[Babase] 0.5 sexskin measurements

Karl O. Pinc kop at meme.com
Tue May 27 16:57:26 EDT 2008


On 05/27/2008 03:06:05 PM, kfenn wrote:
> Karl O. Pinc wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> How about the Mdate?  Right now we've the rule that
>>>> the sexskin measurement can't be larger than 0 before
>>>> the Mdate.  Unless I hear otherwise I'm going to leave
>>>> this in place, 0.5's will not be allowed before the Mdate.
>>>> 
>>>> This is a very academic question because the cycles begin
>>>> with an Mdate.  It's only in unusual conditions, gaps
>>>> in observation come to mind, where there will be
>>>> sexskin measurements assigned to a cycle that has an
>>>> Mdate but the measurement date will be before the Mdate.
> Karl, I think we have covered the swellings that may occur during  
> pregnancy and prior to a true puberty.  Outside of these situations,  
> if a slight swelling occurs between a female's ddate and mdate, it  
> will be assigned to the female's prior cycle, if I understand  
> correctly.

Right.

  Therefore we are never in danger of violating the "no
> swelling size allowed before a cycle's mdate"

It is possible, due to gaps in observation, but not likely.
For the most part a female is "cycling" forever once they
reach menarche.   (With some cycles "extended" by pregnancy."

  because by our
> definition of a 'cycle', there is only ever one day falling before an  
> mdate.

I'm not sure what you mean.  The day before an Mdate belongs to
the prior cycle, unless your either before menarche or after
a gap but before the first CYCPOINTS row which is a Mdate.

What complicates things is that there are at least 2 different
definitions of a cycle in Babase.  REPSTATS has one, CYCSTATS
provides details to when REPSTATS says the female is cycling,
but sexskin measurements occur at any time but are still always
assigned to a cycle.   The problem comes in (in the broad sense,
perhaps not precisely -- I've not reviewed REPSTATS) when
there's a sexskin measurement when REPSTATS says the female
is not cycling.  So, SEXSKINS has an alternate answer to the
"what is a cycle?" question.

> So... the take away message is we will allow these odd swellings  
> /after/ the ddate of a cycle but not /before/ the mdate of a cycle,  
> right?

Right-ish.  (See below vis ups vs. downs.)

> It sounds like I'm saying the same thing.

The distinction comes when there's no prior cycle due to gap or
menarche.

   However, for our
> purposes, we are making them linear with a start and end point and  
> where these mini-swellings fall within a 'cycle' makes all the  
> difference.

Yes.

There are several considerations.  The first is whether the measurement
records any swelling at all.  Another is how big the swelling is.
And yet another is whether the measurement has gone down to 0 after
having gone up to 1 or larger.  And it makes a difference where in the
cycle these things take place, before the Mdate, after the Mdate but
before the Tdate, etc.  Different things are allowed or disallowed
at different times.  For example you're not allowed to go back down to
0 after a Tdate but before a Ddate, but you can before the Tdate.
(At one point there was a requirement that
the swelling did not decrease until the Ddate was reached.  We don't
have that particular requirement any longer, but there may be other
requirements I've forgotten.)

> 
> If this makes, sense, I'll check back with Jeanne and we should be  
> able to give you the OK on everything tomorrow.

Makes sense.  You've got to review the sexskins and automatic cycle
assignment sections of the docs to tweezer out all the fine points.
REPSTATS and CYCSTATS wouldn't hurt either.

When you review note that them meaning of phrases like "greater than 0"
or "less than 1" have changed now that 0.5 is allowed.

Better now?  Or have I roiled the waters and made things
clear like mud?

> BTW, where did the cycles_sexskins view go?  Is it out of commissions  
> while these issues are being resolved?

Oops.  Fixed.

I remember I forgot to put those back, but then I forgot about
it again.

Karl <kop at meme.com>
Free Software:  "You don't pay back, you pay forward."
                  -- Robert A. Heinlein



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