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While the literature is abundant on hand therapy assessment and treatment of nonsurgical thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis (OA), clarity and uniformity are meager, making it a desirable diagnosis to establish expert consensus. This study aimed to ascertain if consensus exists for the assessment and treatment of nonsurgical management of thumb CMC OA in the hand therapy clinical setting. This was a consensus paper via the modified Delphi approach. A modified Delphi method was used to determine consensus among an expert panel, including hand therapists and hand surgeons, via two online surveys. A consensus paper steering committee (from the American Society of Hand Therapist's research division) designed the surveys and analyzed responses. Consensus was established as 75% agreement among the expert panel. Demographic information was collected from the expert panel. The expert panel included 34 hand therapists and seven hand surgeons. The survey response rates were 93.6% for the first survey and 90.2% for the second survey. Consensus recommendations were classified according to the World Health Organization categorization. These included evaluating the body structures for clinical signs/clinical testing and body functions for pain, range of motion for palmar abduction, radial abduction, opposition, and thumb metacarpal phalangeal flexion/extension, and grip and tripod pinch strength. Further consensus recommendations were for the assessment of function using a region-specific, upper extremity patient-reported outcome measure (activity and participation), environmental factors, outcome expectation, and illness perception within the patient's unique environmental and social contexts. Treatment recommendations included the use of an orthosis during painful activities, a dynamic stability program (stable C posture, release of tight adductors, and strengthening of stabilizers), patient education, joint protection techniques, adaptive equipment, and functional-based intervention. The findings describe the consensus of a group of experts and provide a clinical reference tool on the hand therapy assessment and treatment of nonsurgical thumb CMC joint OA. • A consensus paper using a modified Delphi process to determine consensus on non-surgical assessment and treatment of thumb CMC OA. • Assessment recommendations: evaluate clinical signs/testing, pain, thumb range of motion grip and tripod pinch, a region-specific PROM, environmental factors, outcome expectation, and illness perception. • Treatment: orthosis during painful activities as needed, a dynamic stability program, patient education, joint protection techniques, adaptive equipment, and functional based intervention. • Findings provide a clinical reference tool on hand therapy assessment and treatment of non-surgical CMC joint OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To further strengthen the evidence base on the use of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) we performed a Delphi consensus. The aim of this paper is to establish consensus on the indications and contraindications for the use of REBOA in trauma and non-trauma patients based on the existing evidence and expertise.Study Design: A literature review facilitated the design of a three-round Delphi questionnaire. Delphi panelists were identified by the investigators. Consensus was reached when at least 70% of the panelists responded to the survey and more than 70% of respondents reached agreement or disagreement.Results: Panel members reached consensus on potential indications, contra-indications and settings for use of REBOA (excluding the pre hospital environment), physiological parameters for patient selection and indications for early femoral access. Panel members failed to reach consensus on the use of REBOA in patients in extremis (no pulse, no blood pressure) and the use of REBOA in patients with two major bleeding sites.Conclusions: Consensus was reached on indications, contra indications, physiological parameters for patient selection for REBOA and early femoral access. The panel did not reach consensus on the use of REBOA in patients in pre-hospital settings, patients in extremis (no pulse, no blood pressure) and in patients with 2 or more major bleeding sites. Further research should focus on the indications of REBOA in pre hospital settings, patients in near cardiac arrest and REBOA inflation times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) last published its comprehensive expert panel report of clinical indications for CMR in 2004. This new Consensus Panel report brings those indications up to date for 2020 and includes the very substantial increase in scanning techniques, clinical applicability and adoption of CMR worldwide. We have used a nearly identical grading system for indications as in 2004 to ensure comparability with the previous report but have added the presence of randomized controlled trials as evidence for level 1 indications. In addition to the text, tables of the consensus indication levels are included for rapid assimilation and illustrative figures of some key techniques are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemodynamic assessment is an integral part of the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease. Four-dimensional cardiovascular magnetic resonance flow imaging (4D Flow CMR) allows comprehensive and accurate assessment of flow in a single acquisition. This consensus paper is an update from the 2015 '4D Flow CMR Consensus Statement'. We elaborate on 4D Flow CMR sequence options and imaging considerations. The document aims to assist centers starting out with 4D Flow CMR of the heart and great vessels with advice on acquisition parameters, post-processing workflows and integration into clinical practice. Furthermore, we define minimum quality assurance and validation standards for clinical centers. We also address the challenges faced in quality assurance and validation in the research setting. We also include a checklist for recommended publication standards, specifically for 4D Flow CMR. Finally, we discuss the current limitations and the future of 4D Flow CMR. This updated consensus paper will further facilitate widespread adoption of 4D Flow CMR in the clinical workflow across the globe and aid consistently high-quality publication standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auto-contouring could revolutionise future planning of radiotherapy treatment. The lack of consensus on how to assess and validate auto-contouring systems currently limits clinical use. This review