Corporate performance and the measures of value added

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Petravičius

2008-09-01

Full Text Available In recent years, managers have turned their attention to the ways increasing the value of their companies. A number of competing measures have been developed and marketed by investment and consulting firms. This paper considers the ways in which value can be created or destroyed in a firm and looks at how to calculate the cost of capital used to measure the opportunity cost of investing funds in one particular business instead of others with equivalent risk. Next, we have a look at the four most widely used value enhancement measures including Economic Value Added, Cash Flow Return on Investment, Market Value Added, Cash Value Added and use an example to think of where these approaches yield similar results and where differences might occur. In conclusion, we summarize the new or unique points in these competing measures, establish the information they can give and explain how to use it when managing and creating shareholder value.

Effect of fasting on 24-h blood pressure values of individuals with no previous history of hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Seker, Ayse; Demirci, Hakan; Ocakoglu, Gokhan; Aydin, Ufuk; Ucar, Hakan; Yildiz, Gursel; Yaman, Ozen

2017-10-01

We aimed to analyze the difference in 24-h blood pressure values during Ramadan of fasting and nonfasting individuals with no previous history of hypertension. This study was planned as a multicenter research study in the cities of Izmit, Zonguldak, Sivas, and Adana. The percentage changes in the blood pressure of the patients were calculated from their blood pressure measurements at 0 h while they were resting. A Food Frequency Questionnaire was filled out by all participants. Forty patients were included in the fasting group and 55 patients were included in the nonfasting group in the study. There was a difference between the two groups in percent changes of systolic measurements performed at the 4th (5% difference and P=0.020), 13th (6% difference and P=0.015), 14th (10% difference and P=0.017), 18th (9% difference and P=0.027), 19th (9% difference and P=0.020), and 20th (6% difference and P=0.014) hours with respect to the baseline measurement at the 0 h. There was a difference between the fasting and nonfasting groups in the Fasting Food Questionnaire results. Meat consumption was significantly higher in the fasting group. A systolic blood pressure increase in fasting patients was observed in measurements at 18:00, 19:00, and 20:00 h. We believe that an increase of more than 10% in blood pressure at the time of iftar is an important result of our study in terms of the meal preferences of the individuals under risk.

Measuring value sensitivity in medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Ineichen, Christian; Christen, Markus; Tanner, Carmen

2017-01-28

Value sensitivity - the ability to recognize value-related issues when they arise in practice - is an indispensable competence for medical practitioners to enter decision-making processes related to ethical questions. However, the psychological competence of value sensitivity is seldom an explicit subject in the training of medical professionals. In this contribution, we outline the traditional concept of moral sensitivity in medicine and its revised form conceptualized as value sensitivity and we propose an instrument that measures value sensitivity. We developed an instrument for assessing the sensitivity for three value groups (moral-related values, values related to the principles of biomedical ethics, strategy-related values) in a four step procedure: 1) value identification (n = 317); 2) value representation (n = 317); 3) vignette construction and quality evaluation (n = 37); and 4) instrument validation by comparing nursing professionals with hospital managers (n = 48). We find that nursing professionals recognize and ascribe importance to principle-related issues more than professionals from hospital management. The latter are more likely to recognize and ascribe importance to strategy-related issues. These hypothesis-driven results demonstrate the discriminatory power of our newly developed instrument, which makes it useful not only for health care professionals in practice but for students and people working in the clinical context as well.

The reliability of the Associate Platinum digital foot scanner in measuring previously developed footprint characteristics: a technical note.

Science.gov (United States)

Papuga, M Owen; Burke, Jeanmarie R

2011-02-01

An ink pad and paper, pressure-sensitive platforms, and photography have previously been used to collect footprint data used in clinical assessment. Digital scanners have been widely used more recently to collect such data. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the intra- and interrater reliability of a flatbed digital image scanning technology to capture footprint data. This study used a repeated-measures design on 32 (16 male 16 female) healthy subjects. The following measured indices of footprint were recorded from 2-dimensional images of the plantar surface of the foot recorded with an Associate Platinum (Foot Levelers Inc, Roanoke, VA) digital foot scanner: Staheli index, Chippaux-Smirak index, arch angle, and arch index. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values were calculated to evaluate intrarater, interday, and interclinician reliability. The ICC values for intrarater reliability were greater than or equal to .817, indicating an excellent level of reproducibility in assessing the collected images. Analyses of variance revealed that there were no significant differences between raters for each index (P > .05). The ICC values also indicated excellent reliability (.881-.971) between days and clinicians in all but one of the indices of footprint, arch angle (.689), with good reliability between clinicians. The full-factorial analysis of variance model did not reveal any interaction effects (P > .05), which indicated that indices of footprint were not changing across days and clinicians. Scanning technology used in this study demonstrated good intra- and interrater reliability measurements of footprint indices, as demonstrated by high ICC values. Copyright © 2011 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

A Framework for Measuring Low-Value Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, George; Rhyan, Corwin; Beaudin-Seiler, Beth; Hughes-Cromwick, Paul

2018-04-01

It has been estimated that more than 30% of health care spending in the United States is wasteful, and that low-value care, which drives up costs unnecessarily while increasing patient risk, is a significant component of wasteful spending. To address the need for an ability to measure the magnitude of low-value care nationwide, identify the clinical services that are the greatest contributors to waste, and track progress toward eliminating low-value use of these services. Such an ability could provide valuable input to the efforts of policymakers and health systems to improve efficiency. We reviewed existing methods that could contribute to measuring low-value care and developed an integrated framework that combines multiple methods to comprehensively estimate and track the magnitude and principal sources of clinical waste. We also identified a process and needed research for implementing the framework. A comprehensive methodology for measuring and tracking low-value care in the United States would provide an important contribution toward reducing waste. Implementation of the framework described in this article appears feasible, and the proposed research program will allow moving incrementally toward full implementation while providing a near-term capability for measuring low-value care that can be enhanced over time. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring Values in Environmental Research: A Test of an Environmental Portrait Value Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Bouman, Thijs; Steg, Linda; Kiers, Henk A. L.

2018-01-01

Four human values are considered to underlie individuals’ environmental beliefs and behaviors: biospheric (i.e., concern for environment), altruistic (i.e., concern for others), egoistic (i.e., concern for personal resources) and hedonic values (i.e., concern for pleasure and comfort). These values are typically measured with an adapted and shortened version of the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS), to which we refer as the Environmental-SVS (E-SVS). Despite being well-validated, recent research has indicated some concerns about the SVS methodology (e.g., comprehensibility, self-presentation biases) and suggested an alternative method of measuring human values: The Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ). However, the PVQ has not yet been adapted and applied to measure values most relevant to understand environmental beliefs and behaviors. Therefore, we tested the Environmental-PVQ (E-PVQ) – a PVQ variant of E-SVS –and compared it with the E-SVS in two studies. Our findings provide strong support for the validity and reliability of both the E-SVS and E-PVQ. In addition, we find that respondents slightly preferred the E-PVQ over the E-SVS (Study 1). In general, both scales correlate similarly to environmental self-identity (Study 1), energy behaviors (Studies 1 and 2), pro-environmental personal norms, climate change beliefs and policy support (Study 2). Accordingly, both methodologies show highly similar results and seem well-suited for measuring human values underlying environmental behaviors and beliefs. PMID:29743874

Measuring values for cross-cultural research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maseland, R.K.J.; Hoorn, A.A.J. van

2009-01-01

This paper investigates the empirical relevance of the recent critique that values surveys, as they are, suffer from the problem of measuring marginal preferences rather than values. By surveying items from cross-cultural surveys by Hofstede, Inglehart and GLOBE, we show that the marginal

Measuring industrial energy efficiency: Physical volume versus economic value

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freeman, S.L.; Niefer, M.J.; Roop, J.M.

1996-12-01

This report examines several different measures of industrial output for use in constructing estimates of industrial energy efficiency and discusses some reasons for differences between the measures. Estimates of volume-based measures of output, as well as 3 value-based measures of output (value of production, value of shipments, and value added), are evaluated for 15 separate 4-digit industries. Volatility, simple growth rate, and trend growth rate estimates are made for each industry and each measure of output. Correlations are made between the volume- and value-based measures of output. Historical energy use data are collected for 5 of the industries for making energy- intensity estimates. Growth rates in energy use, energy intensity, and correlations between volume- and value-based measures of energy intensity are computed. There is large variability in growth trend estimates both long term and from year to year. While there is a high correlation between volume- and value-based measures of output for a few industries, typically the correlation is low, and this is exacerbated for estimates of energy intensity. Analysis revealed reasons for these low correlations. It appears that substantial work must be done before reliable measures of trends in the energy efficiency of industry can be accurately characterized.

THE ISSUES IN THE MEASUREMENT OF POSTMATERIAL VALUES

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Svetlana Tasić

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The measurement of postmaterial values includes measuring of the views on the preservation ofpeace, freedom of speech, environmental protection, tolerance and everything else that is contrary tothe concept of measuring the material values, that is physical and economic variables. Measurementof postmaterial values is based on the application of 4 or 12 items scale that refers to the materialismor postmaterialism in certain country. There are several issues and limitations in the application ofpostmaterial values measurement scale which can cause significant error, in other words bias inmeasurement. One of the most interesting issues is the impact of question order change on themeasurement results of postmaterial values. Using the results of empirical research it is shown thatthis effect is significant and, also it is particularly examined the intensity of this effect consideringgender and level of education based on the sample of respondents from urban Serbia.

The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test improves the predictive value of previous exacerbations for poor outcomes in COPD.

Science.gov (United States)

Miravitlles, Marc; García-Sidro, Patricia; Fernández-Nistal, Alonso; Buendía, María Jesús; Espinosa de Los Monteros, María José; Esquinas, Cristina; Molina, Jesús

2015-01-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations have a negative impact on the quality of life of patients and the evolution of the disease. We have investigated the prognostic value of several health-related quality of life questionnaires to predict the appearance of a composite event (new ambulatory or emergency exacerbation, hospitalization, or death) over a 1-year follow-up. This was a multicenter, prospective, observational study. Patients completed four questionnaires after recovering from an exacerbation (COPD Assessment Test [CAT], a Clinical COPD Questionnaire [CCQ], COPD Severity Score [COPDSS], and Airways Questionnaire [AQ20]). Patients were followed-up until the appearance of the composite event or for 1 year, whichever came first. A total of 497 patients were included in the study. The majority of them were men (89.7%), with a mean age of 68.7 (SD 9.2) years, and a forced expiratory volume in 1 second of 47.1% (SD 17.5%). A total of 303 (61%) patients experienced a composite event. Patients with an event had worse mean scores of all questionnaires at baseline compared to patients without event: CAT=12.5 vs 11.3 (P=0.028); CCQ=2.2 vs 1.9 (P=0.013); COPDSS=12.3 vs 10.9 (P=0.001); AQ20=8.3 vs 7.5 (P=0.048). In the multivariate analysis, only previous history of exacerbations and CAT score ≥13.5 were significant risk factors for the composite event. A CAT score ≥13.5 increased the predictive value of previous exacerbations with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.864 (95% CI: 0.829-0.899; P=0.001). The predictive value of previous exacerbations significantly increased only in one of the four trialled questionnaires, namely in the CAT questionnaire. However, previous history of exacerbations was the strongest predictor of the composite event.

U-value measurements on ISO round Robin window

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duer, Karsten

1997-01-01

9 laboratories in 6 european and 2 north american countries have participated in a round robin U-value test of a standard facade window. The objective of the round robin test was to verify that the ISO/CEN proposals for U-value measurement standard is robust.......9 laboratories in 6 european and 2 north american countries have participated in a round robin U-value test of a standard facade window. The objective of the round robin test was to verify that the ISO/CEN proposals for U-value measurement standard is robust....

Measurement of small dispersion values in optical components

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peucheret, Christophe; Liu, Fenghai; Pedersen, Rune Johan Skullerud

1999-01-01

It is reported that small dispersion values in optical components can be measured using the RF modulation method originally restricted to large dispersions. Using a constant dispersion offset, arbitrarily small dispersion values can be measured with a resolution as good as 1.2 ps/nm....

Measure-valued differentiation for finite products of measures : theory and applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leahu, H.

2008-01-01

In this dissertation we perform a comprehensive analysis of measure-valued differentiation, in which weak differentiation of parameter-dependent probability measures plays a central role. We develop a theory of weak differentiation of measures and show that classical concepts such as differential

Measuring and Managing Value Co-Creation Process: Overview of Existing Theoretical Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monika Skaržauskaitė

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose — the article is to provide a holistic view on concept of value co-creation and existing models for measuring and managing it by conducting theoretical analysis of scientific literature sources targeting the integration of various approaches. Most important and relevant results of the literature study are presented with a focus on changed roles of organizations and consumers. This article aims at contributing theoretically to the research stream of measuring co-creation of value in order to gain knowledge for improvement of organizational performance and enabling new and innovative means of value creation. Design/methodology/approach. The nature of this research is exploratory – theoretical analysis and synthesis of scientific literature sources targeting the integration of various approaches was performed. This approach was chosen due to the absence of established theory on models of co-creation, possible uses in organizations and systematic overview of tools measuring/suggesting how to measure co-creation. Findings. While the principles of managing and measuring co-creation in regards of consumer motivation and involvement are widely researched, little attempt has been made to identify critical factors and create models dealing with organizational capabilities and managerial implications of value co-creation. Systematic analysis of literature revealed a gap not only in empirical research concerning organization’s role in co-creation process, but in theoretical and conceptual levels, too. Research limitations/implications. The limitations of this work as a literature review lies in its nature – the complete reliance on previously published research papers and the availability of these studies. For a deeper understanding of co-creation management and for developing models that can be used in real-life organizations, a broader theoretical, as well as empirical, research is necessary. Practical implications. Analysis of the

Weak-value measurements can outperform conventional measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magaña-Loaiza, Omar S; Boyd, Robert W; Harris, Jérémie; Lundeen, Jeff S

2017-01-01

In this paper we provide a simple, straightforward example of a specific situation in which weak-value amplification (WVA) clearly outperforms conventional measurement in determining the angular orientation of an optical component. We also offer a perspective reconciling the views of some theorists, who claim WVA to be inherently sub-optimal for parameter estimation, with the perspective of the many experimentalists and theorists who have used the procedure to successfully access otherwise elusive phenomena. (invited comment)

Lattice-Valued Possibilistic Entropy Measure

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kramosil, Ivan

2008-01-01

Roč. 16, č. 6 (2008), s. 829-846 ISSN 0218-4885 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA100300503 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : complete lattice * lattice-valued possibilistic distribution * entropy measure * product of possibilistic distribution Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.000, year: 2008

U-value measurements on a roof window

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duer, Karsten

1998-01-01

This report describes the results of the U-value measurements performed on a roof window. The work is as a part of the development of an ISO/CEN standard measuring procedure for roof windows.The measurements have been performed using the procedures given in ISO 12567 draft version 1998...

On the audit of fair value measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jatinder P. Singh

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In this article, the hypotheses „whether the auditor’s functional domain, his approach, methodology and responsibilities are undergoing a metamorphosis with the adoption of Fair Value Accounting (hereinafter the „FVA” and whether his/her role is moving away from the mechanized attester of tangible evidence to the one exercising a substantively judgmental function in a holistic assessment of the values ascribed to be fair by the entity’s management” are tested. These hypotheses are tested on the basis of an analysis of the statutory provisions, the pronouncements of accounting and other regulatory bodies and accounting norms and theories. After setting forth the research objectives and the hypotheses, the necessity of the FVA is reviewed and the underlying philosophy is analyzed. Impediments in performing audits of fair-value-based measurements are then identified and the US auditing standards and their international counterparts are touched upon. Finally, some safeguards and precautions for the auditor in an audit of fair-value measurements are presented.

VALUE AT RISK - CORPORATE RISK MEASUREMENT

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Anis Cecilia-Nicoleta

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The notion of 'risk' is used in a number of sciences. The Faculty of Law studies the risk depending on its legality. The Accident Theory applies this term to describe the damage and the disasters. One can find studies on the risks in the works of psychology, philosophy, medicine and within each of these areas the study of the risk is based on the given science subject and, of course, on their methods and approaches. Such a variety of risk study is explained by the diversity of this phenomenon. Under the market economy conditions, the risk is an essential component of any economic agent management policy, of the approach developed by this one, a strategy that depends almost entirely on individual ability and capacity to anticipate his evolution and to exploit his opportunities, assuming a so-called 'risk of business failure.' There are several ways to measure the risks in projects, one of the most used methods to measure this being the Value at Risk(VaR. Value at Risk (VaR was made famous by JP Morgan in the mid 1990s, by introducing the RiskMetrics approach, and hence, by far, has been sanctioned by several Governing Bodies throughout the world bank. In short, it measures the value of risk capital stocks in a given period at a certain probability of loss. This measurement can be modified for risk applications through, for example, the potential loss values affirmation in a certain amount of time during the economic life of the project- clearly, a project with a lower VaR is better. It should be noted that it is not always possible or advisable for a company to limit itself to the remote analysis of each risk because the risks and their effects are interdependent and constitute a system .In addition, there are risks which, in combination with other risks, tend to produce effects which they would not have caused by themselves and risks that tend to offset and even cancel each other out.

Complex Fuzzy Set-Valued Complex Fuzzy Measures and Their Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Shengquan; Li, Shenggang

2014-01-01

Let F*(K) be the set of all fuzzy complex numbers. In this paper some classical and measure-theoretical notions are extended to the case of complex fuzzy sets. They are fuzzy complex number-valued distance on F*(K), fuzzy complex number-valued measure on F*(K), and some related notions, such as null-additivity, pseudo-null-additivity, null-subtraction, pseudo-null-subtraction, autocontionuous from above, autocontionuous from below, and autocontinuity of the defined fuzzy complex number-valued measures. Properties of fuzzy complex number-valued measures are studied in detail. PMID:25093202

Measuring the strategic value of information technology investments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conrad, K.W.

1994-08-01

Value is often perceived differently by the proponents of new information technologies and those who allocate resources and define priorities. Such differences often become a roadblock to meeting true business needs. Project justifications regularly rely on calculated cost savings, which rarely measure the full benefit of new technologies. In fact, if cost savings provide a complete picture, then the organization is probably just automating routine clerical operations and has abandoned efforts that would provide significant strategic value. Strategic value is not limited to financial calculations, but includes quality, time and risk criteria. This paper describes approaches for measuring strategic value that can provide organizations with proven techniques to improve performance, reengineer processes, benchmark performance against other suppliers, identify outsourcing opportunities, or defend themselves from pressures to outsource. Many organizations respond to tightening budgets by cutting overhead. These measurement approaches can demonstrate how overhead is critical to organizational effectiveness and how cost savings can be found, instead, by measurably improving performance throughout the organization. Finally, the paper describes efforts underway within the Department of Energy and at the Hanford Site to implement the approaches described in this paper

Measuring the strategic value of information technology investments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conrad, K.W. [Boeing Computer Services Co., Richland, WA (United States)

1994-08-01

Value is often perceived differently by the proponents of new information technologies and those who allocate resources and define priorities. Such differences often become a roadblock to meeting true business needs. Project justifications regularly rely on calculated cost savings, which rarely measure the full benefit of new technologies. In fact, if cost savings provide a complete picture, then the organization is probably just automating routine clerical operations and has abandoned efforts that would provide significant strategic value. Strategic value is not limited to financial calculations, but includes quality, time and risk criteria. This paper describes approaches for measuring strategic value that can provide organizations with proven techniques to improve performance, reengineer processes, benchmark performance against other suppliers, identify outsourcing opportunities, or defend themselves from pressures to outsource. Many organizations respond to tightening budgets by cutting overhead. These measurement approaches can demonstrate how overhead is critical to organizational effectiveness and how cost savings can be found, instead, by measurably improving performance throughout the organization. Finally, the paper describes efforts underway within the Department of Energy and at the Hanford Site to implement the approaches described in this paper.

Historical Costs versus Fair Value Measurement in Financial Accounting

OpenAIRE

Dvořáková, Dana

2009-01-01

There are two important points in which in which we need assets and liabilities measured in financial accounting: on initial recognition and at a balance sheet day. Many International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) used the fair value measurement concept. But most of these standards use the fair value measurement method only at a balance sheet day. On initial recognition assets and liabilities are measured usually at costs. The IASB presented the discussion paper “Measurement Bases for ...

SONOGRAPHIC PREDICTION OF SCAR DEHISCENCE IN WOMEN WITH PREVIOUS CAESAREAN SECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shubhada Suhas Jajoo

2018-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Caesarean section (Sectio Caesarea is a surgical method for the completion of delivery. After various historical modifications of operative techniques, modern approach consists in the transverse dissection of the anterior wall of the uterus. The rate of vaginal birth after caesarean section was significantly reduced from year to year and the rate of repeated caesarean section is increased during the past 10 years. Evaluation of scar thickness is done by ultrasound, but it is still debatable size of thick scar that would be guiding “cut-off value” for the completion of the delivery method. To better assess the risk of uterine rupture, some authors have proposed sonographic measurement of lower uterine segment thickness near term assuming that there is an inverse correlation between LUS thickness and the risk of uterine scar defect. Therefore, this assessment for the management of women with prior CS may increase safety during labour by selecting women with the lowest risk of uterine rupture. The aim of the study is to study the diagnostic accuracy of sonographic measurements of the Lower Uterine Segment (LUS thickness near term in predicting uterine scar defects in women with prior Caesarean Section (CS. We aim to ascertain the best cut-off values for predicting uterine rupture. MATERIALS AND METHODS 100 antenatal women with history of previous one LSCS who come to attend antenatal clinic will be assessed for scar thickness by transabdominal ultrasonography and its correlation with intraoperative findings. This prospective longitudinal study was conducted for 1 year after IEC approval with inclusion criteria previous one LSCS. Exclusion criteria- 1 Previous myomectomy scar; 2 Previous 2 LSCS; 3 Previous hysterotomy scar. RESULTS Our findings indicate that there is a strong association between degree of LUS thinning measured near term and the risk of uterine scar defect at birth. In our study, optimal cut-off value for predicting

On set-valued functionals: Multivariate risk measures and Aumann integrals

Science.gov (United States)

Ararat, Cagin

In this dissertation, multivariate risk measures for random vectors and Aumann integrals of set-valued functions are studied. Both are set-valued functionals with values in a complete lattice of subsets of Rm. Multivariate risk measures are considered in a general d-asset financial market with trading opportunities in discrete time. Specifically, the following features of the market are incorporated in the evaluation of multivariate risk: convex transaction costs modeled by solvency regions, intermediate trading constraints modeled by convex random sets, and the requirement of liquidation into the first m ≤ d of the assets. It is assumed that the investor has a "pure" multivariate risk measure R on the space of m-dimensional random vectors which represents her risk attitude towards the assets but does not take into account the frictions of the market. Then, the investor with a d-dimensional position minimizes the set-valued functional R over all m-dimensional positions that she can reach by trading in the market subject to the frictions described above. The resulting functional Rmar on the space of d-dimensional random vectors is another multivariate risk measure, called the market-extension of R. A dual representation for R mar that decomposes the effects of R and the frictions of the market is proved. Next, multivariate risk measures are studied in a utility-based framework. It is assumed that the investor has a complete risk preference towards each individual asset, which can be represented by a von Neumann-Morgenstern utility function. Then, an incomplete preference is considered for multivariate positions which is represented by the vector of the individual utility functions. Under this structure, multivariate shortfall and divergence risk measures are defined as the optimal values of set minimization problems. The dual relationship between the two classes of multivariate risk measures is constructed via a recent Lagrange duality for set optimization. In

Consistency between Self-Reported and Recorded Values for Clinical Measures

OpenAIRE

III, Joseph Thomas; Paulet, Mindy; Rajpura, Jigar R.

2016-01-01

Objectives. This study evaluated consistency between self-reported values for clinical measures and recorded clinical measures. Methods. Self-reported values were collected for the clinical measures: systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, glucose level, height, weight, and cholesterol from health risk assessments completed by enrollees in a privately insured cohort. Body mass index (BMI) was computed from reported height and weight. Practitioner recorded values for the clinical me...

Weak measurements and quantum weak values for NOON states

Science.gov (United States)

Rosales-Zárate, L.; Opanchuk, B.; Reid, M. D.

2018-03-01

Quantum weak values arise when the mean outcome of a weak measurement made on certain preselected and postselected quantum systems goes beyond the eigenvalue range for a quantum observable. Here, we propose how to determine quantum weak values for superpositions of states with a macroscopically or mesoscopically distinct mode number, that might be realized as two-mode Bose-Einstein condensate or photonic NOON states. Specifically, we give a model for a weak measurement of the Schwinger spin of a two-mode NOON state, for arbitrary N . The weak measurement arises from a nondestructive measurement of the two-mode occupation number difference, which for atomic NOON states might be realized via phase contrast imaging and the ac Stark effect using an optical meter prepared in a coherent state. The meter-system coupling results in an entangled cat-state. By subsequently evolving the system under the action of a nonlinear Josephson Hamiltonian, we show how postselection leads to quantum weak values, for arbitrary N . Since the weak measurement can be shown to be minimally invasive, the weak values provide a useful strategy for a Leggett-Garg test of N -scopic realism.

Measurement Invariance of Expectancy-Value Questionnaire in Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Xihe; Sun, Haichun; Chen, Ang; Ennis, Catherine

2012-01-01

Expectancy-Value Questionnaire (EVQ) measures student expectancy beliefs and task values of the domain content (Eccles & Wigfield, 1995). In this study the authors examine measurement invariance of EVQ in the domain of physical education between elementary and middle-school students. Participants included 811 students (3rd-5th grades) from 13…

Cultural Values Predicting Acculturation Orientations: Operationalizing a Quantitative Measure

Science.gov (United States)

Ehala, Martin

2012-01-01

This article proposes that acculturation orientations are related to two sets of cultural values: utilitarianism (Ut) and traditionalism (Tr). While utilitarian values enhance assimilation, traditional values support language and identity maintenance. It is proposed that the propensity to either end of this value opposition can be measured by an…

[Implicit value judgments in the measurement of health inequalities].

Science.gov (United States)

Harper, Sam; King, Nicholas B; Meersman, Stephen C; E Reichman, Marsha; Breen, Nancy; Lynch, John

2014-04-01

Quantitative estimates of the magnitude, direction, and rate of change of health inequalities play a crucial role in creating and assessing policies aimed at eliminating the disproportionate burden of disease in disadvantaged populations. It is generally assumed that the measurement of health inequalities is a value-neutral process, providing objective data that are then interpreted using normative judgments about whether a particular distribution of health is just, fair, or socially acceptable. We discuss five examples in which normative judgments play a role in the measurement process itself, through either the selection of one measurement strategy to the exclusion of others or the selection of the type, significance, or weight assigned to the variables being measured. Overall, we find that many commonly used measures of inequality are value laden and that the normative judgments implicit in these measures have important consequences for interpreting and responding to health inequalities. Because values implicit in the generation of health inequality measures may lead to radically different interpretations of the same underlying data,we urge researchers to explicitly consider and transparently discuss the normative judgments underlying their measures. We also urge policymakers and other consumers of health inequalities data to pay close attention to the measures on which they base their assessments of current and future health policies.

Implicit value judgments in the measurement of health inequalities.

Science.gov (United States)

Harper, Sam; King, Nicholas B; Meersman, Stephen C; Reichman, Marsha E; Breen, Nancy; Lynch, John

2010-03-01

Quantitative estimates of the magnitude, direction, and rate of change of health inequalities play a crucial role in creating and assessing policies aimed at eliminating the disproportionate burden of disease in disadvantaged populations. It is generally assumed that the measurement of health inequalities is a value-neutral process, providing objective data that are then interpreted using normative judgments about whether a particular distribution of health is just, fair, or socially acceptable. We discuss five examples in which normative judgments play a role in the measurement process itself, through either the selection of one measurement strategy to the exclusion of others or the selection of the type, significance, or weight assigned to the variables being measured. Overall, we find that many commonly used measures of inequality are value laden and that the normative judgments implicit in these measures have important consequences for interpreting and responding to health inequalities. Because values implicit in the generation of health inequality measures may lead to radically different interpretations of the same underlying data, we urge researchers to explicitly consider and transparently discuss the normative judgments underlying their measures. We also urge policymakers and other consumers of health inequalities data to pay close attention to the measures on which they base their assessments of current and future health policies.

Adam Smith's Concept of Labour: Value or Measure?

OpenAIRE

Adolfo Rodriguez-Herrera

2014-01-01

The terminology employed by Smith to refer to value and measure of value is used in his time with imprecision, which has led to different interpretations about his position on these issues. It is no coincidence that Smith is considered the father of the labour theory of value developed by David Ricardo and Karl Marx and simultaneously of the cost-of-production theory of value developed by John Stuart Mill and Alfred Marshall. This paper reviews the concepts developed by Smith to formulate his...

Measure-valued solutions to the complete Euler system revisited

Science.gov (United States)

Březina, Jan; Feireisl, Eduard

2018-06-01

We consider the complete Euler system describing the time evolution of a general inviscid compressible fluid. We introduce a new concept of measure-valued solution based on the total energy balance and entropy inequality for the physical entropy without any renormalization. This class of so-called dissipative measure-valued solutions is large enough to include the vanishing dissipation limits of the Navier-Stokes-Fourier system. Our main result states that any sequence of weak solutions to the Navier-Stokes-Fourier system with vanishing viscosity and heat conductivity coefficients generates a dissipative measure-valued solution of the Euler system under some physically grounded constitutive relations. Finally, we discuss the same asymptotic limit for the bi-velocity fluid model introduced by H.Brenner.

Different methods of measuring ADC values in normal human brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Youping; Sheng Junkang; Zhang Caiyuan

2009-01-01

Objective: To investigate better method of measuring ADC values of normal brain, and provide reference for further research. Methods: Twenty healthy people's MR imaging were reviewed. All of them underwent routine MRI scans and echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and ADC maps were reconstructed on work station. Six regions of interest (ROI) were selected for each object, the mean ADC values were obtained for each position on DWI and ADC maps respectively. Results: On the anisotropic DWI map calculated in the hypothalamus, ADC M , ADC P , ADC S values were no significant difference (P>0.05), in the frontal white matter and internal capsule hindlimb, there was a significant difference (P ave value exist significant difference to direct measurement on the anisotropic (isotropic) ADC map (P<0.001). Conclusion: Diffusion of water in the frontal white matter and internal capsule are anisotropic, but it is isotropic in the hypothalamus; different quantitative methods of diffusion measurement of 4ADC values have significant difference, but ADC values calculated through the DWI map is more accurate, quantitative diffusion study of brain tissue should also consider the diffusion measurement method. (authors)

Comparison of the values of measured hydratation of sporting youths with normative values

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petr Kutáč

2013-06-01

Full Text Available BACKROUND: When measuring body composition, we monitor the fractionalization of body weight and the share of the individual elements in its aggregate value. The total body water (TBW is a very important element in addition to the share of body fat (BF, muscle mass and bone minerals. Water is the largest element of the body weight and its sufficient amount (organism hydration is a condition for maintaining the physiological functions of the person and thus has an immediate effect on the health of the individual. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to check the standard values of the percentage share of the representation of the total body water in the total body weight in different age groups of sporting youths using the tetrapolar bio-impedance Tanita 418 MA scale. METHODS: The research group included a total of 532 individuals (332 men and 200 women at the age from 12 to 17 years. They were individuals with regular physical activity and without any health problems. The measurement was carried out using the tetrapolar bio-impedance TANITA 418 MA scale. The confidence interval at the reliability level of .99 was used to define the range of the standard values of the percentage share of the total body water representation. The normalization index Ni was used to compare the mean values of the total body water representation with the reference file. RESULTS: The mean values of the TBW representation in boys ranged from 61.75 to 64.34% and in girls from 55.51 to 58.69%, always in relation to the age. The value of the upper bound of (95% the confidence interval of the Tanita 418 MA device software did not exceed the lower bound of the standard (65% in any of the monitored files. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed significant gender differences in the total body water representation that, however, the standard of the used device does not respect. The standard values are set high which was also confirmed by the comparison of our results with other studies

Measurement and estimation of dew point for SNG. [Comparison of calculated and measured values

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furuyama, Y.

1974-08-01

Toho Gas measured and estimated SNG dew points in high-pressure deliveries by calculating the theoretical values by the high-pressure gas-liquid equilibrium theory using the pressure-extrapolation method to reach K = 1, and the BWR method to estimate fugacity, then verifying these values experimentally. The experimental values were measured at 161.7 to 367.5 psi using the conventional static and circulation methods, in addition to a newly developed method consisting of circulating a known composition of gas mixtures, partially freezing them, and monitoring the dew point by observing the droplets on a mirror cooled by blowing liquid nitrogen. Good agreement was found between the calculated and the experimental values.

International target values 2000 for measurement uncertainties in safeguarding nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aigner, H.; Binner, R.; Kuhn, E.

2001-01-01

'between inspections' or 'between laboratories' variations. The presentation of the 1993 ITVs involved sixteen different tables, whereas the ITVs 2000 are presented in only six tables. Their format is designed to allow an easy comparison to previous releases. The most relevant and complete set of measurement data still comes from the information gathered by safeguards inspectorates during the statistical evaluation of the results of the measurements reported by the facility operators and the results of independent measurements performed on the same materials by the inspectors. This approach is referred to as the 'top-down' approach. These data were complemented and confirmed by 'bottom-up' assessments of measurement uncertainty components published by measurement specialists and derived according to the ISO, NIST and EURACHEM guides. In addition and whenever possible, it was verified that the proposed ITVs were consistent with the results of laboratory intercomparisons or measurement quality evaluation programmes. In cases where little or no statistical data was available (particularly for sampling uncertainties), some values were defined on the basis of expert opinion

A method for valuing architecture-based business transformation and measuring the value of solutions architecture

OpenAIRE

Slot, R.G.

2010-01-01

Enterprise and Solution Architecture are key in today’s business environment. It is surprising that the foundation and business case for these activities are nonexistent; the financial value for the business of these activities is largely undetermined. To determine business value of enterprise and solution architecture, this thesis shows how to measure and quantify, in business terms, the value of enterprise architecture-based on business transformation and the value of solution architecture.

Earnings Management, Value Relevance Of Earnings and Book Value of Equity

OpenAIRE

Subekti, Imam

2013-01-01

Previous studies examining relationship between earnings management and value relevance of accounting information show that earnings management decrease value relevance of accounting information. Generally, the studies apply accruals earnings management. In contrast, the present study applies integrated earnings management proxies i.e. real and accruals earnings manage-ment. Real earnings management proxies are measured by abnormal cash flow of operation, ab-normal production cost, and abnorm...

Patients’ perceived value of pharmacy quality measures: a mixed-methods study

Science.gov (United States)

Shiyanbola, Olayinka O; Mort, Jane R

2015-01-01

Objective To describe patients’ perceived value and use of quality measures in evaluating and choosing community pharmacies. Design Focus group methodology was combined with a survey tool. During the focus groups, participants assessed the value of the Pharmacy Quality Alliance's quality measures in evaluating and choosing a pharmacy. Also, participants completed questionnaires rating their perceived value of quality measures in evaluating a pharmacy (1 being low value and 5 being high) or choosing a pharmacy (yes/no). Thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the focus groups and surveys, respectively. Setting Semistructured focus groups were conducted in a private meeting space of an urban and a rural area of a Mid-western State in the USA. Participants Thirty-four adults who filled prescription medications in community pharmacies for a chronic illness were recruited in community pharmacies, senior centres and public libraries. Results While comments indicated that all measures were important, medication safety measures (eg, drug-drug interactions) were valued more highly than others. Rating of quality measure utility in evaluating a pharmacy ranged from a mean of 4.88 (‘drug-drug interactions’) to a mean of 4.0 (‘absence of controller therapy for patients with asthma’). Patients were hesitant to use quality information in choosing a pharmacy (depending on the participant's location) but might consider if moving to a new area or having had a negative pharmacy experience. Use of select quality measures to choose a pharmacy ranged from 97.1% of participants using ‘drug-drug interactions’ (medication safety measure) to 55.9% using ‘absence of controller therapy for patients with asthma’. Conclusions The study participants valued quality measures in evaluating and selecting a community pharmacy, with medication safety measures valued highest. The participants reported that the quality measures would not typically cause a

A New Measure of Traditional Values Across Cultures: China and Russia Compared

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert J. Taormina

2016-10-01

Full Text Available A new measure of adherence to traditional values was created with the objective of facilitating research within and across cultures and nations. The measure was tested in China (N = 321 and Russia (N = 314 and factor analysis of the data revealed two subscales named Personal Traditional Values (10 items and Public Traditional Values (6 items. Empirical psychometric testing of the overall 16-item measure and the two subscales strongly supported the validity and reliability of all three measures. Means comparisons conducted to assess how well the measures could be used for cross-cultural comparisons revealed the Russians somewhat more than the Chinese living by traditional values overall, both nations about equal on living according to traditional values in their personal lives, and the Russians significantly more inclined to abide by traditional values in public. Also tested were several social and psychological variables as theoretical predictors of living by traditional values, and Life Satisfaction was tested as a possible correlate of living according to traditional values. Regression analyses on the combined data confirmed that Family Emotional Support, Conscientiousness, Collectivism, and Age were all significant positive predictors of living by traditional values. Additional regressions also found some unique predictors for each nation. These findings and the results of the parametric tests support the use of the new scales for measuring traditional values both within and across cultures.

Converter for Measurement of non-sinusoidal current peak value

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Butvin, P.; Nielsen, Otto V; Brauer, Peter

1997-01-01

A linear-response toroid with core wound of rapidly quenched soft magnetic metallic ribbon and fitted with two windings is used to enable correct measurement of mean peak value of non-sinusoidal and not noise-free alternating current.......A linear-response toroid with core wound of rapidly quenched soft magnetic metallic ribbon and fitted with two windings is used to enable correct measurement of mean peak value of non-sinusoidal and not noise-free alternating current....

Comparison of measurement- and proxy-based Vs30 values in California

Science.gov (United States)

Yong, Alan K.

2016-01-01

This study was prompted by the recent availability of a significant amount of openly accessible measured VS30 values and the desire to investigate the trend of using proxy-based models to predict VS30 in the absence of measurements. Comparisons between measured and model-based values were performed. The measured data included 503 VS30 values collected from various projects for 482 seismographic station sites in California. Six proxy-based models—employing geologic mapping, topographic slope, and terrain classification—were also considered. Included was a new terrain class model based on the Yong et al. (2012) approach but recalibrated with updated measured VS30 values. Using the measured VS30 data as the metric for performance, the predictive capabilities of the six models were determined to be statistically indistinguishable. This study also found three models that tend to underpredict VS30 at lower velocities (NEHRP Site Classes D–E) and overpredict at higher velocities (Site Classes B–C).

CHALLENGES INCURRED IN THE AUDITING OF FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silviu-Virgil Chiriac

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the auditors' work is to establish confidence between the producers and users of accounting information. Thus, auditors help protect the interests of different categories of beneficiaries of accounting information when they make economic decisions. The prevalence of fair values in the financial statements as their inherent measurement uncertainty has increased dramatically in recent years and is recognized as representing a significant problem for regulators. In these circumstances we ask which are the difficulties encountered by auditors in auditing fair values, what kinds of deficiencies they find within auditing and whether the complexity of measurements of fair value jeopardizes the ability of auditors to give a highly secure opinion.

Value measurement of nuclear medicine procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potchen, E.J.; Harris, G.I.; Schonbein, W.R.; Rashford, N.J.

1977-01-01

The difficulty in measuring the benefit component for cost/benefit analysis of diagnostic procedures in medicine is portrayed as a complex issue relating the objective of intent to a classification of types of decisions a physician must make in evaluating a patient's problem. Ultimately, it seems desirable to develop measuring instruments such as attitude measurement tools by which the relative value of alternative diagnostic procedures could be measured in terms of what they contribute to diminishing the patient's personal perception of disease. Even without this idealized objective, it is reasonable to assume that diagnostic tests which do not contain information, defined as a change in the randomness of a state of knowledge, could not be expected to ultimately benefit the patient. Thus diagnostic information should provide a rational direction for the physician to modify the course of the patient's illness. Since information can be measured as a change in randomness of a knowledge state, we can determine the information content of a specific nuclear medicine procedure when faced with an array of diagnostic problems. These measurements remain to be made for clinical nuclear medicine procedures and are currently under study

The Impact of Political Context on the Measurement of Postmaterial Values

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Bruce Tranter

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This research highlights the influence of political context upon the measurement of postmaterial value orientations. Drawing upon a variety of international survey data, Inglehart claims that since World War II a shift has occurred in advanced industrialized nations from material toward postmaterial values. However, cross-sectional data from Australian Election Study surveys collected over more than two decades indicate that atypically for an advanced democracy, Australian value orientations tend toward the materialist pole. Australian Election Study values estimates are also at odds with those from other national social surveys that portray Australia as a far more postmaterialist nation. Regression analysis demonstrates that after controlling for election issues, attitudes toward political leaders, political party identification, and social background, predicted values estimates are substantially more postmaterial than the raw estimates. The findings have international implications as they suggest that measuring values during or soon after election campaigns may affect the measurement of postmaterial value orientations.

Value for money: Defining and measuring 'value' in MoD's acquisition policy of obtaining best value for money

OpenAIRE

Weiss, A.

2006-01-01

Obtaining value for money is a keystone of UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) acquisition strategy embedded in its Smart Acquisition policy. This thesis examines how best to measure the relative value of competing tender submissions for major projects. There is a comprehensive discussion of a wide range of relevant definitions and over three dozen documents are scrutinised including just some sixteen published by the Government. Commercially available models, algorithms and software are examined as...

How to measure customer value and its relationship with shareholder value in a business-to-business market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo Bermejo

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Intangible assets are difficult to measure, but nowadays the value of the shares of firms in the stock exchange market contains a high percentage of intangible capital and customers are one of the main intangible assets which should be evaluated. This paper presents and discusses some tools to measure the value of customers. But first, it is mandatory to define and clarify the relationships among the concepts of Customer Equity (CE, Life Time Value (LTV and Customer Relationship Management (CRM. LTV is the best financial outcome to measure customer value, so the paper reviews the literature on some mathematical models to calculate LTV. We propose an equation for LTV in order to apply it in a business-to-business market, and an analysis of the influence factors involved in it is made, focusing especially in the link between LTV and shareholder value. Finally, we propose as future lines of research, the relational equity approach as the perfect complement to the customer equity analysis and a way to estimate LTV for actual cases of publicly traded firms using published information.

Determination of the Boltzmann constant with cylindrical acoustic gas thermometry: new and previous results combined

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, X. J.; Zhang, J. T.; Lin, H.; Gillis, K. A.; Mehl, J. B.; Moldover, M. R.; Zhang, K.; Duan, Y. N.

2017-10-01

We report a new determination of the Boltzmann constant k B using a cylindrical acoustic gas thermometer. We determined the length of the copper cavity from measurements of its microwave resonance frequencies. This contrasts with our previous work (Zhang et al 2011 Int. J. Thermophys. 32 1297, Lin et al 2013 Metrologia 50 417, Feng et al 2015 Metrologia 52 S343) that determined the length of a different cavity using two-color optical interferometry. In this new study, the half-widths of the acoustic resonances are closer to their theoretical values than in our previous work. Despite significant changes in resonator design and the way in which the cylinder length is determined, the value of k B is substantially unchanged. We combined this result with our four previous results to calculate a global weighted mean of our k B determinations. The calculation follows CODATA’s method (Mohr and Taylor 2000 Rev. Mod. Phys. 72 351) for obtaining the weighted mean value of k B that accounts for the correlations among the measured quantities in this work and in our four previous determinations of k B. The weighted mean {{\\boldsymbol{\\hat{k}}}{B}} is 1.380 6484(28)  ×  10-23 J K-1 with the relative standard uncertainty of 2.0  ×  10-6. The corresponding value of the universal gas constant is 8.314 459(17) J K-1 mol-1 with the relative standard uncertainty of 2.0  ×  10-6.

Fair Value Accounting and Measurement through FASB’s Developments

OpenAIRE

Bonaci, Carmen Giorgiana; Strouhal, Jiří; Matis, Dumitru

2009-01-01

Our research follows the path of fair value as a term and concept, as well as its disclosure, measurement and recognition back from 1953 until our days, and analyzes the regulations issued by United States Accounting Standard setters, through the point of view of the historical events, which led to their appearance. Our study brings its’ contribution to complementing growing literature on the value relevance of fair value, but focuses on the assessment of fair value as a financial reporting s...

Factors influencing the robustness of P-value measurements in CT texture prognosis studies

Science.gov (United States)

McQuaid, Sarah; Scuffham, James; Alobaidli, Sheaka; Prakash, Vineet; Ezhil, Veni; Nisbet, Andrew; South, Christopher; Evans, Philip

2017-07-01

Several studies have recently reported on the value of CT texture analysis in predicting survival, although the topic remains controversial, with further validation needed in order to consolidate the evidence base. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of varying the input parameters in the Kaplan-Meier analysis, to determine whether the resulting P-value can be considered to be a robust indicator of the parameter’s prognostic potential. A retrospective analysis of the CT-based normalised entropy of 51 patients with lung cancer was performed and overall survival data for these patients were collected. A normalised entropy cut-off was chosen to split the patient cohort into two groups and log-rank testing was performed to assess the survival difference of the two groups. This was repeated for varying normalised entropy cut-offs and varying follow-up periods. Our findings were also compared with previously published results to assess robustness of this parameter in a multi-centre patient cohort. The P-value was found to be highly sensitive to the choice of cut-off value, with small changes in cut-off producing substantial changes in P. The P-value was also sensitive to follow-up period, with particularly noisy results at short follow-up periods. Using matched conditions to previously published results, a P-value of 0.162 was obtained. Survival analysis results can be highly sensitive to the choice in texture cut-off value in dichotomising patients, which should be taken into account when performing such studies to avoid reporting false positive results. Short follow-up periods also produce unstable results and should therefore be avoided to ensure the results produced are reproducible. Previously published findings that indicated the prognostic value of normalised entropy were not replicated here, but further studies with larger patient numbers would be required to determine the cause of the different outcomes.

