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Discrete Categories (discrete + category)
Selected AbstractsA multicriterion classification approach for assessing the impact of environmental policies on the competitiveness of firmsCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2007V. Hontou Abstract The key objective of the European Union's environmental policy is to successfully combine environmental protection with sustainable economic growth in the long term. Nowadays, it is increasingly recognized that environmental policies, besides increasing production cost, may at the same time give incentives to firms for undertaking innovative actions and/or developing and exploiting differentiation opportunities. Both differentiation capacity and cost increase are strongly dependent on a multiplicity of internal and external factors, such as energy intensity, type of technology used, characteristics of the competitive environment etc. The present paper presents a multicriterion approach for classifying firms into discrete categories of possible impact, according to their sensitivity to cost increases and their differentiation potential. The resulting environment,competitiveness matrix can be exploited for establishing sustainability strategies and designing effective policies in the industrial sector. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Antidiabetic Drug Therapy of African-American and White Community-Dwelling Elderly Over a 10-Year PeriodJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 12 2003Catherine I. Lindblad PharmD Objectives: To determine the prevalence and predictors of antidiabetic medication use over a 10-year period in a general population of African-American and white community-dwelling elderly. Design: Survey. Setting: Five adjacent counties (one urban and four rural) in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. Participants: Those aged 65 and older present at the baseline (n=4,136), second (n=3,234), third (n=2,508), and fourth (n=1,633) in-person waves of the Duke Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly. Measurements: The use of six discrete categories of antidiabetic medications (insulin, first-generation oral sulfonylureas, second-generation oral sulfonylureas, metformin, oral combination therapy, and insulin combination therapy) was determined. Multivariate analyses, using weighted data adjusted for sampling design, were conducted to assess the association between antidiabetic medication use and race and other sociodemographic, health-status, and access-to-healthcare factors at baseline and 10 years later. Results: Antidiabetic medications were taken by 21.4% of the population at baseline; this increased to 28.1% at the 10-year follow-up (P<.001). Insulin was the most commonly used drug at baseline (7.9%). The use of second-generation sulfonylureas increased, and use of first-generation sulfonylureas decreased over the 10-year time period. Combination antidiabetic therapy and metformin use was infrequent throughout the study. Multivariate analyses revealed that, at baseline, African Americans were nearly twice as likely (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.46,2.54) to receive any antidiabetic medication as their white counterparts. Other significant (P<.05) factors were hypertension (AOR=1.38, 95% CI=1.03,1.84), stroke (AOR=1.98, 95% CI=1.43,2.73), one or more mobility difficulties (AOR=1.29, 95% CI=1.01,1.66), continuity of care (AOR=1.74, 95% CI=1.20,2.54), and multiple doctor visits (1,4 visits, AOR=1.69, 95% CI=1.08,2.65; ,5 visits, AOR=3.15, 95% CI=1.95,5.07). Being underweight (AOR=0.45, 95% CI=0.30,0.67) and being cognitively impaired (AOR=0.60, 95% CI=0.41,0.87) were factors significantly (P<.05) associated with a decreased risk of antidiabetic medication use. At the 10-year follow-up, similar trends were seen associating these sociodemographic, health-status, and access-to-healthcare factors with antidiabetic medication use. Conclusion: Antidiabetic medication use is common and increases over time for community-dwelling elderly. Race is significantly associated with antidiabetic medication use, even after controlling for other sociodemographic, health-status, and access-to-healthcare variables. [source] What, if anything, is sympatric speciation?JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2008B. M. FITZPATRICK Abstract Sympatric speciation has always fascinated evolutionary biologists, and for good reason; it pits diversifying selection directly against the tendency of sexual reproduction to homogenize populations. However, different investigators have used different definitions of sympatric speciation and different criteria for diagnosing cases of sympatric speciation. Here, we explore some of the definitions that have been used in empirical and theoretical studies. Definitions based on biogeography do not always produce the same conclusions as definitions based on population genetics. The most precise definitions make sympatric speciation an infinitesimal end point of a continuum. Because it is virtually impossible to demonstrate the occurrence of such a theoretical extreme, we argue that testing whether a case fits a particular definition is less informative than evaluating the biological processes affecting divergence. We do not deny the importance of geographical context for understanding divergence. Rather, we believe