Security returns are heteroscedastic both cross-sectionally and over time, which affects the accuracy of standard factor extraction methods. In order to reduce the impact of such heterogeneity and to preserve the true factor structure, this paper studies the performance of a factor extracting method based on maximizing the explanatory power of the extracted factors. The implementation of the me...

The commitment of high-level government leaders is widely recognized as a key factor in curbing national AIDS epidemics. But where does such leadership come from? This paper presents a quantitative analysis of the determinants of AIDS leadership in 54 developing countries, using the 2003 AIDS Program Effort Index "political support" score as an indicator of political commitment. Explanatory var...

background: increasing prevalence of obesity is a major health concern. lifestyle behaviors and diet play an important role in developing childhood obesity. the aim of this study was to determine the association between major dietary patterns and overweight/obesity in a group of iranian school‑aged children. methods: this cross‑sectional study was conducted in isfahan, iran with 637 elementary ...

This study aimed to clarify the dilemma of nurses working in general wards who face the ethical dilemma of restraining older people with dementia in Midwestern Japan. The study used the questionnaire method with an independently prepared questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed to ensure privacy and anonymity. The privacy and anonymity of study participants was assured. Of the 340 survey q...

The structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV; D. Wechsler, 2003a) was analyzed via confirmatory factor analysis among a national sample of 355 students referred for psychoeducational evaluation by 93 school psychologists from 35 states. The structure of the WISC-IV core battery was best represented by four first-order factors as per D. Wechsler (2003b), ...

Cognitive ability measures are often taken as explanatory variables in regression analysis, e.g., as a factor affecting a market outcome such as an individual's wage, or a decision such as an individual's education acquisition. Cognitive ability is a latent construct; its true value is unobserved. Nonetheless, researchers often assume that a test score, constructed via standard psychometric pra...

We apply a new Bayesian data analysis technique (latent process decomposition) to four recent microarray datasets for breast cancer. Compared to hierarchical cluster analysis, for example, this technique has advantages such as objective assessment of the optimal number of sample or gene clusters in the data, penalization of overcomplex models fitting to noise in the data and a common latent spa...

The present study applies explanatory style theory and the content analysis of verbatim explanation (CAVE) technique toward examining the leadership behaviors and effectiveness of key Civil War generals. The results of our study suggest that relatively optimistic explanatory styles may lead to aggressiveness and risk taking while relatively pessimistic explanatory styles may lead to passivity a...

having a comprehensive evaluation model with reliable data is useful to improve performance of supply chain. in this paper, according to the nature of supply chain, a model is presented that able to evaluate the performance of the supply chain by a network data envelopment analysis model and by using the financial, intellectual capital (knowledge base), collaboration and responsiveness factors ...