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INTRODUCTION To improve compliance with voiding diaries in children with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE), a new modified 3-day weekend frequency-volume chart (FVC) was designed, and the compliance and validity of this modified FVC was evaluated by comparing with the International Children's Continence Society (ICCS) recommended voiding diary. METHODS A total of 1200 patients with PMNE were enrolled in the study from 13 centers in China and were randomly assigned to record this modified FVC or the ICCS-recommended voiding diary. The primary outcome measure was the compliance, assessed by comparing the completing index and the quality score of diaries between two groups. The secondary outcome measure was the validity, evaluated by comparing the constituent of subtypes, micturition parameters and response rate to desmopressin. RESULTS Among the 1200 participants enrolled in the study, 447 patients completed the ICCS-recommended voiding diary and 469 completed the modified diary. The diurnal completing index and the quality score of the modified FVC group were better than those of the ICCS group. In addition, there was no significant difference between these two groups in the subtype classification, or in the response rate to desmopressin. CONCLUSIONS The modified FVC could be applied to obtain the voiding characteristics of children with PMNE as the ICCS-recommended voiding diary does and offers a reasonable and better choice for children with PMNE from the unselected population in the future.

Two methods for non-coplanar beam direction optimization, one for static beams and another for arc trajectories, were proposed for intracranial tumours. The results of the beam angle optimizations were compared with the beam directions used in the clinical plans. Ten meningioma cases already treated were selected for this retrospective planning study. Algorithms for non-coplanar beam angle optimization (BAO) and arc trajectory optimization (ATO) were used to generate the corresponding plans. A plan quality score, calculated by a graphical method for plan assessment and comparison, was used to guide the beam angle optimization process. For each patient, the clinical plans (CLIN), created with the static beam orientations used for treatment, and coplanar VMAT approximated plans (VMAT) were also generated. To make fair plan comparisons, all plan optimizations were performed in an automated multicriteria calculation engine and the dosimetric plan quality was assessed. BAO and ATO plans presented, on average, moderate global plan score improvements over VMAT and CLIN plans. Nevertheless, while BAO and CLIN plans assured a more efficient OARs sparing, the ATO and VMAT plans presented a higher coverage and conformity of the PTV. Globally, all plans presented high-quality dose distributions. No statistically significant quality differences were found, on average, between BAO, ATO and CLIN plans. However, automated plan solution optimizations (BAO or ATO) may improve plan generation efficiency and standardization. In some individual patients, plan quality improvements were achieved with ATO plans, demonstrating the possible benefits of this automated optimized delivery technique. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13246-021-01061-8.

Objective: To establish the CQS inter-rater reliability and rating time and to compare both against that of the Jadad scale and Cochrane's Risk of Bias Tool (ROBT). Material and methods: Four independent raters rated 45 trial reports. The inter-rater reliability was established by use of the Brennan- Prediger coefficient (BPC). The coefficients were compared using the two-sample z- test. Secondary analysis included comparison of the inter-rater reliability of the randomization component of all tools, as well as of the allocation concealment component of the CQS to that of the ROBT. The mean rating time with standard deviation (SD) for each tool was determined using one-way repeated measures analysis of variance. Post hoc comparisons were made using the Tukey-Kramer adjustment for three pair-wise multiple comparisons. Results: The inter-rater reliability was significantly higher for the CQS (BPC, 95% CI: 0.95, 0.87-1.00) compared to Jadad (0.70, 0.58- 0.82) (adjusted p = 0.0005) and most components of ROBT. The mean (SD) time to complete the CQS (4.0 (1.0) min) did not differ significantly from that of the Jadad scale 4.8 (1.1) min (adjusted p = 0.11), but was significantly shorter compared to that of the ROBT 15.3 (5.9) min (adjusted p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The results suggest the CQS to be a very reliable and fast trial appraisal tool. Clinical relevance The higher the inter-rater reliability, the higher the probability that trial results reflect therapeutic truth. The CQS will need to take further bias sources into consideration, in order to increase its utility.

Searching for information on the Internet, especially YouTubeTM, is gaining popularity for cancer survivors. Based on the topic of online health information, the importance of studies using YouTube data for various cancer types and treatment methods has increased. This study aims to investigate the quality, reliability, and accuracy of YouTube videos on cancer rehabilitation (CR). YouTube search was performed on February 26th, 2021, with two keyword sets: “cancer rehabilitation” and “oncology rehabilitation.” The modified DISCERN, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) scoring system, and the Global Quality Score (GQS) were used to evaluate the quality and reliability of the videos. The features of each video such as the number of likes, dislikes, and views, upload date, duration, like ratio, and the uploader profile were also collected. Fifty-three of the first 200 videos shown in the search results met the criteria. Most of the videos were low quality. The most common uploader profile was academic institute/university hospital. The three most common subjects in the videos were CR definition, physical therapy and occupational therapy, and patient experiences. The mean modified DISCERN, JAMA, and GQS scores were 2.14, 2.03, and 2.78, respectively. Higher quality videos had longer duration, greater number of views, and better reliability scores. The results showed that most of the rated videos were of low-quality and didn’t provide sufficient information on the topic discussed. Higher-quality and more accurate YouTube videos are needed to increase awareness of CR. For cancer survivors, CR-related YouTube video content often provides information of low reliability. In this context, it is necessary to focus on the production of video content that includes clinical guides, references, and are based on clinical-based practices.

Introduction/objectives: A progressively growing number of rheumatologists have integrated musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) as a prized tool in their daily clinical practice over the past two decades. Lately, YouTube is often used by healthcare professionals as an educational tool. This study aimed to analyze the quality of educational information available on YouTube pertaining to MSUS. Method: We performed a search using the keyword “musculoskeletal ultrasound” on YouTube in January 2021. Of the first 200 videos screened, 147 met the inclusion criteria. The quality and reliability of the videos were evaluated using the global quality score (GQS) and modified DISCERN score, and their popularity was assessed using the Video Power Index (VPI). Results: Of the 147 videos evaluated, 58 (39.5%) were of high quality, 30 (20.4%) were of moderate quality, while 59 (40.1%) were of low quality. The modified DISCERN score and the duration of the videos were significantly higher in the high-quality videos than the moderate- and low-quality videos (p < 0.001 for all). The median number of views per day, likes, comments, and the popularity of the videos assessed with VPI were significantly higher in the high- and moderate-quality group compared to the low-quality videos (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.007, and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The quality of YouTube videos as an educational source on MSUS is unsatisfactory. Professional organizations and physicians should consider creating more high-quality MSUS videos. YouTube should consider filtering out poor-quality videos in collaboration with experts in the field.Key Points• Although rheumatologists are increasingly using ultrasound as an extension of their exam, accessing musculoskeletal ultrasound training is still facing some challenges.• YouTube is commonly used as an educational source by medical students and healthcare professionals.• Approximately 60% of the videos related to musculoskeletal ultrasound on YouTube revealed high and moderate quality, while the remaining 40% were of low quality and not suitable for medical education.• A filtering mechanism is required to improve the quality of YouTube content on MSUS

Omnidirectional video quality assessment (OVQA) helps to evaluate the viewers’ visual experience and promotes the development of omnidirectional video. The perceived quality of omnidirectional video is affected not only by the video content and distortion, but also by the viewing directions of viewer’s preference. At present, there are some quality assessment methods for omnidirectional video, but most of them are full-reference (FR). Compared with the FR method, the no-reference (NR) method becomes more difficult due to the lack of the reference video. In this paper, a NR OVQA based on generative adversarial networks (GAN) is proposed, which is composed of the reference video generator and the quality score predictor. Generally, a reference image/video is distorted by some distortion types, and each distortion type has some distortion levels. To the best of our knowledge, there are some NR methods using GAN to generate the reference images/videos for quality assessment. In these methods, the reference images/videos is generated by GAN when the distorted images/videos, which are from a distortion type but with different distortion level, are input into the GAN. In order to achieve an accurate quality assessment, the generated reference images/videos, which are from a distortion type but with different distortion level, are expected to have as similar quality as possible with each other. However, the distorted images/videos are independent for GAN, and the GAN will generate a little different reference images/videos for these distorted images/videos. This issue is not considered in the existing GAN-based methods. To solve this issue, we introduced a level loss in OVQA. For the quality score predictor, as a further contribution of this paper, the viewing direction of the omnidirectional video is incorporated to guide the quality and weight regression. The publicly available dataset is used to evaluate the proposed method. The experimental results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

