Intraobserver Error in Macromorphoscopic Trait Data Kamnikar, Kelly R.; Plemons, Amber M.; Hefner, Joseph T.
Journal of forensic sciences,
March 2018, 2018-Mar, 2018-03-00, 20180301, Volume:
63, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
As part of a much larger investigation into the use of macromorphoscopic trait data by forensic anthropologists to estimate ancestry from unidentified skeletal remains, we conducted a fourteen‐year ...(2002–2016) intraobserver error study. Motivated by the development of a large macromorphoscopic database―which will potentially utilize data collected in 2002―quantification of observer error, the impact of technological improvements in macromorphoscopic trait data collection and observer experience is necessary. To maximize comparisons between the two samples, ten macromorphoscopic traits were assessed. Results revealed three patterns of error relating to observer experience, the introduction of new technologies, and error inherent in the method. Overall, this study found the effect of error on macromorphoscopic trait analysis could be predicted and did not significantly impact their utility.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant job engagement challenges for the nursing workforce with increased pressures and workplace changes. Nursing staff shortages have increased nurse anxiety, ...burnout, fear, low morale and intentions to leave the profession. Nursing care is inherently stressful and at times complex, with stress often due to work inconsistencies, a lack of role clarity, workloads and time pressures. This study explores nurses job engagement, by looking specifically at nurses social-emotional attributes – Occupational Commitment, Self-efficacy Beliefs, Collective Efficacy Beliefs, Resilience, Adaptability and Emotional Labour. This protocol describes a mixed methods convergent parallel study, incorporating a survey questionnaire. The survey comprised of quantitative and qualitative questions, with data collected simultaneously, analysed separately, and integrated in the final analysis step. The survey design used validated social-emotional items, sorting and ranking questions and short answer responses. Analysis will involve individual and comparative analysis of the two participants groups, they are: Australian nurses (n = 86) and New Zealand Nurses (n = 275). Data collection was conducted during two different time periods – Australian pilot (2020-21) and in New Zealand (2022–2023). Recruitment involved the use of professional and personal nursing networks, newsletters and social media communications. Ethics approval was obtained through participating universities in both countries. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conferences, blogs, newsletters and reports to nursing networks. The study will provide valuable insights into nurses’ social-emotional attributes and the role they play in job engagement.
The application of statistical modelling techniques has become a cornerstone of analyses of large-scale social survey data. Bringing this special section on key variables to a close, this final ...article discusses several important issues relating to the inclusion of key variables in statistical modelling analyses. We outline two, often neglected, issues that are relevant to a great many applications of statistical models based upon social survey data. The first is known as the reference category problem and is related to the interpretation of categorical explanatory variables. The second is the interpretation and comparison of the effects from models for non-linear outcomes. We then briefly discuss other common complexities in using statistical models for social science research; these include the non-linear transformation of variables, and considerations of intersectionality and interaction effects. We conclude by emphasising the importance of two, often overlooked, elements of the social survey data analysis process, sensitivity analysis and documentation for replication. We argue that more attention should routinely be devoted to these issues.
Abstract
Background: the context and purpose of the study
Semi-quantitative scales are often used for the rapid assessment of species composition and abundance during time-limited surveys. The ...semi-quantitative SACFOR abundance scale was developed to support the observation of marine habitats, communities and species and is widely used in the UK. As such, there is now a vast accumulation of SACFOR data. However, there several acknowledged limitations associated with its format that prevent re-analysis.
Methods: how the study was performed and statistical tests used
A conversion process is proposed here that allows: (i) the merging of taxa within counts or cover data sub-sets; (ii) observations, based on either counts and cover, to be unified into one matrix; (iii) counts and cover data to have an equal weighting in the final matrix; and (iv) the removal of the influence of body size and growth form from the final values. To achieve this, it is only possible to preserve the ordinal structure of the data set.
Results: the main findings
Simulations verified that the SACFOR conversion process (i) converted random cover and counts data whilst maintaining the majority of the ordinal structure and (ii) aligned abundance values regardless of whether it was recorded as a cover or count. A case study is presented, that uses real SACFOR observations, to demonstrate the conversion process and the application of statistical analyses routinely used in ecological assessments.
Conclusions: brief summary and potential implications
It is hoped that the SACFOR conversion process proposed here facilitates: (i) the quantitative re-analysis of the burgeoning SACFOR data repository; and (ii) initiates a debate on alternative methods for the conversion of SACFOR data into analysable end products.
