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Background: In drug development, few molecules from a large pool of early candidates become successful medicines after demonstrating a favourable benefit-risk ratio. Many decisions are made along the way to continue or stop the development of a molecule. The probability of pharmacological success, or PoPS, is a tool for informing early-stage decisions based on benefit and risk data available at the time. Results: The PoPS is the probability that most patients can achieve adequate pharmacology for the intended indication while minimising the number of subjects exposed to safety risk. This probability is usually a function of dose; hence its computation typically requires exposure–response models for pharmacology and safety. The levels of adequate pharmacology and acceptable risk must be specified. The uncertainties in these levels, in the exposure–response relationships, and in relevant translation all need to be identified. Several examples of different indications are used to illustrate how this approach can facilitate molecule progression decisions for preclinical and early clinical development. The examples show that PoPS assessment is an effective mechanism for integrating multi-source data, identifying knowledge gaps, and forcing transparency of assumptions. With its application, translational modelling becomes more meaningful and dose prediction more rigorous. Its successful implementation calls for early planning, sound understanding of the disease-drug system, and cross-discipline collaboration. Furthermore, the PoPS evolves as relevant knowledge grows. Conclusion: The PoPS is a powerful evidence-based framework to formally capture multiple uncertainties into a single probability term for assessing benefit-risk ratio. In GSK, it is now expected for governance review at all early-phase decision gates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Since the inception of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System in 1991, all surveys have been conducted in schools, using paper and pencil instruments (PAPI). For the 2019 YRBSS, sites were offered the opportunity to conduct their surveys using electronic data collection. This study aimed to determine whether differences in select metrics existed between students who completed the survey electronically versus using PAPI. METHODS: Thirty risk behaviors were examined in this study. Data completeness, response rates and bivariate comparisons of risk behavior prevalence between administration modes were examined. RESULTS: Twenty‐nine of 30 questions examined had more complete responses among students using electronic surveys. Small differences were found for student and school response rates between modes. Twenty‐five of 30 adolescent risk behaviors showed no mode effect. CONCLUSIONS: Seven of 44 states and DC participated electronically. Because survey data were more complete; school and student response rates were consistent; and minor differences existed in risk behaviors between modes, the acceptability of collecting data electronically was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R.A. Fisher's 1922 paper On the dominance ratio has a strong claim to be the foundation paper for modern population genetics. It greatly influenced subsequent work by Haldane and Wright, and contributed 3 major innovations to the study of evolution at the genetic level. First, the introduction of a general model of selection at a single locus, which showed how variability could be maintained by heterozygote advantage. Second, the use of the branching process approach to show that a beneficial mutation has a substantial chance of loss from the population, even when the population size is extremely large. Third, the invention of the concept of a probability distribution of allele frequency, caused by random sampling of allele frequencies due to finite population size, and the first use of a diffusion equation to investigate the properties of such a distribution. Although Fisher was motivated by an inference that later turned out to lack strong empirical support (a substantial contribution of dominance to quantitative trait variability), and his use of a diffusion equation was marred by a technical mistake, the paper introduced concepts and methods that pervade much subsequent work in population genetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposed a collaborative topic regression model based on the preference for frequent topic sets to address the item-cold-start problem in academic paper recommendation. The algorithm took into account the user' s preference for research hotspots when selected academic papers, and used frequent topic sets to represent research hotspots. So, it expressed user' s preference for research hotspots as the user's preference for frequent topic sets. Firstly, it obtained the papers-topic probability distribution matrix through LDA algorithm and filter out the topics with higher probability. Then, the algorithm mined the frequently-occurring topic sets and gets the relationships between papers and frequent topic sets. Finally, it used the user's preference for frequent topic sets for the prediction of unknown scores. Experiments on CiteULike datasets show that the algorithm improves the recall, accuracy and RMSE over the matrix factorization model and the collaborative topic regression model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperation among kin is common in animal societies. Kin groups may form by individuals directly discriminating relatives based on kin recognition cues, or form passively through natal philopatry and limited dispersal. We describe the genetic landscape for a primitively eusocial wasp, Polistes dominula, and ask whether individuals choose cooperative partners that are nearby and/or that are genetic relatives. Firstly, we genotyped an entire sub-population of 1361 wasps and found genetic structuring on an extremely fine scale: the probability of finding genetic relatives decreases exponentially within just a few meters of an individual’s nest. At the same time, however, we found a lack of genetic structuring between natural nest aggregations within the population. Secondly, in a separate dataset where ~2000 wasps were genotyped, we show that wasps forced experimentally to make a new nest choice tended to choose new nests near to their original nests, and that these nests tended to contain some full sisters. However, a significant fraction of wasps chose nests that did not contain sisters, despite sisters being present in nearby nests. Although we cannot rule out a role for direct kin recognition or natal nest-mate recognition, our data suggest that kin groups may form via a philopatric rule-of-thumb, whereby wasps simply select groups and nesting sites that are nearby. The result is that most subordinate helpers obtain indirect fitness benefits by breeding cooperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper the authors proved a nonuniform local limit theorem concerning normal approximation of the point probabilities P (S = k) when S = ∑ i = 1 n X i and X 1 , X 2 , ... , X n are independent Bernoulli