formally quantifies the assessment metrics used in studies published during one calendar year and assesses the need for standardised practice. A PubMed literature search was undertaken for papers evaluating radiotherapy auto-contouring published during 2021. Papers were assessed for types of metric and the methodology used to generate ground-truth comparators. Our PubMed search identified 212 studies, of which 117 met the criteria for clinical review. Geometric assessment metrics were used in 116 of 117 studies (99.1%). This includes the Dice Similarity Coefficient used in 113 (96.6%) studies. Clinically relevant metrics, such as qualitative, dosimetric and time-saving metrics, were less frequently used in 22 (18.8%), 27 (23.1%) and 18 (15.4%) of 117 studies, respectively. There was heterogeneity within each category of metric. Over 90 different names for geometric measures were used. Methods for qualitative assessment were different in all but two papers. Variation existed in the methods used to generate radiotherapy plans for dosimetric assessment. Consideration of editing time was only given in 11 (9.4%) papers. A single manual contour as a ground-truth comparator was used in 65 (55.6%) studies. Only 31 (26.5%) studies compared auto-contours to usual inter- and/or intra-observer variation. In conclusion, significant variation exists in how research papers currently assess the accuracy of automatically generated contours. Geometric measures are the most popular, however their clinical utility is unknown. There is heterogeneity in the methods used to perform clinical assessment. Considering the different stages of system implementation may provide a framework to decide the most appropriate metrics. This analysis supports the need for a consensus on the clinical implementation of auto-contouring. • A systematic review of auto-contouring assessment publications was performed. • Variation in the metrics used in auto-contouring research is demonstrated. • Geometric metrics are the most popular, but these may not be clinically meaningful. • There is significant heterogeneity in the "clinically relevant" assessment metrics. • There is a need to standardise auto-contouring assessment, to enable clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain is a chain of blocks where each block contains a set of transactions that are digitally signed by its verifier and stored across the distributed network so that all the legitimate stakeholders can access/verify them. Due to the attributes of Blockchain such as decentralization, immutability, auditability, transparency, and cryptographic security, it offers various benefits to different domains such as cryptocurrency, financial sectors, private/public segments, insurance, healthcare, supply chain management, Internet of Things, etc. However, the technology is in its early stage and still, there is a range of concerns that are yet to be addressed before its wide adoption. Through this paper, we intend to cover extensive study on the Blockchain that includes taxonomy, application/use-cases, consensus mechanisms, prospective research, future directions, and related technologies. This paper also aims to discuss the opportunities, benefits, and challenges of Blockchain technology and to assist the research community in understanding the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality function deployment (QFD) is an effective method to convert customer requirements (CRs) into design requirements (DRs) by constructing house of quality (HOQ). With the rapid growth of the e-commerce market, it is a new challenge to utilize the available online reviews to facilitate the implementation of QFD. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel QFD model from the perspective of group decision making (GDM) and social network analysis (SNA), then applies the proposed model to product design under Chinese e-commerce scene. Firstly, this paper extracts CRs from online reviews on e-commerce platforms, and the initial HOQs can be constructed. Then a bilateral negotiation GDM method based on SNA is carried out to generate a consensus-based HOQ, and therefore the final priorities of DRs can be obtained. Finally, a case study is provided to illustrate the applicability, and some discussions and comparative analysis are also conducted. The result indicates that the proposed method can generate effective and stable results for QFD implementation in real-world e-commerce scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To group decision-making (GDM) under social network, the interactions are no longer limited to pairwise but can take higher-order interaction, which can affect the consensus process. The higher-order interaction can be represented in simplicial complex. Therefore, under social network, this paper deeply explores a new higher-order interaction-based adjustment model in the simplicial complex. Firstly, we identify simplicial complex by utilizing the consensual objective and subjective trust information, and determine the decision maker weights. Then, we design the stability of simplex from the system structure and select the adjustment alternative and decision maker to construct the adjustment model based on the consensus and the stability of simplex. Considering the simplex structure, inspired by spreading dynamics model of simplex, we propose strengthening mechanism and competing mechanism of higher-order evaluation interaction. Further, this paper establishes a higher-order interaction-based minimum adjustment model. Because of the connectedness of simplicial complex, decision makers between simplices may occur the spontaneous interaction. In this case, we construct a global stability of simplicial complex to improve the minimum adjustment model. Finally, we use an example to expound the feasibility of our method, and design also a comparative analysis to demonstrates its advantages. In general, our method can significantly improve the consensus level and changes the adjustment decision maker selection from the system structure. • This paper deeply investigates higher-order interaction-based group consensus model in the simplicial complex. • We construct the stability of simplex and combine the consensus index to choose the adjustment decision maker. • The global stability of the simplicial complex is used to tackle the spontaneous adjustment for the consensus reaching model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical diagnosis decision-making process of integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine is essentially a type of group decision-making (GDM) problem, which is transparently