cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Vibrations in soil with special regard to foundation design : a review of current theories with experimental work in clay settlements
Creators: name: Forrest, James Benjamin
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2011

description: It is the purpose of this thesis to review, and to evaluate to a degree, some of the current theories dealing with the effects of vibrations on foundations in contact with the earth. Basic parameters, the means of evaluating them, and their applications are discussed. Conditions leading to vibration and shock problems, the significance of these problems and various correctional methods are presented. The effects of vibrations on foundations, with particular regard to settlement, are considered by means of modifications to the soil characteristics as observed by other writers. Long term consolidation tests were carried out on undisturbed and remolded clay samples, both vibrated and unvibrated. These tests were conducted in order to secure a comparison between actual test results and the conclusions given by the above theory, for what may be considered an extreme case. Cohesive soil is known to be much less sensitive to vibration than cohesionless soil, thus very little work has been done on it in this regard. The degree of independence of cohesionless soil to vibration was investigated within the limits of these tests.
title: Studies of the Effect of Formative Assessment on Student Achievement: So Much More is Needed
Creators: name: McMillan, James H.
name: Venable, Jessica C.
name: Varier, Divya
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2013

description: Kingston and Nash (2011) recently presented a meta-analysis of studies showing that the effect of formative assessment on K-12 student achievement may not be as robust as widely believed. This investigation analyzes the methodology used in the Kingston and Nash meta-analysis and provides further analyses of the studies included in the study. These analyses suggest, consistent with other reviews, that some of the conclusions reached by Kingston and Nash may not be credible. The studies used in the Kingston and Nash meta-analysis were limited by the nature of the selection process, the questionable quality of their methodologies, and the multiple ways formative assessment was defined and operationalized, often without inclusion of recognized formative assessment characteristics that are needed for successful practice. These limitations mitigate Kingston and Nashâ€™s conclusion that the median effect size of experimental studies reviewed suggests a much smaller overall impact than reported by others. Recommendations for further research in this area are summarized to establish an improved body of literature on the effects of formative assessment on student achievement. Accessed 16,036 times on https://pareonline.net from February 19, 2013 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
Mauna Kea Sky Transparency from CFHT SkyProbe Data
Creators: name: Steinbring, Eric
name: Cuillandre, Jean-Charles
name: Magnier, Eugene
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2008
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics (astro-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Nighttime sky transparency statistics on Mauna Kea are reported based on data from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope SkyProbe monitor. We focus on the period beginning with the start of MegaCam wide-field optical imager operations in 2003, and continuing for almost three years. Skies were clear enough to observe on 76% of those nights; attenuations were less than 0.2 magnitudes up to 60% of the time. An empirical model of cloud attenuation and duration is presented allowing us to further characterize the photometric conditions. This is a good fit tothe SkyProbe data, and indicates that Mauna Kea skies are truly photometric (without cloud) an average of 56% of the time, with moderate seasonal variation. Continuous monitoring of transparency during the night is necessary to overcome fluctuations in attenuation due to thin cloud.
description: 10 pages, 6 figures, submitted to PASP
title: Educational Research with Real-World Data: Reducing Selection Bias with Propensity Score Analysis
Creators: name: Adelson, Jill L.
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2013

description: Often it is infeasible or unethical to use random assignment in educational settings to study important constructs and questions. Hence, educational research often uses observational data, such as large-scale secondary data sets and state and school district data, and quasi-experimental designs. One method of reducing selection bias in estimations of treatment effects is propensity score analysis. This method reduces a large number of pretreatment covariates to a single scalar function and allows researchers to compare subjects with similar probability to receive the treatment. This article provides an introduction to propensity score analysis and stratification, an example illustrating its use, and suggestions for using propensity score analysis in educational research. Accessed 6,397 times on https://pareonline.net from December 18, 2013 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
title: Laboratory evaluation of insecticidal effectiveness of a natural zeolite formulation against Sitophilus oryzae (L.), Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) in treated wheat
Creators: name: Kljajić, P.
name: Andrić, G.
name: Adamović, M.
name: Pražić Golić, M.
Publisher: name: Julius Kühn-Institut
Year: 2010
Subjects: subject: wheat grain
subject: Sitophilus oryzae
subject: Rhyzopertha dominica
subject: Tribolium castaneum
subject: natural zeolite

description: Julius-Kühn-Archiv; 425; 863-868
title: Determining the Number of Factors to Retain in EFA: Using the SPSS R-Menu v2 0 to Make More Judicious Estimations
Creators: name: Courtney, Matthew
name: Gordon, Ray
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2013