random variables that may have different success probabilities. However, their main result contained an undetermined constant, somewhat limiting its applicability. In this paper we give a nonuniform bound in the same setting but with explicit constants. Our proof uses Stein's method and, in particular, the K-function and concentration inequality approaches. We also prove a new uniform local limit theorem for Poisson binomial random variables that is used to help simplify the proof in the nonuniform case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to use the residual strength theory to study the probability of a domino effect accident occurring following the explosion of a spherical tank. We build a novel domino effect accident probability model, using Monte Carlo methods to simulate the ejection of debris. At the same time, the velocity and velocity distribution of fragments ejecting from the upper and lower parts of the explosive spherical tank are obtained. Finally, the relationship between the volume of the exploding spherical tank and the target, the crater Angle (ψ0 and ϕ0) of debris impacting the target, the probability of target destruction and the risk of domino effect accidents are considered. The results show that the maximum speed of debris from the lower part of a spherical tank exceeds that from its upper part, and the hazard associated with the debris from the lower part cannot be ignored. With the same target volume and spacing, the probability of a domino effect accident caused by projectile debris from the upper half of an exploding spherical tank is higher than that from the lower half. As theψ0 value increases, the probability of target failure gradually decreases, and as the ϕ0 value decreases, the probability of target failure also gradually decreases. Moreover, with changes in ψ0 and ϕ0, the probabilities of destruction and the occurrence of a domino effect accident significantly change. The results of this paper can provide guidance for the risk assessment of oil and gas storage tanks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is impulse noise reduction in digital color images. The most popular noise reduction schemes are the vector median filter and its many variants that operate by minimizing the aggregate distance from one pixel to every other pixel in a chosen window. This minimizing operation determines the most confirmative pixel based on its similarity to the chosen window and replaces the central pixel of the window with the determined one. The peer group filters, unlike the vector median filters, determine a set of pixels that are most confirmative to the window and then perform filtering over the determined set. Using a set of pixels in the filtering process rather than one pixel is more helpful as it takes into account the full information of all the pixels that seemingly contribute to the signal. Hence, the peer group filters are found to be more robust to noise. However, the peer group for each pixel is computed deterministically using thresholding schemes. A wrong choice of the threshold will easily impair the filtering performance. In this paper, we propose a peer group filtering approach using principles of Bayesian probability theory and clustering. Here, we present a method to compute the probability that a pixel value is clean (not corrupted by impulse noise) and then apply clustering on the probability measure to determine the peer group. The key benefit of this proposal is that the need for thresholding in peer group filtering is completely avoided. Simulation results show that the proposed method performs better than the conventional vector median and peer group filtering methods in terms of noise reduction and structural similarity, thus validating the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A deep learning-based Visual Inertial SLAM technique is proposed in this paper to ensure accurate autonomous localization of mobile robots in environments with dynamic objects. Addressing the limitations of real-time performance in deep learning algorithms and the poor robustness of pure visual geometry algorithms, this paper presents a deep learning-based Visual Inertial SLAM technique. Firstly, a non-blocking model is designed to extract semantic information from images. Then, a motion probability hierarchy model is proposed to obtain prior motion probabilities of feature points. For image frames without semantic information, a motion probability propagation model is designed to determine the prior motion probabilities of feature points. Furthermore, considering that the output of inertial measurements is unaffected by dynamic objects, this paper integrates inertial measurement information to improve the estimation accuracy of feature point motion probabilities. An adaptive threshold-based motion probability estimation method is proposed, and finally, the positioning accuracy is enhanced by eliminating feature points with excessively high motion probabilities. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves accurate localization in dynamic environments while maintaining real-time performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video halftoning is a key technology for use in electronic paper (e-paper) or smart paper, which is an emerging display device that has received considerable attention recently. In this paper, a temporal frequency of flickering-distortion optimized video halftoning method is proposed. We first uncover three visual defects that conventional neighboring frame referencing-based video halftoning methods, due to their sequential changes of reference frames, will encounter. To deal with the problem, we then propose a reference frame update per GOP-based error diffusion video halftoning method based on a flickering sensitivity-based human visual model. To efficiently compromise between average temporal frequency of flickering (ATFoF) and visual quality, temporal frequency of flickering-distortion (TFoFD) is presented as a metric for video halftoning performance evaluation. Based on the proposed probability model of video halftoning, the TFoFD curve can be accurately estimated to optimize the tradeoff between quality and ATFoF before the video is halftoned. Our temporal frequency of flickering-distortion optimization strategy can also be applied to other video halftoning schemes for performance improvement. Experimental results and comparisons with known methods demonstrate the effectiveness of our video halftoning method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To determine whether paper tape prevents foot blisters in multistage ultramarathon runners. Design: Multisite prospective randomized trial. Setting: The 2014 250-km (155-mile) 6-stage RacingThePlanet ultramarathons in Jordan, Gobi, Madagascar, and Atacama Deserts. Participants: One hundred twenty-eight participants were enrolled: 19 (15%) from the Jordan, 35 (27%) from Gobi, 21 (16%) from Madagascar, and 53 (41%) from the Atacama Desert. The mean age was 39.3 years (22-63) and body mass index was 24.2 kg/m² (17.4-35.1), with 31 (22.5%) females. Interventions: Paper tape was applied to a randomly selected foot before the race, either