Bayesian Regression of Genome-wide Association Summary Statistics
Bayesian Regression of Genome-wide Association Summary Statistics
PRI Climate Change & Health Working Group
605 Oswald Tower
Thursday, April 25th ~ 2:00 pm
Speaker: Asher Rosinger
Group Lead: Brian Thiede, bct11@psu.edu
PRI Climate Change & Health Working Group
605 Oswald Tower
Thursday, April 4th ~ 2:00 pm
Speaker: Emily Pakhtigian
"Early life exposure to clean cooking transitions: Impacts on health and cognition”
Group Lead: Brian Thiede, bct11@psu.edu
Migration & Diversity Working Group
The Migration Working Group is a working group focused on migration that will promote interdisciplinary connections and collaborations.
Group Leads: Jorge Ballinas, jxb969@psu.edu and Thoa Khuu, thoa.khuu@psu.edu
Migration & Diversity Working Group
The Migration Working Group is a working group focused on migration that will promote interdisciplinary connections and collaborations.
Group Leads: Jorge Ballinas, jxb969@psu.edu and Thoa Khuu, thoa.khuu@psu.edu
Migration & Diversity Working Group
The Migration Working Group is a working group focused on migration that will promote interdisciplinary connections and collaborations.
Group Leads: Jorge Ballinas, jxb969@psu.edu and Thoa Khuu, thoa.khuu@psu.edu
Migration & Diversity Working Group
The Migration Working Group is a working group focused on migration that will promote interdisciplinary connections and collaborations.
Group Leads: Jorge Ballinas, jxb969@psu.edu and Thoa Khuu, thoa.khuu@psu.edu
Migration & Diversity Working Group
The Migration Working Group is a working group focused on migration that will promote interdisciplinary connections and collaborations.
Group Leads: Jorge Ballinas, jxb969@psu.edu and Thoa Khuu, thoa.khuu@psu.edu
Migration & Diversity Working Group
The Migration Working Group is a working group focused on migration that will promote interdisciplinary connections and collaborations.
Group Leads: Jorge Ballinas, jxb969@psu.edu and Thoa Khuu, thoa.khuu@psu.edu
PRI Postdoc Coffee
You are invited to a regular monthly "PRI Postdoc Coffee" on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 10am in Oswald 605. The purpose of the gatherings is to get to know one another, develop professional collaborations, and talk about topics relevant to your professional development.
PRI Postdoc Coffee
You are invited to a regular monthly "PRI Postdoc Coffee" on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 10am in Oswald 605. The purpose of the gatherings is to get to know one another, develop professional collaborations, and talk about topics relevant to your professional development.
PRI Postdoc Coffee
Monday, Monday April 15, 9:30 am
Oswald 605 and Zoom.
Ashton Verdery will join us to talk about engaging in productive research collaborations. Ashton is Associate Professor of Sociology, Demography, and Social Data Analytics.
Zoom: https://psu.zoom.us/j/96824835279?pwd=ajJaeUNJeldkbml4d0R0dHQxVzVSdz09
Meeting ID: 968 2483 5279
Passcode: 578289
PRI Postdoc Coffee
Monday, March 11, 2024 at 9-10am in Oswald 605.
"Developing your professional networks and attending conferences"
How do you get to know others in your field and present yourself in a professional way? This topic is good for introverts and extroverts alike! Professor and Head of Sociology & Criminology, Michelle Frisco, will be joining us for this discussion.
CANCELLED - PRI Climate Change & Health Working Group
605 Oswald Tower
Thursday, March 21st ~ 2:00 pm
Speaker: Jessica Miller
Group Lead: Brian Thiede, bct11@psu.edu
PRI Climate Change & Health Working Group
605 Oswald Tower
Thursday, March 21st ~ 2:00 pm
Speaker: Lauren Broyles
Group Lead: Brian Thiede, bct11@psu.edu
"Engaging in Implementation Science: What you need to know"
Join us for a two-hour, interactive seminar that will:
1. Seminar (1hr, hybrid). Describe the foundations of implementation science (e.g., terminology, conceptual models and frameworks, study design, implementation strategies).
2. Practice Activity (1hr, in-person only). Provide opportunities for participants to formulate practical implementation science questions that can be applied to health policy and social science research.