Measurement of half-value layer in mammography

CERN Document Server

Yagi, H; Saruwatari, R; Doi, N; Yamane, E

2003-01-01

The half-value layer (HVL) of an X-ray beam for film-screen mammography is considered an important parameter for image quality and patient dose. Thus, HVL must be measured in accordance with The Manual of Accuracy for Mammography printed by the Japanese Society of Radiological Technology. The manual prescribes exactly the geometry of measurement, chamber position of measurement in the field, selection of chamber, and so on. However, the measurement of HVL is difficult in the actual clinical setting. This study examined the results of failure to perform the measurement of HVL in accordance with the manual for measuring HVL in the clinical setting. The investigation indicated that serious problems do not arise when measuring HVL for routine quality control even if the chamber in the field is not always set according to the manual and if a chamber for radiotherapy or diagnosis is used that is not recommended for soft X-ray by the manual. (author)

International Accounting Convergence in the Field of Fair Value Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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.

The use of personal values in living standards measures

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2011-08-26

Aug 26, 2011 ... Values Questionnaire, Living Standards Measure, purchase decision- .... According to Schwartz (1992), scholars in the areas of psychology, anthropology ... The application of the values perspective to the marketing of .... is a fairly complex task involving large data tables, and that some of the LSM groups.

Intraocular pressure measurement in patients with previous LASIK surgery using pressure phosphene tonometer.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Arthur C K; Leung, Dexter Y L; Cheung, Eva Y Y; Fan, Dorothy S P; Law, Ricky W K; Lam, Dennis S C

2005-04-01

To compare intraocular pressure (IOP) assessment in post-LASIK patients using non-contact tonometry, pressure phosphene tonometry and applanation tonometry. Sixty-two consecutive LASIK patients were analysed preoperatively and postoperatively with non-contact, pressure phosphene and applanation tonometry. Comparisons among these values were assessed with paired sample Student t-test, Pearson's correlation test and Bland-Altman plotting. There was no significant difference for preoperative IOP measurement between non-contact, pressure phosphene and applanation tonometry. The mean +/-SD difference between the preoperative non-contact tonometry and postoperative pressure phosphene tonometry IOP measurements was 0.80 +/- 2.77 mmHg (P contact tonometry significantly underestimated IOP measurement by 9.96 +/- 2.25 mmHg (P < 0.001). Pressure phosphene tonometry may provide an alternative method for the assessment of IOP in post-LASIK patients.

How to Use Value-Added Measures Right

Science.gov (United States)

Di Carlo, Matthew

2012-01-01

Value-added models are a specific type of "growth model," a diverse group of statistical techniques to isolate a teacher's impact on his or her students' testing progress while controlling for other measurable factors, such as student and school characteristics, that are outside that teacher's control. Opponents, including many teachers, argue…

Lumbar lordosis and sacral slope in lumbar spinal stenosis: standard values and measurement accuracy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bredow, J; Oppermann, J; Scheyerer, M J; Gundlfinger, K; Neiss, W F; Budde, S; Floerkemeier, T; Eysel, P; Beyer, F

2015-05-01

Radiological study. To asses standard values, intra- and interobserver reliability and reproducibility of sacral slope (SS) and lumbar lordosis (LL) and the correlation of these parameters in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Anteroposterior and lateral X-rays of the lumbar spine of 102 patients with LSS were included in this retrospective, radiologic study. Measurements of SS and LL were carried out by five examiners. Intraobserver correlation and correlation between LL and SS were calculated with Pearson's r linear correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated for inter- and intraobserver reliability. In addition, patients were examined in subgroups with respect to previous surgery and the current therapy. Lumbar lordosis averaged 45.6° (range 2.5°-74.9°; SD 14.2°), intraobserver correlation was between Pearson r = 0.93 and 0.98. The measurement of SS averaged 35.3° (range 13.8°-66.9°; SD 9.6°), intraobserver correlation was between Pearson r = 0.89 and 0.96. Intraobserver reliability ranged from 0.966 to 0.992 ICC in LL measurements and 0.944-0.983 ICC in SS measurements. There was an interobserver reliability ICC of 0.944 in LL and 0.990 in SS. Correlation between LL and SS averaged r = 0.79. No statistically significant differences were observed between the analyzed subgroups. Manual measurement of LL and SS in patients with LSS on lateral radiographs is easily performed with excellent intra- and interobserver reliability. Correlation between LL and SS is very high. Differences between patients with and without previous decompression were not statistically significant.

measurements of distribution coefficients and lipophilicity values

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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octanol and water, followed by measuring the distribution of the solute in ... Instrumentation and apparatus: HPLC-UV-DAD and HPLC–ESI-MS experiments .... process in the determination of KD and log P values for the HFSLM extracts. ..... Perrin, D.D.; Dempsey, B. Buffers for pH and Metal Ion Control, Chapman and Hall:.

Implementation of Positive Operator-Valued Measure in Passive Faraday Mirror Attack

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Wei-Long; Gao Ming; Ma Zhi

2015-01-01

Passive Faraday-mirror (PFM) attack is based on imperfect Faraday mirrors in practical quantum cryptography systems and a set of three-dimensional Positive Operator-Valued Measure (POVM) operators plays an important role in this attack. In this paper, we propose a simple scheme to implement the POVM in PFM attack on an Faraday–Michelson quantum cryptography system. Since the POVM can not be implemented directly with previous methods, in this scheme it needs to expand the states sent by Alice and the POVM operators in the attack into four-dimensional Hilbert space first, without changing the attacking effect by calculation. Based on the methods proposed by Ahnert and Payne, the linear-optical setup for implementing the POVM operators is derived. At last, the complete setup for realizing the PFM attack is presented with all parameters. Furthermore, our scheme can also be applied to realize PFM attack on a plug-and-play system by changing the parameters in the setup. (paper)

Measuring Nursing Value from the Electronic Health Record.

Science.gov (United States)

Welton, John M; Harper, Ellen M

2016-01-01

We report the findings of a big data nursing value expert group made up of 14 members of the nursing informatics, leadership, academic and research communities within the United States tasked with 1. Defining nursing value, 2. Developing a common data model and metrics for nursing care value, and 3. Developing nursing business intelligence tools using the nursing value data set. This work is a component of the Big Data and Nursing Knowledge Development conference series sponsored by the University Of Minnesota School Of Nursing. The panel met by conference calls for fourteen 1.5 hour sessions for a total of 21 total hours of interaction from August 2014 through May 2015. Primary deliverables from the bit data expert group were: development and publication of definitions and metrics for nursing value; construction of a common data model to extract key data from electronic health records; and measures of nursing costs and finance to provide a basis for developing nursing business intelligence and analysis systems.

Direct quantum process tomography via measuring sequential weak values of incompatible observables.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yosep; Kim, Yong-Su; Lee, Sang-Yun; Han, Sang-Wook; Moon, Sung; Kim, Yoon-Ho; Cho, Young-Wook

2018-01-15

The weak value concept has enabled fundamental studies of quantum measurement and, recently, found potential applications in quantum and classical metrology. However, most weak value experiments reported to date do not require quantum mechanical descriptions, as they only exploit the classical wave nature of the physical systems. In this work, we demonstrate measurement of the sequential weak value of two incompatible observables by making use of two-photon quantum interference so that the results can only be explained quantum physically. We then demonstrate that the sequential weak value measurement can be used to perform direct quantum process tomography of a qubit channel. Our work not only demonstrates the quantum nature of weak values but also presents potential new applications of weak values in analyzing quantum channels and operations.

Changes in the measurement of fair value : implications for accounting earnings.

OpenAIRE

Fargher, N.; Zhang, J.

2014-01-01

With the FASB's issue of staff position papers in 2009 and the relaxation of how fair value standards are applied, there has been a change in the practice of how fair value is measured. Since the FASB staff position papers in 2009, fair value measurement by financial institutions has increasingly relied on managerial assumptions. This study examines the impact of this change on the quality of earnings. Consistent with attribute substitution theory that emphasises reliability over relevance, w...

Theory of “Weak Value" and Quantum Mechanical Measurements

OpenAIRE

Shikano, Yutaka

2012-01-01

Comment: to be published from "Measurements in Quantum Mechanics", edited by M. R. Pahlavani (InTech, 2012) Chapter 4 page 75. Yutaka Shikano (2012). ISBN: 978-953-51-0058-4 Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/articles/show/title/theory-of-weak-value-and-quantum-mechanical-measurement

Transcutaneous oximetry measurements of the leg: comparing different measuring equipment and establishing values in healthy young adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Trinks, Tobias P; Blake, Denise F; Young, Derelle A; Thistlethwaite, Ken; Vangaveti, Venkat N

2017-06-01

Transcutaneous oximetry measurement (TCOM) is a non-invasive method of determining oxygen tension at the skin level using heated electrodes. To compare TCOM values generated by different machines and to establish lower limb TCOM values in a cohort of healthy individuals younger than 40 years of age. Sixteen healthy, non-smoking volunteers aged 18 to 39 years were recruited. TCOM was obtained at six locations on the lower leg and foot using three different Radiometer machines. Measurements were taken with subjects lying supine, breathing air. Except for one sensor site, there were no statistical differences in measurements obtained by the different TCOM machines. There was no statistical difference in measurements comparing left and right legs. Room air TCOM values for the different lower leg sites were (mean (SD) in mmHg): lateral leg 61.5 (9.2); lateral ankle 61.1 (9.7); medial ankle 59.1 (10.8); foot, first and second toe 63.4 (10.6); foot, fifth toe 59.9 (13.2) and plantar foot 74.1 (8.8). The overall mean TCOM value for the lower limb was 61 (10.8; 95% confidence intervals 60.05-62.0) mmHg. Lower-leg TCOM measurements using different Radiometer TCOM machines were comparable. Hypoxia has been defined as lower-leg TCOM values of less than 40 mmHg in non-diabetic patients and this is supported by our measurements. The majority (96.9%) of the lower leg TCOM values in healthy young adults are above the hypoxic threshold.

Do emotional intelligence and previous caring experience influence student nurse performance? A comparative analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Stenhouse, Rosie; Snowden, Austyn; Young, Jenny; Carver, Fiona; Carver, Hannah; Brown, Norrie

2016-08-01

Reports of poor nursing care have focused attention on values based selection of candidates onto nursing programmes. Values based selection lacks clarity and valid measures. Previous caring experience might lead to better care. Emotional intelligence (EI) might be associated with performance, is conceptualised and measurable. To examine the impact of 1) previous caring experience, 2) emotional intelligence 3) social connection scores on performance and retention in a cohort of first year nursing and midwifery students in Scotland. A longitudinal, quasi experimental design. Adult and mental health nursing, and midwifery programmes in a Scottish University. Adult, mental health and midwifery students (n=598) completed the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-short form and Schutte's Emotional Intelligence Scale on entry to their programmes at a Scottish University, alongside demographic and previous caring experience data. Social connection was calculated from a subset of questions identified within the TEIQue-SF in a prior factor and Rasch analysis. Student performance was calculated as the mean mark across the year. Withdrawal data were gathered. 598 students completed baseline measures. 315 students declared previous caring experience, 277 not. An independent-samples t-test identified that those without previous caring experience scored higher on performance (57.33±11.38) than those with previous caring experience (54.87±11.19), a statistically significant difference of 2.47 (95% CI, 0.54 to 4.38), t(533)=2.52, p=.012. Emotional intelligence scores were not associated with performance. Social connection scores for those withdrawing (mean rank=249) and those remaining (mean rank=304.75) were statistically significantly different, U=15,300, z=-2.61, p$_amp_$lt;0.009. Previous caring experience led to worse performance in this cohort. Emotional intelligence was not a useful indicator of performance. Lower scores on the social connection factor were associated

An automated A-value measurement tool for accurate cochlear duct length estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Iyaniwura, John E; Elfarnawany, Mai; Ladak, Hanif M; Agrawal, Sumit K

2018-01-22

There has been renewed interest in the cochlear duct length (CDL) for preoperative cochlear implant electrode selection and postoperative generation of patient-specific frequency maps. The CDL can be estimated by measuring the A-value, which is defined as the length between the round window and the furthest point on the basal turn. Unfortunately, there is significant intra- and inter-observer variability when these measurements are made clinically. The objective of this study was to develop an automated A-value measurement algorithm to improve accuracy and eliminate observer variability. Clinical and micro-CT images of 20 cadaveric cochleae specimens were acquired. The micro-CT of one sample was chosen as the atlas, and A-value fiducials were placed onto that image. Image registration (rigid affine and non-rigid B-spline) was applied between the atlas and the 19 remaining clinical CT images. The registration transform was applied to the A-value fiducials, and the A-value was then automatically calculated for each specimen. High resolution micro-CT images of the same 19 specimens were used to measure the gold standard A-values for comparison against the manual and automated methods. The registration algorithm had excellent qualitative overlap between the atlas and target images. The automated method eliminated the observer variability and the systematic underestimation by experts. Manual measurement of the A-value on clinical CT had a mean error of 9.5 ± 4.3% compared to micro-CT, and this improved to an error of 2.7 ± 2.1% using the automated algorithm. Both the automated and manual methods correlated significantly with the gold standard micro-CT A-values (r = 0.70, p value measurement tool using atlas-based registration methods was successfully developed and validated. The automated method eliminated the observer variability and improved accuracy as compared to manual measurements by experts. This open-source tool has the potential to benefit

Linking Quality and Spending to Measure Value for People with Serious Illness

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, Phillip E.

2018-01-01

Abstract Background: Healthcare payment is rapidly evolving to reward value by measuring and paying for quality and spending performance. Rewarding value for the care of seriously ill patients presents unique challenges. Objective: To evaluate the state of current efforts to measure and reward value for the care of seriously ill patients. Design: We performed a PubMed search of articles related to (1) measures of spending for people with serious illness and (2) linking spending and quality measures and rewarding performance for the care of people with serious illness. We limited our search to U.S.-based studies published in English between January 1, 1960, and March 31, 2017. We supplemented this search by identifying public programs and other known initiatives that linked quality and spending for the seriously ill and extracted key program elements. Results: Our search related to linking spending and quality measures and rewarding performance for the care of people with serious illness yielded 277 articles. We identified three current public programs that currently link measures of quality and spending—or are likely to within the next few years—the Oncology Care Model; the Comprehensive End-Stage Renal Disease Model; and Home Health Value-Based Purchasing. Models that link quality and spending consist of four core components: (1) measuring quality, (2) measuring spending, (3) the payment adjustment model, and (4) the linking/incentive model. We found that current efforts to reward value for seriously ill patients are targeted for specific patient populations, do not broadly encourage the use of palliative care, and have not closely aligned quality and spending measures related to palliative care. Conclusions: We develop recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders about how measures of spending and quality can be balanced in value-based payment programs. PMID:29091529

The Value of Improved Measurements in a Pig Slaughterhouse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærsgaard, Niels Christian

The pig industry is an essential and important part of Danish economy with an export value in 2006 of more than DKK 28 billions [Danish Meat Association (2007)]. The competition is hard, and potential new competitors from low cost countries can be expected to enter the traditional Danish export...... markets. Therefore it is more important than ever to optimize all aspects of Danish pig production, slaughtering processes and delivery. This paper concerns the aspects of optimization at the slaughterhouses regarding estimation of the value of improved measurements. The slaughterhouse industry differs...... investments are expected to improve the quality of the measurements further. This paper concerns the use of Operations Research to solve a practical problem, which is of major importance for the industry, namely to improve the estimation of the economic effects of improved measurements. The benefit...

Positive-operator-valued measure optimization of classical correlations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hamieh, S; Kobes, R; Zaraket, H

We study the problem of optimization over positive-operator-valued measures to extract classical correlation in a bipartite quantum system. The proposed method is applied to binary states only. Moreover, to illustrate this method, an explicit example is studied in detail.

Conjectures Regarding the Adoption of Fair Value Measurements in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Dal-Ri Murcia

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The issue of relevance versus reliability has always been a debate in accounting. Far from being a consensus among the community, the adoption of fair value measurements is intended to present a more realistic view of an entity¿s financial position. However, it could also cause a loss of credibility due to the subjectivity inherent in the valuation process. Wishing to make a contribution to the existing literature on this issue, this paper presents a discussion about the adoption of fair value measurements in Brazil. First, we present a brief examination of asset and liability valuation using the accounting theory as a framework. Following, we conduct a review of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB standards regarding fair value measurements. Empirical studies addressing fair value are also reviewed. Finally, a discussion about its implementation is presented, aiming to take into account the specificities of the Brazilian Market. This paper intends to contribute to the construction of academic knowledge in accounting by debating an issue which is a real problem for organizations, and yet incipient in the national literature.

A model for measuring value for money in professional sports

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlad ROŞCA

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Few to almost none sports teams measure the entertainment value they provide to fans in exchange of the money the latter ones spend on admission fees. Scientific literature oversees the issue as well. The aim of this paper is to present a model that can be used for calculating value for money in the context of spectating sports. The research question asks how can value for money be conceptualized and measured for sports marketing purposes? Using financial and sporting variables, the method calculates how much money, on average, a fan had to spend for receiving quality entertainment – defined as won matches – from his favorite team, during the last season of the Romanian first division football championship. The results only partially confirm the research hypothesis, showing that not just price and sporting performances may influence the value delivered to fans, but other factors as well.

Measurement invariance of the Portrait Values Questionnaire across 25 European countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scholderer, Joachim

The Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) is tested for cross-cultural validity. Measurement characteristics are compared across representative consumer samples from 25 European countries (total N = 37,592) using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis with structured means. The results suggest....... Hence, most direct comparisons of PVQ raw scores and sample statistics between European countries are valid without correction. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the ten values measured by the PVQ are invariant across European countries in terms of their relative position on the quasi......-circumplex hypothesised by the theory of basic human values....

Measuring Children's Environmental Attitudes and Values in Northwest Mexico: Validating a Modified Version of Measures to Test the Model of Ecological Values (2-MEV)

Science.gov (United States)

Schneller, A. J.; Johnson, B.; Bogner, F. X.

2015-01-01

This paper describes the validation process of measuring children's attitudes and values toward the environment within a Mexican sample. We applied the Model of Ecological Values (2-MEV), which has been shown to be valid and reliable in 20 countries, including one Spanish speaking culture. Items were initially modified to fit the regional dialect,…

Applicability of International and DOE Target Values to ALD Destructive Measurement Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holland, M.K.

2002-01-01

International Target values and target value applicability are a function of the nuclear material processing campaign or application for which the accountability measurement method is being applied. Safeguarding significant quantities of nuclear-grade materials requires that accountability measurements be as accurate, precise, and representative as practically possible. In general, the ITV provides a benchmark for determining generic acceptability of the performance of the various accountability measurement methods, since it represents a performance level that is accepted as highly reliable. There are cases where it is acceptable to select alternative accountability methods not specifically referenced by the ITV, or to use the recognized measurement method, even though the uncertainties are greater than the target values

Finite element approximation for time-dependent diffusion with measure-valued source

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Seidman, T.; Gobbert, M.; Trott, D.; Kružík, Martin

2012-01-01

Roč. 122, č. 4 (2012), s. 709-723 ISSN 0029-599X R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA100750802 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : measure-valued source * diffusion equation Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.329, year: 2012 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2012/MTR/kruzik-finite element approximation for time - dependent diffusion with measure-valued source.pdf

A new inductive method for measuring the RRR-value of niobium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolore, M.; Bonin, B.; Boudigou, Y.; Heuveline, S.; Jacques, E.; Jaidane, S.; Koechlin, F.; Safa, H.

1996-01-01

A new method for measuring the RRR-value of niobium is presented. The principle of the measurement uses low frequency induction in a niobium sheet placed close to a pair of coils. In contrast with the usual resistive method, the present one gives information on the local value of the RRR, with a spatial resolution of the order of 1 cm. In addition, it is non destructive, thus opening the way to mapping RRR measurements on cavities. This tool will permit the measure of RRR inhomogeneities in cavities due to sheet forming or heat treatments, and the systematic check of the quality of weld seams. (author)

Measuring the Value of Placements to Employers: A Cost-Benefit Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Wond, Tracey; Rambukwella, Shan

2018-01-01

This article explores the concept and measurement of placement value, underexplored in theory and practice to date. The article makes a theoretical contribution to the placement value discourse by examining and articulating the placement value concept. It also offers a practical contribution by exploring a piloted tool to evaluate employer…

The Impact of Corporate Governance on Financial Performance: (Measured using Accounting and Value-Added based Measures): Evidence from Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Abdul Aziz, Khairul Annuar

2005-01-01

This paper aims to test empirically which measure, an accounting based financial performance measure such as Return on Equity, Price to Earnings Ratio, Earnings Per Share and Return on Capital Employed; or value-added based financial performance measures such as Economic Value Added and Market Value Added; is more closely related with Corporate Governance Compliance. This paper also aims to study the level of Corporate Governance Compliance of the Smaller Companies listed on the KLSE, the mea...

CORRECTION OF GLOBAL AND REFLEX RADIATION VALUES MEASURED ABOVE THE LAKE BALATON

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laszlo Menyhart

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Albedo measurements have been carried out since 2007 above the Lake Balaton near Keszthely and Siofok. It turned out that a systematic offset error was superposed to both the global and the reflex radiation. The value of this systematic error was approximately constant per pyranometer within a year but on the other hand it varied from year to year and from pyranometer to pyranometer. In this paper the values of this systematic errors were determined with two different methods. The difference between the values measured at night-time and the intrinsic thermal offset error of pyranometers were examined with both methods. The base of the first method is the empirical observation, that the values measured at night-time by a global radiometer are typically negative whereas by a reflex radiometer are typically positive. The substance of the second method is utilizing the air temperature measured within 1 as well as 5 hours before the radiation measuring to +select the fully overcast nights, when the thermal offset error of the global radiometer is zero. In addition, the cases where the thermal offset error of the reflex radiometer is zero were selected on the basis of the difference between water and air temperature. When the thermal offset error is zero the measured value is equal to the systematic error. Comparing the results of the two methods showed that the systematic error of the global radiometer were determined with uncertainty of 1 Wm–2, whereas that of the reflex radiometer with uncertainty of 2 Wm–2. The calibration constants were recalculated from the values being in the calibration reports taking the systematic errors into account.

Value chain analysis in quality management context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popescu, M.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the description of value chain analysis, which is a strategic management tool attributed to Michel Porter, the paper aims to demonstrate that quality management applies this method, under specific forms. The paper's specific objectives are: to redefine the functions of value chain analysis in the context of quality management; to clarify the significance and the possibilities of measuring the value added; to present management tools and techniques needed to control and systematically improve performance. Research methodology is based on examples, previous studies and a case study that reveals the diversity of indicators for measuring the value added and analysis tools used in quality management.

Accurate Estimation of Low Fundamental Frequencies from Real-Valued Measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Mads Græsbøll

2013-01-01

In this paper, the difficult problem of estimating low fundamental frequencies from real-valued measurements is addressed. The methods commonly employed do not take the phenomena encountered in this scenario into account and thus fail to deliver accurate estimates. The reason for this is that the......In this paper, the difficult problem of estimating low fundamental frequencies from real-valued measurements is addressed. The methods commonly employed do not take the phenomena encountered in this scenario into account and thus fail to deliver accurate estimates. The reason...... for this is that they employ asymptotic approximations that are violated when the harmonics are not well-separated in frequency, something that happens when the observed signal is real-valued and the fundamental frequency is low. To mitigate this, we analyze the problem and present some exact fundamental frequency estimators...

Precision half-life measurement of 11C: The most precise mirror transition F t value

Science.gov (United States)

Valverde, A. A.; Brodeur, M.; Ahn, T.; Allen, J.; Bardayan, D. W.; Becchetti, F. D.; Blankstein, D.; Brown, G.; Burdette, D. P.; Frentz, B.; Gilardy, G.; Hall, M. R.; King, S.; Kolata, J. J.; Long, J.; Macon, K. T.; Nelson, A.; O'Malley, P. D.; Skulski, M.; Strauss, S. Y.; Vande Kolk, B.

2018-03-01

Background: The precise determination of the F t value in T =1 /2 mixed mirror decays is an important avenue for testing the standard model of the electroweak interaction through the determination of Vu d in nuclear β decays. 11C is an interesting case, as its low mass and small QE C value make it particularly sensitive to violations of the conserved vector current hypothesis. The present dominant source of uncertainty in the 11CF t value is the half-life. Purpose: A high-precision measurement of the 11C half-life was performed, and a new world average half-life was calculated. Method: 11C was created by transfer reactions and separated using the TwinSol facility at the Nuclear Science Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame. It was then implanted into a tantalum foil, and β counting was used to determine the half-life. Results: The new half-life, t1 /2=1220.27 (26 ) s, is consistent with the previous values but significantly more precise. A new world average was calculated, t1/2 world=1220.41 (32 ) s, and a new estimate for the Gamow-Teller to Fermi mixing ratio ρ is presented along with standard model correlation parameters. Conclusions: The new 11C world average half-life allows the calculation of a F tmirror value that is now the most precise value for all superallowed mixed mirror transitions. This gives a strong impetus for an experimental determination of ρ , to allow for the determination of Vu d from this decay.

Dividend Policy and Corporate Value (A Meta-Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tifani Titah Dwi Tyastari

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to understand the effect of dividend policy on corporate value, as well as to examine and analyze the variation of result study on corporate value in Indonesia.Dividend Signaling Model was the grand theory used to explain the effect of dividend policy on corporate value. This study used meta-analysis approach with the sample were 70 researches in Indonesia, both the published and unpublished in 2007-2015. The result of this study, meta-analysis strengthens the findings of the previous study which stated that the dividend policy could increase the corporate value. The differences of the previous studies were due to the presence of moderation effect from the measurement model of corporate value and dividend corporate.

The use of personal values in living standards measures | Ungerer ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Living Standards Measure (LSM), a South African marketing segmentation method, is a multivariate wealth measure based on standard of living. This article reports on whether a rationale can be found for the inclusion of psychological variables, particularly personal values, in this type of multivariate segmentation.

Reference value sensitivity of measures of unfair health inequality

Science.gov (United States)

García-Gómez, Pilar; Schokkaert, Erik; Van Ourti, Tom

2014-01-01

Most politicians and ethical observers are not interested in pure health inequalities, as they want to distinguish between different causes of health differences. Measures of “unfair” inequality - direct unfairness and the fairness gap, but also the popular standardized concentration index - therefore neutralize the effects of what are considered to be “legitimate” causes of inequality. This neutralization is performed by putting a subset of the explanatory variables at reference values, e.g. their means. We analyze how the inequality ranking of different policies depends on the specific choice of reference values. We show with mortality data from the Netherlands that the problem is empirically relevant and we suggest a statistical method for fixing the reference values. PMID:24954998

Measurement of use value and non-use value of environmental quality consistent with general equilibrium approach

OpenAIRE

Naoki Sakamoto; Kazunori Nakajima

2014-01-01

This paper proposes the consistent method with general equilibrium models to measure use value and non-use value of large-scale change in environmental quality. First, we develop a general equilibrium model that parameters of the utility function with environmental quality as a dependent variable can be estimated on the basis of the travel cost method and the contingent variation method. Second, we examine to identify the general equilibrium impact of environmental quality by a comparative st...

Prognostic and diagnostic value of EEG signal coupling measures in coma.

Science.gov (United States)

Zubler, Frederic; Koenig, Christa; Steimer, Andreas; Jakob, Stephan M; Schindler, Kaspar A; Gast, Heidemarie

2016-08-01

Our aim was to assess the diagnostic and predictive value of several quantitative EEG (qEEG) analysis methods in comatose patients. In 79 patients, coupling between EEG signals on the left-right (inter-hemispheric) axis and on the anterior-posterior (intra-hemispheric) axis was measured with four synchronization measures: relative delta power asymmetry, cross-correlation, symbolic mutual information and transfer entropy directionality. Results were compared with etiology of coma and clinical outcome. Using cross-validation, the predictive value of measure combinations was assessed with a Bayes classifier with mixture of Gaussians. Five of eight measures showed a statistically significant difference between patients grouped according to outcome; one measure revealed differences in patients grouped according to the etiology. Interestingly, a high level of synchrony between the left and right hemisphere was associated with mortality on intensive care unit, whereas higher synchrony between anterior and posterior brain regions was associated with survival. The combination with the best predictive value reached an area-under the curve of 0.875 (for patients with post anoxic encephalopathy: 0.946). EEG synchronization measures can contribute to clinical assessment, and provide new approaches for understanding the pathophysiology of coma. Prognostication in coma remains a challenging task. qEEG could improve current multi-modal approaches. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clustering of reads with alignment-free measures and quality values.

Science.gov (United States)

Comin, Matteo; Leoni, Andrea; Schimd, Michele

2015-01-01

The data volume generated by Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies is growing at a pace that is now challenging the storage and data processing capacities of modern computer systems. In this context an important aspect is the reduction of data complexity by collapsing redundant reads in a single cluster to improve the run time, memory requirements, and quality of post-processing steps like assembly and error correction. Several alignment-free measures, based on k-mers counts, have been used to cluster reads. Quality scores produced by NGS platforms are fundamental for various analysis of NGS data like reads mapping and error detection. Moreover future-generation sequencing platforms will produce long reads but with a large number of erroneous bases (up to 15 %). In this scenario it will be fundamental to exploit quality value information within the alignment-free framework. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study that incorporates quality value information and k-mers counts, in the context of alignment-free measures, for the comparison of reads data. Based on this principles, in this paper we present a family of alignment-free measures called D (q) -type. A set of experiments on simulated and real reads data confirms that the new measures are superior to other classical alignment-free statistics, especially when erroneous reads are considered. Also results on de novo assembly and metagenomic reads classification show that the introduction of quality values improves over standard alignment-free measures. These statistics are implemented in a software called QCluster (http://www.dei.unipd.it/~ciompin/main/qcluster.html).

A conceptual model of channel choice : measuring online and offline shopping value perceptions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broekhuizen, Thijs L.J.; Jager, Wander

2004-01-01

This study tries to understand how consumers evaluate channels for their purchasing. Specifically, it develops a conceptual model that addresses consumer value perceptions of using the Internet versus the traditional (physical) channel. Previous research showed that perceptions of price, product

Mass and QEC value of 26Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eronen, T.; Elomaa, V.-V.; Hager, U.; Hakala, J.; Jokinen, A.; Kankainen, A.; Kessler, T.; Moore, I. D.; Rahaman, S.; Rissanen, J.; Weber, C.; Aeystoe, J.

2009-01-01

The Q EC value of the superallowed β emitter 26 Si has been measured with the JYFLTRAP Penning trap facility to be 4840.85(10) keV which is ten times more precise than any previous measurement. This leaves only the branching ratio to be improved before the Ft value of 26 Si can be used to test the conserved vector current hypothesis. As a consequence, the 25 Al(p,γ) 26 Si reaction Q-value (Q pγ ) was improved to be 5513.7(5) keV, limited now by the mass excess of 25 Al. The new Q pγ value changes the stellar production rate of 26 Si in nova ignition temperatures by about 10%

Value-based performance measures for Hanford Tank Waste Remedition System (TWRS) Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keeney, R.L.; von Winterfeldt, D.

1996-01-01

The Tank Waste Remediation Systems (TWRS) Program is responsible for the safe storage, retrieval, treatment, and preparation for disposal of high-level waste currently stored in underground storage tanks at the Hanford site in Richland. The TWRS program has adopted a logical approach to decision making that is based on systems engineering and decision analysis (Westinghouse Hanford Company, 1995). This approach involves the explicit consideration of stakeholder values and an evaluation of the TWRS alternatives in terms of these values. Such evaluations need to be consistent across decisions. Thus, an effort was undertaken to develop a consistent, quantifiable set of measures that can be used by TVVRS to assess alternatives against the stakeholder values. The measures developed also met two additional requirements: 1) the number of measure should be relatively small; and 2) performance with respect to the measures should be relatively easy to estimate

Measurement of the G-value for 1. 5 keV X-rays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freyer, J.P.; Schillaci, M.E.; Raju, M.R. (Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA))

1989-12-01

Using a ferrous sulfate solution modified by the addition of benzoic acid, the authors measured relative G-values for Al{sub k} characteristic X-rays (1.5keV), {sup 238}Pu {alpha}-particles (3.7MeV), {sup 60}Co (1.17 MeV) and {sup 137}Cs (0.66 MeV){gamma}-rays. Relative ferrous-to-ferric conversions as a function of dose were similar for the two {gamma}-ray energies, yielding G-values of 1.62 and 1.59 {mu}mol J{sup -1} for the {sup 60}Co and {sup 137}Cs radiations. The {alpha}-particle G-value was 0.52 {mu}mol J{sup -1}, or 31% of that for {sup 60}Co {gamma}-rays. The Al{sub k} X-rays had a G-value of 0.92 {mu}mol J{sup -1} or 57% of that of the {sup 60}Co radiation. This G-value for 1.5 keV X-rays is within 20% of values predicted by current theories, and theoretical values are within the error range of the authors' measurements. (author).

Fock-state view of weak-value measurements and implementation with photons and atomic ensembles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simon, Christoph; Polzik, Eugene S.

2011-01-01

Weak measurements in combination with postselection can give rise to a striking amplification effect (related to a large ''weak value''). We show that this effect can be understood by viewing the initial state of the pointer as the ground state of a fictional harmonic oscillator. This perspective clarifies the relationship between the weak-value regime and other measurement techniques and inspires a proposal to implement fully quantum weak-value measurements combining photons and atomic ensembles.

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT IN AGRICULTURE AND THE POTENTIAL TO MISLEAD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

VLADU ALINA BEATTRICE

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Applying fair value measurement to tangible and intangible assets in agriculture cannot be risk free. Twofoldreasons can be brought into attention for the above statement: fair value estimation and the specific of agriculturefield. The purpose of this discussion paper is to underline potential creative accounting demarches that can appear inthis context. The paper concludes based on the discussions approached in the literature. Further avenues of researchare discussed.

Electron density values of various human tissues: in vitro Compton scatter measurements and calculated ranges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shrimpton, P.C.

1981-01-01

Accurate direct measurements of electron density have been performed on specimens from 10 different tissue types of the human body, representing the major organs, using a Compton scatter technique. As a supplement to these experimental values, calculations have been carried out to determine the electron densities expected for these tissue types. The densities observed are in good agreement with the broad ranges deduced from the basic data previously published. The results of both the in vitro sample measurements and the approximate calculations indicate that the electron density of most normal healthy soft tissue can be expected to fall within the fairly restricted range of +- 5% around 3.4 X 10 23 electrons per cm 3 . The obvious exception to this generalisation is the result for lung tissue, which falls considerably below this range owing to the high air content inherent in its construction. In view of such an overall limited variation with little difference between tissues, it would appear that electron density alone is likely to be a rather poor clinical parameter for tissue analysis, with high accuracy and precision being essential in any in vivo Compton measurements for imaging or diagnosis on specific organs. (author)

Shared Values?: Measuring Value Differences Between Civilians and Soldiers

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Efflandt, Scott

1998-01-01

.... In response to this many within and outside of the military have attributed these problems to the absence of personal values among new service members that are congruent with the military's core values...

Low diagnostic value of respiratory impedance measurements in children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cuijpers, CEJ; Wesseling, GJ; Kessels, AGH; Swaen, GMH; Mertens, PLJM; deKok, ME; Broer, J; Sturmans, F; Wouters, EFM

The aim of this study was to determine whether impedance values in children with various chronic respiratory complaints differed from those observed in symptom-free children. Respiratory impedance was measured using the forced oscillation technique in 1,776 Dutch children aged 6-12 yrs. In addition

The iMTA Productivity Cost Questionnaire: A Standardized Instrument for Measuring and Valuing Health-Related Productivity Losses.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouwmans, Clazien; Krol, Marieke; Severens, Hans; Koopmanschap, Marc; Brouwer, Werner; Hakkaart-van Roijen, Leona

2015-09-01

Productivity losses often contribute significantly to the total costs in economic evaluations adopting a societal perspective. Currently, no consensus exists on the measurement and valuation of productivity losses. We aimed to develop a standardized instrument for measuring and valuing productivity losses. A group of researchers with extensive experience in measuring and valuing productivity losses designed an instrument suitable for self-completion, building on preknowledge and evidence on validity. The instrument was designed to cover all domains of productivity losses, thus allowing quantification and valuation of all productivity losses. A feasibility study was performed to check the questionnaire's consistency and intelligibility. The iMTA Productivity Cost Questionnaire (iPCQ) includes three modules measuring productivity losses of paid work due to 1) absenteeism and 2) presenteeism and productivity losses related to 3) unpaid work. Questions for measuring absenteeism and presenteeism were derived from existing validated questionnaires. Because validated measures of losses of unpaid work are scarce, the questions of this module were newly developed. To enhance the instrument's feasibility, simple language was used. The feasibility study included 195 respondents (response rate 80%) older than 18 years. Seven percent (n = 13) identified problems while filling in the iPCQ, including problems with the questionnaire's instructions and routing (n = 6) and wording (n = 2). Five respondents experienced difficulties in estimating the time that would be needed for other people to make up for lost unpaid work. Most modules of the iPCQ are based on validated questions derived from previously available instruments. The instrument is understandable for most of the general public. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A step-by-step plan to manage and measure adding value by FM/CREM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Voordt, Theo; Jensen, Per Anker; Hoendervanger, Jan Gerard

2016-01-01

Purpose To present a new Value Adding Management model in order to support decision makers in identifying appropriate interventions to add value to the organisation, to manage its implementation, and to measure the output and outcomes. Theory The paper builds on value adding management theories...... different European countries present a state of the art of theory and research on 12 value parameters, how to manage and measure each value, and to discuss the costs and benefits of typical FM and CREM interventions to enhance satisfaction, image, culture, health and safety, productivity, adaptability...... and models including the triplet input-throughput-output, a distinction between output, outcome and added value, the Plan-Do-Act-Check cycle, change management and performance measurement. Design/methodology/approach Literature review and a cross-chapter analysis of a forthcoming book, where authors from...

Measuring the value of internal audit in the banking industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clara-Iulia Zinca (Voiculescu

2016-09-01

The results of the study suggest that most organizations use methods that contain mainly quantitative and less qualitative elements. There are differences between banks and other types of organizations in terms of the methods and practices used, but also on the importance showed to measurement of internal audit value. In addition, the findings confirm that there is room for improving the methods and practices used, so that the audit function gains value and credibility.

A multinational study to measure the value that patients with cancer place on improved emesis control following cisplatin chemotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dranitsaris, G; Leung, P; Ciotti, R; Ortega, A; Spinthouri, M; Liaropoulos, L; Labianca, R; Quadri, A

2001-01-01

The neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonists are a new class of agents designed to reduce the risk of emesis following chemotherapy, particularly with cisplatin. Early data from double-blind randomised trials suggest that an orally administered NK1 antagonist can reduce the absolute risk of acute and delayed emesis following cisplatin by 20 and 30%, respectively. To measure the value that patients with cancer place on improved emesis control and quality of life. Willingness-to-pay analysis. Five study sites in Canada, Italy, Spain and Greece. 245 patients with cancer either receiving chemotherapy with cisplatin or who had received cisplatin-based chemotherapy within the previous 6 months. After background information had been presented, patients were asked to define the maximum that they would pay per day for a drug that reduced their risk of acute and delayed (days 2 to 5) emesis by 20 and 30%, respectively. Costs were converted to US dollars ($US) using year 2000 exchange rates. For a 20% improvement in acute emesis, Canadian, Italian and Spanish patients with cancer were willing to pay $US46, $US34 and $US63 per day, respectively, compared with $US8 for patients from Greece (p < 0.001). For a 30% improvement in delayed emesis, Canadian, Italian and Spanish patients with cancer were also willing to pay more than their Greek counterparts (SUS41, $US31, $US50 and $US9 daily for 4 days, respectively; p < 0.001). These significant differences in patient value between countries remained, even after adjusting for socioeconomic variables and previous history of emesis. There are substantial cultural differences in how patients with cancer value benefit and improved quality of life. Since the majority of the world's population resides outside North America and Western Europe, there may be a need to re-evaluate perceived levels of patient benefit and measures of quality of life.

The value of pulmonary vessel CT measuring and calculating of relative ratio

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji Jiansong; Xu Xiaoxiong; Lv Suzhen; Zhao Zhongwei; Wang Zufei; Xu Min; Gong Jianping

2004-01-01

Objective: To evaluate value of CT measurement and calculation of vessels of isolate pig lung, by compare with measurement and calculation of resin cast of them. Methods: CT scanned and measured the four isolated pig lung which vessels were full with ABS liquid or self-solidification resin liquid, and calculate the relative ratio of superior/inferior order and vein/artery of same order. After resin cast were made, measure and calculate the same as CT did. Results: Second order of calculation of vein/artery of same order by the two method had statistic difference (P 0.05). Conclusion: CT has high value in calculation of the relative ratio of superior/inferior order

Measuring Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall of crude oil portfolio using extreme value theory and vine copula

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Wenhua; Yang, Kun; Wei, Yu; Lei, Likun

2018-01-01

Volatilities of crude oil price have important impacts on the steady and sustainable development of world real economy. Thus it is of great academic and practical significance to model and measure the volatility and risk of crude oil markets accurately. This paper aims to measure the Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES) of a portfolio consists of four crude oil assets by using GARCH-type models, extreme value theory (EVT) and vine copulas. The backtesting results show that the combination of GARCH-type-EVT models and vine copula methods can produce accurate risk measures of the oil portfolio. Mixed R-vine copula is more flexible and superior to other vine copulas. Different GARCH-type models, which can depict the long-memory and/or leverage effect of oil price volatilities, however offer similar marginal distributions of the oil returns.

Impact of energy efficiency measures on the economic value of buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popescu, Daniela; Bienert, Sven; Schuetzenhofer, Christian; Boazu, Rodica

2012-01-01

Highlights: → Market driven reasons can strengthen implementation of energy policies in buildings. → Methods that quantify the added value due to energy performance are developed. → Recommendations on how they can be incorporated in the financial analysis are presented. → Case studies on some existing condominiums from Romania are analyzed. → The market sensitivity to energy efficiency measures is also in the focus. -- Abstract: A main objective of energy policies is to make all levels of the society, from governments to citizen, interested in increasing the energy efficiency of buildings. One of the most important barriers in implementation of energy policies is that the cost of potential energy savings, typically considered being the only financial benefit, does not sufficiently motivate investments. The target is therefore to identify further possible drivers pushing positive reaction according to energy saving action. The paper discusses whether a market-based instrument, capturing the increase of the economic value of energy efficient buildings, can be also used. Methods that quantify the added value due to energy performance, including recommendations on how they can be incorporated in the financial analysis of investments in weatherization, are developed. By applying the proposed methods, the payback period of investments in energy efficiency measures depends on two factors: potential energy savings and the added value to the property. Case studies on some existing condominiums from Romania are analyzed and provide evidence to the research question. The market sensitivity to energy efficiency measures, the possibility of an intangible added value as well as the impact to financial investment decisions is subsequently in the focus.

Valuing Informal Care Experience: Does Choice of Measure Matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Mentzakis, Emmanouil; McNamee, Paul; Ryan, Mandy; Sutton, Matthew

2012-01-01

Well-being equations are often estimated to generate monetary values for non-marketed activities. In such studies, utility is often approximated by either life satisfaction or General Health Questionnaire scores. We estimate and compare monetary valuations of informal care for the first time in the UK employing both measures, using longitudinal…

Against Journal Articles for Measuring Value in University Output

Science.gov (United States)

Mbali, C.

2010-01-01

The following lines of arguments against the metrics of journal articles is developed: (1) Textual output should no longer be main valued output; (2) Digitalization enables other ways of advancing knowledge; (3) Measures by journal article favours the disciplines of Natural Science and Engineering (NSE) and moulds other disciplines of Social…

Measuring the risk of an Iranian banking system using Value at Risk (VaR Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudabeh Morshedian Rafiee

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Measuring risk of financial institutes and banks plays an important role on managing them. Recent financial turmoil in United States banking system has motivated banking industry to monitor risk factors more closely. In this paper, we present an empirical study to measure the risk of some private banks in Iran called Bank Mellat using Value at Risk (VaR method. The proposed study collects the necessary information for the fiscal year of 2010 and analyses them using regression analysis. The study divides the financial data into two groups where the financial data of the first half of year is considered in the first group and the remaining information for the second half of year 2010 is considered in the second group. The implementation of VaR method indicates that financial risks increase during the time horizon. The study also uses linear regression method where independent variable is time, dependent variable is the financial risk, and the results confirm what we have found in the previous part of the survey.

Measurement of the total solar energy transmittance (g-value) for conventional glazings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duer, Karsten

1998-01-01

Three different glazings have been investigated in the Danish experimental setup METSET. (A device for calorimetric measurement of total solar energy transmittance - g-value).The purpose of the measurements is to increase the confidence in the calorimetric measurements. This is done by comparison...

Development and Preliminary Validation of a New Measure of Values in Scientific Work.

Science.gov (United States)

English, Tammy; Antes, Alison L; Baldwin, Kari A; DuBois, James M

2018-04-01

In this paper we describe the development and initial psychometric evaluation of a new measure, the values in scientific work (VSW). This scale assesses the level of importance that investigators attach to different VSW. It taps a broad range of intrinsic, extrinsic, and social values that motivate the work of scientists, including values specific to scientific work (e.g., truth and integrity) and more classic work values (e.g., security and prestige) in the context of science. Notably, the values represented in this scale are relevant to scientists regardless of their career stage and research focus. We administered the VSW and a measure of global values to 203 NIH-funded investigators. Exploratory factor analyses suggest the delineation of eight VSW, including autonomy, research ethics, social impact, income, collaboration, innovation and growth, conserving relationships, and job security. These VSW showed predictable and distinct associations with global values. Implications of these findings for work on research integrity and scientific misconduct are discussed.

