ATLAS.ti 5.0 and NVivo 2.0 are among the best available and potentially most useful qualitative data analysis (QDA) tools. Both products enable the researcher to associate codes or labels with chunks of text, sounds, pictures, or video; to search these codes for patterns; and to construct classifications of codes that reflect testable models of the conceptual structure of the underlying data. B...

This paper is concerned with the problems of interaction screening and nonlinear classification in a high-dimensional setting. We propose a two-step procedure, IIS-SQDA, where in the first step an innovated interaction screening (IIS) approach based on transforming the original p-dimensional feature vector is proposed, and in the second step a sparse quadratic discriminant analysis (SQDA) is pr...

A completely automated, high-throughput biodosimetry workstation has been developed by the Center for Minimally Invasive Radiation Biodosimetry at Columbia University over the past few years. To process patients' blood samples safely and reliably presents a significant challenge in the development of this biodosimetry tool. In this paper, automated failure recognition methods of robotic manipul...

The effect of soy as a natural antioxidant against flaxseed rancidity in yeast breads was tested. Variables included: control (100% bread flour); yeast bread with 15% flax meal in place of part of the total bread flour; yeast bread with 15% flax meal and 5% soy; and yeast bread with 15% flax and 10% soy. Objective and sensory tests were used to evaluate breads. Peroxide values indicated that th...

The aim of this study is to describe oral health knowledge, behaviors, and beliefs of Latino parents with children under the ages of 6 years and to conduct a needs assessment with Latino families to better understand the challenges in maintaining oral health for their children. The investigator collaborated with a community serving the organization to recruit Latino primary caregivers for focus...

Ability to predict direction of stock/index price accurately is crucial for market dealers or investors to maximize their profits. Data mining techniques have been successfully shown to generate high forecasting accuracy of stock price movement. Nowadays, in stead of a single method, traders need to use various forecasting techniques to gain multiple signals and more information about the futur...

An essential factor influencing the efficiency of the predictive models built with principal component analysis (PCA) is the quality of the data clustering revealed by the score plots. The sensitivity and selectivity of the class assignment are strongly influenced by the relative position of the clusters and by their dispersion. We are proposing a set of indicators inspired from analytical geom...

Provision of 'key workers' for disabled children and their families, working across health, education, and social services, has been recommended in the Children's National Service Framework. This study investigated the views of staff of key worker services concerning the organisation and management of the services. Interviews were carried out with key workers (N=50), managers (N=7) and members ...

How long can roasted coffee beans be stored, without reducing the typical coffee flavor which is mainly responsible for consumers' enjoyment? In Austria, most coffee packages have a best-before date between 12 and 24 months, but it is not regulated by law. Therefore, there is the need to evaluate changes in sensory qualities of coffee beverages prepared from stored coffee beans. For preparation...

A novel multi-class classification method for bacteria detection termed quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization-based kernel extreme learning machine (QPSO-KELM) based on an electronic nose (E-nose) technology is proposed in this paper. Time and frequency domain features are extracted from E-nose signals used for detecting four different classes of wounds (uninfected and infected with Staph...