indicating low convergent validity. The current findings raise the question of how to measure the framing effect precisely, especially in individual difference studies using large samples and expensive neuroscience methods. Our results suggest that the framing effect is influenced by both task domain and task context and future research should be cautious about the operationalization of the framing effect.

Convergence in Food Demand and Delivery: Do Middle-Income Countries Follow High-Income Trends?

OpenAIRE

Regmi, Anita; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Unnevehr, Laurian J.

2008-01-01

This study uses food expenditures and food-sales data from 1990 to 2004 to examine whether food-consumption patterns and food-delivery-mechanism trends are converging across 47 high- and middle-income countries. Results point to a high degree of convergence in global food systems. Middle-income countries appear to be following trends in high-income countries. Convergence is apparent in most important food-expenditure categories and in indicators of food-system modernization such as supermarke...

Further validation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale: evidence for the cross-method convergence of well-being measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Pavot, W; Diener, E; Colvin, C R; Sandvik, E

1991-08-01

The structure of subjective well-being has been conceptualized as consisting of two major components: the emotional or affective component and the judgmental or cognitive component (Diener, 1984; Veenhoven, 1984). The judgmental component has also been conceptualized as life satisfaction (Andrews & Withey, 1976). Although the affective component of subjective well-being has received considerable attention from researchers, the judgmental component has been relatively neglected. The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) was developed as a measure of the judgmental component of subjective well-being (SWB). Two studied designed to validate further the SWLS are reported. Peer reports, a memory measure, and clinical ratings are used as external criteria for validation. Evidence for the reliability and predictive validity of the SWLS is presented, and its performance is compared to other related scales. The SWLS is shown to be a valid and reliable measure of life satisfaction, suited for use with a wide range of age groups and applications, which makes possible the savings of interview time and resources compared to many measures of life satisfaction. In addition, the high convergence of self- and peer-reported measures of subjective well-being and life satisfaction provide strong evidence that subjective well-being is a relatively global and stable phenomenon, not simply a momentary judgment based on fleeting influences.

Diffusion Patterns in Convergence among High-Technology Industries: A Co-Occurrence-Based Analysis of Newspaper Article Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyeokseong Lee

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Firms in high-technology industries have faced great technological and market uncertainty and volatility in the past few decades. In order to be competitive and sustainable in this environment, firms have been pursuing technological innovation, product differentiation, vertical integration, and alliances, which eventually drive industry convergence, defined as the process of blurring boundaries between previously distinct industries. Although industry convergence has greatly affected industrial structure and the economy, little research has investigated this phenomenon, especially its diffusion patterns; thus, it is still unclear which industries are converging more rapidly or have a higher potential for convergence. This paper explores these issues by investigating industry convergence in U.S. high-technology industries, using a large set of newspaper articles from 1987 to 2012. We perform a co-occurrence-based analysis to obtain information on industry convergence and estimate its diffusion patterns using an internal-influence logistic model. We find heterogeneous diffusion patterns, depending on convergent-industry pairs and their wide dispersion. In addition, we find that the potential degree of industry convergence is significantly negatively associated with its growth rate, which indicates that a great deal of time will be required for industry convergence between high-technology industries with this high potential to achieve a high degree of convergence.

Factorial, Convergent, and Discriminant Validity of TIMSS Math and Science Motivation Measures: A Comparison of Arab and Anglo-Saxon Countries

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Marsh, Herbert W.; Abduljabbar, Adel Salah; Abu-Hilal, Maher M.; Morin, Alexandre J. S.; Abdelfattah, Faisal; Leung, Kim Chau; Xu, Man K.; Nagengast, Benjamin; Parker, Philip

2013-01-01

For the international Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS2007) math and science motivation scales (self-concept, positive affect, and value), we evaluated the psychometric properties (factor structure, method effects, gender differences, and convergent and discriminant validity) in 4 Arab-speaking countries (Saudi Arabia,…

The Convergent, Discriminant, and Concurrent Validity of Scores on the Abbreviated Self-Leadership Questionnaire

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Faruk Şahin

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The present study reports the psychometric properties of a short measure of self-leadership in the Turkish context: the Abbreviated Self-Leadership Questionnaire (ASLQ. The ASLQ was examined using two samples and showed sound psychometric properties. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that nine-item ASLQ measured a single construct of self-leadership. The results supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the one-factor model of the ASLQ in relation to the 35-item Revised Self-Leadership Questionnaire and General Self-Efficacy scale, respectively. With regard to internal consistency and test-retest reliability, the ASLQ showed acceptable results. Furthermore, the results provided evidence that scores on the ASLQ positively predicted individual's self-reported task performance and self-efficacy mediated this relationship. Taken together, these findings suggest that the Turkish version of the ASLQ is a reliable and valid measure that can be used to measure self-leadership as one variable of interest in the future studies.

ASSESSMENT OF MOVEMENT SKILL PERFORMANCE IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN: CONVERGENT VALIDITY BETWEEN MOT 4-6 AND M-ABC

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Wouter Cools

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose was to determine the level of agreement between the Motoriktest für Vier- bis Sechsjährige Kinder [MOT 4-6] and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children [M-ABC]. 48 preschool children participated in the study (Mean age = 5 years, 6 months, SD = 3 months. There was high classification agreement (90% between both tests. A Kappa correlation coefficient (0.67 provided moderately strong support for convergent validity. Less agreement was shown in identification of motor difficulties (58%. This was reflected by lower correlation coefficients on the fine movement cluster and test item level. The MOT 4-6 showed values within the range of similar movement skill performance assessment protocols. Because of its specific focus it may be of meaningful value to assess movement skill competence in typically developing preschool children (ages 4 to 6.

Evaluating the construct validity of adult ADHD and SCT among college students: a multitrait-multimethod analysis of convergent and discriminant validity.

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Leopold, Daniel R; Bryan, Angela D; Pennington, Bruce F; Willcutt, Erik G

2015-03-01

To advance our understanding of adult ADHD and sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), the present study investigates their construct validity by exploring the nature of trait- and method-related variance in self- and parent-ratings of ADHD and SCT. Using a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) design, response variance in college undergraduates' (n = 3,925) and a subset of their parents' (n = 2,242) ratings was decomposed into method, trait, and error-specific variance. Global evidence for convergent and discriminant validity was supported, but parameter-level comparisons suggest that method effects, situational specificity, and ADHD's core feature--inattention--are prominent. This investigation offers two important conclusions: (a) SCT appears to be a related but separate factor from ADHD; and (b) self- and parent-ratings of emerging adult ADHD exhibit low to moderate correlations and support the situational specificity hypothesis, suggesting that multiple raters should be consulted when assessing adult ADHD. Implications of these findings and recommendations for the continued study of SCT are discussed. © 2014 SAGE Publications.

Reliability and Convergent Validity of the Algometer for Vestibular Pain Assessment in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia.

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Cyr, Marie-Pierre; Bourbonnais, Daniel; Pinard, Alexandra; Dubois, Olivia; Morin, Mélanie

2016-07-01

Women with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) suffer pain at the entry of the vagina elicited by pressure as during vaginal penetration. To quantify vestibular pain, we developed a new instrument, an algometer. The aim of this study was to investigate the test-retest reliability of the algometer and evaluate its convergent validity for vestibular pain assessment in women with PVD. Twenty-six women with PVD participated in the study. Vestibular pain was assessed with the new algometer and the already known vulvalgesiometer during two different sessions 2 to 4 weeks apart. At each session, the pressure pain threshold (PPT) and pressure pain tolerance (PPTol) were measured twice at the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock sites of the vestibule in random order. The test-retest reliability (intra- and inter-session) of the algometer was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM). Its convergent validity was evaluated by the correlation coefficients between PPTs and PPTols measured by the algometer and those measured with the vulvalgesiometer. Intra-session reliability at all three sites for PPTs and PPTols in both sessions was excellent (ICC = 0.859 to 0.988, P ≤ 0.002). Inter-session reliability was good to excellent (ICC = 0.683 to 0.922, SEM = 15.06 to 47.04 g, P ≤ 0.001). Significant correlations were found between the two tools for all sites for PPTs (r = 0.500 to 0.614, P ≤ 0.009) and PPTols (r = 0.809 to 0.842, P algometer is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring PPTs and PPTols in the vestibular area in women with PVD. This technology is promising for pinpointing treatment mechanisms and efficacy. © 2015 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

An examination of the factorial and convergent validity of four measures of conspiracist ideation, with recommendations for researchers.

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Viren Swami

Full Text Available A number scales have been developed to measure conspiracist ideation, but little attention has been paid to the factorial validity of these scales. We reassessed the psychometric properties of four widely-used scales, namely the Belief in Conspiracy Theories Inventory (BCTI, the Conspiracy Mentality Questionnaire (CMQ, the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS, and the One-Item Conspiracy Measure (OICM. Eight-hundred-and-three U.S. adults completed all measures, along with measures of endorsement of 9/11 and anti-vaccination conspiracy theories. Through both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, we found that only the BCTI had acceptable factorial validity. We failed to confirm the factor structures of the CMQ and the GBCS, suggesting these measures had poor factorial validity. Indices of convergent validity were acceptable for the BCTI, but weaker for the other measures. Based on these findings, we provide suggestions for the future refinement in the measurement of conspiracist ideation.

Motor competence assessment in children: convergent and discriminant validity between the BOT-2 Short Form and KTK testing batteries.

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Fransen, Job; D'Hondt, Eva; Bourgois, Jan; Vaeyens, Roel; Philippaerts, Renaat M; Lenoir, Matthieu

2014-06-01

This study investigated convergent and discriminant validity between two motor competence assessment instruments in 2485 Flemish children: the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2 Short Form (BOT-2 Short Form) and the KörperKoördinationsTest für Kinder (KTK). A Pearson correlation assessed the relationship between BOT-2 Short Form total, gross and fine motor composite scores and KTK Motor Quotient in three age cohorts (6-7, 8-9, 10-11 years). Crosstabs were used to measure agreement in classification in children scoring below percentile 5 and 15 and above percentile 85 and 95. Moderately strong positive (r=0.44-0.64) associations between BOT-2 total and gross motor composite scores and KTK Motor Quotient and weak positive correlations between BOT-2 Short Form fine motor composite and KTK Motor Quotient scores (r=0.25-0.37) were found. Levels of agreement were fair to moderate. Therefore, some proof of convergent and discriminant validity between BOT-2 Short Form and KTK was established in this study, underlining the notion that the evaluation of motor competence should not be based upon a single assessment instrument. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reformulation of nonlinear integral magnetostatic equations for rapid iterative convergence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bloomberg, D.S.; Castelli, V.

1985-01-01

The integral equations of magnetostatics, conventionally given in terms of the field variables M and H, are reformulated with M and B. Stability criteria and convergence rates of the eigenvectors of the linear iteration matrices are evaluated. The relaxation factor β in the MH approach varies inversely with permeability μ, and nonlinear problems with high permeability converge slowly. In contrast, MB iteration is stable for β 3 , the number of iterations is reduced by two orders of magnitude over the conventional method, and at higher permeabilities the reduction is proportionally greater. The dependence of MB convergence rate on β, degree of saturation, element aspect ratio, and problem size is found numerically. An analytical result for the MB convergence rate for small nonlinear problems is found to be accurate for βless than or equal to1.2. The results are generally valid for two- and three-dimensional integral methods and are independent of the particular discretization procedures used to compute the field matrix

Psychometric properties and convergent and predictive validity of an executive function test battery for two-year-olds

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Hanna eMulder

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Executive function (EF is an important predictor of numerous developmental outcomes, such as academic achievement and behavioral adjustment. Although a plethora of measurement instruments exists to assess executive function in children, only few of these are suitable for toddlers, and even fewer have undergone psychometric evaluation. The present study evaluates the psychometric properties and validity of an assessment battery for measuring EF in two-year-olds. A sample of 2437 children were administered the assessment battery at a mean age of 2;4 years (SD = 0;3 years in a large-scale field study. Measures of both hot EF (snack and gift delay tasks and cool EF (six boxes, memory for location, and visual search task were included. Confirmatory Factor Analyses showed that a two-factor hot and cool EF model fitted the data better than a one-factor model. Measurement invariance was supported across groups differing in age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES, home language, and test setting. Criterion and convergent validity were evaluated by examining relationships between EF and age, gender, SES, home language, and parent and teacher reports of children’s attention and inhibitory control. Predictive validity of the test battery was investigated by regressing children’s pre-academic skills and behavioral problems at age three on the latent hot and cool EF factors at age two years. The test battery showed satisfactory psychometric quality and criterion, convergent, and predictive validity. Whereas cool EF predicted both pre-academic skills and behavior problems one year later, hot EF predicted behavior problems only. These results show that EF can be assessed with psychometrically sound instruments in children as young as two years, and that EF tasks can be reliably applied in large scale field research. The current instruments offer new opportunities for investigating EF in early childhood, and for evaluating interventions targeted at improving

Convergent validity of a questionnaire for assessing physical activity in Spanish adolescents with overweight.

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Martínez-Gómez, David; Gómez-Martínez, Sonia; Wärnberg, Julia; Welk, Gregory J; Marcos, Ascensión; Veiga, Oscar L

2011-01-15

To evaluate the convergent validity of the PAQ-A for assessing physical activity (PA) in overweight (including obese) adolescents. Two hundred and three Spanish adolescents (96 females), aged 13-17 years, were selected for this study. Levels of PA were self-reported by 3-day activity diary, activity rating and PAQ-A. Adolescents wore the ActiGraph accelerometer for 7 days. Overweight was classified according to International Obesity Task Force age- and sex-specific body mass index cut offs. Fifty-four (33 male and 21 female) adolescents (27%) were classified as overweight or obese. The PAQ-A was moderately related in the overweight adolescent group to an activity rating (ρ=0.52), total PA and moderate-to-vigorous PA assessed by activity monitor (ρ=0.52 and 0.43) and total PA and moderate-to-vigorous PA assessed by activity diary (ρ=0.32 and 0.47). There were no significant differences in the correlation coefficients between non-overweight and overweight adolescents. The PAQ-A shows a reasonable validity for assessing PA in Spanish overweight adolescents. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Effects of high-frequency damping on iterative convergence of implicit viscous solver

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Nishikawa, Hiroaki; Nakashima, Yoshitaka; Watanabe, Norihiko

2017-11-01

This paper discusses effects of high-frequency damping on iterative convergence of an implicit defect-correction solver for viscous problems. The study targets a finite-volume discretization with a one parameter family of damped viscous schemes. The parameter α controls high-frequency damping: zero damping with α = 0, and larger damping for larger α (> 0). Convergence rates are predicted for a model diffusion equation by a Fourier analysis over a practical range of α. It is shown that the convergence rate attains its minimum at α = 1 on regular quadrilateral grids, and deteriorates for larger values of α. A similar behavior is observed for regular triangular grids. In both quadrilateral and triangular grids, the solver is predicted to diverge for α smaller than approximately 0.5. Numerical results are shown for the diffusion equation and the Navier-Stokes equations on regular and irregular grids. The study suggests that α = 1 and 4/3 are suitable values for robust and efficient computations, and α = 4 / 3 is recommended for the diffusion equation, which achieves higher-order accuracy on regular quadrilateral grids. Finally, a Jacobian-Free Newton-Krylov solver with the implicit solver (a low-order Jacobian approximately inverted by a multi-color Gauss-Seidel relaxation scheme) used as a variable preconditioner is recommended for practical computations, which provides robust and efficient convergence for a wide range of α.

Convergent validity of ActiGraph and Actical accelerometers for estimating physical activity in adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duncan, Scott; Stewart, Tom; Bo Schneller, Mikkel

2018-01-01

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to examine the convergent validity of two commonly-used accelerometers for estimating time spent in various physical activity intensities in adults. METHODS: The sample comprised 37 adults (26 males) with a mean (SD) age of 37.6 (12.2) years from San Diego......, USA. Participants wore ActiGraph GT3X+ and Actical accelerometers for three consecutive days. Percent agreement was used to compare time spent within four physical activity intensity categories under three counts per minute (CPM) threshold protocols: (1) using thresholds developed specifically......Graph and Actical accelerometers provide significantly different estimates of time spent in various physical activity intensities. Regression and threshold adjustment were able to reduce these differences, although some level of non-agreement persisted. Researchers should be aware of the inherent limitations...

Preliminary Validity of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory With Filipino Immigrant Parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Coffey, Dean M; Javier, Joyce R; Schrager, Sheree M

Filipinos are an understudied minority affected by significant behavioral health disparities. We evaluate evidence for the reliability, construct validity, and convergent validity of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) in 6- to 12- year old Filipino children ( N = 23). ECBI scores demonstrated high internal consistency, supporting a single-factor model (pre-intervention α =.91; post-intervention α =.95). Results document convergent validity with the Child Behavior Checklist Externalizing scale at pretest ( r = .54, p Filipino children.

Evaluation of the Criterion and Convergent Validity of the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders in Young and Low-Functioning Children

Science.gov (United States)

Maljaars, Jarymke; Noens, Ilse; Scholte, Evert; van Berckelaer-Onnes, Ina

2012-01-01

The Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO; Wing, 2006) is a standardized, semi-structured and interviewer-based schedule for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The objective of this study was to evaluate the criterion and convergent validity of the DISCO-11 ICD-10 algorithm in young and low-functioning…

Brief report: the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS): gender and age measurement invariance and convergent validity of the Turkish version.

Science.gov (United States)

Morsunbul, Umit; Crocetti, Elisabetta; Cok, Figen; Meeus, Wim

2014-08-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and convergent validity of the Turkish version of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS). Participants were 1201 (59.6% females) youth aged between 12 and 24 years (M(age) = 17.53 years, SD(age) = 3.25). Results indicated that the three-factor model consisting of commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment provided a very good fit to the data and applied equally well to boys and girls as well as to three age groups (early adolescents, middle adolescents, and emerging adults). Significant relations between identity processes and self-concept clarity, personality, internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, and parental relationships supported convergent validity. Thus, the Turkish version of U-MICS is a reliable tool for assessing identity in Turkish-speaking respondents. Copyright © 2014 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brief report: The Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) : Gender and age measurement invariance and convergent validity of the Turkish version

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Morsunbul, Umit; Crocetti, Elisabetta; Cok, Figen; Meeus, W.H.J.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and convergent validity of the Turkish version of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS). Participants were 1201 (59.6% females) youth aged between 12 and 24 years (Mage = 17.53 years, SDage = 3.25). Results

Factorial structure and convergent and discriminant validity of the E (Empathy) scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Ulrich S; Laireiter, Anton-Rupert; Schmitt, David P; Neuner, Christine; Leibetseder, Max; Szente-Voracek, Sara Leyla; Voracek, Martin

2013-10-01

The Empathy (E) scale has been proposed as a theoretically and psychometrically more satisfying alternative to existing self-report measures of empathy. Its four scales (facets) cover both components (cognitive vs. emotional) and both reality statuses (fictitious vs. real-life) of empathy in pairwise combinations. Confirmatory factor analyses of the E-scale in an Austrian community sample (N = 794) suggested that one prior assumption, namely the mutual orthogonality of these facets, may partly need revision; particularly, the E-scale facets seemed to reflect more strongly differences in the reality statuses than in the components of empathy. Utilizing numerous informative psychological traits, the scale's convergent and discriminant validity were examined. E-scale scores were consistently predicted by sex-related and relationship-related constructs and measures of antisocial attitudes and behavior. Among the Big Five personality dimensions, openness emerged as a major positive correlate of empathy. Sex and age were demographic correlates of E-scale scores (higher in women and the younger). Findings were discussed with regards to the definition and measurement of empathy.

Convergent Validity of the Autism Spectrum Disorders-Diagnostic Adult (ASD-DA) with the Pervasive Developmental Disorder/Autism Subscale of the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II (DASH-II)

Science.gov (United States)

Belva, Brian C.; Matson, Johnny L.; Hattier, Megan A.; Kozlowski, Allison M.; Bamburg, Jay W.

2012-01-01

The "Autism Spectrum Disorders-Diagnosis for Adults" ("ASD-DA") is a standardized assessment used to measure autistic symptomatology in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). In order to further establish the validity of this measure, convergent validity of the "ASD-DA" was established by comparing…

Brief report: The Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS): Gender and age measurement invariance and convergent validity of the Turkish version

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Morsunbul, Umit; Crocetti, Elisabetta; Cok, Figen; Meeus, Wim

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and convergent validity of the Turkish version of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS). Participants were 1201 (59.6% females) youth aged between 12 and 24 years (Mage=17.53 years, SDage=3.25). Results indicated

Convergent and discriminant validity of psychiatric symptoms reported in The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study at age 3 years with independent clinical assessment in the Longitudinal ADHD Cohort Study

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Guido Biele

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Epidemiological studies often use parent questionnaires to assess children's development and mental health. To date, few studies have investigated the validity of parent questionnaires with standardized clinical assessments as criterion. The current study examines discriminant and convergent validity of parent questionnaires for symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD, and Conduct Disorder (CD as well as symptoms of Separation Anxiety employed in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study by using structured clinical interviews performed 5 months later in the Longitudinal ADHD Cohort Study as a criterion. The comparison of confirmatory factor analysis models and examination of factor correlations indicate convergent and discriminant validity of MoBa parent questionnaires for preschool children, especially for the assessment of ADHD and ODD/CD. Future research should attempt to further improve parent questionnaires, examine their validity in representative samples, and explicitly test their utility for screening.

Do convergent developmental mechanisms underlie convergent phenotypes?

Science.gov (United States)

Wray, Gregory A.

2002-01-01

Convergence is a pervasive evolutionary process, affecting many aspects of phenotype and even genotype. Relatively little is known about convergence in developmental processes, however, nor about the degree to which convergence in development underlies convergence in anatomy. A switch in the ecology of sea urchins from feeding to nonfeeding larvae illustrates how convergence in development can be associated with convergence in anatomy. Comparisons to more distantly related taxa, however, suggest that this association may be limited to relatively close phylogenetic comparisons. Similarities in gene expression during development provide another window into the association between convergence in developmental processes and convergence in anatomy. Several well-studied transcription factors exhibit likely cases of convergent gene expression in distantly related animal phyla. Convergence in regulatory gene expression domains is probably more common than generally acknowledged, and can arise for several different reasons. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel.

IT Convergence and Security 2012

CERN Document Server

Chung, Kyung-Yong

2013-01-01

The proceedings approaches the subject matter with problems in technical convergence and convergences of security technology. This approach is new because we look at new issues that arise from techniques converging. The general scope of the proceedings content is convergence security and the latest information technology. The intended readership are societies, enterprises, and research institutes, and intended content level is mid- to highly educated personals. The most important features and benefits of the proceedings are the introduction of the most recent information technology and its related ideas, applications and problems related to technology convergence, and its case studies and finally an introduction of converging existing security techniques through convergence security. Overall, through the proceedings, authors will be able to understand the most state of the art information strategies and technologies of convergence security.

Convergent Evolution of Hemoglobin Function in High-Altitude Andean Waterfowl Involves Limited Parallelism at the Molecular Sequence Level.

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Chandrasekhar Natarajan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available A fundamental question in evolutionary genetics concerns the extent to which adaptive phenotypic convergence is attributable to convergent or parallel changes at the molecular sequence level. Here we report a comparative analysis of hemoglobin (Hb function in eight phylogenetically replicated pairs of high- and low-altitude waterfowl taxa to test for convergence in the oxygenation properties of Hb, and to assess the extent to which convergence in biochemical phenotype is attributable to repeated amino acid replacements. Functional experiments on native Hb variants and protein engineering experiments based on site-directed mutagenesis revealed the phenotypic effects of specific amino acid replacements that were responsible for convergent increases in Hb-O2 affinity in multiple high-altitude taxa. In six of the eight taxon pairs, high-altitude taxa evolved derived increases in Hb-O2 affinity that were caused by a combination of unique replacements, parallel replacements (involving identical-by-state variants with independent mutational origins in different lineages, and collateral replacements (involving shared, identical-by-descent variants derived via introgressive hybridization. In genome scans of nucleotide differentiation involving high- and low-altitude populations of three separate species, function-altering amino acid polymorphisms in the globin genes emerged as highly significant outliers, providing independent evidence for adaptive divergence in Hb function. The experimental results demonstrate that convergent changes in protein function can occur through multiple historical paths, and can involve multiple possible mutations. Most cases of convergence in Hb function did not involve parallel substitutions and most parallel substitutions did not affect Hb-O2 affinity, indicating that the repeatability of phenotypic evolution does not require parallelism at the molecular level.

Individualism: a valid and important dimension of cultural differences between nations.

Science.gov (United States)

Schimmack, Ulrich; Oishi, Shigehiro; Diener, Ed

2005-01-01

Oyserman, Coon, and Kemmelmeier's (2002) meta-analysis suggested problems in the measurement of individualism and collectivism. Studies using Hofstede's individualism scores show little convergent validity with more recent measures of individualism and collectivism. We propose that the lack of convergent validity is due to national differences in response styles. Whereas Hofstede statistically controlled for response styles, Oyserman et al.'s meta-analysis relied on uncorrected ratings. Data from an international student survey demonstrated convergent validity between Hofstede's individualism dimension and horizontal individualism when response styles were statistically controlled, whereas uncorrected scores correlated highly with the individualism scores in Oyserman et al.'s meta-analysis. Uncorrected horizontal individualism scores and meta-analytic individualism scores did not correlate significantly with nations' development, whereas corrected horizontal individualism scores and Hofstede's individualism dimension were significantly correlated with development. This pattern of results suggests that individualism is a valid construct for cross-cultural comparisons, but that the measurement of this construct needs improvement.

Modeling high-grade serous carcinoma: how converging insights into pathogenesis and genetics are driving better experimental platforms

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Paul Michael Jones

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Recent developments in the study of epithelial ovarian cancer have called into question the traditional views regarding the site of tumor initiation. Histopathologic studies and genomic analyses suggest that extra-ovarian sites, like the fallopian tube, may harbor the coveted cell of origin and could therefore contribute significantly to the development of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HG-SOC. Our ability to validate these emerging genomic and pathologic observations and characterize the early transformation events of HG-SOC hinges on the development of novel model systems. Currently, there are only a handful of new model systems that are addressing these concerns. This review will chronicle the convergent evolution of these ovarian cancer model systems in the context of the changing pathologic and genomic understanding of HG-SOC.

High convergence, indirect drive inertial confinement fusion experiments at Nova

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lerche, R.A.; Cable, M.D.; Hatchett, S.P.; Caird, J.A.; Kilkenny, J.D.; Kornblum, H.N.; Lane, S.M.; Laumann, C.; Murphy, T.J.; Murray, J.; Nelson, M.B.; Phillion, D.W.; Powell, H.; Ress, D.

1996-01-01

High convergence, indirect drive implosion experiments have been done at the Nova Laser Facility. The targets were deuterium and deuterium/tritium filled, glass microballoons driven symmetrically by x rays produced in a surrounding uranium hohlraum. Implosions achieved convergence ratios of 24:1 with fuel densities of 19 g/cm 3 ; this is equivalent to the range required for the hot spot of ignition scale capsules. The implosions used a shaped drive and were well characterized by a variety of laser and target measurements. The primary measurement was the fuel density using the secondary neutron technique (neutrons from the reaction 2 H( 3 H,n) 4 He in initially pure deuterium fuel). Laser measurements include power, energy and pointing. Simultaneous measurement of neutron yield, fusion reaction rate, and x-ray images provide additional information about the implosion process. Computer models are in good agreement with measurement results. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

Post-convergence automatic differentiation of iterative schemes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azmy, Y.Y.

1997-01-01

A new approach for performing automatic differentiation (AD) of computer codes that embody an iterative procedure, based on differentiating a single additional iteration upon achieving convergence, is described and implemented. This post-convergence automatic differentiation (PAD) technique results in better accuracy of the computed derivatives, as it eliminates part of the derivatives convergence error, and a large reduction in execution time, especially when many iterations are required to achieve convergence. In addition, it provides a way to compute derivatives of the converged solution without having to repeat the entire iterative process every time new parameters are considered. These advantages are demonstrated and the PAD technique is validated via a set of three linear and nonlinear codes used to solve neutron transport and fluid flow problems. The PAD technique reduces the execution time over direct AD by a factor of up to 30 and improves the accuracy of the derivatives by up to two orders of magnitude. The PAD technique's biggest disadvantage lies in the necessity to compute the iterative map's Jacobian, which for large problems can be prohibitive. Methods are discussed to alleviate this difficulty

Energy convergence of shock waves and its destruction mechanism in cone-roof combustion chambers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Han; Yao, Anren; Yao, Chunde; Gao, Jian

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Experiments with simulations are designed to probe into engine severe knock. • Energy convergence at central and edge region is observed in closed-limited space. • Modes with different intensities and mechanism of energy convergence are revealed. • Chamber shape and equivalence ratio can affect the energy convergence. • The destruction effects of energy convergence on pistons are recognized. - Abstract: Energy convergence is considered as an important phenomenon in internal combustion engines under severe knock, in which shock waves caused by violent combustion may aggregate the energy released by fuel burning to damage engine parts like pistons and spark plugs easily. In order to reveal such convergence mechanism and its destruction effects, a novel detonation bomb experiment combined with numerical simulations are conducted. In bomb experiments, a detonation wave is forcibly introduced into a clearance-variable cone-roof combustion chamber by a high energy spark ignition. Four pressure transducers were installed in different positions to monitor the energy convergence. Combined with the experiments, numerical simulations were conducted to reveal the convergence modes and mechanisms. Finally, destruction samples were presented to validate this research. It’s found that the energy convergence of shock waves always occurs in middle and edge region, which are vulnerable to be damaged. Three modes of energy convergence are concluded for middle region while several ways of energy convergence are concluded for edge region, which are all related with the chamber shape and may result in different levels of convergence. It’s also found that though detonation strength (knock intensity) can be changed by both equivalence ratios and initial pressures, only the equivalence ratios can change the convergence modes while the initial pressures cannot.

Convergent Polishing: A Simple, Rapid, Full Aperture Polishing Process of High Quality Optical Flats & Spheres

Science.gov (United States)

Suratwala, Tayyab; Steele, Rusty; Feit, Michael; Dylla-Spears, Rebecca; Desjardin, Richard; Mason, Dan; Wong, Lana; Geraghty, Paul; Miller, Phil; Shen, Nan

2014-01-01

Convergent Polishing is a novel polishing system and method for finishing flat and spherical glass optics in which a workpiece, independent of its initial shape (i.e., surface figure), will converge to final surface figure with excellent surface quality under a fixed, unchanging set of polishing parameters in a single polishing iteration. In contrast, conventional full aperture polishing methods require multiple, often long, iterative cycles involving polishing, metrology and process changes to achieve the desired surface figure. The Convergent Polishing process is based on the concept of workpiece-lap height mismatch resulting in pressure differential that decreases with removal and results in the workpiece converging to the shape of the lap. The successful implementation of the Convergent Polishing process is a result of the combination of a number of technologies to remove all sources of non-uniform spatial material removal (except for workpiece-lap mismatch) for surface figure convergence and to reduce the number of rogue particles in the system for low scratch densities and low roughness. The Convergent Polishing process has been demonstrated for the fabrication of both flats and spheres of various shapes, sizes, and aspect ratios on various glass materials. The practical impact is that high quality optical components can be fabricated more rapidly, more repeatedly, with less metrology, and with less labor, resulting in lower unit costs. In this study, the Convergent Polishing protocol is specifically described for fabricating 26.5 cm square fused silica flats from a fine ground surface to a polished ~λ/2 surface figure after polishing 4 hr per surface on a 81 cm diameter polisher. PMID:25489745

Convergence of Wachspress coordinates: from polygons to curved domains

KAUST Repository

Kosinka, Jiří

2014-08-08

Given a smooth, strictly convex planar domain, we investigate point-wise convergence of the sequence of Wachspress coordinates defined over finer and finer inscribed polygonal approximations of the domain. Based on a relation between the discrete Wachspress case and the limit smooth case given by the Wachspress kernel defined by Warren et al., we show that the corresponding sequences of Wachspress interpolants and mappings converge as 𝓞(h2) for a sampling step size h of the boundary curve of the domain as h → 0. Several examples are shown to numerically validate the results and to visualise the behaviour of discrete interpolants and mappings as they converge to their smooth counterparts. Empirically, the same convergence order is observed also for mean value coordinates. Moreover, our numerical tests suggest that the convergence of interpolants and mappings is uniform both in the Wachspress and mean value cases. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Convergence of Wachspress coordinates: from polygons to curved domains

KAUST Repository

Kosinka, Jiří ; Barton, Michael

2014-01-01

Given a smooth, strictly convex planar domain, we investigate point-wise convergence of the sequence of Wachspress coordinates defined over finer and finer inscribed polygonal approximations of the domain. Based on a relation between the discrete Wachspress case and the limit smooth case given by the Wachspress kernel defined by Warren et al., we show that the corresponding sequences of Wachspress interpolants and mappings converge as 𝓞(h2) for a sampling step size h of the boundary curve of the domain as h → 0. Several examples are shown to numerically validate the results and to visualise the behaviour of discrete interpolants and mappings as they converge to their smooth counterparts. Empirically, the same convergence order is observed also for mean value coordinates. Moreover, our numerical tests suggest that the convergence of interpolants and mappings is uniform both in the Wachspress and mean value cases. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Can evolutionary convergence be tested on Europa?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chela-Flores, Julian [Instituto de Estudios Avanzados, Caracas (Venezuela); [Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste (Italy)]. E-mail: chelaf@ictp.trieste.it

2002-09-01

A major objective in solar system exploration has to be the insertion of appropriate biology-oriented experiments in future missions. We discuss various reasons for suggesting that this type of research be considered a high priority for feasibility studies and, subsequently, for technological development of appropriate melters and submersibles. With the assumption that Darwin's theory is valid for the evolution of life anywhere in the universe, various degrees of convergent phenomena argue in favor of the conjecture that universal evolution of intelligent behavior is just a matter of time and preservation of steady planetary conditions. A preliminary test of this conjecture is feasible with experiments involving evolutionary biosignatures on Europa. (author)

Convergence analysis of household expenditures using the absolute β-convergence method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anto Domazet

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The paper examines the convergence of household expenditures, in terms of a possible usage of the standardized, rather than consumer-tailored marketing, mainly on a regional level. Objectives: The main goal of this research is to study the existence of consumption expenditure convergence in the EU-27 countries, in the period between 2000 and 2007. Methods/Approach: The analysis used the absolute β-convergence method, in order to investigate the existence of a negative correlation between the growth over time in the overall consumption expenditure in EU member- countries for each individual product and service category and the initial expenditure level. Results: According to the obtained results, in the period between 2000 and 2007, the EU-27 countries reached a high level of consumer expenditure convergence, which provides a basis for developing a regional concept of the standardized international marketing for these countries’ markets. Conclusions: The results provide an empirical contribution to claims on consumer convergence in the countries included into economic integrations. Also, the obtained results can be used to create a basis for defining and applying the regional marketing concept for companies focusing on the EU-27 countries’ market.

Giant lobelias exemplify convergent evolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Givnish Thomas J

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Giant lobeliads on tropical mountains in East Africa and Hawaii have highly unusual, giant-rosette growth forms that appear to be convergent on each other and on those of several independently evolved groups of Asteraceae and other families. A recent phylogenetic analysis by Antonelli, based on sequencing the widest selection of lobeliads to date, raises doubts about this paradigmatic example of convergent evolution. Here I address the kinds of evidence needed to test for convergent evolution and argue that the analysis by Antonelli fails on four points. Antonelli's analysis makes several important contributions to our understanding of lobeliad evolution and geographic spread, but his claim regarding convergence appears to be invalid. Giant lobeliads in Hawaii and Africa represent paradigmatic examples of convergent evolution.

Test-Retest Reliability, Convergent Validity, and Internal Consistency of the Persian Version of Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale in Iranian Community-Dwelling Older Adults

OpenAIRE

Azar Sabet; Akram Azad; Ghorban Taghizadeh

2016-01-01

Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate convergent validity, test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the Persian translation of the Fullerton advanced balance (FAB) for use in Iranian community- dwelling older adults and improve the quality of their functional balance assessment. Methods & Materials: The original scale was translated with forward-backward protocol. In the next step, using convenience sampling and inclusion criteria, 88 functionally indep...

Heterogeneous Network Convergence with Artificial Mapping for Cognitive Radio Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hang QIN

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The artificial mapping scheme is proposed in this paper for adaptive network collaboration of cognitive radio networks. The superiority of the DHT-based overlay for its link state aggregation property, which establishes global convergence for link state aggregation message among a scalable number of nodes, is considered in the analysis. In addition, the fuzzy logic inference can better handle uncertainty, fuzziness, and incomplete information in node convergence report, which is developed as a novel approach to aggregate wireless node control with affordable message overload. The Artificial Mapping Tree (AMT for the new convergence scheme is verified by the simulation and experimental results. The moderately increased network throughput for convergence validation is demonstrated with the proactive spectrum coordination.

Impact of Alzheimer's Disease on Caregiver Questionnaire: internal consistency, convergent validity, and test-retest reliability of a new measure for assessing caregiver burden.

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Jason C; Ito, Diane; Chen, Yaozhu J; Cheng, Rebecca; Bolognese, Jennifer; Li-McLeod, Josephine

2014-09-04

unidimensional, Web-based measure of AD caregiver burden and is supported by strong model fit statistics from CFA, high degree of item-level reliability, good internal consistency, moderate test-retest reliability, and moderate convergent validity. Additional validation of the IADCQ is warranted to ensure invariance between the paper-based and Web-based administration and to determine an appropriate responder definition.

Validation of the Social Inclusion Scale with Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ceri Wilson

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Interventions (such as participatory arts projects aimed at increasing social inclusion are increasingly in operation, as social inclusion is proving to play a key role in recovery from mental ill health and the promotion of mental wellbeing. These interventions require evaluation with a systematically developed and validated measure of social inclusion; however, a “gold-standard” measure does not yet exist. The Social Inclusion Scale (SIS has three subscales measuring social isolation, relations and acceptance. This scale has been partially validated with arts and mental health project users, demonstrating good internal consistency. However, test-retest reliability and construct validity require assessment, along with validation in the general population. The present study aimed to validate the SIS in a sample of university students. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity (one aspect of construct validity were assessed by comparing SIS scores with scores on other measures of social inclusion and related concepts. Participants completed the measures at two time-points seven-to-14 days apart. The SIS demonstrated high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, although convergent validity was less well-established and possible reasons for this are discussed. This systematic validation of the SIS represents a further step towards the establishment of a “gold-standard” measure of social inclusion.

High convergence efficiency design of flat Fresnel lens with large aperture

Science.gov (United States)

Ke, Jieyao; Zhao, Changming; Guan, Zhe

2018-01-01

This paper designed a circle-shaped Fresnel lens with large aperture as part of the solar pumped laser design project. The Fresnel lens designed in this paper simulate in size 1000mm×1000mm, focus length 1200mm and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) material in order to conduct high convergence efficiency. In the light of design requirement of concentric ring with same width of 0.3mm, this paper proposed an optimized Fresnel lens design based on previous sphere design and conduct light tracing simulation in Matlab. This paper also analyzed the effect of light spot size, light intensity distribution, optical efficiency under four conditions, monochromatic parallel light, parallel spectrum light, divergent monochromatic light and sunlight. Design by 550nm wavelength and under the condition of Fresnel reflection, the results indicated that the designed lens could convergent sunlight in diffraction limit of 11.8mm with a 78.7% optical efficiency, better than the sphere cutting design results of 30.4%.

The effects of convergence ratio on the implosion behavior of DT layered inertial confinement fusion capsules

Science.gov (United States)

Haines, Brian M.; Yi, S. A.; Olson, R. E.; Khan, S. F.; Kyrala, G. A.; Zylstra, A. B.; Bradley, P. A.; Peterson, R. R.; Kline, J. L.; Leeper, R. J.; Shah, R. C.

2017-07-01

The wetted foam capsule design for inertial confinement fusion capsules, which includes a foam layer wetted with deuterium-tritium liquid, enables layered capsule implosions with a wide range of hot-spot convergence ratios (CR) on the National Ignition Facility. We present a full-scale wetted foam capsule design that demonstrates high gain in one-dimensional simulations. In these simulations, increasing the convergence ratio leads to an improved capsule yield due to higher hot-spot temperatures and increased fuel areal density. High-resolution two-dimensional simulations of this design are presented with detailed and well resolved models for the capsule fill tube, support tent, surface roughness, and predicted asymmetries in the x-ray drive. Our modeling of these asymmetries is validated by comparisons with available experimental data. In 2D simulations of the full-scale wetted foam capsule design, jetting caused by the fill tube is prevented by the expansion of the tungsten-doped shell layer due to preheat. While the impacts of surface roughness and predicted asymmetries in the x-ray drive are enhanced by convergence effects, likely underpredicted in 2D at high CR, simulations predict that the capsule is robust to these features. Nevertheless, the design is highly susceptible to the effects of the capsule support tent, which negates all of the one-dimensional benefits of increasing the convergence ratio. Indeed, when the support tent is included in simulations, the yield decreases as the convergence ratio is increased for CR > 20. Nevertheless, the results suggest that the full-scale wetted foam design has the potential to outperform ice layer capsules given currently achievable levels of asymmetries when fielded at low convergence ratios (CR < 20).

Convergence accommodation to convergence CA/C ratio: convergence versus divergence.

Science.gov (United States)

Simmons, Joshua M; Firth, Alison Y

2014-09-01

To determine whether the convergence accommodation to convergence (CA/C) ratio during divergence with base-in (BI) prisms is of a similar or different magnitude to that measured during convergence with base-out (BO) prisms. Eighteen participants with normal binocular single vision were recruited. The participants viewed a pseudo-Gaussian target, which consisted of a light emitting diode (LED) behind a diffusing screen at 40 cm. After 5 minutes of dark adaptation, the refractive status of the eye was measured without any prism using a Shin-Nippon SRW-5000 autorefractor. The participant held the selected prism (5Δ or 10Δ BO or BI, counterbalanced) in front of their right eye and obtained a single, fused image of the target while refractive measures were taken with each. A 30-second rest period was given between measurements. The mean age of the participants was 20.6±3.22 years. The mean CA/C ratios for the 5Δ BO, 10Δ BO, 5Δ BI, and 10Δ BI were 0.108 (±0.074) D/Δ, 0.110 (±0.056) D/Δ, 0.100 (±0.090) D/Δ, and 0.089 (±0.055) D/Δ, respectively. A 2-factor repeated measures ANOVA found that the CA/C ratio did not significantly change with differing levels of prism-induced convergence and divergence (p=0.649). Change in accommodation induced by manipulating vergence is similar whether convergence or divergence are induced. The CA/C ratio did not show any change with differing levels of prism-induced convergence and divergence.

Convergent evolution as natural experiment: the tape of life reconsidered.

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Russell; Mariscal, Carlos

2015-12-06

Stephen Jay Gould argued that replaying the 'tape of life' would result in radically different evolutionary outcomes. Recently, biologists and philosophers of science have paid increasing attention to the theoretical importance of convergent evolution-the independent origination of similar biological forms and functions-which many interpret as evidence against Gould's thesis. In this paper, we examine the evidentiary relevance of convergent evolution for the radical contingency debate. We show that under the right conditions, episodes of convergent evolution can constitute valid natural experiments that support inferences regarding the deep counterfactual stability of macroevolutionary outcomes. However, we argue that proponents of convergence have problematically lumped causally heterogeneous phenomena into a single evidentiary basket, in effect treating all convergent events as if they are of equivalent theoretical import. As a result, the 'critique from convergent evolution' fails to engage with key claims of the radical contingency thesis. To remedy this, we develop ways to break down the heterogeneous set of convergent events based on the nature of the generalizations they support. Adopting this more nuanced approach to convergent evolution allows us to differentiate iterated evolutionary outcomes that are probably common among alternative evolutionary histories and subject to law-like generalizations, from those that do little to undermine and may even support, the Gouldian view of life.

Vadose zone flow convergence test suite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Butcher, B. T. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-06-05

Performance Assessment (PA) simulations for engineered disposal systems at the Savannah River Site involve highly contrasting materials and moisture conditions at and near saturation. These conditions cause severe convergence difficulties that typically result in unacceptable convergence or long simulation times or excessive analyst effort. Adequate convergence is usually achieved in a trial-anderror manner by applying under-relaxation to the Saturation or Pressure variable, in a series of everdecreasing RELAxation values. SRNL would like a more efficient scheme implemented inside PORFLOW to achieve flow convergence in a more reliable and efficient manner. To this end, a suite of test problems that illustrate these convergence problems is provided to facilitate diagnosis and development of an improved convergence strategy. The attached files are being transmitted to you describing the test problem and proposed resolution.

Four broad temperament dimensions: Description, convergent validation correlations, and comparison with the Big Five

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helen eFisher

2015-08-01

Full Text Available A new temperament construct based on recent brain physiology literature has been investigated using the Fisher Temperament Inventory (FTI. Four collections of behaviors emerged, each associated with a specific neural system: the dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and estrogen/oxytocin system. These four temperament suites have been designated: 1 Curious/Energetic, 2 Cautious/Social Norm Compliant, 3 Analytical/Tough-minded, and 4 Prosocial/Empathetic temperament dimensions. Two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI studies have suggested that the FTI can measure the influence of these neural systems. In this paper, to further the behavioral validation and characterization of the four proposed temperament dimensions, we measured correlations with five variables: 1 gender; 2 level of education; 3 religious preference; 4 political orientation; 5 the degree to which an individual regards sex as essential to a successful relationship. Subjects were 39,913 anonymous members of a US Internet dating site and 70,000+ members in six other countries. Correlations with the five variables characterize the Fisher Temperament Inventory and are consistent with mechanisms using the proposed neuromodulators. We also report on an analysis between the FTI and the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, using a college sample (n=215, which showed convergent validity. The results provide novel correlates not available in other questionnaires: religiosity, political orientation and attitudes about sex in a relationship. Also, an Eigen analysis replicated the four clusters of co-varying items. The FTI, with its broad systems and non-pathologic factors complements existing personality questionnaires. It provides an index of some brain systems that contribute to temperament, and may be useful in psychotherapy, business, medicine, and the legal community.

Multiplier convergent series and uniform convergence of mapping ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

MS received 14 April 2011; revised 17 November 2012. Abstract. In this paper, we introduce the frame property of complex sequence sets and study the uniform convergence of nonlinear mapping series in β-dual of spaces consisting of multiplier convergent series. Keywords. Multiplier convergent series; mapping series. 1.

The French Version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-Revised (Scared-R: Factor Structure, Convergent and Divergent Validity in a Sample of Teenagers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martine Bouvard

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The principal objective of this study is to provide data on the French version of the SCARED-R. This article investigates the factor structure of the French version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-Revised (SCARED-R and its convergent and divergent validity. 704 normal adolescents aged 10 to 19 years completed the questionnaires in their classrooms. A sub-sample of 595 adolescents also completed an anxiety questionnaire (the French version of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised, FSSC-R and a depression questionnaire (the French version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, CES-D. Confirmatory factor analysis of the SCARED-R suggested reasonable fit for the 9-factor model. The comparison of the convergent and divergent validity revealed that the SCARED-R total score and five SCARED-R subscales (SAD, Social Phobia and the three Specific Phobias correlated more strongly with anxiety than depression. The other SCARED-R subscales (GAD, Panic Disorder, OCD and PTSD are positively related to levels of anxiety and depression. Altogether, the French version of the SCARED-R showed reasonable psychometric properties.

Convergence of the Distorted Wave Born series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacMillan, D.S.