The online question answering (QA) community has been popular in recent years. In this paper, we focus on the online health question answering (HQA) community. The HQA community provides a platform for health consumers to inquire about health information. There are two ways to use this platform. One is to post a question and wait for answers to be provided by authenticated doctors. The other is to search for relevant questions with answers. For the latter, health consumers may prefer an accepted answer marked by the previous health consumer. However, there is a large proportion of questions without an accepted answer and it is inconvenient for people who want to search for relevant questions. To address this issue, we aim to select high-quality answers from the answers without marked accepted answers. We propose a deep learning approach to achieve this goal. To train the model for the prediction of answer quality, we first view the accepted answer as the positive answer and propose a method to label the negative answer. Next, we capture the semantic information on the question and the answer by the deep learning structure. We then combine the information to predict the quality score of the answer. We collect data from one of the biggest Chinese HQA community and divide them into groups by the medical departments for detailed analysis. Finally, we conduct experiments to show the effectiveness of categorization and the labeling method. The results show that our approach outperforms other studies and we further research into the differences among the results of different categories.

The internet is widely used by the public to look for health-related information. The quality of information about shin guard characteristics and protective benefits is lacking. The objectives of this study are the folowing: (1) to summarise currently available knowledge on shin guards. (2) To assess the quality of websites presenting information pertinent to shin guards by using previously validated scoring systems. (3) To develop a novel scoring system to assess the accuracy of the content available online on shin guards. First, scientific knowledge about shin guards was developed by searching the scientific databases. Second, we identified eligible websites containing information about shin guard by searching the top 3 English search engines (Google, Yahoo! and Bing). Finally, to evaluate the websites, we searched peer-reviewed articles to identify appropriate scoring systems to assess the quality of health information on the internet. 25 Web sites were included; the mean overall score was 17.4 out of 35 (49.7%). The average quality score was 5.3 out of 15 (35.3%) and the average reliability score was 12.2 out of 20 (61%). Overall, most of the websites retrieved are of poor quality, with none of the websites’ total score reaching the threshold to be included in the “Excellent Category” and only one website was qualified to be added to the “very good category”. Our study suggests that there is paucity of websites available providing reliable and accurate information about shin guards.

No reference image quality assessment (NR-IQA) has received considerable importance in the last decade due to a rise in the use of multimedia content in our daily lives. Due to limitations in technology, multiple distortions may be introduced in the images that need to be assessed. Recently feature selection has shown promising results for single distorted NR-IQA and their effectiveness on multiple distorted images still need to be addressed. In this paper, impact of feature level fusion and feature selection on multiple distorted image quality assessment is presented. To this end features are extracted from multiple distorted images using six NR-IQA techniques (BLIINDS-II, BRISQUE, CurveletQA, DIIVINE, GM-LOG, SSEQ) that extract features in different (discrete cosine transform, spatial, curvelet transform, wavelet transform, spatial and gradient, spatial and spectral) domains. The extracted features from different domains are fused to generate a single feature vector. All combinations of feature-level fusion from six different techniques have been evaluated. Three different feature selection algorithms (genetic search, linear forward search, particle swarm optimization) are then applied to select optimum features for NR-IQA. The selected features are then used by the support vector regression model to predict the quality score. The performance of the proposed methodology is evaluated for two multiple distorted IQA databases (LIVE multiple distorted image dataset (LIVEMD), multiply distorted image database (MDID2017)), two singly synthetically distorted IQA databases (Tampere image database (TID2013), Computational and subjective image quality database (CSIQ)), and one screen content IQA database (Screen content image quality database (SIQAD)). Experimental results show that the fusion of features from different domains gives better performance in comparison to existing multiple-distorted NR-IQA techniques with SROCC scores of 0.9555, 0.9587, 0.6892, 0.9452, and 0.7682 on the LIVEMD, MDID, TID2013, CSIQ, and SIQAD databases respectively. Moreover, the performance is further improved when the genetic search feature selection algorithm is applied to fused features to remove the redundant and irrelevant features. The SROCC scores are improved to 0.9691, 0.9723, and 0.6897 for LIVEMD, MDID, and TID2013 databases respectively.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a small but significant part of the human genome, whose applicability potential has gradually increased with the advent of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technology. Knowledge of the particular workflow, equipment, and reagents used, along with extensive usage of negative controls to monitor all preparation steps constitute the prerequisites for confident reporting of results. In this study, we performed an assessment of Illumina® Human mtDNA Genome assay on MiSeq FGx™ instrument. Through analysis of several types of negative controls, as well as mtDNA positive controls, we established thresholds for data analysis and interpretation, consisting of several components: minimum read depth (220 reads), minimum quality score (41), percentage of minor allele sufficient for analysis (3.0%), percentage of minor allele sufficient for interpretation (6.0%), and percentage of major allele sufficient for homoplasmic variant call (97.0%). Based on these criteria, we defined internal guidelines for analysis and interpretation of mtDNA results obtained by MPS. Our study shows that the whole mtDNA assay on MiSeq FGx™ produces repeatable and reproducible results, independent of the analyst, which are also concordant with Sanger-type sequencing results for mtDNA control region, as well as with MPS results produced by NextSeq®. Overall, established thresholds and interpretation guidelines were successfully applied for the sequencing of complete mitochondrial genomes from high-quality samples. The underlying principles and proposed methodology on the definition of internal laboratory guidelines for analysis and interpretation of MPS results may be applicable to similar MPS workflows, e.g. targeting good-quality samples in forensic genetics and molecular diagnostics.

With the advent of the technological era, the complexity of data security and privacy has gained utmost importance. People are becoming more conscious about the security and confidentiality of their crucial information. The present study is first of its kind effort in for safeguarding an individual’s electrocardiogram (ECG) data. ECG data not only does hold medical significance but also is of crucial and critical importance for purposes related to biometric information. Hence, a deciding factor for recognizing and validating personal information. The study progresses and proposes a new technique in ECG watermarking compression. This method ensures high reliability of data and information with confidentiality. The efficiency of the proposed research is evaluated in terms of compression ratio (CR), compressed signal-to-noise-ratio (CSNR), root-mean-square error (RMSE), maximum absolute error, percentage root-mean-square difference (PRD), and quality score. After a comprehensive evaluation, the final results show that the proposed work is robust and feasible.