Measuring and Communicating the Value Created by an Organization

Science.gov (United States)

Sherman, W. Richard

2010-01-01

This paper offers a different perspective in measuring the value created by an organization. It does so in the context of an undergraduate course in managerial accounting. In order to break down the functional silo approach to problem solving that has become the model of traditional business education, applications of shadow accounting, the…

On the interplay between distortion, mean value and Haezendonck-Goovaerts risk measures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goovaerts, M.J.; Linders, D.; van Weert, K.; Tank, F.

2012-01-01

In the actuarial research, distortion, mean value and Haezendonck-Goovaerts risk measures are concepts that are usually treated separately. In this paper we indicate and characterize the relation between these different risk measures, as well as their relation to convex risk measures. While it is

How Can Value-Added Measures Be Used for Teacher Improvement? What We Know Series: Value-Added Methods and Applications. Knowledge Brief 13

Science.gov (United States)

Loeb, Susanna

2013-01-01

The question for this brief is whether education leaders can use value-added measures as tools for improving schooling and, if so, how to do this. Districts, states, and schools can, at least in theory, generate gains in educational outcomes for students using value-added measures in three ways: creating information on effective programs, making…

A scheme of quantum state discrimination over specified states via weak-value measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xi; Dai, Hong-Yi; Liu, Bo-Yang; Zhang, Ming

2018-04-01

The commonly adopted projective measurements are invalid in the specified task of quantum state discrimination when the discriminated states are superposition of planar-position basis states whose complex-number probability amplitudes have the same magnitude but different phases. Therefore we propose a corresponding scheme via weak-value measurement and examine the feasibility of this scheme. Furthermore, the role of the weak-value measurement in quantum state discrimination is analyzed and compared with one in quantum state tomography in this Letter.

Reference values for physical performance measures in the aging working population.

Science.gov (United States)

Cote, Mark P; Kenny, Anne; Dussetschleger, Jeffrey; Farr, Dana; Chaurasia, Ashok; Cherniack, Martin

2014-02-01

The aim of this study was to determine reference physical performance values in older aging workers. Cross-sectional physical performance measures were collected for 736 manufacturing workers to assess effects of work and nonwork factors on age-related changes in musculoskeletal function and health. Participants underwent surveys and physical testing that included bioelectrical impedance analysis, range-of-motion measures, exercise testing, and dynamic assessment. Physical characteristics, such as blood pressure and body fat percentage, were comparable to published values. Dynamic and range-of-motion measurements differed from published normative results. Women had age-related decreases in cervical extension and lateral rotation. Older men had better spinal flexion than expected. Predicted age-related decline in lower-extremity strength and shoulder strength in women was not seen. Men declined in handgrip, lower-extremity strength, and knee extension strength, but not trunk strength, across age groups. There was no appreciable decline in muscle fatigue at the trunk, shoulder, and knee with aging for either gender, except for the youngest age group of women. Normative values may underestimate physical performance in "healthy" older workers, thereby underappreciating declines in less healthy older workers. Work may be preservative of function for a large group of selected individuals. A "healthy worker effect" may be greater for musculoskeletal disease and function than for heart disease and mortality. Clinicians and researchers studying musculoskeletal function in older workers can use a more specific set of reference values.

Measuring the value of groundwater and other forms of natural capital.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenichel, Eli P; Abbott, Joshua K; Bayham, Jude; Boone, Whitney; Haacker, Erin M K; Pfeiffer, Lisa

2016-03-01

Valuing natural capital is fundamental to measuring sustainability. The United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, and other agencies have called for inclusion of the value of natural capital in sustainability metrics, such as inclusive wealth. Much has been written about the importance of natural capital, but consistent, rigorous valuation approaches compatible with the pricing of traditional forms of capital have remained elusive. We present a guiding quantitative framework enabling natural capital valuation that is fully consistent with capital theory, accounts for biophysical and economic feedbacks, and can guide interdisciplinary efforts to measure sustainability. We illustrate this framework with an application to groundwater in the Kansas High Plains Aquifer, a rapidly depleting asset supporting significant food production. We develop a 10-y time series (1996-2005) of natural capital asset prices that accounts for technological, institutional, and physical changes. Kansas lost approximately $110 million per year (2005 US dollars) of capital value through groundwater withdrawal and changes in aquifer management during the decade spanning 1996-2005. This annual loss in wealth is approximately equal to the state's 2005 budget surplus, and is substantially more than investments in schools over this period. Furthermore, real investment in agricultural capital also declined over this period. Although Kansas' depletion of water wealth is substantial, it may be tractably managed through careful groundwater management and compensating investments in other natural and traditional assets. Measurement of natural capital value is required to inform management and ongoing investments in natural assets.

A National Trial on Differences in Cerebral Perfusion Pressure Values by Measurement Location.

Science.gov (United States)

McNett, Molly M; Bader, Mary Kay; Livesay, Sarah; Yeager, Susan; Moran, Cristina; Barnes, Arianna; Harrison, Kimberly R; Olson, DaiWai M

2018-04-01

Cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) is a key parameter in management of brain injury with suspected impaired cerebral autoregulation. CPP is calculated by subtracting intracranial pressure (ICP) from mean arterial pressure (MAP). Despite consensus on importance of CPP monitoring, substantial variations exist on anatomical reference points used to measure arterial MAP when calculating CPP. This study aimed to identify differences in CPP values based on measurement location when using phlebostatic axis (PA) or tragus (Tg) as anatomical reference points. The secondary study aim was to determine impact of differences on patient outcomes at discharge. This was a prospective, repeated measures, multi-site national trial. Adult ICU patients with neurological injury necessitating ICP and CPP monitoring were consecutively enrolled from seven sites. Daily MAP/ICP/CPP values were gathered with the arterial transducer at the PA, followed by the Tg as anatomical reference points. A total of 136 subjects were enrolled, resulting in 324 paired observations. There were significant differences for CPP when comparing values obtained at PA and Tg reference points (p Differences remained significant in repeated measures model when controlling for clinical factors (mean CPP-PA = 80.77, mean CPP-Tg = 70.61, p identified as adequate with PA values, yet inadequate with CPP values measured at the Tg. Findings identify numerical differences for CPP based on anatomical reference location and highlight importance of a standard reference point for both clinical practice and future trials to limit practice variations and heterogeneity of findings.

Imaging and measurement of T1 value by NMR of low magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asai, Hideaki; Izawa, Akira; Furuse, Kazuhiro; Saoi, Katsuyoshi; Nagai, Masahiko.

1983-01-01

FONAR QED-80α having two operating mode: the anatomy mode to obtain an image of proton densities and the chemistry mode to measure T 1 value at a region of intenst, was used clinically. The strength of static magnetic field is 0.041T. 32 cases, 18 healthy volunteers and 14 patients were studied. In proton density imaging, high proton density organs such as skin were imaged bright, and low proton density organs such as bones and flowing blood were imaged dark. The merits of NMR imaging are no artifacts caused by bones and air. However, NMR image is required long time for measurement and the image of NMR is unsharp than that of X-ray CT. Concerning with T 1 value, cerebral and cerebellar gray matter had longer T 1 's than that of white matter. Pathological lesions, such as tumor and/or infarct, had also longer T 1 values than these of normal tissue. The value of T 1 was thought to be applicable clinically except for some problems, such as measuring T 1 value of large extent. No side effects were found during and after examinations. (author)

A Value Measure for Public-Sector Enterprise Risk Management: A TSA Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, Kenneth C; Abbas, Ali E

2018-05-01

This article presents a public value measure that can be used to aid executives in the public sector to better assess policy decisions and maximize value to the American people. Using Transportation Security Administration (TSA) programs as an example, we first identify the basic components of public value. We then propose a public value account to quantify the outcomes of various risk scenarios, and we determine the certain equivalent of several important TSA programs. We illustrate how this proposed measure can quantify the effects of two main challenges that government organizations face when conducting enterprise risk management: (1) short-term versus long-term incentives and (2) avoiding potential negative consequences even if they occur with low probability. Finally, we illustrate how this measure enables the use of various tools from decision analysis to be applied in government settings, such as stochastic dominance arguments and certain equivalent calculations. Regarding the TSA case study, our analysis demonstrates the value of continued expansion of the TSA trusted traveler initiative and increasing the background vetting for passengers who are afforded expedited security screening. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

Several Similarity Measures of Interval Valued Neutrosophic Soft Sets and Their Application in Pattern Recognition Problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anjan Mukherjee

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Interval valued neutrosophic soft set introduced by Irfan Deli in 2014[8] is a generalization of neutrosophic set introduced by F. Smarandache in 1995[19], which can be used in real scientific and engineering applications. In this paper the Hamming and Euclidean distances between two interval valued neutrosophic soft sets (IVNS sets are defined and similarity measures based on distances between two interval valued neutrosophic soft sets are proposed. Similarity measure based on set theoretic approach is also proposed. Some basic properties of similarity measures between two interval valued neutrosophic soft sets is also studied. A decision making method is established for interval valued neutrosophic soft set setting using similarity measures between IVNS sets. Finally an example is given to demonstrate the possible application of similarity measures in pattern recognition problems.

Measure-valued solutions to the complete Euler system revisited

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Březina, J.; Feireisl, Eduard

2018-01-01

Roč. 69, č. 3 (2018), č. článku 57. ISSN 0044-2275 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 320078 - MATHEF Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : Euler system * measure-valued solution * vanishing dissipation limit Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Pure mathematics Impact factor: 1.687, year: 2016 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00033-018-0951-8

Stability of Teacher Value-Added Rankings across Measurement Model and Scaling Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Hawley, Leslie R.; Bovaird, James A.; Wu, ChaoRong

2017-01-01

Value-added assessment methods have been criticized by researchers and policy makers for a number of reasons. One issue includes the sensitivity of model results across different outcome measures. This study examined the utility of incorporating multivariate latent variable approaches within a traditional value-added framework. We evaluated the…

Measuring energy efficiency in economics: Shadow value approach

Science.gov (United States)

Khademvatani, Asgar

For decades, academic scholars and policy makers have commonly applied a simple average measure, energy intensity, for studying energy efficiency. In contrast, we introduce a distinctive marginal measure called energy shadow value (SV) for modeling energy efficiency drawn on economic theory. This thesis demonstrates energy SV advantages, conceptually and empirically, over the average measure recognizing marginal technical energy efficiency and unveiling allocative energy efficiency (energy SV to energy price). Using a dual profit function, the study illustrates how treating energy as quasi-fixed factor called quasi-fixed approach offers modeling advantages and is appropriate in developing an explicit model for energy efficiency. We address fallacies and misleading results using average measure and demonstrate energy SV advantage in inter- and intra-country energy efficiency comparison. Energy efficiency dynamics and determination of efficient allocation of energy use are shown through factors impacting energy SV: capital, technology, and environmental obligations. To validate the energy SV, we applied a dual restricted cost model using KLEM dataset for the 35 US sectors stretching from 1958 to 2000 and selected a sample of the four sectors. Following the empirical results, predicted wedges between energy price and the SV growth indicate a misallocation of energy use in stone, clay and glass (SCG) and communications (Com) sectors with more evidence in the SCG compared to the Com sector, showing overshoot in energy use relative to optimal paths and cost increases from sub-optimal energy use. The results show that energy productivity is a measure of technical efficiency and is void of information on the economic efficiency of energy use. Decomposing energy SV reveals that energy, capital and technology played key roles in energy SV increases helping to consider and analyze policy implications of energy efficiency improvement. Applying the marginal measure, we also

Deprival value: information utility analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Antonio Pereira

Full Text Available ABSTRACT This article contributes to the perception that the users’ learning process plays a key role in order to apply an accounting concept and this involves a presentation that fits its informative potential, free of previous accounting fixations. Deprival value is a useful measure for managerial and corporate purposes, it may be applied to the current Conceptual Framework of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB. This study analyzes its utility, taking into account cognitive aspects. Also known as value to the business, deprival value is a measurement system that followed a path where it was misunderstood, confused with another one, it faced resistance to be implemented and fell into disuse; everything that a standardized measurement method tries to avoid. In contrast, deprival value has found support in the academy and in specific applications, such as those related to the public service regulation. The accounting area has been impacted by sophistication of the measurement methods that increasingly require the ability to analyze accounting facts on an economic basis, at the risk of loss of their information content. This development becomes possible only when the potential of a measurement system is known and it is feasible to be achieved. This study consists in a theoretical essay based on literature review to discuss its origin, presentation, and application. Considering the concept’s cognitive difficulties, deprival value was analyzed, as well as its corresponding heteronym, value to the business, in order to explain some of these changes. The concept’s utility was also explored through cross-analysis with impairment and the scheme developed was applied to actual economic situations faced by a company listed on stock exchange.

Measuring the value of groundwater and other forms of natural capital

Science.gov (United States)

Fenichel, Eli P.; Abbott, Joshua K.; Bayham, Jude; Boone, Whitney; Haacker, Erin M. K.; Pfeiffer, Lisa

2016-01-01

Valuing natural capital is fundamental to measuring sustainability. The United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, and other agencies have called for inclusion of the value of natural capital in sustainability metrics, such as inclusive wealth. Much has been written about the importance of natural capital, but consistent, rigorous valuation approaches compatible with the pricing of traditional forms of capital have remained elusive. We present a guiding quantitative framework enabling natural capital valuation that is fully consistent with capital theory, accounts for biophysical and economic feedbacks, and can guide interdisciplinary efforts to measure sustainability. We illustrate this framework with an application to groundwater in the Kansas High Plains Aquifer, a rapidly depleting asset supporting significant food production. We develop a 10-y time series (1996−2005) of natural capital asset prices that accounts for technological, institutional, and physical changes. Kansas lost approximately $110 million per year (2005 US dollars) of capital value through groundwater withdrawal and changes in aquifer management during the decade spanning 1996–2005. This annual loss in wealth is approximately equal to the state’s 2005 budget surplus, and is substantially more than investments in schools over this period. Furthermore, real investment in agricultural capital also declined over this period. Although Kansas’ depletion of water wealth is substantial, it may be tractably managed through careful groundwater management and compensating investments in other natural and traditional assets. Measurement of natural capital value is required to inform management and ongoing investments in natural assets. PMID:26858431

Double-β decay Q value of 150Nd

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolhinen, V. S.; Eronen, T.; Gorelov, D.; Hakala, J.; Jokinen, A.; Kankainen, A.; Moore, I. D.; Rissanen, J.; Saastamoinen, A.; Suhonen, J.; Aeystoe, J.

2010-01-01

The double-β decay Q value of 150 Nd was determined by using the JYFLTRAP Penning trap mass spectrometer. The measured mass difference between 150 Nd and 150 Sm is 3371.38(20) keV. This new value deviates by 3.7 keV from the previously adopted value of 3367.7(22) keV and is a factor of 10 more precise. Accurate knowledge of this Q value is important because 150 Nd is a primary candidate to be used in the search for neutrinoless double-β decay modes in several experiments.

Calculating meal glycemic index by using measured and published food values compared with directly measured meal glycemic index.

Science.gov (United States)

Dodd, Hayley; Williams, Sheila; Brown, Rachel; Venn, Bernard

2011-10-01

Glycemic index (GI) testing is normally based on individual foods, whereas GIs for meals or diets are based on a formula using a weighted sum of the constituents. The accuracy with which the formula can predict a meal or diet GI is questionable. Our objective was to compare the GI of meals, obtained by using the formula and by using both measured food GI and published values, with directly measured meal GIs. The GIs of 7 foods were tested in 30 healthy people. The foods were combined into 3 meals, each of which provided 50 g available carbohydrate, including a staple (potato, rice, or spaghetti), vegetables, sauce, and pan-fried chicken. The mean (95% CI) meal GIs determined from individual food GI values and by direct measurement were as follows: potato meal [predicted, 63 (56, 70); measured, 53 (46, 62)], rice meal [predicted, 51 (45, 56); measured, 38 (33, 45)], and spaghetti meal [predicted, 54 (49, 60); measured, 38 (33, 44)]. The predicted meal GIs were all higher than the measured GIs (P < 0.001). The extent of the overestimation depended on the particular food, ie, 12, 15, and 19 GI units (or 22%, 40%, and 50%) for the potato, rice, and spaghetti meals, respectively. The formula overestimated the GI of the meals by between 22% and 50%. The use of published food values also overestimated the measured meal GIs. Investigators using the formula to calculate a meal or diet GI should be aware of limitations in the method. This trial is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry as ACTRN12611000210976.

Debate Regarding Measuring Accounting Value: Historical Cost against Fair Value

OpenAIRE

Victor Munteanu; Marilena Zuca

2015-01-01

The transition from historical cost to fair value represents an option with major implications in accounting, because it is a complex process that requires tuning to today’s trends of national and global economy. We can state that with all the advantages of using historical cost it has its limitations and it is” getting old”. That doesn’t mean that will be abandoned but substituted when it is needed with another value. At present, the lack of historical value is inconceivable; many practit...

Left ventricular asynergy score as an indicator of previous myocardial infarction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Backman, C.; Jacobsson, K.A.; Linderholm, H.; Osterman, G.

1986-01-01

Sixty-eight patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) i.e. a hisotry of angina of effort and/or previous 'possible infarction' were examined inter alia with ECG and cinecardioangiography. A system of scoring was designed which allowed a semiquantitative estimate of the left ventricular asynergy from cinecardioangiography - the left ventricular motion score (LVMS). The LVMS was associated with the presence of a previous myocardial infarction (MI), as indicated by the history and ECG findings. The ECG changes specific for a previous MI were associated with high LVMS values and unspecific or absent ECG changes with low LVMS values. Decision thresholds for ECG changes and asynergy in diagnosing a previous MI were evaluated by means of a ROC analysis. The accuracy of ECG in detecting a previous MI was slightly higher when asynergy indicated a 'true MI' than when autopsy result did so in a comparable group. Therefore the accuracy of asynergy (LVMS ≥ 1) in detecting a previous MI or myocardial fibrosis in patients with CHD should be at least comparable with that of autopsy (scar > 1 cm). (orig.)

[Prevalence of previously diagnosed diabetes mellitus in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Rojas-Martínez, Rosalba; Basto-Abreu, Ana; Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos A; Zárate-Rojas, Emiliano; Villalpando, Salvador; Barrientos-Gutiérrez, Tonatiuh

2018-01-01

To compare the prevalence of previously diagnosed diabetes in 2016 with previous national surveys and to describe treatment and its complications. Mexico's national surveys Ensa 2000, Ensanut 2006, 2012 and 2016 were used. For 2016, logistic regression models and measures of central tendency and dispersion were obtained. The prevalence of previously diagnosed diabetes in 2016 was 9.4%. The increase of 2.2% relative to 2012 was not significant and only observed in patients older than 60 years. While preventive measures have increased, the access to medical treatment and lifestyle has not changed. The treatment has been modified, with an increase in insulin and decrease in hypoglycaemic agents. Population aging, lack of screening actions and the increase in diabetes complications will lead to an increase on the burden of disease. Policy measures targeting primary and secondary prevention of diabetes are crucial.

New measurements of G using the measurement standards laboratory torsion balance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armstrong, T.R.; Fitzgerald, M.P.

2003-01-01

This Letter presents the results of a series of measurements of the Newtonian gravitational constant G using the compensated torsion balance developed at the Measurement Standards Laboratory. Since our last published result using the torsion balance in the compensated mode of operation [Meas. Sci. Technol. 10, 439 (1999)], several improvements have been made to reduce the uncertainty in the final result. The new measurements have used both stainless steel and copper large masses. The values of G for the two sets of masses are in good agreement. After combining all of the measurements we get a value of G=6.673 87(0.000 27)x10 -11 m 3 kg -1 s -2 . This new value is 5 parts in 10 5 smaller than our previous published values

Computing interval-valued reliability measures: application of optimal control methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kozin, Igor; Krymsky, Victor

2017-01-01

The paper describes an approach to deriving interval-valued reliability measures given partial statistical information on the occurrence of failures. We apply methods of optimal control theory, in particular, Pontryagin’s principle of maximum to solve the non-linear optimisation problem and derive...... the probabilistic interval-valued quantities of interest. It is proven that the optimisation problem can be translated into another problem statement that can be solved on the class of piecewise continuous probability density functions (pdfs). This class often consists of piecewise exponential pdfs which appear...... as soon as among the constraints there are bounds on a failure rate of a component under consideration. Finding the number of switching points of the piecewise continuous pdfs and their values becomes the focus of the approach described in the paper. Examples are provided....

Vector-valued measure and the necessary conditions for the optimal control problems of linear systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xunjing, L.

1981-12-01

The vector-valued measure defined by the well-posed linear boundary value problems is discussed. The maximum principle of the optimal control problem with non-convex constraint is proved by using the vector-valued measure. Especially, the necessary conditions of the optimal control of elliptic systems is derived without the convexity of the control domain and the cost function. (author)

Dollar$ & $en$e. Part IV: Measuring the value of people, structural, and customer capital.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkinson, I

2001-01-01

In Part I of this series, I introduced the concept of memes (1). Memes are ideas or concepts, the information world equivalent of genes. The goal of this series of articles is to infect you with my memes, so that you will assimilate, translate, and express them. We discovered that no matter what our area of expertise or "-ology," we all are in the information business. Our goal is to be in the wisdom business. We saw that when we convert raw data into wisdom we are moving along a value chain. Each step in the chain adds a different amount of value to the final product: timely, relevant, accurate, and precise knowledge which can then be applied to create the ultimate product in the value chain: wisdom. In Part II of this series, I infected you with a set of memes for measuring the cost of adding value (2). In Part III of this series, I infected you with a new set of memes for measuring the added value of knowledge, i.e., intellectual capital (3). In Part IV of this series, I will infect you with memes for measuring the value of people, structural, and customer capital.

Determination of temperature dependant viscosity values of lubricants via simultaneous measurements of refractive index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yaltkaya, S.

2005-01-01

Viscosity is one of the most important parameter in rheological and tribological properties of fluids. The objective of this study is to obtain the viscosity values from the simultaneous refractive-index measurements of lubricants, simply by dipping the fiber-optic probe into the oil to be measured. Due to the fact that these parameters are temperature dependent, within the interval under consideration, oil heated up steadily while measuring the viscosity and refractive index at the same time. The refractive index sensor, the digital viscometer and the thermometer were connected to a PC via an analog to digital converter and the values were acquired at the same time. The fiber optic refractive index sensor has been designed in our laboratory. By utilising Fresnel's fundamental reflection law, the intensity of reflected light from boundary surface (optic fiber core-motor oil) was measured at 660 nm wavelength and then refractive index of the oil was calculated. The derived refractive index values were converted viscosity values that acquired by using the calibration equation. The viscometer, used during the study, was the rotational Brookfield type

Measuring the added value of workplace change. Comparison between Theory and Practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Voordt, Theo; Riratanaphong, C.

2014-01-01

Purpose: Worldwide organisations have introduced more flexibility in place, time and ways of working. In order to be able to define the added value of workplace change, a clear performance measurement system is needed to measure organisational performance in connection to real estate before and

Measuring Corporate Sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance Value Added

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alena Kocmanová

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to propose a model for measuring sustainable value which would complexly assess environmental, social, and corporate governance contribution to value creation. In the paper the concept of the Sustainable Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Value Added is presented. The Sustainable Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Value Added is based on the Sustainable Value Added model and combines weighted environmental, social, and corporate governance indicators with their benchmarks determined by Data Envelopment Analysis. Benchmark values of indicators were set for each company separately and determine the optimal combination of environmental, social, and corporate governance inputs to economic outcomes. The Sustainable Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Value Added methodology is applied on real-life corporate data and presented through a case study. The value added of most of the selected companies was negative, even though economic indicators of all of them are positive. The Sustainable Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Value Added is intended to help owners, investors, and other stakeholders in their decision-making and sustainability assessment. The use of environmental, social, and corporate governance factors helps identify the company’s strengths and weaknesses, and provides a more sophisticated insight into it than the one-dimensional methods based on economic performance alone.

Issue-Relevant Values and Opinions About Gay Rights: Beyond Equality and Morality.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodebeck, Laurie

2018-01-01

Although many studies have examined the role of values in shaping public opinion, the number of values that inform this research is limited. This article employs the concept of issue-relevant values as a means to explore the broader range of values associated with policy issues. After discussing the concept in general terms, the article explores issue-relevant values pertinent to public opinion about gay rights. Using the policy examples of employment nondiscrimination and same-sex couple adoption, the present study identifies, measures, and assesses several values that add to the very short list previously used to explain public opinion about gay rights issues. Content from interest-group Web sites and news media coverage of the two issues aided in identifying the values. Data from an original Internet survey yield valid measures of the values. Multivariate analyses indicate that the values behave in predictable ways: they are strongly influenced by partisanship, and they strongly affect opinions about the two issues. The performance of the values is consistent with findings from previous research on the partisan basis of values and the value-based nature of opinions. The article concludes with suggestions for further empirical and theoretical work that could apply and extend the concept of issue-relevant values.

Measuring the value of nonwage employee benefits: building a model of the relation between benefit satisfaction and value.

Science.gov (United States)

Weathington, Bart L; Jones, Allan P

2006-11-01

Researchers have commonly assumed benefits that employees view as more valuable have a greater influence on their attitudes and behaviors. Researchers have used 2 common methods to measure benefit value: attaching a monetary value to benefits and using self-reports of benefit importance. The present authors propose that the 2 approaches are conceptually distinct and have different implications. They use a social exchange perspective to justify this distinction and integrate both approaches and benefit satisfaction into a more comprehensive model of benefit perception. Results suggest that both measures have practical applications depending on the nature of the exchange relationship between the organization and employees. However, this relationship depends on the specific benefit and on employee satisfaction with that benefit. Some benefits lend themselves to a monetary estimate, whereas others lend themselves more to a nonmonetary valuation.

Debate Regarding Measuring Accounting Value: Historical Cost against Fair Value

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor Munteanu

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The transition from historical cost to fair value represents an option with major implications in accounting, because it is a complex process that requires tuning to today’s trends of national and global economy. We can state that with all the advantages of using historical cost it has its limitations and it is” getting old”. That doesn’t mean that will be abandoned but substituted when it is needed with another value. At present, the lack of historical value is inconceivable; many practitioners consider it to be the best method to evaluate assets.

Accurate Q value measurements for fundamental physics studies at JYFLTRAP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eronen, T., E-mail: tommi.o.eronen@jyu.fi; Kolhinen, V. S. [University of Jyvaeskylae (Finland); Collaboration: JYFLTRAP collaboration

2011-07-15

We have measured several Q values at JYFLTRAP for superallowed {beta} decays that contribute to testing the Standard Model and candidate nuclei that one could use for the search of neutrinoless double-{beta} decay. These results play important roles in the research of fundamental physics that have scopes beyond Standard Model.

Air Space Proportion in Pterosaur Limb Bones Using Computed Tomography and Its Implications for Previous Estimates of Pneumaticity

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Elizabeth G.; Palmer, Colin

2014-01-01

Air Space Proportion (ASP) is a measure of how much air is present within a bone, which allows for a quantifiable comparison of pneumaticity between specimens and species. Measured from zero to one, higher ASP means more air and less bone. Conventionally, it is estimated from measurements of the internal and external bone diameter, or by analyzing cross-sections. To date, the only pterosaur ASP study has been carried out by visual inspection of sectioned bones within matrix. Here, computed tomography (CT) scans are used to calculate ASP in a small sample of pterosaur wing bones (mainly phalanges) and to assess how the values change throughout the bone. These results show higher ASPs than previous pterosaur pneumaticity studies, and more significantly, higher ASP values in the heads of wing bones than the shaft. This suggests that pneumaticity has been underestimated previously in pterosaurs, birds, and other archosaurs when shaft cross-sections are used to estimate ASP. Furthermore, ASP in pterosaurs is higher than those found in birds and most sauropod dinosaurs, giving them among the highest ASP values of animals studied so far, supporting the view that pterosaurs were some of the most pneumatized animals to have lived. The high degree of pneumaticity found in pterosaurs is proposed to be a response to the wing bone bending stiffness requirements of flight rather than a means to reduce mass, as is often suggested. Mass reduction may be a secondary result of pneumaticity that subsequently aids flight. PMID:24817312

Can semiquantitative measurements of SUVmax and cut-off values differentiate colorectal malignant from benign lessions?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nguyen, Tram; Hess, Søren; Petersen, Henrik

2017-01-01

, which also precludes a clinically significant cut-off value. The same applies to SUVpeak and SUVmean while TLG measures may be more indicative. CONCLUSION: Semi-quantitative measurements of SUVmax and cut-off values proved inadequate for differentiating colorectal malignancies from benign findings...

Relevance of free cash flow as a measure of generating value for owners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bešlić Ivana

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the new economy or knowledge economy the main goal of any company should be directed towards the achievement of the business in the interest of the owners, or generating the value for owners. In dynamic business environment, an effective performance measurement system is key determinant of successful implementation of corporate strategy, growth and survival of the company. Modern performance measures should provide an accurate assessment of the intrinsic value of the company, as well as the value for the owners (shareholders. The essence is maximizing the immanent or guaranteed value of the company. The immanent value is the value of a company based on internal evaluation (assessment discounted cash flows or expected cash flow in the future by the management team. Corporate managers in Serbia are facing the challenge of increasingly efficient capital markets and the competition in the future, which requires the implementation of a value oriented corporate governance, therefore this paper presents FCF (Free Cash Flow methodology of valuation. Free cash flow (FCF is the amount of cash available for owners of the company after the necessary investments in fixed assets and working capital to maintain the current scope of activities and support to planning.

A step-by-step plan to manage and measure adding value by FM/CREM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Voordt, Theo; Jensen, Per Anker; Hoendervanger, Jan Gerard; Bergsma, Feike; Nielsen, Susanne Balslev; Jensen, Per Anker

Purpose: To present a new Value Adding Management model in order to support decision makers in identifying appropriate interventions to add value to the organisation, to manage its implementation, and to measure the output and outcomes. Theory: The paper builds on value adding management theories

Can the reinforcing value of food be measured in bulimia nervosa?

Science.gov (United States)

Schebendach, Janet; Broft, Allegra; Foltin, Richard W; Walsh, B Timothy

2013-03-01

Binge eating is a core clinical feature of bulimia nervosa (BN). Enhanced reinforcing value of food may play a role in this behavioral disturbance, but a systematic behavioral assessment of objective measures of the rewarding value of binge eating is lacking. The purpose of this study was to quantify the reinforcing value of food in BN patients as compared with normal controls. A progressive ratio (PR) computerized work task was completed under binge and non-binge instruction. The task consisted of 12 trials. The first trial required 50 keyboard taps to earn one portion of yogurt shake, and subsequent trials required progressive work increments of 200 taps for each additional portion. Completion of all 12 trials required 13,800 taps to earn 2100ml of shake. The breakpoint, defined as the largest ratio completed before a participant stopped working, was the measure of reinforcing efficacy. Ten patients and 10 controls completed the experiment. Under binge instruction, patients completed more trials and taps, and had a higher breakpoint than controls. The non-binge instruction yielded opposite findings; compared to controls, patients completed fewer trials and taps, and had a lower breakpoint. These results support the feasibility and potential utility of a PR task to quantify the reinforcing value of food in patients with BN. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The added value of measuring thumb and finger strength when comparing strength measurements in hypoplastic thumb patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Molenaar, H M Ties; Selles, Ruud W; de Kraker, Marjolein; Stam, Henk J; Hovius, Steven E R

2013-10-01

When interventions to the hand are aimed at improving function of specific fingers or the thumb, the RIHM (Rotterdam Intrinsic Hand Myometer) is a validated tool and offers more detailed information to assess strength of the involved joints besides grip and pinch measurements. In this study, strength was measured in 65 thumbs in 40 patients diagnosed with thumb hypoplasia. These 65 thumbs were classified according to Blauth. Longitudinal radial deficiencies were also classified. The strength measurements comprised of grip, tip, tripod and key pinch. Furthermore palmar abduction and opposition of the thumb as well as abduction of the index and little finger were measured with the RIHM. For all longitudinal radial deficiency patients, grip and pinch strength as well as palmar abduction and thumb opposition were significantly lower than reference values (P<0.001). However, strength in the index finger abduction and the little finger abduction was maintained or decreased to a lesser extent according to the degree of longitudinal radial deficiency. All strength values decreased with increasing Blauth-type. Blauth-type II hands (n=15) with flexor digitorum superficialis 4 opposition transfer including stabilization of the metacarpophalangeal joint showed a trend toward a higher opposition strength without reaching statistical significance (P=0.094),however compared to non-operated Blauth-type II hands (n=6) they showed a lower grip strength (P=0.019). The RIHM is comparable in accuracy to other strength dynamometers. Using the RIHM, we were able to illustrate strength patterns on finger-specific level, showing added value when evaluating outcome in patients with hand related problems. © 2013.

Method and apparatus for measuring thermal neutron characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnstone, C.W.

1983-01-01

The thermal neutron decay characteristics of an earth formation are measured by detecting indications of the thermal neutron concentration in the formation during a selected set of two measurement intervals following irradiation of the formation with a burst of fast neutrons. These measurement intervals may comprise a sequence of time gates following a delay after the neutron burst. The duration of the neutron bursts, of the delay between the burst and the start of the sequence, and of the individual time gates, may all be adjusted by a common, selected one of a finite number of scale factor values. The set of two measurement intervals is selected from among a number of possible sets as a function of a previously measured value of the decay characteristic. Each measurement interval set is used over only a specific range of decay characteristic values for which it has been determined, in accordance with a previously established relationship between the decay characteristic value and a function of the thermal neutron concentration measurements for the set, to afford enhanced statistical accuracy in the measured value of the decay characteristic. (author)

Development and validation of a measure of food choice values.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyerly, Jordan E; Reeve, Charlie L

2015-06-01

Food choice values (FCVs) are factors that individuals consider when deciding which foods to purchase and/or consume. Given the potentially important implications for health, it is critical for researchers to have access to a validated measure of FCV. Though there is an existing measure of FCV, this measure was developed 20 years ago and recent research suggests additional FCVs exist that are not included in this measure. A series of four studies was conducted to develop a new expanded measure of FCV. An eight-factor model of FCV was supported and confirmed. In aggregate, results from the four studies indicate that the measure is content valid, and has internally consistent scales that also demonstrated acceptable temporal stability and convergent validity. In addition, the eight scales of the measures were independent of social desirability, met criteria for measurement invariance across income groups, and predicted dietary intake. The development of this new measure of FCV may be useful for researchers examining FCVs (FCVs) in the future, as well as for use in intervention and prevention efforts targeting dietary choices. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method and apparatus for real-time measurement of fuel gas compositions and heating values

Science.gov (United States)

Zelepouga, Serguei; Pratapas, John M.; Saveliev, Alexei V.; Jangale, Vilas V.

2016-03-22

An exemplary embodiment can be an apparatus for real-time, in situ measurement of gas compositions and heating values. The apparatus includes a near infrared sensor for measuring concentrations of hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide, a mid infrared sensor for measuring concentrations of carbon monoxide and a semiconductor based sensor for measuring concentrations of hydrogen gas. A data processor having a computer program for reducing the effects of cross-sensitivities of the sensors to components other than target components of the sensors is also included. Also provided are corresponding or associated methods for real-time, in situ determination of a composition and heating value of a fuel gas.

Neural nets for the plausibility check of measured values in the integrated measurement and information system for the surveillance of environmental radioactivity (IMIS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haase, G.

2003-01-01

Neural nets to the plausibility check of measured values in the ''integrated measurement and information system for the surveillance of environmental radioactivity, IMIS'' is a research project supported by the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. A goal of this project was the automatic recognition of implausible measured values in the data base ORACLE, which measured values from surveillance of environmental radioactivity of most diverse environmental media contained. The conversion of this project [ 1 ] was realized by institut of logic, complexity and deduction systems of the university Karlsruhe under the direction of Professor Dr. Menzel, Dr. Martin Riedmueller and Martin Lauer. (orig.)

Effects of caffeine on fractional flow reserve values measured using intravenous adenosine triphosphate.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakayama, Masafumi; Chikamori, Taishiro; Uchiyama, Takashi; Kimura, Yo; Hijikata, Nobuhiro; Ito, Ryosuke; Yuhara, Mikio; Sato, Hideaki; Kobori, Yuichi; Yamashina, Akira

2018-04-01

We investigated the effects of caffeine intake on fractional flow reserve (FFR) values measured using intravenous adenosine triphosphate (ATP) before cardiac catheterization. Caffeine is a competitive antagonist for adenosine receptors; however, it is unclear whether this antagonism affects FFR values. Patients were evenly randomized into 2 groups preceding the FFR study. In the caffeine group (n = 15), participants were given coffee containing 222 mg of caffeine 2 h before the catheterization. In the non-caffeine group (n = 15), participants were instructed not to take any caffeine-containing drinks or foods for at least 12 h before the catheterization. FFR was performed in patients with more than intermediate coronary stenosis using the intravenous infusion of ATP at 140 μg/kg/min (normal dose) and 170 μg/kg/min (high dose), and the intracoronary infusion of papaverine. FFR was followed for 30 s after maximal hyperemia. In the non-caffeine group, the FFR values measured with ATP infusion were not significantly different from those measured with papaverine infusion. However, in the caffeine group, the FFR values were significantly higher after ATP infusion than after papaverine infusion (P = 0.002 and P = 0.007, at normal and high dose ATP vs. papaverine, respectively). FFR values with ATP infusion were significantly increased 30 s after maximal hyperemia (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001 for normal and high dose ATP, respectively). The stability of the FFR values using papaverine showed no significant difference between the 2 groups. Caffeine intake before the FFR study affected FFR values and their stability. These effects could not be reversed by an increased ATP dose.

Establishing traceability of photometric absorbance values for accurate measurements of the haemoglobin concentration in blood

Science.gov (United States)

Witt, K.; Wolf, H. U.; Heuck, C.; Kammel, M.; Kummrow, A.; Neukammer, J.

2013-10-01

Haemoglobin concentration in blood is one of the most frequently measured analytes in laboratory medicine. Reference and routine methods for the determination of the haemoglobin concentration in blood are based on the conversion of haeme, haemoglobin and haemiglobin species into uniform end products. The total haemoglobin concentration in blood is measured using the absorbance of the reaction products. Traceable absorbance measurement values on the highest metrological level are a prerequisite for the calibration and evaluation of procedures with respect to their suitability for routine measurements and their potential as reference measurement procedures. For this purpose, we describe a procedure to establish traceability of spectral absorbance measurements for the haemiglobincyanide (HiCN) method and for the alkaline haematin detergent (AHD) method. The latter is characterized by a higher stability of the reaction product. In addition, the toxic hazard of cyanide, which binds to the iron ion of the haem group and thus inhibits the oxygen transport, is avoided. Traceability is established at different wavelengths by applying total least-squares analysis to derive the conventional quantity values for the absorbance from the measured values. Extrapolation and interpolation are applied to get access to the spectral regions required to characterize the Q-absorption bands of the HiCN and AHD methods, respectively. For absorbance values between 0.3 and 1.8, the contributions of absorbance measurements to the total expanded uncertainties (95% level of confidence) of absorbance measurements range from 1% to 0.4%.

Distributions of p-values smaller than .05 in psychology: what is going on?

Science.gov (United States)

van Aert, Robbie C.M.; Nuijten, Michèle B.; Wicherts, Jelte M.; van Assen, Marcel A.L.M.

2016-01-01

Previous studies provided mixed findings on pecularities in p-value distributions in psychology. This paper examined 258,050 test results across 30,710 articles from eight high impact journals to investigate the existence of a peculiar prevalence of p-values just below .05 (i.e., a bump) in the psychological literature, and a potential increase thereof over time. We indeed found evidence for a bump just below .05 in the distribution of exactly reported p-values in the journals Developmental Psychology, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, but the bump did not increase over the years and disappeared when using recalculated p-values. We found clear and direct evidence for the QRP “incorrect rounding of p-value” (John, Loewenstein & Prelec, 2012) in all psychology journals. Finally, we also investigated monotonic excess of p-values, an effect of certain QRPs that has been neglected in previous research, and developed two measures to detect this by modeling the distributions of statistically significant p-values. Using simulations and applying the two measures to the retrieved test results, we argue that, although one of the measures suggests the use of QRPs in psychology, it is difficult to draw general conclusions concerning QRPs based on modeling of p-value distributions. PMID:27077017

Challenging previous conceptions of vegetarianism and eating disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisak, B; Peterson, R D; Tantleff-Dunn, S; Molnar, J M

2006-12-01

The purpose of this study was to replicate and expand upon previous research that has examined the potential association between vegetarianism and disordered eating. Limitations of previous research studies are addressed, including possible low reliability of measures of eating pathology within vegetarian samples, use of only a few dietary restraint measures, and a paucity of research examining potential differences in body image and food choice motives of vegetarians versus nonvegetarians. Two hundred and fifty-six college students completed a number of measures of eating pathology and body image, and a food choice motives questionnaire. Interestingly, no significant differences were found between vegetarians and nonvegetarians in measures of eating pathology or body image. However, significant differences in food choice motives were found. Implications for both researchers and clinicians are discussed.

Protocol for fermionic positive-operator-valued measures

Science.gov (United States)

Arvidsson-Shukur, D. R. M.; Lepage, H. V.; Owen, E. T.; Ferrus, T.; Barnes, C. H. W.

2017-11-01

In this paper we present a protocol for the implementation of a positive-operator-valued measure (POVM) on massive fermionic qubits. We present methods for implementing nondispersive qubit transport, spin rotations, and spin polarizing beam-splitter operations. Our scheme attains linear opticslike control of the spatial extent of the qubits by considering ground-state electrons trapped in the minima of surface acoustic waves in semiconductor heterostructures. Furthermore, we numerically simulate a high-fidelity POVM that carries out Procrustean entanglement distillation in the framework of our scheme, using experimentally realistic potentials. Our protocol can be applied not only to pure ensembles with particle pairs of known identical entanglement, but also to realistic ensembles of particle pairs with a distribution of entanglement entropies. This paper provides an experimentally realizable design for future quantum technologies.

Guideline values for skin decontamination measures based on nuclidspecific dose equivalent rate factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfob, H.; Heinemann, G.

1992-01-01

Corresponding dose equivalent rate factors for various radionuclides are now available for determining the skin dose caused by skin contamination. These dose equivalent rate factors take into account all contributions from the types of radiation emitted. Any limits for skin decontamination measures are nowhere contained or determined yet. However, radiological protection does in practice require at least guideline values in order to prevent unsuitable or detrimental measures that can be noticed quite often. New calculations of dose equivalent rate factors for the skin now make the recommendation of guideline values possible. (author)

Positive Operator Valued Measures: A General Setting for Frames

OpenAIRE

Moran, Bill; Howard, Stephen; Cochran, Doug

2011-01-01

This paper presents an overview of close parallels that exist between the theory of positive operator-valued measures (POVMs) associated with a separable Hilbert space and the theory of frames on that space, including its most important generalizations. The concept of a framed POVM is introduced, and classical frames, fusion frames, generalized frames, and other variants of frames are all shown to to arise as framed POVMs. This observation allows drawing on a rich existing theory of POVMs to ...

Measurement of the infrared optical constants for spectral modeling: n and k values for (NH4)2SO4 via single-angle reflectance and ellipsometric methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blake, Thomas A.; Brauer, Carolyn S.; Kelly-Gorham, Molly Rose K.; Burton, Sarah D.; Bliss, Mary; Myers, Tanya L.; Johnson, Timothy J.; Tiwald, Thomas E.

2017-05-05

The optical constants n and k can be used to model infrared spectra, including refraction, absorption, reflectance, and emissivity, but obtaining reliable values for solid materials (pure or otherwise) presents a challenge: In the past, the best results for n and k have been obtained from bulk, homogeneous materials, free of defects. That is, materials where the Fresnel equations are operant since there is no light scattering. Since it is often not possible to obtain a pure macroscopic (crystalline) material, it may be possible to press the material into a (uniform, void-free) disk. We have recently been able to do this with ammonium sulfate powder and then measured the n & k values via two independent methods: 1) Ellipsometry - which measures the changes in amplitude and phase of light reflected from the material of interest as a function of wavelength and angle of incidence, and 2) Single angle specular reflectance with an FT spectrometer using a specular reflectance device within an FT instrument which measures the change in amplitude of light reflected from the material of interest as a function of wavelength and angle of incidence over a wide wavelength range. The quality of the derived n & k values was tested by generating the reflectance spectra of the pellet and comparing to the calculated to measured reflectance spectra of the pure material which has been previously published. The comparison to literature values showed good accuracy and good agreement, indicating promise to measure other materials by such methods.