description: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is a common technique utilized in the development of assessment instruments. The key question when performing this procedure is how to best estimate the number of factors to retain. This is especially important as under- or over-extraction may lead to erroneous conclusions. Although recent advancements have been made to answer the number of factors question, popular statistical packages do not come standard with these modern techniques. This paper details how to program IBM SPSS Statistics software (SPSS) to conveniently perform five modern techniques designed to estimate the number of factors to retain. By utilizing the five empirically-supported techniques illustrated in this article, researchers will be able to more judiciously model data. Accessed 27,874 times on https://pareonline.net from April 30, 2013 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
title: Comparing Propensity Score Methods in Balancing Covariates and Recovering Impact in Small Sample Educational Program Evaluations
Creators: name: Stone, Clement A.
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2013

description: Propensity score applications are often used to evaluate educational program impact. However, various options are available to estimate both propensity scores and construct comparison groups. This study used a student achievement dataset with commonly available covariates to compare different propensity scoring estimation methods (logistic regression, boosted regression, and Bayesian logistic regression) in combination with different methods for constructing comparison groups (nearest-neighbor matching, optimal matching, weighting) relative to balancing pre-existing differences and recovering a simulated treatment effect in small samples. Results indicated that applied researchers evaluating program impact should first consider use of standard logistic regression methods with nearest-neighbor or optimal matching or boosted regression in combination with propensity score weighting. Advantages and disadvantages of the methods are discussed. Accessed 12,046 times on https://pareonline.net from November 05, 2013 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
title: Unit-weighted scales imply models that should be tested!
Creators: name: Beauducel, André
name: Leue, Anja
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2013

description: In several studies unit-weighted sum scales based on the unweighted sum of items are derived from the pattern of salient loadings in confirmatory factor analysis. The problem of this procedure is that the unit-weighted sum scales imply a model other than the initially tested confirmatory factor model. In consequence, it remains generally unknown how well the model implied by the unit-weighted sum scales fits the data. Nevertheless, the derived unit-weighted sum scales are often used in applied settings. The paper demonstrates how model parameters for the unit-weighted sum scales can be computed and tested by means of structural equation modeling. An empirical example based on a personality questionnaire and subsequent unit-weighted scale analyses are presented in order to demonstrate the procedure. Accessed 6,132 times on https://pareonline.net from February 18, 2013 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
Atlas of Tilted Accretion Disks & Source to Negative Superhumps
Creators: name: Montgomery, M. M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Using smoothed particle hydrodynamics, we numerically simulate steady state accretion discs for Cataclysmic Variable Dwarf Novae systems that have a secondary-to-primary mass ratio (0.35 \le q \le 0.55). After these accretion discs have come to quasi-equilibrium, we rotate each disc out of the orbital plane by (δ= (1, 2, 3, 4, 5,) or (20)^{o}) to induce negative superhumps. For accretion discs tilted $5^{o}$, we generate light curves and associated Fourier transforms for an atlas on negative superhumps and retrograde precession. Our simulation results suggest that accretion discs need to be tilted more than three degrees for negative superhumps to be statistically significant. We also show that if the disc is tilted enough such that the gas stream strikes a disc face, then a dense cooling ring is generated near the radius of impact. In addition to the atlas, we study these artificially tilted accretion discs to find the source to negative superhumps. Our results suggest that the source is additional light from innermost disc annuli, and this additional light waxes and wanes with the amount of gas stream overflow received as the secondary orbits. The nodes, where the gas stream transitions from flowing over to under the disc rim (and vice versa), precess in the retrograde direction.
description: 10 pages, 14 figures in Journal: Royal Astronomical Society and Blackwell Publishing. The definitive version is available at http://www.blackwellsynergy.com or at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122269928/abstract
title: Test Administration Models
Creators: name: Becker, Kirk A.
name: Bergstrom, Betty A.
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2013

description: The need for increased exam security, improved test formats, more flexible scheduling, better measurement, and more efficient administrative processes has caused testing agencies to consider converting the administration of their exams from paper-and-pencil to computer-based testing (CBT). Many decisions must be made in order to provide an optimal examination program from the perspectives of validity, customer service, and cost. Methods to administer computer-based testing include Computer Adaptive, Linear-On-The-Fly, Multistage testing, and multiple fixed forms. Each of these methods has pros and cons that must be considered in relation to the purpose and characteristics of the exam. Issues of security, access, psychometrics, and cheating will also be addressed. Accessed 8,210 times on https://pareonline.net from December 12, 2013 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
Injury perceptions and their association with pain and mental health trajectories after traumatic extremity injuries: Protocol for a prospective longitudinal cohort study
Creators: name: Van De Pol, Gerrit
name: O'Leary, Shaun
name: Butler, Prudence
name: Armfield, Nigel
name: Giummarra, Melita J.
name: Sterling, Michele
Publisher: name: Open Science Framework
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Psychiatry and Psychology
subject: Physiotherapy
subject: Rehabilitation and Therapy
subject: Medicine and Health Sciences

