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There is a strong need for powerful unified statistical methods for discovering underlying genetic architecture of complex traits with the assistance of omics information. In this paper, two methods aiming to detect novel association between the human genome and complex traits using intermediate omics data are developed based on statistical mediation modeling. We demonstrate theoretically that given proper mediators, the proposed statistical mediation models have better power than genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to detect associations missed in standard GWAS that ignore the mediators. For each ofthe modeling methods in this paper, an empirical example is given, where the association between a SNP and BMI missed by standard GWAS can be discovered by mediation analysis.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Psychology, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [1], vi, 69 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 34-38).

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This thesis presents a narrative-based Requirements Engineering (RE) mediation model (NREMM) to help RE practitioners to effectively identify, define, and resolve conflicts of interests, goals, and requirements in the RE process. Conflict has received increasing attention in the Software Engineering (SE) literature. However, in the current RE literature, conflict has received fairly superficial attention. Previous research views conflict as an issue causing "inconsistency" in a requirements specification. As a result, current research has proposed a wide range of inconsistency checking and modelling tools, which address the result of conflict rather than fundamental causes and roots of the conflict. Little attention is given to the socio-psychological aspect of conflict. Furthermore, previous work views the resolution of conflict in RE as a negotiation-based process, in which a requirements engineer acts as a representative of a developer site and negotiates with users. This thesis differentiates itself from previous work by recognising conflict is more than an issue of inconsistency. This thesis argues that conflict is a social and organisational phenomenon. This thesis also argues that the process of resolving conflict in RE can be viewed as a socially mediated process, in which a requirements engineer can act as a mediator rather than a representative of the developer/user site. The fundamental difference between negotiation and mediation is that, negotiations often only involve parties themselves reaching an agreement. Mediation then involves a mediator to lead the process and help parties to reach an agreement. However, there is a distinct gap in the RE literature, in which the role of a requirements engineer as a mediator has not been explicitly explored. To address the socio-psychological aspect of conflict, Wins lade and Monk (2000)'s narrative mediation model is introduced, justified and translated into the context of RE by following a systematic and transparent methodological approach. This leads to a new RE specialised mediation model (NREMM), which includes three phases: conflict identification, conflict definition and conflict resolution. The new model aims to be not only theoretically robust but also practically useful. It builds on the storytelling metaphor advocated by narrative mediation theory and also integrates well-established and practical RE specialised techniques. The NREMM was empirically assessed and evaluated. I used an expert panel interview survey to empirically assess whether the NREMM is theoretically robust. The experts' feedback indicated that the NREMM is capable of helping RE practitioners to resolve conflict in the RE process. The experts also indicated that the use of story-telling as a theoretical underpinning is a strength, and matches well with current state of the RE practice. I also used a quasi-experiment to empirically evaluate whether the NREMM is practically useful in a simplified real-world scenario (University of Hertfordshire's StudyNet) by using real users of a real system. The experimental results indicated that the NREMM is a useful model to help RE practitioners to identify, define and resolve conflict in practice. This is evidenced by significantly higher satisfaction results and a better perception of the mediator's performance obtained from workshops where the mediator implemented the NREMM. The key contribution of this thesis is the NREMM, which is a useful model to not only help RE practitioners resolve conflicts among different stakeholders but also improve stakeholders' cooperativeness and satisfaction.

Objectives We first sought to assess if bicyclist typology was associated with health. Second, we investigated whether bicyclist typology was related to health through physical activity and commute bicycling. Finally, we sought to develop profiles of disposition toward commute bicycling following proposed changes to a specific destination and the significance of pertinent covariates. Methods Data from the 2014 Georgia State University-Bicycling Survey were used. We first estimated the adjusted odds of worse health-related quality of life by bicyclist typology. A mediation model was then used to estimate the relative total and direct effects of bicyclist typology on health-related quality of life and relative indirect effects through physical activity and commute bicycling. A finite mixture modeling approach was used to identify latent classes of disposition toward whether proposed changes to a specific destination would increase likelihood of commute bicycling. The manual 3-Step protocol was used to assess the effect of covariates on the probability of latent class membership. Results Respondents who had never bicycled, were not motivated to commute bicycle, and who required greater bicycle facilities to feel comfortable commute bicycling had higher odds of worse health-related quality of life. Physical activity and, to a lesser extent, commute bicycling status mediated the effect of bicyclist typology on health-related quality of life. The seven-class solution was decided on as the “best” model for disposition toward whether proposed destination improvements would increase the likelihood of commute bicycling. Several covariates were identified that impact the probability of latent class assignment. Conclusions Initial evidence of a health disparity by bicyclist typology was revealed. Physical activity appears to serve as the primary means through which bicyclist typology has an effect on health. Urban environments that make physical activity, including commute bicycling, more comfortable for a larger proportion of the population may be a potential important health intervention. Understanding the patterns of disposition toward whether proposed destination improvements would increase the likelihood of commute bicycling may assist in targeting and prioritizing commute bicycling-related interventions toward subpopulations of interest.

