Threshold Regression for Survival Analysis: Modeling Event Times by a Stochastic Process Reaching a Boundary

Many researchers have investigated first hitting times as models for survival data. First hitting times arise naturally in many types of stochastic processes, ranging from Wiener processes to Markov chains. In a survival context, the state of the underlying process represents the strength of an item or the health of an individual. The item fails or the individual experiences a clinical endpoint when the process reaches an adverse threshold state for the first time. The time scale can be calendar time or some other operational measure of degradation or disease progression. In many applications, the process is latent (i.e., unobservable). Threshold regression refers to first-hitting-time models with regression structures that accommodate covariate data. The parameters of the process, threshold state and time scale may depend on the covariates. This paper reviews aspects of this topic and discusses fruitful avenues for future research.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/088342306000000330 in the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

A Study of the Selection of Reading Strategies among Genders by EFL College Students

AbstractThe purpose of this study was aimed to probe the question whether foreign language reading strategies use among EFL college freshmen differ according to different genders and the differences of frequency using types of reading strategies. Results indicated that the differences between male and female students on the types of reading strategies were significant, male students reported greater strategy use than their female counterparts regarding memory, cognitive, compensation strategies, while fewer males than females used strategies of meta-cognitive and social-affective while reading. In addition, males were more worried about unknown words compared to their counterparts while reading

SPCalc: A Web-based Calculator for Sample Size and Power Calculations in Micro-array Studies

Calculation of the appropriate sample size in planning microarray studies is important because sample collection can be expensive and time-consuming. Sample-size calculation is also a challenging issue for microarray studies because the number of genes is far larger than the number of samples so that traditional methods of sample-size calculation cannot be directly applied. To help investigators answer the question of how many samples are needed in their microarray studies, we developed a user-friendly web-based calculator, SPCalc, for calculating sample size and power for a variety of commonly used experimental designs, including completely randomized treatment control design, matched-pairs design, multiple-treatment design having an isolated treatment effect, and randomized block design

Perception of linguistic pitch in Cantonese-English bilingual speakers

This study investigated the perception of linguistic pitch in Cantonese-English bilingual speakers. Two age groups of bilingual speakers (age 10-13 and age 20-23) were recruited and attended the experiment which included three sessions: Cantonese lexical tone perception test, English lexical stress perception test, the mixed mode test of lexical tone and lexical stress. The stimuli were fifty-five CVCV non-words with fifteen different tone contrasts in lexical tone test, and with initial stressed or final stressed in lexical stress test. The results showed that adults performed significantly better than the children in both lexical tone and lexical stress perception. Children had similar performance in tone and stress perception but adults performed better in stress perception than tone perception. The tone contrasts of mid level-low level, and high rising-low rising were the most difficult to discriminate for both children and adults. Findings suggest that bilingual speakers used the same perception strategy in perceiving linguistic pitch of lexical stress and lexical tone and the language experience still affected and improved the suprasegmental acquisition after age of 10-13.published_or_final_versionSpeech and Hearing SciencesBachelorBachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science

Storytelling: The Human Experience Through Data-Driven Instruments

Digital Portfolio Dissertation files include: Dissertation text document; zipped computer files; and 7 performance videos linked for streaming at this URL on University of Oregon Panopto service: https://uoregon.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Sessions/List.aspx#folderID=%22eba8a7df-69b3-4e67-a924-b0a001853032%22. Archival copies of videos have been preserved by the UO Libraries.This Digital Portfolio Dissertation is a collection of seven original real-time, interactive, multichannel compositions featuring data-driven instruments. This dissertation includes video recordings of seven individual performances, associated files needed for the performance of each work, and a descriptive text document for each of the seven compositions. The text document in this digital portfolio dissertation describes the storytelling components and the musical ideas and compositional structure of each composition, the design and implementation of each data-driven instrument, the sonic materials and data mapping strategies, as well as other extra-musical elements associated with each composition

Mechanical properties of La-based bulk amorphous alloy and composites

Influence of different microstructure of La-based fully amorphous samples and its composites on the impact fracture energy were investigated and discussed. Results showed improvement in fracture energy of glassy metals with the presence intermetallic phases, but deteriorated in the presence of dendrite phases and high volume % of crystalline phases.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA

Interaction of burkholderia pseudomallei with cells of the immune system

Master'sMASTER OF SCIENC