to participants' blister-prone areas or randomly selected location if there was no blister history, with untaped areas of the same foot used as the control. Main Outcome Measures: Development of a blister anywhere on the study foot. Results: One hundred six (83%) participants developed 117 blisters, with treatment success in 98 (77%) runners. Paper tape reduced blisters by 40% (P< 0.01, 95% confidence interval, 28-52) with a number needed to treat of 1.31. Most of the study participants had 1 blister (78%), with most common locations on the toes (n = 58, 50%) and heel (n = 27, 23%), with 94 (80%) blisters occurring by the end of stage 2. Treatment success was associated with earlier stages [odds ratio (OR), 74.9, P < 0.01] and time spent running (OR, 0.66, P = 0.01). Conclusion: Paper tape was found to prevent both the incidence and frequency of foot blisters in runners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether patients with stroke receiving rehabilitation for upper limb deficits using smart technology (video and reminder functions) demonstrate greater adherence to prescribed home exercise programmes and better functional outcomes when compared with traditional paper-based exercise prescription. Design: Randomized controlled trial comparing upper limb home exercise programmes supported by video and automated reminders on smart technology, with standard paper-based home exercise programmes. Setting: A community rehabilitation programme within a large metropolitan health service. Subjects: Patients with stroke with upper limb deficits, referred for outpatient rehabilitation. Interventions: Participants were randomly assigned to the control (paper-based home exercise programme) or intervention group (home exercise programme filmed on an electronic tablet, with an automated reminder). Both groups completed their prescribed home exercise programme for four weeks. Main measures: The primary outcome was adherence using a self-reported log book. Secondary outcomes were change in upper limb function and patient satisfaction. Results: A total of 62 participants were allocated to the intervention (n = 30) and control groups (n = 32). There were no differences between the groups for measures of adherence (mean difference 2%, 95% CI −12 to 17) or change in the Wolf Motor Function Test log transformed time (mean difference 0.02 seconds, 95% CI −0.1 to 0.1). There were no between-group differences in how participants found instructions (p = 0.452), whether they remembered to do their exercises (p = 0.485), or whether they enjoyed doing their exercises (p = 0.864). Conclusions: The use of smart technology was not superior to standard paper-based home exercise programmes for patients recovering from stroke. This trial design was registered prospectively with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register, ID: ACTRN 12613000786796. http://www.anzctr.org.au/trialSearch.aspx [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To identify and analyse the 100 most cited papers on stress in nurses published in nursing journals. Background: The number of citations an article receives is an index of its impact on the scientific community. An analysis of the most cited articles on stress in nursing would allow us to identify the most important articles and to obtain information about this area of knowledge. Design: A retrospective bibliometric analysis. Data sources: In 2016, 111 journals belonging to the "nursing" category were identified in the Science and Social Science Citation Index. A search was performed of the Science Core Collection Website for articles on stress published in these journals. Review methods: The topic, type of article, publishing journal, countries and institutions of origin and year of publication were extracted from the articles. The impact factor, immediacy index, journal country and publisher and h index were collected from the Institute for Scientific Information. The citation density, citation tendency and Bradford's law were calculated. Results: They identified articles were mostly empirical quantitative studies with a transversal design, published from 1975 - 2011 in 23 journals. They were signed by 233 authors, most of whom are English-speaking from the USA and UK. The core distribution of the publications comprises a single journal, the Journal of Advanced Nursing. Conclusion: The study of stress in nursing has shown increased visibility and recognition each decade. The most recent articles have the highest number of citations, are the highest in rank and have the higher citation densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Studied factor affecting bacteria survival probability in biocidal filter paper. [•] Biocidal agent: Triclosan-loaded micelles grafted to paper with cationic polymer. [•] Number of bacterium–micelle collisions was the main factor affecting efficiency. [•] Bacterial load and triclosan-resistance do not control the survival probability. [•] Bacterial survival probability can be controlled by thickness of filter paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper studies the secure transmission in a multiuser broadcast channel where only the statistical channel state information of the eavesdropper is available. We propose to apply secret dirty-paper coding (S-DPC) in this scenario to support the secure transmission of one user and the normal (unclassified) transmission of the other users. By adopting the S-DPC and encoding the secret message in the first place, all the information-bearing signals of the normal transmission are treated as noise by potential eavesdroppers and thus provide secrecy for the secure transmission. In this way, the proposed approach exploits the intrinsic secrecy of multiuser broadcasting and can serve as an energy-efficient alternative to the traditional artificial noise (AN) scheme. To evaluate the secrecy performance of this approach and compare it with the AN scheme, we propose two S-DPC-based secure transmission schemes for maximizing the secrecy rate under constraints on the secrecy outage probability (SOP) and the normal transmission rates. The first scheme directly optimizes the covariance matrices of the transmit signals, and a novel approximation of the intractable SOP constraint is derived to facilitate the optimization. The second scheme combines zero-forcing dirty-paper coding and AN, and the optimization involves only power allocation. We establish efficient numerical algorithms to solve the optimization problems for both schemes. Theoretical and simulation results confirm that, in addition to supporting the normal transmission, the achievable secrecy rates of the proposed schemes can be close to that of the traditional AN scheme, which supports only the secure transmission of one user. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The stochastic P-bifurcation behavior of bi-stability in a generalized van der Pol oscillator with the fractional damping under colored noise and thermal excitation is investigated. Firstly, using the principle of minimal mean square error and linearization method, the non-linear stiffness terms can be equivalent to a linear stiffness which is a function of the system amplitude, and the original system is simplified to an equivalent integer order van der Pol system. Secondly, the system amplitude stationary probability density function is obtained by the stochastic averaging, and then based on the singularity theory, the critical parametric conditions for the system amplitude stochastic P-bifurcation are found. Finally, the types of the stationary probability density function of the system amplitude are qualitatively analyzed in each area divided by the transition set curves. The consistency between the analytical results and the numerical results acquired from Monte-Carlo simulation also testifies the theoretical analysis in this paper and the method used in this paper can directly guide the design of the fractional order controller to adjust the response of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose to consider the dependence structure of the trade/no trade categorical sequence of individual illiquid stocks returns. The framework considered here is wide as constant and time-varying zero returns probability are allowed. The ability of our approach in highlighting illiquid stock's features is underlined for a variety of situations. More specifically, we show that long-run effects for the trade/no trade categorical sequence may be spuriously detected in presence of a non-constant zero returns probability. Monte Carlo experiments, and the analysis of stocks taken from the Chilean financial market, illustrate the usefulness of the tools developed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural injuries remain a major concern in North America, with a fatal injury rate of 19.5 deaths per 100,000 workers in the United States. Numerous research efforts have sought to compile and analyze records of agricultural-related injuries and fatalities at a national level, utilizing resources, ranging from newspaper clippings and hospital records to Emergency Medical System (EMS) data, death certifications, surveys, and other multiple sources. Despite these extensive efforts, a comprehensive understanding of injury trends over extended time periods and across diverse types of data sources remains elusive, primarily due to the duration of data collection and the focus on specific subsets. This systematic review, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, consolidates and analyzes agricultural injury surveillance data from 48 eligible papers published between 1985 and 2022 to offer a holistic understanding of trends and challenges. These papers, reporting an average of 25,000 injuries each, were analyzed by database source type, injury severity, nature of injury, body part, source of injury, event/exposure, and age. One key finding is that the top source of injury or event/exposure depends on the chosen surveillance system and injury severity, underscoring the need of diverse data sources for a nuanced understanding of agricultural injuries. This study provides policymakers, researchers, and practitioners with crucial insights to bolster the development and analysis of surveillance systems in agricultural safety. The overarching aim is to address the pressing issue of agricultural injuries, contributing to a safer work environment and ultimately enhancing the overall well-being of individuals engaged in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel probability distribution known as the Ejaz distribution (ED), which is characterized by two parameters. The study offers a comprehensive analysis of this distribution, including an examination of key properties such as moments, moment-generating functions, order statistics, and reliability functions. Additionally, the paper explores the graphical representation of essential functions like the probability density function, cumulative distribution function, and hazard rate function, enhancing our visual understanding of their behavior. The distribution's parameters are estimated using the widely accepted method of maximum likelihood estimation. Through real-world examples, the paper highlights the practical applicability of the Ejaz distribution, demonstrating its performance and relevance in diverse scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of increasingly complex data forms and decision-making problems, the uncertainty of information poses a major challenge to multi-attribute decision-making methods. How to effectively organize information and serve realistic decision-making problems has attracted extensive attention in the academic circles. In view of this, based on the distribution law of random variables, we put forward the basic concept of probability numbers and construct a general framework, including the concepts of type, order, item, isomorphism and isomerism, same domain and same distribution of probability numbers. On this basis, we further define the expectation and variance formula of probability numbers, and its operation rules are defined for the same type of probability numbers. To compare the dominance and inferiority of probability numbers further accurately, we put forward the concepts of dominance degree and comparability degree of probability numbers, so that decision makers can realize the ranking of probability numbers by calculating the comprehensive dominance degree. In view of the related concepts of probability numbers, we summarize the properties and theorems of probability numbers and prove them. In addition, a probability numbers-based multi-attribute decision-making framework model is proposed to solve the multi-attribute decision-making problem. Decision makers can select appropriate sub-models to construct personalized multi-attribute decision-making methods according to actual needs. At the end of the paper, we apply the method to the multi-attribute decision case of campus express stations evaluation and verify the scientificity and rationality of the evaluation method. The concept of probability numbers and its decision model proposed in this paper extend the concept category of numbers, enrich the multi-attribute decision-making method based on probability numbers, and have certain reference significance for further research of uncertain decision theory and method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When comparing two independent groups, shift functions are basically techniques that compare multiple quantiles rather than a single measure of location, the goal being to get a more detailed understanding of how the distributions differ. Various versions have been proposed and studied. This paper deals with extensions of these methods to main effects and interactions in a between-by-between, 2-by-2 design. Two approaches are studied, one that compares the deciles of the distributions, and one that has a certain connection to the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney method. There are many quantile estimators, but for reasons summarized in the paper, the focus is on using the Harrell–Davis quantile estimator used in conjunction with a percentile bootstrap method. Included are results comparing two methods aimed at controlling the probability of one or more Type I errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do highly productive researchers have significantly higher probability to produce top cited papers? Or do high productive researchers mainly produce a sea of irrelevant papers—in other words do we find a diminishing marginal result from productivity? The answer on these questions is important, as it may help to answer the question of whether the increased competition and increased use of indicators for research evaluation and accountability focus has perverse effects or not. We use a Swedish author disambiguated dataset consisting of 48.000 researchers and their WoS-publications during the period of 2008–2011 with citations until 2014 to investigate the relation between productivity and production of highly cited papers. As the analysis shows, quantity does make a difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock phosphate (RP) addition in cow-dung waste-paper mixtures at rates above 2% P has been reported to increase the rate of bio-transformation and humification of organic waste mixtures during vermicomposting to produce organic fertilizer for organic farming. However, the optimization of RP for vermicomposting was not established. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal amount of RP integration rates for effective bio-transformation of cow-dung waste-paper mixtures. Arrays of RP integration degrees (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 4% P as RP) were thoroughly mixed with cow- dung waste-paper mixtures to achieve an optimized C:N ratio of 30 and allowed to vermidegrade following the introduction of earthworms at a stocking mass of 12.5 g-worms kg. The bio-transformation of the waste mixtures was examined by measuring C:N ratios and humification index (HI) and per cent ash and volatile solids. Application of 1% P as RP resulted in fast bio-transformation and maturation of cow-dung waste-paper mixtures. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate the morphological properties of the different vermicomposts affected by rates of RP showing the degree of degradation of initial compacted aggregates of cellulose and protein fibres in the mixtures at maturity. A germination test was used to further determine phytotoxicity of the final composts and microbial biomass assessment. The final vermicompost (organic fertilizer) had a C:N ratio of 7, MBC of 900 mg kg and HI of 27.1%. The RP incorporation rate of 1% P of RP investigated is therefore, recommended for efficient vermidegradation and humification of cow-dung waste-paper mixtures. However, higher rates of RP incorporation should be considered where greater P enrichment of the final vermicompost (organic fertilizer) is desired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We summarize the papers published by Einstein in the Annalen der Physik in the years 1902-1904 on the derivation of the properties of thermal equilibrium on the basis of the mechanical equations of motion and of the calculus of probabilities. We point out the line of thought that led Einstein to an especially economical foundation of the discipline, and to focus on fluctuations of the energy as a possible tool for establishing the validity of this foundation. We also sketch a comparison of Einstein's approach with that of Gibbs, suggesting that although they obtained similar results, they had different motivations and interpreted them in very different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether questionnaires measuring psychosocial constructs related to low back pain (LBP) that were originally designed for adults are suitable for adolescents, and if paper and web-versions have similar measurement properties. OBJECTIVES: To examine selected psychometric properties for the paper- and web-based Back-Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) and the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ-phys) among adults and adolescents in two diverse countries and to determine whether differences existed between countries and pain groups. METHODS: A sample of 156 adults (Hong Kong, n = 75; Australia, n = 81) and 96 adolescents (Hong Kong, n = 61; Australia, n = 35) participated in this cross-sectional study. RESULTS: Main effects for country and administration mode were observed in adult BBQ scores, where Australian adults reported significantly higher BBQ scores than Hong Kong adults (mean difference (MD); 95% CI: 2.85; 0.96-4.74) and significantly higher scores were recorded on the web mode compared to the paper mode (MD 0.74; 0.10-1.38). Similarly, Hong Kong adults and adolescents reported higher FABQ-phys scores than Australian adults and adolescents (MD; 95% CI: 3.40; 1.37-5.43 and 4.88; 0.53-9.23, respectively). Internal consistency values were mostly acceptable (α⩾0.7). CONCLUSION: Differences exist between cultures for LBP-related beliefs. The BBQ and FABQ-phys have acceptable measurement properties in both administration modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ahmad et al. (2015) consider a Transmuted Kumaraswamy distribution and study certain properties of their distribution. In the title of their paper they mention characterization of this distribution, but no characterizations are presented in the paper. In the present short note we establish certain characterizations of the Transmuted Kumaraswamy in three directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aims of the study were to investigate discrepancies between general practitioners' paper medication orders and pharmacy-prepared electronic medication administration charts, back-up paper charts and dose-administration aids, as well as delays between prescribing, charting and administration, at a 90-bed residential aged care facility that used a hybrid paper-electronic medication management system. Methods: A cross-sectional audit of medication orders, medication charts and dose-administration aids was performed to identify discrepancies. In addition, a retrospective audit was performed of delays between prescribing and availability of an updated electronic medication administration chart. Medication administration records were reviewed retrospectively to determine whether discrepancies and delays led to medication administration errors. Results: Medication records for 88 residents (mean age 86 years) were audited. Residents were prescribed a median of eight regular medicines (interquartile range 5-12). One hundred and twenty-five discrepancies were identified. Fortyseven discrepancies, affecting 21 (24%) residents, led to a medication administration error. The most common discrepancies were medicine omission (44.0%) and extra medicine (19.2%). Delays from when medicines were prescribed to when they appeared on the electronic medication administration chart ranged from 18 min to 98 h. On nine occasions (for 10% of residents) the delay contributed to missed doses, usually antibiotics. Conclusion: Medication discrepancies and delays were common. Improved systems for managing medication orders and charts are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this growing world, the field of communication is developing quickly. The research community's attention is shifting