characterized by the multiformity of data types and the diversity of knowledge structures among experts. However, most existing GDM methods are designed based on single data types and cannot address GDM problems involving multiple data types and diversified attributes. Moreover, the preference-approval structure provides a simple framework to simulate the preference information regarding an individual's ranking and approval. But it only considers two categories: approval and disapproval, without accounting for the indecision of individuals. In reality, three-way decision (TWD) is common. Given the deficiencies above, this paper puts forward a novel preference-approval structure-based three-way group consensus decision-making approach for a class of GDM problems with the characteristics of incompleteness, multi-granularity, diversity, and compound. To represent the information in these complex GDM problems, we firstly present the concept of incomplete multi-granularity diversified compound decision systems (IMGDCDSs). Secondly, according to the data characteristics, we construct a non-additive TWD model over the framework of granular computing. On the one hand, using the reference point of each attribute, an acquisition method of relative loss functions is given by considering three kinds of states. On the other hand, we present a new fuzzy measure to calculate non-additive conditional probabilities. The above work enriches the existing TWD theory. Based on the three-way classification and ranking results obtained, this paper subsequently defines a preference-approval structure and establishes a new group consensus decision-making approach. Thereby, the TWD model is integrated into preference-approval structures, which further enriches the GDM theory. More importantly, some existing group consensus methods are special cases of our study. Whereafter, we demonstrate the feasibility of the approach using an illustrative example. Finally, the stability and effectiveness of the approach are verified through an empirical study in the context of medical diagnosis. • Incomplete multi-granularity diversified compound decision systems are presented. • A non-additive three-way decision (TWD) model is constructed. • The TWD model and preference-approval structures are integrated. • A new group consensus approach is applied to medical diagnosis. • The effectiveness of the approach is verified by an empirical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental policy debates often get polarized along binaries of environment versus economic development or conservation versus rights. Sustainability scientists and practitioners generally suggest finding common grounds as a pathway for building consensus among the diverse perspectives involved in polarized environmental policy discussions. This paper takes a critical stance towards such calls for common grounds by calling attention to the implicit assumptions that underlie these discourses. We study the case of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in India, which has polarized the forest policy discourse between conservationists and rights activists in India. We examine scientific publications on the FRA using discourse and framing analysis and show that scholarly discourses on FRA lie along a spectrum characterized by underlying epistemic and normative practices. We identify five groups of scholars based on the unique positions they have taken on FRA: a) advocacy-centric, b) welfare-centric, c) community-centric, d) dialogue-centric, and e) techno-centric scholars. We find that negative framings of the forest dweller community lead to scientific endorsement of policy prescriptions that empower socio-political institutions that are external to these communities. We argue that scholarly calls for common grounds often assume uniform or neutral framings for the stakeholders involved. We conclude that recognizing the polarization spectrum in environmental policy discourses can help us move towards pluralistic approaches to environmental governance. • Scientific polarization on Indian forest policy discourses lies along a spectrum. • Epistemic and normative practices shape scientific positions on forest policies. • Negative framings of traditional communities tend to empower external institutions. • Calls for dialogue often do not specify framings for the stakeholders involved. • Recognize the polarization spectrum for enabling pluralistic environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is increasingly used in the field of posture and gait to investigate patterns of cortical brain activation while people move freely. fNIRS methods, analysis and reporting of data vary greatly across studies which in turn can limit the replication of research, interpretation of findings and comparison across works.Research Question and Methods: Considering these issues, we propose a set of practical recommendations for the conduct and reporting of fNIRS studies in posture and gait, acknowledging specific challenges related to clinical groups with posture and gait disorders.Results: Our paper is organized around three main sections: 1) hardware set up and study protocols, 2) artefact removal and data processing and, 3) outcome measures, validity and reliability; it is supplemented with a detailed checklist.Significance: This paper was written by a core group of members of the International Society for Posture and Gait Research and posture and gait researchers, all experienced in fNIRS research, with the intent of assisting the research community to lead innovative and impactful fNIRS studies in the field of posture and gait, whilst ensuring standardization of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The consistency of complete interval distributed preference relation (CIDPR) is defined. • Adjustment algorithm is proposed to convert inconsistent CIDPR to be acceptable consistent level. • Experts' weights are generated based on DLTRs by the ER algorithm. • Consensus measurement and adjustment methods under social network analysis are proposed. Group decision-making (GDM) problems often consist of many indeterminacy factors in realistic situation. How to cope with consistency and consensus under uncertain circumstance are two critical issues in pairwise comparison based GDM problems. In this paper, we firstly propose the model of complete interval distributed preference relation (CIDPR) based on the concept of linguistic distribution with interval symbolic proportions, distribution linguistic preference relation (DLPR) and IDPR. Secondly, the additive consistency index of CIDPR is defined to measure the consistency