Prognostic Value of Serial ST2 Measurements in Patients With Acute Heart Failure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Vark, Laura C.; Lesman-Leegte, Ivonne; Baart, Sara J.; Postmus, Douwe; Pinto, Yigal M.; Orsel, Joke G.; Westenbrink, B. Daan; Brunner-la Rocca, Hans P.; van Miltenburg, Addy J. M.; Boersma, Eric; Hillege, Hans L.; Akkerhuis, K. Martijn

2017-01-01

Several clinical studies have evaluated the association between ST2 and outcome in patients with heart failure (HF). However, little is known about the predictive value of frequently measured ST2 levels in patients with acute HF. This study sought to describe the prognostic value of baseline and

Repeatability and Comparison of Keratometry Values Measured with Potec PRK-6000 Autorefractometer, IOLMaster, and Pentacam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adem Türk

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To research the repeatability and intercompatibility of keratometry values measured with Potec PRK-6000 autorefractometer, IOL Master, and Pentacam. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, consecutive measurements were performed in two different sessions with the mentioned three devices on 110 eyes of 55 subjects who had no additional ocular pathology except for refraction error. The consistency of flat and steep keratometry, average keratometry, and corneal astigmatism values obtained in both sessions was compared by using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC. The measurement differences between the devices were statistically compared as well. Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 23.05±3.01 (18-30 years. ICC values of average keratometry measurements obtained in the sessions were 0.996 for Potec PRK-6000 autorefractometer, 0.997 for IOL Master, and 0.999 for Pentacam. There was high compatibility between the three devices in terms of average keratometry values in Bland-Altman analysis. However, there were statistically significant differences between the devices in terms of parameters other than corneal astigmatism. Conclusion: The repeatability of the three devices was found considerably high in keratometry measurements. However, it is not appropriate for these devices to be substituted for each other in keratometry measurements. (Turk J Ophthalmol 2014; 44: 179-83

Anticedents to entrepreneurial intentions: Testing for measurement invariance for cultural values, attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs across ethnic groups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Urban

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Building on previous research on antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions, various measures were tested across different ethnic groups in South Africa. Factorial homogeneity is an important attribute for any scale intended for use in multicultural research, and since tests of equivalency are not routinely applied, this article hypothesised measurement invariance across ethnic groups. Theoretical discussions on Hofstede’s (2001 value survey module (VSM 94, attitudes towards and beliefs about entrepreneurial intentions, general self-efficacy (GSE, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE preceded the use of statistical analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis based on 210 respondents indicated that equivalence for the underlying factors across the different ethnic groups could not be established, and that the three groups demonstrated different underlying structures. In conclusion, stereotypic declarations of an integrated South African culture were not supported by this research in terms of entrepreneurial intentions and their antecedents.

Deprival value: information utility analysis

OpenAIRE

Pereira, Marco Antonio; Pinto, Alexandre Evaristo; Barbosa Neto, João Estevão; Martins, Eliseu

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the perception that the users’ learning process plays a key role in order to apply an accounting concept and this involves a presentation that fits its informative potential, free of previous accounting fixations. Deprival value is a useful measure for managerial and corporate purposes, it may be applied to the current Conceptual Framework of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). This study analyzes its utility, taking into account cognitive...

Measurement of the delta34S value in methionine by double spike multi-collector thermal ionization mass spectrometry using Carius tube digestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, Jacqueline L; Kelly, W Robert

2010-09-15

Methionine is an essential amino acid and is the primary source of sulfur for humans. Using the double spike ((33)S-(36)S) multi-collector thermal ionization mass spectrometry (MC-TIMS) technique, three sample bottles of a methionine material obtained from the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements have been measured for delta(34)S and sulfur concentration. The mean delta(34)S value, relative to Vienna Canyon Diablo Troilite (VCDT), determined was 10.34 +/- 0.11 per thousand (n = 9) with the uncertainty reported as expanded uncertainties (U). These delta(34)S measurements include a correction for blank which has been previously ignored in studies of sulfur isotopic composition. The sulfur concentrations for the three bottles range from 56 to 88 microg/g. The isotope composition and concentration results demonstrate the high accuracy and precision of the DS-MC-TIMS technique for measuring sulfur in methionine.

Value preserving quantum measurements: impossibility theorems and lower bounds for the distortion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghirardi, G.C.; Trieste Univ.; Rimini, A.; Weber, T.

1982-11-01

Extending previous works on the subject, we consider the problem of the limitations to ideal quantum measurements arising from the presence of additive conservation laws. We derive impossibility theorems and lower bounds for the deviations from the ideal schemes, with particular reference to the distorting case. (author)

Why do we buy luxury experiences?: Measuring value perceptions of luxury hospitality services

OpenAIRE

Mattila, Anna S.; Yang, Wan

2015-01-01

Abstract The luxury segment of the hospitality industry has experienced substantial growth in the past decade. Unfortunately, the notion of perceived luxury values has received scant attention, and there is a lack of a valid framework to capture consumers' value perceptions in the context of luxury hospitality services. Using luxury restaurant as an example of luxury hospitality services, this paper aims to establish the structure of luxury hospitality values and their measures and to inve...

Hepatic stiffness measurement by using MR elastography: prognostic values after hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Dong Ho [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jeong Min; Han, Joon Koo [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University Hospital, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Yi, Nam-Joon; Lee, Kwang-Woong; Suh, Kyung-Suk [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Surgery, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jeong-Hoon [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Kyung Bun [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Pathology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-04-15

To evaluate prognostic value of hepatic stiffness (HS) measurement using MR elastography (MRE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated by hepatic resection (HR). We enrolled 144 patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage A HCCs initially treated by HR who underwent preoperative liver MRE between January 2010 and June 2013. HS values were measured using MRE. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine significant predictive factors for posthepatecomy liver failure (PHLF). Overall survival (OS) was analyzed by evaluating prognostic factors using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard regression model. After HR, 43 patients (29.9 %) experienced PHLF. HS values were significant predictive factors for PHLF. In ROC analysis, the area under the curve of HS was 0.740 (P = 0.001) for PHLF. Thirty-one patients had HS values ≥ 4.02 kPa; the estimated 1, 3, 5-year survival were 90.0 %, 74.7 % and 65.4 %, respectively, versus 98.1 %, 96.5 % and 96.5 % in 113 patients with HS values < 4.02 kPa (P = 0.015). An HS value ≥ 4.02 kPa was the only significant affecting factor for OS. HS values measured by MRE could predict PHLF development post-HR. Furthermore, an HS value ≥4.02 kPa was a significant predicting factor for poor OS post-HR. (orig.)

The vexing problem of defining the meaning, role and measurement of values in treatment decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Charles, Cathy; Gafni, Amiram

2014-03-01

Two international movements, evidence-based medicine (EBM) and shared decision-making (SDM) have grappled for some time with issues related to defining the meaning, role and measurement of values/preferences in their respective models of treatment decision-making. In this article, we identify and describe unresolved problems in the way that each movement addresses these issues. The starting point for this discussion is that at least two essential ingredients are needed for treatment decision-making: research information about treatment options and their potential benefits and risks; and the values/preferences of participants in the decision-making process. Both the EBM and SDM movements have encountered difficulties in defining the meaning, role and measurement of values/preferences in treatment decision-making. In the EBM model of practice, there is no clear and consistent definition of patient values/preferences and no guidance is provided on how to integrate these into an EBM model of practice. Methods advocated to measure patient values are also problematic. Within the SDM movement, patient values/preferences tend to be defined and measured in a restrictive and reductionist way as patient preferences for treatment options or attributes of options, while broader underlying value structures are ignored. In both models of practice, the meaning and expected role of physician values in decision-making are unclear. Values clarification exercises embedded in patient decision aids are suggested by SDM advocates to identify and communicate patient values/preferences for different treatment outcomes. Such exercises have the potential to impose a particular decision-making theory and/or process onto patients, which can change the way they think about and process information, potentially impeding them from making decisions that are consistent with their true values. The tasks of clarifying the meaning, role and measurement of values/preferences in treatment decision

We do not know what we do not know: innovative approaches to value measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Laviana, Aaron A; Resnick, Matthew J

2018-07-01

Over the past several years, there has been an increasing focus on improving the 'value' of healthcare delivered, defined as the ratio of clinical outcomes to the costs incurred to achieve them. The former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell announced in 2015 that the majority of healthcare payments in the Medicare and Medicaid programmes will align with value by 2018. Although this has yet to fully mature, numerous health systems have restructured with a goal of improving the value of care delivered to their populations. Nevertheless, there remain important unanswered questions regarding how we measure value in the current U.S. healthcare system. The purpose of this review is to highlight innovations that are not only making it easier to measure value but also to improve care from the patient, provider and healthcare system perspectives. Behavioural start-ups and the introduction of relatively inexpensive health coaches are starting to permeate the healthcare landscape. These coaches are the consumers' advocate, acting as the quarterback of an extended care team in order to optimize health. Furthermore, time-driven activity-based costing has allowed us to understand costs on a more granular level, and novel tracking software may further automate these costing algorithms in order to better facilitate their dissemination. We must all work to enable new models of care that improve value by incentivizing individuals, payers and providers to improve health, rather than treat the disease after it manifests. We must also continue to improve the efficiency of healthcare delivery largely through improvements in value measurement.

Logarithmic Similarity Measure between Interval-Valued Fuzzy Sets and Its Fault Diagnosis Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhikang Lu

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Fault diagnosis is an important task for the normal operation and maintenance of equipment. In many real situations, the diagnosis data cannot provide deterministic values and are usually imprecise or uncertain. Thus, interval-valued fuzzy sets (IVFSs are very suitable for expressing imprecise or uncertain fault information in real problems. However, existing literature scarcely deals with fault diagnosis problems, such as gasoline engines and steam turbines with IVFSs. However, the similarity measure is one of the important tools in fault diagnoses. Therefore, this paper proposes a new similarity measure of IVFSs based on logarithmic function and its fault diagnosis method for the first time. By the logarithmic similarity measure between the fault knowledge and some diagnosis-testing samples with interval-valued fuzzy information and its relation indices, we can determine the fault type and ranking order of faults corresponding to the relation indices. Then, the misfire fault diagnosis of the gasoline engine and the vibrational fault diagnosis of a turbine are presented to demonstrate the simplicity and effectiveness of the proposed diagnosis method. The fault diagnosis results of gasoline engine and steam turbine show that the proposed diagnosis method not only gives the main fault types of the gasoline engine and steam turbine but also provides useful information for multi-fault analyses and predicting future fault trends. Hence, the logarithmic similarity measure and its fault diagnosis method are main contributions in this study and they provide a useful new way for the fault diagnosis with interval-valued fuzzy information.

Determinants of the use of value-based performance measures for managerial performance evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dekker, H.C.; Groot, T.L.C.M.; Schoute, M.; Wiersma, E.

2012-01-01

As value-based (VB) performance measures include firms' cost of capital, they are considered more congruent than earnings measures. Prior studies, however, find that their use for managerial performance evaluation is less extensive than their presumed benefits would suggest. We examine how the

Weak value distributions for spin 1/2

Science.gov (United States)

Berry, M. V.; Dennis, M. R.; McRoberts, B.; Shukla, P.

2011-05-01

The simplest weak measurement is of a component of spin 1/2. For this observable, the probability distributions of the real and imaginary parts of the weak value, and their joint probability distribution, are calculated exactly for pre- and postselected states uniformly distributed over the surface of the Poincaré-Bloch sphere. The superweak probability, that the real part of the weak value lies outside the spectral range, is 1/3. This case, with just two eigenvalues, complements our previous calculation (Berry and Shukla 2010 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 43 354024) of the universal form of the weak value probability distribution for an operator with many eigenvalues.

Weak value distributions for spin 1/2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, M V; Dennis, M R; McRoberts, B; Shukla, P

2011-01-01

The simplest weak measurement is of a component of spin 1/2. For this observable, the probability distributions of the real and imaginary parts of the weak value, and their joint probability distribution, are calculated exactly for pre- and postselected states uniformly distributed over the surface of the Poincare-Bloch sphere. The superweak probability, that the real part of the weak value lies outside the spectral range, is 1/3. This case, with just two eigenvalues, complements our previous calculation (Berry and Shukla 2010 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 43 354024) of the universal form of the weak value probability distribution for an operator with many eigenvalues.

Value-Personality Link Measured With Novel Instruments Developed With an Emic Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suna Tevrüz

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The first aim of this study is to investigate whether instruments developed with an emic approach in Turkey produce the same trait-value links obtained with studies using near universal instruments, and if emic traits and value concepts are composed under agency and communal conceptions. So, the first aim of this study is to inspect the conceptual similarities in the links between traits and values. The second aim is to examine the moderating effect of disposable income on the strength of the trait-value relationship. Undergraduate and graduate students (N = 595 from six universities in Istanbul responded to the Personality Profile Scale (PPS and the Life Goal Values (LGV questionnaire. Second order factor analysis indicated that indigenous value and trait items were representative of communal and agency conceptions. Furthermore, most of the value-trait links revealed with regression analysis, and the sinusoid relationships revealed with Pearson correlation coefficients were consistent with the findings measured with near universal instruments. Additionally found relationships between traits and especially conservation values can be interpreted as the instrumentality of agentic traits for personal as well for social focused values. Disposable income had a moderating effect on five trait-value relationships and three out of five were weaker in the low-income group.

The Role of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Value-Based Payment Reform.

Science.gov (United States)

Squitieri, Lee; Bozic, Kevin J; Pusic, Andrea L

2017-06-01

The U.S. health care system is currently experiencing profound change. Pressure to improve the quality of patient care and control costs have caused a rapid shift from traditional volume-driven fee-for-service reimbursement to value-based payment models. Under the 2015 Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, providers will be evaluated on the basis of quality and cost efficiency and ultimately receive adjusted reimbursement as per their performance. Although current performance metrics do not incorporate patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), many wonder whether and how PROMs will eventually fit into value-based payment reform. On November 17, 2016, the second annual Patient-Reported Outcomes in Healthcare Conference brought together international stakeholders across all health care disciplines to discuss the potential role of PROs in value-based health care reform. The purpose of this article was to summarize the findings from this conference in the context of recent literature and guidelines to inform implementation of PROs in value-based payment models. Recommendations for evaluating key perspectives and measurement goals are made to facilitate appropriate use of PROMs to best benefit and amplify the voice of our patients. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Three measures of longevity: time trends and record values

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Canudas-Romo, V

2010-01-01

at birth increased from a level of 44 years in Sweden in 1840 to 82 years in Japan in 2005. The record median age at death shows increasing patterns similar to those observed in life expectancy at birth. However, the record modal age at death changes very little until the second half of the twentieth......This article examines the trend over time in the measures of “typical” longevity experienced by members of a population: life expectancy at birth, and the median and modal ages at death. The article also analyzes trends in record values observed for all three measures. The record life expectancy...... time from a dominance of child mortality reductions to a dominance of adult mortality reductions, which became evident by studying trends in the record modal age at death....

A review of the customer lifetime value as a customer profitability measure in the context of customer relationship management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raphael Damm

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose: A number of customer metrics allow estimating customer profitability with methods such as the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV. However, investments in customer relationships carry the potential risk to destroy value and reduce profitability when based on incorrect estimates of customer profitability. Therefore, estimating future customer value correctly is essential to allocate marketing expenditures in the most effective way. In this article recent literature about the CLV is reviewed in order to assess its ability as a customer profitability measure. Besides the financial perspective of the CLV, non-financial perspectives such as customer advocacy, (customer or open innovation and learning have been identified to have an impact on customer profitability. How to properly estimate a customer’s value taking all relevant value creating factors, financial as well as non-financial, into account is the underlying research question.Design/methodology/approach: This research is based on the review of a number of theoretical and empirical articles published between 1990 and 2010. The aggregation of measures, key-drivers and risks of each key-perspective of the customer relationship contributes to the development of a more systematic understanding of the value creation process and provides answers to the research question. Indirect effects of the CLV as a source of value have received increasing attention in previous research but are not sufficiently accounted for by mainstream methods for valuing customers (Ryals, 2008. Therefore, the attempt to structure available knowledge on indirect effects of the CLV in its contextual setting is made.Findings: This research is concluded providing evidence that one-dimensional calculations of the CLV deliver an incomplete picture of the customer relationship and estimate customer profitability incorrectly. This supports the idea of a multidimensional CLV approach that accounts for interrelated key

Blood glucose measurement in patients with suspected diabetic ketoacidosis: a comparison of Abbott MediSense PCx point-of-care meter values to reference laboratory values.

Science.gov (United States)

Blank, Fidela S J; Miller, Moses; Nichols, James; Smithline, Howard; Crabb, Gillian; Pekow, Penelope

2009-04-01

The purpose of this study is to compare blood glucose levels measured by a point of care (POC) device to laboratory measurement using the same sample venous blood from patients with suspected diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). A descriptive correlational design was used for this IRB-approved quality assurance project. The study site was the 50-bed BMC emergency department (ED) which has an annual census of over 100,000 patient visits. The convenience sample consisted of 54 blood samples from suspected DKA patients with orders for hourly blood draws for glucose measurement. Spearman correlations of the glucose POC values, reference lab values, and differences between the two, were evaluated. A chi-square test was used to evaluate the association between the acidosis status and FDA acceptability of POC values. Patient age range was 10-86 years; 63% were females; 46% had a final diagnosis of DKA. POC values underestimated glucose levels 93% of the time. There was a high correlation between the lab value and the magnitude of the difference, (lab minus POC value) indicating that the higher the true glucose value, the greater the difference between the lab and the POC value. A chi-square test showed no overall association between acidosis and FDA-acceptability. The POC values underestimated lab reported glucose levels in 50 of 54 cases even with the use of same venous sample sent to the lab, which make it highly unreliable for use in monitoring suspected DKA patients.

Standardized uptake value of FDG corrected by lean body mass measured by DEXA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guirao, M.A.; Sanchez, A.M.; Saravi, F.D.; Mosconi, S.; Frias, L.

2002-01-01

Evaluating the metabolic activity of tumor lesion sometimes becomes important to evaluate grading of malignancy, prognosis, or response to therapy. The most used measure of the metabolic activity of [18F]-Fluorodeoxiglucose (FDG) in clinical PET is the Standardized Uptake Value (SUV). It relates the activity measured by the PET scan to the injected dose of FDG divided by the body mass. This approach overestimates SUV in 'heavy' patients, as the proportion of the 'low avid of FDG' fat mass increases. For this reason, different approaches are being evaluated to obtain a more accurate SUV measure. Aims: to compare the measured lean body mass by Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry with the previous methods of correction, to assess the more independent to the body constitution. Material and Methods: FDG metabolism was studied to 15 patients of both sexes, age between 28 and 72 y.o., body weight 55 to 92 Kg. One hour after the IV injection of 0.0045mCi/Kg of FDG, a whole body emission and transmission scan was performed to each subject in a positron emission tomograph (QUEST 250, GE-UGM, USA) for over 1 hour. Body lean mass composition was measured the same or next day by DEXA (Lunar DPX-L, USA.) ROIs were drawn on brain, liver and muscle. SUVbw =[(corrected mCi/g of tissue) / (mCi injected / body weight in grams)] was calculated for each tissue, and then recalculated replacing body weight with the measured lean body mass (SUVlm), calculated lean mass (SUVlc), body mass index (SUVmi) and body surface area (SUVsa). Corrected SUVs were normalized to each SUVbw average for a comparable visualization of results. Results: obtained data was analyzed by linear regression and curve estimation for each case in all tissues with the SPSS statistical software. A positive correlation between SUVbw and subject weight was confirmed for the 3 tissues. In Muscle and liver there was no significant correlation. The liver scanning time was variable ( 90 to 123 minutes after injection). Relating liver

Patient value: its nature, measurement, and role in real world evidence studies and outcomes-based reimbursement.

Science.gov (United States)

McKenna, Stephen P; Wilburn, Jeanette

2018-05-01

The assessment of "patient value" is fundamental to clinical trials, real world evidence studies, and outcomes-based reimbursement schemes. Measures of health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) are widely used in health research. Such measures are effective in determining the presence or absence of symptoms and functional ability. However, HRQoL measures were not intended, nor designed, to determine the value to patients of alternative health states. Functions have no intrinsic value-they are a means to fulfil human needs. However, needs can be met in a variety of ways, for example by adopting different functions or by the provision of social services. It is possible to analyze all functions in terms of the needs they satisfy. A needs model has been applied in health research since the 1990s. It is concerned with the extent to which human needs are fulfilled in the presence of disease and its treatment. It is argued that this is the major concern of the patient. Needs-based measures are patient-centric and produce a valid unidimensional index of outcome. Consequently, they provide a direct means of measuring patient value. This approach provides the possibility of evaluating health services in terms of the value they provide to consumers and payers. It also has a role to play in real-world evidence studies and outcomes-based reimbursement. It is recommended that greater attention is given in future to the development of patient-reported outcome measures that provide direct assessments of patient value.

Modeling the Effect of Grain Size Mixing on Thermal Inertia Values Derived from Diurnal and Seasonal THEMIS Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

McCarty, C.; Moersch, J.

2017-12-01

Sedimentary processes have slowed over Mars' geologic history. Analysis of the surface today can provide insight into the processes that may have affected it over its history. Sub-resolved checkerboard mixtures of materials with different thermal inertias (and therefore different grain sizes) can lead to differences in thermal inertia values inferred from night and day radiance observations. Information about the grain size distribution of a surface can help determine the degree of sorting it has experienced or it's geologic maturity. Standard methods for deriving thermal inertia from measurements made with THEMIS can give values for the same location that vary by as much as 20% between scenes. Such methods make the assumption that each THEMIS pixel contains material that has uniform thermophysical properties. Here we propose that if a mixture of small and large particles is present within a pixel, the inferred thermal inertia will be strongly dominated by whichever particle is warmer at the time of the measurement because the power radiated by a surface is proportional (by the Stefan-Boltzmann law) to the fourth power of its temperature. This effect will result in a change in thermal inertia values inferred from measurements taken at different times of day and night. Therefore, we expect to see correlation between the magnitude of diurnal variations in inferred thermal inertia values and the degree of grain size mixing for a given pixel location. Preliminary work has shown that the magnitude of such diurnal variation in inferred thermal inertias is sufficient to detect geologically useful differences in grain size distributions. We hypothesize that at least some of the 20% variability in thermal inertias inferred from multiple scenes for a given location could be attributed to sub-pixel grain size mixing rather than uncertainty inherent to the experiment, as previously thought. Mapping the difference in inferred thermal inertias from day and night THEMIS

A research on determination of input levels used in fair value measurement hierarchy by firms listed in Borsa Istanbul

OpenAIRE

Gokgoz, Ahmet; Senturk, Fatih

2015-01-01

With the coming into force of TFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement Standard, the inputs which firms use for determination of fair value measurement are classified into three levels and hierarchy of determination of fair value is constituted. This standard requires increasing level 1 inputs and decreasing level 3 inputs in determination of fair value. With this study fair value measurement levels (hierarchy) which are used in determination of fair value are described within the scope of TFRS 13 Fair...

Uniqueness of Gibbs measure for Potts model with countable set of spin values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganikhodjaev, N.N.; Rozikov, U.A.

2004-11-01

We consider a nearest-neighbor Potts model with countable spin values 0,1,..., and non zero external field, on a Cayley tree of order k (with k+1 neighbors). We study translation-invariant 'splitting' Gibbs measures. We reduce the problem to the description of the solutions of some infinite system of equations. For any k≥1 and any fixed probability measure ν with ν(i)>0 on the set of all non negative integer numbers Φ={0,1,...} we show that the set of translation-invariant splitting Gibbs measures contains at most one point, independently on parameters of the Potts model with countable set of spin values on Cayley tree. Also we give a full description of the class of measures ν on Φ such that wit respect to each element of this class our infinite system of equations has unique solution {a i =1,2,...}, where a is an element of (0,1). (author)

Remeasuring HEWL pKa values by NMR spectroscopy 

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Webb, Helen; Tynan-Connolly, Barbara Mary; Lee, Gregory M

2011-01-01

Site-specific pK(a) values measured by NMR spectroscopy provide essential information on protein electrostatics, the pH-dependence of protein structure, dynamics and function, and constitute an important benchmark for protein pK(a) calculation algorithms. Titration curves can be measured by track......Site-specific pK(a) values measured by NMR spectroscopy provide essential information on protein electrostatics, the pH-dependence of protein structure, dynamics and function, and constitute an important benchmark for protein pK(a) calculation algorithms. Titration curves can be measured...... by tracking the NMR chemical shifts of several reporter nuclei versus sample pH. However, careful analysis of these curves is needed to extract residue-specific pK(a) values since pH-dependent chemical shift changes can arise from many sources, including through-bond inductive effects, through-space electric...... protonated carbons and protons in this protein. We extracted pK(a) values from the resulting titration curves using standard fitting methods, and compared these values to each other, and with those measured previously by ¹H NMR (Bartik et al., Biophys J 1994;66:1180–1184). This analysis gives insights...

The value relevance of environmental emissions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melinda Lydia Nelwan

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This study examines whether environmental performance has value relevance by investigating the relations between environmental emissions and stock prices for the U.S. public companies. The previous studies argued that the conjectured relations between accounting performance measures and environmental performance do not have a strong theoretical basis, and the modeling of relations between market per-formance measures and environmental performance do not adequately consider the relevance of accounting performance to market value. Therefore, this study examines whether publicly reported environmental emissions provide incremental information to accounting earnings in pricing companies stocks. It is done among the complete set of industries covered by Toxics Release Inventory (TRI reporting for the period 2007 to 2010. Using Ohlson model but modified to include different types of emis-sions, it is found that ground emissions (underground injection and land emissions are value relevant but other emission types (air and water and transferred-out emis-sions appear to not provide incremental information in the valuation model. The result in this study raise concerns that different types of emissions are assessed differently by the market, confirming that studies should not aggregate such measures.

Comparation of Some Values of Measured Parameteres between Old and New X-Ray Machines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocic, B.; Marinkovic, J.; Praskalo, J.

2013-01-01

Checking the change of values of parameters like specific value of kerma, repeatability of expositions, linearity of exposition, stability of high voltage, time of exposition and HVL of X-ray machines that are in use in medical centres of Republic of Serbia give us an idea of comparing those values for two groups of X-ray machines. One is in use since 70's in last century and is still in use, and the other group is quite new, and is controlled for last 5 years. Checking the results of controlled parameters within those two groups of X-ray machines we can compare stability and quality of old and new machines, and the influence of 'aging' of machines to the quality and stability of measured parameters. Some of conclusions are that old machines are showing better stability and repeatability of values of measured parameters during the 'aging' than new machines.(author)

Comparison of LOFT zero power physics testing measurement results with predicted values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rushton, B.L.; Howe, T.M.

1978-01-01

The results of zero power physics testing measurements in LOFT have been evaluated to assess the adequacy of the physics data used in the safety analyses performed for the LOFT FSAR and Technical Specifications. Comparisons of measured data with computed data were made for control rod worths, temperature coefficients, boron worths, and pressure coefficients. Measured boron concentrations at exact critical points were compared with predicted concentrations. Based on these comparisons, the reactivity parameter values used in the LOFT safety analyses were assessed for conservatism

Critical laboratory values in hemostasis: toward consensus.

Science.gov (United States)

Lippi, Giuseppe; Adcock, Dorothy; Simundic, Ana-Maria; Tripodi, Armando; Favaloro, Emmanuel J

2017-09-01

The term "critical values" can be defined to entail laboratory test results that significantly lie outside the normal (reference) range and necessitate immediate reporting to safeguard patient health, as well as those displaying a highly and clinically significant variation compared to previous data. The identification and effective communication of "highly pathological" values has engaged the minds of many clinicians, health care and laboratory professionals for decades, since these activities are vital to good laboratory practice. This is especially true in hemostasis, where a timely and efficient communication of critical values strongly impacts patient management. Due to the heterogeneity of available data, this paper is hence aimed to analyze the state of the art and provide an expert opinion about the parameters, measurement units and alert limits pertaining to critical values in hemostasis, thus providing a basic document for future consultation that assists laboratory professionals and clinicians alike. KEY MESSAGES Critical values are laboratory test results significantly lying outside the normal (reference) range and necessitating immediate reporting to safeguard patient health. A broad heterogeneity exists about critical values in hemostasis worldwide. We provide here an expert opinion about the parameters, measurement units and alert limits pertaining to critical values in hemostasis.

The measurement of subnanosecond nuclear lifetimes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, D.C.S.

1974-01-01

This research dealt with the measurement of subnanosecond nuclear lifetimes using the pulsed beam delayed-coincidence technique. Measurements were performed on isotopes in the f7/2 shell and specifically the isotopes of titanium and vanadium. Experimental investigations were also pursued in 59 Ni and 65 Zn. Several new lifetimes were determined and confirmation was obtained for some previous values which were measured with different techniques. More information was also obtained on certain levels where previous results are in disagreement. (author)

Measurement of phase value of the deep gray nuclei in underage brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Lei; Chen Tao; Ning Ning; Ren Zhuanqin; Luo Jun; Dang Shaonong; Yang Jian

2014-01-01

Objective: To measure the phase values of the deep gray nuclei by using susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) in underage brains, and to investigate the correlation between the phase value and age. Methods: A total of 105 healthy juveniles were examined in this study by using MRI conventional sequence and SWI. Their ages ranged from 0 to 18 years(0-<1 year, 60 cases; 1-<3 years, 10 cases; 3.7 years, 10 cases; 7-12 years, 10 cases; 12-18 years, 15 cases). Phase values of deep gray nuclei were measured. The correlation between phase value and age was analyzed by Spearman correlation method. Results: During 0-3 years, the phase value of caudate nucleus was the lowest within the same age group (0-<1 year: left -0.0433 ± 0.0291, right -0.0369 ± 0.0215; 1-<3 years: left -0.0369 ± 0.0215, right -0.0384 ± 0.0259), whereas the phase value of red nucleus was the highest (0-<1 year: left 0.0286 ± 0.0380, right 0.0254 ± 0.0361; 1-<3 years: left 0.0325 ± 0.0237, right 0.0395 ±0.0270). After 3 years old, the phase value of globus pallidus was the lowest within the same age group (3-<7 years: left -0.0967 ± 0.0656, right -0.0953 ± 0.0617; 7-<12 years: left -0.1870 ± 0.0531, right -0.1724 ± 0.0547; 12-<18 years: left -0.2037 ± 0.0492, right -0.1849 ±0.0324), whereas the phase value of thalamus was the highest (3-<7 years: left -0.0019 ± 0.0225, right -0.0007 ± 0.0167; 7-<12 years: left -0.0067 ± 0.0104, right -0.0064 ± 0.0118; 12-<18 years: left -0.0204 ± 0.0181, right -0.0172 ± 0.0133). During 0-18 years, a moderate negative correlation between phase values of bilateral caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, red nucleus, substantia nigra and age were observed (r s =-0.483, -0.497, -0.67, -0.621, -0.489, -0.43, -0.552, -0.58 respectively) A low negative correlation between phase values of bilateral putamen, thalamus and age were observed (r s =-0.272, -0.213, -0.382, -0.366 respectively). Conclusions: There is a negative correlation between phase value and age in

Cell-associated HIV DNA measured early during infection has prognostic value independent of serum HIV RNA measured concomitantly

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katzenstein, Terese L; Oliveri, Roberto S; Benfield, Thomas

2002-01-01

Using data from the Danish AIDS Cohort of HIV-infected homosexual men established in the 1980s, the prognostic value of early HIV DNA loads was evaluated. In addition to DNA measurements, concomitant serum HIV RNA levels, CD4 cell counts and CCR5 genotypes were determined. The patients were divided...... into 3 groups, according to whether their cell-associated HIV DNA load was or = 2,500 DNA copies/10(6) peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Clinical progression rates differed significantly between the groups (p value independent...... of serum HIV RNA (p value. Patients heterozygous for the CCR5 delta 32 allele had significantly lower HIV DNA loads than those homozygous for the normal allele (p

An introduction to branching measure-valued processes

CERN Document Server

Dynkin, Eugene B

1994-01-01

For about half a century, two classes of stochastic processes-Gaussian processes and processes with independent increments-have played an important role in the development of stochastic analysis and its applications. During the last decade, a third class-branching measure-valued (BMV) processes-has also been the subject of much research. A common feature of all three classes is that their finite-dimensional distributions are infinitely divisible, allowing the use of the powerful analytic tool of Laplace (or Fourier) transforms. All three classes, in an infinite-dimensional setting, provide means for study of physical systems with infinitely many degrees of freedom. This is the first monograph devoted to the theory of BMV processes. Dynkin first constructs a large class of BMV processes, called superprocesses, by passing to the limit from branching particle systems. Then he proves that, under certain restrictions, a general BMV process is a superprocess. A special chapter is devoted to the connections between ...

Value, Impact, and the Transcendent Library: Progress and Pressures in Performance Measurement and Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Town, J. Stephen

2011-01-01

Libraries are under pressure to prove their worth and may not have achieved this fully successfully. There is a resultant growing requirement for value and impact measurement in academic and research libraries. This essay reviews the natural history of library performance measurement and suggests that proof of worth will be measured by the…

Value-Added Measures in Education: What Every Educator Needs to Know

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Douglas N.

2011-01-01

In "Value-Added Measures in Education", Douglas N. Harris takes on one of the most hotly debated topics in education. Drawing on his extensive work with schools and districts, he sets out to help educators and policymakers understand this innovative approach to assessment and the issues associated with its use. Written in straightforward language…

Remote state preparation using positive operator-valued measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Siendong, E-mail: sdhuang@mail.ndhu.edu.tw [Department of Applied Mathematics, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien 974, Taiwan (China)

2013-02-04

We consider the process of remote state preparation using a pure state |ψ〉 with the maximal Schmidt number n. For any given state σ, pure or mixed, a construction of a positive operator-valued measure {M_j}{sub j=0}{sup n} is provided. The classical outcome j=0 indicates the failure of a remote preparation of σ. All other classical outcomes j>0 correspond to unitary transformations of the receiver system such that σ can be prepared. The total probability of successful remote preparation depends on the state σ. Our protocol is a variation of conclusive teleportation and the classical bits required for this protocol are given by log{sub 2}(n+1), which is nearly half that of conclusive teleportation.

Anorectal physiology measurements are of no value in clinical practice. True or false?

Science.gov (United States)

Carty, N. J.; Moran, B.; Johnson, C. D.

1994-01-01

This article examines whether there is any clinical value in anorectal physiology measurements. The function of the human rectum is poorly understood and the factors which affect function of the anal sphincters are complex. Several laboratories have reported results of anorectal physiology measurements, but there is extensive variation between normal values in different laboratories. It is argued that anorectal physiology measurements fail to meet the criteria of a useful clinical test: 1. It is not widely available to clinicians; 2. It is not possible to establish a reproducible normal range; 3. Abnormal measurements do not correlate with disease entities or explain symptoms; 4. The results are often unhelpful in diagnosis and management; 5. Clinical outcome after intervention does not correlate with alteration in the measurements obtained. On the other hand it can be argued that anorectal physiology measurements do provide information that assists in the management of conditions such as constipation, anismus, Hirschsprung's disease, faecal incontinence and tenesmus. Management based on biofeedback modification of physiological responses requires these techniques as part of the biofeedback system. There is evidence that this may be appropriate in anismus and solitary rectal ulcer syndrome. However, the assessment of these difficult conditions and the interpretation of the results are probably at present best confined to specialist units. PMID:8074392

High-resolution positron Q-value measurements and nuclear-structure studies far from the stability line. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avignone, F.T. III.

1981-01-01

Extensive data analysis and theoretical analysis has been done to complete the extensive decay scheme investigation of 206 208 Fr and the level structures of 206 208 Rn. A final version of a journal article is presented in preprint form. Extensive Monte Carlo calculations have been made to correct the end point energies of positron spectra taken with intrinsic Ge detectors for annihilation radiation interferences. These calculations were tested using the decay of 82 Sr which has previously measured positron branches. This technique was applied to the positron spectra collected at the on-line UNISOR isotope separator. The reactions used were 60 Ni( 20 Ne;p2n) 77 Rb and 60 Ni( 20 Ne;pn) 78 Rb. Values for 5, γ-β + coincidence positron end point energies are given for the decay of 77 Rb. The implied Q-value is 5.075 +- 0.010 MeV. A complete paper on the calculated corrections is presented. A flow chart of a more complete program which accounts for positrons scattering out of the detector and for bremsstralung radiation is also presented. End-point energies of four β + branches in 77 Rb are given as well as a proposed energy level scheme of 75 Kr based on γ-γ coincidence data taken at UNISOR

Measuring the value of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography activity: an opportunity to stratify endoscopists on the basis of their value.

Science.gov (United States)

Parihar, Vikrant; Moran, Carthage; Maheshwari, Pardeep; Cheriyan, Danny; O'Toole, Aoibhlinn; Murray, Frank; Patchett, Stephen E; Harewood, Gavin C

2018-07-01

As finite healthcare resources come under pressure, the value of physician activity is assuming increasing importance. The value in healthcare can be defined as patient health outcomes achieved per monetary unit spent. Even though some attempts have been made to quantify the value of clinician activity, there is little in the medical literature describing the importance of endoscopists' activity. This study aimed to characterize the value of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) performance of five gastroenterologists. We carried out a retrospective-prospective cohort study using the databases of patients undergoing ERCP between September 2014 and March 2017. We collected data from 1070 patients who underwent ERCP comparing value among the ERCPists at index ERCP. Procedure value was calculated using the formula Q/(T/C), where Q is the quality of procedure, T is the duration of procedure and C is the adjusted for complexity level. Quality and complexity were derived on a 1-4 Likert scale on the basis of American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy criteria; time was recorded (in min) from intubation to extubation. Endoscopist time calculated from procedure time was considered a surrogate marker of cost as individual components of procedure cost were not itemized. In total, 590 procedures were analysed: 465 retrospectively over 24 months and 125 prospectively over 6 months. There was a 32% variation in the value of endoscopist activity in a more substantial retrospective cohort, with an even more considerable 73% variation in a smaller prospective arm. In an analysis of greater than 1000 ERCPs by a small cohort of experienced ERCPists, there was a wide variation in the value of endoscopist activity. Although the precision of estimating procedural costs needs further refinement, these findings show the ability to stratify ERCPists on the basis of the value their activity. As healthcare costs are scrutinized more closely, such value measurements are

Behavioral economic measures of alcohol reward value as problem severity indicators in college students.

Science.gov (United States)

Skidmore, Jessica R; Murphy, James G; Martens, Matthew P

2014-06-01

The aims of the current study were to examine the associations among behavioral economic measures of alcohol value derived from 3 distinct measurement approaches, and to evaluate their respective relations with traditional indicators of alcohol problem severity in college drinkers. Five behavioral economic metrics were derived from hypothetical demand curves that quantify reward value by plotting consumption and expenditures as a function of price, another metric measured proportional behavioral allocation and enjoyment related to alcohol versus other activities, and a final metric measured relative discretionary expenditures on alcohol (RDEA). The sample included 207 heavy-drinking college students (53% female) who were recruited through an on-campus health center or university courses. Factor analysis revealed that the alcohol valuation construct comprises 2 factors: 1 factor that reflects participants' levels of alcohol price sensitivity (demand persistence), and a second factor that reflects participants' maximum consumption and monetary and behavioral allocation toward alcohol (amplitude of demand). The demand persistence and behavioral allocation metrics demonstrated the strongest and most consistent multivariate relations with alcohol-related problems, even when controlling for other well-established predictors. The results suggest that behavioral economic indices of reward value show meaningful relations with alcohol problem severity in young adults. Despite the presence of some gender differences, these measures appear to be useful problem indicators for men and women. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Comparative study of mean value of 111 and mean value of 100 crystals and capacitance measurements on Si strip detectors in CSM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albergo, S.

1999-01-01

For the construction of the silicon microstrip detectors for the tracker of CMS experiment, two different substrate choices were investigated. A high-resistivity substrate with mean value of 111 crystal orientation and a low-resistivity one with mean value of 100 Dirac ket vector crystal orientation. The interstrip and backplane capacitances were measured before and after the exposure to radiation in a range of strip pitches from 60 μm to 240 μm and for values of the width-pitch ratio between 0.1 and 0.5

MEthods of ASsessing blood pressUre: identifying thReshold and target valuEs (MeasureBP): a review & study protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Blom, Kimberly C; Farina, Sasha; Gomez, Yessica-Haydee; Campbell, Norm R C; Hemmelgarn, Brenda R; Cloutier, Lyne; McKay, Donald W; Dawes, Martin; Tobe, Sheldon W; Bolli, Peter; Gelfer, Mark; McLean, Donna; Bartlett, Gillian; Joseph, Lawrence; Featherstone, Robin; Schiffrin, Ernesto L; Daskalopoulou, Stella S

2015-04-01

Despite progress in automated blood pressure measurement (BPM) technology, there is limited research linking hard outcomes to automated office BPM (OBPM) treatment targets and thresholds. Equivalences for automated BPM devices have been estimated from approximations of standardized manual measurements of 140/90 mmHg. Until outcome-driven targets and thresholds become available for automated measurement methods, deriving evidence-based equivalences between automated methods and standardized manual OBPM is the next best solution. The MeasureBP study group was initiated by the Canadian Hypertension Education Program to close this critical knowledge gap. MeasureBP aims to define evidence-based equivalent values between standardized manual OBPM and automated BPM methods by synthesizing available evidence using a systematic review and individual subject-level data meta-analyses. This manuscript provides a review of the literature and MeasureBP study protocol. These results will lay the evidenced-based foundation to resolve uncertainties within blood pressure guidelines which, in turn, will improve the management of hypertension.

Using the New Postacute Care Quality Measures to Demonstrate the Value of Occupational Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandhu, Sharmila; Furniss, Jeremy; Metzler, Christina

As the health care system continues to evolve toward one based on quality not quantity, demonstrating the value of occupational therapy has never been more important. Providing high-quality services, achieving optimal outcomes, and identifying and promoting occupational therapy's distinct value are the responsibilities of all practitioners. In relation to the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is implementing new functional items and related outcome performance measures across postacute care (PAC) settings. Practitioners can demonstrate the role and value of occupational therapy services through their participation in data collection and the interpretation of the resulting performance measures. In this column, we review the objectives of the IMPACT Act, introduce the new self-care and mobility items and outcome performance measures being implemented in PAC settings, and describe ways to use these new data to advocate for occupational therapy. We also discuss American Occupational Therapy Association initiatives to provide materials and guidance for occupational therapy practitioners to contribute to PAC data collection. Copyright © 2018 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Two-qubit Bell inequality for which positive operator-valued measurements are relevant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vertesi, T.; Bene, E.

2010-01-01

A bipartite Bell inequality is derived which is maximally violated on the two-qubit state space if measurements describable by positive operator valued measure (POVM) elements are allowed, rather than restricting the possible measurements to projective ones. In particular, the presented Bell inequality requires POVMs in order to be maximally violated by a maximally entangled two-qubit state. This answers a question raised by N. Gisin [in Quantum Reality, Relativistic Causality, and Closing the Epistemic Circle: Essays in Honour of Abner Shimony, edited by W. C. Myrvold and J. Christian (Springer, The Netherlands, 2009), pp. 125-138].

In vivo dentate nucleus MRI relaxometry correlates with previous administration of Gadolinium-based contrast agents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tedeschi, Enrico; Canna, Antonietta; Cocozza, Sirio; Russo, Carmela; Angelini, Valentina; Brunetti, Arturo [University ' ' Federico II' ' , Neuroradiology, Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Naples (Italy); Palma, Giuseppe; Quarantelli, Mario [National Research Council, Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, Naples (Italy); Borrelli, Pasquale; Salvatore, Marco [IRCCS SDN, Naples (Italy); Lanzillo, Roberta; Postiglione, Emanuela; Morra, Vincenzo Brescia [University ' ' Federico II' ' , Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, Naples (Italy)

2016-12-15

To evaluate changes in T1 and T2* relaxometry of dentate nuclei (DN) with respect to the number of previous administrations of Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA). In 74 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) patients with variable disease duration (9.8±6.8 years) and severity (Expanded Disability Status Scale scores:3.1±0.9), the DN R1 (1/T1) and R2* (1/T2*) relaxation rates were measured using two unenhanced 3D Dual-Echo spoiled Gradient-Echo sequences with different flip angles. Correlations of the number of previous GBCA administrations with DN R1 and R2* relaxation rates were tested, including gender and age effect, in a multivariate regression analysis. The DN R1 (normalized by brainstem) significantly correlated with the number of GBCA administrations (p<0.001), maintaining the same significance even when including MS-related factors. Instead, the DN R2* values correlated only with age (p=0.003), and not with GBCA administrations (p=0.67). In a subgroup of 35 patients for whom the administered GBCA subtype was known, the effect of GBCA on DN R1 appeared mainly related to linear GBCA. In RR-MS patients, the number of previous GBCA administrations correlates with R1 relaxation rates of DN, while R2* values remain unaffected, suggesting that T1-shortening in these patients is related to the amount of Gadolinium given. (orig.)

Memory for general and specific value information in younger and older adults: measuring the limits of strategic control.

Science.gov (United States)

Castel, Alan D; Farb, Norman A S; Craik, Fergus I M

2007-06-01

The ability to selectively remember important information is a critical function of memory. Although previous research has suggested that older adults are impaired in a variety of episodic memory tasks, recent work has demonstrated that older adults can selectively remember high-value information. In the present research, we examined how younger and older adults selectively remembered words with various assigned numeric point values, to see whether younger adults could remember more specific value information than could older adults. Both groups were equally good at recalling point values when recalling the range of high-value words, but younger adults outperformed older adults when recalling specific values. Although older adults were more likely to recognize negative value words, both groups exhibited control by not recalling negative value information. The findings suggest that although both groups retain high-value information, older adults rely more on gist-based encoding and retrieval operations, whereas younger adults are able to remember specific numeric value information.

Homogenization of the lipid profile values.

