The study was undertaken to investigate if a course of instruction, utilizing specific procedures, could be employed to enhance performance on an aptitude test. A punishment procedure involving the removal of a positive reinforcer was instituted within a classroom setting.

Firstly rather accurate approximations to the p value functions of the common Standard CUSUM test and the OLS-based CUSUM test for structural change are derived. Secondly alternative boundaries for both tests are suggested and their properties are examined by simulation of expected p values. It turns out that the power of the OLS-based CUSUM test for early and late structural changes can be improved, whereas this weakness of the Standard CUSUM test cannot be repaired by the new boundaries. / Series: Working Papers SFB "Adaptive Information Systems and Modelling in Economics and Management Science"

Analiza los resultados del test estresante en gestantes con y sin preeclampsia atendidas en el Instituto Nacional Materno Perinatal durante el primer semestre del año 2014. Es un estudio analítico de preeclampticas y controles, retrospectivo y de corte transversal, que tiene como muestra a 190 gestantes con resultados cardiotocográficos del test estresante divididas en dos grupos: pacientes con diagnóstico de preeclampsia (n=95) y pacientes sin preeclampsia (n=95). Para el análisis descriptivo o univariado de las variables cuantitativas se estima medias y desviación estándar y para las variables cualitativas se estimaron frecuencias y porcentajes. Para el análisis inferencial, se utiliza la prueba Chi-cuadrado, la cual se considera significativa cuando tenía un valor p<0.05. El 86% tiene diagnóstico de preeclampsia leve y el 14% de preeclampsia severa. Los hallazgos cardiotocográficos del test estresante en las gestantes con preeclampsia son: línea de base 110-160 lpm (98.9%), variabilidad mayor o igual a 1 (90.5%), aceleraciones presentes (85.3%), desaceleraciones variables (14.7%), desaceleraciones mayor o igual a 50% (13.7%) y contracciones uterinas menor a 5 (98.9%). En las gestantes sin preeclampsia, los hallazgos cardiotocográficos del test estresante son: línea de base 110-160 lpm (100%), variabilidad mayor o igual a 1 (97.9%), aceleraciones presentes (85.3%), desaceleraciones variables (8.4%), desaceleraciones mayor o igual a 50% (8.4%) y contracciones uterinas menor a 5 (100%). La ausencia de variabilidad estuvo relacionada a la presencia de preeclampsia (p=0.030). Además existe relación entre la conclusión dudosa e insatisfactoria y la presencia de preeclampsia (p=0.033). Se obtiene que la variabilidad y las conclusiones del test estresante en gestantes fueron diferentes para el grupo de gestantes con y sin preeclampsia; ya que la variabilidad ausente (p=0.030) y las conclusiones dudosas e insatisfactorias del test estresante (p=0.033) se relacionan significativamente con el diagnóstico de gestantes con preeclampsia.

M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Cette thèse présente le produit d'un projet de recherche doctoral ambitieux qui a procédé à la réalisation des premières étapes cruciales de conception, développement et évaluation d'un test de mesure de l'impact de la distraction du conducteur (DDIAT). L'objectif de ce test est de mesurer l'impact que la distraction du conducteur a sur les performances de conduite et les comportements du conducteur. En outre, une présentation sera effectuée des étapes majeures qui restent encore à réaliser, et qui dépassent le cadre de cette thèse, pour entièrement valider et implémenter le test. Le DDIAT est composé de trois épreuves de conduite ou Drives (Drive 1, 2 et 3), qui ont été conçues à partir des principes de la littérature de la cognition et de l’attention. Les épreuves Drive 1 et Drive 2 ont été implémentées dans un environnement de conduite urbain et elles incluent des conditions de feux de circulation qui ont été conçues pour ressembler aux feux de circulation rencontrés dans des conditions de conduite réelles. De plus, l'épreuve Drive 1 inclut des scénarios de traversée d’une file de véhicules pour tourner à gauche à une intersection (gap acceptance), dans lesquels les participants doivent prendre la décision cruciale de sélectionner un intervalle entre deux véhicules pour traverser. L'épreuve Drive 2 inclut plusieurs instances de suivi de véhicule, dont certaines où le véhicule suivi freine brutalement et où le participant doit réagir de manière appropriée pour éviter une collision frontale. Enfin, l'épreuve Drive 3 a été conçue pour implicitement mesurer la conscience de la situation dans un environnement de conduite autoroutier, mais cette épreuve n'a pas été entièrement implémentée dans le cadre de cette thèse. Les épreuves Drive 1 et Drive 2 ont été évaluées dans une expérimentation sur un simulateur de conduite avancé. Les résultats de cette évaluation expérimentale ont montré que les deux épreuves Drive 1 et Drive 2 étaient capables de : a) représenter la conduite réelle (c.