Dr. Crable is an implementation scientist whose research focuses on health policy, comorbid substance use and mental illness, and health equity for publicly insured, uninsured and underinsured populations.
This event is jointly hosted by the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI).
We will have a joint PROSEM/QuantDev seminar this week.
Presenter: Dr. Brendan Ostlund, Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Psychology.
Time: 12:15-1:30 pm, Wednesday, Jan 17.
Place: Chambers Room 111.
PRI Climate Change & Health Working Group
605 Oswald Tower
Thursday, February 29th ~ 2:00 pm
Richard Achia Mbih
Group Lead: Brian Thiede, bct11@psu.edu
PRI Climate Change & Health Working Group
605 Oswald Tower
Thursday, February 8th ~ 2:00 pm
Speaker: Halie Kampman
Group Lead: Brian Thiede, bct11@psu.edu
“Using Participatory Action Research to Create Transformational Youth Interventions”
The focus of the 2024 symposium will be on transformational interventions for marginalized youth, and the critical role of youths’ own voices, participation, and collaboration on research that informs, defines, and constitutes such interventions.
Click to Register Here
Featuring presentations from:
Elevate PA is a multidisciplinary initiative created to help Pennsylvania communities maximize the impact of the recent opioid settlement monies by sharing knowledge and resources, conducting research and evaluations, and coordinating projects to improve community health and safety outcomes. Dr. Brant is a member of Elevate PA's Local Evaluation Team and will present data collected from focus groups and interviews conducted around the commonwealth regarding how counties and communities are spending opioid settlement funds and how these funding decisions are being made.
PRI Population Health Working Group
Monday, April 15th ~ 11:00 am
605 Oswald Tower
Group Leads: Danielle Rhubart, dcr185@psu.edu and
Lindsay Fernandez-Rhodes, fernandez-rhodes@psu.edu
PRI Population Health Working Group
Monday, March 18th ~ 11:00 am
605 Oswald Tower
Group Leads: Danielle Rhubart, dcr185@psu.edu and
Lindsay Fernandez-Rhodes, fernandez-rhodes@psu.edu
PRI Population Health Working Group
Monday, February 19th ~ 11:00 am
605 Oswald Tower
Group Leads: Danielle Rhubart, dcr185@psu.edu and
Lindsay Fernandez-Rhodes, fernandez-rhodes@psu.edu
PRI Population Health Working Group
Monday, January 29th ~ 11:00 am
605 Oswald Tower
Cayley and Liying will be presenting on their paper
"Trends in Dementia Risk Prevalence in South Korea by Sex: The Role of Socioeconomic Factors"
Group Leads: Danielle Rhubart, dcr185@psu.edu and
Lindsay Fernandez-Rhodes, fernandez-rhodes@psu.edu
REMINDER ~~ Please mark your calendar
Human Development and Family Studies Colloquium
Faculty Candidate for Assistant Professor in HDFS
Dr. Sebrina Doyle-Fosco
Assistant Research Professor
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Penn State University
“Unpacking the black box: Understanding factors affecting implementation and outcomes of mindfulness-based programs”
Wednesday, January 10th, 2024
110 Henderson, The Living Center
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Join us for a discussion on college student mental health and flourishing being led by Stephanie Lanza, Ph.D., April 1 at noon in 110 Henderson Building and on Zoom. At this event, we will provide brief preliminary findings from the Penn State research study on College Relationships and Experiences (CORE) and describe a new initiative to support student flourishing across campus. Lunch will be provided to those registered for in-person attendance.
Join us in Washington, DC on April 8-9, 2024 and make your voice heard in support of social and behavioral science.
PRI Postdoc Coffee
We invite all PRI-affiliated postdocs to come to a meeting at 10am on January 16 in Oswald 605. Being a postdoc can sometimes feel isolating given that you are no longer embedded in a cohort of graduate students but you are not yet faculty. This event will give you an opportunity to meet other postdocs and talk about professionalization topics of interest to you. We will also talk about resources available to you through PRI. See you then!
PRI Climate Change and Health Workshop
As part of a new initiative on climate change and health (CCH), the Population Research Institute (PRI) at Penn State will hold a workshop to bring the university's population and climate scientists together to discuss ongoing and future research in the field. Participants are encouraged to share brief (2-3 minute) presentations on their CCH research, engage in open discussions, and network over lunch.
