Two transformation models for estimating an ROC curve derived from continuous data

A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is a plot of two survival functions, derived separately from the diseased and healthy samples. A special feature is that the ROC curve is invariant to any monotone transformation of the measurement scale. We propose and analyse semiparametric and parametric transformation models for this two-sample problem. Following an unspecified or specified monotone transformation, we assume that the healthy and diseased measurements have two normal distributions with different means and variances. Maximum likelihood algorithms for estimating ROC curve parameters are developed. The proposed methods are illustrated on the marker CA125 in the diagnosis of gastric cancer.     

On the max-semistable limit of maxima of stationary sequences with missing values

Let {_Xn}$\{X_n\}$ be a stationary sequence with marginal distribution in the domain of attraction of a max-semistable distribution. This includes all distributions in the domain of attraction of any max-stable distribution and also other distributions like some integer-valued distributions with exponential type tails such as the Negative Binomial case. We consider the effect of missing values on the distribution of the maximum term. The pattern of occurrence of the missing values must be either iid or strongly mixing. We obtain the expression of the extremal index for the resulting sequence.     

The role of medium conditioning in the population dynamics of the housefly

Summary The role of larval medium conditioning on the behavior of larvae and of ovipositing adults of the housefly,Musca domestica L., was investigated through behavioral preference tests. Larvae were strongly attracted to medium conditioned by themselves or other larvae, while adult females overwhelmingly oviposited in fresh medium. Medium conditioning occurs within a few hours after hatching of an egg cohort and is effective in preventing overcrowding of a single site by shutting off further oviposition within 24 hours after eggs are initially deposited. A model of medium conditioning optimizes density for developing larvae and could also provide for regulation of local larval populations. This study was carried out during the tenure of grants from the National Science Foundation (GB-35473) and The National Institutes of Health (1-R01-AI-10988-01) to the senior author.     

Educating student midwives around dignity and respect

Focus

There is currently limited information available on how midwifery students learn to provide care that promotes dignity and respect.

Adult Attachment Orientation and Implicit Behavioral Mimicry

We investigated whether adult attachment orientation predicted the extent to which individuals engaged in implicit behavioral mimicry of a confederate presented by video. Results demonstrated that following an attachment threat prime: (1) those low in attachment anxiety and high in attachment avoidance showed less mimicry of face-rubbing gestures than individuals low in both attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety; (2) those high in attachment anxiety and low in attachment avoidance showed less mimicry of face-rubbing gestures than individuals low in both attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety. Importantly, attachment orientation did not predict baseline levels of face-rubbing gesturing, demonstrating that attachment orientation had an effect on mimicry rather than overall behavior expression. Attachment anxiety was positively related to attraction to the confederate such that those higher in attachment anxiety rated the confederate as more attractive. The findings are discussed with reference to both the mimicry and attachment literatures.     

Experience of Career‐Related Discrimination for Female‐to‐Male Transgender Persons: A Qualitative Study

In this qualitative study, the authors examined the experience of discrimination and its relationship to the career development trajectory of 9 female‐to‐male transgender persons. Participants were between 21 and 48 years old and had a variety of vocational experiences. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted via telephone and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. The emergent model consisted of forms of discrimination and impact of discrimination. These components intersected with the career development trajectory. Participants provided their own suggestions for improving the workplace environment. Counseling, advocacy, and future research implications are discussed.     

Residential landscapes as social-ecological systems: a synthesis of multi-scalar interactions between people and their home environment

Residential landscapes are a common setting of human-environment interactions. These ubiquitous ecosystems provide social and ecological services, and yard maintenance leads to intended and unintended ecological outcomes. The ecological characteristics of residential landscapes and the human drivers of landscape management have been the focus of disciplinary studies, often at a single scale of analysis. However, an interdisciplinary examination of residential landscapes is needed to understand the feedbacks and tradeoffs of these complex adaptive social-ecological systems as a whole. Our aim is to synthesize the diversity of perspectives, scales of analysis, and findings from the literature in order to 1) contribute to an interdisciplinary understanding of residential landscapes and 2) identify research needs while providing a robust conceptual approach for future studies. We synthesize 256 studies from the literature and develop an interdisciplinary, multi-scalar framework on residential landscape dynamics. Complex human drivers (attitudinal, structural, and institutional factors) at multiple scales influence management practices and the feedbacks with biophysical characteristics of residential landscapes. However, gaps exist in our interdisciplinary understanding of residential landscapes within four key but understudied areas: 1) the link between social drivers and ecological outcomes of management decisions, 2) the ecosystem services provided by these landscapes to residents, 3) the interactions of social drivers and ecological characteristics across scales, and 4) generalizations of patterns and processes across cities. Our systems perspective will help to guide future interdisciplinary collaborations to integrate theories and research methods across geographic locations and spatial scales.     

Temporal and spatial dynamics of a “Rust-Belt” urban stream: Metabolic and water quality responses to hardened land

Highly resolved (30-min period) measurements of dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, and turbidity in streams over 2–6 days during dry and wet periods within and outside the heavily urbanized city of Syracuse, NY are used to calculate gross primary production (GPP), total ecosystem respiration (ER) and total and net ecosystem production (NEP). Based on results, it is proposed that a city’s stream metabolism and water quality may be regarded in a “Jekyll–Hyde” analogy, i.e., under dry conditions, this stream behaved much like a headwater system (Jekyll), but had far greater discharge as well as rapid swings in conductivity, turbidity, temperature, and oxygen concentrations during storm events (Hyde). Such dynamics could be damped by increasing soft, absorbent surfaces (green infrastructure) within the city.     

Coupling human preferences with biophysical processes: modeling the effect of citizen attitudes on potential urban stormwater runoff

Green infrastructure (GI) is gaining wide popularity as a means to reduce urban stormwater runoff. The challenges to long-term success of many GI policies, however, depend on citizen understanding and willingness to be engaged in the process of GI implementation. In this study, we developed a conceptual model that incorporated human preferences and biophysical processes in a coupled manner to estimate stormwater runoff variation at the sewershed scale under different acceptable GI implementation scenarios. To investigate resident receptivity toward GI implementation, we conducted surveys in selected Syracuse sewersheds and developed the scenario of residents implementing rain barrels and rain gardens in their private properties based on the survey results. We simulated this scenario at the lot level using the model we developed within the framework of the EPA SWMM 5 model to estimate reductions in peak flow and total runoff volume for major storm events. With our model, we also tested the effect of planned government tree planting scenarios. The scenario simulations were applied in three urban sewersheds of varying socio-economic and biophysical structures in the City of Syracuse, New York. The simulation results indicated that both the “government participation” and “household participation” scenarios, compared to pre-GI-development conditions, would contribute to a modest reduction in stormwater peak flow (>4 %) and total runoff volume (>5 %) across the simulated sewersheds. This study provides decision makers with a scientific methodology to quantify how human decisions can shape ecosystem function, and thus support sustainable stormwater management planning while addressing citizen preferences and needs.