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Traditional Measures (traditional + measure)
Selected AbstractsThe role of the Big Five personality factors in vigilance performance and workloadEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 3 2002Cynthia Laurie Rose Using the five-factor personality model, the present study explored the influence of personality factors on sustained attention and perceived workload. Ninety-six college-aged participants were administered a 12 minute vigilance fast event rate task. Following the vigil, participants were asked to first, rate their perceived workload of the task using the NASA-TLX, and then second, complete the NEO-PI-R personality inventory. Traditional measures of hits, false alarms, and reaction times were examined as well as the signal detection indices of perceptual sensitivity and response bias. Extraversion correlated with false alarms (r,=,0.181; eta2,=,0.055) and conscientiousness correlated with both false alarms (r,=,,0.275, eta2,=,0.097) and perceptual sensitivity (r,=,0.227, eta2,=,0.052). With regard to perceived workload, neuroticism was related to perceived frustration (r,=,0.238, eta2,=,0.057). The findings are discussed in terms of theoretical implications, impact of task parameters, and practical applications. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Reexamination of the Persistence of Accruals and Cash FlowsJOURNAL OF ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 3 2005JENNIFER FRANCIS ABSTRACT We reexamine prior studies' conclusion that accruals are less persistent than cash, focusing on two aspects of persistence that are crucial to determining its properties. The first (time specificity) refers to the fact that persistence describes how current-period shocks to income translate into next-period income. Traditional measures of accruals are, however, functions of current- and non-current-period transactions. We show that the inclusion of non-current-period transactions leads to a downward (upward) bias on the persistence of accruals (cash flows). We develop alternative measures of accruals and cash flows that are not misaligned and show that the differential persistence of cash flows over accruals is more than 70% smaller using these measures. The second aspect of persistence is firm-specificity. Specifically, we evaluate persistence using firm-specific estimations and find that more than 85% of firms show no evidence that accruals are less persistent than cash flows. [source] Calcium Channel Blocker-Related Peripheral Edema: Can It Be Resolved?JOURNAL OF CLINICAL HYPERTENSION, Issue 4 2003Domenic A. Sica MD Calcium channel blocker (CCB)-related edema is quite common in clinical practice and can effectively deter a clinician from continued prescription of these drugs. Its etiology relates to a decrease in arteriolar resistance that goes unmatched in the venous circulation. This disproportionate change in resistance increases hydrostatic pressures in the precapillary circulation and permits fluid shifts into the interstitial compartment. CCB-related edema is more common in women and relates to upright posture, age, and the choice and dose of the CCB. Once present it can be slow to resolve without intervention. A number of strategies exist to treat CCB-related edema, including switching CCB classes, reducing the dosage, and/or adding a known venodilator such as a nitrate, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, or an angiotensin-receptor blocker to the treatment regimen. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have been best studied in this regard. Diuretics may alter the edema state somewhat, but at the expense of further reducing plasma volume. Traditional measures such as limiting the amount of time that a patient is upright and/or considering use of graduated compression stockings are useful adjunctive therapies. Discontinuing the CCB and switching to an alternative antihypertensive therapy will resolve the edema. [source] A scalar analysis of landscape connectivityOIKOS, Issue 2 2003Article first published online: 4 JUL 200 Landscape connectivity is critical to the maintenance of spatially-structured populations and consists of both a structural component, which describes the shape, size and location of landscape features; and a biological component, which consists of both the response of individuals to landscape features, and the patterns of gene flow that result from those individual responses. Traditional studies of landscape connectivity have attempted to discern individual behavioral responses to landscape features, but this methodology is intractable for many species. This paper is an attempt to relate the components of landscape connectivity through the explicit treatment of their spatial and temporal scales. Traditional measures of structural and biological components of connectivity are reviewed and more recently developed methods for the analysis of scale for each are introduced. I then present a framework for the comparison of scalar phenomena based on Watt's unit pattern, describe the potential outcomes of the comparison and discuss the implications of each. Several testable hypotheses emerge from the analysis that may serve as a useful framework for the investigation of landscape connectivity in the future. [source] Managerial perceptions of project stabilityPROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2008Stephen M. Swartz Abstract This research investigated the importance of stability (ability of schedules to absorb disruption) to project outcomes. Managers involved in aviation systems development were surveyed for their perceptions of importance and usefulness for project attributes and performance management measures. Traditional measures of cost, schedule, performance, and earned value were compared to proposed measures of stability. Stability and earned value had both importance and usefulness to the managers. Stability was perceived to be as important as the more common measures. Perceptions differed depending on program size, scope, and stage of