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Distinct Measures (distinct + measure)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Psychology	33%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	33%

Selected Abstracts

VACCINATION, WITHIN-HOST DYNAMICS, AND VIRULENCE EVOLUTION

EVOLUTION, Issue 1 2006
Jean-Baptiste André
Abstract We explore the potential consequences of vaccination on parasite epidemiology and evolution. Our model combines a microscopic (within-host dynamics) and a macroscopic (epidemiological dynamics) description of the interaction between the parasite and its host. This approach allows relevant epidemiological traits such as parasite transmission, parasite virulence, and host recovery to emerge from a mechanistic model of acute infection describing the interaction between the parasite and the host immune system. We model the effect of a vaccine as an activator of immunity enhancing the replication rate of lymphocytes, their initial density at infection's initiation, their efficacy to kill the parasite, or their activation delay after infection. We analyze the evolution of the replication rate of parasites and show that vaccination may promote the evolution of faster replicating and, consequently, more virulent strains. We also show that intermediate vaccination coverage may lead to the coexistence of two different parasite strategies (a low-virulence strain adapted to naive hosts, and a high-virulence strain, more generalist, adapted to both naive and vaccinated hosts). We discuss the consequences of various vaccination strategies under different epidemiological situations using several distinct measures to evaluate the cost induced by the parasite on individuals and entire host populations. [source]

Defining Accountability Up: the Global Economic Multilaterals

GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION, Issue 2 2004
Miles Kahler
Critics of the global economic multilaterals (GEMs) , the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization , allege that these organizations fail the test of democratic accountability. Two distinct measures of democratic accountability have been applied to the GEMs. To the degree that these organizations display ,accountability deficits', those deficiencies are the result of choices by the most influential national governments. Three techniques have been deployed to enhance the accountability of the GEMs: transparency (more information for those outside the institution), competition (imitation of democratic accountability) and changes in rules of representation (accountability to stakeholders rather than shareholders). Each of these may impose costs, however, and may conflict with other valued aims of the organizations. [source]

Different measures of risk perceptions yield different patterns of interaction for combinations of hazards: smoking, family history and cardiac events

JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 5 2004
David P. French
Abstract Some combinations of hazards yield disease rates greater than would be expected from the risk attributable to each hazard in isolation. However, perceptions are often more consistent with the combined risk being seen as less than the sum of the individual factors, raising concerns over the validity of some measures of risk perception. Here, 249 adults estimated the risk of cardiac events for four hypothetical men, described as having high or low levels of smoking and family history of heart disease. Three distinct measures were used. A 9-point scale produced a strong sub-additive interaction, a 101-point scale produced a weaker sub-additive interaction, and an unbounded scale produced no interaction. In this study, as in all previous research, scales with relatively few points (here a 9-point scale) yield sub-additive interactions. Given the consistency of results yielded by such scales, irrespective of context, it is concluded that these scales are not valid for perceptions of multiple risk factors. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

The Role of Uncertainty in Investment: An Examination of Competing Investment Models Using Commercial Real Estate Data

REAL ESTATE ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2000
A. Steven Holland
Neoclassical investment decision criteria suggest that only the systematic component of total risk affects the rate of investment, as channeled through the built-asset price. Alternatively, option-based investment models suggest a direct role for total uncertainty in investment decisionmaking. To sort out uncertainty's role in investment, we specify and empirically estimate a structural model of asset-market equilibrium. Commercial real estate time-series data with two distinct measures of asset price and uncertainty are used to assess the competing investment models. Empirical results generally favor predictions of the option-based model and hence suggest that irreversibility and delay are important considerations to investors. Our findings also have implications for macroeconomic policy and for forecasts of cyclical investment activity. [source]

Comparing measures of cognitive bias relating to eating behaviour

APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2009
Emmanuel M. Pothos
Consumption of and/or abstinence from substances with a high reward value (e.g. heroin, marijuana, alcohol, nicotine, certain foods) are associated with cognitive biases for information related to the substance. Such cognitive biases are important since they may contribute to difficulties in controlling intake of the substance. We examine cognitive biases for stimuli related to food. For the first time, we concurrently employ and compare five conceptually distinct measures of cognitive bias (dot probe, emotional Stroop, recognition, EAST, explicit attitudes). Contrary to expectations from current theory, the relation between the cognitive measures was weak and evident only in certain subsets of the population sample, as defined by gender and emotional-, restrained- and external-eating characteristics of our participants. We discuss some methodological implications of our findings. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Behavioral measures of impulsivity and the law,

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW, Issue 6 2008
Charles W. Mathias Ph.D.
The General Theory of Crime proposes that crime is explained by the combination of situational opportunity and lack of self-control. Impulsivity is one of the important components of self-control. Because behavioral measures of impulsivity are becoming more commonly utilized to assess forensic populations, this manuscript provides an overview of three current behavioral measures. In doing so, an example of their application is provided using a group of individuals likely to come into contact with the legal system: adolescents with Conduct Disorder. Earlier age of onset of Conduct Disorder symptoms has been shown to be an important predictor of the persistence of poor outcomes into adulthood, including participation in criminal activities. This study found differential behavioral profiles across distinct measures of impulsivity by those with childhood- versus adolescent-onset Conduct Disorder. Legal implications for defining behavioral deficits using behavioral measures of impulsivity and their current limitations are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]