Multivariate Statistical Techniques (multivariate + statistical_techniques)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Modern Multivariate Statistical Techniques: Regression, Classification, and Manifold Learning by IZENMAN, A. J.

BIOMETRICS, Issue 3 2009
Debashis Ghosh
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Biogeographical patterns of endemic terrestrial Afrotropical birds

DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 3 2002
H. M. De Klerk
Abstract. Biogeographical zones are described for terrestrial bird species endemic to the Afrotropics using up-to-date distributional data and multivariate statistical techniques. This provides an objective basis for a hierarchy of subregions, provinces and districts, based on a set of rules. Results are compared to previous studies at continental and regional scales. Biogeographical zones for passerines and non-passerines are compared and found to be similar. Peaks of species richness and narrow endemism are described for the six major subdivisions (subregions) identified by the cluster analysis. Coincidence of peaks of species richness and narrow endemism is found to be low, such that areas selected to represent high species richness tallies will often fail to represent narrow endemics. Strong regionalization of Afrotropical birds indicates the need to use a biogeographical framework in conservation priority setting exercises to ensure that unique, but species-poor, avifaunas are not neglected. [source]


Assessment of shallow landslide susceptibility by means of multivariate statistical techniques

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 12 2001
Cristina Baeza
Abstract Several multivariate statistical analyses have been performed to identify the most influential geological and geomorphological parameters on shallow landsliding and to quantify their relative contribution. A data set was first prepared including more than 30 attributes of 230 failed and unfailed slopes. The performance of principal component analysis, t-test and one-way test, allowed a preliminary selection of the most significant variables, which were used as input variables for the discriminant analysis. The function obtained has classified successfully 88·5 per cent of the overall slope population and 95·6 per cent of the failed slopes. Slope gradient, watershed area and land-use appeared as the most powerful discriminant factors. A landslide susceptibility map, based on the scores of the discriminant function, has been prepared for Ensija range in the Eastern Pyrenees. An index of relative landslide density shows that the results of the map are consistent. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness and safety of intranasal and intramuscular naloxone for the treatment of suspected heroin overdose

ADDICTION, Issue 12 2009
Debra Kerr
ABSTRACT Aims Traditionally, the opiate antagonist naloxone has been administered parenterally; however, intranasal (i.n.) administration has the potential to reduce the risk of needlestick injury. This is important when working with populations known to have a high prevalence of blood-borne viruses. Preliminary research suggests that i.n. administration might be effective, but suboptimal naloxone solutions were used. This study compared the effectiveness of concentrated (2 mg/ml) i.n. naloxone to intramuscular (i.m.) naloxone for suspected opiate overdose. Methods This randomized controlled trial included patients treated for suspected opiate overdose in the pre-hospital setting. Patients received 2 mg of either i.n. or i.m. naloxone. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who responded within 10 minutes of naloxone treatment. Secondary outcomes included time to adequate response and requirement for supplementary naloxone. Data were analysed using multivariate statistical techniques. Results A total of 172 patients were enrolled into the study. Median age was 29 years and 74% were male. Rates of response within 10 minutes were similar: i.n. naloxone (60/83, 72.3%) compared with i.m. naloxone (69/89, 77.5%) [difference: ,5.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI) ,18.2 to 7.7]. No difference was observed in mean response time (i.n.: 8.0, i.m.: 7.9 minutes; difference 0.1, 95% CI ,1.3 to 1.5). Supplementary naloxone was administered to fewer patients who received i.m. naloxone (i.n.: 18.1%; i.m.: 4.5%) (difference: 13.6%, 95% CI 4.2,22.9). Conclusions Concentrated intranasal naloxone reversed heroin overdose successfully in 82% of patients. Time to adequate response was the same for both routes, suggesting that the i.n. route of administration is of similar effectiveness to the i.m. route as a first-line treatment for heroin overdose. [source]