To assess the methodological quality and risk of bias in radiomics studies investigating diagnosis, therapy response, and survival of patients with osteosarcoma. In this systematic review, literatures on radiomics in osteosarcoma were included and assessed for methodological quality through the radiomics quality score (RQS). The risk of bias and concern of application was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool. A meta-analysis of studies focusing on predicting osteosarcoma response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was performed. Twelve radiomics studies exploring osteosarcoma were identified, and five were included in meta-analysis. The RQS reached an average of 20.4% (6.92 of 36) with good inter-rater agreement (ICC 0.95, 95% CI 0.85-0.99). Four studies validated results with an internal dataset, none of which used external dataset; one study was prospectively designed, and another one shared part of the dataset. The risk of bias and concern of application were mainly related to index test aspect. The meta-analysis showed a diagnostic odds ratio of 43.68 (95%CI 13.5-141.31) for predicting response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with high heterogeneity and low methodological quality. The overall scientific quality of included studies is insufficient; however, radiomics remains a promising technology for predicting treatment response, which might guide therapeutic decision-making and related to prognosis. Improvements in study design, validation, and open science needs to be made to demonstrate the generalizability of findings and to achieve clinical applications. Widespread application of RQS, pre-trained RQS scoring procedure, and modification of RQS in response to clinical needs are necessary. • Limited radiomics studies were established in osteosarcoma with mean RQS of 20.4%, commonly due to unvalidated results, retrospective study design, and absence of open science. • Meta-analysis of radiomics studies predicting osteosarcoma response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed high diagnostic odds ratio 43.68, while high heterogeneity and low methodological quality were the main concerns. • A previously trained data extraction instrument allowed reaching moderate inter-rater agreement in RQS applications, while RQS still needs improvement to become a wide adaptive tool in reviews of radiomics studies, in routine self-check before manuscript submitting and in study design.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the content, reliability and quality of YouTube videos related to pelvic floor muscle exercise training. This study was carried out on the descriptive model in order to evaluate the content, reliability and quality of the videos on YouTube related to pelvic floor muscle exercise training. “Pelvic floor muscle exercise” was searched on YouTube in English in March 2020, and a total of 107 videos were watched. Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information (DISCERN) survey was used to analyze the videos in terms of their reliabilities, and Global Quality Score (GQS) was used to evaluate their qualities. When the contents of 59 videos included in the study were examined, it was determined that 52 of them contained useful information and 7 of them contained misleading information. Comprehensiveness mean scores, DISCERN mean scores and GQS means of the useful videos were found to be statistically higher than that of the moderate and misleading videos (p

Evaluate quality and readability of online information for common rheumatologic diseases. Compare rheumatology patients' internet use and preferences to an objective evaluation of internet quality and readability. Five common rheumatologic diseases were searched on the web browser Google using English language. The first twenty websites from each of the five searches were evaluated for internet quality (e.g. content that is current, balanced, has specific aims, and is appropriately cited) using the DISCERN criteria and readability using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). The results were contrasted with a survey sent to patients with rheumatic disease. The survey measured patient likeliness to use and trust identified websites. Internet quality was similar (good) for all five diseases searched while readability was poor. There was an inverse relationship between internet quality and readability. Internet quality significantly differed across website sponsor, and readability significantly differed across disease and website sponsor. Common medical website sponsors with the highest combined quality and readability scores were Mayo Clinic and Web MD. Eight hundred and fifty-eight patients were sent a survey, of which 147 (17%) completed. Patients indicated they were most likely to use and trust a Mayo Clinic-sponsored website when compared to other common sponsored websites from our evaluation, followed by the American College of Rheumatology. Although we found good-quality information, all websites evaluated had readability levels above the recommended sixth-grade reading level. The website sponsor with the highest combined readability and quality score was also the most used and trusted by patients. Patients would like more information about credible and trusted websites from their medical providers.

To determine the quality of cancer symptom management when evidence from clinical practice guidelines are used in telephone-based oncology nursing services. Guided by the Knowledge to Action Framework, we conducted a quality improvement (QI) project focused on “monitoring knowledge use” (e.g., use of practice guides) and “measuring outcomes.” In 2016, 15 Pan-Canadian Oncology Symptom Triage and Remote Support (COSTaRS) practice guides that synthesize evidence from guidelines were implemented with training for all oncology nurses at a regional ambulatory oncology program. Eighteen months post-implementation, Symptom Management Analysis Tool (SMAT) was used to analyze audio-recorded calls and related documentation of cancer symptom management. Of 113 audio-recorded calls, 66 were COSTaRS symptoms (58%), 43 other symptoms (38%), and 4 medically complex situations (4%). Of 66 recorded calls, 63 (95%) were documented. Average SMAT quality score was 71% (range 21–100%) for audio-recordings and 63% (range 19–100%) for documentation of calls. COSTaRS practice guide use was documented in 33% calls. For these calls, average SMAT quality scores were 74% with COSTaRS versus 69% without COSTaRS for audio-recording and 73% (range 33–100%) with COSTaRS versus 58% without COSTaRS for documentation. Patient outcomes indicated symptom was resolved (38%), worse (25%), unchanged (3%), or unknown (33%). Eight patients (13%) had an ED visit within 14 days post that was related to the symptom discussed. Only a third of nurses indicated use of COSTaRS practice guides. There were higher quality symptom management scores when COSTaRS use was reported. Nurses documented less than what they discussed.

BACKGROUND: Variability in the quality of stroke care is widespread. Identifying performance-based outlier hospitals based on quality indicators (QIs) has become a common practice. OBJECTIVES: To develop a tool for identifying performance-based outlier hospitals based on risk-adjusted adherence rates of process indicators. DESIGN: Hospitals were classified into five-level outliers based on the observed-to-expected ratio and P value. The composite quality score was derived by summation of the points for each indicator for each hospital, and associations between outlier status and outcomes were determined. PARTICIPANTS: Patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke, January 1, 2011–May 31, 2017. INTERVENTION: N/A MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Independence at discharge (the modified Rankin Scale = 0–2). KEY RESULTS: A total of 501,132 patients from 519 hospitals were identified. From 0.39 to 19.65% of hospitals were identified as high outliers according to various QIs. Composite quality scores ranged from − 20 to 16. Providers that were high outliers based on QI2, QI8, QI9, and QI11 had higher independent rates. For composite quality score, each point increase corresponded to an 8% increase in the odds of independent rate. CONCLUSION: Nationwide variation in the quality of acute stroke care exists at the hospital level. Variability in the quality of stroke care can be captured by our proposed quality score. Applying this quality score as a benchmarking tool could provide audit-level feedback to policymakers and hospitals to aid quality improvement. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s11606-020-05923-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The increasing availability of Internet as a health-care source causes both positive and negative effects on public health. Though reaching to information about diseases is faster and easier, the contents are not always correct and might be misleading. In our study, we aim to investigate the quality of YouTube™ videos on larynx cancer. A YouTube™ search by using terms “throat cancer” and “larynx cancer” was done and, after eliminating the irrelevant videos, the first 200 videos were evaluated by three authors on quality, content and usefulness by using a pre-developed questionnaire. Videos were categorized according to the type and uploader separately to two (testimonial and educational) and five groups (health care, university, individual users, television channel/news and undetermined), respectively. Videos that are uploaded by university-affiliated accounts have significantly better audiovisual quality score and have significantly higher accuracy and usefulness score results. Furthermore, the accuracy and usefulness scores of the educational group were found to be statistically higher than those of the testimonial group. Videos uploaded by universities and videos that are created for educational purposes are superior to other sources in terms of quality, accuracy and content. Patient information videos discussing common health problems should be prepared and disseminated only by universities or health-care institutions

Background The global prevalence of diabetes mellitus is projected to reach approximately 700 million by the year 2045, with roughly 90–95% of all diabetes cases being type 2 in nature. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) frequently seek information about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) online. This study assessed the quality of publicly accessible websites providing consumer health information at the intersection of T2DM and CAM. Methods An online search engine (Google) was searched to identify pertinent websites containing information specific to CAM for T2DM patients, and the relevant websites were then screened with an eligibility criteria. Consumer health information found on eligible websites were then assessed for quality using the DISCERN instrument, a 16-item standardized scoring system. Results Across the 480 webpages identified, 94 unique webpages remained following deduplication, and 37 eligible webpages belonged to and were collapsed into 30 unique websites that were each assessed using the DISCERN instrument. The mean overall quality score (question 16) across all 30 assessed websites was 3.55 (SD = 0.86), and the mean summed DISCERN score was 52.40 (SD = 12.11). Eighty percent of websites presented a wide range of CAM treatment options with the associated benefits/risks of each treatment, but in 56.7% of the websites, the sources used to collect information were unreliable. Conclusion This study identified, assessed, and presents findings on the quality of online CAM information for T2DM. Although there were several high scoring websites, there was variability across most of the individual DISCERN items in the assessed websites. This study highlights the importance of awareness among healthcare providers regarding the reliability of online information about CAM treatment and management options for T2DM. Healthcare providers should be aware of patients' information seeking behaviour, guide them in navigating through the content they encounter online, and provide them with resources containing trustworthy and reliable information.