1981-01-01

The aim of this thesis is to begin to understand the idea of reaction mechanisms in nonrelativistic scattering systems. If we have a complete reaction theory of a particular scattering system, then we claim that the theory itself must contain information about important reaction mechanisms in the system. This information can be used to decide what reaction mechanisms should be included in an approximate calculation. To investigate this claim, we studied several solvable models. The primary concept employed in studying our models is the convergence of the multistep series generated by iterating the corresponding scattering integral equation. We known that the eigenvalues of the kernel of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation for potential scattering determine the rate of convergence of the Born series. The Born series will converge only if these eigenvalues all life within the unit circle. We extend these results to a study of the distorted wave Born series for inelastic scattering. The convergence criterion tells us when approximations are valid. We learn how the convergence of the distorted wave series depends upon energy, coupling constants, angular momentum, and angular momentum transfer. In one of our models, we look at several possible distorting potentials to see which one gives the best convergence. We have also applied our results to several actual DWBA or coupled channel calculations in the literature. In addition to the study of models of two-body scattering systems, we have considered the case of rearrangement scattering. We have discussed the formulation of (N greater than or equal to 3)-body distorted wave equations in which the interior dynamics have been redistributed by introducing compact N-body distortion potentials

The reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB-T) scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Iyigun, Gozde; Kirmizigil, Berkiye; Angin, Ender; Oksuz, Sevim; Can, Filiz; Eker, Levent; Rose, Debra J

2018-06-04

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the FAB(FAB-T) scale in the older Turkish adults. The reliability and validity of the scale was tested on 200 community-dwelling older adults. FAB-T scale was scored by different physiotherapists on different days to evaluate inter-rater and intrarater reliability. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) was used for the evaluation of convergent validity, and the content validity of the FAB-T scale was investigated. The FAB-T scale showed very high inter- and intra-rater reliability. For inter-rater agreement, on the individual test items and total score ICC values were 0.92 (95 %CI; 0.90-0.94) and 0.96 (95% CI; 0.95-0.97) respectively. The intra-rater agreement, on the individual test items and total score ICC values were 0.93 (95 %CI; 0.91- 0.95) and 0.96 (95% CI; 0.95- 0.97) respectively. There was a good agreement between the FAB-T and BBS scales. A high correlation was found between the BBS and FAB-T scales [rho = 0.70 (%95 CI; 0.62-0.76)] indicating good convergent validity. Considering the content validity of the FAB-T scale, no floor (floor score: 0%) or ceiling (ceiling score: 6.5%) effect was detected. The FAB-T scale was successfully translated from the original English version (FAB) and demonstrated strong psychometric features. It was found that the FAB-T scale has very high inter-rater and intra-rater reliability. Considering the convergent validity, the scale has high correlation with the BBS. The FAB-T has no floor and ceiling effect. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Establishing construct validity for the thyroid-specific patient reported outcome measure (ThyPRO)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Watt, Torquil; Bjorner, Jakob Bue; Groenvold, Mogens

2009-01-01

, evaluating lack of convergent validity (item-own scale polyserial correlation correlation higher than item-own scale correlation) of the hypothesized scale structure. Analyses were repeated in clinical and sociodemographic subgroups and with Pearson...... complete convergent validity and only two instances of lack of discriminant validity. Pearson correlations yielded similar results. Across all subgroups, convergent validity was complete, and discriminant validity was found in 99.2% of tests. Lack of discriminant validity was mainly between physical...... correlations. Reliability was estimated by Cronbach's alpha, both conventionally and with polychoric correlations. RESULTS: In total, 904 patients (69%) responded. Initial multitrait scaling analysis identified 25 scaling errors. Twelve items were omitted from the scale structure, and a re-analysis showed...

Service Creation and Deployment in Converged Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Soler, José

for these experiences is the transition of telecommunication (telephony) networks from circuit switched based systems towards packet based ones. The text of this monograph proceeds, unaltered for the most, from the author’s PhD thesis “Framework for Deployment of Advanced Telecommunication Services in Current......This monograph (Early Experiences related to Service Creation & Deployment in Converged Networks) presents different experiences related to architectures and mechanisms for deployment of telephony services, understood as especial features complementing the basic voice service. The context...... and Future Converged Networks”, carried out at the Technical University of Denmark in the period [April 2002-April 2005]. Even though the technologies presented in the text have evolved from that period until now, the presented scenarios and setups are still valid as interesting initial steps in the realm....

Convergence

Science.gov (United States)

Darcie, Thomas E.; Doverspike, Robert; Zirngibl, Martin; Korotky, Steven K.

2005-01-01

.p {padding-bottom:6px} Call for Papers: Convergence Guest Editors: Thomas E. Darcie, University of Victoria Robert Doverspike, AT&T Martin Zirngibl, Lucent Technologies Coordinating Associate Editor: Steven K. Korotky, Lucent Technologies The Journal of Optical Networking (JON) invites submissions to a special issue on Convergence. Convergence has become a popular theme in telecommunications, one that has broad implications across all segments of the industry. Continual evolution of technology and applications continues to erase lines between traditionally separate lines of business, with dramatic consequences for vendors, service providers, and consumers. Spectacular advances in all layers of optical networking-leading to abundant, dynamic, cost-effective, and reliable wide-area and local-area connections-have been essential drivers of this evolution. As services and networks continue to evolve towards some notion of convergence, the continued role of optical networks must be explored. One vision of convergence renders all information in a common packet (especially IP) format. This vision is driven by the proliferation of data services. For example, time-division multiplexed (TDM) voice becomes VoIP. Analog cable-television signals become MPEG bits streamed to digital set-top boxes. T1 or OC-N private lines migrate to Ethernet virtual private networks (VPNs). All these packets coexist peacefully within a single packet-routing methodology built on an optical transport layer that combines the flexibility and cost of data networks with telecom-grade reliability. While this vision is appealing in its simplicity and shared widely, specifics of implementation raise many challenges and differences of opinion. For example, many seek to expand the role of Ethernet in these transport networks, while massive efforts are underway to make traditional TDM networks more data friendly within an evolved but backward-compatible SDH/SONET (synchronous digital hierarchy and

Convergence

Science.gov (United States)

Darcie, Thomas E.; Doverspike, Robert; Zirngibl, Martin; Korotky, Steven K.

2005-09-01

Call for Papers: Convergence The Journal of Optical Networking (JON) invites submissions to a special issue on Convergence. Convergence has become a popular theme in telecommunications, one that has broad implications across all segments of the industry. Continual evolution of technology and applications continues to erase lines between traditionally separate lines of business, with dramatic consequences for vendors, service providers, and consumers. Spectacular advances in all layers of optical networking-leading to abundant, dynamic, cost-effective, and reliable wide-area and local-area connections-have been essential drivers of this evolution. As services and networks continue to evolve towards some notion of convergence, the continued role of optical networks must be explored. One vision of convergence renders all information in a common packet (especially IP) format. This vision is driven by the proliferation of data services. For example, time-division multiplexed (TDM) voice becomes VoIP. Analog cable-television signals become MPEG bits streamed to digital set-top boxes. T1 or OC-N private lines migrate to Ethernet virtual private networks (VPNs). All these packets coexist peacefully within a single packet-routing methodology built on an optical transport layer that combines the flexibility and cost of data networks with telecom-grade reliability. While this vision is appealing in its simplicity and shared widely, specifics of implementation raise many challenges and differences of opinion. For example, many seek to expand the role of Ethernet in these transport networks, while massive efforts are underway to make traditional TDM networks more data friendly within an evolved but backward-compatible SDH/SONET (synchronous digital hierarchy and synchronous optical network) multiplexing hierarchy. From this common underlying theme follow many specific instantiations. Examples include the convergence at the physical, logical, and operational levels of voice and

ANALYSIS OF CONVERGENCE WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION SIGMA AND BETA CONVERGENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Begu Liviu-Stelian

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Real convergence study began with the development of neoclassical models of growth and especially with the passage of econometric applications of these models. In this paper we present applications of indicators and patterns of convergence on the example of European Union member countries and some current economic impact assessments on European convergence process. This analysis is based on the estimated a- and b convergence and on Markov chains. The study deals with the economic convergence of the European countries and especially the convergence of the EU countries, including Romania. In the end of the study presents several economic scenarios for a faster and easier exit from the current crisis in Romania.

Convergent validity of the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA+Plus): associations with working memory, processing speed, and behavioral ratings.

Science.gov (United States)

Arble, Eamonn; Kuentzel, Jeffrey; Barnett, Douglas

2014-05-01

Though the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA + Plus) is commonly used by researchers and clinicians, few investigations have assessed its convergent and discriminant validity, especially with regard to its use with children. The present study details correlates of the IVA + Plus using measures of cognitive ability and ratings of child behavior (parent and teacher), drawing upon a sample of 90 psychoeducational evaluations. Scores from the IVA + Plus correlated significantly with the Working Memory and Processing Speed Indexes from the Fourth Edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC-IV), though fewer and weaker significant correlations were seen with behavior ratings scales, and significant associations also occurred with WISC-IV Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Reasoning. The overall pattern of relations is supportive of the validity of the IVA + Plus; however, general cognitive ability was associated with better performance on most of the primary scores of the IVA + Plus, suggesting that interpretation should take intelligence into account.

Science and technology convergence: with emphasis for nanotechnology-inspired convergence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bainbridge, William S.; Roco, Mihail C., E-mail: mroco@nsf.gov [National Science Foundation (United States)

2016-07-15

Convergence offers a new universe of discovery, innovation, and application opportunities through specific theories, principles, and methods to be implemented in research, education, production, and other societal activities. Using a holistic approach with shared goals, convergence seeks to transcend existing human limitations to achieve improved conditions for work, learning, aging, physical, and cognitive wellness. This paper outlines ten key theories that offer complementary perspectives on this complex dynamic. Principles and methods are proposed to facilitate and enhance science and technology convergence. Several convergence success stories in the first part of the 21st century—including nanotechnology and other emerging technologies—are discussed in parallel with case studies focused on the future. The formulation of relevant theories, principles, and methods aims at establishing the convergence science.

Science and technology convergence: with emphasis for nanotechnology-inspired convergence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bainbridge, William S.; Roco, Mihail C.

2016-01-01

Convergence offers a new universe of discovery, innovation, and application opportunities through specific theories, principles, and methods to be implemented in research, education, production, and other societal activities. Using a holistic approach with shared goals, convergence seeks to transcend existing human limitations to achieve improved conditions for work, learning, aging, physical, and cognitive wellness. This paper outlines ten key theories that offer complementary perspectives on this complex dynamic. Principles and methods are proposed to facilitate and enhance science and technology convergence. Several convergence success stories in the first part of the 21st century—including nanotechnology and other emerging technologies—are discussed in parallel with case studies focused on the future. The formulation of relevant theories, principles, and methods aims at establishing the convergence science.

Reliability and convergent validity of the five-step test in people with chronic stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Shamay S M; Tse, Mimi M Y; Tam, Eric W C; Lai, Cynthia Y Y

2018-01-10

(i) To estimate the intra-rater, inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities of the Five-Step Test (FST), as well as the minimum detectable change in FST completion times in people with stroke. (ii) To estimate the convergent validity of the FST with other measures of stroke-specific impairments. (iii) To identify the best cut-off times for distinguishing FST performance in people with stroke from that of healthy older adults. A cross-sectional study. University-based rehabilitation centre. Forty-eight people with stroke and 39 healthy controls. None. The FST, along with (for the stroke survivors only) scores on the Fugl-Meyer Lower Extremity Assessment (FMA-LE), the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Limits of Stability (LOS) tests, and Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale were tested. The FST showed excellent intra-rater (intra-class correlation coefficient; ICC = 0.866-0.905), inter-rater (ICC = 0.998), and test-retest (ICC = 0.838-0.842) reliabilities. A minimum detectable change of 9.16 s was found for the FST in people with stroke. The FST correlated significantly with the FMA-LE, BBS, and LOS results in the forward and sideways directions (r = -0.411 to -0.716, p people with stroke and healthy older adults. The FST is a reliable, easy-to-administer clinical test for assessing stroke survivors' ability to negotiate steps and stairs.

IT-BT convergence technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-12-01

This book explains IT-BT convergence technology as the future technology, which includes a prolog, easy IT-BT convergence technology that has infinite potentials for new value, policy of IT-BT convergence technology showing the potential of smart Korea, IT-BT convergence opening happy future, for the new future of IT powerful nation Korea with IT-BT convergence technology and an epilogue. This book reveals the conception, policy, performance and future of IT-BT convergence technology.

Concurrent and Convergent Validity of the Eating in the Absence of Hunger Questionnaire and Behavioral Paradigm in Overweight Children

Science.gov (United States)

Madowitz, Jennifer; Liang, June; Peterson, Carol B.; Rydell, Sarah; Zucker, Nancy L.; Tanofsky-Kraff, Marian; Harnack, Lisa; Boutelle, Kerri N.

2014-01-01

Objective This study aimed to assess the concurrent and convergent validity of the Eating in the Absence of Hunger (EAH) questionnaire parent report of child (EAH-PC) and child self-report (EAH-C) with the EAH behavioral paradigm (EAH%) and usual dietary intake. Method Data were obtained at baseline assessment for 117 treatment-seeking overweight and obese (BMI > 85th percentile) 8- to 12-year old children (53% female, 54% white) and their parents. Children participated in the EAH free access paradigm after a standardized ad libitum meal. Parents and children completed EAH questionnaires, and the children completed three 24 h recalls. EAH External Eating subscale and total scores were assessed. Results EAH% was inversely associated with the EAH-PC total score (p paradigm are measuring different aspects of EAH in treatment-seeking children. PMID:24186043

Validation of a RANS transition model using a high-order weighted compact nonlinear scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, GuoHua; Deng, XiaoGang; Mao, MeiLiang

2013-04-01

A modified transition model is given based on the shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model and an intermittency transport equation. The energy gradient term in the original model is replaced by flow strain rate to saving computational costs. The model employs local variables only, and then it can be conveniently implemented in modern computational fluid dynamics codes. The fifth-order weighted compact nonlinear scheme and the fourth-order staggered scheme are applied to discrete the governing equations for the purpose of minimizing discretization errors, so as to mitigate the confusion between numerical errors and transition model errors. The high-order package is compared with a second-order TVD method on simulating the transitional flow of a flat plate. Numerical results indicate that the high-order package give better grid convergence property than that of the second-order method. Validation of the transition model is performed for transitional flows ranging from low speed to hypersonic speed.

Convergence in Global Food Demand and Delivery

OpenAIRE

Regmi, Anita; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Unnevehr, Laurian J.

2008-01-01

Using food expenditures and food sales data over 1990-2004, this report examines whether food consumption and delivery trends are converging across 47 high- and middle-income countries. Middle-income countries, such as China and Mexico, appear to be following trends in high-income countries, measured across several dimensions of food system growth and change. Convergence is apparent in most important food expenditure categories and in indicators of food system modernization such as supermarke...

Examining the Level of Convergence among Self-Regulated Learning Microanalytic Processes, Achievement, and a Self-Report Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Cleary, Timothy J.; Callan, Gregory L.; Malatesta, Jaime; Adams, Tanya

2015-01-01

This study examined the convergent and predictive validity of self-regulated learning (SRL) microanalytic measures. Specifically, theoretically based relations among a set of self-reflection processes, self-efficacy, and achievement were examined as was the level of convergence between a microanalytic strategy measure and a SRL self-report…

Convergence in Multispecies Interactions

OpenAIRE

Bittleston, Leonora Sophia; Pierce, Naomi E.; Ellison, Aaron M.; Pringle, Anne

2016-01-01

The concepts of convergent evolution and community convergence highlight how selective pressures can shape unrelated organisms or communities in similar ways. We propose a related concept, convergent interactions, to describe the independent evolution of multispecies interactions with similar physiological or ecological functions. A focus on convergent interactions clarifies how natural selection repeatedly favors particular kinds of associations among species. Characterizing convergent inter...

Diagrammatic Monte Carlo approach for diagrammatic extensions of dynamical mean-field theory: Convergence analysis of the dual fermion technique

Science.gov (United States)

Gukelberger, Jan; Kozik, Evgeny; Hafermann, Hartmut

2017-07-01

The dual fermion approach provides a formally exact prescription for calculating properties of a correlated electron system in terms of a diagrammatic expansion around dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). Most practical implementations, however, neglect higher-order interaction vertices beyond two-particle scattering in the dual effective action and further truncate the diagrammatic expansion in the two-particle scattering vertex to a leading-order or ladder-type approximation. In this work, we compute the dual fermion expansion for the two-dimensional Hubbard model including all diagram topologies with two-particle interactions to high orders by means of a stochastic diagrammatic Monte Carlo algorithm. We benchmark the obtained self-energy against numerically exact diagrammatic determinant Monte Carlo simulations to systematically assess convergence of the dual fermion series and the validity of these approximations. We observe that, from high temperatures down to the vicinity of the DMFT Néel transition, the dual fermion series converges very quickly to the exact solution in the whole range of Hubbard interactions considered (4 ≤U /t ≤12 ), implying that contributions from higher-order vertices are small. As the temperature is lowered further, we observe slower series convergence, convergence to incorrect solutions, and ultimately divergence. This happens in a regime where magnetic correlations become significant. We find, however, that the self-consistent particle-hole ladder approximation yields reasonable and often even highly accurate results in this regime.

Validation of the Pain Resilience Scale in Chinese-speaking patients with temporomandibular disorders pain.

Science.gov (United States)

He, S L; Wang, J H; Ji, P

2018-03-01

To validate the Pain Resilience Scale (PRS) for use in Chinese patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) pain. According to international guidelines, the original PRS was first translated and cross-culturally adapted to formulate the Chinese version of PRS (PRS-C). A total of 152 patients with TMD pain were recruited to complete series of questionnaires. Reliability of the PRS-C was investigated using internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Validity of the PRS-C was calculated using cross-cultural validity and convergent validity. Cross-cultural validity was evaluated by examining the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). And convergent validity was examined through correlating the PRS-C scores with scores of 2 commonly used pain-related measures (the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale [CD-RISC] and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia for Temporomandibular Disorders [TSK-TMD]). The PRS-C had a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92) and good test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.81). The CFA supported a 2-factor model for the PRS-C with acceptable fit to the data. The fit indices were chi-square/DF = 2.21, GFI = 0.91, TLI = 0.97, CFI = 0.98 and RMSEA = 0.08. As regards convergent validity, the PRS-C evidenced moderate-to-good relationships with the CD-RISC and the TSK-TMD. The PRS-C shows good psychometric properties and could be considered as a reliable and valid measure to evaluate pain-related resilience in patients with TMD pain. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Validez Convergente de la Version Espanola Preliminar del Child Abuse Potential Inventory: Depresion y Aduste Marital (Convergent Validity of the Preliminary Spanish Version of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory: Depression and Marital Adjustment).

Science.gov (United States)

Arruabarrena, M. Ignacia; de Paul, Joaquin

1992-01-01

"Convergent validity" of preliminary Spanish version of Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory was studied. CAP uses ecological-systemic model of child maltreatment to evaluate individual, family, and social factors facilitating physical child abuse. Depression and marital adjustment were measured in three groups of mothers. Results found…

On the convergence of finite state mean-field games through Γ-convergence

KAUST Repository

Ferreira, Rita C.; Gomes, Diogo A.

2014-01-01

In this study, we consider the long-term convergence (trend toward an equilibrium) of finite state mean-field games using Γ-convergence. Our techniques are based on the observation that an important class of mean-field games can be viewed as the Euler-Lagrange equation of a suitable functional. Therefore, using a scaling argument, one can convert a long-term convergence problem into a Γ-convergence problem. Our results generalize previous results related to long-term convergence for finite state problems. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.

On the convergence of finite state mean-field games through Γ-convergence

KAUST Repository

Ferreira, Rita C.

2014-10-01

In this study, we consider the long-term convergence (trend toward an equilibrium) of finite state mean-field games using Γ-convergence. Our techniques are based on the observation that an important class of mean-field games can be viewed as the Euler-Lagrange equation of a suitable functional. Therefore, using a scaling argument, one can convert a long-term convergence problem into a Γ-convergence problem. Our results generalize previous results related to long-term convergence for finite state problems. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.

Network Convergence

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Network Convergence. User is interested in application and content - not technical means of distribution. Boundaries between distribution channels fade out. Network convergence leads to seamless application and content solutions.

On convergence generation in computing the electro-magnetic Casimir force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuller, F.

2008-01-01

We tackle the very fundamental problem of zero-point energy divergence in the context of the Casimir effect. We calculate the Casimir force due to field fluctuations by using standard cavity radiation modes. The validity of convergence generation by means of an exponential energy cut-off factor is discussed in detail. (orig.)

Convergence of high-intensity expansions for atomic ionization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antunes Neto, H.S.; Davidovich, L.

1984-01-01

It is shown that a frequently used nonperturbative approximation for atomic ionization rates is cancelled out when corrections are taken into account. This explains the strong gauge dependence of previous results. A convergent and gauge invariant expansion is obtained. Numerical results show that its first term, which may be calculated analytically in many cases, describes very well the time-dependent behaviour of the ionization probability, for very strong fields. (Author) [pt

Converging-barrel plasma accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paine, T.O.

1971-01-01

The invention comprises a device for generating and accelerating plasma to extremely high velocity, while focusing the plasma to a decreasing cross section for attaining a very dense high-velocity plasma burst capable of causing nuclear fusion reactions. A converging coaxial accelerator-electrode configuration is employed with ''high-pressure'' gas injection in controlled amounts to achieve acceleration by deflagration and focusing by the shaped electromagnetic fields. (U.S.)

Convergence of valence bands for high thermoelectric performance for p-type InN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Hai-Zhu; Li, Ruo-Ping; Liu, Jun-Hui; Huang, Ming-Ju

2015-01-01

Band engineering to converge the bands to achieve high valley degeneracy is one of effective approaches for designing ideal thermoelectric materials. Convergence of many valleys in the valence band may lead to a high Seebeck coefficient, and induce promising thermoelectric performance of p-type InN. In the current work, we have systematically investigated the electronic structure and thermoelectric performance of wurtzite InN by using the density functional theory combined with semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory. Form the results, it can be found that intrinsic InN has a large Seebeck coefficient (254 μV/K) and the largest value of Z e T is 0.77. The transport properties of p-type InN are better than that of n-type one at the optimum carrier concentration, which mainly due to the large Seebeck coefficient for p-type InN, although the electrical conductivity of n-type InN is larger than that of p-type one. We found that the larger Seebeck coefficient for p-type InN may originate from the large valley degeneracy in the valence band. Moreover, the low minimum lattice thermal conductivity for InN is one key factor to become a good thermoelectric material. Therefore, p-type InN could be a potential material for further applications in the thermoelectric area.

Reliability and Validity of a Satisfaction Scale in a Nigerian ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

They completed this 15 item self-rated instrument that assesses patient satisfaction with services using a 5 point response format. Results:The internal consistency for the scale was high ( a=0.91), and item total correlations ranged between 0.33 to 0.70. Its convergent validity was supported by significant correlations of all ...

Local Convergence and Radius of Convergence for Modified Newton Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Măruşter Ştefan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available We investigate the local convergence of modified Newton method, i.e., the classical Newton method in which the derivative is periodically re-evaluated. Based on the convergence properties of Picard iteration for demicontractive mappings, we give an algorithm to estimate the local radius of convergence for considered method. Numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithm gives estimated radii which are very close to or even equal with the best ones.

Convergent evolution towards high net carbon gain efficiency contributes to the shade tolerance of palms (Arecaceae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ma, Ren Yi; Zhang, Jiao Lin; Cavaleri, Molly A.; Sterck, Frank; Strijk, J.S.; Cao, Kun Fang

2015-01-01

Most palm species occur in the shaded lower strata of tropical rain forests, but how their traits relate to shade adaptation is poorly understood. We hypothesized that palms are adapted to the shade of their native habitats by convergent evolution towards high net carbon gain efficiency (CGEn),

Assessing Empathy across Childhood and Adolescence: Validation of the Empathy Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (EmQue-CA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandy Overgaauw

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Empathy plays a crucial role in healthy social functioning and in maintaining positive social relationships. In this study, 1250 children and adolescents (10–15 year olds completed the newly developed Empathy Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (EmQue-CA that was tested on reliability, construct validity, convergent validity, and concurrent validity. The EmQue-CA aims to assess empathy using the following scales: affective empathy, cognitive empathy, and intention to comfort. A Principal Components Analysis, which was directly tested with a Confirmatory Factor Analysis, confirmed the proposed three-factor model resulting in 14 final items. Reliability analyses demonstrated high internal consistency of the scales. Furthermore, the scales showed high convergent validity, as they were positively correlated with related scales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1983. With regard to concurrent validity, higher empathy was related to more attention to others’ emotions, higher friendship quality, less focus on own affective state, and lower levels of bullying behavior. Taken together, we show that the EmQue-CA is a reliable and valid instrument to measure empathy in typically developing children and adolescents aged 10 and older.

Further Validation of the Coach Identity Prominence Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, J. Paige; Hall, Craig R.

2014-01-01

This study was designed to examine select psychometric properties of the Coach Identity Prominence Scale (CIPS), including the reliability, factorial validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and predictive validity. Coaches (N = 338) who averaged 37 (SD = 12.27) years of age, had a mean of 13 (SD = 9.90) years of coaching experience,…

Trophic convergence drives morphological convergence in marine tetrapods.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Neil P; Motani, Ryosuke

2015-01-01

Marine tetrapod clades (e.g. seals, whales) independently adapted to marine life through the Mesozoic and Caenozoic, and provide iconic examples of convergent evolution. Apparent morphological convergence is often explained as the result of adaptation to similar ecological niches. However, quantitative tests of this hypothesis are uncommon. We use dietary data to classify the feeding ecology of extant marine tetrapods and identify patterns in skull and tooth morphology that discriminate trophic groups across clades. Mapping these patterns onto phylogeny reveals coordinated evolutionary shifts in diet and morphology in different marine tetrapod lineages. Similarities in morphology between species with similar diets-even across large phylogenetic distances-are consistent with previous hypotheses that shared functional constraints drive convergent evolution in marine tetrapods.

Validation of the Child Sport Cohesion Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Luc J.; Carron, Albert V.; Eys, Mark A.; Loughead, Todd

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to test the validity evidence of the Child Sport Cohesion Questionnaire (CSCQ). To accomplish this task, convergent, discriminant, and known-group difference validity were examined, along with factorial validity via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Child athletes (N = 290, M[subscript age] = 10.73 plus or…

Convergence in Multispecies Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bittleston, Leonora S; Pierce, Naomi E; Ellison, Aaron M; Pringle, Anne

2016-04-01

The concepts of convergent evolution and community convergence highlight how selective pressures can shape unrelated organisms or communities in similar ways. We propose a related concept, convergent interactions, to describe the independent evolution of multispecies interactions with similar physiological or ecological functions. A focus on convergent interactions clarifies how natural selection repeatedly favors particular kinds of associations among species. Characterizing convergent interactions in a comparative context is likely to facilitate prediction of the ecological roles of organisms (including microbes) in multispecies interactions and selective pressures acting in poorly understood or newly discovered multispecies systems. We illustrate the concept of convergent interactions with examples: vertebrates and their gut bacteria; ectomycorrhizae; insect-fungal-bacterial interactions; pitcher-plant food webs; and ants and ant-plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Highly Convergent Total Synthesis of (+)-Lithospermic Acid via a Late-Stage Intermolecular C–H Olefination

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dong-Hui; Yu, Jin-Quan

2011-01-01

The total synthesis of (+)-lithospermic acid is reported, which exploits two successive C–H activation reactions as the key steps. Rh-catalyzed carbene C–H insertion reaction using Davies’ catalyst built the dihydrobenzofuran core, and a late-stage intermolecular C–H olefination coupled the olefin unit with the dihydrobenzofuran core to construct the molecule in a highly convergent manner. PMID:21443224

Reliability and validity of the test of incremental respiratory endurance measures of inspiratory muscle performance in COPD.

Science.gov (United States)

Formiga, Magno F; Roach, Kathryn E; Vital, Isabel; Urdaneta, Gisel; Balestrini, Kira; Calderon-Candelario, Rafael A; Campos, Michael A; Cahalin, Lawrence P

2018-01-01

The Test of Incremental Respiratory Endurance (TIRE) provides a comprehensive assessment of inspiratory muscle performance by measuring maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) over time. The integration of MIP over inspiratory duration (ID) provides the sustained maximal inspiratory pressure (SMIP). Evidence on the reliability and validity of these measurements in COPD is not currently available. Therefore, we assessed the reliability, responsiveness and construct validity of the TIRE measures of inspiratory muscle performance in subjects with COPD. Test-retest reliability, known-groups and convergent validity assessments were implemented simultaneously in 81 male subjects with mild to very severe COPD. TIRE measures were obtained using the portable PrO2 device, following standard guidelines. All TIRE measures were found to be highly reliable, with SMIP demonstrating the strongest test-retest reliability with a nearly perfect intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.99, while MIP and ID clustered closely together behind SMIP with ICC values of about 0.97. Our findings also demonstrated known-groups validity of all TIRE measures, with SMIP and ID yielding larger effect sizes when compared to MIP in distinguishing between subjects of different COPD status. Finally, our analyses confirmed convergent validity for both SMIP and ID, but not MIP. The TIRE measures of MIP, SMIP and ID have excellent test-retest reliability and demonstrated known-groups validity in subjects with COPD. SMIP and ID also demonstrated evidence of moderate convergent validity and appear to be more stable measures in this patient population than the traditional MIP.

Reliability, Convergent Validity and Time Invariance of Default Mode Network Deviations in Early Adult Major Depressive Disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katie L. Bessette

2018-06-01

Full Text Available There is substantial variability across studies of default mode network (DMN connectivity in major depressive disorder, and reliability and time-invariance are not reported. This study evaluates whether DMN dysconnectivity in remitted depression (rMDD is reliable over time and symptom-independent, and explores convergent relationships with cognitive features of depression. A longitudinal study was conducted with 82 young adults free of psychotropic medications (47 rMDD, 35 healthy controls who completed clinical structured interviews, neuropsychological assessments, and 2 resting-state fMRI scans across 2 study sites. Functional connectivity analyses from bilateral posterior cingulate and anterior hippocampal formation seeds in DMN were conducted at both time points within a repeated-measures analysis of variance to compare groups and evaluate reliability of group-level connectivity findings. Eleven hyper- (from posterior cingulate and 6 hypo- (from hippocampal formation connectivity clusters in rMDD were obtained with moderate to adequate reliability in all but one cluster (ICC's range = 0.50 to 0.76 for 16 of 17. The significant clusters were reduced with a principle component analysis (5 components obtained to explore these connectivity components, and were then correlated with cognitive features (rumination, cognitive control, learning and memory, and explicit emotion identification. At the exploratory level, for convergent validity, components consisting of posterior cingulate with cognitive control network hyperconnectivity in rMDD were related to cognitive control (inverse and rumination (positive. Components consisting of anterior hippocampal formation with social emotional network and DMN hypoconnectivity were related to memory (inverse and happy emotion identification (positive. Thus, time-invariant DMN connectivity differences exist early in the lifespan course of depression and are reliable. The nuanced results suggest a ventral

Numerical modeling and validation of helium jet impingement cooling of high heat flux divertor components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koncar, Bostjan; Simonovski, Igor; Norajitra, Prachai

2009-01-01

Numerical analyses of jet impingement cooling presented in this paper were performed as a part of helium-cooled divertor studies for post-ITER generation of fusion reactors. The cooling ability of divertor cooled by multiple helium jets was analysed. Thermal-hydraulic characteristics and temperature distributions in the solid structures were predicted for the reference geometry of one cooling finger. To assess numerical errors, different meshes (hexagonal, tetra, tetra-prism) and discretisation schemes were used. The temperatures in the solid structures decrease with finer mesh and higher order discretisation and converge towards finite values. Numerical simulations were validated against high heat flux experiments, performed at Efremov Institute, St. Petersburg. The predicted design parameters show reasonable agreement with measured data. The calculated maximum thimble temperature was below the tile-thimble brazing temperature, indicating good heat removal capability of reference divertor design. (author)

Media Convergence: the Culture Dimensions of Thinking%Media Convergence:the Culture Dimensions of Thinking

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Shen Diao; Lan Ju

2017-01-01

In the process of meida Convergence,many researchers paid excessive attention to media technology,industry and management,and ignored the culture dimensions of media convergence.Therefore,to transcend media convergence technology,industrial thinking and more to the particularity attach importance to cultural media,it is a right way to achieve media convergence.But in the context of China's culture,media convergence should value the cultural uniqueness and the imbalance of the realistic problems,to reach innovation and breakthrough.

Magnetized Converging Flows toward the Hot Core in the Intermediate/High-mass Star-forming Region NGC 6334 V

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juárez, Carmen; Girart, Josep M.; Zamora-Avilés, Manuel; Palau, Aina; Ballesteros-Paredes, Javier; Tang, Ya-Wen; Koch, Patrick M.; Liu, Hauyu Baobab; Zhang, Qizhou; Qiu, Keping

2017-01-01

We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations at 345 GHz toward the intermediate/high-mass cluster-forming region NGC 6334 V. From the dust emission we spatially resolve three dense condensations, the brightest one presenting the typical chemistry of a hot core. The magnetic field (derived from the dust polarized emission) shows a bimodal converging pattern toward the hot core. The molecular emission traces two filamentary structures at two different velocities, separated by 2 km s −1 , converging to the hot core and following the magnetic field distribution. We compare the velocity field and the magnetic field derived from the SMA observations with magnetohydrodynamic simulations of star-forming regions dominated by gravity. This comparison allows us to show how the gas falls in from the larger-scale extended dense core (∼0.1 pc) of NGC 6334 V toward the higher-density hot core region (∼0.02 pc) through two distinctive converging flows dragging the magnetic field, whose strength seems to have been overcome by gravity.

Almost convergence of triple sequences

OpenAIRE

Ayhan Esi; M.Necdet Catalbas

2013-01-01

In this paper we introduce and study the concepts of almost convergence and almost Cauchy for triple sequences. Weshow that the set of almost convergent triple sequences of 0's and 1's is of the first category and also almost everytriple sequence of 0's and 1's is not almost convergent.Keywords: almost convergence, P-convergent, triple sequence.

Surface meshing with curvature convergence

KAUST Repository

Li, Huibin; Zeng, Wei; Morvan, Jean-Marie; Chen, Liming; Gu, Xianfengdavid

2014-01-01

Surface meshing plays a fundamental role in graphics and visualization. Many geometric processing tasks involve solving geometric PDEs on meshes. The numerical stability, convergence rates and approximation errors are largely determined by the mesh qualities. In practice, Delaunay refinement algorithms offer satisfactory solutions to high quality mesh generations. The theoretical proofs for volume based and surface based Delaunay refinement algorithms have been established, but those for conformal parameterization based ones remain wide open. This work focuses on the curvature measure convergence for the conformal parameterization based Delaunay refinement algorithms. Given a metric surface, the proposed approach triangulates its conformal uniformization domain by the planar Delaunay refinement algorithms, and produces a high quality mesh. We give explicit estimates for the Hausdorff distance, the normal deviation, and the differences in curvature measures between the surface and the mesh. In contrast to the conventional results based on volumetric Delaunay refinement, our stronger estimates are independent of the mesh structure and directly guarantee the convergence of curvature measures. Meanwhile, our result on Gaussian curvature measure is intrinsic to the Riemannian metric and independent of the embedding. In practice, our meshing algorithm is much easier to implement and much more efficient. The experimental results verified our theoretical results and demonstrated the efficiency of the meshing algorithm. © 2014 IEEE.

Surface meshing with curvature convergence

KAUST Repository

Li, Huibin

2014-06-01

Surface meshing plays a fundamental role in graphics and visualization. Many geometric processing tasks involve solving geometric PDEs on meshes. The numerical stability, convergence rates and approximation errors are largely determined by the mesh qualities. In practice, Delaunay refinement algorithms offer satisfactory solutions to high quality mesh generations. The theoretical proofs for volume based and surface based Delaunay refinement algorithms have been established, but those for conformal parameterization based ones remain wide open. This work focuses on the curvature measure convergence for the conformal parameterization based Delaunay refinement algorithms. Given a metric surface, the proposed approach triangulates its conformal uniformization domain by the planar Delaunay refinement algorithms, and produces a high quality mesh. We give explicit estimates for the Hausdorff distance, the normal deviation, and the differences in curvature measures between the surface and the mesh. In contrast to the conventional results based on volumetric Delaunay refinement, our stronger estimates are independent of the mesh structure and directly guarantee the convergence of curvature measures. Meanwhile, our result on Gaussian curvature measure is intrinsic to the Riemannian metric and independent of the embedding. In practice, our meshing algorithm is much easier to implement and much more efficient. The experimental results verified our theoretical results and demonstrated the efficiency of the meshing algorithm. © 2014 IEEE.

Societal response to nanotechnology: converging technologies–converging societal response research?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ronteltap, A.; Fischer, A.R.H.; Tobi, H.

2011-01-01

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology particularly vulnerable to societal unrest, which may hinder its further development. With the increasing convergence of several technological domains in the field of nanotechnology, so too could convergence of social science methods help to anticipate

The Convergence Study of the Homotopy Analysis Method for Solving Nonlinear Volterra-Fredholm Integrodifferential Equations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Behzad Ghanbari

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We aim to study the convergence of the homotopy analysis method (HAM in short for solving special nonlinear Volterra-Fredholm integrodifferential equations. The sufficient condition for the convergence of the method is briefly addressed. Some illustrative examples are also presented to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the technique. Comparison of the obtained results HAM with exact solution shows that the method is reliable and capable of providing analytic treatment for solving such equations.

Toward convergence of the variational mass expansion in asymptotically free theories

CERN Document Server

Kneur, J L

2001-01-01

We re-examine a modification of perturbative expansions, valid for asymptotically free theories, producing "variationally improved" expansions of physical quantities relevant to dynamical (chiral) symmetry breaking. The large order behaviour of this expansion is shown to be drastically improved, for reasons analogous to the convergence properties of the delta-expansion of the anharmonic oscillator.

Summable series and convergence factors

CERN Document Server

Moore, Charles N

1938-01-01

Fairly early in the development of the theory of summability of divergent series, the concept of convergence factors was recognized as of fundamental importance in the subject. One of the pioneers in this field was C. N. Moore, the author of the book under review.... Moore classifies convergence factors into two types. In type I he places the factors which have only the property that they preserve convergence for a convergent series or produce convergence for a summable series. In type II he places the factors which not only maintain or produce convergence but have the additional property that

Measuring self-esteem in dieting disordered patients: the validity of the Rosenberg and Coopersmith contrasted.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, R A; Beumont, P J; Giannakopoulos, E; Russell, J; Schotte, D; Thornton, C; Touyz, S W; Varano, P

1999-03-01

In order to ascertain the most appropriate measure of self-esteem for dieting disordered patients, this study contrasted the construct and convergent validities of two widely used measures. In addition, dieting disordered subgroups were compared on levels of self-esteem. One hundred and seventeen male and female patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or eating disorder not otherwise specified completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES), the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), and measures of dieting disorder pathology and depression. No significant differences among the three dieting disorder subgroups were found. In determining convergent validity, regression analyses indicated that the SES was a significant predictor of dieting disorder psychopathology whereas the SEI was not. Of the two self-esteem measures, only the SES showed evidence of convergent validity. The results suggest that the SES has sounder construct and convergent validity than the SEI. Hence, the SES may be more appropriate for use with dieting disordered populations.

Geophysical constraints on geodynamical processes at convergent margins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Artemieva, Irina; Thybo, Hans; Shulgin, Alexey

2016-01-01

Convergent margins, being the boundaries between colliding lithospheric plates, form the most disastrous areas in the world due to intensive, strong seismicity and volcanism. We review global geophysical data in order to illustrate the effects of the plate tectonic processes at convergent margins......, at least, one of the plates is oceanic. However, the oldest oceanic plate in the Pacific ocean has the smallest convergence rate. (2) The presence of an oceanic plate is, in general, required for generation of high-magnitude (M>8.0) earthquakes and for generating intermediate and deep seismicity along...... to shallow mantle levels....

Taylor series maps and their domain of convergence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abell, D.T.; Dragt, A.J.

1992-01-01

This paper tries to make clear what limits the validity of a Taylor series map, and how. We describe the concept of a transfer map and quote some theorems that justify not only their existence but also their advantages. Then, we describe the Taylor series representation for transfer maps. Following that, we attempt to elucidate some of the basic theorems from the theory of functions of one and several complex variables. This material forms the core of our understanding of what limits the domain of convergence of Taylor series maps. Lastly, we use the concrete example of a simple anharmonic oscillator to illustrate how the theorems from several complex variable theory affect the domain convergence of Taylor series maps. There we describe the singularities of the anharmonic oscillator in the complex planes of the initial conditions, show how they constrain our use of a Taylor series map, and then discuss our findings

Investigation of four self-report instruments (FABT, TSK-HC, Back-PAQ, HC-PAIRS) to measure healthcare practitioners' attitudes and beliefs toward low back pain: Reliability, convergent validity and survey of New Zealand osteopaths and manipulative physiotherapists.

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, Robert W; Rushworth, Wendy M; Mason, Jesse

2017-12-01

Healthcare practitioner beliefs influence advice and management provided to patients with back pain. Several instruments measuring practitioner beliefs have been developed but psychometric properties for some have not been investigated. To investigate internal consistency, test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Tool (FABT), the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia for Health Care Providers (TSK-HC), the Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ), and the Health Care Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS). A secondary aim was to explore beliefs of New Zealand osteopaths and physiotherapists regarding low back pain. FABT, TSK-HC, Back-PAQ, and HC-PAIRS were administered twice, 14 days apart. Data from 91 osteopaths and 35 physiotherapists were analysed. The FABT, TSK-HC and Back-PAQ each demonstrated excellent internal consistency, (Cronbach's α = 0.92, 0.91, and 0.91 respectively), and excellent test-retest reliability (lower limit of 95% CI for intraclass correlation coefficient >0.75). Correlations between instruments (Pearson's r = 0.51 to 0.77, p  0.47) for mean differences in scores, for all instruments, between professions. This study found excellent internal consistency, test-retest reliability and good convergent validity for the FABT, TSK-HC, and Back-PAQ. Previously reported internal consistency, test-retest and convergent validity of the HC-PAIRS were confirmed, and test-retest reliability was excellent. There were significant scoring differences on each instrument between professions, and while both groups demonstrated fear avoidant beliefs, physiotherapist respondent scores indicated that as a group, they held fewer fear-avoidant beliefs than osteopath respondents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Convergence and divergence in spherical harmonic series of the gravitational field generated by high-resolution planetary topography—A case study for the Moon

Science.gov (United States)

Hirt, Christian; Kuhn, Michael

2017-08-01

Theoretically, spherical harmonic (SH) series expansions of the external gravitational potential are guaranteed to converge outside the Brillouin sphere enclosing all field-generating masses. Inside that sphere, the series may be convergent or may be divergent. The series convergence behavior is a highly unstable quantity that is little studied for high-resolution mass distributions. Here we shed light on the behavior of SH series expansions of the gravitational potential of the Moon. We present a set of systematic numerical experiments where the gravity field generated by the topographic masses is forward-modeled in spherical harmonics and with numerical integration techniques at various heights and different levels of resolution, increasing from harmonic degree 90 to 2160 ( 61 to 2.5 km scales). The numerical integration is free from any divergence issues and therefore suitable to reliably assess convergence versus divergence of the SH series. Our experiments provide unprecedented detailed insights into the divergence issue. We show that the SH gravity field of degree-180 topography is convergent anywhere in free space. When the resolution of the topographic mass model is increased to degree 360, divergence starts to affect very high degree gravity signals over regions deep inside the Brillouin sphere. For degree 2160 topography/gravity models, severe divergence (with several 1000 mGal amplitudes) prohibits accurate gravity modeling over most of the topography. As a key result, we formulate a new hypothesis to predict divergence: if the potential degree variances show a minimum, then the SH series expansions diverge somewhere inside the Brillouin sphere and modeling of the internal potential becomes relevant.

Validity and reliability of Verbal Online Subjective Opinion (VOSO and Modified Cooper-Harper scales in measuring of mental workload

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reza Charkhandaz Yeganeh

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: High mental workload is one of the important factors that results in errors in safety and occupational health scope and its measurement has high importance. So, this study aimed to determine validity and reliability of Verbal Online Subjective Opinion (VOSO and Modified Cooper-Harper (MCH scales in measuring mental workload. Methods: This study was conducted on 90 male students of Iran University of Medical Sciences. In this study, the Forward-Backward translation was used for translation of scales. Moreover, Content Validity Ratio (CVR and Content Validity Index (CVI were calculated by having suggestion of 6 Ergonomics and Occupational health experts. The Hybrid Memory Search Task software was used to create mental workload. Convergent validity of scales was calculated using correlation of scales with reaction time and then Test-Retest method was used to determine the reliability of scales. Results: Content and convergent validity of scales were confirmed and correlation of both scales with reaction time were higher than 0.8. Moreover for determination of scales reliabilities, Pearson correlation coefficient between scales values in test and retest trials were 0.86 and 0.91 for VOSO and MCH respectively. Conclusion: It seems that in regard to confirmation of validity and reliability of VOSO and MCH in this study and their high correlation with reaction time, it can use these scales in measurement of mental workload.

Adaptation and convergent evolution within the Jamesonia-Eriosorus complex in high-elevation biodiverse Andean hotspots.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Baracaldo, Patricia; Thomas, Gavin H

2014-01-01

The recent uplift of the tropical Andes (since the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene) provided extensive ecological opportunity for evolutionary radiations. We test for phylogenetic and morphological evidence of adaptive radiation and convergent evolution to novel habitats (exposed, high-altitude páramo habitats) in the Andean fern genera Jamesonia and Eriosorus. We construct time-calibrated phylogenies for the Jamesonia-Eriosorus clade. We then use recent phylogenetic comparative methods to test for evolutionary transitions among habitats, associations between habitat and leaf morphology, and ecologically driven variation in the rate of morphological evolution. Páramo species (Jamesonia) display morphological adaptations consistent with convergent evolution in response to the demands of a highly exposed environment but these adaptations are associated with microhabitat use rather than the páramo per se. Species that are associated with exposed microhabitats (including Jamesonia and Eriorsorus) are characterized by many but short pinnae per frond whereas species occupying sheltered microhabitats (primarily Eriosorus) have few but long pinnae per frond. Pinnae length declines more rapidly with altitude in sheltered species. Rates of speciation are significantly higher among páramo than non-páramo lineages supporting the hypothesis of adaptation and divergence in the unique Páramo biodiversity hotspot.

Dysphagia in Multiple Sclerosis: Evaluation and Validation of the DYMUS Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Alali, Dalal; Ballard, Kirrie; Vucic, Steve; Bogaardt, Hans

2018-06-01

The 10-item Dysphagia in Multiple Sclerosis (DYMUS) questionnaire is a self-administered tool used to identify swallowing problems in adults with MS. The questionnaire was not validated against other existing questionnaires to assess its convergent validity. Moreover, its test-retest reliability was not measured previously. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the factor analysis, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the DYMUS, as well as its convergent validity against an established and validated questionnaire, the EAT-10. English-speaking adults with MS in New South Wales, Australia who were seen for routine medical check-ups were invited to complete two questionnaires across two phases. One hundred participants completed phase 1, while 55 completed phase 2. Statistical analyses were performed to investigate the psychometric properties of the DYMUS questionnaire. Internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha) reduced the DYMUS questionnaire from ten to five items. The shortened version of the DYMUS showed high internal consistency (alpha = 0.904). It also showed satisfactory reproducibility, and adequate correlation with the 10-item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10). Evaluation of the DYMUS resulted in a shortened version of the questionnaire with five questions related to dysphagia. This shortened version is considered an easy and useful tool in identifying patients with MS-related dysphagia.

