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An ongoing question in capability research is how to incorporate the value of freedom into the measurement of inequality. This article proposes an approach to answering this question in the housing domain and its operationalisation. The approach places an evaluation focus to the conditions constraining or expanding housing choices in the dimensions of opportunity, security, and ability. For operationalisation, the study designed a measurement of multidimensional housing disadvantages (MHDs) using the Alkire-Foster method and data from the Netherlands. Indicators include the entitlement to housing tenure options, vulnerability in housing cost payments, and ability to plan finance for housing. The measurement outcome demonstrates that the MHDs measurement can provide information on whose housing choices are more intensely constrained, thus having a lower capability for housing, and whose current housing situation is likely a result of coerced choices. The findings indicate that adults living with housemates or family (latent households), youths, and those with precarious jobs have a significantly lower capability for housing compared to other population groups. This article also compares the freedom-oriented measure of MHDs with functioning-oriented and other conventional measures and discusses its distinguishing properties. This comparison suggests a need to revisit current policy priorities in addressing housing inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we develop the Participatory Index of Women's Empowerment, an innovative measurement tool that reflects its subjects' own perceptions of empowerment. Participatory measurement is a response to the paradoxical potential for measurement of empowerment to disempower. A simple stated choice experiment allows participants to implicitly reveal the trade-offs that they make between different indicators of empowerment. This permits participatory determination of the relative weights for each indicator in a composite index, through estimation of a random utility model. We demonstrate the implementation of PIWE through a pilot application in the context of a quasi-experimental impact evaluation of an Oxfam project in Tunisia. Despite a relatively small sample size, we can reject the hypothesis that participants' perceptions of empowerment are consistent with equal weights. We find that the project had a significant positive impact on participants' empowerment and find suggestive evidence of impact on their perceptions of empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Accurate and reproducible measurements of the pediatric airway are critical for diagnostic evaluation and management of subglottic and tracheal stenosis. The endoluminal functional lumen imaging probe (EndoFLIP) is a catheter‐based imaging probe which utilizes impedance planimetry to calculate luminal parameters, including cross‐sectional area and compliance. Herein, we demonstrate the feasibility of this system for multidimensional evaluation of the pediatric airway. Methods: 3D‐printed pediatric laryngotracheal models were created based on computed tomography scans, then artificially deformed to simulate both circumferential and posterior subglottic stenosis. Two observers made six measurements of the minimum cross‐sectional area (MCSA) and length of stenosis of each model with EndoFLIP. Agreement between observer measurements and model dimensions was evaluated using Lin's concordance correlation coefficient; inter‐observer reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation. Results: Four models were created: two without pathology (MCSA: 132.4, 44.3 mm2) and two with subglottic stenosis (MCSA: 28.7, 59.7 mm2, stenotic length 27.8, 24.4 mm). Observer measurements of MCSA and length of stenosis demonstrated high concordance with the models (r = 0.99, 0.95, p < 0.001) with a mean error of 4.5% and 18.2% respectively. There was a low coefficient of variation (0.6%–2.8%) for measurements, indicating high precision. Interrater reliability was high for both MCSA and stenotic length (ICC: 0.99, 0.98). Conclusions: The EndoFLIP system allows for accurate and reproducible measurements of cross‐sectional area and stenotic length in pediatric airway models. This method may provide further advantages in the evaluation of airway distensibility, as well as measurements of asymmetric airway pathology. Level of Evidence: NA Laryngoscope, 134:108–112, 2024 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goodness-of-fit of the unidimensional monotone latent variable model can be assessed using the empirical conditions of nonnegative correlations (Mokken in A theory and procedure of scale-analysis, Mouton, The Hague, 1971), manifest monotonicity (Junker in Ann Stat 21:1359–1378, 1993), multivariate total positivity of order 2 (Bartolucci and Forcina in Ann Stat 28:1206–1218, 2000), and nonnegative partial correlations (Ellis in Psychometrika 79:303–316, 2014). We show that multidimensional monotone factor models with independent factors also imply these empirical conditions; therefore, the conditions are insensitive to multidimensionality. Conditional association (Rosenbaum in Psychometrika 49(3):425–435, 1984) can detect multidimensionality, but tests of it (De Gooijer and Yuan in