to the design of networks beyond fifth generation (5G) and the sixth generation (6G) due to the rapid spread of the 5G mobile networks. Due to that, there will be a lot of traffic in the area, which will interfere with the channels and maybe produce noise. Nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA) contributes to streamlined communication and a decrease in the possibility of interference. The communication will be encoded and decoded from transmitter to receiver utilizing the superposition coding (SC) and successive interference cancelation (SIC) approaches, ensuring the message's secrecy. This paper considers a simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT)‐based cooperative NOMA system, where the nearby user to the source node acts as a relay to assist the far user. To further enhance the system performance, an improved golden search optimization (IGSO) is used to determine the best power allocation and power splitting coefficients by decreasing the outage probability. The existing models are compared with the proposed model in the results section regarding outage probability and throughput, where the proposed model outperformed all other existing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the problem of estimating a stochastic signal from nonlinear uncertain observations with time-correlated additive noise described by a first-order Markov process. Random deception attacks are assumed to be launched by an adversary, and both this phenomenon and the uncertainty in the observations are modelled by two sets of Bernoulli random variables. Under the assumption that the evolution model generating the signal to be estimated is unknown and only the mean and covariance functions of the processes involved in the observation equation are available, recursive algorithms based on linear approximations of the real observations are proposed for the least-squares filtering and fixed-point smoothing problems. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed estimation algorithms are verified by a numerical simulation example, where the impact of uncertain observation and deception attack probabilities on estimation accuracy is evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we generalize the transition probability matrix for a random walk on a finite network by defining the transition probabilities through a symmetric M -matrix. Usually, the walker jumps from a vertex to a neighbor according to the probabilities given by the adjacency matrix. Moreover, we can find in the literature the relation between random walks and the normalized laplacian or the combinatorial laplacian that are singular and symmetric M -matrices. Our model takes into consideration not only the probability of transitioning given by the adjacency matrix but also some added probability that depends on a node property. This also includes the probability of remaining in each node, when the M -matrix is not singular. The nodes importance is taking into account by considering the lower eigenvalue and its associated eigenfunction for the given M -matrix. We give expressions for the mean first passage time and Kemeny's constant for such a random walks in terms of 1-inverses of the considered M -matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classical Ellsberg experiment provides decision-makers with a choice problem in which the likelihood of winning the gambling is uncertain. In this paper, we consider a two-dimensional Ellsberg experiment in which the likelihood of winning the gambling and the income after that are both uncertain, establish a mathematical model to characterize the corresponding Ellsberg experiment and solve the choice problem based on probability theory, uncertainty theory, and chance theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the problems of stability analysis and stabilisation synthesis for a class of impulsive switched stochastic systems. By constructing a novel impulsive switching condition, the sufficient conditions of globally asymptotic stability in probability and stochastic input-to-state stability for the considered systems are presented. Furthermore, the stabilising controller design method can be presented for the corresponding closed-loop systems. Two examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To discuss the levels of structural empowerment (SE) and psychological empowerment (PE) and the factors that influence perceptions of empowerment among newly graduated nurses (NGNs). Design: Mixed methods study. Methods: The quantitative part of the study was conducted with 220 NGNs with <1 year of job experience. The study was conducted between February and May 2023. Focus group discussions were conducted with 30 NGNs. Data were collected by using the Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ‐II), the Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES) and a Semi‐Structured Interview Form. Quantitative data were analysed using stepwise regression analysis. Content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Results: CWEQ‐II and PES were moderate. The regression analysis showed that NGNs' SE scores increased in association with the following factors, including an increase in the total score on the PES, being married/having a partner, working a day shift, having career planning, increased satisfaction with the orientation programmes of the institution and increased satisfaction with the employing institution. As a result of the descriptive analysis of the focus group interviews conducted to determine the empowerment perceptions of NGNs, we identified three contexts along with the associated themes and subthemes. These three contexts were the 'concept of power', 'professional impression' and 'empowerment process'. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the SE and PE levels of NGNs are moderate, and their empowerment perceptions are influenced by many factors that can be individual, organizational and work environment relevant. Impact: This study's findings will guide policymakers, educators, researchers and administrators in empowering NGNs essential to the healthcare workforce. Reporting Method: The paper adheres to the COREQ checklist. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we shall discuss the extendability of probability and non-probability measures on Cayley trees to a σ -additive measure on Borel fields which has a fundamental role in the theory of Gibbs measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The local limit theorem (LLT) is one of the well-known limit theorems which can be used to estimate the probability at a particular point of a random variable. In this paper, we generalize weighted sums which are introduced by Giuliano and Weber and give the LLT with explicit error bounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to compute the probability Pr(G) that two elements of the group G, drawn at random with replacement, commute; that is, Pr(G) = Number of ordered pairs (x, y) ∈ G × G such that xy = yx/|G × G| = |G|² In particular, we compute Pr(G) for some groups such as the extraspecial groups of order p³, p prime, for the permutation groups G = Sn and G = An, n ≥ 5, for 10 non-abelian groups of order p4 and for simple groups of certain type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clogging phenomenon finds extensive application in both industrial processes and daily life events. While this broad spectrum of application motivated extensive research to identify the general factors underlying the clogging mechanism, it results in a fragmented and system-specific understanding of the entire clogging process. Therefore, it is essential to establish a holistic understanding of all contributing factors of clogging based on the microscopic physical mechanisms. In this paper, we experimentally investigate clogging of granular materials in a two-dimensional hopper flow and present a self-consistent physical mechanism of clogging based on precursory chain structures. These chain structures follow a specific modified restricted random walk, and clogging occurs when they are mechanically stable enough to withstand the flow fluctuations. We introduce a single-particle model that can explain the arch-forming probability. Our results provide insight into the microscopic mechanism behind clogging and a broader understanding of the dynamics of dense granular flow. The study of the general factors underlying clogging are fragmented and application-driven due to its broad spectrum of applications. The authors propose a holistic understanding of the clogging process by investigating the clogging of a granular hopper flow using high-speed imaging, finding a signature formation of precursory chain structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we consider a special kind of semicontinous distribution. We try to concern with the situation where the probability of zero observation is associated with the location and scale parameters in lognormal distribution. We first propose a goodness-of-fit test to ensure that the data can be fit by the associated delta-lognormal distribution. Then we define the updated fiducial distributions of the parameters and establish the results that the confidence interval has asymtotically correct level while the significance level of the hypothesis testing is also asymtotically correct. We propose an exact sampling method to sample from the updated fiducial distribution. It can be seen in our simulation study that the inference on the parameters is largely improved. A real data example is also used to illustrate our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For subsets |$X,Y$| of a finite group G , we write |$\mathrm{Pr} (X,Y)$| for the probability that two random elements |$x\in X$| and |$y\in Y$| commute. This paper addresses the relation between the structure of an approximate subgroup |$A\subseteq G$| and the probabilities |$\mathrm{Pr} (A,G)$| and |$\mathrm{Pr} (A,A)$|⁠. The following results are obtained. Theorem 1.1: Let A be a K -approximate subgroup of a finite group G , and let |$\mathrm{Pr} (A,G)\geq\epsilon\gt0$|⁠. There are two |$(\epsilon, K)$| -bounded positive numbers γ and K 0 such that G contains a normal subgroup T and a K 0-approximate subgroup B such that |$|A\cap B|\ge \gamma\; {\mathrm{max}}\{|A|,|B|\}$| while the index |$[G:T]$| and the order of the commutator subgroup |$[T,\langle B \rangle]$| are |$(\epsilon, K)$| -bounded. Theorem 1.2: Let A be a K -approximate subgroup of a finite group G , and let |$\mathrm{Pr} (A,A)\geq\epsilon\gt0$|⁠. There are two |$(\epsilon, K)$| -bounded positive numbers γ and s and a subgroup |$C\leq G$| such that |$|C \cap A^2| \gt \gamma |A|$| and |$|C^{\prime}|\leq s$|⁠. In particular, A is contained in the union of at most |$\gamma^{-1}K^2$| left cosets of the subgroup C. It is also shown that the above results admit approximate converses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty propagation of the frequency response function is crucial for vibration problems such as model calibration, and the probability assessment is another indispensable item in structural optimization. Considering only one of them will inevitably lead to a lack of uncertain knowledge of practical engineering structures. However, it is still challenging to evaluate the system response bounds and probability characteristics simultaneously and maximally reduce the computational cost. This paper focuses on the frequency response function involving correlated uncertainties and proposes a novel uncertainty propagation and probability assessment method. First, a convex model was established to quantify the correlated uncertainty parameters, and then, the Chebyshev polynomial function was developed as the surrogate model to efficiently quantify the uncertainty propagation from uncertainty parameters to system response. Subsequently, the novel normalized and coordinated transformation combined the uncertainty propagation method, making the uncertainty system response easy to assess. Note that the response value at the interpolation point can be employed as the input of probability assessment. One can also estimate the probability characteristics at different frequency positions during the construction of the surrogate model. Finally, two numerical examples were presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and cheaper computation by a discrete system and a continuous system, respectively. Results indicate that the proposed method can be conveniently and accurately applied to assess the bounds and probability characteristics of frequency response function involving correlated uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the probability for a Galois group of a random polynomial to be An$A_n$. We focus on the so‐called large box model, where we choose the coefficients of the polynomial independently and uniformly from {−L,...,L}$\lbrace -L,\ldots , L\rbrace$. The state‐of‐the‐art upper bound is O(L−1)$O(L^{-1})$, due to Bhargava. We conjecture a much stronger upper bound L−n/2+ε$L^{-n/2 +\epsilon }$, and that this bound is essentially sharp. We prove strong lower bounds both on this probability and on the related probability of the discriminant being a square. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing heterogeneous treatment effects (HTEs) is an essential task in epidemiology. The recent integration of machine learning into causal inference has provided a new, flexible tool for evaluating complex HTEs: causal forest. In a recent paper, Jawadekar et al (Am J Epidemiol. 