description: Study protocol for a prospective longitudinal cohort study
Criticality in the randomness-induced second-order phase transition of the triangular Ising antiferromagnet with nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor interactions
Creators: name: Fytas, N. G.
name: Malakis, A.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
subject: Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Using a Wang-Landau entropic sampling scheme, we investigate the effects of quenched bond randomness on a particular case of a triangular Ising model with nearest- ($J_{nn}$) and next-nearest-neighbor ($J_{nnn}$) antiferromagnetic interactions. We consider the case $R=J_{nnn}/J_{nn}=1$, for which the pure model is known to have a columnar ground state where rows of nearest-neighbor spins up and down alternate and undergoes a weak first-order phase transition from the ordered to the paramagnetic state. With the introduction of quenched bond randomness we observe the effects signaling the expected conversion of the first-order phase transition to a second-order phase transition and using the Lee-Kosterlitz method, we quantitatively verify this conversion. The emerging, under random bonds, continuous transition shows a strongly saturating specific heat behavior, corresponding to a negative exponent $α$, and belongs to a new distinctive universality class with $ν=1.135(11)$, $γ/ν=1.744(9)$, and $β/ν=0.124(8)$. Thus, our results for the critical exponents support an extensive but weak universality and the emerged continuous transition has the same magnetic critical exponent (but a different thermal critical exponent) as a wide variety of two-dimensional (2d) systems without and with quenched disorder.
description: 17 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Physica A
title: Classroom Test Construction: The Power of a Table of Specifications
Creators: name: Fives, Helenrose
name: DiDonato-Barnes, Nicole
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2013

description: Classroom tests provide teachers with essential information used to make decisions about instruction and student grades. A table of specification (TOS) can be used to help teachers frame the decision making process of test construction and improve the validity of teacher's evaluations based on tests constructed for classroom use. In this article we explain the purpose of a TOS and how to use it to help construct classroom tests. Accessed 155,500 times on https://pareonline.net from February 21, 2013 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
Encouraging and Enhancing Economic Development in RSE and SWP
Creators: name: Bailey, Rochelle
name: Kautoke-Holani, Alisi
Publisher: name: Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University
Year: 2018

description: This In Brief highlights research on the use of remittances from the Australian Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) and the New Zealand Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme (RSE) for business investments in Pacific sending countries. These programs, which specifically recruit from Pacific Island Forum states and Timor-Leste, have an objective of encouraging economic development in the sending countries. It is believed the development gains are twofold: both through remittances that seasonal workers transfer to their households, and the skills that workers acquire during the course of their placement. Our research argues that remittances, as private household transfers, can have an especially positive impact on the local economy if these private monies are used to finance productive activities, such as business investments. Here we discuss evidence of business investments arising from remittances from ni-Vanuatu workers under the RSE and Tongan workers under the SWP.
title: Forest plots in Excel: Moving beyond a clump of trees to a forest of visual information
Creators: name: Derzon, James H.
name: Alford, Aaron A.
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2013

description: Forest plots provide an effective means of presenting a wealth of information in a single graphic. Whether used to illustrate multiple results in a single study or the cumulative knowledge of an entire field, forest plots have become an accepted and generally understood way of presenting many estimates simultaneously. This article explores advanced uses of the forest plot with the intent of highlighting the flexibility of Excel in generating both simple and complex forest plots. A step-by-step tutorial is included with specific directions for generating a stratified forest plot and general suggestions for modifying the forest plot to meet the user's specific needs. Accessed 35,975 times on https://pareonline.net from April 29, 2013 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
title: Fitting the Mixed Rasch Model to a Reading Comprehension Test: Identifying Reader Types
Creators: name: Baghaei, Purya
name: Carstensen, Claus H.
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2013

