Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Assessment Of Method Effects Of Keying And Wording In Instruments: A Mixed-Methods Explanatory Sequential Study, Lin Ma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents an innovative approach to examining the keying method, wording method, and construct validity on psychometric instruments. By employing a mixed methods explanatory sequential design, the effects of keying and wording in two psychometric assessments were examined and validated. Those two self-report psychometric assessments were the Effortful Control assessment (Ellis & Rothbart, 2001) and the Grit assessment (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009). Moreover, the quantitative phase utilized structural equation modeling to analyze 2,104 students’ responses and assess the construct of keying and wording. Various hypothetical models were investigated and evaluated. The reliability of each construct in each method was …

Measuring The Performance Of Sdgs In Provincial Level Using Regional Sustainable Development Index, Nurafiza Thamrin, Ika Yuni Wulansari, Puguh Bodro Irawan

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Measuring the national and sub-national progress in achieving such globally adopted development agendas as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is particularly challenging due to data availability and compatibility of indicators to measure SDGs, especially in Indonesia. This paper attempts to measure the performance of sustainable development at the regional level in Indonesia by newly constructing a multidimensional composite index called the Regional Sustainable Development Index (RSDI). RSDI comprises four dimensions, covering comprehensive economic, social, environmental, and governance indicators. By applying factor analysis, the paper assesses the uncertainty of RSDI and the sensitivity of its composing indicators, then further investigates the relationship …

Estimating The Health Effects Of Adding Bicycle And Pedestrian Paths At The Census Tract Level: Multiple Model Comparison, Ross J. Gore, Christopher Lynch, Craig Jordan, Andrew Collins, R. Michael Robinson, Gabrielle Fuller, Pearson Ames, Prateek Keerthi, Yash Kandukuri

VMASC Publications

Background: Adding additional bicycle and pedestrian paths to an area can lead to improved health outcomes for residents over time. However, quantitatively determining which areas benefit more from bicycle and pedestrian paths, how many miles of bicycle and pedestrian paths are needed, and the health outcomes that may be most improved remain open questions.

Objective: Our work provides and evaluates a methodology that offers actionable insight for city-level planners, public health officials, and decision makers tasked with the question “To what extent will adding specified bicycle and pedestrian path mileage to a census tract improve residents’ health outcomes over time?” …

Gaussian Graphical Models For Omics Data: New Methodology And Applications, Katherine H. Shutta

Doctoral Dissertations

Gaussian graphical models (GGMs) are useful network estimation tools for modeling direct dependencies that characterize multivariate data. The GGM modeling framework is one way to elucidate complex systems-level properties that can be difficult to detect in univariate analyses. In this dissertation, we begin by presenting a tutorial and review of the current state of the field of GGM theory and application. Next, we present a motivating application of GGMs in a study of metabolomic networks associated with chronic distress in women in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and in the Nurses' Health Study cohorts. In the third chapter, we present …

Motivations To Participate In Hunting And Angling: A Comparison Among Preferred Activities And State Of Residence, Matthew P. Hinrichs, Mark P. Vrtiska, Mark Pegg, Christopher J. Chizinski

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Motivations for hunting and fishing extend beyond harvesting game and include social, psychological, emotional, and physical benefits. We used data from a web-based questionnaire to compare relationships between preferred hunting or fishing activity types, state of residence, and motivations of hunters and anglers across the central United States (U.S.). Exploratory factor analysis yielded four motivation factors: nature, social, food, and challenge. Differences in terms of state were negligible across all motivation factors (η²_p < .01), indicating similarity across states. Nature (η²_p = .01) and social (η²_p < .01) factors were the first and …

Radar Countermeasures Simulation Factor Analysis Method Of Fidelity-Oriented, Guoliang Wang, Huanyao Dai, Xujian Shen, Zhou Bo

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: It is crucial to assess the fidelity of operational objectives simulation and complex electromagnetic environment building for designing a military simulation system. Traditional confidence, credibility, similarity are difficult to fully evaluate the entire system, and hard to focus. To solve the problem of fidelity analysis and evaluation of operational objectives and battlefield simulation environment building, the concept and content of simulation fidelity were analyzed to explore the factor analysis principle and hierarchical classification method, etc., taking radar group network confrontation as an example, and its level division structure was given. General principles and methods of radar countermeasure high-fidelity simulation …

Statistical Approach By Factor And Cluster Analysis On Origin Of Elements From The Hamit Plutonic (Turkey) Rock Samples, Fusun Yalcin, Daniel G. Nyamsari, Nurdane İlbeyli̇, Rifat Battaloglu

Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration

The Hamit pluton forms part of the Central Anatolian Crystalline Complex. It is located N-NE of Kaman (Kirsehir). It covers an area of about 120 km2. The geochemical contents of 63 rock samples collected from this pluton were analyzed for their origin, homogeneity and relationship with crustal rocks. Their element contents were determined by using X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy. The samples were divided into 2 major groups based on their similarities: Group 1 contained 63.5% of the samples and indicated they were formed from melts whose contents might have evolved greatly due to crustal assimilation; while the 36.5% of samples belonged …

Evaluation Method Of Node Importance In Equipment Support Network Based On Polymeric Degree, Zhang Qiang, Junhai Cao, Tailiang Song, Yan Xu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the problem that the heterogeneity of nodes in equipment support network and the different support relationships leading to the inaccuracy of judging the importance of nodes based on single attributes such as degree value, this paper puts forward the concept of polymeric degree, and mines the importance information of nodes from the aspects of polymeric degree, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality and Eigenvector centrality. Because of the shortcoming that the Euclidean distance can not reflect the vertical distance in the traditional method of Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), the TOPSIS method is improved. The …

Improved Cpls Algorithm And Its Application In Process Monitoring, Qinghua Li, Pan Feng, Zhonggai Zhao

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Concurrent PLS (CPLS) further extracts information from the residuals of input variables and quality variables drawn by PLS, thus the raw data are projected into five subspaces. The process monitoring based CPLS provides a whole framework for the monitoring of input variables and quality variables. The model for residuals is developed by a deterministic manner while the residuals are inherently stochastic; therefore a probabilistic model is more proper for describing their features. This paper introduces factor analysis (FA) into CPLS, in which FA instead of PCA is used to analyze the residuals to develop the improved CPLS model, and …

Dimensionality And Factorial Invariance Of Religiosity Among Christians And The Religiously Unaffiliated: A Cross-Cultural Analysis Based On The International Social Survey Programme, Carlos Miguel Lemos, Ross Joseph Gore, Ivan Puga-Gonzalez, F. Leron Shults

VMASC Publications

We present a study of the dimensionality and factorial invariance of religiosity for 26 countries with a Christian heritage, based on the 1998 and 2008 rounds of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) Religion survey, using both exploratory and multi-group confirmatory factor analyses. The results of the exploratory factor analysis showed that three factors, common to Christian and religiously unaffiliated respondents, could be extracted from our initially selected items and suggested the testing of four different three-factor models using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. For the model with the best fit and measurement invariance properties, we labeled the three resulting factors …

The Principal Problem With Principal Components Regression, Heidi Margaret Artigue, Heidi Margaret Artigue

Pomona Faculty Publications and Research

Principal components regression (PCR) reduces a large number of explanatory variables down to a small number of principal components. PCR is thought to be more useful, the more numerous the potential explanatory variables. The reality is that a large number of candidate explanatory variables does not make PCR more valuable; instead, it magnifies the failings of PCR.

An Investigation Of The Accuracy Of Parallel Analysis For Determining The Number Of Factors In A Factor Analysis, Mandy Matsumoto

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Exploratory factor analysis is an analytic technique used to determine the number of factors in a set of data (usually items on a questionnaire) for which the factor structure has not been previously analyzed. Parallel analysis (PA) is a technique used to determine the number of factors in a factor analysis. There are a number of factors that affect the results of a PA: the choice of the eigenvalue percentile, the strength of the factor loadings, the number of variables, and the sample size of the study. Although PA is the most accurate method to date to determine which factors …

A Multifactorial Obesity Model Developed From Nationwide Public Health Exposome Data And Modern Computational Analyses, Lisaann S. Gittner, Barbara J. Kilbourne, Ravi Vadapalli, Hafiz M.K. Khan, Michael A. Langston

Sociology Faculty Research

Summary

Statement of the problem

Obesity is both multifactorial and multimodal, making it difficult to identify, unravel and distinguish causative and contributing factors. The lack of a clear model of aetiology hampers the design and evaluation of interventions to prevent and reduce obesity.

Methods

Using modern graph-theoretical algorithms, we are able to coalesce and analyse thousands of inter-dependent variables and interpret their putative relationships to obesity. Our modelling is different from traditional approaches; we make no a priori assumptions about the population, and model instead based on the actual characteristics of a population. Paracliques, noise-resistant collections of highly-correlated variables, are …

A Schmid-Leiman-Based Transformation Resulting In Perfect Inter-Correlations Of Three Types Of Factor Score Predictors, André Beauducel

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Factor score predictors are computed when individual factor scores are of interest. Conditions for a perfect inter-correlation of the best linear factor score predictor, the best linear conditionally unbiased predictor, and the determinant best linear correlation-preserving predictor are presented. A transformation resulting in perfect correlations of the three predictors is proposed.

