unmarked: An R Package for Fitting Hierarchical Models of Wildlife Occurrence and Abundance

Ecological research uses data collection techniques that are prone to substantial and unique types of measurement error to address scientific questions about species abundance and distribution. These data collection schemes include a number of survey methods in which unmarked individuals are counted, or determined to be present, at spatially- referenced sites. Examples include site occupancy sampling, repeated counts, distance sampling, removal sampling, and double observer sampling. To appropriately analyze these data, hierarchical models have been developed to separately model explanatory variables of both a latent abundance or occurrence process and a conditional detection process. Because these models have a straightforward interpretation paralleling mechanisms under which the data arose, they have recently gained immense popularity. The common hierarchical structure of these models is well-suited for a unified modeling interface. The R package unmarked provides such a unified modeling framework, including tools for data exploration, model fitting, model criticism, post-hoc analysis, and model comparison

Changes in the convergence accommodation to convergence ratio with advancing age

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the reported decline in the CAlC ratio with aging, as well as the effects of near addition lenses on the CAlC as presbyopia progresses, using a clinical methodology. METHOD: A cross-sectional evaluation of 93 subjects age 25 to 54 was conducted. Accommodative amplitudes and CAlC ratios were determined for each subject. CA/C ratios were determined using the CAnon R-1 infrared optometer and DOG target with prism placed before the non-measured eye. RESULTS: The expected age-related decline in the CA/C was seen, beginning at approximately age 32 for subjects as a whole, and at approximately age 27 for those who wore nearpoint lenses. The age-related decline was more predictable for thoe who wore near addition lenses.There was a slight tendency toward higher CAlC ratios among subjects who did not wear near addition lenses. When the CA/C was analyzed by accommodative amplitude instead of age, significant differences (p\u3c0.05) were found, showing higher CA/C ratios for subjects who did not wear adds. CONCLUSION: This study presents further evidence of an age-related decline in the CA/C ratio. The rate of decline in the CAlC ratio may be related to the use of near addition lenses

A study of the relationship between a child's achievement and adjustment in grades one and three.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Visual BFI: an Exploratory Study for Image-based Personality Test

This paper positions and explores the topic of image-based personality test. Instead of responding to text-based questions, the subjects will be provided a set of "choose-your-favorite-image" visual questions. With the image options of each question belonging to the same concept, the subjects' personality traits are estimated by observing their preferences of images under several unique concepts. The solution to design such an image-based personality test consists of concept-question identification and image-option selection. We have presented a preliminary framework to regularize these two steps in this exploratory study. A demo version of the designed image-based personality test is available at http://www.visualbfi.org/. Subjective as well as objective evaluations have demonstrated the feasibility of image-based personality test in limited questions

Breadwinning moms, caregiving dads: double standard in social judgments of gender norm violators

This study explores the role of gender ideologies in moderating social judgments of gender norm violators. Three hundred and eleven participants evaluated a male or a female target who was either a primary breadwinner or a primary caregiver. Attributions of personal traits, moral emotions and marital emotions were examined. Results showed that both traditional and egalitarian individuals applied a double standard when judging deviations from gendered family roles. However, and as predicted, traditional individuals evaluated the normative targets more favourably than the norm-violating targets, whereas egalitarians evaluated the norm-violating targets more favourably. These findings shed light on the important moderating role of gender ideologies and help account for the inconsistencies in previous findings regarding social judgments of gender norm violators

Using S Isotopes to Identify the Source of Gypsum in Mammoth Cave

Many of the dry passages of the cave are lined with gypsum (CaSO4�2H2O) crystals, an evaporite mineral. However, the source of the sulfur in these gypsum deposits is poorly constrained with possible sources including pyrite, sedimentary gypsum/anhydrite, and carbonate associated sulfate (“CAS”, SO42- substituted for CO3 2- in the calcite crystal lattice). The two most abundant forms of sulfur in the bedrock above and around Mammoth Cave are pyrite (FeSs) and CAS. These phases commonly have very different isotopic signatures (δ34S)* and the δ34S values of these phases can be compared to the δ34S of the gypsum to aid in identifying the source of the sulfur. Isolation of sulfur from pyrite and CAS is currently ongoing. Results from 110 gypsum crystals, 4 rocks in strata from within the caves, and 15 rocks from strata overlying the caves reveal some distinct patterns. 1) Gypsum crystals show relatively small scatter (~5‰) for samples from a single location (e.g. a 30 m2 room). 2) A significant correlation between δ34Sgypsum and elevation suggests a variable δ34Ssource over vertical distances of a few meters. 3) Microsampling of sulfur along the growth axes of single gypsum crystals shows a constant δ34S values suggesting no change in δ34S of the S source during its growth. Because the growth period of these crystals may be on the order of thousands of years, these results suggest a constant sulfate for long intervals. The relationship to δ34S of samples in a given room and elevation suggests that the source of gypsum sulfur is local, arising from lateral, rather than vertical, fluid fl ow, an important insight into the transport pathways of water in a karstic system. Sampling of pyrite and CAS is currently ongoing. *δ34S = [(34S/32Ssample)/(34S/32Sstandard)-1(x)1,000‰ where 34S and 32S are the molar ratios of each S isotope given in “per mil” (‰), equivalent to parts per thousand