Datenanalyse. Das Null-Ritual und der Umgang mit Effekten in der Zeitschrift für Sportpsychologie

Ziel dieses Beitrages ist die Analyse der Anwendung empirischer Tests in der deutschsprachigen Sportpsychologie. Die Ergebnisse vergleichbarer Analysen, bspw. in der Psychologie, zeigen, dass zwischen Anforderungen aus Testkonzepten und empirischer Realität Unterschiede existieren, die bislang für die Sportpsychologie nicht beschrieben und bewertet worden sind. Die Jahrgänge 1994–2007 der Zeitschrift für Sportpsychologie (früher psychologie und sport) wurden danach untersucht, ob Forschungsfragen formuliert, welche Stichprobenart gewählt, welches Testkonzept verwendet, welches Signifikanzniveau benutzt und ob statistische Probleme diskutiert wurden. 83 Artikel wurden von zwei unabhängigen Bewertern nach diesen Aspekten kategorisiert. Als Ergebnis ist festzuhalten, dass in der sportpsychologischen Forschung überwiegend eine Mischung aus Fishers Signifikanztesten sowie Neyman-Pearsons-Hypothesentesten zur Anwendung kommt,das sogenannte „Hybrid-Modell” oder „Null-Ritual”. Die Beschreibung der Teststärke ist kaum zu beobachten. Eine zeitliche Analyse der Beiträge zeigt, dass vor allem die Benutzung von Effektgrößen in den letzten Jahren zugenommen hat. Abschließend werden Ansätze zur Verbesserung und der Vereinheitlichung der Anwendung empirischer Tests vorgeschlagen und diskutiert.

Combining spatial-temporal and phylogenetic analysis approaches for improved understanding on global H5N1 transmission

Background Since late 2003, the highly pathogenic influenza A H5N1 had initiated several outbreak waves that swept across the Eurasia and Africa continents. Getting prepared for reassortment or mutation of H5N1 viruses has become a global priority. Although the spreading mechanism of H5N1 has been studied from different perspectives, its main transmission agents and spread route problems remain unsolved. Methodology/Principal Findings Based on a compilation of the time and location of global H5N1 outbreaks from November 2003 to December 2006, we report an interdisciplinary effort that combines the geospatial informatics approach with a bioinformatics approach to form an improved understanding on the transmission mechanisms of H5N1 virus. Through a spherical coordinate based analysis, which is not conventionally done in geographical analyses, we reveal obvious spatial and temporal clusters of global H5N1 cases on different scales, which we consider to be associated with two different transmission modes of H5N1 viruses. Then through an interdisciplinary study of both geographic and phylogenetic analysis, we obtain a H5N1 spreading route map. Our results provide insight on competing hypotheses as to which avian hosts are responsible for the spread of H5N1. Conclusions/Significance We found that although South China and Southeast Asia may be the virus pool of avian flu, East Siberia may be the source of the H5N1 epidemic. The concentration of migratory birds from different places increases the possibility of gene mutation. Special attention should be paid to East Siberia, Middle Siberia and South China for improved surveillance of H5N1 viruses and monitoring of migratory birds.

Temporal factors in violence related injuries--An 11 year trend analysis of violence-related injuries from a Swiss Emergency Department

Injury from interpersonal violence is a major social and medical problem in the industrialized world. Little is known about the trends in prevalence and injury pattern or about the demographic characteristics of the patients involved.

Brain areas involved in medial temporal lobe seizures: a principal component analysis of ictal SPECT data

The study describes brain areas involved in medial temporal lobe (mTL) seizures of 12 patients. All patients showed so-called oro-alimentary behavior within the first 20 s of clinical seizure manifestation characteristic of mTL seizures. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were acquired from the patients in ictal and interictal phases and from normal volunteers. Image analysis employed categorical comparisons with statistical parametric mapping and principal component analysis (PCA) to assess functional connectivity. PCA supplemented the findings of the categorical analysis by decomposing the covariance matrix containing images of patients and healthy subjects into distinct component images of independent variance, including areas not identified by the categorical analysis. Two principal components (PCs) discriminated the subject groups: patients with right or left mTL seizures and normal volunteers, indicating distinct neuronal networks implicated by the seizure. Both PCs were correlated with seizure duration, one positively and the other negatively, confirming their physiological significance. The independence of the two PCs yielded a clear clustering of subject groups. The local pattern within the temporal lobe describes critical relay nodes which are the counterpart of oro-alimentary behavior: (1) right mesial temporal zone and ipsilateral anterior insula in right mTL seizures, and (2) temporal poles on both sides that are densely interconnected by the anterior commissure. Regions remote from the temporal lobe may be related to seizure propagation and include positively and negatively loaded areas. These patterns, the covarying areas of the temporal pole and occipito-basal visual association cortices, for example, are related to known anatomic paths.