This thesis examines inequality of educational opportunities (IEO) in the transition to higher education. IEO measures the difference in higher education entry rates across social groups. The theoretical framework lays on Boudon's decomposition of IEO into primary and secondary effects of stratification. Furthermore, the theoretical propositions of Maximally Maintained Inequality (MMI) and Effectively Maintained Inequality (EMI) were also assessed to gain further understanding of IEO. The longitudinal data for the empirical analysis was created for a student cohort by linking administrative records of Chile's national student register, standardised tests and higher education enrolment. The student cohort was followed through the 12-years of compulsory education up to the transition to higher education, a year after completing secondary education. The results from the empirical analysis showed that secondary effects were consistently predominant over primary effects, driving the overall IEO. On the other hand, controlling for school characteristics increased the relative importance of secondary effects. However, primary effects explained a large extent of IEO in the transition to traditional (most prestigious) universities, by the same token, in the transition to undergraduate programmes. Differences in parental education levels between secondary education completion and higher education transitions proved to be consistent with MMI. Likewise, the higher likelihood of less advantaged students to enrol in vocational colleges or vocational programmes, and the higher likelihood of advantaged students to enrol in traditional universities or undergraduate programmes, evidenced support for EMI. The modelling setting was based on non-linear mediation modelling, accounting for sample-selection in the student cohort, two-level cross-classification between primary and secondary schools, and multinomial outcomes for type of institution and programme. This thesis contributes to the educational attainment literature by finding evidence that, in emerging economies like Chile, educational inequality persists despite the sustained expansion of the educational system.

Human beings live and work in large and complex environments. It is often difficult for individuals to perceive and understand the structure of these environments. However, the formation of an accurate and reliable cognitive map, a mental model of the environment, is vital for optimal navigation and coordination. The need to develop a reliable cognitive map is common to the average individual as well as workers with more specialized tasks, for example, law enforcement or military personnel who must quickly learn to operate in a new area. In this dissertation, I propose the use of a wearable computer as a platform for a spatial cognition aid. This spatial cognition aid uses terrain visualization software, GPS positioning, orientation sensors, and an eyeglass mounted display to provide an overview of the surrounding environment. While there are a number of similar mobile or wearable computer systems that function as tourist guides, navigation aids, and surveying tools, there are few examples of spatial cognition aids. I present an architecture for the wearable computer based spatial cognition aid using a relationship mediation model for wearable computer applications. The relationship mediation model identifies and describes the user relationships in which a wearable computer can participate and mediate. The dissertation focuses on how the wearable computer mediates the users perception of the environment. Other components such as interaction techniques and a scalable system of servers for distributing spatial information are also discussed. Several user studies were performed to determine an effective presentation for the spatial cognition aid. Participants were led through an outdoor environment while using different presentations on a wearable computer. The spatial learning of the participants was compared. These studies demonstrated that a wearable computer can be an effective spatial cognition aid. However, factors such as such as mental rotation, cognitive load, distraction, and divided attention must be taken into account when presenting spatial information to a wearable computer user.

One important research direction that has emerged in Child Protective Services (CPS) is the potential of information technology (IT) to be used by CPS agencies in order to enhance organizational effectiveness by addressing the barriers that caseworkers face in integrating multiple stakeholders’ knowledge. Based on empirical findings with regard to numerous unsuccessful IT development initiatives, the present study strives to gain an in-depth understanding of the research question: How can CPS caseworkers be supported by their agency in the integration of knowledge resources, thereby contributing to organizational effectiveness? A literature review to answer this question revealed the following two major research gaps: the adoption of a technology-focused perspective of intervention and the use of direct research models to evaluate this kind of intervention. In order to bridge these research gaps, this study presented a knowledge-based and process-oriented mediation model, built around the concept of knowledge integration that involves related processes at the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic levels. In this model, a process-oriented Knowledge Management System (KMS) stemming from a Socio-Technical System (STS) perspective was proposed as an alternative intervention model consisting of knowledge management intervention in three dimensions: techno-structural, socio-cultural, and inter-organizational practices. This mediation model partitions the effect of this KMS on outcome (organizational effectiveness) into two components: the direct effect and the indirect effect that is mediated by its output (a CPS caseworker’s knowledge integration ability). This research model was empirically tested using Structural Equation Modeling. This analysis used a sub-set of the 2008 Survey of Organizational Excellence (SOE) data set, which includes the perceptions of CPS caseworkers in the Texas DFPS about their work environment. Results indicate that each of the three dimensions of knowledge management practices enhanced a CPS caseworker’s knowledge integration ability. This ability was a critical factor in determining organizational effectiveness. The mediation effects of a caseworker’s knowledge integration ability were found to mediate the relationship between three dimensions of knowledge management practices and organizational effectiveness. Overall, this mediation model was more useful in explaining the complex relationships among the variables of interest than other direct models. / text

Background: With advances in medical treatments, the numbers of cancer survivors have grown considerably over recent years. Following completion of cancer treatment, patients can experience a range of physical and psychological difficulties, particularly around critical transition phases such as adjustment to survivorship. One of the most common difficulties cited by cancer survivors is that of fear of cancer recurrence (FOR). Existing treatments for improving psychological wellbeing in this population appear to offer limited efficacy, and there are very few interventions directly targeting FOR. Acceptance-based approaches, with an underlying aim of improving psychological flexibility, offer one novel alternative approach to addressing these difficulties. Methods: This thesis presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature in relation to the effectiveness of acceptance-based interventions for post treatment cancer survivors, with a particular focus on Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI). A cross sectional questionnaire study is then reported which explores the potential role of psychological flexibility in mediating the relationship between FOR and distress and quality of life (QoL)outcomes. Results: The findings of the review offer tentative support for the effectiveness of MBI in reducing stress and depressive symptoms, while less convincing results emerged for anxiety. Results from the empirical study suggest that while psychological flexibility does not appear to significantly mediate the impact of FOR on distress and QoL, value based living and cognitive fusion did emerge as significant mediating variables within these relationships. Conclusions: Findings suggest that acceptance-based approaches, may be of benefit in reducing the burden of distress and improving the lives of cancer survivors. Supporting cancer survivors to become less entangled with their thoughts and live in accordance with their values may be particularly beneficial. Further studies using larger samples and longitudinal designs are warranted.