2023;192(7):1155-1165) introduced this innovative approach and offered practical guidelines for applied users. Building on their work, this commentary provides additional insights and guidance to promote the understanding and application of causal forest in epidemiologic research. We start with conceptual clarifications, differentiating between honesty and cross-fitting, and exploring the interpretation of estimated conditional average treatment effects. We then delve into practical considerations not addressed by Jawadekar et al, including motivations for estimating HTEs, calibration approaches, and ways to leverage causal forest output with examples from simulated data. We conclude by outlining challenges to consider for future advancements and applications of causal forest in epidemiologic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a new characterization of belief consistency in extensive games. We show that all consistent assessments are supported by sequences of strategy profiles with the property that all actions with vanishing probability are played according to power functions of the sequence index. The result makes it simpler to prove or disprove that a given assessment is consistent, facilitating the use of sequential equilibria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the single-index varyingcoefficient quantile model with missing covariates at random. Firstly, some estimators of index parameters and their corresponding linkage function are given by using the inverse probability weighting method for missing data in two cases including parameter estimation and non-parametric estimation for the single-index varying-coefficient quantile regression model. In particular, the latter case focuses on the study of both known and unknown probability functions. Secondly, the established estimators are proved to be asymptotic normal under some suitable regularity conditions. Finally, the simulation studies are conducted to demonstrate the finite sample performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collisions involving space objects pose significant threats to space sustainability. Within these collisions, catastrophic collisions which generate a larger amount of debris are particularly harmful. The quantity and characteristics of fragments generated from a collision are usually modeled using the NASA standard breakup model (SBM). However, on several occasions, the NASA SBM has incorrectly estimated the effects of collisions, including the Yunhai 1-02 breakup event. Using outer probability measure theory and information theory, we develop a correction methodology to estimate the Yunhai 1-02 event based on NASA SBM. This methodology successfully passes a statistical test using historical data. After correction, the characteristic diameter and relative velocity distributions of fragments generated from this event exhibit greater similarity with observations. The work in this paper facilitates the analysis of the properties of the debris cloud resulting from collisions with limited information, improving the predictions of future collisions. [Display omitted] • We condense and analyze the historical collision data. • We obtain a corrected parameter to adjust the SBM result, and this adjusted result passes the statistical test. • We improve the precision of characteristic diameter and relative velocity of fragments generated from Yunhai event. • This work is important to estimate the effect of collisions with limited information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a general IFS Bayesian method for getting posterior probabilities from prior probabilities, and also a generalized Bayes' rule, which will contemplate a dynamical, as well as a non-dynamical setting. Given a loss function $ {l} $ l , we detail the prior and posterior items, their consequences and exhibit several examples. Taking Θ as the set of parameters and Y as the set of data (which usually provides random samples), a general IFS is a measurable map $ \tau :\Theta \times Y \to Y $ τ : Θ × Y → Y , which can be interpreted as a family of maps $ \tau _\theta :Y\to Y,\,\theta \in \Theta $ τ θ : Y → Y , θ ∈ Θ. The main inspiration for the results we will get here comes from a paper by Zellner (with no dynamics), where Bayes' rule is related to a principle of minimization of information. We will show that our IFS Bayesian method which produces posterior probabilities (which are associated to holonomic probabilities) is related to the optimal solution of a variational principle, somehow corresponding to the pressure in Thermodynamic Formalism, and also to the principle of minimization of information in Information Theory. Among other results, we present the prior dynamical elements and we derive the corresponding posterior elements via the Ruelle operator of Thermodynamic Formalism; getting in this way a form of dynamical Bayes' rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the ruin problem of an insurance company investing its capital reserve in a risky asset with the price dynamics given by a conditional geometric Brownian motion whose parameters depend on a Markov process describing random variations in the economic and financial environments. We prove a sufficient condition on the distribution of jumps of the business process ensuring the smoothness of the ruin probability as a function of the initial capital and obtain for this function an integro-differential equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reconfiguration of wireless channels with reconfigurable reflecting surface (RIS) technology offers new design options for future wireless networks. Due to its high altitude and increased probability of establishing line-of-sight linkages with ground source/destination nodes, aerial RIS (ARIS) has greater deployment flexibility than traditional terrestrial RIS. It also provides a wider-view signal reflection. To leverage the advantages of ARIS-enabled systems, this paper defines air-to-ground linkages via Nakagami-m small-scale fading and inverse-Gamma large-scale shadowing, considering realistic composite fading channels. To construct a tight approximate closed-form formula for the outage probability (OP), a new mathematical framework is proposed. Additionally, a deep-learning-based system called the BiLSTM model is deployed to evaluate OP performance in the 3D spatial movement of the ARIS system. In the offline phase, the proposed model is trained with real-value channel state estimation sets and enhances OP performance in the online phase by learning channel information in a bidirectional manner. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed BiLSTM model outperforms all other models in analyzing OP for the ARIS system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an in‐depth analysis of the exponentiated half‐logistic Weibull (EHLW) distribution, investigating its fundamental statistical properties and exploring parameters estimation using both maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches. Specifically, our focus centers on the analysis of stress–strength reliability, denoted as R=P(X>Y)$R=P(X>Y)$, where the strength variable X$X$ follows EHLW distribution, and the stress variable Y$Y$ follows either Weibull distribution or the EHLW distribution. The estimation of the parameter R$R$ is discussed in both scenarios, employing both Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian approaches. Furthermore, we calculate that the asymptotic confidence interval, percentile bootstrap interval, and the highest probability density credible interval are obtained for the stress–strength parameter R$R$. In order to assess the efficiency of these estimation techniques, simulation studies are conducted, providing valuable insights into the performance of each estimation approach. Finally, the proposed reliability model is applied to real datasets, highlighting its practical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]