Validating the Persian Intuitive Eating Scale-2 among breast cancer survivors who are overweight/obese

Women with breast cancer are at risk of being overweight/obese which may consequently increase mortality. Intuitive eating is an adaptive eating behavior which might be beneficial for weight outcomes. The present study validated the Persian Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) among overweight/obese Iranian females with breast cancer. Women who were overweight/obese with breast cancer (n = 762; mean ± SD age = 55.1 ± 5.7 years) completed the following questionnaires: IES-2, General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE-6), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Short Form-12 (SF-12), Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS), Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2), and Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch analysis were applied to examine the psychometric properties of the IES-2. Associations between IES-2 score and other scale scores were assessed. CFA and Rasch analysis suggested that the Persian IES-2 had robust psychometric properties and all IES-2 items were meaningful in their embedded domains. The four-factor structure of the Persian IES-2 was confirmed. Concurrent validity was supported by the positive correlations between the IES-2 score and scores on the GSE-6, SF-12 mental component, and BAS-2. Negative correlations were found between the IES-2 score and the HADS (anxiety and depression subscales), WBIS, and EAT-26. The present study demonstrated that the Persian IES-2 is a well-designed instrument and is applicable for women who are overweight/obese with breast cancer

Selection of tuning parameters in bridge regression models via Bayesian information criterion

We consider the bridge linear regression modeling, which can produce a sparse or non-sparse model. A crucial point in the model building process is the selection of adjusted parameters including a regularization parameter and a tuning parameter in bridge regression models. The choice of the adjusted parameters can be viewed as a model selection and evaluation problem. We propose a model selection criterion for evaluating bridge regression models in terms of Bayesian approach. This selection criterion enables us to select the adjusted parameters objectively. We investigate the effectiveness of our proposed modeling strategy through some numerical examples.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure

Microstructural evolution under low shear rates during Rheo processing of LM25 alloy

© ASM InternationalMicrostructural features of LM25 alloy processed by two different routes: (1) conventional casting, and(2)shear casting based on inclined heated surface are studied. The microstructures of the primary phase for the shear-cast samples show rosette or ellipsoidal morphologies. Heat transfer of contacting melt with the inclined tube surface and shear stress exerted on the layers of the melt as result of gravitational force are crucial parameters for the microstructural evolution. Compared to those produced by conventional casting, shear-cast samples have a much improved tensile strength and ductility due to globular microstructure

Embracing integrated watershed revitalization in Suzhou, China: learning from global case studies

AbstractSuzhou is China’s historic water town, and a sustainable approach to watershed revitalization is firmly on the agenda. The practice of integrated watershed management requires collaborative planning involving a significant number of stakeholders; no single organization can solve the problems of ecosystem management unilaterally. The changing social–political environment in China has led to the development of a new form of governance. China is in transition from the traditional government image of a regulator and a controller towards an enabler that facilitates provision and action by, and through, others. Global case studies show that sustainability issues are essential to tackling watershed ecosystem management by creating a win–win strategy for wider stakeholders. Viewed from an institutional perspective, the emergence of a new collaborative partnership model requires a different implementation process to tackle practical problems in the face of complex watershed agendas. Drawing upon global and China’s experiences, the paper concludes that some planning processes require government leadership continuity, while others need bottom–up approaches.</jats:p

Natural gaits of the non-pathological flat foot and high-arched foot

There has been a controversy as to whether or not the non-pathological flat foot and high-arched foot have an effect on human walking activities. The 3D foot scanning system was employed to obtain static footprints from subjects adopting a half-weight-bearing stance. Based upon their footprints, the subjects were divided into two groups: the flat-footed and the high-arched. The plantar pressure measurement system was used to measure and record the subjects' successive natural gaits. Two indices were proposed: distribution of vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) of plantar and the rate of the footprint areas. Using these two indices to compare the natural gaits of the two subject groups, we found that (1) in stance phase, there is a significant difference (p<0.01) in the distributions of VGRF of plantar; (2) in a stride cycle, there is also a significant difference (p<0.01) in the rates of the footprint areas. Our analysis suggests that when walking, the VGRF of the plantar brings greater muscle tension to the flat-footed while a smaller rate of the footprint areas brings greater stability to the high-arched.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Plasmonically Enhanced Reflectance of Heat Radiation from Low-Bandgap Semiconductor Microinclusions