-à-d., elles vérifient la validité de contenu et la validité apparente), b) mesurer l'impact de la distraction du conducteur et c) de faire la distinction entre les deux tâches secondaires (l'une visuelle/manuelle, l'autre auditive/cognitive) à travers leur impact sur les performances de conduite. En conclusion, le travail complété dans le cadre de cette thèse constitue les premières étapes cruciales nécessaires au développement d'un DDIAT complet qui surpasse les limitations des outils et tests précédents et fournit également les bases d'une méthode standardisée pour aider à surpasser les incohérences qui existent entre les différentes études de mesure de l'impact de la distraction du conducteur. / This thesis describes the outcomes of an ambitious doctoral research program that carried out the initial critical steps in the design, development, and evaluation of a driver distraction impact assessment test (DDIAT). The purpose of this test has been to assess the impact driver distraction has on driving performance and driver behaviour. The thesis also describes the critical steps, beyond the scope of this thesis, that remain to be carried out in order to fully validate and implement the complete DDIAT proposed in this thesis. As part of the DDIAT proposed in this thesis, three Drives (Drive 1, 2, and 3) were designed and created from basic attention principles and by using a complex experimental design. Drive 1 and Drive 2 were implemented in an urban driving environment and included traffic light conditions that were designed to resemble real world traffic light conditions. Furthermore, Drive 1 included gap acceptance events in which participants had to make a crucial and important decision when selecting a gap to turn left though an oncoming stream of vehicles. Drive 2 included various car following instances and lead vehicle braking events, whereby participants had to react suddenly to avoid a frontal collision. Lastly, Drive 3 was designed to implicitly measure situation awareness on a highway driving environment – but was outside of the scope of the thesis to investigate. Drive 1 and Drive 2 were evaluated in an experiment implemented in an advanced driving simulator. The results from this evaluation experiment showed that both Drive 1 and Drive 2: a) represent real world driving (i.e., have content and face validity); b) are capable of measuring the impact of driver distraction; and c) are capable of distinguishing between the impact on driving of two secondary tasks (one visual/manual, the other auditory/cognitive). In conclusion, the work completed as part of this thesis provided a first and important step towards the development of a complete DDIAT that overcomes the shortcomings of previous tests and tools and also provides the beginnings of a standardised method to assist in overcoming the inconsistencies that exist across studies in the measurement of driver distraction.

The conventional approach for testing RF circuits is specification-based testing, which involves verifying sequentially all specification requirements that are promised in the data sheet. This approach is a long-time effective testapproach but nowadays suffers from significant drawbacks.First, it requires generation and capture of test signals at the DUT operating frequency. As the operational frequencies of DUT are increasing, it becomes difficult to manage signal generation and capture using ATE. As a consequence, there is a need of expensive and specialized equipment. In addition,as conventional tests target several parameters, there is a need of several data captures and multiple test configurations. As a consequence, by adding settling time between each test and test application time, the whole test time becomes very long, and the test board very complex. Another challenge regarding RF circuit testing is wafer-level testing. Indeed, the implementation of specification-based tests at wafer level is extremely difficult due to probing issues and high parasitic effects on the test interface.Moreover, multi-site testing is usually not an option due to the small count of available RF test resources, which decreases test throughput. Hence, the current practice is often to verify the device specifications only after packaging.The problem with this solution is that defective dies are identified late in the manufacturing flow, which leads to packaging loss and decreases the global yield of the process.In order to reduce production costs, there is therefore a need to develop test solutions applicable at wafer level, so that faulty circuits can be removed very early in the production flow. This is particularly important for dies designed to be integrated