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We register a re-analysis plan for the response time (RT) and accuracy data of the perceptual discrimination task reported in Emily S. Cross, Nichola Rice Cohen, Antonia F. de C. Hamilton, Richard Ramsey, George Wolford, Scott T. Grafton (2012). Physical experience leads to enhanced object perception in parietal cortex: Insights from knot tying. Neuropsychologia, 50, Issue 14, 3207-3217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.09.028.

The East Gobi Basin (EGB), which covers over 1.5 million square kilometers in southeastern Mongolia, is one of several basins in eastern China and Mongolia that was formed by extension and intracontinental rifting during the late Mesozoic. For reasons that are poorly understood, the continental lithosphere covering areas that are now known as eastern China and Mongolia underwent extension and thinning, which led to normal faulting and the creation of areas of subsidence--basis--within the continent. This study contributes to the amount of primary field data and quantitative analyses available on the Mesozoic sedimentary deposits within the EGB, focusing on the syn-rift rock units that were extensive in our particular field area. This is the first study to focus on the source rock of sandstones in the EGB. In addition, the data provide a basis for reconstructing the paleogeography and paleoenvironment of late Mesozoic rifting event. The conclusions of this study, when placed within the context of the geology of Asia, help readers to better understand rift processes and basin evolution in different parts of the world. (Contains 2 footnotes and 7 figures.)

This paper presents an approach to phenology, one based on the use of a method developed by the authors for event history data. Of specific interest is the prediction of the so-called "bloom--date" of fruit trees in the agriculture industry and it is this application which we consider, although the method is much more broadly applicable. Our approach provides sensible estimate for a parameter that interests phenologists -- Tbase, the thresholding parameter in the definition of the growing degree days (GDD). Our analysis supports scientists' empirical finding: the timing of a phenological event of a prenniel crop is related the cumulative sum of GDDs. Our prediction of future bloom--dates are quite accurate, but the predictive uncertainty is high, possibly due to our crude climate model for predicting future temperature, the time-dependent covariate in our regression model for phenological events. We found that if we can manage to get accurate prediction of future temperature, our prediction of bloom--date is more accurate and the predictive uncertainty is much lower.

This paper presents an approach to phenology, one based on the use of a method developed by the authors for event history data. Of specific interest is the prediction of the so-called "bloom--date" of fruit trees in the agriculture industry and it is this application which we consider, although the method is much more broadly applicable. Our approach provides sensible estimate for a parameter that interests phenologists -- Tbase, the thresholding parameter in the definition of the growing degree days (GDD). Our analysis supports scientists' empirical finding: the timing of a phenological event of a prenniel crop is related the cumulative sum of GDDs. Our prediction of future bloom--dates are quite accurate, but the predictive uncertainty is high, possibly due to our crude climate model for predicting future temperature, the time-dependent covariate in our regression model for phenological events. We found that if we can manage to get accurate prediction of future temperature, our prediction of bloom--date is more accurate and the predictive uncertainty is much lower.

This article is from BMJ Open , volume 4 . Abstract Objectives: To test the contraceptive confidence hypothesis in a modern context. The hypothesis is that women using effective or modern contraceptive methods have increased contraceptive confidence and hence a shorter interval between marriage and first birth than users of ineffective or traditional methods. We extend the hypothesis to incorporate the role of abortion, arguing that it acts as a substitute for contraception in the study context. Setting: Moldova, a country in South-East Europe. Moldova exhibits high use of traditional contraceptive methods and abortion compared with other European countries. Participants: Data are from a secondary analysis of the 2005 Moldovan Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative sample survey. 5377 unmarried women were selected. Primary and secondary outcome measures: The outcome measure was the interval between marriage and first birth. This was modelled using a piecewise-constant hazard regression, with abortion and contraceptive method types as primary variables along with relevant sociodemographic controls. Results: Women with high contraceptive confidence (modern method users) have a higher cumulative hazard of first birth 36 months following marriage (0.88 (0.87 to 0.89)) compared with women with low contraceptive confidence (traditional method users, cumulative hazard: 0.85 (0.84 to 0.85)). This is consistent with the contraceptive confidence hypothesis. There is a higher cumulative hazard of first birth among women with low (0.80 (0.79 to 0.80)) and moderate abortion propensities (0.76 (0.75 to 0.77)) than women with no abortion propensity (0.73 (0.72 to 0.74)) 24 months after marriage. Conclusions: Effective contraceptive use tends to increase contraceptive confidence and is associated with a shorter interval between marriage and first birth. Increased use of abortion also tends to increase contraceptive confidence and shorten birth duration, although this effect is non-linear—women with a very high use of abortion tend to have lengthy intervals between marriage and first birth.