Science.gov (United States)

Pedro-Botet, Juan; Rodríguez-Padial, Luis; Brotons, Carlos; Esteban-Salán, Margarita; García-Lerín, Aurora; Pintó, Xavier; Lekuona, Iñaki; Ordóñez-Llanos, Jordi

Analytical reports from the clinical laboratory are essential to guide clinicians about what lipid profile values should be considered altered and, therefore, require intervention. Unfortunately, there is a great heterogeneity in the lipid values reported as "normal, desirable, recommended or referenced" by clinical laboratories. This can difficult clinical decisions and be a barrier to achieve the therapeutic goals for cardiovascular prevention. A recent international recommendation has added a new heterogeneity factor for the interpretation of lipid profile, such as the possibility of measuring it without previous fasting. All this justifies the need to develop a document that adapts the existing knowledge to the clinical practice of our health system. In this regard, professionals from different scientific societies involved in the measurement and use of lipid profile data have developed this document to establish recommendations that facilitate their homogenization. Copyright © 2017. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

Quantitative Metrics for Generative Justice: Graphing the Value of Diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian Robert Callahan

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Scholarship utilizing the Generative Justice framework has focused primarily on qualitative data collection and analysis for its insights. This paper introduces a quantitative data measurement, contributory diversity, which can be used to enhance the analysis of ethical dimensions of value production under the Generative Justice lens. It is well known that the identity of contributors—gender, ethnicity, and other categories—is a key issue for social justice in general. Using the example of Open Source Software communities, we note that that typical diversity measures, focusing exclusively on workforce demographics, can fail to fully illuminate issues in value generation. Using Shannon’s entropy measure, we offer an alternative metric which combines the traditional assessment of demographics with a measure of value generation. This mapping allows for previously unacknowledged contributions to be recognized, and can avoid some of the ways in which exclusionary practices are obscured. We offer contributory diversity not as the single optimal metric, but rather as a call for others to begin investigating the possibilities for quantitative measurements of the communities and value flows that are studied using the Generative Justice framework. 

Network analysis of surgical innovation: Measuring value and the virality of diffusion in robotic surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Garas, George; Cingolani, Isabella; Panzarasa, Pietro; Darzi, Ara; Athanasiou, Thanos

2017-01-01

Existing surgical innovation frameworks suffer from a unifying limitation, their qualitative nature. A rigorous approach to measuring surgical innovation is needed that extends beyond detecting simply publication, citation, and patent counts and instead uncovers an implementation-based value from the structure of the entire adoption cascades produced over time by diffusion processes. Based on the principles of evidence-based medicine and existing surgical regulatory frameworks, the surgical innovation funnel is described. This illustrates the different stages through which innovation in surgery typically progresses. The aim is to propose a novel and quantitative network-based framework that will permit modeling and visualizing innovation diffusion cascades in surgery and measuring virality and value of innovations. Network analysis of constructed citation networks of all articles concerned with robotic surgery (n = 13,240, Scopus®) was performed (1974-2014). The virality of each cascade was measured as was innovation value (measured by the innovation index) derived from the evidence-based stage occupied by the corresponding seed article in the surgical innovation funnel. The network-based surgical innovation metrics were also validated against real world big data (National Inpatient Sample-NIS®). Rankings of surgical innovation across specialties by cascade size and structural virality (structural depth and width) were found to correlate closely with the ranking by innovation value (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient = 0.758 (p = 0.01), 0.782 (p = 0.008), 0.624 (p = 0.05), respectively) which in turn matches the ranking based on real world big data from the NIS® (Spearman's coefficient = 0.673;p = 0.033). Network analysis offers unique new opportunities for understanding, modeling and measuring surgical innovation, and ultimately for assessing and comparing generative value between different specialties. The novel surgical innovation metrics developed may

Personality disorders in previously detained adolescent females: a prospective study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krabbendam, A.; Colins, O.F.; Doreleijers, T.A.H.; van der Molen, E.; Beekman, A.T.F.; Vermeiren, R.R.J.M.

2015-01-01

This longitudinal study investigated the predictive value of trauma and mental health problems for the development of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) in previously detained women. The participants were 229 detained adolescent females who were assessed

Development of a theoretical model for measuring the perceived value of social responsibility of IPEN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mutarelli, Rita de Cassia; Lima, Ana Cecilia de Souza; Sabundjian, Gaiane

2015-01-01

Social responsibility has been one of the great discussions in institutional management, and that is an important variable in the strategy and performance of the institutions. The Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN) has worked for the development of environmental and social issues, converging mainly to the benefit of the population. The theory that guides the social responsibility practices is always difficult to measure for several reasons. One reason for this difficulty is that social responsibility involves a variety of issues that are converted in rights, obligations and expectations of different audiences that could be internal and external to the organization. In addition, the different understanding of the institutions about social and environmental issues is another source of complexity. Based on the study context including: the topic being researched, the chosen institute and the questions resulting from the research, the aim of this paper is to propose a theoretical model to describe and analyze the social responsibility of IPEN. The main contribution of this study is to develop a model that integrates the dimensions of social responsibility. These dimensions - also called constructs - are composed of indexes and indicators that were previously used in various contexts of empirical research, combined with the theoretical and conceptual review of social responsibility. The construction of the proposed theoretical model was based on the research of various methodologies and various indicators for measuring social responsibility. This model was statistically tested, analyzed, adjusted, and the end result is a consistent model to measure the perceived value of social responsibility of IPEN. This work could also be applied to other institutions. Moreover, it may be improved and become a tool that will serve as a thermometer to measure social and environmental issues, and will support decision making in various management processes. (author)

Development of a theoretical model for measuring the perceived value of social responsibility of IPEN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mutarelli, Rita de Cassia; Lima, Ana Cecilia de Souza; Sabundjian, Gaiane, E-mail: rmutarelli@gmail.com, E-mail: aclima@ipen.br, E-mail: gdjian@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2015-07-01

Social responsibility has been one of the great discussions in institutional management, and that is an important variable in the strategy and performance of the institutions. The Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN) has worked for the development of environmental and social issues, converging mainly to the benefit of the population. The theory that guides the social responsibility practices is always difficult to measure for several reasons. One reason for this difficulty is that social responsibility involves a variety of issues that are converted in rights, obligations and expectations of different audiences that could be internal and external to the organization. In addition, the different understanding of the institutions about social and environmental issues is another source of complexity. Based on the study context including: the topic being researched, the chosen institute and the questions resulting from the research, the aim of this paper is to propose a theoretical model to describe and analyze the social responsibility of IPEN. The main contribution of this study is to develop a model that integrates the dimensions of social responsibility. These dimensions - also called constructs - are composed of indexes and indicators that were previously used in various contexts of empirical research, combined with the theoretical and conceptual review of social responsibility. The construction of the proposed theoretical model was based on the research of various methodologies and various indicators for measuring social responsibility. This model was statistically tested, analyzed, adjusted, and the end result is a consistent model to measure the perceived value of social responsibility of IPEN. This work could also be applied to other institutions. Moreover, it may be improved and become a tool that will serve as a thermometer to measure social and environmental issues, and will support decision making in various management processes. (author)

Analysis of historical delta values for IAEA/LANL NDA training courses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geist, William; Santi, Peter; Swinhoe, Martyn; Bonner, Elisa

2009-01-01

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by providing training for IAEA inspectors in neutron and gamma-ray Nondestructive Assay (NDA) of nuclear material. Since 1980, all new IAEA inspectors attend this two week course at LANL gaining hands-on experience in the application of NDA techniques, procedures and analysis to measure plutonium and uranium nuclear material standards with well known pedigrees. As part of the course the inspectors conduct an inventory verification exercise. This exercise provides inspectors the opportunity to test their abilities in performing verification measurements using the various NDA techniques. For an inspector, the verification of an item is nominally based on whether the measured assay value agrees with the declared value to within three times the historical delta value. The historical delta value represents the average difference between measured and declared values from previous measurements taken on similar material with the same measurement technology. If the measurement falls outside a limit of three times the historical delta value, the declaration is not verified. This paper uses measurement data from five years of IAEA courses to calculate a historical delta for five non-destructive assay methods: Gamma-ray Enrichment, Gamma-ray Plutonium Isotopics, Passive Neutron Coincidence Counting, Active Neutron Coincidence Counting and the Neutron Coincidence Collar. These historical deltas provide information as to the precision and accuracy of these measurement techniques under realistic conditions.

Viscosity measurements of molten refractory metals using an electrostatic levitator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, Takehiko; Paradis, Paul-François; Okada, Junpei T; Watanabe, Yuki

2012-01-01

Viscosities of several refractory metals (titanium, nickel, zirconium, niobium, ruthenium, rhodium, hafnium, iridium and platinum) and terbium have been measured by the oscillation drop method with an improved procedure. The measured data were less scattered than our previous measurements. Viscosities at their melting temperatures showed good agreement with literature values and some predicted values. (paper)

Comparison of oxygen saturation values and measurement times by pulse oximetry in various parts of the body.

Science.gov (United States)

Yönt, Gülendam Hakverdioğlu; Korhan, Esra Akin; Khorshid, Leyla

2011-11-01

The aim of this study, which included 40 patients, was to compare the values pulse oximetry and the measurement times in various regions of the body. Data were analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficient test and paired-sample test. The confidence power value was found to be .81 for the comparison of oxygen saturation values by arterial blood gas analysis and measurement by the forehead probe. It was found that the time for oxygen saturation measurement using the forehead probe was shorter than those using the finger and toe probes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Isotopic Measurements and Burn-up Value of Sample GU3 of ARIANE Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tore, C.; Rodriguez Rivada, A.

2014-07-01

Estimation of the burn-up value of irradiated fuel and its isotopic composition are important for criticality analysis, spent fuel management and source term estimation. The practical way to estimate the irradiated fuel composition and burn.up value is calculation with validated code and nuclear data. Such validation of the neutronic codes and nuclear data requires the benchmarking with measured values. (Author)

Fair Value Measurement under IFRS 13: A Faithful Representation of Real-World Economic Phenomena?

OpenAIRE

Palea Vera; Maino Renato

2012-01-01

In this paper, we discuss IFRS 13 with regard to private equity valuation We raise issues on the fair value definition as an exit price and question the reliability of valuation techniques which are categorized into Level 2 fair value hierarchy. Our paper questions whether fair value as defined by IFRS 13 is an appropriate measure for private equities and can contribute to enhancing transparency and comparability in financial statements, which is one of the purposes of the IASB and the Europe...

Value and reliability of findings from previous epidemiologic studies in the assessment of radiation-related cancer risks. Pt. 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frasch, G.; Martignoni, K.

1990-01-01

The theories put forward here are predominantly based on pooled data from previous studies in a number of cohorts made up by mostly non-average individuals. These studies were carried out by various researchers and differed in procedures and aims. Factors of major importance to the validity and reliability of the conclusions drawn from this study are pointed out. In one chapter some light is thrown on factors known to bear a relation to the incidence of radiation-induced cancer of the breast, even though at present this can only very vaguely be described on a quantitative basis. These factors include fractionated dose regimens, pregnancies and parturitions, menarche, menopause, synergisms as well as secondary cancer of the breast. The available body of evidence suggests that exposure of each of 1 million women to a dose of 10 mGy (rad) can be linked with approx. 3 additional cases of mammary cancer reported on an average per year after the latency period. The fact that there is some statistical scatter around this value is chiefly attributable to age-related causes at the beginning of exposure. Differences in ethnic and cultural characteristics between the populations investigated appeared to be less important here. (orig./MG) [de

The Math–Biology Values Instrument: Development of a Tool to Measure Life Science Majors’ Task Values of Using Math in the Context of Biology

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, Sarah E.; Runyon, Christopher; Aikens, Melissa L.

2017-01-01

In response to calls to improve the quantitative training of undergraduate biology students, there have been increased efforts to better integrate math into biology curricula. One challenge of such efforts is negative student attitudes toward math, which are thought to be particularly prevalent among biology students. According to theory, students’ personal values toward using math in a biological context will influence their achievement and behavioral outcomes, but a validated instrument is needed to determine this empirically. We developed the Math–Biology Values Instrument (MBVI), an 11-item college-level self-­report instrument grounded in expectancy-value theory, to measure life science students’ interest in using math to understand biology, the perceived usefulness of math to their life science career, and the cost of using math in biology courses. We used a process that integrates multiple forms of validity evidence to show that scores from the MBVI can be used as a valid measure of a student’s value of math in the context of biology. The MBVI can be used by instructors and researchers to help identify instructional strategies that influence math–biology values and understand how math–biology values are related to students’ achievement and decisions to pursue more advanced quantitative-based courses. PMID:28747355

Precise half-life measurement of the superallowed β+ emitter 38Km

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, G. C.; Boisvert, G.; Bricault, P.; Churchman, R.; Dombsky, M.; Lindner, T.; Macdonald, J. A.; Vandervoort, E.; Bishop, S.; D'Auria, J. M.; Hardy, J. C.; Iacob, V. E.; Leslie, J. R.; Mak, H.-B.

2010-01-01

The half-life of 38 K m has been measured to be 924.46(14) ms, a result that is a factor of two more precise than any of the five previous measurements of this quantity. The previous results are not consistent with one another, but our result agrees well with the two most recent ones. The derived ft value for 38 K m is now one of the three most precisely known superallowed ft values.

40 CFR 92.116 - Engine output measurement system calibrations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... manufacturer's data, actual measurement, or the value recorded from the previous calibration used for this... load-cell or transfer standard may be used to verify the in-use torque measurement system. (i) The... spaced torque values as indicated by the master load-cell for each in-use range used. (v) The in-use...

Value poaching: framing the same values for competing political ends

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nelson, T.E.; Lecheler, S.; Schuck, A.R.T.; de Vreese, C.H.

2015-01-01

Previous research has established that rival issue frames that target competing values can lead public opinion in different directions. This article examines rival frames that target the same values but for competing political ends. We report on an experiment (N = 503) that examines the framing of a

Using effort to measure reward value of faces in children with autism.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Louise Ewing

Full Text Available According to one influential account, face processing atypicalities in autism reflect reduced reward value of faces, which results in limited attention to faces during development and a consequent failure to acquire face expertise. Surprisingly, however, there is a paucity of work directly investigating the reward value of faces for individuals with autism and the evidence for diminished face rewards in this population remains equivocal. In the current study, we measured how hard children with autism would work to view faces, using an effortful key-press sequence, and whether they were sensitive to the differential reward value of attractive and unattractive faces. Contrary to expectations, cognitively able children with autism did not differ from typically developing children of similar age and ability in their willingness to work to view faces. Moreover, the effort expended was strongly positively correlated with facial attractiveness ratings in both groups of children. There was also no evidence of atypical reward values for other, less social categories (cars and inverted faces in the children with autism. These results speak against the possibility that face recognition difficulties in autism are explained by atypical reward value of faces.

Personal values and pain tolerance: does a values intervention add to acceptance?

Science.gov (United States)

Branstetter-Rost, Ann; Cushing, Christopher; Douleh, Tanya

2009-08-01

Previous research suggests that acceptance is a promising alternative to distraction and control techniques in successfully coping with pain. Acceptance interventions based upon Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) have been shown to lead to greater tolerance of acute pain as well as increased adjustment and less disability among individuals with chronic pain. However, in these previous intervention studies, the ACT component of values has either not been included or not specifically evaluated. The current study compares the effects of an ACT-based acceptance intervention with and without the values component among individuals completing the cold-pressor task. Results indicate that inclusion of the values component (n = 34) of ACT leads to significantly greater pain tolerance than acceptance alone (n = 30). Consistent with previous research, both conditions were associated with greater pain tolerance than control (n = 35). Despite the difference in tolerance, pain threshold did not differ, and participants in the control condition provided lower ratings of pain severity. The findings from this study support the important role of values and values clarification in acceptance-based interventions such as ACT, and provide direction for clinicians working with individuals with chronic pain conditions. This article evaluates the additive effect of including a personalized-values exercise in an acceptance-based treatment for pain. Results indicate that values interventions make a significant contribution and improvement to acceptance interventions, which may be of interest to clinicians who provide psychological treatment to individuals with chronic pain.

In situ measurements for calculating evapotranspiration values using neutron moisture meter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Gendy, R.W.; El-Moniem, M.; Massoud, M.

2000-01-01

Field experiment was conducted at the Wadi Sudr area, south Sinai, Egypt. Two types of residual animal farm (i.e., goat and camel)used wheat crop, beside control (no manure). The neutron scattering method and tensiometers were used to calculate the components of soil moisture depletion, evapotranspiration (ET) and drainage rate (DR). Evapotranspiration (ET) was determined by four methods, i.e, soil moisture depletion (SMD), Active rooting depth (ARD) at 80% SMD, active rooting depth (ARD) at zero hydraulic potential gradient (dh/dz = 0) and Blaney - Criddle formula (climatically data) using published crop coefficient (Kc) ET values for goat and camel residuals and control treatments were found to be 5.59, 5.54 and 6.80; 4.48, 4.43 and 5.44; 5.01, 4.11 and 11.66 and 4.5 mm day 1 for all treatments using the previous four methods respectively. The data obtained also showed that ET values under organic manure treatments were lower than control treatment, while the dry weight of wheat crop was higher in the manure-treated plots relative to the control. These less irrigation water requirements are needed to be applied to manure-treated plots and this should reduce the opportunity of soil deterioration if saline water is used

Use value, exchange value, and resource scarcity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stern, D.I.

1999-01-01

The literature on natural resource scarcity indicators is reviewed. Scarcity indicators can be classified by what is being measured: value of the resource stock or value of extracted resource commodities; whose value is considered: social vs. private scarcity; and by the mode of valuation considered: exchange value and use value. Prices and rents are common measures of exchange value or indicators of ''exchange scarcity'' and unit costs can be seen as use value indicators or indicators of u se scarcity . The major aim of this paper is to demonstrate the links between productivity indicators such as unit costs and the classical concept of use value. The two classes of indicator relate to John Commons' discussions of scarcity and efficiency, and a marginal vs. a non-marginal approach to value and scarcity. The classical use value concept also has wider relevance for issues of valuation in energy, resource, and environmental policy. (author)

Length expectation values in quantum Regge calculus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khatsymovsky, V.M.

2004-01-01

Regge calculus configuration superspace can be embedded into a more general superspace where the length of any edge is defined ambiguously depending on the 4-tetrahedron containing the edge. Moreover, the latter superspace can be extended further so that even edge lengths in each the 4-tetrahedron are not defined, only area tensors of the 2-faces in it are. We make use of our previous result concerning quantization of the area tensor Regge calculus which gives finite expectation values for areas. Also our result is used showing that quantum measure in the Regge calculus can be uniquely fixed once we know quantum measure on (the space of the functionals on) the superspace of the theory with ambiguously defined edge lengths. We find that in this framework quantization of the usual Regge calculus is defined up to a parameter. The theory may possess nonzero (of the order of Planck scale) or zero length expectation values depending on whether this parameter is larger or smaller than a certain value. Vanishing length expectation values means that the theory is becoming continuous, here dynamically in the originally discrete framework

Prognostic value of quantitative fluorodeoxyglucose measurements in newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulaner, Gary A; Eaton, Anne; Morris, Patrick G; Lilienstein, Joshua; Jhaveri, Komal; Patil, Sujata; Fazio, Maurizio; Larson, Steven; Hudis, Clifford A; Jochelson, Maxine S

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of quantitative fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) measurements (maximum standardized uptake value [SUV max ], metabolic tumor volume [MTV], and total lesion glycolysis [TLG]) in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer (MBC). An IRB-approved retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent FDG positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) from 1/02 to 12/08 within 60 days of diagnosis MBC. Patients with FDG-avid lesions without receiving chemotherapy in the prior 30 days were included. Target lesions in bone, lymph node (LN), liver, and lung were analyzed for SUV max , MTV, and TLG. Medical records were reviewed for patient characteristics and overall survival (OS). Cox regression was used to test associations between quantitative FDG measurements and OS. A total of 253 patients were identified with disease in bone (n = 150), LN (n = 162), liver (n = 48), and lung (n = 66) at the time of metastatic diagnosis. Higher SUV max tertile was associated with worse OS in bone metastases (highest vs. lowest tertile hazard ratio [HR] = 3.1, P < 0.01), but not in LN, liver or lung (all P > 0.1). Higher MTV tertile was associated with worse OS in LN (HR = 2.4, P < 0.01) and liver (HR = 3.0, P = 0.02) metastases, but not in bone (P = 0.22) or lung (P = 0.14). Higher TLG tertile was associated with worse OS in bone (HR = 2.2, P = 0.02), LN (HR = 2.3, P < 0.01), and liver (HR = 4.9, P < 0.01) metastases, but not in lung (P = 0.19). We conclude measures of FDG avidity are prognostic biomarkers in newly diagnosed MBC. SUV max and TLG were both predictors of survival in breast cancer patients with bone metastases. TLG may be a more informative biomarker of OS than SUV max for patients with LN and liver metastases. Measures of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) avidity are prognostic biomarkers in newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer. Volumetric measurements, such as total lesion glycolysis (TLG

QEC Values of the Superallowed β Emitters 50Mn and 54Co

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eronen, T.; Elomaa, V.-V.; Hager, U.; Hakala, J.; Jokinen, A.; Kankainen, A.; Moore, I. D.; Penttilae, H.; Rahaman, S.; Rissanen, J.; Saastamoinen, A.; Sonoda, T.; Weber, C.; Aeystoe, J.; Hardy, J. C.; Rinta-Antila, S.

2008-01-01

Using a new fast cleaning procedure to prepare isomerically pure ion samples, we have measured the beta-decay Q EC values of the superallowed β emitters 50 Mn and 54 Co to be 7634.48(7) and 8244.54(10) keV, respectively, results which differ significantly from the previously accepted values. The corrected Ft values derived from our results strongly support new isospin-symmetry-breaking corrections that lead to a higher value of the up-down quark mixing element V ud and improved confirmation of the unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix

Measuring the economic value of wildlife: a caution

Science.gov (United States)

T. H. Stevens

1992-01-01

Wildlife values appear to be very sensitive to whether species are evaluated separately or together, and value estimates often seem inconsistent with neoclassical economic theory. Wildlife value estimates must therefore be used with caution. Additional research about the nature of individual value structures for wildlife is needed.

Quality measures and pediatric radiology: suggestions for the transition to value-based payment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heller, Richard E. [Radiology Partners, El Segundo, CA (United States); Coley, Brian D. [University of Cincinnati, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Cincinnati Children' s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH (United States); Simoneaux, Stephen F. [Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Children' s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA (United States); Podberesky, Daniel J. [Nemours Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Nemours Children' s Health System, Orlando, FL (United States); Hernanz-Schulman, Marta [Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Monroe Carell Jr. Children' s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN (United States); Robertson, Richard L. [Harvard Medical School, Department of Radiology, Boston Children' s Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Donnelly, Lane F. [Texas Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Houston, TX (United States)

2017-06-15

Recent political and economic factors have contributed to a meaningful change in the way that quality in health care, and by extension value, are viewed. While quality is often evaluated on the basis of subjective criteria, pay-for-performance programs that link reimbursement to various measures of quality require use of objective and quantifiable measures. This evolution to value-based payment was accelerated by the 2015 passage of the Medicare Access and CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) Reauthorization Act (MACRA). While many of the drivers of these changes are rooted in federal policy and programs such as Medicare and aimed at adult patients, the practice of pediatrics and pediatric radiology will be increasingly impacted. This article addresses issues related to the use of quantitative measures to evaluate the quality of services provided by the pediatric radiology department or sub-specialty section, particularly as seen from the viewpoint of a payer that may be considering ways to link payment to performance. The paper concludes by suggesting a metric categorization strategy to frame future work on the subject. (orig.)

Quality measures and pediatric radiology: suggestions for the transition to value-based payment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heller, Richard E.; Coley, Brian D.; Simoneaux, Stephen F.; Podberesky, Daniel J.; Hernanz-Schulman, Marta; Robertson, Richard L.; Donnelly, Lane F.

2017-01-01

Recent political and economic factors have contributed to a meaningful change in the way that quality in health care, and by extension value, are viewed. While quality is often evaluated on the basis of subjective criteria, pay-for-performance programs that link reimbursement to various measures of quality require use of objective and quantifiable measures. This evolution to value-based payment was accelerated by the 2015 passage of the Medicare Access and CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) Reauthorization Act (MACRA). While many of the drivers of these changes are rooted in federal policy and programs such as Medicare and aimed at adult patients, the practice of pediatrics and pediatric radiology will be increasingly impacted. This article addresses issues related to the use of quantitative measures to evaluate the quality of services provided by the pediatric radiology department or sub-specialty section, particularly as seen from the viewpoint of a payer that may be considering ways to link payment to performance. The paper concludes by suggesting a metric categorization strategy to frame future work on the subject. (orig.)

Heat Loss Measurements in Buildings Utilizing a U-value Meter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lars Schiøtt

Heating of buildings in Denmark accounts for approximately 40% of the entire national energy consumption. For this reason, a reduction of heat losses from building envelopes are of great importance in order to reach the Bologna CO2 emission reduction targets. Upgrading of the energy performance...... of buildings is a topic of huge global interest these years. Not only heating in the temperate and arctic regions are important, but also air conditioning and mechanical ventilation in the tropical countries contribute to an enormous energy consumption and corresponding CO2 emission. In order to establish...... the best basis for upgrading the energy performance, it is important to measure the heat losses at different locations on a building facade, in order to optimize the energy performance. The author has invented a U-value meter, enabling measurements of heat transfer coefficients. The meter has been used...

Network analysis of surgical innovation: Measuring value and the virality of diffusion in robotic surgery.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Garas

Full Text Available Existing surgical innovation frameworks suffer from a unifying limitation, their qualitative nature. A rigorous approach to measuring surgical innovation is needed that extends beyond detecting simply publication, citation, and patent counts and instead uncovers an implementation-based value from the structure of the entire adoption cascades produced over time by diffusion processes. Based on the principles of evidence-based medicine and existing surgical regulatory frameworks, the surgical innovation funnel is described. This illustrates the different stages through which innovation in surgery typically progresses. The aim is to propose a novel and quantitative network-based framework that will permit modeling and visualizing innovation diffusion cascades in surgery and measuring virality and value of innovations.Network analysis of constructed citation networks of all articles concerned with robotic surgery (n = 13,240, Scopus® was performed (1974-2014. The virality of each cascade was measured as was innovation value (measured by the innovation index derived from the evidence-based stage occupied by the corresponding seed article in the surgical innovation funnel. The network-based surgical innovation metrics were also validated against real world big data (National Inpatient Sample-NIS®.Rankings of surgical innovation across specialties by cascade size and structural virality (structural depth and width were found to correlate closely with the ranking by innovation value (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient = 0.758 (p = 0.01, 0.782 (p = 0.008, 0.624 (p = 0.05, respectively which in turn matches the ranking based on real world big data from the NIS® (Spearman's coefficient = 0.673;p = 0.033.Network analysis offers unique new opportunities for understanding, modeling and measuring surgical innovation, and ultimately for assessing and comparing generative value between different specialties. The novel surgical innovation metrics

Muscle ultrasound analysis : Normal values and differentiation between myopathies and neuropathies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maurits, NM; Bollen, AE; Windhausen, A; De Jager, AEJ; Van der Hoeven, JH

In this study, 145 healthy adults (20 to 94 years old, 69 women) were examined using ultrasound (US) imaging to obtain reference values of muscle parameters that were previously not available. We measured biceps and quadriceps sizes and subcutaneous fat thickness. To quantify muscle aspect, we

Assessment of Measurement Uncertainty Values of the Scandium Determination in Marine Sediment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rina-Mulyaningsih, Th.

2005-01-01

The result value of testing is meaningless if it isn't completed with uncertainty value. So that with the analysis result Sc in the marine sediment sample. It was assessed the uncertainty measurement of Sc analysis in marine sediment. The experiment was done in AAN Serpong laboratory. The result of calculation uncertainty on Sc analysis showed that the uncertainty components come from: preparation of sample and standard/comparator, purity of standard, counting statistics (sample and standard), repeatability, nuclear data and decay correction. The assessment on uncertainty must be done for the analysis of others elements, because each elements has difference nuclear and physical properties. (author)

A Generalized Analytic Operator-Valued Function Space Integral and a Related Integral Equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, K.S.; Kim, B.S.; Park, C.H.; Ryu, K.S.

2003-01-01

We introduce a generalized Wiener measure associated with a Gaussian Markov process and define a generalized analytic operator-valued function space integral as a bounded linear operator from L p into L p-ci r cumflexprime (1< p ≤ 2) by the analytic continuation of the generalized Wiener integral. We prove the existence of the integral for certain functionals which involve some Borel measures. Also we show that the generalized analytic operator-valued function space integral satisfies an integral equation related to the generalized Schroedinger equation. The resulting theorems extend the theory of operator-valued function space integrals substantially and previous theorems about these integrals are generalized by our results

A Method for Determining Pseudo-measurement State Values for Topology Observability of State Estimation in Power Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Urano, Shoichi; Mori, Hiroyuki

This paper proposes a new technique for determining of state values in power systems. Recently, it is useful for carrying out state estimation with data of PMU (Phasor Measurement Unit). The authors have developed a method for determining state values with artificial neural network (ANN) considering topology observability in power systems. ANN has advantage to approximate nonlinear functions with high precision. The method evaluates pseudo-measurement state values of the data which are lost in power systems. The method is successfully applied to the IEEE 14-bus system.

Interexaminer reliability in clinical measurement of L*C*h* values of anterior teeth using a spectrophotometer.

Science.gov (United States)

Hassel, Alexander J; Grossmann, Anne-christiane; Schmitter, Marc; Balke, Zibandeh; Buzello, Anja M

2007-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate interexaminer reliability in the clinical measurement of the L*C*h* (lightness/value, chroma, hue) values of anterior teeth using a spectrophotometer (Vita Easyshade). The basic color of the maxillary right central incisors and canines of 23 subjects was spectrophotometrically determined by 4 clinicians and an experienced user (development manager) of the spectrophotometer. Also, to analyze the effect of different training with the instrument on interexaminer reliability, 2 of the clinicians were instructed in the use of the spectrophotometer by the experienced examiner, whereas the others instructed themselves by studying the operating manual. Agreement between all examiners was acceptable to excellent (intraclass coefficient > 0.4). The mean value of the measured differences for the central incisors of all subjects for L* values was 5 (for C* = 3.8, h* = 2.7 degrees) and for canines, the mean L* was 4.5 (C* = 3, h* = 1.6 degrees). Results from comparison of the 2 different training methods were inconsistent. Agreement with the experienced examiner ranged from not acceptable (C* values for incisors of self-instructed examiners) to excellent. The distribution of the measurements of 1 subject could lead to deviations in color, probably with clinical impact. For canines, the measurements were at least equally reproducible (in some cases significantly more reproducible) compared to central incisors. Because of the small number of examiners and the inconsistent results, it was not possible to reach a definite conclusion about the effect of different training methods on interexaminer reliability.

Compilations of measured and calculated physicochemical property values for PCBs, PBDEs, PCDDs and PAHs

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The dataset consists of compilations of measured and calculated physicochemical property values for PCBs, PBDEs, PCDDs and PAHs. The properties included in this...

Determination of the half-value layer values for the qualities of x-rays used in the SSDL, soba

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalfalla, Eatidal Hussein

1998-05-01

This work is conducted in the new secondary standard dosimetry laboratory (SSDL) of Sudan Atomic Energy Commission (SAEC) in soba. X-ray tube of energy ranging between (40KV-150KV) was used. For all measurements spherical ionization chamber of 1000 cm 3 volume was used. the distance between x-ray source (target) and the reference point on the x-ray tube housing was determined by using the inverse square law. The target- reference point distance was found to be (22.0±2.0 cm). The half-value layer for different x-ray energies were measured using different thickness of aluminum and copper sheets. Results were found to be in a good agreement with the previous results measured by the international Atomic Energy Agency. (Author)

Liver Stiffness Measured by Two-Dimensional Shear-Wave Elastography: Prognostic Value after Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Dong Ho; Lee, Jeong Min; Yoon, Jung-Hwan; Kim, Yoon Jun; Lee, Jeong-Hoon; Yu, Su Jong; Han, Joon Koo

2018-03-01

To evaluate the prognostic value of liver stiffness (LS) measured using two-dimensional (2D) shear-wave elastography (SWE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated by radiofrequency ablation (RFA). The Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study and informed consent was obtained from all patients. A total of 134 patients with up to 3 HCCs ≤5 cm who had undergone pre-procedural 2D-SWE prior to RFA treatment between January 2012 and December 2013 were enrolled. LS values were measured using real-time 2D-SWE before RFA on the procedural day. After a mean follow-up of 33.8 ± 9.9 months, we analyzed the overall survival after RFA using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard regression model. The optimal cutoff LS value to predict overall survival was determined using the minimal p value approach. During the follow-up period, 22 patients died, and the estimated 1- and 3-year overall survival rates were 96.4 and 85.8%, respectively. LS measured by 2D-SWE was found to be a significant predictive factor for overall survival after RFA of HCCs, as was the presence of extrahepatic metastases. As for the optimal cutoff LS value for the prediction of overall survival, it was determined to be 13.3 kPa. In our study, 71 patients had LS values ≥13.3 kPa, and the estimated 3-year overall survival was 76.8% compared to 96.3% in 63 patients with LS values measured by 2D-SWE was a significant predictive factor for overall survival after RFA for HCC.

What Is the Value of Value-Based Purchasing?

Science.gov (United States)

Tanenbaum, Sandra J

2016-10-01

Value-based purchasing (VBP) is a widely favored strategy for improving the US health care system. The meaning of value that predominates in VBP schemes is (1) conformance to selected process and/or outcome metrics, and sometimes (2) such conformance at the lowest possible cost. In other words, VBP schemes choose some number of "quality indicators" and financially incent providers to meet them (and not others). Process measures are usually based on clinical science that cannot determine the effects of a process on individual patients or patients with comorbidities, and do not necessarily measure effects that patients value; additionally, there is no provision for different patients valuing different things. Proximate outcome measures may or may not predict distal ones, and the more distal the outcome, the less reliably it can be attributed to health care. Outcome measures may be quite rudimentary, such as mortality rates, or highly contestable: survival or function after prostate surgery? When cost is an element of value-based purchasing, it is the cost to the value-based payer and not to other payers or patients' families. The greatest value of value-based purchasing may not be to patients or even payers, but to policy makers seeking a morally justifiable alternative to politically contested regulatory policies. Copyright © 2016 by Duke University Press.

Critical micelle concentration values for different surfactants measured with solid-phase microextraction fibers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haftka, Joris J H; Scherpenisse, Peter; Oetter, G??nter; Hodges, Geoff; Eadsforth, Charles V.; Kotthoff, Matthias; Hermens, Joop L M

The amphiphilic nature of surfactants drives the formation of micelles at the critical micelle concentration (CMC). Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibres were used in the present study to measure CMC values of twelve nonionic, anionic, cationic and zwitterionic surfactants. The SPME derived CMC

Realization of Arbitrary Positive-Operator-Value Measurement of Single Atomic Qubit via Cavity QED

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Han; Wei, Wu; Chun-Wang, Wu; Hong-Yi, Dai; Cheng-Zu, Li

2008-01-01

Positive-operator-value measurement (POVM) is the most general class of quantum measurement. We propose a scheme to deterministically implement arbitrary POVMs of single atomic qubit via cavity QED catalysed by only one ancilla atomic qubit. By appropriately entangling two atomic qubits and sequentially measuring the ancilla qubit, any POVM can be implemented step by step. As an application of our scheme, the realization of a specific POVM for optimal unambiguous discrimination (OUD) between two nonorthogonal states is given

Realization of Arbitrary Positive-Operator-Value Measurement of Single Atomic Qubit via Cavity QED

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Yang; Wu, Wei; Wu, Chun-Wang; Dai, Hong-Yi; Li, Cheng-Zu

2008-12-01

Positive-operator-value measurement (POVM) is the most general class of quantum measurement. We propose a scheme to deterministically implement arbitrary POVMs of single atomic qubit via cavity QED catalysed by only one ancilla atomic qubit. By appropriately entangling two atomic qubits and sequentially measuring the ancilla qubit, any POVM can be implemented step by step. As an application of our scheme, the realization of a specific POVM for optimal unambiguous discrimination (OUD) between two nonorthogonal states is given.

Measuring the nose in septorhinoplasty patients: ultrasonographic standard values and clinical correlations.

Science.gov (United States)

Stenner, Markus; Koopmann, Mario; Rudack, Claudia

2017-02-01

Although septorhinoplasty is the most commonly performed operation in plastic surgery, and the surgical plan as well as its outcome is directly related to the configuration of the anatomical structures in the nose, these are not routinely assessed preoperatively. The aim of our study was to evaluate the nasal soft tissue and cartilaginous structures by means of high-resolution ultrasonography to set up clinical correlations and standard values. We examined 44 patients before septorhinoplasty by high-resolution ultrasonography in noncontact mode. All pictures were quantitatively evaluated by measuring 13 lengths and 4 ratios. All patients underwent a rhinomanometry measuring the nasal air flow. Besides others, men as well as older patients have a significantly thicker alar cartilage. Patients with thinner alar cartilages have a significantly smaller interdomal distance as well as significantly thinner upper lateral cartilages. The soft tissue above the bony dorsum was significantly thicker in older patients. Younger patients have significantly thicker soft tissue in relation to their cartilage. Patients with thicker soft tissue and thinner cartilage have a smaller tip. The interdomal distance and the thickness of the cartilaginous septum significantly correlated with the nasal air flow. We set up standard values of nasal structures in septorhinoplasty patients which can be used as reference values. By judging cartilage and soft tissue characteristics preoperatively, relevant factors for distinct procedures could be analyzed and the surgical steps can be better planned. Visualization by ultrasonography enables the surgeon to achieve treatment goals in a more predictable fashion.

Cell-associated HIV DNA measured early during infection has prognostic value independent of serum HIV RNA measured concomitantly

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katzenstein, Terese L; Oliveri, Roberto S; Benfield, Thomas

2002-01-01

Using data from the Danish AIDS Cohort of HIV-infected homosexual men established in the 1980s, the prognostic value of early HIV DNA loads was evaluated. In addition to DNA measurements, concomitant serum HIV RNA levels, CD4 cell counts and CCR5 genotypes were determined. The patients were divided...... of serum HIV RNA (p normal allele (p

The predictive value of quantitative fibronectin testing in combination with cervical length measurement in symptomatic women

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bruijn, Merel M. C.; Kamphuis, Esme I.; Hoesli, Irene M.; Martinez de Tejada, Begoña; Loccufier, Anne R.; Kühnert, Maritta; Helmer, Hanns; Franz, Marie; Porath, Martina M.; Oudijk, Martijn A.; Jacquemyn, Yves; Schulzke, Sven M.; Vetter, Grit; Hoste, Griet; Vis, Jolande Y.; Kok, Marjolein; Mol, Ben W. J.; van Baaren, Gert-Jan

2016-01-01

The combination of the qualitative fetal fibronectin test and cervical length measurement has a high negative predictive value for preterm birth within 7 days; however, positive prediction is poor. A new bedside quantitative fetal fibronectin test showed potential additional value over the

Investigating Efficiency of Vector-Valued Intensity Measures in Seismic Demand Assessment of Concrete Dams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Alembagheri

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The efficiency of vector-valued intensity measures for predicting the seismic demand in gravity dams is investigated. The Folsom gravity dam-reservoir coupled system is selected and numerically analyzed under a set of two-hundred actual ground motions. First, the well-defined scalar IMs are separately investigated, and then they are coupled to form two-parameter vector IMs. After that, IMs consisting of spectral acceleration at the first-mode natural period of the dam-reservoir system along with a measure of the spectral shape (the ratio of spectral acceleration at a second period to the first-mode spectral acceleration value are considered. It is attempted to determine the optimal second period by categorizing the spectral acceleration at the first-mode period of vibration. The efficiency of the proposed vector IMs is compared with scalar ones considering various structural responses as EDPs. Finally, the probabilistic seismic behavior of the dam is investigated by calculating its fragility curves employing scalar and vector IMs considering the effect of zero response values.

Partial discharge measurements on 110kV current transformers. Setting the control value. Case study

Science.gov (United States)

Dan, C.; Morar, R.

2017-05-01

The case study presents a series of partial discharge measurements, reflecting the state of insulation of 110kV CURRENT TRANSFORMERS located in Sibiu county substations. Measurements were performed based on electrical method, using MPD600: an acquisition and analysis toolkit for detecting, recording, and analyzing partial discharges. MPD600 consists of one acquisition unit, an optical interface and a computer with dedicated software. The system allows measurements of partial discharge on site, even in presence of strong electromagnetic interferences because it provides synchronous acquisition from all measurement points. Therefore, measurements, with the ability to be calibrated, do render: - a value subject to interpretation according to IEC 61869-1:2007 + IEC 61869-2:2012 + IEC 61869-3:2011 + IEC 61869-5:2011 and IEC 60270: 2000; - the possibility to determine the quantitative limit of PD (a certain control value) to which the equipment can be operated safely and repaired with minimal costs (relative to the high costs implied by eliminating the consequences of a failure) identified empirically (process in which the instrument transformer subjected to the tests was completely destroyed).

Construction of extremal local positive-operator-valued measures under symmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Virmani, S.; Plenio, M.B.

2003-01-01

We study the local implementation of positive-operator-valued measures (POVMs) when we require only the faithful reproduction of the statistics of the measurement outcomes for all initial states. We first demonstrate that any POVM with separable elements can be implemented by a separable superoperator, and develop techniques for calculating the extreme points of POVMs under a certain class of constraint that includes separability and positive partial transposition. As examples we consider measurements that are invariant under various symmetry groups (Werner, isotropic, Bell diagonal, local orthogonal), and demonstrate that in these cases separability of the POVM elements is equivalent to implementability via local operations and classical communication (LOCC). We also calculate the extrema of these classes of measurement under the groups that we consider, and give explicit LOCC protocols for attaining them. These protocols are hence optimal methods for locally discriminating between states of these symmetries. One of many interesting consequences is that the best way to locally discriminate Bell-diagonal mixed states is to perform a two-outcome POVM using local von Neumann projections. This is true regardless of the cost function, the number of states being discriminated, or the prior probabilities. Our results give the first cases of local mixed-state discrimination that can be analyzed quantitatively in full, and may have application to other problems such as demonstrations of nonlocality, experimental entanglement witnesses, and perhaps even entanglement distillation

Realization of arbitrary positive-operator-value measurement of single atomic qubit via cavity QED

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Yang; Wu Wei; Wu Chunwang; Dai Hongyi; Li Chengzu

2008-01-01

Positive-operator-value measurement (POVM) is the most general class of quantum measurement. We propose a scheme to deterministically implement arbitrary POVMs of single atomic qubit via cavity QED catalysed by only one ancilla atomic qubit. By appropriately entangling two atomic qubits and sequentially measuring the ancilla qubit, any POVM can be implemented step by step. As an application of our scheme, the realization of a specific POVM for optimal unambiguous discrimination (OUD) between two nonorthogonal states is given. (authors)

Measurement of definite integral of sinusoidal signal absolute value third power using digital stochastic method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beljić Željko

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper a special case of digital stochastic measurement of the third power of definite integral of sinusoidal signal’s absolute value, using 2-bit AD converters is presented. This case of digital stochastic method had emerged from the need to measure power and energy of the wind. Power and energy are proportional to the third power of wind speed. Anemometer output signal is sinusoidal. Therefore an integral of the third power of sinusoidal signal is zero. Two approaches are proposed for the third power calculation of the wind speed signal. One approach is to use absolute value of sinusoidal signal (before AD conversion for which there is no need of multiplier hardware change. The second approach requires small multiplier hardware change, but input signal remains unchanged. For the second approach proposed minimal hardware change was made to calculate absolute value of the result after AD conversion. Simulations have confirmed theoretical analysis. Expected precision of wind energy measurement of proposed device is better than 0,00051% of full scale. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR32019

Q values of the 76Ge and 100Mo double-beta decays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahaman, S.; Elomaa, V.-V.; Eronen, T.; Hakala, J.; Jokinen, A.; Julin, J.; Kankainen, A.; Saastamoinen, A.; Suhonen, J.; Weber, C.; Aystoe, J.

2008-01-01

Penning trap measurements using mixed beams of 76 Ge- 76 Se and 100 Mo- 100 Ru have been utilized to determine the double-beta decay Q-values of 76 Ge and 100 Mo with uncertainties less than 200 eV. The value for 76 Ge, 2039.04(16) keV is in agreement with the published SMILETRAP value, 2039.006(50) keV. The new value for 100 Mo, 3034.40(17) keV is 30 times more precise than the previous literature value, sufficient for the ongoing neutrinoless double-beta decay searches in 100 Mo. Moreover, the precise Q-value is used to calculate the phase-space integrals and the experimental nuclear matrix element of double-beta decay

Measurement of the 1S-2S frequency in atomic hydrogen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hildum, E.A.

1986-01-01

A first precise measurement of the 1S-2S energy interval in atomic hydrogen was obtained by observing the 1S-2S transition in an atomic beam by pulsed Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy and using an interferometrically calibrated line of 130 Te 2 at 486 nm as the references. The measured 1S-2S frequency is 2,466,061 395.6(4.9)MHz. With the calculated 1S Lamb shift, the 1S-2S frequency yields a value for the Rydberg constant, R/sub ∞/ = 109,737.314 92(22) cm -1 , which is not in good agreement with the most recent previously measured value, 109,737.315 44(11) cm -1 , obtained by S.R. Amin et al. It is, however, in good agreement with a previous Rydberg value, 109,737.315 04(32) cm -1 , measured by J.E.M. Goldsmith. If the Rydberg constant is taken as given, the 1S-2S frequency determines a value for the 1S Lamb shift. With Amin's Rydberg, the measured Lamb shift is 8161.0(5.4) MHz, in poor agreement with the theoretical value of 8149.43(8) MHz. With Goldsmith's Rydberg, the measurement Lamb shift is 8151.0(8.7) MHz, in good agreement with theory

A quantum inspired model of radar range and range-rate measurements with applications to weak value measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Escalante, George

2017-05-01

Weak Value Measurements (WVMs) with pre- and post-selected quantum mechanical ensembles were proposed by Aharonov, Albert, and Vaidman in 1988 and have found numerous applications in both theoretical and applied physics. In the field of precision metrology, WVM techniques have been demonstrated and proven valuable as a means to shift, amplify, and detect signals and to make precise measurements of small effects in both quantum and classical systems, including: particle spin, the Spin-Hall effect of light, optical beam deflections, frequency shifts, field gradients, and many others. In principal, WVM amplification techniques are also possible in radar and could be a valuable tool for precision measurements. However, relatively limited research has been done in this area. This article presents a quantum-inspired model of radar range and range-rate measurements of arbitrary strength, including standard and pre- and post-selected measurements. The model is used to extend WVM amplification theory to radar, with the receive filter performing the post-selection role. It is shown that the description of range and range-rate measurements based on the quantum-mechanical measurement model and formalism produces the same results as the conventional approach used in radar based on signal processing and filtering of the reflected signal at the radar receiver. Numerical simulation results using simple point scatterrer configurations are presented, applying the quantum-inspired model of radar range and range-rate measurements that occur in the weak measurement regime. Potential applications and benefits of the quantum inspired approach to radar measurements are presented, including improved range and Doppler measurement resolution.