Magnetized Converging Flows toward the Hot Core in the Intermediate/High-mass Star-forming Region NGC 6334 V

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Juárez, Carmen; Girart, Josep M. [Institut de Ciències de l’Espai, (CSIC-IEEC), Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, S/N, E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia (Spain); Zamora-Avilés, Manuel; Palau, Aina; Ballesteros-Paredes, Javier [Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, P.O. Box 3-72, 58090, Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico); Tang, Ya-Wen; Koch, Patrick M.; Liu, Hauyu Baobab [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan (China); Zhang, Qizhou [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Qiu, Keping, E-mail: juarez@ice.cat [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023 (China)

2017-07-20

We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations at 345 GHz toward the intermediate/high-mass cluster-forming region NGC 6334 V. From the dust emission we spatially resolve three dense condensations, the brightest one presenting the typical chemistry of a hot core. The magnetic field (derived from the dust polarized emission) shows a bimodal converging pattern toward the hot core. The molecular emission traces two filamentary structures at two different velocities, separated by 2 km s{sup −1}, converging to the hot core and following the magnetic field distribution. We compare the velocity field and the magnetic field derived from the SMA observations with magnetohydrodynamic simulations of star-forming regions dominated by gravity. This comparison allows us to show how the gas falls in from the larger-scale extended dense core (∼0.1 pc) of NGC 6334 V toward the higher-density hot core region (∼0.02 pc) through two distinctive converging flows dragging the magnetic field, whose strength seems to have been overcome by gravity.

Estimation of the convergence order of rigorous coupled-wave analysis for OCD metrology

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Yuan; Liu, Shiyuan; Chen, Xiuguo; Zhang, Chuanwei

2011-12-01

In most cases of optical critical dimension (OCD) metrology, when applying rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) to optical modeling, a high order of Fourier harmonics is usually set up to guarantee the convergence of the final results. However, the total number of floating point operations grows dramatically as the truncation order increases. Therefore, it is critical to choose an appropriate order to obtain high computational efficiency without losing much accuracy in the meantime. In this paper, the convergence order associated with the structural and optical parameters has been estimated through simulation. The results indicate that the convergence order is linear with the period of the sample when fixing the other parameters, both for planar diffraction and conical diffraction. The illuminated wavelength also affects the convergence of a final result. With further investigations concentrated on the ratio of illuminated wavelength to period, it is discovered that the convergence order decreases with the growth of the ratio, and when the ratio is fixed, convergence order jumps slightly, especially in a specific range of wavelength. This characteristic could be applied to estimate the optimum convergence order of given samples to obtain high computational efficiency.

Beyond convergence: Poland and Turkey en route to high income

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Raiser

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This paper compares and contrasts the policy reform experiences of Poland and Turkey en route to high income. For both countries, globalization has presented unprecedented opportunities to catch up, unleased by integration into European and global markets and the establishment of macroeconomic discipline. These opportunities were reinforced by the creation of economic institutions to strengthen competition and support private entrepreneurship, catalyzed by the convergence process with the European Union. Both Poland and Turkey have shown resilience following the 2008 global crisis, but continued success will require renewed structural reform measures. Dealing with the challenging of aging while at the same time finding a way to sustain productivity growth through greater domestic innovation is shaping Poland’s policy agenda. Turkey's structural and demographic potential as well as its strategic location between the markets of Europe and Asia offers attractive value proposition to investors, which could be further enhanced with improvements in business regulations and economic governance.

Cultura da Convergência

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rogério Christofoletti

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Three ideas would suffice for the reading of “Cultura da Convergência” (Culture of Convergence by Henry Jenkins to be of interest to journalists and researchers in the area: media convergence as a cultural process; the strengthening of an emotional economy which guides consumers of symbolic goods and media creators; the expansion of trans-media narrative forms.

Cultura da Convergência

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rogério Christofoletti

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Three ideas would suffice for the reading of “Cultura da Convergência” (Culture of Convergence by Henry Jenkins to be of interest to journalists and researchers in the area: media convergence as a cultural process; the strengthening of an emotional economy which guides consumers of symbolic goods and media creators; the expansion of trans-media narrative forms.

Effects of radiation-counselling convergence education on radiation awareness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seoung, Youl Hun

2017-01-01

The purpose of study was to analysis on the effects of radiation-counselling convergence education on radiation awareness. The survey objects were students of radiation-counselling convergence education from 12th May to 22th June in 2016. The questionnaires were education satisfactions and radiation awareness (risk, benefit, control) by Likert-type 5 scales. The analysis results revealed that education satisfactions of men students showed a significant higher female students and correlation coefficient of education satisfactions were the best high in the benefit and control of radiation. Finally radiation-counselling convergence education had a significant effect on radiation benefit. This convergence education influenced positive recognition on radiation benefit and it was indicated that radiation-counselors could treat clients on the basis of radiation benefit

Effects of radiation-counselling convergence education on radiation awareness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seoung, Youl Hun [Dept. of Radiological Science, College of Health Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju (Korea, Republic of)

2017-06-15

The purpose of study was to analysis on the effects of radiation-counselling convergence education on radiation awareness. The survey objects were students of radiation-counselling convergence education from 12th May to 22th June in 2016. The questionnaires were education satisfactions and radiation awareness (risk, benefit, control) by Likert-type 5 scales. The analysis results revealed that education satisfactions of men students showed a significant higher female students and correlation coefficient of education satisfactions were the best high in the benefit and control of radiation. Finally radiation-counselling convergence education had a significant effect on radiation benefit. This convergence education influenced positive recognition on radiation benefit and it was indicated that radiation-counselors could treat clients on the basis of radiation benefit.

A high order solver for the unbounded Poisson equation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hejlesen, Mads Mølholm; Rasmussen, Johannes Tophøj; Chatelain, Philippe

2013-01-01

. The method is extended to directly solve the derivatives of the solution to Poissonʼs equation. In this way differential operators such as the divergence or curl of the solution field can be solved to the same high order convergence without additional computational effort. The method, is applied......A high order converging Poisson solver is presented, based on the Greenʼs function solution to Poissonʼs equation subject to free-space boundary conditions. The high order convergence is achieved by formulating regularised integration kernels, analogous to a smoothing of the solution field...... and validated, however not restricted, to the equations of fluid mechanics, and can be used in many applications to solve Poissonʼs equation on a rectangular unbounded domain....

Geophysical constraints on geodynamic processes at convergent margins: A global perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Artemieva, Irina; Thybo, Hans; Shulgin, Alexey

2016-04-01

Convergent margins, being the boundaries between colliding lithospheric plates, form the most disastrous areas in the world due to intensive, strong seismicity and volcanism. We review global geophysical data in order to illustrate the effects of the plate tectonic processes at convergent margins on the crustal and upper mantle structure, seismicity, and geometry of subducting slab. We present global maps of free-air and Bouguer gravity anomalies, heat flow, seismicity, seismic Vs anomalies in the upper mantle, and plate convergence rate, as well as 20 profiles across different convergent margins. A global analysis of these data for three types of convergent margins, formed by ocean-ocean, ocean-continent, and continent-continent collisions, allows us to recognize the following patterns. (1) Plate convergence rate depends on the type of convergent margins and it is significantly larger when, at least, one of the plates is oceanic. However, the oldest oceanic plate in the Pacific ocean has the smallest convergence rate. (2) The presence of an oceanic plate is, in general, required for generation of high-magnitude (M N 8.0) earthquakes and for generating intermediate and deep seismicity along the convergent margins. When oceanic slabs subduct beneath a continent, a gap in the seismogenic zone exists at depths between ca. 250 km and 500 km. Given that the seismogenic zone terminates at ca. 200 km depth in case of continent-continent collision, we propose oceanic origin of subducting slabs beneath the Zagros, the Pamir, and the Vrancea zone. (3) Dip angle of the subducting slab in continent-ocean collision does not correlate neither with the age of subducting oceanic slab, nor with the convergence rate. For ocean-ocean subduction, clear trends are recognized: steeply dipping slabs are characteristic of young subducting plates and of oceanic plates with high convergence rate, with slab rotation towards a near-vertical dip angle at depths below ca. 500 km at very high

Evolution and convergence in telecommunications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Radicella, S; Grilli, D [Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste (Italy)

2002-12-15

These lectures throw a spotlight on different aspects of the evolution of telecommunications networks, namely on the various facets of service and network convergence. The last years progress in data and telecommunications technologies, such as P-based networks, and the enormous potential of mobile communication systems and users' demands for comprehensive and network-independent have led to a convergence of data and telecommunications infrastructures in many aspects. In order to help the reader to an easier understanding of the phenomenon convergence, in the first two parts of this volume the evolution of the basic technologies is described one by one. This is done briefly and is focused on the principle topics, just to build a basis for the third part devoted to problems of convergence in telecommunications. These notes are addressed to those readers, who in a quick overview want to be informed on the future service and network landscape. The notes are equally suited for professionals with the desire to extend their horizon as well as for students looking for an introduction into telecommunications under more general aspects. The authors clearly understand the difficulties in writing a book devoted to the evolution in telecommunications. Today, telecom landscape varies at very high speed. Every few months new network technologies, new products and new services are developed. Attempts to present them in time can be accessible only for magazine publications or contributions to conferences. Therefore, in a number of areas, such as Voice over IP and new switching technologies not much more than the starting point of new paradigms is described. However, the content is up-to-date to a degree, that the phenomenon convergence can be fully understood. Partially, these notes are based on a number of lecture courses that were delivered during recent ICTP winter schools devoted to multimedia and digital communications.

Evolution and convergence in telecommunications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radicella, S.; Grilli, D.

2002-01-01

These lectures throw a spotlight on different aspects of the evolution of telecommunications networks, namely on the various facets of service and network convergence. The last years progress in data and telecommunications technologies, such as P-based networks, and the enormous potential of mobile communication systems and users' demands for comprehensive and network-independent have led to a convergence of data and telecommunications infrastructures in many aspects. In order to help the reader to an easier understanding of the phenomenon convergence, in the first two parts of this volume the evolution of the basic technologies is described one by one. This is done briefly and is focused on the principle topics, just to build a basis for the third part devoted to problems of convergence in telecommunications. These notes are addressed to those readers, who in a quick overview want to be informed on the future service and network landscape. The notes are equally suited for professionals with the desire to extend their horizon as well as for students looking for an introduction into telecommunications under more general aspects. The authors clearly understand the difficulties in writing a book devoted to the evolution in telecommunications. Today, telecom landscape varies at very high speed. Every few months new network technologies, new products and new services are developed. Attempts to present them in time can be accessible only for magazine publications or contributions to conferences. Therefore, in a number of areas, such as Voice over IP and new switching technologies not much more than the starting point of new paradigms is described. However, the content is up-to-date to a degree, that the phenomenon convergence can be fully understood. Partially, these notes are based on a number of lecture courses that were delivered during recent ICTP winter schools devoted to multimedia and digital communications

The long road to convergence and back. Convergence and crossmedia journalism at Dutch Newsmedia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tameling, Klaske; Broersma, Marcel

2012-01-01

KLASKE TAMELING & MARCEL BROERSMA The long road to convergence and back. Convergence and crossmedia journalism at Dutch Newsmedia Since the end of the twentieth century, convergence and cross-media journalism are concepts that are widely used to guide the future of journalism world wide. This study

Design of permanent block stopping to resist strata convergence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ray, R.E.

1985-11-01

Conventional concrete block plastered with a cementitious coating is the most common material used in the construction of permanent stoppings to direct airflow in underground mines in the US. All mines experience various degrees of strata convergence depending on depth of overburden, geological conditions, and type of roof support employed. Strata convergence will cause cracks and joint openings in masonry stoppings, resulting in significant air leakage losses. Where strata convergence is severe, complete structural failure of the stopping can ultimately occur. Reconstruction of damaged or destroyed stoppings adds expensive overheads to mining operations, and even greater expenses are incurred from the additional fan horsepower required to overcome leakage losses. Ideally, a stopping should maintain high resistance to airflow while yielding to strata convergence. By properly incorporating a polyisocyanurate rigid foam material within the masonry block structure, stopping service life can be increased in mines experiencing strata convergence problems such as floor heave, roof loading, and lateral rib movement.

Injection Drug Use Quality of Life scale (IDUQOL: A validation study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Palepu Anita

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Existing measures of injection drug users' quality of life have focused primarily on health and health-related factors. Clearly, however, quality of life among injection drug users is impacted by a range of unique cultural, socioeconomic, medical, and geographic factors that must also be considered in any measure. The Injection Drug User Quality of Life (IDUQOL scale was designed to capture the unique and individual circumstances that determine quality of life among injection drug users. The overall purpose of the present study was to examine the validity of inferences made from the IDUQOL by examining the (a dimensionality, (b reliability of scores, (c criterion-related validity evidence, and (d both convergent and discriminant validity evidence. Methods An exploratory factor analysis using principal axis factoring in SPSS 12.0 was conducted to determine whether the use of a total score on the IDUQOL was advisable. Reliability of scores from the IDUQOL was obtained using internal consistency and one-week test-retest reliability estimates. Criterion-related validity evidence was gathered using variables such as stability of housing, sex trade involvement, high-risk injection behaviours, involvement in treatment programs, emergency treatment or overdose over the previous six months, hospitalization and emergency treatment over the subsequent six month period post data collection. Convergent and discriminant validity evidence was gathered using measures of life satisfaction, self-esteem, and social desirability. Results The sample consisted of 241 injection drug users ranging in age from 19 to 61 years. Factor analysis supports the use of a total score. Both internal consistency (alpha = .88 and one-week test-retest reliability (r = .78 for IDUQOL total scores were good. Criterion-related, convergent, and discriminant validity evidence supports the interpretation of IDUQOL total scores as measuring a construct consistent with

Convergent Evolution towards High Net Carbon Gain Efficiency Contributes to the Shade Tolerance of Palms (Arecaceae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ren-Yi Ma

Full Text Available Most palm species occur in the shaded lower strata of tropical rain forests, but how their traits relate to shade adaptation is poorly understood. We hypothesized that palms are adapted to the shade of their native habitats by convergent evolution towards high net carbon gain efficiency (CGEn, which is given by the maximum photosynthetic rate to dark respiration rate ratio. Leaf mass per area, maximum photosynthetic rate, dark respiration and N and P concentrations were measured in 80 palm species grown in a common garden, and combined with data of 30 palm species growing in their native habitats. Compared to other species from the global leaf economics data, dicotyledonous broad-leaved trees in tropical rainforest or other monocots in the global leaf economics data, palms possessed consistently higher CGEn, achieved by lowered dark respiration and fairly high foliar P concentration. Combined phylogenetic analyses of evolutionary signal and trait evolution revealed convergent evolution towards high CGEn in palms. We conclude that high CGEn is an evolutionary strategy that enables palms to better adapt to shady environments than coexisting dicot tree species, and may convey advantages in competing with them in the tropical forest understory. These findings provide important insights for understanding the evolution and ecology of palms, and for understanding plant shade adaptations of lower rainforest strata. Moreover, given the dominant role of palms in tropical forests, these findings are important for modelling carbon and nutrient cycling in tropical forest ecosystems.

Resilience or hope? Incremental and convergent validity of the resilience scale for adults (RSA and the Herth hope scale (HHS in the prediction of anxiety and depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roxanna Morote

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hope and resilience protect against inner vulnerabilities or harsh life circumstances; they explain individual differences in physical or mental health outcomes under high stress. They have been studied in complementary or competing theoretical frameworks; therefore, the study of measures of hope and resilience should be undertaken prior to explore if they are truly value-added for research. This study investigates the convergent and incremental validity of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA and the Herth Hope Scale (HHS, in the prediction of anxiety and depression (HSCL-25. Methods Participants in this community-based sample are 762 adults from 18 to 74 years old. They answered the RSA, HHS, Spanish Language Stressful Life-Events Checklist (SL-SLE, and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25. Incremental validity analyses combined hierarchical regression and structural equation models (SEM. First, hierarchical regression models were compared based on three criteria (R 2 Diff., ΔF, and semi-partial r, then the direct effect of resilience on affective symptoms was compared with the mediated effect of resilience on affective symptoms through hope. Results The hierarchical models showed that (1 hope and resilience account significantly for the variance of affective symptoms above age, sex, and life-stress; (2 Resilience Total score has greater incremental validity than positive scales of HHS Hope; and (3 RSA Total score, HHS Optimism/Spiritual support, Stressful life-events and sex are unique predictors of affective symptoms. The SEM analyses verified a stronger direct effect of resilience in the prediction of affective symptoms above the significant partial mediated effect of resilience through hope. Additionally, results show that age and better educational opportunities were associated with protection (i.e. resilience and hope and emotional well-being (i.e. affective symptoms and hopelessness. Women showed higher scores

Resilience or hope? Incremental and convergent validity of the resilience scale for adults (RSA) and the Herth hope scale (HHS) in the prediction of anxiety and depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Morote, Roxanna; Hjemdal, Odin; Krysinska, Karolina; Martinez Uribe, Patricia; Corveleyn, Jozef

2017-10-27

Hope and resilience protect against inner vulnerabilities or harsh life circumstances; they explain individual differences in physical or mental health outcomes under high stress. They have been studied in complementary or competing theoretical frameworks; therefore, the study of measures of hope and resilience should be undertaken prior to explore if they are truly value-added for research. This study investigates the convergent and incremental validity of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) and the Herth Hope Scale (HHS), in the prediction of anxiety and depression (HSCL-25). Participants in this community-based sample are 762 adults from 18 to 74 years old. They answered the RSA, HHS, Spanish Language Stressful Life-Events Checklist (SL-SLE), and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25). Incremental validity analyses combined hierarchical regression and structural equation models (SEM). First, hierarchical regression models were compared based on three criteria (R 2 Diff., ΔF, and semi-partial r), then the direct effect of resilience on affective symptoms was compared with the mediated effect of resilience on affective symptoms through hope. The hierarchical models showed that (1) hope and resilience account significantly for the variance of affective symptoms above age, sex, and life-stress; (2) Resilience Total score has greater incremental validity than positive scales of HHS Hope; and (3) RSA Total score, HHS Optimism/Spiritual support, Stressful life-events and sex are unique predictors of affective symptoms. The SEM analyses verified a stronger direct effect of resilience in the prediction of affective symptoms above the significant partial mediated effect of resilience through hope. Additionally, results show that age and better educational opportunities were associated with protection (i.e. resilience and hope) and emotional well-being (i.e. affective symptoms and hopelessness). Women showed higher scores in social competences and resources (RSA

Statistical convergence of a non-positive approximation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agratini, Octavian

2011-01-01

Highlights: → A general class of approximation processes is introduced. → The A-statistical convergence is studied. → Applications in quantum calculus are delivered. - Abstract: Starting from a general sequence of linear and positive operators of discrete type, we associate its r-th order generalization. This construction involves high order derivatives of a signal and it looses the positivity property. Considering that the initial approximation process is A-statistically uniform convergent, we prove that the property is inherited by the new sequence. Also, our result includes information about the uniform convergence. Two applications in q-Calculus are presented. We study q-analogues both of Meyer-Koenig and Zeller operators and Stancu operators.

Validation of the Short Form of the Academic Procrastination Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Yockey, Ronald D

2016-02-01

The factor structure, internal consistency reliability, and convergent validity of the five-item Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form was investigated on an ethnically diverse sample of college students. The results provided support for the Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form as a unidimensional measure of academic procrastination, which possessed good internal consistency reliability in this sample of 282 students. The scale also demonstrated good convergent validity, with moderate to large correlations with both the Procrastination Assessment Scale-Students and the Tuckman Procrastination Scale. Implications of the results are discussed and recommendations for future work provided.

Development and Cross-Validation of the Short Form of the Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duckhee Chae, PhD, RN

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To develop and validate the short form of the Korean adaptation of the Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses. Methods: To shorten the 33-item Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses, an expert panel (N = 6 evaluated its content validity. The revised items were pilot tested using a sample of nine nurses, and clarity was assessed through cognitive interviews with respondents. The original instrument was shortened and validated through item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, convergent validity, and reliability using data from 277 hospital nurses. The 14-item final version was cross-validated through confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity, discriminant validity, known-group comparisons, and reliability using data from 365 nurses belonging to 19 hospitals. Results: A 4-factor, 14-item model demonstrated satisfactory fit with significant factor loadings. The convergent validity between the developed tool and transcultural self-efficacy was significant (r = .55, p < .001. The convergent validity evaluated using the Average Variance Extracted and discriminant validity were acceptable. Known-group comparisons revealed significant differences in the mean scores of the groups who spent more than one month abroad (p = .002 were able to communicate in a foreign language (p < .001 and had education to care for foreign patients (p = .039. Cronbach's α was .89, and the reliability of the subscales ranged from .74 to .91. Conclusion: The Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses-Short Form demonstrated good reliability and validity. It is a short and appropriate instrument for use in clinical and research settings to assess nurses' cultural competence. Keywords: cultural competence, psychometric properties, nurse

Convergence of high order memory kernels in the Nakajima-Zwanzig generalized master equation and rate constants: Case study of the spin-boson model

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Meng; Yan, Yaming; Liu, Yanying; Shi, Qiang

2018-04-01

The Nakajima-Zwanzig generalized master equation provides a formally exact framework to simulate quantum dynamics in condensed phases. Yet, the exact memory kernel is hard to obtain and calculations based on perturbative expansions are often employed. By using the spin-boson model as an example, we assess the convergence of high order memory kernels in the Nakajima-Zwanzig generalized master equation. The exact memory kernels are calculated by combining the hierarchical equation of motion approach and the Dyson expansion of the exact memory kernel. High order expansions of the memory kernels are obtained by extending our previous work to calculate perturbative expansions of open system quantum dynamics [M. Xu et al., J. Chem. Phys. 146, 064102 (2017)]. It is found that the high order expansions do not necessarily converge in certain parameter regimes where the exact kernel show a long memory time, especially in cases of slow bath, weak system-bath coupling, and low temperature. Effectiveness of the Padé and Landau-Zener resummation approaches is tested, and the convergence of higher order rate constants beyond Fermi's golden rule is investigated.

Reliability and validity of the Safe Routes to school parent and student surveys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evenson Kelly R

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of the U.S. National Center for Safe Routes to School's in-class student travel tallies and written parent surveys. Over 65,000 tallies and 374,000 parent surveys have been completed, but no published studies have examined their measurement properties. Methods Students and parents from two Charlotte, NC (USA elementary schools participated. Tallies were conducted on two consecutive days using a hand-raising protocol; on day two students were also asked to recall the previous days' travel. The recall from day two was compared with day one to assess 24-hour test-retest reliability. Convergent validity was assessed by comparing parent-reports of students' travel mode with student-reports of travel mode. Two-week test-retest reliability of the parent survey was assessed by comparing within-parent responses. Reliability and validity were assessed using kappa statistics. Results A total of 542 students participated in the in-class student travel tally reliability assessment and 262 parent-student dyads participated in the validity assessment. Reliability was high for travel to and from school (kappa > 0.8; convergent validity was lower but still high (kappa > 0.75. There were no differences by student grade level. Two-week test-retest reliability of the parent survey (n = 112 ranged from moderate to very high for objective questions on travel mode and travel times (kappa range: 0.62 - 0.97 but was substantially lower for subjective assessments of barriers to walking to school (kappa range: 0.31 - 0.76. Conclusions The student in-class student travel tally exhibited high reliability and validity at all elementary grades. The parent survey had high reliability on questions related to student travel mode, but lower reliability for attitudinal questions identifying barriers to walking to school. Parent survey design should be improved so that responses clearly indicate

Reliability and validity of the Safe Routes to school parent and student surveys.

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Noreen C; Dwelley, Amanda E; Combs, Tabitha S; Evenson, Kelly R; Winters, Richard H

2011-06-08

The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of the U.S. National Center for Safe Routes to School's in-class student travel tallies and written parent surveys. Over 65,000 tallies and 374,000 parent surveys have been completed, but no published studies have examined their measurement properties. Students and parents from two Charlotte, NC (USA) elementary schools participated. Tallies were conducted on two consecutive days using a hand-raising protocol; on day two students were also asked to recall the previous days' travel. The recall from day two was compared with day one to assess 24-hour test-retest reliability. Convergent validity was assessed by comparing parent-reports of students' travel mode with student-reports of travel mode. Two-week test-retest reliability of the parent survey was assessed by comparing within-parent responses. Reliability and validity were assessed using kappa statistics. A total of 542 students participated in the in-class student travel tally reliability assessment and 262 parent-student dyads participated in the validity assessment. Reliability was high for travel to and from school (kappa > 0.8); convergent validity was lower but still high (kappa > 0.75). There were no differences by student grade level. Two-week test-retest reliability of the parent survey (n=112) ranged from moderate to very high for objective questions on travel mode and travel times (kappa range: 0.62-0.97) but was substantially lower for subjective assessments of barriers to walking to school (kappa range: 0.31-0.76). The student in-class student travel tally exhibited high reliability and validity at all elementary grades. The parent survey had high reliability on questions related to student travel mode, but lower reliability for attitudinal questions identifying barriers to walking to school. Parent survey design should be improved so that responses clearly indicate issues that influence parental decision making in regards to their

Heterotic quantum and classical computing on convergence spaces

Science.gov (United States)

Patten, D. R.; Jakel, D. W.; Irwin, R. J.; Blair, H. A.

2015-05-01

Category-theoretic characterizations of heterotic models of computation, introduced by Stepney et al., combine computational models such as classical/quantum, digital/analog, synchronous/asynchronous, etc. to obtain increased computational power. A highly informative classical/quantum heterotic model of computation is represented by Abramsky's simple sequential imperative quantum programming language which extends the classical simple imperative programming language to encompass quantum computation. The mathematical (denotational) semantics of this classical language serves as a basic foundation upon which formal verification methods can be developed. We present a more comprehensive heterotic classical/quantum model of computation based on heterotic dynamical systems on convergence spaces. Convergence spaces subsume topological spaces but admit finer structure from which, in prior work, we obtained differential calculi in the cartesian closed category of convergence spaces allowing us to define heterotic dynamical systems, given by coupled systems of first order differential equations whose variables are functions from the reals to convergence spaces.

Are Diets Converging Globally? A Comparison of Trends Across Selected Countries

OpenAIRE

Regmi, Anita; Unnevehr, Laurian J.

2006-01-01

Converging food demand is tested in two ways. First, the convergence of food expenditures among 18 high-income countries is examined from 1990 to 2004. Convergence is apparent in total expenditures, cereals, and meats, but not in other categories. Second, specific food-retailing and product-introduction patterns are examined for selected countries. These indicate increasing shares for retail outlets selling standardized products and increased preference for convenience, upscale, and natural p...

Societal response to nanotechnology: converging technologies–converging societal response research?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ronteltap, Amber; Fischer, Arnout R. H.; Tobi, Hilde

2011-01-01

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology particularly vulnerable to societal unrest, which may hinder its further development. With the increasing convergence of several technological domains in the field of nanotechnology, so too could convergence of social science methods help to anticipate societal response. This paper systematically reviews the current state of convergence in societal response research by first sketching the predominant approaches to previous new technologies, followed by an analysis of current research into societal response to nanotechnology. A set of 107 papers on previous new technologies shows that rational actor models have played an important role in the study of societal response to technology, in particular in the field of information technology and the geographic region of Asia. Biotechnology and nuclear power have, in contrast, more often been investigated through risk perception and other affective determinants, particularly in Europe and the USA. A set of 42 papers on societal response to nanotechnology shows similarities to research in biotechnology, as it also builds on affective variables such as risk perception. Although there is a tendency to extend the rational models with affective variables, convergence in social science approaches to response to new technologies still has a long way to go. The challenge for researchers of societal response to technologies is to converge to some shared principles by taking up the best parts from the rational actor models dominant in information technology, whilst integrating non-rational constructs from biotechnology research. The introduction of nanotechnology gives a unique opportunity to do so.

Convergence of Nelson diffusions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dell'Antonio, G.; Posilicano, A.

1991-01-01

Let ψ t , ψ t n , n≥1, be solutions of Schroedinger equations with potentials form-bounded by -1/2 Δ and initial data in H 1 (R d ). Let P, P n , n≥1, be the probability measures on the path space Ω=C(R + , R d ) given by the corresponding Nelson diffusions. We show that if {ψ t n } n≥1 converges to ψ t in H 2 (R d ), uniformly in t over compact intervals, then {P n } n≥1 converges to P in total variation. Moreover, if the potentials are in the Kato class K d , we show that the above result follows from H 1 -convergence of initial data, and K d -convergence of potentials. (orig.)

Reliability enhancement of Navier-Stokes codes through convergence acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

Merkle, Charles L.; Dulikravich, George S.

1995-01-01

Methods for enhancing the reliability of Navier-Stokes computer codes through improving convergence characteristics are presented. The improving of these characteristics decreases the likelihood of code unreliability and user interventions in a design environment. The problem referred to as a 'stiffness' in the governing equations for propulsion-related flowfields is investigated, particularly in regard to common sources of equation stiffness that lead to convergence degradation of CFD algorithms. Von Neumann stability theory is employed as a tool to study the convergence difficulties involved. Based on the stability results, improved algorithms are devised to ensure efficient convergence in different situations. A number of test cases are considered to confirm a correlation between stability theory and numerical convergence. The examples of turbulent and reacting flow are presented, and a generalized form of the preconditioning matrix is derived to handle these problems, i.e., the problems involving additional differential equations for describing the transport of turbulent kinetic energy, dissipation rate and chemical species. Algorithms for unsteady computations are considered. The extension of the preconditioning techniques and algorithms derived for Navier-Stokes computations to three-dimensional flow problems is discussed. New methods to accelerate the convergence of iterative schemes for the numerical integration of systems of partial differential equtions are developed, with a special emphasis on the acceleration of convergence on highly clustered grids.

Solving radiative transfer problems in highly heterogeneous media via domain decomposition and convergence acceleration techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Previti, Alberto; Furfaro, Roberto; Picca, Paolo; Ganapol, Barry D.; Mostacci, Domiziano

2011-01-01

This paper deals with finding accurate solutions for photon transport problems in highly heterogeneous media fastly, efficiently and with modest memory resources. We propose an extended version of the analytical discrete ordinates method, coupled with domain decomposition-derived algorithms and non-linear convergence acceleration techniques. Numerical performances are evaluated using a challenging case study available in the literature. A study of accuracy versus computational time and memory requirements is reported for transport calculations that are relevant for remote sensing applications.

Reliability and validity of the foot and ankle outcome score: a validation study from Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Negahban, Hossein; Mazaheri, Masood; Salavati, Mahyar; Sohani, Soheil Mansour; Askari, Marjan; Fanian, Hossein; Parnianpour, Mohamad

2010-05-01

The aims of this study were to culturally adapt and validate the Persian version of Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and present data on its psychometric properties for patients with different foot and ankle problems. The Persian version of FAOS was developed after a standard forward-backward translation and cultural adaptation process. The sample included 93 patients with foot and ankle disorders who were asked to complete two questionnaires: FAOS and Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). To determine test-retest reliability, 60 randomly chosen patients completed the FAOS again 2 to 6 days after the first administration. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha, respectively. To evaluate convergent and divergent validity of FAOS compared to similar and dissimilar concepts of SF-36, the Spearman's rank correlation was used. Dimensionality was determined by assessing item-subscale correlation corrected for overlap. The results of test-retest reliability show that all the FAOS subscales have a very high ICC, ranging from 0.92 to 0.96. The minimum Cronbach's alpha level of 0.70 was exceeded by most subscales. The Spearman's correlation coefficient for convergent construct validity fell within 0.32 to 0.58 for the main hypotheses presented a priori between FAOS and SF-36 subscales. For dimensionality, the minimum Spearman's correlation coefficient of 0.40 was exceeded by most items. In conclusion, the results of our study show that the Persian version of FAOS seems to be suitable for Iranian patients with various foot and ankle problems especially lateral ankle sprain. Future studies are needed to establish stronger psychometric properties for patients with different foot and ankle problems.

Flyback CCM inverter for AC module applications: iterative learning control and convergence analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sung-Ho; Kim, Minsung

2017-12-01

This paper presents an iterative learning controller (ILC) for an interleaved flyback inverter operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM). The flyback CCM inverter features small output ripple current, high efficiency, and low cost, and hence it is well suited for photovoltaic power applications. However, it exhibits the non-minimum phase behaviour, because its transfer function from control duty to output current has the right-half-plane (RHP) zero. Moreover, the flyback CCM inverter suffers from the time-varying grid voltage disturbance. Thus, conventional control scheme results in inaccurate output tracking. To overcome these problems, the ILC is first developed and applied to the flyback inverter operating in CCM. The ILC makes use of both predictive and current learning terms which help the system output to converge to the reference trajectory. We take into account the nonlinear averaged model and use it to construct the proposed controller. It is proven that the system output globally converges to the reference trajectory in the absence of state disturbances, output noises, or initial state errors. Numerical simulations are performed to validate the proposed control scheme, and experiments using 400-W AC module prototype are carried out to demonstrate its practical feasibility.

Stable convergence and stable limit theorems

CERN Document Server

Häusler, Erich

2015-01-01

The authors present a concise but complete exposition of the mathematical theory of stable convergence and give various applications in different areas of probability theory and mathematical statistics to illustrate the usefulness of this concept. Stable convergence holds in many limit theorems of probability theory and statistics – such as the classical central limit theorem – which are usually formulated in terms of convergence in distribution. Originated by Alfred Rényi, the notion of stable convergence is stronger than the classical weak convergence of probability measures. A variety of methods is described which can be used to establish this stronger stable convergence in many limit theorems which were originally formulated only in terms of weak convergence. Naturally, these stronger limit theorems have new and stronger consequences which should not be missed by neglecting the notion of stable convergence. The presentation will be accessible to researchers and advanced students at the master's level...

Development and validation of a scale to measure patients’ trust in pharmacists in Singapore

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu-Hao Zhang

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Xu-Hao Zhang1, Jing Jin1, Surachat Ngorsuraches2, Shu-Chuen Li31Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, Republic of Singapore; 2Department of Pharmacy Administration, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand; 3Discipline of Pharmacy and Experimental Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, AustraliaObjective: To develop and validate a scale to measure patients’ trust in pharmacists for use as an outcomes predictor in pharmacoeconomic and pharmaceutical care studies.Methods: Literature review, study team discussion and focus group discussions were conducted to generate items of a candidate version to be pilot-tested for content validity. An amended candidate version was then tested among eligible Singaporeans across different ethnic and age groups. Score distributions were assessed for discriminatory power and item analyses for finalizing items. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify dimensionality and homogeneous items. Cronbach’s alpha was measured for internal consistency and Pearson’s correlation coefficients for convergent validity.Results: Eighteen items were generated with good variability (SD > 1.0 and symmetry (means ranged from −1 to 1 for score distribution. After minor changes to improve content clarity, the amended questionnaire was self-administered among 1196 respondents [mean (SD age: 38.6 (14.9 years, 51.6% female, 87% >6 years of education]. Six items were dropped due to inadequate item-total correlation coefficients, leaving 12-item scale for factor analysis. Three factors (“benevolence”, “technical competence” and “global trust” were identified, accounting for 55% of the total variance. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.83, indicating high internal consistency. Convergent validity was demonstrated by statistically significant positive correlations between trust and patients’ satisfaction with pharmacists�

[Validation of the French translation of the impulsive nonconformity scale].

Science.gov (United States)

Foullu, S; Blanc-Foullu, S; Danet, F; Dumas, P; Brunelin, J; Travart, M; Elchardus, J-M; Saoud, M; d'Amato, T

2008-12-01

Impulsive traits are key characteristics in a lot of psychiatric disorders and are part of the "normal" behaviour spectrum. Although impulsivity is a controversial concept, some questionnaires have focused on its "dysfunctional" aspect. The Barratt Impulsive Scale (BIS-10) is the scale the most used to explore impulsiveness, but it does not explore antisocial or nonconform behaviour. The Chapman Impulsive and Nonconformity Scale (INCS) is a questionnaire of 51 items that measures the impulsivity and nonconformism. The INCS reflects "failure to internalize societal norms, lack of empathy for the pain of others, and an unrestrained yielding to impulse and self-gratification" and was originally designed to assess psychosis proneness. It has been validated in the USA, but has not yet been validated in France. Interestingly, although it was not predictive of psychosis, high scorers on INCS exceeded controls on depression, and on rates of substance abuse. Furthermore, participants scoring high on hypomanic personality scale and INCS were found to have an especially heightened risk for bipolar disorders. To translate and determine reliability and validity of the French version of the Chapman Impulsive and Nonconformity Scale in young adults by comparison with the BIS. Chapman Impulsive and Nonconformity Scale has been back-translated into French, and filled out by 237 students (males: 104; females: 133; mean age: 20.4 [range 19-25]). BIS-10 was used for convergent validity. Each participant completed the two scales. Reliability and validity of the French form of INCS were assessed with the internal consistency (coefficient alpha of Cronbach and the split half reliability) and the convergent validity. In the French version of the INCS, the 51 items have high internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.81 and split half reliability=0.80). Concerning the BIS, internal reliability is good (Cronbach's alpha=0.72 and split half reliability=0.66). Moreover, Pearson's r of the INCS

Construct validity of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire.

OpenAIRE

Koopmans, L.; Bernaards, C.M.; Hildebrandt, V.H.; Vet, H.C.W. de; Beek, A.J. van der

2014-01-01

Objective: To examine the construct validity of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ). Methods: A total of 1424 Dutch workers from three occupational sectors (blue, pink, and white collar) participated in the study. First, IWPQ scores were correlated with related constructs (convergent validity). Second, differences between known groups were tested (discriminative validity). Results: First, IWPQ scores correlated weakly to moderately with absolute and relative presenteeism, and...

Validity and Reliability of the 8-Item Work Limitations Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Timothy J; Tullar, Jessica M; Diamond, Pamela M; Kohl, Harold W; Amick, Benjamin C

2017-12-01

Purpose To evaluate factorial validity, scale reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the 8-item Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ) among employees from a public university system. Methods A secondary analysis using de-identified data from employees who completed an annual Health Assessment between the years 2009-2015 tested research aims. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (n = 10,165) tested the latent structure of the 8-item WLQ. Scale reliability was determined using a CFA-based approach while test-retest reliability was determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Convergent/discriminant validity was tested by evaluating relations between the 8-item WLQ with health/performance variables for convergent validity (health-related work performance, number of chronic conditions, and general health) and demographic variables for discriminant validity (gender and institution type). Results A 1-factor model with three correlated residuals demonstrated excellent model fit (CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.03, and SRMR = 0.01). The scale reliability was acceptable (0.69, 95% CI 0.68-0.70) and the test-retest reliability was very good (ICC = 0.78). Low-to-moderate associations were observed between the 8-item WLQ and the health/performance variables while weak associations were observed between the demographic variables. Conclusions The 8-item WLQ demonstrated sufficient reliability and validity among employees from a public university system. Results suggest the 8-item WLQ is a usable alternative for studies when the more comprehensive 25-item WLQ is not available.

What to Do With "Moderate" Reliability and Validity Coefficients?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Post, Marcel W

Clinimetric studies may use criteria for test-retest reliability and convergent validity such that correlation coefficients as low as .40 are supportive of reliability and validity. It can be argued that moderate (.40-.60) correlations should not be interpreted in this way and that reliability

Convergence in carbon dioxide emissions among industrialised countries revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romero-Avila, Diego

2008-01-01

This paper examines the existence of stochastic and deterministic convergence of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions in 23 countries over the period 1960-2002. For that purpose, we conduct unit root testing by employing the recently developed panel stationarity test of Carrion-i-Silvestre et al. [Carrion-i-Silvestre, J-L, del Barrio-Castro, T., Lopez-Bazo, E., 2005. Breaking the panels: An application to the GDP per capita. Econometrics Journal 8, 159-175] which assumes a highly flexible trend function by incorporating an unknown number of structural breaks. We accommodate general forms of cross-sectional dependence as well as control for finite-sample bias through bootstrap methods. Overall, our analysis provides strong evidence supporting both stochastic and deterministic convergence in CO 2 emissions, thus confirming Strazicich and List [Strazicich, M.C., List, J.A., 2003. Are CO 2 emission levels converging among industrial countries? Environmental and Resource Economics 24, 263-271] and Westerlund and Basher [Westerlund, J., Basher, S.A., 2007. Testing for convergence in carbon dioxide emissions using a century of panel data. Environmental and Resource Economics, forthcoming] findings of convergence

Impact of DC link control strategies on the power-flow convergence of integrated AC–DC systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shagufta Khan

2016-03-01

Full Text Available For the power-flow solution of integrated AC–DC systems, five quantities are required to be solved per converter, against three independent equations available. These three equations consist of two basic converter equations and one DC network equation, corresponding to each converter. Thus, for solution, two additional equations are required. These two equations are derived from the control specifications adopted for the DC link. Depending on the application, several combinations of valid control specifications are possible. A set of valid control specifications constitutes a control strategy. It is observed that the control strategy adopted for the DC link strongly affects the power-flow convergence of integrated AC–DC systems. This paper investigates how different control strategies affect the power flow convergence of integrated AC–DC systems. Sequential method is used to solve the DC variables in the Newton Raphson (NR power flow model. Seven typical control strategies have been taken into consideration. This is validated by numerous case studies carried out with multiple DC links incorporated in the IEEE 118-bus and 300-bus test systems.

Convergence of the multiple scattering expansion in XAFS and XANES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehr, J.J.

1992-01-01

The convergence of the multiple-scattering expansion of XAFS and XANES by explicit path-bypath calculations. The approach is based on the fast scattering matrix formalism of Rehr and Albers, together with an automated path finder and filters that exclude negligible paths. High-order scattering terms are found to be essential, especially at low energies. Several factors including the magnitude of curved wave scattering amplitudes, inelastic losses and multiple-scattering Debye-Waller factors control convergence of the expansion. The convergence is illustrated explicitly for the case of diatomic molecules

Convergence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Ole Brun; Nielsen, Jens Frederik Dalsgaard; Schiøler, Henrik

2002-01-01

Convergence trends between the WAN Internet area, characterized by best effort service provision, and the real time LAN domain, with requirements for guaranteed services, are identified and discussed. A bilateral evolution is identified, where typical bulk service applications from WAN, such as m......Convergence trends between the WAN Internet area, characterized by best effort service provision, and the real time LAN domain, with requirements for guaranteed services, are identified and discussed. A bilateral evolution is identified, where typical bulk service applications from WAN...... with the emergence of remote service provision, such as supervision and control of decentralized heating facilities and wind based electrical power production. The reliability issue is addressed from a structural viewpoint, where the concept of Structural QoS (SQoS) is defined to support reliability modelling...

Validity of instruments to assess students' travel and pedestrian safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza, Jason A; Watson, Kathy; Baranowski, Tom; Nicklas, Theresa A; Uscanga, Doris K; Hanfling, Marcus J

2010-05-18

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs are designed to make walking and bicycling to school safe and accessible for children. Despite their growing popularity, few validated measures exist for assessing important outcomes such as type of student transport or pedestrian safety behaviors. This research validated the SRTS school travel survey and a pedestrian safety behavior checklist. Fourth grade students completed a brief written survey on how they got to school that day with set responses. Test-retest reliability was obtained 3-4 hours apart. Convergent validity of the SRTS travel survey was assessed by comparison to parents' report. For the measure of pedestrian safety behavior, 10 research assistants observed 29 students at a school intersection for completion of 8 selected pedestrian safety behaviors. Reliability was determined in two ways: correlations between the research assistants' ratings to that of the Principal Investigator (PI) and intraclass correlations (ICC) across research assistant ratings. The SRTS travel survey had high test-retest reliability (kappa = 0.97, n = 96, p < 0.001) and convergent validity (kappa = 0.87, n = 81, p < 0.001). The pedestrian safety behavior checklist had moderate reliability across research assistants' ratings (ICC = 0.48) and moderate correlation with the PI (r = 0.55, p = < 0.01). When two raters simultaneously used the instrument, the ICC increased to 0.65. Overall percent agreement (91%), sensitivity (85%) and specificity (83%) were acceptable. These validated instruments can be used to assess SRTS programs. The pedestrian safety behavior checklist may benefit from further formative work.

Convergent WKB Series--How Can It be ?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ezawa, Hiroshi; Nakamura, Toru; Watanabe, Keiji

2008-01-01

Schroedinger equation for a polynomial potential with the highest order term having an even power and a positive coefficient is solved for high eigenvalues E n in two different ways after Liouville transformation, (a) converting the differential equation into integral equation and solving it iteratively and (b) by the WKB method. While the series solution in powers of 1/√(E n ) from (b) is known to diverge, we show that the one from (a) converges. We show then that asymptotic re-expansion of the convergent series from (a) agrees with the divergent series from (b). Actually, we have been able to show the agreement only up to order (1/√(E n )) 5 , but we believe that it holds to all orders. If this is true, the divergent WKB series can be reorganized into a convergent series, which is in fact obtained by the method of iteration (a)

Transcultural adaptation and validation of Hindi version of Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaidi, Sahar; Verma, Shalini; Moiz, Jamal Ali; Hussain, Mohammed E

2017-08-07

To transculturally adapt the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale for Hindi-speaking population and examine its psychometric properties in patients with low back pain. The Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale was translated and cross-culturally adapted into Hindi following international guidelines. Hindi version of the scale was completed by 120 patients with low back pain and 60 healthy controls. Patients with low back pain were also administered the Hindi-Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire and Visual Analog Scale. Psychometric evaluation included test-retest reliability, convergent and discriminative validity. Exploratory factor analysis was carried out to determine the factor structure. The factorial analysis revealed a four-factor solution (bending/carrying, ambulation/reach, prolonged postures and rest). Convergent validity was confirmed by high correlation of Hindi Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale to the Hindi version of Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (r = 0.77 and p Visual Analog Scale (r = 0.682 and p Disability Scale has good test-retest reliability, discriminative and convergent validity and is appropriate for clinical and research use in Hindi-speaking low back pain patients. Implications for rehabilitation Linguistically and culturally adapted questionnaires help researchers make adequate inferences about instruments measuring health and quality of life. The translated version would serve as a valid research tool allowing comparability of data across cultures thus, providing opportunities for large multicenter, multicountry trials. A Hindi Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale version will help to improve the quality and efficacy of assessment of low back pain by developing in patients, a better understanding of the items which can be easily correlated with the activities of daily living.

The discriminant (and convergent) validity of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5.

Science.gov (United States)

Crego, Cristina; Gore, Whitney L; Rojas, Stephanie L; Widiger, Thomas A

2015-10-01

A considerable body of research has rapidly accumulated with respect to the validity of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) dimensional trait model as it is assessed by the Personality Inventory for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (PID-5; Krueger et al., 2012). This research though has not focused specifically on discriminant validity, although allusions to potentially problematic discriminant validity have been raised. The current study addressed discriminant validity, reporting for the first time the correlations among the PID-5 domain scales. Also reported are the bivariate correlations of the 25 PID-5 maladaptive trait scales with the personality domain scales of the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (Costa & McCrae, 1992), the International Personality Item Pool-NEO (Goldberg et al., 2006), the Inventory of Personal Characteristics (Almagor et al., 1995), the 5-Dimensional Personality Test (van Kampen, 2012), and the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (Lee & Ashton, 2004). The results are discussed with respect to the implications of and alternative explanations for potentially problematic discriminant validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory (FFNI): a test of the convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of FFNI scores in clinical and community samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Joshua D; Few, Lauren R; Wilson, Lauren; Gentile, Brittany; Widiger, Thomas A; Mackillop, James; Keith Campbell, W

2013-09-01

The five-factor narcissism inventory (FFNI) is a new self-report measure that was developed to assess traits associated with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), as well as grandiose and vulnerable narcissism from a five-factor model (FFM) perspective. In the current study, the FFNI was examined in relation to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) NPD, DSM-5 (http://www.dsm5.org) NPD traits, grandiose narcissism, and vulnerable narcissism in both community (N = 287) and clinical samples (N = 98). Across the samples, the FFNI scales manifested good convergent and discriminant validity such that FFNI scales derived from FFM neuroticism were primarily related to vulnerable narcissism scores, scales derived from FFM extraversion were primarily related to grandiose scores, and FFNI scales derived from FFM agreeableness were related to both narcissism dimensions, as well as the DSM-IV and DSM-5 NPD scores. The FFNI grandiose and vulnerable narcissism composites also demonstrated incremental validity in the statistical prediction of these scores, above and beyond existing measures of DSM NPD, grandiose narcissism, and vulnerable narcissism, respectively. The FFNI is a promising measure that provides a comprehensive assessment of narcissistic pathology while maintaining ties to the significant general personality literature on the FFM.

