Search

We propose a method for estimating the convective-heat-transfer coefficient (CHTC) distribution on building walls by using the water-evaporation method involving filter paper and three-dimensional laser scanning, and demonstrates consistency with the gravimetric evaporation method. The theory and method are established based on the convective heat- and mass-transfer analogy and a near-infrared laser-scanning system. The equations to remotely estimate the CHTC distribution are obtained empirically, and the proposed method is applied to the walls of a penthouse during winter. The spatial distribution of the surface reflection intensity that determines the evaporation rate is successfully retrieved with 0.2–0.3% accuracy from a measurement distance of 5 m. The comparison of evaporation rates with a gravimetric measurement does not show a statistically significant bias. The results show that the crucial factors for the precision of the CHTC estimation are errors in the laser-scanning system and their amplification when dividing the evaporation rate by the vapour pressure deficit to obtain the convective-mass-transfer coefficient. The estimated CHTC distributions on the target walls have approximately ≤ 2–3 W m−2 K−1 errors in the 95% confidence interval after applying spatial and/or temporal averaging. Although the error in the convective-heat-transfer coefficient is larger in winter during minimal vapour pressure deficits, it is generally well explained in the range of the random error in laser scanning. The correlation between the spatially-averaged convective-heat-transfer coefficient and near-wall wind speed is comparable to existing methods (R = 0.71–0.79), and the regression relation agrees with that obtained in previous studies performed in similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in statistical practices and reporting have been documented by Giofrè et al. PLOS ONE 12(4), e0175583 (2017), who investigated ten statistical and open practices in two high-ranking journals (Psychological Science [PS] and Journal of Experimental Psychology-General [JEPG]): null hypothesis significance testing; confidence or credible intervals; meta-analysis of the results of multiple experiments; confidence interval interpretation; effect size interpretation; sample size determination; data exclusion; data availability; materials availability; and preregistered design and analysis plan. The investigation was based on an analysis of all papers published in these journals between 2013 and 2015. The aim of the present study was to follow up changes in both PS and JEPG in subsequent years, from 2016 to 2020, adding code availability as a further open practice. We found improvement in most practices, with some exceptions (i.e., confidence interval interpretation and meta-analysis). Despite these positive changes, our results indicate a need for further improvements in statistical practices and adoption of open practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract—In my comment on the paper by A.A. Lyubushin, G.N. Kopylova, and Yu.K. Serafimova, I focus on the problem of legitimacy of seismological data pertaining to the unconventionally low frequency range from the standpoint of metrology and question the validity of the obtained results. The latter aspect is associated with the fact that in the discussed paper of Lyubushin et al. (2021), the estimates of confidence intervals in the calculated statistics are completely absent, which is at odds with the generally accepted approaches to the presentation of the results of measurement data processing. Without conducting such estimates, the authors made an unjustified conclusion about the correlation of the studied processes and, as a consequence, about a triggering effect of the irregularity of the Earth's rotation on the seismic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the measurement equivalence of the original paper-based vertical format of the EQ-5D visual analog scale (EQ VAS) with a touch-screen computer-based horizontal format. A total of 314 subjects were administered two modes of the EQ VAS in a randomized crossover design. One mode was the original paper-based 20 cm vertical EQ VAS; the other mode was touch-screen-based. Measurement equivalence was assessed by testing the 95% confidence interval of the mean differences from an equivalence threshold of −3 to +3 points on the VAS and evaluating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The adjusted mean (SE) EQ VAS score was 80.96 (0.87) on the paper and 79.59 (0.85) on the touch-screen. The mean (CI) difference between scores on the two formats was 1.37 with a confidence interval of 0.175–2.559, wholly contained within the equivalence interval. The ICC was 0.75, indicating acceptable agreement between the two modes. Almost a third (30.1%) of the respondents reported identical scores on both formats. These results provide evidence for the measurement equivalence of this EQ VAS touch-screen administration mode with the original paper mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study compared the recovery of six periodontal pathogens by paper point samples from two different aspects of periodontal lesions by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Twenty patients with untreated chronic periodontitis were randomized into two groups. Before subgingival instrumentation and after 10 weeks samples in group A were taken first with a paper point half length (HP) of the probing depth, then with a paper point full length (FP) at the same site. In group B sampling sequence was reversed. Analysis by real-time PCR enabled quantification of six bacteria as well as total bacterial count (TBC). Statistical analysis included t test, Kappa, and Spearman's correlations. Higher TBC could be harvested by use of FP than by HP (mean of differences of ln-transformed counts before therapy: −0.791, CI [−1.515, −0.068], SD 0.770, p = 0.034; after therapy: −0.563, CI [−1.151, 0.024], SD 0.625, p = 0.059). The plaque composition regarding total target pathogens was similar for both samples. Both, for TBC as well as for single target bacteria a strong positive correlation was found between HP and FP (Kappa, Spearman correlation: Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans 0.807, 0.778; Fusobacterium nucleatum 0.573, 0.772; Porphyromonas gingivalis 0.733, 0.824; Prevotella intermedia 0.480, 0.756; Treponema denticola 0.807, 0.814; and Tannerella forsythia 0.692, 0.695). The recovery of target pathogens was similar following sampling at various depths of the periodontal lesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study tests the effects of data collection modes on patient responses associated with the multi-item measures such as Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement System (PROMIS®), and single-item measures such as Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE), and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) measures. Methods: Adult cancer patients were recruited from five cancer centers and administered measures of anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, pain intensity, pain interference, ability to participate in social roles and activities, global mental and physical health, and physical function. Patients were randomized to complete the measures on paper (595), interactive voice response (IVR, 596) system, or tablet computer (589). We evaluated differential item functioning (DIF) by method of data collection using the R software package, lordif. For constructs that showed no DIF, we concluded equivalence across modes if the equivalence margin, defined as ± 0.20 × pooled SD, completely surrounds 95% confidence intervals (CI's) for difference in mean score. If the 95% CI fell totally outside the equivalence margin, we concluded systematic score difference by modes. If the 95% CI partly overlaps the equivalence margin, we concluded neither equivalence nor difference. Results: For all constructs, no DIF of any kind was found for the three modes. The scores on paper and tablet were more comparable than between IVR and other modes but none of the 95% CI's were completely outside the equivalence margins, in which we established neither equivalence nor difference. Percentages of missing values were comparable for paper and tablet modes. Percentages of missing values were higher for IVR (2.3% to 6.5% depending on measures) compared to paper and tablet modes (0.7% to 3.3% depending on measures and modes), which was attributed to random technical difficulties experienced in some centers. Conclusion: Across all mode comparisons, there were some measures with CI's not completely contained within the margin of small effect. Two visual modes agreed more than visual-auditory pairs. IVR may induce differences in scores unrelated to constructs being measured in comparison with paper and tablet. The users of the surveys should consider using IVR only when paper and computer administration is not feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Psychonomic Society (PS) adopted New Statistical Guidelines for Journals of the Psychonomic Society in November 2012. To evaluate changes in statistical reporting within and outside PS journals, we examined all empirical papers published in PS journals and in the Experimental Psychology Society journal, The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (QJEP), in 2013 and 2015, to describe these populations before and after effects of the Guidelines. Comparisons of the 2013 and 2015 PS papers reveal differences associated with the Guidelines, and QJEP provides a baseline of papers to reflect changes in reporting that are not directly influenced by the Guidelines. A priori power analyses increased from 5% to 11% in PS papers, but not in QJEP papers (2%). The reporting of effect sizes in PS papers increased from 61% to 70%, similar to the increase for QJEP from 58% to 71%. Only 18% of papers reported confidence intervals (CIs) for means; only two PS papers in 2015 reported CIs for effect sizes. Although variability