level of expert's judgment, and an adjustment algorithm is proposed for converting inconsistent CIDPR to an acceptable consistent level. Thirdly, since trust relation is a critical factor in the generation of experts' weights and the adjustment of experts' opinions, consensus reaching process (CRP) is designed to take into account distributed linguistic trust relations under social network analysis (SNA). In the proposed adjustment mechanism, non-consensus individual should modify opinion towards his/her trusted and highly weighted expert. The advantage of the proposed inconsistent CIDPR adjustment model can maximally retain the information in the original distribution, while the CRP has a relatively fast convergent speed and good practicality. An illustrative example of strategic new product selection is conducted to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method and its potential in supporting realistic GDM problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing financialization identifies logics, policies and actors that treat homes as assets. However, as the institutional framework and social consensus on housing provision varies widely, the process is path-depended on local contingencies that reflect specific socio-economic and political contexts. Driving attention to relevant dynamics recently developed in the city of Athens, this research scrutinises the local specificities and financial accounting idiosyncrasies that make the case of housing financialization. The paper explores how homeownership, as constructed in this society without the mediation of credit financing, is challenged by debt obligations. It further considers the institutional framework that opposed, until recently, housing repossessions to explore the link between indebtedness, book values of Non– Performing Loan provisions and the timing of securitisation. It concludes by tendering the case of housing "sale and lease-back" financialization where homeowners transform into tenants of own homes to safeguard the book values of credit institutions at the verge of default. Housing financialization a la Griega, then constitutes a paradigm of a continuous temporal re-engineering that normalises and leads to a pacified form of housing appropriation, subordinating housing needs and power relations to financial imperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, group decision-making is an everyday event, since we usually live in a community. Nevertheless, when the number of participants is large, it starts to generate a lot of information that is complex to manage, and unlike group decision-making, where the participants are usually experts, when the number of participants increases, not all of them are, which generates a conflict of interest because the value of the vote of an expert and a (non-expert) user is worth the same. Moreover, it may happen that not all participants who start a process will finish it and not all of them will be able to make all the assessments, since they do not know all the options. Therefore, to solve all the drawbacks, this paper presents a large-scale group decision-making system in a modifiable scenario environment that groups participants according to their preferred alternative and also performs knowledge differentiation, clustering them into experts and users. This allows for optimising the consensus process, as the consensus is made by comparing the clusters and the participants with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Large groups need to seek decision representatives to participate in consensus negotiations. • Local and global influence can be estimated based on centrality metrics of social networks. • Representatives codetermined by strong and weak ties lead to faster consensus formation. In the era of social media, the issue of large-scale group decision-making (LSGDM) is becoming increasingly prominent. The complexity of large group interactions increases rapidly with the expansion of the group size. Current research has often used cluster analysis to reduce the dimensionality of LSGDM, but the decision agents following dimensionality reduction are not clearly defined, which hinders the practical application of LSGDM methods. This paper studies the LSGDM through the context of community representatives which are determined by combining strong and weak ties. The participation of such representatives in subsequent decision-making can reduce negotiation costs and efficiently form a consensus from both global and local perspectives. To identify these community representatives, this study improves the traditional Laplacian centrality, calculates the local and global centrality of individuals, and defines metrics for measuring representatives. The opinion dynamics model is used to verify the effectiveness of the LSGDM model with community representatives. The karate club network is used to illustrate the application of the proposed LSGDM model. Simulation and comparative analysis results show that the proposed model takes less time to reach consensus than traditional ones. Furthermore, there is no complete linear relationship between the representative size and the time taken to reach group consensus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Study describes the comprehensive process of conceptualization of family support workforce skills in different professions and social sectors. • Several related research are applied: websites content analysis, systematic reviews and Delphi study. • Core and field-specific skills become family supportive when they are applied in the contexts of strength and relationship-based approach as well as both – whole family and child-centered approach. • Implications lead to construction of a coherent model of family support skills with consideration and validation of links and relationships between the components of the model. Professionals working in different areas of family support have diverse conceptual assumptions and epistemological frameworks. Thus, a common conceptualization of family support workforce skills presents major research and practical challenge. Beyond general recognizability, a growing knowledge base and interests, there is still no generally accepted concept of what family support is as a practice, policy, and theoretical construct. This paper attempts to conceptualize the skills for the practice of family support in different professions and social sectors through several research approaches. Initially, we analyzed the content of websites with international organizations' resources about skills in family support. Second, we systematically reviewed literature