Reliability and validity of the Danish version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lasgaard, Mathias

2007-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a Danish version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA). The 20-item scale was completed along with other measures in a national youth probability sample of 379 8th grade students aged 13-17. The scale showed high internal con....... The results, highly comparable to the original version of the scale, indicate that the Danish version of UCLA is a reliable and valid measure of loneliness....... consistency, and correlations between UCLA and measures of emotional loneliness, social loneliness, self-esteem, depression, extraversion, and neuroticism supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the scale. Exploratory factor analysis supported a unidimensional structure of the measure...

Reliability and validity of a self-administration version of DEMQOL-Proxy.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendriks, A A Jolijn; Smith, Sarah C; Chrysanthaki, Theopisti; Black, Nick

2017-07-01

This study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of a self-administered version of DEMQOL-Proxy, a disease-specific instrument that measures health-related quality of life in people with dementia. The sample consisted of 173 informal carers of people with dementia, aged 29 to 89 years old. Carers were mostly female, White/White British and closely related to the patient. They completed DEMQOL-Proxy (self-administered), EQ-5D-3L (proxy reported about the person with dementia), EQ-5D-3L (self-reported about their own health) and the Zarit Burden Interview. Using well-established methods from classical test theory, we evaluated scale level acceptability, reliability and convergent, discriminant and known-groups validity of DEMQOL-Proxy. DEMQOL-Proxy (self-administered) showed high acceptability (3.5% missing data and 0% scores at floor or ceiling), high internal consistency reliability (α = 0.93) and good convergent and discriminant validity. Amongst others, we found a moderately high correlation with EQ-5D-3L proxy reported (r = 0.52) and low to essentially zero correlations with EQ-5D-3L self-reported (r = 0.20) and carer and patient background variables (r ≤ 0.20). As predicted, DEMQOL-Proxy (self-administered) showed a modest correlation with DEMQOL (r = 0.32). Known-groups differences on health-related quality of life (comparing people with versus people without cognitive impairment) were of moderate effect size (d = 0.38) and in the expected direction. DEMQOL-Proxy (self-administered) has comparable acceptability, reliability and validity with DEMQOL-Proxy (interviewer administered). DEMQOL-Proxy (self-administered) can be used in a wider variety of contexts than its interviewer-administered version, including routine use in busy clinics. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Convergence between parent report and direct assessment of language and attention in culturally and linguistically diverse children.

Science.gov (United States)

Ebert, Kerry Danahy

2017-01-01

Parent report is commonly used to assess language and attention in children for research and clinical purposes. It is therefore important to understand the convergent validity of parent-report tools in comparison to direct assessments of language and attention. In particular, cultural and linguistic background may influence this convergence. In this study a group of six- to eight-year old children (N = 110) completed direct assessments of language and attention and their parents reported on the same areas. Convergence between assessment types was explored using correlations. Possible influences of ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic) and of parent report language (English or Spanish) were explored using hierarchical linear regression. Correlations between parent report and direct child assessments were significant for both language and attention, suggesting convergence between assessment types. Ethnicity and parent report language did not moderate the relationships between direct child assessments and parent report tools for either attention or language.

Simple shoulder test and Oxford Shoulder Score: Persian translation and cross-cultural validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Naghdi, Soofia; Nakhostin Ansari, Noureddin; Rustaie, Nilufar; Akbari, Mohammad; Ebadi, Safoora; Senobari, Maryam; Hasson, Scott

2015-12-01

To translate, culturally adapt, and validate the simple shoulder test (SST) and Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) into Persian language using a cross-sectional and prospective cohort design. A standard forward and backward translation was followed to culturally adapt the SST and the OSS into Persian language. Psychometric properties of floor and ceiling effects, construct convergent validity, discriminant validity, internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, standard error of the measurement (SEM), smallest detectable change (SDC), and factor structure were determined. One hundred patients with shoulder disorders and 50 healthy subjects participated in the study. The PSST and the POSS showed no missing responses. No floor or ceiling effects were observed. Both the PSST and POSS detected differences between patients and healthy subjects supporting their discriminant validity. Construct convergent validity was confirmed by a very good correlation between the PSST and POSS (r = 0.68). There was high internal consistency for both the PSST (α = 0.73) and the POSS (α = 0.91 and 0.92). Test-retest reliability with 1-week interval was excellent (ICCagreement = 0.94 for PSST and 0.90 for POSS). Factor analyses demonstrated a three-factor solution for the PSST (49.7 % of variance) and a two-factor solution for the POSS (61.6 % of variance). The SEM/SDC was satisfactory for PSST (5.5/15.3) and POSS (6.8/18.8). The PSST and POSS are valid and reliable outcome measures for assessing functional limitations in Persian-speaking patients with shoulder disorders.

Current neutralization of converging ion beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosher, D.

1978-01-01

It is desired to consider the problem of current neutralization of heavy ion beams traversing gas backgrounds in which the conductivity changes due to beam heating and beam convergence. The procedure is to determine Green's-function solutions to the magnetic-diffusion equation derived from Maxwell's equations and an assumed scaler-plasma conductivity sigma for the background-electron current density j/sub e/. The present calculation is more general than some previously carried out in that arbitrary time variations for the beam current j/sub b/ and conductivity are allowed and the calculation is valid for both weak and strong neutralization. Results presented here must be combined with an appropriate energy-balance equation for the heated background in order to obtain the neutralization self-consistently

Constraint shapes convergence in tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium channels of snakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, Chris R; Brodie, Edmund D; Brodie, Edmund D; Pfrender, Michael E

2012-03-20

Natural selection often produces convergent changes in unrelated lineages, but the degree to which such adaptations occur via predictable genetic paths is unknown. If only a limited subset of possible mutations is fixed in independent lineages, then it is clear that constraint in the production or function of molecular variants is an important determinant of adaptation. We demonstrate remarkably constrained convergence during the evolution of resistance to the lethal poison, tetrodotoxin, in six snake species representing three distinct lineages from around the globe. Resistance-conferring amino acid substitutions in a voltage-gated sodium channel, Na(v)1.4, are clustered in only two regions of the protein, and a majority of the replacements are confined to the same three positions. The observed changes represent only a small fraction of the experimentally validated mutations known to increase Na(v)1.4 resistance to tetrodotoxin. These results suggest that constraints resulting from functional tradeoffs between ion channel function and toxin resistance led to predictable patterns of evolutionary convergence at the molecular level. Our data are consistent with theoretical predictions and recent microcosm work that suggest a predictable path is followed during an adaptive walk along a mutational landscape, and that natural selection may be frequently constrained to produce similar genetic outcomes even when operating on independent lineages.

Simulations of Converging Shock Collisions for Shock Ignition

Science.gov (United States)

Sauppe, Joshua; Dodd, Evan; Loomis, Eric

2016-10-01

Shock ignition (SI) has been proposed as an alternative to achieving high gain in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets. A central hot spot below the ignition threshold is created by an initial compression pulse, and a second laser pulse drives a strong converging shock into the fuel. The collision between the rebounding shock from the compression pulse and the converging shock results in amplification of the converging shock and increases the hot spot pressure above the ignition threshold. We investigate shock collision in SI drive schemes for cylindrical targets with a polystyrene foam interior using radiation-hydrodynamics simulations with the RAGE code. The configuration is similar to previous targets fielded on the Omega laser. The CH interior results in a lower convergence ratio and the cylindrical geometry facilitates visualization of the shock transit using an axial X-ray backlighter, both of which are important for comparison to potential experimental measurements. One-dimensional simulations are used to determine shock timing, and the effects of low mode asymmetries in 2D computations are also quantified. LA-UR-16-24773.

Convergence from divergence

Science.gov (United States)

Costin, Ovidiu; Dunne, Gerald V.

2018-01-01

We show how to convert divergent series, which typically occur in many applications in physics, into rapidly convergent inverse factorial series. This can be interpreted physically as a novel resummation of perturbative series. Being convergent, these new series allow rigorous extrapolation from an asymptotic region with a large parameter, to the opposite region where the parameter is small. We illustrate the method with various physical examples, and discuss how these convergent series relate to standard methods such as Borel summation, and also how they incorporate the physical Stokes phenomenon. We comment on the relation of these results to Dyson’s physical argument for the divergence of perturbation theory. This approach also leads naturally to a wide class of relations between bosonic and fermionic partition functions, and Klein-Gordon and Dirac determinants.

Density by Moduli and Lacunary Statistical Convergence

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Vinod K. Bhardwaj

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We have introduced and studied a new concept of f-lacunary statistical convergence, where f is an unbounded modulus. It is shown that, under certain conditions on a modulus f, the concepts of lacunary strong convergence with respect to a modulus f and f-lacunary statistical convergence are equivalent on bounded sequences. We further characterize those θ for which Sθf=Sf, where Sθf and Sf denote the sets of all f-lacunary statistically convergent sequences and f-statistically convergent sequences, respectively. A general description of inclusion between two arbitrary lacunary methods of f-statistical convergence is given. Finally, we give an Sθf-analog of the Cauchy criterion for convergence and a Tauberian theorem for Sθf-convergence is also proved.

Validity and reliability of the NAB Naming Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Sachs, Bonnie C; Rush, Beth K; Pedraza, Otto

2016-05-01

Confrontation naming is commonly assessed in neuropsychological practice, but few standardized measures of naming exist and those that do are susceptible to the effects of education and culture. The Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) Naming Test is a 31-item measure used to assess confrontation naming. Despite adequate psychometric information provided by the test publisher, there has been limited independent validation of the test. In this study, we investigated the convergent and discriminant validity, internal consistency, and alternate forms reliability of the NAB Naming Test in a sample of adults (Form 1: n = 247, Form 2: n = 151) clinically referred for neuropsychological evaluation. Results indicate adequate-to-good internal consistency and alternate forms reliability. We also found strong convergent validity as demonstrated by relationships with other neurocognitive measures. We found preliminary evidence that the NAB Naming Test demonstrates a more pronounced ceiling effect than other commonly used measures of naming. To our knowledge, this represents the largest published independent validation study of the NAB Naming Test in a clinical sample. Our findings suggest that the NAB Naming Test demonstrates adequate validity and reliability and merits consideration in the test arsenal of clinical neuropsychologists.

Development and initial cohort validation of the Arthritis Research UK Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ) for use across musculoskeletal care pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Jonathan C; Kang, Sujin; Benedetto, Elena; Myers, Helen; Blackburn, Steven; Smith, Stephanie; Dunn, Kate M; Hay, Elaine; Rees, Jonathan; Beard, David; Glyn-Jones, Sion; Barker, Karen; Ellis, Benjamin; Fitzpatrick, Ray; Price, Andrew

2016-08-05

Current musculoskeletal outcome tools are fragmented across different healthcare settings and conditions. Our objectives were to develop and validate a single musculoskeletal outcome measure for use throughout the pathway and patients with different musculoskeletal conditions: the Arthritis Research UK Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ). A consensus workshop with stakeholders from across the musculoskeletal community, workshops and individual interviews with a broad mix of musculoskeletal patients identified and prioritised outcomes for MSK-HQ inclusion. Initial psychometric validation was conducted in four cohorts from community physiotherapy, and secondary care orthopaedic hip, knee and shoulder clinics. Stakeholders (n=29) included primary care, physiotherapy, orthopaedic and rheumatology patients (n=8); general practitioners, physiotherapists, orthopaedists, rheumatologists and pain specialists (n=7), patient and professional national body representatives (n=10), and researchers (n=4). The four validation cohorts included 570 participants (n=210 physiotherapy, n=150 hip, n=150 knee, n=60 shoulder patients). Outcomes included the MSK-HQ's acceptability, feasibility, comprehension, readability and responder burden. The validation cohort outcomes were the MSK-HQ's completion rate, test-retest reliability and convergent validity with reference standards (EQ-5D-5L, Oxford Hip, Knee, Shoulder Scores, and the Keele MSK-PROM). Musculoskeletal domains prioritised were pain severity, physical function, work interference, social interference, sleep, fatigue, emotional health, physical activity, independence, understanding, confidence to self-manage and overall impact. Patients reported MSK-HQ items to be 'highly relevant' and 'easy to understand'. Completion rates were high (94.2%), with scores normally distributed, and no floor/ceiling effects. Test-retest reliability was excellent, and convergent validity was strong (correlations 0.81-0.88). A new

The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory: A Construct Validation Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Brian W.

1983-01-01

Regression analyses indicated that the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory has convergent validity with regard to the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale and the Coopersmith Behavioral Academic Assessment Scale, has discriminant validity with regard to the Children's Social Desirability Scale, is sensitive to differences in achievement level,…

Validation of the Portuguese version of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS-P) in clinical and non-clinical samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Curcio, Cristiane Schumann Silva; Lucchetti, Giancarlo; Moreira-Almeida, Alexander

2015-04-01

Despite Brazil's high levels of religious involvement, there is a scarcity of validated religiousness/spirituality (R/S) measures in Portuguese, particularly multidimensional ones. This study presents the validation of the Portuguese version of the "Brief Multidimensional Measure in Religiousness and Spirituality" (BMMRS) within the Brazilian context. Inpatients (262) and caregivers (389) at two hospitals of Brazil answered the BMMRS, the DUREL-p, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The internal and convergent validity and test-retest reliability for major dimensions were good. Discriminant validity was high (except for the Forgiveness dimension). The Portuguese version of the BMMRS is a reliable and valid instrument to assess multiple R/S dimensions in clinical and non-clinical samples.

Development and validation of an instrument to measure the impact of genetic testing on self-concept in Lynch syndrome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Esplen, M J; Stuckless, N; Gallinger, S

2011-01-01

with two dimensions identified through factor analysis: stigma/vulnerability and bowel symptom-related anxiety. The scale showed excellent reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.93), good convergent validity by a high correlation with impact of event scale (r(102) = 0.55, p Rosenberg self-esteem scale...

Slab geometry spatial discretization schemes with infinite-order convergence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, M.L.; Martin, W.R.

1985-01-01

Spatial discretization schemes for the slab geometry discrete ordinates transport equation have received considerable attention in the past several years, with particular interest shown in developing methods that are more computationally efficient that standard schemes. Here the authors apply to the discrete ordinates equations a spectral method that is significantly more efficient than previously proposed schemes for high-accuracy calculations of homogeneous problems. This is a direct consequence of the exponential (infinite-order) convergence of spectral methods for problems with every smooth solutions. For heterogeneous problems where smooth solutions do not exist and exponential convergence is not observed with spectral methods, a spectral element method is proposed which does exhibit exponential convergence

Morphological convergence in ‘river dolphin’ skulls

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Charlotte E. Page

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Convergent evolution can provide insights into the predictability of, and constraints on, the evolution of biodiversity. One striking example of convergence is seen in the ‘river dolphins’. The four dolphin genera that make up the ‘river dolphins’ (Inia geoffrensis, Pontoporia blainvillei, Platanista gangetica and Lipotes vexillifer do not represent a single monophyletic group, despite being very similar in morphology. This has led many to using the ‘river dolphins’ as an example of convergent evolution. We investigate whether the skulls of the four ‘river dolphin’ genera are convergent when compared to other toothed dolphin taxa in addition to identifying convergent cranial and mandibular features. We use geometric morphometrics to uncover shape variation in the skulls of the ‘river dolphins’ and then apply a number of phylogenetic techniques to test for convergence. We find significant convergence in the skull morphology of the ‘river dolphins’. The four genera seem to have evolved similar skull shapes, leading to a convergent morphotype characterised by elongation of skull features. The cause of this morphological convergence remains unclear. However, the features we uncover as convergent, in particular elongation of the rostrum, support hypotheses of shared feeding mode or diet and thus provide the foundation for future work into convergence within the Odontoceti.

Technology assessment using NBIC convergence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaseashta, Ashok

2009-01-01

Full text: Notwithstanding progress in the areas of nanotechnology/nanoscience, biotechnology, information technology, and cognitive sciences (NBIC), the synergy arising from convergence of these disciplines offers great potential for transformational, revolutionary, and embryonic opportunities with many technological applications. In addition, advances in synthesis and characterization methods have provided the means to study, understand, control, or even manipulate the transitional characteristics between isolated atoms and bulk material. In recent years, newly developed architectures in nanostructures and nanosystems with improved functionality, and ensuing unique characteristics have been developed with applications in chemical and biological sensors, nanobiotechnology, nanophotonics, and analysis of cellular processes. Novel convergence methodologies will integrate and advance next generation solutions to current and future technical challenges. Convergence in research methodologies transform the way research is conducted by overcoming specific barriers or filling existing knowledge gaps. NBIC Convergence and associated research methodologies has exceptionally high potential for transforming the manner in which state-of-the-art information is gathered, analyzed, and leveraged to enable future advances and applications. Examples of synergy of these disciplines include: label free, highly multiplexed over broad dynamic range, and decentralized nanotechnology based sensor platform for detection of biological and chemical agents; nucleic acid layers in conjunction with nanomaterials-based electrochemical or optical transducers as DNA Biosensor; potential targets for the next generation of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to enhance human performance; basis for 'Gene Ontology' to provides an important link between gene function and systems biology to understand a global picture of host-microbe interactions - to name a few. Since the idea of 'Converging

Convergence in carbon dioxide emissions among industrialised countries revisited

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romero-Avila, Diego [Pablo de Olavide University, Department of Economics, Carretera de Utrera, Km. 1, 41089, Seville (Spain)

2008-09-15

This paper examines the existence of stochastic and deterministic convergence of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions in 23 countries over the period 1960-2002. For that purpose, we conduct unit root testing by employing the recently developed panel stationarity test of Carrion-i-Silvestre et al. [Carrion-i-Silvestre, J-L, del Barrio-Castro, T., Lopez-Bazo, E., 2005. Breaking the panels: An application to the GDP per capita. Econometrics Journal 8, 159-175] which assumes a highly flexible trend function by incorporating an unknown number of structural breaks. We accommodate general forms of cross-sectional dependence as well as control for finite-sample bias through bootstrap methods. Overall, our analysis provides strong evidence supporting both stochastic and deterministic convergence in CO{sub 2} emissions, thus confirming Strazicich and List [Strazicich, M.C., List, J.A., 2003. Are CO{sub 2} emission levels converging among industrial countries? Environmental and Resource Economics 24, 263-271] and Westerlund and Basher [Westerlund, J., Basher, S.A., 2007. Testing for convergence in carbon dioxide emissions using a century of panel data. Environmental and Resource Economics, forthcoming] findings of convergence. (author)

Translation and validation of Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS to Portuguese - psychometric results

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Catarina Tavares

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Translate and adapt the Convergence Insuficiency Symptom Survey (CISS questionnaire to the Portuguese language and culture and assess the psychometric properties of the translated questionnaire (CISSvp. Methods: The CISS questionnaire was adapted according to the methodology recommended by some authors. The process involved two translations and back-translations performed by independent evaluators, evaluation of these versions, preparation of a synthesis version and its pre-test. The final version (CISSvp was applied in 70 patients (21.79 ± 2.42 years students in higher education, and at two different times, by two observers, to assess its reliability. Results: The results showed good internal consistency of the CISSvp (Cronbach's alpha - α=0.893. The test re-test revealed an average of the differences between the first and second evaluation of 0.75 points (SD ± 3.53, which indicates a minimum bias between the two administrations. The interrater reliability assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.880 to 0.952, revealing that the CISSvp represents an appropriate tool for measuring the visual discomfort associated with near vision tasks with a high level of reproducibility. Conclusions: The CISS Portuguese version, showed good psychometric properties and has been sown to be applicable to the Portuguese population, to quantify the visual discomfort associated with near vision, in higher education students.

Measuring stakeholder participation in evaluation: an empirical validation of the Participatory Evaluation Measurement Instrument (PEMI).

Science.gov (United States)

Daigneault, Pierre-Marc; Jacob, Steve; Tremblay, Joël

2012-08-01

Stakeholder participation is an important trend in the field of program evaluation. Although a few measurement instruments have been proposed, they either have not been empirically validated or do not cover the full content of the concept. This study consists of a first empirical validation of a measurement instrument that fully covers the content of participation, namely the Participatory Evaluation Measurement Instrument (PEMI). It specifically examines (1) the intercoder reliability of scores derived by two research assistants on published evaluation cases; (2) the convergence between the scores of coders and those of key respondents (i.e., authors); and (3) the convergence between the authors' scores on the PEMI and the Evaluation Involvement Scale (EIS). A purposive sample of 40 cases drawn from the evaluation literature was used to assess reliability. One author per case in this sample was then invited to participate in a survey; 25 fully usable questionnaires were received. Stakeholder participation was measured on nominal and ordinal scales. Cohen's κ, the intraclass correlation coefficient, and Spearman's ρ were used to assess reliability and convergence. Reliability results ranged from fair to excellent. Convergence between coders' and authors' scores ranged from poor to good. Scores derived from the PEMI and the EIS were moderately associated. Evidence from this study is strong in the case of intercoder reliability and ranges from weak to strong in the case of convergent validation. Globally, this suggests that the PEMI can produce scores that are both reliable and valid.

Health status convergence at the local level: empirical evidence from Austria

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Gächter Martin

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Health is an important dimension of welfare comparisons across individuals, regions and states. Particularly from a long-term perspective, within-country convergence of the health status has rarely been investigated by applying methods well established in other scientific fields. In the following paper we study the relation between initial levels of the health status and its improvement at the local community level in Austria in the time period 1969-2004. Methods We use age standardized mortality rates from 2381 Austrian communities as an indicator for the health status and analyze the convergence/divergence of overall mortality for (i the whole population, (ii females, (iii males and (iv the gender mortality gap. Convergence/Divergence is studied by applying different concepts of cross-regional inequality (weighted standard deviation, coefficient of variation, Theil-Coefficient of inequality. Various econometric techniques (weighted OLS, Quantile Regression, Kendall's Rank Concordance are used to test for absolute and conditional beta-convergence in mortality. Results Regarding sigma-convergence, we find rather mixed results. While the weighted standard deviation indicates an increase in equality for all four variables, the picture appears less clear when correcting for the decreasing mean in the distribution. However, we find highly significant coefficients for absolute and conditional beta-convergence between the periods. While these results are confirmed by several robustness tests, we also find evidence for the existence of convergence clubs. Conclusions The highly significant beta-convergence across communities might be caused by (i the efforts to harmonize and centralize the health policy at the federal level in Austria since the 1970s, (ii the diminishing returns of the input factors in the health production function, which might lead to convergence, as the general conditions (e.g. income, education etc. improve

Testing Convergence Versus History: Convergence Dominates Phenotypic Evolution for over 150 Million Years in Frogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Moen, Daniel S; Morlon, Hélène; Wiens, John J

2016-01-01

Striking evolutionary convergence can lead to similar sets of species in different locations, such as in cichlid fishes and Anolis lizards, and suggests that evolution can be repeatable and predictable across clades. Yet, most examples of convergence involve relatively small temporal and/or spatial scales. Some authors have speculated that at larger scales (e.g., across continents), differing evolutionary histories will prevent convergence. However, few studies have compared the contrasting roles of convergence and history, and none have done so at large scales. Here we develop a two-part approach to test the scale over which convergence can occur, comparing the relative importance of convergence and history in macroevolution using phylogenetic models of adaptive evolution. We apply this approach to data from morphology, ecology, and phylogeny from 167 species of anuran amphibians (frogs) from 10 local sites across the world, spanning ~160 myr of evolution. Mapping ecology on the phylogeny revealed that similar microhabitat specialists (e.g., aquatic, arboreal) have evolved repeatedly across clades and regions, producing many evolutionary replicates for testing for morphological convergence. By comparing morphological optima for clades and microhabitat types (our first test), we find that convergence associated with microhabitat use dominates frog morphological evolution, producing recurrent ecomorphs that together encompass all sampled species in each community in each region. However, our second test, which examines whether and how much species differ from their inferred optima, shows that convergence is incomplete: that is, phenotypes of most species are still somewhat distant from the estimated optimum for each microhabitat, seemingly because of insufficient time for more complete adaptation (an effect of history). Yet, these effects of history are related to past ecologies, and not clade membership. Overall, our study elucidates the dominant drivers of

Weak entropy inequalities and entropic convergence

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2008-01-01

A criterion for algebraic convergence of the entropy is presented and an algebraic convergence result for the entropy of an exclusion process is improved. A weak entropy inequality is considered and its relationship to entropic convergence is discussed.

Convergence of mayer expansions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brydges, D.C.

1986-01-01

The tree graph bound of Battle and Federbush is extended and used to provide a simple criterion for the convergence of (iterated) Mayer expansions. As an application estimates on the radius of convergence of the Mayer expansion for the two-dimensional Yukawa gas (nonstable interaction) are obtained

Exponential convergence rate (the spectral convergence) of the fast Pade transform for exact quantification in magnetic resonance spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belkic, Dzevad

2006-01-01

This study deals with the most challenging numerical aspect for solving the quantification problem in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The primary goal is to investigate whether it could be feasible to carry out a rigorous computation within finite arithmetics to reconstruct exactly all the machine accurate input spectral parameters of every resonance from a synthesized noiseless time signal. We also consider simulated time signals embedded in random Gaussian distributed noise of the level comparable to the weakest resonances in the corresponding spectrum. The present choice for this high-resolution task in MRS is the fast Pade transform (FPT). All the sought spectral parameters (complex frequencies and amplitudes) can unequivocally be reconstructed from a given input time signal by using the FPT. Moreover, the present computations demonstrate that the FPT can achieve the spectral convergence, which represents the exponential convergence rate as a function of the signal length for a fixed bandwidth. Such an extraordinary feature equips the FPT with the exemplary high-resolution capabilities that are, in fact, theoretically unlimited. This is illustrated in the present study by the exact reconstruction (within machine accuracy) of all the spectral parameters from an input time signal comprised of 25 harmonics, i.e. complex damped exponentials, including those for tightly overlapped and nearly degenerate resonances whose chemical shifts differ by an exceedingly small fraction of only 10 -11 ppm. Moreover, without exhausting even a quarter of the full signal length, the FPT is shown to retrieve exactly all the input spectral parameters defined with 12 digits of accuracy. Specifically, we demonstrate that when the FPT is close to the convergence region, an unprecedented phase transition occurs, since literally a few additional signal points are sufficient to reach the full 12 digit accuracy with the exponentially fast rate of convergence. This is the critical

Development and validation of a short version of the Partnership Self-Assessment Tool (PSAT among professionals in Dutch disease-management partnerships

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Nieboer Anna P

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The extent to which partnership synergy is created within quality improvement programmes in the Netherlands is unknown. In this article, we describe the psychometric testing of the Partnership Self-Assessment Tool (PSAT among professionals in twenty-two disease-management partnerships participating in quality improvement projects focused on chronic care in the Netherlands. Our objectives are to validate the PSAT in the Netherlands and to reduce the number of items of the original PSAT while maintaining validity and reliability. Methods The Dutch version of the PSAT was tested in twenty-two disease-management partnerships with 218 professionals. We tested the instrument by means of structural equation modelling, and examined its validity and reliability. Results After eliminating 14 items, the confirmatory factor analyses revealed good indices of fit with the resulting 15-item PSAT-Short version (PSAT-S. Internal consistency as represented by Cronbach's alpha ranged from acceptable (0.75 for the 'efficiency' subscale to excellent for the 'leadership' subscale (0.87. Convergent validity was provided with high correlations of the partnership dimensions and partnership synergy (ranged from 0.512 to 0.609 and high correlations with chronic illness care (ranged from 0.447 to 0.329. Conclusion The psychometric properties and convergent validity of the PSAT-S were satisfactory rendering it a valid and reliable instrument for assessing partnership synergy and its dimensions of partnership functioning.

Validation and psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) in patients with fibromyalgia.

Science.gov (United States)

Latorre-Román, Pedro A; Martínez-Amat, Antonio; Martínez-López, Emilio; Moral, Angel; Santos, María A; Hita-Contreras, Fidel

2014-04-01

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disease associated with high disability levels, which in turn lead to low quality of life (QOL). The objectives of this study were to translate the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) into Spanish and to assess its reliability and validity for its use in patients with FM. A total of 140 women are suffering from FM (52.87 ± 9.35 years old). All belonged to an association of FM patients (AFIXA, Jaén, Spain). The Spanish versions of the FM impact questionnaire (FIQ), the SF-36, and Beck's Depression Inventory were used to assess them. The construct's validity was checked by means of exploratory factorial analysis (varimax with Kaiser normalization). Test-retest reliability was assessed through intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and convergent validity through Spearman's correlation. Results show that Cronbach's alpha was 0.887, which revealed high internal consistency. The value of ICC for the QOLS total was 0.765 (95 % CI 0.649-0.843, p < 0.001). QOLS presented a significant Spearman's correlation (p < 0.01) with Beck's Inventory, with the physical and mental subtotals of SF-36 and with FIQ. The main component analysis and the varimax rotation revealed the convergence on three factors that account for 54.05 % of variance. Taking into account the severity of the disorder, significant differences (p < 0.05) appeared in QOLS, with moderately afflicted patients getting higher scores than the most severe cases. In conclusion, our study shows that the Spanish version of the QOLS is a reliable instrument, with a good convergent and discriminant construct validity, for measuring the QOL of Spanish FM patients.

The Assessment of Accommodation and Convergence System in the Bank Employees

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Monireh Mahjoob

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Regarding the high outbreak rate of the eye disorders and problems particularly accommodation disorders and convergence insufficiency in computer users, the study tries to determine the convergence, accommodation system, condition, fusion reserves and vision dimension in bank employees (who work with computers and the control group (who are not computer users and then to compare the mentioned parameters in the two groups. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional and observational study a total of 44 bank employees and 44 people as the control group members were selected randomly. Initially, refractive problems were reformed, and then accommodation, convergence and vision dimension evaluative tests were conducted. The test included measuring the near point of convergence, jump convergence, phoria, accommodation range (one eye, both eyes, ease of accommodation (one eye, both eyes, positive and negative related accommodation, near fusion versions and TNO.Results: Our results showed that there was a not significant difference among the near point of convergence, jump convergence, near phoria, accommodation range (one eye and both eyes, ease of accommodation (one eye, both eyes, positive and negative related accommodation in bank employees and control group.Conclusion: Regarding the studies, the outbreak rate of accommodation and convergence disorders is higher in bank employees than the control group which would be due to over working with computer within a fixed interval.

Self-perceived Coparenting of Nonresident Fathers: Scale Development and Validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyer, W Justin; Fagan, Jay; Kaufman, Rebecca; Pearson, Jessica; Cabrera, Natasha

2017-11-16

This study reports on the development and validation of the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network coparenting perceptions scale for nonresident fathers. Although other measures of coparenting have been developed, this is the first measure developed specifically for low-income, nonresident fathers. Focus groups were conducted to determine various aspects of coparenting. Based on this, a scale was created and administered to 542 nonresident fathers. Participants also responded to items used to examine convergent and predictive validity (i.e., parental responsibility, contact with the mother, father self-efficacy and satisfaction, child behavior problems, and contact and engagement with the child). Factor analyses and reliability tests revealed three distinct and reliable perceived coparenting factors: undermining, alliance, and gatekeeping. Validity tests suggest substantial overlap between the undermining and alliance factors, though undermining was uniquely related to child behavior problems. The alliance and gatekeeping factors showed strong convergent validity and evidence for predictive validity. Taken together, results suggest this relatively short measure (11 items) taps into three coparenting dimensions significantly predictive of aspects of individual and family life. © 2017 Family Process Institute.

Validation of the Resilience Scale for Adolescents in Norwegian adolescents 13-18 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Moksnes, Unni K; Haugan, Gørill

2018-03-01

Resilience is seen as a vital resource for coping and mental health in adolescents. However, there is no universally accepted theory or definition of resilience, leading to considerable challenges regarding how to operationalise and measure this construct. The study aimed at providing further knowledge of the psychometric properties (dimensionality, construct validity and internal consistency) of the 28-item version of the Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ) in N = 1183 Norwegian adolescents, 13-18 years old. Dimensionality of READ was tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Convergent validity and reliability were tested using Pearson's correlation analysis, Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability. The CFA supported a modified, 20-item, five-factor structure with high reliability, supporting the dimensionality and internal consistency of the instrument. Convergent validity was confirmed where all factors correlated in expected directions with measures of sense of coherence, self-esteem, stress and depression. The psychometric properties of the READ need to be further evaluated in adolescents; however, the results indicate that a modified 20-item version of READ is adequate for assessing resilience in the present sample of Norwegian adolescents. © 2017 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Bilingualism and Creativity: Benefits in Convergent Thinking Come with Losses in Divergent Thinking

Science.gov (United States)

Hommel, Bernhard; Colzato, Lorenza S.; Fischer, Rico; Christoffels, Ingrid K.

2011-01-01

Bilingualism is commonly assumed to improve creativity but the mechanisms underlying creative acts, and the way these mechanisms are affected by bilingualism, are not very well understood. We hypothesize that learning to master multiple languages drives individuals toward a relatively focused cognitive-control state that exerts strong top-down impact on information processing and creates strong local competition for selection between cognitive codes. Considering the control requirements posed by creativity tasks tapping into convergent and divergent thinking, this predicts that high-proficient bilinguals should outperform low-proficient bilinguals in convergent thinking, while low-proficient bilinguals might be better in divergent thinking. Comparing low- and high-proficient bilinguals on convergent-thinking and divergent-thinking tasks indeed showed a high-proficient bilingual advantage for convergent thinking but a low-proficient bilingual advantage for fluency in divergent thinking. These findings suggest that bilingualism should not be related to “creativity” as a unitary concept but, rather, to the specific processes and mechanisms that underlie creativity. PMID:22084634

Bilingualism and creativity: Benefits in convergent thinking come with losses in divergent thinking

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Bernhard eHommel

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Bilingualism is commonly assumed to improve creativity but the mechanisms underlying creative acts, and the way these mechanisms are affected by bilingualism, are not very well understood. We hypothesize that learning to master multiple languages drives individuals towards a strongly focused cognitive-control state that exerts strong top-down impact on information processing and creates strong local competition for selection between cognitive codes. Considering the control requirements posed by creativity tasks tapping into convergent and divergent thinking, this predicts that high-proficient bilinguals should outperform low-proficient bilinguals in convergent thinking, while low-proficient bilinguals might be better in divergent thinking. Comparing low- and high-proficient bilinguals on convergent-thinking and divergent-thinking tasks indeed showed a high-proficient bilingual advantage for convergent thinking but a low-proficient bilingual advantage for fluency in divergent thinking. These findings suggest that bilingualism should not be related to creativity as a unitary concept but, rather, to the specific processes and mechanisms that underlie creativity.

Verification & Validation of High-Order Short-Characteristics-Based Deterministic Transport Methodology on Unstructured Grids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azmy, Yousry; Wang, Yaqi

2013-01-01

The research team has developed a practical, high-order, discrete-ordinates, short characteristics neutron transport code for three-dimensional configurations represented on unstructured tetrahedral grids that can be used for realistic reactor physics applications at both the assembly and core levels. This project will perform a comprehensive verification and validation of this new computational tool against both a continuous-energy Monte Carlo simulation (e.g. MCNP) and experimentally measured data, an essential prerequisite for its deployment in reactor core modeling. Verification is divided into three phases. The team will first conduct spatial mesh and expansion order refinement studies to monitor convergence of the numerical solution to reference solutions. This is quantified by convergence rates that are based on integral error norms computed from the cell-by-cell difference between the code's numerical solution and its reference counterpart. The latter is either analytic or very fine- mesh numerical solutions from independent computational tools. For the second phase, the team will create a suite of code-independent benchmark configurations to enable testing the theoretical order of accuracy of any particular discretization of the discrete ordinates approximation of the transport equation. For each tested case (i.e. mesh and spatial approximation order), researchers will execute the code and compare the resulting numerical solution to the exact solution on a per cell basis to determine the distribution of the numerical error. The final activity comprises a comparison to continuous-energy Monte Carlo solutions for zero-power critical configuration measurements at Idaho National Laboratory's Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). Results of this comparison will allow the investigators to distinguish between modeling errors and the above-listed discretization errors introduced by the deterministic method, and to separate the sources of uncertainty.

Development and preliminary validation of a leadership competency instrument for existing and emerging allied health professional leaders.

Science.gov (United States)

Ang, Hui-Gek; Koh, Jeremy Meng-Yeow; Lee, Jeffrey; Pua, Yong-Hao

2016-02-19

No instruments, to our knowledge, exist to assess leadership competency in existing and emerging allied health professional (AHP) leaders. This paper describes the development and preliminary exploration of the psychometric properties of a leadership competency instrument for existing and emerging AHP leaders and examines (i) its factor structure, (ii) its convergent validity with the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), and (iii) its discriminative validity in AHPs with different grades. During development, we included 25 items in the AHEAD (Aspiring leaders in Healthcare-Empowering individuals, Achieving excellence, Developing talents) instrument. A cross-sectional study was then conducted in 106 high-potential AHPs from Singapore General Hospital (34 men and 72 women) of different professional grades (49 principal-grade AHPs, 41 senior-grade AHPs, and 16 junior-grade AHPs) who completed both AHEAD and LPI instruments. Exploratory factor analysis was used to test the theoretical structure of AHEAD. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the convergent validity of AHEAD with LPI. Using proportional odds regression models, we evaluated the association of grades of AHPs with AHEAD and LPI. To assess discriminative validity, the c-statistics - a measure of discrimination - were derived from these ordinal models. As theorized, factor analysis suggested a two-factor solution, where "skills" and "values" formed separate factors. Internal consistency of AHEAD was excellent (α-values > 0.88). Total and component AHEAD and LPI scores correlated moderately (Spearman ρ-values, 0.37 to 0.58). The c-index for discriminating between AHP grades was higher for AHEAD than for the LPI (0.76 vs. 0.65). The factorial structure of AHEAD was generally supported in our study. AHEAD showed convergent validity with the LPI and outperformed the LPI in terms of discriminative validity. These results provide initial evidence for the use of AHEAD to assess leadership

Structural hybrid reliability index and its convergent solving method based on random–fuzzy–interval reliability model

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Hai An

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Aiming to resolve the problems of a variety of uncertainty variables that coexist in the engineering structure reliability analysis, a new hybrid reliability index to evaluate structural hybrid reliability, based on the random–fuzzy–interval model, is proposed in this article. The convergent solving method is also presented. First, the truncated probability reliability model, the fuzzy random reliability model, and the non-probabilistic interval reliability model are introduced. Then, the new hybrid reliability index definition is presented based on the random–fuzzy–interval model. Furthermore, the calculation flowchart of the hybrid reliability index is presented and it is solved using the modified limit-step length iterative algorithm, which ensures convergence. And the validity of convergent algorithm for the hybrid reliability model is verified through the calculation examples in literature. In the end, a numerical example is demonstrated to show that the hybrid reliability index is applicable for the wear reliability assessment of mechanisms, where truncated random variables, fuzzy random variables, and interval variables coexist. The demonstration also shows the good convergence of the iterative algorithm proposed in this article.

Sigma and beta convergence in regional mortality: A case study of the Netherlands

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Fanny Janssen

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background: For allocation of health budgets it is important to know whether regional mortality differences tend to decline or to increase. Sigma convergence tests can measure whether the dispersion of the regional distribution of mortality has declined. Beta convergence tests can examine whether regions with a low level of life expectancy have experienced a stronger increase than regions with a high level. In demographic research, however, sigma and beta convergence have not been formally assessed simultaneously. Objective: We demonstrate the application of both sigma and beta convergence tests to the study of trends in regional mortality differences for the Netherlands. Methods: Using all-cause mortality and population data for 40 Dutch NUTS-3 regions, by year (1988‒2009, age group, and sex, we assess both sigma and beta convergence, and ist significance. Results: Beta convergence proved statistically significant. The regions with the lowest life expectancy in 1988 generally exhibited the highest increase from 1988 to 2009, and vice versa. However, dispersion measures displayed no statistically significant sigma convergence. Conclusions: Whereas the absence of sigma convergence shows that regional mortality differences have not declined, beta convergence indicates that the disadvantage of regions with low life expectancy is not persistent. Contribution: We demonstrated the added value of simultaneously studying sigma convergence, beta convergence, and trajectories of regions in the tails of the distribution. Where absence of sigma convergence does not imply that disadvantaged regions did not improve, beta convergence does not always indicate complete convergence due to structural differences across regions.

Construct validity of adolescents' self-reported big five personality traits: importance of conceptual breadth and initial validation of a short measure.

Science.gov (United States)

Morizot, Julien

2014-10-01

While there are a number of short personality trait measures that have been validated for use with adults, few are specifically validated for use with adolescents. To trust such measures, it must be demonstrated that they have adequate construct validity. According to the view of construct validity as a unifying form of validity requiring the integration of different complementary sources of information, this article reports the evaluation of content, factor, convergent, and criterion validities as well as reliability of adolescents' self-reported personality traits. Moreover, this study sought to address an inherent potential limitation of short personality trait measures, namely their limited conceptual breadth. In this study, starting with items from a known measure, after the language-level was adjusted for use with adolescents, items tapping fundamental primary traits were added to determine the impact of added conceptual breadth on the psychometric properties of the scales. The resulting new measure was named the Big Five Personality Trait Short Questionnaire (BFPTSQ). A group of expert judges considered the items to have adequate content validity. Using data from a community sample of early adolescents, the results confirmed the factor validity of the Big Five structure in adolescence as well as its measurement invariance across genders. More important, the added items did improve the convergent and criterion validities of the scales, but did not negatively affect their reliability. This study supports the construct validity of adolescents' self-reported personality traits and points to the importance of conceptual breadth in short personality measures. © The Author(s) 2014.

Beyond Brainstorming: Exploring Convergence in Teams

Science.gov (United States)

Seeber, Isabella; de Vreede, Gert-Jan; Maier, Ronald; Weber, Barbara

2017-01-01

Abstract Collaborative brainstorming is often followed by a convergence activity where teams extract the most promising ideas on a useful level of detail from the brainstorming results. Contrary to the wealth of research on electronic brainstorming, there is a dearth of research on convergence. We used experimental methods for an in-depth exploration of two facilitation-based interventions in a convergence activity: attention guidance (focusing participants on procedures to execute a convergence task) and discussion encouragement (engaging participants in conversations to combine knowledge on ideas). Our findings show that both attention guidance and discussion encouragement are correlated with higher convergence quality. We argue that attention guidance’s contribution is in its support of coordination, information processing, and goal specification. Similar, we argue that discussion encouragement’s contribution is in its stimulation of idea clarification and idea combination. Contrary to past research, our findings further show that satisfaction was higher after convergence than after brainstorming. PMID:29399005

Convergent validity between a discrete choice experiment and a direct, open-ended method: comparison of preferred attribute levels and willingness to pay estimates.

Science.gov (United States)

Marjon van der Pol; Shiell, Alan; Au, Flora; Johnston, David; Tough, Suzanne

2008-12-01

The Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) has become increasingly popular as a method for eliciting patient or population preferences. If DCE estimates are to inform health policy, it is crucial that the answers they provide are valid. Convergent validity is tested in this paper by comparing the results of a DCE exercise with the answers obtained from direct, open-ended questions. The two methods are compared in terms of preferred attribute levels and willingness to pay (WTP) values. Face-to-face interviews were held with 292 women in Calgary, Canada. Similar values were found between the two methods with respect to preferred levels for two out of three of the attributes examined. The DCE predicted less well for levels outside the range than for levels inside the range reaffirming the importance of extensive piloting to ensure appropriate level range in DCEs. The mean WTP derived from the open-ended question was substantially lower than the mean derived from the DCE. However, the two sets of willingness to pay estimates were consistent with each other in that individuals who were willing to pay more in the open-ended question were also willing to pay more in the DCE. The difference in mean WTP values between the two approaches (direct versus DCE) demonstrates the importance of continuing research into the different biases present across elicitation methods.

Validating High-Stakes Testing Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kane, Michael

2002-01-01

Makes the point that the interpretations and use of high-stakes test scores rely on policy assumptions about what should be taught and the content standards and performance standards that should be applied. The assumptions built into an assessment need to be subjected to scrutiny and criticism if a strong case is to be made for the validity of the…

Validation of the fatigue scale for motor and cognitive functions in a danish multiple sclerosis cohort

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oervik, M. S.; Sejbaek, T.; Penner, I. K.

2017-01-01

Background Our objective was to validate the Danish translation of the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMC) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Materials and methods A Danish MS cohort (n = 84) was matched and compared to the original German validation cohort (n = 309) and a he......Background Our objective was to validate the Danish translation of the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMC) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Materials and methods A Danish MS cohort (n = 84) was matched and compared to the original German validation cohort (n = 309...... positive correlations between the two fatigue scales implied high convergent validity (total scores: r = 0.851, p gender). Correcting for depression did not result in any significant adjustments of the correlations...

Semantic Convergence in the Bilingual Lexicon

Science.gov (United States)

Ameel, Eef; Malt, Barbara C.; Storms, Gert; Van Assche, Fons

2009-01-01

Bilinguals' lexical mappings for their two languages have been found to converge toward a common naming pattern. The present paper investigates in more detail how semantic convergence is manifested in bilingual lexical knowledge. We examined how semantic convergence affects the centers and boundaries of lexical categories for common household…

Treatment of Partly Accommodative Esotropia With a High Accommodative Convergence-Accommodation Ratio

NARCIS (Netherlands)

H.J. Simonsz (Huib)

1988-01-01

textabstractIn the June 1987 issue of the Archives, the results were published of a study by Kushner et al1 on the treatment of accommodative convergence excess, with bilateral medial rectus recessions or recessions with 14-mm posterior fixation sutures. Posterior fixation surgery was considered an

Convergence semigroup actions: generalized quotients

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H. Boustique

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Continuous actions of a convergence semigroup are investigated in the category of convergence spaces. Invariance properties of actions as well as properties of a generalized quotient space are presented

Globalization and Contemporary Fertility Convergence.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendi, Arun S

2017-09-01

The rise of the global network of nation-states has precipitated social transformations throughout the world. This article examines the role of political and economic globalization in driving fertility convergence across countries between 1965 and 2009. While past research has typically conceptualized fertility change as a country-level process, this study instead employs a theoretical and methodological framework that examines differences in fertility between pairs of countries over time. Convergence in fertility between pairs of countries is hypothesized to result from increased cross-country connectedness and cross-national transmission of fertility-related schemas. I investigate the impact of various cross-country ties, including ties through bilateral trade, intergovernmental organizations, and regional trade blocs, on fertility convergence. I find that globalization acts as a form of social interaction to produce fertility convergence. There is significant heterogeneity in the effects of different cross-country ties. In particular, trade with rich model countries, joint participation in the UN and UNESCO, and joining a free trade agreement all contribute to fertility convergence between countries. Whereas the prevailing focus in fertility research has been on factors producing fertility declines, this analysis highlights specific mechanisms-trade and connectedness through organizations-leading to greater similarity in fertility across countries. Globalization is a process that propels the spread of culturally laden goods and schemas impinging on fertility, which in turn produces fertility convergence.

Testing the Predictive Validity and Construct of Pathological Video Game Use

Science.gov (United States)

Groves, Christopher L.; Gentile, Douglas; Tapscott, Ryan L.; Lynch, Paul J.

2015-01-01

Three studies assessed the construct of pathological video game use and tested its predictive validity. Replicating previous research, Study 1 produced evidence of convergent validity in 8th and 9th graders (N = 607) classified as pathological gamers. Study 2 replicated and extended the findings of Study 1 with college undergraduates (N = 504). Predictive validity was established in Study 3 by measuring cue reactivity to video games in college undergraduates (N = 254), such that pathological gamers were more emotionally reactive to and provided higher subjective appraisals of video games than non-pathological gamers and non-gamers. The three studies converged to show that pathological video game use seems similar to other addictions in its patterns of correlations with other constructs. Conceptual and definitional aspects of Internet Gaming Disorder are discussed. PMID:26694472

Testing the Predictive Validity and Construct of Pathological Video Game Use

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher L. Groves

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Three studies assessed the construct of pathological video game use and tested its predictive validity. Replicating previous research, Study 1 produced evidence of convergent validity in 8th and 9th graders (N = 607 classified as pathological gamers. Study 2 replicated and extended the findings of Study 1 with college undergraduates (N = 504. Predictive validity was established in Study 3 by measuring cue reactivity to video games in college undergraduates (N = 254, such that pathological gamers were more emotionally reactive to and provided higher subjective appraisals of video games than non-pathological gamers and non-gamers. The three studies converged to show that pathological video game use seems similar to other addictions in its patterns of correlations with other constructs. Conceptual and definitional aspects of Internet Gaming Disorder are discussed.