Increased reflectance from the inclusion of highly scattering particles at low volume fractions in an insulating dielectric offers a promising way to reduce radiative thermal losses at high temperatures. Here, we investigate plasmonic resonance driven enhanced scattering from microinclusions of low-bandgap semiconductors (InP, Si, Ge, PbS, InAs and Te) in an insulating composite to tailor its infrared reflectance for minimizing thermal losses from radiative transfer. To this end, we compute the spectral properties of the microcomposites using Monte Carlo modeling and compare them with results from Fresnel equations. The role of particle size-dependent Mie scattering and absorption efficiencies, and, scattering anisotropy are studied to identify the optimal microinclusion size and material parameters for maximizing the reflectance of the thermal radiation. For composites with Si and Ge microinclusions we obtain reflectance efficiencies of 57 - 65% for the incident blackbody radiation from sources at temperatures in the range 400 - 1600 {\deg}C. Furthermore, we observe a broadbanding of the reflectance spectra from the plasmonic resonances due to charge carriers generated from defect states within the semiconductor bandgap. Our results thus open up the possibility of developing efficient high-temperature thermal insulators through use of the low-bandgap semiconductor microinclusions in insulating dielectrics.Comment: Main article (8 Figures and 2 Tables) + Supporting Information (8 Figures

Recipes for sparse LDA of horizontal data

Many important modern applications require analyzing data with more variables than observations, called for short horizontal. In such situation the classical Fisher’s linear discriminant analysis (LDA) does not possess solution because the within-group scatter matrix is singular. Moreover, the number of the variables is usually huge and the classical type of solutions (discriminant functions) are difficult to interpret as they involve all available variables. Nowadays, the aim is to develop fast and reliable algorithms for sparse LDA of horizontal data. The resulting discriminant functions depend on very few original variables, which facilitates their interpretation. The main theoretical and numerical challenge is how to cope with the singularity of the within-group scatter matrix. This work aims at classifying the existing approaches according to the way they tackle this singularity issue, and suggest new ones

Urban energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Beijing: current and future

This paper calculates the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of Beijing over 2005–2011 in light of the Beijing’s energy balance table and the carbon emission coefficients of IPCC. Furthermore, based on a series of energy conservation planning program issued in Beijing, the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP)-BJ model is developed to study the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of Beijing’s six end-use sectors and the energy conversion sector over 2012–2030 under the BAU scenario and POL scenario. Some results are found in this research: (1) During 2005–2011, the energy consumption kept increasing, while the total CO2 emissions fluctuated obviously in 2008 and 2011. The energy structure and the industrial structure have been optimized to a certain extent. (2) If the policies are completely implemented, the POL scenario is projected to save 21.36 and 35.37 % of the total energy consumption and CO2 emissions than the BAU scenario during 2012 and 2030. (3) The POL scenario presents a more optimized energy structure compared with the BAU scenario, with the decrease of coal consumption and the increase of natural gas consumption. (4) The commerce and service sector and the energy conversion sector will become the largest contributor to energy consumption and CO2 emissions, respectively. The transport sector and the industrial sector are the two most potential sectors in energy savings and carbon reduction. In terms of subscenarios, the energy conservation in transport (TEC) is the most effective one. (5) The macroparameters, such as the GDP growth rate and the industrial structure, have great influence on the urban energy consumption and carbon emissions

The Impact of a SIG on Assessment Literacy

A major aim of professional associations is to provide opportunities for professionals to interact with others, share ideas and develop in their chosen profession. Professional associations exist to provide specialized networking and development opportunities to a specific profession, group of individuals or field of study. To promote and support specialized research and communication, smaller subgroups within an association are often chartered or developed. These subgroups are typically known as Special Interest Groups. According to Jacob et al. (2013), association members join SIGs because they want to go deeper into a specialized content area and they enjoy networking with others who ‘speak the same language.’ The TESOL Arabia Testing, Assessment and Evaluation SIG (TAE SIG) has focused their professional development activities on an important trend in the field, that of language assessment literacy (LAL). Language assessment literacy has been a critical topic in English language teaching since the late 1990s. Unfortunately, this is mainly due to the fact that so many English language teachers are not assessment literate. In other words, many English language teachers lack the knowledge and skills to write effective language tests, evaluate the effectiveness of their tests, and use their test results in meaningful ways. The purpose of this chapter is to critically examine the status of LAL in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and report on activities that the TAE SIG has implemented to increase LAL