With polygenic risk score (PRS) for autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D), this study identified T1D cases with low T1D PRS and searched for susceptibility loci in these cases. Our hypothesis is that genetic effects (likely mediated by relatively rare genetic variants) of non-mainstream (or non-autoimmune) T1D might have been diluted in the previous studies on T1D cases in general. Two cohorts for the PRS modeling and testing respectively were included. The first cohort consisted of 3302 T1D cases and 6181 controls, and the independent second cohort consisted of 3297 T1D cases and 6169 controls. Cases with low T1D PRS were identified using PRSice-2 and compared to controls with low T1D PRS by genome-wide association (GWA) test. Thirteen novel genetic loci with high imputation quality (Quality Score r2 > 0.91) were identified of SNPs/SNVs associated with low PRS T1D at genome-wide significance (P ≤ 5.0 × E−08), in addition to 4 established T1D loci, 3 reported loci by our previous study, as well as 9 potential novel loci represented by rare SNVs, but with relatively low imputation quality (Quality Score r2

Inadequate implementation strategy reporting restricts research synthesis and replicability. We explored the implementation strategy reporting quality of a sample of mental health articles using Proctor et al.'s (Implement Sci 8:139, 2013) reporting recommendations. We conducted a narrative review to generate the sample of articles and assigned a reporting quality score to each article. The mean article reporting score was 54% (range 17-100%). The most reported domains were: name (100%), action (82%), target (80%), and actor (67%). The least reported domains included definition (6%), temporality (26%), justification (34%), and outcome (37%). We discuss limitations and provide recommendations to improve reporting.

Introduction Smartphone apps can be a valuable means for education and prevention to improve the health of children, adolescents and adults. A recent review of apps has revealed that there are over 1,000 patient-focused oral hygiene apps available on the Apple App Store and Google Play (Android) store.Objective The purpose of this research is to objectively assess the quality of 20 commercially available, patient-focused oral hygiene apps using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). Furthermore, the accuracy of oral hygiene-related information contained within the apps will be assessed.Methods Apps meeting inclusion criteria were evaluated for: 1) quality using the MARS tool; and 2) information accuracy using an eight-item, evidence-based checklist relating to important aspects in the prevention of caries and periodontal disease.Results The mean app quality score was 3.4/5 (2.3-4.9). On average, of the four MARS subscales assessed, 'functionality' had the highest mean score (4) and 'information' had the lowest (2.9). With regard to the accuracy of information contained within these apps, only two were found to contain accurate information for all eight items of the checklist. The majority (60%) of the apps (n = 13) did not contain information relating to at least 50% or more of the items present.Conclusions Currently available apps appear to be functional, however, there is a need to improve engagement, aesthetics and most importantly information content of apps.

To evaluate radiomics studies according to radiomics quality score (RQS) and Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) to provide objective measurement of radiomics research. PubMed and Embase were searched for studies published in high clinical imaging journals until December 2018 using the terms “radiomics” and “radiogenomics.” Studies were scored against the items in the RQS and TRIPOD guidelines. Subgroup analyses were performed for journal type (clinical vs. imaging), intended use (diagnostic vs. prognostic), and imaging modality (CT vs. MRI), and articles were compared using Fisher’s exact test and Mann-Whitney analysis. Seventy-seven articles were included. The mean RQS score was 26.1% of the maximum (9.4 out of 36). The RQS was low in demonstration of clinical utility (19.5%), test-retest analysis (6.5%), prospective study (3.9%), and open science (3.9%). None of the studies conducted a phantom or cost-effectiveness analysis. The adherence rate for TRIPOD was 57.8% (mean) and was particularly low in reporting title (2.6%), stating study objective in abstract and introduction (7.8% and 16.9%), blind assessment of outcome (14.3%), sample size (6.5%), and missing data (11.7%) categories. Studies in clinical journals scored higher and more frequently adopted external validation than imaging journals. The overall scientific quality and reporting of radiomics studies is insufficient. Scientific improvements need to be made to feature reproducibility, analysis of clinical utility, and open science categories. Reporting of study objectives, blind assessment, sample size, and missing data is deemed to be necessary. • The overall scientific quality and reporting of radiomics studies is insufficient. • The RQS was low in demonstration of clinical utility, test-retest analysis, prospective study, and open science. • Room for improvement was shown in TRIPOD in stating study objective in abstract and introduction, blind assessment of outcome, sample size, and missing data categories.

Recently, the perceived quality measurement of screen content images (SCIs) has become an active research topic. In this paper, a blind image quality measurement (IQM) metric for SCIs based on the learning of sparse features via dictionary learning is proposed. First, to extract the sparse features, histogram representations from multi-scale local gradient patterns are integrated to form a dictionary. Subsequently, using a pursuit algorithm, the sparse features of the distorted SCIs are efficiently coded by this dictionary. Finally, to obtain the final quality of the distorted SCIs, a machine learning algorithm is utilised to combine the sparse features into a final quality score. The results of extensive simulations conducted show that the proposed blind IQM metric consistently obtains competitive performance and is in line with human beings perceive.

Omnidirectional video (ODV) enables viewers to look at every direction from a fixed point and provides a much more immersive experience than traditional 2D video. Assessing the video quality is important for delivering ODV to the end-user with the best possible quality. For this goal, two aspects of ODV should be considered. The first is the spherical nature of ODV and the related projection distortions when the ODV is stored in a planar format. The second is the interactive look-around consumption nature of ODV. Related to this aspect, visual attention, that identifies the regions that attract the viewer’s attention, is important for ODV quality assessment. Considering these aspects, in this paper, we study in particular objective full-reference quality assessment for ODV. To this end, we propose a quality assessment framework based on the spherical Voronoi diagram and visual attention. In this framework, a given ODV is subdivided into multiple planar patches with low projection distortions using the spherical Voronoi diagram. Afterwards, each planar patch is analyzed separately by a quality metric for traditional 2D video, obtaining a quality score for each patch. Then, the patch scores are combined based on visual attention into a final quality score. To validate the proposed framework, we create a dataset of ODVs with scaling and compression distortions, and conduct subjective experiments in order to gather the subjective quality scores and the visual attention data for our ODV dataset. The evaluation of the proposed framework based on our dataset shows that both the use of the spherical Voronoi diagram and visual attention are crucial for achieving state-of-the-art performance.

Background To evaluate radiomics analysis in neuro-oncologic studies according to a radiomics quality score (RQS) system to find room for improvement in clinical use. Methods Pubmed and Embase were searched up the terms radiomics or radiogenomics and gliomas or glioblastomas until February 2019. From 189 articles, 51 original research articles reporting the diagnostic, prognostic, or predictive utility were selected. The quality of the methodology was evaluated according to the RQS. The adherence rates for the six key domains were evaluated: image protocol and reproducibility, feature reduction and validation, biologic/clinical utility, performance index, a high level of evidence, and open science. Subgroup analyses for journal type (imaging vs. clinical) and biomarker (diagnostic vs. prognostic/predictive) were performed. Results The median RQS was 11 out of 36 and adherence rate was 37.1%. Only 29.4% performed external validation. The adherence rate was high for reporting imaging protocol (100%), feature reduction (94.1%), and discrimination statistics (96.1%), but low for conducting test-retest analysis (2%), prospective study (3.9%), demonstrating potential clinical utility (2%), and open science (5.9%). None of the studies conducted a phantom study or cost-effectiveness analysis. Prognostic/predictive studies received higher score than diagnostic studies in comparison to gold standard (P P = .02), and cut-off analysis (P = .001). Conclusions The quality of reporting of radiomics studies in neuro-oncology is currently insufficient. Validation is necessary using external dataset, and improvements need to be made to feature reproducibility, demonstrating clinical utility, pursuits of a higher level of evidence, and open science.

