Besides being the foundational material for microelectronics, crystalline silicon has long been used for the production of infrared lenses and mirrors. More recently, silicon has become the key material to achieve large-scale integration of photonic devices for on-chip optical interconnect and signal processing. For optics, silicon has significant advantages: it offers a very high refractive in...

This article deals with the problem of interpreting health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcomes in clinical trials. First, we will briefly describe how dichotomization and item response theory can facilitate interpretation. Based on examples from the medical literature for the interpretation of HRQL scores we will show that dichotomies may help clinicians understand information provided by H...

We conducted a statistical analysis of several subsets of words from the Hoosier Mental Lexicon in order to examine some factors underlying the subjective familiarity ratings collected by Nusbaum, Pisoni, and Davis (1984). In this analysis, we grouped words into High-FAM (average familiarity rating greater than 6 on a 7-point scale), Mid-FAM (between 4.5 and 3.5), or Low-FAM (less than 2) sets,...

BACKGROUND A previous study has documented the reliability and validity of the Treatment Satisfaction with Medicines Questionnaire (SATMED-Q) in exploring patient satisfaction with medicines for chronic health conditions in routine medical practice, but the minimally important difference (MID) of this tool is as yet unknown. The objective of this research was to estimate the MID for the SATMED-...

AIM To determine minimally important differences (MIDs) for scales in the first version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). METHODS Data were taken from two separate studies: a national population survey (N = 1062), and an intervention study at 14 workplaces (N = 1505). On the basis of the population survey, the MID for each COPSOQ scale was calculated as one-half of a stan...

We compare the amount of magnetic flux measured in Stokes V and Stokes I in a sample of earlyand mid-M stars around the boundary to full convection (∼M3.5). Early-M stars possess a radiative core, mid-M stars are fully convective. While Stokes V is sensitive to the net polarity of magnetic flux arising mainly from large-scale configurations, Stokes I measurements can see the total mean flux. We...

Based on nonlinear prediction and information theory, vertical heterogeneity of predictability and information loss rate in geopotential height filed was obtained over the Northern Hemisphere. In seasonal to interannual time scales, the predictability is low in lower troposphere and high in mid-upper troposphere. But within mid-upper troposphere over the subtropics in some ocean area there is a...

OBJECTIVE To estimate responsiveness (sensitivity to change) and minimally important difference (MID) for the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) 20-item physical functioning scale (PROMIS PF-20). METHODS The PROMIS PF-20, short form 36 (SF-36) physical functioning scale, and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) were administered at baseline, and 6 and 12 months...

BACKGROUND The minimal important difference (MID) is essential for interpreting the results of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Despite a number of RCTs in patients with malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) which use the visual analogue scale for dyspnea (VASD) as an outcome measure, the MID has not been established. METHODS Patients with suspected MPE undergoing a pleural procedure recorde...

To help the prospective observer take full advantage of the mid-IR capability of Gemini South, we characterize a key aspect of the mid-IR performance of the 8-meter telescope at Gemini-S, namely, the appearance and stability of its delivered mid-IR image profiles, with the goal of demonstrating that it can be used with a level of precision not used before. About 2000 images obtained with T-ReCS...