description: Standard unidimensional Rasch models assume that persons with the same ability parameters are comparable. That is, the same interpretation applies to persons with identical ability estimates as regards the underlying mental processes triggered by the test. However, research in cognitive psychology shows that persons at the same trait level may employ different strategies to arrive at the solutions. This is a major threat to the construct validity of a test since the construct representation of the test changes for different classes of respondents. In this study a reading comprehension test composed of 20 multiple-choice items is analysed with mixed Rasch model. Findings show that a two-class model fits the data best. After investigating class specific item profiles the implications of the study for test validation along with the contribution of the research to our understanding of reading processes are discussed. Accessed 7,812 times on https://pareonline.net from March 05, 2013 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
Barriers to and Facilitators of Implementing Technology-Delivered Motivational Interviewing: A Systematic Review
Creators: name: Tan, Felicia Clara
name: Sungwon Yoon
name: Kie, Phang Jie
name: Heng, Kwan Yu
name: A/Prof Low Lian Leng
Publisher: name: Open Science Framework
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Architecture
subject: FOS: Civil engineering
subject: Social and Behavioral Sciences
subject: Medicine and Health Sciences

description: The review aims to summarize factors that hamper or contribute to Technology-Delivered Motivational Interviewing (TDMI) implementation. Findings from this systematic review may provide a robust set of guidelines for TDMI, as well as a conceptual foundation on which further research on TDMI may be established.
Security of practical phase-coding quantum key distribution
Creators: name: Li, Hong-Wei
name: Yin, Zhen-Qiang
name: Han, Zheng-Fu
name: Bao, Wan-Su
name: Guo, Guang-Can
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Security proof of practical quantum key distribution (QKD) has attracted a lot of attentions in recent years. Most of real-life QKD implementations are based on phase-coding BB84 protocol, which usually uses Unbalanced Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (UMZI) as the information coder and decoder. However, the long arm and short arm of UMZI will introduce different loss in practical experimental realizations, the state emitted by Alice's side is nolonger standard BB84 states. In this paper, we will give a security analysis in this situation. Counterintuitively, active compensation for this different loss will only lower the secret key bit rate.
description: 4 pages, 3 figures,
Statistical Astrophysics: From Extrasolar Planets to the Large-scale Structure of the Universe
Creators: name: Politsch, Collin
Publisher: name: Carnegie Mellon University
Year: 2021
Subjects: Astrophysics

description: Modern astronomical surveys compile massive catalogs of images, light curves, and spectra that allow us to study the Universe from the relatively local (e.g. stars and extrasolar planets) to the extremely remote (e.g. quasars and the cosmic microwave background). As the magnitude of these catalogs continues to grow exponentially, the presence of statisticians and computer scientists working at the interface of astronomy and astrophysics becomes increasingly essential to the advancement of the field. In this dissertation, we study a variety of astrophysical problems of a statistical nature.
In Chapters 2 and 3, we introduce trend filtering (Tibshirani, 2014) into the astronomical literature and demonstrate its broad utility by discussing how it can contribute to a variety of spectroscopic and time-domain studies. The astronomical observations we discuss are (1) the Lyman-α forest absorptions in the spectra of high redshift quasars; (2) the broader spectroscopic signatures of quasars, galaxies, and stars; (3) stellar light curves with planetary transits; (4) light curves of eclipsing binary star systems; and (5) supernova light curves. We study the Lyman-α forest in the greatest detail — using trend filtering to map the large-scale structure of the intergalactic medium along one-dimensional quasar-observer sightlines. The remaining studies share broad themes of: (1) estimating observable parameters of light curves and spectra; and (2) constructing observational spectral/light-curve templates.
In Chapters 4 and 5, we continue our Lyman-α absorption spectroscopy analysis of the intergalactic medium by utilizing the full redshift z ≳ 2.1 quasar catalog compiled by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (Dawson et al., 2013) to reconstruct a 47 h-3 Gpc3 three-dimensional large-scale structure map of the high redshift intergalactic medium — the largest volume map of the Universe to date — from the dense collection of one-dimensional quasar sightlines. We accompany the map with rigorous statistical error quantification and compile an extensive census of candidates for never-before-seen galaxy protoclusters and cosmic voids. The statistical reconstruction requires minimal assumptions on the underlying matter density field and is specifically optimized to recover three-dimensional structures lying between the one-dimensional sightlines backlit by quasars.
This Thesis has been approved by the Department of Statistics & Data Science and the Machine Learning Department for the joint Doctor of Philosophy degree in Statistics and Machine Learning
Gundlach oscillations and Coulomb blockade of Co nano-islands on MgO/Mo(100) investigated by scanning tunneling spectroscopy at 300 K
Creators: name: Pauly, C.
name: Grob, M.
name: Pezzotta, M.
name: Pratzer, M.
name: Morgenstern, M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2010
Subjects: subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Ultrathin MgO films on Mo(100) with a thickness up to 12 ML are studied by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy at room temperature. The spatial variation of the work function within the MgO film is mapped by field emission resonance states (Gundlach oscillations) using dz/dU spectroscopy. We found circular spots with significantly reduced work function (DeltaPhi=0.6 eV), which are assigned to charged defects within the MgO film. On top of the MgO films, small Co cluster are deposited with an average contact area of 4 nm^2. These islands exhibit Coulomb oscillations in dI/dU spectra at room temperature. Good agreement with orthodox theory is achieved showing variations of the background charge Q_0 for islands at different positions, which are in accordance with the work function differences determined by the Gundlach oscillations.
description: 7 pages, 3 figures
Gruppe Nießen 3
Creators: name: Schirren, Ayana
name: Louisa-Marie Nübel
name: Burgard, Aliz
name: Nelles, Vivienne
name: Klug, Paula
name: Supplieth, Riccardo
Publisher: name: Open Science Framework
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Social and Behavioral Sciences
subject: Psychology
subject: FOS: Psychology