An analysis of the spatial and temporal patterns of highly pathogenic avian influenza occurrence in Vietnam using national surveillance data

The objectives of this study were to describe the spatio-temporal pattern of an epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Vietnam and to identify potential risk factors for the introduction and maintenance of infection within the poultry population. The results indicate that during the time period 2004–early 2006 a sequence of three epidemic waves occurred in Vietnam as distinct spatial and temporal clusters. The risk of outbreak occurrence increased with a greater percentage of rice paddy fields, increasing domestic water bird and chicken density. It increased with reducing distance to higher population density aggregations, and in the third epidemic wave with increasing percentage of aquaculture. The findings indicate that agri-livestock farming systems involving domestic water birds and rice production in river delta areas are important for the maintenance and spread of infection. While the government’s control measures appear to have been effective in the South and Central parts of Vietnam, it is likely that in the North of Vietnam the vaccination campaign led to transmission of infection which was subsequently brought under control.

Time-Series Panel Analysis (TSPA): Multivariate Modeling of Temporal Associations in Psychotherapy Process.

Objective: Processes occurring in the course of psychotherapy are characterized by the simple fact that they unfold in time and that the multiple factors engaged in change processes vary highly between individuals (idiographic phenomena). Previous research, however, has neglected the temporal perspective by its traditional focus on static phenomena, which were mainly assessed at the group level (nomothetic phenomena). To support a temporal approach, the authors introduce time-series panel analysis (TSPA), a statistical methodology explicitly focusing on the quantification of temporal, session-to-session aspects of change in psychotherapy. TSPA-models are initially built at the level of individuals and are subsequently aggregated at the group level, thus allowing the exploration of prototypical models. Method: TSPA is based on vector auto-regression (VAR), an extension of univariate auto-regression models to multivariate time-series data. The application of TSPA is demonstrated in a sample of 87 outpatient psychotherapy patients who were monitored by postsession questionnaires. Prototypical mechanisms of change were derived from the aggregation of individual multivariate models of psychotherapy process. In a 2nd step, the associations between mechanisms of change (TSPA) and pre- to postsymptom change were explored. Results: TSPA allowed a prototypical process pattern to be identified, where patient's alliance and self-efficacy were linked by a temporal feedback-loop. Furthermore, therapist's stability over time in both mastery and clarification interventions was positively associated with better outcomes. Conclusions: TSPA is a statistical tool that sheds new light on temporal mechanisms of change. Through this approach, clinicians may gain insight into prototypical patterns of change in psychotherapy.

Revealing regional deforestation dynamics in north-eastern Madagascar - Insights from multi-temporal land cover change analysis

The north-eastern escarpment of Madagascar harbours the island’s last remaining large-scale humid forest massifs surrounded by a small-scale agricultural mosaic. There is high deforestation, commonly thought to be caused by shifting cultivation practiced by local land users to produce upland rice. However, little is known about the dynamics between forest and shifting cultivation systems at a regional level. Our study presents a first attempt to quantify changes in the extent of forest and different agricultural land cover classes, and to identify the main dynamics of land cover change for two intervals, 1995–2005 and 2005–2011. Over the 16-year study period, the speed of forest loss increased, the total area of upland rice production remained almost stable, and the area of irrigated rice fields slightly increased. While our findings seem to confirm a general trend of land use intensification, deforestation through shifting cultivation is still on the rise. Deforestation mostly affects the small forest fragments interspersed in the agricultural mosaic and is slowly leading to a homogenization of the landscape. These findings have important implications for future interventions to slow forest loss in the region, as the processes of agricultural expansion through shifting cultivation versus intensified land use cannot per se be considered mutually exclusive.

