• Title/Summary/Keyword: Stepwise Approach

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FACTORS AFFECTING PRODUCTIVITY ON DAIRY FARMS IN TROPICAL AND SUB-TROPICAL ENVIRONMENTS

  • Kerr, D.V.;Davison, T.M.;Cowan, R.T.;Chaseling, J.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.8 no.5
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    • pp.505-513
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    • 1995
  • The major factors affecting productivity on daily farms in Queensland, Australia, were determined using the stepwise linear regression approach. The data were obtained from a survey conducted on the total population of daily farms in Queensland in 1987. These data were divided into six major dailying regions. The technique was applied using 12 independent variables believed by a panel of experienced research and extension personnel to exert the most influence on milk production. The regression equations were all significant (p < 0.001) with the percentage coefficients of determination ranging from 62 to 76% for equations developed using' total farm milk: production as the dependent variable. Three of the variables affecting total farm milk: production were found to be common to all six regions. These were; the amount of supplementary energy fed, the area set aside to irrigate winter feed and the size of the area used for dailying. Higher production farms appeared to be more efficient in that they consistently produced milk production levels higher than those estimated from the regression equation for their region. Other methods of analysis including robust regression and non linear regression techniques were unsuccessful in overcoming this problem and allowing development of a model appropriate for farms at all levels of production.

Study on Applicability of Multi-Criteria Decision Making Technique for Malfunctioning Reservoir Selection (기능저하 저수지 선정을 위한 다기준 의사결정기법 적용성 연구)

  • Shim, Hyun Chul;Choi, Kyung Sook
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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    • v.59 no.3
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    • pp.11-19
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    • 2017
  • The decision-making process is the act of finding the best solution among various alternatives through comparison between various criteria based on objectives of the project, evaluation standard, and conditions. However, in practice it is not easy to simply decide the optimum decision, especially for selecting malfunctioning reservoirs because no systematic evaluation criteria or standard assessment process are available. Therefore, this study adopted AHP method, which is a MCDM (multi-criteria decision making technique) to identify the malfunctioning reservoirs for efficient management of reservoirs. Important criteria of the selection of malfunctioning reservoirs and priority weights of each criteria were determined based on results of expert's survey under a stepwise hierarchical approach. The most important factor for the decision of malfunctioning reservoirs was obtained as Reservoir efficiency among the selected criteria including Reservoir efficiency decrease, Disaster Risk, Reservoir efficiency, Available water storage, Future water demand, Resident Needs. The AHP technique was applied on 11 reservoirs in Andong region to verify its applicability. Scoring method was applied for the comparison with the results of AHP method.

A Study of Urban Employed Wives무 Family Financial Management and Economic Well-Being (도시 취업주부의 가계재무관리행동과 경제복지감)

  • 계선자
    • Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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    • v.4 no.1
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    • pp.95-111
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    • 2000
  • The family financial management is the important element which has a effect on the improvement of family economic well-being. Thus the study sets up human & material resources and requirement as an input factor, family financial management as an throughput factor, and economic well-being as an output factor, and then identifies if there are some relationships among them by using a systematic approach of family financial management. The questionaires were distributed to 600 employed wives by carrying out cluster sampling and disproportional stratified sampling. The 573 cases of them were used as the mean, ratio, Pearson’s Correration, ANOVA, factors analysis, and Stepwise Regression using the SAS/PC+. The major findings of the study are as follows: 1) A practical application of information as on input variable, appears the fator which has an important effect upon the throughput factor, that is, family financial management. The employed wives should manage a lot of resources in rapidly changing social-economic circustances. So it shows that not only they should take informations open to their daily life and then make practical use of them in managing their family finance, but also they must be capable of judging and accepting reasonable informations in order to gain and manage resources suitable to the characteristics of family finance and family members’need. 2) There was significant relationship between the employed wives’family financial management and family economic well-being, focused on the systematic theory of family financial management. This study provides for the information to develope the program for the employed wives’family financial planning and counseling.