Comput Stat Data Anal 55:34–44, 2011) are usually not feasible for realistic numbers of items. The only existing feasible test procedures that can reveal multidimensionality are Rosenbaum's (Psychometrika 49(3):425–435, 1984) Case 2 and Case 5, which test the covariance of two items or two subtests conditionally on the unweighted sum of the other items. We improve this procedure by conditioning on a weighted sum of the other items. The weights are estimated in a training sample from a linear regression analysis. Simulations show that the Type I error rate is under control and that, for large samples, the power is higher if one dimension is more important than the other or if there is a third dimension. In small samples and with two equally important dimensions, using the unweighted sum yields greater power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Cuba, the treatment of vulnerabilities in the population takes on a new tone in the current conditions. To address this social phenomenon, it is necessary to implement a methodological tool of proven effectiveness worldwide, such as the multidimensional measurement of poverty. This paper aims to explain the characteristics of multidimensional poverty measurement as a tool for improving government attention to vulnerabilities from public policies. The proposal of an Observatory as a way to achieve this task. Among the results of the work are: the elaboration of an instrument for the registration of socioeconomic information in the homes of the municipality, the formation of capacities in institutions and the municipal government, the development of a mobile application and a computer software for capturing, transmission, processing and dissemination of data collected at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of particle ensembles are defined by a complex multidimensional parameter space, namely particle size, shape, surface, structure, composition and their distributions. Macroscopic product properties are a direct result of these disperse particle properties. Therefore, the comprehensive multidimensional characterization of particle ensembles is a key task in any product design. However, the determination of complex property distributions is major challenge. We provide a broad overview of the current tools for multidimensional particle characterization. First, the mathematical handling of multidimensional (nD) property distribution is outlined as a necessary framework for the correct handling of nD particle size distributions (PSDs). Then, well-established techniques as well as recent developments with the potential to extract nD property distributions are reviewed. Ex situ imaging techniques like electron tomography or Raman spectroscopy with AFM co-localization, for instance, provide a resolution on the level of single particles but are limited in terms of sample statistics. A particular focus lies therefore on methods in the gas and the liquid phase, which provide multidimensional particle properties either directly or by a combination of one-dimensional techniques.

Financial inclusion is a central theme in development policy. While it involves changes at the individual level and comprises several interrelated financial activities, most existing measures rely on macroeconomic variables. We construct an alternative index of financial inclusion using the World Bank Findex—a microdata dataset with 451,372 observations. Applying it, we first analyse the socio‐economic determinants of financial inclusion. Second, we propose a new country ranking of financial inclusion. Our findings comprise three features. First, we do not find evidence of a gender gap in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Second, richer individuals display higher levels of financial inclusion. Third, countries with high self‐employment rates exhibit lower levels of financial inclusion. Our results suggest that financial inclusion is more related to income and employment status than gender disparities, which could lead to a different approach from policymakers on promoting the inclusion of the poor into the formal financial system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of particle ensembles are defined by a complex multidimensional parameter space, namely particle size, shape, surface, structure, composition and their distributions. Macroscopic product properties are a direct result of these disperse particle properties. Therefore, the comprehensive multidimensional characterization of particle ensembles is a key task in any product design. However, the determination of complex property distributions is major challenge. We provide a broad overview of the current tools for multidimensional particle characterization. First, the mathematical handling of multidimensional (nD) property distribution is outlined as a necessary framework for the correct handling of nD particle size distributions (PSDs). Then, well-established techniques as well as recent developments with the potential to extract nD property distributions are reviewed. Exsitu imaging techniques like electron tomography or Raman spectroscopy with AFM co-localization, for instance, provide a resolution on the level of single particles but are limited in terms of sample statistics. A particular focus lies therefore on methods in the gas