F-Value Time-Frequency Analysis: Between-Within Variance Analysis

Studies on brain mechanisms enable us to treat various brain diseases and develop diverse technologies for daily life. Therefore, an analysis method of neural signals is critical, as it provides the basis for many brain studies. In many cases, researchers want to understand how neural signals change according to different conditions. However, it is challenging to find distinguishing characteristics, and doing so requires complex statistical analysis. In this study, we propose a novel analysis method, FTF (F-value time-frequency) analysis, that applies the F-value of ANOVA to time-frequency analysis. The proposed method shows the statistical differences among conditions in time and frequency. To evaluate the proposed method, electroencephalography (EEG) signals were analyzed using the proposed FTF method. The EEG signals were measured during imagined movement of the left hand, right hand, foot, and tongue. The analysis revealed the important characteristics which were different among different conditions and similar within the same condition. The FTF analysis method will be useful in various fields, as it allows researchers to analyze how frequency characteristics vary according to different conditions.

NRC Designs—New Tools for Successful Agricultural Experiments

In a nested row–column design (NRC), the experimental units in each of n blocks are grouped into n1 rows and n2 columns. Due to its structure, this experimental design allows full control of the experimental material and a relatively simple feedback loop within the “statistical triangle”. By applying such designs in agricultural experiments, we provide an insurance policy against future unexpected problems. Until now, the cost of this policy has been a complex statistical analysis of experimental data. This paper proposes a new “direct” approach to ANOVA based on the latest literature on the subject. The paper provides the theoretical foundations of this approach, indicates the possibility of applying it to factorial and near-factorial experiments, and supplements the theory with a familiar letter-based representation of all-pairwise comparisons, which has so far been lacking in the literature. The methodology is illustrated by the analysis of a field experiment carried out to improve the use of fungicides against late blight in tomato processing. The presented analytical tools are supplemented with code in R.

Open-Source’s Inspirations for Computational Social Science: Lessons from a Failed Analysis

The questions we can ask currently, building on decades of research, call for advanced methods and understanding. We now have large, complex data sets that require more than complex statistical analysis to yield human answers. Yet as some researchers have pointed out, we also have challenges, especially in computational social science. In a recent project I faced several such challenges and eventually realized that the relevant issues were familiar to users of free and open-source software. I needed a team with diverse skills and knowledge to tackle methods, theories, and topics. We needed to iterate over the entire project: from the initial theories to the data to the methods to the results. We had to understand how to work when some data was freely available but other data that might benefit the research was not. More broadly, computational social scientists may need creative solutions to slippery problems, such as restrictions imposed by terms of service for sites from which we wish to gather data. Are these terms legal, are they enforced, or do our institutional review boards care? Lastly—perhaps most importantly and dauntingly—we may need to challenge laws relating to digital data and access, although so far this conflict has been rare. Can we succeed as open-source advocates have?

Complex statistical data analysis of electric power consumption, consumption of energy resources and production volumes

Aims of this research are development of a complex statistical analysis algorithm for active electric power consumption data, consumption of energy resources and manufacturing products, implementation of statistical analysis in practice. Proposed parameters and criteria, which can help to technical staff in factories, to provide optimal and economical operating of supply and distribution systems as electricity, water, gas, heat, compressed air, etc. for production facilities, based on the collected active electric power consumption data for previous periods, information about consumption dynamic. It is concluded that the statistical analysis of the data, obtained for each type of engineering equipments (water supply and sewage, supply systems of compressed air, gas, electricity and steam) and various consumables coefficients (in the proposed algorithm) make possible to identify "weak areas" and to determine the most rational ways to optimize energy usage.

Potato nutritional status at the onset of tuberisation – a yield prediction tool

A reliable tuber yield prognosis requires a complex statistical analysis of potato nutritional status in the fully developed 4^th leaf at the onset of tuberisation. This hypothesis was validated in the series of field experiments conducted in 2006–2008 in Poland. The experimental design was composed of two nitrogen (N) rates (60, 120 kg/ha), two N fertilisers (Urea and Agrotain), two rates of sulfur (0, 50 kg/ha). The marketable tuber yield of cv. Zeus ranged from 31.3 to 59.3 t/ha in 2008 and 2006, respectively. Despite annual variability, the potato presented a good nutritional status. In 2008, the contents of N, Mg, Cu and Zn were about 33% lower as compared to 2006. The stepwise and path analyses indicated N, Mg and Cu as the key yield-limiting nutrients. The diagnosis and recommendation integrated system (DRIS) showed that a slight imbalance of N and Mg did not disturb tuber yield, provided a positive balance of K was maintained. The Mg index, as a result of the DRIS procedure, emerged as the best single predictor of potato yield.