in Systems-In-Package (SIP).In this context, a promising solution is to develop indirect test methods. Basically, it consists in using DUT signatures to non-conventional stimuli to predict the result of conventional tests. The underlying idea is to learn during an initial phase the unknown dependency between simple measurements and conventional tests. This dependency can then be modeled through regression functions. During the testing phase, only the indirect measurements are performed and specifications are predicted using the regression model built in the learning phase.Our work has been focused on two main directions. First, we have explored the implementation of the alternate test method based on DC measurements for RF circuits and we have proposed a methodology to select the most appropriateset of DC parameters. Results from two test vehicles (a LNA using electrical simulations and a PA using real production data) indicate that the proposed methodology allows precise estimation of the DUT performances while minimizing the number of DC measurements to be carried out.Second, we have proposed a novel implementation of the alternate test strategy in order to improve confidence in alternate test predictions and to overcome the effect of limited training set sizes. The idea is to exploit model redundancy in order to identify, during the production testing phase, devices with suspect predictions; these devices are then are removed from the alternate test tierand directed to a second tier where further testing may apply. / The conventional approach for testing RF circuits is specification-based testing, which involves verifying sequentially all specification requirements that are promised in the data sheet. This approach is a long-time effective testapproach but nowadays suffers from significant drawbacks.First, it requires generation and capture of test signals at the DUT operating frequency. As the operational frequencies of DUT are increasing, it becomes difficult to manage signal generation and capture using ATE. As a consequence, there is a need of expensive and specialized equipment. In addition,as conventional tests target several parameters, there is a need of several data captures and multiple test configurations. As a consequence, by adding settling time between each test and test application time, the whole test time becomes very long, and the test board very complex.Another challenge regarding RF circuit testing is wafer-level testing. Indeed, the implementation of specification-based tests at wafer level is extremely difficult due to probing issues and high parasitic effects on the test interface.Moreover, multi-site testing is usually not an option due to the small count of available RF test resources, which decreases test throughput. Hence, the current practice is often to verify the device specifications only after packaging.The problem with this solution is that defective dies are identified late in the manufacturing flow, which leads to packaging loss and decreases the global yield of the process.In order to reduce production costs, there is therefore a need to develop test solutions applicable at wafer level, so that faulty circuits can be removed very early in the production flow. This is particularly important for dies designed to be integrated in Systems-In-Package (SIP).In this context, a promising solution is to develop indirect test methods. Basically, it consists in using DUT signatures to non-conventional stimuli to predict the result of conventional tests. The underlying idea is to learn during an initial phase the unknown dependency between simple measurements and conventional tests. This dependency can then be modeled through regression functions. During the testing phase, only the indirect measurements are performed and specifications are predicted using the regression model built in the learning phase.Our work has been focused on two main directions. First, we have explored the implementation of the alternate test method based on DC measurements for RF circuits and we have proposed a methodology to select the most appropriateset of DC parameters. Results from two test vehicles (a LNA using electrical simulations and a PA using real production data) indicate that the proposed methodology allows precise estimation of the DUT performances while minimizing the number of DC measurements to be carried out.Second, we have proposed a novel implementation of the alternate test strategy in order to improve confidence in alternate test predictions and to overcome the effect of limited training set sizes. The idea is to exploit model redundancy in order to identify, during the production testing phase, devices with suspect predictions; these devices are then are removed from the alternate test tierand directed to a second tier where further testing may apply.