and the liquid phase, which provide multidimensional particle properties either directly or by a combination of one-dimensional techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to extend the German multidimensional measurement (KIM) to assess participants’ subjective experience related to a target activity. This device consists of: one dimension with three items to test experience-based hypothesising and four dimensions to test intrinsic motivation. The data was gathered in Austria in 2017/18 in various primary schools (age=10 years, n= 677) after an inquiry-based learning lesson. The EFA revealed 15 items were loading on five factors. The reliability (Cronbach‘s α = .813 and Guttmann split-half coefficient = .834) and the validity (χ2(80) = 123.997; RMSEA = .0029 (90% CI = .018-.0038); CFI = .986; TLI = .982; SRMR = .029) proved significantly a good model fit. The six dimensional questionnaire EKIM can be used to test intrinsic motivation and when engaged in inquiry-based learning in primary schools.

The study applies the fuzzy approach to measuring material deprivation from a multidimensional perspective. By taking into account the intensity of deprivation this approach goes beyond the conventional research using the deprived/non-deprived dichotomy. The study is based on the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions data including a set of nine-item material deprivation indicators adopted by all European Union countries. In order to examine the effects of social reforms introduced by the Polish government in 2016, it focuses on the situation of Polish households in 2015 and 2017. The study aims to identify correlates of material deprivation in Poland using the zero-inflated beta regression model. This model enables to understand the mechanisms behind the risk and the intensity of material deprivation. Moreover, the study provides evidence that households with at least three children experienced meaningful improvement during the studied period. This is probably due to the introduction of the 'Family 500+' programme supporting mainly large families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy indicators rarely account for the contribution of societal inter- and intra-personal interactions to economic development. We propose an index of multidimensional Human Recognition Deprivation (HRD), which measures to what extent individuals (e.g., women) are viewed and valued as human beings. Based on Castleman's Theory of Human Recognition and Economic Development, we employ the Alkire-Foster method of multidimensional poverty counting to construct a HRD index. The Index is based on indicators of humiliation, dehumanization, violence, and lack of autonomy within three domains of interaction namely: the self, household, and community domains. Similar to multidimensional poverty, we extract the deprivation headcount ratio, deprivation intensity, and the overall deprivation index. The Alkire-Foster method allows us to identify human recognition deprivation within and across domains of interaction. The methodology has a range of robust properties including decomposing by domains and sub-groups (e.g., female farmers and off-farm women). As a policy tool, it allows policy investigators to set different domain cut-offs and weights to identify crucial policy fields and populations for intervention. We develop the index for women using data from Malawi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The pro-WEAI is a new tool designed to meet projects' impact assessment needs. • Projects identified and field-tested pro-WEAI indicators using mixed methods. • Pro-WEAI is mapped to 3 domains: intrinsic, instrumental, and collective agency. • Pro-WEAI is decomposable into sub-indices, indicators, and by population subgroup. • Women are more disempowered and have a higher intensity of disempowerment than men. With growing commitment to women's empowerment by agricultural development agencies, sound methods and indicators to measure women's empowerment are needed to learn which types of projects or project-implementation strategies do and do not work to empower women. The Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), which has been widely used, requires adaptation to meet the need for monitoring projects and assessing their impacts. In this paper, the authors describe the adaptation and validation of a project-level WEAI (or pro-WEAI) that agricultural development projects can use to identify key areas of women's (and men's) disempowerment, design appropriate strategies to address identified deficiencies, and monitor project outcomes related to women's empowerment. The 12 pro-WEAI indicators are mapped to three domains: intrinsic agency (power within), instrumental agency (power to), and collective agency (power with). A gender parity index compares the empowerment scores of men and women in the same household. The authors describe the development of pro-WEAI, including: (1) pro-WEAI's distinctiveness from other versions of the WEAI; (2) the process of piloting pro-WEAI in 13 agricultural development projects during the Gender, Agriculture, and Assets Project, phase 2 (GAAP2); (3) analysis of quantitative data from the GAAP2 projects, including intrahousehold patterns of empowerment/disempowerment; and (4) a summary of the findings