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Effect of Attribution Disposition and Self-Efficacy on Clinical Practice Competence of Nursing Student (간호대학생의 귀인성향과 자기효능감이 임상수행능력에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Su Ol;Kim, So Myeong
    • Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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    • v.29 no.3
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    • pp.452-462
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    • 2015
  • Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of attribution disposition and self-efficacy on clinical practice competence of nursing students. Methods: A descriptive survey design was used. Participants were 214 nursing students who were collected using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by frequencies, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple stepwise regression via spss win 21.0. Results: The total mean score for attribution disposition was $3.73{\pm}0.46$, self-efficacy was $3.20{\pm}0.42$, and clinical competence was $3.44{\pm}0.47$. Clinical competence is significantly and positively correlated with attribution disposition (r=.179, p=009) and self-efficacy (r=.379, p<.001). In a multivariate approach, predictors included explained 33.5% of variance in clinical competence. Significant predictors of clinical competence were attribution disposition (${\beta}=.245$, p<.001), self-efficacy (${\beta}=.380$, p<.001), and satisfaction with the nursing (${\beta}=.246$, p<.001). Conclusion: Development of an effective intervention program is needed to improve nursing students clinical practice competence, attribution disposition and attribution disposition of nursing students.

Recombinant Human Proinsulin: A New Approach in Gene Assembly and Protein Expression

  • Mergulaho, Filipe J.M.;Monteiro, Gabriel A.;Kelly, Andrew G.;Taipa, Maria A.;Joaquim, M.S. Cabral
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.10 no.5
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    • pp.690-693
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    • 2000
  • Efficient intron deletion with the correct splicing of the two exons of the human proinsulin gene was accomplished by a novel stepwise method using genomic DNA [5]. The two exons were separately amplified in two steps, using the second step primers that incorporated additional bases complementary to the other exon. The fragments were combined in a third PCR reaction. Cloning and sequencing of the PCR product demonstrated the correct splicing of the two exons. Expression studies, using the pET9a vector, revealed a protein band with the correct size with respect to human proinsulin as confirmed by SDS-PAGe and Western blot. Proinsulin concentration was estimated to be around 200 mg per liter culture, expressed as inclusion bodies. Protein secretion to the culture medium and periplasmic space was achieved by cloning in the pEZZ18 vector.

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Successful Transition from Pediatric to Adult Care in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: What is the Key?

  • Kim, Jeongseok;Ye, Byong Duk
    • Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.28-40
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    • 2019
  • The incidence of pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is on the rise, accounting for up to 25% of IBD cases. Pediatric IBD often has extensive bowel involvement with aggressive and rapidly progressing behavior compared to adult IBD. Because IBD has a high morbidity rate and can have a lifelong impact, successful transition from pediatric to adult care is important to maintain the continuity of care. Furthermore, successful transition facilitates appropriate development and psychosocial well-being among patients, as well as comprehensive and harmonious healthcare delivery amongst stakeholders. However, there are various obstacles related to patients, family, providers, and organizations that interfere with successful transition. Successful transition requires a flexible and tailored plan that is made according to the patient's developmental abilities and situation. This plan should be established through periodic interviews with the patient and family and through close collaboration with other care providers. Through a stepwise approach to the transition process, patients' knowledge and self-management skills can be improved. After preparation for the transition is completed and the obstacles are overcome, patients can be gradually moved to adult care. Finally, successful transition can increase patients' adherence to therapy, maintain the appropriate health status, improve patients' self-management, and promote self-reliance among patients.

A class of actuated deployable and reconfigurable multilink structures

  • Phocas, Marios C.;Georgiou, Niki;Christoforou, Eftychios G.
    • Advances in Computational Design
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    • v.7 no.3
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    • pp.189-210
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    • 2022
  • Deployable structures have the ability to shift from a compact state to an expanded functional configuration. By extension, reconfigurability is another function that relies on embedded computation and actuators. Linkage-based mechanisms constitute promising systems in the development of deployable and reconfigurable structures with high flexibility and controllability. The present paper investigates the deployment and reconfigurability of modular linkage structures with a pin and a sliding support, the latter connected to a linear motion actuator. An appropriate control sequence consists of stepwise reconfigurations that involve the selective releasing of one intermediate joint in each closed-loop linkage, effectively reducing it to a 1-DOF "effective crank-slider" mechanism. This approach enables low self-weight and reduced energy consumption. A kinematics and finite-element analysis of different linkage systems, in all intermediate reconfiguration steps of a sequence, have been conducted for different lengths and geometrical characteristics of the members, as well as different actuation methods, i.e., direct and cable-driven actuation. The study provides insight into the impact of various structural typological and geometrical factors on the systems' behavior.