statistics are important to understanding data, and to further analysis, they were only reported as numbers in just over half of the PS journal papers. Almost all PS and QJEP papers relied exclusively on null hypothesis significance testing to guide interpretation of the data. Changes associated with the Guidelines are in the desired direction with respect to reporting effect sizes and power analyses but are not yet reflected in researchers' practices in describing their data, addressing data assumptions, and thinking beyond the p value when interpreting their data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the measurement equivalence of an interactive voice response system (IVRS) version and the original paper-based version of the EORTC QLQ-C30. Methods: The QLQ-C30 is a cancer-specific, health-related quality of life questionnaire consisting of nine multi-item scales (physical, role, emotional, cognitive and social functioning, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, pain, and quality of life) and six single item measures (dyspnea, insomnia, appetite loss, constipation, diarrhea, and financial problems). This study utilized a crossover design with subjects randomly assigned to one of two assessment orders: (1) paper then IVRS or (2) IVRS then paper. Equivalence between the two administration modes was established by comparing the 95 % lower confidence interval (CI) of the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for each scale, with a critical value of 0.70. Results: The ICCs for the nine multi-item scales were all above 0.79, ranging from 0.791 to 0.899 (ICC 95 % lower CI range 0.726-0.865) and significantly different from our threshold reliability of 0.70. The ICCs for the six single items ranged from 0.689 to 0.896 (ICC 95 % lower CI range 0.611-0.888). Two of the items, insomnia and appetite loss, were not statistically different from 0.70. When considered together, the per-protocol analysis results support the equivalence of the paper and IVRS versions of the QLQ-C30 for 13 of the 15 scores. Conclusion: This analysis provides evidence that the scores obtained from the IVRS version of the QLQ-C30 are equivalent to those obtained with the original paper version except for the insomnia and appetite loss items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to review and analysis of the state of the art regarding triage applications (apps) for health emergencies. This research is based on a systematic review of the literature in scientific databases from 2010 to early 2021, following a prism methodology. In addition, a Google Play Store search of the triage apps found in the literature was performed for further evaluation. A total of 26 relevant papers were obtained for this study, of which 13 apps were identified. After searching for each of these apps in the Google Play Store platform, only 2 of them were obtained, and these were subsequently evaluated together with another app obtained from the link provided in the corresponding paper. In the analysis carried out, it was detected that from 2019 onwards there has been an increase in research interest in this area, since the papers obtained from this year onwards represent 38.5% of the relevant papers. This increase may be caused by the need for early selection of the most serious patients in such difficult times for the health service. According to the review carried out, an increase in mobile app research focused on Emergency Triage and a decrease in app studies for triage catastrophe have been identified. In this study it was also observed that despite the existence of many researches in this sense, only 3 apps contained in them are accessible. "TRIAGIST" does not allow the entry of an unidentified user, "Major Trauma Triage Tool" presents negative comments from users who have used it and "ESITriage" lacks updates to improve its performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging causes the reduction in physical and physiological strength and an increase in the odds of affliction with chronic physical and mental diseases ultimately affecting the quality of life (QoL). So far, several primary studies have been conducted on the impact of religious-spiritual education and care on the QoL of the elderly. However, to the best of our knowledge, a study that compiles and represents these findings in a published paper is lacking. Therefore, the current study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effect of religious-spiritual education and care on the QoL of the elderly population. To access studies related to the aim of the study, SID, MagIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched. The search was done using relevant and validated keywords with MeSH/Emtree without time limitations until December 2021. The qualitative appraisal of the papers was done using the JBI checklist. To estimate the heterogeneity of studies, I2 index was used, and to combine the data and carry out a meta-analysis, Random Effects model was used. In the primary research, 1065 studies were found. The omission of the redundant cases led to a total number of 12 papers with a sample size of 317 in the intervention group and 321 in the control to be included in the meta-analysis. After the intervention, the mean score of QoL showed a significant increase by 1.42 ± 0.31 with a Confidence Interval of 95% (P<0.001). Meta-regression results showed that the increase in the year of conducting the study, and the number of intervention sessions, that the standardized mean difference had a decreasing trend, and that with the increase in the average age of the elderly, there was a rising trend (P<0.001). Therefore, it seems that the application of religious-spiritual education and care could be part of a program to improve the QoL of the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To extend knowledge about measurement equivalence of depression measures assessed by tablet and paper-pencil administration, the present study evaluated the effect of mode of administration (MoA) on scale and item level for the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Aachen Depression Item Bank (ADIB) in elderly patients.Methods: Primary care patients (N = 193, ≥60 years) were assessed following a crossover design in Leipzig, Germany. All participants filled out the PHQ-9 and the ADIB in both MoAs under study. Effects of MoA were analyzed by intra-class correlation, mixed-effects regression, and differential item functioning (DIF). Additionally, detection rates between both MoAs were compared using receiver operating characteristics analysis compared to a diagnostic interview (SCID-I, N = 163).Results: No effect of MoA was found in the PHQ-9 on scale score or item level. Two ADIB items showed DIF according to MoA. In terms of discriminatory power, MoA did not influence detection rates of both instruments.Conclusions: In summary, our findings suggest that no severe effect of mode of administration on self-report assessments of depression should be expected. It can be concluded that tablets provide a valid way to electronically assess depressive symptoms in elderly patients. Yet changes in item presentation can influence the psychometric properties and require equivalence testing using sophisticated analyses on item level such as DIF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Isotonic exercise is the most common mode of strength training. Isotonic strength is often measured in the movement that was exercised, but isometric and isokinetic movements are also commonly used to quantify changes in muscular strength. Previous research suggests that increasing strength in one movement may not lead to an increase in strength in a different movement. Quantifying the increase in strength in a movement not trained may be important for understanding strength training adaptations and making recommendations for resistance exercise and rehabilitation programs. Objective: To quantify changes in non-specific strength relative to a control. Design: A systematic review and random effects meta-analysis was conducted investigating the effects of isotonic strength training on isotonic and isokinetic/isometric strength. Search and Inclusion: This systematic review was conducted in Google scholar, PubMed, Academic Search Premier, and MENDELEY. To be included in this review paper the article needed to meet the following criteria: (1) report sufficient data for our variables of interest (i.e., changes in isotonic strength and changes in isokinetic or isometric strength); (2) include a time-matched non-exercise control; (3) be written in English; (4) include healthy human participants over the age of 18 years; (5) the participants had to train and test isotonically; (6) the participants had to be tested isokinetically or isometrically on a device different from that they trained on; (7) the non-specific strength task had to test a muscle involved in the training (i.e., could not have trained chest press and test handgrip strength); and (8) the control group and the experimental group had to perform the same number of strength tests. Results: We completed two separate searches. In the original search a total of 880 papers were screened and nine papers met the inclusion criteria. In the secondary search a total of 2594 papers were screened and three additional papers were added (total of 12 studies). The overall effect of resistance training on changes in strength within a movement that was not directly trained was 0.8 (Cohen's d) with a standard error of 0.286. This overall effect was significant (t = 2.821, p = 0.01) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) is 0.22–1.4. The overall effect of resistance training on strength changes within a movement that was directly trained was 1.84 (Cohen's d) with a standard error of 0.296. This overall effect was significant (t = 6.221, p < 0.001) and the 95% CI is 1.23–2.4. Conclusion: The results of our meta-analysis suggest that strength increases in both the specific and non-specific strength tests. However, the smaller effect