from the qualitative work exploring concepts of women's empowerment in the project sites. The paper concludes with a discussion of lessons learned from pro-WEAI and possibilities for further development of empowerment metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, child growth monitoring has been performed by measuring anthropometric indicators and comparing them against universal standards. Since the 1970s various efforts have been made to expand the focus from anthropometric indicators and include broader contextual and structural factors that influence children's growth. However, those efforts have so far not led to changes in the dimensions that are taken into account in child growth monitoring. In this paper we introduce the Capability Approach asan evaluative framework for growth monitoring of children under five years old. Applying the CA helps focusing on what children are able to achieve by analyzing their available resources (endowments), as well as the mechanisms that could enhance or restrict their access to those resources (conversion factors). In addition, children's growth could be assessed alongside the caregivers' capabilities that children rely on to achieve their full growth potential. We present a child growth evaluation framework as well as a matrix, which has different categories of dimensions that interact with each other and ultimately shape children's growth. The framework is a flexible tool, and is thus broad enough to accommodate contextual differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's Mexico, more than half of the population lives in a state of precariousness. This reality highlights the dilemma between maintaining a traditional scheme of poverty reduction which assumes that human needs can be solved economically, with only limited success, or promoting a contemporary model of subjective well‐being that has not yet proven its effectiveness. The main test facing both approaches is operational, hence agreeing on a method of identification and aggregation of the affected population is a key element for designing public policies that can sustain true well‐being; a second aspect has to do with the coherence between theoretical ground and methodological design. Either way, measurement of well‐being and identification of human needs pose an important challenge for public policies in Mexico, where poverty has been consistently underestimated. Thus, there is an urgent need for rethinking the social model of public policy in favor of a pro‐poor vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Assessing potential disruptiveness of innovations is an important but challenging task for incumbents. However, the extant literature focuses only on technological and marketplace aspects, and most of the documented methods tend to be case specific. In this study, we present a multidimensional measurement framework to assess the disruptive potential of product innovations. The framework is designed based on the concept that the nature of disruptive innovations is multidimensional. Three aspects are considered, i.e., technological features, marketplace dynamics and external environment. Ten indicators of the three categories are proposed and then connected based on the conceptual and literature analysis. Three innovations, namely, WeChat (successful), Modularised Mobile Phone (failed) and Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (ongoing), are selected as case studies. A panel of industrial experts with PhD degree in engineering is surveyed. The survey results are calculated and analysed according to the framework and then compared against the developments of the innovations. We also check the robustness of this framework by surveying other groups of people, and the results are nearly identical to the previous findings. This study enables a systematic assessment of disruptive potential of innovations using the framework, providing insights for decisions in product launch and resource allocation. Highlights • We construct a quantitative framework for measuring disruptive potential. • Three aspects included in the framework: technological, marketplace and environment. • Internal connectivity of the indicators are exploited and verified in the survey. • Success of WeChat and failure of modularised mobile phone are well explained. • Capturing some niche markets could fulfil the disruptive potential of VR/AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumption of meat is important for the human being, due to the protein benefits of high biological value that this food contains. In addition to income there are other variables such as social deprivation, which also determine the consumption of meat. Identifying meat consumers in economic groups will help to understand the relationship between income and social deprivation with the consumption of this good. In July of 2014, an exploratory survey was conducted with a sample of 429 Mexican families the data are of a mixed nature, supported by a questionnaire of 43 questions, of which 20 were designed under the methodology of multidimensional measurement of poverty of the CONEVAL, in order to detect the index of social deprivation of the consumers surveyed. An F test was applied to check homogeneity of variances in the weekly consumption of meat of the three economic