using the PRISMA method. Last, we reviewed literature, including professional handbooks and publications. The content analysis and systematic literature reviews indicate that as an interdisciplinary concept, family support workforce skills are generally familiar, but not defined nor specified and differentiated from other skills used in the broad field of work with families. So, to deepen the knowledge on family support workforce skills and reach a reliable consensus, the Delphi method was used with a series of questionnaires at different stages of research. Results indicate that specific core and field-specific skills become family supportive when they are applied in the contexts of strength and relationship-based approach as well as both – whole family and child-centred approach. That has opened up new possibilities for more precise definitions, recognisability and transferability of family support skills and construction of a conceptual model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) screeners can be verbal or self-administered. • We used 2 contemporaneous surveys to compare prevalence of caregiver-reported ACEs. • The telephone survey had higher ACEs disclosure rates compared to paper/web survey. • Findings support the importance of verbal communication to identify ACEs exposure. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic experiences that increase people's susceptibility to adverse physical health, mental health, and social consequences in adulthood. Screening for ACEs in primary care settings is complicated by a lack of consensus on appropriate methods for identifying exposure to ACEs. It is unclear whether self-report methods could increase disclosure of ACEs as compared to interview-based methods. This study compares data on the prevalence of ACEs from two publicly available surveys conducted on the same population of children's caregivers: the 2019 Ohio subsample of the web/mail-based National Survey of Children's Health and the telephone-based 2019 Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey. We find higher disclosure of caregiver-reported child exposure to ACEs in the telephone interview survey, highlighting the importance of the role of verbal communication in developing a safe and trusting relationship in the disclosure of trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the distributed specified-time group consensus control with hard settling-time constraint and milder communication topology constraint. To this end, we propose two distributed control schemes by employing a motion planning approach for the single- and double-integrator systems. Compared with the most existing works over undirected communication topologies, the underlying topology of each group is required to be directed graphs in our proposed distributed controllers. Furthermore, the root vertex of one group is allowed to belong to the other group. The convergence analysis is performed via the algebraic graph theory and matrix theory. The results show that the agents in the same group can reach consensus within any prespecified settling-time instead of a conservative upper bound of the settling-time. Moreover, the designed specified-time group consensus protocols do not require continuous information exchange. Finally, simulation results are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the hierarchical management structure of electric power enterprises, data flow often needs to go through multiple layers of nodes for review, which makes data synchronization slow and distortion high and data reliability difficult to improve. The existing data asset management mode of electric power enterprises faces security problems such as node trustworthiness and data tampering in the process of identity mutual trust, transmission and storage, data collection and data usage. In view of this, this paper proposes a blockchain-based digital asset management framework using the decentralized, untrustworthy, and hard-to-tamper features of blockchain. In the proposed framework, we optimized security authentication mechanism, data recording and consensus process, and data storage and transmission strategy involved in blockchain data sharing applications. The framework can effectively ensure the security, integrity, operability and consistency of digital assets in the management process under the blockchain environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Over 130 countries have produced national development plans to show their priorities for achieving SDGs. • Many of the plans are a product of national consensus processes although some are produced mainly technocratic elites. • The five year (medium term) plan is the most popular although some countries have longer term visions documents. • National Planning Commissions are back and play a lead role although Economic Ministries still dominate the process. • A majority of national plans lack financing strategies a factor that can affect implementation and achievement of SDGs. The number of countries with a national development plan has more than doubled, from about 62 in 2006 to 134 in 2018. More than 80 per cent of the global population now lives in a country with a national development plan of one form or another. This is a stunning recovery of a practice that had been discredited in the 1980s and 1990s as a relic of directed economies and state-led development. Several factors have fostered this re-emergence but from about 2015 the momentum for producing plans has accelerated, driven in part by a need to plan for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Based on an analysis of 107 national development plans, and drawing insights from 10 case study countries, this paper analyses 'new' national development planning and identifies the types and content of the plans, and their implications for the sustainable development agenda. The paper generates a typology of the new national plans, analyses their characteristics and explores the ways in which the new national development planning and the SDGs may interact. The study finds greater ownership and political control of the processes leading to plan production. It also finds that the plans vary in terms of the evidence used, the degree of internal consistency between different parts of the same plan, the process of developing the plan (inclusive or elite-driven), and the extent to which they are clear on how they will be financed. In contrast to 20th-century national development plans the new-generation plans are often underpinned by theories of collaborative rationality rather than by linear rationality. This new generation of national