This article is from BMJ Open , volume 4 . Abstract Objectives: To test the contraceptive confidence hypothesis in a modern context. The hypothesis is that women using effective or modern contraceptive methods have increased contraceptive confidence and hence a shorter interval between marriage and first birth than users of ineffective or traditional methods. We extend the hypothesis to incorporate the role of abortion, arguing that it acts as a substitute for contraception in the study context. Setting: Moldova, a country in South-East Europe. Moldova exhibits high use of traditional contraceptive methods and abortion compared with other European countries. Participants: Data are from a secondary analysis of the 2005 Moldovan Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative sample survey. 5377 unmarried women were selected. Primary and secondary outcome measures: The outcome measure was the interval between marriage and first birth. This was modelled using a piecewise-constant hazard regression, with abortion and contraceptive method types as primary variables along with relevant sociodemographic controls. Results: Women with high contraceptive confidence (modern method users) have a higher cumulative hazard of first birth 36 months following marriage (0.88 (0.87 to 0.89)) compared with women with low contraceptive confidence (traditional method users, cumulative hazard: 0.85 (0.84 to 0.85)). This is consistent with the contraceptive confidence hypothesis. There is a higher cumulative hazard of first birth among women with low (0.80 (0.79 to 0.80)) and moderate abortion propensities (0.76 (0.75 to 0.77)) than women with no abortion propensity (0.73 (0.72 to 0.74)) 24 months after marriage. Conclusions: Effective contraceptive use tends to increase contraceptive confidence and is associated with a shorter interval between marriage and first birth. Increased use of abortion also tends to increase contraceptive confidence and shorten birth duration, although this effect is non-linear—women with a very high use of abortion tend to have lengthy intervals between marriage and first birth.

This article is from BMJ Open , volume 4 . Abstract Objectives: To test the contraceptive confidence hypothesis in a modern context. The hypothesis is that women using effective or modern contraceptive methods have increased contraceptive confidence and hence a shorter interval between marriage and first birth than users of ineffective or traditional methods. We extend the hypothesis to incorporate the role of abortion, arguing that it acts as a substitute for contraception in the study context. Setting: Moldova, a country in South-East Europe. Moldova exhibits high use of traditional contraceptive methods and abortion compared with other European countries. Participants: Data are from a secondary analysis of the 2005 Moldovan Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative sample survey. 5377 unmarried women were selected. Primary and secondary outcome measures: The outcome measure was the interval between marriage and first birth. This was modelled using a piecewise-constant hazard regression, with abortion and contraceptive method types as primary variables along with relevant sociodemographic controls. Results: Women with high contraceptive confidence (modern method users) have a higher cumulative hazard of first birth 36 months following marriage (0.88 (0.87 to 0.89)) compared with women with low contraceptive confidence (traditional method users, cumulative hazard: 0.85 (0.84 to 0.85)). This is consistent with the contraceptive confidence hypothesis. There is a higher cumulative hazard of first birth among women with low (0.80 (0.79 to 0.80)) and moderate abortion propensities (0.76 (0.75 to 0.77)) than women with no abortion propensity (0.73 (0.72 to 0.74)) 24 months after marriage. Conclusions: Effective contraceptive use tends to increase contraceptive confidence and is associated with a shorter interval between marriage and first birth. Increased use of abortion also tends to increase contraceptive confidence and shorten birth duration, although this effect is non-linear—women with a very high use of abortion tend to have lengthy intervals between marriage and first birth.

