Probability of Coverage and Interval Length for Two-Group Techniques Assessing the Median and Trimmed Mean

The purpose of the present study was to assess the probability of coverage and interval length of selected statistical techniques that have a higher finite sample breakdown point than the mean and appropriate levels of probability of coverage when using Bradley’s (1978) criterion. The techniques were examined using real education and psychology datasets (Sawilowsky & Fahoome, 2003, Sawilowsky & Blair, 1992). Welch’s test exhibited appropriate coverage for the smooth symmetric, mass at zero, digit preference, and extreme bimodal distributions. Yuen’s technique performed well under an extreme bimodal distribution. Results concerning the Maritz-Jarrett and the McKean-Schrader techniques are also presented

Probability Coverage and Interval Length for Welch’s and Yuen’s Techniques: Shift in Location, Change in Scale, and (Un)Equal Sizes

Coverage for Welch’s technique was less than the confidence-level when size was inversely proportional to variance and skewness was extreme. Under negative kurtosis, coverage for Yuen’s technique was attenuated. Under skewness and heteroscedasticity, coverage for Yuen’s technique was more accurate than Welch’s technique

The Impact of the Repeal of South Dakota Marketing Act on the Producer, Processor, Retailer, and Consumer

Between 1966 and 1978, was under state price-fixing regulations specified by the South Dakota Dairy Marketing Act of 1966. These price regulating practices were justified on the assumption that the unregulated market system within the state, if allowed to function alone, would not operate in the best interests of the state’s citizens. Among the conditions in the dairy industry that give rise to the need for regulation are variations in the supply and demand for fluid milk during the year. Moreover, as milk is a perishable product, it cannot be stored for extended periods of time. Also, production of fluid milk can neither be reduced nor expanded quickly when surpluses or shortages occur. This usually results in price instability in the market. As a result of the perceived deficiencies in the unregulated milk market, the 1966 legislation was enacted. Goals of the legislation were to set minimum wholesale and retail pries acceptable to processors and consumers, respectively, to prohibit sales below cost and to regulate trade practices. Few people would dispute the contribution of the act in helping to assure and adequate and dependable supply of fluid milk in the market. But price regulation also generated negative side effects. Some of the arguments against the South Dakota Dairy Marketing Act were that the act resulted in artificially high milk prices for the consumers and that it stabilized the blend price producers received from processors at a level higher than would have occurred under an unregulated market. This study is designed to examine the impact of state regulations on four important participants in the dairy industry—the producer, the processor, the retailer and the consumer. The study is limited to effects in the fluid milk market and ignores other industry segments. Thus, the study is not a complete analysis of the impact of the Dairy Industry Market Act on the state’s dairy industry

Engineering Characterisation of Aggregates from Some Selected Areas in Kumasi, Ghana

The increase in engineering projects translates to an increase in demand for construction materials, for example, aggregates which are a major component in concrete works. There are many quarries in the Kumasi area which produce aggregates for use in construction works. However, there is no readily available information on the geological and geotechnical properties of these aggregates for use by engineers during the planning, design and construction of projects. This project therefore sought to characterise the aggregate from selected areas (close to some major quarries) in Kumasi based on their geological and engineering properties for construction purposes. Results of the study indicate that Aggregates from sampling locations KP and CS passed the FI test with those from CS being the only ones to pass for EI, making them the best aggregates in terms of Flakiness and Elongation Indices. The aggregates from all the sampling locations passed for the Specific Gravity and Water Absorption tests with CS aggregates giving the best results indicating high strength and good rate of water absorption. Aggregate from sampling location NM gave the best result for the Aggregate Impact Value test indicating high resistance to sudden impacts and shocks. With the Ten Percent Fines Value and the Aggregate Crushing Value Tests, CS yet again produced the aggregates with the best results. The aggregate gave a very high result even under the wet/soaked condition when all the others were giving very low results. Aggregates from this sampling locations can withstand loading gradual compression better than the rest. Finally, the KP aggregates gave the best results for the Los Angeles Abrasion Value which suggests such materials to be the hardest and toughest to resist crushing, degradation and disintegration. Aggregates from the CS, however gave the second best results. From the study, it was concluded that the most suitable location to obtain good quality aggregates is around CS as its aggregates gave the best results in almost all the tests

Profitablility of Alternative Farming Systems at South Dakota State University\u27s Northeast Research Station: 1989 Compared to Previous Transition Years

South Dakota State University (SDSU) has been conducting a set of experiment station trials since 1985 in which particular low-input (alternative) farming systems are compared with conventional and reduced tillage systems. The trials are conducted at SDSU\u27s Northeast (NE) Research Station near Watertown. The first 4 years of yield and economic results were reported in a 95-page document by Mends, et al. (1989) several months ago. In this present report, economic results for 1989 are presented and are compared with those in the previous report. Two studies are included in these trials at the NE Station, to represent different sets of crop combinations and rotations. Farming Systems Study I (FSSl) emphasizes row crops and includes Alternative, Conventional, and Ridge Till rotations. The crop combination and rotation for the Alternative system is oats/alfalfa-alfalfa-soybeans-corn. Commercial fertilizers and pesticides are not used in this system, nor is the moldboard plow used. Weeds are controlled primarily by mechanical cultivation, crop rotation effects, and some hand weeding of soybeans. The oats are harvested for grain and also serve as a nurse crop for alfalfa. The alfalfa is harvested for hay the year following seeding; the next year, the field is rotated to soybeans. The year after that, corn is planted. Corn, soybeans, and spring wheat, in that sequence, are included in both the Conventional and the Ridge Till systems. Commercial fertilizer and herbicides are used in both of these systems; products used and application rates are based on current SDSU Plant Science Department recommendations