In this study we investigate the impact of the addition of colourless glass particles to red glazes, as seen in many 15th-17th-century easel paintings. With the use of reconstructions, we examined ...the influence of the paint preparation process on the morphological and mechanical properties of the paint film. Three sets of reconstructions were made, a control without ground glass, reconstructions with coarse or fine ground glass mixed in, and reconstructions where fine ground glass was ground jointly with the pigment oil mixture. The latter gave the desired consistency and colour based on visual inspection. The dried reconstructions were non-invasively imaged using optical coherence tomography (OCT). A data-analysis pipeline was developed for both the segmentation of the OCT images and the measurement of the size and spatial distributions of the glass particles within the glaze layer. Moreover, we used a nanoindentation protocol to measure the viscoelastic properties of the dried red glaze film. The OCT results show an expected decrease in median particle size with longer grinding-time, for which the additional grinding with pigment/oil resulted in a more narrow size distribution and a homogenous spatial distribution of the glass particles. The nanoindentation results indicate that the addition of glass particles increases the elastic and viscous moduli of the red glaze layers. The homogeneous size distribution, obtained by grinding the oil, pigment, and glass together, induces higher elastic and viscous moduli. Our imaging and analyses approach, combining OCT and nanoindentation, provides a non-invasive and quantitative investigation of glass particles in (semi-) transparent paint layers, and their effect on the mechanical properties of the glaze. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the artists’ addition of ground glass in paint layers.
Normal enough? Tools to aid decision making Spencer, Neil H.; Lay, Margaret; Kevan de Lopez, Lindsey
International journal of social research methodology,
03/2017, Volume:
20, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
When undertaking quantitative hypothesis testing, social researchers need to decide whether the data with which they are working is suitable for parametric analyses to be used. When considering the ...relevant assumptions they can examine graphs and summary statistics but the decision making process is subjective and must also take into account the robustness of the proposed tests to deviations from the assumptions. We review the contemporary advice on this issue available to researchers and look back to the roots of hypothesis testing and associated work undertaken by eminent statisticians since the 1930s. From this we create a set of flow charts to give researchers tools they can use to make decisions in a more objective manner.
As leadership development becomes prevalent around the world, it is critical to understand the expectations and needs of participants attending leadership development programs and whether ...cross-country differences exist in those needs. This study examines the leadership challenges faced by 763 participants of leadership development programs from seven different countries (China/Hong Kong, Egypt, India, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and evaluates how important they perceive certain leadership competencies are to success in their respective organization. Qualitative data reveal that the challenges leaders face are relatively similar across countries, although small variations exist. Developing Managerial Effectiveness, Inspiring Others, Developing Employees, Leading a Team, Guiding Change, and Managing Internal Stakeholders and Politics were challenges that ranked consistently among the top challenges in each country. Quantitative data from the same sample showed that the leadership competencies of Leading Employees, Resourcefulness, and Change Management were consistently seen as being important to success in managers’ organizations in all countries. Teaching managers to overcome the aforementioned challenges, and enhancing the previously mentioned competencies, is likely to contribute to the effectiveness of leadership development programs and initiatives independently of the country in which the manager resides. Both qualitative and quantitative data suggest cultural convergence when it comes to the needs of participants in leadership development programs around the world. Implications of findings for participant-focused leadership development and practical executive education are discussed.
Research in Science Education has shown that often students need to learn how to identify differences and similarities between descriptive and explicative models. The development and use of ...explicative skills in the field of thermal science has always been a difficult objective to reach. A way to develop analogical reasoning is to use in Science Education unifying conceptual frameworks. In this paper we describe a 20-hour workshop focused on Feynman's Unifying Approach and the two-level system. We measure its efficacy in helping undergraduate chemical engineering students explain phenomena by applying an explanatory model. Contexts involve systems for which a process is activated by thermally overcoming a well-defined potential barrier. A questionnaire containing six open-ended questions was administered to the students before instruction. A second one, similar but focused on different physical content was administered after instruction. Responses were analysed using k-means Cluster Analysis and students' inferred lines of reasoning about the analysed phenomena were studied. We conclude that students reasoning lines seem to have clearly evolved to explicative ones and it is reasonable to think that the Feynman Unifying Approach has favoured this change.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can depict not only anatomical information, but also physiological factors such as velocity and pressure gradient. Measurement of these physiological factors is ...necessary to understand the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) environment. In this study we quantified CSF motion in various parts of the CSF space, determined changes in the CSF environment with aging, and compared CSF pressure gradient between patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and healthy elderly volunteers. Fifty-seven healthy volunteers and six iNPH patients underwent four-dimensional (4D) phase-contrast (PC) MRI. CSF motion was observed and the pressure gradient of CSF was quantified in the CSF space. In healthy volunteers, inhomogeneous CSF motion was observed whereby the pressure gradient markedly increased in the center of the skull and gradually decreased in the periphery of the skull. For example, the pressure gradient at the ventral surface of the brainstem was 6.6 times greater than that at the convexity of the cerebrum. The pressure gradient was statistically unchanged with aging. The pressure gradient of patients with iNPH was 3.2 times greater than that of healthy volunteers. The quantitative analysis of 4D-PC MRI data revealed that the pressure gradient of CSF can be used to understand the CSF environment, which is not sufficiently given by subjective impression of the anatomical image.
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