This article is from BMJ Open , volume 4 . Abstract Objectives: To test the contraceptive confidence hypothesis in a modern context. The hypothesis is that women using effective or modern contraceptive methods have increased contraceptive confidence and hence a shorter interval between marriage and first birth than users of ineffective or traditional methods. We extend the hypothesis to incorporate the role of abortion, arguing that it acts as a substitute for contraception in the study context. Setting: Moldova, a country in South-East Europe. Moldova exhibits high use of traditional contraceptive methods and abortion compared with other European countries. Participants: Data are from a secondary analysis of the 2005 Moldovan Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative sample survey. 5377 unmarried women were selected. Primary and secondary outcome measures: The outcome measure was the interval between marriage and first birth. This was modelled using a piecewise-constant hazard regression, with abortion and contraceptive method types as primary variables along with relevant sociodemographic controls. Results: Women with high contraceptive confidence (modern method users) have a higher cumulative hazard of first birth 36 months following marriage (0.88 (0.87 to 0.89)) compared with women with low contraceptive confidence (traditional method users, cumulative hazard: 0.85 (0.84 to 0.85)). This is consistent with the contraceptive confidence hypothesis. There is a higher cumulative hazard of first birth among women with low (0.80 (0.79 to 0.80)) and moderate abortion propensities (0.76 (0.75 to 0.77)) than women with no abortion propensity (0.73 (0.72 to 0.74)) 24 months after marriage. Conclusions: Effective contraceptive use tends to increase contraceptive confidence and is associated with a shorter interval between marriage and first birth. Increased use of abortion also tends to increase contraceptive confidence and shorten birth duration, although this effect is non-linear—women with a very high use of abortion tend to have lengthy intervals between marriage and first birth.

Using a competing risks event history model this study explores the effects of differentiated forms of financial aid on the postsecondary enrollment patterns of Latino college students in Indiana. Much of the prior research on financial aid has employed cross-sectional methods, which assume that the effects of aid do not vary across time. This assumption does not match current practices and those required more nuanced techniques to consider the influence of financial aid. Knowing more about the relationships between timing of aid and academic success among Latinos has practical implications for enrollment managers and campus financial aid practitioners who can use these findings to more effectively distribute scarce resources to students. (Contains 3 figures and 8 tables.)

This study identifies individual, family, and school factors associated with student mobility. Specifically, for Grade 5 students, parents alive and school location were associated with transfer. For students in Grade 7, gender differences, levels of achievement, feelings about school, number of household tasks, distance to school, and parental habits of paying school fees were related to student mobility. Also, school location and mean number of grade repetitions for the institution are correlated with Grade 7 student mobility. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions about educational policy regarding transfer.

The theory of stochastic processes deals with systems that develop over time in accordance with probabilistic laws. The basic concepts involved in two types of continuous-time processes are the idea of a constant probability of occurrence in the point event process and the extensions necessary for the discrete state process. The required mathematical skills and technical literature in this are discussed. It is recommended that researchers responsible for collecting longitudinal data change their method from a reference point to an event history approach to item construction. The difference between the two approaches is illustrated with sample questions from two longitudinal studies sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics. (Author/PN)

The political tradition of local school governance predates the existence of the United States. Yet the most prominent mechanisms for the exercise of local discretion have evolved considerably from their colonial origins in response to the changing political climate of the nation, constituent demands, and legislative innovation. Recognizing the distinctive role of local political forces in state education policymaking, this article examines the diffusion of local governance reform as national policymakers redefined the terms of state policy leadership under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Through a discrete event history model using the complementary log-log function and cubic spline representation of time, we test the national influence and ideological distance hypotheses for charter school laws and state takeover reform. Our statistical results show clear differences in the respective number of significant determinants and explanatory power for those predicted relationships within each policy initiative. Appended are: (1) Variable Measurement and Data Sources; and (2) Descriptive Statistics. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table, and 16 notes.)