description: The present study will investigate how social evaluations in form of emotional facial expressions affect the dealing with errors. Specifically, we will investigate whether performance feedback in a manner of facial reactions can have a rewarding or punishing effect.
title: Factor Analysis using R
Creators: name: Beaujean, A. Alexander
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2013

description: R (R Development Core Team, 2011) is a very powerful tool to analyze data, that is gaining in popularity due to its costs (its free) and flexibility (its open-source). This article gives a general introduction to using R (i.e., loading the program, using functions, importing data). Then, using data from Canivez, Konold, Collins, and Wilson (2009), this article walks the user through how to use the program to conduct factor analysis, from both an exploratory and confirmatory approach. Accessed 36,214 times on https://pareonline.net from February 25, 2013 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
Statistical Astrophysics: From Extrasolar Planets to the Large-scale Structure of the Universe
Creators: name: Politsch, Collin
Publisher: name: Carnegie Mellon University
Year: 2020
Subjects: Astrophysics

description: Modern astronomical surveys compile massive catalogs of images, light curves, and spectra that allow us to study the Universe from the relatively local (e.g. stars and extrasolar planets) to the extremely remote (e.g. quasars and the cosmic microwave background). As the magnitude of these catalogs continues to grow exponentially, the presence of statisticians and computer scientists working at the interface of astronomy and astrophysics becomes increasingly essential to the advancement of the field. In this dissertation, we study a variety of astrophysical problems of a statistical nature.
In Chapters 2 and 3, we introduce trend filtering (Tibshirani, 2014) into the astronomical literature and demonstrate its broad utility by discussing how it can contribute to a variety of spectroscopic and time-domain studies. The astronomical observations we discuss are (1) the Lyman-α forest absorptions in the spectra of high redshift quasars; (2) the broader spectroscopic signatures of quasars, galaxies, and stars; (3) stellar light curves with planetary transits; (4) light curves of eclipsing binary star systems; and (5) supernova light curves. We study the Lyman-α forest in the greatest detail — using trend filtering to map the large-scale structure of the intergalactic medium along one-dimensional quasar-observer sightlines. The remaining studies share broad themes of: (1) estimating observable parameters of light curves and spectra; and (2) constructing observational spectral/light-curve templates.
In Chapters 4 and 5, we continue our Lyman-α absorption spectroscopy analysis of the intergalactic medium by utilizing the full redshift z ≳ 2.1 quasar catalog compiled by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (Dawson et al., 2013) to reconstruct a 47 h-3 Gpc3 three-dimensional large-scale structure map of the high redshift intergalactic medium — the largest volume map of the Universe to date — from the dense collection of one-dimensional quasar sightlines. We accompany the map with rigorous statistical error quantification and compile an extensive census of candidates for never-before-seen galaxy protoclusters and cosmic voids. The statistical reconstruction requires minimal assumptions on the underlying matter density field and is specifically optimized to recover three-dimensional structures lying between the one-dimensional sightlines backlit by quasars.
This Thesis has been approved by the Department of Statistics & Data Science and the Machine Learning Department for the joint Doctor of Philosophy degree in Statistics and Machine Learning
Forward production of charged pions with incident $π^{\pm}$ on nuclear targets measured at the CERN PS
Creators: name: HARP Collaboration
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Measurements of the double-differential $π^{\pm}$ production cross-section in the range of momentum $0.5 \GeVc \leq p \le 8.0 \GeVc$ and angle $0.025 \rad \leq θ\le 0.25 \rad$ in interactions of charged pions on beryllium, carbon, aluminium, copper, tin, tantalum and lead are presented. These data represent the first experimental campaign to systematically measure forward pion hadroproduction. The data were taken with the large acceptance HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. Incident particles, impinging on a 5% nuclear interaction length target, were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors. The tracking and identification of the produced particles was performed using the forward spectrometer of the HARP detector. Results are obtained for the double-differential cross-sections $ {{\mathrm{d}^2 σ}}/{{\mathrm{d}p\mathrm{d}Ω}} $ mainly at four incident pion beam momenta (3 \GeVc, 5 \GeVc, 8 \GeVc and 12 \GeVc). The measurements are compared with the GEANT4 and MARS Monte Carlo simulation
description: to be published on Nuclear Physics A
Simplified calculation of cable tension in suspension bridges
Creators: name: Richmond, Kenneth Marvin
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2012

