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OBJECTIVE: To develop an automated algorithm to detect, quantify, and differentiate between tremor using pen-on-paper spirals. METHODS: Patients with essential tremor (n = 25), dystonic tremor (n = 25), Parkinson’s disease (n = 25), and healthy volunteers (HV, n = 25) drew free-hand spirals. The algorithm derived the mean deviation (MD) and tremor variability from scanned images. MD and tremor variability were compared with 1) the Bain and Findley scale, 2) the Fahn–Tolosa–Marin tremor rating scale (FTM–TRS), and 3) the peak power and total power of the accelerometer spectra. Inter and intra loop widths were computed to differentiate between the tremor. RESULTS: MD was higher in the tremor group (48.9±26.3) than in HV (26.4±5.3; p < 0.001). The cut-off value of 30.3 had 80.9% sensitivity and 76.0% specificity for the detection of the tremor [area under the curve: 0.83; 95% confidence index (CI): 0.75, 0.91, p < 0.001]. MD correlated with the Bain and Findley ratings (rho = 0.491, p = 0 < 0.001), FTM–TRS part B (rho = 0.260, p = 0.032) and accelerometric measures of postural tremor (total power, rho = 0.366, p < 0.001; peak power, rho = 0.402, p < 0.001). Minimum Detectable Change was 19.9%. Inter loop width distinguished Parkinson’s disease spirals from dystonic tremor (p < 0.001, 95% CI: 54.6, 211.1), essential tremor (p = 0.003, 95% CI: 28.5, 184.9), or HV (p = 0.036, 95% CI: -160.4, -3.9). CONCLUSION: The automated analysis of pen-on-paper spirals generated robust variables to quantify the tremor and putative variables to distinguish them from each other. SIGNIFICANCE: This technique maybe useful for epidemiological surveys and follow-up studies on tremor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we compared cancer patients preference for computerised (tablet/web-based) surveys versus paper. We also assessed whether the understanding of a cancer-related topic, pharmacogenomics is affected by the survey format, and examined differences in demographic and medical characteristics which may affect patient preference and understanding. Three hundred and four cancer patients completed a tablet-administered survey and another 153 patients completed a paper-based survey. Patients who participated in the tablet survey were questioned regarding their preference for survey format administration (paper, tablet and web-based). Understanding was assessed with a 'direct' method, by asking patients to assess their understanding of genetic testing, and with a 'composite' score. Patients preferred administration with tablet (71%) compared with web-based (12%) and paper (17%). Patients <65 years old, non-Caucasians and white-collar professionals significantly preferred the computerised format following multivariate analysis. There was no significant difference in understanding between the paper and tablet survey with direct questioning or composite score. Age (<65 years) and white-collar professionals were associated with increased understanding (both P = 0.03). There was no significant difference in understanding between the tablet and print survey in a multivariate analysis. Patients overwhelmingly preferred computerised surveys and understanding of pharmacogenomics was not affected by survey format. [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]

Objective Healthcare and mortality costs of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure at home among nonsmokers in California were estimated for the year 2009. Methods Costs were estimated with an epidemiological model using California SHS home exposure rates and published relative risks. Healthcare costs included nine conditions, and mortality was estimated for four perinatal and three adult conditions. Three mortality-related measures were estimated: deaths, years of potential life lost (YPLL) and the value of lost productivity. Results SHS-attributable healthcare costs totalled over $241 million. The most costly conditions for children and adolescents were attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ($7.8 million) and middle ear disease ($5.6 million). For adults, the most costly conditions were ischaemic heart disease (IHD) ($130.0 million) and asthma ($67.4 million). Deaths of 821 Californians were attributable to SHS exposure in the home, including 27 infants whose mothers smoked while pregnant and 700 adults who died from IHD. These deaths represented a loss of over 13 000 YPLL and $119 million in lost productivity. Conclusions The economic impact of SHS exposure in the home totalled $360 million in California in 2009. Policies that reduce exposure to SHS at home have great potential for reducing healthcare and mortality costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study examines the influence that smokefree workplaces, restaurants and bars have on the adoption of smokefree rules in homes and cars, and whether there is an association with adopting smokefree rules in homes and cars. Methods Bivariate probit models were used to jointly estimate the likelihood of living in a smokefree home and having a smokefree car as a function of law coverage and other variables. Household data were obtained from the nationally representative Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control 2001, 2002 and 2004-2009; clean indoor air law data were from the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation Tobacco Control Laws Database. Results ‘Full coverage’ and ‘partial coverage’ smokefree legislation is associated with an increased likelihood of having voluntary home and car smokefree rules compared with ‘no coverage’. The association between ‘full coverage’ and smokefree rule in homes and cars is 5% and 4%, respectively, and the association between ‘partial coverage’ and smokefree rules in homes and cars is 3% and 4%, respectively. There is a positive association between the adoption of smokefree rules in homes and cars. Conclusions Clean indoor air laws provide the additional benefit of encouraging voluntary adoption of smokefree rules in homes and cars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This analysis estimates the association between smoking-related knowledge and smoking behaviour in a Chinese context. To identify the specific knowledge most directly related to smoking status, we used a novel latent variable analysis approach to adjust for the high correlations between different measures of knowledge about tobacco smoking. Method Data are from the Global Adult Tobacco China Survey, a nationally representative sample of 13 354 household-dwelling individuals 15 years of age or older. Multinomial logistic regressions estimated the association between smoking status (ie, never smoked, current smoker or past smoker) and four smoking-related beliefs: whether or not smoking causes lung cancer, heart attack and stroke, and whether or not low-tar cigarettes are less harmful. A latent variable approach reassessed these associations while taking into account the general level of knowledge about smoking. Results After demographic variables and general knowledge about smoking had been controlled for, the belief that low-tar cigarettes are not less harmful was more prevalent in persons who had never smoked than in current smokers (OR=1.3 (95% CI 1.0 to 1.7) in men and OR=2.8 (95% CI 1.3 to 5.9) in women); this association was even stronger when past smokers and current smokers were compared (OR=2.1 (95% CI 1.5 to 3.0) in men and OR=5.0 (95% CI 1.3 to 20.1) in women). Conclusions Compared with those who have never smoked and those who have ceased smoking, current smokers in China are more likely to believe that low-tar cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Despite a long history of discrimination and persisting racial disparities in smoking prevalence, little research exists on the relationship between discrimination and smoking in South Africa. METHODS: This analysis examined chronic (day-to-day) and acute (lifetime) experiences of racial and non-racial (eg, age, gender or physical appearance) discrimination and smoking status among respondents to the South Africa Stress and Health study. Logistic regression models were constructed using SAS-Callable SUDAAN. RESULTS: Both chronic racial discrimination (RR=1.45, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.85) and chronic non-racial discrimination (RR=1.69, 95% CI 1.37 to 2.08) predicted a higher risk of smoking, but neither type of acute discrimination did. Total (sum of racial and non-racial) chronic discrimination (RR=1.46, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.78) and total acute discrimination (RR=1.28, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.60) predicted a higher risk of current smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Racial and non-racial discrimination may be related to South African adults' smoking behaviour, but this relationship likely varies by the timing and frequency of these experiences. Future research should use longitudinal data to identify the temporal ordering of the relationships studied, include areas outside of South Africa to increase generalisability and consider the implications of these findings for smoking cessation approaches in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citation data for institutes are generally provided as numbers of citations or as relative citation rates (as, for example, in the Leiden Ranking). These numbers can then be compared between the institutes. This study aims to present a new approach for the evaluation of citation data at the institutional level, based on regression models. As example data, the study includes all articles and reviews from the Web of Science for the publication year 2003 ( n = 886,416 papers). The study is based on an in-house database of the Max Planck Society. The study investigates how much the expected number of citations for a publication changes if it contains the address of an institute. The calculation of the expected values allows, on the one hand, investigating how the citation impact of the papers of an institute appears in comparison with the total of all papers. On the other hand, the expected values for several institutes can be compared with one another or with a set of randomly selected publications. Besides the institutes, the regression models include factors which can be assumed to have a general influence on citation counts (e.g., the number of authors). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much statistical teaching and many research reports focus on the 'null hypothesis significance test'. Yet the correct meaning and interpretation of statistical significance tests is elusive. Misinterpretations are both common and persistent, leading many to question whether significance tests should be used at all. While most take aim at the arbitrary declaration of p < 0.05 as a threshold for determining 'significance', others extend the critique to suggest the 'p-value' should be dispensed with entirely. P-values and significance tests are still widely used as if they give a measure of the size and importance of relationships, even though this misunderstanding has been observed and discussed for many years. We argue that p-values and significance tests are intrinsically misleading. Point estimates of relationships and confidence intervals give direct information about the effect and the uncertainty of the estimate without recourse to interpreting how a particular p-value might have arisen or indeed referring to them at all. In this paper we briefly outline some of the problems with significance testing, offer a number of examples selected from a recent issue of the International Journal of Nursing Studies and discuss some proposed responses to these problems. We conclude by offering some guidance to authors reporting statistical tests in journals and present a position statement that has been adopted by the International Journal of Nursing Studies to guide its' authors in reporting the results of statistical analyses. While stopping short of calling for an outright ban on reporting p-values and significance tests we urge authors (and journals) to place more emphasis on measures of effect and estimates of precision/uncertainty and, following the position of the American Statistical Association, emphasise that authors (and readers) should avoid using 0.05 or any other cut off for a p-value as the basis for a decision about the meaningfulness/importance of an effect. If point estimates and confidence intervals are used, then the p-value may be redundant and can be omitted from reports. When authors talk about 'significance' they need to be explicit when referring to statistical significance and we recommend authors adopt the language of 'importance' when talking about effect sizes to avoid any confusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Studies of the effects of COVID‐19, especially post‐acute COVID‐19 syndrome, on psychological health in non‐severe cases are limited. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and associated risk factors of psychological symptoms, and quality‐of‐life in three groups of outpatients, hospitalized and intensive care patients. Methods: A total 276 patients, previously confirmed with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, attending the COVID‐19 follow‐up outpatient clinic from December 2020 to July 2021 were interviewed face‐to‐face. In this cross‐sectional, retrospective study, all participants were asked our self‐designed demographic and screening questions to assess their psychological symptoms and administered the WHQOOL‐BREF survey to evaluate quality of life. Results: In screening questions, major depressive disorder symptoms were detected at a rate of 20.3%, generalized anxiety disorder symptoms at a rate of 16.7%, panic attack symptoms at a rate of 10.9%, post‐traumatic stress disorder symptoms at a rate of 28.6% and obsessive‐compulsive disorder symptoms at a rate of 18.1%. The outpatient group with COVID‐19 infection had a higher risk of developing psychological symptoms and decreased quality of life. Conclusion: COVID‐19 infection was found to have a considerable psychological impact on those treated as outpatients despite the less severe course of their illness. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Post‐intensive care syndrome affects physical, cognitive and psychological health.It is associated with symptoms such as generalized weakness, memory disturbances, cognitive function impairment, depression, anxiety and post‐traumatic stress disorder.Some physical and psychological symptoms persist for over 12 weeks in some patients and have been classified as 'Post‐acute COVID‐19 Condition or Syndrome' (PCS). What this paper adds? At the post‐acute‐COVID‐19 period, a considerable number of outpatients with COVID‐19 infection were at higher risk for psychological distress symptoms than those who had been treated in the hospital or intensive care unit.Depression, anxiety, panic disorder and PTSD symptoms were found to be higher in outpatients and those with these symptoms were also shown to have a lower quality of life.Our findings highlight the significant psychological impact of COVID‐19 on patients, even after their reported recovery from the acute manifestations of this disease. The implications of this paper: Ongoing psychological symptoms in the post‐COVID period are not associated with the severity of the disease in the acute phase.It is important that healthcare professionals are equally concerned not only with physical condition of post‐COVID‐19 patients but also with their psychological state and the patient's psychology‐related quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aims to examine the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and identify predictors of anxiety among pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners and explore the mediating role of marital satisfaction between maternal and paternal anxiety. Design: A cross‐sectional study was conducted in Guangzhou, China, from July 2021 to May 2022. Methods: A total of 306 dyads of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners completed the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, Locke–Wallace Marital Adjustment Test and the socio‐demographic and clinical data sheet. Results: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 32.4% and 36.6% in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners, respectively. The predictors of maternal anxiety were paternal anxiety, maternal marital satisfaction, maternal monthly salary, fasting glucose value and 1‐h glucose value. By contrast, the predictors of paternal anxiety were maternal anxiety, paternal marital satisfaction and paternal monthly salary. Moreover, the relationship between maternal and paternal anxiety was mediated by marital satisfaction. Conclusions: The anxiety symptoms of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners influence each other, and this relationship was mediated by marital satisfaction. Every couple should be screened for anxiety symptoms and treated as a team rather than focusing solely on the pregnant woman. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Gestational diabetes mellitus is strongly associated with various short‐ and long‐term adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.The diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus is stressful for pregnant women and their partners.No studies have been conducted to examine and compare the anxiety symptoms among pregnant women with GDM and their partners in mainland China. What this paper adds? The anxiety symptoms of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners influence each other.The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was high in both pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners.Marital satisfaction played a mediating role between maternal and paternal anxiety. The implications of this paper: Study findings provide important information to guide future practice for nurses and other health‐care professionals.For the future, routine screening for anxiety symptoms is necessary for both pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners; mental health support should be delivered in a timely fashion for couples.Pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners should be treated as a team rather than focusing solely on pregnant women, with couples given training on enhancing marital satisfaction skills to prevent and reduce their anxiety symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-mental health (EMH) interventions gain increasing importance in the treatment of mental health disorders. Their outpatient efficacy is well-established. However, research on EMH in inpatient settings remains sparse and lacks a meta-analytic synthesis. This paper presents a meta-analysis on the efficacy of EMH in inpatient settings. Searching multiple databases (PubMed, ScienceGov, PsycInfo, CENTRAL, references), 26 randomized controlled trial (RCT) EMH inpatient studies (n = 6112) with low or medium assessed risk of bias were included. A small significant total effect of EMH treatment was found (g = 0.3). The effect was significant both for blended interventions (g = 0.42) and post-treatment EMH-based aftercare (g = 0.29). EMH treatment yielded significant effects across different patient groups and types of therapy, and the effects remained stable post-treatment. The results show the efficacy of EMH treatment in inpatient settings. The meta-analysis is limited by the small number of included studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Turkish and Syrian earthquake on February 6th 2023, was one of the deadliest earthquakes in the last decade. It affected approximately 26 million people and left at least 50.000 dead. In this paper, we analyzed the psychological impact and the relationship between mental health factors, earthquake-related experiences and stressors, and resources related to the earthquake, 4 months after the event. Methods: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study, applying a survey to 320 adults (18–93 years old) in Adiyaman, Turkey. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were assessed using the PC-PTSD, general psychiatric morbidity using the GHQ-12, together with questions focusing on suicidality, drug abuse, as well as experiences, related stressors and received support related to the earthquake. Results: We found a high prevalence of general mental health symptoms, and of PTSD. Fear of aftershocks and the loss of close family members were found to be risk factors for such symptoms. We didn't find significant differences in the GHQ or the PC-PTSD scores when considering ethnicity, religion or financial income. Conclusions: High levels of general mental health symptoms and PTSD symptoms were found 4 months after the earthquake and need to be addressed in all groups, independently from potential religious, social or ethnic backgrounds. The results indicate a large psychiatric and material burden on the entire sample and some priority needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interaction analysis is a critical component of clinical and public health research and represents a key topic in precision health and medicine. In applied settings, however, interaction assessment is usually limited to the test of a product term in a regression model and to the presentation of results stratified by levels of additional covariates. Stratification of results often relies on categorizing or making linearity assumptions for continuous covariates, with substantial loss of precision and of relevant information. In time-to-event analysis, moreover, interaction assessment is often limited to the multiplicative hazard scale by inclusion of a product term in a Cox regression model, disregarding the clinically relevant information that is captured by the absolute risk scale. In this paper we present a user-friendly procedure, based on the prediction of individual absolute risks from the Cox model, for the estimation and presentation of interactive effects on both the multiplicative and additive scales in survival analysis. We describe how to flexibly incorporate interactions with continuous covariates, which potentially operate in a nonlinear fashion, provide software for replicating our procedure, and discuss different approaches to deriving CIs. The presented approach will allow clinical and public health researchers to assess complex relationships between multiple covariates as they relate to a clinical endpoint, and to provide a more intuitive and precise depiction of the results in applied research papers focusing on interaction and effect stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Learner profiles detected from digital trace data are typically triangulated with survey data to explain those profiles based on learners' internal conditions (e.g., motivation). However, survey data are often analysed with limited consideration of the interconnected nature of learners' internal conditions. Objectives: Aiming to enable a thorough understanding of trace‐based learner profiles, this paper presents and evaluates a comprehensive approach to analysis of learners' self‐reports, which extends conventional statistical methods with psychological networks analysis. Methods: The study context is a massive open online course (MOOC) aimed at promoting physical activity (PA) for health. Learners' (N = 497) perceptions related to PA, as well as their self‐efficacy and intentions to increase the level of PA were collected before and after the MOOC, while their interactions with the course were logged as digital traces. Learner profiles derived from trace data were further examined and interpreted through a combined use of conventional statistical methods and psychological networks analysis. Results and Conclusions: The inclusion of psychological networks in the analysis of learners' self‐reports collected before the start of the MOOC offers better understanding of trace‐based learner profiles, compared to the conventional statistical analysis only. Likewise, the combined use of conventional statistical methods and psychological networks in the analysis of learners' self‐reports before and after the MOOC provided more comprehensive insights about changes in the constructs measured in each learner profile. Major Takeaways: The combined use of conventional statistical methods and psychological networks presented in this paper sets a path for a comprehensive analysis of survey data. The insights it offers complement the information about learner profiles derived from trace data, thus allowing for a more thorough understanding of learners' course engagement than any individual method or data source would allow. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Researchers have made extensive use of data from online learning platforms—often referred to as learning trace data—to understand how learners engage in online learning activities.Surveys are often used to gather information about learners' motivation, perceptions, and other internal factors, to complement the insight gleaned from learning traces and thus create a more complete picture of the learning behaviour.When analysing survey data, the focus is usually on individual factors without considering how different factors are connected and affect one another.Psychological networks analysis is a novel analytic approach to studying complex phenomena both in psychology and education. What this paper adds: The paper uses psychological networks as a method for examining mutual relations among learners' internal factors (e.g., motivation, perceptions) measured through self‐reports before and after a course.By combining conventional statistical analysis of self‐reports with psychological networks analysis, the paper develops a comprehensive picture of learners' internal factors measured through self‐reports, one that accounts for both individual and interconnected nature of those factors.This comprehensive approach to information extraction from surveys allows for better understanding of trace‐based learner profiles, that is, profiles mined from data about learners' interaction with online learning activities. Implications for practice and/or policy: The presented method paves a way for a comprehensive analysis of the data collected from learners through surveys.It helps us gain a better understanding of learners' engagement with online learning activities.It can advance the evaluation of digital educational programs that aim to encourage changes in health‐related behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to describe and compare the proportion of patients classified as an emergency department (ED) mental health presentation under different definitions, including the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) definition. Methods: This retrospective cohort study enrolled all patients that presented to the EDs of a multi-centre Victorian health service between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2023. Varying definitions of a mental health presentation were applied to each ED attendance, applying the current AIHW definition (using selected diagnosis codes), broader diagnosis-based coding, the presenting complaint recorded at triage and whether the patient was seen by or referred to the emergency psychiatric service (EPS). The proportion of all ED presentations meeting each definition and any overlap between definitions were calculated. The agreement between each definition and the AIHW definition was evaluated using Kappa's coefficient. Results: There were 813,078 presentations to ED of which 34,248 (4.2%) met the AIHW definition for a mental health presentation. Throughout the study, 45,376 (5.6%) patients were seen and/or referred to EPS, and 36,160 (4.4%) patients were allocated a mental health presenting complaint by triage staff. There was moderate interrater agreement between these definitions, with a kappa statistic (95% confidence interval) between the AIHW definition and a mental health presenting complaint recorded at triage of 0.58 (0.58–0.59) and between the AIHW definition and review by EPS of 0.58 (0.57–0.58). Conclusions: The AIHW definition is a conservative measure of ED mental health presentations and may underestimate emergency psychiatry workload in Australian EDs. What is known about this topic? It is unknown whether the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) definition of an emergency department (ED) mental health presentation definition accurately reflects ED mental health workload. What does this paper add? The AIHW definition appears to underestimate the clinical workload related to ED mental health presentations. There is moderate agreement between the AIHW definition and mental health presentations classified according to complaint recorded at triage, or whether the patient is reviewed by psychiatry services. What are the implications for practitioners? Accurate measurement of emergency psychiatry workload should not rely on the AIHW definition alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the application of Steiner's most-frequent-value (MFV) statistical method in sensor data analysis. The MFV is introduced as a powerful tool to identify the most-common value in a dataset, even when data points are scattered, unlike traditional mode calculations. Furthermore, the paper underscores the MFV method's versatility in estimating environmental gamma background blue (the natural level of gamma radiation present in the environment, typically originating from natural sources such as rocks, soil, and cosmic rays), making it useful in scenarios where traditional statistical methods are challenging. It presents the MFV approach as a reliable technique for characterizing ambient radiation levels around large-scale experiments, such as the DEAP-3600 dark matter detector. Using the MFV alongside passive sensors such as thermoluminescent detectors and employing a bootstrapping approach, this study showcases its effectiveness in evaluating background radiation and its aptness for estimating confidence intervals. In summary, this paper underscores the importance of the MFV and bootstrapping as valuable statistical tools in various scientific fields that involve the analysis of sensor data. These tools help in estimating the most-common values and make data analysis easier, especially in complex situations, where we need to be reasonably confident about our estimated ranges. Our calculations based on MFV statistics and bootstrapping indicate that the ambient radiation level in Cube Hall at SNOLAB is 35.19 μ Gy for 1342 h of exposure, with an uncertainty range of + 3.41 to − 3.59 μ Gy, corresponding to a 68.27% confidence level. In the vicinity of the DEAP-3600 water shielding, the ambient radiation level is approximately 34.80 μ Gy, with an uncertainty range of + 3.58 to − 3.48 μ Gy, also at a 68.27% confidence level. These findings offer crucial guidance for experimental design at SNOLAB, especially in the context of dark matter research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Evidence shows that 20%–30% of patients who aspirate do so silently. Research to date has not demonstrated clear evidence to indicate which patients are at higher risk of silent aspiration. Our aim was to use univariate logistic regression analysis of retrospective case review to determine potential patterns of silent aspiration. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 455 fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) reports. The patients were divided into four groups: G1 – neurological diseases (n = 93), G2 – head and neck surgery (n = 200), G3 – gastroenterological diseases (n = 94) and G4 – other patients (n = 68). Data included the occurrence or absence of saliva penetration or aspiration, of silent fluid/solid food penetration or aspiration, type of penetration or aspiration, occurrence of cranial nerve paresis, radiotherapy and tracheostomy. Univariate logistic regression was used to evaluate independent risk factors of silent aspiration in the study population. Three models with different independent variables were considered. Results: There is a statistically significant difference in the frequency of occurrence of silent penetration and aspiration within the groups (p < 0.001), with intraglutative being most frequent. Fluid and food penetration and aspiration correlated with saliva penetration and aspiration in all groups (p < 0.001). Cranial nerve paresis (IX and X), radiotherapy and tracheostomy correlate with saliva penetration and aspiration (p = 0.020 for cranial nerve paresis; p = 0.004 for radiotherapy; p < 0.001 for tracheostomy). One hundred and fifteen patients (45.81%) in the subgroup of patients with intraglutative aspiration had cranial nerve paresis (IX, X or IX–X). Conclusions: Patients who should be prioritised or considered to be at a higher need of instrumental swallowing evaluation are those with IX and X cranial nerve paresis, tracheostomy and those who have had radiotherapy, with saliva swallowing problems, especially after paraganglioma, thyroid and parathyroid glands and middle and posterior fossa tumour surgery. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Clinical signs of penetration or aspiration include coughing, throat clearing and voice changes, while silent penetration or aspiration patients aspirate without demonstrating any clinical symptoms. The most common consequences of silent aspiration include aspiration pneumonia, recurrent lower respiratory tract infections and respiratory failure. Additionally, malnutrition and dehydration can be indicators of silent aspiration. Patients may unknowingly reduce their oral intake and lose weight. Retrospective studies have shown that 20%–30% of patients aspirate silently (e.g. patients after stroke, acquired brain injury, head and neck cancer treatment, prolonged intubation). Clinical examination of swallowing can miss up to 50% of cases of silent aspiration. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: Currently, silent aspiration is often discussed in neurological literature, but its applications to head and neck surgery are limited. In this study, we identify head and neck surgery patients who should be prioritised or considered to be in higher need of instrumental swallowing evaluation due to a higher risk of silent aspiration. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Post‐treatment structural changes can result in lower cranial nerve paresis (IX, X, XII) and face injury, in which vagus and glossopharyngeal nerves are injured. After tracheostomy and radiotherapy, patients with problems swallowing saliva need careful clinical examination, particularly cranial nerve examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance degradation of initiating explosive devices is influenced by various internal and external factors, leading to uncertainties in their reliability and lifetime predictions. This paper proposes an uncertain degradation model based on uncertain differential equations, utilizing the Liu process to characterize the volatility in degradation rates. The ignition delay time is selected as the primary performance parameter, and the uncertain distributions, expected values and confidence intervals are derived for the model. Moment estimation techniques are employed to estimate the unknown parameters within the model. A real data analysis of ignition delay times under accelerated storage conditions demonstrates the practical applicability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising prevalence of obesity in children calls for new strategies for the provision of effective care by a multidisciplinary team. Telemedicine has overall proven to be an effective tool for promoting a healthy lifestyle. The main objective of the current paper is to present the protocol of our ongoing CardioMetabolic Prevention (CAMP) study and compare its design with published studies on telemedicine in paediatric obesity. Additionally, we analysed the preliminary anthropometric and laboratory data to test the efficacy of our 12-week intensive program that combines in-person and telemedicine support. The program demonstrated a positive impact on body mass index (BMI) and its z-scores in 21 adolescents, and BMI in 18 participating parents. However, we found no effect on body composition, waist circumference, cardiometabolic parameters, or fitness evaluated via a 6-min walk test in adolescents. In conclusion, the combination of in-person and telemedicine intensive support over 35 h delivered by a multidisciplinary team can be beneficial not only for adolescents with obesity but also for their parents. The ongoing CAMP study serves as a platform for precision medicine in future decisions regarding anti-obesity medication in adolescents with obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: What is known on the subject?: Supervised Quarantine has been shown to impact the psychological well‐being of those in quarantine both during the COVID‐19 pandemic and in previous pandemics.There are few studies regarding the psychological impact of supervised quarantine for the purpose of COVID‐19 mitigation.There is little research regarding the psychological well‐being of professionals maintaining quarantine, despite the fact they risk potential psychological distress. What the paper adds to existing knowledge?: This paper addresses the paucity of knowledge regarding the psychological well‐being of those undergoing quarantine in a purpose‐built facility.The quarantined study population involved uniquely domestic arrivals and also professionals maintaining quarantine.Lack of control, isolation and miscommunication were perceived as challenging mental well‐being. What are the implications for practice?: Although psychological distress in Domestic arrivals appeared low, there are still identifiable stresses on mental well‐being.Mental health workers need to be cognizant that point entry to COVID‐19 quarantine (Domestic vs. International as well as specific regions) may influence risk of psychological distress.Mental Health nurses supporting those in quarantine should afford quarantined individuals a degree of choice, establish regular clear communication and consider how to establish peer support mechanisms within the quarantine environment. Introduction: Supervised quarantine may compromise psychological well‐being. There is equivocal evidence regarding psychological distress in compulsory supervised quarantine facilities. Aims: To evaluate the mental well‐being of people undergoing and working in a supervised COVID‐19 quarantine facility. Method: Mixed methodology was used, including a cross‐sectional analysis of psychological distress (DASS‐21) and individual semi‐structured interviews (10 professionals maintaining quarantine and 10 quarantined persons). Results: Overall levels of psychological distress were low. Those quarantining from Victoria had significantly lower depression scores compared to all other departure points. Qualitative analysis identified distress being linked to a lack of control, isolation and miscommunication. Discussion: Quarantine was associated with low levels of psychological distress. This was lower in people travelling from Victoria, a state where there were higher rates of infections and restrictions. Interviews showed that psychological distress was conceptualized as being associated with supervised quarantine, but participants recognized the overall importance of quarantine. Implications for Practice: Mental health professionals supporting quarantined people should consider original departure points may predict levels of psychological distress. Implementing ways of gaining control through affording choice, improving communication channels and establishing peer support networks within quarantine settings may help maintain mental well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and food selectivity, both of which are prevalent in the pediatric population. In this context, the authors paid attention to food selectivity and its possible correlation with the atypicality of sensory processes, outlining the useful rehabilitation treatments to draw on. This research included the parents or caregivers of pediatric patients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and placed within a therapeutic clinic. The sample is composed of 111 children, males and females, aged between 2 and 10 years, and includes 60 children diagnosed with autism and 51 children with normotypical development, similar in characteristics but without the disorder. The standardized questionnaire, "Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory", was developed to examine behavior during meals, especially in children with ASD. The "Brief Sensory Profile", and the "Child Oral and Motor Proficiency Scale", were also administered. The results obtained from the analysis lead to evidence of eating and food selectivity difficulty. Additionally, our study demonstrates that food selectivity can be caused by extreme sensory modulation and sensory problems related to the smell, texture, color, and temperature of food. In fact, the results obtained emphasize the correlation between food selectivity and the sensory domains of taste and smell. Furthermore, this research highlights a correlation between motor skills and eating skills, particularly regarding food selectivity, which is closely associated with atypical and disruptive behaviors during meals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aims: To investigate the developmental trajectory of the rate and perceptual assessment of oral diadochokinesis (DDK) in typically developing children compared with adults. Also to examine the characteristics of DDK productions in children with speech sound disorders (SSD) and the relationship between DDK production and percentage of consonants correct (PCC). Methods & Procedures: Participants were 316 typically developing children and 90 children with SSD from 3 to 9 years old, as well as 20 adults with normal speech. The mono‐, bi‐ and trisyllabic nonsense strings containing Korean tense consonants and the vowel [a] were used for DDK tasks. The number of iterations per s was measured as the DDK rate for each stimulus. The perceptual assessment of DDK productions was also performed for regularity, accuracy and rate. Outcomes & Results: The DDK rates increased throughout childhood, but the oldest children, 9‐year‐olds in the current study, did not achieve adult‐like rates for all mono‐ and trisyllabic strings. Children with SSD also did not show significant differences from typically developing children when the DDK productions were analysed using only accurate tokens. The PCC of children with SSD showed higher correlations with regularity, accuracy and rate of perceptual ratings than the timed DDK rate. Conclusions & Implications: This study highlighted the fact that the comprehensive evaluation of DDK productions may provide even more useful information about children's oral motor skills. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Rates of DDK reflect the motor skills of the articulatory systems independently of phonological skills; therefore, the tasks are widely used in the diagnostic evaluations of speech disorders in both children and adult populations. However, a substantial number of studies have questioned the validity and usefulness of DDK rates for evaluating speech abilities. Also, the literature suggested that the measure of DDK rate alone does not provide a clear and useful indication of children's oral motor skills. DDK tasks should be analysed in terms of accuracy and consistency as well as rate. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: The literature reporting normative DDK performance has mainly been based on English speakers. As different consonants have different temporal characteristics, the linguistic and segmental features of DDK tasks can impact the DDK rate. This study established a norm for DDK rate for Korean‐speaking children and investigated the developmental trajectory of DDK performance in typically developing children compared with adults. This study suggested that the comprehensive evaluation of DDK productions may provide even more useful information about children's oral motor skills by examining the characteristics of DDK productions in children with SSD. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: This study provided normative data of young Korean‐speaking children aged 3–9 years. Normative data in children under 5 years of age are valuable given that the majority of children referred for speech difficulty assessments are between 3 and 5 years of age, but only a few studies have provided the normative data in young children. This study showed that many children could not complete DDK tasks correctly and provided additional support for the notion that other aspects of DDK performance, including accuracy and regularity, may yield more useful diagnostic indications than timed DDK rates alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citation counts are widely used as indicators of research quality to support or replace human peer review and for lists of top cited papers, researchers, and institutions. Nevertheless, the relationship between citations and research quality is poorly evidenced. We report the first large‐scale science‐wide academic evaluation of the relationship between research quality and citations (field normalized citation counts), correlating them for 87,739 journal articles in 34 field‐based UK Units of Assessment (UoA). The two correlate positively in all academic fields, from very weak (0.1) to strong (0.5), reflecting broadly linear relationships in all fields. We give the first evidence that the correlations are positive even across the arts and humanities. The patterns are similar for the field classification schemes of Scopus and Dimensions.ai, although varying for some individual subjects and therefore more uncertain for these. We also show for the first time that no field has a citation threshold beyond which all articles are excellent quality, so lists of top cited articles are not pure collections of excellence, and neither is any top citation percentile indicator. Thus, while appropriately field normalized citations associate positively with research quality in all fields, they never perfectly reflect it, even at high values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women veterans (WV) are the fastest growing veteran subpopulation and recognized to be at increased risk for suicide compared with civilians. Improving engagement (e.g., response rates) of WV in survey research is critical to ensuring valid and generalizable findings, which can inform suicide prevention programs tailored for this population. Many factors are known to influence response rates, yet little is known about ways to optimize survey response rates among WV. Three recruitment cohorts (Waves 1 [W1], 2a [W2a], and 2b [W2b]) of WV were invited to participate in an online survey for a national, mixed‐methods study examining suicide risk among WV using reproductive health care services paid for or provided by the Veterans Health Administration. To examine the effects of enhanced recruitment efforts, standard recruitment materials were mailed to all three cohorts, with the additions of: a study flyer aiming to build trust between participants and researchers (W2a, W2b) and a paper survey (W2b). Characteristics of responders and non‐responders were compared by wave and across survey modalities. Response rates were significantly higher for groups receiving enhanced (W2a = 17.1%; W2b = 24.6%) versus standard (W1 = 12.2%) recruitment materials. WV residing in rural areas were significantly more likely to respond by paper (37.1%) than online (19.8%). Non‐respondents were disproportionately racial and ethnic minorities. Disclosure of sensitive information (e.g., military sexual trauma) did not differ by survey modality. Findings suggest that enhanced recruitment materials improve survey response rates among WV, an important consideration for future research with this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Adolescent girls are prone to increased sedentary behavior and are more sedentary than their male peers or younger girls. This study compared the energy required for identical tasks in standing and sitting. METHOD: Energy expenditure (EE) was measured using indirect calorimetry (n = 24) in four tasks (sitting/standing quietly; reading; typing; sorting paper) under two postural conditions (sitting; standing). The currently accepted definition for sedentary behavior of energy expenditure of ≤1.5 metabolic equivalents (METs) and being in a seated or reclining position was used. RESULTS: All seated tasks resulted in mean EE <1.5 METs with the exception of sorting paper. All standing tasks resulted in mean EE of >1.5 METs with the exception of standing quietly. Standing sorting paper was the only task with a mean EE significantly >1.5 METs. A significant interaction between task and posture was found. CONCLUSIONS: Active tasks in standing had significantly greater EE than in sitting, and sorting paper while standing was the only task with an EE significantly >1.5 METs. The difference between the two postures is likely too low to produce positive metabolic health benefits in the short term. Studies of the effects of long-term use of standing desks in the classroom are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gender dysphoria among transgender adolescents has predominantly been examined in relation to body dissatisfaction. While in adult transgender samples, body dissatisfaction is higher than in cisgender controls, this has so far rarely been investigated for adolescents. In the context of a cisnormative society, the impact of influences from the social environment on body dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria has been neglected in research. Therefore, this study aimed to (1) provide a detailed analysis of body dissatisfaction among young transgender people and (2) investigate whether body dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria are associated with experiences of minority stress such as trans hostility and poor peer relations (PPR). Methods: The paper presents a cross-sectional study among a sample of transgender adolescents, presenting at a specialized outpatient counseling clinic (N = 99; age M = 15.36, SD = 1.85). First, body dissatisfaction (assessed by the Body-Image-Scale; BIS), was explored and compared to data from a population-based control group of cisgender peers (N = 527; age M = 14.43, SD = 0.97). Second, within a clinic-referred transgender subsample (n = 74), associations between body dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria (measured by Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale; UGDS), PPR (measured by the Youth-Self-Report; YSR-R), and trans hostile experiences (assessed in clinical interview) were examined by correlations, t-tests and multivariate regression. Results: Transgender adolescents reported more body dissatisfaction than cisgender