plans has been neglected by academic researchers and merits much greater examination, especially to understand the ways in which their implementation can enhance the achievement of the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the consensus asymptotic convergence problem for a class of n th-order strict-feedback multiagent systems, which include the input quantization, actuator faults, unknown nonlinear functions and directed communication topology. Because the upper bounds of the time-varying stuck faults and external disturbance are commonly difficult to accurately determine, it is also assumed that these upper bounds are unknown in this paper. First, a group of first-order filters are designed to estimate the bounds of the reference signal for each agent. Second, smooth functions are introduced to compensate the effect of quantization and bounded stuck faults. Meanwhile, a new back-stepping method is used to propose an intermediate control law and an adaptive design procedure, and the final distributed control protocols are established. All closed-loop signals are uniformly bounded, and the tracking errors asymptotically converge to zero. Finally, a practical example simulation is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The linguistic computing model based on discrete fuzzy numbers has some good properties compared with other existing models and should be further studied, which has been proved by some researchers. However, the research of group consensus with this linguistic model is insufficient, given that group consensus is an important issue in group decision making. Therefore, this paper would concentrate on this subject. It includes two main issues: research on consensus measure and research on the method for improving group consensus in group decision making based on this linguistic computing model. For research on the consensus measure, this paper first studies on the aggregation method for discrete fuzzy numbers. Then, the index of measuring group consensus is determined. For research on improving the group consensus, considering the characteristics of discrete fuzzy numbers, we present an algorithm to improve group consensus. In addition, an illustrative example of a decision-making problem about investment is stated to show the whole solving process. It also illustrates the feasibility, rationality and validity of all the proposed methods. Finally, the comparisons between some proposals and existing studies are made, which helps point out the advantages of the proposed methods. Highlights • The linguistic model based on discrete fuzzy numbers (LM-DFN) is studied. • The method for measuring group consensus with the LM-DFN is proposed. • The method for improving group consensus with the LM-DFN is proposed. • The proposed methods have some advantages compared with the existing ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract It is well known that heterogeneity is an important feature of multi-agent systems. In this paper, we consider the second-order consensus of hybrid multi-agent system which is composed of continuous-time and discrete-time dynamic agents. By analyzing the interactive mode of different dynamic agents, two kinds of effective consensus protocols are proposed for the hybrid multi-agent system. The analysis tool developed in this paper is based on algebraic graph theory and system transformation method. Some necessary and sufficient conditions are established for solving the second-order consensus of hybrid multi-agent system. Two examples are also provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Hesitant fuzzy linguistic preference relations (HFLPRs) as an efficient and common tool to deal with decision-making problems have been widely used in real life. The consistency and consensus are the most two important topics for HFLPRs. In this paper, we develop a new efficient consistency–consensus framework for HFLPRs. Firstly, we transform HFLPRs into probabilistic linguistic preference relations, and develop a programming model to make the HFLPRs achieve the maximum consistency degree. Then, we propose some new rules for addition operation and weighted average operator to fuse individual preference information. After that, a maximum consensus model is developed which maximizes the consensus degree by adjusting the experts' weights. Then, a numerical case of temporary placement selection after earthquake is presented, and some comparisons with the traditional methods are conducted to verify the rationality and efficiency of our framework. Finally, we end the paper with some conclusions and future research directions. Highlights • We establish a more time-saving consistency reaching and a consensus achieving model. • We skillfully connect HFLPLs and PLPRs to establish the consistency reaching model. • We propose new addition operation rules and the WA operator for PLTSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper addresses the group-delay consensus of second-order nonlinear multi-agent systems by piecewise adaptive pinning control in part of time interval. The topology of the networked system is assumed to be directed and weakly connected. The agents in each group can be classified into three subsets, which are inter-act agent, intra-act agent with zero in-degree and the other agents. According to the agents' property and intrinsic dynamics, the protocol is designed to guarantee that agents in the same group reach consensus, and the agents in different groups reach group-delay consensus. By using Lyapunov stability theory, graph theory and matrix theory, some consensus criteria are derived in the form of matrix inequalities. At last, a numerical simulation is also given to verify the correctness of theoretical analysis. Highlights • We classify the agents in each group into three subsets, and take different control for different agent to derive the sufficient condition of consensus. • Pinning control is also taken into account, and we only choose some of agents to control. Both of them can effectively reduce the cost of control. • The group-delay consensus this paper is under directed and weakly connected network topology. Compared to the existing result that needs a directed spanning tree, it reduces the requirement of topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the network-based practical set consensus problem of multi-agent systems subject to input saturation constraints. Considering network-induced delays, data quantization and aperiodic sampling intervals, a network-based framework which allows each agent to be remotely controlled over the communication network is established. Under