Selection procedures based on normal and nonnormal variables with single and multiple characters

The performance of selection procedures using a single screening variable are assessed in the presence of nonnormality, in particular mixtures of bivariate normal distributions and the bivariate Edgeworth series distribution.

Screening with multiple characters in the normal situation is studied using principal components.     

The optimal allocation combination for the two-sided sequential screening procedure based on the individual misclassification error

In this paper, the expected total costs (ETCs) of three kinds of quality cost functions for the two-sided sequential screening procedure (SQSP) based on the individual misclassification error are obtained, where the ETC is the sum of the expected cost of inspection, the expected cost of rejection and the expected cost of quality. The general formulas for all the desired probabilities and three ETCs when k screening variables are allocated into r-stages are derived. The optimal allocation combination for each ETC is determined based on the criterion of minimum ETC. Finally, we give two examples to illustrate the selection of the optimal allocation combination for the SQSP.     

The social work services in screening process of compulsory treatment interventions in addicts in Iran: A content analysis study

Compulsory treatment has had a detrimental impact on drug abuse treatment policies and programs in Iran. Physicians are currently required to conduct initial treatment screening. Social workers are a part of the treatment team but have no authority to initiate a compulsory drug treatment plan. For this reason, the present article investigates social work service participation in the process of compulsory drug treatment. The study methodology is content analysis. Nine social workers participated in seven focus group discussions. Overall, 110 codes were extracted from the sessions and were categorized into five main themes: interview and initial assessment; referral; investigation of ineligibility criteria; report to judicial authority; and follow‐up and advocacy. The results of this research suggest amending executive bylaws based on a social work approach to the screening process for compulsory drug treatment.     

Screening Adolescents for Health Risks Using Interactive Voice Response Technology

ABSTRACT

This report presents an evaluation of an interactive voice response telecommunications system developed for adolescent health risk screening. The technology provides a means to screen adolescents for general health risks and to score self-reported risk immediately. Adolescents listen to a series of prerecorded risk questions on standard touch-tone telephones and respond by pressing the appropriate keys on the keyboard. Health care workers are provided immediate feedback in the form of a summary fax report. The fax report indicates the adolescent's risk level and suggested interventions. This paper reports on an evaluation of this technology to collect self-reported risk data for 116 adolescents seen in an urban family practice center in Cleveland, Ohio. Clinical impressions of the new technology are reported for a pilot cohort of 22 physicians. The authors examine the process of using this technology to implement screening guidelines in various settings.     

Tanning benefits,seasonal effects,and concerns about sunscreen: Measuring health beliefs about UV among college students

Abstract

Objective: To develop and validate a scale measuring health beliefs about UV in cloudy climates that may impact UV exposure behaviors. Participants: Students at a large university in Oregon completed pilot (N?=?115) and final (N?=?335) scales online March–July, 2016. Five participants underwent cognitive interviews. Methods: Expert feedback, cognitive interviews, and pilot data guided item development and refinement. We conducted factor analysis and invariance testing. Results: The final four-factor model fit well (χ²?=?37.97, df?=?37, RMSEA?=?0.000, CFI?=?1.000). HBAU subscales are Sunscreen Toxicity, Seasonal Effects, Health Benefits of Tanning, and Tanning Through the Winter. Invariance testing supported strong invariance across sex and tanning status. Conclusion: The HBAU measures beliefs that encourage UV exposure and discourage protection (eg, the belief that sunscreen ingredients are toxic). This scale will enable more comprehensive measurement of cognitive predictors of UV exposure for student health, clinical, and research purposes.     

On the performance of three-stage group screening experiments

This paper examines the performance of three-stage group screening in terms of the mean number of tests needed; and the proportion of active factors correctly detected by the screening plan, A linear cost function is also proposed, To evaluate performance, random grouping and a constant signa1-to -noise ratio for all active factors, are assumed.     

Using information on realized effects to determine prospective causal effects

The potential outcomes approach to causal inference postulates that each individual has a number of possibly latent outcomes, each of which would be observed under a different treatment. For any individual, some of these outcomes will be unobservable or counterfactual. Information about post-treatment characteristics sometimes allows statements about what would have happened if an individual or group with these characteristics had received a different treatment. These are statements about the realized effects of the treatment. Determining the likely effect of an intervention before making a decision involves inference about effects in populations defined only by characteristics observed before decisions about treatment are made. Information on realized effects can tighten bounds on these prospectively defined measures of the intervention effect. We derive formulae for the bounds and their sampling variances and illustrate these points with data from a hypothetical study of the efficacy of screening mammography.     

Peak Exposures in Epidemiologic Studies and Cancer Risks: Considerations for Regulatory Risk Assessment

We review approaches for characterizing “peak” exposures in epidemiologic studies and methods for incorporating peak exposure metrics in dose–response assessments that contribute to risk assessment. The focus was on potential etiologic relations between environmental chemical exposures and cancer risks. We searched the epidemiologic literature on environmental chemicals classified as carcinogens in which cancer risks were described in relation to “peak” exposures. These articles were evaluated to identify some of the challenges associated with defining and describing cancer risks in relation to peak exposures. We found that definitions of peak exposure varied considerably across studies. Of nine chemical agents included in our review of peak exposure, six had epidemiologic data used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) in dose–response assessments to derive inhalation unit risk values. These were benzene, formaldehyde, styrene, trichloroethylene, acrylonitrile, and ethylene oxide. All derived unit risks relied on cumulative exposure for dose–response estimation and none, to our knowledge, considered peak exposure metrics. This is not surprising, given the historical linear no‐threshold default model (generally based on cumulative exposure) used in regulatory risk assessments. With newly proposed US EPA rule language, fuller consideration of alternative exposure and dose–response metrics will be supported. “Peak” exposure has not been consistently defined and rarely has been evaluated in epidemiologic studies of cancer risks. We recommend developing uniform definitions of “peak” exposure to facilitate fuller evaluation of dose response for environmental chemicals and cancer risks, especially where mechanistic understanding indicates that the dose response is unlikely linear and that short‐term high‐intensity exposures increase risk.     

强电环境下电子设备的抗干扰问题

通过强电环境下干扰类型与干扰源的分析，指出相应的抗干扰措施及抗干扰的发展方向。