This workshop is open to Penn State faculty and graduate students. Please contact Brian Thiede (bct11@psu.edu), Associate Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography, with questions.
Please register for this event here: https://forms.office.com/r/BR9zvr98di
This event is sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Award #P2C HD041025).
The Diversity of Physician Networks in Medicare Advantage
Practical Applications of Implementation Science in Clinical and Translational Research
The Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA) invites you to join us on Monday, April 29th for our annual conference!
Please note that the conference is free for all attendees, but registration is required. We encourage people to join us in-person at the Barron Innovation Hub at the University Campus with an optional Zoom stream for both the morning and afternoon sessions. Please contact Paul Griffin, CSUA Interim Director, with any questions.
This year’s keynote speaker will be R. Lorraine Collins, Distinguished Professor, Director of the Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research from the University at Buffalo. The full day agenda is available below.
Agenda
Time | Description |
---|---|
7:45am | Sign in, breakfast with pastries and coffee |
8:30am | Welcome, Opening Remarks |
8:45am | Keynote Speaker: R. Lorraine Collins, Distinguished Professor, Director of the Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, University at Buffalo |
9:45am | Break |
10:00am | Panel Session 1: Cannabis Trends, Implications and Policy |
11:00am | Panel Session 2: Supporting Families and Friends with Addiction |
12:00pm | Lunch |
12:45pm | Poster Session |
2:15pm | Research Talks Session 1 |
3:15pm | Break |
3:30pm | Research Talks Session 2 |
4:30pm | Introduction of New CSUA Director, Closing Remarks |
4:45pm | Ice Cream Social |
Poster Session and Research Talks
We invite you to present your work on substance use and addiction during our Research Talks and Poster Session for the CSUA 5th Annual Conference on Monday April 29. We strongly encourage researchers, students, clinicians, community members and partner organizations to attend and participate in these sessions.
The Poster Session will occur from 12:45pm - 2:00pm and will include an award for best student poster. The Research Talks will be given from 2:15pm - 4:30pm. These talks will be “flash talks” and be targeted to 7 to 10 minutes in length. Lunch will be provided from 12:00-12:45, and the Social Science Research Institute will cover the cost of the poster printing. The deadline for participating in the Poster Session and/or Research Talks is Wednesday, April 3. Please email Paul Griffin, CSUA Interim Director, if you are interested.
Fundamental research on PROSPER and Communities That Care suggested that community prevention coalitions could effectively reduce adolescent substance use and other related behaviors when they implemented evidence-based programs and received technical assistance. Since then, ongoing research in the Coalition Check-Up project and Evidence2Success Framework has added to our knowledge of community coalitions, especially in the areas of coalitions’ integration of evidence-based programs and sustainability of their work.
This presentation will share some key findings across the two decades of research on these four models, sharing some examples of successes and struggles, to frame a discussion about the future of community coalitions in the prevention landscape.
This seminar is free and open to the public.
The 2024 Climate Solutions Symposium on May 14 and 15 at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. Organized by the Penn State Climate Consortium, this year’s two-day event will provide an immersive exploration of climate research and solutions. It will feature multiple opportunities to learn about the latest climate research from Penn State's renowned faculty; network with peers from across the globe; and explore innovative solutions for mitigating, adapting to and building resilience against climate change. Additionally, the symposium will offer time to forge partnerships with researchers, educators and practitioners dedicated to addressing climate change through innovation, education and engagement.
Research can help us determine the adverse health impact of changes in planetary health and clarify the causal and bidirectional relationships between planetary and cardiovascular health. Research can also assess the beneficial and unintended negative impact of health behavior and policy choices on cardiovascular and other health problems.
During this virtual workshop, experts from planetary health, climate change, social determinants of health, engineering, and cardiovascular health will discuss scientific knowledge gaps, research methods, and opportunities to improve planetary and cardiovascular health. They will cover a wide range of topics, including system thinking, environmental justice, infrastructural transformations, water systems, toxic exposures, urban design, and changes in transportation systems.