Temporal change in prevalence and complications of uveitis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis:data from a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective nationwide study

OBJECTIVES To analyse the nationwide prevalence of uveitis in JIA and its complications over a whole decade. METHODS We conducted a prospective, observational and cross-sectional study including all JIA patients from a National Paediatric Rheumatological Database (NPRD) with a uveitis add-on module in Germany (2002-2013). Temporal changes in uveitis prevalence, related secondary complications and anti-inflammatory medication were evaluated. RESULTS A total of 60 centres including 18,555 JIA patients (mean 3,863 patients/year, SD=837) were documented in the NPRD between 2002 and 2013. The mean age of the patients was 11.4±4.6 years, their mean disease duration 4.4±3.7 years. Among them, 66.9% were female and 51.7% ANA positive. Patients' mean age at arthritis onset was 6.9±4.5 years. Treatment rates with synthetic and biological DMARDs increased during the observation period (sDMARD: 39.8% to 47.2%, bDMARD: 3.3% to 21.8%). Uveitis prevalence decreased significantly from 2002 to 2013 (13.0% to 11.6%, OR = 0.98, p=0.015). The prevalence of secondary uveitis complications also decreased significantly between 2002 and 2013 (33.6% to 23.9%, OR=0.94, p<0.001). Among the complications, the most common ones were posterior synechiae, cataract and band keratopathy. A significant increase in achieving uveitis inactivity was observed at 30.6% in 2002 and 65.3% in 2013 (OR=1.15, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Uveitis prevalence and complications significantly decreased between 2002 and 2013. This may be associated with a more frequent use of DMARDs.

Analyzing spatio-temporal patterns of genuine cross-correlations

In multivariate time series analysis, the equal-time cross-correlation is a classic and computationally efficient measure for quantifying linear interrelations between data channels. When the cross-correlation coefficient is estimated using a finite amount of data points, its non-random part may be strongly contaminated by a sizable random contribution, such that no reliable conclusion can be drawn about genuine mutual interdependencies. The random correlations are determined by the signals' frequency content and the amount of data points used. Here, we introduce adjusted correlation matrices that can be employed to disentangle random from non-random contributions to each matrix element independently of the signal frequencies. Extending our previous work these matrices allow analyzing spatial patterns of genuine cross-correlation in multivariate data regardless of confounding influences. The performance is illustrated by example of model systems with known interdependence patterns. Finally, we apply the methods to electroencephalographic (EEG) data with epileptic seizure activity.

Temporal changes of coronary artery plaque located behind the struts of the everolimus eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold

Implantation of a coronary stent results in a mechanical enlargement of the coronary lumen with stretching of the surrounding atherosclerotic plaque. Using intravascular ultrasound virtual-histology (IVUS-VH) we examined the temporal changes in composition of the plaque behind the struts (PBS) following the implantation of the everolimus eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS). Using IVUS-VH and dedicated software, the composition of plaque was analyzed in all patients from the ABSORB B trial who were imaged with a commercially available IVUS-VH console (s5i system, Volcano Corporation, Rancho Cordova, CA, USA) post-treatment and at 6-month follow-up. This dedicated software enabled analysis of the PBS after subtraction of the VH signal generated by the struts. The presence of necrotic core (NC) in contact with the lumen was also evaluated at baseline and follow-up. IVUS-VH data, recorded with s5i system, were available at baseline and 6-month follow-up in 15 patients and demonstrated an increase in both the area of PBS (2.45 ± 1.93 mm(2) vs. 3.19 ± 2.48 mm(2), P = 0.005) and the external elastic membrane area (13.76 ± 4.07 mm(2) vs. 14.76 ± 4.56 mm(2), P = 0.006). Compared to baseline there was a significant progression in the NC (0.85 ± 0.70 mm(2) vs. 1.21 ± 0.92 mm(2), P = 0.010) and fibrous tissue area (0.88 ± 0.79 mm(2) vs. 1.15 ± 1.05 mm(2), P = 0.027) of the PBS. The NC in contact with the lumen in the treated segment did not increase with follow-up (7.33 vs. 6.36%, P = 0.2). Serial IVUS-VH analysis of BVS-treated lesions at 6-month demonstrated a progression in the NC and fibrous tissue content of PBS.

