A comparison of efficient permutation tests for unbalanced ANOVA in two by two designs--and their behavior under heteroscedasticity

We compare different permutation tests and some parametric counterparts that are applicable to unbalanced designs in two by two designs. First the different approaches are shortly summarized. Then we investigate the behavior of the tests in a simulation study. A special focus is on the behavior of the tests under heteroscedastic variances.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, Working Paper of the Department of Management And Enigineering of the University of Padov

Instancias narrativas en entrevistas de admisión: núcleo y estructura retórica de acciones verbales

The focus of my research is Narrative Instances (NIs) of Admission Interviews (AIs) in Public Mental Health carried out in Youth Centres of Mendoza Province, Argentina, within the framework of MOdEAS project. The aim of this paper is to show the functional relation between NIs and Verbal Actions (Paris 2012, 2009, Paris et al. 2008) that are expressed in the AIs: <complaint>, <victimisation>, <disqualification>, etc. Verbal Actions (VAs) are theoretical constructs that capture the interactional nature of conversations and are defined by an information structure based on five attributes. Paris (2012:3) argues that the abstract scheme used to define VAs can be realised in various and different ways. According to my hypothesis, the nucleus of VAs is expressed in the evaluative constituents of the different categories of NIs, which makes it possible to establish relationships between type of VA and type of appraisal (subsystem of attitude) (Martin y White 2005). I also sustain that non-evaluative constituents of NIs are the “rhetoric structure”, i.e. each of the non-evaluative constituents has a rhetoric function (Mann et al., 1992; Mann y Thompson, 1988; Paris, 2010) which contributes to the effective completion of the VA. In this paper, I illustrate the relation between nucleus and rhetorical structure of the VAs <complaint> (París 2012), <victimisation> and <disqualification> (Salmaso 2013) with a NI that belongs to the category Narrative. The focus of my research is Narrative Instances (NIs) of Admission Interviews (AIs) in Public Mental Health carried out in Youth Centres of Mendoza Province, Argentina, within the framework of MOdEAS project. The aim of this paper is to show the functional relation between NIs and Verbal Actions (Paris 2012, 2009, Paris et al. 2008) that are expressed in the AIs: <complaint>, <victimisation>, <disqualification>, etc. Verbal Actions (VAs) are theoretical constructs that capture the interactional nature of conversations and are defined by an information structure based on five attributes. Paris (2012:3) argues that the abstract scheme used to define VAs can be realised in various and different ways. According to my hypothesis, the nucleus of VAs is expressed in the evaluative constituents of the different categories of NIs, which makes it possible to establish relationships between type of VA and type of appraisal (subsystem of attitude) (Martin y White 2005). I also sustain that non-evaluative constituents of NIs are the “rhetoric structure”, i.e. each of the non-evaluative constituents has a rhetoric function (Mann et al., 1992; Mann y Thompson, 1988; Paris, 2010) which contributes to the effective completion of the VA. In this paper, I illustrate the relation between nucleus and rhetorical structure of the VAs <complaint> (París 2012), <victimisation> and <disqualification> (Salmaso 2013) with a NI that belongs to the category Narrative.&nbsp

Active shape correction of a thin glass/plastic X-ray mirror

Optics for future X-ray telescopes will be characterized by very large aperture and focal length, and will be made of lightweight materials like glass or plastic in order to keep the total mass within acceptable limits. Optics based on thin slumped glass foils are currently in use in the NuSTAR telescope and are being developed at various institutes like INAF/OAB, aiming at improving the angular resolution to a few arcsec HEW. Another possibility would be the use of thin plastic foils, being developed at SAO and the Palermo University. Even if relevant progresses in the achieved angular resolution were recently made, a viable possibility to further improve the mirror figure would be the application of piezoelectric actuators onto the non-optical side of the mirrors. In fact, thin mirrors are prone to deform, so they require a careful integration to avoid deformations and even correct forming errors. This however offers the possibility to actively correct the residual deformation. Even if other groups are already at work on this idea, we are pursuing the concept of active integration of thin glass or plastic foils with piezoelectric patches, fed by voltages driven by the feedback provided by X-rays, in intra-focal setup at the XACT facility at INAF/OAPA. In this work, we show the preliminary simulations and the first steps taken in this project