Valuation of Green Walls and Green Roofs as Soundscape Measures: Including Monetised Amenity Values Together with Noise-attenuation Values in a Cost-benefit Analysis of a Green Wall Affecting Courtyards

Science.gov (United States)

Veisten, Knut; Smyrnova, Yuliya; Klæboe, Ronny; Hornikx, Maarten; Mosslemi, Marjan; Kang, Jian

2012-01-01

Economic unit values of soundscape/acoustic effects have been based on changes in the number of annoyed persons or on decibel changes. The normal procedure has been the application of these unit values to noise-attenuation measures affecting the noisier façade of a dwelling. Novel modular vegetation-based soundscape measures, so-called green walls, might be relevant for both noisy and quieter areas. Moreover, their benefits will comprise noise attenuation as well as non-acoustic amenity effects. One challenge is to integrate the results of some decades of non-acoustic research on the amenity value of urban greenery into design of the urban sound environment, and incorporate these non-acoustic properties in the overall economic assessment of noise control and overall sound environment improvement measures. Monetised unit values for green walls have been included in two alternative cases, or demonstration projects, of covering the entrances to blocks of flats with a green wall. Since these measures improve the noise environment on the quiet side of the dwellings and courtyards, not the most exposed façade, adjustment factors to the nominal quiet side decibel reductions to arrive at an estimate of the equivalent overall acoustic improvement have been applied. A cost-benefit analysis of the green wall case indicates that this measure is economically promising, when valuing the noise attenuation in the quieter area and adding the amenity/aesthetic value of the green wall. PMID:23202816

Valuation of Green Walls and Green Roofs as Soundscape Measures: Including Monetised Amenity Values Together with Noise-attenuation Values in a Cost-benefit Analysis of a Green Wall Affecting Courtyards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Kang

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Economic unit values of soundscape/acoustic effects have been based on changes in the number of annoyed persons or on decibel changes. The normal procedure has been the application of these unit values to noise-attenuation measures affecting the noisier façade of a dwelling. Novel modular vegetation-based soundscape measures, so-called green walls, might be relevant for both noisy and quieter areas. Moreover, their benefits will comprise noise attenuation as well as non-acoustic amenity effects. One challenge is to integrate the results of some decades of non-acoustic research on the amenity value of urban greenery into design of the urban sound environment, and incorporate these non-acoustic properties in the overall economic assessment of noise control and overall sound environment improvement measures. Monetised unit values for green walls have been included in two alternative cases, or demonstration projects, of covering the entrances to blocks of flats with a green wall. Since these measures improve the noise environment on the quiet side of the dwellings and courtyards, not the most exposed façade, adjustment factors to the nominal quiet side decibel reductions to arrive at an estimate of the equivalent overall acoustic improvement have been applied. A cost-benefit analysis of the green wall case indicates that this measure is economically promising, when valuing the noise attenuation in the quieter area and adding the amenity/aesthetic value of the green wall.

The Study and Measurement of Values and Attitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerlinger, Fred N.

The author defines values, attitudes, and beliefs according to their relation to referents. A referent is a construct standing for a set or category of social objects, ideas, or behaviors that is the focus of an attitude. Attitudes and values are belief systems. Beliefs are enduring cognitions about referents; beliefs reflect the value and…

Hybrid value foraging: How the value of targets shapes human foraging behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfe, Jeremy M; Cain, Matthew S; Alaoui-Soce, Abla

2018-04-01

In hybrid foraging, observers search visual displays for multiple instances of multiple target types. In previous hybrid foraging experiments, although there were multiple types of target, all instances of all targets had the same value. Under such conditions, behavior was well described by the marginal value theorem (MVT). Foragers left the current "patch" for the next patch when the instantaneous rate of collection dropped below their average rate of collection. An observer's specific target selections were shaped by previous target selections. Observers were biased toward picking another instance of the same target. In the present work, observers forage for instances of four target types whose value and prevalence can vary. If value is kept constant and prevalence manipulated, participants consistently show a preference for the most common targets. Patch-leaving behavior follows MVT. When value is manipulated, observers favor more valuable targets, though individual foraging strategies become more diverse, with some observers favoring the most valuable target types very strongly, sometimes moving to the next patch without collecting any of the less valuable targets.

Normal values for bone mineral content measured by dual photon absorptiometry in children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tison, F.; Lecouffe, P.; Rousseau, J.; Marchandise, X.; Ythier, H.

1990-01-01

The results of dual photon absorptiometry measurements in 43 normal children are analyzed. Results were correlated with age, body weight, and stature. Reference stature-specific values for bone mineral content in children are proposed. Furthermore, the results show that mineralization continues beyond the end of statural growth [fr

Values, attitudes and intention to consume wild fish versus farmed fish in Nha Trang

OpenAIRE

Nelka Rajani, Pemattuge

2010-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the consumers’ values and the difference in consumption, attitude and intention to consume wild fish versus farmed fish in Vietnam. Second, it aimed to investigate the relationship between values, attitudes and intention to consume wild versus farmed fish by applying value-attitude-behavior model. The measurement scales used here were adapted from previous studies found in the literature. The survey was conducted in Nha Trang, Vietnam, amon...

Half-life, branching-ratio, and Q-value measurement for the superallowed 0+→0+β+ emitter 42Ti

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nieto, T. Kurtukian; Souin, J.; Audirac, L.; Blank, B.; Giovinazzo, J.; Eronen, T.; Aeystoe, J.; Elomaa, V.-V.; Hager, U.; Hakala, J.; Jokinen, A.; Kankainen, A.; Karvonen, P.; Kessler, T.; Moore, I. D.; Penttilae, H.; Rahaman, S.; Reponen, M.; Rissanen, J.; Saastamoinen, A.

2009-01-01

The half-life, the branching ratio, and the decay Q value of the superallowed β emitter 42 Ti were measured in an experiment performed at the JYFLTRAP facility of the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyvaeskylae. 42 Ti is the heaviest T z =-1 nucleus for which high-precision measurements of these quantities have been tried. The half-life (T 1/2 =208.14±0.45 ms) and the Q value [Q EC =7016.83(25) keV] are close to or reach the required precision of about 0.1%. The branching ratio for the superallowed decay branch [BR=47.7(12)%], a by-product of the half-life measurement, does not reach the necessary precision yet. Nonetheless, these results allow one to determine the experimental ft value and the corrected Ft value to be 3114(79) and 3122(79) s, respectively.

Non-ionizing radiation exposure: electric field strength measurement ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this research, the measured values are compared with the international standard recommended by ICNIRP then were also compared with previous study from several locations around Malaysia. The result shows an increase in the values of electromagnetic field radiation. The result of this study could be used for health ...

ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED AND MARKET VALUE ADDED - MODERN INDICATORS FOR ASSESSMENT THE FIRM’S VALUE

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NICOLAE SICHIGEA

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The financial theory developed different categories of indicators - traditional and modern - in order to evaluate the firm’s value creation. The shareholders are directly interested by the value added in the company. The value creation is a complex process that implies correct decisions, common responsibility (managers and shareholders and actions towards an efficient and profitable activity. The traditional indicators of performance are not teoritically correlated with the the value creation and in these circumstances, should be used appropriate financial indicators in order to reflect the value of the company. Therefore, the modern indicators used in the value based management framework offer a greater flexibility and efficiency and represent a good alternative for companies. Such performance indicators used to measure the financial results correlated with shareholder wealth are the Economic Value Added (EVA, as a measure of internal performance and the Market Value Added (MVA as a measure of external performance of the company. Starting from the main deficiencies of the accounting indicators, the objective of this this study is to present the relationship between EVA and MVA and their implications on firms’valuation. Thus, the presentation and analysis of these indicators – EVA and MVA - will underline the main features, their correlations, and influence factors but also the main advantage and disadvantage of each indicator, which will enable the managers to make the correct choice and subsequently the best decision regarding the performance measures.

Non-Markovian stochastic Schroedinger equations: Generalization to real-valued noise using quantum-measurement theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gambetta, Jay; Wiseman, H.M.

2002-01-01

Do stochastic Schroedinger equations, also known as unravelings, have a physical interpretation? In the Markovian limit, where the system on average obeys a master equation, the answer is yes. Markovian stochastic Schroedinger equations generate quantum trajectories for the system state conditioned on continuously monitoring the bath. For a given master equation, there are many different unravelings, corresponding to different sorts of measurement on the bath. In this paper we address the non-Markovian case, and in particular the sort of stochastic Schroedinger equation introduced by Strunz, Diosi, and Gisin [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 1801 (1999)]. Using a quantum-measurement theory approach, we rederive their unraveling that involves complex-valued Gaussian noise. We also derive an unraveling involving real-valued Gaussian noise. We show that in the Markovian limit, these two unravelings correspond to heterodyne and homodyne detection, respectively. Although we use quantum-measurement theory to define these unravelings, we conclude that the stochastic evolution of the system state is not a true quantum trajectory, as the identity of the state through time is a fiction

Measuring the Value of New Drugs: Validity and Reliability of 4 Value Assessment Frameworks in the Oncology Setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Bentley, Tanya G K; Cohen, Joshua T; Elkin, Elena B; Huynh, Julie; Mukherjea, Arnab; Neville, Thanh H; Mei, Matthew; Copher, Ronda; Knoth, Russell; Popescu, Ioana; Lee, Jackie; Zambrano, Jenelle M; Broder, Michael S

2017-06-01

Several organizations have developed frameworks to systematically assess the value of new drugs. To evaluate the convergent validity and interrater reliability of 4 value frameworks to understand the extent to which these tools can facilitate value-based treatment decisions in oncology. Eight panelists used the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) frameworks to conduct value assessments of 15 drugs for advanced lung and breast cancers and castration-refractory prostate cancer. Panelists received instructions and published clinical data required to complete the assessments, assigning each drug a numeric or letter score. Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance for Ranks (Kendall's W) was used to measure convergent validity by cancer type among the 4 frameworks. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to measure interrater reliability for each framework across cancers. Panelists were surveyed on their experiences. Kendall's W across all 4 frameworks for breast, lung, and prostate cancer drugs was 0.560 (P= 0.010), 0.562 (P = 0.010), and 0.920 (P fair to excellent, increasing with clinical benefit subdomain concordance and simplicity of drug trial data. Interrater reliability, highest for ASCO and ESMO, improved with clarity of instructions and specificity of score definitions. Continued use, analyses, and refinements of these frameworks will bring us closer to the ultimate goal of using value-based treatment decisions to improve patient care and outcomes. This work was funded by Eisai Inc. Copher and Knoth are employees of Eisai Inc. Bentley, Lee, Zambrano, and Broder are employees of Partnership for Health Analytic Research, a health services research company paid by Eisai Inc. to conduct this research. For this study, Cohen, Huynh, and Neville report fees from Partnership for Health Analytic Research

Effective diffusion coefficients and porosity values for argillaceous rocks and bentonite: measured and estimated values for the provisional safety analyses for SGT-E2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Loon, L.R.

2014-11-01

In Stage 2 of the Sectoral Plan for Deep Geological Repositories, safety analyses have to be performed. Geochemical parameters describing the transport and retardation of radionuclides in the argillaceous rocks considered and in compacted bentonite are required. In the present report, diffusion parameters for all clay host rocks, confining units and compacted bentonite are derived. Diffusion of tritiated water (HTO), "3"6Cl"- and "2"2Na"+ was studied. The measurements gave values for effective diffusion coefficients (D_e) and diffusion accessible porosities. The general observed trend "N"aD_e > "H"T"OD_e > "C"lD_e is in agreement with the expected behaviour of the three species in clay materials: ion exchanging cations show an enhanced mobility due to surface diffusion effects and anions are slowed down due to anion exclusion. Due to the negatively charged clay surfaces, anionic species are repelled from these surfaces resulting in an accessible porosity that is smaller than the total porosity as measured with HTO. The effect of porewater composition on the diffusion of HTO, "3"6Cl"- and "2"2Na"+ in Opalinus Clay was investigated. For ionic strength (IS) values between 0.17 M and 1.07 M, no significant effect on D_e could be observed. In the case of "3"6Cl"-, no effect on the accessible porosity was observed. The anion diffusion accessible porosity equals 50-60 % of the total porosity, independent on the ionic strength of the porewater. The diffusion parameters were measured on sedimentary rocks such as chalk, clay and limestone rocks. All data could be described by one single modified version of Archie's relation (extended Archie's relation). For values of porosity greater than about 0.1, the classical Archie's relation was valid. For values smaller than 0.1, the data deviated from the classical Archie's relation; this can be explained by additional changes of tortuosity with porosity values. At high porosity values (low density rocks), the microfabric of the clay

Measuring striving for understanding and learning value of geometry: a validity study

Science.gov (United States)

Ubuz, Behiye; Aydınyer, Yurdagül

2017-11-01

The current study aimed to construct a questionnaire that measures students' personality traits related to striving for understanding and learning value of geometry and then examine its psychometric properties. Through the use of multiple methods on two independent samples of 402 and 521 middle school students, two studies were performed to address this issue to provide support for its validity. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis indicated the two-factor model. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis indicated the better fit of two-factor model compared to one or three-factor model. Convergent and discriminant validity evidence provided insight into the distinctiveness of the two factors. Subgroup validity evidence revealed gender differences for striving for understanding geometry trait favouring girls and grade level differences for learning value of geometry trait favouring the sixth- and seventh-grade students. Predictive validity evidence demonstrated that the striving for understanding geometry trait but not learning value of geometry trait was significantly correlated with prior mathematics achievement. In both studies, each factor and the entire questionnaire showed satisfactory reliability. In conclusion, the questionnaire was psychometrically sound.

Creating Stakeholder Value through Risk Mitigation Measures in the Context of Disaster Management

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Minna Räikkönen

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The resilience of critical infrastructure (CI to extreme weather events (EWE is one of the most demanding challenges for all stakeholders in modern society. Although partial risk reduction is feasible through the introduction and implementation of various risk mitigation measures (RMM, decision-makers at all decision-making levels are pressured to find ways to cope with the impending extreme weather and to have a thorough understanding of the EWE impacts on CI. This paper discusses how the value of RMMs can be created and assessed in a stakeholder network. Qualitative research methods, namely literature review and AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process, were applied as research methods. The paper examines how disaster management and value creation both converge and differ from each other. It also presents a case study on the value of various RMM and the impacts of extreme winter conditions on electricity distribution in Finland. Based on the case study, the most important value criterion was the benefits of the RMM in economic, social, and environmental terms. At a fundamental level, the value of RMM should be expressed not only in terms of money but also in regard to safety, security, societal acceptability, CI dependability, and other typically intangible criteria. Moreover, the results reveal that the interrelationship of value creation and disaster management offers new insights to both approaches.

The Math-Biology Values Instrument: Development of a Tool to Measure Life Science Majors' Task Values of Using Math in the Context of Biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, Sarah E; Runyon, Christopher; Aikens, Melissa L

2017-01-01

In response to calls to improve the quantitative training of undergraduate biology students, there have been increased efforts to better integrate math into biology curricula. One challenge of such efforts is negative student attitudes toward math, which are thought to be particularly prevalent among biology students. According to theory, students' personal values toward using math in a biological context will influence their achievement and behavioral outcomes, but a validated instrument is needed to determine this empirically. We developed the Math-Biology Values Instrument (MBVI), an 11-item college-level self--report instrument grounded in expectancy-value theory, to measure life science students' interest in using math to understand biology, the perceived usefulness of math to their life science career, and the cost of using math in biology courses. We used a process that integrates multiple forms of validity evidence to show that scores from the MBVI can be used as a valid measure of a student's value of math in the context of biology. The MBVI can be used by instructors and researchers to help identify instructional strategies that influence math-biology values and understand how math-biology values are related to students' achievement and decisions to pursue more advanced quantitative-based courses. © 2017 S. E. Andrews et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2017 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Valuing happiness is associated with bipolar disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, Brett Q; Mauss, Iris B; Gruber, June

2015-04-01

Although people who experience happiness tend to have better psychological health, people who value happiness to an extreme tend to have worse psychological health, including more depression. We propose that the extreme valuing of happiness may be a general risk factor for mood disturbances, both depressive and manic. To test this hypothesis, we examined the relationship between the extreme valuing of happiness and risk for, diagnosis of, and illness course for bipolar disorder (BD). Supporting our hypothesis, the extreme valuing of happiness was associated with a measure of increased risk for developing BD (Studies 1 and 2), increased likelihood of past diagnosis of BD (Studies 2 and 3), and worse prospective illness course in BD (Study 3), even when controlling for current mood symptoms (Studies 1-3). These findings indicate that the extreme valuing of happiness is associated with and even predicts BD. Taken together with previous evidence, these findings suggest that the extreme valuing of happiness is a general risk factor for mood disturbances. More broadly, what emotions people strive to feel may play a critical role in psychological health. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

How the risky features of previous selection affect subsequent decision-making: evidence from behavioral and fMRI measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Guangheng; Zhang, Yifen; Xu, Jiaojing; Lin, Xiao; Du, Xiaoxia

2015-01-01

Human decision making is rarely conducted in temporal isolation. It is often biased and affected by environmental variables, particularly prior selections. In this study, we used a task that simulates a real gambling process to explore the effect of the risky features of a previous selection on subsequent decision making. Compared with decision making after an advantageous risk-taking situation (Risk_Adv), that after a disadvantageous risk-taking situation (Risk_Disadv) is associated with a longer response time (RT, the time spent in making decisions) and higher brain activations in the caudate and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Compared with decisions after Risk_Adv, those after Risk_Disadv in loss trials are associated with higher brain activations in the left superior temporal gyrus (STG) and the precuneus. Brain activity and relevant RTs significantly correlated. Overall, people who experience disadvantageous risk-taking selections tend to focus on current decision making and engage cognitive endeavors in value evaluation and in the regulation of their risk-taking behaviors during decision making.

Predictive value of noninvasive measures of atherosclerosis for incident myocardial infarction - The Rotterdam study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Meer, IM; Bots, ML; Hofman, A; del Sol, AI; van der Kuip, DAM; Witteman, JCM

2004-01-01

Background - Several noninvasive methods are available to investigate the severity of extracoronary atherosclerotic disease. No population- based study has yet examined whether differences exist between these measures with regard to their predictive value for myocardial infarction (MI) or whether a

Measurements of the total-body potassium contents. Application of reference value with the whole-body counter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamamoto, Tetsuo [Chiba Univ. (Japan). Inst. for Training Radiological Technicians; Saegusa, Kenji; Arimizu, Noboru; Kuniyasu, Yoshio; Itoh, Hisao

2001-08-01

The total-body potassium contents were measured in 405 healthy volunteers and 186 patients with whole body counter in Chiba University Hospital. The total-body potassium contents was expressed by the reference value (R value). The R value was calculated as measured potassium contents (g) divided by the body surface area (m{sup 2}) and adjusted by age and sex of healthy persons. The R value was 100.65{+-}9.22% in 405 healthy volunteers. Those of each disease were as follows: liver cirrhosis; 94.24{+-}11.22%, chronic hepatitis; 95.74{+-}11.24%, hyperthyroidism; 99.37{+-}10.8%, periodic paralysis; 82.0{+-}9.01%, Barter's syndrome; 93.99{+-}9.86%, myasthenia gravis; 97.34{+-}6.42% and hypo-potassemia; 90.64{+-}11.76%, respectively. The R values of other diseases such as uterine cancer, breast cancer, anemia, hypertension were 97.78{+-}11.5%, 99.22{+-}8.88%, 96.64{+-}12.73%, 98.5{+-}9.63% respectively. Fourteen patients showed especially lower R values under 75%. These were 1 liver cirrhosis, 3 hypertension, 1 diabetes mellitus, 3 hypo-potassemia, 1 periodic paralysis, 2 Barter's syndrome, 2 chemical poisoning, and 1 breast cancer. Follow-up study was performed in some patients with the lower R values. The result of follow-up study showed that there was a relationship between improvement of symptoms and increase of total body potassium contents. (author)

Measurements of the total-body potassium contents. Application of reference value with the whole-body counter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Tetsuo; Saegusa, Kenji; Arimizu, Noboru; Kuniyasu, Yoshio; Itoh, Hisao

2001-01-01

The total-body potassium contents were measured in 405 healthy volunteers and 186 patients with whole body counter in Chiba University Hospital. The total-body potassium contents was expressed by the reference value (R value). The R value was calculated as measured potassium contents (g) divided by the body surface area (m 2 ) and adjusted by age and sex of healthy persons. The R value was 100.65±9.22% in 405 healthy volunteers. Those of each disease were as follows: liver cirrhosis; 94.24±11.22%, chronic hepatitis; 95.74±11.24%, hyperthyroidism; 99.37±10.8%, periodic paralysis; 82.0±9.01%, Barter's syndrome; 93.99±9.86%, myasthenia gravis; 97.34±6.42% and hypo-potassemia; 90.64±11.76%, respectively. The R values of other diseases such as uterine cancer, breast cancer, anemia, hypertension were 97.78±11.5%, 99.22±8.88%, 96.64±12.73%, 98.5±9.63% respectively. Fourteen patients showed especially lower R values under 75%. These were 1 liver cirrhosis, 3 hypertension, 1 diabetes mellitus, 3 hypo-potassemia, 1 periodic paralysis, 2 Barter's syndrome, 2 chemical poisoning, and 1 breast cancer. Follow-up study was performed in some patients with the lower R values. The result of follow-up study showed that there was a relationship between improvement of symptoms and increase of total body potassium contents. (author)

Maternal psychological distress and placental circulation in pregnancies after a previous offspring with congenital malformation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne Helbig

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Antenatal maternal psychological distress may be associated with reduced placental circulation, which could lead to lower birthweight. Studies investigating this in humans show mixed results, which may be partially due to type, strength and timing of distress. In addition, the arterial vascular resistance measures often used as outcome measures do not detect smaller changes in placental volume blood flow. We aimed to investigate the effect of a specific stressor, with increased levels of stress early in pregnancy, on the fetoplacental volume blood flow in third trimester. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of 74 pregnant women with a congenital malformation in a previous fetus or child. Psychological distress was assessed twice, around 16 and 30 weeks' gestation. Psychometric measures were the General Health Questionnaire-28 (subscales anxiety and depression, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and Impact of Event Scale-22 (subscales intrusion, avoidance, and arousal. Placental circulation was examined at 30 weeks, using Doppler ultrasonography, primarily as fetoplacental volume blood flow in the umbilical vein, normalized for abdominal circumference; secondarily as vascular resistance measures, obtained from the umbilical and the uterine arteries. RESULTS: Maternal distress in second but not third trimester was associated with increased normalized fetoplacental blood flow (P-values 0.006 and 0.013 for score > mean for depression and intrusion, respectively. Post-hoc explorations suggested that a reduced birthweight/placental weight ratio may mediate this association. Psychological distress did not affect vascular resistance measures in the umbilical and uterine arteries, regardless of adjustment for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: In pregnant women with a previous fetus or child with a congenital malformation, higher distress levels in second trimester were associated with third trimester fetoplacental blood flow that

Preliminary measurements of k{sub 0} values for W-186

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barros, Lívia F.; Dias, Mauro S.; Koskinas, Marina F.; Yamazaki, Ione M.; Semmler, Renato, E-mail: lfbarros@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNE-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2017-07-01

There are various methods of neutron activation analysis, one of these is the k{sub 0} Method for quantitative reactor Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). The k{sub 0}-NAA procedure is nowadays widely used in numerous laboratories performing NAA all over the world. Among these reactions, {sup 186}W(n, γ){sup 187}W can be considered important because it can be used for a W concentration measurements. The irradiations were performed at position 24A, near the core of the IEA-R1 4.5 MW swimming-pool nuclear research reactor of the Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN/SP - Nuclear and Energy Research Institute), in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Two irradiations were carried out in sequence, using two sets of samples: the first with a cadmium cover around the samples and the second without, in a total of three data sets with and without Cd cover performed in 2014 and 2015. The activity measurements were carried out in an HPGe gamma-ray spectrometer. Standard sources of {sup 152}Eu, {sup 133}Ba, {sup 60}Co and {sup 137}Cs supplied by the IAEA were used in order to obtain the HPGe gamma-ray peak efficiency as a function of the energy. The covariance matrix methodology was applied to all uncertainties involved. The preliminary values of k{sub 0} for {sup 186}W(n, γ){sup 187}W reaction for the gamma transition energy of 479.53 keV was 3.17 x 10{sup -2}(5), for 618.77 keV was 9.08 x 10{sup -3}(15) and for 685.77 keV was 3.88x10{sup -2}(6). These preliminary values for k{sub 0} have been compared with the literature. (author)

Special values of the hypergeometric series

CERN Document Server

Ebisu, Akihito

2017-01-01

In this paper, the author presents a new method for finding identities for hypergeoemtric series, such as the (Gauss) hypergeometric series, the generalized hypergeometric series and the Appell-Lauricella hypergeometric series. Furthermore, using this method, the author gets identities for the hypergeometric series F(a,b;c;x) and shows that values of F(a,b;c;x) at some points x can be expressed in terms of gamma functions, together with certain elementary functions. The author tabulates the values of F(a,b;c;x) that can be obtained with this method and finds that this set includes almost all previously known values and many previously unknown values.

An extended set-value observer for position estimation using single range measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marcal, Jose; Jouffroy, Jerome; Fossen, Thor I.

the observability of the system is briefly discussed and an extended set-valued observer is presented, with some discussion about the effect of the measurements noise on the final solution. This observer estimates bounds in the errors assuming that the exogenous signals are bounded, providing a safe region......The ability of estimating the position of an underwater vehicle from single range measurements is important in applications where one transducer marks an important geographical point, when there is a limitation in the size or cost of the vehicle, or when there is a failure in a system...... of transponders. The knowledge of the bearing of the vehicle and the range measurements from a single location can provide a solution which is sensitive to the trajectory that the vehicle is following, since there is no complete constraint on the position estimate with a single beacon. In this paper...

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 48: Valuing information in an interactive environment

Science.gov (United States)

Brinberg, Herbert R.; Pinelli, Thomas E.; Barclay, Rebecca O.

1995-01-01

Consideration effort has been devoted over the past 30 years to developing methods and means of assessing the value of information. Two approaches - value in exchange and value in use - dominate; however, neither approach enjoys much practical application because validation schema for decision-making is missing. The approaches fail to measure objectively the real costs of acquiring information and the real benefits that information will yield. Moreover, these approaches collectively fail to provide economic justification to build and/or continue to support an information product or service. In addition, the impact of Cyberspace adds a new dimension to the problem. A new paradigm is required to make economic sense in this revolutionary information environment. In previous work, the authors explored the various approaches to measuring the value of information and concluded that, in large measure, these methods were unworkable concepts and constructs. Instead, they proposed several axioms for valuing information. Most particularly they concluded that the 'value of information cannot be measured in the absence of a specific task, objective, or goal.' This paper builds on those axioms and describes under which circumstances information can be measured in objective and actionable terms. This paper also proposes a methodology for undertaking such measures and validating the results.

Combining Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing with Clinical Outcome in Cost-Effectiveness Analysis to Measure Value in Treatment of Depression.

Science.gov (United States)

El Alaoui, Samir; Lindefors, Nils

2016-01-01

A major challenge of mental health care is to provide safe and effective treatment with limited resources. The main purpose of this study was to examine a value-based approach in clinical psychiatry when evaluating a process improvement initiative. This was accomplished by using the relatively new time driven activity based costing (TDABC) method within the more widely adopted cost-effectiveness analysis framework for economic evaluation of healthcare technologies. The objective was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of allowing psychologists to perform post-treatment assessment previously performed by psychiatrists at an outpatient clinic treating depression using internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (ICBT). Data was collected from 568 adult patients treated with ICBT for depression during 2013-2014. The TDABC methodology was used to estimate total healthcare costs, including development of process maps for the complete cycle of care and estimation of resource use and minute costs of staff, hospital space and materials based on their relative proportions used. Clinical outcomes were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9) before and after treatment and at 6-month follow-up. Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) was performed and the results presented as incremental net benefits (INB), cost-effectiveness acceptability curves (CEACs) and confidence ellipses to demonstrate uncertainty around the value of the organizational intervention. Taking into account the complete healthcare process (from referral to follow-up assessment), treatment costs decreased from $709 (SD = $130) per patient in 2013 to $659 (SD = $134) in 2014 while treatment effectiveness was maintained; 27% had achieved full remission from depression after treatment (PHQ-9 cost-effectiveness plane at both post-treatment and at follow-up, indicating that the ICBT treatment was less costly and equally effective after staff reallocation. Treating patients to the target

Age-matched normal values and topographic maps for regional cerebral blood flow measurements by Xe-133 inhalation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, H.; Maeda, T.; Yamada, M.; Gui, L.X.; Tonami, N.; Hisada, K.

1984-01-01

The relationship between normal aging and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) computed as initial slope index (ISI) by Fourier method was investigated in 105 right-handed healthy volunteers (132 measurements) by Xe-133 inhalation method, and age-matched normal values were calculated. Mean brain ISI values showed significant negative correlation with advancing age (r . 0.70, p less than 0.001), and the regression line and its 95% confidence interval was Y . -0.32 (X - 19) + 63.5 +/- 11.2 (19 less than or equal to X less than or equal to 80). Regional ISI values also showed significant negative correlations for the entire brain (p less than 0.001). The regional reductions of ISI values with advancing age were significantly greater in the regional distribution of the middle cerebral arteries bilaterally, compared with regions in the distribution of the other arteries (p less than 0.05). Therefore, measured rCBF values for patients must be compared to age-matched normal values for mean hemispheric and each region examined. Two kinds of topographic maps, brain map showing rCBF compared to age-matched normal values and showing hemispheric differences were made by dividing patient's values by the 95% confidence limits for age-matched normal values and displaying laterality index calculated as follows, respectively. (formula; see text) These maps were useful for evaluating significantly decreased or increased regions and regional hemispheric differences

Measuring the financial value of brand as an intangible asset of an enterprise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popović Ana

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to explore the essence of the concept of brand value and valuation of brand as an important intellectual (intangible asset of the enterprise, as well as to identify the key elements that affect the financial value of the brand. Identifying these elements (ie. factors and drivers of brand value is very relevant for brand management aiming to ensure a greater contribution of a brand to the growth of the market value and improving competitiveness of an enterprise in future. The aim of this paper is to analyze the advantages and limitations of different methodologies for financial valuation of the brand. The structure of the paper consists of several parts. First, our attention focuses on the key differences between the brand value and brand equity. After that, follows an analysis of the general aspects of the methodology of measuring the financial value of the brand, and more detailed analysis of income, cost and market valuation approaches. The results of this paper are identified strengths and limitations of the analyzed methodologies for financial valuation of the brand, as well as guidelines for their practical application. The results of research, regarding the methods of financial valuation, are directed to facilitating adequate selection by marketing managers and executives of enterprises who should use them for effective everyday brand management, but also to make important strategic business decisions effectively in realizing certain business and financial transactions.

Prospects for |V$_{ub}$| measurements at LHCb

CERN Multimedia

Stefkova, Slavomira

2016-01-01

Precise measurements of the quark coupling strength, $|V_{ub}|$, the least well known CKM element, allow a strong test of the unitarity of the CKM matrix. Previous measurements using exclusive and inclusive methods have resulted in values of $|V_{ub}|$ which are 3$\\sigma$ apart. The first measurement of $|V_{ub}|$ at LHCb confirmed this tension using the $\\Lambda^{0}_{b} \\rightarrow p \\mu^{-} \\overline{\

Possible applications of instruments of measurement of the customer value in the operations of logistics companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Background: The growing popularity in recent years of marketing concepts of putting clients in the centre of the interest of companies as well as easy access to data related to customers' behaviors led to the increase of the importance of such concepts as the profitability and the value of the customer. But the customer value in not an unequivocal concept. It can be defined and measured individually depending on the needs of a company, an industry character, objectives or a time horizon. Methods: The following, most often used, methods for measuring customer value were selected, described and analyzed from the point of view of their usefulness: different types of the portfolio method (e.g. two-steps and three-steps one, nine-field matrix, etc, multidimensional analysis of customers, analysis of the rentability of customers, model PCV, ABC method, RFM method and CLV indicator. Results: The advantages and disadvantages of each of analyzed methods were presented and evaluated. The possible use of each of the methods was presented and discussed. In the sector of logistics companies, the measurement of the customer value can be an effective tool in managing the customer relationships and in increasing their profitability. Since there is no only one universal way of measuring the customer value, which is appropriate for every selected industry branch, the choice of a particular method depends on many factors, such as a business profile or number of clients served by a company. Conclusions: The aim of the identification of key customers is to facilitate the optimal allocation of resources of the company. Not all customers are equally important for the company, and the company is not able and should not try to acquire and satisfy needs of each customer. It should be remembered, that the evaluation of the customer value in logistics companies should not be restricted to only one of discussed methods. The analysis presented in this paper indicates, that

Strength Measurements in Acute Hamstring Injuries: Intertester Reliability and Prognostic Value of Handheld Dynamometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Reurink, Gustaaf; Goudswaard, Gert Jan; Moen, Maarten H; Tol, Johannes L; Verhaar, Jan A N; Weir, Adam

2016-08-01

Study Design Cohort study, repeated measures. Background Although hamstring strength measurements are used for assessing prognosis and monitoring recovery after hamstring injury, their actual clinical relevance has not been established. Handheld dynamometry (HHD) is a commonly used method of measuring muscle strength. The reliability of HHD has not been determined in athletes with acute hamstring injuries. Objectives To determine the intertester reliability and the prognostic value of hamstring HHD strength measurement in acute hamstring injuries. Methods We measured knee flexion strength with HHD in 75 athletes at 2 visits, at baseline (within 5 days of hamstring injury) and follow-up (5 to 7 days after the baseline measurement). We assessed isometric hamstring strength in 15° and 90° of knee flexion. Reliability analysis testing was performed by 2 testers independently at the follow-up visit. We recorded the time needed to return to play (RTP) up to 6 months following baseline. Results The intraclass correlation coefficients of the strength measurements in injured hamstrings were between 0.75 and 0.83. There was a statistically significant but weak correlation between the time to RTP and the strength deficit at 15° of knee flexion measured at baseline (Spearman r = 0.25, P = .045) and at the follow-up visit (Spearman r = 0.26, P = .034). Up to 7% of the variance in time to RTP is explained by this strength deficit. None of the other strength variables were significantly correlated with time to RTP. Conclusion Hamstring strength can be reliably measured with HHD in athletes with acute hamstring injuries. The prognostic value of strength measurements is limited, as there is only a weak association between the time to RTP and hamstring strength deficit after acute injury. Level of Evidence Prognosis, level 4. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2016;46(8):689-696. Epub 12 May 2016. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.6363.

Is "end of life" a special case? Connecting Q with survey methods to measure societal support for views on the value of life-extending treatments.

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Helen; Collins, Marissa; McHugh, Neil; Godwin, Jon; Van Exel, Job; Donaldson, Cam; Baker, Rachel

2018-05-01

Preference elicitation studies reporting societal views on the relative value of end-of-life treatments have produced equivocal results. This paper presents an alternative method, combining Q methodology and survey techniques (Q2S) to determine the distribution of 3 viewpoints on the relative value of end-of-life treatments identified in a previous, published, phase of this work. These were Viewpoint 1, "A population perspective: value for money, no special cases"; Viewpoint 2, "Life is precious: valuing life-extension and patient choice"; and Viewpoint 3, "Valuing wider benefits and opportunity cost: the quality of life and death." A Q2S survey of 4,902 respondents across the United Kingdom measured agreement with these viewpoints; 37% most agreed with Viewpoint 1, 49% with Viewpoint 2, and 9% with Viewpoint 3. Regression analysis showed associations of viewpoints with gender, level of education, religion, voting preferences, and satisfaction with the NHS. The Q2S approach provides a promising means to investigate how in-depth views and opinions are represented in the wider population. As demonstrated in this study, there is often more than 1 viewpoint on a topic and methods that seek to estimate that averages may not provide the best guidance for societal decision-making. © 2018 The Authors. Health Economics Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

New values of some physical interaction coefficients for dose measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eisenlohr, H.H.; Zsdanszky, K.

1986-01-01

At its 8th meeting in 1985 Section I of the ''Comite Consultatif pour les Etalons de Mesure des Rayonnements lonisants'' (CCEMRI) to the ''Comite International des Poids et Mesures'' (CIPM) has put forward a recommendation on new values of some physical constants to be used for exposure and absorbed dose determinations (see Annex I). Implementation of this recommendation has some impact on the measurement of exposure, air kerma and absorbed dose, and may result in changes in calibration factors of dosimeters. This subject will be discussed in detail at the IAEA Workshop on Calibration Procedures in Dosimetry, to be held in Quito in October 1986. The following information may assist SSDLs in preparing themselves for the expected changes of calibration factors. The recommendation has been caused by new numerical values of some physical constants which have become available recently. The two most important changes concern: a) S m,a , the ratio of the mean restricted collision mass stopping powers of the chamber material to that of air for electrons crossing the cavity, and b) W air /e, the mean energy required to produce an ion pair in air per electron charge, for electrons emitted by radioactive sources or produced by photon absorption

Different top-down approaches to estimate measurement uncertainty of whole blood tacrolimus mass concentration values.

Science.gov (United States)

Rigo-Bonnin, Raül; Blanco-Font, Aurora; Canalias, Francesca

2018-05-08

Values of mass concentration of tacrolimus in whole blood are commonly used by the clinicians for monitoring the status of a transplant patient and for checking whether the administered dose of tacrolimus is effective. So, clinical laboratories must provide results as accurately as possible. Measurement uncertainty can allow ensuring reliability of these results. The aim of this study was to estimate measurement uncertainty of whole blood mass concentration tacrolimus values obtained by UHPLC-MS/MS using two top-down approaches: the single laboratory validation approach and the proficiency testing approach. For the single laboratory validation approach, we estimated the uncertainties associated to the intermediate imprecision (using long-term internal quality control data) and the bias (utilizing a certified reference material). Next, we combined them together with the uncertainties related to the calibrators-assigned values to obtain a combined uncertainty for, finally, to calculate the expanded uncertainty. For the proficiency testing approach, the uncertainty was estimated in a similar way that the single laboratory validation approach but considering data from internal and external quality control schemes to estimate the uncertainty related to the bias. The estimated expanded uncertainty for single laboratory validation, proficiency testing using internal and external quality control schemes were 11.8%, 13.2%, and 13.0%, respectively. After performing the two top-down approaches, we observed that their uncertainty results were quite similar. This fact would confirm that either two approaches could be used to estimate the measurement uncertainty of whole blood mass concentration tacrolimus values in clinical laboratories. Copyright © 2018 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification of Pu isotopes by measurement of Q-value with cryogenic detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, Y. S.; Kim, M. S.; Le, J. S.; Lee, K. B.; Lee, M. K.; Lee, S. J.; Lee, H. J.; Yoon, W. S.; Kim, Y. H.

2011-01-01

Cryogenic detectors using heat generation below 1 K have become an attractive alternative because of their outstanding energy resolution. Significant improvement in gamma spectroscopy has been achieved with high resolution transition edge sensors (TESs) for nuclear material analysis. In alpha spectroscopy, superior resolution to that of conventional detectors has been also demonstrated. Since all the deposited energy can be converted into thermal energy by surrounding a radioactive source with metal foil, alpha energy can be measured without any correction for selfattenuation. Accompanying electrons, x-rays, and/or γ-rays are also converted into thermal energy. Thus measurement of alpha decay in 4π geometry returns the Q value, the total decay energy, independent of decay branches without loss of energy and count, enabling Q spectroscopy.

Characteristic Rain Events: A Methodology for Improving the Amenity Value of Stormwater Control Measures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smit Andersen, Jonas; Lerer, Sara Maria; Backhaus, Antje

2017-01-01

Local management of rainwater using stormwater control measures (SCMs) is gaining increased attention as a sustainable alternative and supplement to traditional sewer systems. Besides offering added utility values, many SCMs also offer a great potential for added amenity values. One way...... of achieving amenity value is to stage the rainwater and thus bring it to the attention of the public. We present here a methodology for creating a selection of rain events that can help bridge between engineering and landscape architecture when dealing with staging of rainwater. The methodology uses......; here we show its use for Danish conditions. We illustrate with a case study how CREs can be used in combination with a simple hydrological model to visualize where, how deep and for how long water is visible in a landscape designed to manage rainwater....

Why should correction values be better known than the measurand true value?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavese, Franco

2013-01-01

Since the beginning of the history of modern measurement science, the experimenters faced the problem of dealing with systematic effects, as distinct from, and opposed to, random effects. Two main schools of thinking stemmed from the empirical and theoretical exploration of the problem, one dictating that the two species should be kept and reported separately, the other indicating ways to combine the two species into a single numerical value for the total uncertainty (often indicated as 'error'). The second way of thinking was adopted by the GUM, and, generally, adopts the method of assuming that their expected value is null by requiring, for all systematic effects taken into account in the model, that corresponding 'corrections' are applied to the measured values before the uncertainty analysis is performed. On the other hand, about the value of the measurand intended to be the object of measurement, classical statistics calls it 'true value', admitting that a value should exist objectively (e.g. the value of a fundamental constant), and that any experimental operation aims at obtaining an ideally exact measure of it. However, due to the uncertainty affecting every measurement process, this goal can be attained only approximately, in the sense that nobody can ever know exactly how much any measured value differs from the true value. The paper discusses the credibility of the numerical value attributed to an estimated correction, compared with the credibility of the estimate of the location of the true value, concluding that the true value of a correction should be considered as imprecisely evaluable as the true value of any 'input quantity', and of the measurand itself. From this conclusion, one should derive that the distinction between 'input quantities' and 'corrections' is not justified and not useful

A Monte Carlo Simulation Comparing the Statistical Precision of Two High-Stakes Teacher Evaluation Methods: A Value-Added Model and a Composite Measure

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Bryden

2016-01-01

Value-added models are a class of growth models used in education to assign responsibility for student growth to teachers or schools. For value-added models to be used fairly, sufficient statistical precision is necessary for accurate teacher classification. Previous research indicated precision below practical limits. An alternative approach has…

Relation of the measuring values in cephalometric radiographs and TMJ tomographs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Jin Woo [Kangnung National Univ. College of Dentistry, Kangnung (Korea, Republic of)

2007-03-15

To examine whether the maxillofacial skeletal morphology correlates with the condylar position and the anatomic characteristics of articular eminence using measurements of lateral cephalometric radiographs and individualized sagittal temporomandibular joint (TMJ) tomographs. I compared measurements of 202 TMJs of 101 orthodontic patients of Kangnung National University Dental Hospital. I used Pearson's correlation for comparison of the measuring values in lateral cephalometric radiographs and individualized sagittal TMJ tomographs. Large occlusal plane angle tendency showed decreased width of posterior eminence slope, decreased depth of articular fossa and decreased posterior slope angle of eminence. Large mandibular plane angle tendency showed decreased superior joint space, decreased superior joint space, decreased depth of articular fossa and decreased posterior slope angle of eminence. Large genial angle tendency showed decreased depth of articular fossa, decreased posterior slope angle of eminence and anterior position of comdylar head. Large anterior facial height and large posterior facial height tendency showed increased width of posterior position of condylar head. Maxillofacial skeletal morphology has correlation with the anatomic characteristics of TMJ. Individualized sagittal TMJ tomographs can provide useful information for anatomical analysis of TMJ.

The Predictive Value of Inflammation-Related Peripheral Blood Measurements in Cancer Staging and Prognosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna L. Sylman

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In this review, we discuss the interaction between cancer and markers of inflammation (such as levels of inflammatory cells and proteins in the circulation, and the potential benefits of routinely monitoring these markers in peripheral blood measurement assays. Next, we discuss the prognostic value and limitations of using inflammatory markers such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios and C-reactive protein measurements. Furthermore, the review discusses the benefits of combining multiple types of measurements and longitudinal tracking to improve staging and prognosis prediction of patients with cancer, and the ability of novel in silico frameworks to leverage this high-dimensional data.

PRECISION MEASUREMENT OF MUON G-2 AND ACCELERATOR RELATED ISSUES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BROWN, H.N.; BUNCE, G.; CAREY, R.M.; CUSHMAN, P.; DANBY, G.T.; DEBEVEC, P.T.; DEILE, M.; DENG, H.; DENINGER, W.; DHAWAN, S.K.; MENG, W.