completion and between managers depending on experience and certification level. [source] An objective definition of the Indian summer monsoon season and a new perspective on the ENSO,monsoon relationshipTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 624 2007Prince K. Xavier The concept of an interannually varying Indian summer monsoon season is introduced here, considering that the duration of the primary driving of the Indian monsoon,the large-scale meridional gradient of the deep tropospheric heat source,may vary from one year to another. Onset (withdrawal) is defined as the day when the tropospheric heat source shifts from south to north (north to south). This physical principle leads to a new thermodynamic index of the seasonal mean monsoon. While the traditional measure of seasonal rainfall, averaged from 1 June to 30 September, indicates a breakdown of the ENSO,monsoon relationship in recent decades, it is argued that this breakdown is partly due to the inappropriate definition of a fixed monsoon season. With a new physically based definition of the seasonal mean, the ENSO,monsoon relationship has remained steady over the decades. El Niño (La Niña) events contract (expand) the season, and thus decrease (increase) the seasonal mean monsoon by setting up persistent negative (positive) tropospheric temperature (TT) anomalies over the southern Eurasian region. Thus, we propose a new pathway, whereby the Indian summer monsoon could be influenced by remote climatic phenomena via modification of TT over Eurasia. Diagnostics of the onset and withdrawal processes suggest that onset delay is due to the enhanced adiabatic subsidence that inhibits vertical mixing of sensible heating from warm landmass during the pre-monsoon months. On the other hand, the major factor that determines whether the withdrawal is early or late is the horizontal advective cooling. Most of the late (early) onsets and early (late) withdrawals are associated with El Niño (La Niña). This link between the ENSO and the monsoon is realized through vertical and horizontal advections associated with the stationary waves in the upper troposphere set up by the tropical ENSO heating. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Phylogenetic beta diversity: linking ecological and evolutionary processes across space in timeECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 12 2008Catherine H. Graham Abstract A key challenge in ecological research is to integrate data from different scales to evaluate the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that influence current patterns of biological diversity. We build on recent attempts to incorporate phylogenetic information into traditional diversity analyses and on existing research on beta diversity and phylogenetic community ecology. Phylogenetic beta diversity (phylobetadiversity) measures the phylogenetic distance among communities and as such allows us to connect local processes, such as biotic interactions and environmental filtering, with more regional processes including trait evolution and speciation. When combined with traditional measures of beta diversity, environmental gradient analyses or ecological niche modelling, phylobetadiversity can provide significant and novel insights into the mechanisms underlying current patterns of biological diversity. [source] Can High School Achievement Tests Serve to Select College Students?EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT: ISSUES AND PRACTICE, Issue 2 2010Adriana D. Cimetta Postsecondary schools have traditionally relied on admissions tests such as the SATand ACT to select students. With high school achievement assessments in place in many states, it is important to ascertain whether scores from those exams can either supplement or supplant conventional admissions tests. In this study we examined whether the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) high school tests could serve as a useful predictor of college performance. Stepwise regression analyses with a predetermined order of variable entry revealed that AIMS generally did not account for additional performance variation when added to high school grade-point average (HSGPA) and SAT. However, in a cohort of students that took the test for graduation purposes, AIMS did account for about the same proportion of variance as SAT when added to a model that included HSGPA. The predictive value of both SAT and AIMS was generally the same for Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian American students. The ramifications of universities using high school achievement exams as predictors of college success, in addition to or in lieu of traditional measures, are discussed. [source] Black and official exchange rate volatility and foreign exchange controls: evidence from GreeceINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCE & ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2001Angelos Kanas F31; F32; C22; C52 Abstract This paper examines the issue of volatility and capital controls to the official and black market exchange rates of the Greek Drachma using the monthly exchange rate against the US dollar for the period 1975,1993. Specifically, we apply a GARCH(1,,1) model to study the behaviour of the official and black market drachma/dollar exhange rate. The main findings of the analysis are: (i) in contrast to the findings of previous studies using monthly rates, GARCH processes characterize the drachma/dollar exchange rate series in both markets; (ii) the relaxation of foreign exchange controls increased the volatility of the exchange rate in the official market as implied by theory; (iii) the persistence of volatility is reduced when account is taken of the liberalization process of capital movements; and (iv) The forecasts of volatility are improved when the GARCH forecasts are used against traditional measures. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Sensory Processing and Adaptive Behavior Deficits of Children Across the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder ContinuumALCOHOLISM, Issue 6 2010Joshua L. Carr Background:, Prenatal alcohol exposure can have detrimental effects on a child's development of adaptive behaviors necessary for success in the areas of academic achievement, socialization, and self-care. Sensory processing abilities have been found to affect a child's ability to successfully perform adaptive behaviors. The current study explored whether significant differences in sensory processing abilities, adaptive behavior, and neurocognitive functioning are observed between children diagnosed with partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS), Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND), or children who were prenatally exposed to alcohol (PEA), but did not meet criteria for an FASD diagnosis. The influence of IQ on adaptive behavior as well as further exploration of the relationship between sensory processing and adaptive behavior deficits among these children was also examined. Methods:, A secondary analysis was conducted on some of the Short Sensory Profile (SSP) scores, Adaptive Behavior Assessment System,Second Edition (ABAS-II) scores, and Wechsler Intelligence Scale,Fourth Edition/Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence,Third Edition (WISC- IV/WPPSI,III) scores of 46 children between 3 and 14 years of age with pFAS, ARND, or who were PEA. Results:, Greater sensory processing deficits were found in children with a diagnosis of pFAS and ARND compared to those in the PEA group. Children with an ARND diagnosis scored significantly worse on measures of adaptive behavior than the PEA group. Children with pFAS scored significantly lower than children with ARND or PEA on perceptual/performance IQ. No correlation was found between IQ scores and adaptive behaviors across the FASD diagnostic categories. A significant positive correlation was found between SSP and ABAS-II scores. Conclusions:, Regardless of the diagnosis received under the FASD umbrella, functional difficulties that could not be observed using traditional measures of intelligence were found, supporting guidelines that a broad range of standardized assessments be included when screening children for FASD. [source] Towards a deeper understanding of test coverageJOURNAL OF SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND EVOLUTION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2008Teemu Kanstrén Abstract Test coverage is traditionally considered as how much of the code is covered by the test suite in whole. However, test suites typically contain different types of tests with different roles, such as unit tests, integration tests and functional tests. As traditional measures of test coverage make no distinction between the different types of tests, the overall view of test coverage is limited to what is covered by the tests in general. This paper proposes a quantitative way to measure the test coverage of the different parts of the software at different testing levels. It is also shown how this information can be used in software maintenance and development to further evolve the test suite and the system under test. The technique is applied to an open-source project to show its application in practice. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Measuring beta-diversity from taxonomic similarityJOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 6 2007Giovanni Bacaro Abstract Question: The utility of beta (,-) diversity measures that incorporate information about the degree of taxonomic (dis)similarity between species plots is becoming increasingly recognized. In this framework, the question for this study is: can we define an ecologically meaningful index of ,-diversity that, besides indicating simple species turnover, is able to account for taxonomic similarity amongst species in plots? Methods: First, the properties of existing measures of taxonomic similarity measures are briefly reviewed. Next, a new measure of plot-to-plot taxonomic similarity is presented that is based on the maximal common subgraph of two taxonomic trees. The proposed measure is computed from species presences and absences and include information about the degree of higher-level taxonomic similarity between species plots. The performance of the proposed measure with respect to existing coefficients of taxonomic similarity and the coefficient of Jaccard is discussed using a small data set of heath plant communities. Finally, a method to quantify ,-diversity from taxonomic dissimilarities is discussed. Results: The proposed measure of taxonomic ,-diversity incorporates not only species richness, but also information about the degree of higher-order taxonomic structure between species plots. In this view, it comes closer to a modern notion of biological diversity than more traditional measures of ,-di-versity. From regression analysis between the new coefficient and existing measures of taxonomic similarity it is shown that there is an evident nonlinearity between the coefficients. This nonlinearity demonstrates that the new coefficient measures similarity in a conceptually different way from previous indices. Also, in good agreement with the findings of previous authors, the regression between the new index and the Jaccard coefficient of similarity shows that more than 80% of the variance of the former is explained by the community structure at the species level, while only the residual variance is explained by differences in the higher-order taxonomic structure of the species plots. This means that a genuine taxonomic approach to the quantification of plot-to-plot similarity is only needed if we are interested in the residual system's variation that is related to the higher-order taxonomic structure of a pair of species plots. [source] Conundrums of competitive ability in plants: what to measure?OIKOS, Issue 3 2002LonnieW. A survey of recent literature indicates that competitive ability in plants has been measured, in most studies, only in terms of the relative intensity of size suppression experienced by competitors within one growing season. Far fewer studies have recorded