Considering mesohabitat scale in ecological impact assessment of sediment flushing

Benthic macroinvertebrates respond to several factors characterizing the physical habitats, as water depth, current and streambed substrate. Thus, anthropogenic disturbances altering these factors may have different effects on benthos, also depending on mesohabitats. These disturbances include sediment flushing operations, commonly carried out to recover reservoir capacity, and investigating their effects at mesohabitat scale could be relevant for an adequate ecological impact assessment of these operations. Here, we compared benthic macroinvertebrate communities sampled before and after a controlled sediment flushing operation in three different mesohabitats (a pool, a riffle and a step-pool) of an Alpine stream. Contrary from expectations, the composition of macroinvertebrate assemblages was not significantly different among mesohabitats. Moreover, the impact of sediment flushing was more significant in terms of density rather than in richness. Two stressor-specific indices were tested, but only one (the Siltation Index for LoTic EcoSystems - SILTES) clearly detected the impact of sediment flushing on the macroinvertebrate community structure. Finally, some differences in the temporal trajectories and recovery times to pre-flushing conditions were observed among mesohabitats, both if the three mesohabitats were considered separately and if all their possible combinations were accounted for. Particularly, riffle was the most sensitive mesohabitat, not fully recovering one year after the sediment disturbance

Comparison of different methods for SNP detection in grapevine

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most abundant of all markers, both in animal and plant genomes. In crops and tree species considerable investment has been recently made on this genomic technology. While large-scale characterisation of SNPs by high-throughput techniques is possible, such highthroughput platforms are not available to all plant breeding laboratories. This report compares alternative multi-purpose and affordable methods for SNP assay in grapevine (Vitis spp.). In particular, the efficiency, sensitivity and reliability of single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) on both non-denaturant gels and fluorescence-based capillary electrophoresis are compared with minisequencing (single nucleotide extension reaction). The results indicate that when multiplexing in combination with minisequencing is a mid-throughput, reliable and flexible technique for the detection of SNPs and can therefore be used effectively to improve marker assisted breeding in grapevine.

Towards ecological flows: status of the benthic macroinvertebrate community during summer low-flow periods in a regulated lowland river

Climate change along with the increasing exploitation of water resources exacerbates low-flow periods, causing detrimental effects on riverine communities. The main mitigation measure currently adopted to counteract hydrological alterations induced by off-stream diversion is the release of minimum flows (MFs), even if within the European Union Water Framework Directive an upgrade towards ecological flows is urgently required to achieve good ecological status (GES). In this study, we investigated the temporal evolution of the benthic macroinvertebrate community in an Italian regulated lowland river (Ticino River) to clarify the ecological effects of summer low flows, and we evaluated the current MFs in the perspective of meeting GES standard. Biomonitoring was carried out for four consecutive years (2019-2022), in a river site immediately below a large off-stream diversion. The four study years were characterized by different streamflow patterns, thus allowing us to compare the temporal trajectories of the community under different flow conditions. Moreover, the interruption of the low-flow periods due to overflow spilled by the upstream dam gave us the opportunity to assess the effects of experimental flow peaks. Contrary to the expectation, the macroinvertebrate assemblage kept almost unvaried across the years, showing great resistance and resilience to hydrological changes. Even in extraordinarily dry 2022, the community composition varied only slightly, with a reduction of mayflies and an increase of mollusks. However, a deterioration of the ecological status below GES standard was recorded that summer, indicating the need for an upgrading of the current MFs. This upgrade would include experimental flow peaks in critical periods, which act as intermediate disturbances, enhancing community richness, diversity, and overall quality, as well as compliance with a threshold of an index specifically developed for the hydrological pressure