Carleton University

About: Carleton University is a education organization based out in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 15852 authors who have published 39650 publications receiving 1106610 citations.

The social, economic, and environmental importance of inland fish and fisheries

Abstract: Though reported capture fisheries are dominated by marine production, inland fish and fisheries make substantial contributions to meeting the challenges faced by individuals, society, and the envir...

A choice prediction competition: Choices from experience and from description

Abstract: Erev, Ert, and Roth organized three choice prediction competitions focused on three related choice tasks: One shot decisions from description (decisions under risk), one shot decisions from experience, and repeated decisions from experience. Each competition was based on two experimental datasets: An estimation dataset, and a competition dataset. The studies that generated the two datasets used the same methods and subject pool, and examined decision problems randomly selected from the same distribution. After collecting the experimental data to be used for estimation, the organizers posted them on the Web, together with their fit with several baseline models, and challenged other researchers to compete to predict the results of the second (competition) set of experimental sessions. Fourteen teams responded to the challenge: The last seven authors of this paper are members of the winning teams. The results highlight the robustness of the difference between decisions from description and decisions from experience. The best predictions of decisions from descriptions were obtained with a stochastic variant of prospect theory assuming that the sensitivity to the weighted values decreases with the distance between the cumulative payoff functions. The best predictions of decisions from experience were obtained with models that assume reliance on small samples. Merits and limitations of the competition method are discussed.

A neural network modeling approach to circuit optimization and statistical design

Abstract: The trend of using accurate models such as physics-based FET models, coupled with the demand for yield optimization results in a computationally challenging task. This paper presents a new approach to microwave circuit optimization and statistical design featuring neural network models at either device or circuit levels. At the device level, the neural network represents a physics-oriented FET model yet without the need to solve device physics equations repeatedly during optimization. At the circuit level, the neural network speeds up optimization by replacing repeated circuit simulations. This method is faster than direct optimization of original device and circuit models. Compared to existing polynomial or table look-up models used in analysis and optimization, the proposed approach has the capability to handle high-dimensional and highly nonlinear problems. >

Increasing crop heterogeneity enhances multitrophic diversity across agricultural regions

Abstract: Agricultural landscape homogenization has detrimental effects on biodiversity and key ecosystem services. Increasing agricultural landscape heterogeneity by increasing seminatural cover can help to mitigate biodiversity loss. However, the amount of seminatural cover is generally low and difficult to increase in many intensively managed agricultural landscapes. We hypothesized that increasing the heterogeneity of the crop mosaic itself (hereafter “crop heterogeneity”) can also have positive effects on biodiversity. In 8 contrasting regions of Europe and North America, we selected 435 landscapes along independent gradients of crop diversity and mean field size. Within each landscape, we selected 3 sampling sites in 1, 2, or 3 crop types. We sampled 7 taxa (plants, bees, butterflies, hoverflies, carabids, spiders, and birds) and calculated a synthetic index of multitrophic diversity at the landscape level. Increasing crop heterogeneity was more beneficial for multitrophic diversity than increasing seminatural cover. For instance, the effect of decreasing mean field size from 5 to 2.8 ha was as strong as the effect of increasing seminatural cover from 0.5 to 11%. Decreasing mean field size benefited multitrophic diversity even in the absence of seminatural vegetation between fields. Increasing the number of crop types sampled had a positive effect on landscape-level multitrophic diversity. However, the effect of increasing crop diversity in the landscape surrounding fields sampled depended on the amount of seminatural cover. Our study provides large-scale, multitrophic, cross-regional evidence that increasing crop heterogeneity can be an effective way to increase biodiversity in agricultural landscapes without taking land out of agricultural production.

Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Modified MMSE (3MS): A psychometric comparison and normative data.

Abstract: study, 525 community-dwelling participants, aged 65-89, were divided into 2 groups: no cognitive impairment (NCI; n - 406) and Alzheimer's disease (n = 119). Both tests yielded comparable reliability estimates. Fewer years of education decreased specificity and increased sensitivity, whereas increasing age primarily decreased specificity. It is concluded that although the 2 tests produce comparable effects, the inclusion of a verbal fluency test would increase the sensitivity of the MMSE. Normative data for the NCI group, stratified for 2 age levels (65-79 and 80-89) and 2 educational levels (0-8 and 9+ years), are presented. Folstein, Folstein, and McHugh (1975) introduced the MiniMental State Examination (MMSE) as a brief, objective assessment of cognitive functioning and as a measure of changes in cognitive status. The MMSE usually can be administered in 510 min and has been employed extensively in clinical settings, community surveys, and epidemiological studies. In a recent review of the literature, Tombaugh and Mclntyre (1992) concluded that the MMSE possessed moderate to high reliability coefficients, demonstrated high levels of sensitivity for cognitive deficits in patients suffering from moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease, and reflected the cognitive decline typical of dementia patients. Criticisms of the MMSE included (a) its failure to discriminate between people with mild dementia and those who are not demented, (b) a limited ability to detect impairment caused by focal lesions, particularly those in the right hemisphere, (c) overly simple language items that reduce sensitivity to mild linguistic deficits, and (d) a large number of false-positive errors because of its bias against individuals with low education. In response to these problems, several attempts have been made to improve the MMSE. Of these, the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS; Teng & Chui, 1987) represents the most extensive revision. Teng and Chui (1987) added four additional subtests (date and place of birth, word fluency, similarities, and delayed recall of words). The maximum score was