A classification of drainage and macropore flow in an agricultural catchment

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 1 2002
Dr C. M. Heppell
Abstract This paper uses a variety of multivariate statistical techniques in order to improve current understanding of the antecedent and rainfall controls on drainage characteristics for an agricultural underdrained clay site. Using the dataset obtained from a two-year hillslope study at Wytham (Oxfordshire, UK) a number of patterns in the nature and style of drainage events were explored. First, using principal components analysis, a distinction was drawn between drainflow controlled by antecedent conditions and drainflow controlled by rainfall characteristics. Dimensional analysis then distinguished between two further types of drainflow event: antecedent limited events (ALE) and non-antecedent limited events (NALE). These were drainflow events requiring a minimum antecedent hydraulic head to occur (ALE) and events that occurred in response to rainfall irrespective of the antecedent conditions, because the rainfall was either of high enough intensity or duration to prompt a response in drainflow (NALE). 2. The dataset also made possible a preliminary investigation into the controls on and types of macropore flow at the site. Principal components analysis identified that rainfall characteristics were more important than antecedent conditions in generating high proportions of macropore flow in drainflow. Of the rainfall characteristics studied, rainfall amount and intensity were the dominant controls on the amount of macropore flow, with duration as a secondary control. Two styles of macropore flow were identified: intensity-driven and duration-driven. Intensity-driven events are characterized by rainfall of high intensity and short duration. During such events the amount of macropore flow is proportional to the rainfall intensity and the interaction between macropore and matrix flow is kinetically limited. The second style of macropore flow is characterized by long-duration events. For these events the amount of macropore flow approaches a maximum value whatever the rainfall duration. This suggests that these events are characterized by an equilibrium interaction between macropores and matrix flow. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Food Scares and Trust: A European Study

JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2008
Mario Mazzocchi
Abstract The complex interactions between the determinants of food purchase under risk are explored using the SPARTA model, based on the theory of planned behaviour, and estimated through a combination of multivariate statistical techniques. The application investigates chicken consumption choices in two scenarios: (a) a ,standard' purchasing situation; and (b) following a hypothetical Salmonella scare. The data are from a nationally representative survey of 2,725 respondents from five European countries: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Results show that the effects and interactions of behavioural determinants vary significantly within Europe. Only in the case of a food scare do risk perceptions and trust come into play. The policy priority should be on building and maintaining trust in food and health authorities and research institutions, while food chain actors could mitigate the consequences of a food scare through public trust. No relationship is found between socio-demographic variables and consumer trust in food safety information. [source]


GROUPWISE MODELING STUDY OF BACTERIALLY IMPAIRED WATERSHEDS IN TEXAS: CLUSTERING ANALYSIS,

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 4 2006
Sabu Paul
ABSTRACT: Under the Clean Water Act (CWA) program, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) listed 110 stream segments in the year 2000 with pathogenic bacteria impairment. A study was conducted to evaluate the probable sources of pollution and characterize the watersheds associated with these impaired water bodies. The primary aim of the study was to group the water bodies into clusters having similar watershed characteristics and to examine the possibility of studying them as a group by choosing models for total maximum daily load (TMDL) development based on their characteristics. This approach will help to identify possible sources and determine appropriate models and hence reduce the number of required TMDL studies. This in turn will help in reducing the effort required to restore the health of the impaired water bodies in Texas. The main characteristics considered for the classification of water bodies were land use distribution within the watershed, density of stream network, average distance of land of a particular use to the closest stream, household population, density of on-site sewage facilities (OSSFs), bacterial loading from different types of farm animals and wildlife, and average climatic conditions. The climatic data and observed instream fecal coliform bacteria concentrations were analyzed to evaluate seasonal variability of instream water quality. The grouping of water bodies was carried out using the multivariate statistical techniques of factor analysis/principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and discriminant analysis. The multivariate statistical analysis resulted in six clusters of water bodies. The main factors that differentiated the clusters were found to be bacterial contribution from farm animals and wildlife, density of OSSFs, density of households connected to public sewers, and land use distribution. [source]


Agricultural trajectories in a Mediterranean mountain region (Priorat, NE Spain) as a consequence of vineyard conversion plans

LAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2009
R. Cots-Folch
Abstract In mountain regions of Mediterranean European countries, recent economic and technologic changes have involved the intensification of crops, based on heavy land levelling and/or terracing, and the abandonment or marginalization of traditional land use management. These trends have been reinforced by the subsidy policies of the European Union. The objectives of the present research were: (a) to contribute to the understanding of agricultural trajectories and farming systems that are entirely transforming the social and environmental characteristics of Mediterranean mountain areas, focusing on the analysis of the main agricultural trajectories in a sample area of this environment (the Priorat region, NE Spain) over the last 20 years (1986,2005); and (b) to analyse the farming systems that coexist in the region with regard to the landscape impacts they involve and the influence of CAP subsidies in each one. A methodological approach based on the combination of multivariate statistical techniques was used to obtain a better knowledge of the heterogeneity of farming systems on a local scale. The results show that, although most farms cultivate a mosaic of traditional crops and have small mechanized areas, a minority group follows a high intensification and specialization strategy based on new mechanized-terraced vineyards. This group only comprises 12 per cent of the farmers in the region, but owns 61 per cent of the new vineyard plantations and 42 per cent of the total agricultural land, receiving most of the subsidies from the EU vineyard conversion and restructuring policy (68 per cent of total Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies assigned to the region). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The Evolutionary Forms of the Religious Life: A Cross-Cultural, Quantitative Analysis

AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 4 2008
STEPHEN K. SANDERSON
ABSTRACT, Previous cross-cultural studies of religion's evolution that employed Swanson's High Gods measure are plagued by methodological difficulties, especially the lack of proper statistical controls. Here, we attempted to rectify this, using the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample to test five hypotheses employing multivariate statistical techniques. Results provided weak support for Swanson's Sovereign Groups hypothesis concerning High Gods and also limited support for a previously unexplored factor: writing and record keeping. In phase two of the study, we introduced a new measure, the Stage of Religious Evolution, based on Anthony Wallace's typology. When this new dependent variable was substituted for High Gods, much stronger results were obtained. The best predictors of Stage of Religious Evolution were mode of subsistence economy, writing and record keeping, and total population size. These findings allowed us to construct a new evolutionary interpretation of the development of different modes of religious life. [source]


Proteomic analysis of core breakdown disorder in Conference pears (Pyrus communis L.)

PROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 12 2007
Romina Pedreschi
Abstract 2-DE was applied to study core breakdown disorder in controlled atmosphere stored 'Conference' pears. This physiological disorder is characterized by internal browning of the fruit tissue and the development of cavities. Suitable protein phenol extraction/ammonium acetate-methanol precipitation and 2-DE protocols for a wide pH range were established for pear tissue. The protein expression profiles of healthy, sound (intact tissue of pears with core breakdown) and brown tissue were analyzed with the univariate non-parametric Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and multivariate statistical techniques such as principal component analysis and partial least square discriminant analysis. Both statistical approaches revealed interesting differentially expressed proteins between healthy and disordered pears. LC-ESI-MS/MS identification of differentially expressed proteins between healthy and sound tissue revealed their participation in the energy metabolism, the antioxidant system and ethylene biosynthesis. Up-regulated characteristic proteins in brown tissue were mainly involved in energy metabolism and defense mechanisms. Proteomics coupled to univariate and multivariate statistical techniques seems to be an efficient approach to get a better insight into the different mechanisms and pathways leading to the core breakdown disorder. [source]


Multivariate statistical process control charts: an overview

QUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 5 2007
S. Bersimis
Abstract In this paper we discuss the basic procedures for the implementation of multivariate statistical process control via control charting. Furthermore, we review multivariate extensions for all kinds of univariate control charts, such as multivariate Shewhart-type control charts, multivariate CUSUM control charts and multivariate EWMA control charts. In addition, we review unique procedures for the construction of multivariate control charts, based on multivariate statistical techniques such as principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS). Finally, we describe the most significant methods for the interpretation of an out-of-control signal. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The influence of hydrological regime and grazing management on the plant communities of a karst wetland (Skealoghan turlough) in Ireland

APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008
J. Moran
Abstract Question: What is the influence of hydrological regime, soils and management on the plant community composition and species richness of Skealoghan turlough (groundwater dependent calcareous wetland). Location: Skealoghan turlough, County Mayo, Ireland. Methods: Percentage cover of vascular plants and bryophytes were recorded, and data on hydrological regimes, soils and management were collected. Data were analysed using multivariate statistical techniques. Results: A total of 69 species of vascular plants and mosses were recorded. Cluster analysis grouped the samples into two separate communities, the Cirsio-Molinietum and the Ranunculo-Potentilletum anserinae plant communities. The plant community composition and species richness followed a main gradient down into the turlough basin, but also varied with microtopography, resulting in a mosaic of vegetation types. Conclusions: The biodiversity and conservation value of the site is linked to the heterogeneity in its physical environment in which hydrology, soils and grazing management all play critical roles. [source]


Provenance of siliciclastic and hybrid turbiditic arenites of the Eocene Hecho Group, Spanish Pyrenees: implications for the tectonic evolution of a foreland basin