Theoretical frameworks for adaptive natural resource management are quite common, whereas documented examples showing successful implementation of adaptive management and learning through multiple time intervals have remained uncommon. Measures of quality of adaptive natural resource management processes are needed to examine potential factors driving the successful implementation. To address this gap, we developed a multimetric index composed of 22 metrics to assess quality of case studies using quantitative decision support (QDS) to inform adaptive forest management (AFM). Metrics represented three main tasks, including conceptual setup, modeling, and application. We further distinguished these into subtasks: definition of objectives and management options (setup); specifying uncertainty, prediction, and optimization (modeling); and stakeholder involvement along with practice and learning (application). We used a multimetric index to examine temporal and geographic variation in quality of reviewed case studies using QDS to inform AFM. We then conducted a structured literature review of 179 articles, wherein 34 case studies met a priori criteria. When applying the multimetric index to these case studies, we found that over the past decade the index has been intermediate and annual average scores declined by 33% from 4.5 to 3.0 of 10 (where 10 is the highest possible quality score). Aligning with reviews of adaptive natural resource management, reported on-ground application of QDS to inform AFM was rare (n = 2). We also confirmed the expectation that there has been a substantial lack of stakeholder engagement during QDS development tasks. Our multimetric index provides a novel tool to examine gaps in the use of QDS for adaptive management in diverse domains including but not limited to forests.

To perform a rapid review of the recent literature on radiomics and breast cancer (BC). A rapid review, a streamlined approach to systematically identify and summarize emerging studies was done (updated 27 September 2017). Clinical studies eligible for inclusion were those that evaluated BC using a radiomics approach and provided data on BC diagnosis (detection or characterization) or BC prognosis (response to therapy, morbidity, mortality), or provided data on technical challenges (software application: open source, repeatability of results). Descriptive statistics, results, and radiomics quality score (RQS) are presented. N = 17 retrospective studies, all published after 2015, provided BC-related radiomics data on 3928 patients evaluated with a radiomics approach. Most studies were done for diagnosis and/or characterization (65%, 11/17) or to aid in prognosis (41%, 7/17). The mean number of radiomics features considered was 100. Mean RQS score was 11.88 ± 5.8 (maximum value 36). The RQS criteria related to validation, gold standard, potential clinical utility, cost analysis, and open science data had the lowest scores. The majority of studies n = 16/17 (94%) provided correlation with histological outcomes and staging variables or biomarkers. Only 4/17 (23%) studies provided evidence of correlation with genomic data. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used in most studies n = 14/17 (82%); however, ultrasound (US), mammography, or positron emission tomography with 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-d-glucose integrated with computed tomography (18F FDG PET/CT) was also used. Much heterogeneity was found for software usage. The study of radiomics in BC patients is a new and emerging translational research topic. Radiomics in BC is frequently done to potentially improve diagnosis and characterization, mostly using MRI. Substantial quality limitations were found; high-quality prospective and reproducible studies are needed to further potential application.

Image segmentation is an essential step for many computer vision tasks. Evaluating the quality of image segmentations becomes indispensable for choosing an appropriate output of the image segmentation algorithms. To quantitatively evaluate the segmentation quality, various evaluation measures have been proposed to produce a quality map, and a spatial pooling algorithm is followed to combine the quality map into a single quality score. In this paper, we propose two pooling strategies instead of using the conventional spatial average operation. By assigning perceptual meaningful weights to the quality maps, we obtain evaluation measures that are correlated with the human perception of segmentation quality. Specifically, a quality-based and a visual importance-based pooling strategies are designed and tested on some popular evaluation measures, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that applies perceptual pooling strategies for segmentation evaluation. Extensive experiments are conducted on a subjective evaluation benchmark and the Berkeley Segmentation Dataset (BSDS500). The results indicate that the proposed strategies can improve the performance of existing evaluation measures and produce a more perceptually meaningful judgment on the segmentation quality.

Ancient DNA obtained from ancient samples, such as sediments, bones, and teeth, is an important genetic resource that can be used to reconstruct an evolutional history of humans, animals, and plants. The application of high-throughput sequencing enables the research of ancient DNA to be conducted in a whole genome scale. However, post-mortem DNA damage mainly caused by deamination of cytosine to uracil (or methylated cytosine to thymine) may confound the variant calling and downstream analysis. In this article, we develop a Python program to implement a new variant caller, "AntCaller", which extracts the information on nucleotide substitutions from sequencing data and calculates the probability of each genotype based on a Bayesian rule. Through both simulation studies and real data analyses, it was shown that our method reduced the false discovery rate caused by nucleotide misincorporations and outperformed two mainstream variant callers (i.e., GATK and SAMtools) in terms of calling accuracy. In a real application with serious DNA damage, AntCaller still outperformed GATK and SAMtools combined with quality score recalling.

Blind image quality assessment (BIQA) is a challenging task in real-world problems due to unavailability of reference images. The performance of BIQA techniques is highly dependent on features used to assess the image quality. In the literature, different BIQA techniques have been proposed using a two-step approach, i.e., feature extraction in different domains and prediction of quality score using extracted features. However, optimum feature selection for these techniques has not been explored. This paper investigates the impact of feature selection algorithms on the performance of BIQA techniques. In contrast to existing techniques, the proposed methodology follows a three-step approach. Firstly, features are extracted using existing BIQA techniques. In the second step, feature selection algorithm is applied on the extracted features to reduce the number of features. The selected features are then utilized for prediction of a quality score in the third step. The proposed approach is evaluated for six BIQA techniques using five commonly used feature selection algorithms. Experimental results show that the feature selection algorithms not only reduces the number of features but also improves the performance of the state-of-the-art BIQA techniques.

Breast reconstruction (BR) makes an important positive contribution to the quality of life of many women who have undergone mastectomy for breast cancer. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the evidence for possible relationships between women’s expectations of BR and their satisfaction with outcomes to inform and facilitate improved communication about BR options prior to initial surgery. A systematic review of the literature reporting expectations of BR published between 1 January 1994 and 6 March 2017 identified 2107 initial search results. Twenty-one publications, reporting 20 studies (2288 participants), satisfied the selection criteria. Information on study aim and time frame, participation rate, design/methods, limitations/bias, results and conclusions, as well as participant clinical and demographic information, was reported. An overall quality score was generated for each study. Four of five studies that quantified expectations and satisfaction found a positive relationship between the two. This may indicate a possible trend, but as 16 of the 21 included publications did not provide quantifiable data, no firm conclusions are possible. Our findings have important implications for policy and practice which are applicable to medical decision-making more broadly. There is a clear need to utilise accurate and consistent measures of patient-reported expectations and to educate both patients and health practitioners about the importance of informed discussion about treatment options. This is particularly salient for women facing a choice about BR, a major breast cancer survivorship decision. Routine use of an expectations checklist in pre-operative consultations may be useful.

The human chromosome metaspread images are used to generate the karyogram that is used for the diagnosis of the genetic defects. The genetic defects occur due to variation in either the structure of the chromosomes or the number of chromosomes present in the cell. The human chromosome metaspread image selection process is very critical in the karyogram generation task. It is very tedious and time-consuming process and is generally done manually by an expert cytogeneticist. The manual selection results may be biased, and it is possible that the whole search space is not explored to find the best metaspread image. The mood of the cytogeneticist will also greatly affect the selection results. So there is a strong need to automate the process of human chromosome metaspread image selection process. The proposed approach ranks the metaspread images based upon the quality score that is calculated using the count of the chromosomes of various orientations present in the metaspread image. The ranking has been done based upon ordinal ranking process, wherein a unique rank is assigned to each image based upon a set of rules. The rule base aids in the tiebreaking process in case the same quality score is derived for more than one metaspread image. The decision-making process of the expert cytogeneticist has been emulated by using a set of if–then rules. The proposed technique helps to select the best metaspread image, by exploring the complete set of images that can be used for the karyogram generation.