PRI Population Health Working Group
Tuesday, December 6th
605 Oswald Tower ~ 2:00-3:00 PM
Sujeong Park (30 minutes via zoom) The Small Surprising Bill: A Case of Annual Checkup.
Yiping Li (30 minutes - in person) Occupational Differences in Illicit Substance Use: Exploring Potential Pathways with NSDUH Data
Group Lead: Danielle Rhubart, dcr185@psu.edu
This will be the last meeting of the semester for the Consortium on Moral Decision-Making. Dr. Ben Jones (Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Assistant Director of the Rock Ethics Institute) will be presenting on some work on race, public safety, and policing. Next Friday's meeting will be held from 12:30-1:30pm EST in 133 Sparks Building (the Rock Ethics Institute conference room) and Zoom.
Please join us on Wednesday, January 24th for a Symposium on Rural Health Research in the Social Sciences. The goal of the event is to bring together Penn State social science faculty interested in rural health to network, share resources, and explore potential collaborations. If you are a faculty member doing work in this area or are potentially interested in doing so, we invite you to join us.
AI promises to be a powerful tool for improving biomedical research and, by extension, increasing better health outcomes for patients around the world. This event is designed to introduce Penn State clinical researchers to AI and data science methods and will connect them with experts and resources they can use to leverage AI in their work.
Progress toward NLP-assisted formative assessment feedback
Abstract:
This seminar seeks to articulate the benefit of free-response tasks and timely formative assessment feedback, a roadmap for developing human-in-the-loop natural language processing (NLP) assisted feedback, and results from a pilot study establishing proof of principle. If we are to pursue Statistics and Data Science Education across disciplines, we will surely encounter both opportunity and necessity to develop scalable solutions for pedagogical best practices. Research suggests “write-to-learn” tasks improve learning outcomes, yet constructed-response methods of formative assessment become unwieldy when class sizes grow large. In the pilot study, several short-answer tasks completed by nearly 2000 introductory tertiary statistics students were evaluated by human raters and an NLP algorithm. After briefly describing the tasks, the student contexts, the algorithm and the raters, this talk discusses the results which indicate substantial inter-rater agreement and group consensus. With compelling rater agreement, the study then examines a preliminary cluster analysis of response text as a mechanism for scalable formative assessment. The talk will conclude with recent developments building upon this pilot, as well as implications for teaching and future research.
Resources about this talk: SSRI QuantDev Seminar (mdbeckman.github.io)
Detrending Longitudinal Panel Data for Modeling of Intraindividual Variability
Abstract:
Trends typically represent systematic variations, such as developmental changes that unfold over slower time scales. These patterns of intraindividual change contrast with other more nuanced, “momentary” patterns of intraindividual variability that may be captured using popular time series models such as autoregressive models. It is well established in the time series and multilevel literature that results from fitting models of intraindividual variability might be severely biased when trends exist in the data but are not properly accounted for, or removed (i.e., “detrended). However, few guidelines exist to facilitate decisions on appropriate detrending methods for longitudinal panel data (e.g., data with T = 5).
Using a Monte Carlo simulation study, I evaluated results from fitting a multilevel autoregressive (ML-AR) model to longitudinal panel data when nonlinear trends in the form of person-specific Gompertz curves are accounted for through: (1) two-stage detrending procedures with different degrees of misspecifications of the trend component; and (2) a single-stage Bayesian structured ML-AR model that simultaneously incorporates the trends and intraindividual variability functions. Estimation results from different trend-handling approaches will be discussed, with a step-by-step illustration of ways to diagnose and handle trends using children's reading scores from the Early Children Longitudinal Study (Kindergarten Class; ECLS-K).
Model equivalences: How contrasts keep showing up in different repeated measures approaches.
Abstract:
Contrasts represent an important analytic tool in the completion of many repeated measures analytic approaches. They can represent planned comparisons or follow-up comparisons. They can be used to create dependent variables used to model change, or they can be used to create predictor variables that model the same characteristics of change. Linear combinations of simple contrasts form more complex polynomials. As such, they implicitly show up in many different approaches including repeated measures ANOVA, linear mixed model (LMM) curve analysis, and factor analytic approaches to growth curve analysis. When the same contrasts appear in different models, they create ways of considering the equivalence of different analytic approaches. Some of these equivalences will be demonstrated and ways in which they fit into a more general approach to model equivalences will be discussed.
