A simple nonparametric estimator of a monotone regression function

In this paper a new method for monotone estimation of a regression function is proposed. The estimator is obtained by the combination of a density and a regression estimate and is appealing to users of conventional smoothing methods as kernel estimators, local polynomials, series estimators or smoothing splines. The main idea of the new approach is to construct a density estimate from the estimated values ˆm(i/N) (i = 1, . . . ,N) of the regression function to use these “data” for the calculation of an estimate of the inverse of the regression function. The final estimate is then obtained by a numerical inversion. Compared to the conventially used techniques for monotone estimation the new method is computationally more efficient, because it does not require constrained optimization techniques for the calculation of the estimate. We prove asymptotic normality of the new estimate and compare the asymptotic properties with the unconstrained estimate. In particular it is shown that for kernel estimates or local polynomials the monotone estimate is first order asymptotically equivalent to the unconstrained estimate. We also illustrate the performance of the new procedure by means of a simulation study. --isotonic regression,order restricted inference,Nadaraya-Watson estimator,local linear regression

A note on nonparametric estimation of the effective dose in quantal bioassay

For the common binary response model we propose a direct method for the nonparametric estimation of the effective dose level ED? (0Binary response model,effective dose level,nonparametric regression,isotonic regression,order restricted inference,local linear regression

Board scheduling for circuit board assembly : computational testing of an integer programming approach

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to [email protected], referencing the URI of the item.Circuit boards are integral parts of almost all electronic products, which are widespread in today's society. Companies utilizing circuit board assembly processes must remain competitive by using new technologies, shortening assembly cycle times, and decreasing costs. Optimization techniques involve process planning and lead to shortened cycle times and reduced costs. No generic workload-balancing tool is available to optimize the assembly process. This study is part of a larger, ATP-sponsored project that will create a tool of this sort by choosing and configuring the placement machines, allocating parts to appropriate machines, assigning parts to machine feeders, arranging part placement in sequential order, and sequentially scheduling boards on particular lines. My part of the project is to assign circuit boards to assembly lines and to sequence the boards on those lines. The project required that the following factors be considered: the different machine types, the number of machines on each line, the number of different circuit board types, the number of circuit boards of each type to be produced, the number of different component types, and the number of each component type on each circuit board type. Incorporating these considerations, the mathematical model assigns and schedules boards on assembly lines. AMPL, Advanced Mathematical Programming Language, uses script and data files to run with the model. Testing the model and analyzing the results proved that the model is a heuristic that is capable of scheduling printed circuit boards to assembly lines. The ATP-sponsored research project will result in a generic decision support tool for circuit board assembly optimization

Athletic Identity and Intention to Report Concussions in High School Athletes

Context: Lack of concussion reporting remains a problem as high school athletes report about fifty percent of all concussions. Purpose: The study sought to determine if there is a relationship between athletic identity and athlete’s intention to report concussions. Methods: The sample consisted of 78 high school athletes (m age = 16.19 + 0.88, 56 males, 22 females). Participants were administered the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and Intention to Report Subscale which served as dependent measures. The presence of AI was determined by comparing AIMS score to previous norms. A linear regression was used to determine the relationship between AI and intention to report. Regression analysis examined the influence of demographic variables on AI and intention to report. Finally, multiple one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to examine differences between groups for AI and intention to report. All statistical analyses were conducted utilizing SPSS 25.0. Significance levels were set at an a priori 0.05. Results: Athletes in the study had an athletic identity as demonstrated by similar AIMS scores to previous norms. AI was not related to intention to report (p = 0.740). Age significantly influenced reporting intention (p = 0.20), as athletes get older their intention to report decreased. Athletes with a previous history of a “ding/bellringer” had significantly lower intention (p = 0.048), but previous history of concussion did not affect reporting intention to report (p = 0.118). Additionally, previous concussion education did not influence intention (p =0.612). Discussion: Adolescents do have an established AI as compared to other athletes. This study sought to find out if there was a relationship between AI and intention. No relationship existed between AI and intention; however, clinicians should not discount the influence identity may play in concussion reporting intention. Although AI did not influence intention to report in our study, other identities may be more influential. Additionally, incorrect terminology when discussion concussions, such as ding and bellringer, lead to decreased reporting. Clinicians should continue to work to educate athletes on the importance of concussion reporting and utilizing proper terminology

Dietary Counseling Practices and Perceived Barriers Among Utah Dental Hygienists

Diet related factors are associated with the 2 most prevalent oral diseases- caries and periodontal disease. Furthermore, there is growing evidence of a synergistic link between nutrition, systemic health, and oral health. Regardless of this evidence and in spite of recommendations by dental associations, researchers have shown the majority of dental professionals are consistently excluding nutritional screenings and dietary counseling in their dental services. The purpose of this study was to examine the nutritional screening and dietary counseling practices of Utah dental hygienists and to evaluate possible associations between various factors influencing the implementation of nutritional services. Surveys were collected from members of the Utah Dental Hygienists’ Association. Mean scores showed low frequency and low confidence levels in performing nutritional services and high perceptions of barriers to care. Little to no difference in mean scores occurred when differentiating between degree achievements, years in dental hygiene practice, or component affiliation

Global and regional importance of the direct dust-climate feedback.

