Influence Diagnostics for a Skew Extension of the Grubbs Measurement Error Model

Influence diagnostics methods are extended in this article to the Grubbs model when the unknown quantity x (latent variable) follows a skew-normal distribution. Diagnostic measures are derived from the case-deletion approach and the local influence approach under several perturbation schemes. The observed information matrix to the postulated model and Delta matrices to the corresponding perturbed models are derived. Results obtained for one real data set are reported, illustrating the usefulness of the proposed methodology.

A robust Bayesian approach to null intercept measurement error model with application to dental data

Measurement error models often arise in epidemiological and clinical research. Usually, in this set up it is assumed that the latent variable has a normal distribution. However, the normality assumption may not be always correct. Skew-normal/independent distribution is a class of asymmetric thick-tailed distributions which includes the Skew-normal distribution as a special case. In this paper, we explore the use of skew-normal/independent distribution as a robust alternative to null intercept measurement error model under a Bayesian paradigm. We assume that the random errors and the unobserved value of the covariate (latent variable) follows jointly a skew-normal/independent distribution, providing an appealing robust alternative to the routine use of symmetric normal distribution in this type of model. Specific distributions examined include univariate and multivariate versions of the skew-normal distribution, the skew-t distributions, the skew-slash distributions and the skew contaminated normal distributions. The methods developed is illustrated using a real data set from a dental clinical trial. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Museum Personalized : The impact of floor staff on an exhibition - A holistic approach

The current paper presents a study conducted at The National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm to investigate the exhibition “Antarctica – that’s cool” from its first concept to the first workshop that is held in the exhibition. The focus is on the influence of floor staff on an exhibition and workshops as learning facilities in museums. Findings, based on visitor observation and the exhibition building process, go into the characteristics of low-budget productions and discuss the importance of staff on the exhibition floor for museums as life-long learning facilities. The holistic approach of the study provides deep insights into the complex interplay of visitors, staff and exhibitions. The results can be used for future exhibition building processes and educational programs in museums and should strengthen the museum’s position as life-long learning facility in nowadays society.

Tapping into Floor Staff: Using the knowledge of floor staff to conduct formative evaluations of exhibits in a Canadian science centre

Most science centres in Canada employ science-educated floor staff to motivate visitorsto have fun while enhancing the educational reach of the exhibits. Although bright andsensitive to visitors’ needs, floor staff are rarely consulted in the planning,implementation, and modification phases of an exhibit. Instead, many developmentteams rely on costly third-party evaluations or skip the front-end and formativeevaluations all together, leading to costly errors that could have been avoided. This studywill seek to reveal a correlation between floor staff’s perception of visitors’ interactionswith an exhibit and visitors’ actual experiences. If a correlation exists, a recommendationcould be made to encourage planning teams to include floor staff in the formative andsummative evaluations of an exhibit. This is especially relevant to science centres withlimited budgets and for whom a divide exists between floor staff and management.In this study, a formative evaluation of one exhibit was conducted, measuring both floorstaff’s perceptions of the visitor experience and visitors’ own perceptions of the exhibit.Floor staff were then trained on visitor evaluation methods. A week later, floor staff andvisitors were surveyed a second time on a different exhibit to determine whether anincrease in accuracy existed.The training session increased the specificity of the motivation and comprehensionresponses and the enthusiasm of the staff, but not their ability to predict observedbehaviours with respect to ergonomics, learning indicators, holding power, and successrates. The results revealed that although floor staff underestimated visitors’ success ratesat the exhibits, staff accurately predicted visitors’ behaviours with respect to holdingpower, ergonomics, learning indicators, motivation and comprehension, both before andafter the staff training.