Case Studies in Climate and Health
Not Just for Snacks: Smart Vending Machines as an Innovative Method to Address Community Health Needs and Disparities
Causal Inference Workshop: A Day of Differences
Dr. Christopher Beem (Associate Research Professor and Managing Director, McCourtney Institute for Democracy) will be presenting on work related to democratic virtues and decision-making called “Civics Education for a Serious People: 2 Proposals". This meeting builds from the last meeting, in which we convened several different researchers to discuss complementary approaches to studying political polarization, with the aim of cultivating new projects.
For more details about the Consortium — which is jointly funded by the Rock Ethics Institute, College of Liberal Arts, Social Science Research Institute, McCourtney Institute for Democracy, and Department of Philosophy, see the press release here: https://ssri.psu.edu/news/new-consortium-focus-moral-and-ethical-decision-making
To join via Zoom:
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/92310479284?pwd=NEw5a3VCNTAvZDRWV3VlK3VEektEZz09
Password: 609118
PRI Climate Change & Health Working Group
605 Oswald Tower and Zoom
Thursday, November 30th ~ 3:00 pm
Virginia Silvis will present, “Climate Change and Flooding in the Susquehanna River Watershed: An Exploratory Analysis of County Hazard Mitigation Plans.”
Group Lead: Brian Thiede, bct11@psu.edu
Participants should set up an account in the MIDUS Data Portal prior to the seminar Dr. Almeida will be giving a hands on tutorial on how to use the portal to explore the range of variables in the MIDUS.
Social Science + Engineering? Exploring New Collaborations
PRI CSA Workshop
February 27, 2024 ~ 9:00 am -1:30 pm
"Causal Inference Workshop: A Day of Differences"
110 Henderson, The Living Center
Speaker is Scott Cunningham, the Ben H. Williams Professor of Economics at Baylor University.
Registration link: https://forms.gle/xXM4Rm9pcRJ21sEq5
Community Engagement
SSRI’s mission through the lens of Penn State’s AI Hub
Initially established in response to the opioid crisis, the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CSUA) co-fund and affiliate research interests include many other substances including alcohol, e-cigarettes, tobacco, and vaping. In this hybrid SSRI Open House, we will briefly introduce CSUA and some of our co-fund research efforts beyond opioids. Co-funded faculty Eric Claus, associate professor of biobehavioral health; and Rina Eiden, professor of psychology, will introduce their research as an example. We will then have an open discussion with attendees on ways to engage with CSUA and how to improve our reach beyond our current network of faculty.
PRI Population Health Working Group
Monday, November 6th - 2:00-3:00pm
605 Oswald Tower
Group Leads: Lindsay Fernandez-Rhodes (fernandez-rhodes@psu.edu) and
Danielle Rhubart (dcr185@psu.edu)
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs announces the 16th annual postdoctoral research symposium on Friday, December 8 in Heritage Hall. The program showcases the exceptional talents of postdoctoral researchers through engaging short talks and posters, all eligible for prizes announced at the day's end. Postdoctoral research highlights will be complemented by guest speakers addressing topics such as collaboration, digital presence management, and machine learning (advanced uses of ChatGPT for scientists). Substantial time has been allocated for networking, fostering invaluable professional connections. To fuel engagement, the planning committee is pleased to offer breakfast and lunch to all who register by Monday, November 27.
Registration link here
The Penn State Community Health Equity & Engagement in Research (CHEER) team will host a session on November 15 to provide guidance to researchers around how to appropriately and sensitively complete screening when asking sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data with potential research participants.
This session will highlight how unconscious bias may surface during screening, and how an inclusive approach to study enrollment can mitigate health disparities within the LGBTQ+ community. SOGI guidance was developed through an iterative feedback process, leveraging expertise from local, regional, and national organizations, healthcare systems, and leaders throughout Clinical and Translational Science Award hubs. By eliciting expert feedback, CHEER codeveloped a comprehensive SOGI data collection form, filling an important gap of inclusivity in the consenting process. Please join us to learn more!
Effective communication: Can you learn it?
Abstract:
Yes, if you define it your way.
Perhaps, if you accept someone else’s (or a common) definition.