Convergence of Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prasad, Ramjee; Ruggieri, Marina

2008-01-01

The paper focuses on the revolutionary changes that could characterise the future of networks. Those changes involve many aspects in the conceivement and exploitation of networks: architecture, services, technologies and modeling. The convergence of wired and wireless technologies along...... with the integration of system componennts and the convergence of services (e.g. communications and navigation) are only some of the elements that shape the perpsected mosaic. Authors delineate this vision, highlighting the presence of the space and stratospheric components and the related services as building block...

ROMANIA IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBALIZATION, REGIONALIZATION AND CONVERGENCE

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Elena Pelinescu

2007-04-01

Full Text Available The economic convergence is an instrument of harmonization in areas with high degree of economic integration. For Romania, it is important to know the degree of fulfillment of the convergence criteria and the impact of the policies which sustain their achievement, because few studies had as object the analysis of the degree of fulfillment in countries like Romania and Bulgaria, which were included in the latest EU extension wave. We use different methods in order to show the cointegration process and the results. The techniques applied to the statistical data regarding the nominal convergence (the consolidated budget deficit as a share of GDP, the share of public debt in GDP, the rate of inflation, the interest rate and the exchange rate have revealed some results which appear in others studies too, namely that Romania integrates in the fixed target Maastricht criteria (the budget deficit as a share of GDP, the share of public debt in GDP and follows a pattern of convergence for the other criteria.

Convergence in Reports of Adolescents' Psychopathology: A Focus on Disorganized Attachment and Reflective Functioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Borelli, Jessica L; Palmer, Alexandra; Vanwoerden, Salome; Sharp, Carla

2017-12-13

Although convergence in parent-youth reports of adolescent psychopathology is critical for treatment planning, research documents a pervasive lack of agreement in ratings of adolescents' symptoms. Attachment insecurity (particularly disorganized attachment) and impoverished reflective functioning (RF) are 2 theoretically implicated predictors of low convergence that have not been examined in the literature. In a cross-sectional investigation of adolescents receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment, we examined whether disorganized attachment and low (adolescent and parent) RF were associated with patterns of convergence in adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Compared with organized adolescents, disorganized adolescents had lower parent-youth convergence in reports of their internalizing symptoms and higher convergence in reports of their externalizing symptoms; low adolescent self-focused RF was associated with low convergence in parent-adolescent reports of internalizing symptoms, whereas low adolescent global RF was associated with high convergence in parent-adolescent reports of externalizing symptoms. Among adolescents receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment, disorganized attachment and lower RF were associated with weaker internalizing symptom convergence and greater externalizing symptom convergence, which if replicated, could inform assessment strategies and treatment planning in this setting.

OpenMC In Situ Source Convergence Detection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aldrich, Garrett Allen [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States); Dutta, Soumya [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States); Woodring, Jonathan Lee [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-05-07

We designed and implemented an in situ version of particle source convergence for the OpenMC particle transport simulator. OpenMC is a Monte Carlo based-particle simulator for neutron criticality calculations. For the transport simulation to be accurate, source particles must converge on a spatial distribution. Typically, convergence is obtained by iterating the simulation by a user-settable, fixed number of steps, and it is assumed that convergence is achieved. We instead implement a method to detect convergence, using the stochastic oscillator for identifying convergence of source particles based on their accumulated Shannon Entropy. Using our in situ convergence detection, we are able to detect and begin tallying results for the full simulation once the proper source distribution has been confirmed. Our method ensures that the simulation is not started too early, by a user setting too optimistic parameters, or too late, by setting too conservative a parameter.

Remarkable convergent evolution in specialized parasitic Thecostraca (Crustacea)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pérez-Losada, Marcos; Høeg, Jens Thorvald; Crandall, Keith A

2009-01-01

the metamorphosis found in the Facetotecta and Rhizocephala suggests a common evolutionary origin, but until now no comprehensive study has looked at the basic evolution of these thecostracan groups. Results To this end, we collected DNA sequences from three nuclear genes [18S rRNA (2,305), 28S rRNA (2...... analyses indicate a convergent evolution of the very similar and highly reduced slug-shaped stages found during metamorphosis of both the Rhizocephala and the Facetotecta. This provides a remarkable case of convergent evolution and implies that the advanced endoparasitic mode of life known from...

Evaluation of the atmospheric model WRF on the Qatar peninsula for a converging sea-breeze event

Science.gov (United States)

Balan Sobhana, Sandeepan; Nayak, Sashikant; Panchang, Vijay

2016-04-01

Qatar, a narrow peninsula covering an area of 11437 sq km, extends northwards into the Arabian Gulf for about 160km and has a maximum width of 88km. The convex shape of the coast-line and narrowness of the peninsula results in the Qatar region experiencing complex wind patterns. The geometry is favorable for formation of the land-sea breeze from both coastal sides of the peninsula. This can lead to the development of sea breeze convergence zones in the middle of the country. Although circulations arising from diurnal thermal contrast of land and water are amongst most intensively studied meteorological phenomena, there is no reported study for the Qatar peninsula and very few studies are reported for the Arabian Gulf region as whole. It is necessary to characterize the wind field for applications such as assessing air pollution, renewable energy etc. A non-hydrostatic mesoscale model, Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) with a nested high resolution grid permits the investigation of such fine scale phenomena. Data from eighteen land based Automated Weather Stations (AWS) and two offshore buoys deployed and maintained by the Qatar Meteorological Department were analyzed. Based on the analysis a clear case of sea breeze convergence were seen on 18 September 2015. Model simulations were used to investigate the synoptic conditions associated with the formation of this event. The season is characterized by week ambient north westerly wind over the Arabian Gulf. The WRF model performance is validated using observed in-situ data. Model simulations show that vertical extent of sea breeze cell was up to 1 km and the converging sea breeze regions were characterized with high vertical velocities. The WRF simulation also revealed that with high resolution, the model is capable of reproducing the fine scale patterns accurately. The error of predictions in the inner domain (highest resolution) are found to be relatively lower than coarse resolution domain. The maximum wind speed

The Convergence in Spatial Tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir P. Kulagin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The article reveals the problem of convergence of direct and inverse problems in Earth Sciences, describes the features and application of these problems, discloses analytical features of direct and inverse problems. The convergence criteria and conditions for convergence were presented. This work is supported by the Grant of the Government of the Russian Federation for support of scientific research, implemented under the supervision of leading scientists in Russian institutions of higher education in the field "Space Research and Technologies" in 2011–2013.

Reliability and Validity of a Nepalese Version of the Oral Health Impact Profile for Edentulous Subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Shrestha, Bidhan; Niraula, Surya Raj; Parajuli, Prakash K; Suwal, Pramita; Singh, Raj Kumar

2018-06-01

To assess the reliability and to validate the translated Nepalese version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-EDENT-N) in Nepalese edentulous subjects. The international guidelines for translation and cross-cultural adaption of OHIP-EDENT were followed, and a Nepalese version of the questionnaire was adapted for this study. Eighty-eight completely edentulous subjects were then selected for the study and completed their responses for the questionnaire. The reliability of the OHIP-EDENT-N was evaluated using internal consistency. Validity was assessed as construct and convergent validity. Construct validity was determined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The correlation between OHIP-EDENT-N subscale scores and the global question was investigated to test the convergent validity. Cronbach's alpha for the total score of OHIP-EDENT-N was 0.78. Construct validity was assessed by factor analysis: 70.196% of the variance was accountable to five factors extracted from the factor analysis. Factor loadings above 0.40 were noted for all items. In terms of convergent validity, significant correlations could be established between OHIP-EDENT-N and global questions. This study has been able to establish the reliability and validity of the OHIP-EDENT-N, and OHIP-EDENT-N can be a considered a reliable tool to assess the oral health related quality of life in the Nepalese edentulous population. © 2016 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Validation of the Communication Skills Questionnaire (CSQ) in people with schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Prat, Gemma; Casas-Anguera, Emma; Garcia-Franco, Mar; Escandell, Maria José; Martin, José Ramón; Vilamala, Sonia; Villalta-Gil, Victoria; Gimenez-Salinas, Jordi; Hernández-Rambla, Carla; Ochoa, Susana

2014-12-15

This present study describes the validation of the Communication Skills Questionnaire (CSQ) in people with schizophrenia. A total of 125 clinically stable people in rehabilitation treatment who were diagnosed with schizophrenia were included. For convergent and discriminant validity the following tests were administered; the Gambrill and Richie (GR) Assertiveness Inventory, the Social Functioning Scale (SFS), Life Skills Profile (LSP), Clinical Global Impression scale for schizophrenia (CGI-S) and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale. Internal consistency of the CSQ had a Cronbach׳s alpha of 0.96. Test-retest reliability showed coefficients between 0.60 and 0.70. Convergent validity showed significant relations at p<0.0001 for all instruments assessed. None of the subscales used for assessing discriminant validity showed a significant correlation with the CSQ except for the CGI-S depression subscale. The instrument shows good psychometric properties and demonstrates that it is a useful instrument for evaluating communication skills in people with schizophrenia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feynman amplitude and the Meijer's function. A unified representation for divergent and convergent graphs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kucheryavyi, V I

1974-12-31

A parametric alpha -representation of Feynman amplitude for any spinor graph, which is expressed in terms of the Meijer's G functions, is obtained. This representation is valid both for divergent and convergent graphs. The available ChisholmNakanishi-Symanzik alpha -representation for convergent scalar graph turns out to be a special of the formula obtained. Besides that, the expression has a number of useful features. This representation automatically removes the infrared divergencies connected with zero photon mass. The expression has a form in which the scale-invariant terms are explicitly separated from the terms breaking the invariance. It is shown by considering the simplest graphs of quantum electrodynamics that this representation keeps gauge invariance and Ward's identity for renormalized amplitudes. (auth)

Shock wave focusing in water inside convergent structures

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C Wang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Experiments on shock focusing in water-filled convergent structures have been performed. A shock wave in water is generated by means of a projectile, launched from a gas gun, which impacts a water-filled convergent structure. Two types of structures have been tested; a bulk material and a thin shell structure. The geometric shape of the convergent structures is given by a logarithmic spiral, and this particular shape is chosen because it maximizes the amount of energy reaching the focal region. High-speed schlieren photography is used to visualize the shock dynamics during the focusing event. Results show that the fluid-structure interaction between the thin shell structure and the shock wave in the water is different from that of a bulk structure; multiple reflections of the shock wave inside the thin shell are reflected back into the water, thus creating a wave train, which is not observed for shock focusing in a bulk material.

Validation of Multidimensional Persian Version of the Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire among Nurses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Mozafari

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Several instruments have so far been developed in English language to measure the level of work-family conflict and further validation is required for non-English speakers. Objective: To test factorial structure and construct validity of the Persian version of work-family conflict scale among Iranian nurse. Methods: This study was conducted among 456 Iranian nurses working at public hospitals in 17 provinces from March 2015 to September 2015. We used a self-administrated questionnaire to collect information. Exploratory factor analysis was run using SPSS 21. Then, construct validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, convergent validity, and discriminant validity by AMOS 21. Results: Exploratory factor analysis extracted four dimensions that explained 65.5% of the variance observed. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that our data fitted the hypothesized four dimensional model of work-family conflict construct. The average variance extracted was used to establish convergent and discriminant validity. Conclusion: The Persian version of work-family conflict questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument among Iranian nurses.

The Validity and Incremental Validity of Knowledge Tests, Low-Fidelity Simulations, and High-Fidelity Simulations for Predicting Job Performance in Advanced-Level High-Stakes Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Lievens, Filip; Patterson, Fiona

2011-01-01

In high-stakes selection among candidates with considerable domain-specific knowledge and experience, investigations of whether high-fidelity simulations (assessment centers; ACs) have incremental validity over low-fidelity simulations (situational judgment tests; SJTs) are lacking. Therefore, this article integrates research on the validity of…

Nominal and real convergence in the new member states (longer-term perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vásáry, V.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The advancement of nominal and real convergence in the process of EU adaptation is of special importance. The paper studies the main factors of convergence processes in detail. It pays special attention to the analysis of catch-up processes. The paper uses the concepts of the growth theories in order to describe the real convergence processes. Besides the supply side approach (growth accounting, production function, it focuses highly on the demand side and the factors playing an important role in the newest growth theories (trade, macroeconomic policies, institutional system etc..

Higher Order Aitken Extrapolation with Application to Converging and Diverging Gauss-Seidel Iterations

OpenAIRE

Tiruneh, Ababu Teklemariam

2013-01-01

Aitken extrapolation normally applied to convergent fixed point iteration is extended to extrapolate the solution of a divergent iteration. In addition, higher order Aitken extrapolation is introduced that enables successive decomposition of high Eigen values of the iteration matrix to enable convergence. While extrapolation of a convergent fixed point iteration using a geometric series sum is a known form of Aitken acceleration, it is shown in this paper that the same formula can be used to ...

Measuring Nominal and Real Convergence of Selected CEE Countries by the Taylor Rule

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Böing Tobias

2016-12-01

Full Text Available We propose using a simple Taylor rule to evaluate business cycle convergence of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland with the Eurozone. Our findings indicate an ongoing convergence of those CEE countries to the Eurozone, but with instabilities and heterogeneity between the countries. Especially Poland has shown a high degree of convergence in recent years. But there are still relevant differences in Taylor rates of each country to the Eurozone of about two percentage points.

Shock wave convergence in water with parabolic wall boundaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanuka, D.; Shafer, D.; Krasik, Ya.

2015-01-01

The convergence of shock waves in water, where the cross section of the boundaries between which the shock wave propagates is either straight or parabolic, was studied. The shock wave was generated by underwater electrical explosions of planar Cu wire arrays using a high-current generator with a peak output current of ∼45 kA and rise time of ∼80 ns. The boundaries of the walls between which the shock wave propagates were symmetric along the z axis, which is defined by the direction of the exploding wires. It was shown that with walls having a parabolic cross section, the shock waves converge faster and the pressure in the vicinity of the line of convergence, calculated by two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations coupled with the equations of state of water and copper, is also larger

Weak convergence of Jacobian determinants under asymmetric assumptions

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Teresa Alberico

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Let $\\Om$ be a bounded open set in $\\R^2$ sufficiently smooth and $f_k=(u_k,v_k$ and $f=(u,v$ mappings belong to the Sobolev space $W^{1,2}(\\Om,\\R^2$. We prove that if the sequence of Jacobians $J_{f_k}$ converges to a measure $\\mu$ in sense of measures andif one allows different assumptions on the two components of $f_k$ and $f$, e.g.$$u_k \\rightharpoonup u \\;\\;\\mbox{weakly in} \\;\\; W^{1,2}(\\Om \\qquad \\, v_k \\rightharpoonup v \\;\\;\\mbox{weakly in} \\;\\; W^{1,q}(\\Om$$for some $q\\in(1,2$, then\\begin{equation}\\label{0}d\\mu=J_f\\,dz.\\end{equation}Moreover, we show that this result is optimal in the sense that conclusion fails for $q=1$.On the other hand, we prove that \\eqref{0} remains valid also if one considers the case $q=1$, but it is necessary to require that $u_k$ weakly converges to $u$ in a Zygmund-Sobolev space with a slightly higher degree of regularity than $W^{1,2}(\\Om$ and precisely$$ u_k \\rightharpoonup u \\;\\;\\mbox{weakly in} \\;\\; W^{1,L^2 \\log^\\alpha L}(\\Om$$for some $\\alpha >1$.    

Validation of a quality-of-life instrument for patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhee, John S; Matthews, B Alex; Neuburg, Marcy; Logan, Brent R; Burzynski, Mary; Nattinger, Ann B

2006-01-01

To validate a disease-specific quality-of-life instrument--the Skin Cancer Index--intended to measure quality-of-life issues relevant to patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer. Internal reliability, convergent and divergent validity with existing scales, and factor analyses were performed in a cross-sectional study of 211 patients presenting with cervicofacial nonmelanoma skin cancer to a dermatologic surgery clinic. Factor analyses of the Skin Cancer Index confirmed a multidimensional scale with 3 distinct subscales-emotional, social, and appearance. Excellent internal validity of the 3 subscales was demonstrated. Substantial evidence was observed for convergent validity with the Dermatology Life Quality Index, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Lerman's Cancer Worry Scale, and Medical Outcomes Survey Short-Form 12 domains for vitality, emotion, social function, and mental health. These findings validate a new disease-specific quality-of-life instrument for patients with cervicofacial nonmelanoma skin cancer. Studies on the responsiveness of the Skin Cancer Index to clinical intervention are currently under way.

Using lecture recordings to support curriculum changes in the European convergence process

OpenAIRE

Aguirre Herrera, Sandra; Barra Arias, Enrique; Quemada Vives, Juan; Pastor Caño, Jose Ignacio

2012-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present the experience of using lecture recordings to support curriculum changes within the framework of the European convergence process, mainly courses that need to be promoted or discontinued. We will explain an integrated solution for recording lectures consisting of a web portal, a videoconferencing tool and an economical and easily transportable kit. The validation process was performed recording three different courses at the Universidad Politécnica of Madri...

International Accounting Convergence in the Field of Fair Value Measurement

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Diana Cozma Ighian

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The investors’ desire for high-quality, internationally comparable financial information that is useful for decision-making in increasingly global capital markets imposed an international convergence, the ultimate goal of which is a single set of international accounting standards that companies worldwide would use for both domestic and cross-border financial reporting. The guidance, set out in IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement and the update to Topic 820 (formerly referred to as SFAS 157, completes a major project of the boards’ joint work to improve IFRSs and US GAAP and to bring about their convergence. This article describes the controversial history of fair value measurement and the main novelties in the field of fair value measurement, arising from the international convergence process.

Statistical convergence on intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karakus, S.; Demirci, K.; Duman, O.

2008-01-01

Saadati and Park [Saadati R, Park JH, Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 2006;27:331-44] has recently introduced the notion of intuitionistic fuzzy normed space. In this paper, we study the concept of statistical convergence on intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces. Then we give a useful characterization for statistically convergent sequences. Furthermore, we display an example such that our method of convergence is stronger than the usual convergence on intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces

Cultura da Convergência

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rogério Christofoletti

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Três idéias já seriam suficientes para que a leitura de “Culturada Convergência”, de Henry Jenkins, interessasse a jornalistas epesquisadores da área: a convergência midiática como um processo cultural; o fortalecimento de uma economia afetiva que orienta consumidores de bens simbólicos e criadores midiáticos; a expansão de formas narrativas transmidiáticas.

Novel Automated Morphometric and Kinematic Handwriting Assessment: A Validity Study in Children with ASD and ADHD

Science.gov (United States)

Dirlikov, Benjamin; Younes, Laurent; Nebel, Mary Beth; Martinelli, Mary Katherine; Tiedemann, Alyssa Nicole; Koch, Carolyn A.; Fiorilli, Diana; Bastian, Amy J.; Denckla, Martha Bridge; Miller, Michael I.; Mostofsky, Stewart H.

2017-01-01

This study presents construct validity for a novel automated morphometric and kinematic handwriting assessment, including (1) convergent validity, establishing reliability of automated measures with traditional manual-derived Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA), and (2) discriminant validity, establishing that the automated methods distinguish…

Needs of caregivers of cancer patients: validation of the Mexican version of the Support Person Unmet Needs Survey (SPUNS-SFM).

Science.gov (United States)

Doubova, Svetlana V; Aguirre-Hernandez, Rebeca; Infante-Castañeda, Claudia; Martinez-Vega, Ingrid; Pérez-Cuevas, Ricardo

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study was to validate the Mexican version of the Support Person Unmet Needs Survey (SPUNS-SFM). A cross-sectional survey that included 826 primary caregivers of cancer patients was conducted from June to December 2013 at the Oncology Hospital of the Mexican Institute of Social Security in Mexico City. The validation procedure comprised (1) content validity through a group of experts; (2) construct validity through an exploratory factor analysis based on the polychoric correlation matrix; (3) internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha; (4) convergent validity between SPUNS-SFM and quality of life, anxiety-and-depression scales by calculating Spearman's rank correlation coefficient;( 5) discriminative validity through the Wilcoxon rank-sum test; and (6) test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient. SPUNS-SFM has 23 items with six factors accounting for 65 % of the total variance. The domains were concerns about the future, access and continuity of healthcare, information, work and finance, and personal and emotional needs. Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.70 to 0.88 among factors. SPUNS-SFM had moderate convergent validity compared with quality of life and depression-and-anxiety scales and good discriminative validity, revealing high needs for younger caregivers and more emotional needs for caregivers of patients with advanced cancer stages. Intraclass correlation coefficient between SPUNS-SFM measurements was 0.78. SPUNS-SFM is a valid and reliable tool to identify needs of caregivers of cancer patients.

Sex-specific responses to vocal convergence and divergence of contact calls in orange-fronted conures (Aratinga canicularis)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balsby, Thorsten J S; Scarl, Judith C

2008-01-01

, the similarity between the contact calls of different individuals may either increase (converge) or decrease (diverge). We conducted a playback experiment on wild-caught captive birds in which we simulated convergent, divergent and no-change interaction series with male and female contact calls. OFCs responded...... differently to convergent and divergent series of contact calls, but only when we considered the sex of the test birds. Males called most in response to convergent series, whereas females demonstrated high calling rates in response to both convergent and divergent interactions. Both sexes responded most...... function. The stronger overall response to convergent series suggests that convergence of contact calls is an affiliative signal....

Convergent systems vs. incremental stability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rüffer, B.S.; Wouw, van de N.; Mueller, M.

2013-01-01

Two similar stability notions are considered; one is the long established notion of convergent systems, the other is the younger notion of incremental stability. Both notions require that any two solutions of a system converge to each other. Yet these stability concepts are different, in the sense

Regional Convergence and Sustainable Development in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang Yang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the convergence theory of economic growth, this paper extends this concept to the human development index and carries out an empirical analysis of regional development in China between 1997 and 2006. Our research shows that the conditional convergence has been identified. Investment in fixed assets, government expenditure on education, health and infrastructure construction have positive effects on regional convergence of social development. Population weighted analysis of human development index provides support for weak convergence amongst provinces. Analysis of dynamics of regional distribution reveals the club convergence, which indicate two different convergence states. Central China is in the shade and lags behind, giving rise to the so-called “central downfall”. To solve this problem, the “Rise of Central China” Plan is necessary to promote the connection between coastal and inland regions of China and reduce the regional development gap.

Measurement of the convergence angle in teeth prepared for single crown

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NokarS

2002-07-01

Full Text Available Retention, resistance and marginal integrity mostly depend on tooth preparation. An appropriate convergence angle fulfil this purpose, to high extent. In this study, a new method was used to measure the convergence angle of the teeth prepared for single crowns in Genera! practitioners" offices in Tehran. In order to do this. 325 dyes, prepared by General dentists in Tehran, were collected from 10 laboratories. All dyes wore trimmed at the area below the finishing line and then were scanned (Genius Color page- FIR 6 buccoiingualiy and mesiodistaily. Convergence angle of dyes were also measured with Adobe Photoshop (5.0 software. Data were analyzed by variance analysis test and 1- student bv the help of SPSS software. Results showed that the average convergence angle ranged from 16.18+8.34 to 35.1 8~10.38 which belonged to maxillary canine and mandibular molars, respectively, and the measured convergence angle is more than the ideal value of 10-16 degrees. Dyes of the madibular molars were ma"illar" convergent. These conclusions are helpful for professors, dentistry students and dentists, and arc an indicative of the practice quality of General practitioners in Tehran. Due to the fact that a convergence angle, more than the allowed limitation, endangers retention, resistance and marginal integrity of the restoration, paying attention to the principles of tooth preparation and proper application of instruments and dental cements, can progress fwed restorations quality.

Convergence as conditionant for Media Regulation

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Othon Jambeiro

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Convergence comprises a combination of interlinked and interdependent transformations, of technological, industrial, commercial, cultural and social nature, which affect communication regulation. Customers, at their time, turned also convergent, involved in an intense participative culture, which is too, from the point of view of its social and geographical range, thanks to convergence, more and more extense. Instead of passive consumers of media and information and communication services, we have now active and socially connected consumers, no more readers/spectators/listeners, but noisy activists and publishers. To understand this phenomenon is essential to discern a regulatory frame suitable for it. This paper tries to define convergence and to discuss its consequences.

Convergent optical wired and wireless long-reach access network using high spectral-efficient modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, C W; Lin, Y H

2012-04-09

To provide broadband services in a single and low cost perform, the convergent optical wired and wireless access network is promising. Here, we propose and demonstrate a convergent optical wired and wireless long-reach access networks based on orthogonal wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). Both the baseband signal and the radio-over-fiber (ROF) signal are multiplexed and de-multiplexed in optical domain, hence it is simple and the operation speed is not limited by the electronic bottleneck caused by the digital signal processing (DSP). Error-free de-multiplexing and down-conversion can be achieved for all the signals after 60 km (long-reach) fiber transmission. The scalability of the system for higher bit-rate (60 GHz) is also simulated and discussed.

Validation of the Danish version of the McGill Ingestive Skills Assessment using classical test theory and the Rasch model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Tina; Lambert, Heather C; Faber, Jens

2012-01-01

Purpose: The study aimed to validate the Danish version of the Canadian the "McGill Ingestive Skills Assessment" (MISA-DK) for measuring dysphagia in frail elders. Method: One-hundred and ten consecutive older medical patients were recruited to the study. Reliability was assessed by internal...... consistency (Chronbach's alpha). External construct validity (convergent and known-groups validity) was evaluated against theoretical constructs assessing the complex concept of ingestive skills. Internal construct validity was tested using Rasch analysis. Results: High internal consistency reliability...... with Chronbach's alpha of 0.77-0.95 was evident. External construct validity was supported by expected high correlations with most of the constructs related to ingestive skills (r(s)¿=¿0.53 to r(s)¿=¿0.66). The MISA-DK discriminated significantly between known-groups. Fit to the Rasch model (x(2) (df)¿=¿12 (12...

Cultura da Convergência

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rogério Christofoletti

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Três idéias já seriam suficientes para que a leitura de “Cultura da Convergência”, de Henry Jenkins, interessasse a jornalistas e pesquisadores da área: a convergência midiática como um processo cultural; o fortalecimento de uma economia afetiva que orienta consumidores de bens simbólicos e criadores midiáticos; a expansão de formas narrativas transmidiáticas.

[Reliability and validity of Driving Anger Scale in professional drivers in China].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Z; Yang, Y M; Zhang, C; Li, Y; Hu, J; Gao, L W; Zhou, Y X; Zhang, X J

2017-11-10

Objective: To assess the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of Driving Anger Scale (DAS) in professional drivers in China and provide a scientific basis for the application of the scale in drivers in China. Methods: Professional drivers, including taxi drivers, bus drivers, truck drivers and school bus drivers, were selected to complete the questionnaire. Cronbach's α and split-half reliability were calculated to evaluate the reliability of DAS, and content, contract, discriminant and convergent validity were performed to measure the validity of the scale. Results: The overall Cronbach's α of DAS was 0.934 and the split-half reliability was 0.874. The correlation coefficient of each subscale with the total scale was 0.639-0.922. The simplified version of DAS supported a presupposed six-factor structure, explaining 56.371% of the total variance revealed by exploratory factor analysis. The DAS had good convergent and discriminant validity, with the success rate of calibration experiment of 100%. Conclusion: DAS has a good reliability and validity in professional drivers in China, and the use of DAS is worth promoting in divers.

Development and validation of a reversed phase High Performance ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A simple, rapid, accurate and economical isocratic Reversed Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RPHPLC) method was developed, validated and used for the evaluation of content of different brands of paracetamol tablets. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines and may be adopted for the ...

Robust Monotonically Convergent Iterative Learning Control for Discrete-Time Systems via Generalized KYP Lemma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Ding

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses the problem of P-type iterative learning control for a class of multiple-input multiple-output linear discrete-time systems, whose aim is to develop robust monotonically convergent control law design over a finite frequency range. It is shown that the 2 D iterative learning control processes can be taken as 1 D state space model regardless of relative degree. With the generalized Kalman-Yakubovich-Popov lemma applied, it is feasible to describe the monotonically convergent conditions with the help of linear matrix inequality technique and to develop formulas for the control gain matrices design. An extension to robust control law design against systems with structured and polytopic-type uncertainties is also considered. Two numerical examples are provided to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Convergence of barycentric coordinates to barycentric kernels

KAUST Repository

Kosinka, Jiří

2016-02-12

We investigate the close correspondence between barycentric coordinates and barycentric kernels from the point of view of the limit process when finer and finer polygons converge to a smooth convex domain. We show that any barycentric kernel is the limit of a set of barycentric coordinates and prove that the convergence rate is quadratic. Our convergence analysis extends naturally to barycentric interpolants and mappings induced by barycentric coordinates and kernels. We verify our theoretical convergence results numerically on several examples.

Convergence of barycentric coordinates to barycentric kernels

KAUST Repository

Kosinka, Jiří ; Barton, Michael

2016-01-01

We investigate the close correspondence between barycentric coordinates and barycentric kernels from the point of view of the limit process when finer and finer polygons converge to a smooth convex domain. We show that any barycentric kernel is the limit of a set of barycentric coordinates and prove that the convergence rate is quadratic. Our convergence analysis extends naturally to barycentric interpolants and mappings induced by barycentric coordinates and kernels. We verify our theoretical convergence results numerically on several examples.

The validity and reliability of the 'Cancer Caregiving Tasks, Consequences and Needs Questionnaire' (CaTCoN)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Line; Ross, Lone; Petersen, Morten A

2014-01-01

and reliability of the multi-item scales in the CaTCoN using psychometric analyses as well as tests of convergent and discriminant validity with the existing instruments FAMCARE and Family Inventory of Needs (FIN). Material and methods. Based on theoretical considerations, a subscale structure in the Ca......TCoN and the existing questionnaires FAMCARE and FIN. Conclusion. Taken together the psychometric analyses and tests of convergent and discriminant validity indicate that the validity and reliability of the CaTCoN are satisfactory.......Background. Caregivers are often involved in and affected by the patient's disease. The questionnaire 'Cancer Caregiving Tasks, Consequences and Needs Questionnaire' (CaTCoN) was developed to measure caregivers' experiences. The aim of this study is to evaluate the construct validity...

Self-shielding for thick slabs in a converging neutron beam

CERN Document Server

Mildner, D F R

1999-01-01

We have previously given a correction to the neutron self-shielding for a thin slab to account for the increased average path length through the slab when irradiated in a converging neutron beam. This expression overstates the case for the self-shielding for a thick (or highly absorbing) slab. We give a better approximation to the increase in effective shielding correction for a slab placed in a converging neutron beam. It is negligible at large absorption mean free paths. (author)

Validity of the definite and semidefinite questionnaire version of the Hamilton Depression Scale, the Hamilton subscale and the Melancholia Scale. Part I

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jesper Bent; Bech, Per

2011-01-01

, and their corresponding definite versions of the self-rating questionnaires DMQ and DHAM6 were accepted by the Rasch analysis, and only these four valid scales discriminated significantly between the effect of citalopram and placebo treatment. Our results are limited to patients with moderate depression. Two new self......-report scales with unparalleled construct validity, reliability, sensitivity, and convergent validity have been identified (DMQ and DHAM6). We have also identified a crucial importance of format for the means and variances of self-rating scales. These findings are of high practical and scientific value....

Converged Wireless Networking and Optimization for Next Generation Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Rodriguez

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The Next Generation Network (NGN vision is tending towards the convergence of internet and mobile services providing the impetus for new market opportunities in combining the appealing services of internet with the roaming capability of mobile networks. However, this convergence does not go far enough, and with the emergence of new coexistence scenarios, there is a clear need to evolve the current architecture to provide cost-effective end-to-end communication. The LOOP project, a EUREKA-CELTIC driven initiative, is one piece in the jigsaw by helping European industry to sustain a leading role in telecommunications and manufacturing of high-value products and machinery by delivering pioneering converged wireless networking solutions that can be successfully demonstrated. This paper provides an overview of the LOOP project and the key achievements that have been tunneled into first prototypes for showcasing next generation services for operators and process manufacturers.

Reliability and validity in a nutshell.

Science.gov (United States)

Bannigan, Katrina; Watson, Roger

2009-12-01

To explore and explain the different concepts of reliability and validity as they are related to measurement instruments in social science and health care. There are different concepts contained in the terms reliability and validity and these are often explained poorly and there is often confusion between them. To develop some clarity about reliability and validity a conceptual framework was built based on the existing literature. The concepts of reliability, validity and utility are explored and explained. Reliability contains the concepts of internal consistency and stability and equivalence. Validity contains the concepts of content, face, criterion, concurrent, predictive, construct, convergent (and divergent), factorial and discriminant. In addition, for clinical practice and research, it is essential to establish the utility of a measurement instrument. To use measurement instruments appropriately in clinical practice, the extent to which they are reliable, valid and usable must be established.

The Analysis of Income per Capita Convergence on ASEAN Plus Three (APT Countries

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Any Fatiwetunusa

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this study is to test the convergence of income per capita in APT countries through three models: absolute convergence, conditional convergence and sigma convergence. Regression analysis of panel data from 13 APT countries during the period of 2001-2014 is used to analysed to study problem. In absolute convergence model, the growth of real GDP per capita and initial real GDP are used as the variables, meanwhile, 8 variables such as the growth of real GPD per capita, initial real GDP per capita, labor force ratio, value added in agricultural sector, value added in industrial sector, terms of trade, foreign direct investment and internet users ratio are analyzed in conditional convergence model. According to the Solow model, the economies of the countries will converge in which the growth of income per capita of developing countries will be higher than those of developed countries. The economies will be convergent if the countries tend to move to a similar steady state resulting in smaller gap between the countries. Based on the results of absolute convergence and conditional convergence models, APT countries is converging with the rate of 2% and 2.2%. This is consistent with the results of sigma convergence model that shows a declining trend in the dispersion of real GDP per capita in APT regions. The growth of real GDP per capita is influenced by initial GDP per capita, labor force ratio, value added in agricultural sector, value added in industrial sector, terms of trade, foreign direct investment and internet users ratio. Developed countries such as Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and South Korea experience the impact of high real GDP per capita growth. On the contrary, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam and The Phillipines undergo the impact of low GDP per capita growth.

Δim-lacunary statistical convergence of order α

Science.gov (United States)

Altınok, Hıfsı; Et, Mikail; Işık, Mahmut

2018-01-01

The purpose of this work is to introduce the concepts of Δim-lacunary statistical convergence of order α and lacunary strongly (Δim,p )-convergence of order α. We establish some connections between lacunary strongly (Δim,p )-convergence of order α and Δim-lacunary statistical convergence of order α. It is shown that if a sequence is lacunary strongly (Δim,p )-summable of order α then it is Δim-lacunary statistically convergent of order α.

High-resolution velocimetry in energetic tidal currents using a convergent-beam acoustic Doppler profiler

Science.gov (United States)

Sellar, Brian; Harding, Samuel; Richmond, Marshall

2015-08-01

An array of single-beam acoustic Doppler profilers has been developed for the high resolution measurement of three-dimensional tidal flow velocities and subsequently tested in an energetic tidal site. This configuration has been developed to increase spatial resolution of velocity measurements in comparison to conventional acoustic Doppler profilers (ADPs) which characteristically use divergent acoustic beams emanating from a single instrument. This is achieved using geometrically convergent acoustic beams creating a sample volume at the focal point of 0.03 m3. Away from the focal point, the array is also able to simultaneously reconstruct three-dimensional velocity components in a profile throughout the water column, and is referred to herein as a convergent-beam acoustic Doppler profiler (C-ADP). Mid-depth profiling is achieved through integration of the sensor platform with the operational commercial-scale Alstom 1 MW DeepGen-IV Tidal Turbine deployed at the European Marine Energy Center, Orkney Isles, UK. This proof-of-concept paper outlines the C-ADP system configuration and comparison to measurements provided by co-installed reference instrumentation. Comparison of C-ADP to standard divergent ADP (D-ADP) velocity measurements reveals a mean difference of 8 mm s-1, standard deviation of 18 mm s-1, and an order of magnitude reduction in realisable length scale. C-ADP focal point measurements compared to a proximal single-beam reference show peak cross-correlation coefficient of 0.96 over 4.0 s averaging period and a 47% reduction in Doppler noise. The dual functionality of the C-ADP as a profiling instrument with a high resolution focal point make this configuration a unique and valuable advancement in underwater velocimetry enabling improved quantification of flow turbulence. Since waves are simultaneously measured via profiled velocities, pressure measurements and surface detection, it is expected that derivatives of this system will be a powerful tool in

Increasing dominance of IT in ICT convergence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henten, Anders; Tadayoni, Reza

The aim of the paper is to examine the increasing dominance of IT companies in the converging ICT industry and, on the basis of this development, to contribute to extending the theoretical understanding of market and industry convergence in the ICT area.......The aim of the paper is to examine the increasing dominance of IT companies in the converging ICT industry and, on the basis of this development, to contribute to extending the theoretical understanding of market and industry convergence in the ICT area....

Strategic business transformation through technology convergence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agarwal, Nivedita; Brem, Alexander

2015-01-01

-time intelligence. This paper presents the case of General Electric (GE) and studies the various transitional phases and transformation dimensions that GE is experiencing, to manage this technology convergence. The evaluation of GE's experience indicates that convergence-related business transformation is nonlinear......Technology adoption is crucial for an organisation to remain competitive in the marketplace. Traditionally, two technologies - operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) - have operated independently from one another; however, technological advancements that businesses...... are experiencing have increased the overlap and convergence of these two areas. Industrial organisations are investing heavily in the integration and alignment of these technologies and expect to benefit in several ways from this convergence, such as through increased productivity, reduction in cost, and real...

Fixed mobile convergence handbook

CERN Document Server

Ahson, Syed A

2010-01-01

From basic concepts to future directions, this handbook provides technical information on all aspects of fixed-mobile convergence (FMC). The book examines such topics as integrated management architecture, business trends and strategic implications for service providers, personal area networks, mobile controlled handover methods, SIP-based session mobility, and supervisory and notification aggregator service. Case studies are used to illustrate technical and systematic implementation of unified and rationalized internet access by fixed-mobile network convergence. The text examines the technolo

A Globally Convergent Matrix-Free Method for Constrained Equations and Its Linear Convergence Rate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min Sun

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A matrix-free method for constrained equations is proposed, which is a combination of the well-known PRP (Polak-Ribière-Polyak conjugate gradient method and the famous hyperplane projection method. The new method is not only derivative-free, but also completely matrix-free, and consequently, it can be applied to solve large-scale constrained equations. We obtain global convergence of the new method without any differentiability requirement on the constrained equations. Compared with the existing gradient methods for solving such problem, the new method possesses linear convergence rate under standard conditions, and a relax factor γ is attached in the update step to accelerate convergence. Preliminary numerical results show that it is promising in practice.

"Nanoselves": NBIC and the Culture of Convergence

Science.gov (United States)

Venkatesan, Priya

2010-01-01

The subject of this essay is NBIC convergence (nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science convergence). NBIC convergence is a recurring trope that is dominated by the paradigm of integration of the sciences. It is largely influenced by the considerations of social and economic impact, and it assumes positivism in…

Reliability and validity of the Fear of Intimacy Scale in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Ingersoll, Travis S; Norvilitis, Jill M; Zhang, Jie; Jia, Shuhua; Tetewsky, Sheldon

2008-05-01

Participants in China (n = 343) and the United States (n = 283) completed measures to assess the reliability and validity of the Fear of Intimacy Scale (Descutner & Thelen, 1991) with a Chinese population. Internal consistency was strong in both cultures, and the factor structure was also similar between cultures, with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) identifying three-factor models in both samples. As evidence of convergent validity, the scale was positively correlated with depression and negatively correlated with social support and self-esteem. There were gender differences between cultures, but low levels of femininity were predictive of fear of intimacy in both cultures. The influence of individualism and collectivism varied, with high levels of individualism more predictive of a fear of intimacy in China than in the United States.

Sectoral Energy, and Labour, Productivity Convergence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mulder, P.; De Groot, H.L.F.

2007-01-01

This paper empirically investigates the development of cross-country differences in energy- and labour productivity. The analysis is performed at a detailed sectoral level for 14 OECD countries, covering the period 1970-1997. A ρ-convergence analysis reveals that the development over time of the cross-country variation in productivity performance differs across sectors as well as across different levels of aggregation. Both patterns of convergence as well as divergence are found. Cross-country variation of productivity levels is typically larger for energy than for labour. A β-convergence analysis provides support for the hypothesis that in most sectors lagging countries tend to catch up with technological leaders, in particular in terms of energy productivity. Moreover, the results show that convergence is conditional, meaning that productivity levels converge to country-specific steady states. Energy prices and wages are shown to positively affect energy- and labour-productivity growth, respectively. We also find evidence for the importance of economies of scale, whereas the investment share, openness and specialization play only a modest role in explaining cross-country variation in energy- and labour-productivity growth

Convergent evolution of the genomes of marine mammals

Science.gov (United States)

Foote, Andrew D.; Liu, Yue; Thomas, Gregg W.C.; Vinař, Tomáš; Alföldi, Jessica; Deng, Jixin; Dugan, Shannon; van Elk, Cornelis E.; Hunter, Margaret; Joshi, Vandita; Khan, Ziad; Kovar, Christie; Lee, Sandra L.; Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin; Mancia, Annalaura; Nielsen, Rasmus; Qin, Xiang; Qu, Jiaxin; Raney, Brian J.; Vijay, Nagarjun; Wolf, Jochen B. W.; Hahn, Matthew W.; Muzny, Donna M.; Worley, Kim C.; Gilbert, M. Thomas P.; Gibbs, Richard A.

2015-01-01

Marine mammals from different mammalian orders share several phenotypic traits adapted to the aquatic environment and therefore represent a classic example of convergent evolution. To investigate convergent evolution at the genomic level, we sequenced and performed de novo assembly of the genomes of three species of marine mammals (the killer whale, walrus and manatee) from three mammalian orders that share independently evolved phenotypic adaptations to a marine existence. Our comparative genomic analyses found that convergent amino acid substitutions were widespread throughout the genome and that a subset of these substitutions were in genes evolving under positive selection and putatively associated with a marine phenotype. However, we found higher levels of convergent amino acid substitutions in a control set of terrestrial sister taxa to the marine mammals. Our results suggest that, whereas convergent molecular evolution is relatively common, adaptive molecular convergence linked to phenotypic convergence is comparatively rare.

Convergence Insufficiency

Science.gov (United States)

... is also found to be weak. If both accommodation and convergence are weak, reading glasses, sometimes with prism added, may be a great option for these patients. It is very difficult to improve accommodation with exercises. Updated 7/2017 Eye Terms & Conditions ...

The Assessment of Accommodation and Convergence System in the Bank Employees

OpenAIRE

Monireh Mahjoob; Abbas Azimi-Khorasani; Hamed Momeni-Moghadam; Masoud Raeisi; Jalil Nejati

2013-01-01

Background: Regarding the high outbreak rate of the eye disorders and problems particularly accommodation disorders and convergence insufficiency in computer users, the study tries to determine the convergence, accommodation system, condition, fusion reserves and vision dimension in bank employees (who work with computers) and the control group (who are not computer users) and then to compare the mentioned parameters in the two groups. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional and observ...

Structural convergence under reversible and irreversible monetary unification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beetsma, R.M.W.J.; Jensen, H.

2003-01-01

We explore endogenous monetary unification in the context of a model in which a country with serious structural distortions (and, hence, high inflation) is admitted into a monetary union once its economic structure has converged sufficiently towards that of the existing participants. If unification

Structural convergence under reversible and irreversible monetary unification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beetsma, R.M.W.J.; Jensen, H.

1999-01-01

We explore endogenous monetary unification in the context of a model in which a country with serious structural distortions (and, hence, high inflation) is admitted into a monetary union once its economic structure has converged sufficiently towards that of the existing participants. If unification

Convergence theorems for Banach space valued integrable multifunctions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolaos S. Papageorgiou

1987-01-01

Full Text Available In this work we generalize a result of Kato on the pointwise behavior of a weakly convergent sequence in the Lebesgue-Bochner spaces LXP(Ω (1≤p≤∞. Then we use that result to prove Fatou's type lemmata and dominated convergence theorems for the Aumann integral of Banach space valued measurable multifunctions. Analogous convergence results are also proved for the sets of integrable selectors of those multifunctions. In the process of proving those convergence theorems we make some useful observations concerning the Kuratowski-Mosco convergence of sets.

Weak convergence and uniform normalization in infinitary rewriting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Jakob Grue

2010-01-01

the starkly surprising result that for any orthogonal system with finitely many rules, the system is weakly normalizing under weak convergence if{f} it is strongly normalizing under weak convergence if{f} it is weakly normalizing under strong convergence if{f} it is strongly normalizing under strong...... convergence. As further corollaries, we derive a number of new results for weakly convergent rewriting: Systems with finitely many rules enjoy unique normal forms, and acyclic orthogonal systems are confluent. Our results suggest that it may be possible to recover some of the positive results for strongly...

Electricity and gas : market and price convergence : fundamentals of restructuring and convergence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heintz, H.; Spragins, R.

2000-07-01

One of the results of the transition from regulation to competition in the Canadian and American natural gas and electricity industries is convergence of the two industries. Convergence is occurring in the areas of corporate structuring activities (mergers and acquisitions), natural gas and electricity prices, products and services, and on a geographic basis. This study examines the restructuring and convergence from the perspective of industry stakeholders, consumers, competitors and regulators. The trend to deregulate to establish competitive markets has been driven by the assumption that lower prices and more choices will result. Deregulation has been made easier by technological developments and innovations in the area of conventional generation, distributed generation, information management and analysis, as well as mass communication channels such as the Internet. These changes have made it possible to measure and monitor energy use in real-time. Technological changes will continue to influence the energy industry. The use of different restructuring rules and regulations in jurisdictions that are implementing change may be one of the primary factors that could limit the extent of convergence. Successful competition by energy service providers in converged retail energy markets will depend on several factors, the first of which is the ability to control the customer interface through retail cycle services such as metering and billing. The second is the successful branding of corporate identities, products and services. These will ensure customer loyalty and facilitate the marketing of new products. Another factor would be the effective management of information regarding natural gas and electricity consumption patterns and the establishment of low cost operations through the use of conventional generation technologies. The final factor for successful competition is the effective use of low cost communication technologies such as the Internet. The transition

Electricity and gas : market and price convergence : fundamentals of restructuring and convergence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heintz, H.; Spragins, R.