Thyrotoxicosis, Etiology, Presentation and Management Challenges in Nigeria: A Review of Cases Seen Over a 5 Year Period

Background: Thyrotoxicosis is a common endocrine disorder worldwide with a female predominance. Graves disease is reported as the commonest cause of thyrotoxicosis by various authors in the Africa region. Aims and Objectives: The study evaluated patient characteristics, clinical and laboratory profile, co-morbidities, treatment modalities, response to therapy, side effects of anti-thyroid medications, treatment outcome and complications of the disease in patients with thyrotoxicosis. Materials and methods: This study was retrospective and observational. The records of patients diagnosed with overt thyrotoxicosis seen in the Endocrine unit (2013-2017) were pulled and relevant data compiled. Data was analyzed using SPSS V 21. Results: A total of 172 cases were studied; 33 males and 132 females (ratio 1:4). They were aged 18-70; 40.2 ±12.5 years. Graves Disease constituted 79 % 0f cases and toxic multinodular goiter made up 18%. Seven cases of Marine Lenhart syndrome were identified. Graves orbitopathy occurred in 54%, but was mild. All but 6 patients received anti-thyroid medication as initial therapy mainly carbimazole (90%). About 6% had thyroidectomy. Treatment default was high (52%), while 15% remitted and 19% relapsed. Total duration of illness was 1- 380, 40.7 ± 52.6 months. Drug rash occurred in 5% and cholestatic hepatitis in 1.8%. Hypertension coexisted in 35%. Six pregnancies were recorded, four of which ended in miscarriages, two of which had thyroid storm. Heart disease complicated the disease in 36%. Conclusion: Thyrotoxicosis is a common clinical condition. Treatment with carbimazole is effective. However the treatment default rate was very high. Coexisting hypertension and pronlonged period of untreated disease exposed patients to a high burden of heart disease. Patient education and introduction of radioablation therapy will mitigate these challenges

Effects of Including Alfalfa in Whole-Farm Plans: Comparison of Conventional, Ridge Till, and Alternative Farming Systems

South Dakota State University (SDSU) has been conducting research trials since 1985 at its Northeast Research Station (near Watertown, S.D. ) to compare various conventional , reduced tillage , and low chemical input ( alternative ) farming systems . In one set of comparisons, Conventional and Ridge Till systems consisting of rotated corn, soybeans , and spring wheat are compared with an Alternative (no purchased chemical input) system consisting of rotated oats , alfalfa , soybeans, and corn. The alfalfa is just harvested one year (the year after under seeding in oats) in this system . Economics results for the first 5 years of comparing these systems are reported under Study I in Mends, et al. (1989) and Dobbs and Mends (1990). In those comparisons, the Alternative farming system was the most profitable system in 2 out of the 5 years and its 5-year average profitability was the highest of the three systems. A question that arises out of this analysis concerns whether it is simply having alfalfa in the crop mix, rather than the rotational effect of alfalfa, which made the Alternative system more profitable than the other systems in 1985-1989. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to determine what the inclusion of alfalfa in the Conventional and Ridge Till whole farm systems would do to the net returns of those systems , in comparison to the Alternative system. Crop mix, cultural practices, yields, selling prices and Federal farm program provisions all affect the net returns of these farming systems. Here, we wish to isolate the crop mix effect of including alfalfa in the whole farm plans

Partnership between TVET Training Institutions and Industry: A Survey of Industrial Experience of Academic Staff of Accra Polytechnic

Tertiary education in general and polytechnic education in particular has undergone a great deal of transformation during the last 50 years. As part of a sustained and continuous process of optimizing the quality of skill training required in the country, the Government of Ghana is in the process of converting the Polytechnics in the country into Technical Universities at the beginning of 2016 academic year. Industrial experience of academic staff is one of the key requirements given by a Technical committee set up by the government in the proposed bill. It is against this background that this study was conducted to assess the industrial experience of staff of Ghanaian Polytechnics with Accra Polytechnic as a case study. Using descriptive statistical tools, an analysis was conducted on the industrial experience of all the 189 full time academic staff of the institution. Key findings in the study are that, about 51 percent of the teaching staff have some form of industrial experience relevant to their areas of specialization and the average years of industrial experience for staff in the school of engineering is the highest. The study recommended amongst others, the need for a national governmental policy to incorporate staff industrial internship into faculty development scheme to help foster partnership between TVET training institutions and industry. Keywords:   Industrial experience, TVET, Technical University, Partnershi

Livestock Budgets and Whole-Farm Economic Analysis: South Dakota Sustainable Agriculture Case Farms

In this report, livestock budgets for nine sustainable farmers in South Dakota who raise beef cattle and two of the same farmers who raise hogs are presented. Results of whole-farm economic analysis--in which the livestock, sustainable crop rotation, and non-sustainable rotation crop enterprise budgets on the respective farms are integrated with each other--are also presented. The final sections of the report cover results of analyses of (1) livestock price sensitivity and (2) on-farm manure production and disposition