Search results for "M function"
showing 10 items of 79 documents
Evenness, biodiversity, and ecosystem function of intertidal communities along the Italian coasts: Experimental short-term response to ambient and ex…
2023
Biodiversity can promote ecosystem functioning in both terrestrial and marine environments, emphasizing the neces- sity ofbiodiversity conservation in order to preserve critical ecosystem functions and associated services. However, the role of biodiversity in buffering ecosystem functioning under extreme events caused by climate change remains a major scientific issue, especially for intertidal systems experiencing stressors from both terrestrial and marine drivers. We performed a regional-scale field experiment along the Italian coast to investigate the response of unmanipulated intertidal communities (by using a natural biodiversity gradient) to low tide aerial exposure to both ambient an…
Stochastic order characterization of uniform integrability and tightness
2013
We show that a family of random variables is uniformly integrable if and only if it is stochastically bounded in the increasing convex order by an integrable random variable. This result is complemented by proving analogous statements for the strong stochastic order and for power-integrable dominating random variables. Especially, we show that whenever a family of random variables is stochastically bounded by a p-integrable random variable for some p>1, there is no distinction between the strong order and the increasing convex order. These results also yield new characterizations of relative compactness in Wasserstein and Prohorov metrics.
Power and Type I Error of the Mean and Covariance Structure Analysis Model for Detecting Differential Item Functioning in Graded Response Items.
2016
In this simulation study, we investigate the power and Type I error rate of a procedure based on the mean and covariance structure analysis (MACS) model in detecting differential item functioning (DIF) of graded response items with five response categories. The following factors were manipulated: type of DIF (uniform and non-uniform), DIF magnitude (low, medium and large), equality/inequality of latent trait distributions, sample size (100, 200, 400, and 800) and equality or inequality of the sample sizes across groups. The simulated test was made up of 10 items, of which only 1 contained DIF. One hundred replications were generated for each simulated condition. Results indicate that the MA…
Random walk networks
2004
Abstract Random Boolean networks are among the best-known systems used to model genetic networks. They show an on–off dynamics and it is easy to obtain analytical results with them. Unfortunately very few genes are strictly on–off switched. On the other hand, continuous methods are in principle more suitable to capture the real behavior of the genome, but have difficulties when trying to obtain analytical results. In this work, we introduce a new model of random discrete network: random walk networks, where the state of each gene is changed by small discrete variations, being thus a natural bridge between discrete and continuous models.
On the Analysis of a Random Interleaving Walk–Jump Process with Applications to Testing
2011
Abstract Although random walks (RWs) with single-step transitions have been extensively studied for almost a century as seen in Feller (1968), problems involving the analysis of RWs that contain interleaving random steps and random “jumps” are intrinsically hard. In this article, we consider the analysis of one such fascinating RW, where every step is paired with its counterpart random jump. In addition to this RW being conceptually interesting, it has applications in testing of entities (components or personnel), where the entity is never allowed to make more than a prespecified number of consecutive failures. The article contains the analysis of the chain, some fascinating limiting proper…
On statistical inference for the random set generated Cox process with set-marking.
2007
Cox point process is a process class for hierarchical modelling of systems of non-interacting points in ℝd under environmental heterogeneity which is modelled through a random intensity function. In this work a class of Cox processes is suggested where the random intensity is generated by a random closed set. Such heterogeneity appears for example in forestry where silvicultural treatments like harvesting and site-preparation create geometrical patterns for tree density variation in two different phases. In this paper the second order property, important both in data analysis and in the context of spatial sampling, is derived. The usefulness of the random set generated Cox process is highly…
Development and Initial Validation of the Humor Climate in Sport Scale
2021
In sport teams, humor is an essential element that influences communication processes, and plays an important role in group dynamics. Despite this, no current instrument is presented in the literature to measure humor climate in sport teams. Therefore, the current study presents the development and initial validation of the Humor Climate in Sport Scale (HCSS). The aim was to assess content, structural and concurrent validity of the developed instrument, and to examine differential item functioning (DIF) as a function of sex. Three different phases were completed in this study. The first phase involved focus groups (n= 5) that explored humor as communication in a team sport context. In phase…
Test fairness: a DIF analysis of an L2 vocabulary test
2000
The purpose of this study is to analyse gender-uniform differential item functioning (DIF) in a second language (L2) vocabulary test with the tools of item response theory (the separate calibration t-method) and to study potential gender impact on the test performance measured by different item composites. The results of the study show that despite the fact that there are test items with indications of DIF in favour of either females or males, the test as a whole is not gender-biased. In spite of this, it was demonstrated that some item composites are gender-biased. In view of item bank building and use, it means that some of the tests constructed on the basis of an item bank might be bias…
Deciphering biotic interactions and their role in soil microbial community assembly
2021
National audience; Soil microbial communities play key roles in ecosystem functioning. Yet, little is known aboutthe importance of microbe-microbe interactions in soil microbial community assembly andfunctions. To address this knowledge gap, the objective of my thesis is to assess the role ofinteractions between micro-organisms in soil microbial communities. For this purpose, we willmanipulate the interactions between microorganisms within complex soil microbialcommunities by (i) removing different members of the soil community, (ii) adding microbialtaxa to the soil community and (iii) increasing the physical distance between members of thesoil community. How shifts in microbial interaction…
Loss in microbial diversity affects nitrogen cycling in soil
2013
International audience; Microbial communities have a central role in ecosystem processes by driving the Earth's biogeochemical cycles. However, the importance of microbial diversity for ecosystem functioning is still debated. Here, we experimentally manipulated the soil microbial community using a dilution approach to analyze the functional consequences of diversity loss. A trait-centered approach was embraced using the denitrifiers as model guild due to their role in nitrogen cycling, a major ecosystem service. How various diversity metrics related to richness, eveness and phylogenetic diversity of the soil denitrifier community were affected by the removal experiment was assessed by 454 s…