Perception of Promoting Activity in Romanian Supply Chain of Chemical Substances A complex statistical analysis

In the pharmaceutical production chain, the communication between pharmacies and medicine distributors are important. The aim of this research is to analyze-using complex statistical methods-the pharmacist’s perception of promoting activity in relation with medicine distributors in Brasov and Mures. Our results have implications in marketing communication in the pharmaceutical sector in Romania being a first study that demonstrated the importance of pharmacists in their double role between the qualitative side, of satisfaction, and quantitative side, of sales. Keywords: promotion, Romanian supply chain, medicine, statistical methods

Recidivism Reduction Research

Since 2009, more than 840 Second Chance Act grant awards have been made to government and nonprofit agencies, and taxpayers have paid nearly 700 million dollars in Second Chance grants. Additionally, $154 million has been spent on probation and parole supervision agencies and staff through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative. Yet, our probation and parole population continue growing! Given the amount of money taxpayers have invested in programs, it seems nothing works. In the 20th century, it was assumed that the use of randomized and control-group research designs and complex statistical analysis and state-of-the-art computer software would be sufficient to find what “works.” But, we have not yet found what “works.” This chapter asks two questions: 1) Is it the case that “nothing works”? or 2) Is it the case that our research methods can't measure what “works”?

Methodological Challenges in Cross-comparative Surveys

Our paper examines the validity of the rotating questionnaire block about perceptions about and attitudes towards democracy included in the sixth round of the European Social Survey (ESS). The preliminary assumptions that inspired our analysis were that respondents’ understanding of the questions formulated in such an internationally comparative survey may be challenged due to diverging theoretical constructions and narratives that feed historically developed notions of ‘democracy.’ Moreover, even within the same country people with a different socioeconomic, ethnic, and educational background may have different perceptions about the same questionnaire ‘items.’ We applied a multi-method approach to analyze the above metho-dological puzzle: a complex statistical analysis of the Hungarian ESS data served to help examine the consistency of answers to individual items and the entirety of the questionnaire block, while supplementary focus group research helped us apprehend the variety of interpretations of and perceptions about the individual items, as well as problems with understanding various terms included in the questions that assessed attitudes towards democracy. Our findings support the initial hypothesis: respondents had obvious difficulties understanding some of the items designed to assess attitudes towards democracy, while many others had differing interpretations. We conclude that even though the ESS is one of the most refined, well-prepared and validated comparative surveys in Europe, the related data cannot be analyzed without careful consideration of what the individual questions might mean in different contexts.

THE RIGHTS OF SURGEONS WHILE WORKING WITH HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS IN UKRAINE

Introduction: Surgeons that are working with HIV-infected patients in Ukraine are in a vulnerable state due to the lack of special regulation of this issue in labor, medical law and labor contract, as well as the spread of HIV among the population of the country. The aim of this article is to determine and uncover the content of the rights of surgeons while working with HIV-infected patients in Ukraine. Materials and Methods: The research materials of the rights of the surgeons that are working with HIV-infected patients consist of national legislation, official explanations of the Social Insurance Fund of Ukraine, statistics on HIV infection. The research methods that have been used are cross-sectoral, complex statistical, analysis and synthesis. In order to obtain the results of the research the norms of medical, labor and civil law have been analyzed. Review: The authors of the article have emphasized and described the rights of surgeons that are working with HIV-infected patients. Conclusions: It has been proved that the current system of surgeons’ rights needs to be improved. It has been offered: to establish, at the legislative level, the responsibility of the patient with HIV infection to warn a medical employee about his infection in case of surgery or other medical manipulation that leads to contact with blood or other biological materials; to revise and significantly increase the payment of obligatory insurance of surgeons, if they are infected by a patient with HIV infection.