size associated with non-specific strength suggests that it will be difficult for a single study to meaningfully investigate the transfer of strength training adaptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of simulation in surgical training is ever growing. Evidence suggests such training may have beneficial clinically relevant effects. The objective of this research is to investigate the effects of surgical simulation training on clinically relevant patient outcomes by evaluating randomized controlled trials (RCT). PubMed was searched using PRISMA guidelines: "surgery" [All Fields] AND "simulation" [All Fields] AND "patient outcome" [All Fields]. Of 119 papers identified, 100 were excluded for various reasons. Meta-analyses were conducted using the inverse-variance random-effects method. Nineteen papers were reviewed using the CASP RCT Checklist. Sixteen studies looked at surgical training, two studies assessed patient-specific simulator practice, and one paper focused on warming-up on a simulator before performing surgery. Median study population size was 22 (range 3–73). Most articles reported outcome measures such as post-intervention Global Rating Scale (GRS) score and/or operative time. On average, the intervention group scored 0.42 (95% confidence interval 0.12 to 0.71, P = 0.005) points higher on a standardized GRS scale of 1–10. On average, the intervention group was 44% (1% to 87%, P = 0.04) faster than the control group. Four papers assessed the impact of simulation training on patient outcomes, with only one finding a significant effect. We found a significant effect of simulation training on operative performance as assessed by GRS, albeit a small one, as well as a significant reduction to operative time. However, there is to date scant evidence from RCTs to suggest a significant effect of surgical simulation training on patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotics have gained a significant attention as a promising way to improve gut health and overall well-being. The increasing recognition of the potential health advantages associated with functional food products, leading to a specific emphasis on co-encapsulating probiotic bacteria and bioactive compounds within a unified matrix. To further explore this concept, a meta-analysis was performed to assess the effects of probiotics encapsulated in nanoparticles. A comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted, encompassing 10 papers published from 2017 to 2022, focusing on the encapsulation of probiotics within nanoparticles and their viability in various gastrointestinal conditions. The selection of these papers was based on their direct relevance to the research topic. Random-effect models were used to aggregate study-specific risk estimates. In the majority of studies, it was observed that nano-encapsulated nanoparticles showed improved viability over time compared to their free state counterparts. At various time intervals, the odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using fixed and random effect models. At 0 min, the OR (95%CI) was 2.79 (2.79; 2.80) and 2.38 (2.14; 2.64) for. At 30 and 60 min observation was at similar rate of 2.23 (2.23; 2.24) and 2.05 (1.73; 2.43). However, at 90 min it was 1.39 (1.39; 1.39) and 1.66 (1.29; 2.14) and at 120 min 2.41 (2.41; 2.42) and 2.03 (1.63; 2.52). Overall evaluation of encapsulation revealed an improvement in probiotic bacterial viability in simulated the gastrointestinal environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune-associated pathology with an articular inflammatory basis. RA is diagnosed by severe pain, movement restriction, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and sexual disorder (SD). This pathology can potentially reduce the quality of life and cause many problems. The electronic databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar search engine were systematically searched for the papers reporting the prevalence of SD in patients with RA (by August 2023). Following paper collection and data extraction, the Random Effects model was used to perform the data analysis (CMA, v.2). The heterogeneity of studies was assessed using I2 index. Following the assessment of 53 eligible studies with a sample size of 9,174 cases, the overall prevalence of SD in RA patients was 32.4% (95% CI:24.4–41.6). Also, the prevalence of SD in RA females and males was 36.5% (95% CI: 26.4–48) and 23.5% (95% CI:12.6–39.4), respectively. Based on the findings, the prevalence of SD among RA individuals was found relatively high; thus, the application of measures seems necessary to prevent sexual disorders in RA cases. These strategies are useful for health policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The majority of studies that explore changes in musculature following resistance training interventions or examine atrophy due to immobilization or sarcopenia use ultrasound imaging. While most studies assume acceptable to excellent reliability, there seems to be unawareness of the existing absolute measurement errors. As early as 1998, methodological research addressed a collective unawareness of the random measurement error and its practical indications. Referring to available methodological approaches, within this work, we point out the limited value of focusing on relative, correlation-based reliability indices for the interpretability in scientific research but also for clinical application by assessing 1,512 muscle thickness values from more than 400 ultrasound images. To account for intra- and inter-day repeatability, data were collected on two consecutive days within four testing sessions. Commonly-stated reliability values (ICC, CV, SEM and MDC) were calculated, while evidence-based agreement analyses were applied to provide the accompanied systematic and random measurement error. Results: While ICCs in the range of 0.832 to 0.998 are in accordance with the available literature, the mean absolute percentage error ranges from 1.34 to 20.38% and the mean systematic bias from 0.78 to 4.01 mm (all p ≤ 0.013), depending on the measurement time points chosen for data processing. Conclusions: In accordance with prior literature, a more cautious interpretation of relative reliability values should be based on included systematic and random absolute measurement scattering. Lastly, this paper discusses the rationale for including different measurement error statistics when determining the validity of pre-post changes, thus, accounting for the certainty of evidence. Key Points: • While reliability of a testing protocol is most often determined via relative reliability indices such as the intraclass correlation coefficient, further reliability values such as the systematic bias and the random error have been described as valuable for results interpretation. • This study used the most frequently employed procedure to determine muscle hypertrophy (ultrasound) as an example linking relative reliability values to absolute measurement errors under special consideration of appropriate calculation models using three scenarios (best case, worst case, stability). • Overall, 504 ultrasound images were examined showing excellent relative reliability, but the corresponding measurement errors suggest that caution must be exercised when interpreting pre-post settings in cases where the measurement error exceeds the expected changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The value of a Quality-Adjusted Life-Year (QALY) is of great importance for the healthcare system. It helps when it comes to defining a cost-effectiveness threshold for the evaluation of health technologies. No willingness-to-pay value for a QALY exists in the province of Quebec, Canada. Objectives: In this paper, we empirically investigated the monetary value of a QALY for the population of Quebec. Methods: Based on the Short-Form 6-Dimension version 2 (SF-6Dv2), we conducted an online survey with a representative adult sample living in Quebec. We used a time trade-off (TTO) combined with contingent valuation (CV), and a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to assess both the population's willingness to pay (WTP) for one QALY and the marginal WTP for health attributes. A health utility algorithm using hybrid regression was developed to determine a preference-based value set for health states. Results: Main analysis was conducted on 993 answers for the CV and 2143 answers for the DCE. The willingness-to-pay per QALY varied from CA$ 47,048.84 (CI: 21,554.38; 72,543.30) for CV to CA$ 73,936.87 (CI: 63,105.40; 84,768.35) for DCE. Among the 6 dimensions of the SF-6Dv2, marginal WTP varied from CA$ 4499.15 (CI: 2975.06; 6023.25) for more role accomplishment in daily activities to CA$ 15,867.12 (CI: 13,825.75; 17,908.49) for less pain. Robustness check with multiple alternative samples, as well as alternative health utility algorithms, showed that the results were robust and the DCE method provided 50% larger results than the CV method, although confidence intervals overlap. Conclusion: This paper provides useful information for decision-makers on the monetary value of a QALY in Quebec. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on some studies, there are many important parts of tool machines, all of which have some essential smaller-the-better-type quality characteristics. The six sigma quality index of the smaller-the-better type offers accurate measurement of the process yield and the six sigma quality level. In this paper, we first proposed a six sigma product index by integrating all evaluation indicators for products that contain several quality characteristics of the smaller-the-better type. Next, we derived the confidence interval of this six sigma product index and developed an evaluation model for product quality. When a product passes the evaluation of this model, not only can it be guaranteed that the product reaches the required quality level, but also a high rate of product yield can be ensured. In addition, we also created a product improvement testing model, which can avoid missing opportunities for improvement in the process to ensure improvement effects. This complete evaluation and improvement model is applicable to the entire machine tool industry chain. It can not only increase the product value of the machine tool industry chain but also decrease environmental pollution caused by rework or scrap, which is beneficial to companies to enhance their image of fulfilling social responsibilities. Apart from the above advantages, the model formed in this paper is based on confidence intervals, thereby reducing the chance of misjudgment resulting from sampling error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organs-at-risk contouring is time consuming and labour intensive. Automation by deep learning algorithms would decrease the workload of radiotherapists and technicians considerably. However, the variety of metrics used for the evaluation of deep learning algorithms make the results of many papers difficult to interpret and compare. In this paper, a qualitative evaluation is done on five established metrics to assess whether their values correlate with clinical usability. A total of 377 CT volumes with heart delineations were randomly selected for training and evaluation. A deep learning algorithm was used to predict the contours of the heart. A total of 101 CT slices from the validation set with the predicted contours were shown to three experienced radiologists. They examined each slice independently whether they would accept or adjust the prediction and if there were (small) mistakes. For each slice, the scores of this qualitative evaluation were then compared with the Sørensen-Dice coefficient (DC), the Hausdorff distance (HD), pixel-wise accuracy, sensitivity and precision. The statistical analysis of the qualitative evaluation and metrics showed a significant correlation. Of the slices with a DC over 0.96 (N = 20) or a 95% HD under 5 voxels (N = 25), no slices were rejected by the readers. Contours with lower DC or higher HD were seen in both rejected and accepted contours. Qualitative evaluation shows that it is difficult to use common quantification metrics as indicator for use in clinic. We might need to change the reporting of quantitative metrics to better reflect clinical acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life-Core Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) is a widely used generic self-report measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for cancer patients. However, no validated voice script for interviewer-led telephone administration was previously available. The aim of this study was to develop a voice script for interviewer administration via telephone. Methods: Following guidelines from the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) PRO Mixed Modes Good Research Practices Task Force, a randomised cross-over equivalence study, including cognitive debriefing, was conducted to assess equivalence between paper and telephone administration modes. Assuming an expected intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.70 and a minimally acceptable level of 0.50, a sample size of 63 was required. Results: Cognitive interviews with five cancer patients found the voice script to be clear and understandable. Due to a protocol deviation in the first wave of testing, only 26 patients were available for analyses. A second wave of recruitment was conducted, adding 37 patients (n = 63; mean age 55.48; 65.1% female). Total ICCs for mode comparison ranged from 0.72 (nausea and vomiting, 95% CI 0.48–0.86) to 0.90 (global health status/QoL, 95% CI 0.80–0.95; pain, 95% CI 0.79–0.95; constipation, 95% CI 0.80–0.95). For paper first administration, all ICCs were above 0.70, except nausea and vomiting (ICC 0.55; 95% CI 0.24–0.76) and financial difficulties (ICC 0.60; 95% CI 0.31–0.79). For phone first administration, all ICCs were above 0.70. Conclusions: The equivalence testing results support the voice script's validity for administration of the QLQ-C30 via telephone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of optimization under uncertainty, we consider various combinations of distribution estimation and resampling (bootstrap and bagging) for obtaining samples used to estimate a confidence interval for an optimality gap. This paper makes three experimental contributions to on-going research in data driven stochastic programming: (a) most of the combinations of distribution estimation and resampling result in algorithms that have not been published before, (b) within the algorithms, we describe innovations that improve performance, and (c) we provide open-source software implementations of the algorithms. Among others, three important conclusions can be drawn: using a smoothed point estimate for the optimality gap for the center of the confidence interval is preferable to a purely empirical estimate, bagging often performs better than bootstrap, and smoothed bagging sometimes performs better than bagging based directly on the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the empirical likelihood and estimations problems in varying coefficient models with right censored data are investigated by using a bias correction method. Naive and residual-adjusted empirical likelihood ratios and estimators of the coefficient functions are constructed, their asymptotic distributions are obtained, and a consistent estimator of the asymptotic variance is given. The obtained results can be directly used to construct the confidence regions of the coefficient functions. Furthermore, a new method for constructing pointwise confidence intervals and simultaneous confidence bands for each coefficient function is also proposed. The proposed method is to directly calibrate the empirical log-likelihood ratio so that the obtained ratio is asymptotically chi-squared. Undersmoothing of each coefficient function is avoided, and existing data-driven methods can also effectively select the optimal bandwidth. Simulation study is performed to compare the empirical likelihood with the normal approximation-based method. An example of real data is used to illustrate our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several reviews have examined the health benefits of participation in specific sports, such as baseball, cricket, cross-country skiing, cycling, downhill skiing, football, golf, judo, rugby, running and swimming. However, new primary studies on the topic have recently been published, and the respective meta-analytic evidence needs to be updated. Objectives: To systematically review, summarise and appraise evidence on physical health benefits of participation in different recreational sports. Methods: Searches for journal articles were conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SpoLit, SPORTDiscus, Sports Medicine & Education Index and Web of Science. We included longitudinal and intervention studies investigating physical health outcomes associated with participation in a given sport among generally healthy adults without disability. Results: A total of 136 papers from 76 studies conducted among 2.6 million participants were included in the review. Our meta-analyses of available evidence found that: (1) cycling reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by 16% (pooled hazard ratio [HR] = 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80, 0.89), all-cause mortality by 21% (HR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.73, 0.84), cancer mortality by 10% (HR = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.85, 0.96) and cardiovascular mortality by 20% (HR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.86); (2) football has favourable effects on body composition, blood lipids, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, cardiovascular function at rest, cardiorespiratory fitness and bone strength (p < 0.050); (3) handball has favourable effects on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.050); (4) running reduces the risk of all-cause mortality by 23% (HR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.70, 0.85), cancer mortality by 20% (HR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.89) and cardiovascular mortality by 27% (HR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.57, 0.94) and improves body composition, cardiovascular function at rest and cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.010); and (5) swimming reduces the risk of all-cause mortality by 24% (HR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.63, 0.92) and improves body composition and blood lipids (p < 0.010). Conclusions: A range of physical health benefits are associated with participation in recreational cycling, football, handball, running and swimming. More studies are needed to enable meta-analyses of health benefits of participation in other sports. PROSPERO registration number CRD42021234839. Key Points: We found a reduced risk of all-cause mortality associated with cycling (–21%), running (–23%) and swimming (–24%). Running also improves body composition, cardiovascular function at rest and cardiorespiratory fitness, while swimming also improves body composition and blood lipids. Football improves body composition, blood lipids, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, cardiovascular function at rest, cardiorespiratory fitness and bone strength, while handball improves body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Shortages of mechanical ventilation have become a constant problem in Emergency Departments (EDs), thereby affecting the timely deployment of medical interventions that counteract the severe health complications experienced during respiratory disease seasons. It is then necessary to count on agile and robust methodological approaches predicting the expected demand loads to EDs while supporting the timely allocation of ventilators. In this paper, we propose an integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Discrete-event Simulation (DES) to design effective interventions ensuring the high availability of ventilators for