Factors Influencing Mode Choice For Intercity Travel From Northern New England To Major Northeastern Cities, Sean Patrick Neely

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Long-distance and intercity travel generally make up a small portion of the total number of trips taken by an individual, while representing a large portion of aggregate distance traveled on the transportation system. While some research exists on intercity travel behavior between large metropolitan centers, this thesis addresses a need for more research on travel behavior between non-metropolitan areas and large metropolitan centers. This research specifically considers travel from home locations in northern New England, going to Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. These trips are important for quality of life, multimodal planning, and rural economies. This research …

Trace Element Composition Of Pm2.5 And Pm10 From Kolkata - A Heavily Polluted Indian Metropolis, Reshmi Das, Bahareh Khezri, Bijayen Srivastava, Subhajit Datta, Pradip Kumar Sikdar, Richard D. Webster, Xianfeng Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Elemental composition of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ was measured from 16 locations in Greater Kolkata in Eastern India. Sampling was carried out in the winter months of 2013–2014. PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ mass concentrations ranged from 83–783 μg/m³ and 167–928 μg/m³ respectively. 20 elements were measured with an Agilent 7700 series ICP–MS equipped with a 3^rd generation He reaction/collision cell following closed vessel microwave digestion. In both size fractions Fe, Na, Al, K, Ca were present in high concentrations (>1 000 ng/m³), Mn, Zn and Pb demonstrated medium concentrations (>100 ng/m …

Evaluation And Application Of Instruments Measuring Spatial Ability And Attitude For College Chemistry Students, Xiaoying Xu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Student performance in college chemistry courses remains a concern for educators seeking to help improve the future STEM workforce. Besides math ability and prior chemistry knowledge, spatial ability and attitude toward chemistry have been considered as important factors influencing college chemistry performance. This work includes five studies and uses data collected from instruments to examine the relationships of these two factors - spatial ability and attitude - with student chemistry performance, and provides psychometric evidence for using the Purdue Visualization of Rotations test (ROT) and Attitude toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory (ASCIv2) to measure these two factors, respectively, in …

Retained-Components Factor Transformation: Factor Loadings And Factor Score Predictors In The Column Space Of Retained Components, André Beauducel, Frank Spohn

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Factor loadings optimally account for the non-diagonal elements of the covariance matrix of observed variables. Principal component analysis leads to components accounting for a maximum of the variance of the observed variables. Retained-components factor transformation is proposed in order to combine the advantages of factor analysis and principal component analysis.

Marine Diatom Assemblage Variation Across Pleistocene Glacial-Interglacial Transitions And Neogene Diatom Biostratigraphy Of Site C9001, Nw Pacific Ocean, Marcella K. Purkey

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2006, D/V-Chikyu cruise CK06-06 drilled Hole C9001C at Site C9001 in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, 80 km east of the Shimokita Peninsula, Japan. An existing chronostratigraphic framework provides a continuous glacial-interglacial (GI) climate record from which a diatom record of paleoenvironmental changes was developed across several GI cycles. Species counts, diatom temperature values, calculated sea-surface temperatures (SST) and factor analysis were produced for each sample and calibrated to prior diatom studies in this region. These features were used to characterize and compare interglacial maxima of Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 1, 5e, 9 and 11 and transitions from the preceding …

Creating A User Satisfaction Index From A Parsimonious Survey Instrument, Brian Barthel

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In this paper we present a comprehensive method for creating a user satisfaction index using a survey instrument. First we construct a parsimonious survey instrument, using the PageRank Centrality, to measure attributes of user satisfaction. Then confirmatory factor analysis is applied to extract ``weights'' on the questions that are used in a linear model of computing the user satisfaction index. Throughout the paper an analysis of an existing data set is implemented to illustrate the proposed method. In addition the validity of the confirmatory factor model is tested using bootstrap sampling.

Refinement, Application, And Evaluation Of Cognitive And Affective Chemistry Measures For College Students, Keily Heredia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work describes three case studies conducted to address two major problems in the area of chemistry education research, the lack of reported psychometrics regarding instrument scores, and the need for well-characterized assessments to evaluate college chemistry curricula.

The first case study describes a psychometric evaluation of the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS), an instrument designed to assess student beliefs about the learning of chemistry. Results from this work suggest that the CLASS instrument provides fertile ground for short instruments with reasonable psychometric properties. Responses to a single scale instrument, created from CLASS, showed that students in an …

An Item Response Curves Analysis Of The Force Concept Inventory, Gary A. Morris, Nathan Harshman, Lee Branum-Martin, Eric Mazur, Taha Mzoughi, Stephen D. Baker

Faculty and Research Publications

Several years ago, we introduced the idea of item response curves (IRC), a simplistic form of item response theory (IRT), to the physics education research community as a way to examine item performance on diagnostic instruments such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). We noted that a full-blown analysis using IRT would be a next logical step, which several authors have since taken. In this paper, we show that our simple approach not only yields similar conclusions in the analysis of the performance of items on the FCI to the more sophisticated and complex IRT analyses but also permits additional …