this context can be better understood by modelling and measuring quantities, such as gene flow and selection, rather than assigning cases to discrete categories like sympatric and allopatric speciation. [source] Demographic and life-history correlates for Amazonian treesJOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 6 2005Henrique E.M. Nascimento Abstract Questions: Which demographic and life-history differences are found among 95 sympatric tree species? Are there correlations among demographic parameters within this assemblage? Location: Central Amazonian rain forest. Methods: Using long-term data from 24 1,ha permanent plots, eight characteristics were estimated for each species: wood density, annual mortality rate, annual recruitment rate, mean stem diameter, maximum stem diameter, mean stem-growth rate, maximum stem-growth rate, population density. Results: An ordination analysis revealed that tree characteristics varied along two major axes of variation, the major gradient expressing light requirements and successional status, and the second gradient related to tree size. Along these gradients, four relatively discrete tree guilds could be distinguished: fast-growing pioneer species, shade-tolerant sub-canopy species, canopy trees, and emergent species. Pioneers were uncommon and most trees were canopy or emergent species, which frequently had low mortality and recruitment. Wood density was negatively associated with tree mortality, recruitment, and growth rates when all species were considered. Growth rates varied markedly among and within species, with pioneers exhibiting far faster and less variable growth rates than did the other species. Slow growth in subcanopy species relative to canopy and emergent trees was not a simple consequence of mean tree size, but apparently resulted from physiological constraints imposed by low-light and other conditions in the forest understorey. Conclusions: Trees of Amazonian rain forests could be classified with some success into four relatively distinctive guilds. However, several demographic and life-history traits, such as those that distinguish early and late successional species, probably vary along a continuum, rather than being naturally grouped into relatively discrete categories. [source] Conceptualising a modified system for classification of in-hand manipulationAUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 1 2009Karina Pont Occupational therapists consider in-hand manipulation (IHM) to be an important component of fine motor skills and to be related to handwriting and self-care proficiency. These relationships have not been well explored nor has the impact of intervention including IHM skill enhancement on proficiency in motor tasks. We propose that the existing conceptualisation of IHM may contribute to a dearth of evidence in this area. This paper closely examines the existing classification systems of IHM. We propose an adaptation of Exner's classification system which contains more discrete categories of IHM movements and includes: finger-to-palm translation to achieve stabilisation, palm-to-finger translation, simple shift, complex shift, simple rotation and complex rotation. Further research to test this modified classified system and to explore evidence for IHM intervention is warranted. [source] Core Curricular Elements for Fellowship Training in International Emergency MedicineACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 7 2010Jamil Bayram MD ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:748,757 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives:, The objective was to describe the common educational goals, curricular elements, and methods of evaluation used in international emergency medicine (IEM) fellowship training programs currently. IEM fellowship programs have been developed to provide formal training for emergency physicians (EPs) interested in pursuing careers in IEM. Those fellowships are variable in scope, objectives, and duration. Previously published articles have suggested a general curriculum structure for IEM fellowships. Methods:, A search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases from 1950 to June 2008 was performed, combining the terms international, emergency medicine, and fellowship. Online curricula and descriptive materials from IEM fellowships listed by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) were reviewed. Knowledge and skill areas common to multiple programs were organized in discrete categories. IEM fellowship directors were contacted for input and feedback. Results:, Eight articles on IEM fellowships were identified. Two articles described a general structure for fellowship curriculum. Sixteen of 20 IEM fellowship programs had descriptive materials posted online. These information sources, plus input from seven fellowship program directors, yielded the following seven discrete knowledge and skill areas: 1) emergency medicine systems development, 2) humanitarian relief, 3) disaster management, 4) public health, 5) travel and field medicine, 6) program administration, and 7) academic skills. Conclusions:, While IEM fellowships vary with regard to objectives and structure, this article presents an overview of the current focus of IEM fellowship training curricula that could serve as a resource for IEM curriculum development at individual institutions. [source] | ||||||||||