this framework, a new network-based consensus protocol with input saturation constraints is proposed. With this protocol, the consensus problem can be transformed into the stabilization problem of time-delay systems with bounded perturbations. By using the Lyapunov–Krasovskii approach, a stability condition guaranteeing that the error system can exponentially converge to a bounded set is derived, where the region of initial conditions can be estimated by considering the effect of the first delay interval. Based on this stability condition, the network-based consensus controller gain matrix can be obtained. An optimization algorithm is introduced for simultaneously designing the consensus controller gain and estimating the region of attraction as small as possible and the region of initial conditions as large as possible. A numerical example is given to illustrate the efficiency of all the results derived in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology are facilitating its widespread integration across various sectors, prominently within agriculture. This evolving synergy is reshaping farming practices, specifically by innovating intelligent mechanisms to monitor and combat crop diseases through intelligent decision-making. Wheat assuming particular significance on the global agricultural stage. Addressing the concerning spread of the wheat soil-borne mosaic (WSBM), this paper employs modern methodologies to gauge the severity of virus infection in wheat through quantitative evaluation. Our contribution lies in the exploration of a group consensus model method within the context of interval type-2 fuzzy sets (IT2FSs). Navigating the intricacies of decision makers (DMs) reaching consensus, we address the challenge of selecting a consensus degree threshold by introducing random variables. Experimentally determining an objective consensus degree threshold. Then, we combine the Multi-Objective Optimization by Ratio Analysis plus the full MULTIplicative form (MULTIMOORA) method with Dempster-Shafer (D-S) evidence fusion theory. This result in an evidence fusion decision-making model rooted in IT2F information, offering enhanced stability. Leveraging the MULTIMOORA method for decision-making, we then fuse the outcomes through D-S evidence fusion theory, yielding stable decision results. Subsequently, we validate the feasibility of our established decision model within the context of WSBM. In conclusion, we subject it to sensitivity and comparative analyses, comparing it with other methods. This thorough evaluation aims to validate the effectiveness and feasibility of our proposed approach, providing insights into its potential applications and contributions in the realm of agricultural decision-making. • A scheme for detecting crop diseases through artificial intelligence is proposed. • A decision-making method fusing MULTIMOORA with D-S evidence theory is explored. • An agricultural group consensus decision rule in the IT2FS context is explored. • A method to optimize the consensus process by the additional adjustment is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When building consensus in group decision making (GDM) under uncertainty, an important yet rarely studied issue is to find the Pareto solutions of multi-objective optimization model. This paper reports a two-objective (2Ob) optimization driven consensus model in GDM by describing the bipolarity of judgements through intuitionistic multiplicative preference relations (IMPRs). First, it is realized that the inherent property of IMPRs is the hesitancy degree. A novel inconsistency index of IMPRs is proposed by combining the effects of hesitancy degree and inconsistency of boundary matrices. Second, the compatibility measure between two IMPRs is utilized to quantify the consensus level (CL) of decision makers. The threshold of acceptable group CL is found to decrease with the order of IMPRs for the first time. A 2Ob optimization model is constructed by minimizing group inconsistency degree and group CL, respectively. Third, the method of equipping two flexibility degrees to each expert is proposed for optimizing individual IMPRs. It is interesting to find that the constructed granularity matrix is different from interval-valued IMPRs. A multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm is adopted to obtain a set of Pareto solutions to GDM problems. Case studies are carried out to illustrate the proposed consensus reaching model. The results help to identify how to provide flexible decisions in GDM under some complexity and uncertainty of a practical problem. • The consistency degree of IMPRs is measured by proposing a novel index. • The threshold of group CL is examined to be dependent on the order of IMPRs. • Two flexibility degrees are proposed to construct a two-objective consensus model. • A MOPSO algorithm is used to derive Pareto solutions of GDM problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many situations we need to obtain one, common decision (which can be understood as a consistent state of knowledge) out of opinions collected from many experts or any other external sources. This entails a problem concerning the reliability of such decision. We would like to know that decisions based on experts’ opinions are trustworthy. Unfortunately, in many cases the determination of such decision is difficult and expensive, especially when big sets of input data are involved in the process. This paper presents a framework which allows to assess the quality of the aforementioned final decision. Its output is based solely on the analysis of its input (e.g. an assumed representation of experts’ opinions). Moreover, the paper contains an overview of several types of possible approaches to the considered topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing perceived intractable problems—seemingly irrevocable, difficult-to-solve, often values-driven conflicts—is a regular occurrence for public relations practitioners. Yet, understanding and managing such problems is often outside of the bounds of public relations theories aimed primarily at building consensus. This paper builds on existing conflict-centered literature by carving out a place for dissensus-oriented or agonistic public relations theories and practices. Through interviews with 41 public relations practitioners facing perceived intractable scenarios and the integration of dissensual and agonistic perspectives of Lyotard (1984), Rancière (2010), and others, the paper provides evidence of these approaches in everyday practice. Finally, it offers a framework for social issue engagement that orients agonistic