The problem of poor writing skills at the postsecondary level is a large and troubling one. This study investigated the writing skills of low-skilled adults attending college developmental education courses by determining whether variables from an automated scoring system were predictive of human scores on writing quality rubrics. The human-scored measures were a holistic quality rating for a persuasive essay and an analytic quality score for a written summary. Both writing samples were based on text on psychology and sociology topics related to content taught at the introductory undergraduate level. The study is a modified replication of McNamara et al. (Written Communication, 27(1), 57–86 2010), who identified several Coh-Metrix variables from five linguistic classes that reliably predicted group membership (high versus low proficiency) using human quality scores on persuasive essays written by average-achieving college students. When discriminant analyses and ANOVAs failed to replicate the McNamara et al. (Written Communication, 27(1), 57–86 2010) findings, the current study proceeded to analyze all of the variables in the five Coh-Metrix classes. This larger analysis identified 10 variables that predicted human-scored writing proficiency. Essay and summary scores were predicted by different automated variables. Implications for instruction and future use of automated scoring to understand the writing of low-skilled adults are discussed.

Background To investigate the prevalence of protocol registration (or development) among published dose-response meta-analyses (DRMAs), and whether DRMAs with a protocol are better than those not. Methods Three databases were searched for eligible DRMAs. The modified AMSTAR (14 items) and PRISMA checklists (26 items) were used to assess the methodological and reporting quality, with each item assigned 1 point if it met the requirement or 0 if not. We matched (1,2) DRMAs with registered or published protocol to those not, by region and publication years. The summarized quality score and compliance rate of each item were compared between the two groups. Multivariable regression was employed to see if protocol registration or development was associated with total quality score. Results We included 529 DRMAs, with 45 (8.51%) completed protocol registration or development. We observed a higher methodological score for DRMAs with protocol than the matched controls (9.47 versus 8.58, P

Background Recently, the block-sequential regularized expectation maximization (BSREM) reconstruction algorithm was commercially introduced (Q.Clear, GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA). However, the combination of noise-penalizing factor (β), acquisition time, and administered activity for optimal image quality has not been established for 18F-fluorocholine (FCH). The aim was to compare image quality and diagnostic performance of different reconstruction protocols for patients with prostate cancer being examined with 18F-FCH on a silicon photomultiplier-based PET-CT. Thirteen patients were included, injected with 4 MBq/kg, and images were acquired after 1 h. Images were reconstructed with frame durations of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 min using β of 150, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 550. An ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) reconstruction with a frame duration of 2.0 min was used for comparison. Images were quantitatively analyzed regarding standardized uptake values (SUV) in metastatic lymph nodes, local background, and muscle to obtain contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) as well as the noise level in muscle. Images were analyzed regarding image quality and number of metastatic lymph nodes by two nuclear medicine physicians. Results The highest median CNR was found for BSREM with a β of 300 and a frame duration of 2.0 min. The OSEM reconstruction had the lowest median CNR. Both the noise level and lesion SUVmax decreased with increasing β. For a frame duration of 1.5 min, the median quality score was highest for β 400-500, and for a frame duration of 2.0 min the score was highest for β 300-500. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of suspected lymph node metastases between the different image series for one of the physicians, and for the other physician the number of lymph nodes differed only for one combination of image series. Conclusions To achieve acceptable image quality at 4 MBq/kg 18F-FCH, we propose using a β of 400-550 with a frame duration of 1.5 min. The lower β should be used if a high CNR is desired and the higher if a low noise level is important.

S cientific peer review is imperfect, and efforts to improve the process have had limited impact. For example, concealing reviewer or author identity, using a statistical checklist, or training referees has yielded mixed results at best. However, until new approaches (e.g. post-publication review) are tried and evaluated, peer review remains the scientific community’s primarymechanism for ensuring editorial quality and principal bulwark against error. JGIM’s approach to editorial review is not dissimilar from that employed by our peer publications. We use a three-stage process, and at each stage we ask of the research, Bis it new, is it true, and will it change practice.^ First, the co-editors in chief and senior associate editor evaluate manuscripts for fit and potential impact. Manuscripts that pass this initial bar are sent to a deputy editor for a secondary, in-depth review. A subset of these manuscripts are sent on for peer review. We ask peer reviewers to do three things: first, identify scientific strengths and deficiencies; second, assess impact on the field of general internal medicine; and third, help authors convey their ideas with greater clarity. We are biased, of course, but we think that as a group, JGIM peer reviewers are exceptionally conscientious at accomplishing these tasks. While we ask reviewers to make recommendations regarding acceptance, we are mindful of the unreliability of this process and use these recommendations as only one element in what is ultimately an editorial decision. Many good papers are returned to authors with regrets, and no doubt we reject some potentially important and impactful work. Peer reviewers, editors, and the editorial process are all fallible.We are grateful to authors who continue to submit to the journal, hoping that we finally get it right. JGIM would like to thank the many talented people who have volunteered their time to serve as peer reviewers for the journal over the past 12 months. In 2015–2016, 795 reviewers provided a total of 957 reviews with a mean quality score of 4.4 on a scale of 1–6 (as judged by our JGIM deputy editors). Of these, 154 provided at least two reviews, and 8 provided three or more. We are indebted to them for their service. Among this group of dedicated peer reviewers, there is a group that stands out. These top peer reviewers performed at least two reviews between July 2015 and June 2016, returned all reviews within 30 days, and received a quality score of 4 or greater (out of a maximum score of 6) on all reviews. An asterisk identifies the 88 reviewers who meet these criteria. We congratulate them on their service to the academic community and thank them for their efforts on behalf of the journal.

Large-scale retrieval systems are often implemented as a cascading sequence of phases -- a first filtering step, in which a large set of candidate documents are extracted using a simple technique such as Boolean matching and/or static document scores; and then one or more ranking steps, in which the pool of documents retrieved by the filter is scored more precisely using dozens or perhaps hundreds of different features. The documents returned to the user are then taken from the head of the final ranked list. Here we examine methods for measuring the quality of filtering and preliminary ranking stages, and show how to use these measurements to tune the overall performance of the system. Standard top-weighted metrics used for overall system evaluation are not appropriate for assessing filtering stages, since the output is a set of documents, rather than an ordered sequence of documents. Instead, we use an approach in which a quality score is computed based on the discrepancy between filtered and full evaluation. Unlike previous approaches, our methods do not require relevance judgments, and thus can be used with virtually any query set. We show that this quality score directly correlates with actual differences in measured effectiveness when relevance judgments are available. Since the quality score does not require relevance judgments, it can be used to identify queries that perform particularly poorly for a given filter. Using these methods, we explore a wide range of filtering options using thousands of queries, categorize the relative merits of the different approaches, and identify useful parameter combinations.