2000-01-01

One of the results of the transition from regulation to competition in the Canadian and American natural gas and electricity industries is convergence of the two industries. Convergence is occurring in the areas of corporate structuring activities (mergers and acquisitions), natural gas and electricity prices, products and services, and on a geographic basis. This study examines the restructuring and convergence from the perspective of industry stakeholders, consumers, competitors and regulators. The trend to deregulate to establish competitive markets has been driven by the assumption that lower prices and more choices will result. Deregulation has been made easier by technological developments and innovations in the area of conventional generation, distributed generation, information management and analysis, as well as mass communication channels such as the Internet. These changes have made it possible to measure and monitor energy use in real-time. Technological changes will continue to influence the energy industry. The use of different restructuring rules and regulations in jurisdictions that are implementing change may be one of the primary factors that could limit the extent of convergence. Successful competition by energy service providers in converged retail energy markets will depend on several factors, the first of which is the ability to control the customer interface through retail cycle services such as metering and billing. The second is the successful branding of corporate identities, products and services. These will ensure customer loyalty and facilitate the marketing of new products. Another factor would be the effective management of information regarding natural gas and electricity consumption patterns and the establishment of low cost operations through the use of conventional generation technologies. The final factor for successful competition is the effective use of low cost communication technologies such as the Internet. The transition

A validational study of the Ironson-Woods Spirituality/Religiousness Index in Nigerian adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Otakpor, Alex N; Akanni, Oluyemi O

2015-01-01

The mental health impact of spirituality/religiousness is widely recognised and studied in Western countries, but less so in developing nations, partly because of lack of valid instruments for such studies. The objective of the study was to determine the convergent validity of the Ironson-Woods Spirituality/Religiousness Index (IWSRI) in school attending Nigerian adolescents, and any relationship between spirituality/religiousness and mental health status. The 25-item IWSRI, the "Age Universal" Religious Orientation Scale (ROS) and the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were administered to 300 randomly selected final year senior secondary students, aged 16 to 19 years, in Benin City. Responses were analysed using SPSS version 16 to determine the internal consistency for reliability, and correlation scores for convergent validity, of the IWSRI. Cronbach's alpha for the total IWSRI scale was 0.91; and for each of the two spirituality and two religiousness subscales of the IWSRI, these were quite high as well. The correlation of IWSRI with ROS intrinsic (r=0.47, p=0.00) and extrinsic personal religiosity (r=0.22, p=0.00) were significant. There was a significant difference in the IWSRI mean scores of GHQ cases and non-cases (t=4.30, p=0.00). IWSRI has acceptable psychometric properties, and therefore applicable in measuring spirituality and religiousness in Nigerian adolescents.

The Internal Consistency and Validity of the Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale: A Replication Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Louise; Smith, Michael; Miller, Christopher B; O'Carroll, Ronan E

2018-06-19

Vaccinations are important preventative health behaviors. The recently developed Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) Scale aims to measure the reasons behind refusal/hesitancy regarding vaccinations. The aim of this replication study is to conduct an independent test of the newly developed VAX Scale in the UK. We tested (a) internal consistency (Cronbach's α); (b) convergent validity by assessing its relationships with beliefs about medication, medical mistrust, and perceived sensitivity to medicines; and (c) construct validity by testing how well the VAX Scale discriminated between vaccinators and nonvaccinators. A sample of 243 UK adults completed the VAX Scale, the Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire, the Perceived Sensitivity to Medicines Scale, and the Medical Mistrust Index, in addition to demographics of age, gender, education levels, and social deprivation. Participants were asked (a) whether they received an influenza vaccination in the past year and (b) if they had a young child, whether they had vaccinated the young child against influenza in the past year. The VAX (a) demonstrated high internal consistency (α = .92); (b) was positively correlated with medical mistrust and beliefs about medicines, and less strongly correlated with perceived sensitivity to medicines; and (c) successfully differentiated parental influenza vaccinators from nonvaccinators. The VAX demonstrated good internal consistency, convergent validity, and construct validity in an independent UK sample. It appears to be a useful measure to help us understand the health beliefs that promote or deter vaccination behavior.

Validation of the Spanish Addiction Severity Index Multimedia Version (S-ASI-MV).

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, Stephen F; Redondo, José Pedro; Fernandez, Kathrine C; Villapiano, Albert

2009-01-01

This study aimed to develop and test the reliability and validity of a Spanish adaptation of the ASI-MV, a computer administered version of the Addiction Severity Index, called the S-ASI-MV. Participants were 185 native Spanish-speaking adult clients from substance abuse treatment facilities serving Spanish-speaking clients in Florida, New Mexico, California, and Puerto Rico. Participants were administered the S-ASI-MV as well as Spanish versions of the general health subscale of the SF-36, the work and family unit subscales of the Social Adjustment Scale Self-Report, the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, the alcohol and drug subscales of the Personality Assessment Inventory, and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-90. Three-to-five-day test-retest reliability was examined along with criterion validity, convergent/discriminant validity, and factorial validity. Measurement invariance between the English and Spanish versions of the ASI-MV was also examined. The S-ASI-MV demonstrated good test-retest reliability (ICCs for composite scores between .59 and .93), criterion validity (rs for composite scores between .66 and .87), and convergent/discriminant validity. Factorial validity and measurement invariance were demonstrated. These results compared favorably with those reported for the original interviewer version of the ASI and the English version of the ASI-MV.

Validation suite for MCNP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosteller, Russell D.

2002-01-01

Two validation suites, one for criticality and another for radiation shielding, have been defined and tested for the MCNP Monte Carlo code. All of the cases in the validation suites are based on experiments so that calculated and measured results can be compared in a meaningful way. The cases in the validation suites are described, and results from those cases are discussed. For several years, the distribution package for the MCNP Monte Carlo code1 has included an installation test suite to verify that MCNP has been installed correctly. However, the cases in that suite have been constructed primarily to test options within the code and to execute quickly. Consequently, they do not produce well-converged answers, and many of them are physically unrealistic. To remedy these deficiencies, sets of validation suites are being defined and tested for specific types of applications. All of the cases in the validation suites are based on benchmark experiments. Consequently, the results from the measurements are reliable and quantifiable, and calculated results can be compared with them in a meaningful way. Currently, validation suites exist for criticality and radiation-shielding applications.

CERN, AFS and PLUS credentials converge into one single credential pair

CERN Multimedia

IT Department

2008-01-01

Over the past few years the IT department has been streamlining CERN users’ access to all central computing services. For each user, the long term goal is to converge on a single CERN Account with a unique credential pair (username and password). This strategy will make IT services more coherent and thus easier for users to understand. It will also simplify account maintenance and give a central point of control where security measures can be applied. As the next step of this process, on the 1st July 2008 your CERN, PLUS and AFS accounts will converge into one single CERN Account. From then on the Account names will already be unique and universal. The passwords will become unique and universal after the first password change, which users are encouraged to do at their earliest convenience. Until then the existing passwords will remain valid on each individual service, but afterwards the new credentials will become truly common to all 3 services. Thus, starting on 1st July 2008, changing the password for PL...

CERN, AFS and PLUS credentials converge into a single credential pair

CERN Multimedia

IT Department

2008-01-01

Over the past few years the IT Department has been streamlining CERN users’ access to all central computing services. For each user, the long-term goal is to converge on a single CERN account with a unique credential pair (username and password). This strategy will make IT services more coherent and thus easier for users to understand. It will also simplify account maintenance and provide a central point of control where security measures can be applied. As the next step of this process, on 1st July 2008 your CERN, PLUS and AFS accounts will converge into a single CERN Account. From then on the account names will be unique and universal. The passwords will become unique and universal after the first password change, which users are encouraged to make at their earliest convenience. Until then the existing passwords will remain valid on each individual service, but afterwards the new credentials will become truly common to all 3 services. Thus, starting on 1st July 2008, changing the password for PLUS or AFS...

Tinnitus functional index: validation of the German version for Switzerland.

Science.gov (United States)

Peter, Nicole; Kleinjung, Tobias; Jeker, Raphael; Meyer, Martin; Klaghofer, Richard; Weidt, Steffi

2017-05-05

Different standardized questionnaires are used to assess tinnitus severity, making comparisons across studies difficult. These questionnaires are also used to measure treatment-related changes in tinnitus although they were not designed for this purpose. To solve these problems, a new questionnaire - the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) - has been established. The TFI is highly responsive to treatment-related change and promises to be the new gold standard in tinnitus evaluation. The aim of the current study was to validate a German version of the TFI for a German-speaking population in Switzerland. At the ENT department of the University Hospital Zurich, 264 subjects completed an online survey including the German version for Switzerland of TFI, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and sociodemographic variables. Internal consistency of the TFI was calculated with Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Pearson correlation coefficients were used for the test-retest reliability of the TFI and to investigate convergent and discriminant validity between the THI and the BDI and BAI, respectively. Factor analysis was assessed using a principal component analysis with oblique rotation. The different factors extracted were then compared with the original questionnaire. The German version of the TFI for Switzerland showed an excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.97) and an excellent test-retest reliability of 0.91. The convergent validity with THI was high (r = 0.86). The discriminant validity with BAI and BDI showed moderate results (BAI: r = 0.60 and BDI: r = 0.65). In the factor analysis only five factors with one main factor could be extracted instead of eight factors as described in the original version. Nevertheless, relations to the original eight subscales could be demonstrated. The German version of the TFI for Switzerland is a suitable instrument for measuring the impact of tinnitus

Quadratically convergent MCSCF scheme using Fock operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, G.

1981-01-01

A quadratically convergent formulation of the MCSCF method using Fock operators is presented. Among its advantages the present formulation is quadratically convergent unlike the earlier ones based on Fock operators. In contrast to other quadratically convergent schemes as well as the one based on generalized Brillouin's theorem, this method leads easily to a hybrid scheme where the weakly coupled orbitals (such as the core) are handled purely by Fock equations, while the rest of the orbitals are treated by a quadratically convergent approach with a truncated virtual space obtained by the use of the corresponding Fock equations

Free-Tropospheric Moisture Convergence and Tropical Convective Regimes

Science.gov (United States)

Masunaga, H.

2014-12-01

It is known that quiescent periods with only shallow cumuli prevalent are frequently observed even in the deep Tropics, which is considered from the climatological perspectives as an area harboring vigorous deep convection. It is argued in this work that the free-tropospheric (FT) moisture convergence is a crucial factor for separating the stable maintenance of isolated shallow cumuli in the quiescent periods from the self-sustaining growth of organized convective systems in the dynamic periods over tropical oceans. The analysis is based on a variety of satellite measurements including Aqua AIRS T and q soundings and QuikSCAT surface wind, composited with reference to the time before or after the occurrence of precipitating clouds detected by TRMM PR. The FT moisture convergence and updraft moisture flux at cloud base are then derived from this dataset under large-scale moisture budget constraint (see Figure). Free-tropospheric precipitation efficiency (FTPE), or the ratio of precipitation to updraft moisture flux at cloud base, is introduced as a measure of convective intensity (rather than the population) over the large-scale domain. The following hypothesis is discussed in light of the analysis results. Isolated shallow cumuli would stay shallow when large-scale FT moisture is diverging (although moisture is weakly converging when integrated over the whole troposphere) since an increase in cumulus population would be counteracted by an additional moisture divergence in the FT. When large-scale FT convergence is positive, in contrast, developing clouds would induce a more moisture input and allow an unstable growth to a highly organized convective system. Zero FT moisture convergence may serve as the neutrality separating the negative feedback acting in the quiescent regime from the positive feedback instrumental for the dynamic regime.

A systematic review of the reliability and validity of discrete choice experiments in valuing non-market environmental goods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rokotonarivo, Sarobidy; Schaafsma, Marije; Hockley, Neal

2016-01-01

reliability measures. DCE results were generally consistent with those of other stated preference techniques (convergent validity), but hypothetical bias was common. Evidence supporting theoretical validity (consistency with assumptions of rational choice theory) was limited. In content validity tests, 2...

Validity and reliability of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student Version in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Wickramasinghe, Nuwan Darshana; Dissanayake, Devani Sakunthala; Abeywardena, Gihan Sajiwa

2018-05-04

The present study was aimed at assessing the validity and the reliability of the Sinhala version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student Version (UWES-S) among collegiate cycle students in Sri Lanka. The 17-item UWES-S was translated to Sinhala and the judgmental validity was assessed by a multi-disciplinary panel of experts. Construct validity of the UWES-S was appraised by using multi-trait scaling analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on data obtained from a sample of 194 grade thirteen students in the Kurunegala district, Sri Lanka. Reliability of the UWES-S was assessed by using internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Except for item 13, all other items showed good psychometric properties in judgemental validity, item-convergent validity and item-discriminant validity. EFA using principal component analysis with Oblimin rotation, suggested a three-factor solution (including vigor, dedication and absorption subscales) explaining 65.4% of the total variance for the 16-item UWES-S (with item 13 deleted). All three subscales show high internal consistency with Cronbach's α coefficient values of 0.867, 0.819, and 0.903 and test-retest reliability was high (p valid and a reliable instrument to assess work engagement among collegiate cycle students in Sri Lanka.

Validation of the Adolescent Meta-cognition Questionnaire Version

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazem Khoramdel

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Background: The role and importance of meta-cognitive beliefs in creating and retaining of anxiety disorders were explained initially in meta-cognitive theory. The purpose of this study was to validate the Meta-cognitions Questionnaire-Adolescent version (MCQ-A in normal Iranian people and compare of meta-cognitive beliefs between adolescents with anxiety disorders and normal individuals.Materials and Method: This was a standardized study. First of all, the original version was translated into Persian then administered to 204 (101 boys and 103 girls adolescent aged 13 through 17 years. Theyhave been clustered randomly. They were selected from the schools of Isfahan, together with mood and feelings questionnaire and revised children's manifest anxiety scale. In order to assess reliability, method of internal consistency (Chronbach’s alpha and split-half coefficient was used, and also in order to assess validity, convergent validity, criterion validity and confirmatory factor analysis were used. Results: The results of correlation coefficient of convergent validity showed a relation between total score of (MCQ-A and its components with anxiety and depression except cognitive self-consciousness. Data were indicative of appropriate level of Coranbach’s alpha and split-half reliability coefficients of the MCQ-A and extracted factors. The results of factor analysis by principle components analysis and using varimax rotation showed 5 factors that account for 0.45% of the variance. Conclusion: MCQ-A has satisfactory psychometric properties in Iranian people

Validity, reliability and responsiveness of the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory in patients treated for infective endocarditis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Trine Bernholdt; Konradsen, Hanne; Dixon, Jane

2017-01-01

been validated in this patient population. The purpose of this study was thus to assess the validity, reliability and responsiveness of the Danish Body Image Quality of Life Inventory (BIQLI-DA) on patients treated for IE. METHODS: We evaluated the psychometric properties of the BIQLI-DA on data......: The BIQLI-DA may be applicable in healthcare research as it seems to be valid, reliable and responsive; however, evidence should be strengthened through further exploration of instrument performance, particularly regarding responsiveness.......: Participants were seventy patients with a mean age of 58 years and of which 83% were men. Results indicated convergent construct validity by confirming hypothesised associations to potentially related constructs. The BIQLI-DA was found to be highly internally consistent with a Cronbach's alpha of 0...

a globally convergent hyperpl onvergent hyperplane

African Journals Online (AJOL)

userpc

Bayero Journal of Pure and App. ISSN 2006 – 6996 ... Globally Convergent Hyper plane-BFGS method for solving nonline. The attractive ... Numerical performance on some b rates there liability ..... convergence of a class of quasi methods on ...

Reasons for Polytobacco Use among Young Adults: Scale Development and Validation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla J Berg

2016-07-01

Each of the four factors identified demonstrated unique convergent and discriminant validity. The use of this scale to characterize polytobacco using young adults may help inform and target cessation or prevention interventions.

Portuguese version of a stress and well-being evaluation tool (ASSET)at the workplace: validation of the psychometric properties

Science.gov (United States)

Moreira, Sérgio; Carreiras, Joana; Cooper, Cary; Smeed, Matthew; Reis, Maria de Fátima; Pereira Miguel, José

2018-01-01

Objective The main objective of this work was to translate the English version of ASSET (A Shortened Stress Evaluation Tool) into the Portuguese version and to validate its psychometric properties. Additionally, this work tested the convergent validity of the instrument. Methods The translation and retroversion were conducted by experts and submitted to the authors for approval. Within an observational, cross-sectional study, regarding mental health at the workplace, ASSET together with other scales was applied to a sample of 405 participants. The psychometric validity of the subscales was studied using confirmatory factorial analysis. Results The factorial structure of ASSET is globally supported by the results, with the Perceptions of Your Job and Attitudes Towards your Organisation subscales requiring slight adjustments in the item structure and the Your Health subscales replicating the original structure. The convergent validity also supports the ASSET, showing that all subscales are significantly correlated with variables used to test convergence. Conclusions Globally, the results constitute an important contribution to ASSET and open the possibility of its usage among Portuguese-speaking countries. The results provide an evidence on the validity of the instrument and, in particular, of the mental and physical health subscales. PMID:29440211

The Mackey convergence condition for spaces with webs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas E. Gilsdorf

1988-01-01

Full Text Available If each sequence converging to 0 in a locally convex space is also Mackey convergent to 0, that space is said to satisfy the Mackey convergence condition. The problem of characterizing those locally convex spaces with this property is still open. In this paper, spaces with compatible webs are used to construct both a necessary and a sufficient condition for a locally convex space to satisfy the Mackey convergence condition.

On the Fuzzy Convergence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Hameed Q. A. Al-Tai

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to introduce and study the fuzzy neighborhood, the limit fuzzy number, the convergent fuzzy sequence, the bounded fuzzy sequence, and the Cauchy fuzzy sequence on the base which is adopted by Abdul Hameed (every real number r is replaced by a fuzzy number r¯ (either triangular fuzzy number or singleton fuzzy set (fuzzy point. And then, we will consider that some results respect effect of the upper sequence on the convergent fuzzy sequence, the bounded fuzzy sequence, and the Cauchy fuzzy sequence.

Tropical High Cloud Fraction Controlled by Cloud Lifetime Rather Than Clear-sky Convergence

Science.gov (United States)

Seeley, J.; Jeevanjee, N.; Romps, D. M.

2016-12-01

Observations and simulations show a peak in cloud fraction below the tropopause. This peak is usually attributed to a roughly co-located peak in radiatively-driven clear-sky convergence, which is presumed to force convective detrainment and thus promote large cloud fraction. Using simulations of radiative-convective equilibrium forced by various radiative cooling profiles, we refute this mechanism by showing that an upper-tropospheric peak in cloud fraction persists even in simulations with no peak in clear-sky convergence. Instead, cloud fraction profiles seem to be controlled by cloud lifetimes — i.e., how long it takes for clouds to dissipate after they have detrained. A simple model of cloud evaporation shows that the small saturation deficit in the upper troposphere greatly extends cloud lifetimes there, while the large saturation deficit in the lower troposphere causes condensate to evaporate quickly. Since cloud mass flux must go to zero at the tropopause, a peak in cloud fraction emerges at a "sweet spot" below the tropopause where cloud lifetimes are long and there is still sufficient mass flux to be detrained.

[Development and validity of workplace bullying in nursing-type inventory (WPBN-TI)].

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Younju; Lee, Mihyoung

2014-04-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to assess bullying of nurses, and test the validity and reliability of the instrument. The initial thirty items of WPBN-TI were identified through a review of the literature on types bullying related to nursing and in-depth interviews with 14 nurses who experienced bullying at work. Sixteen items were developed through 2 content validity tests by 9 experts and 10 nurses. The final WPBN-TI instrument was evaluated by 458 nurses from five general hospitals in the Incheon metropolitan area. SPSS 18.0 program was used to assess the instrument based on internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity. WPBN-TI consisted of 16 items with three distinct factors (verbal and nonverbal bullying, work-related bullying, and external threats), which explained 60.3% of the total variance. The convergent validity and determinant validity for WPBN-TI were 100.0%, 89.7%, respectively. Known-groups validity of WPBN-TI was proven through the mean difference between subjective perception of bullying. The satisfied criterion validity for WPBN-TI was more than .70. The reliability of WPBN-TI was Cronbach's α of .91. WPBN-TI with high validity and reliability is suitable to determine types of bullying in nursing workplace.

The Development and Validation of the Rational and Intuitive Decision Styles Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, Katherine; Shih, Shin-I; Mohammed, Susan

2016-01-01

Decision styles reflect the typical manner by which individuals make decisions. The purpose of this research was to develop and validate a decision style scale that addresses conceptual and psychometric problems with current measures. The resulting 10-item scale captures a broad range of the rational and intuitive styles construct domain. Results from 5 independent samples provide initial support for the dimensionality and reliability of the new scale, as demonstrated by a clear factor structure and high internal consistency. In addition, our results show evidence of convergent and discriminant validity through expected patterns of correlations across decision-making individual differences and the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) Big Five traits. Research domains that would benefit from incorporating the concept of decision styles are discussed.

Predictive, Construct, and Convergent Validity of General and Domain-Specific Measures of Hope for College Student Academic Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Cecil; Rose, Sage

2010-01-01

One leading version of hope theory posits hope to be a general disposition for goal-directed agency and pathways thinking. Domain-specific hope theory suggests that hope operates within context and measures of hope should reflect that context. This study examined three measures of hope to test the predictive, construct, and convergent validity…

FORENSIC-CLINICAL INTERVIEW: RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY FOR THE EVALUATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INJURY

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Francisca Fariña

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Forensic evaluation of psychological injury involves the use of a multimethod approximation i.e., a psychometric instrument, normally the MMPI-2, and a clinical interview. In terms of the clinical interview, the traditional clinical interview (e.g., SCID is not valid for forensic settings as it does not fulfil the triple objective of forensic evaluation: diagnosis of psychological injury in terms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD, a differential diagnosis of feigning, and establishing a causal relationship between allegations of intimate partner violence (IPV and psychological injury. To meet this requirement, Arce and Fariña (2001 created the forensic-clinical interview based on two techniques that do not contaminate the contents i.e., reinstating the contexts and free recall, and a methodic categorical system of contents analysis for the diagnosis of psychological injury and a differential diagnosis of feigning. The reliability and validity of the forensic-clinical interview designed for the forensic evaluation of psychological injury was assessed in 51 genuine cases of (IPV and 54 mock victims of IPV who were evaluated using a forensic-clinical interview and the MMPI-2. The result revealed that the forensic-clinical interview was a reliable instrument (α = .85 for diagnostic criteria of psychological injury, and α = .744 for feigning strategies. Moreover, the results corroborated the predictive validity (the diagnosis of PTSD was similar to the expected rate; the convergence validity (the diagnosis of PTSD in the interview strongly correlated with the Pk Scale of the MMPI-2, and discriminant validity (the diagnosis of PTSD in the interview did not correlate with the Pk Scale in feigners. The feigning strategies (differential diagnosis also showed convergent validity (high correlation with the Scales and indices of the MMPI2 for the measure of feigning and discriminant validity (no genuine victim was classified as a feigner

On statistical acceleration convergence of double sequences

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Bipan Hazarika

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In this article the notion of statistical acceleration convergence of double sequences in Pringsheim's sense has been introduced. We prove the decompostion theorems for  statistical acceleration convergence of double sequences and some theorems related to that concept have been established using the four dimensional matrix transformations. We provided some examples, where the results of acceleration convergence fails to hold for the statistical cases.

Convergence of carbon dioxide emissions in different sectors in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Juan; Zhang, Kezhong

2014-01-01

In this paper, we analyze differences in per capita carbon dioxide emissions from 1996 to 2010 in six sectors across 28 provinces in China and examine the σ-convergence, stochastic convergence and β-convergence of these emissions. We also investigate the factors that impact the convergence of per capita carbon dioxide emissions in each sector. The results show that per capita carbon dioxide emissions in all sectors converged across provinces from 1996 to 2010. Factors that impact the convergence of per capita carbon dioxide emissions in each sector vary: GDP (gross domestic product) per capita, industrialization process and population density impact convergence in the Industry sector, while GDP per capita and population density impact convergence in the Transportation, Storage, Postal, and Telecommunications Services sector. Aside from GDP per capita and population density, trade openness also impacts convergence in the Wholesale, Retail, Trade, and Catering Service sector. Population density is the only factor that impacts convergence in the Residential Consumption sector. - Highlights: • Analyze differences in CO 2 emissions in six sectors among 28 provinces in China. • Examine the convergence of CO 2 emissions in six sectors. • Investigate factors impact on convergence of CO 2 emissions in each sector. • Factors impact on convergence of per capita CO 2 emissions in each sector vary

Genetic convergence in the adaptation of dogs and humans to the high-altitude environment of the tibetan plateau.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Guo-Dong; Fan, Ruo-Xi; Zhai, Weiwei; Liu, Fei; Wang, Lu; Zhong, Li; Wu, Hong; Yang, He-Chuan; Wu, Shi-Fang; Zhu, Chun-Ling; Li, Yan; Gao, Yun; Ge, Ri-Li; Wu, Chung-I; Zhang, Ya-Ping

2014-08-01

The high-altitude hypoxic environment represents one of the most extreme challenges for mammals. Previous studies of humans on the Tibetan plateau and in the Andes Mountains have identified statistical signatures of selection in different sets of loci. Here, we first measured the hemoglobin levels in village dogs from Tibet and those from Chinese lowlands. We found that the hemoglobin levels are very similar between the two groups, suggesting that Tibetan dogs might share similar adaptive strategies as the Tibetan people. Through a whole-genome sequencing approach, we have identified EPAS1 and HBB as candidate genes for the hypoxic adaptation on the Tibetan plateau. The population genetic analysis shows a significant convergence between humans and dogs in Tibet. The similarities in the sets of loci that exhibit putative signatures of selection and the hemoglobin levels between humans and dogs of the same environment, but not between human populations in different regions, suggests an extraordinary landscape of convergent evolution between human beings and their best friend on the Tibetan plateau. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

DOES THE MAASTRICHT CONVERGENCE CRITERIA WORK?

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Karsai Zoltán-Krisztián

2012-12-01

seven countries analyzed. France and Germany, characterized by healthy fiscal and economic policies is also exposed to risks stemming from the evolution of the private debt. In case of Greece, Ireland and Spain the high current account deficit represented a significant explanatory variable, while the outstanding loans to the private sector proved to be significant in the case of Ireland, Italy and Portugal. The significance of real labour productivity for Greece and Italy proves that real convergence should also be obtained beside nominal convergence by economies in the currency block. All significant variables had explanatory power through their lagged value, hence counterbalancing policies can be elaborated in a timely manner in order to stabilize the economy if signs indicate a potentially unsustainable economic path.

Evidence for the Convergence Model: The Emergence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 in Viet Nam.

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Sumeet Saksena

Full Text Available Building on a series of ground breaking reviews that first defined and drew attention to emerging infectious diseases (EID, the 'convergence model' was proposed to explain the multifactorial causality of disease emergence. The model broadly hypothesizes disease emergence is driven by the co-incidence of genetic, physical environmental, ecological, and social factors. We developed and tested a model of the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5N1 based on suspected convergence factors that are mainly associated with land-use change. Building on previous geospatial statistical studies that identified natural and human risk factors associated with urbanization, we added new factors to test whether causal mechanisms and pathogenic landscapes could be more specifically identified. Our findings suggest that urbanization spatially combines risk factors to produce particular types of peri-urban landscapes with significantly higher HPAI H5N1 emergence risk. The work highlights that peri-urban areas of Viet Nam have higher levels of chicken densities, duck and geese flock size diversities, and fraction of land under rice or aquaculture than rural and urban areas. We also found that land-use diversity, a surrogate measure for potential mixing of host populations and other factors that likely influence viral transmission, significantly improves the model's predictability. Similarly, landscapes where intensive and extensive forms of poultry production overlap were found at greater risk. These results support the convergence hypothesis in general and demonstrate the potential to improve EID prevention and control by combing geospatial monitoring of these factors along with pathogen surveillance programs.

Quantifying convergence in the sciences

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Sara Lumbreras

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Traditional epistemological models classify knowledge into separate disciplines with different objects of study and specific techniques, with some frameworks even proposing hierarchies (such as Comte’s. According to thinkers such as John Holland or Teilhard de Chardin, the advancement of science involves the convergence of disciplines. This proposed convergence can be studied in a number of ways, such as how works impact research outside a specific area (citation networks or how authors collaborate with other researchers in different fields (collaboration networks. While these studies are delivering significant new insights, they cannot easily show the convergence of different topics within a body of knowledge. This paper attempts to address this question in a quantitative manner, searching for evidence that supports the idea of convergence in the content of the sciences themselves (that is, whether the sciences are dealing with increasingly the same topics. We use Latent Dirichlet Analysis (LDA, a technique that is able to analyze texts and estimate the relative contributions of the topics that were used to generate them. We apply this tool to the corpus of the Santa Fe Institute (SFI working papers, which spans research on Complexity Science from 1989 to 2015. We then analyze the relatedness of the different research areas, the rise and demise of these sub-disciplines over time and, more broadly, the convergence of the research body as a whole. Combining the topic structure obtained from the collected publication history of the SFI community with techniques to infer hierarchy and clustering, we reconstruct a picture of a dynamic community which experiences trends, periodically recurring topics, and shifts in the closeness of scholarship over time. We find that there is support for convergence, and that the application of quantitative methods such as LDA to the study of knowledge can provide valuable insights that can help

Reliability and validity of the test of incremental respiratory endurance measures of inspiratory muscle performance in COPD

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Formiga MF

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Magno F Formiga,1,2 Kathryn E Roach,1 Isabel Vital,3 Gisel Urdaneta,3 Kira Balestrini,3 Rafael A Calderon-Candelario,3,4 Michael A Campos,3,4,* Lawrence P Cahalin1,* 1Department of Physical Therapy, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Coral Gables, FL, USA; 2CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasilia, Brazil; 3Pulmonary Section, Miami Veterans Administration Medical Center, Miami, FL, USA; 4Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: The Test of Incremental Respiratory Endurance (TIRE provides a comprehensive assessment of inspiratory muscle performance by measuring maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP over time. The integration of MIP over inspiratory duration (ID provides the sustained maximal inspiratory pressure (SMIP. Evidence on the reliability and validity of these measurements in COPD is not currently available. Therefore, we assessed the reliability, responsiveness and construct validity of the TIRE measures of inspiratory muscle performance in subjects with COPD. Patients and methods: Test–retest reliability, known-groups and convergent validity assessments were implemented simultaneously in 81 male subjects with mild to very severe COPD. TIRE measures were obtained using the portable PrO2 device, following standard guidelines. Results: All TIRE measures were found to be highly reliable, with SMIP demonstrating the strongest test–retest reliability with a nearly perfect intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC of 0.99, while MIP and ID clustered closely together behind SMIP with ICC values of about 0.97. Our findings also demonstrated known-groups validity of all TIRE measures, with SMIP and ID yielding larger effect sizes when compared to MIP in distinguishing between subjects of different COPD status. Finally, our analyses confirmed convergent validity for both SMIP

Validation of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis: A Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, Sarah D; Kwakkenbos, Linda; Carrier, Marie-Eve; Gholizadeh, Shadi; Fox, Rina S; Jewett, Lisa R; Gottesman, Karen; Roesch, Scott C; Thombs, Brett D; Malcarne, Vanessa L

2018-01-17

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease that can cause disfiguring changes in appearance. This study examined the structural validity, internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and measurement equivalence of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) across SSc disease subtypes. Patients enrolled in the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Cohort completed the SAAS and measures of appearance-related concerns and psychological distress. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the structural validity of the SAAS. Multiple-group CFA was used to determine if SAAS scores can be compared across patients with limited and diffuse disease subtypes. Cronbach's alpha was used to examine internal consistency reliability. Correlations of SAAS scores with measures of body image dissatisfaction, fear of negative evaluation, social anxiety, and depression were used to examine convergent validity. SAAS scores were hypothesized to be positively associated with all convergent validity measures, with correlations significant and moderate to large in size. A total of 938 patients with SSc were included. CFA supported a one-factor structure (CFI: .92; SRMR: .04; RMSEA: .08), and multiple-group CFA indicated that the scalar invariance model best fit the data. Internal consistency reliability was good in the total sample (α = .96) and in disease subgroups. Overall, evidence of convergent validity was found with measures of body image dissatisfaction, fear of negative evaluation, social anxiety, and depression. The SAAS can be reliably and validly used to assess fear of appearance evaluation in patients with SSc, and SAAS scores can be meaningfully compared across disease subtypes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

NEWS AND INSIGHTS ON THE CONVERGENCE OF IFRS - U.S. GAAP

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Ionela Cristina Breahna Pravat

2013-12-01

Full Text Available International accounting convergence is a highly complex process that began decades ago, emphasized globalization being the main factor that determined setters, professional bodies, investors to become aware of the importance of completing this process, namely the development and implementation of a common set of standards covering all areas of financial reporting. This objective was initially assumed by the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC, now the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB.In this respect, at first it is noted the convergence of U.S. standards with the international ones, respectively the convergence of U.S. GAAP - IFRS standards, that, at least in theory, are not so different from each other, as we can say that, just as IFRS, U.S. GAAP were designed as a system of principles-based accounting. In reality, the U.S. standards system has proven to be more of a rules-based accounting system, unlike his international equivalent/counterpart. And the current state of convergence of the two sets of rules still reflects significant differences, plus the opposition of some entities to accept international standards.

Multi-Trait Multi-Method Matrices for the Validation of Creativity and Critical Thinking Assessments for Secondary School Students in England and Greece

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Ourania Maria Ventista

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is the validation of measurement tools which assess critical thinking and creativity as general constructs instead of subject-specific skills. Specifically, this research examined whether there is convergent and discriminant (or divergent validity between measurement tools of creativity and critical thinking. For this purpose, the multi-trait and multi-method matrix suggested by Campbell and Fiske (1959 was used. This matrix presented the correlation of scores that students obtain in different assessments in order to reveal whether the assessments measure the same or different constructs. Specifically, the two methods used were written and oral exams, and the two traits measured were critical thinking and creativity. For the validation of the assessments, 30 secondary-school students in Greece and 21 in England completed the assessments. The sample in both countries provided similar results. The critical thinking tools demonstrated convergent validity when compared with each other and discriminant validity with the creativity assessments. Furthermore, creativity assessments which measure the same aspect of creativity demonstrated convergent validity. To conclude, this research provided indicators that critical thinking and creativity as general constructs can be measured in a valid way. However, since the sample was small, further investigation of the validation of the assessment tools with a bigger sample is recommended.

Beyond Brainstorming: Exploring Convergence in Teams

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seeber, Isabella; de Vreede, Gert-Jan; Maier, Ronald

2017-01-01

Collaborative brainstorming is often followed by a convergence activity where teams extract the most promising ideas on a useful level of detail from the brainstorming results. Contrary to the wealth of research on electronic brainstorming, there is a dearth of research on convergence. We used...

Convergence analysis of canonical genetic algorithms.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudolph, G

1994-01-01

This paper analyzes the convergence properties of the canonical genetic algorithm (CGA) with mutation, crossover and proportional reproduction applied to static optimization problems. It is proved by means of homogeneous finite Markov chain analysis that a CGA will never converge to the global optimum regardless of the initialization, crossover, operator and objective function. But variants of CGA's that always maintain the best solution in the population, either before or after selection, are shown to converge to the global optimum due to the irreducibility property of the underlying original nonconvergent CGA. These results are discussed with respect to the schema theorem.

convergent methods for calculating thermodynamic Green functions

OpenAIRE

Bowen, S. P.; Williams, C. D.; Mancini, J. D.

1984-01-01

A convergent method of approximating thermodynamic Green functions is outlined briefly. The method constructs a sequence of approximants which converges independently of the strength of the Hamiltonian's coupling constants. Two new concepts associated with the approximants are introduced: the resolving power of the approximation, and conditional creation (annihilation) operators. These ideas are illustrated on an exactly soluble model and a numerical example. A convergent expression for the s...

Log-binomial models: exploring failed convergence.

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Tyler; Eliasziw, Misha; Fick, Gordon Hilton

2013-12-13

Relative risk is a summary metric that is commonly used in epidemiological investigations. Increasingly, epidemiologists are using log-binomial models to study the impact of a set of predictor variables on a single binary outcome, as they naturally offer relative risks. However, standard statistical software may report failed convergence when attempting to fit log-binomial models in certain settings. The methods that have been proposed in the literature for dealing with failed convergence use approximate solutions to avoid the issue. This research looks directly at the log-likelihood function for the simplest log-binomial model where failed convergence has been observed, a model with a single linear predictor with three levels. The possible causes of failed convergence are explored and potential solutions are presented for some cases. Among the principal causes is a failure of the fitting algorithm to converge despite the log-likelihood function having a single finite maximum. Despite these limitations, log-binomial models are a viable option for epidemiologists wishing to describe the relationship between a set of predictors and a binary outcome where relative risk is the desired summary measure. Epidemiologists are encouraged to continue to use log-binomial models and advocate for improvements to the fitting algorithms to promote the widespread use of log-binomial models.

A class of convergent neural network dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Fiedler, Bernold; Gedeon, Tomáš

1998-01-01

We consider a class of systems of differential equations in Rn which exhibits convergent dynamics. We find a Lyapunov function and show that every bounded trajectory converges to the set of equilibria. Our result generalizes the results of Cohen and Grossberg (1983) for convergent neural networks. It replaces the symmetry assumption on the matrix of weights by the assumption on the structure of the connections in the neural network. We prove the convergence result also for a large class of Lotka-Volterra systems. These are naturally defined on the closed positive orthant. We show that there are no heteroclinic cycles on the boundary of the positive orthant for the systems in this class.

Convergence of knowledge, technology and society beyond convergence of nano-bio-info-cognitive technologies

CERN Document Server

Bainbridge, William; Tonn, Bruce; Whitesides, George

2013-01-01

Convergence of knowledge and technology for the benefit of society (CKTS) is the core opportunity for progress in the 21st century, based on five principles: (1) the interdependence of all components of nature and society, (2) enhancement of creativity and innovation through evolutionary processes of convergence that combine existing principles, and divergence that generates new ones, (3) decision analysis for research and development based on system-logic deduction, (4) higher-level cross-domain languages to generate new solutions and support transfer of new knowledge, and (5) vision-inspired basic research embodied in grand challenges. Solutions are outlined for key societal challenges, including creating new industries and jobs, improving lifelong wellness and human potential, achieving personalized and integrated healthcare and education, and securing a sustainable quality of life for all. This report provides a ten-year “NBIC2” vision within a longer-term framework for converging technology and human...

Neural convergence for language comprehension and grammatical class production in highly proficient bilinguals is independent of age of acquisition.

Science.gov (United States)

Consonni, Monica; Cafiero, Riccardo; Marin, Dario; Tettamanti, Marco; Iadanza, Antonella; Fabbro, Franco; Perani, Daniela

2013-05-01

In bilinguals, native (L1) and second (L2) languages are processed by the same neural resources that can be modulated by age of second language acquisition (AOA), proficiency level, and daily language exposure and usage. AOA seems to particularly affect grammar processing, where a complete neural convergence has been shown only in bilinguals with parallel language acquisition from birth. Despite the fact that proficiency-related neuroanatomical differences have been well documented in language comprehension (LC) and production, few reports have addressed the influence of language exposure. A still unanswered question pertains to the role of AOA, when proficiency is comparably high across languages, with respect to its modulator effects both on LC and production. Here, we evaluated with fMRI during sentence comprehension and verb and noun production tasks, two groups of highly proficient bilinguals only differing in AOA. One group learned Italian and Friulian in parallel from birth, whereas the second group learned Italian between 3 and 6 years. All participants were highly exposed to both languages, but more to Italian than Friulian. The results indicate a complete overlap of neural activations for the comprehension of both languages, not only in bilinguals from birth, but also in late bilinguals. A slightly extra activation in the left thalamus for the less-exposed language confirms that exposure may affect language processing. Noteworthy, we report for the first time that, when proficiency and exposure are kept high, noun and verb production recruit the same neural networks for L1 and L2, independently of AOA. These results support the neural convergence hypothesis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Explaining convergence of oecd welfare states

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmitt, C.; Starke, Peter

2011-01-01

of conditional convergence helps to both better describe and explain the phenomenon. By applying error correction models, we examine conditional convergence of various types of social expenditure in 21 OECD countries between 1980 and 2005. Our empirical findings go beyond the existing literature in two respects...

Low climate stabilisation under diverse growth and convergence scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markandya, A.; González-Eguino, M.; Criqui, P.; Mima, S.

2014-01-01

In the last decade a number of papers have analysed the consequences of achieving the greenhouse gas concentration levels necessary to maintain global temperature increases below 2 °C above preindustrial levels. Most models and scenarios assume that future trends in global GDP will be similar to the growth experienced in the past century, which would imply multiplying current output by about 19 times in the 21st century. However, natural resource and environmental constraints suggest that future global economic growth may not be so high. Furthermore, the environmental implications of such growth depend on how it is distributed across countries. This paper studies the implications on GHG abatement policies of low global GDP growth and high convergence levels in GDP per capita across countries. A partial equilibrium model (POLES) of the world's energy system is used to provide detailed projections up to 2050 for the different regions of the world. The results suggest that while low stabilisation could be technically feasible and economically viable for the world in all the scenarios considered, it is more likely to occur with more modest global growth. However, that will imply higher global abatement costs relative to GDP. Convergence in living standards on the other hand places greater pressures in terms of the required reduction in emissions. In general we find that there are major differences between regions in terms of the size and the timing of abatement costs and economic impact. - Highlights: • We study the implications of GDP growth and convergence on climate stabilisation. • A partial equilibrium model (POLES) of the world's energy system is used. • Low climate stabilisation is technically feasible and economically viable. • Low stabilisation is more likely to occur with more modest global growth. • Convergence places pressure in terms of the required reduction in emissions

Method of administration of PROMIS scales did not significantly impact score level, reliability, or validity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjorner, Jakob B; Rose, Matthias; Gandek, Barbara

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To test the impact of the method of administration (MOA) on score level, reliability, and validity of scales developed in the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Two nonoverlapping parallel forms each containing eight items from......, no significant mode differences were found and all confidence intervals were within the prespecified minimal important difference of 0.2 standard deviation. Parallel-forms reliabilities were very high (ICC = 0.85-0.93). Only one across-mode ICC was significantly lower than the same-mode ICC. Tests of validity...... questionnaire (PQ), personal digital assistant (PDA), or personal computer (PC) and a second form by PC, in the same administration. Method equivalence was evaluated through analyses of difference scores, intraclass correlations (ICCs), and convergent/discriminant validity. RESULTS: In difference score analyses...

Convergence Performance of Adaptive Algorithms of L-Filters

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Robert Hudec

2003-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with convergence parameters determination of adaptive algorithms, which are used in adaptive L-filters design. Firstly the stability of adaptation process, convergence rate or adaptation time, and behaviour of convergence curve belong among basic properties of adaptive algorithms. L-filters with variety of adaptive algorithms were used to their determination. Convergence performances finding of adaptive filters is important mainly for their hardware applications, where filtration in real time or adaptation of coefficient filter with low capacity of input data are required.

The Adaptation and Validation of the Emotion Matching Task for Preschool Children in Spain

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso-Alberca, Natalia; Vergara, Ana I.; Fernandez-Berrocal, Pablo; Johnson, Stacy R.; Izard, Carroll E.

2012-01-01

The Emotion Matching Task (EMT; Izard, Haskins, Schultz, Trentacosta, & King, 2003) was developed to assess emotion knowledge in preschoolers and was demonstrated to show adequate convergent and predictive validity in an American sample (Morgan, Izard, & King, 2010). In light of the need for valid measures for assessing emotion…

The validation of Huffaz Intelligence Test (HIT)

Science.gov (United States)

Rahim, Mohd Azrin Mohammad; Ahmad, Tahir; Awang, Siti Rahmah; Safar, Ajmain

2017-08-01

In general, a hafiz who can memorize the Quran has many specialties especially in respect to their academic performances. In this study, the theory of multiple intelligences introduced by Howard Gardner is embedded in a developed psychometric instrument, namely Huffaz Intelligence Test (HIT). This paper presents the validation and the reliability of HIT of some tahfiz students in Malaysia Islamic schools. A pilot study was conducted involving 87 huffaz who were randomly selected to answer the items in HIT. The analysis method used includes Partial Least Square (PLS) on reliability, convergence and discriminant validation. The study has validated nine intelligences. The findings also indicated that the composite reliabilities for the nine types of intelligences are greater than 0.8. Thus, the HIT is a valid and reliable instrument to measure the multiple intelligences among huffaz.

[Validating the Spanish version of the Nursing Activities Score].

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Sánchez, M M; Arias-Rivera, S; Fraile-Gamo, M P; Thuissard-Vasallo, I J; Frutos-Vivar, F

2015-01-01

Validating workload scores ensures that they are appropriate for the purpose for which they were developed. To validate the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) Spanish version. Observational and prospective study. 1,045 patients who were admitted to a medical-surgical unit and a serious burns unit in 2006 were included. The nurse in charge assessed patient workloads by Nine Equivalent of Nursing Manpower use Score and NAS. To assess the internal consistency of the measurements of NAS, item-test correlations, Cronbach's α and Cronbach's α corrected by omitting each of the items were calculated. The intraobserver and interobserver reliability were assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient by viewing recordings and Kappa (interobserver reliability) was estimated. For the analysis of internal validity, a factorial principal components analysis was performed. Convergent validity was assessed using the Spearman correlation coefficient values obtained from the Nine Equivalent of Nursing Manpower use Score and Spanish-NAS scales. For internal consistency, 164 questionnaires were analysed and a Cronbach's α of 0.373 was calculated. The intraclass correlation coefficient for intraobserver reliability estimate was 0.837 (95% IC: 0.466-0.950) and 0.662 (95% IC: 0.033-0.882) for interobserver reliability. The estimated kappa was 0.371. For internal validity, exploratory factor analysis showed that the first item explained 58.9% of the variance of the questionnaire. For convergent validity 1006 questionnaires were included and a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.746 was observed. The psychometric properties of Spanish-NAS are acceptable. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEEIUC. All rights reserved.

Automation methodologies and large-scale validation for G W : Towards high-throughput G W calculations

Science.gov (United States)

van Setten, M. J.; Giantomassi, M.; Gonze, X.; Rignanese, G.-M.; Hautier, G.

2017-10-01

The search for new materials based on computational screening relies on methods that accurately predict, in an automatic manner, total energy, atomic-scale geometries, and other fundamental characteristics of materials. Many technologically important material properties directly stem from the electronic structure of a material, but the usual workhorse for total energies, namely density-functional theory, is plagued by fundamental shortcomings and errors from approximate exchange-correlation functionals in its prediction of the electronic structure. At variance, the G W method is currently the state-of-the-art ab initio approach for accurate electronic structure. It is mostly used to perturbatively correct density-functional theory results, but is, however, computationally demanding and also requires expert knowledge to give accurate results. Accordingly, it is not presently used in high-throughput screening: fully automatized algorithms for setting up the calculations and determining convergence are lacking. In this paper, we develop such a method and, as a first application, use it to validate the accuracy of G0W0 using the PBE starting point and the Godby-Needs plasmon-pole model (G0W0GN @PBE) on a set of about 80 solids. The results of the automatic convergence study utilized provide valuable insights. Indeed, we find correlations between computational parameters that can be used to further improve the automatization of G W calculations. Moreover, we find that G0W0GN @PBE shows a correlation between the PBE and the G0W0GN @PBE gaps that is much stronger than that between G W and experimental gaps. However, the G0W0GN @PBE gaps still describe the experimental gaps more accurately than a linear model based on the PBE gaps. With this paper, we hence show that G W can be made automatic and is more accurate than using an empirical correction of the PBE gap, but that, for accurate predictive results for a broad class of materials, an improved starting point or some

The validity and reliability of the Functional Strength Measurement (FSM) in children with intellectual disabilities.

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Aertssen, W F M; Steenbergen, B; Smits-Engelsman, B C M

2018-06-07

There is lack of valid and reliable field-based tests for assessing functional strength in young children with mild intellectual disabilities (IDs). The aim of this study was to investigate the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the Functional Strength Measurement in children with ID (FSM-ID). Fifty-two children with mild ID (40 boys and 12 girls, mean age 8.48 years, SD = 1.48) were tested with the FSM. Test-retest reliability (n = 32) was examined by a two-way interclass correlation coefficient for agreement (ICC 2.1A). Standard error of measurement and smallest detectable change were calculated. Construct validity was determined by calculating correlations between the FSM-ID and handheld dynamometry (HHD) (convergent validity), FSM-ID, FSM-ID and subtest strength of the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency - second edition (BOT-2) (convergent validity) and the FSM-ID and balance subtest of the BOT-2 (discriminant validity). Test-retest reliability ICC ranged 0.89-0.98. Correlation between the items of the FSM-ID and HHD ranged 0.39-0.79 and between FSM-ID and BOT-2 (strength items) 0.41-0.80. Correlation between items of the FSM-ID and BOT-2 (balance items) ranged 0.41-0.70. The FSM-ID showed good test-retest reliability and good convergent validity with the HHD and BOT-2 subtest strength. The correlations assessing discriminant validity were higher than expected. Poor levels of postural control and core stability in children with mild IDs may be the underlying factor of those higher correlations. © 2018 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Advances and Challenges in Convergent Communication Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toral-Cruz, Homero; Mihovska, Albena

2017-01-01

Welcome to this special issue of Wireless Personal Communications on Advances and Challenges in Convergent Communication Networks. The main purpose of this special issue is to present new progresses and challenges in convergent networks. Communication networks play an important role in our daily...... life because they allow communicating and sharing contents between heterogeneous nodes around the globe. The emergence of multiple network architectures and emerging technologies have resulted in new applications and services over a heterogeneous network. This heterogeneous network has undergone...... significant challenges in recent years, such as the evolution to a converged network with the capability to support multiple services, while maintaining a satisfactory level of QoE/QoS, security, efficiency and trust. The special issue on Advances and Challenges in Convergent Communication Networks...