description: This thesis presents a method which facilitates rapid determination of the cable tension in suspension bridges. A set of tables and curves is included for use in the application of the method. The method is valid for suspension bridges with stiffening girders or trusses either hinged at the supports or continuous. A modified superposition method is discussed and the use of influence lines for cable tension in non-linear suspension bridges is demonstrated. A derivation of the suspension bridge equations is included and various refinements in the theory are discussed. A computer program to analyse suspension bridges was written as an aid in the research and for the purpose of testing the manual method proposed. A description of the program is included along with Its Fortran listing.
title: Using the Student's t-test with extremely small sample sizes
Creators: name: de Winter, J.C.F.
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2013

description: Researchers occasionally have to work with an extremely small sample size, defined herein as N â‰¤ 5. Some methodologists have cautioned against using the t-test when the sample size is extremely small, whereas others have suggested that using the t-test is feasible in such a case. The present simulation study estimated the Type I error rate and statistical power of the one- and two-sample t-tests for normally distributed populations and for various distortions such as unequal sample sizes, unequal variances, the combination of unequal sample sizes and unequal variances, and a lognormal population distribution. Ns per group were varied between 2 and 5. Results show that the t-test provides Type I error rates close to the 5% nominal value in most of the cases, and that acceptable power (i.e., 80%) is reached only if the effect size is very large. ... Compared to the regular t-test, the Welch test tends to reduce statistical power and the t-testR yields false positive rates that deviate from 5%. This study further shows that a paired t-test is feasible with extremely small Ns if the within-pair correlation is high. It is concluded that there are no principal.objections to using a t-test with Ns as small as 2. A final cautionary note is made on the credibility of research findings when sample sizes are small. Accessed 123,336 times on https://pareonline.net from August 06, 2013 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
Points in a triangle forcing small triangles
Creators: name: Kahle, Matthew
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2008
Subjects: subject: Combinatorics (math.CO)
subject: Metric Geometry (math.MG)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 05B50

description: An old theorem of Alexander Soifer's is the following: Given five points in a triangle of unit area, there must exist some three of them which form a triangle of area 1/4 or less. It is easy to check that this is not true if "five" is replaced by "four", but can the theorem be improved in any other way? We discuss in this article two different extensions of the original result. First, we allow the value of "small", 1/4, to vary. In particular, our main result is to show that given five points in a triangle of unit area, then there must exist some three of them determining a triangle of area 6/25 or less. Second, we put bounds on the minimum number of small triangles determined by n points in a triangle, and make a conjecture about the asymptotic right answer as n tends to infinity.
description: 14 pages, 17 figures; in honor of Alexander Soifer's 60th birthday
Additional file 8 of Short term starvation potentiates the efficacy of chemotherapy in triple negative breast cancer via metabolic reprogramming
Creators: name: Pateras, Ioannis S.
name: Williams, Chloe
name: Gianniou, Despoina D.
name: Margetis, Aggelos T.
name: Avgeris, Margaritis
name: Rousakis, Pantelis
name: Legaki, Aigli-Ioanna
name: Mirtschink, Peter
name: Zhang, Wei
name: Panoutsopoulou, Konstantina
name: Delis, Anastasios D.
name: Pagakis, Stamatis N.
name: Tang, Wei
name: Ambs, Stefan
name: Warpman Berglund, Ulrika
name: Helleday, Thomas
name: Varvarigou, Anastasia
name: Chatzigeorgiou, Antonios
name: Nordström, Anders
name: Tsitsilonis, Ourania E.
name: Trougakos, Ioannis P.
name: Gilthorpe, Jonathan D.
name: Frisan, Teresa
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences

description: Additional file 8. Methods.
title: Reliability of Grading High School Work in English
Creators: name: Brimi, Hunter M.
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2011

description: This research replicates the work of Starch and Elliot (1912) by examining the reliability of the grading by English teachers in a single school district. Ninety high school teachers graded the same student paper following professional development sessions in which they were trained to use NWREL’s “6+1 Traits of Writing.” These participants had been instructed to construct a 100-point rubric, assigning point values to each trait (though not all complied with this request).  To evaluate the reliability in grading, data were analyzed for teachers reporting scores on a 100-point scale.  Of the 73 participants who graded on a 100point scale, the scores ranged from 50 to 96.  Analysis suggests that many of these teachers are proficient at assessing student writing, many are unaware of or simply resistant to research suggestions for writing assessment, and many show signs of being “assessment illiterate” (Stiggins, 1995). Accessed 12,244 times on https://pareonline.net from November 03, 2011 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
title: Evaluating the Quantity-Quality Trade-off in the Selection of Anchor Items: a Vertical Scaling Approach
Creators: name: Pibal, Florian
name: Cesnik, Hermann S.
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2011

description: When administering tests across grades, vertical scaling is often employed to place scores from different tests on a common overall scale so that test-takersâ€™ progress can be tracked. In order to be able to link the results across grades, however, common items are needed that are included in both test forms. In the literature there seems to be no clear agreement about the ideal number of common items. In line with some scholars, we argue that a greater number of anchor items bear a higher risk of unwanted effects like displacement, item drift, or undesired fit statistics and that having fewer psychometrically well-functioning anchor items can sometimes be more desirable. In order to demonstrate this, a study was conducted that included the administration of a reading-comprehension test to 1, 350 test-takers across grades 6 to 8. In employing a step-by-step approach, we found that the paradox of high item drift in test administrations across grades can be mitigated and eventually even be eliminated. At the same time, a positive side effect was an increase in the explanatory power of the empirical data. Moreover, it was found that scaling adjustment can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of a vertical scaling approach and, in certain cases, can lead to more accurate results than the use of calibrated anchor items. Accessed 6,448 times on https://pareonline.net from April 25, 2011 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
Tribology of the lubricant quantized-sliding state
Creators: name: Castelli, Ivano Eligio
name: Capozza, Rosario
name: Vanossi, Andrea
name: Santoro, Giuseppe E.
name: Manini, Nicola
name: Tosatti, Erio
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: In the framework of Langevin dynamics, we demonstrate clear evidence of the peculiar quantized sliding state, previously found in a simple 1D boundary lubricated model [Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 056101 (2006)], for a substantially less idealized 2D description of a confined multi-layer solid lubricant under shear. This dynamical state, marked by a nontrivial ``quantized'' ratio of the averaged lubricant center-of-mass velocity to the externally imposed sliding speed, is recovered, and shown to be robust against the effects of thermal fluctuations, quenched disorder in the confining substrates, and over a wide range of loading forces. The lubricant softness, setting the width of the propagating solitonic structures, is found to play a major role in promoting in-registry commensurate regions beneficial to this quantized sliding. By evaluating the force instantaneously exerted on the top plate, we find that this quantized sliding represents a dynamical ``pinned'' state, characterized by significantly low values of the kinetic friction. While the quantized sliding occurs due to solitons being driven gently, the transition to ordinary unpinned sliding regimes can involve lubricant melting due to large shear-induced Joule heating, for example at large speed.
description: 11 pages, 11 figures
title: Too reliable to be true? Response bias as a potential source of inflation in paper-and-pencil questionnaire reliability
Creators: name: Peer, Eyal
name: Gamliel, Eyal
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2011