Feedbacks between the global dust cycle and the climate system might have amplified past climate changes. Yet, it remains unclear what role the dust-climate feedback will play in future anthropogenic climate change. Here, we estimate the direct dust-climate feedback, arising from changes in the dust direct radiative effect (DRE), using a simple theoretical framework that combines constraints on the dust DRE with a series of climate model results. We find that the direct dust-climate feedback is likely in the range of -0.04 to +0.02 Wm -2 K-1, such that it could account for a substantial fraction of the total aerosol feedbacks in the climate system. On a regional scale, the direct dust-climate feedback is enhanced by approximately an order of magnitude close to major source regions. This suggests that it could play an important role in shaping the future climates of Northern Africa, the Sahel, the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, and Central Asia

Economic Games Quantify Diminished Sense of Guilt in Patients with Damage to the Prefrontal Cortex

Damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) impairs concern for other people, as reflected in the dysfunctional real-life social behavior of patients with such damage, as well as their abnormal performances on tasks ranging from moral judgment to economic games. Despite these convergent data, we lack a formal model of how, and to what degree, VMPFC lesions affect an individual's social decision-making. Here we provide a quantification of these effects using a formal economic model of choice that incorporates terms for the disutility of unequal payoffs, with parameters that index behaviors normally evoked by guilt and envy. Six patients with focal VMPFC lesions participated in a battery of economic games that measured concern about payoffs to themselves and to others: dictator, ultimatum, and trust games. We analyzed each task individually, but also derived estimates of the guilt and envy parameters from aggregate behavior across all of the tasks. Compared with control subjects, the patients donated significantly less and were less trustworthy, and overall our model found a significant insensitivity to guilt. Despite these abnormalities, the patients had normal expectations about what other people would do, and they also did not simply generate behavior that was more noisy. Instead, the findings argue for a specific insensitivity to guilt, an abnormality that we suggest characterizes a key contribution made by the VMPFC to social behavior

Early Visual Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder as Assessed by Visual Evoked Potentials

Understanding early visual processing and the integrity of the visual pathways in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) could help to develop a potential neuromarker. If these early stages of visual perception are compromised it could be impacting higher cognitive abilities that are necessary for social perception. For example, atypical visual behaviors such as poor eye gaze, difficulty with facial expression, and difficulty processing motion have been highly documented in social and nonsocial domains in ASD. These symptoms have been linked to abnormal sensory processing suggesting possible impairments in the magnocellular visual pathway (M-pathway). To assess early visual processing and the integrity of the visual pathways we used achromatic pattern-reversal along with a motion-onset and offset stimuli in children and adolescents with and without a diagnosis of ASD. Visual-evoked potentials (VEPs) were used to investigate early visual processing in adolescents with ASD compared to neurotypicals (NTs). For pattern-reversal, we used a black-and-white checkerboard with two different sizes (1° and 0.25°) and four different contrast levels (0.025 contrast, 0.05 contrast, 0.1 contrast, and 0.98 contrast). To study motion-onset and offset we used an expanding and contracting ‘dartboard.’ These stimuli were displayed to a total of seven male ASD and eight male NT subjects, ranging in age from 10-15 years old. VEPs were recorded on the scalp midline over the occipital (Oz) and parietal (Pz) cortices. For pattern-reversal, we examined the negative component N75, and the positive component P100. For motion-onset and motion-offset, we explored the positive component P100 and the negative component N135. VEPs responses were analyzed using measures of peak latency, peak amplitude, mean amplitude, and fractional area latency. Our results point to a disruption of the M-pathway where the ASD subjects often showed hyper-responsiveness to lower contrast stimuli presented at the largest check size. Individual waveforms in ASD subjects were variable, and may not be useful as a reliable early neuromarker. Some measures of the VEP seem to be related to symptom severity as assessed by the GARS-2, although these results never reached significance. For motion-onset, the ASD group presented larger amplitudes for the components P100 and N135 at electrode size Oz. Alterations to early visual processing in the ASD group suggest specific difficulties in the magnocellular system which could be causing a cascade of symptoms that impairs social communication. Although individual waveform variability limits the use of VEPs as a neuromarker, there is some potential relationship to symptom severity that deserves further study

Judging by a Different Standard? Examining the Role of Rationality in Assessments of Mental Capacity

Decision-making capacity is an increasingly important medico-legal concept. The recent Mental Capacity Act employs a cognitive, process-based test of capacity, but in many psychiatric conditions pathological beliefs and values impair capacity even when the decision-making process is logically coherent. In such cases, capacity assessments implicitly rely on normative epistemic and evaluative standards. This raises a worry for the capacity test’s reliability, objectivity and tolerance of differences in beliefs and values. There is currently little conceptual research on capacity and the normative standards underpinning its assessment. This thesis makes an original contribution to research by employing a number of philosophical approaches to map out a conceptual terrain within which questions about the substantive standards of capacity assessment can be framed. Focusing on the nature of epistemic standards and third-person judgements about decision-making, the thesis examines the normative constraints determining what counts as a recognisable reason for a decision. It employs the theoretical apparatus of Davidson’s project of Radical Interpretation to explore the epistemology of interpretation, interrogating the conditions under which intentional attribution and the provision of reason explanations for behaviour are possible. It is contended that beliefs are intrinsically rational and intersubjective, and that judgements of irrationality are only possible against a background of shared belief between interpreter and observed agent. This view is defended against the objection that rationality is too stringent a constraint on belief. A misconception giving rise to this objection is then diagnosed. Drawing an analogy with Wittgenstein’s rule-following considerations, it is submitted that the constitutive normativity of belief need not be codified in order to exert a genuine constraint on intentional behaviour. Rather, the norms of belief ought to be construed as emerging from shared practice. This indicates that normative judgements are disciplined through expertise and experience, rather than adherence to abstract principles. Finally, the implications of these insights for conceptualising and assessing capacity are considered