Neutron gain for converging guide tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mildner, D.F.R.

1982-01-01

The method of acceptance diagrams is used to obtain analytical expressions for the neutron gain of a one-dimensional converging guide tube. It is found that the results are more easily expressed by analyzing the acceptance diagram at the exit of the funnel. The results are compared with those for the straight guide. When both guides have the same dimensions at the guide exit, the converging guide has higher transmitted intensity but with greater divergence of the beam. This analytical method is useful to assess the performance of a converging guide, though numerical computations may be required for detailed analysis of a guide system. (orig.)

Convergence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prasad, Ramjee

2009-01-01

This paper presents the main conclusions which can be drawn from the discussions on Future Communication Systems and lessons on Unpredictable Future of Wireless Communication Systems. Future systems beyond the third generation are already under discussions in international bodies, such as ITU, WW...... and R&D programmes worldwide. The incoming era is characterized by the convergence of networks and access technology and the divergence of applications. Future mobile communication systems should bring something more than only faster data or wireless internet access....

Convergence in energy consumption per capita among ASEAN countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishra, Vinod; Smyth, Russell

2014-01-01

We test for convergence in energy consumption per capita among ASEAN countries over the period 1971 to 2011 using the panel KPSS stationarity test and panel Lagrange multiplier (LM) unit root test. The results for the panel stationarity and unit root tests with structural breaks find support for energy convergence in ASEAN. - Highlights: • We test for convergence in energy consumption per capita among the ASEAN nations. • Univariate conventional unit root tests provide mixed evidence of convergence. • Panel unit root tests with structural breaks support convergence hypothesis

On the importance of effective convergence velocity of synthetic acceleration methods in neutron transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coppa, G.G.M.; Ravetto, P.; Colombo, V.

1996-01-01

The present work concerns some aspects of the optimization of the synthesis acceleration techniques in neutron transport. The importance of non-asymptotic convergence velocity as a theoretical means to characterize and optimize acceleration methods is discussed in detail for isotropic as well as highly anisotropic scattering cases; this shows the innacuracy of results based only on the usual asyptotic analysis. A detailed study of convergence velocity behaviour for space discretized schemes and multidimensional problems is also presented. Finally, various kinds of theoretical-evaluated convergence velocities are reported to study the effective behaviour of some modifications of the classic DSA technique recently proposed to face its loss of effectiveness and optimize performances when dealing with highly anisotropic scattering; comparisons with results of already assessed DSA modification techniques are reported for various scattering cross-section configurations. (Author)

Disentangling the Predictive Validity of High School Grades for Academic Success in University

Science.gov (United States)

Vulperhorst, Jonne; Lutz, Christel; de Kleijn, Renske; van Tartwijk, Jan

2018-01-01

To refine selective admission models, we investigate which measure of prior achievement has the best predictive validity for academic success in university. We compare the predictive validity of three core high school subjects to the predictive validity of high school grade point average (GPA) for academic achievement in a liberal arts university…

Complex emergent dynamics of anisotropic swarms: Convergence vs oscillation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu Tianguang; Wang Long; Chen Tongwen; Mu Shumei

2006-01-01

This paper considers an anisotropic swarm model with a simple attraction and repulsion function. It is shown that the members of a reciprocal swarm will aggregate and eventually form a cohesive cluster of finite size around the swarm center. Moreover, the swarm system is also completely stable, i.e., every solution converges to the set of equilibrium points of the system. These results are also valid for a class of non-reciprocal swarms under the detailed balance condition on coupling weights. For general non-reciprocal swarms, numerical simulations are worked out to demonstrate more complex oscillatory motions in the systems. The study provides further insight into the effect of the interaction pattern on the collective behavior of a swarm system

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation Questionnaire on lateral elbow tendinopathy for French-speaking patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaux, Jean-François; Delvaux, François; Schaus, Jean; Demoulin, Christophe; Locquet, Médéa; Buckinx, Fanny; Beaudart, Charlotte; Dardenne, Nadia; Van Beveren, Julien; Croisier, Jean-Louis; Forthomme, Bénédicte; Bruyère, Olivier

Translation and validation of algo-functional questionnaire. The lateral elbow tendinopathy is a common injury in tennis players and physical workers. The Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) Questionnaire was specifically designed to measure pain and functional limitations in patients with lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow). First developed in English, this questionnaire has since been translated into several languages. The aims of the study were to translate and cross-culturally adapt the PRTEE questionnaire into French and to evaluate the reliability and validity of this translated version of the questionnaire (PRTEE-F). The PRTEE was translated and cross-culturally adapted into French according to international guidelines. To assess the reliability and validity of the PRTEE-F, 115 participants were asked twice to fill in the PRTEE-F, and once the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH) and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Internal consistency (using Cronbach's alpha), test-retest reliability (using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change), and convergent and divergent validity (using the Spearman's correlation coefficients respectively with the DASH and with some subscales of the SF-36) were assessed. The PRTEE was translated into French without any problems. PRTEE-F showed a good test-retest reliability for the overall score (ICC 0.86) and for each item (ICC 0.8-0.96) and a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.98). The correlation analyses revealed high correlation coefficients between PRTEE-F and DASH (convergent validity) and, as expected, a low or moderate correlation with the divergent subscales of the SF-36 (discriminant validity). There was no floor or ceiling effect. The PRTEE questionnaire was successfully cross-culturally adapted into French. The PRTEE-F is reliable and valid for evaluating French-speaking patients with lateral elbow

Validating a Patient-Reported Comorbidity Measure with Respect to Quality of Life in End-Stage Renal Disease.

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Maxi Robinski

Full Text Available Medical record-derived comorbidity measures such as the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI do not predict functional limitations or quality of life (QoL in the chronically ill. Although these shortcomings are known since the 1980s, they have been largely ignored by the international literature. Recently, QoL has received growing interest as an end-point of interventional trials in Nephrology. The aim of this study is to compare a patient-reported comorbidity measure and the CCI with respect to its validity regarding QoL.The German Self-Administered Comorbidity Questionnaire (SCQ-G was completed by 780 adult end-stage renal disease-patients recruited from 55 dialysis units throughout Germany. Acceptance was evaluated via response rates. Content validity was examined by comparing the typical comorbidity pattern in dialysis patients and the pattern retrieved from our data. Convergent validity was assessed via kappa statistics. Data was compared to the CCI. Linear associations with QoL were examined (criterion validity.The SCQ-G was very well accepted by dialysis patients of all ages (response rate: 99%. Content validity can be interpreted as high (corresponding comorbidity items: 73.7%. Convergent validity was rather weak (.27≤ρ≤.29 but increased when comparing only concordant items (.39≤ρ≤.43. With respect to criterion validity, the SCQ-G performed better than the CCI regarding the correlation with QoL (e.g., SF-12-physical: SCQ-G total score: ρ = -.49 vs. CCI: ρ = -.36.The patient-reported measure proved to be more valid than the external assessment when aiming at insights on QoL. Due to the inclusion of subjective limitations, the SCQ-G is more substantial with respect to patient-centered outcomes and might be used as additional measure in clinical trials.

Convergence testing for MCNP5 Monte Carlo eigenvalue calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, F.; Nease, B.; Cheatham, J.

2007-01-01

Determining convergence of Monte Carlo criticality problems is complicated by the statistical noise inherent in the random, walks of the neutrons in each generation. The latest version of MCNP5 incorporates an important new tool for assessing convergence: the Shannon entropy of the fission source distribution, H src . Shannon entropy is a well-known concept from information theory and provides a single number for each iteration to help characterize convergence trends for the fission source distribution. MCNP5 computes H src for each iteration, and these values may be plotted to examine convergence trends. Convergence testing should include both k eff and H src , since the fission distribution will converge more slowly than k eff , especially when the dominance ratio is close to 1.0. (authors)

The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS): Independent validation in a large sample of Italian patients with schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Mucci, A; Galderisi, S; Merlotti, E; Rossi, A; Rocca, P; Bucci, P; Piegari, G; Chieffi, M; Vignapiano, A; Maj, M

2015-07-01

The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) was developed to address the main limitations of the existing scales for the assessment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The initial validation of the scale by the group involved in its development demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity, and a factor structure confirming the two domains of negative symptoms (reduced emotional/verbal expression and anhedonia/asociality/avolition). However, only relatively small samples of patients with schizophrenia were investigated. Further independent validation in large clinical samples might be instrumental to the broad diffusion of the scale in clinical research. The present study aimed to examine the BNSS inter-rater reliability, convergent/discriminant validity and factor structure in a large Italian sample of outpatients with schizophrenia. Our results confirmed the excellent inter-rater reliability of the BNSS (the intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.81 to 0.98 for individual items and was 0.98 for the total score). The convergent validity measures had r values from 0.62 to 0.77, while the divergent validity measures had r values from 0.20 to 0.28 in the main sample (n=912) and in a subsample without clinically significant levels of depression and extrapyramidal symptoms (n=496). The BNSS factor structure was supported in both groups. The study confirms that the BNSS is a promising measure for quantifying negative symptoms of schizophrenia in large multicenter clinical studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Validation of the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS) in Substance use Disorder Treatment Organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Aarons, Gregory A; Ehrhart, Mark G; Torres, Elisa M; Finn, Natalie K; Roesch, Scott C

2016-09-01

There have been recent calls for pragmatic measures to assess factors that influence evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation processes and outcomes. The Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS) is a brief and efficient measure that can be used for research or organizational development purposes to assess leader behaviors and actions that actively support effective EBP implementation. The ILS was developed and validated in mental health settings. This study validates the ILS factor structure with providers in alcohol and other drug (AOD) use treatment agencies. Participants were 323 service providers working in 72 workgroups from three AOD use treatment agencies. Confirmatory factor analyses and reliability analyses were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the ILS. Convergent and discriminant validity were also assessed. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated good fit to the hypothesized first and second order factor structure. Internal consistency reliability was excellent. Convergent and discriminant validity was supported. The ILS psychometric characteristics, reliability, and validity were supported in AOD use treatment agencies. The ILS is a brief and pragmatic measure that can be used for research and practice to assess leadership for EBP implementation in AOD use treatment agencies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validation of the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS) in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Organizations

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrhart, Mark G.; Torres, Elisa M.; Finn, Natalie K.; Roesch, Scott C.

2016-01-01

There have been recent calls for pragmatic measures to assess factors that influence evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation processes and outcomes. The Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS) is a brief and efficient measure that can be used for research or organizational development purposes to assess leader behaviors and actions that actively support effective EBP implementation. The ILS was developed and validated in mental health settings. This study validates the ILS factor structure with providers in alcohol and other drug (AOD) use treatment agencies. Participants were 323 service providers working in 72 workgroups from three AOD use treatment agencies. Confirmatory factor analyses and reliability analyses were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the ILS. Convergent and discriminant validity were also assessed. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated good fit to the hypothesized first and second order factor structure. Internal consistency reliability was excellent. Convergent and discriminant validity was supported. The ILS psychometric characteristics, reliability, and validity were supported in AOD use treatment agencies. The ILS is a brief and pragmatic measure that can be used for research and practice to assess leadership for EBP implementation in AOD use treatment agencies. PMID:27431044

An Extended Validity Argument for Assessing Feedback Culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Rougas, Steven; Clyne, Brian; Cianciolo, Anna T; Chan, Teresa M; Sherbino, Jonathan; Yarris, Lalena M

2015-01-01

score of each item on the FFCT (range = 0-100) was analyzed. Convergent and divergent properties of the four archetypes were assessed using a multitrait-multimethod matrix of Pearson's coefficients. Expecting that items in one archetype would diverge from the others, whereas items within an archetype should have strong convergent properties, convergent validity was assessed by comparing items across domains that all related to the same archetype. Similarly, divergent validity was assessed by comparing the correlation of items within an archetype to the correlations of those items within a hetero-domain block (i.e., to other items within the same domain). Three of the four domains of the FFCT (Overall Departmental Characteristics 35.4 ± 15.4, Departmental Foundation of Feedback 46.1 ± 16.7, and Departmental Emphasis of Feedback 30.3 ± 17.7) had the highest mean in the Market archetype (results/achievement oriented), whereas the final domain (Departmental Definition of Successful Feedback 34.8 ± 22.1) had the highest mean in the Clan archetype (personal growth/team achievement). Item responses in the Clan and Hierarchy archetypes had the strongest convergent and divergent validity, respectively. Item responses in the Adhocracy archetype had the weakest convergent and divergent validity. Although the sample size was small, this initial study demonstrates that a modified organizational culture assessment tool can feasibly be utilized to identify the primary formative feedback archetype of a cohort of residents. This may have future implications for measuring changes in culture after the implementation of strategic programs to address formative feedback. Future studies should examine the generalizability of the FFCT to other institutions, as well as address the weak validity evidence of the Adhocracy archetype in the FFCT.

Cross-cultural adaptation, validity, and reliability of the Persian version of the spine functional index.

Science.gov (United States)

Mokhtarinia, Hamid Reza; Hosseini, Azadeh; Maleki-Ghahfarokhi, Azam; Gabel, Charles Philip; Zohrabi, Majid

2018-05-15

There are various instruments and methods to evaluate spinal health and functional status. Whole-spine patient reported outcome (PRO) measures, such as the Spine Functional Index (SFI), assess the spine from the cervical to lumbo-sacral sections as a single kinetic chain. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt the SFI for Persian speaking patients (SFI-Pr) and determine the psychometric properties of reliability and validity (convergent and construct) in a Persian patient population. The SFI (English) PRO was translated into Persian according to published guidelines. Consecutive symptomatic spine patients (104 female and 120 male aged between 18 and 60) were recruited from three Iranian physiotherapy centers. Test-retest reliability was performed in a sub-sample (n = 31) at baseline and repeated between days 3-7. Convergent validity was determined by calculating the Pearson's r correlation coefficient between the SFI-Pr and the Persian Roland Morris Questionnaire (RMQ) for back pain patients and the Neck Disability Index (NDI) for neck patients. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's α. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) used Maximum Likelihood Extraction followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). High levels of internal consistency (α = 0.81, item range = 0.78-0.82) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.96, item range = 0.83-0.98) were obtained. Convergent validity was very good between the SFI and RMQ (r = 0.69) and good between the SFI and NDI (r = 0.57). The EFA from the perspective of parsimony suggests a one-factor solution that explained 26.5% of total variance. The CFA was inconclusive of the one factor structure as the sample size was inadequate. There were no floor or ceiling effects. The SFI-Pr PRO can be applied as a specific whole-spine status assessment instrument for clinical and research studies in Persian language populations.

Convergences in the diversification of bats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Brock FENTON

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Twenty-five characters or suites of characters from bats are considered in light of changes in bat classification. The characters include some associated with flower-visiting (two, echolocation (12, roosting (six, reproduction (two and three are of unknown adaptive function. In both the 1998 and 2006 classifications of bats into suborders (Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera versus Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera, respectively, some convergences between suborders are the same (e.g., foliage roosting, tent building, but others associated with echolocation differ substantially. In the 1998 phylogeny convergences associated with echolocation (high duty cycle echolocation, nasal emission of echolocation calls occurred among the Microchiroptera. In the 2006 phylogeny, they occur between Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera. While some traits apparently arose independently in two suborders (e.g., foliage-roosting, tent building, low intensity echolocation calls, noseleafs, nasal emission of echolocation calls, high duty cycle echolocation behaviour, others appear to have been ancestral (roosting in narrow spaces, laryngeal echolocation, stylohyal-tympanic contact, oral emission of echolocation calls, and small litter size. A narrow profile through the chest is typical of bats reflecting the thoracic skeleton. This feature suggests that the ancestors of bats spent the day in small crevices. Features associated with laryngeal echolocation appear to be ancestral, suggesting that echolocation evolved early in bats but was subsequently lost in one yinpterochiropteran lineage [Current Zoology 56 (4: 454–468, 2010].

Validity of instruments to assess students' travel and pedestrian safety

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baranowski Tom

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Safe Routes to School (SRTS programs are designed to make walking and bicycling to school safe and accessible for children. Despite their growing popularity, few validated measures exist for assessing important outcomes such as type of student transport or pedestrian safety behaviors. This research validated the SRTS school travel survey and a pedestrian safety behavior checklist. Methods Fourth grade students completed a brief written survey on how they got to school that day with set responses. Test-retest reliability was obtained 3-4 hours apart. Convergent validity of the SRTS travel survey was assessed by comparison to parents' report. For the measure of pedestrian safety behavior, 10 research assistants observed 29 students at a school intersection for completion of 8 selected pedestrian safety behaviors. Reliability was determined in two ways: correlations between the research assistants' ratings to that of the Principal Investigator (PI and intraclass correlations (ICC across research assistant ratings. Results The SRTS travel survey had high test-retest reliability (κ = 0.97, n = 96, p Conclusions These validated instruments can be used to assess SRTS programs. The pedestrian safety behavior checklist may benefit from further formative work.

Tackling the premature convergence problem in Monte-Carlo localization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kootstra, Gert; de Boer, Bart

Monte-Carlo localization uses particle filtering to estimate the position of the robot. The method is known to suffer from the loss of potential positions when there is ambiguity present in the environment. Since many indoor environments are highly symmetric, this problem of premature convergence is

Computed tomography findings in convergent strabismus fixus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohta, Michitaka; Iwashige, Hiroyasu; Hayashi, Takao; Maruo, Toshio

1995-01-01

X-ray computed tomography (CT) of the eyeball and orbit revealed the cause of eye movement disorder in convergent strabismus fixus. The findings suggest that the disease can be diagnosed and treated at an early stage. Twelve cases of progressive esotropia with high myopia and 20 cases with normal visual acuity served as subjects in this study. The CT slice was parallel to the German horizontal plane, and the lens and medial and lateral rectus muscles were scanned. The average axial length of the affected eyes was significantly longer than in normal eyes. In progressive esotropia, the characteristic CT findings are an elongated eyeball, mechanical contact between the eyeball and lateral wall of the orbit, and a downward displacement of the lateral rectus muscle. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that eye movement disorder in convergent strabismus fixus results from weakness of the lateral rectus muscle which has been displaced downward due to compression of the eyeball against the orbital wall. (author)

Validity and reliability of a Nigerian-Yoruba version of the stroke-specific quality of life scale 2.0.

Science.gov (United States)

Odetunde, Marufat Oluyemisi; Akinpelu, Aderonke Omobonike; Odole, Adesola Christiana

2017-10-19

Psychometric evidence is necessary to establish scientific integrity and clinical usefulness of translations and cultural adaptations of the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SS-QoL) scale. However, the limited evidence on psychometrics of Yoruba version of SS-QoL 2.0 (SS-QoL(Y)) is a significant shortcoming. This study assessed the test-retest reliability, internal consistency, convergent, divergent, discriminant and known-group validity of the SS-QoL(Y). Yoruba version of the WHOQoL-BREF was used to test the convergent and divergent validity of the SS-QoL(Y) among 100 consenting stroke survivors. The WHOQoL-BREF and SS-QoL(Y) was administered randomly in order to eliminate bias. The test-retest reliability of the SS-QoL(Y) was carried out among 68 of the respondents within an interval of 7 days. All respondents were purposively recruited from selected secondary and tertiary health facilities in South-west Nigeria. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics of Spearman correlation, Cronbach's alpha, Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Independent t-test and One-way ANOVA. Alpha level was set at p validity of SS-QoL(Y) showed that items' r value ranged from 0.711 to 0.920 with their hypothesized domains. The scale demonstrated moderate to strong test-retest reliability with Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for the domains and overall scores (r = 0.47 to 0.81) and moderate to high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =0.61 to 0.82) for domains scores. These correlations were also significant for the domains and overall scores (p validity, test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the Yoruba version of the Stroke Specific Quality of Life 2.0 are adequate while the convergent and divergent validity are low but acceptable. The SS-QoL(Y) is recommended for assessing health-related quality of life among Yoruba stroke survivors.

Digital Convergence and Content Regulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael John Starks

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Broadcasting, Press and Internet journalism systems of distribution are converging: the same infrastructure can deliver all three historically separate services. Reception devices mirror this: the Connected TV, the tablet and the smart phone overlap in their functionality. Service overlaps are evident too, with broadcasters providing online and on-demand services and newspapers developing electronic versions. Does this mean that media regulation policies must converge too?My argument is that they should, though only where historically different communications are now fulfilling a similar function, e.g. broadcaster online services and electronic versions of newspapers. Convergence requires a degree of harmonisation and, to this end, I advocate a review of UK broadcasting's 'due impartiality' requirement and of the UK's application of the public service concept. I also argue for independent self-regulation (rather than state-based regulation of non-public-service broadcasting journalism.

Applying Convergent Immunity to Innovative Vaccines Targeting Staphylococcus aureus

Science.gov (United States)

Yeaman, Michael R.; Filler, Scott G.; Schmidt, Clint S.; Ibrahim, Ashraf S.; Edwards, John E.; Hennessey, John P.

2014-01-01

Recent perspectives forecast a new paradigm for future “third generation” vaccines based on commonalities found in diverse pathogens or convergent immune defenses to such pathogens. For Staphylococcus aureus, recurring infections and a limited success of vaccines containing S. aureus antigens imply that native antigens induce immune responses insufficient for optimal efficacy. These perspectives exemplify the need to apply novel vaccine strategies to high-priority pathogens. One such approach can be termed convergent immunity, where antigens from non-target organisms that contain epitope homologs found in the target organism are applied in vaccines. This approach aims to evoke atypical immune defenses via synergistic processes that (1) afford protective efficacy; (2) target an epitope from one organism that contributes to protective immunity against another; (3) cross-protect against multiple pathogens occupying a common anatomic or immunological niche; and/or (4) overcome immune subversion or avoidance strategies of target pathogens. Thus, convergent immunity has a potential to promote protective efficacy not usually elicited by native antigens from a target pathogen. Variations of this concept have been mainstays in the history of viral and bacterial vaccine development. A more far-reaching example is the pre-clinical evidence that specific fungal antigens can induce cross-kingdom protection against bacterial pathogens. This trans-kingdom protection has been demonstrated in pre-clinical studies of the recombinant Candida albicans agglutinin-like sequence 3 protein (rAls3) where it was shown that a vaccine containing rAls3 provides homologous protection against C. albicans, heterologous protection against several other Candida species, and convergent protection against several strains of S. aureus. Convergent immunity reflects an intriguing new approach to designing and developing vaccine antigens and is considered here in the context of vaccines to target S

Applying Convergent Immunity to Innovative Vaccines Targeting Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael R Yeaman

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Recent perspectives forecast a new paradigm for future 3rd generation vaccines based on commonalities found in diverse pathogens or convergent immune defenses to such pathogens. For Staphylococcus aureus, recurring infections and a limited success of vaccines containing S. aureus antigens imply that native antigens induce immune responses insufficient for optimal efficacy. These perspectives exemplify the need to apply novel vaccine strategies to high priority pathogens. One such approach can be termed convergent immunity, where antigens from non-target organisms that contain epitope homologues found in the target organism are applied in vaccines. This approach aims to evoke atypical immune defenses via synergistic processes that 1 afford protective efficacy; 2 target an epitope from one organism that contributes to protective immunity against another; 3 cross-protect against multiple pathogens occupying a common anatomic or immunologic niche; and/or 4 overcome immune subversion or avoidance strategies of target pathogens. Thus, convergent immunity has a potential to promote protective efficacy not usually elicited by native antigens from a target pathogen. Variations of this concept have been mainstays in the history of viral and bacterial vaccine development. A more far-reaching example is the pre–clinical evidence that specific fungal antigens can induce cross-kingdom protection against bacterial pathogens. This trans-kingdom protection has been demonstrated in preclinical studies of the recombinant Candida albicans agglutinin-like sequence 3 protein (rAls3 where it was shown that a vaccine containing rAls3 provides homologous protection against C. albicans, heterologous protection against several other Candida species, and convergent protection against several strains of S. aureus. Convergent immunity reflects an intriguing new approach to designing and developing vaccine antigens and is considered here in the context of vaccines to target

Rates of convergence of Brezier net over triangles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Yuyu.

1986-12-01

It is well known (Farin, 1979) that the sequence of Bezier nets f-circumflex n (x) associated with Bernstein-Bezier surface over a triangle converges to the surface uniformly as n goes to infinity. In this paper the precise rates of convergence are given. The pointwise convergence result and saturation theorem are presented. (author). 7 refs

Specialisation and Convergence in European Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enrico Marelli

2007-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper was to analyze specialization and convergence of European countries and regions, within the framework of integration in the EU. This is important not only for long-term real convergence processes, but also for a proper functioning of the monetary union (in the line of research on the OCA's criteria, asymmetry of shocks and synchronization of business cycles. The position of new member states is particularly delicate, also considering the forthcoming adoption of the euro by some of them. As indicated by the EU Treaty, economic growth should be balanced with economic and social cohesion that includes a careful consideration of regional disparities. Our empirical investigation focuses on the regions of EU25, further broken up into other relevant groupings (EU15, EMU, and the new members' EU10 group, over the period from 1980 (or 1990 for EU10 to 2005. This paper considers a rather fine regional disaggregation (NUTS-2 level, counting 250 regions. The analysis of different indices of specialisation point to a prevalent increase of homogeneity of sector structures across European regions, although in some cases (especially in the industrial sector and in some services specialisation has increased. For convergence, a sigma convergence's analysis confirms a reduction of disparities, both at a country and regional level. However, a trade-off between fast national growth and internal distribution has emerged in the early stages of development, as in the case of new members. Moreover, beta convergence has also been established - regarding per capita income, employment and productivity - for almost all territorial aggregates (excluding the new members since 1999. The addition of structural variables, following a beta-conditional approach, indicates a positive role for services and a negative impact of agriculture. Finally, some preliminary results have been obtained by the innovative inclusion of specialisation indices within

Disparity-driven vs blur-driven models of accommodation and convergence in binocular vision and intermittent strabismus.

Science.gov (United States)

Horwood, Anna M; Riddell, Patricia M

2014-12-01

To propose an alternative and practical model to conceptualize clinical patterns of concomitant intermittent strabismus, heterophoria, and convergence and accommodation anomalies. Despite identical ratios, there can be a disparity- or blur-biased "style" in three hypothetical scenarios: normal; high ratio of accommodative convergence to accommodation (AC/A) and low ratio of convergence accommodation to convergence (CA/C); low AC/A and high CA/C. We calculated disparity bias indices (DBI) to reflect these biases and provide early objective data from small illustrative clinical groups that fit these styles. Normal adults (n = 56) and children (n = 24) showed disparity bias (adult DBI 0.43 [95% CI, 0.50-0.36], child DBI 0.20 [95% CI, 0.31-0.07]; P = 0.001). Accommodative esotropia (n = 3) showed less disparity-bias (DBI 0.03). In the high AC/A-low CA/C scenario, early presbyopia (n = 22) showed mean DBI of 0.17 (95% CI, 0.28-0.06), compared to DBI of -0.31 in convergence excess esotropia (n=8). In the low AC/A-high CA/C scenario near exotropia (n = 17) showed mean DBI of 0.27. DBI ranged between 1.25 and -1.67. Establishing disparity or blur bias adds to AC/A and CA/C ratios to explain clinical patterns. Excessive bias or inflexibility in near-cue use increases risk of clinical problems. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Empirical validation of the Horowitz Multiple Systemic Infectious Disease Syndrome Questionnaire for suspected Lyme disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Citera, Maryalice; Freeman, Phyllis R; Horowitz, Richard I

2017-01-01

Lyme disease is spreading worldwide, with multiple Borrelia species causing a broad range of clinical symptoms that mimic other illnesses. A validated Lyme disease screening questionnaire would be clinically useful for both providers and patients. Three studies evaluated such a screening tool, namely the Horowitz Multiple Systemic Infectious Disease Syndrome (MSIDS) Questionnaire. The purpose was to see if the questionnaire could accurately distinguish between Lyme patients and healthy individuals. Study 1 examined the construct validity of the scale examining its factor structure and reliability of the questionnaire among 537 individuals being treated for Lyme disease. Study 2 involved an online sample of 999 participants, who self-identified as either healthy (N=217) or suffering from Lyme now (N=782) who completed the Horowitz MSIDS Questionnaire (HMQ) along with an outdoor activity survey. We examined convergent validity among components of the scale and evaluated discriminant validity with the Big Five personality characteristics. The third study compared a sample of 236 patients with confirmed Lyme disease with an online sample of 568 healthy individuals. Factor analysis results identified six underlying latent dimensions; four of these overlapped with critical symptoms identified by Horowitz - neuropathy, cognitive dysfunction, musculoskeletal pain, and fatigue. The HMQ showed acceptable levels of internal reliability using Cronbach's coefficient alpha and exhibited evidence of convergent and divergent validity. Components of the HMQ correlated more highly with each other than with unrelated traits. The results consistently demonstrated that the HMQ accurately differentiated those with Lyme disease from healthy individuals. Three migratory pain survey items (persistent muscular pain, arthritic pain, and nerve pain/paresthesias) robustly identified individuals with verified Lyme disease. The results support the use of the HMQ as a valid, efficient, and low

Magnetically-Driven Convergent Instability Growth platform on Z.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knapp, Patrick [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Mattsson, Thomas [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Martin, Matthew [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Benage, John F. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Jenkins, James [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Albright, Brian James [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-09-01

Hydrodynamic instability growth is a fundamentally limiting process in many applications. In High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) systems such as inertial confinement fusion implosions and stellar explosions, hydro instabilities can dominate the evolution of the object and largely determine the final state achievable. Of particular interest is the process by which instabilities cause perturbations at a density or material interface to grow nonlinearly, introducing vorticity and eventually causing the two species to mix across the interface. Although quantifying instabilities has been the subject of many investigations in planar geometry, few have been done in converging geometry. During FY17, the team executed six convergent geometry instability experiments. Based on earlier results, the platform was redesigned and improved with respect to load centering at installation making the installation reproducible and development of a new 7.2 keV, Co He-a backlighter system to better penetrate the liner. Together, the improvements yielded significantly improved experimental results. The results in FY17 demonstrate the viability of using experiments on Z to quantify instability growth in cylindrically convergent geometry. Going forward, we will continue the partnership with staff and management at LANL to analyze the past experiments, compare to hydrodynamics growth models, and design future experiments.

Cross-cultural validation of a disease-specific patient-reported outcome measure for lupus in Philippines.

Science.gov (United States)

Navarra, S V; Tanangunan, R M D V; Mikolaitis-Preuss, R A; Kosinski, M; Block, J A; Jolly, M

2013-03-01

LupusPRO is a disease-targeted patient-reported outcome measure that was developed and validated among US patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We report the cross-cultural validation results of the LupusPRO English-language version among Filipino SLE patients. The 43-item LupusPRO was pretested in 15 SLE individuals, then administered to 106 SLE patients, along with short-form SF36 and the EQ5D visual analogue scale. A mail/drop-back LupusPRO and change in health status item survey were returned within two to three days. Demographics, clinical and serological characteristics, disease activity and damage measured by PGA, SELENA-SLEDAI, LFA Flare, and SLICC-ACR SLE damage index (SDI) were collected. Internal consistency reliability (ICR), test-retest reliability (TRT), convergent validity (corresponding SF36 domains) and criterion validity (against general health and disease activity measures) were tested. Reported p values are two tailed. A total of 121 Filipino SLE subjects (95% women, median age 31.0 ± 16 years) with at least a high school level of English instruction participated. Median (IQR) PGA, SLEDAI and SDI were 0.0 (1.0), 2.0 (10) and 0 (1), respectively. ICR exceeded 0.7 for all domains except the lupus symptoms domain. TRT was greater than 0.85 for all LupusPRO domains. Convergent and criterion validity were observed against corresponding SF36 domains and disease activity measures. The tool was well received by patients. Confirmatory factor analysis showed good fit. English LupusPRO has fair psychometric properties among SLE patients in the Philippines, and is now available for inclusion in clinical trials and longitudinal studies to test responsiveness to change.

Fractal aspects and convergence of Newton`s method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drexler, M. [Oxford Univ. Computing Lab. (United Kingdom)

1996-12-31

Newton`s Method is a widely established iterative algorithm for solving non-linear systems. Its appeal lies in its great simplicity, easy generalization to multiple dimensions and a quadratic local convergence rate. Despite these features, little is known about its global behavior. In this paper, we will explain a seemingly random global convergence pattern using fractal concepts and show that the behavior of the residual is entirely explicable. We will also establish quantitative results for the convergence rates. Knowing the mechanism of fractal generation, we present a stabilization to the orthodox Newton method that remedies the fractal behavior and improves convergence.

Development and validation of the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale: a brief self-report measure of anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Stice, E; Telch, C F; Rizvi, S L

2000-06-01

This article describes the development and validation of a brief self-report scale for diagnosing anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Study 1 used a panel of eating-disorder experts and provided evidence for the content validity of this scale. Study 2 used data from female participants with and without eating disorders (N = 367) and suggested that the diagnoses from this scale possessed temporal reliability (mean kappa = .80) and criterion validity (with interview diagnoses; mean kappa = .83). In support of convergent validity, individuals with eating disorders identified by this scale showed elevations on validated measures of eating disturbances. The overall symptom composite also showed test-retest reliability (r = .87), internal consistency (mean alpha = .89), and convergent validity with extant eating-pathology scales. Results implied that this scale was reliable and valid in this investigation and that it may be useful for clinical and research applications.

Development and initial validation of the volition in exercise questionnaire (VEQ)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elsborg, Peter; Wikman, Johan Michael; Nielsen, Glen

2017-01-01

The present study describes the development and validation of an instrument to measure volition in the exercise context. Volition describes an individual’s self-regulatory mental processes that are responsible for taking and maintaining a desirable action (e.g., exercising regularly). The scale...... questionnaire with strong model fit and good internal consistency. In addition, the Volition in Exercise Questionnaire showed convergent validity because it was able to predict exercise participation. It showed incremental validity by explaining additional variance to the Sport Motivation Scale’s well...

Revisiting convergence: A research note.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Rob

2015-09-01

A number of recent studies show that income inequality is declining between countries. In this research note, I question the significance of this trend by examining the role of initial conditions in producing convergence. An important (but neglected) property of inequality dynamics is the tendency for extreme distributions to become more moderate. When income disparities are large, the subsequent trend is biased toward convergence. Conversely, when initial conditions approach parity, divergence becomes the more likely long-term outcome. I apply this principle to trends in GDP PC across 127 countries during the 1980-2010 period. Using counterfactual analysis, I manipulate the initial level of inequality in GDP PC while holding constant each country's observed growth rate during the sample period. I find that the growth dynamics of GDP PC produce either convergence or divergence based simply on the initial distribution of income. The point of transition occurs at a moderate level of inequality, whether using population weights (Gini=.365) or not (Gini=.377). I conclude that the recent convergence observed in GDP PC is primarily a function of large income gaps between countries and would not have materialized at more moderate levels of initial inequality. By contrast, an examination of the pre-1950 period reveals divergent growth patterns that are not sensitive to initial conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is the environmental performance of industrialized countries converging? A 'SURE' approach to testing for convergence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camarero, Mariam; Picazo-Tadeo, Andres J.; Tamarit, Cecilio

2008-01-01

In this paper, we test for convergence in the environmental performance of a sample of OECD countries, with data ranging from 1971 to 2002. First, we use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to compute two environmental performance indicators (EPIs) in the production theory framework. Second, we propose the use of a sequential multivariate approach to test for convergence in environmental performance. These tests allow us to reconcile the time series literature with the cross-sectional dimension, which is basic when testing for convergence in regional blocs. The SURE technique is used, which allows for the existence of correlations across the series without imposing a common speed of mean reversion. The empirical results show that the group of countries as a whole, as well as the majority of countries considered on an individual basis (results for some countries vary between EPIs), are catching-up with Switzerland (the benchmark country). (author)

Reduced vergence adaptation is associated with a prolonged output of convergence accommodation in convergence insufficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Sreenivasan, Vidhyapriya; Bobier, William R

2014-07-01

Convergence insufficiency (CI) is a developmental visual anomaly defined clinically by a reduced near point of convergence, a reduced capacity to view through base-out prisms (fusional convergence); coupled with asthenopic symptoms typically blur and diplopia. Experimental studies show reduced vergence parameters and tonic adaptation. Based upon current models of accommodation and vergence, we hypothesize that the reduced vergence adaptation in CI leads to excessive amounts of convergence accommodation (CA). Eleven CI participants (mean age=17.4±2.3 years) were recruited with reduced capacity to view through increasing magnitudes of base out (BO) prisms (mean fusional convergence at 40 cm=12±0.9Δ). Testing followed our previous experimental design for (n=11) binocularly normal adults. Binocular fixation of a difference of Gaussian (DoG) target (0.2 cpd) elicited CA responses during vergence adaptation to a 12Δ BO. Vergence and CA responses were obtained at 3 min intervals over a 15 min period and time course were quantified using exponential decay functions. Results were compared to previously published data on eleven binocular normals. Eight participants completed the study. CI's showed significantly reduced magnitude of vergence adaptation (CI: 2.9Δ vs. normals: 6.6Δ; p=0.01) and CA reduction (CI=0.21 D, Normals=0.55 D; p=0.03). However, the decay time constants for adaptation and CA responses were not significantly different. CA changes were not confounded by changes in tonic accommodation (Change in TA=0.01±0.2D; p=0.8). The reduced magnitude of vergence adaptation found in CI patients resulting in higher levels of CA may potentially explain their clinical findings of reduced positive fusional vergence (PFV) and the common symptom of blur. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simulation and Analysis of Converging Shock Wave Test Problems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramsey, Scott D. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Shashkov, Mikhail J. [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2012-06-21

Results and analysis pertaining to the simulation of the Guderley converging shock wave test problem (and associated code verification hydrodynamics test problems involving converging shock waves) in the LANL ASC radiation-hydrodynamics code xRAGE are presented. One-dimensional (1D) spherical and two-dimensional (2D) axi-symmetric geometric setups are utilized and evaluated in this study, as is an instantiation of the xRAGE adaptive mesh refinement capability. For the 2D simulations, a 'Surrogate Guderley' test problem is developed and used to obviate subtleties inherent to the true Guderley solution's initialization on a square grid, while still maintaining a high degree of fidelity to the original problem, and minimally straining the general credibility of associated analysis and conclusions.

Job Embeddedness Demonstrates Incremental Validity When Predicting Turnover Intentions for Australian University Employees

Science.gov (United States)

Heritage, Brody; Gilbert, Jessica M.; Roberts, Lynne D.

2016-01-01

Job embeddedness is a construct that describes the manner in which employees can be enmeshed in their jobs, reducing their turnover intentions. Recent questions regarding the properties of quantitative job embeddedness measures, and their predictive utility, have been raised. Our study compared two competing reflective measures of job embeddedness, examining their convergent, criterion, and incremental validity, as a means of addressing these questions. Cross-sectional quantitative data from 246 Australian university employees (146 academic; 100 professional) was gathered. Our findings indicated that the two compared measures of job embeddedness were convergent when total scale scores were examined. Additionally, job embeddedness was capable of demonstrating criterion and incremental validity, predicting unique variance in turnover intention. However, this finding was not readily apparent with one of the compared job embeddedness measures, which demonstrated comparatively weaker evidence of validity. We discuss the theoretical and applied implications of these findings, noting that job embeddedness has a complementary place among established determinants of turnover intention. PMID:27199817

Well-Tempered Metadynamics Converges Asymptotically

Science.gov (United States)

Dama, James F.; Parrinello, Michele; Voth, Gregory A.

2014-06-01

Metadynamics is a versatile and capable enhanced sampling method for the computational study of soft matter materials and biomolecular systems. However, over a decade of application and several attempts to give this adaptive umbrella sampling method a firm theoretical grounding prove that a rigorous convergence analysis is elusive. This Letter describes such an analysis, demonstrating that well-tempered metadynamics converges to the final state it was designed to reach and, therefore, that the simple formulas currently used to interpret the final converged state of tempered metadynamics are correct and exact. The results do not rely on any assumption that the collective variable dynamics are effectively Brownian or any idealizations of the hill deposition function; instead, they suggest new, more permissive criteria for the method to be well behaved. The results apply to tempered metadynamics with or without adaptive Gaussians or boundary corrections and whether the bias is stored approximately on a grid or exactly.

Convergence of configuration-interaction single-center calculations of positron-atom interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitroy, J.; Bromley, M. W. J.

2006-01-01

The configuration interaction (CI) method using orbitals centered on the nucleus has recently been applied to calculate the interactions of positrons interacting with atoms. Computational investigations of the convergence properties of binding energy, phase shift, and annihilation rate with respect to the maximum angular momentum of the orbital basis for the e + Cu and PsH bound states, and the e + -H scattering system were completed. The annihilation rates converge very slowly with angular momentum, and moreover the convergence with radial basis dimension appears to be slower for high angular momentum. A number of methods of completing the partial wave sum are compared; an approach based on a ΔX J =a(J+(1/2)) -n +b(J+(1/2)) -(n+1) form [with n=4 for phase shift (or energy) and n=2 for the annihilation rate] seems to be preferred on considerations of utility and underlying physical justification

Semi-convergence properties of Kaczmarz’s method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elfving, Tommy; Hansen, Per Christian; Nikazad, Touraj

2014-01-01

Kaczmarz’s method—sometimes referred to as the algebraic reconstruction technique—is an iterative method that is widely used in tomographic imaging due to its favorable semi-convergence properties. Specifically, when applied to a problem with noisy data, during the early iterations it converges......-convergence of Kaczmarz’s method as well as its projected counterpart (and their block versions). To do this we study how the data errors propagate into the iteration vectors and we derive upper bounds for this noise propagation. Our bounds are compared with numerical results obtained from tomographic imaging....

DRIVERS OF LONG-TERM CONVERGENCE. FOCUS ON ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MANUELA UNGURU

2014-11-01

Full Text Available With initial low levels of income per capita, a declining population and relatively modest economic growth rates, there are little prospects of diminishing the gap between Romania and the EU countries. Nevertheless, in the long term, convergence is expected. The question then arises, “What are the drivers and their likely potential to boost economic growth and the catching-up process?”. This paper presents shortly the theoretical background of economic convergence and then focuses on the assessment of possible paths of Romania’s convergence towards the EU. Based on the existing long-term macroeconomic projections and the assessment of the possible future developments of the drivers of economic growth, we have built three scenarios of economic convergence, highlighting the possible timespan of convergence. We have employed growth accounting methods to decompose output growth rate into production factors’ contributions (capital and labour and total factor productivity.

Reliability and validity of the workplace harassment questionnaire for Korean finance and service workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Myeongjun; Kim, Hyunjung; Shin, Donghee; Lee, Sangyun

2016-01-01

Harassment means systemic and repeated unethical acts. Research on workplace harassment have been conducted widely and the NAQ-R has been widely used for the researches. But this tool, however the limitations in revealing differended in sub-factors depending on the culture and in reflecting that unique characteristics of the Koren society. So, The workplace harassment questionnaire for Korean finace and service workers has been developed to assess the level of personal harassment at work. This study aims to develop a tool to assess the level of personal harassment at work and to test its validity and reliability while examining specific characteristics of workplace harassment against finance and service workers in Korea. The framework of survey was established based on literature review, focused-group interview for the Korean finance and service workers. To verify its reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated; and to verify its validity, items and factors of the tool were analyzed. The correlation matrix analysis was examined to verify the tool's convergent validity and discriminant validity. Structural validity was verified by checking statistical significance in relation to the BDI-K. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of this survey was 0.93, which indicates a quite high level of reliability. To verify the appropriateness of this survey tool, its construct validity was examined through factor analysis. As a result of the factor analysis, 3 factors were extracted, explaining 56.5 % of the total variance. The loading values and communalities of the 20 items were 0.85 to 0.48 and 0.71 to 0.46. The convergent validity and discriminant validity were analyzed and rate of item discriminant validity was 100 %. Finally, for the concurrent validity, We examined the relationship between the WHI-KFSW and pschosocial stress by examining the correlation with the BDI-K. The results of chi-square test and multiple logistic analysis indicated that the correlation with

Frequency response functions for nonlinear convergent systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pavlov, A.V.; Wouw, van de N.; Nijmeijer, H.

2007-01-01

Convergent systems constitute a practically important class of nonlinear systems that extends the class of asymptotically stable linear time-invariant systems. In this note, we extend frequency response functions defined for linear systems to nonlinear convergent systems. Such nonlinear frequency

[Cultural scale adaptation and validation of the Spanish version of the BRCA Self-Concept Scale in women carriers at high risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer].

Science.gov (United States)

Castejón, Vanessa; Rovira, Tatiana; Sumalla, Enric C; Darder, Esther; Iglesias, Silvia; Ochoa, Cristian; Blanco, Ignacio

2016-02-19

Having an inherited predisposition to cancer may have a psychological impact, and one goal of genetic counseling is to promote psychological adjustment to the new situation. Thus, in the genetic context, validated measures of adjustment are required. Given that self-concept is a good indicator of adjustment to the disease or to the risk for it, and a relevant variable in oncology, the goal of the study is to culturally adapt and validate the BRCA Self-Concept Scale. One hundred and sixty-five BRCA carriers' women answered to the questionnaire, previously adapted through a process of forward/back-translation, and to the Cancer Worry Scale (CWS) as a measure of convergent validity. Theoretical structure of BRCA Self-Concept Scale was assessed by expert judges, and submitted to a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Cronbach's α was calculated for each subscale (Stigma, Vulnerability and Control), and correlations with CWS were performed. Expert judges' structure and CFA do not support the original structure of the questionnaire. The respecificity model (with items 10 and 13 loading on Vulnerability factor) show a better fit: comparative fit index 0.973; Tucker-Lewis index 0.968; root mean square error of approximation 0.067. The Cronbach's α is 0.83 for Stigma, 0.84 for Vulnerability, and 0.61 for Control. Evidence of convergent validity with CWS has been obtained (Spearman's rho 0.631 for Stigma, 0.683 for Vulnerability, and -0.363 for Control; Pcancer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Converged Registries Solution (CRS)

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — The Converged Registries platform is a hardware and software architecture designed to host individual patient registries and eliminate duplicative development effort...

Spanish validation of Bad Sobernheim Stress Questionnaire (BSSQ (brace.es for adolescents with braces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rigo Manuel

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background As a result of scientific and medical professionals gaining interest in Stress and Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL, the aim of our research is, thus, to validate into Spanish the German questionnaire Bad Sobernheim Stress Questionnaire (BSSQ (mit Korsett, for adolescents wearing braces. Methods The methodology used adheres to literature on trans-cultural adaptation by doing a translation and a back translation; it involved 35 adolescents, ages ranging between 10 and 16, with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS and wearing the same kind of brace (Rigo System Chêneau Brace. The materials used were a socio-demographics data questionnaire, the SRS-22 and the Spanish version of BSSQ(brace.es. The statistical analysis calculated the reliability (test-retest reliability and internal consistency and the validity (convergent and construct validity of the BSSQ (brace.es. Results BSSQ(brace.es is reliable because of its satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.809, p It demonstrated convergent validity with SRS-22 since the Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.656 (p Conclusions BSSQ (brace.es is reliable and valid and can be used with Spanish adolescents to assess the stress level caused by the brace.

On convergence of nuclear and correlation operators in Hilbert space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubrusly, C.S.