groups detected (vulnerable due to social deprivation, moderate multidimensional poor and extreme multidimensional poor). Finally, the Student's T test was carried out to check whether there is a difference in meat consumption between the three economic groups. The results showed that there is indeed a difference in consumption for beef, pork and chicken between the vulnerable group due to social deprivation and extreme multidimensional poverty with a t of 2.8254, 2.686 and 2.2367 respectively. Therefore, it is concluded that, in effect, social deprivation and income directly influence the weekly consumption of meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One regularity condition for the classical Cramér–Rao lower bound (CRLB) of an unbiased estimator to hold—that the support of the likelihood function (LF) should be independent of the parameter to be estimated—has recently been relaxed to the case of parameter-dependent support as long as the LF is continuous at the boundary of its support. For the case where the LF is not continuous on the boundary of its support, a new modified CRLB—designated the Cramér–Rao–Leibniz lower bound (CRLLB) as it relies on the Leibniz integral rule—has also been presented for the scalar parameter case. The present work derives the multidimensional CRLLB for the case of LF with parameter-dependent support by applying the general Leibniz integral rule to complete the framework of the CRLLB. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study sought to empirically develop a theoretically grounded multidimensional measure of child wellbeing (CWB) for research with at-risk families. The World Health Organization and UNICEF call for a multidimensional construct of child wellbeing, incorporating factors known to impact wellbeing (e.g., access to healthcare, childhood maltreatment, the incarceration of one's primary caregiver). We analyzed data from the Fragile Families study in two separate steps: 1) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted at each time point utilizing theoretically grounded multidimensional indicator of wellbeing available in the dataset, and 2) two-sample t -tests and one-way ANOVAs, by sex and race/ethnicity, were conducted at each time point examining potential variation in wellbeing. The current measure of CWB included the following domains: material wellbeing, relationships, health and behavioral wellbeing, and environmental enrichment. CFA results revealed acceptable to excellent fit based on multiple fit indices (e.g., CFI, RMSEA). Our CWB measure did not significantly vary by sex but did differ by race at each wave. Non-Hispanic white participants consistently demonstrated the highest CWB, while non-Hispanic black children consistently demonstrated the lowest CWB. This study resulted in the creation a new multidimensional measure of CWB not previously available in the Fragile Families data. The measure developed in this study will allow prevention scientists to further examine the myriad of factors related to child wellbeing in this robust national dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A four-dimensional index for patent technological value (PTV) were proposed from the standpoint of patented technology diffusion. • Six internal factors (intrinsic and evolutionary) from the patent citation, technology scope, application, and innovation degree can affect PTV in varying degree. • The reason for the uncorrelated relationship between forward citation and patent legal lifetime is because they respectively act on different patent value dimensions and have different effect directions. • High degree of innovation does not mean absolutely high technological value and incremental innovations are more conducive to the dissemination, learning, and utilization of patented technologies. Elucidating and prejudging the patent technological value (PTV) is an important issue in the field of technology innovation and Patentometrics. However, most studies adopt a static perspective to define and evaluate it according to forward citations (FC), which disregards the time attribute and evolution process and may cause some contradictions or ambiguities among findings. Through combing the time and number attributes of FC, this study recommends a four-dimensional index (technology lifetime, strength, breadth, and dispersion) from the standpoint of patented technology diffusion, a dynamic evolution process. By considering patent data from three technology fields - graphene, information and communication, bio-medicine - as samples, we examine the multidimensional characteristics of PTV and further adopt Cox and multiple regression analysis to determine its influential factors. The finding shows that PTV is multi-dimensional and the four-dimensional index is helpful to explain the differentiation effects of different influential factors. Furthermore, six internal factors (intrinsic and evolutionary) that influence PTV in varying degree are identified and verified. Specially, as for intrinsic factors, only backward citation influences all four-dimensional index with a positive impact on technology lifetime and strength, and negative impact on breadth and dispersion. Technology field can negatively affect strength and breadth, but positively affect dispersion. Delivery term can only affect