Does mixed frequency vector error correction model add relevant information to exchange misalignment calculus? Evidence for United States

Real exchange rate is an important macroeconomic price in the economy and a ects economic activity, interest rates, domestic prices, trade and investiments ows among other variables. Methodologies have been developed in empirical exchange rate misalignment studies to evaluate whether a real e ective exchange is overvalued or undervalued. There is a vast body of literature on the determinants of long-term real exchange rates and on empirical strategies to implement the equilibrium norms obtained from theoretical models. This study seeks to contribute to this literature by showing that it is possible to calculate the misalignment from a mixed ointegrated vector error correction framework. An empirical exercise using United States' real exchange rate data is performed. The results suggest that the model with mixed frequency data is preferred to the models with same frequency variables

WOW!floor: framework de visão computacional

Os tapetes interactivos são uma nova forma de interagir com sistemas informáticos de uma forma natural proporcionando uma experiência inovadora e cativando os utilizadores a interagirem com o conteúdo multimédia apresentado. No entanto é necessário encontrar formas de melhorar as Frameworks para que estas sejam mais flexíveis e fáceis de utilizar, e melhorar os tapetes interactivos para que sejam mais apelativos e mais naturais. Para isso estudou-se vários sistemas de tapetes interactivos de forma a determinar quais as principais funcionalidades das suas Frameworks, quais as arquitecturas de montagem mais favoráveis e que tipos de protótipos são mais comuns. O estudo efectuado levou à construção de sistema interactivo com um custo reduzido e com resultados satisfatórios que nos permitiram verificar que os tapetes interactivos são uma boa aposta para o futuro essencialmente nas áreas de marketing e publicidade, cultura, educação e lazer.

Real-Time Visual SLAM Using Pre - Existing Floor Lines as Landmarks and a Single Camera

SANTANA, André M.; SANTIAGO, Gutemberg S.; MEDEIROS, Adelardo A. D. Real-Time Visual SLAM Using Pre-Existing Floor Lines as Landmarks and a Single Camera. In: CONGRESSO BRASILEIRO DE AUTOMÁTICA, 2008, Juiz de Fora, MG. Anais... Juiz de Fora: CBA, 2008.

A special BEM for elastostatic analysis of building floor slabs on columns

This work presents a boundary element formulation for the analysis of building floor slabs, without beams, in which columns are coupled with the plate. An alternative formulation of boundary element method is presented, which considers three nodal displacements values (w, partial derivativew/partial derivativen and partial derivativew/partial derivatives) for the nodes at the boundary of the plate. In this formulation three boundary equations are written for all nodes at the boundary and in the domain of the plate. As the nodes of the column-plate connections are also represented by three nodal values, all these structural elements can be easily coupled. It is supposed that the cross-sections of the columns remain flat after the deflection and consequently the assumption of linear variation of the stress in the plate-column contact surface is also valid. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of measurement error and autocorrelation on the (X)over-bar chart

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Vegetal polymer in repair of defects of the orbital floor: an experimental study in rabbits

Background: An experimental study was done to assess the ability of the vegetal polymer miniplates and screws to repair defects of the orbital floor.Methods: An artificial standard-sized defect was created in the bony floor of right orbit of 45 albino rabbits. The animals were divided into three experimental groups: control group (G1) involving animals with orbital floor defect and no treatment; titanium group (G2) containing animals with orbital floor defect repaired by titanium miniplates and screws; vegetal polymer group (G3) composed of animals with similar orbital floor defects repaired by vegetal polymer miniplates and screws. Throughout the course of the experiment, the animals were clinically evaluated. At 15, 30 and 60 days after surgery, the animals were killed. They were X-rayed immediately after the floor defect and at the moment of sacrifice. Histological and morphometric evaluation of inflammatory reaction and bone healing was done. Data were statistically evaluated.Results: No implants were extruded. Bone consolidation was similar in G2 and G3 and better than in G1 group animals. Inflammatory reaction was most pronounced in animals of G3 15 days after surgery, and it subsided over time.Conclusion: Vegetal polymer miniplates and screws induces small inflammatory reaction and had the ability to stimulate bone growth with good integration in the orbital floor defect allowing to consider the vegetal polymer adequate option to treat orbital floor defects. Future studies involving long-term follow-up and biomechanical tests to evaluate material resistance to traction are needed.