Spectroelectrochemical Elucidation Of The Kinetics Of Two Closely Spaced Electron Transfers, Robert L. Keesey, Michael D. Ryan

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

The use of spectroelectrochemistry to facilitate the analysis of an EE mechanism was reported in this work. Using a set of spectra as a function of potential, the spectra of all three oxidation states were determined using evolving window factor analysis. From these spectra, the concentration of each species in solution was determined for each potential. Using these data, the current was calculated. Unlike the direct measurement of current, the current due to each redox process was determined, allowing one to analyze each redox process separate from the other. With the use of the Butler–Volmer equation, the redox potential and …

Geomathematical Characterisation Of The Mineralization Indicators: A Case Study From Tincova Magmatic Intrusion (Romania), George Tudor

Studia UBB Geologia

Indicators of the hydrothermal mineralization in the Tincova Laramian intrusion were tested at the contact zone between the intrusive body and the metamorphic host rocks. The mineralization consists of Cu, Pb and Zn sulfides, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite and pyrite in gangue of quartz, carbonates, feldspar, sericite or clay minerals, and includes areas of hydrothermal alteration or oxidation. Seventy-nine samples were analyzed and processed as two distinct populations. Geomathematical methods highlight the importance of factors such as the shape, sizes of the mineralized zones and geological processes involved in the ore genesis. Trend maps for Cu, Pb + Zn, and Ag interpolated …

Revisiting The Dimensions Of Residential Segregation, Harry Sharp

Mathematics Theses

The first major work to analyze the dimensions of segregation, done in the late 1980s by Massey and Denton, found five dimensions which explained the phenomenon of segregation. Since the original work was done in 1988 it seems relevant to revisit the issue with new data. Massey and Denton used the technique of factor analysis to identify the latent structure underlying the phenomenon. In this research their methodology is applied to a more complete data set from the 1980 Census to confirm their results and extend the methodology. Due to problems identified during the analysis confirmation was not possible. However, …

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy For Detection Of Organic Residues Impact Of Ambient Atmosphere And Laser Parameters, Christopher G. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is showing great potential as an atomic analytical technique. With its ability to rapidly analyze all forms of matter, with little-to-no sample preparation, LIBS has many advantages over conventional atomic emission spectroscopy techniques. With the maturation of the technologies that make LIBS possible, there has been a growing movement to implement LIBS in portable analyzers for field applications. In particular, LIBS has long been considered the front-runner in the drive for stand-off detection of trace deposits of explosives. Thus there is a need for a better understanding of the relevant processes that are responsible for …

Foreign Bank Efficiency In Australia: What Makes A Difference?, Jan-Egbert Sturm, Barry Williams

Barry Williams

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that affect differences in measured efficiency of foreign-owned banks operating in Australia. The relevance of both comparative advantage theory and new trade theory to multinational banking in Australia will be tested.

Design/methodology/approach – A three stage research method is employed. First, estimates of foreign bank efficiency are drawn from a larger sample of domestic and foreign banks in Australia. Efficiency is estimated using parametric distance functions, applying several different specifications of inputs and outputs. Second, factor analysis is used to estimate a series of common factors drawn from …

Using Exploratory Factor Analysis For Locating Invariant Referents In Factor Invariance Studies, W. Holmes Finch, Brian F. French

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Model identification in multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) requires an equality constraint of referent variables across groups. Invariance assumption violations make it difficult to locate parameters that actually differ. Suggested procedures for locating invariant referents are cumbersome, complex, and provide imperfect results. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) may be an alternative because of its ease of use, yet empirical evaluation of its effectiveness is lacking. EFAs accuracy for distinguishing invariant from non-invariant referents was examined.

"Clustering Categorical Response" Application To Lung Cancer Problems In Living Scales, Ling Guo

Mathematics Theses

The study aims to estimate the ability of different grouping techniques on categorical response. We try to find out how well do they work? Do they really find clusters when clusters exist? We use Cancer Problems in Living Scales from the ACS as our categorical data variables and lung cancer survivors as our studying group. Five methods of cluster analysis are examined for their accuracy in clustering on both real CPILS dataset and simulated data. The methods include hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward's method), model-based clustering of raw data, model-based clustering of the factors scores from a maximum likelihood factor analysis, …

Use Of Factor Analysis In Multi‐Electron Spectroelectrochemistry, Michael D. Ryan, Robert L. Keesey

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Spectroelectrochemistry and voltammetry contain both unique and complementary information. For multielectron transfers, information on each electron exchange is only directly accessible in the voltammetric data if the potentials are well separated so that two distinct waves can be observed. If the E°’s are close together, the voltammetric data will contain the sum of the two exchanges which can only be deconvoluted by modeling the system and solving the appropriate equations. On the other hand, the spectroscopic data contains direct information on each electron exchange even when the E°’s are close together. Unfortunately, this information cannot be readily extracted if the …