peers. The dissatisfaction with sex characteristics, non-hormonal reactive body regions and the total score for body dissatisfaction were positively related with gender dysphoria. The majority had experienced trans hostility in the present and/or past (54.1%) and PPR (63.5%). More body dissatisfaction was correlated with more PPR regarding visible body parts i.e., hair, overall appearance and muscles, whilst PPR and gender dysphoria were not associated. Transgender adolescents who experienced trans hostility showed higher gender dysphoria and PPR, but not more body dissatisfaction. In multiple regression, trans hostility predicted gender dysphoria, whilst age and PPR predicted body dissatisfaction. Discussion: Experiences of minority-stress differentially interact with body dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria among transgender adolescents. Social correlates of body dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria must be considered when working with young transgender people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: When parents bring their child to appointments and then adhere to agreed speech and language therapy (SLT) recommendations, there is the potential to increase the intensity of the intervention, support generalization and improve outcomes. In SLT, however, little is known about factors that may promote attendance or adherence. Studies in other clinical areas such in medicine, psychology and physiotherapy have identified risk factors for non‐attendance or non‐adherence that are multifactorial and variable dependent on, for example, population and intervention. Aims: To identify rates of non‐attendance and non‐adherence, and to identify parent or child factors associated with parent involvement in intervention for children under 5 years of age receiving SLT. Methods: Parents completed questionnaires at two time points assessing the domains of parents' beliefs (problem perceptions, self‐efficacy), personal circumstances (socio‐demographics, family functioning), treatment experience and child factors. Predictors of parent attendance and adherence were identified through multiple regression analyses. Non‐attendance rates were identified via local health records and non‐adherence ascertained using a specific parent‐reported measure within the treatment experience domain. Results: Participants (N = 199) were predominantly mothers, and were ethnically and socio‐economically diverse, speaking a wide range of languages. Their children presented with a range of speech, language communication needs (SLCN). The rate of non‐attendance was 25% and the main predictors of non‐attendance were maternal age, education level and two factors within the parent beliefs domain. This model explained 40% of the variance in attendance. The rate of non‐adherence in this cohort was 26% with parental rating of the importance of a recommendation and self‐efficacy beliefs predicting adherence; this explained 56% of the variance in adherence to SLT recommendations at home. Conclusions & Implications: Our research has provided preliminary evidence of the influence of parents' beliefs, personal circumstances and treatment experiences on their involvement in their child's therapy. Speech and language therapists should consider factors impacting attendance and adherence to treatment and explore parental perceptions of their child's SLCN before embarking on an intervention, a foundation for collaborative practice. A possible limitation of this study is that the levels of attrition in our sample led to generally high measured rates of participation, which should be considered in future studies. Future research should explore adherence in treatments with varying doses, with different types of SLCN or interventions and in different settings. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: It is acknowledged that parent involvement in their child's therapy, such as attending and adhering to recommendations, is important but little is known about the rates of involvement and what factors may be associated with attendance and adherence in SLT. Qualitative research has explored parental involvement suggesting that beliefs about an intervention may be pertinent. Extensive research in other clinical areas suggest multiple and varied factors are influential and further exploration of particular populations and interventions is necessary. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: This study identified rates of parental non‐attendance and non‐adherence in a cohort of predominantly mothers of children under the age of 5 years. It is the first study to measure parent adherence in SLT and identify factors that are associated parental adherence to SLT recommendations. It adds to the small body of SLT specific research in understanding risk factors for non‐attendance. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: This study highlights the need for a speech and language therapist to consider and explore parents' perspectives of their child's SLCN as a part of achieving collaboration with a parent in order to achieve the best outcomes. It provides a foundation for further systematic research into parent involvement with the ultimate aim of enhancing outcomes for children with SLCN. [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]

Astronauts undergoing long-duration space flights (LDSF) often experience a unique set of neuro-ocular findings known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS). However, the exact mechanisms and the true incidence of SANS remain unclear. This paper aims to review the existing literature on SANS, focusing on its incidence and sequence of findings, and to provide a comprehensive understanding of this condition. Studies reporting SANS and optic disc edema in astronauts from PubMed, Scopus, and WOS have been collected. Eligible studies were selected based on stringent inclusion criteria. Statistical analysis utilized R software with random effect models for them, and heterogeneity was assessed using I2 and chi-squared tests. Our study includes 19 studies that met the inclusion criteria, which encompassed 294 participants. Included studies revealed that optic disc edema and choroidal folds were highly prevalent, with proportions of 75% and 71%, respectively. Hyperopic shifts (95%CI 0.51, 0.76, I2 = 0%) were also statistically significant, appearing gradually and persisting even after astronauts returned to Earth. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of SANS in astronauts. The study suggests that the current clinical definition of SANS may underestimate its true incidence and proposes the inclusion of quantitative metrics to enhance sensitivity and accuracy in diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite increasing knowledge of social communication skills of autistic peole, the interrelatedness of different skills such as non‐linguistic comprehension, social inference and empathizing skills is not much known about. A better understanding of the complex interplay between different domains of social communication helps us to develop assessment protocols for individuals with social communication difficulties. Aims: To compare the performances of autistic young adults, young adults with autistic traits identified in childhood and control young adults in social communication tasks measuring non‐linguistic comprehension, social inference and empathizing skills. In addition, to examine associations between the different social communication measures. Methods & Procedures: Autistic young adults (n = 34), young adults with autistic traits (n = 19) and control young adults (n = 36) completed the extra‐ and paralinguistic scales of the Assessment Battery for Communication (ABaCo), the Faux Pas Recognition Test, Social–Pragmatic Questions (SoPra) and the Empathy Quotient (EQ). Outcomes & Results: Group differences were found in the performance in the ABaCo, SoPra and EQ scores. Compared with the control young adults, autistic young adults scored lower. The performance of the young adults in the autistic traits group fell in between the other two groups. There were no group differences in the Faux Pas Recognition Test. The variability within the groups was large in all measurements. In the control group, there was a significant correlation between EQ and SoPra scores and between the Faux Pas and SoPra scores. In the autistic group, a significant correlation was found between Faux Pas and SoPra scores. Also, other patterns were observed but these were not statistically significant. Conclusions & Implications: The young adults with autistic traits fell in between the control and autistic young adults, highlighting the presence of the continuum in the terms of features of social communication. The results support other current research that suggests that theory of mind and other social communication skills may not be universally or widely impaired in all autistic individuals without cognitive deficits. Although all tasks examined social communication skills, only a small number of significant correlations were found between test scores. This highlights that clinical conclusions about a person's social communication should be based on the outcomes of different types of methods measuring different aspects of social communication. It is clear that the interrelatedness of different social communication skills needs further research. What This Paper Adds: What is already known on this subject: For successful communication, the ability to infer others' emotions, intentions and mental states is crucial. Autistic people have difficulty with many aspects of social communication. However, the associations between different aspects of social communication need to be better understood. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: The unique contribution of this study is to compare the performance of autistic people not only with that of a control group but also with people with childhood autistic traits. This provides an understanding of the interrelatedness of different social communication skills in people with varying degrees of autistic traits. This study used four assessment methods focusing on three different social communication elements (non‐linguistic comprehension, social inference and empathizing skills). These elements have complex relationships to one another, some being closely overlapping, some more distally related and some reflect more complex multifactorial elements. This study shows that although groups differ from each other in most of the assessments, the performance of different groups overlapped showing that many autistic young adults can perform well in non‐linguistic and social inference tasks in structured assessment contexts. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Our findings suggest that in the assessment of social communication, self‐reports and clinical assessments can be used effectively together. They can complement each other, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of a person, leading to more personalized therapeutic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we developed a method for constructing confidence intervals for the parameters of lifetime distributions based on progressively type II censored data. The method produces closed form expressions for the bounds of the confidence intervals for several special cases of parameters and lifetime distributions. Closed form approximations are derived for the intervals for the parameters of the location or scale families of distributions. The method is illustrated with several examples and analyses of real data sets are included to illustrate the application of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: As delays or disorders in early language and communication are the most prevalent symptom in children with disabilities, early screening is crucial to promote prevention, early diagnosis, and intervention. However, to the best of our knowledge, no screening tool is available for the joint assessment of early language and social communication skills in European Portuguese (EP)‐learning children, which is critical for screening, monitoring and enrolment in appropriate early intervention services. Aims: (1) To adapt and validate the EP version of the Communication and Symbolic Behaviour Scales Developmental Profile™ (CSBS DP™) Infant–Toddler Checklist, a parental report for the screening of early language and social communication skills. (2) To conduct a cross‐cultural comparison between the EP adaptation and the original US version. Methods & Procedures: A total of 611 EP‐learning children (ages 6–24 months) were assessed on the CSBS DP Infant–Toddler Checklist. Normative data, psychometric characteristics (i.e., internal consistency and test–retest reliability), and cross‐cultural comparison between the EP and the original version were explored. Outcomes & Results: Internal consistency ranged from good to excellent and the test–retest reliability was excellent. The performance of the EP and US samples matched on almost all scores. However, EP children performed significantly better than their American peers in the Social compositive at 22 months and in the Symbolic composite at 20 months. No further differences were found. Conclusions & Implications: These findings showed that the EP CSBS DP Infant–Toddler Checklist seems to be a reliable screening tool of communicative and symbolic behaviours for EP‐learning children, which can be particularly relevant for decision‐making in clinical practice. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Early communication skills are known to be related to later language outcomes. Thus, screening tools for the early identification of children at risk for language and communication impairments, which may lead to monitoring and early intervention, have the potential to promote better outcomes. However, to the best of our knowledge, no screening tool is available for the assessment of early communication abilities in EP‐learning children. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study adapted and validated the EP CSBS DP Infant–Toddler Checklist, the first published parental report checklist for the assessment of early communication skills in EP. It described the psychometric characteristics of the adapted checklist, summarized the newly available normative data for EP‐learning infants and toddlers, and compared the performance of EP‐learning children with the original standardization sample reported for American English. The results demonstrated that this tool is a reliable instrument for the early screening of language, communicative and symbolic behaviours for EP‐learning children between 6 and 24 months of age. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Given that early screening is crucial to promote prevention, early diagnosis and intervention, the availability of this tool is particularly relevant for children monitoring and their enrolment in appropriate early intervention services, helping decision‐making in clinical practice, in line with current guidelines regarding early monitoring and intervention to promote and support better outcomes. Thus, the tool and related normative data will be useful for paediatricians, family doctors, primary healthcare providers, developmental psychologists and speech–language therapists, among other professionals in the healthcare and educational fields, concerned with speech, language, and communication development and impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Understanding how educational pathways may influence clinical competence and work responsibilities is important in providing guidance to academic and clinic stakeholders and physical therapists (PTs) on PT career development. The purpose of this paper was to compare perceived clinical competency and job duties between PTs with formal mentored postprofessional clinical education with PTs without formal postprofessional clinical education. Review of Literature. The understanding of self-perceived clinical competence of PTs overall in the United States is limited, especially as related to the impact of postprofessional education. Furthermore, there is limited understanding of the career pathways and development of job duties of PTs in the United States. Subjects. Two thousand three hundred thirty-four PTs in the United States. Methods. An online survey was sent to licensed PTs. This survey included items measuring self-perceived clinical competency and questions related to weekly job responsibilities. Participants were categorized as residency trained, fellowship trained, or non–residency/fellowship trained. Frequency analyses and Kruskal–Wallis tests with pairwise post hoc tests were performed comparing the 3 groups. Results. Residency-trained (P < .007) and fellowship-trained (P < .001) groups demonstrated elements of higher self-perceived clinical competency compared with the non–residency-/fellowship-trained group. Both the residency- and fellowship-trained groups spent less time with patient care and more time with other responsibilities (e.g., teaching, mentoring, and research) (P < .02) during an average workweek. Fellowship-trained PTs (P < .001) spent more time with administrative duties compared with the non–residency-/fellowship-trained group. Discussion and Conclusion. Results from this paper demonstrate that residency- and fellowship-trained PTs have elements of higher self-perceived clinical competency and spend more of their job duties outside of direct patient care compared with PTs who were not residency or fellowship trained. These results may help guide PTs, academic institutions, and employers in planning and achieving specific career paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To perform temporal validation of a risk prediction model for breast cancer‐related lymphoedema in the European population. Design: Temporal validation of a previously developed prediction model using a new retrospective cohort of women who had undergone axillary lymph node dissection between June 2018 and June 2020. Methods: We reviewed clinical records to identify women who did and did not develop lymphoedema within 2 years of surgery and to gather data regarding the variables included in the prediction model. The model was calibrated by calculating Spearman's correlation between observed and expected cases. Its accuracy in discriminating between patients who did versus did not develop lymphoedema was assessed by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: The validation cohort comprised 154 women, 41 of whom developed lymphoedema within 2 years of surgery. The value of Spearman's coefficient indicated a strong correlation between observed and expected cases. Sensitivity of the model was higher than in the derivation cohort, as was the value of the AUC. Conclusion: The model shows a good capacity to discriminate women at risk of lymphoedema and may therefore help in developing improved care pathways for individual patients. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care: Identifying risk factors for lymphoedema secondary to breast cancer treatment is vital given its impact on women's physical and emotional well‐being. Impact: What problem did the study address? Risk of BCRL. What were the main findings? The prediction model has a good capacity to discriminate women at risk of lymphoedema. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? In clinical practice with women at risk of BCRL. Reporting Method: STROBE checklist. What Does this Paper Contribute to the Wider Global Clinical Community?: It presents a validated risk prediction model for BCRL. No Patient or Public Contribution: There was no patient or public contribution in the conduct of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a newly developed R package AZIAD for analysing zero-inflated or zero-altered data. Compared with existing R packages, AZIAD covers a much larger class of zero-inflated and hurdle models, including both discrete and continuous cases. It provides more accurate parameter estimates, along with the corresponding Fisher information matrix and confidence intervals. It achieves significantly larger power for model identification and selection. To facilitate the potential users, in this paper we provide detailed formulae and theoretical justifications for AZIAD, as well as new theoretical results on zero-inflated and zero-altered models. We use simulation studies to show the advantages of AZIAD functions over existing R packages and provide real data examples and executable R code to illustrate how to use our package for sparse data analysis and model selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study examined the feasibility of integrating actigraphy devices into orthopaedic surgical settings to assess the concurrent validity between objective actigraphy data and PROMIS measures. Additionally, the association between changes in actigraphy data and longitudinal changes in PROMIS measures was examined. Methods: Data were collected from 17 participants using actigraphy devices the week prior to and after orthopaedic surgery from 02/2019 to 03/2020. Participants completed PROMIS measures (Physical Function, Sleep Disturbance, Pain Interference) preoperatively and up to 6 months postoperatively. Nonparametric correlations (rs) assessed for concurrent validity. Linear mixed‐effects models examined the association between changes in actigraphy data and PROMIS measures. Results: Prolonged wake after sleep onset was associated with increased sleep disturbances (rs = 0.49; p = 0.045) and pain interference (rs = 0.51; p = 0.04). Changes in pain interference were correlated with increased awakenings (rs = 0.54; p = 0.03). Increased wake after sleep onset was associated with worsening sleep disturbance (β = 0.12; p = 0.01) and pain interference scores over the postoperative period (β = 0.12; p = 0.02). Conclusions: This study is among the first to examine changes in objective actigraphy data and longitudinal PROMIS measures following orthopaedic surgery and illustrates the feasibility of incorporating actigraphy into surgical settings to evaluate postoperative recovery. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Actigraphy activity and sleep monitoring, paired with robust patient‐reported outcomes, may provide a means by which providers can better understand the patient experience and barriers to recovery after surgery.Often postoperative recovery is only assessed using patient‐reported outcomes (e.g. PROMIS measures), despite consensus groups recommending pairing assessments with objective assessments to better estimate risks for poor postoperative outcomes.Previous studies integrating actigraphy and PROMIS measures together have predominately been limited to paediatric populations or over shorter postoperative periods.What this paper adds? Participants were found to return to preoperative levels of sleep, evident by concurrent changes in both actigraphy and patient outcomes, by 1 week postoperatively.PROMIS Sleep Disturbance and Pain Interference demonstrated concurrent validity with sleep data collected from wrist worn actigraphy devices prior to and after surgery.Prolonged wake after sleep onset was associated with increased PROMIS Sleep Disturbance and Pain Interference scores, while increasing awakenings during sleep were linked to increased PROMIS Pain Interference scores.The implications of this paper: This longitudinal study not only builds upon earlier cross‐sectional investigations with comparable sample sizes that examined the validity of PROMIS measures with actigraphy sleep related data but also uniquely examines how changes in the immediate postoperative period are associated with longitudinal postoperative outcomes.Pairing patient‐reported outcomes with objective actigraphy measures can help improve data collection for nurse scientists and improve nurses' postoperative assessments to help in estimating patient's risks for poor postoperative recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interrupted time series (ITS) analysis is a time series regression model that aims to evaluate the effect of an intervention on an outcome of interest. ITS analysis is a quasi-experimental study design instrumental in situations where natural experiments occur, gaining popularity, particularly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, challenges, including the lack of a control group, have impeded the quantification of the effect size in ITS. The current paper proposes a method and develops a user-friendly R package to quantify the effect size of an ITS regression model for continuous and count outcomes, with or without seasonal adjustment. Results: The effect size presented in this work, together with its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) and P-value, is based on the ITS model-based fitted values and the predicted counterfactual (the exposed period had the intervention not occurred) values. A user-friendly R package to fit an ITS and estimate the effect size was developed and accompanies this paper. To illustrate, we implemented a nation population-based ITS study from January 2001 to May 2021 covering the all-cause mortality of Israel (n = 9,350 thousand) to quantify the effect size of Covid-19 exposure on mortality rates. In the period unexposed to the Covid-19 pandemic, the mortality rate decreased over time and was expected to continue decreasing had Covid-19 not occurred. In contrast, the period exposed to the Covid-19 pandemic was associated with an increased all-cause mortality rate (relative risk = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.18, P < 0.001). Conclusion: For the first time, the effect size in ITS: was quantified, can be estimated by end-users with an R package we developed, and was demonstrated with data showing an increase in mortality following the Covid-19 pandemic. ITS effect size reporting can assist public health policy makers in assessing the magnitude of the entire intervention effect using a single, readily understood measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Texture‐modified foods (TMF) is a common intervention for improving swallowing safety and efficiency for people with dysphagia. Non‐standardized texture classification (NSTC) of foods is used worldwide. However, as this study documents, it can introduce a lack of clarity and confusion over definitions that can potentially harm patients' safety. The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) framework offers international terminology and standardized methods for texture testing that can address this issue Aims: To document differences between NSTC and standardized texture classification (STC) of the IDDSI, to document changes in the STC in the 30 min following meal delivery, and to explore the relationship between food intake and texture level. Methods & Procedures: In this observational study, data were collected from 24 long‐term care departments during five meals served to 624 residents, including at least one breakfast, lunch and dinner. To document differences between NSTC and STC, all NSTC food textures used in the LTC facilities were reclassified to match the IDDSI texture level at the time food left the kitchen (n = 1276). To document time‐related changes in texture, the STC texture as food left the kitchen was compared with texture 30 min later (n = 1276). Finally, to explore the relationship between texture and consumption, estimates were made of single‐item food consumption (n = 3820) using a subjective evaluation of consumption percentage Outcomes & Results: A total of 1276 food items were classified over the course of five meal services (with at least one each from breakfast, lunch and dinner). Statistically significant differences in NSTC and STC texture levels were found that revealed that residents were consuming food that was more difficult to eat than intended by the TMF prescription. In addition, significant changes in food texture were found over time, with texture levels significantly increasing 30 min after food left the kitchen. Finally, greater consumption was found for softer textures in comparison with regular foods; moreover, food consumption was greatest during breakfast and lowest during lunch. Conclusions & Implications: Residents requiring TMF received harder textures than intended which required complex swallowing ability, thus introducing a choking risk. Using the STC as proposed by the IDDSI could improve patient safety, oral intake and nutritional status. Time‐related changes should also be considered in circumstances where patients do not consume food soon after service. Lastly, reduced food consumption during lunch might negatively impact overall nutrient intake, particularly in cultures where lunch is the main meal of the day. What this paper adds: What is already known on the subject: Despite widespread agreement on the importance of STC, institutional care providers widely use NSTC. The IDDSI framework offers international terminology and standardized methods for texture testing. The clinical importance of using STC is not well understood. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study found that residents who required texture‐modified foods were eating food textures that were more challenging to swallow than intended. Differences were found in food texture between when it left the kitchen compared with texture 30 min later. Pureed texture had greater consumption than regular textured food. Food consumption was found to be the highest during breakfast, and reduced during lunch, which might negatively impact overall nutrient intake. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Accurate food texture prescription is the first step towards increasing patients' safety. However, food preparation and handling are also very important steps, not to be disregarded. Time‐related changes in food texture are remarkable and should be considered in circumstances where patients do not consume food soon after service, as these can compromise patients' safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates constant-stress accelerated life tests interrupted by a progressive type-I interval censoring regime. We provide a model based on the Chen distribution with a constant shape parameter and a log-linear connection between the scale parameter and stress loading. Inferential methods, whether classical or Bayesian, are employed to address model parameters and reliability attributes. Classical methods involve the estimation of model parameters through maximum likelihood and midpoint techniques. Bayesian approximations are achieved via the utilization of the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm, Tierney-Kadane procedure, and importance sampling methods. Furthermore, we engage in a discourse on the estimation of confidence intervals, making references to both asymptotic confidence intervals and credible intervals. To conclude, we furnish a simulation study, a corresponding discussion, and supplement these with an analysis of real data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The LittlEARS® Early Speech Production Questionnaire (LEESPQ) was developed to provide professionals with valuable information about children's earliest language development and has been successfully validated in several languages. This study aimed to validate the Serbian version of the LEESPQ in typically developing children and compare the results with validation studies in other languages. Methods: The English version of the LEESPQ was back‐translated into Serbian. Parents completed the questionnaire in paper or electronic form either during the visit to the paediatric clinic or through personal contact. A total of 206 completed questionnaires were collected. Standardized expected values were calculated using a second‐order polynomial model for children up to 18 months of age to create a norm curve for the Serbian language. The results were then used to determine confidence intervals, with the lower limit being the critical limit for typical speech‐language development. Finally, the results were compared with German and Canadian English developmental norms. Results: The Serbian LEESPQ version showed high homogeneity (r =.622) and internal consistency (α =.882), indicating that it almost exclusively measures speech production ability. No significant difference in total score was found between male and female infants (U = 4429.500, p =.090), so it can be considered a gender‐independent questionnaire. The results of the comparison between Serbian and German (U = 645.500, p =.673) and Serbian and English norm curves (U = 652.000, p =.725) show that the LEESPQ can be applied to different population groups, regardless of linguistic, cultural or sociological differences. Conclusion: The LEESPQ is a valid, age‐dependent and gender‐independent questionnaire suitable for assessing early speech development in children aged from birth to 18 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Uncertainty exists regarding the best method for teaching thrust joint manipulation (TJM) to student physical therapists. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Peyton's 4-step (P4) approach with the "see one, do one" (S1D1) approach for teaching students to perform a lumbar spine TJM task in an academic setting. Secondary objectives were to compare the effects of each instructional approach on students' attitudes and beliefs toward spinal TJM and on their motivation to learn to perform lumbar spine TJM. Review of literature: The S1D1 approach is used in the health care professions for teaching clinical tasks to students. It is unclear whether the P4 approach may better prepare students to practice TJM. Subjects: Student physical therapists. Methods: Using a factorial quasi-experimental design, an equal number of students were assigned to a P4 or S1D1 instruction group for the TJM task. Students' performance accuracy, time, and outcome performing TJM in an academic setting were measured. Paper surveys were used to collect data about students' attitudes and beliefs toward spinal TJM and their motivation to learn TJM. A generalized estimating equations approach was used for data analysis. Results: Fifty-eight students (29 per group) completed the study. There was an interaction between the instruction group and time on task performance accuracy favoring the P4 approach (P = .03). There was no interaction between the instruction group and task performance time, task performance outcome, attitudes and beliefs toward spinal TJM, or motivation to learn TJM (all P > .19). Discussion and conclusion: The P4 approach more effectively improved student accuracy when performing the TJM task in an academic setting than the S1D1 approach. However, no differences between instruction were found for performance time or outcome. Students reported a favorable perception of learning lumbar spine TJM. These preliminary results suggest that instructors may use the P4 approach to improve students' TJM procedural knowledge before task practice. However, limitations of the study may affect the internal validity and generalizability of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Media comparison studies examining the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality in education have yielded inconclusive findings, leaving the question of its impact on learning compared to conventional media unanswered. To address this issue, our study employs a novel approach that combines media comparison with an investigation on the influence of broader educational context. Methods: In the experiment, 262 students from two distinct types of lower secondary schools—comprehensive school and multi‐year gymnasium (a selective academic school)—participated. The students received a lesson on topography and contour line interpretation, using either an immersive virtual environment or a PowerPoint slideshow. A transfer test was carried out before, immediately after, and 1 month after the lesson to measure knowledge application. Results: The impact of the media (immersive virtual reality vs. PowerPoint slideshow) on learning outcomes was found to be minimal, with no clear advantage of one over the other in any experimental condition. In contrast, a significant influence on learning gains was observed due to school type. Multi‐year gymnasium students consistently outperformed comprehensive school students in the pre‐test and demonstrated greater learning gains, regardless of the learning media. Conclusion: The present study employs an innovative approach by integrating a comparative analysis of different media types with an investigation into the impact of learner characteristics. By including students from distinct types of schools, the study provides insights into the differential effects of immersive virtual reality in varied educational contexts. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Media comparison studies typically assess the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality as a learning medium in comparison to other instructional methods in education.The findings of these studies differ markedly.Numerous factors impact learning outcomes in an immersive virtual environment. What this paper adds: Recommendation that research in the field should explore not only if but also when and how IVR learning is effective.Evidence that learning achievements may not be affected by the medium used.Evidence that the type of school can significantly influence learning gains.Evidence that cognitive dispositions, such as spatial abilities, can be another factor that influence learning outcomes. Implications for practice: A technology‐centred approach alone does not allow for a proper evaluation of the learning gain potential of IVR, learner characteristics and broader educational context should also be taken into account.IVR as a learning medium may not be appropriate for all students and every educational setting.To ensure reliable evaluation of learning gains, it is necessary to align the content and format of the intervention in both learning mediums as closely as possible.Measuring learning gains not only immediately after the intervention but also with a significant time delay can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laparoscopy has already established itself as the preferred surgical approach in a variety of elective surgical conditions. Along with its usual advantages of less tissue trauma and faster recovery, its diagnostic as well as therapeutic role is making it an attractive option in emergency surgery. In this paper, we have reviewed the current status of laparoscopic surgery in luminal gastrointestinal emergencies. Relevant papers were selected using Medline database from 2007 to the present. These were reviewed, and outcomes were stated under the headings of appendicitis, perforated peptic ulcer, colorectal emergencies and small bowel obstruction. The laparoscopic intervention was found to be of clear benefit in most of the patients with appendicitis. Its role, however, is not absolutely clear in managing perforated peptic ulcers. Laparoscopic lavage and drainage have been recommended in diverticular perforation with limited contamination. Small case series and studies have shown benefits of laparoscopic surgery in iatrogenic colonic perforations, colonic obstruction, emergency colectomy and small bowel obstruction. Laparoscopic surgery can be recommended in appendicitis and low-risk cases of perforated peptic ulcers. Its definitive role in other conditions needs more evidence. The surgeon's experience and careful patient selection are very important to improve the outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: We provide an extensive review of the fundamental principles of statistical science that are needed to accurately interpret randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We use these principles to explain how RCTs are motivated by the powerful but strange idea that flipping a coin to choose each patient's treatment is the most statistically reliable way to compare treatments. Random treatment assignment ensures fair comparisons between treatments because it does away with bias and confounding from variables other than treatment. If the goal is to estimate treatment effects in a patient population, rather than compare two or more treatments, then random sampling, not random treatment assignment, is required. However, random sampling is virtually impossible to carry out in a clinical trial because patients are accrued over time as they arrive in the clinic, subject to a trial's entry criteria. Consequently, in practice, a trial provides a nonrepresentative convenience sample. Valid treatment comparisons provided by RCT data subsequently require additional causal assumptions of transportability of between-treatment effects from the sample to the patient population of interest. This may be used as a basis for choosing treatments for future patients. The present paper discusses what this means for practicing physicians who encounter RCT data in the literature. This article describes rationales and limitations for making inferences based on data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We argue that obtaining a representative random sample from a patient population is impossible for a clinical trial because patients are accrued sequentially over time and thus comprise a convenience sample, subject only to protocol entry criteria. Consequently, the trial's sample is unlikely to represent a definable patient population. We use causal diagrams to illustrate the difference between random allocation of interventions within a clinical trial sample and true simple or stratified random sampling, as executed in surveys. We argue that group-specific statistics, such as a median survival time estimate for a treatment arm in an RCT, have limited meaning as estimates of larger patient population parameters. In contrast, random allocation between interventions facilitates comparative causal inferences about between-treatment effects, such as hazard ratios or differences between probabilities of response. Comparative inferences also require the assumption of transportability from a clinical trial's convenience sample to a targeted patient population. We focus on the consequences and limitations of randomization procedures in order to clarify the distinctions between pairs of complementary concepts of fundamental importance to data science and RCT interpretation. These include internal and external validity, generalizability and transportability, uncertainty and variability, representativeness and inclusiveness, blocking and stratification, relevance and robustness, forward and reverse causal inference, intention to treat and per protocol analyses, and potential outcomes and counterfactuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female genital mutilation (FGM) involves the cutting of the external female genital organs for non-medical purposes. It is a widespread public health problem in Nigeria as it affects the health of women and girls. The views of women about FGM are widely researched and known; however, very little empirical research has been conducted to understand the views of men. Aim: This study therefore sought to examine men's views with regard to the continuation of FGM and its associated factors in a rural Igbo community in Nigeria. Subject and Method: This paper reports the results of a survey of 215 men aged 18 and above living in Isuikwuato Local Government Area, Uturu in Nigeria. Bivariate and binary logistic regression were performed on 215 completed and returned questionnaires (86% response rate) using the Statistical Package for Social Science. This is the first study to investigate Nigerian Igbo men's views of FGM. Results: Descriptive statistics revealed that almost two-thirds of the sample (63.7%) thought FGM should be discontinued. Logistic regression found that owning a television and/or a radio and holding a Christian faith significantly predicted favouring the discontinuation of FGM. Conclusion: This study provides evidence to suggest that some Nigerian Igbo men's attitudes about FGM appear to be generally less than favourable. The major implication of these findings is that policy makers must place greater emphasis on addressing the economic and social development of rural areas in Nigeria if the harmful practice of FGM is to be reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the impact of phonological overlap amongst items on short term memory recall performance by manipulating the type, number and syllabic position of shared phonemes between words in a serial recall task. Roodenrys et al [Roodenrys, S., Miller., L. M., & Josifoski, N. (2022b). Phonemic interference in short-term memory contributes to forgetting but it is not due to overwriting. Journal of Memory and Language, 122, 104301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2021.104301] demonstrated that when the phonemes of a target word also occur in words earlier in the list, recall of the target word is impaired. Two experiments are reported that further examine the nature of this interference effect. Experiment 1 varied the type and number of phonemes shared with the single syllable target word by other list words and found a single shared vowel impaired target word recall performance as much as two shared consonants. Experiment 2 altered the syllabic position of the overlapping phonemes and found shared syllabic position was necessary to impair recall of the target word. It is argued these results show that not all phonological overlap is equally detrimental and specific psycholinguistic conditions are necessary to produce interference that impairs recall performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously, Rahardja (2020) paper (in the first reference list) developed a (pairwise) multiple comparison procedure (MCP) to determine which (proportions) pairs of Multiple Binomial Proportions (with under-reported data), the significant differences came from. Generally, such an MCP test (developed by Rahardja, 2020) is the second part of a two-stage sequential test. In this paper, we derived two omnibus tests (i.e., the overall equality of multiple proportions test) as the first part of the above two-stage sequential test (with under-reported data), in general. Using two likelihood-based approaches, we acquire two Wald-type (Omnibus) tests to compare Multiple Binomial Proportions (in the presence of under-reported data). Our closed-form algorithm is easy to implement and not computationally burdensome. We applied our algorithm to a vehicle-accident data example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The most common conservative treatment for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is bracing. However, several papers questioned the effectiveness of bracing for curves between 40° and 50° Cobb: the effectiveness in preventing curve progression could be as low as 35%. Seriate casting is considered a standard approach in early onset scoliosis; however, in the setting of AIS, cast treatment is seldom utilized, with only few studies reporting on its effectiveness. Aim of the study: The main aim of the study is to determine whether a seriate casting with Risser casts associated with bracing is more effective in preventing curve progression than bracing alone in curves larger than 40°. Furthermore, the secondary endpoints were: (1) is there a difference in effectiveness of casting between Thoracic (T) and Thoracolumbar/Lumbar (TL/L) curves? (2) Does the 'in cast' correction predicts the treatment outcome? (3) What is the effect on thoracic kyphosis of casting? Methods: This is a retrospective monocentric case–control study; through an Institutional Database search we identified all the patients treated at our institution between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2020, with a diagnosis of AIS, Risser grade between 0 and 4 at the beginning of the treatment, at least one curve above 40° Cobb and treatment with either seriate Risser casting and bracing (Study Group, SG) or bracing alone (Control Group, CG). Standing full spine X-rays in AP and LL are obtained before and after the cast treatment; only AP standing full spine X-rays 'in-cast' are obtained for each cast made. Patients were stratified according to the curve behavior at the end of treatment (Risser 5): progression was defined as ≥6° increase in the curve magnitude or fusion needed; stabilization is defined as a change in curve by ±5°; and improvement was defined as ≥6° reduction in the curve. Results: For the final analysis, 55 compliant patients (12 M, 43 F, mean age 13.5 ± 1.6) were included in the SG and 27 (4 M, 23 F, mean age 13.6 ± 1.6) in the CG. Eight (14.5%) patients in the SG failed the conservative treatment while 14 (51.3%) failed in the CG. Consequently, the Relative Risk for progression in the Efficacy Analysis was 1.8 (95% CI 1, 3–2.6, p = 0.001), and the Number Needed to Treat was 2,4. No significant difference was found between the T and TL/L curves concerning the 'progressive' endpoint (z-score 0.263, p = 0.79). The mean percentage of 'in cast' curve reduction was 40.1 ± 15.2%; no significant correlation was found between the percentage of correction and the outcome (Spearman Correlation Coefficient 0.18). Finally, no significant differences between baseline and end of FU TK were found (32° ± 16.2 vs. 29.6 ± 15.8, p = ns). Discussion: Seriate Risser casting for AIS with larger curves (>40° Cobb) is effective in reducing curve progression when compared with full time bracing alone in treatment compliant patients. The treatment is equally effective in controlling T and TL/L curves; furthermore, a slight but non-significant decrease in TK was observed in patients treated with casting. This type of treatment should be considered for AIS patients who present with large curves to potentially reduce the percentage of surgical cases. Short Abstract: The aim of the study is to determine whether seriate Risser casting associated with bracing is more effective in preventing curve progression than bracing alone in curves larger than 40°. This is a retrospective monocentric case–control study; we identified all the patients treated at our institution with a diagnosis of AIS, Risser grade 0–4 at the beginning of the treatment, at least one curve above 40° Cobb (35° if treated with bracing alone) and treatment with either seriate Risser casting and bracing (Study Group, SG) or bracing alone (Control Group, CG). Fifty-five patients (12 M, 43 F, mean age 13.5 ± 1.6) were included in the SG and 30 (5 M, 25 F, mean age 13.9 ± 1.7) in the CG. Eight (14,5%) patients in the SG failed the conservative treatment while fifteen (50%) failed in the CG. Consequently, the Relative Risk for progression in the Efficacy Analysis was 1.8 (95% CI 1.3–2.6, p = 0.001), and the Number Needed to Treat was 2,4. Seriate Risser casting for AIS with larger curves (>40°) is effective in reducing curve progression when compared with full time bracing alone. This type of treatment should be considered for AIS patients who present with large curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]