MRI-Based Stepwise Approach to Anterior Mediastinal Cystic Lesions for Diagnosis and Further Management

  • Jong Hee Kim;Jooae Choe;Hong Kwan Kim;Ho Yun Lee
    • Korean Journal of Radiology
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    • v.24 no.1
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    • pp.62-78
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    • 2023
  • As the majority of incidentally detected lesions in the anterior mediastinum is small nodules with soft tissue appearance, the differential diagnosis has typically included thymic neoplasm and prevascular lymph node, with benign cyst. Overestimation or misinterpretation of these lesions can lead to unnecessary surgery for ultimately benign conditions. Diagnosing mediastinal cysts using MRI serves as a problem-solving modality in distinguishing between surgical and nonsurgical anterior mediastinal lesions. The pitfalls of MRI evaluation for anterior mediastinal cystic lesions are as follows: first, we acknowledge the limitation of T2-weighted images for evaluating benign cystic lesions. Due to variable contents within benign cystic lesions, such as hemorrhage, T2 signal intensity may be variable. Second, owing to extensive necrosis and cystic changes, the T2 shine-through effect may be seen on diffusion-weighted images (DWI), and small solid portions might be missed on enhanced images. Therefore, both enhancement and DWI with apparent diffusion coefficient values should be considered. An algorithm will be suggested for the diagnostic evaluation of anterior mediastinal cystic lesions, and finally, a management strategy based on MRI features will be suggested.

Use of the Quantitatively Transformed Field Soil Structure Description of the US National Pedon Characterization Database to Improve Soil Pedotransfer Function

  • Yoon, Sung-Won;Gimenez, Daniel;Nemes, Attila;Chun, Hyen-Chung;Zhang, Yong-Seon;Sonn, Yeon-Kyu;Kang, Seong-Soo;Kim, Myung-Sook;Kim, Yoo-Hak;Ha, Sang-Keun
    • Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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    • v.44 no.5
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    • pp.944-958
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    • 2011
  • Soil hydraulic properties such as hydraulic conductivity or water retention which are costly to measure can be indirectly generated by soil pedotransfer function (PTF) using easily obtainable soil data. The field soil structure description which is routinely recorded could also be used in PTF as an input to reduce the uncertainty. The purposes of this study were to use qualitative morphological soil structure descriptions and soil structural index into PTF and to evaluate their contribution in the prediction of soil hydraulic properties. We transformed categorical morphological descriptions of soil structure into quantitative values using categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA). This approach was tested with a large data set from the US National Pedon Characterization database with the aid of a categorical regression tree analysis. Six different PTFs were used to predict the saturated hydraulic conductivity and those results were averaged to quantify the uncertainty. Quantified morphological description was successively used in multiple linear regression approach to predict the averaged ensemble saturated conductivity. The selected stepwise regression model with only the transformed morphological variables and structural index as predictors predicted the $K_{sat}$ with $r^2$ = 0.48 (p = 0.018), indicating the feasibility of CATPCA approach. In a regression tree analysis, soil structure index and soil texture turned out to be important factors in the prediction of the hydraulic properties. Among structural descriptions size class turned out to be an important grouping parameter in the regression tree. Bulk density, clay content, W33 and structural index explained clusters selected by a two step clustering technique, implying the morphologically described soil structural features are closely related to soil physical as well as hydraulic properties. Although this study provided relatively new method which related soil structure description to soil structure index, the same approach should be tested using a datasets containing the actual measurement of hydraulic properties. More insight on the predictive power of soil structure index to estimate hydraulic properties would be achieved by considering measured the saturated hydraulic conductivity and the soil water retention.

Development of a hybrid regionalization model for estimation of hydrological model parameters for ungauged watersheds (미계측유역의 수문모형 매개변수 추정을 위한 하이브리드 지역화모형의 개발)

  • Kim, Youngil;Seo, Seung Beom;Kim, Young-Oh
    • Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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    • v.51 no.8
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    • pp.677-686
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    • 2018
  • There remain numerous ungauged watersheds in Korea owing to limited spatial and temporal streamflow data with which to estimate hydrological model parameters. To deal with this problem, various regionalization approaches have been proposed over the last several decades. However, the results of the regionalization models differ according to climatic conditions and regional physical characteristics, and the results of the regionalization models in previous studies are generally inconclusive. Thus, to improve the performance of the regionalization methods, this study attaches hydrological model parameters obtained using a spatial proximity model to the explanatory variables of a regional regression model and defines it as a hybrid regionalization model (hybrid model). The performance results of the hybrid model are compared with those of existing methods for 37 test watersheds in South Korea. The GR4J model parameters in the gauged watersheds are estimated using a shuffled complex evolution algorithm. The variation inflation factor is used to consider the multicollinearity of watershed characteristics, and then stepwise regression is performed to select the optimum explanatory variables for the regression model. Analysis of the results reveals that the highest modeling accuracy is achieved using the hybrid model on RMSE overall the test watersheds. Consequently, it can be concluded that the hybrid model can be used as an alternative approach for modeling ungauged watersheds.