2001-01-01

A precision measurement of the anomalous g value, a μ =(g-2)/2, for the positive muon has been made using high intensity protons available at the Brookhaven AGS. The result based on the 1999 data a μ =11659202(14)(6) x 10 10 (1.3ppm) is in good agreement with previous measurements and has an error one third that of the combined previous data. The current theoretical value from the standard model is a μ (SM)=11659159.6(6.7) x 10 10 (0.57 ppm) and differ by over 2.5 standard deviation with experiment. Issues with reducing systematic errors and enhancing the injection and storage efficiencies are discussed

Cultural Value, Measurement and Policy Making

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brien, Dave

2015-01-01

No matter what the national context, the question of how to understand the impact of government programmes, particularly in terms of value for money, has emerged as a complex problem to be solved by social scientific management. This article engages with these trends in two ways. It focuses on the UK to understand how these tools and technologies…

Measuring the Value of Succession Planning and Management: A Qualitative Study of Multinational Companies

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yeonsoo

2010-01-01

This article proposes a model for planning and operating an effective succession planning and management (SP&M) program and measuring its value. The nature of the research is exploratory, following a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews. Representatives of multinational companies interviewed for this study revealed that succession…

Estimating values for the moisture source load and buffering capacities from indoor climate measurements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schijndel, van A.W.M.

2008-01-01

The objective of this study is to investigate the potential for estimating values for the total size of human induced moisture source load and the total buffering (moisture storage) capacity of the interior objects with the use of relatively simple measurements and the use of heat, air, and moisture

New precise value for the muon magnetic moment and sensitive test of the theory of the hfs interval in muonium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casperson, D.E.; Crane, T.W.; Denison, A.B.; Egan, P.O.; Hughes, V.W.; Mariam, F.G.; Orth, H.; Reist, H.W.; Souder, P.A.; Stambaugh, R.D.; Thompson, P.A.; zu Putlitz, G.

1977-01-01

Measurements of Zeeman transitions in the ground state of muonium at strong magnetic field have yielded values for the hfs interval, Δν = 4463 302.35(52) kHz (0.12 ppm) and for the muon magnetic moment, μ/sub μ//μ/sub p/ = 3.183 3403(44) (1.4 ppm), fo considerably higher precision than previous results. The theoretical expression for Δν, including our measured value of μ/sub μ//μ/sub p/, disagrees with the experimental value by 2.5 standard deviations. The electronic g/sub J/ density shift for muonium in Kr has been measured

The measurement of longwave radiation properties upon plastic films used in greenhouses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horiguchi, I.; Tani, H.; Sugaya, H.

1982-01-01

Due to the rising cost of heating oils in recent years, the subject of heat conservation on a greenhouse has become more important. In this aspect, the plastic films used for reducing heat losses must have low transmittance property for longwave radiation, also need to have low emissivity. The properties of plastic films which affect on the transfer of energy are important. The paper discusses the measurements of reflectance, transmittance, and emissivity of longwave radiation (thermal radiation) upon various plastic films used for crop protection in agriculture, particularly in a greenhouse. New measuring methods for reflectance and emissivity were presented, and the previous transmittance calculations (Hagiwara and Horiguchi, 1972) were improved by using newly obtained reflectance values. The transmittance values obtained from the present study are about 2-5 percent larger than the values obtained from the previous study. The reason for the discrepancy may be due to the negligence of the reflectance term in the previous calculation. (author)

Measuring Strategic Value-Drivers for Managing Intellectual Capital

Science.gov (United States)

Bose, S.; Oh, K. B.

2004-01-01

In an evolving business environment characterised by globalisation and a challenging competitive paradigm, it is imperative for strategic management processes to focus on the financial perspectives of value and risk in intellectual capital to create sustainability in long-term value. This paper presents the key issues pertaining to the strategic…

Analysis of the Functional Independence Measure Value of Cervical Spine Injury Patients with Conservative Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Zafrullah Arifin

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Analysis of the Functional Independence Measure Value of Cervical Spine Injury Patients with Conservative Management. Cervical spine injury is one of the most common spinal cord injuries in trauma patients. From 100,000 spinal cord injury cases reported in the United States of America (2008, sixty seven percent involve cervical spine injury. American Spinal Cord Injury Association (ASIA impairment score is used as an initial assessment but not enough attention prognostic outcome of these patients was paid to. The objective of this study is to analyze the value of functional independence measure (FIM cervical spine injury patients with conservative management and its correlation with age, sex, type of trauma, onset of trauma, cervical abnormalities, type of cervical spine lesion and ASIA impairment score. A prospective cohort study was performed to all patients with cervical spine injury treated inNeurosurgery Department of Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital Bandung that fullfiled the inclusion criteria. The subjects were classified based on age, sex, single/multiple trauma, acute /chronic, cervical abnormalities, complete/incomplete lesion and ASIA impairment score. The FIM examination was performed in Outpatient clinic of Neurosurgery. T-test and chi-square test was done to analyze the data. There were 17 cervical spine injury patients treated in Neurosurgery Department of Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital during April 2009–April 2010. The average FIM value of cervical spine injury in those patients is 4+ 1.63 by cohort prospective study. There were no correlation between FIM value with age, sex, type of trauma, onset of trauma and cervical abnormalities. Significant correlations were found between FIM value with type of cervical spine lesion and ASIA impairment score in cervical spine patients. Type of cervical spine lesion and ASIA impairment score have significant correlation with FIM value of patients in 6 months after cervical injury.

Differential calculus for Dirichlet forms: The measure-valued gradient preserved by image

OpenAIRE

Bouleau, Nicolas

2005-01-01

In order to develop a differential calculus for error propagation we study local Dirichlet forms on probability spaces with square field operator $\\Gamma$ -- i.e. error structures -- and we are looking for an object related to $\\Gamma$ which is linear and with a good behaviour by images. For this we introduce a new notion called the measure valued gradient which is a randomized square root of $\\Gamma$. The exposition begins with inspecting some natural notions candidate to solve the problem b...

Assessment of social values in thermal plant siting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1976-01-01

The objective of the project is to develop a method for combining social values with techno-economic data for better decision making in thermal nuclear power plant siting. Quantified technical impact data which is socially weighted will allow for the optimal choice of site/design alternatives. In this phase, a study of community leadership in energy/environment issues was conducted in a town familiar with a (nuclear) thermal power plant. Secondly, a linear composite analysis of the measurement problems associated with combining diverse scales of impacts was completed. Third, a revision of the social values instrument used in a previous phase of the study was initiated. Finally, liaison activities with utilities were undertaken. Quantification of three of the technical impact factors is currently underway

Characteristic Rain Events: A Methodology for Improving the Amenity Value of Stormwater Control Measures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smit Andersen, Jonas; Lerer, Sara Maria; Backhaus, Antje

2017-01-01

of achieving amenity value is to stage the rainwater and thus bring it to the attention of the public. We present here a methodology for creating a selection of rain events that can help bridge between engineering and landscape architecture when dealing with staging of rainwater. The methodology uses......Local management of rainwater using stormwater control measures (SCMs) is gaining increased attention as a sustainable alternative and supplement to traditional sewer systems. Besides offering added utility values, many SCMs also offer a great potential for added amenity values. One way...... quantitative and statistical methods to select Characteristic Rain Events (CREs) for a range of frequent return periods: weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, and a single rarer event occurring only every 1–10 years. The methodology for selecting CREs is flexible and can be adjusted to any climatic settings...

Real time alpha value measurement with Feynman-α method utilizing time series data acquisition on low enriched uranium system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tonoike, Kotaro; Yamamoto, Toshihiro; Watanabe, Shoichi; Miyoshi, Yoshinori

2003-01-01

As a part of the development of a subcriticality monitoring system, a system which has a time series data acquisition function of detector signals and a real time evaluation function of alpha value with the Feynman-alpha method was established, with which the kinetic parameter (alpha value) was measured at the STACY heterogeneous core. The Hashimoto's difference filter was implemented in the system, which enables the measurement at a critical condition. The measurement result of the new system agreed with the pulsed neutron method. (author)

Fair value or cost-based measurement for PPE and IP: evidence from accounting practice under IFRS

OpenAIRE

Fonseca, Maria

2007-01-01

Some standards permit a choice between different measurement bases. IAS 16 and IAS 40 allow entities to choose between fair value and cost-based measurement for property, plant and equipment (PPE) and investment property (IP), respectively. This study analyzes the accounting practice concerning measurement of PPE and IP after recognition, under IFRS. The sample was extracted from stock exchange listed European companies included in the S&P Europe 350 Index. Data was hand collec...

Normative Values for Electrochemical Skin Conductance Measurements for Quantitative Assessment of Sudomotor Function in Healthy Indian Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Shivaprasad, C; Goel, Amit; Vilier, Alice; Calvet, Jean-Henri

2018-01-01

Electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) test is a widely accepted objective technique for quantitatively assessing sudomotor dysfunction, which is one of the earliest-detected neurophysiologic abnormalities in diabetic patients with distal symmetric polyneuropathy. This study aimed to provide normative data for ESC values among healthy Indian participants and assess the potential influence of age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) on ESC measurements. A sample of 217 healthy participants aged 18-75 years were recruited and assessed for parameters including age, gender, BMI, and ESC measurements of the hands and feet. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the normality of the data. Pearson's correlation was used to evaluate the association between age, gender, and BMI, and ESC measurements. The mean age of the participants was 43.3 ± 13.2 years, and mean BMI was 26.0 ± 4.3 kg/m 2 . Mean ESC for the hands and feet was 68.9 ± 13.1 and 71 ± 12.9 micro-Siemens, respectively, and there was a significant correlation between values from the right and left hands and feet ( r = 0.9, P < 0.0001). A significant correlation was also observed between ESC measurements of the hands and feet ( r = 0.94, P < 0.0001). ESC values of both hands and feet declined with age. A weak but significant inverse correlation between ESC and age was observed for the hands ( r = 0.02, P = 0.01) and for the feet ( r = 0.12, P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in hand or feet ESC measurement between male and female participants. No significant correlation was observed between BMI and ESC of hands or feet. Only age was identified as a significant determinant of ESC on multivariate logistic regression analysis. Normative values for Indians are lower than that reported for Caucasians.

Value dynamics and infrastructure reform

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beck Jørgensen, Torben

2009-01-01

varying decision making contexts bear on the role of values and the handling of values. A number of theoretical explanations of value change are presented, from teleological explanations to pendulum dynamics and life cycle theories. The paper concludes with suggestions on how to deal with normative......This paper identifies the aspects of value dynamics in each of the previous papers: how the choice of institutional arrangements give primacy to some values and others not; the law and the market as separate dynamic forces; the different time horizons involved when studying value changes; and how...

ON THE ADVISABILITY OF REJECTION OF SUBTRACTION OF BACKGROUND DOSIMETERS INDICATION VALUES FROM THE MEASURED VALUES OF INDIVIDUAL DOSES OF OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE OF A-GROUP PERSONNEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. N. Barkovskiy

2013-01-01

Full Text Available An article contains substantiation of advisability of rejection of subtraction of background dosimeters indication values from the measured values of individual doses of occupational exposure of A-group personnel in the process of carrying out of individual dosimetry control of medical organizations stuff which was implemented in the Methodical Guideline 2.6.1.3015-12. It is shown that mentioned procedure is firstly incorrect when we deal with low doses, when the impact of natural exposure could be really considerable and secondary senseless when we deal with dose values close to the dose limit value for A-group personnel when the impact of natural exposure is much lower then the error of measurements. It is suggested to carry out the account of the impact of natural exposure into personnel average doses basing on the analysis of statistical distributions of personnel individual doses and on indications of background dosimeters. It is suggested to add the information about indications of background dosimeters into the Base of Federal Statistical Supervision № 1-DOS as it is prescribed in the Methodical Guideline 2.6.1.3015-12. This article is the respond to the article of A.I. Grigoriev published in the present issue of Journal, in which the author contests the reasonableness of this provision.

Photon W value for krypton in the M-shell transition region.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, N; Suzuki, I H

2001-09-01

Absolute W values for krypton have been measured for incident X rays with energies in the range of 85 to 1000 eV, using monochromatic synchrotron radiation and a multiple-electrode ion chamber technique that yields the absolute intensity of the X-ray beam and the photoabsorption cross section. To improve the purity of the incident X rays, the electron storage ring was operated at an energy lower than the normal mode, and thin filters were used. The W values are derived from the measured photon intensity and photoabsorption cross section, using the mean charges of the residual ions obtained in previous work. A considerable oscillation of the W values with the photon energy was found in the region near the krypton 3d electron ionization edge. The results are discussed and compared with data in the literature for low-energy electrons and with the calculations from a model that includes multiple photoionization effects related to inner-shell ionization.

A New Similarity Measure of Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets Considering Its Hesitancy Degree and Applications in Expert Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chong Wu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available As an important content in fuzzy mathematics, similarity measure is used to measure the similarity degree between two fuzzy sets. Considering the existing similarity measures, most of them do not consider the hesitancy degree and some methods considering the hesitancy degree are based on the intuitionistic fuzzy sets, intuitionistic fuzzy values. It may cause some counterintuitive results in some cases. In order to make up for the drawback, we present a new approach to construct the similarity measure between two interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets using the entropy measure and considering the hesitancy degree. In particular, the proposed measure was demonstrated to yield a similarity measure. Besides, some examples are given to prove the practicality and effectiveness of the new measure. We also apply the similarity measure to expert system to solve the problems on pattern recognition and the multicriteria group decision making. In these examples, we also compare it with existing methods such as other similarity measures and the ideal point method.

Choquet Integral of Fuzzy-Number-Valued Functions: The Differentiability of the Primitive with respect to Fuzzy Measures and Choquet Integral Equations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zengtai Gong

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the Choquet integral of fuzzy-number-valued functions based on the nonnegative real line. We firstly give the definitions and the characterizations of the Choquet integrals of interval-valued functions and fuzzy-number-valued functions based on the nonadditive measure. Furthermore, the operational schemes of above several classes of integrals on a discrete set are investigated which enable us to calculate Choquet integrals in some applications. Secondly, we give a representation of the Choquet integral of a nonnegative, continuous, and increasing fuzzy-number-valued function with respect to a fuzzy measure. In addition, in order to solve Choquet integral equations of fuzzy-number-valued functions, a concept of the Laplace transformation for the fuzzy-number-valued functions in the sense of Choquet integral is introduced. For distorted Lebesgue measures, it is shown that Choquet integral equations of fuzzy-number-valued functions can be solved by the Laplace transformation. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the main results at the end of the paper.

Preparation of a tritium Q-value measurement in a double penning trap

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diehl, Christoph; Orth, Christoph; Blaum, Klaus [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Physikalisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universitaet, Heidelberg (Germany); Pinegar, David [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Van Dyck, Robert Jr. [Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle (United States)

2009-07-01

A precise determination of the Q-value of tritium ({sup 3}H) is of relevance for the determination of the electron anti-neutrino mass as aspired by the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN). In our double Penning trap mass spectrometer we aim to measure the mass ratio of {sup 3}H and its {beta}-decay product {sup 3}He to an accuracy of 10{sup -11}, which would determine the Q-value to an accuracy of 30 meV. The spectrometer we utilize is an enhanced version of the University of Washington Penning trap mass spectrometer (UW-PTMS) and was recently transfered from Seattle to Heidelberg, where it is set up at the moment as the MPIK/UW-PTMS. We present the necessary preparation work at the Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik. This includes major reconstructions of the building as well as studies and control of environmental parameters in the laboratory, like temperature and magnetic field.

R-values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, K.

2009-01-01

I'll try to keep this short and simple. R LANL = (beta cpm of X exp on system 'A')/ (beta cpm of 99 Mo exp on system 'A')/ (beta cpm of X on system 'A', from thermal on 235 U)/ (beta cpm of 99 Mo on system 'A', from thermal on 235 U). As I understand it, the above equation is the historical (as well as current) way of determining R-values using data from beta counting at LANL. The ratio in the denominator, a little 'r', is the 'baseline' or 'calibration' value for a specific beta detector. Over time, if the detector 'drifts' one would see a variation in this 'r' during a thermal calibration measurement. This baseline is what LANL likes to track to monitor specific detector performance - this is not relevant to LLNL where gamma detection is used for determining R-values. LANL states that uncertainty is only dependent upon the count statistics for the isotopes measured. If one tries to convert this to an atom basis, the uncertainties will increase due to the incorporation of the uncertainties in the nuclear data used to convert the cpm to atoms. LLNL switched to gamma detection methods in the 1970s thus replacing our beta counting effort. The equation below is how we have since determined R-values. The numerator ratios atom values of isotopes that are determined by measuring gamma cpm (usually? using several peaks per isotope) and then converting to particle decay in dpm using detector efficiency for each peak and the appropriate branch ratio for each gamma emission. Isotope decay is then converted to atoms using specific activity, mass or volume?, and Avogadro's number. The denominator is simply the ratio of published, cumulative fission product chain yields for isotopes produced in a thermal irradiation on 235U - values of England and Ryder are used by LLNL for the NTNF program. Uncertainties in LLNL R-values are dependent upon gamma counting statistics as well as the nuclear data for each isotope. R LLNL = (Atoms of X exp )/(Atoms of 99 Mo exp )/(Cumulative

Weak value controversy

Science.gov (United States)

Vaidman, L.

2017-10-01

Recent controversy regarding the meaning and usefulness of weak values is reviewed. It is argued that in spite of recent statistical arguments by Ferrie and Combes, experiments with anomalous weak values provide useful amplification techniques for precision measurements of small effects in many realistic situations. The statistical nature of weak values is questioned. Although measuring weak values requires an ensemble, it is argued that the weak value, similarly to an eigenvalue, is a property of a single pre- and post-selected quantum system. This article is part of the themed issue `Second quantum revolution: foundational questions'.

Finger doses during interventional radiology: The value of flexible protective gloves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vehmas, T.

1991-01-01

Finger doses of radiologists and assistants during 19 interventional radiological procedures were measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs), and two types of flexible protective gloves were compared with each other. There were considerable differences in doses between different sites of TLDs on fingers. The exact site of TLDs on hands/fingers should thus be reported in papers. Both gloves were also irradiated through an Alderson phantom and the attenuation values were measured. The gloves with slightly greater attenuation proved to be significantly less comfortable to use. Wearing flexible protective gloves did not lengthen screening times as compared to a previous study in the same department. Various aspects of using such gloves are discussed. The attenuation values of gloves reported by the manufacturers may not apply under all clinical circumstances. (orig.) [de

Photoelectrical measurements of the local value of the contact potential difference in the metal-insulator semiconductor (MIS) structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kudla, A.; Przewlocki, H.M.; Borowicz, L.; Brzezinska, D.; Rzodkiewicz, W

2004-02-22

In this work the local values of contact potential difference (CPD) and their distributions in the plane of the metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure's gate have been determined for the first time. This has been achieved by application of a focused beam of UV radiation from a laser source. The less than 20-{mu}m diameter of UV radiation beam allows determination of distributions of local CPD values in the plane of the gate. The CPD distribution is such that its values are highest far away from the gate edge regions, lower in the vicinity of gate edges and still lower in the vicinity of gate corners. In this paper the method and the optical setup used to determine local values of CPD are described and example measurement results are given. The CPD distributions obtained have been confirmed by a series of independent measurements by other methods. It is believed that the CPD distributions obtained (as well as distributions of local values of other parameters) are due to the mechanical stress distributions under the gate of a MIS system.

The value of soil respiration measurements for interpreting and modeling terrestrial carbon cycling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phillips, Claire L.; Bond-Lamberty, Ben; Desai, Ankur R.; Lavoie, Martin; Risk, Dave; Tang, Jianwu; Todd-Brown, Katherine; Vargas, Rodrigo

2016-11-16

A recent acceleration of model-data synthesis activities has leveraged many terrestrial carbon (C) datasets, but utilization of soil respiration (RS) data has not kept pace with other types such as eddy covariance (EC) fluxes and soil C stocks. Here we argue that RS data, including non-continuous measurements from survey sampling campaigns, have unrealized value and should be utilized more extensively and creatively in data synthesis and modeling activities. We identify three major challenges in interpreting RS data, and discuss opportunities to address them. The first challenge is that when RS is compared to ecosystem respiration (RECO) measured from EC towers, it is not uncommon to find substantial mismatch, indicating one or both flux methodologies are unreliable. We argue the most likely cause of mismatch is unreliable EC data, and there is an unrecognized opportunity to utilize RS for EC quality control. The second challenge is that RS integrates belowground heterotrophic (RH) and autotrophic (RA) activity, whereas modelers generally prefer partitioned fluxes, and few models include an explicit RS output. Opportunities exist to use the total RS flux for data assimilation and model benchmarking methods rather than less-certain partitioned fluxes. Pushing for more experiments that not only partition RS but also monitor the age of RA and RH, as well as for the development of belowground RA components in models, would allow for more direct comparison between measured and modeled values. The third challenge is that soil respiration is generally measured at a very different resolution than that needed for comparison to EC or ecosystem- to global-scale models. Measuring soil fluxes with finer spatial resolution and more extensive coverage, and downscaling EC fluxes to match the scale of RS, will improve chamber and tower comparisons. Opportunities also exist to estimate RH at regional scales by implementing decomposition functional types, akin to plant functional

When L1 of a vector measure is an AL-space

OpenAIRE

Curbera Costello, Guillermo

1994-01-01

We consider the space of real functions which are integrable with respect to a countably additive vector measure with values in a Banach space. In a previous paper we showed that this space can be any order continuous Banach lattice with weak order unit. We study a priori conditions on the vector measure in order to guarantee that the resulting L is order isomorphic to an AL-space. We prove that for separable measures with no atoms there exists a Co-valued measure that generates the same spac...

Reliability and reference values of two clinical measurements of dynamic and static knee position in healthy children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ortqvist, Maria; Moström, Eva B; Roos, Ewa M.

2011-01-01

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to evaluate reliability of the Single-limb mini squat test (a dynamic measure of medio-lateral knee position) and the Quadriceps-angle (Q-angle) (a static measure of medio-lateral knee position), present paediatric reference values of the Q......-angle measurements was found. Reference values for the Q-angle (mean 13.5° (1.9)-15.3° (2.8)) varies with age and gender. No associations were found between dynamic and static measures. CONCLUSIONS: The Single-limb mini squat test showed a moderate reliability and the Q-angle showed a fair to moderate reliability......-angle, and evaluate the association between the tests. METHODS: Two hundred and forty-six healthy children (9-16 years) were included (intra/inter-rater reliability for Q-angle (n = 37/85) and for Single-limb mini squat test (n = 33/28)). Dynamic medio-lateral knee position was assessed by the Single-limb mini squat...

Diffusion tensor imaging of the cervical spinal cord in healthy adult population: normative values and measurement reproducibility at 3T MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Brander, Antti; Koskinen, Eerika; Luoto, Teemu M; Hakulinen, Ullamari; Helminen, Mika; Savilahti, Sirpa; Ryymin, Pertti; Dastidar, Prasun; Ohman, Juha

2014-05-01

Compared to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the brain, there is a paucity of reports addressing the applicability of DTI in the evaluation of the spinal cord. Most normative data of cervical spinal cord DTI consist of relatively small and arbitrarily collected populations. Comprehensive normative data are necessary for clinical decision-making. To establish normal values for cervical spinal cord DTI metrics with region of interest (ROI)- and fiber tractography (FT)-based measurements and to assess the reproducibility of both measurement methods. Forty healthy adults underwent cervical spinal cord 3T MRI. Sagittal and axial conventional T2 sequences and DTI in the axial plane were performed. Whole cord fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were determined at different cervical levels from C2 to C7 using the ROI method. DTI metrics (FA, axial, and radial diffusivities based on eigenvalues λ1, λ2, and λ3, and ADC) of the lateral and posterior funicles were measured at C3 level. FA and ADC of the whole cord and the lateral and posterior funicles were also measured using quantitative tractography. Intra- and inter-observer variation of the measurement methods were assessed. Whole cord FA values decreased and ADC values increased in the rostral to caudal direction from C2 to C7. Between the individual white matter funicles no statistically significant difference for FA or ADC values was found. Both axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity of both lateral funicles differed significantly from those of the posterior funicle. Neither gender nor age correlated with any of the DTI metrics. Intra-observer variation of the measurements for whole cord FA and ADC showed almost perfect agreement with both ROI and tractography-based measurements. There was more variation in measurements of individual columns. Inter-observer agreement varied from moderate to strong for whole cord FA and ADC. Both ROI- and FT-based measurements are applicable

ATLANTIC DIP: simplifying the follow-up of women with previous gestational diabetes.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Noctor, E

2013-11-01

Previous gestational diabetes (GDM) is associated with a significant lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes. In this study, we assessed the performance of HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) measurements against that of 75 g oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) for the follow-up screening of women with previous GDM.

Measurement of the half-life of 68Ga

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

García-Toraño, Eduardo; Peyrés Medina, Virginia; Romero, Eduardo; Roteta, Miguel

2014-01-01

The half-life of the positron-emitter 68 Ga has been measured by following the decay rate with two systems based on ionization chamber and Ge detectors. The decay rate was measured for periods of time up to 10 half-lives. The combination of the 6 results obtained with both systems gives a value of T 1/2 =67.845(18) min, in good agreement with recommended data and with an uncertainty lower than any other previously reported value. - Highlights: • The half-life of the positron-emitter radionuclide 68 Ga was measured. • Two measurement setups (ionization chamber and Ge detector) were used. • Results agree with evaluated data but exhibit lower uncertainty

Applying the Expectancy-Value Model to understand health values.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xu-Hao; Xie, Feng; Wee, Hwee-Lin; Thumboo, Julian; Li, Shu-Chuen

2008-03-01

Expectancy-Value Model (EVM) is the most structured model in psychology to predict attitudes by measuring attitudinal attributes (AAs) and relevant external variables. Because health value could be categorized as attitude, we aimed to apply EVM to explore its usefulness in explaining variances in health values and investigate underlying factors. Focus group discussion was carried out to identify the most common and significant AAs toward 5 different health states (coded as 11111, 11121, 21221, 32323, and 33333 in EuroQol Five-Dimension (EQ-5D) descriptive system). AAs were measured in a sum of multiplications of subjective probability (expectancy) and perceived value of attributes with 7-point Likert scales. Health values were measured using visual analog scales (VAS, range 0-1). External variables (age, sex, ethnicity, education, housing, marital status, and concurrent chronic diseases) were also incorporated into survey questionnaire distributed by convenience sampling among eligible respondents. Univariate analyses were used to identify external variables causing significant differences in VAS. Multiple linear regression model (MLR) and hierarchical regression model were used to investigate the explanatory power of AAs and possible significant external variable(s) separately or in combination, for each individual health state and a mixed scenario of five states, respectively. Four AAs were identified, namely, "worsening your quality of life in terms of health" (WQoL), "adding a burden to your family" (BTF), "making you less independent" (MLI) and "unable to work or study" (UWS). Data were analyzed based on 232 respondents (mean [SD] age: 27.7 [15.07] years, 49.1% female). Health values varied significantly across 5 health states, ranging from 0.12 (33333) to 0.97 (11111). With no significant external variables identified, EVM explained up to 62% of the variances in health values across 5 health states. The explanatory power of 4 AAs were found to be between 13

Using Response Times to Measure Strategic Complexity and the Value of Thinking in Games

OpenAIRE

Gill, David; Prowse, Victoria L.

2017-01-01

Response times are a simple low-cost indicator of the process of reasoning in strategic games (Rubinstein, 2007; Rubinstein, 2016). We leverage the dynamic nature of response-time data from repeated strategic interactions to measure the strategic complexity of a situation by how long people think on average when they face that situation (where we define situations according to the characteristics of play in the previous round). We find that strategic complexity varies significantly across sit...

Social value orientation: theoretical and measurement issues in the study of social preferences.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Ryan O; Ackermann, Kurt A

2014-02-01

What motivates people when they make decisions and how those motivations are potentially entangled with concerns for others are central topics for the social, cognitive, and behavioral sciences. According to the postulate of narrow self-interest, decision makers have the goal of maximizing personal payoffs and are wholly indifferent to the consequences for others. The postulate of narrow self-interest-which has been influential in economics, psychology, and sociology-is precise and powerful but is often simply wrong. Its inadequacy is well known and efforts have been made to develop reliable and valid measurement methods to quantify the more nuanced social preferences that people really have. In this paper, we report on the emergence and development of the predominant conceptualization of social preferences in psychology: social value orientation (SVO). Second, we discuss the relationship between measurement and theory development of the SVO construct. We then provide an overview of the literature regarding measurement methods that have been used to assess individual variations in social preferences. We conclude with a comparative evaluation of the various measures and provide suggestions regarding the measures' constructive use in building psychologically realistic theories of people's social preferences.

Transcutaneous oxygen pressure measurement in diabetic foot ulcers: mean values and cut-point for wound healing.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Chuan; Weng, Huan; Chen, Lihong; Yang, Haiyun; Luo, Guangming; Mai, Lifang; Jin, Guoshu; Yan, Li

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate mean values and cut-point of transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO2) measurement in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Prospective, descriptive study. Sixty-one patients with diabetes mellitus and foot ulcers comprised the sample. The research setting was Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of SunYat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. Participants underwent transcutaneous oxygen (TcPO2) measurement at the dorsum of foot. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to clinical outcomes: (1) ulcers healed with intact skin group, (2) ulcer improved, and (3) ulcer failed to improve. TcPO2 was assessed and cut-points for predicting diabetic foot ulcer healing were calculated. Thirty-six patients healed with intact skin, 8 experienced improvement, and 17 showed no improvement. Mean TcPO2 levels were significantly higher (Pfoot ulcers. In contrast, all patients with TcPO2≥ 40 mmHg achieved wound closure. Measurement of TcPO2 in the supine position revealed a cut-point value of 25 mmHg as the best threshold for predicting diabetic foot ulcer healing; the area under the curve using this cut-point was 0.838 (95% confidence interval = 0.700-0.976). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for TxPO2 were 88.6%, 82.4%, 90.7%, and 72.2%, respectively. TcPO2≥ 40 mmHg was associated with diabetic foot ulcer healing, but a TcPO2≤ 10 mmHg was associated with failure of wound healing. We found that a cut-point of 25 mmHg was most predictive of diabetic foot ulcer healing.

Perceived value of national certification for pediatric nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Messmer, Patricia R; Hill-Rodriguez, Deborah; Williams, Arthur R; Ernst, Mary E; Tahmooressi, Jill

2011-09-01

This study evaluated whether pediatric nurses who were certified valued national certifications to a greater degree than those who were not certified. The Gaberson, Schroeter, Killen, and Valentine (2003) Perceived Value of Certification Tool (PVCT) was used to measure nurses' perceptions of certification. The PVCT includes 18 certification-related value statements, using a five-point Likert scale response ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. A principal factor analysis was performed to identify clusters of related variables. Certified pediatric nurses valued national certifications to a greater degree than those who were not certified. More favorable views of certification were moderately associated with favorable views of the effects of certification on salary. The PVCT was found to have one factor, not two, as previously reported in the literature. Lower perceived relationships were reported between certification and salary, clinical competence, and consumer confidence compared with feelings of professionalism and personal satisfaction. Efforts to improve the relationship between certification and its perceived value at one institution were addressed. More attention may be needed to strengthen relationships, perceived or otherwise, between certification and competency skills, public awareness, and compensation of nurses for holding national certification. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

A method for valuing architecture-based business transformation and measuring the value of solutions architecture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Slot, R.G.

2010-01-01

Enterprise and Solution Architecture are key in today’s business environment. It is surprising that the foundation and business case for these activities are nonexistent; the financial value for the business of these activities is largely undetermined. To determine business value of enterprise and

Localizing Value of Pain Distribution Patterns in Cervical Spondylosis

OpenAIRE

Bunyaratavej, Krishnapundha; Montriwiwatnchai, Peerapong; Siwanuwatn, Rungsak; Khaoroptham, Surachai

2015-01-01

Study Design Prospective observational study. Purpose To investigate the value of pain distribution in localizing appropriate surgical levels in patients with cervical spondylosis. Overview of Literature Previous studies have investigated the value of pain drawings in its correlation with various features in degenerative spine diseases including surgical outcome, magnetic resonance imaging findings, discographic study, and psychogenic issues. However, there is no previous study on the value o...

The Effects of the Previous Outcome on Probabilistic Choice in Rats

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Andrew T.; Kirkpatrick, Kimberly

2014-01-01

This study examined the effects of previous outcomes on subsequent choices in a probabilistic-choice task. Twenty-four rats were trained to choose between a certain outcome (1 or 3 pellets) versus an uncertain outcome (3 or 9 pellets), delivered with a probability of .1, .33, .67, and .9 in different phases. Uncertain outcome choices increased with the probability of uncertain food. Additionally, uncertain choices increased with the probability of uncertain food following both certain-choice outcomes and unrewarded uncertain choices. However, following uncertain-choice food outcomes, there was a tendency to choose the uncertain outcome in all cases, indicating that the rats continued to “gamble” after successful uncertain choices, regardless of the overall probability or magnitude of food. A subsequent manipulation, in which the probability of uncertain food varied within each session as a function of the previous uncertain outcome, examined how the previous outcome and probability of uncertain food affected choice in a dynamic environment. Uncertain-choice behavior increased with the probability of uncertain food. The rats exhibited increased sensitivity to probability changes and a greater degree of win–stay/lose–shift behavior than in the static phase. Simulations of two sequential choice models were performed to explore the possible mechanisms of reward value computations. The simulation results supported an exponentially decaying value function that updated as a function of trial (rather than time). These results emphasize the importance of analyzing global and local factors in choice behavior and suggest avenues for the future development of sequential-choice models. PMID:23205915

The predictive value of different infant attachment measures for socioemotional development at age 5 years

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smeekens, S.; Riksen-Walraven, J.M.A.; Bakel, H.J.A. van

2009-01-01

The predictive value of different infant attachment measures was examined in a community-based sample of 111 healthy children (59 boys, 52 girls). Two procedures to assess infant attachment, the Attachment Q-Set (applied on a relatively short observation period) and a shortened version of the

Dispositional resistance to change: Measurement equivalence and the link to personal values across 17 nations

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Oreg, S.; Bayazit, M.; Vakola, M.; Arciniega, L.; Armenakis, A.; Barkauskiene, R.; Bozionelos, N.; Ferič, I.; Fujimoto, Y.; Gonzáles, L.; Han, J.; Hetland, H.; Hřebíčková, Martina; Jimmieson, N.; Kordačová, J.; Kotrla Topič, M.; Mitsuhashi, H.; Mlacić, B.; Ohly, S.; Saksvik, I.; Saksvik, P.O.; van Dam, K.

2008-01-01

Roč. 93, č. 4 (2008), s. 935-944 ISSN 0021-9010 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA700250702 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70250504 Keywords : resistance to change * personal values * measurement equivalence Subject RIV: AN - Psychology Impact factor: 3.769, year: 2008

Measuring Risk-adjusted Customer Lifetime Value and its Impact on Relationship Marketing Strategies and Shareholder Value

OpenAIRE

Ryals, Lynette; Knox, Simon

2005-01-01

The calculations which underlie efforts to balance marketing spending on customer acquisition and customer retention are usually based on either single- period customer profitability or forecasts of customer lifetime value (CLTV). This paper argues instead for risk-adjusted CLTV, which is termed the economic value (EV) of a customer, as the means for marketing to assess both customer profitability and shareholder value gains.

New method of measuring low values of dielectric loss in the near millimetre wavelength region using untuned cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Llewellyn-Jones, D. T.; Knight, R. J.; Moffat, P. H.; Gebbie, H. A.

1980-11-01

In the near millimeter-wavelength region, low values of dielectric loss in a material can be readily measured by inserting a sample into an untuned cavity resonator. The high-Q values of the cavities give the technique great sensitivity to low values of loss tangent and, in contrast to other techniques, place very few restrictions on the shape, size, and position of the sample. The technique is demonstrated by measurements at 156 GHz on several polymer materials whose low loss factors are of practical interest. It is shown that the loading of an untuned cavity by a solid sample of low loss is proportional to its absorption cross section, which is the product of its volume and its linear absorption coefficient in the trivial case of n = 1. In the usual case of n greater than 1, reflection at the boundaries will affect the measured cross section in a way that has been investigated experimentally for a number of shapes, both simple and complex, and theoretically for the specific cases of slabs and cubes.

Measuring and predicting Delta(vap)H298 values of ionic liquids.

Science.gov (United States)

Deyko, Alexey; Lovelock, Kevin R J; Corfield, Jo-Anne; Taylor, Alasdair W; Gooden, Peter N; Villar-Garcia, Ignacio J; Licence, Peter; Jones, Robert G; Krasovskiy, Vladimir G; Chernikova, Elena A; Kustov, Leonid M

2009-10-14

We report the enthalpies of vaporisation (measured using temperature programmed desorption by mass spectrometry) of twelve ionic liquids (ILs), covering four imidazolium, [C(m)C(n)Im]+, five pyrrolidinium, [C(n)C(m)Pyrr]+, two pyridinium, [C(n)Py]+, and a dication, [C3(C1Im)2]2+ based IL. These cations were paired with a range of anions: [BF4]-, [FeCl4]-, [N(CN)2]-, [PF3(C2F5)3]- ([FAP]-), [(CF3SO2)2N]- ([Tf2N]-) and [SCN]-. Using these results, plus those for a further eight imidazolium based ILs published earlier (which include the anions [CF3SO3]- ([TfO]-), [PF6]- and [EtSO4]-), we show that the enthalpies of vaporisation can be decomposed into three components. The first component is the Coulombic interaction between the ions, DeltaU(Cou,R), which is a function of the IL molar volume, V(m), and a parameter R(r) which quantifies the relative change in anion-cation distance on evaporation from the liquid phase to the ion pair in the gas phase. The second and third components are the van der Waals contributions from the anion, DeltaH(vdw,A), and the cation, DeltaH(vdw,C). We derive a universal value for R(r), and individual values of DeltaH(vdw,A) and DeltaH(vdw,C) for each of the anions and cations considered in this study. Given the molar volume, it is possible to estimate the enthalpies of vaporisation of ILs composed of any combination of the ions considered here; values for fourteen ILs which have not yet been studied experimentally are given.

Value Relevance of the Fair Value Hierarchy of IFRS 7 in Europe - How reliable are mark-to-model Fair Values ?

OpenAIRE

Bosch, Patrick

2012-01-01

According to IFRS 7, banks have to disclose the inputs used in measuring the fair value of financial instruments. For this purpose the standard defines a three-level measurement hierarchy. The reliability of fair values is expected to decrease with decreasing hierarchy level due to the lower quality of the input factors. Using a value relevance research setting, I find that investors perceive the reliability of level 3 fair values as significantly lower than the reliability of level 1 fair va...

Measuring value for money: a scoping review on economic evaluation of health information systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Bassi, Jesdeep; Lau, Francis

2013-01-01

To explore how key components of economic evaluations have been included in evaluations of health information systems (HIS), to determine the state of knowledge on value for money for HIS, and provide guidance for future evaluations. We searched databases, previously collected papers, and references for relevant papers published from January 2000 to June 2012. For selection, papers had to: be a primary study; involve a computerized system for health information processing, decision support, or management reporting; and include an economic evaluation. Data on study design and economic evaluation methods were extracted and analyzed. Forty-two papers were selected and 33 were deemed high quality (scores ≥ 8/10) for further analysis. These included 12 economic analyses, five input cost analyses, and 16 cost-related outcome analyses. For HIS types, there were seven primary care electronic medical records, six computerized provider order entry systems, five medication management systems, five immunization information systems, four institutional information systems, three disease management systems, two clinical documentation systems, and one health information exchange network. In terms of value for money, 23 papers reported positive findings, eight were inconclusive, and two were negative. We found a wide range of economic evaluation papers that were based on different assumptions, methods, and metrics. There is some evidence of value for money in selected healthcare organizations and HIS types. However, caution is needed when generalizing these findings. Better reporting of economic evaluation studies is needed to compare findings and build on the existing evidence base we identified.

FAIR VALUE ACCOUNTING AND EARNINGS MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pei-Hui Hsu

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Many have argued that measuring financial instruments at fair value might not reflect firms’ financial condition. Prior study finds that managers manipulate the “disclosure” of fair value measurement (Song et al. 2010. In this study, we attempt to provide evidence regarding manager’s incentive to manipulate the disclosure of fair value measurements by examining whether the disclosure of less relevant fair value measurement is related to the odds of earnings management. We find that firms with more Level 3 assets and liabilities (i.e., less value relevant fair value measurement are more likely to recognize positive unrealized gains to meet or beat analyst forecast target. In addition, we find that only firms with weak corporate governance disclose more Level 3 fair value liabilities and recognize unrealized gains into reported earnings to meet or beat analyst forecast target. This evidence suggests that managers manipulate the disclosure of fair value measurement in order to manage reported earnings via the adoption of fair value option.

Studies of cadmium, mercury and lead in man. The value of X-ray fluorescence measurements in vivo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boerjesson, J

1996-10-01

Two XRF methods have been used for in vivo studies of mercury, cadmium and lead. Persons with a history of long-term occupational mercury exposure had elevated mercury concentrations in their kidneys (up to 65 {mu}g/g). The minimum detectable concentration varied between 12 and 45 {mu}g/g. Battery plant workers had elevated cadmium concentrations in their kidneys (up to 350 {mu}g/g) and liver (up to 80 {mu}g/g), with mean values about 3-5 times higher than the general population. The mean ratio between concentrations of cadmium in kidney and liver was 7. Levels in kidney and liver indicated that a simple integration of cadmium in work-place air is not sufficient to describe the body burden. Fingerbone lead in smelters was 6-8 times higher than in members of the general population. The half-time of bone lead in active workers was estimated to about 5 years during the accumulation phase. A model for description of a person`s lead exposure in terms of lead in fingerbone, lead in blood and time of exposure has been developed and can be used, e.g. for retrospective blood lead estimates if the period of exposure and the current fingerbone lead is known. This will be of value for the evaluation of toxic effects of long-term lead exposure when data on previous lead levels are lacking. In total, in vivo measurements of mercury, cadmium and lead give unique information, which has shown to be an important tool for understanding of metal kinetics and toxicity. If the precision and accuracy of the method can be further improved, the technique will also have a given place in the clinical practice. 168 refs, 9 figs, 3 tabs

Measuring the safeguards value of material accountability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sicherman, A.

1988-01-01

Material accountability (MA) activities focus on providing after-the-fact indication of diversion or theft of special nuclear material (SNM). MA activities include maintaining records for tracking nuclear material and conducting periodic inventories and audits to ensure that loss has not occurred. This paper presents a value model concept for assessing the safeguards benefits of MA activities and for comparing these benefits to those provided by physical protection (PP) and material control (MC) components. The model considers various benefits of MA, which include: 1) providing information to assist in recovery of missing material, 2) providing assurance that physical protection and material control systems have been working, 3) defeating protracted theft attempts, and 4) properly resolving causes of and responding appropriately to anomalies of missing material and external alarms (e.g., hoax). Such a value model can aid decision-makers in allocating safeguards resources among PP, MC, and MA systems

Performance Measures, Benchmarking and Value.

Science.gov (United States)

McGregor, Felicity

This paper discusses performance measurement in university libraries, based on examples from the University of Wollongong (UoW) in Australia. The introduction highlights the integration of information literacy into the curriculum and the outcomes of a 1998 UoW student satisfaction survey. The first section considers performance indicators in…

Microwave measurements of the absolute values of absorption by water vapour in the atmosphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Hogg, D C; Guiraud, F O

1979-05-31

MEASUREMENT of the absolute value of absorption by water vapour at microwave frequencies is difficult because the effect is so small. Far in the wings of the absorption lines, in the so-called 'windows' of the spectrum, it is especially difficult to achieve high accuracy in the free atmosphere. But it is in these windows that the behaviour of the absorption is important from both applied and scientific points of view. Satellite communications, remote sensing of the atmosphere, and radioastronomy, are all influenced by this behaviour. Measurements on an Earth-space path are reported here; the results indicate a nonlinear relationship between absorption and water-vapour content.

How Do Value-Added Indicators Compare to Other Measures of Teacher Effectiveness? What We Know Series: Value-Added Methods and Applications. Knowledge Brief 5

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Douglas N.

2012-01-01

In the recent drive to revamp teacher evaluation and accountability, measures of a teacher's value added have played the starring role. But the star of the show is not always the best actor, nor can the star succeed without a strong supporting cast. In assessing teacher performance, observations of classroom practice, portfolios of teachers' work,…

Measuring the value of process improvement initiatives in a preoperative assessment center using time-driven activity-based costing.

Science.gov (United States)

French, Katy E; Albright, Heidi W; Frenzel, John C; Incalcaterra, James R; Rubio, Augustin C; Jones, Jessica F; Feeley, Thomas W

2013-12-01

The value and impact of process improvement initiatives are difficult to quantify. We describe the use of time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) in a clinical setting to quantify the value of process improvements in terms of cost, time and personnel resources. Difficulty in identifying and measuring the cost savings of process improvement initiatives in a Preoperative Assessment Center (PAC). Use TDABC to measure the value of process improvement initiatives that reduce the costs of performing a preoperative assessment while maintaining the quality of the assessment. Apply the principles of TDABC in a PAC to measure the value, from baseline, of two phases of performance improvement initiatives and determine the impact of each implementation in terms of cost, time and efficiency. Through two rounds of performance improvements, we quantified an overall reduction in time spent by patient and personnel of 33% that resulted in a 46% reduction in the costs of providing care in the center. The performance improvements resulted in a 17% decrease in the total number of full time equivalents (FTE's) needed to staff the center and a 19% increase in the numbers of patients assessed in the center. Quality of care, as assessed by the rate of cancellations on the day of surgery, was not adversely impacted by the process improvements. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.

Standard values of maximum tongue pressure taken using newly developed disposable tongue pressure measurement device.