Être en mesure de vérifier si un circuit intégré est fonctionnel après fabrication peut s'avérer très difficile. Dans le cas des circuits analogiques et Radio Fréquence (RF) les procédures et les équipements de test nécessaires ont un impact majeur sur le prix de revient des circuits. Une approche intéressante pour réduire l'impact du coût du test consiste à mesurer des paramètres nécessitant des ressources de test faible coût et corréler ces mesures, dites mesures indirectes, avec les spécifications à tester. On parle alors de technique de test indirect (ou test alternatif) car il n'y a pas de mesure directe des spécifications, qui nécessiterait des équipements et du temps de test importants, mais ces spécifications sont estimées à partir des mesures « faibles couts ». Même si cette approche semble attractive elle n'est viable que si nous sommes en mesure d'établir une précision suffisante de l'estimation des performances et que cette estimation reste stable et indépendante des lots de circuits à traiter. L'objectif principal de cette thèse est de mettre en œuvre une stratégie générique permettant de proposer un flot de test indirect efficace et robuste. Pour être en mesure de construire cette stratégie nous avons amenés différentes contributions. Dans un premier temps, on a développée une nouvelle métrique dans cette thèse pour évaluer la robustesse des prédictions relaissées. Dans un deuxième temps, on a défini et analysé une stratégie pour la construction d'un model optimal. Cette dernière englobe un prétraitement de données ensuite une analyse comparative entre différentes méthodes de sélections de mesures indirectes aussi l'étude d'autres paramètres tels que la taille des combinaisons de mesures indirectes ainsi que celle de la taille de set d'apprentissage. Aussi on a proposé une stratégie pour une confidente exploration d'espace de mesures indirectes afin de construire plusieurs meilleurs modèles qu'on peut se servir par la suite pour résoudre des problèmes de confiance et d'optimisation. Les études comparatives réalisées ont été effectuées sur 2 cas d'études expérimentaux et à partir de métriques classiques et de la nouvelle métrique proposée permettant ainsi d'évaluer objectivement la robustesse de chaque solution.En fin, nous avons développé une stratégie complète mettant en œuvre des techniques de redondance de modèles de corrélation qui permettent d'améliorer grandement la robustesse et l'efficacité de la prise de décision en fonction des mesures obtenues. Cette stratégie est adaptable à n'importe quel contexte en termes de compromis entre le coût du test et le niveau de confiance et de précision attendu. / Being able to check whether an IC is functional or not after the manufacturing process is very difficult. Particularly for analog and Radio Frequency (RF) circuits, test equipment and procedures required have a major impact on the circuits cost. An interesting approach to reduce the impact of the test cost is to measure parameters requiring low cost test resources and correlate these measurements, called indirect measurements, with the targeted specifications. This is known as indirect test technique because there is no direct measurement for these specifications, which requires so expensive test equipment and an important testing time, but these specifications are estimated w.r.t "low-cost measurements". While this approach seems attractive, it is only viable if we are able to establish a sufficient accuracy for the performance estimation and if this estimation remains stable and independent from the circuits sets under test.The main goal of this thesis is to implement a robust and effective indirect test strategy for a given application and to improve test decisions based on data analysis.To be able to build this strategy, we have brought various contributions. Initially, we have defined new metric developed in this thesis to assess the reliability of the estimated performances. Secondly, we have analyzed and defined a strategy for the construction of an optimal model. This latter includes a data preprocessing followed by a comparative analysis of different methods of indirect measurement selection. Then, we have proposed a strategy for a confidant exploration of the indirect measurement space in order to build several best models that can be used later to solve trust and optimization issues. Comparative studies were performed on 2 experimental data sets by using both of the conventional and the developed metrics to evaluate the robustness of each solution in an objective way.Finally, we have developed a comprehensive strategy based on an efficient implementation of the redundancy techniques w.r.t to the build models. This strategy has greatly improved the robustness and the effectiveness of the decision plan based on the obtained measurements. This strategy is adaptable to any context in terms of compromise between the test cost, the confidence level and the expected precision.

Mediante un diseño transeccional, el objetivo de esta Memoria es comparar características sociocriminológicas, e indicadores del Test de Lüscher, presentes en varones recluidos en el Centro de Cumplimiento Penitenciario de Colina, que cumplen condena por crímenes y simples delitos contra el orden de las familias y contra la moralidad pública (Título VII), contra las personas (Título VIII), o contra la propiedad (Título IX), con el fin de verificar si existen diferencias entre las distintas modalidades delictivas agrupadas bajo dichos Títulos del Código Penal.