Background Inadequate description of non-pharmacological complex interventions in trial publications means that they cannot be replicated or assessed for generalisability. There are published guidelines on how to describe an intervention, such as those from the CONSORT Group. However, there have been few evaluations of whether intervention reporting is improving. Methods We aimed to assess whether descriptions of multicomponent, non-pharmacological interventions evaluated in randomised trials are improving. To do so, we chose trials of educational and psychotherapeutic interventions to promote adherence to therapy, and compared those published between 2002 and 2007 (Time-1) with those between 2010 and 2015 (Time-2). These time periods were chosen to concord with the publication in 2008 of the CONSORT extension statement of reporting guidelines for non-pharmacological treatment which included items on intervention description. We assessed 19 items, based on the CONSORT Statement and the more recent Template for Intervention Description and Replication Checklist (TIDieR). Two reviewers independently extracted data. We created a quality score of the eight items we considered key information for replication and assessment of generalisability (setting, provider, recipient, comparator, intervention intensity, how it was conducted, existence of a manual or protocol, and detail of whether there was an assessment of fidelity). Score per item was ‘1’ if reported adequately and ‘0’ if not. Results Of the eligible trials, 42 were published in Time-1 and 134 published in Time-2. The trials included were published in 112 peer-reviewed journals, 52 of these journals currently require authors to follow the CONSORT Statements, while only one recommended adherence to the TIDieR. Most items of CONSORT and TIDieR were reported by more than half of the trials at both time points. Few trials reported fidelity. A large proportion of the trials did not report the existence of a manual or protocol, or what the comparator group received. We found no statistically significant improvement in the eight-item quality score (Time-1: mean 5.71 (standard deviation (SD) 1.09), Time-2: 5.87 (SD 1.28), p = 0.49). Conclusions We found no overall evidence that reporting the specifics of multicomponent, non-pharmacological interventions is improving. Details to replicate interventions remain lacking, impairing best implementation or meaningful further research. Editorial endorsement of reporting checklists needs to be more extensive.

BackgroundIt is well-known that genome sequencing technologies are becoming significantly cheaper and faster. As a result of this, the exponential growth in sequencing data in public databases allows us to explore ever growing large collections of genome sequences. However, it is less known that the majority of available sequenced genome sequences in public databases are not complete, drafts of varying qualities. We have calculated quality scores for around 100,000 bacterial genomes from all major genome repositories and put them in a fast and easy-to-use database.ResultsProkaryotic genomic data from all sources were collected and combined to make a non-redundant set of bacterial genomes. The genome quality score for each was calculated by four different measurements: assembly quality, number of rRNA and tRNA genes, and the occurrence of conserved functional domains. The dataBase of Bacterial Quality scores (dBBQs) was designed to store and retrieve quality scores. It offers fast searching and download features which the result can be used for further analysis. In addition, the search results are shown in interactive JavaScript chart framework using DC.js. The analysis of quality scores across major public genome databases find that around 68% of the genomes are of acceptable quality for many uses.ConclusionsdBBQs (available at http://arc-gem.uams.edu/dbbqs) provides genome quality scores for all available prokaryotic genome sequences with a user-friendly Web-interface. These scores can be used as cut-offs to get a high-quality set of genomes for testing bioinformatics tools or improving the analysis. Moreover, all data of the four measurements that were combined to make the quality score for each genome, which can potentially be used for further analysis. dBBQs will be updated regularly and is freely use for non-commercial purpose.

With the consideration that incorporating visual saliency information appropriately can benefit image quality assessment metrics, this paper proposes an objective stereoscopic video quality assessment (SVQA) metric by incorporating stereoscopic visual attention (SVA) to SVQA metric. Specifically, based upon the multiple visual masking characteristics of HVS, a stereoscopic just-noticeable difference model is proposed to compute the perceptual visibility for stereoscopic video. Next, a novel SVA model is proposed to extract stereoscopic visual saliency information. Then, the quality maps are calculated by the similarity of the original and distorted stereoscopic videos’ perceptual visibility. Finally, the quality score is obtained by incorporating visual saliency information to the pooling of quality maps. To evaluate the proposed SVQA metric, a subjective experiment is conducted. The experimental result shows that the proposed SVQA metric achieves better performance in comparison with the existing SVQA metrics.

Video-assisted mediastinoscopy (VAM) and endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) are the two most commonly used invasive methods for mediastinal staging of lung cancer. The objective of this review is to assess and compare the overall diagnostic values of VAM and EBUS-TBNA. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies that evaluated EBUS-TBNA or VAM accuracy. Quantitative meta-analysis was used to pool sensitivity and specificity, and study quality was evaluated. Meta-regression was applied to indirectly compare EBUS-TBNA and VAM after adjusting quality score, study design, and station number. A total of ten studies with 999 EBUS-TBNA patients and seven studies with 915 VAM patients were included. Since the pooled specificity was 100% for both modalities, sensitivity was mainly analyzed. The pooled sensitivities for EBUS-TBNA and VAM were 0.84 (95% CI 0.79-0.88) and 0.86 (95% CI 0.82-0.90), respectively. Subgroup analyses of quality score, study design, station number and rapid on-site cytologic evaluation showed no significant influence on the overall sensitivity of the two modalities. After adjusting quality score, study design, and station number, the pooled sensitivities of VAM and EBUS-TBNA were not significantly different. However, more procedural complications and fewer false negatives (FN) were found with VAM than EBUS-TBNA. VAM and EBUS exhibited equally high diagnostic accuracy for mediastinal staging of lung cancer. Due to lower morbidity with EBUS-TBNA and fewer FN with VAM, EBUS-TBNA should be performed first, followed by VAM in the case of a negative needle result.

Background This study was designed to assess the quality of reporting on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of scalp acupuncture for the treatment of stroke. Methods The following 8 databases were systematically investigated from their inception to December 2015: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, National Institute of Informatics Scholarly and Academic Information Navigator, National Digital Science Library, Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal, and Korean Studies Information Service System. RCTs utilizing scalp acupuncture as an intervention for stroke were selected, and the quality of reports was assessed based on the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials 2010 statement (CONSORT) and Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture 2010 (STRICTA). For each study, the overall quality score (OQS) of 13 CONSORT items, a combined key methodological index score (MIS) of 5 CONSORT items, and the OQS of 17 STRICTA items were measured. Results The original reports of 63 RCTs were ultimately obtained, and the median CONSORT OQS was 7 (minimum 2, maximum 11). Particularly, the items ‘trial design’, ‘sample size’, ‘ancillary analyses’, and ‘harms’ had a positive rate of less than 10%. The median MIS was 1 (minimum 0, maximum 5), with ‘allocation concealment and implementation’ and ‘intent-to-treat analysis (ITT) analysis’ having a positive rate of less than 10%. The median STRICTA OQS was 11 (minimum 6, maximum 14), and only the items ‘sample size’ and ‘intent-to-treat analysis’ were reported, with a positive rate of less than 10%. The mean CONSORT OQS increased by approximately 0.81 for each 5-year period in which manuscripts were published (95% confidence interval: 0.43 to 1.19; p

Background The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of prior laparoscopic experience on the ability to learn laparoendoscopic single site surgery (LESS) skills. Methods A total of 33 urologists who completed a training program in LESS surgery were recruited for this study. After completing the educational course and training, the study participants demonstrated LESS suturing and knot-tying via a 2-cm cystotomy in a live porcine model for 15 min. An objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) was used to evaluate videos of each participant’s procedure. The participants were divided according to laparoscopic experience; advanced experienced group (AS), intermediate experienced group (IS), novice group (NS). Results Three participants in the NS group completed the porcine cystorrhaphy in 15 min (30.0%), 3 (25.0%) completed the task in the IS group, and 3 (27.2%) completed it in the AS group. There were no statistically significant differences in the mean total OSATS quality score (NS; 16.7, IS; 18.5, AS; 16.8) among the 3 groups. Concerning all each assessment, there were also no statistically significant difference. Additionaly, the mean total OSATS quantity score (NS; 4.1, IS; 3.5, AS; 4.3) did not differ significantly among groups. The NS group succeeded a mean of 1.4 knots, the IS group succeeded 0.9, and the AS group 1.3 (p = 0.727). Conclusions There was no significant difference among the groups in LESS proficiency after training. Surgeons who were novices in conventional laparoscopic surgery reached comparable scores to those of experienced laparoscopic surgeons after training.