In the common definition there is a knowledge component and a skill component.
Knowledge can easily be acquired. For some of us, the skill may be difficult to learn.
There are a few things that have been useful for me to develop a skill of some kind.
The above statements will be briefly explained and illustrated.
The Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence will host its first-ever “Bias-a-thon,” an asynchronous four-day virtual event that aims to expose biases and confront stereotypes perpetuated by current generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion. Learn more about the event at csrai.psu.edu/bias-a-thon and by watching the event overview video.
What: Win up to $1,000 by identifying prompts that produce biased or stereotype-reinforcing outputs from popular generative AI tools.
When: Submit prompts and vote for the best anytime from Monday, November 13, to Thursday, November 16.
Where: Virtual via Microsoft Teams.
Who: All Penn State students, faculty, and staff can submit and vote for prompts. No technological expertise is needed.
Why: Generative AI tools are trained on massive amounts of data that often contain human biases, which can perpetuate stereotypes and lead to unfair treatment. Read more about the issue here.
Join us to shed light on the shortcomings of existing AI tools that will pave the way for a more inclusive and unbiased AI future!
PRI Climate Change & Health Working Group
Thursday, November 9th
605 Oswald and Zoom
The Climate Change and Health (CCH) Working Group is a new group focused on the intersection of climate change and health, and health-related social and demographic processes (e.g., migration, fertility). This group is a part of a broader set of CCH activities that are funded by a new NIH supplement to the P2C.
Group Lead: Brian Thiede, bct11@psu.edu
Robustness Checks in Modeling Intensive Longitudinal Data: Sensitivity Analysis for Missing Data.
Abstract:
In real-world empirical research, handling missing data presents a challenge due to the absence of a known ground truth, as typically available in simulation studies. Sensitivity analysis offers a method to explore the robustness of results across different strategies for addressing this missingness.
Using the TIME study's intensive longitudinal data, which tracked participants' affect and physical activity daily over a year, I employed a multilevel VAR (vector autoregressive) model. This model elucidates the reciprocal influences between daily affect and physical activity while accounting for the nested structure of the data. Given the intermediate missing data in both variables, I adopted various joint models. Each model was added to the primary VAR model based on differing assumptions about the reasons for missingness, and their influence on the primary model's results was subsequently observed.
The findings revealed that the autoregressive parameters for affect and physical activity remained stable across the different missing data assumptions. However, cross-regressions between affect and physical activity were less consistent, with outcomes varying based on the selected joint missing data model. This highlights the importance of sensitivity analysis when dealing with missing data in longitudinal studies.
James Balog, an internationally renowned photographer, Emmy Award-winning documentarian, explorer, environmentalist, and founder and president of Earth Vision Institute, will speak at a public event about his career documenting human modification of nature and his most recent film, "The Human Element."
The Penn State Eberly College of Science will host “A Time Capsule from the Anthropocene: A Conversation with James Balog” at the State Theatre at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26. The talk is intended for a broad community audience, with proceeds from the ticket sales funding a student sustainability award in the college. Tickets can be purchased at the State Theatre or online.
The film is available to view on several streaming platforms, including iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. Individuals with a Penn State ID can access the film onlinefor free.
Most media coverage of climate breakdown focuses on humans. Very little attention is paid to its effects on the millions of wild species that share the planet with us, even though most of them are far more vulnerable than us. Welz will talk about why he wrote his new book, "The End of Eden", and engage in robust discussion with the audience about the book’s vital subject. First 10 attendees will receive a free autographed copy!
Meeting Makeover 1.0: The Science and Practice of Effective Meetings
The Center for Social Data Analytics will be hosting Shawn Bauldry, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and affiliate of the Center on Aging at the Life Course at Purdue University. His talk will be held on Friday, November 3 at 12:15 p.m., in B001 Sparks (the databasement). His talk is titled: "Education Inequalities in Combined Physical and Cognitive Functioning".
