Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-119).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-118).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (May 1, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

prepared by: Bernard C. Levy, Alan S. Willsky. / Prepared for Systems Theory and Operations Research Program, Division of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering, National Science Foundation under NSF Grant ECS-8012668. / Description based on: Nov.1, 1980/June 30, 1981.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:23:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-02-14Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:11:02Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 ravelli_mn_me_arafcf.pdf: 503371 bytes, checksum: 415dea715919e6ae27164677c8f01d20 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / A avaliação do padrão alimentar vem emergindo como uma alternativa nos estudos de epidemiologia nutricional, substituindo as pesquisas baseadas em análise de nutrientes isolados. No entanto, a subnotificação da ingestão, que é fortemente evidenciada entre indivíduos com excesso de peso, influencia a avaliação do consumo energético e pode, consequentemente, induzir a um padrão de consumo alimentar diferente quando comparado ao padrão de consumo de pessoas notificadoras plausíveis. Uma vez que estudos sobre o padrão alimentar ainda não foram avaliados sob a ótica da subnotificação, este trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a influência da subnotificação do consumo no padrão alimentar, discriminado por grupos alimentares e por nutrientes específicos, entre mulheres obesas da fila de espera da cirurgia bariátrica. Os resultados obtidos foram discutidos em dois artigos científicos, sendo que o primeiro evidenciou a diferença nos padrões alimentares discriminados por contribuição energética diária dos subgrupos alimentares entre as mulheres notificadoras e subnotificadoras do consumo alimentar, e o segundo evidenciou as diferenças entre os grupos de mulheres para os padrões de consumo e itens dos subgrupos alimentares, ambos discriminados pelos nutrientes. Participaram do estudo 412 candidatas à cirurgia bariátrica da Clínica Bariátrica de Piracicaba-SP, Brasil. Dados referentes às informações gerais, e medidas antropométricas foram coletados e utilizados para os cálculos preditivos de Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC), Gasto Energético de Repouso (GER) e Necessidade Energética Total (NET). As informações de consumo alimentar e Nível de Atividade Física (NAF) preditivos foram utilizadas na classificação das mulheres quanto a plausibilidade da notificação do consumo alimentar, confrontando... / Assessment of food patterns has emerged as an alternative in nutritional epidemiology studies, replacing studies based on analysis of individual nutrients. However, food intake underreporting, very common among individuals with excess weight, affects the assessment of energy intake and may, consequently, induce a food intake pattern different from that of plausible energy reporters. Since food pattern studies have not yet been done from the underreporting viewpoint, the objective of this study was to assess the influence of underreporting on the specific food groups and nutrients consumed by obese women waiting for bariatric surgery. The results were discussed in two scientific articles. The first article evidenced the difference between the food patterns of reporters and underreporters according to the daily energy contribution of different food subgroups. The second article evidenced the differences in intake patterns and items in food subgroups, both according to nutrients, between the two groups of women. A total of 412 bariatric surgery candidates of the Bariatric Clinic of Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, participated in the study. General information and anthropometric measurements were collected and used for calculating body mass index (BMI) and predicting resting energy expenditure (REE) and total energy requirement (TER). Food intake and physical activity level (PAL) were used for classifying women regarding the plausibility of the reported food intake, confronting the ratio of reported energy intake EIrep to REE with PAL (EIrep:REE=PAL), considering the variances of this equation’s components. Food subgroups were determined by the Brazilian Food Guide. The food patterns of both groups of women were discriminated according to the food subgroups predefined by exploratory... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Conditional auto-regressive (CAR) models are frequently used with spatial data. However, the likelihood of such a model is expensive to compute even for a moderately sized data set of around 1000 sites. For models involving latent variables, the likelihood is not usually available in closed form. In this thesis we use a Monte Carlo approximation to the likelihood (extending the approach of Geyer and Thompson (1992)), and develop two strategies for maximising this. One strategy is to limit the step size by defining an experimental region using a Monte Carlo approximation to the variance of the estimates. The other is to use response surface methodology. The iterative procedures are fully automatic, with user-specified options to control the simulation and convergence criteria. Both strategies are implemented in our R package mclcar. We demonstrate aspects of the algorithms on simulated data on a torus, and achieve similar results to others in a short computational time on two datasets from the literature. We then use the methods on a challenging problem concerning forest restoration with data from around 7000 trees arranged in transects within study plots. We modelled the growth rate of the trees by a linear mixed effects model with CAR spatial error and CAR random e ects for study plots in an acceptable computational time. Our proposed methods can be used for similar models to provide a clearly defined framework for maximising Monte Carlo approximations to likelihoods and reconstructing likelihood surfaces near the maximum.