description: When respondents answer paper-and-pencil (PP) questionnaires, they sometimes modify their responses to correspond to previously answered items. As a result, this response bias might artificially inflate the reliability of PP questionnaires. We compared the internal consistency of PP questionnaires to computerized questionnaires that presented a different number of items on a computer screen simultaneously. Study 1 showed that a PP questionnaire's internal consistency was higher than that of the same questionnaire presented on a computer screen with one, two or four questions per screen. Study 2 replicated these findings to show that internal consistency was also relatively high when all questions were shown on one screen. This suggests that the differences found in Study 1 were not due to the difference in presentation medium. Thus, this paper suggests that reliability measures of PP questionnaires might be inflated because of a response bias resulting from participants cross-checking their answers against ones given to previous questions. Accessed 17,831 times on https://pareonline.net from June 20, 2011 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
Latent Markov model for longitudinal binary data: An application to the performance evaluation of nursing homes
Creators: name: Bartolucci, Francesco
name: Lupparelli, Monia
name: Montanari, Giorgio E.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Applications (stat.AP)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Performance evaluation of nursing homes is usually accomplished by the repeated administration of questionnaires aimed at measuring the health status of the patients during their period of residence in the nursing home. We illustrate how a latent Markov model with covariates may effectively be used for the analysis of data collected in this way. This model relies on a not directly observable Markov process, whose states represent different levels of the health status. For the maximum likelihood estimation of the model we apply an EM algorithm implemented by means of certain recursions taken from the literature on hidden Markov chains. Of particular interest is the estimation of the effect of each nursing home on the probability of transition between the latent states. We show how the estimates of these effects may be used to construct a set of scores which allows us to rank these facilities in terms of their efficacy in taking care of the health conditions of their patients. The method is used within an application based on data concerning a set of nursing homes located in the Region of Umbria, Italy, which were followed for the period 2003--2005.
description: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/08-AOAS230 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org)
title: Best Practices in Using Large, Complex Samples: The Importance of Using Appropriate Weights and Design Effect Compensation
Creators: name: Osborne, Jason
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2011

description: Large surveys often use probability sampling in order to obtain representative samples, and these data sets are valuable tools for researchers in all areas of science. Yet many researchers are not formally prepared to appropriately utilize these resources. Indeed, users of one popular dataset were generally found not to have modeled the analyses to take account of the complex sample (Johnson & Elliott, 1998) even when publishing in highly-regarded journals. It is well known that failure to appropriately model the complex sample can substantially bias the results of the analysis. Examples presented in this paper highlight the risk of error of inference and mis-estimation of parameters from failure to analyze these data sets appropriately. Accessed 5,573 times on https://pareonline.net from September 19, 2011 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.
Electroweak Baryogenesis, CDM and Anomaly-free Supersymmetric U(1)-prime Models
Creators: name: Kang, Junhai
name: Langacker, Paul
name: Li, Tianjun
name: Liu, Tao
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We construct two anomaly-free supersymmetric $U(1)'$ models with a secluded $U(1)'$-breaking sector. For the one with $E_6$ embedding we show that there exists a strong enough first order electroweak phase transition for electroweak baryogenesis (EWBG) because of the large soft trilinear terms in the Higgs potential. Unlike the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), the stop masses can be very heavy. We then discuss possible CP violation in the Higgs sector, which can be both spontaneous and explicit, even at tree level. The spontaneous violation provides a direct source for baryogenesis, while its magnitude is mediated by an explicit phase from the secluded sector. These new CP sources do not introduce significant new contributions to electric dipole moments. EWBG in the thin wall ($τ$ leptons) and thick wall regimes (top squarks, charginos and top quarks) are systematically discussed. We find that the CP-violating stop and chargino currents are very different from those obtained in the MSSM. Due to the space-dependence of the relevant CP phases, they do not require a variation of $\tan β$ in the bubble wall to have a non-trivial structure at the lowest order of Higgs insertion. In addition to $τ$ leptons, top squarks and charginos, we find that top quarks can also play a significant role. Numerical results show that the baryon asymmetry is large enough to explain the cosmological observation today. We illustrate that EWBG and neutralino cold dark matter can be accommodated in the same framework, i.e., there exists parameter space where a strong enough first order EWPT, large CP phase variations across the bubble wall, a reasonable baryon asymmetry as well as an acceptable neutralino dark matter relic density can be achieved simultaneously.
description: 71 pages, 20 figures
Plastic behaviour and buckling of rolled structural steel members under compression and bending
Creators: name: Irvine, Edward Charles Fordyce
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2011

description: This research into the properties of a 5"x5"x16lb W.F., A 36 Steel, rolled structural member was undertaken to determine the following: i - Yield stress distribution over the cross section of the member as determined by coupon tests. ii - Development of strain over the cross section of the member, as measured by electric strain gauges, when subjected to a) Axial loading, b) Bending Moment. iii - The effect of previous loading of a member as a column into the region of yielding on its subsequent behaviour as a beam loaded to failure. The following results were obtained: i - Yield stress, particularly the upper yield stress was not uniform over the cross section. ii - The strain distribution in the plastic range was not uniform and varied from cross section to cross section and even at closely adjacent points on the same cross section. iii - Failure of the member, due to inadequate lateral support when loaded as a column, occurred before complete yielding was achieved. The effect of this previous loading on the subsequent behaviour of the member as a beam loaded to failure was inconclusive.