Abstract: This work develops a new concept, dual functionality, that represents a combination of maintaining physical and cognitive functioning. A loss of function in either domain may compromise the ability to live independently and require additional social and economic resources. Drawing on data from the National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality Files and the Health and Retirement Study, this research estimates the prevalence of dual functionality across later stages of the life course and dual-function life expectancy for older adults with different levels of education across gender and racial-ethnic groups. Results reveal substantial education-based inequalities in the prevalence of dual functionality and dual-function life expectancies that are greater for women than men and vary across racial-ethnic groups. These findings hold significant implications for quality of life and differential burdens in caregiving and broader health care needs.
Bio: Shawn Bauldry is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and affiliate of the Center on Aging at the Life Course at Purdue University. His research focuses on the relationships between socioeconomic resources and health over the life course and across generations. In addition, he works on the development of structural equation models and other statistical models used in social science research.
Addressing contamination bias in non-randomized research on child maltreatment: A dual measurement strategy to enhance the estimation of causal effects
Abstract:
Contamination is a methodological phenomenon occurring in non-randomized research when units within a control condition receive or are exposed to the treatment under investigation. Conceptualized as measurement error, this presentation reviews the origins and prevalence of contamination in child maltreatment research as well as the impact resulting bias has on the significance and magnitude of causal effects informing public policy. A dual measurement strategy for detecting and controlling contamination will be presented and tested across two multi-wave independent cohorts, the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being-II (N=5872) and the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (N=1354), using entropy-balanced propensity score matching and synthetic control modeling frameworks. Implications for the measurement of child maltreatment and the replicability of child maltreatment effects will be discussed.
Join us for a screening of "Theater of Thought" followed by an interactive discussion about the ethical and social implications of today's rapidly-advancing neurotechnologies.
This webinar will be a self-reflection writing workshop. This workshop will allow attendees to reflect on the past webinars and their personal experiences. Grace Talusan, author and lecturer in English at Brown University, will moderate the session.
This webinar will allow various moderators to share their “Intersectional Stories”. The five moderators are POWERHOUSE artists/ activists who come from diverse and intersectional backgrounds, including Danyeli Rodrigues del Orbe, Armando Ibanez, Diana Chacon, Pages Matam and Anni Liu.
Talk Title: "The Other Side of the Crime Equation: Theorizing Victimization and Vulnerability"
Register to join via Zoom here:
https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_58CtvjKiQCSyQXgtUO5SHQ#/registration
"Dealing with Cheating in Online Surveys"
Abstract: In unsupervised online surveys, respondents can easily look up the answers to questions with correct answers, threatening the validity of a wide range of survey measures. Studying the case of political knowledge, I show that this form of "cheating" does not necessarily have a large effect on measured knowledge. Instead, its effect depends on the probability of cheating and the success rate among those who cheat relative to their true level of knowledge. When cheating is a threat, a large majority of it can either be deterred using pledges or detected using page-switching paradata. "Catch" or "trap" questions have some good properties but can also backfire by causing respondents to cheat more on subsequent questions. Based on these findings, I propose a general framework for approaching the problem of cheating in online surveys in any given substantive area.
Bio: Matt Graham is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Temple University. He studies public opinion and democratic accountability. Much of his research focuses on partisan belief differences, support for democratic values, political knowledge, and how beliefs and attitudes change in response to information. At Temple, Matt teaches quantitative methods courses (a blend of statistics and data science) at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Using NIH Supplement Grants to Promote Diversity at Penn State
Mathematical Issues in Identifying Latent Variable Models
Abstract:
Even for simple latent variable models, model identification can be a complex issue. We explore some ideas from algebraic geometry that bear on latent variable model identification to understand challenges in fitting a variety of models. We explore the distinction between generically and strictly identified models. Generically identified models may have regions of the parameter space where the model is difficult to fit, even if technically a unique mode exists. Using examples from factor analysis, latent class analysis, and latent transition analysis, we show that the problematic regions can greatly impact estimation and inference. Researchers can avoid fitting non-identified models, but may not be able to avoid finding them due to empirical under-identification.
Luke Smith, assistant research professor and environmental epidemiologist at Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute will discuss "Thunderstorms, Pollen and Severe Asthma in Minnesota 2007-2018"
PRI Population Health Working Group
Monday, Oct 9th - 2:00-3:00pm
605 Oswald Tower (Zoom for those who cannot attend in)
Louisa Holmes, Health Equity in the Built Environment: Piloting a Walkability Index in San Francisco.