relative success in terms of survival and even fewer studies have recorded fecundity under competition. Differences in size suppression are usually assumed to reflect differences in relative abilities to deny resources to competitors. However, most previous studies have failed to control or account for other sources of variation in the size suppression that plants experience under competition, i.e. variation between mixtures in the resource supply/demand ratio (approach to carrying capacity), or variation in the degree of niche overlap between competitors, or variation in the intensity of concurrent facilitative interactions between competitors. For future studies, much greater caution is required in recognizing these inherent limitations of traditional measures of competitive ability and, hence, guarding against unfounded conclusions or predictions about potential for competitive success that are based on these measures. There is also a significant challenge for future studies to adopt empirical approaches for minimizing these limitations. Some initial recommendations are considered here based on an emerging view of competitive ability measured in terms of traits associated with all three conventional components of Darwinian fitness, i.e. not just growth (plant size) but also survival and fecundity allocation (offspring production per unit plant size per unit time). According to this model, differences in competitive ability imply differences in the ability, despite intense competition (i.e. low resource supply/demand ratio), to recruit offspring into the next generation and thereby limit offspring recruitment by other plants. The important traits of competitive ability, therefore, are not only those that allow a plant to deny resources to competitors, suppress their sizes and hence, maximize the plant's own size, but also those traits that allow the plant to withstand suppression from competition enough to persist, both as an individual (through survival) and across generations (through descendants). [source] Wage Formation, Regional Migration and Local Labour Market Tightness,OXFORD BULLETIN OF ECONOMICS & STATISTICS, Issue 4 2006Fredrik Carlsen Abstract Empirical studies of regional wage formation and interregional migration routinely include the regional unemployment rate as indicator of local labour market tightness. However, these studies are usually motivated by economic theories that emphasize transition probabilities between unemployment and employment, and the unemployment rate is an imperfect proxy for these probabilities. We use a large micro data set to compute estimates of the rate of outflow from unemployment for 90 Norwegian travel-to-work areas. The outflow rates perform better than traditional measures of regional labour market tightness in panel data analyses of regional wages and interregional migration. [source] Using Affective Attitudes to Identify Christian Fundamentalism: The Ten Commandments Judge and Alabama PoliticsPOLITICS & POLICY, Issue 5 2010THOMAS SHAW This article develops a new and useful indicator to aid in identifying Christian fundamentalism. "Affect" measures individuals' affective attitudes toward the role of Christian fundamentalists in Alabama politics. We demonstrate the analytic utility of this indicator by quantitatively comparing it to other more traditional and direct measures of fundamentalism, such as belief in the Bible as the literal word of God, self-identification as a fundamentalist, and whether one considers oneself to be "born again." We then compare the utility of these different measures of Christian fundamentalism in explaining electoral support for the archetype Christian fundamentalist political candidate, the "Ten Commandments Judge" Roy Moore, former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. We find that our affect indicator compares well to other measures of fundamentalism and actually outperforms all of the more traditional measures in explaining support for Moore. Data used in the analysis come from a public opinion poll conducted by the USA Polling Group in April 2006. Este artículo desarrolla un nuevo y útil indicador para ayudar a identificar el fundamentalismo cristiano. "Afecto" mide las actitudes afectivas de los individuos hacia el rol de los cristianos fundamentalistas en la política de Alabama. Demostramos la utilidad analítica de este indicador al compararlo cuantitativamente con otras medidas más tradicionales y directas del fundamentalismo, tales como la creencia de la Biblia como la palabra literal de Dios, auto-identificación como fundamentalista, y si uno se considera a uno mismo "nacido de nuevo." Después comparamos la utilidad de estas diferentes medidas del fundamentalismo cristiano para explicar el apoyo electoral al candidato político cristiano fundamentalista arquetípico: Roy Moore, "Juez de los Diez Mandamientos," ex-presidente del tribunal de la Corte Suprema de Alabama. Encontramos que nuestro indicador Afecto se equipara con otras medidas del fundamentalismo y en realidad supera a todas las más tradicionales mediciones que explican el apoyo a Moore. La información utilizada en el análisis proviene de una encuesta de opinión pública realizada por el USA Polling Group en Abril del 2006. [source] Project management priorities and the link with performance management systemsPROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2007David J. Bryde Abstract This paper reports the results of a project management practices study in the U.K. social housing sector. A five-factor model of project priorities is established, comprising traditional measures of project cost, time, and quality, in combination with a need to focus on stakeholders and to develop a customer and project team orientation. This model supports and integrates previously fragmented notions of project performance measurement. The relationship between these five project management criteria and the effectiveness and use of a performance management system (PMS) is then explored, with some limited evidence found that PMS effectiveness is an