The aim of this research was to assess three hierarchical aspects of alga-grazer interactions in intertidal communities on a small scale: spatial heterogeneity, grazing effects and spatial stability in grazing effects. First, using semivariograms and cross-semivariograms I observed hierarchical spatial patterns in most algal groups and in grazers. However, these patterns varied with the level on the shore and between shores, suggesting that either human exploitation or wave exposure can be a source of variability. Second, grazing effects were studied using manipulative experiments at different levels on the shore. These revealed significant effects of grazing on the low shore and in tidal pools. Additionally, using a transect of grazer exclusions across the shore, I observed unexpected hierarchical patchiness in the strength of grazing, rather than zonation in its effects. This patchiness varied in time due to different biotic and abiotic factors. In a separate experiment, the effect of mesograzers effects were studied in the upper eulittoral zone under four conditions: burnt open rock (BOR), burnt pools (Bpool), non-burnt open rock (NBOR) and non-burnt pools (NBpool). Additionally, I tested spatial stability in the effects of grazing in consecutive years, using the same plots. I observed great spatial variability in the effects of grazing, but this variability was spatially stable in Bpools and NBOR, meaning deterministic and significant grazing effects in consecutive years on the same plots. Both the significance in grazing effects and spatial stability depended on the level of resolution (species, functional, biomass) at which the algal assemblage was evaluated, suggesting hierarchical variability. In order to be able to predict spatial variability in the effects of grazers in the upper eulittoral zone using biotic and abiotic micro- and macrofactors, a conceptual model was proposed, based on data from several multiple-regressions. This linked the interactions among three elements: idiosyncratic heterogeneity, micro and macrofactors. This suggests that spatial variability can be a product of these factors, while spatial stability can be caused by the same or different combinations of factors. In conclusion, grazing and other ecological phenomena must be studied hierarchically, not only through spatiotemporal scales, but also at different levels of resolution, as these also influence our perception of patterns.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-07T17:12:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-05-21. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-06-07T17:16:51Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000864053.pdf: 3409653 bytes, checksum: 79a04fc4e3a4aa2ac8982655c947c380 (MD5) / O objetivo deste estudo foi Identificar o padrão da distribuição espacial da hanseníase no município de Rondonópolis e sua relação com a situação clínico - epidemiológica da doença nos anos de 2000 a 2010. Foi utilizado um Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG), o Arcgis 9.3, para determinar a localização espacial dos 1.832 casos novos e elaborar os mapas temáticos. Utilizou-se o programa MapInfo, versão 7.8, para geocodificação dos casos. A análise de agrupamento foi desenvolvida a partir da metodologia de análise espacial, a estatística de varredura (Scan). Foram utilizadas as bases cartográficas e os dados populacionais dos censos de 2000 e 2010 do IBGE. Portanto, as análises dos dados foram dividas em dois períodos, sendo de 2000 a 2005 e 2006 a 2010. Para a elaboração dos mapas com agrupamentos espaciais de casos novos de hanseníase paucibacilar, multibacilar, em menores de 15 anos e na população total, foram utilizados a base cartográfica digital de endereços do município de Rondonópolis e o software ARCGIS 9.3. Os indicadores socioeconômicos foram mapeados segundo a técnica cartográfica coroplética. A partir da análise desses dados, observou-se em todas as populações estratificadas redução do coeficiente de detecção geral, aumento dos agrupamentos espaciais de alto risco em todas as populações estratificadas, acentuada alteração na distribuição dos agrupamentos de alto e baixo risco, detecção do agrupamento de alto risco em menores de 15 anos no período de 2006 a 2010, sinalizando doença recente e presença de foco ativo, sobreposição do agrupamento de alto risco da população de multibacilar e menor de 15 anos. As conclusões mostram que em Rondonópolis a hanseníase continua sendo um problema de saúde pública em todo o município, apresentando áreas espaciais de alto risco, que demandam intensificar ainda mais as ações e estratégias prioritárias de busca ativa para... / The objective of this study was to identify a pattern of spatial distribution of leprosy cases from 2000 to 2010, in the Rondonópolis municipality and its relationship with clinical epidemiological aspects of the disease. The Geographic Information System (GIS), ArcGIS 9.3, was used to determine the spatial location of 1,832 new cases and prepare thematic maps. MapInfo program, version 7.8, was used for geocoding the leprosy cases. Cluster analysis was carried out using the spatial analysis methodology, scan statistics (Scan). The cartographic databases and population census data of 2000 and 2010 from IBGE were used. Therefore, the analysis was performed in two periods, 2000 to 2005 and 2006 to 2010. The digital cartographic database of Rondonópolis addresses and the software ArcGIS 9.3 were used in order to build the new cases spatial clusters maps stratifying the cases as paucibacillary leprosy, multibacillary leprosy and disease in children under 15 years and the total population. Socioeconomic indicators were mapped according to coropletic cartographic technique. The analysis in all stratified populations revealed an overall reduction in the detection rate and increase in high-risk spatial clusters in all stratified populations. In addition a marked change was observed in the distribution of high and low risk groups and in detection high risk cluster in children under 15 years in the period of 2006 to 2010, signaling recent illness and presence of active focus of disease, besides an overlap of high-risk group of the multibacillary population with disease in children under 15 years. The findings show that leprosy remains a public health problem in the entire municipality, with demonstration of spatial high-risk areas that evidence the need of intensifying actions and definition of priority strategies for active search of leprosy cases