Group Lead: Lindsay Fernandez-Rhodes (fernandez-rhodes@psu.edu) and Danielle Rhubart (dcr185@psu.edu)
Dr. JooYeun Chang, Program Director for Child Well-Being, Doris Duke Foundation, will facilitate a panel discussion with five child well-being scholars from across the United States. The event focuses on the complex intersections of inequality, poverty, and child welfare involvement. Topics will include the experiences of parents engaged in the child welfare system, policy and programmatic interventions to address poverty and material hardship, and the risks of child maltreatment and system involvement.
Panelists:
• Megan Feely, Associate Professor, University of Connecticut
• Kathryn Maguire-Jack, Associate Professor, University of Michigan
• Katherine Marçal, Assistant Professor, Rutgers University
• Will Schneider, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Kelley Fong, Assistant Professor, University of California Irvine
Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/c/UKCollegeofsocialwork
When the event goes live, click the “LIVE” box at the top of the screen.
Backup broadcast: https://uky.zoom.us/j/83398327531
During the event, if you have technical difficulties, please text 859-552-2093 for support.
Measurement Model Performances in Dynamic Structural Equation Models
Abstract:
Dynamic structural equation models (DSEMs), a special case of which is the multilevel dynamic factor models, are a powerful tool for analyzing intensive longitudinal data (ILD). Researchers can analyze the individual dynamics of latent factors identified with manifest indicators in DSEMs framework. Due to their versatility by integrating techniques from multilevel modeling, time series analyses, and structural equation modeling, Bayesian DSEMs are becoming increasingly popular. However, measures used in ILD studies are susceptible to measurement error due to their characteristics of data collection, underscoring the importance of psychometric soundness, such as reliability. On top of that, many applications of DSEMs utilize composite scores without accounting for measurement errors and differences in indicator quality. Therefore, the goal of this study is to provide a framework for model performances including power and sample size planning in three different DSEMs under different conditions: 1) single-indicator model without incorporating measurement error, 2) measurement model with single-indicator, and 3) measurement model with multiple indicators. In pursuit of this aim, we provide results from a Monte Carlo simulation study with four manipulated factors: sample size, the number of repeated measurement occasions, the extent of reliability, and the number of indicators in the model. Consequently, we will provide guidance on the conditions under which specific models would be suitable for use and discuss future directions.
Keywords: Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling, Measurement Error, Within-person Dynamic Process, Intensive Longitudinal Data
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Tuesday, December 5th
605 Oswald Tower ~ 12:00-1:00 PM
Mary Shenk, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Demography, and Asian Studies
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PRI Family & Gender Working Group
Wednesday, November 8th
605 Oswald Tower ~ 12:00-1:00 PM
Jorden Jackson, Graduate student in Rural Sociology and Demography
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AND
Sara Bonilla Anariba, Graduate student in Rural Sociology and Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Environment
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PRI Family & Gender Working Group
Friday, October 27th
605 Oswald Tower ~ 12:00-1:00 PM
Johabed Olvera, Assistant Professor of Public Policy
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Machine learning based suicide prediction and development of suicide vulnerability index for US counties
Suicide is a growing public health concern in the United States. A detailed understanding and prediction of suicide patterns can significantly boost targeted suicide control and prevention efforts. In this work we look at the suicide trends and geographical distribution of suicides and then develop a machine learning based US county-level suicide prediction model, using publicly available data for the 10-year period from 2010–2019. Analysis of the trends and geographical distribution of suicides revealed that nearly 25% of the total counties experienced at least a 10% increase in suicides from 2010 to 2019, with about 12% of total counties exhibiting an increase of at least 50%. An eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) based machine learning model was used with 17 unique features for each of the 3140 counties in the US to predict suicides with an R2 value of 0.98. Using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values, the importance of all the 17 features used in the prediction model training set were identified. County level features, namely Total Population, % African American Population, % White Population, Median Age and % Female Population were found to be the top 5 important features that significantly affected prediction results. The top five important features based on SHAP values were then used to create a Suicide Vulnerability Index (SVI) for US Counties. This newly developed SVI has the potential to detect US counties vulnerable to high suicide rates and can aid targeted suicide control and prevention efforts, thereby making it a valuable tool in an informed decision-making process.