The quality offered by cloud computing services is becoming an issue of the utmost priority and, regardless of the cloud delivery models, the adoption of cloud services will depend on having the capability to ensure quality of service to the users. However, studies to find and select cloud computing services according to their service quality are still in their infancy. Here, we propose a system that calculates the priority weights for each quality attribute according to the quality preference of a user and the interrelation analysis results between the attributes, and reflects the weights in selecting the cloud computing service. To calculate the quality preference of the user, we applied a pairwise comparison matrix and an eigenvector of the matrix. Through the proposed system, users can easily perform the process of calculating the weights and selecting the best services according to their quality preference. The simulation results show that the weights of the quality attributes and the quality score ranking of the sample cloud computing services vary according to users' preferences and interrelations between attributes.

For majorities of no-reference image quality assessment (NRIQA) algorithms, prior knowledge about image distortion types is needed. However, the source distortions in the image are actually not given in most cases. In this paper, we propose a no-reference image quality assessment approach based on steerable pyramid decomposition using natural scene statistics without any prior knowledge about the distortions of the original image. Because the means of ( $$\log _{2}$$ log 2 of) subband coefficient amplitudes (MLSCAs) of the natural images have certain statistical properties independent of their contents, a predicted MLSCAs based on these properties can be considered as a reference index for assessment. A subband distortion is then defined as the difference between the reference and the real MLSCA of the distorted image. As against most NRIQA algorithms that are distortion specific, the subband distortion determined is independent of distortion types. Therefore, the proposed method is capable of assessing the quality of a distorted image across multiple distortion categories without any prior knowledge about the distortions of the original image. Finally, a set of weights for each subband, trained from the subjective mean opinion scores in the LIVE image database, is used to combine the subband distortions into a quality score for evaluating the distorted images. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms five no-reference algorithms using natural scene statistics.

Background Multiplexing multiple samples during Illumina sequencing is a common practice and is rapidly growing in importance as the throughput of the platform increases. Misassignments during de-multiplexing, where sequences are associated with the wrong sample, are an overlooked error mode on the Illumina sequencing platform. This results in a low rate of cross-talk among multiplexed samples and can cause detrimental effects in studies requiring the detection of rare variants or when multiplexing a large number of samples. Results We observed rates of cross-talk averaging 0.24 % when multiplexing 14 different samples with unique i5 and i7 index sequences. This cross-talk rate corresponded to 254,632 misassigned reads on a single lane of the Illumina HiSeq 2500. Notably, all types of misassignment occur at similar rates: incorrect i5, incorrect i7, and incorrect sequence reads. We demonstrate that misassignments can be nearly eliminated by quality filtering of index reads while preserving about 90 % of the original sequences. Conclusions Cross-talk among multiplexed samples is a significant error mode on the Illumina platform, especially if samples are only separated by a single unique index. Quality filtering of index sequences offers an effective solution to minimizing cross-talk among samples. Furthermore, we propose a straightforward method for verifying the extent of cross-talk between samples and optimizing quality score thresholds that does not require additional control samples and can even be performed post hoc on previous runs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-3217-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

There are concerns about the reporting quality of asthma trials. To describe the reporting of contemporary asthma trials and to identify factors associated with better reporting quality. Two reviewers independently searched MEDLINE for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of asthma published between January 2010 and July 2012 in leading generalist and specialist journals. We calculated the proportion of trials that adequately reported each Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist item and an overall quality score for each trial. Factors associated with better reporting quality were investigated. Thirty-five RCTs satisfied our eligibility criteria. Four trials adequately reported 60% of items. Seventeen of the 38 CONSORT items were consistently well reported in more than two-thirds of the articles. In contrast, nine items were poorly reported in more than half the trials — namely, identification as a randomised trial in the title (40.0%), an adequate structured summary/abstract (48.6%), details of eligibility criteria (34.3%), recruitment (48.6%), randomisation procedures (22.9%), intervention (38.5%), harms (34.3%), the funding source (45.7%), and access to the full trial protocol (17.1%). Studies led by teams in high-income country settings were associated with better quality of reporting (relative risk=1.33, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.64). The quality of reporting in contemporary asthma literature remains suboptimal. We have identified important areas in which reporting quality needs to be improved.

Introduced a decade ago, the Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) has had a substantial impact on research in New Zealand universities. The PBRF now provides the primary means for supporting research in tertiary education institutions, having replaced a system where funding was tied to student numbers. The PBRF is based on the principle of peer review, with expert panels in twelve different disciplinary groupings assigned the task of grading evidence portfolios (EPs) submitted by individual researchers. EPs comprise three main sections: (i) a list of research outputs (books, articles, conference papers, and so on), four of which are nominated by the researcher as his or her best; (ii) a section on ‘Peer Esteem’; and (iii) a component for ‘Contributions to the Research Environment’. The weightings in determining the final assessment are 70 % for the ‘outputs’ section, with 15 % each for the other two parts. In addition to the review of EPs via the quality evaluation exercise (accounting for 60 % of the total PBRF funding allocation), participating institutions and organisations are assessed on the basis of research degree completions and external research income. Three quality evaluation rounds—in 2003, 2006 (a partial round) and 2012—have been completed to date. Seddon and her colleagues have noted that, under Australia’s Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative, research in Education has been assessed as ‘below world standard’ (Seddon et al. 2012, p. 5). Education has also received a comparatively low subject area ranking in the latest round of the PBRF: 34th out of 42 (Tertiary Education Commission 2013, Appendix A, p. 89, Section 11). From the beginning, one of the key stated aims of the PBRF was to improve the quality of research in New Zealand. According to the Tertiary Education Commission, this goal is being achieved: ‘The measured research quality of the sector has increased over time: the new average quality score ... in 2012 is 4.66 compared to 4.40 in 2006 and 4.30 in 2003’ (p. 7). There was little change in the average quality score for Education

Objective:Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of pharmacoeconomic studies based in India. Abstract: Methods:Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, EconLit, PsycInfo and Google Scholar to identify published work on pharmacoeconomics studies based in India. Articles were included if they were original studies that evaluated pharmaceuticals, were based in India and were conducted between 1990 and 2010. Two reviewers independently reviewed the articles using a subjective 10-point quality scale in addition to the 100-point Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) questionnaire. Abstract: Results:Results: Twenty-nine articles published between 1998 and May 2010 were included in the review. The included articles were published in 23 different journals. Each article was written by an average of five authors. The mean subjective quality score of the 29 articles was 7.8 (standard deviation &lsqb;SD&rsqb; - 1.3) and the mean QHES scores for the complete pharmacoeconomic studies (n - 24) was 86 (SD - 6). The majority of authors resided in India (62%) at the time of publication and had a medical background (90%). The quality score was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) related to the country of residence of the primary author (non-India - higher) and the study design (randomized controlled trials - higher). Abstract: Conclusion:Conclusion: Although the overall quality scores were comparable to (e.g. Nigeria) or higher than (e.g. Zimbabwe) similar studies in other developing countries, key features such as an explicit study perspective and the use of sensitivity analyses were missing in about 40% of the articles. The need for economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals is imperative, especially in developing countries such as India as this helps decision makers allocate scarce resources in a justifiable manner.

Most of Image Quality Assessment (IQA) metrics consist of two processes. In the first process, quality map of image is measured locally. In the second process, the last quality score is converted from the quality map by using the pooling strategy. The first process had been made effective and significant progresses, while the second process was always done in simple ways. In the second process of the pooling strategy, the optimal perceptual pooling weights should be determined and computed according to Human Visual System (HVS). Thus, a reliable spatial pooling mathematical model based on HVS is an important issue worthy of study. In this paper, a new Visual Perceptual Pooling Strategy (VPPS) for IQA is presented based on contrast sensitivity and luminance sensitivity of HVS. Experimental results with the LIVE database show that the visual perceptual weights, obtained by the proposed pooling strategy, can effectively and significantly improve the performances of the IQA metrics with Mean Structural SIMilarity (MSSIM) or Phase Quantization Code (PQC). It is confirmed that the proposed VPPS demonstrates promising results for improving the performances of existing IQA metrics.