antecedent to practices that focus on the customer, the project team members, and other stakeholders [source] Cancer survivorship and psychological distress in later lifePSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 6 2002Gary T. Deimling Recent research in psychosocial oncology has pointed to the traumatic nature of the stress experienced by cancer survivors. Most of this research has focused on children, young adults survivors and their families. This investigation proposes a conceptual model for understanding general psychological distress (anxiety, hostility and depression) and symptoms of posttraumatic stress (hyper-arousal, avoidance and intrusiveness) that may be associated with cancer survivorship among older adults. Findings from a survey of 180 older adult, long-term cancer survivors are used to illustrate the key features of this model. Results of multivariate analysis show that most older adult long-term cancer survivors do not demonstrate clinical levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), although over 25% evidence clinical levels of depression. However, many survivors display important symptoms of psychological distress that are related to the continuing effects of cancer and its treatment. Current cancer-related symptoms are the strongest predictors of depression (beta=0.27, p=0.046) and the PTSD sub-dimension of hyper-arousal (beta=0.377, p=0.004). These effects persist even when the effects of other stressors and non-cancer illness symptoms are statistically controlled. Additionally, it appears in this sample that symptoms of PTSD are significantly correlated with traditional measures of psychological distress. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A parsimonious crop-water productivity index: an application to BrazilAREA, Issue 1 2009Marco P Maneta Reducing poverty in rural areas of developing countries requires sustained and sustainable increases in agricultural water productivity. However, aside from traditional measures of precipitation, little is known about water available to farmers or how productively they use it. We present a crop-water productivity index (a ratio of the value of annual crop production to a dimensionless potential water availability index) for large water basins using readily available low-resolution data. The index is transferable, permits direct inter-basin comparisons, and is simple to calculate. We calculate the index for each municipality in the São Francisco river basin in Brazil. No clear patterns linking water availability and value of agricultural output are evident, even though clusters of municípios with high- and low-crop-water productivity emerge, and the former may be useful in guiding policies aimed at increasing water productivity. Finally, analyses of the effects of information uncertainty on the crop-water productivity index suggest that the returns to agricultural investments in certain places in the São Francisco river basin are more risky than others. Improvements in data quality and quantity can help refine estimates of the index and reduce their uncertainty. [source] Cataract surgery and effectiveness 2.ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2 2001An index approach for the measurement of output, efficiency of cataract surgery at different surgery departments ABSTRACT. Purpose: To describe a model for comparing the performance of cataract surgery among ophthalmology departments in terms of economic efficiency. Methods: An index approach for the measurement of outcome of cataract surgery is modeled. The index approach uses information about activities and difficulties in daily life as well as visual acuity and age. The change in activities and difficulties after surgery is expressed by changes in distances, and an overall index score is calculated as ratios of values to distances. Values to distances are estimated as solutions to linear programming problems. Index scores are calculated for two groups of patients, those with an ocular co-morbidity and those without. Economic efficiency is also estimated by use of an index approach. In the estimation of efficiency we use the calculated index scores of outcome of surgery as a measure of output of the ophthalmology department. Four different departments providing cataract surgery are compared. Results: The studied departments showed differences to a great extent when traditional measures of cataract surgery outcomes were used. These differences changed when the outcomes were compared by use of index scores. When economic efficiency was calculated the difference between the departments was further reduced and only one department was considered inefficient according to the model. Conclusion: An index approach was used to study outcomes of cataract surgery and economic efficiency in four departments. This approach takes into account the complexity of cost in relation to feasible outcome. The ranking between the departments described by traditional methods turned out differently using the model. [source] The Head Bone's Connected to the Neck Bone: When Do Toddlers Represent Their Own Body Topography?CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2010Celia A. Brownell Developments in very young children's topographic representations of their own bodies were examined. Sixty-one 20- and 30-month-old children were administered tasks that indexed the ability to locate specific body parts on oneself and knowledge of how one's body parts are spatially organized, as well as body-size knowledge and self-awareness. Age differences in performance emerged for every task. Body-part localization and body spatial configuration knowledge were associated; however, body topography knowledge was not associated with body-size knowledge. Both were related to traditional measures of self-awareness, mediated by their common associations with age. It is concluded that children possess an explicit, if rudimentary, topographic representation of their own body's shape, structure, and size by 30 months of age. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||