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Objective Variable (objective + variable)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	40%

Selected Abstracts

Ownership Types and Strategic Groups in an Emerging Economy*

JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 7 2004
Mike W. Peng
ABSTRACT Existing strategic group studies have rarely examined ownership type as a variable to classify firms in an industry. Using Chinese firms of different ownership types, we suggest that ownership type can be a parsimonious and important variable that managers use to cognitively classify firms into different strategic groups. While ownership itself is an objective variable, we contend that different ownership types lead to different managerial outlook and mentality due to a number of macro and micro foundations giving rise to various managerial cognitions. Employing the Miles and Snow typology, we find that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and privately-owned enterprises (POEs) tend to adopt defender and prospector strategies, respectively, while collectively-owned enterprises (COEs) and foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) exhibit an analyser orientation that falls between defenders and prospectors on the strategy continuum. Three statistical tests suggest that ownership types can be used to successfully predict strategic group memberships in China's emerging economy. [source]

Development of a new soft sensor method using independent component analysis and partial least squares

AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2009
Hiromasa Kaneko
Abstract Soft sensors are used widely to estimate a process variable which is difficult to measure online. One of the crucial difficulties of soft sensors is that predictive accuracy drops due to changes of state of chemical plants. To cope with this problem, a regression model can be updated. However, if the model is updated with an abnormal sample, the predictive ability can deteriorate. We have applied the independent component analysis (ICA) method to the soft sensor to increase fault detection ability. Then, we have tried to increase the predictive accuracy. By using the ICA-based fault detection and classification model, the objective variable can be predicted, updating the PLS model appropriately. We analyzed real industrial data as the application of the proposed method. The proposed method achieved higher predictive accuracy than the traditional one. Furthermore, the nonsteady state could be detected as abnormal correctly by the ICA model. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source]

Effect of an automatic milking system on milking traits

ANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 5 2002
Takashi HAYASHI
ABSTRACT Recent studies in Japan of the effect of automatic milking systems (AMS) on the behavior of dairy cows have confirmed the labor-saving aspect of AMS, but have not solved some of the problems affecting milking traits. The influence of AMS on milking was examined in 39 Holstein cows at Iwate Agricultural Research Center from June 1998 to December 1999, by measuring and recording the yield per milking, milking finish time, milking frequency, and daily yield of milking. Four milking traits were analyzed separately as the objective variable in a linear model, with parity, days in milking, month after installation of the AMS as independent variables. Primiparous cows milked more frequently in the middle and late stage of lactation, yielded less per milking and less per day in the early stage of lactation than multiparous cows with the AMS. Lower frequencies were observed at noon and midnight for cleaning of the bulk tank. By contrast, higher milking frequency in the forenoon was shown. The yield per milking rose and declined, following a normal lactation curve. However, milking frequency rose slowly, and declined gradually in the late stage of lactation. After installing a one-way gate, the cows milked more frequently, with a lower yield per milking and a greater daily milk yield, than before installation. [source]

Predictive models of short- and long-term survival in patients with nonbiliary cirrhosis

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 3 2003
Gérald Longheval
The limited number of donor organs has placed a burden on the medical community to improve patient selection and timing of liver transplantation (LT). We aim to evaluate short- and long-term survival of 124 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of nonbiliary cirrhosis. Seventeen clinical, biochemical, functional, and hemodynamic parameters were computed. Patient survival was evaluated in the short term (3 months) by logistic regression, and the predictive power of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves and the log likelihood ratio. For the long-term (up to 5 years) prognosis, the Cox proportional model was used. During follow-up, 54 patients died and 20 patients underwent LT. In the short-term study, the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score (including bilirubin level, international normalized ratio [INR], and creatinine level) was as predictive as our score, which contained only two independent indicators (bilirubin and creatinine levels). In the long-term study, three independent variables (albumin level, INR, and creatinine level) emerged from the Cox model, and patients were classified into three survival-risk groups according to a prognostic index (PI): ,1.039 × albumin (grams per deciliter) + 1.909 × loge INR + 1.207 × loge serum creatinine (milligrams per deciliter). Survival probabilities at 1 and 5 years were 89% and 80%, 63% and 52%, and 23% and 10% with a low, medium, and high PI, respectively. The validation study using the split-sample technique and data from independent patients confirmed that a high PI (>,2.5) identifies patients with a poor prognosis within 5 years. We thus have shown and validated that risk for death at the short and long term of patients with nonbiliary cirrhosis can be predicted with great accuracy using models containing a few simple and easily obtained objective variables, and these survival models are useful tools in clinical decision making, especially in deciding to list patients for LT and prioritization on the liver waiting list. [source]

The tension free vaginal tape operation for women with mixed incontinence: Do preoperative variables predict the outcome?

NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 1 2007
Sigurd Kulseng-Hanssen
Abstract Aims The aims of our study were (1) to investigate subjective and objective outcomes after tension free vaginal tape (TVT) operations in mixed incontinent women, (2) to detect if preoperative subjective and objective variables predict the outcome, and (3) to evaluate whether the surgical outcome is different for women who preoperatively find stress incontinence, urge incontinence, or urge and stress incontinence equally the predominant bother. Methods A prospective cohort study was performed on 450 mixed incontinent women. A short-form disease-specific validated questionnaire, 24-hr pad test, standardized stress test, residual urine, and maximum urinary flow were used before and after a TVT operation. "Cure" was defined as a condition where the women were very satisfied with the TVT operation and had negative stress- and 24 hr pad tests. Results Preoperatively 69% had stress incontinence, 7% urge incontinence, and 24% urge and stress incontinence equally as the predominant bother. Cure rates were 80%, 52%, and 60%, respectively, in these groups. Postoperatively 43% of the women had no urge incontinence, while 49% were less, and only 8% were more bothered by urge incontinence. A higher preoperative urge incontinence index was correlated with significantly higher postoperative bother for all indices and leakage during 24-hr pad test. Conclusions Mixed incontinent women with predominant stress incontinence had a better cure rate than those with predominant urge incontinence and those who were equally bothered by urge and stress incontinence. This point needs to be addressed when informing mixed incontinent women before a TVT operation. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]