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In this research, we propose the new mixed control chart called the mixed Moving Average-Cumulative Sum (MA-CUSUM) control chart used for monitoring parameter changes in asymmetrical and symmetrical processes. Its efficiency was compared with that of the Shewhart, Cumulative Sum (CUSUM), Moving Average (MA), mixed Cumulative Sum-Moving Average (CUSUM-MA) and mixed Moving Average-Cumulative Sum (MA-CUSUM) control charts by using their average run lengths (ARLs), the standard deviation of the run length (SDRL), and median run length (MRL) via the Monte Carlo simulation (MC). The simulation results show that the MA-CUSUM control chart was more efficient than the other control charts for small-to-moderate parameter changes for all distributions tested. To compare their applicability to real-world situations, the control charts were applied to data for the River Nile flow from 1871–1930 and mine explosions in the UK from 1875–1951. It was found that the MACUSUM control chart could more quickly detect parameter changes than the other control charts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CVD remains the major cause of death for dialysis patients. Dialysis patients have both traditional and nontraditional risk factors, including the retention of advanced glycation end products (AGE). Tissue AGE can be measured by skin autofluorescence (SAF) and are a reliable measurement of chronic exposure. Dietary intake of AGE may be lower in vegetarian patients than in non-vegetarian patients, so we determined whether vegetarian patients had lower SAF than non-vegetarian patients. We measured SAF in 332 adult haemodialysis patients using a UV technique in a standardised manner. Information about patients' demographic data, laboratory results and current medicinal prescriptions was collected retrospectively from the hospital's computerised database. The mean patient age was 65·2 (sd 15·1) years, 64 % were men, 42 % were diabetic, and 66 % were Caucasian. The mean SAF was 3·26 (sd 0·95) arbitrary units (AU), and SAF was lower in vegetarians as compared to non-vegetarians (2·71 (sd 0·6) v. 3·31 (sd 0·97) AU, P= 0·002). SAF was negatively correlated on both univariate (r − 0·17, P= 0·002) and multiple linear regression (β coefficient − 0·39, 95 % CI − 0·7, − 0·07, P= 0·019). SAF, a marker of tissue AGE deposition, was reduced in vegetarian haemodialysis patients after correction for known confounders, which suggests that a vegetarian diet may reduce exposure to preformed dietary AGE. Dietary manipulation could potentially reduce tissue AGE and SAF as well as CVD risk, but further prospective studies are warranted to confirm the present findings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]