Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) is n approach to sampling design and inference in hard-to-reach human populations. It is often used in situations where the target population is rare and/or stigmatized in the larger population, so that it is prohibitively expensive to contact them through the available frames. Common examples include injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, and female s...

A case-crossover study examined how PM2.5 from Asian Dust Storms (ADS) affects the number of emergency room (ER) admissions for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and respiratory diseases (RDs). Our data indicated that PM2.5 concentration from ADS was highly correlated with ER visits for CVDs and RDs. The odds ratios (OR) increased by 2.92 (95% CI: 1.22-5.08) and 1.86 (95% CI: 1.30-2.91) per 10 µg/...

In this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study, we surveyed the attitudes toward, knowledge of, and use of rubber dams (RDs) among dentists in southern Nigeria. The questionnaire, which was distributed and collected by one of the authors, requested information on the dentists' background characteristics, attitudes, and knowledge. Data were analyzed with SPSS, and the chi-square was used to a...

PURPOSE Adult-onset vitelliform macular dystrophy (AVMD) is a pleomorphic late-onset macular phenotype characterized by a central yellow deposit between the neural retina and retinal pigment epithelium. Mutations in the genes encoding peripherin/RDS and VMD2 have been previously reported in some subjects with AVMD. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of mutations i...

To examine the spatial scale of the mechanisms supporting the perception of motion in depth defined by binocular cues, we measured stereomotion speed discrimination thresholds as a function of stimulus size using a two-interval speed comparison task. Stimuli were either random dot stereogram (RDS) bars featuring both the changing disparity (CD) and the interocular velocity difference (IOVD) cue...

Research examining relationship distress and dissolution highlights the importance of romantic disengagement. However, prior conceptualizations and measures of romantic disengagement have tended to combine disengagement with related but distinct constructs hindering the study of romantic disengagement. In the present study we conducted exploratory factor analyses to demonstrate that disengageme...

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is one of the most commonly used methods when sampling from hidden or hard-to-reach populations. The RDS methodology combines an improved snowball sampling scheme with a mathematical model that is able to produce unbiased population estimates given that some assumptions about the actual recruitment process are fulfilled. One critical assumption, which is not lik...

The specific genetic factors contributing to the causes of complex pediatric diseases are gradually being identified through a combination of technological advances, advanced statistical methods, and large biorepositories with appropriate samples and data. These developments have the capacity to personalize diagnosis and treatment of the common complications faced by preterm infants. The articl...

DESIGN ISSUES OF RESERVED DELIVERY SUBNETWORKS by Ruibiao Qiu ADVISOR: Professor Jonathan S. Turner May 2006 Saint Louis, Missouri The lack of per-flow bandwidth reservation in today’s Internet limits the quality of service that an information service provider can provide. This dissertation introduces the reserved delivery subnetwork (RDS), a mechanism that provides consistent quality of servic...

T HE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NUTrition Dietetic Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy), under the guidance of the Academy Quality Management Committee and its Scope of Practice Sub-committee, has developed Standards of Practice (SOP) and Standards of Professional Performance (SOPP) for Registered Dietitians (RDs) in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). These ...