Background: It has been demonstrated, in 4 large randomised control trials (RCT), that screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) using annual or biennial guaiac faecal occult blood tests (gFOBT) reduces mortality and incidence. The faecal immunochemical test (FIT) uses technology that is analytically more sensitive and specific for human haemoglobin (Hb) than gFOBT. Methods: An evaluation of the OC-Sensor Diana quantitative FIT analyser and prospective analysis of a single estimate of faecal haemoglobin concentration (f-Hb) in two clinical settings; the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme and patients referred from primary care to endoscopy services. Results: Uptake, in the cohort offered screening with FIT as a first-line test, was 4.8% higher than that seen contemporaneously in the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme. This returned to pre study levels when the study ceased and gFOBT was reintroduced. The cohort offered quantitative FIT had a positivity of 2.4% compared to 2.1% in the programme overall. Clinical outcomes, during the evaluation period, in the study cohort and the screening programme were similar. 40,125 participants returned a FIT sample device and 38,720 had their f-Hb measured. An observational study of f-Hb by sex and age, using the 97.5th percentile as a potential upper reference limit, and 90% confidence intervals (CI) showed 519 ng Hb/ml buffer (90% CI: 468 – 575) for men and 283 ng Hb/ml buffer (90% CI: 257 – 316) for women. When the data was partitioned by age quintile, f-Hb increased with age in both sexes. Quantitative FIT and endoscopy were completed by 280 patients referred from primary care for endoscopy (median age: 63 years, range: 18 to 84 years), 59.6% were female. Six (2.1%) participants had CRC, 23 (8.2%) high-risk adenoma (HRA: > 3 adenomas or any > 1 cm), 31 (11.1%) low-risk adenoma (LRA), and 26 (9.3%) inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as the most serious diagnosis. Those with CRC had median f-Hb of > 1000 ng Hb/ml buffer. Using f-Hb with a cut-off of 50 ng Hb/ml buffer, negative predictive values of 100%, 94.4%, 93.4% and 93.9% were found for CRC, HRA, LRA and IBD. Conclusions: The introduction of quantitative FIT into population screening and symptomatic settings has the potential to optimise referral for endoscopy for those who have evidence of small amounts of bleeding, thereby improving outcomes and reducing the current burden on endoscopy services.

Thesis (MSc(Med)(Pharmacy))-- University of Limpopo, 2012. / i THE ROLE OF COUNSELLING, MONITORING OF SERUM CARBAMAZEPINE CONCENTRATION, AND OF COMPLIANCE IN EPILEPSY CONTROL Non-compliance with the patient’s prescribed medication regimen has been identified in several publications as a major factor responsible for insufficient seizure control. Non-compliance is also held by some workers in this field to be closely interlinked with inadequate serum anti-epileptic drug concentration. The early identification of non-compliance may therefore play an important role in epilepsy therapy. A study was undertaken at Kalafong Hospital to explore the efficacy of monitoring serum carbamazepine concentration in order to detect compliance or otherwise. Intrinsic in such study was exploration of the role played by counselling in the promotion of compliance. Samples of blood were drawn from 78 outpatient volunteers at intervals as close to 28 days as possible, and the serum carbamazepine concentration of these samples was then determined by means of the TDx FLx System (ABBOTT). Items such as conscientious attendance at the Kalafong epilepsy clinics (“visits”), serum carbamazepine concentration, patient’s age, gender and weight, concomitant drug interactions, occurrence of epileptic seizures and dosage of Tegretol®CR were examined to ascertain whether they could be correlated with compliance and used as indicators thereof. It was, however, constantly borne in mind that these are not the only elements of compliance; other factors such as difficult fundamental behavioural changes, such as avoiding stress, may also play a part. Conscientious attendance at Kalafong epilepsy clinics (“visits”) was found to be a usable (albeit not strong) indicator of compliance. Serum carbamazepine concentration was used as another, with, however, reservations arising from the relationship between the patient’s actual compliance on the one hand, and whether v the daily dosage was sub-therapeutic or excessive on the other. The statistical agreement between visits and these concentration values was, however, very poor (8.2%). Using visits as an indicator, 66.7% of the participants were assessed as compliant. Using ‘compliant concentration’, only 25.6% were assessed as compliant. The data acquired during the study was, unfortunately, too variable to warrant anything more than descriptive statistical treatment. To a large extent this was because the participants were out-patients, not in-patients over whom strict therapeutic control could be exercised. Age, gender and patient’s weight were not significantly linked to compliance. The correlation between expected and measured serum carbamazepine concentrations was not statistically significant (p = 0.062). The Kalafong data in respect of seizures indicate that the relationship between seizures and compliance is not a simple one and that the occurrence or otherwise of break-through seizures should not be used as an indicator of compliance, as has indeed been done by other research workers. Drug interaction was as expected in 20 of the 26 patients concerned, this agreement being statistically significant (p = 0.0074). Improved compliance was the outcome expected from counselling but it was not possible to quantify the enhancement of compliance achieved, if any. Conventional verbal counselling, particularly when not done in the patient’s mother tongue and supported by interventions such as visual counselling material, may not be adequate.