patients needing these devices. Methods: First, we applied Random Forest (RF) to estimate the mechanical ventilation probability of respiratory-affected patients entering the emergency wards. Second, we introduced the RF predictions into a DES model to diagnose the response of EDs in terms of mechanical ventilator availability. Lately, we pretested two different interventions suggested by decision-makers to address the scarcity of this resource. A case study in a European hospital group was used to validate the proposed methodology. Results: The number of patients in the training cohort was 734, while the test group comprised 315. The sensitivity of the AI model was 93.08% (95% confidence interval, [88.46 − 96.26%]), whilst the specificity was 85.45% [77.45 − 91.45%]. On the other hand, the positive and negative predictive values were 91.62% (86.75 − 95.13%) and 87.85% (80.12 − 93.36%). Also, the Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve plot was 95.00% (89.25 − 100%). Finally, the median waiting time for mechanical ventilation was decreased by 17.48% after implementing a new resource capacity strategy. Conclusions: Combining AI and DES helps healthcare decision-makers to elucidate interventions shortening the waiting times for mechanical ventilators in EDs during respiratory disease epidemics and pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interval-censored data can arise in questionnaire-based studies when the respondent gives an answer in the form of an interval without having pre-specified ranges. Such data are called self-selected interval data. In this case, the assumption of independent censoring is not fulfilled, and therefore the ordinary methods for interval-censored data are not suitable. This paper explores a quantile regression model for self-selected interval data and suggests an estimator based on estimating equations. The consistency of the estimator is shown. Bootstrap procedures for constructing confidence intervals are considered. A simulation study indicates satisfactory performance of the proposed methods. An application to data concerning price estimates is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of TNF-α blockers on ulcerative colitis (UC) and their safety. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of TNF-α blockers for treatment of UC were retrieved from databases. Heterogeneity test was performed on all data to select effects models. Finally, sensitivity analysis was carried out, and a funnel plot was drawn to evaluate publication bias. Results: A total of nine RCTs conformed to the inclusion criteria. Of 1,226 patients with UC, 806 were given a TNF-α blocker, and 420 were given placebo or other drugs as control. Infliximab was used in eight papers and adalimumab in one paper. Placebo was used in seven papers and hormones in two papers. Short-term response, short-term relief, long-term response, and long-term relief were better in the TNF-α blocker group than in the control group ( P < 0.05). TNF-α blockers decreased the colectomy rate ( P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in mucosal healing and quality of life between the two groups ( P > 0.05). The rates of adverse reactions were similar in the two groups ( P > 0.05), but the rate of severe adverse reactions was significantly lower in the TNF-α blocker group than in the control group ( P < 0.05). The funnel plot of each parameter was symmetrical with the lower part broader than the upper. Conclusions: TNF-α blockers have better therapeutic effects on moderate or severe UC, which shows little response to conventional therapy. TNF-α blockers can induce short-term response, maintain long-term clinical response and clinical relief, and decrease the colectomy rate and the severe adverse reaction rate, but they fail to improve quality of life and mucosal healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multimedia big data has tendency of fast growth over time span due to basic characteristics like volume, variety and velocity. Sample based estimates are used to compute the unknown population parameter. The multimedia big data is characterized various features who are prominent in terms of identification and analysis. Social media platforms are major sources of generating big data by virtue of communication among registered users in the form of text, video and images data. Registered users are also growing with drastic speed. When a user registers on a portal, default digital storage space is allotted by the system, who increases over time domain. A monitoring system is required to anticipate the increment and to alert managers of data centers for further enhancement of infrastructure. In the case of medical diagnostics, the CT-scan and MRI equipment produce the huge amount of scan files data while done over the large number of patients. These files are used to store in memory of the system for at least a prefixed duration. The digital file size of such reports, pixel densities and intensity of contents are the prime parameters of interest while comparing the quality of similar types of machines. Doctors and patients on social media platform used to exchange digital medical reports like X-ray, CT-scan, MRI, cancer diagnostics occupying the default storage. A guess value of digital file size can be helpful for the determination of expected amount of digital storage for users to be allocated to the medical processionals or other such. This paper presents sample based estimation methods for estimating the average file size over several time points. Confidence intervals are used as a tool of comparisons. A new simulation procedure is also suggested for comparative results of confidence intervals. At multiple optimum values of constant, the proposed sample based estimation methods perform better and the proposed simulation method is also result oriented. Strategy of using support information of other multimedia variable in estimation procedure is found useful and effective. Findings of the paper are numerically supported and significant percentage gain observed for proposed in the setup of multimedia big data floating over social media platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a generalization of the local bootstrap for periodogram statistics when weakly stationary time series are contaminated by additive outliers. To achieve robustness, we suggest replacing the classical version of the periodogram with the M-periodogram in the local bootstrap procedure. The robust bootstrap periodogram is implemented in the Whittle estimator to obtain confidence intervals for the parameters of a time series model. A finite sample size investigation was conducted to compare the performance of the classical local bootstrap with the one proposed in this paper to estimate 95% confidence intervals for the parameters of autoregressive and seasonal autoregressive time series. The results have shown that the robust estimator is resistant to additive outlier contamination and produces confidence intervals with coverage percentages closer to 95% and lower amplitudes than the ones obtained with the classical estimator, even for small percentages and magnitudes of outliers. It was also empirically observed that when the expected number of outliers is kept constant, the coverage percentages of the confidence intervals of the robust estimators tend to 95% as the sample size increases. An application to the daily mean concentration of particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 10 μ m (PM 10 ) was considered to illustrate the methodologies in a real data context. All the results presented here strongly motivate using the proposed robust methodology in practical situations where additive outliers contaminate weakly stationary time series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyse gender differences in COVID-19 vaccination intentions. Subject and methods: PubMed, Web of Science and PsycInfo were searched (November 2020 to January 2021) for studies reporting absolute frequencies of COVID-19 vaccination intentions by gender. Averaged odds ratios comparing vaccination intentions among men and women were computed. Descriptive analyses of the studies were reported. Results: Sixty studies were included in the review and data from 46 studies (n = 141,550) were available for meta-analysis. A majority (58%) of papers reported men to have higher intentions to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Meta-analytic calculations showed that significantly fewer women stated that they would get vaccinated than men, OR 1.41 (95% CI 1.28 to 1.55). This effect was evident in several countries, and the difference was bigger in samples of health care workers than in unspecified general population samples. Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis found lower vaccination intentions among women than men. This difference is discussed in the light of recent data on actual vaccination rates in different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Taste receptors are expressed throughout the gastrointestinal tract. The activation of post-oral taste receptors using tastants could provide a non-invasive treatment option in combating the obesity epidemic. The aim of this review was to examine the effect of post-oral delivery of non-caloric tastants on eating behavior reflected by primary outcome energy intake and secondary outcomes GI symptoms and perceptions and potential underlying mechanisms. This review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Methods: A systematic literature search of the Cochrane, PubMed, Embase, and Medline databases was performed. This systematic review and meta-analysis was registered in the PROSPERO database on 26 February 2020 (ID: CRD42020171182). Two researchers independently screened 11,912 articles and extracted information from 19 articles. If at least two studies investigated the effect of the same taste compound on primary outcome energy intake, a meta-analysis was performed to determine pooled effect sizes. Results: Nineteen papers including healthy volunteers were included. In the 19 papers analyzed, effects of various tastants were investigated in healthy volunteers. Most extensively investigated were bitter tastants. The meta-analysis of effects of bitter tastants showed a significant reduction in energy intake of 54.62 kcal (95% CI − 78.54 to − 30.69, p = 0.0014). Conclusions: Bitter stimuli are most potent to influence eating behavior. Energy intake decreased after post-oral delivery of bitter tastants. This highlights the potential of a preventive role of bitter tastants in battling the obesity epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for metabolic disorders due to its thermogenic and anti-obesity properties. β3-adrenergic receptor (β3-AR) agonists have also gained attention as potential agents for BAT activation and metabolic regulation. Mirabegron, a selective β3-AR-agonist used clinically for overactive bladder syndrome, has been explored for its utility in metabolic disorders. However, the controversy surrounding the ability of mirabegron to activate BAT to accelerate metabolism requires further investigation. The aim of this systematic review is to characterize comprehensively the impact of mirabegron on human BAT and its metabolism. Methods: We searched PubMed Central, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for relevant papers published from the date of database inception to March 2023 for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. We extracted data on primary outcome indicators such as BAT volume, BAT activity, body temperature, and resting energy expenditure (REE), as well as secondary outcome indicators such as heart rate (HR), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), blood glucose, and blood insulin from relevant studies. For studies that did not provide suitable data for meta-analysis, we used narrative data synthesis. For studies that provided suitable data for meta-analysis, we conducted meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4 software. Results: We reviewed 10 papers and included 6 in our meta-analysis. Our findings revealed no significant changes in BAT volume (p = 0.72) or blood glucose (p = 0.52) with mirabegron when compared to the placebo or pre-dose population. However, patients showed significant increases in BAT activity (p < 0.01), blood NEFA (p < 0.01), body temperature (p < 0.01), REE (p < 0.01), HR (p < 0.01), DBP (p < 0.01), SBP (p = 0.25), and blood insulin (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Through our meta-analysis of 6 papers, we found that mirabegron has the potential to increase human BAT activity, REE, NEFA content, body temperature, HR, blood pressure, and blood insulin content. These effects may lead to reductions in blood glucose levels in obese/overweight and diabetic patients. Additionally, the activation of BAT by mirabegron could represent a novel approach for treating obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Trial registration number and date: CRD42023413446, 04/11/2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous research has systematically studied the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based interventions in managing both mental and physical symptoms of chronic disease including depression, stress-related mental disorders (SMD), and chronic pain that are common causes of sick leave. However, a systematic review focusing on the effectiveness of CBT in facilitating RTW is lacking. This study compiles research on utilizing CBT-based interventions for helping employees on sick leave return to work. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) published between 1 January 1990 and 27 June 2022 were searched in MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed. The primary outcome variables included a return to work (RTW) measure and sickness absences. The secondary outcomes include psychological conditions (mental illness, stress, anxiety, and depression) and physical condition (working ability, fatigue, and physical function). Results: Thirty-four RCTs were included in the analysis. Fifteen RCTs with 1727 participants reported on sick leave. Results showed that participants who completed CBT intervention had reduced sick leave in days (mean reduction − 3.654; 95%CI − 5.253, − 2.046; p < 0.001) compared to the control group. Sixteen papers with 2298 participants reported that the intervention group RTW 1.5 days earlier (95%CI 1.019, 1.722; p < 0.05). CBT-based interventions were effective in managing fatigue, mental illness, and depression, and improving physical function while it showed no effects in managing stress, anxiety and working ability. Conclusions: The findings indicate that CBT-based interventions are effective in reducing the length of sick leave and facilitating the RTW of employees in the intervention group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Decisions regarding maintenance therapy in patients with multiple myeloma should be based on both treatment efficacy and health-related quality of life (HRQL) consequences. In the CARFI trial, patients with first relapse of multiple myeloma underwent salvage autologous stem cell transplantation (salvage ASCT) before randomization to carfilzomib-dexamethasone maintenance therapy (Kd) or observation. The primary clinical endpoint was time to progression, which was extended by 8 months by Kd. The aim of this paper is to present the all HRQL endpoints of the CARFI trial including the HRQL effect of Kd maintenance therapy relative to observation. The primary HRQL endpoint was assessed by EORTC QLQ-C30 Summary score (QLQ-C30-sum) at 8 months follow-up. A key secondary HRQL endpoint was quality-adjusted progression-free-survival (QAPFS). Methods: HRQL was assessed with EORTC QLQ-C30, EORTC QLQ-MY20 and FACT/GOG-Ntx at randomization and every second month during follow-up. HRQL data were analyzed with linear mixed effect models until 8 months follow-up. QAPFS per individual was calculated by multiplying progression-free survival (PFS) by two quality-adjustment metrics, the QLQ-C30-sum and EORTC Quality of Life Utility Measure-Core 10 dimensions (QLU-C10D). The QAPFS per treatment group was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method. P < 0.05 was used for statistical significance, and a between-group minimal important difference of 10 points was interpreted as clinically relevant for the QLQ-C30-sum. Results: 168 patients were randomized. HRQL questionnaire compliance was 93%. For the QLQ-C30-sum, the difference of 4.62 points (95% confidence interval (CI) -8.9: -0.4, p = 0.032) was not clinically relevant. PFS was 19.3 months for the Kd maintenance group and 16.8 months for the observation group; difference = 2.5 months (95% CI 0.5; 4.5). QAPFS based on the QLQ-C30-sum for the Kd maintenance group was 18.0 months (95% CI 16.4; 19.6) and for the observation group 15.0 months (95% CI 13.5; 16.5); difference = 3.0 months (95% CI 0.8–5.3). QAPFS based on the QLU-C10D for the Kd maintenance group was 17.5 months (95% CI 15.9; 19.2) and 14.0 months (95% CI 12.4; 15.5) for the observation group; difference = 3.5 months (95% CI 1.1–5.9). Conclusions: Kd maintenance therapy after salvage ASCT did not adversely affect overall HRQL, but adjustment for HRQL reduced the PFS compared to unadjusted PFS. PFS of maintenance therapy should be quality-adjusted to balance the benefits and HRQL impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes and discusses a bootstrap scheme to make inferences when an imbalance in one of the levels of a binary variable affects both the dependent variable and some of the features. Specifically, the imbalance in the binary dependent variable is managed by adopting an asymmetric link function based on the quantile of the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution, leading to a class of models called GEV regression. Within this framework, we propose using the fractional-random-weighted (FRW) bootstrap to obtain confidence intervals and implement a multiple testing procedure to identifying the set of relevant features. The main advantages of FRW bootstrap are as follows: (1) all observations belonging to the imbalanced class are always present in every bootstrap resample; (2) the bootstrap can be applied even when the complexity of the link function does not allow to easily compute second-order derivatives for the Hessian; (3) the bootstrap resampling scheme does not change whatever the link function is, and can be applied beyond the GEV link function used in this study. The performance of the FRW bootstrap in GEV regression modelling is evaluated using a detailed Monte Carlo simulation study, where the imbalance is present in the dependent variable and features. An application of the proposed methodology to a real dataset to analyze student churn in an Italian university is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tests a handwriting model for children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that displays the relationships between handwriting process and product characteristics, and the predictors of these characteristics. Structural Equation Modelling was used to test the model for children and youth with ASD (n = 50) and typically developing peers (n = 50), ages 10 to 15, for a copying and freestyle handwriting task. Findings suggest a generic handwriting model applying to both groups and both handwriting tasks. Unique effects for children and youth with ASD were identified for: (1) high interdependence of handwriting process characteristics, (2) longer pen stroke in air leading to better legibility, and (3) lower scores for executive functions leading to lower scores for legibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jȩdrzejczak et al. (REVSTAT-Statistical Journal 19(1), 87–97, 2021) constructed a confidence interval for a ratio of quantiles coming from the Dagum distribution, which is frequently applied as a theoretical model in numerous income distribution analyses. The proposed interval is symmetric with respect to the ratio of sample quantiles, which result may be