1985-01-01

The convergence of sequences of nuclear operators on a separable Hilbert space is studied. Emphasis is given to trace-norm convergence, which is a basic property in stochastic systems theory. Obviously trace-norm convergence implies uniform convergence. The central theme of the paper focus the opposite way, by investigating when convergence in a weaker topology turns out to imply convergence in a stronger topology. The analysis carried out here is exhaustive in the following sense. All possible implications within a selected set of asymptotic properties for sequences of nuclear operators are established. The special case of correlation operators is also considered in detail. (Author) [pt

Segment-Specific Adhesion as a Driver of Convergent Extension

Science.gov (United States)

Vroomans, Renske M. A.; Hogeweg, Paulien; ten Tusscher, Kirsten H. W. J.

2015-01-01

Convergent extension, the simultaneous extension and narrowing of tissues, is a crucial event in the formation of the main body axis during embryonic development. It involves processes on multiple scales: the sub-cellular, cellular and tissue level, which interact via explicit or intrinsic feedback mechanisms. Computational modelling studies play an important role in unravelling the multiscale feedbacks underlying convergent extension. Convergent extension usually operates in tissue which has been patterned or is currently being patterned into distinct domains of gene expression. How such tissue patterns are maintained during the large scale tissue movements of convergent extension has thus far not been investigated. Intriguingly, experimental data indicate that in certain cases these tissue patterns may drive convergent extension rather than requiring safeguarding against convergent extension. Here we use a 2D Cellular Potts Model (CPM) of a tissue prepatterned into segments, to show that convergent extension tends to disrupt this pre-existing segmental pattern. However, when cells preferentially adhere to cells of the same segment type, segment integrity is maintained without any reduction in tissue extension. Strikingly, we demonstrate that this segment-specific adhesion is by itself sufficient to drive convergent extension. Convergent extension is enhanced when we endow our in silico cells with persistence of motion, which in vivo would naturally follow from cytoskeletal dynamics. Finally, we extend our model to confirm the generality of our results. We demonstrate a similar effect of differential adhesion on convergent extension in tissues that can only extend in a single direction (as often occurs due to the inertia of the head region of the embryo), and in tissues prepatterned into a sequence of domains resulting in two opposing adhesive gradients, rather than alternating segments. PMID:25706823

Validation of the Avoidance and Inflexibility Scale (AIS) among treatment-seeking smokers.

Science.gov (United States)

Farris, Samantha G; Zvolensky, Michael J; DiBello, Angelo M; Schmidt, Norman B

2015-06-01

The Avoidance and Inflexibility Scale (AIS; Gifford et al., 2004) was derived as a smoking-specific measure of experiential avoidance. However, there has been little investigation of the psychometric proprieties of the AIS and no published work on the topic. The current study aimed to test the reliability and validity of the AIS among a sample of adult treatment-seeking daily smokers (n = 465; 48.2% female, 17.8 [SD = 9.60] cigarettes per day). The AIS was administered at 3 time points (baseline, quit-day, and 1 month postquit) as part of a larger smoking cessation trial. An exploratory factor analysis indicated a 2-factor solution, described by inflexibility and avoidance because of smoking related "thoughts/feelings" (9 items) and "somatic sensations" (4 items). Results revealed that the AIS-total and factor scores demonstrated high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The AIS total and factor scores also displayed high convergent, discriminant, and incremental predictive validity with theoretically relevant smoking and affective variables. The present data suggest that the AIS measure appears to be a valid and reliable smoking-specific index of experiential avoidance. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Validation of the Avoidance and Inflexibility Scale (AIS) among Treatment-Seeking Smoker

Science.gov (United States)

Farris, Samantha G.; Zvolensky, Michael J.; DiBello, Angelo M.; Schmidt, Norman B.

2015-01-01

The Avoidance and Inflexibility Scale (AIS; Gifford et al., 2004) was derived as smoking-specific measure of experiential avoidance. However, there has been little investigation of the psychometric proprieties of the AIS and no published work on the topic. The current study aimed to test the reliability and validity of the AIS among a sample of adult treatment-seeking daily smokers (n = 465; 48.1% female, 17.8 [SD = 9.60] cigarettes per day). The AIS was administered at three time points (Baseline, Quit day, 1 month post-quit) as part of a larger smoking cessation trial. An exploratory factor analysis indicated a two-factor solution, described by inflexibility and avoidance due to smoking related “thoughts/feelings” (9 items) and “somatic sensations” (4 items). Results revealed that the AIS-total and factor scores demonstrated high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The AIS total and factor scores also displayed high convergent, discriminant, and incremental predictive validity with theoretically-relevant smoking and affective variables. The present data suggest that the AIS measure appears to be a valid and reliable smoking-specific index of experiential avoidance. PMID:25642937

French Translation and Validation of Three Scales Evaluating Stigma in Mental Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla Garcia

2017-12-01

Full Text Available ObjectiveThe concept of stigma refers to problems of knowledge (ignorance, attitudes (prejudice, and behavior (discrimination. Stigma may hinder access to care, housing, and work. In the context of implementation of programs such as “housing first” or “individual placement and support” in French speaking regions, validated instruments measuring stigma are necessary. “Attitudes to Mental Illness 2011” is a questionnaire that includes three scales measuring stigma through these three dimensions. This study aimed to translate, adapt, and validate these three scales in French.MethodsThe “Attitudes to Mental Illness 2011” questionnaire was translated into French and back-translated into English by an expert. Two hundred and sixty-eight nursing students completed the questionnaire. Content validity, face validity, internal validity, and convergent validity were assessed. Long-term reliability was also estimated over a three-month period.ResultsExperts and participants found that the questionnaire’s content validity and face validity were appropriate. The internal validities of the three scales were also considered adequate. Convergent validity indicated that the scales did indeed measure what they were supposed to. Long-term stability estimates were moderate; this pattern of results suggested that the construct targeted by the three scales is adequately measured but does not necessarily represent stable and enduring traits.ConclusionBecause of their good psychometric properties, these three scales can be used in French, either separately, to measure one specific dimension of stigma, or together, to assess stigma in its three dimensions. This would seem of paramount importance in evaluating campaigns against stigma since it allows measures to be adapted according to campaign goals and the target population.

Language Convergence Infrastructure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

V. Zaytsev (Vadim); J.M. Fernandes; R. Lämmel (Ralf); J.M.W. Visser (Joost); J. Saraiva

2011-01-01

htmlabstractThe process of grammar convergence involves grammar extraction and transformation for structural equivalence and contains a range of technical challenges. These need to be addressed in order for the method to deliver useful results. The paper describes a DSL and the infrastructure behind

Convergent Filter Bases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coghetto Roland

2015-09-01

Full Text Available We are inspired by the work of Henri Cartan [16], Bourbaki [10] (TG. I Filtres and Claude Wagschal [34]. We define the base of filter, image filter, convergent filter bases, limit filter and the filter base of tails (fr: filtre des sections.

Converging coolness and investigating its relation to user experience

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raptis, Dimitrios; Bruun, Anders; Kjeldskov, Jesper

2017-01-01

Recently a number of studies appeared that operationalised coolness and explored its relation to digital products. Literature suggests that perceived coolness is another factor of user experience, and this adds to an existing explosion of dimensions related to aesthetics, hedonic quality, pragmatic...... quality, attractiveness, etc. A critical challenge highlighted in prior research is to study the relationships among those factors and so far, no studies have empirically examined the relationship between coolness and other established user experience factors. In this paper, we address this challenge...... cool and UX factors converge into 5 for the case of mobile devices. Our findings are important for researchers, as we demonstrate through a validated model that coolness is part of UX research, as well as for practitioners, by developing a questionnaire that can reliably measure both perceived inner...

Assessing the Implicit Theory of Willpower for Strenuous Mental Activities Scale: Multigroup, across-gender, and cross-cultural measurement invariance and convergent and divergent validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Napolitano, Christopher M; Job, Veronika

2018-05-21

Why do some people struggle with self-control (colloquially called willpower) whereas others are able to sustain it during challenging circumstances? Recent research showed that a person's implicit theories of willpower-whether they think self-control capacity is a limited or nonlimited resource-predict sustained self-control on laboratory tasks and on goal-related outcomes in everyday life. The present research tests the Implicit Theory of Willpower for Strenuous Mental Activities Scale (or ITW-M) Scale for measurement invariance across samples and gender within each culture, and two cultural contexts (the U.S. and Switzerland/Germany). Across a series of multigroup confirmatory factor analyses, we found support for the measurement invariance of the ITW-M scale across samples within and across two cultures, as well as across men and women. Further, the analyses showed expected patterns of convergent (with life-satisfaction and trait-self-control) and discriminant validity (with implicit theory of intelligence). These results provide guidelines for future research and clinical practice using the ITW-M scale for the investigation of latent group differences, for example, between gender or cultures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Convergence Science in a Nano World

Science.gov (United States)

Cady, Nathaniel

2013-01-01

Convergence is a new paradigm that brings together critical advances in the life sciences, physical sciences and engineering. Going beyond traditional “interdisciplinary” studies, “convergence” describes the culmination of truly integrated research and development, yielding revolutionary advances in both scientific research and new technologies. At its core, nanotechnology embodies these elements of convergence science by bringing together multiple disciplines with the goal of creating innovative and groundbreaking technologies. In the biological and biomedical sciences, nanotechnology research has resulted in dramatic improvements in sensors, diagnostics, imaging, and even therapeutics. In particular, there is a current push to examine the interface between the biological world and micro/nano-scale systems. For example, my laboratory is developing novel strategies for spatial patterning of biomolecules, electrical and optical biosensing, nanomaterial delivery systems, cellular patterning techniques, and the study of cellular interactions with nano-structured surfaces. In this seminar, I will give examples of how convergent research is being applied to three major areas of biological research &endash; cancer diagnostics, microbiology, and DNA-based biosensing. These topics will be presented as case studies, showing the benefits (and challenges) of multi-disciplinary, convergent research and development.

Multi-sectorial convergence in greenhouse gas emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Guilherme de; Bourscheidt, Deise Maria

2017-07-01

This paper uses the World Input-Output Database (WIOD) to test the hypothesis of per capita convergence in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for a multi-sectorial panel of countries. The empirical strategy applies conventional estimators of random and fixed effects and Arellano and Bond's (1991) GMM to the main pollutants related to the greenhouse effect. For reasonable empirical specifications, the model revealed robust evidence of per capita convergence in CH 4 emissions in the agriculture, food, and services sectors. The evidence of convergence in CO 2 emissions was moderate in the following sectors: agriculture, food, non-durable goods manufacturing, and services. In all cases, the time for convergence was less than 15 years. Regarding emissions by energy use, the largest source of global warming, there was only moderate evidence in the extractive industry sector-all other pollutants presented little or no evidence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Testing the Conditional Convergence Hypothesis for Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sajjad Ahmad Jan (Corresponding Author

2011-09-01

Full Text Available This study investigates for the existence or non-existence of conditional convergence across the provinces of Pakistan. The annual output data from 1973 to 2000 is pooled for the four Pakistani provinces. The cross-sectional specific effects, the time specific effects, the manufacturing output, and the structural variable for aggregate supply or production shocks are used to control the different steady state levels of per capita incomes of thedifferent provinces. The equation for conditional convergence is estimated through generalized least squares (GLS method, after controlling for the different steady states of the provinces. The result shows that the provinces of Pakistan converge to their own respective steady states with a convergence speed of 11% per annum. At the same time manufacturing output is also statistically significant and positively affects the economic growth in the provinces. However the structural variable is not statistically significant.

Report on converging insert moulding with µ-IM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Islam, Aminul

moulding with µ-IM  Task 5.2.1 and COTECH demonstrator: guide line for 5PRC production based on the concept of Task 5.2.1 Information and results provided by this deliverable will be directly used for one of the COTECH demonstrators production which will call for convergent insert moulding with µ......Task 5.2.1 deals with the technical feasibility of converging the state-of-the-art µ IM process with insert moulding to offer a wide range of multi-material µ components. The main objective of this deliverable is to summarize state-of-the-art information and to make the guideline needed...... for the convergence. In particular the following aspects are summed up in the deliverable:  Need for converging insert moulding with µ-IM  Objectives and expected outcome from task 5.2.1  State-of-the-art micro insert moulding and different scenario of micro insert moulding  Challenges ahead of converging insert...

A Study on Diffusion Pattern of Technology Convergence: Patent Analysis for Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae Young Choi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Technology convergence indicates that technologies of different application areas are converted into a new and common unity of technology. Its range spans from inter-field, whereby technologies are converged between heterogeneous fields in homogeneous sector, to a wider inter-sector, whereby technologies belong to heterogeneous technology sector are converged. This paper determined the definition of technology convergence from previous literature and classified patents into technology category depending on patent information. Furthermore, we empirically measure technology convergence degree based on co-classification analysis and estimate its diffusion trend at the entire technology domain level by using overall 1,476,967 of patents filed to the KIPO (Korean Intellectual Property Office from 1998 to 2010. As a result, potential size and growth rate of technology convergence are varied by both technology and type of technology convergence, i.e., inter-field and inter-sector technology convergence. Diffusion pattern of inter-sector technology convergence appears as the more various form than that of inter-field technology convergence. In a relationship between potential size and growth rate of technology convergence, growth rate of technology convergence is in inverse proportion to potential size of technology convergence in general. That is, the faster the growth rate of technology convergence, the smaller the potential size of technology convergence. In addition, this paper found that technology convergence of the instrument and chemistry sector is actively progressing in both inter-field and inter-sector convergence, while the technologies related to Information and Communication Technology (ICT in electrical engineering sector have relatively mature progress of technology convergence, especially in inter-sector technology convergence.

Disparity and convergence: Chinese provincial government health expenditures.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Jay; Wang, Peng; Qin, Xuezheng; Zhang, Shufang

2013-01-01

The huge regional disparity in government health expenditures (GHE) is a major policy concern in China. This paper addresses whether provincial GHE converges in China from 1997 to 2009 using the economic convergence framework based on neoclassical economic growth theory. Our empirical investigation provides compelling evidence of long-term convergence in provincial GHE within China, but not in short-term. Policy implications of these empirical results are discussed.

Disparity and convergence: Chinese provincial government health expenditures.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jay Pan

Full Text Available The huge regional disparity in government health expenditures (GHE is a major policy concern in China. This paper addresses whether provincial GHE converges in China from 1997 to 2009 using the economic convergence framework based on neoclassical economic growth theory. Our empirical investigation provides compelling evidence of long-term convergence in provincial GHE within China, but not in short-term. Policy implications of these empirical results are discussed.

Convergence of Transition Probability Matrix in CLVMarkov Models

Science.gov (United States)

Permana, D.; Pasaribu, U. S.; Indratno, S. W.; Suprayogi, S.

2018-04-01

A transition probability matrix is an arrangement of transition probability from one states to another in a Markov chain model (MCM). One of interesting study on the MCM is its behavior for a long time in the future. The behavior is derived from one property of transition probabilty matrix for n steps. This term is called the convergence of the n-step transition matrix for n move to infinity. Mathematically, the convergence of the transition probability matrix is finding the limit of the transition matrix which is powered by n where n moves to infinity. The convergence form of the transition probability matrix is very interesting as it will bring the matrix to its stationary form. This form is useful for predicting the probability of transitions between states in the future. The method usually used to find the convergence of transition probability matrix is through the process of limiting the distribution. In this paper, the convergence of the transition probability matrix is searched using a simple concept of linear algebra that is by diagonalizing the matrix.This method has a higher level of complexity because it has to perform the process of diagonalization in its matrix. But this way has the advantage of obtaining a common form of power n of the transition probability matrix. This form is useful to see transition matrix before stationary. For example cases are taken from CLV model using MCM called Model of CLV-Markov. There are several models taken by its transition probability matrix to find its convergence form. The result is that the convergence of the matrix of transition probability through diagonalization has similarity with convergence with commonly used distribution of probability limiting method.

Evidence that convergence rather than accommodation controls intermittent distance exotropia.

Science.gov (United States)

Horwood, Anna M; Riddell, Patricia M

2012-03-01

This study considered whether vergence drives accommodation or accommodation drives vergence during the control of distance exotropia for near fixation. High accommodative convergence to accommodation (AC/A) ratios are often used to explain this control, but the role of convergence to drive accommodation (the CA/C relationship) is rarely considered. Atypical CA/C characteristics could equally, or better, explain common clinical findings. Nineteen distance exotropes, aged 4-11 years, were compared while controlling their deviation with 27 non-exotropic controls aged 5-9 years. Simultaneous vergence and accommodation responses were measured to a range of targets incorporating different combinations of blur, disparity and looming cues at four fixation distances between 2 m and 33 cm. Stimulus and response AC/A and CA/C ratios were calculated. Accommodation responses for near targets (p = 0.017) and response gains (p = 0.026) were greater in the exotropes than in the controls. Despite higher clinical stimulus AC/A ratios, the distance exotropes showed lower laboratory response AC/A ratios (p = 0.02), but significantly higher CA/C ratios (p = 0.02). All the exotropes, whether the angle changed most with lenses ('controlled by accommodation') or on occlusion ('controlled by fusion'), used binocular disparity not blur as their main cue to target distance. Increased vergence demand to control intermittent distance exotropia for near also drives significantly more accommodation. Minus lens therapy is more likely to act by correcting overaccommodation driven by controlling convergence, rather than by inducing blur-driven vergence. The use of convergence as a major drive to accommodation explains many clinical characteristics of distance exotropia, including apparently high near stimulus AC/A ratios. © 2012 The Authors. Acta Ophthalmologica © 2012 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation.

Young & restless: Validation of the Mind-Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ reveals disruptive impact of mind-wandering for youth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael D. Mrazek

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Mind-wandering is the focus of extensive investigation, yet until recently there has been no validated scale to directly measure trait levels of task-unrelated thought. Scales commonly used to assess mind-wandering lack face validity, measuring related constructs such as daydreaming or behavioral errors. Here we report four studies validating a Mind-Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ across college, high school, and middle school samples. The 5-item scale showed high internal consistency, as well as convergent validity with existing measures of mind-wandering and related constructs. Trait levels of mind-wandering, as measured by the MWQ, were correlated with task-unrelated thought measured by thought sampling during a test of reading comprehension. In both middle school and high school samples, mind-wandering during testing was associated with worse reading comprehension. By contrast, elevated trait levels of mind-wandering predicted worse mood, less life-satisfaction, greater stress, and lower self-esteem. By extending the use of thought sampling to measure mind-wandering among adolescents, our findings also validate the use of this methodology with younger populations. Both the MWQ and thought sampling indicate that mind-wandering is a pervasive – and problematic – influence on the performance and well-being of adolescents.

Method-independent, Computationally Frugal Convergence Testing for Sensitivity Analysis Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Mai, J.; Tolson, B.

2017-12-01

The increasing complexity and runtime of environmental models lead to the current situation that the calibration of all model parameters or the estimation of all of their uncertainty is often computationally infeasible. Hence, techniques to determine the sensitivity of model parameters are used to identify most important parameters. All subsequent model calibrations or uncertainty estimation procedures focus then only on these subsets of parameters and are hence less computational demanding. While the examination of the convergence of calibration and uncertainty methods is state-of-the-art, the convergence of the sensitivity methods is usually not checked. If any, bootstrapping of the sensitivity results is used to determine the reliability of the estimated indexes. Bootstrapping, however, might as well become computationally expensive in case of large model outputs and a high number of bootstraps. We, therefore, present a Model Variable Augmentation (MVA) approach to check the convergence of sensitivity indexes without performing any additional model run. This technique is method- and model-independent. It can be applied either during the sensitivity analysis (SA) or afterwards. The latter case enables the checking of already processed sensitivity indexes. To demonstrate the method's independency of the convergence testing method, we applied it to two widely used, global SA methods: the screening method known as Morris method or Elementary Effects (Morris 1991) and the variance-based Sobol' method (Solbol' 1993). The new convergence testing method is first scrutinized using 12 analytical benchmark functions (Cuntz & Mai et al. 2015) where the true indexes of aforementioned three methods are known. This proof of principle shows that the method reliably determines the uncertainty of the SA results when different budgets are used for the SA. The results show that the new frugal method is able to test the convergence and therefore the reliability of SA results in an

The convergence of lattice solutions of linearised Regge calculus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrett, J.W.; Williams, R.M.

1988-01-01

Sequences of configurations of linearised Regge calculus converging to plane wave solutions are constructed to illustrate an earlier result on convergence. It is shown that, for these examples, the convergence criterion filters out the solutions which do not satisfy Einstein's equations from those which do. (author)

Validity and Reliability of the Academic Resilience Scale in Turkish High School

Science.gov (United States)

Kapikiran, Sahin

2012-01-01

The present study aims to determine the validity and reliability of the academic resilience scale in Turkish high school. The participances of the study includes 378 high school students in total (192 female and 186 male). A set of analyses were conducted in order to determine the validity and reliability of the study. Firstly, both exploratory…

Fourier convergence analysis applied to neutron diffusion Eigenvalue problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hyun Chul; Noh, Jae Man; Joo, Hyung Kook

2004-01-01

Fourier error analysis has been a standard technique for the stability and convergence analysis of linear and nonlinear iterative methods. Though the methods can be applied to Eigenvalue problems too, all the Fourier convergence analyses have been performed only for fixed source problems and a Fourier convergence analysis for Eigenvalue problem has never been reported. Lee et al proposed new 2-D/1-D coupling methods and they showed that the new ones are unconditionally stable while one of the two existing ones is unstable at a small mesh size and that the new ones are better than the existing ones in terms of the convergence rate. In this paper the convergence of method A in reference 4 for the diffusion Eigenvalue problem was analyzed by the Fourier analysis. The Fourier convergence analysis presented in this paper is the first one applied to a neutronics eigenvalue problem to the best of our knowledge

Convergence of Corporate and Information Security

OpenAIRE

Syed; Rahman, M.; Donahue, Shannon E.

2010-01-01

As physical and information security boundaries have become increasingly blurry many organizations are experiencing challenges with how to effectively and efficiently manage security within the corporate. There is no current standard or best practice offered by the security community regarding convergence; however many organizations such as the Alliance for Enterprise Security Risk Management (AESRM) offer some excellent suggestions for integrating a converged security program. This paper rep...

Convergence Science in a Nano World

OpenAIRE

Cady, Nathaniel

2013-01-01

Convergence is a new paradigm that brings together critical advances in the life sciences, physical sciences and engineering. Going beyond traditional “interdisciplinary” studies, “convergence” describes the culmination of truly integrated research and development, yielding revolutionary advances in both scientific research and new technologies. At its core, nanotechnology embodies these elements of convergence science by bringing together multiple disciplines with the goal of creating innova...

KiDS-450: cosmological constraints from weak lensing peak statistics - I. Inference from analytical prediction of high signal-to-noise ratio convergence peaks

Science.gov (United States)

Shan, HuanYuan; Liu, Xiangkun; Hildebrandt, Hendrik; Pan, Chuzhong; Martinet, Nicolas; Fan, Zuhui; Schneider, Peter; Asgari, Marika; Harnois-Déraps, Joachim; Hoekstra, Henk; Wright, Angus; Dietrich, Jörg P.; Erben, Thomas; Getman, Fedor; Grado, Aniello; Heymans, Catherine; Klaes, Dominik; Kuijken, Konrad; Merten, Julian; Puddu, Emanuella; Radovich, Mario; Wang, Qiao

2018-02-01

This paper is the first of a series of papers constraining cosmological parameters with weak lensing peak statistics using ˜ 450 deg2 of imaging data from the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS-450). We measure high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR: ν) weak lensing convergence peaks in the range of 3 < ν < 5, and employ theoretical models to derive expected values. These models are validated using a suite of simulations. We take into account two major systematic effects, the boost factor and the effect of baryons on the mass-concentration relation of dark matter haloes. In addition, we investigate the impacts of other potential astrophysical systematics including the projection effects of large-scale structures, intrinsic galaxy alignments, as well as residual measurement uncertainties in the shear and redshift calibration. Assuming a flat Λ cold dark matter model, we find constraints for S_8=σ _8(Ω _m/0.3)^{0.5}=0.746^{+0.046}_{-0.107} according to the degeneracy direction of the cosmic shear analysis and Σ _8=σ _8(Ω _m/0.3)^{0.38}=0.696^{+0.048}_{-0.050} based on the derived degeneracy direction of our high-SNR peak statistics. The difference between the power index of S8 and in Σ8 indicates that combining cosmic shear with peak statistics has the potential to break the degeneracy in σ8 and Ωm. Our results are consistent with the cosmic shear tomographic correlation analysis of the same data set and ˜2σ lower than the Planck 2016 results.

A Rapid Convergent Low Complexity Interference Alignment Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lihui Jiang

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Interference alignment (IA is a novel technique that can effectively eliminate the interference and approach the sum capacity of wireless sensor networks (WSNs when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR is high, by casting the desired signal and interference into different signal subspaces. The traditional alternating minimization interference leakage (AMIL algorithm for IA shows good performance in high SNR regimes, however, the complexity of the AMIL algorithm increases dramatically as the number of users and antennas increases, posing limits to its applications in the practical systems. In this paper, a novel IA algorithm, called directional quartic optimal (DQO algorithm, is proposed to minimize the interference leakage with rapid convergence and low complexity. The properties of the AMIL algorithm are investigated, and it is discovered that the difference between the two consecutive iteration results of the AMIL algorithm will approximately point to the convergence solution when the precoding and decoding matrices obtained from the intermediate iterations are sufficiently close to their convergence values. Based on this important property, the proposed DQO algorithm employs the line search procedure so that it can converge to the destination directly. In addition, the optimal step size can be determined analytically by optimizing a quartic function. Numerical results show that the proposed DQO algorithm can suppress the interference leakage more rapidly than the traditional AMIL algorithm, and can achieve the same level of sum rate as that of AMIL algorithm with far less iterations and execution time.

A Rapid Convergent Low Complexity Interference Alignment Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Lihui; Wu, Zhilu; Ren, Guanghui; Wang, Gangyi; Zhao, Nan

2015-07-29

Interference alignment (IA) is a novel technique that can effectively eliminate the interference and approach the sum capacity of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is high, by casting the desired signal and interference into different signal subspaces. The traditional alternating minimization interference leakage (AMIL) algorithm for IA shows good performance in high SNR regimes, however, the complexity of the AMIL algorithm increases dramatically as the number of users and antennas increases, posing limits to its applications in the practical systems. In this paper, a novel IA algorithm, called directional quartic optimal (DQO) algorithm, is proposed to minimize the interference leakage with rapid convergence and low complexity. The properties of the AMIL algorithm are investigated, and it is discovered that the difference between the two consecutive iteration results of the AMIL algorithm will approximately point to the convergence solution when the precoding and decoding matrices obtained from the intermediate iterations are sufficiently close to their convergence values. Based on this important property, the proposed DQO algorithm employs the line search procedure so that it can converge to the destination directly. In addition, the optimal step size can be determined analytically by optimizing a quartic function. Numerical results show that the proposed DQO algorithm can suppress the interference leakage more rapidly than the traditional AMIL algorithm, and can achieve the same level of sum rate as that of AMIL algorithm with far less iterations and execution time.

The IASB and FASB Convergence Process: Current Developments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saher Aqel

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The importance of harmonization of accounting atandards is now widely accepted all over the world. The increased international movement of investments has strongly forces the harmonization of the various national accounting standards in a uniform financial reporting system accepted worldwide. Recently the Securities and Exchange Commission has agreed to remove the requirement international firms reporting under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS and listed in the U.S to provide reconciliation to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP. This recent move of the Securities and Exchange Commission indicate that U.S. financial reporting is likely to converge with IFRS in the near future. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB are currently working together so as to converge their existing accounting standards into a common set of international accounting standards. The objective of this paper is to discuss the FASB and IASB convergence process by addressing current developments regarding significant topics that were deemed critical to this convergence. The convergence of GAAP and IFRS seems inevitable. Mixed opinions have been voiced about this convergence process. Many have begun to consider obstacles that is possible to lay ahead as well as the possible costs and benefits of such a move to the IFRS .

HAUTO: Automated composition of convergent services based in HTN planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Armando Ordoñez

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents HAUTO, a framework able to compose convergent services automatically. HAUTO is based in HTN (hierarchical task networks Automated Planning and is composed of three modules: a request processing module that transforms natural language and context information into a planning instance, the automated composition module based on HTN planning and the execution environment for convergent (Web and telecom services. The integration of a planning component provides two basic functionalities: the possibility of customizing the composition of services using the user context information and a middleware level that integrates the execution of services in high performance telecom environments. Finally, a prototype in environmental early warning management is presented as a test case.

Modelling Convergence of Finite Element Analysis of Cantilever Beam

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Convergence studies are carried out by investigating the convergence of numerical results as the number of elements is increased. If convergence is not obtained, the engineer using the finite element method has absolutely no indication whether the results are indicative of a meaningful approximation to the correct solution ...

Real Economic Convergence in Western Europe from 1995 to 2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dzenita Siljak

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to analyze the economic convergence of real per capita GDP in the Western European countries with two types of measurement methodology. The first is sigma convergence, based on the coefficient of variation of real per capita GDP. The second is beta convergence, absolute/unconditional and conditional, including economic and socio-political variables, based on the neoclassical growth theory. The hypothesis of the paper is that there has been real economic convergence in Western Europe in at least one analyzed sub-period. The relationships between selected macroeconomic variables and the rate of economic growth are econometrically tested. Both sigma and beta convergence are estimated for the period 1995-2013 and four sub-periods: 1995-2003, 2004-2013, pre-crisis sub-period 2004-2008 and the crisis sub-period 2009-2013. The empirical findings support the hypothesis of economic convergence, i.e. that the poorer countries tend to grow faster than the rich ones in per capita terms, for some periods. However, the countries had a tendency to diverge, confiriming the negative effects of the crisis on per capita GDP growth. Sigma convergence is consistent with beta convergence. According to the results, the half-life of real convergence may take from 12 to 1078 years. Significant dissimilarities between the growth patterns among individual countries show the considerable heterogeneity of growth, i.e. the convergence clubs.

Validity and reliability of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the BACS (Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geovany Eliberto Araújo

2015-04-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity and reliability of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia by examining its temporal stability, internal consistency, and discriminant and convergent validity. METHODS: The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia was administered to 116 stable patients with schizophrenia and 58 matched control subjects. To assess concurrent validity, a subset of patients underwent a traditional neuropsychological assessment. RESULTS: The patients with schizophrenia performed significantly worse than the controls (p0.8. The internal consistency of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia was high (Cronbach's α ϝ 0.874. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia exhibits good reliability and discriminant and concurrent validity and is a promising tool for easily assessing cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and for comparing the performance of Brazilian patients with that of patients from other countries.

The City of Hope-Quality of Life-Ostomy Questionnaire: Persian Translation and Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Anaraki, F; Vafaie, M; Behboo, R; Esmaeilpour, S; Maghsoodi, N; Safaee, A; Grant, M

2014-01-01

Background: Since there is no disease-specific instrument for measuring quality-of-life (QOL) in Ostomy patients in Persian language. Aim: This study was designed to translate and evaluate the validity and reliability of City of Hope-quality of life-Ostomy questionnaire (COH-QOL-Ostomy questionnaire). Subjects and Methods: This study was designed as cross-sectional study. Reliability of the subscales and the summary scores were demonstrated by intra-class correlation coefficients. Pearson's correlations of an item with its own scale and other scales were calculated to evaluated convergent and discriminant validity. Clinical validity was also evaluated by known-group comparisons. Results: Cronbach's alpha coefficient for all subscales was about 0.70 or higher. Results of interscale correlation were satisfactory and each subscale only measured a single and specified trait. All subscales met the standards of convergent and discriminant validity. Known group comparison analysis showed significant differences in social and spiritual well-being. Conclusion: The findings confirmed the reliability and validity of Persian version of COH-QOL-Ostomy questionnaire. The instrument was also well received by the Iranian patients. It can be considered as a valuable instrument to assess the different aspects of health related quality-of-life in Ostomy patients and used in clinical research in the future. PMID:25221719

The city of hope-quality of life-ostomy questionnaire: persian translation and validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Anaraki, F; Vafaie, M; Behboo, R; Esmaeilpour, S; Maghsoodi, N; Safaee, A; Grant, M

2014-07-01

Since there is no disease-specific instrument for measuring quality-of-life (QOL) in Ostomy patients in Persian language. This study was designed to translate and evaluate the validity and reliability of City of Hope-quality of life-Ostomy questionnaire (COH-QOL-Ostomy questionnaire). This study was designed as cross-sectional study. Reliability of the subscales and the summary scores were demonstrated by intra-class correlation coefficients. Pearson's correlations of an item with its own scale and other scales were calculated to evaluated convergent and discriminant validity. Clinical validity was also evaluated by known-group comparisons. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for all subscales was about 0.70 or higher. Results of interscale correlation were satisfactory and each subscale only measured a single and specified trait. All subscales met the standards of convergent and discriminant validity. Known group comparison analysis showed significant differences in social and spiritual well-being. The findings confirmed the reliability and validity of Persian version of COH-QOL-Ostomy questionnaire. The instrument was also well received by the Iranian patients. It can be considered as a valuable instrument to assess the different aspects of health related quality-of-life in Ostomy patients and used in clinical research in the future.

Experimental validation of prototype high voltage bushing

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Sejal; Tyagi, H.; Sharma, D.; Parmar, D.; M. N., Vishnudev; Joshi, K.; Patel, K.; Yadav, A.; Patel, R.; Bandyopadhyay, M.; Rotti, C.; Chakraborty, A.

2017-08-01

Prototype High voltage bushing (PHVB) is a scaled down configuration of DNB High Voltage Bushing (HVB) of ITER. It is designed for operation at 50 kV DC to ensure operational performance and thereby confirming the design configuration of DNB HVB. Two concentric insulators viz. Ceramic and Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) rings are used as double layered vacuum boundary for 50 kV isolation between grounded and high voltage flanges. Stress shields are designed for smooth electric field distribution. During ceramic to Kovar brazing, spilling cannot be controlled which may lead to high localized electrostatic stress. To understand spilling phenomenon and precise stress calculation, quantitative analysis was performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) of brazed sample and similar configuration modeled while performing the Finite Element (FE) analysis. FE analysis of PHVB is performed to find out electrical stresses on different areas of PHVB and are maintained similar to DNB HV Bushing. With this configuration, the experiment is performed considering ITER like vacuum and electrical parameters. Initial HV test is performed by temporary vacuum sealing arrangements using gaskets/O-rings at both ends in order to achieve desired vacuum and keep the system maintainable. During validation test, 50 kV voltage withstand is performed for one hour. Voltage withstand test for 60 kV DC (20% higher rated voltage) have also been performed without any breakdown. Successful operation of PHVB confirms the design of DNB HV Bushing. In this paper, configuration of PHVB with experimental validation data is presented.

Convergent synthesis of degradable dendrons based on L-malic acid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyhoff, Ulrich; Riber, Ulla; Boas, Ulrik

2015-01-01

New degradable polyester dendrons based on the cellular tricarboxylic acid cycle component L-malic acid were synthesized up to the third generation by convergent synthesis. The dendron wedges could be introduced in a stepwise, highly regioselective fashion. HMBC-NMR revealed that the C1-carbonyl...

Exponentially-convergent Monte Carlo via finite-element trial spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morel, Jim E.; Tooley, Jared P.; Blamer, Brandon J.

2011-01-01

Exponentially-Convergent Monte Carlo (ECMC) methods, also known as adaptive Monte Carlo and residual Monte Carlo methods, were the subject of intense research over a decade ago, but they never became practical for solving the realistic problems. We believe that the failure of previous efforts may be related to the choice of trial spaces that were global and thus highly oscillatory. As an alternative, we consider finite-element trial spaces, which have the ability to treat fully realistic problems. As a first step towards more general methods, we apply piecewise-linear trial spaces to the spatially-continuous two-stream transport equation. Using this approach, we achieve exponential convergence and computationally demonstrate several fundamental properties of finite-element based ECMC methods. Finally, our results indicate that the finite-element approach clearly deserves further investigation. (author)

Monetary policy rules for convergence to the Euro

OpenAIRE

Orlowski, Lucjan T.

2008-01-01

This paper aims to devise a monetary policy instrument rule that is suitable for open economies undergoing monetary convergence to a common currency area. The open-economy convergence-consistent Taylor rule is forward-looking, consistent with monetary framework based on inflation targeting, containing input variables that are relative to the corresponding variables in the common currency area. The policy rule is tested empirically for three inflation targeting countries converging to the euro...

Convergence criteria for systems of nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, R.K.

1986-01-01

This thesis deals with convergence criteria for a special system of nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations. A fixed-point algorithm is used, which iteratively solves one linearized elliptic partial differential equation at a time. Conditions are established that help foresee the convergence of the algorithm. Under reasonable hypotheses it is proved that the algorithm converges for such nonlinear elliptic systems. Extensive experimental results are reported and they show the algorithm converges in a wide variety of cases and the convergence is well correlated with the theoretical conditions introduced in this thesis

Development and validation of the Alcohol Myopia Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Lac, Andrew; Berger, Dale E

2013-09-01

Alcohol myopia theory conceptualizes the ability of alcohol to narrow attention and how this demand on mental resources produces the impairments of self-inflation, relief, and excess. The current research was designed to develop and validate a scale based on this framework. People who were alcohol users rated items representing myopic experiences arising from drinking episodes in the past month. In Study 1 (N = 260), the preliminary 3-factor structure was supported by exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2 (N = 289), the 3-factor structure was substantiated with confirmatory factor analysis, and it was superior in fit to an empirically indefensible 1-factor structure. The final 14-item scale was evaluated with internal consistency reliability, discriminant validity, convergent validity, criterion validity, and incremental validity. The alcohol myopia scale (AMS) illuminates conceptual underpinnings of this theory and yields insights for understanding the tunnel vision that arises from intoxication.

Development and Validation of a Novel Generic Health-related Quality of Life Instrument With 20 Items (HINT-20

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min-Woo Jo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives Few attempts have been made to develop a generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL instrument and to examine its validity and reliability in Korea. We aimed to do this in our present study. Methods After a literature review of existing generic HRQoL instruments, a focus group discussion, in-depth interviews, and expert consultations, we selected 30 tentative items for a new HRQoL measure. These items were evaluated by assessing their ceiling effects, difficulty, and redundancy in the first survey. To validate the HRQoL instrument that was developed, known-groups validity and convergent/discriminant validity were evaluated and its test-retest reliability was examined in the second survey. Results Of the 30 items originally assessed for the HRQoL instrument, four were excluded due to high ceiling effects and six were removed due to redundancy. We ultimately developed a HRQoL instrument with a reduced number of 20 items, known as the Health-related Quality of Life Instrument with 20 items (HINT-20, incorporating physical, mental, social, and positive health dimensions. The results of the HINT-20 for known-groups validity were poorer in women, the elderly, and those with a low income. For convergent/discriminant validity, the correlation coefficients of items (except vitality in the physical health dimension with the physical component summary of the Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2 were generally higher than the correlations of those items with the mental component summary of the SF-36v2, and vice versa. Regarding test-retest reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficient of the total HINT-20 score was 0.813 (p<0.001. Conclusions A novel generic HRQoL instrument, the HINT-20, was developed for the Korean general population and showed acceptable validity and reliability.

Particle image velocimetry measurements of the flow in the converging region of two parallel jets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Huhu, E-mail: huhuwang@tamu.edu; Lee, Saya, E-mail: sayalee@tamu.edu; Hassan, Yassin A., E-mail: y-hassan@tamu.edu

2016-09-15

Highlights: • The flow behaviors in the converging region were non-intrusively investigated using PIV. • The PIV results using two measuring scales and LDV data matched very well. • Significant momentum transfer was observed in the merging region right after the merging point. • Instantaneous vector field revealed characteristic interacting patterns of the jets. - Abstract: The interaction between parallel jets plays a critical role in determining the characteristics of the momentum and heat transfer in the flow. Specifically for next generation VHTR, the output temperature will be about 900 °C, and any thermal oscillations will create safety issues. The mixing variations of the coolants in the reactor core may influence these power oscillations. Numerous numerical tools such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have been used to support the reactor design. The validation of CFD method is important to ensure the fidelity of the calculations. This requires high-fidelity, qualified benchmark data. Particle image velocimetry (PIV), a non-intrusive measuring technique, was used to provide benchmark data for resolving a simultaneous flow field in the converging region of two submerged parallel jets issued from rectangular channels. The jets studied in this work had an equal discharge velocity at room temperature. The turbulent characteristics including the distributions of mean velocities, turbulence intensities, Reynolds stresses and z-component vorticity were studied. The streamwise mean velocity measured by PIV and LDV were compared, and they agreed very well.

Validation of Portuguese version of Quality of Erection Questionnaire (QEQ) and comparison to International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and RAND 36-Item Health Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Reis, Ana Luiza; Reis, Leonardo Oliveira; Saade, Ricardo Destro; Santos, Carlos Alberto; Lima, Marcelo Lopes de; Fregonesi, Adriano

2015-01-01

To validate the Quality of Erection Questionnaire (QEQ) considering Brazilian social-cultural aspects. To determine equivalence between the Portuguese and the English QEQ versions, the Portuguese version was back-translated by two professors who are native English speakers. After language equivalence had been determined, urologists considered the QEQ Portuguese version suitable. Men with self-reported erectile dysfunction (ED) and infertile men who had a stable sexual relationship for at least 6 months were invited to answer the QEQ, the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and the RAND 36-Item Health Survey (RAND-36). The questionnaires were presented together and answered without help in a private room. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α), test-retest reliability (Spearman), convergent validity (Spearman correlation) coefficients and known-groups validity (the ability of the QEQ Portuguese version to differentiate erectile dysfunction severity groups) were assessed. We recruited 197 men (167 ED patients and 30 non-ED patients), mean age of 53.3 and median of 55.5 years (23-82 years). The Portuguese version of the QEQ had high internal consistency (Cronbach α=0.93), high stability between test and retest (ICC 0.83, with IC 95%: 0.76-0.88, pPortuguese version presented good psychometric properties and high convergent validity in relation to IIEF. The low correlations between the QEQ and the RAND-36, as well as between the IIEF and the RAND-36 indicated IIEF and QEQ specificity, which may have resulted from the patients' psychological adaptations that minimized the impact of ED on Quality of Life (QoL) and reestablished the well-being feeling.

Possibilities for global governance of converging technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Roco, Mihail C.

2008-01-01

The convergence of nanotechnology, modern biology, the digital revolution and cognitive sciences will bring about tremendous improvements in transformative tools, generate new products and services, enable opportunities to meet and enhance human potential and social achievements, and in time reshape societal relationships. This paper focuses on the progress made in governance of such converging, emerging technologies and suggests possibilities for a global approach. Specifically, this paper suggests creating a multidisciplinary forum or a consultative coordinating group with members from various countries to address globally governance of converging, emerging technologies. The proposed framework for governance of converging technologies calls for four key functions: supporting the transformative impact of the new technologies; advancing responsible development that includes health, safety and ethical concerns; encouraging national and global partnerships; and establishing commitments to long-term planning and investments centered on human development. Principles of good governance guiding these functions include participation of all those who are forging or affected by the new technologies, transparency of governance strategies, responsibility of each participating stakeholder, and effective strategic planning. Introduction and management of converging technologies must be done with respect for immediate concerns, such as privacy, access to medical advancements, and potential human health effects. At the same time, introduction and management should also be done with respect for longer-term concerns, such as preserving human integrity, dignity and welfare. The suggested governance functions apply to four levels of governance: (a) adapting existing regulations and organizations; (b) establishing new programs, regulations and organizations specifically to handle converging technologies; (c) building capacity for addressing these issues into national policies and

Possibilities for global governance of converging technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roco, Mihail C.

2008-01-01

The convergence of nanotechnology, modern biology, the digital revolution and cognitive sciences will bring about tremendous improvements in transformative tools, generate new products and services, enable opportunities to meet and enhance human potential and social achievements, and in time reshape societal relationships. This paper focuses on the progress made in governance of such converging, emerging technologies and suggests possibilities for a global approach. Specifically, this paper suggests creating a multidisciplinary forum or a consultative coordinating group with members from various countries to address globally governance of converging, emerging technologies. The proposed framework for governance of converging technologies calls for four key functions: supporting the transformative impact of the new technologies; advancing responsible development that includes health, safety and ethical concerns; encouraging national and global partnerships; and establishing commitments to long-term planning and investments centered on human development. Principles of good governance guiding these functions include participation of all those who are forging or affected by the new technologies, transparency of governance strategies, responsibility of each participating stakeholder, and effective strategic planning. Introduction and management of converging technologies must be done with respect for immediate concerns, such as privacy, access to medical advancements, and potential human health effects. At the same time, introduction and management should also be done with respect for longer-term concerns, such as preserving human integrity, dignity and welfare. The suggested governance functions apply to four levels of governance: (a) adapting existing regulations and organizations; (b) establishing new programs, regulations and organizations specifically to handle converging technologies; (c) building capacity for addressing these issues into national policies and

Possibilities for global governance of converging technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roco, Mihail C. [National Science Foundation (NSF) (United States)], E-mail: mroco@nsf.gov

2008-01-15

The convergence of nanotechnology, modern biology, the digital revolution and cognitive sciences will bring about tremendous improvements in transformative tools, generate new products and services, enable opportunities to meet and enhance human potential and social achievements, and in time reshape societal relationships. This paper focuses on the progress made in governance of such converging, emerging technologies and suggests possibilities for a global approach. Specifically, this paper suggests creating a multidisciplinary forum or a consultative coordinating group with members from various countries to address globally governance of converging, emerging technologies. The proposed framework for governance of converging technologies calls for four key functions: supporting the transformative impact of the new technologies; advancing responsible development that includes health, safety and ethical concerns; encouraging national and global partnerships; and establishing commitments to long-term planning and investments centered on human development. Principles of good governance guiding these functions include participation of all those who are forging or affected by the new technologies, transparency of governance strategies, responsibility of each participating stakeholder, and effective strategic planning. Introduction and management of converging technologies must be done with respect for immediate concerns, such as privacy, access to medical advancements, and potential human health effects. At the same time, introduction and management should also be done with respect for longer-term concerns, such as preserving human integrity, dignity and welfare. The suggested governance functions apply to four levels of governance: (a) adapting existing regulations and organizations; (b) establishing new programs, regulations and organizations specifically to handle converging technologies; (c) building capacity for addressing these issues into national policies and

Statistical convergence of double sequences in intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mursaleen, M.; Mohiuddine, S.A.

2009-01-01

Recently, the concept of intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces was introduced by Saadati and Park [Saadati R, Park JH. Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 2006;27:331-44]. Karakus et al. [Karakus S, Demirci K, Duman O. Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 2008;35:763-69] have quite recently studied the notion of statistical convergence for single sequences in intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces. In this paper, we study the concept of statistically convergent and statistically Cauchy double sequences in intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces. Furthermore, we construct an example of a double sequence to show that in IFNS statistical convergence does not imply convergence and our method of convergence even for double sequences is stronger than the usual convergence in intuitionistic fuzzy normed space.

Text experiments of disk chopper with supermirror converging system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aizawa, K.; Soyama, K.; Matsubayashi, M.; Suzuki, J.; Watanabe, N.

2001-01-01

We measured transportation property of neutron pulsed by disk chopper with three kinds of setting of supermirror guide at JRR-3M, JAERI. We confirmed a gain of supermirror converging system to narrow straight supermirror system. The gain is approximately same as the ratio of entrance width of converging guide to width of narrow straight guide. On the other hand, we did not get a gain of supermirror converging system to wide straight supermirror system which has a same width to entrance width of converging guide and we will plan more precisely experiment. (author)

Institutional and Socio-Economic Convergence in the European Union

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jordi López-Tamayo

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to analyze convergence in institutional, social, and macroeconomic conditions between EU member states. Our analysis covers the period 1995-2013 and considers the potential impact of the Great Recession. With this aim, we use a composite indicator that combines information from 51 hard and soft indicators, and we estimate convergence equations for the composite indicator and its seven dimensions considering different country groups. The obtained results show evidence of conditional convergence among EU member states but limited evidence of unconditional convergence over the considered period.