Semantic memory involvement in the default mode network: a functional neuroimaging study using independent component analysis

The Default Mode Network (DMN) is a higher order functional neural network that displays activation during passive rest and deactivation during many types of cognitive tasks. Accordingly, the DMN is viewed to represent the neural correlate of internally-generated self-referential cognition. This hypothesis implies that the DMN requires the involvement of cognitive processes, like declarative memory. The present study thus examines the spatial and functional convergence of the DMN and the semantic memory system. Using an active block-design functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) paradigm and Independent Component Analysis (ICA), we trace the DMN and fMRI signal changes evoked by semantic, phonological and perceptual decision tasks upon visually-presented words. Our findings show less deactivation during semantic compared to the two non-semantic tasks for the entire DMN unit and within left-hemispheric DMN regions, i.e., the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, the retrosplenial cortex, the angular gyrus, the middle temporal gyrus and the anterior temporal region, as well as the right cerebellum. These results demonstrate that well-known semantic regions are spatially and functionally involved in the DMN. The present study further supports the hypothesis of the DMN as an internal mentation system that involves declarative memory functions.

Trigonal and peritrigonal lesions of the lateral ventricle-surgical considerations and outcome analysis of 20 patients

The aim of this study is to review the results and clinical outcome of patients with surgically treated lesions within the trigone of the lateral ventricle. This is a retrospective case series of 20 (eight male, 12 female) patients with lesions of the trigone of the lateral ventricle operated between 1998 and 2008. All lesions were removed via the transcortical temporal and transcortical parietal route. Surgical complications and outcome were assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). There were four children and 16 adults with a mean age of 42?±?22 years (min?=?1, max?=?74). Eight (40%) lesions grew within the trigone of the dominant hemisphere. In 17 cases, the lesion was purely intraventricular, and in three cases, a slight paraventricular extension was seen. The mean size was 4.5 cm of maximal diameter. Surgical removal was achieved via the transcortical parietal route in 13 cases (65%) and the transcortical temporal route in seven cases (35%). In all cases, complete resection was possible. According to the mRS, 13 patients improved, five remained the same, and two were lost to follow-up. One patient had an increased visual field deficit postoperatively and new hemiparesis and aphasia, but returned to the preoperative level within a few weeks. In one patient, an acute myocardial infarction occurred due to previous cardiac stent placement and in-stent stenosis. Even large trigonal lesions can be resected with low morbidity using a transcortical approach depending on the peritrigonal extension of the tumor.

Core networks for visual-concrete and abstract thought content: a brain electric microstate analysis

Commonality of activation of spontaneously forming and stimulus-induced mental representations is an often made but rarely tested assumption in neuroscience. In a conjunction analysis of two earlier studies, brain electric activity during visual-concrete and abstract thoughts was studied. The conditions were: in study 1, spontaneous stimulus-independent thinking (post-hoc, visual imagery or abstract thought were identified); in study 2, reading of single nouns ranking high or low on a visual imagery scale. In both studies, subjects' tasks were similar: when prompted, they had to recall the last thought (study 1) or the last word (study 2). In both studies, subjects had no instruction to classify or to visually imagine their thoughts, and accordingly were not aware of the studies' aim. Brain electric data were analyzed into functional topographic brain images (using LORETA) of the last microstate before the prompt (study 1) and of the word-type discriminating event-related microstate after word onset (study 2). Conjunction analysis across the two studies yielded commonality of activation of core networks for abstract thought content in left anterior superior regions, and for visual-concrete thought content in right temporal-posterior inferior regions. The results suggest that two different core networks are automatedly activated when abstract or visual-concrete information, respectively, enters working memory, without a subject task or instruction about the two classes of information, and regardless of internal or external origin, and of input modality. These core machineries of working memory thus are invariant to source or modality of input when treating the two types of information.

A Morphological Box for Handling Temporal Data in B2C Systems

User interfaces are key properties of Business-to-Consumer (B2C) systems, and Web-based reservation systems are an important class of B2C systems. In this paper we show that these systems use a surprisingly broad spectrum of different approaches to handling temporal data in their Web inter faces. Based on these observations and on a literature analysis we develop a Morphological Box to present the main options for handling temporal data and give examples. The results indicate that the present state of developing and maintaining B2C systems has not been much influenced by modern Web Engi neering concepts and that there is considerable potential for improvement.