unsatisfactory in many practical applications. The search for a confidence interval with a smaller length resulted in the derivation of the shortest interval with the ends being asymmetric relative to the ratio of sample quantiles. In the paper, the existence of the shortest confidence interval is shown and the method of obtaining such an interval is presented. The results of the calculations show a reduction in the length of the proposed confidence interval by several percent compared to the symmetrical confidence interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common practice in statistics is to take the log transformation of highly skewed data and construct confidence intervals for the population average on the basis of transformed data. However, when computed based on log-transformed data, the confidence interval is for the geometric instead of the arithmetic average and neglecting this can lead to misleading conclusions. In this paper, we consider an approach based on a regression of the two sample averages to convert the confidence interval for the geometric average in a confidence interval for the arithmetic average of the original untransformed data. The proposed approach is substantially simpler to implement when compared to the existing methods and the extensive Monte Carlo and bootstrapping simulation study suggests outperforming in terms of coverage probabilities even at very small sample sizes. Some real data examples have been analyzed, which support the simulation findings of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to show how evidence-based medicine (EBM) techniques can be applied to the appraisal of diagnostic radiology publications. A clinical scenario is described: a gastroenterologist has questioned the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in a patient who may have common bile duct (CBD) stones. His opinion was based on an article on MRCP published in "Gut." The principles of EBM are described and then applied to the critical appraisal of this paper. Another paper on the same subject was obtained from the radiology literature and was also critically appraised using explicit EBM criteria. The principles for assessing the validity and strength of both studies are outlined. All statistical parameters were generated quickly using a spreadsheet in Excel format. The results of EBM assessment of both papers are presented. The calculation and application of confidence intervals (CIs) and likelihood ratios (LRs) for both studies are described. These statistical results are applied to individual patient scenarios using graphs of conditional probability (GCP). Basic EBM principles are described and additional points relevant to radiologists discussed. Online resources for EBR practice are identified. The principles of EBM and their application to radiology are discussed. It is emphasized that sensitivity and specificity are point estimates of the "true" characteristics of a test in clinical practice. A spreadsheet can be used to quickly calculate CIs, LRs and GCPs. These give the radiologist a better understanding of the meaning of diagnostic test results in any patient or population of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been shown in the literature that judgment post stratification (JPS) sampling design often leads to more efficient statistical inference than what is possible to obtain in simple random sampling (SRS) design of comparable size. Since the JPS is a cost-efficient sampling design, a large enough sample size may not be available to use normal theory of the estimators. In this paper, we describe two bootstrap methods for JPS sampling scheme, one of which has been already used in the literature without studying its consistency and the other is new. We also show that both bootstrap approaches are consistent. We then investigate the use of the bootstrap methods for constructing confidence intervals for the population mean and compare them with the confidence interval of the population mean obtained via normal approximation (NA) method using Monte Carlo simulation. It is found that for the asymmetric distributions, one of the bootstrap methods we describe in the paper often leads to a closer coverage probability (CP) to the nominal level than NA method. Finally, a real dataset is analysed for illustration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effectiveness of interventions that aim to improve the mental health of mothers of children with disabilities. Seven databases were searched. Interventions incorporated primarily cognitive-behavioural, psychoeducation, mindfulness or support-group approaches. The Template-for-Intervention-Description-and-Replication guided descriptions. Meta-analyses using a random effect model of randomized controlled trials assessed intervention effects on parenting stress and mental health. Of the 1591 retrieved papers, 31 met criteria to be appraised and 17 were included in the meta-analysis. Cognitive-behavioural approaches reduced parenting stress [2 studies, n = 64, pooled Standardized-Mean-Difference (SMD) = 0.86, 95% CI (0.43, 1.29)] and improved mental health [3 studies, n = 186, pooled SMD = 1.14, 95% CI (0.12, 2.17)], psychoeducation approaches improved mental health [2 studies, n = 165, SMD = 0.60, 95% CI (0.17, 1.03)]. Cognitive-behavioural and psychoeducation interventions are effective. Further research and clinical guidelines are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In patients with thoracic injuries, tube thoracostomy is routinely employed. There is disagreement over which manner of tube withdrawal is best, the latter phases of expiration or inspiration. Considering several earlier investigations' inconsistent findings, their comparative effectiveness is still up for debate. In light of this, we carried out a systematic analysis of studies contrasting the withdrawal of thoracostomy tubes during the latter stages of expiration versus inspiration for traumatic chest injuries. Analyzed outcomes are recurrent pneumothoraces, reinsertion of the thoracostomy tube, and hospital stay. Methods: We looked for papers comparing the withdrawal of the thoracostomy tube during the last stages of expiration and inspiration for the management of thoracic injuries on Embase, Pubmed, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar. Review Manager was used to determine mean differences (MD) and risk ratios (RR) using a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The primary outcomes showed no significant difference between the inspiration and expiration groups: recurrent pneumothorax (RR 1.27, 95% CI 0.83–1.93, P 0.28) and thoracostomy tube reinsertion (OR: 1.84, CI 0.50–6.86, P 0.36, I2 5%). However, the duration of hospital stay was significantly lower in patients in whom the thoracostomy tube was removed at the end of inspiration (RR 1.8, 95% CI 1.49–2.11, P < 0.00001, I2 0%). The implications of these findings warrant cautious interpretation, accounting for potential confounding factors and inherent limitations that may shape their significance. Conclusion: The thoracostomy tube can be removed during both the end-expiratory and end-inspiratory stages of respiration with no appreciable difference. Nevertheless, caution should be exercised when ascertaining the implications of these findings, taking into account the potential limitations and confounding variables that may exert influence upon the outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data fusion technology plays a pivotal role in aggregating, storing, and mining multi-source data to extract its joint value through the construction of a unified fusion representation model. However, we argue that mainstream methods are limited to precise data, which may not satisfy practical application requirements, as data collected from an information source often exhibits imprecision and uncertainty. In this paper, we develop a Multi-source Fuzzy Data-driven Dynamic Fusion Representation (MFD-DFR) model. This model effectively addresses the challenges related to heterogeneity, dynamics, and quality optimization that arise during the fusion of fuzzy data. To achieve this goal, we first adopt intervals as a means of description to capture the inherent uncertainty in single-source information. We then present a Dynamic Interval Standardization (DIS) algorithm, a novel approach that dynamically deals with the heterogeneity of multi-source fuzzy data without relying on the storage of historical sample data. We next propose a fusion representation model for standardized intervals that improves the quality of single-source fuzzy data through confidence interval estimation. The experimental results convincingly demonstrate that the MFD-DFR model outperforms alternative models in terms of data classification and clustering. We also show the effectiveness of our proposed DIS algorithm in expediting the convergence speed of gradient descent algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the study was to have youth participate in the design and implementation of a research project set within a child rights framework to better understand high schoolers' perceptions of safety in their school and community. Results: Between June 2020 and March 2021, a team of East Harlem, New York high school students, participated as co-researchers to modify the United Nations Children's Fund Child Friendly Cities Initiative Survey to suit their needs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the final survey was conducted through an online remote classes system during advisory school classes, accompanied by brief focused group discussions. The novel process of conducting an interactive qualitative and quantitative virtual survey during a pandemic via youth participatory action research is outlined in this paper. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that youth participatory action research can be utilized as part of a child rights framework approach to assess the views of youth regarding community safety and violence prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several situations interact with count data without zero values, such as the number of deaths associated with road traffic accidents and other factors and the number of European red mites on apple leaves. Recently, the zero-truncated Poisson-Ishita distribution (ZTPID) has been proposed for such data, but its statistical inference, especially confidence interval estimation for the difference between two means, has not been proposed. In this paper, the percentile, simple, and biased-corrected and accelerated bootstrap confidence intervals are proposed and compared the performance in terms of coverage probability and average length, which are estimated from the Monte Carlo simulation method. The parameter values and two population means of ZTPID are varied, resulting in populations with mean differences ranging from small to large values. The simulation results show that small and medium sample sizes are inadequate to attain the nominal level of confidence for all settings and bootstrap methods. When the sample size is large enough, all bootstrap confidence intervals do not substantially differ. Overall, it is observed that the percentile bootstrap confidence interval outperforms the other bootstrap confidence intervals, even with small sample sizes. Lastly, each of the bootstrap confidence intervals is applied to the number of unrest events that occurred in the southern border area of Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a medical setting, observational studies commonly involve patients who initiate a particular treatment (e.g., medication therapy) and others who do not, and the goal is to draw causal inferences about the effect of treatment on a time-to-event outcome. A difficulty with such studies is that the notion of a treatment initiation time is not well-defined for the control group. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian approach to estimate treatment effects in longitudinal observational studies where treatment is given by indication and thereby the exact timing of treatment is only observed for treated units. We present a framework for conceptualizing an underlying randomized experiment in this setting based on separating the time of indication for treatment, which we model using a latent state-space process, from the mechanism that determines assignment to treatment versus control. Next, we develop a two-step inferential approach that uses Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) posterior sampling to (1) infer the unobserved indication times for units in the control group, and (2) estimate treatment effects based on inferential conclusions from Step 1. This approach allows us to incorporate uncertainty about the unobserved indication times which induces uncertainty in both the selection of the control group and the measurement of time-to-event outcomes for these controls. We demonstrate our approach to study the effects on mortality of inappropriately prescribing phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is), a medication contraindicated for certain types of pulmonary hypertension, using data from the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Symptomatic calculus biliary disease is common with associated morbidity and occasional mortality, further confounded when there is concomitant common bile duct (CBD) stones. Choledocholithiasis and clearance of the duct reduces recurrent cholangitis, but the question is whether after clearance of the CBD if there is a need to perform a cholecystectomy. This meta-analysis evaluated outcomes in patients undergoing ERCP with or without sphincterotomy to determine if cholecystectomy post-ERCP clearance offers optimal outcomes over a wait-and-see approach. Methods: A Prospero registered meta-analysis of the literature using PRISMA guidelines incorporating articles related to ERCP, choledocholithiasis, cholangitis and cholecystectomy was undertaken for papers published between 1st January 1991 and 31st May 2021. Existing research that demonstrates outcomes of ERCP with no cholecystectomy versus ERCP and cholecystectomy was reviewed to determine the related key events, complications and mortality of leaving the gallbladder in situ and removing it. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated using Review Manager Version 5.4 and meta-analyses performed using OR using fixed-effect (or random-effect) models, depending on the heterogeneity of studies. Results: 13 studies (n = 2598), published between 2002 and 2019, were included in this meta-analysis, 6 retrospective, 2 propensity score-matched retrospective studies, 3 prospective studies and 2 randomised control trials from a total of 11 countries. There were 1433 in the no cholecystectomy cohort (55.2%) and 1165 in the prophylactic cholecystectomy (44.8%) cohort. Cholecystectomy resulted in a decreased risk of cholecystitis (OR = 0.15; CI 0.07–0.36; p < 0.0001), cholangitis (OR = 0.51; CI 0.26–1.00; p = 0.05) and mortality (OR = 0.38; CI 0.16–0.9; p = 0.03). In addition, prophylactic cholecystectomy resulted in a significant reduction in biliary events, biliary pain and pancreatitis. Conclusions: In patients undergoing CBD clearance, consideration should be given to performing prophylactic cholecystectomy to optimise outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research to date has shown that HIV infection is a highly stressful experience for individuals, and one of the key adaptive resources after such painful experiences may be forgiveness. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between dispositional forgiveness (assessed using Mullet's Forgivingness Questionnaire and Toussaint's Forgiveness Scale), perceived stress (single-item measure of stress symptoms), health perception (EuroQol visual analogue version of the scale) and life satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale) in people living with HIV (PLWH) in France. Paper surveys were completed by 222 PLWH aged 18–78 (57% male). Multiple regression analysis revealed that sensitivity to circumstances, unconditional forgiveness, self-forgiveness, and forgiveness of others were significant predictors of health and happiness. Mediation analysis showed that these relationships are completely mediated by perceived stress. The present findings suggest that forgiveness and perceived stress may be important variables for healing in PLWH. Interventions designed to improve forgiveness and self-forgiveness may result in improved health and life satisfaction in PLWH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods for designing a comparable replication study have received considerable attention in the published literature, with both Bayesian and non-Bayesian methods having been developed from a hypothesis testing and associated P-value perspective. The purpose of this paper is to describe, using a maximum likelihood-based confidence interval framework, a new frequentist method for choosing the sample size for a comparable replication study. This new method is compared to the published "predictive power" (or "PP") method. For each of these two methods, a new and easy-to-use formula is derived for computing the optimal comparable replication study sample size that guarantees satisfying a specific confidence interval criterion with a chosen high minimum probability. Connections to hypothesis testing are made, and the Discussion section provides further commentary and considers a numerical example involving published data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are among the most common malignancies in various age ranges. Low-grade glioma (LGG) can account for nearly 30% of pediatric CNS malignancies. Progression or recurrence after the first-line treatments is common among these patients. Therefore, more treatments are required. Bevacizumab as an anti-VEGF antibody has come into the spotlight recently and is especially used in relapse or recurrence settings. This review aims to study the safety and efficacy of bevacizumab for patients with recurrent LGG. Methods: This study was conducted according to The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were comprehensively searched using the relevant key terms until 24th August 2023 to retrieve the studies that investigated clinical outcomes of bevacizumab in patients with recurrent LGG. All statistical analysis was performed by STATA v.17. Results: A total of 1306 papers were gathered, out of which 13 were incorporated in the meta-analysis. The pooled incidence rate of treatment according to the RANO scale was 70% (95% CI = 43–98%) for objective response rate, 26% (95% CI = 58–96%) for partial response, 21% (95% CI = 15–28%) for minor response, 14% (95% CI = 3–24%) for complete response, 48% (95% CI = 37–59%) for stable disease, and 8% (95% CI = 4–11%) for progressive disease. Furthermore, according to progressive survival after treatment, it was 4% (95% CI = −1 to 9%) for 6-month PFS, 41% (95% CI = 32–50%) for 2-year PFS, and 29% (95% CI = 22–35%) for 3-year PFS. Conclusion: According to the RANO scale and PFS, clinicians should be aware that Bevacizumab could be a favorable alternative therapy for recurrent LGG. Furthermore, bevacizumab exhibits minimal toxicity and high tolerability in recurrent LGG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with estimating the underlying parameter of a length-biased inverse Gaussian distribution, when the observations are prone to length-biased sampling. Length-biased sampling occurs when the observations of smaller lengths or dimensions are neglected from the sample. We focus on a particular type of sequential fixed-accuracy confidence interval for estimation purposes. This method proves to be both time and cost efficient as one is able to perform the estimation using an optimal number of observations according to some set criteria. We discuss the applicability of our proposed method with regards to estimating the cluster size of the "Eastern Tropical Pacific Dolphins", which are often vulnerable to length biasedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]