and dissensus-minded professional practices alongside consensus approaches. • The study builds theory around managing contentious issues in public relations. • The research proposes a new framework for social issue engagement, integrating dissensus, agonism, and contingency theory. • The project connects conflict and postmodernism with practitioner input to provide guidance for intractable situations. • Methodologically, the qualitative study utilizes 41 in-depth practitioner interviews to ground findings in professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A systematic review was performed to determine if peer-reviewed publications of clinical trials in stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) include sufficient technical data to ensure safe and robust implementation in real-world clinics. • The studies evaluated showed great variability and lacked information to reproduce the technical and dosimetric data, with none considered to be completely reproducible. • A list of recommendations based on the analysis was proposed to ensure adequate reproducibility of technical parameters in primary SBRT clinical trials. The results of phase II and III trials on Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) increased adoption of SBRT worldwide. The ability to replicate clinical trial outcomes in routine practice depends on the capability to reproduce technical and dosimetric procedures used in the clinical trial. In this systematic review, we evaluated if peer-reviewed publications of clinical trials in SBRT reported sufficient technical data to ensure safe and robust implementation in real world clinics. Twenty papers were selected for inclusion, and data was extracted by a working group of medical physicists created following the ESTRO 2021 physics workshop. A large variability in technical and dosimetric data were observed, with frequent lack of required information for reproducing trial procedures. None of the evaluated studies were judged completely reproducible from a technical perspective. A list of recommendations has been provided by the group, based on the analysis and consensus process, to ensure an adequate reproducibility of technical parameters in primary SBRT clinical trials. Future publications should consider these recommendations to assist transferability of the clinical trial in real world practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognized challenges in promoting long-term physical activity maintenance may be due to inconsistencies in the conceptualization and operationalization of behavior maintenance terminology in physical activity research. The overall goal of this paper is to propose a framework and agenda for the development of a common set of terms, definitions, and measures for physical activity maintenance concepts that can be widely tested and evaluated. To initiate this effort, this paper (1) provides an overview of conceptual and operational definitions of physical activity maintenance used in the empirical literature, (2) evaluates whether behavior maintenance terms used in addiction science can be translated to physical activity, (3) recommends research directions for developing consensus definitions of physical activity maintenance, and (4) proposes a conceptual model of physical activity maintenance with inflection points that require operational definitions to be decided upon through consensus efforts in the field. Consensus over the conceptualization and operationalization of physical activity maintenance is needed to draw conclusions regarding which policies and programs are best able to promote long-term behavior change. • Long-term maintenance of physical activity is necessary for disease prevention. • There is some disagreement over the conceptual definition of physical activity maintenance. • The field has yet to adopt a common set of operational definitions for physical activity maintenance. • Operational definitions may not translate from addiction science to physical activity. • Consensus over physical activity maintenance is needed to develop effective interventions and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeted neurotrophic tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) inhibitors offer a highly specific therapeutic option for patients with infantile fibrosarcoma (IFS) carrying the NTRK gene translocation. International recommendations are needed to define the role of TRK inhibitors (TRKI) for infants with IFS. We analysed retrospective data for all published patients with IFS in the European Paediatric Soft tissue sarcoma Study Group and Cooperative Weichteilsarkomstudiengruppe (CWS) experience and developed a consensus strategy with the Children's Oncology Group. Therapies consisted of tumour resection and/or perioperative chemotherapy for extensive tumours. Among the 172 European patients treated, 162 were alive at the end of the follow-up. Sixty-five patients (40% of all survivors) were treated with surgery alone and 64 patients (39%) with surgery combined with chemotherapy. Radiotherapy was delivered to 3% of survivors (five patients). In addition, 28 survivors (17%) exclusively received chemotherapy. Among the 129 patients treated with surgery, 91% had conservative surgery (118 cases). Overall, nine patients died of disease, one from toxicity (6%) and 20 patients (12%) survived with major functional deficits or had mutilating surgery. Overall, conventional conservative strategies before the era of targeted therapy, even in the case of extensive tumours, demonstrate efficacy in IFS, but are associated with acute and some chronic side effects. TRKI have demonstrated very rapid responses in the vast majority of children with IFS with limited acute toxicity. With the current state of our knowledge, both conventional chemotherapy and TRKI should be regarded as options for patients with localised disease at the physician's and parent's discretion. TRKI should be considered in patients with metastatic disease, and before mutilating surgery when conventional chemotherapy fails. Outside a clinical trial, additional data are needed to resolve the lack of consensus about front-line use of conventional chemotherapy versus TRKI in patients with localised disease. • Neurotrophic tropomyosin receptor kinase inhibitors (NTRKI) are new target drugs. • NTRKI are really efficient against infantile fibrosarcoma (IFS). • Pros and cons of NTRKI for patients with IFS are discussed. • An international consensus is proposed for advanced or refractory IFS. • This paper will help clinicians to better treat children with IFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]