Science.gov (United States)

Utanohara, Yuri; Hayashi, Ryo; Yoshikawa, Mineka; Yoshida, Mitsuyoshi; Tsuga, Kazuhiro; Akagawa, Yasumasa

2008-09-01

It is clinically important to evaluate tongue function in terms of rehabilitation of swallowing and eating ability. We have developed a disposable tongue pressure measurement device designed for clinical use. In this study we used this device to determine standard values of maximum tongue pressure in adult Japanese. Eight hundred fifty-three subjects (408 male, 445 female; 20-79 years) were selected for this study. All participants had no history of dysphagia and maintained occlusal contact in the premolar and molar regions with their own teeth. A balloon-type disposable oral probe was used to measure tongue pressure by asking subjects to compress it onto the palate for 7 s with maximum voluntary effort. Values were recorded three times for each subject, and the mean values were defined as maximum tongue pressure. Although maximum tongue pressure was higher for males than for females in the 20-49-year age groups, there was no significant difference between males and females in the 50-79-year age groups. The maximum tongue pressure of the seventies age group was significantly lower than that of the twenties to fifties age groups. It may be concluded that maximum tongue pressures were reduced with primary aging. Males may become weaker with age at a faster rate than females; however, further decreases in strength were in parallel for male and female subjects.

Measurement of Interobserver Disagreement: Correction of Cohen’s Kappa for Negative Values

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tarald O. Kvålseth

2015-01-01

Full Text Available As measures of interobserver agreement for both nominal and ordinal categories, Cohen’s kappa coefficients appear to be the most widely used with simple and meaningful interpretations. However, for negative coefficient values when (the probability of observed disagreement exceeds chance-expected disagreement, no fixed lower bounds exist for the kappa coefficients and their interpretations are no longer meaningful and may be entirely misleading. In this paper, alternative measures of disagreement (or negative agreement are proposed as simple corrections or modifications of Cohen’s kappa coefficients. The new coefficients have a fixed lower bound of −1 that can be attained irrespective of the marginal distributions. A coefficient is formulated for the case when the classification categories are nominal and a weighted coefficient is proposed for ordinal categories. Besides coefficients for the overall disagreement across categories, disagreement coefficients for individual categories are presented. Statistical inference procedures are developed and numerical examples are provided.

An interactive algorithm for identifying multiattribute measurable value functions based on finite-order independence of structural difference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamura, Hiroyuki; Hikita, Shiro

1985-01-01

In this paper, we develop an interactive algorithm for identifying multiattribute measurable value functions based on the concept of finite-order independence of structural difference. This concept includes Dyer and Sarin's weak difference independence as special cases. The algorithm developed is composed of four major parts: 1) formulation of the problem 2) assessment of normalized conditional value functions and structural difference functions 3) assessment of corner values 4) assessment of the order of independence of structural difference and selection of the model. A hypothetical numerical example of a trade-off analysis for siting a nuclear power plant is included. (author)

Formal Definition of Measures for BPMN Models

Science.gov (United States)

Reynoso, Luis; Rolón, Elvira; Genero, Marcela; García, Félix; Ruiz, Francisco; Piattini, Mario

Business process models are currently attaining more relevance, and more attention is therefore being paid to their quality. This situation led us to define a set of measures for the understandability of BPMN models, which is shown in a previous work. We focus on understandability since a model must be well understood before any changes are made to it. These measures were originally informally defined in natural language. As is well known, natural language is ambiguous and may lead to misunderstandings and a misinterpretation of the concepts captured by a measure and the way in which the measure value is obtained. This has motivated us to provide the formal definition of the proposed measures using OCL (Object Constraint Language) upon the BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation) metamodel presented in this paper. The main advantages and lessons learned (which were obtained both from the current work and from previous works carried out in relation to the formal definition of other measures) are also summarized.

Weak values as context-dependent values of observables and Born's rule

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosoya, Akio; Koga, Minoru

2011-01-01

We characterize a value of an observable by a 'sum rule' for generally non-commuting observables and a 'product rule' when restricted to a maximal commuting subalgebra of observables together with the requirement that the value is unity for the projection operator of the prepared state and the values are zero for the projection operators of the states which are orthogonal to the prepared state. The crucial requirement is that the expectation value and the variance of an observable should be independent of the way of measurement, i.e. the choice of the maximal commuting subalgebra of observables. We shall call the value a 'contextual value'. We show that the contextual value of an observable coincides with the weak value advocated by Aharonov and his colleagues by demanding the consistency of quantum mechanics with Kolmogorov's measure theory of probability. This also gives a derivation of Born's rule, which is one of the axioms of conventional quantum mechanics. (paper)

Dynamic subcriticality measurements using the CF neutron noise method: Videotape

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mihalczo, J.T.; Blakeman, E.D.; Ragan, G.E.; Johnson, E.B.

1987-01-01

The capability to measure the subcriticality for a multiplying system with k-effective values as low as 0.3 was demonstrated for measurement times of approximately 10 s; the measured k-effective values obtained do not depend on the speed with which the solution height is changed or on whether the tank is filling or draining. As in previous experiments, the low-frequency ratios of spectral densities are all that are needed to obtain the k-effective value. This method's effectiveness for systems where conditions are changing with time as demonstrated, probably exceeds the dynamic requirements for most nuclear fuel plant processing applications. The calculated k-effective values using the KENO code and Hansen-Roach cross-sections compare well with the experimental values. Before the dynamic capability of the method can be considered fully explored, additional dynamic experiments are required for other geometries and fuel concentrations.

The equivalence of two phylogenetic biodiversity measures: the Shapley value and Fair Proportion index.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann, Klaas

2013-11-01

Most biodiversity conservation programs are forced to prioritise species in order to allocate their funding. This paper contains a mathematical proof that provides biological support for one common approach based on phylogenetic indices. Phylogenetic trees describe the evolutionary relationships between a group of taxa. Two indices for computing the distinctiveness of each taxon in a phylogenetic tree are considered here-the Shapley value and the Fair Proportion index. These indices provide a measure of the importance of each taxon for overall biodiversity and have been used to prioritise taxa for conservation. The Shapley value is the biodiversity contribution a taxon is expected to make if all taxa are equally likely to become extinct. This interpretation makes it appealing to use the Shapley value in biodiversity conservation applications. The Fair Proportion index lacks a convenient interpretation, however it is significantly easier to calculate and understand. It has been empirically observed that there is a high correlation between the two indices. This paper shows the mathematical basis for this correlation and proves that as the number of taxa increases, the indices become equivalent. Consequently in biodiversity prioritisation the simpler Fair Proportion index can be used whilst retaining the appealing interpretation of the Shapley value.

Accurate mass measurements on neutron-deficient krypton isotopes

CERN Document Server

Rodríguez, D.; Äystö, J.; Beck, D.; Blaum, K.; Bollen, G.; Herfurth, F.; Jokinen, A.; Kellerbauer, A.; Kluge, H.-J.; Kolhinen, V.S.; Oinonen, M.; Sauvan, E.; Schwarz, S.

2006-01-01

The masses of $^{72–78,80,82,86}$Kr were measured directly with the ISOLTRAP Penning trap mass spectrometer at ISOLDE/CERN. For all these nuclides, the measurements yielded mass uncertainties below 10 keV. The ISOLTRAP mass values for $^{72–75}$Kr being more precise than the previous results obtained by means of other techniques, and thus completely determine the new values in the Atomic-Mass Evaluation. Besides the interest of these masses for nuclear astrophysics, nuclear structure studies, and Standard Model tests, these results constitute a valuable and accurate input to improve mass models. In this paper, we present the mass measurements and discuss the mass evaluation for these Kr isotopes.

Case-control study for colorectal cancer genetic susceptibility in EPICOLON: previously identified variants and mucins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moreno Victor

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Colorectal cancer (CRC is the second leading cause of cancer death in developed countries. Familial aggregation in CRC is also important outside syndromic forms and, in this case, a polygenic model with several common low-penetrance alleles contributing to CRC genetic predisposition could be hypothesized. Mucins and GALNTs (N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase are interesting candidates for CRC genetic susceptibility and have not been previously evaluated. We present results for ten genetic variants linked to CRC risk in previous studies (previously identified category and 18 selected variants from the mucin gene family in a case-control association study from the Spanish EPICOLON consortium. Methods CRC cases and matched controls were from EPICOLON, a prospective, multicenter, nationwide Spanish initiative, comprised of two independent stages. Stage 1 corresponded to 515 CRC cases and 515 controls, whereas stage 2 consisted of 901 CRC cases and 909 controls. Also, an independent cohort of 549 CRC cases and 599 controls outside EPICOLON was available for additional replication. Genotyping was performed for ten previously identified SNPs in ADH1C, APC, CCDN1, IL6, IL8, IRS1, MTHFR, PPARG, VDR and ARL11, and 18 selected variants in the mucin gene family. Results None of the 28 SNPs analyzed in our study was found to be associated with CRC risk. Although four SNPs were significant with a P-value ADH1C (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.06-2.50, P-value = 0.02, recessive, rs1800795 in IL6 (OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.10-2.37, P-value = 0.01, recessive, rs3803185 in ARL11 (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.17-2.15, P-value = 0.007, codominant, and rs2102302 in GALNTL2 (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.00-1.44, P-value = 0.04, log-additive 0, 1, 2 alleles], only rs3803185 achieved statistical significance in EPICOLON stage 2 (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.06-1.69, P-value = 0.01, recessive. In the joint analysis for both stages, results were only significant for rs3803185 (OR = 1

Case-control study for colorectal cancer genetic susceptibility in EPICOLON: previously identified variants and mucins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abulí, Anna; Morillas, Juan D; Rigau, Joaquim; Latorre, Mercedes; Fernández-Bañares, Fernando; Peña, Elena; Riestra, Sabino; Payá, Artemio; Jover, Rodrigo; Xicola, Rosa M; Llor, Xavier; Fernández-Rozadilla, Ceres; Carvajal-Carmona, Luis; Villanueva, Cristina M; Moreno, Victor; Piqué, Josep M; Carracedo, Angel; Castells, Antoni; Andreu, Montserrat; Ruiz-Ponte, Clara; Castellví-Bel, Sergi; Alonso-Espinaco, Virginia; Muñoz, Jenifer; Gonzalo, Victoria; Bessa, Xavier; González, Dolors; Clofent, Joan; Cubiella, Joaquin

2011-01-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in developed countries. Familial aggregation in CRC is also important outside syndromic forms and, in this case, a polygenic model with several common low-penetrance alleles contributing to CRC genetic predisposition could be hypothesized. Mucins and GALNTs (N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase) are interesting candidates for CRC genetic susceptibility and have not been previously evaluated. We present results for ten genetic variants linked to CRC risk in previous studies (previously identified category) and 18 selected variants from the mucin gene family in a case-control association study from the Spanish EPICOLON consortium. CRC cases and matched controls were from EPICOLON, a prospective, multicenter, nationwide Spanish initiative, comprised of two independent stages. Stage 1 corresponded to 515 CRC cases and 515 controls, whereas stage 2 consisted of 901 CRC cases and 909 controls. Also, an independent cohort of 549 CRC cases and 599 controls outside EPICOLON was available for additional replication. Genotyping was performed for ten previously identified SNPs in ADH1C, APC, CCDN1, IL6, IL8, IRS1, MTHFR, PPARG, VDR and ARL11, and 18 selected variants in the mucin gene family. None of the 28 SNPs analyzed in our study was found to be associated with CRC risk. Although four SNPs were significant with a P-value < 0.05 in EPICOLON stage 1 [rs698 in ADH1C (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.06-2.50, P-value = 0.02, recessive), rs1800795 in IL6 (OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.10-2.37, P-value = 0.01, recessive), rs3803185 in ARL11 (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.17-2.15, P-value = 0.007, codominant), and rs2102302 in GALNTL2 (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.00-1.44, P-value = 0.04, log-additive 0, 1, 2 alleles], only rs3803185 achieved statistical significance in EPICOLON stage 2 (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.06-1.69, P-value = 0.01, recessive). In the joint analysis for both stages, results were only significant for rs3803185 (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1

A Practical Measure of Student Motivation: Establishing Validity Evidence for the Expectancy-Value-Cost Scale in Middle School

Science.gov (United States)

Kosovich, Jeff J.; Hulleman, Chris S.; Barron, Kenneth E.; Getty, Steve

2015-01-01

We present validity evidence for the Expectancy-Value-Cost (EVC) Scale of student motivation. Using a brief, 10-item scale, we measured middle school students' expectancy, value, and cost for their math and science classes in the Fall and Winter of the same academic year. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the three-factor structure of the EVC…

Measuring the added value of IT in construction firms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laan, Albertus; Voordijk, Johannes T.; Kolkman, S.; Greenwood, D.J.

2003-01-01

The added value of information technology (IT) varies widely along firms. The objective of this paper is to analyse the underlying factors that enlarge or reduce the added value of information systems and IT-applications in construction firms. By applying the process-oriented approach of Tallon et

Paediatric renal length measurements from ultrasound and DMSA scans: does clinical practice reflect theoretical normal values?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Que, L.; Rutland, M.D.; Hassan, I.M.

1999-01-01

Full text: Renal length measurement is a routine part of ultrasound examination in children and those results are plotted on a normogram style graph, so that each child's results are compared to a normal range (mean ± 2 S.D.). Renal length measurements from the posterior oblique views of dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scans in our department have not always correlated well with the ultrasound measurements on the same patients. Renal lengths from the DMSA scans of 120 patients with apparently normal kidneys were recorded and used to generate a normogram of renal length at different ages (0.5-7 years). This DMSA normogram was compared to the ultrasound (US) normogram used in the Paediatric Radiology Department, and it showed slight differences in renal lengths (3-8 mm), but that the US normogram had smaller coefficients of variation (US = 6.6%, NM 8.3%), implying a 'tighter' normal range. 39 of these patients had DMSA and ultrasound measurements of renal length within 3 months, and these were studied first by calculating the mean and CV values for different age groups, and then by plotting individual renal lengths on the appropriate normograms. The measured data produced much greater variability in the ultrasound measurements than the DTPA measurements, and the individual points produced 4/78 (5.1%) abnormal results for DMSA, but 21/78 (26.9%) abnormal results for ultrasound. Thus, in routine clinical use, using patients with apparently normal kidneys, ultrasound was unable to match the 'normal range' set by their current normogram, but the nuclear medicine showed 5.1% of values outside the normal (DMSA) range, which was completely appropriate for a range of ± 2 standard deviations

Reporting the national antimicrobial consumption in Danish pigs: influence of assigned daily dosage values and population measurement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dupont, Nana Hee; Fertner, Mette Ely; Kristensen, Charlotte Sonne

2016-01-01

Transparent calculation methods are crucial when investigating trends in antimicrobial consumption over time and between populations. Until 2011, one single standardized method was applied when quantifying the Danish pig antimicrobial consumption with the unit "Animal Daily Dose" (ADD). However...... assignment methods, Denmark has also experienced a shift in the production pattern, towards a larger export of live pigs. The aims of this paper were to (1) describe previous and current ADD assignment methods used by the major Danish institutions and (2) to illustrate how ADD assignment method and choice...... DANMAP and DVFA were only identical for 48 % of antimicrobial products approved for use in pigs. From 2007 to 2013, the total number of ADDs per year increased by 9 % when using the new DVFA ADD-values, but decreased by 2 and 7 % when using the new DANMAP ADD-values or the old VetStat ADD...

Baudrillard's Theory of Value

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zander, Pär Ola

2014-01-01

theory. The paper concludes that Baudrillard's arguments for abandoning Marxism altogether are problematic and led him away from developing a more finished theory of value. This is unfortunate because it remains a project that may yield interesting insights even in contemporary social theory, not least......Jean Baudrillard outlined a theory of value in his early writings that built on, but also criticized, Marxist concepts of use value and exchange value. In this paper, I use a close reading to delineate the diachronic transition of Baudrillard's writings toward anti-Marxism and (allegedly......) postmodernism, with specific focus on his value theory, in order to understand his own reasons for abandoning his previous position. I then follow the marginal stream of scholars who are making use of the early Baudrillard. I find his value theory promising but still a mere sketch rather than an actual general...

Estimation of Resting Energy Expenditure: Validation of Previous and New Predictive Equations in Obese Children and Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Acar-Tek, Nilüfer; Ağagündüz, Duygu; Çelik, Bülent; Bozbulut, Rukiye

2017-08-01

Accurate estimation of resting energy expenditure (REE) in childrenand adolescents is important to establish estimated energy requirements. The aim of the present study was to measure REE in obese children and adolescents by indirect calorimetry method, compare these values with REE values estimated by equations, and develop the most appropriate equation for this group. One hundred and three obese children and adolescents (57 males, 46 females) between 7 and 17 years (10.6 ± 2.19 years) were recruited for the study. REE measurements of subjects were made with indirect calorimetry (COSMED, FitMatePro, Rome, Italy) and body compositions were analyzed. In females, the percentage of accurate prediction varied from 32.6 (World Health Organization [WHO]) to 43.5 (Molnar and Lazzer). The bias for equations was -0.2% (Kim), 3.7% (Molnar), and 22.6% (Derumeaux-Burel). Kim's (266 kcal/d), Schmelzle's (267 kcal/d), and Henry's equations (268 kcal/d) had the lowest root mean square error (RMSE; respectively 266, 267, 268 kcal/d). The equation that has the highest RMSE values among female subjects was the Derumeaux-Burel equation (394 kcal/d). In males, when the Institute of Medicine (IOM) had the lowest accurate prediction value (12.3%), the highest values were found using Schmelzle's (42.1%), Henry's (43.9%), and Müller's equations (fat-free mass, FFM; 45.6%). When Kim and Müller had the smallest bias (-0.6%, 9.9%), Schmelzle's equation had the smallest RMSE (331 kcal/d). The new specific equation based on FFM was generated as follows: REE = 451.722 + (23.202 * FFM). According to Bland-Altman plots, it has been found out that the new equations are distributed randomly in both males and females. Previously developed predictive equations mostly provided unaccurate and biased estimates of REE. However, the new predictive equations allow clinicians to estimate REE in an obese children and adolescents with sufficient and acceptable accuracy.

A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO THE GROUND OSCILLATION VELOCITY MEASUREMENT METHOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siniša Stanković

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The use of an explosive’s energy during blasting includes undesired effects on the environment. The seismic influence of a blast, as a major undesired effect, is determined by many national standards, recommendations and calculations where the main parameter is ground oscillation velocity at the field measurement location. There are a few approaches and methods for calculation of expected ground oscillation velocities according to charge weight per delay and the distance from the blast to the point of interest. Utilizations of these methods and formulas do not provide satisfactory results, thus the measured values on diverse distance from the blast field more or less differ from values given by previous calculations. Since blasting works are executed in diverse geological conditions, the aim of this research is the development of a practical and reliable approach which will give a different model for each construction site where blasting works have been or will be executed. The approach is based on a greater number of measuring points in line from the blast field at predetermined distances. This new approach has been compared with other generally used methods and formulas through the use of measurements taken during research along with measurements from several previously executed projects. The results confirmed that the suggested model gives more accurate values.

Reference values of inspiratory spirometry for Finnish adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Kainu, Annette; Timonen, Kirsi L; Vanninen, Esko; Sovijärvi, Anssi R

2018-03-07

Inspiratory spirometry is used in evaluation of upper airway disorders e.g. fixed or variable obstruction. There are, however, very few published data on normal values for inspiratory spirometry. The main aim of this study was to produce reference values for inspiratory spirometry for healthy Finnish adults. Inspiratory spirometry was preplanned to a sample of the Finnish spirometry reference values sample. Data was successfully retrieved from 368 healthy nonsmoking adults (132 males) between 19 and 83 years of age. Reference equations were produced for forced inspiratory vital capacity (FIVC), forced inspiratory volume in one second (FIV1), FIV1/FIVC, peak inspiratory flow (PIF) and the ratios of FIV1/forced expiratory volume in one second and PIF/peak expiratory flow. The present values were compared to PIF values from previously used Finnish study of Viljanen et al. (1982) reference values and Norwegian values for FIV1, FIVC and FIV1/FIVC presented by Gulsvik et al. (2001). The predicted values from the Gulsvik et al. (2001), provided a good fit for FIVC, but smaller values for FIV1 with mean 108.3 and 109.1% of predicted values for males and females, respectively. PIF values were 87.4 and 91.2% of Viljanen et al. (1982) predicted values in males and females, respectively. Differences in measurement methods and selection of results may contribute to the observed differences. Inspiratory spirometry is technically more demanding and needs repeatability criteria to improve validity. New reference values are suggested to clinical use in Finland when assessing inspiratory spirometry. Utility of inspiratory to expiratory values indices in assessment of airway collapse need further study.

New space value of the solar oblateness obtained with PICARD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Irbah, Abdanour; Meftah, Mustapha; Hauchecorne, Alain; Bocquier, Maxime; Cisse, E. Momar [Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), CNRS: UMR 8190-Université Paris VI-Pierre et Marie Curie-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines-INSU, F-78280, Guyancourt (France); Djafer, Djelloul [Unité de Recherche Appliquée en Energies Renouvelables, URAER, Centre de Développement des Energies Renouvelables, CDER, 47133, Ghardaïa (Algeria); Corbard, Thierry, E-mail: Abdenour.Irbah@latmos.ipsl.fr [Laboratoire Lagrange, UMR7293, Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte d' Azur, Bd. de l' Observatoire, F-06304 Nice (France)

2014-04-20

The PICARD spacecraft was launched on 2010 June 15 with the scientific objective of studying the geometry of the Sun. It is difficult to measure solar oblateness because images are affected by optical distortion. Rolling the satellite, as done in previous space missions, determines the contribution of the telescope by assuming that the geometry of the Sun is constant during the observations. The optical response of the telescope is considered to be time-invariant during the roll operations. This is not the case for PICARD because an orbital signature is clearly observed in the solar radius computed from its images. We take this effect into account and provide the new space value of solar oblateness from PICARD images recorded in the solar continuum at 535.7 nm on 2011 July 4-5. The equator-pole radius difference is 8.4 ± 0.5 mas, which corresponds to an absolute radius difference of 6.1 km. This coincides with the mean value of all solar oblateness measurements obtained during the last two decades from the ground, balloons, and space. It is also consistent with values determined from models using helioseismology data.

Measurement of the cosmic background radiation temperature at 6.3 cm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandolesi, N.; Calzolari, P.; Cortiglioni, S.; Morigi, G.

1984-01-01

We present results of a measurement of the cosmic background radiation temperature at a wavelength of 6.3 cm. We obtained the value T/sub CBR/ = 2.71 +- 0.20 K. This is in good agreement with, and has a smaller error than, any previous measurement at equal or longer wavelengths

Looking Under the Streetlight? A Framework for Differentiating Performance Measures by Level of Care in a Value-Based Payment Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Naessens, James M; Van Such, Monica B; Nesse, Robert E; Dilling, James A; Swensen, Stephen J; Thompson, Kristine M; Orlowski, Janis M; Santrach, Paula J

2017-07-01

The majority of quality measures used to assess providers and hospitals are based on easily obtained data, focused on a few dimensions of quality, and developed mainly for primary/community care and population health. While this approach supports efforts focused on addressing the triple aim of health care, many current quality report cards and assessments do not reflect the breadth or complexity of many referral center practices.In this article, the authors highlight the differences between population health efforts and referral care and address issues related to value measurement and performance assessment. They discuss why measures may need to differ across the three levels of care (primary/community care, secondary care, complex care) and illustrate the need for further risk adjustment to eliminate referral bias.With continued movement toward value-based purchasing, performance measures and reimbursement schemes need to reflect the increased level of intensity required to provide complex care. The authors propose a framework to operationalize value measurement and payment for specialty care, and they make specific recommendations to improve performance measurement for complex patients. Implementing such a framework to differentiate performance measures by level of care involves coordinated efforts to change both policy and operational platforms. An essential component of this framework is a new model that defines the characteristics of patients who require complex care and standardizes metrics that incorporate those definitions.

Congruence and functions of personal and cultural values: do my values reflect my culture's values?

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Ronald

2006-11-01

Two studies are described examining the correlation between self- and culture-referenced values at a culture level (Study 1) and correlation between self- and culture-referenced values and self-reported behavior at an individual level (Study 2). It is found that values related to individual-group relationships (embeddedness) and expression and experience of affective feelings and emotions (affective autonomy) are significantly correlated at a culture level. In Study 2, culture-referenced values are shown to correlate with behaviors attached to social norms, whereas self-rated values are found to correlate with behaviors that are not norm-governed. Implications for measurement of cultural values and cultural and cross-cultural research designs are discussed.

Where lean construction and value management meet

OpenAIRE

Musa, MM; Pasquire, C; Hurst, A

2016-01-01

The lean construction (LC) community’s key vision and goal is to provide value, yet they are increasingly challenged with understanding and dealing with the concept of value, with reports that value is one of the weakest points. Regardless of the previous studies and contributions already made on the concept of value in LC, the absence of a consistent understanding of value has resulted in misperceptions and indistinct boundaries with other construction value-related disciplines. Without a co...

Stride length: measuring its instantaneous value

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campiglio, G C; Mazzeo, J R

2007-01-01

Human gait has been studied from different viewpoints: kinematics, dynamics, sensibility and others. Many of its characteristics still remain open to research, both for normal gait and for pathological gait. Objective measures of some of its most significant spatial/temporal parameters are important in this context. Stride length, one of these parameters, is defined as the distance between two consecutive contacts of one foot with ground. On this work we present a device designed to provide automatic measures of stride length. Its features make it particularly appropriate for the evaluation of pathological gait

The relationship between body composition and femoral neck osteoporosis or osteopenia in adults with previous poliomyelitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Kwang-Hwa; Tseng, Sung-Hui; Lin, Yu-Ching; Lai, Chien-Hung; Hsiao, Wen-Tien; Chen, Shih-Ching

2015-04-01

Articles in the literature describing the association between body composition and osteoporosis in subjects with poliomyelitis are scarce. To assess the relationship between body composition and femoral neck osteoporosis or osteopenia in adults with previous polio. After excluding postmenopausal women, 44 polio (mean age ± standard deviation, 46.1 ± 3.3 years) and 44 able-bodied control volunteers (47.0 ± 4.0 years) participated in the study. Each participant's femoral neck bone mineral density (FNBMD) and whole body composition were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. With local reference BMD values of normal young adults installed in the instrument, we obtained T-score values that depended on each FNBMD value. A T-score value of ≤-1.0 indicated decreased T-score, including osteoporosis (T-score ≤ -2.5) and osteopenia (-1.0 to -2.5). This study conducted logistic regression analyses to find factors associated with osteoporosis and osteopenia. Based on the FNBMD T-score values, 60.0% of middle-aged men with polio had osteoporosis. In adjusted logistic regression analyses, total lean tissue mass (Adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.74 [0.56-0.99], P < 0.05) and male gender (947.16 [6.02-148,926.16], P < 0.01) were important factors associated with decreased T-score in polio group. Osteoporosis or osteopenia is a common medical problem for middle-aged men with polio. Reduced total lean tissue mass seems to be one of the important factors associated with osteoporosis or osteopenia among subjects with polio. Further research for a clinical tool to assess lean tissue mass for subjects with polio is needed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Combining Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing with Clinical Outcome in Cost-Effectiveness Analysis to Measure Value in Treatment of Depression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samir El Alaoui

Full Text Available A major challenge of mental health care is to provide safe and effective treatment with limited resources. The main purpose of this study was to examine a value-based approach in clinical psychiatry when evaluating a process improvement initiative. This was accomplished by using the relatively new time driven activity based costing (TDABC method within the more widely adopted cost-effectiveness analysis framework for economic evaluation of healthcare technologies. The objective was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of allowing psychologists to perform post-treatment assessment previously performed by psychiatrists at an outpatient clinic treating depression using internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (ICBT.Data was collected from 568 adult patients treated with ICBT for depression during 2013-2014. The TDABC methodology was used to estimate total healthcare costs, including development of process maps for the complete cycle of care and estimation of resource use and minute costs of staff, hospital space and materials based on their relative proportions used. Clinical outcomes were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9 before and after treatment and at 6-month follow-up. Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA was performed and the results presented as incremental net benefits (INB, cost-effectiveness acceptability curves (CEACs and confidence ellipses to demonstrate uncertainty around the value of the organizational intervention.Taking into account the complete healthcare process (from referral to follow-up assessment, treatment costs decreased from $709 (SD = $130 per patient in 2013 to $659 (SD = $134 in 2014 while treatment effectiveness was maintained; 27% had achieved full remission from depression after treatment (PHQ-9 < 5 during both 2013 and 2014 and an additional 35% and 33% had achieved partial remission in 2013 and 2014, respectively. At follow-up, 42% were in full remission after treatment during

From Q-value measurements to mass and structure of proton-rich nuclei in the tin region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grant, I.S.; Kirchner, R.; Klepper, O.; Koslowsky, V.T.; Rathke, G.E.; Roeckl, E.; Rykaczewski, K.; Schardt, D.; Larsson, P.O.; Nyman, G.; Tidemand-Petersson, P.; Zganjar, E.F.; Spanier, L.; Nolte, E.; Plochocki, A.; Zylicz, J.

1984-01-01

The authors have measured the electron capture decay energies for the isotopes sup(108,) sup(106,) 104 Sn, 96 Pd, and 111 Te. From these values the mass defects were derived. For 105 Sn an improved half-live of 28 + 35 was obtained. (HSI)

Measuring the Multinational Business Value – An indexing Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge MONGAY HURTADO

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The research project aims to present a comparative analysis of countries related to the value of their MNCs in the global arena. The study works in secondary data analysis using as a platform the Forbes Global 2000 list, which is maybe the best source explaining the presence of MNCs by country. This research goes beyond the information provided by the original list, offering an index and information about the number of corporations per country as well as their value (number of corpora-tions per country, their position in the ranking and the weight obtained by each company expressed in numerical value. Also the index obtained has been adjusted to the population of each country to determine which one should be the expected value per country from a more realistic perspective. An analysis of cultural clus-ters and trading zones has been applied as well. Finally, a calculation of the dif-ferent sectors where MNCs operate give the index the possibility to estimate the % of penetration or importance of the services and financial sector in each country and in the world.

Measuring the Social Value of Nuclear Energy using Contingent Valuation Methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jun, Eun Ju; Kim, Won Joon; Chang, Soon Heung

2009-01-01

In recent years, in addition to unstable energy supply and volatile energy prices, environmental concerns make energy security as the principal objective of energy policy in many nations. The International Energy Agency (2007) released what is probably its most pessimistic World Energy Outlook to date saying that oil and natural gas imports, coal use and greenhouse gas emissions are set to grow inexorably through 2030 - trends that threaten to undermine energy security and accelerate climate change, if countries do not change their energy use policies. In near term, nuclear is expected to be accepted as one of the promising alternatives which can achieve both energy security and prevention of climate change. However, nuclear energy has some vulnerable points in the view of social acceptance due to the history of its development and previous. Many countries which use nuclear power as one the major energy sources have been solving the problem of low social acceptance of nuclear energy by allocating enormous subsidy to local government. Korea decided to give 300 million dollar to the local government, Gyeongjoo, for constructing low level waste management facilities. Japan also paid 120 million dollar to Rokkasho-mura area for constructing nuclear waste repository. Sellarfield in England, Cabril in Spain also received subsidy every year from the related industries and their government. However these subsidies were provided without any appropriate estimation for the value of risk taking of nuclear energy. In addition, those subsidies are expected to increase and burden the central government for the further development and usage of nuclear. This study, therefore, aims to evaluate the value of nuclear energy in view of social acceptance in order to contribute to effective application for the future nuclear development and policy making. We estimate the Willingness-To-Pay of nuclear energy using Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). We find high social cost of nuclear

Measurement of the 12C(e,e'p)11B Two-Body Breakup Reaction at High Missing Momentum Values

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Monaghan, P; Shneor, R; Subedi, R; Anderson, B D; Aniol, K; Annand, J; Arrington, J; Benaoum, H; Benmokhtar, F; Bertin, P; Bertozzi, W; Boeglin, W; Chen, J P; Choi, Seonho; Chudakov, E; Ciofi degli-Atti, C; Cisbani, E; Cosyn, W; Craver, B; de Jager, C W; Feuerbach, R J; Folts, E; Frullani, S; Garibaldi, F; Gayou, O; Gilad, S; Gilman, R; Glamazdin, O; Gomez, J; Hansen, O; Higinbotham, D W; Holmstrom, T; Ibrahim, H; Igarashi, R; Jans, E; Jiang, X; Jiang, Y; Kaufman, L; Kelleher, A; Kolarkar, A; Kuchina, E; Kumbartzki, G; LeRose, J J; Lindgren, R; Liyanage, N; Margaziotis, D J; Markowitz, P; Marrone, S; Mazouz, M; Meekins, D; Michaels, R; Moffit, B; Morita, H; Nanda, S; Perdrisat, C F; Piasetzky, E; Potokar, M; Punjabi, V; Qiang, Y; Reinhold, J; Reitz, B; Ron, G; Rosner, G; Ryckebusch, J; Saha, A; Sawatzky, B; Segal, J; Shahinyan, A; Sirca, S; Slifer, K; Solvignon, P; Sulkosky, V; Thompson, N; Ulmer, P E; Urciuoli, G M; Voutier, E; Wang, K; Watson, J W; Weinstein, L B; Wojtsekhowski, B; Wood, S; Yao, H; Zheng, X; Zhu, L

2014-08-01

The five-fold differential cross section for the 12C(e,e'p)11B reaction was determined over a missing momentum range of 200-400 MeV/c, in a kinematics regime with Bjorken x > 1 and Q2 = 2.0 (GeV/c)2. A comparison of the results and theoretical models and previous lower missing momentum data is shown. The theoretical calculations agree well with the data up to a missing momentum value of 325 MeV/c and then diverge for larger missing momenta. The extracted distorted momentum distribution is shown to be consistent with previous data and extends the range of available data up to 400 MeV/c.

Measuring interdependence in ambulatory care.

Science.gov (United States)

Katerndahl, David; Wood, Robert; Jaen, Carlos R

2017-04-01

Complex systems differ from complicated systems in that they are nonlinear, unpredictable and lacking clear cause-and-effect relationships, largely due to the interdependence of their components (effects of interconnectedness on system behaviour and consequences). The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the potential for network density to serve as a measure of interdependence, assess its concurrent validity and test whether the use of valued or binary ties yields better results. This secondary analysis used the 2010 National Ambulatory Care Medical Survey to assess interdependence of 'top 20' diagnoses seen and medications prescribed for 14 specialties. The degree of interdependence was measured as the level of association between diagnoses and drug interactions among medications. Both valued and binary network densities were computed for each specialty. To assess concurrent validity, these measures were correlated with previously-derived valid measures of complexity of care using the same database, adjusting for diagnosis and medication diversity. Partial correlations between diagnosis density, and both diagnosis and total input complexity, were significant, as were those between medication density and both medication and total output complexity; for both diagnosis and medication densities, adjusted correlations were higher for binary rather than valued densities. This study demonstrated the feasibility and validity of using network density as a measure of interdependence. When adjusted for measure diversity, density-complexity correlations were significant and higher for binary than valued density. This approach complements other methods of estimating complexity of care and may be applicable to unique settings. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Measuring IC following a semi-qualitative approach: An integrated framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiara Verbano

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Considering the different IC measures adopted in literature, the advantages of adopting semi-qualitative measures, and the lack of an agreed system for IC evaluation, the purpose of the paper is to analyse literature on IC measurement following a semi-qualitative approach, with the final intent to build an IC measurement framework. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review on IC measurement system, following a semi-qualitative approach, has been conducted and analysed, in order to re-organize and synthesize all items used in previous researches. Findings: An integrated framework emerged from this research and it constitutes an IC  measurement system, created gathering and integrating different items previously adopted in literature. Each of these variables has been organized in categories belonging to one of the three main components of IC: human capital, internal structural capital and relational capital. Originality/value: This research provides an integrated tool for IC evaluation, fostering toward a well agreed measurement system that is still lacking in literature. This framework could be interesting  not only for the academic world, which in the last two decades reveals increasing attention to IC, but also for the management of the companies, that with IC measurement can increase awareness of the firm’s value and develop internal auditing system to support the management of these assets. Moreover, it could be a useful instrument for the communication of IC value to the external stakeholders, as customers, suppliers and especially shareholders, and to investors and financial analysts.

A Time consistent model for monetary value of man-sievert

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Na, S.H.; Kim, Sun G.

2008-01-01

Full text: Performing a cost-benefit analysis to establish optimum levels of radiation protection under the ALARA principle, we introduce a discrete stepwise model to evaluate man-sievert monetary value of Korea. The model formula, which is unique and country-specific, is composed of GDP, the nominal risk coefficient for cancer and hereditary effects, the aversion factor against radiation exposure, and the average life expectancy. Unlike previous researches on alpha-value assessment, we showed different alpha values optimized with respect to various ranges of individual dose, which would be more realistic and applicable to the radiation protection area. Employing economically constant term of GDP we showed the real values of man-sievert by year, which should be consistent in time series comparison even under price level fluctuation. GDP deflators of an economy have to be applied to measure one's own consistent value of radiation protection by year. In addition, we recommend that the concept of purchasing power parity should be adopted if it needs international comparison of alpha values in real terms. Finally, we explain the way that this stepwise model can be generalized simply to other countries without normalizing any country-specific factors. (author)

FAIR VALUE ACCOUNTING AND EARNINGS MANAGEMENT

OpenAIRE

Pei-Hui Hsu; Youan (Robert) Lin

2016-01-01

Many have argued that measuring financial instruments at fair value might not reflect firms’ financial condition. Prior study finds that managers manipulate the “disclosure” of fair value measurement (Song et al. 2010). In this study, we attempt to provide evidence regarding manager’s incentive to manipulate the disclosure of fair value measurements by examining whether the disclosure of less relevant fair value measurement is related to the odds of earnings management. We find that firms ...

The problem with value

Science.gov (United States)

O’Doherty, John P.

2015-01-01

Neural correlates of value have been extensively reported in a diverse set of brain regions. However, in many cases it is difficult to determine whether a particular neural response pattern corresponds to a value-signal per se as opposed to an array of alternative non-value related processes, such as outcome-identity coding, informational coding, encoding of autonomic and skeletomotor consequences, alongside previously described “salience” or “attentional” effects. Here, I review a number of experimental manipulations that can be used to test for value, and I identify the challenges in ascertaining whether a particular neural response is or is not a value signal. Finally, I emphasize that some non-value related signals may be especially informative as a means of providing insight into the nature of the decision-making related computations that are being implemented in a particular brain region. PMID:24726573

Resolving issues concerning Eskdalemuir geomagnetic hourly values

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Macmillan

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The hourly values of the geomagnetic field from 1911 to 1931 derived from measurements made at Eskdalemuir observatory in the UK, and available online from the World Data Centre for Geomagnetism at http://www.wdc.bgs.ac.uk/, have now been corrected. Previously they were 2-point averaged and transformed from the original north, east and vertical down values in the tables in the observatory yearbooks. This paper documents the course of events from discovering the post-processing done to the data to the final resolution of the problem. As it was through the development of a new index, the Inter-Hour Variability index, that this post-processing came to light, we provide a revised series of this index for Eskdalemuir and compare it with that from another European observatory. Conclusions of studies concerning long-term magnetic field variability and inferred solar variability, whilst not necessarily consistent with one another, are not obviously invalidated by the incorrect hourly values from Eskdalemuir. This series of events illustrates the challenges that lie ahead in removing any remaining errors and inconsistencies in the data holdings of different World Data Centres.

Information security value in e-entrepreneurship

OpenAIRE

Nunes, Sérgio

2012-01-01

This paper researches the information security value in e-entrepreneurship by revising the literature that establishes the entrepreneurial domain and by relating it with the development of technological resources that create value for the customer in an online business. It details multiple paradigms regarding consumer’s values of information security, while relating them with common practices and previous researches in technological entrepreneurship. This research presents and discusses the b...

Have the Guests Perceived Superior Value?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Levyda Levyda

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This research aimed to describe guests’ perceived value by using a multidimensional approach. From previous research, guests’ perceived value consisted of some functional value, emotional value, and social value. Based on guest experience, and functional value consisted of physical evidence, guest room, food and beverage, hotel staff, and price. This research was conducted in four-star hotels in Jakarta. The respondents were the guests who had stayed in four-star hotels. The number of the respondent was 405. The data were obtained by using self-administered questionnaires. This research shows that guests have not perceived superior value. Some of the values and the necessary efforts need to be improved.

Characteristic Rain Events: A Methodology for Improving the Amenity Value of Stormwater Control Measures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonas Smit Andersen

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Local management of rainwater using stormwater control measures (SCMs is gaining increased attention as a sustainable alternative and supplement to traditional sewer systems. Besides offering added utility values, many SCMs also offer a great potential for added amenity values. One way of achieving amenity value is to stage the rainwater and thus bring it to the attention of the public. We present here a methodology for creating a selection of rain events that can help bridge between engineering and landscape architecture when dealing with staging of rainwater. The methodology uses quantitative and statistical methods to select Characteristic Rain Events (CREs for a range of frequent return periods: weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, and a single rarer event occurring only every 1–10 years. The methodology for selecting CREs is flexible and can be adjusted to any climatic settings; here we show its use for Danish conditions. We illustrate with a case study how CREs can be used in combination with a simple hydrological model to visualize where, how deep and for how long water is visible in a landscape designed to manage rainwater.

Use of count-based image reconstruction to evaluate the variability and repeatability of measured standardised uptake values.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomohiro Kaneta

Full Text Available Standardized uptake values (SUVs are the most widely used quantitative imaging biomarkers in PET. It is important to evaluate the variability and repeatability of measured SUVs. Phantom studies seem to be essential for this purpose; however, repetitive phantom scanning is not recommended due to the decay of radioactivity. In this study, we performed count-based image reconstruction to avoid the influence of decay using two different PET/CT scanners. By adjusting the ratio of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose solution to tap water, a NEMA IEC body phantom was set for SUVs of 4.0 inside six hot spheres. The PET data were obtained using two scanners (Aquiduo and Celesteion; Toshiba Medical Systems, Tochigi, Japan. We set the start time for image reconstruction when the total radioactivity in the phantom was 2.53 kBq/cc, and employed the counts of the first 2-min acquisition as the standard. To maintain the number of counts for each image, we set the acquisition time for image reconstruction depending on the decay of radioactivity. We obtained 50 images, and calculated the SUVmax and SUVpeak of all six spheres in each image. The average values of the SUVmax were used to calculate the recovery coefficients to compare those measured by the two different scanners. Bland-Altman analyses of the SUVs measured by the two scanners were also performed. The measured SUVs using the two scanners exhibited a 10-30% difference, and the standard deviation (SD of the measured SUVs was between 0.1-0.2. The Celesteion always exhibited higher values than the Aquiduo. The smaller sphere exhibited a larger SD, and the SUVpeak had a smaller SD than the SUVmax. The Bland-Altman analyses showed poor agreement between the SUVs measured by the two scanners. The recovery coefficient curves obtained from the two scanners were considerably different. The Celesteion exhibited higher recovery coefficients than the Aquiduo, especially at approximately 20-mm-diameter. Additionally, the curves

Measuring Dynamic and Kinetic Information in the Previously Inaccessible Supra-tc Window of Nanoseconds to Microseconds by Solution NMR Spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donghan Lee

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool that has enabled experimentalists to characterize molecular dynamics and kinetics spanning a wide range of time-scales from picoseconds to days. This review focuses on addressing the previously inaccessible supra-τc window (defined as τc < supra-τc < 40 μs; in which τc is the overall tumbling time of a molecule from the perspective of local inter-nuclear vector dynamics extracted from residual dipolar couplings (RDCs and from the perspective of conformational exchange captured by relaxation dispersion measurements (RD. The goal of the first section is to present a detailed analysis of how to extract protein dynamics encoded in RDCs and how to relate this information to protein functionality within the previously inaccessible supra-τc window. In the second section, the current state of the art for RD is analyzed, as well as the considerable progress toward pushing the sensitivity of RD further into the supra-τc scale by up to a factor of two (motion up to 25 ms. From the data obtained with these techniques and methodology, the importance of the supra-τ c scale for protein function and molecular recognition is becoming increasingly clearer as the connection between motion on the supra-τc scale and protein functionality from the experimental side is further strengthened with results from molecular dynamics simulations.

An Analysis of the Relationship between the Perceptions of Value-Added Measurement and Teacher Job Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Viar, Meagan Alexis

2016-01-01

Educational leaders are struggling with the issue of academic reform as it pertains to accountability for student achievement. With increasing pressures to improve student achievement, many states have adopted value-added measures to monitor student growth and teacher effectiveness. This study undertook a quantitative approach to examine the…

On value differences experienced by sector switchers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Graaf, G.; van der Wal, Z.

2008-01-01

This article examines experienced differences in values between employees in the public and private sector. To elucidate them, the authors interviewed 30 employees of the public sector previously employed in the private sector and 30 employees of the private sector previously employed in the public

Feature binding and attention in working memory: a resolution of previous contradictory findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Richard J; Hitch, Graham J; Mate, Judit; Baddeley, Alan D

2012-01-01

We aimed to resolve an apparent contradiction between previous experiments from different laboratories, using dual-task methodology to compare effects of a concurrent executive load on immediate recognition memory for colours or shapes of items or their colour-shape combinations. Results of two experiments confirmed previous evidence that an irrelevant attentional load interferes equally with memory for features and memory for feature bindings. Detailed analyses suggested that previous contradictory evidence arose from limitations in the way recognition memory was measured. The present findings are inconsistent with an earlier suggestion that feature binding takes place within a multimodal episodic buffer Baddeley, ( 2000 ) and support a subsequent account in which binding takes place automatically prior to information entering the episodic buffer Baddeley, Allen, & Hitch, ( 2011 ). Methodologically, the results suggest that different measures of recognition memory performance (A', d', corrected recognition) give a converging picture of main effects, but are less consistent in detecting interactions. We suggest that this limitation on the reliability of measuring recognition should be taken into account in future research so as to avoid problems of replication that turn out to be more apparent than real.

On nonepistemic values in conservation biology.