technology lifetime negatively. As for evolutionary factors, patent legal lifetime influences all four-dimensional index with a negative impact on technology lifetime and strength, and positive impact on breadth and dispersion. Forward citation exerts a positive impact on breadth and strength while a negative impact on technology lifetime and dispersion. Transfer number exerts a positive impact on technology lifetime, but a negative influence on dispersion. This study not only offers a four-dimensional index to signify the technological value of a patent, but construes the contradictions or ambiguities about the relationships between the influential factors and PTV. Besides, the influential factor model is also helpful to prejudge the technological value of patents at different stages after the granting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large cities in developing countries such as China are increasingly experiencing urban sprawl. Urban sprawl in Chinese cities has resulted in overwhelming problems, such as inefficient use of urban land, loss of farmland, and environmental degradation, all of which pose challenges to urban sustainability. To investigate urban sprawl in the Chinese context, seven large cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt were compared. An integrated framework combining single-indicator and multidimensional-indicator measurements was employed to quantify the magnitude of sprawl. Urban spatial expansion was determined by spatially simulating the built-up area for each city based on DMSP/OLS nighttime light data, population census, and statistical data in 1992, 2000, and 2010. The single-indicator measurement employed a comprehensive metric of growth ratio to represent the mismatch of land expansion and population growth. Multidimensional measurement was composed of three key dimensions of sprawl, namely, low density, discontinuity of land use, and poor accessibility. In most cases, results of the single-indicator measurement were generally consistent with the results of the multidimensional measurement. The case study demonstrated the applicability of the new measurement framework in quantifying sprawl. The major features of sprawl, policy implications, and usage of methods were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of the present paper are to explore how traditional gender roles (focusing mainly on attitudes towards the division of labour between men and women) relate to social cohesion and to examine whether this relationship differs among men and women. The multi-dimensional concept of social cohesion is measured by two general components: a behavioural dimension (consisting of civic and political participation and the intensity of non-kin social relations) and an attitudinal dimension (institutional trust and solidarity). The analysis, based on the data of the European Values Study from Luxembourg, reveals that being more traditional is related to higher attitudinal cohesion: i.e. higher institutional trust and solidarity. Conversely, traditional attitudes are associated with less cohesive behaviour, namely with a lower intensity of non-kin social relations and political participation. Tradition-oriented women show significantly lower levels of political participation than their male counterparts, whereas traditional men tend to demonstrate less solidarity than women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Automatic face recognition involves decisions based on face measurement results. [•] Possible improvements may arise from investigating the reliable human face recognition process. [•] An investigation of perception of similarity among faces, focused on two recognition procedures is presented. [•] Original methods are applied to direct measurement of perceptual quantities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) measures the empowerment, agency, and inclusion of women in the agricultural sector and comprises two subindexes. The first assesses empowerment of women in five domains, including (1) decisions about agricultural production, (2) access to and decisionmaking power about productive resources, (3) control of use of income, (4) leadership in the community, and (5) time allocation. The second subindex measures the percentage of women whose achievements are at least as high as men in their households and, for women lacking parity, the relative empowerment gap with respect to the male in their household. This article documents the development of the WEAI and presents pilot findings from Bangladesh, Guatemala, and Uganda. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article suggests multidimensional affluence measures for the top of the distribution. In contrast to commonly used top income shares, they allow the analysis of the extent, intensity and breadth of affluence in several dimensions within a common framework. We illustrate this by analysing the role of income and wealth as dimensions of multidimensional well-being in Germany and the US in 2007 as well as for the US over the period 1989-2007. We find distinct country differences with the country ranking depending on the measure. While in Germany wealth predominantly contributes to the intensity of affluence, income is more important in the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]