BASIN RESEARCH, Issue 2 2010
M. A. Caja
ABSTRACT The Eocene Hecho Group turbidite system of the Aínsa-Jaca foreland Basin (southcentral Pyrenees) provides an excellent opportunity to constrain compositional variations within the context of spatial and temporal distribution of source rocks during tectonostratigraphic evolution of foreland basins. The complex tectonic setting necessitated the use of petrographic, geochemical and multivariate statistical techniques to achieve this goal. The turbidite deposits comprise four unconformity-bounded tectonostratigraphic units (TSU), consisting of quartz-rich and feldspar-poor sandstones, calclithites rich in extrabasinal carbonates and hybrid arenites dominated by intrabasinal carbonates. The sandstones occur exclusively in TSU-2, whereas calclithites and hybrid arenites occur in the overlying TSU-3, TSU-4 and TSU-5. The calclithites were deposited at the base of each TSU and hybrid arenites in the uppermost parts. Extrabasinal carbonate sources were derived from the fold-and-thrust belt (mainly Cretaceous and Palaeocene limestones). Conversely, intrabasinal carbonate grains were sourced from foramol shelf carbonate factories. This compositional trend is attributed to alternating episodes of uplift and thrust propagation (siliciclastic and extrabasinal carbonates supplies) and subsequent episodes of development of carbonate platforms supplying intrabasinal detrital grains. The quartz-rich and feldspar-poor composition of the sandstones suggests derivation from intensely weathered cratonic basement rocks during the initial fill of the foreland basin. Successive sediments (calclithites and hybrid arenites) were derived from older uplifted basement rocks (feldspar-rich and, to some extent, rock fragments-rich sandstones), thrust-and-fold belt deposits and from coeval carbonate platforms developed at the basin margins. This study demonstrates that the integration of tectono-stratigraphy, petrology and geochemistry of arenites provides a powerful tool to constrain the spatial and temporal variation in provenance during the tectonic evolution of foreland basins. [source]


Monitoring the fractionation of a whey protein isolate during dead-end membrane filtration using fluorescence and chemometric methods

BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 1 2010
Rand Elshereef
Abstract During membrane-based separation of proteins, changes in protein concentration of the permeate and retentate streams occurs over time. The current work proposes a new approach for monitoring the changes in concentrations of proteins in both permeate and retentate by making use of data collected using fluorescence spectroscopy and intrinsic protein fluorescence analyzed by multivariate statistical techniques. Whey protein isolate consists mainly of ,-lactalbumin (,-LA), ,-lactoglobulin (,-LG), and small proportion of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and was used as a model system in this study. A fiber optic probe (FOP) was used to acquire multiwavelength fluorescence spectra for permeate and retentate streams at different times during UF-based separation of the components from a multicomponent solution. Multivariate regression models were developed for predicting the concentrations of ,-LA, ,-LG, and BSA by establishing a calibration model between data acquired using the FOP and the corresponding protein concentration levels measured by size-exclusion chromatography. The model was validated using FOP data that were not previously used for calibration of the regression models. This comparison showed that concentrations of ,-LA, ,-LG, and BSA could be predicted directly from FOP data within reasonable accuracy by making use of multivariate calibration tools. This approach has several attractive features including that it is nondestructive, fast, and relatively simple to perform. This technique has potential practical applications as it could offer the opportunity for in situ monitoring of membrane filtration processes by tracking individual protein transmission and selectivity of fractionation. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010 [source]


Socio-genealogical connectedness: on the role of gender and same-gender parenting in mitigating the effects of parental divorce

CHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 2 2000
Owusu-Bempah
Guided by the idea of socio-genealogical connectedness (i.e. knowledge, and belief in, one's biological and social roots), the present study explored the relationship between a number of the characteristics of lone-parent families and the well-being of children in these families. Since it is well established that develop-mental difficulties do not emerge in all children of divorced/separated families, there is a need to understand those factors which mitigate against the adverse influences of divorce on children. Evidence suggests that socio-genealogical connectedness is one of the possible mitigating factors. However, the present study, which involved a variety of multivariate statistical techniques, indicates academic attainment to be the most important mitigating factor. This implies that children with greater intellectual resources to deal with problems are less vulnerable than others to the long-term effects of divorce and separation. Nonetheless, the results support the hypothesis derived from the concept of socio-genealogical connectedness; it was the second most important predictor. [source]