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Objective: Compare the long-term effects of two different individualised physical activity interventions in hip or knee osteoarthritis patients. Design: Randomised, assessor-blinded, controlled trial. Setting: Primary care. Subjects: Patients with clinically verified hip or knee osteoarthritis, <150 min/week with moderate or vigorous physical activity, aged 40–74. Intervention: The advice group (n = 69) received a 1-h information and goalsetting session for individualised physical activity. The prescription group (n = 72) received information, goalsetting, individualised written prescription, self-monitoring, and four follow-ups. Main measures: Physical activity, physical function, pain and quality of life at baseline, 6, 12 and 24 months. Results: There were only minor differences in outcomes between the two groups. For self-reported physical activity, the advice group had improved from a mean of 102 (95% CI 74–130) minutes/week at baseline to 214 (95% CI 183–245) minutes/week at 24 months, while the prescription group had improved from 130 (95% CI 103–157) to 176 (95% CI 145–207) minutes/week (p = 0.01 between groups). Number of steps/day decreased by −514 (95% CI −567–462) steps from baseline to 24 months in the advice group, and the decrease in the prescription group was −852 (95% CI −900–804) steps (p = 0.415 between groups). Pain (HOOS/KOOS) in the advice group had improved by 7.9 points (95% CI 7.5–8.2) and in the prescription group by 14.7 points (95% CI 14.3–15.1) from baseline to 24 months (p = 0.024 between groups). Conclusions: There is no evidence that individualised physical activity on prescription differs from individualised advice in improving long-term effects in patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a promising biomarker for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC); however, its role in characterizing recurrence sites after mCRC resection remains poorly understood. This single-institution study investigated the timing of ctDNA detection and its levels in the context of recurrence at different sites after mCRC resection. STUDY DESIGN: Patients who underwent optimal resection of CRC metastases involving the peritoneum, distant lymph nodes, or liver, with serial postoperative tumor-informed ctDNA assessments (Signatera) were included. Recurrence sites, as defined by surveillance imaging or laparoscopy, were categorized as peritoneal-only and other distant sites (liver, lung, lymph nodes, or body wall). RESULTS: Among the 31 included patients, ctDNA was detected in all 26 (83.4%) patients with postoperative recurrence and was persistently undetectable in 5 patients who did not experience recurrence. At 3 months postsurgery, ctDNA was detected in 2 (25%) of 8 patients with peritoneal-only recurrence and 17 (94.4%) of 18 patients with distant recurrence (p < 0.001). Beyond 3 months, ctDNA was detected in the remaining 6 patients with peritoneal-only disease and 1 patient with distant disease. ctDNA detection preceded the clinical diagnosis of recurrence by a median of 9 weeks in both groups. At recurrence, peritoneal-only recurrent cases exhibited lower ctDNA levels (median 0.4 mean tumor molecules/mL, interquartile range 0.1 to 0.8) compared with distant recurrence (median 5.5 mean tumor molecules/mL, interquartile range 0.8 to 33.3, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Peritoneal-only recurrence was associated with delayed ctDNA detection and low levels of ctDNA after optimal resection for mCRC. ctDNA testing may effectively characterize recurrence sites and may help guide subsequent treatments specific to the disease sites involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by extreme preoccupation with non‐existent or minor defects in appearance, disrupting daily functioning. Melasma is a common concern among BDD patients with dermatological conditions. This study aimed to estimate the incidence and characteristics of BDD in patients with melasma, and compare the psychological condition of patients and age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls. Methods: Patients with melasma and healthy controls were screened using the BDD Questionnaire (BDDQ), Self‐rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self‐rating Depression Scale (SDS). A questionnaire was administered to collect demographic information and clinical characteristics. Standard statistical tests were conducted, such as descriptive analysis, chi‐square, and nonparametric tests. The level of statistical significance for all tests was set at a P < 0.05. Results: Among the 470 patients with melasma included in the study, 53 were positive for BDDQ in the preliminary screening and were associated with a history of treatment, higher Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI), and Melasma Quality of Life (MELASQoL) scores, and higher SAS and SDS scores. The positive rate of BDDQ ranged from 0.4%, using the most stringent criteria to assess melasma severity, to 11.3%, without using objective criteria. Compared to healthy controls, patients with melasma had a higher positive rate of BDDQ and higher SAS and SDS scores. Conclusion: In patients with melasma who exaggerate the severity of the disease, psychiatric treatment and the patient‐physician relationship have a positive effect. This study assessed the positive rate of BDDQ in melasma and proposed the feasibility of psychiatric treatment for patients with melasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is motivated by learning the individualized minimal clinically important difference, a vital concept to assess clinical importance in various biomedical studies. We formulate the scientific question into a high-dimensional statistical problem where the parameter of interest lies in an individualized linear threshold. The goal is to develop a hypothesis testing procedure for the significance of a single element in this parameter as well as of a linear combination of this parameter. The difficulty dues to the high-dimensional nuisance in developing such a testing procedure, and also stems from the fact that this high-dimensional threshold model is nonregular and the limiting distribution of the corresponding estimator is nonstandard. To deal with these challenges, we construct a test statistic via a new bias-corrected smoothed decorrelated score approach, and establish its asymptotic distributions under both null and local alternative hypotheses. We propose a double-smoothing approach to select the optimal bandwidth in our test statistic and provide theoretical guarantees for the selected bandwidth. We conduct simulation studies to demonstrate how our proposed procedure can be applied in empirical studies. We apply the proposed method to a clinical trial where the scientific goal is to assess the clinical importance of a surgery procedure. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the problem of testing the equality of conditional distributions of a response variable given a vector of covariates between two populations. Such a hypothesis testing problem can be motivated from various machine learning and statistical inference scenarios, including transfer learning and causal predictive inference. We develop a nonparametric test procedure inspired from the conformal prediction framework. The construction of our test statistic combines recent developments in conformal prediction with a novel choice of conformity score, resulting in a weighted rank-sum test statistic that is valid and powerful under general settings. To our knowledge, this is the first successful attempt of using conformal prediction for testing statistical hypotheses beyond exchangeability. Our method is suitable for modern machine learning scenarios where the data has high dimensionality and large sample sizes, and can be effectively combined with existing classification algorithms to find good conformity score functions. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated in various numerical examples. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we consider the problem of hypothesis testing in high-dimensional single-index models. First, we study the feasibility of applying the classical F-test to a single-index model when the dimension of covariate vector and sample size are of the same order, and derive its asymptotic null distribution and asymptotic local power function. For the ultrahigh-dimensional single-index model, we construct F-statistics based on lower-dimensional random projections of the data, and establish the asymptotic null distribution and the asymptotic local power function of the proposed test statistics for the hypothesis testing of global and partial parameters. The new proposed test possesses the advantages of having a simple structure as well as being easy to compute. We compare the proposed test with other high-dimensional tests and provide sufficient conditions under which the proposed tests are more efficient. We conduct simulation studies to evaluate the finite-sample performances of the proposed tests and demonstrate that it has higher power than some existing methods in the models we consider. The application of real high-dimensional gene expression data is also provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the method. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why you should read this article: • To understand how the permutation test can be used to test null hypothesis • To appreciate how much easier it is to understand than significance tests based on t statistics • To illustrate how the permutation test requires fewer assumptions than t-tests. Background: Quantitative researchers can use permutation tests to conduct null hypothesis significance testing without resorting to complicated distribution theory. A permutation test can reach conclusions in hypothesis testing that are the same as those of better-known tests such as the t-test but is much easier to understand and implement. Aim: To introduce and explain permutation tests using two real examples of independent and dependent t-tests and their corresponding permutation tests. Discussion: This article traces the history of permutation tests, explains the possible reason for their absence in textbooks and offers a simple example of their implementation. It provides simple code written in the R programming language to generate the null distributions and P-values for the permutation tests. Conclusion: Permutation tests do not require the strict model assumptions of t-tests and can be robust alternatives. Implications for practice: Permutation tests are a useful addition to practitioners’ research repertoire for testing hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patella fracture fixations were traditionally done using metal tension band wiring techniques. However, complications associated with metallic implants causing soft tissue irritation are not infrequent. Since 1998, there have been emerging case reports and series reporting the use of non-metallic implants, such as braided sutures, in the fixation of patella fractures 3. However, there is a limited clinical study on a direct comparison between metal and suture fixation in patella fractures. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of all-suture fixation in patella fractures and to compare all-suture and metal fixation in mid-pole fractures. Materials and method: A total number of 50 patients with operated fracture patella were retrospectively reviewed in a 2.5-year period. Primary outcomes included operation time, time for fracture union and postoperative knee function. Secondary outcomes include complications, need for secondary operations due to prominent implants, infection or loss of fixation. Results: There was no statistically significant difference concerning time for fracture union, operation time and postoperative functional knee score between the three fixation methods. The rate of secondary operations was higher in the hybrid group (7 out of 11, 63.6%) and metal group (7 out of 13, 53.8%), and was lowest in an all-suture group (0 out of 28, 0%). Metal implant breakage and soft tissue irritation were the main reasons for secondary operations, which was significantly lower in the all-suture group (p < 0.0003). Subgroup analysis for mid-pole patella fractures showed similar results in which all primary outcomes showed no statistically significant difference, while the need for secondary operations was higher in the metal group (p < 0.003). Conclusion: All-suture fixation for patella fractures is a feasible option not limited to distal pole fractures. In our series, this technique achieved similar outcomes when compared with traditional metal implants, with lower rates of secondary operations, and could be safely employed in mid-pole fractures as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Frequency discrimination underlies more complicated auditory activities like speech comprehension and interpretation. However, intensity differences indicate how far apart noises are. This study aimed to evaluate and compare results of frequency modulation and difference limen for intensity in children with cochlear Implants (CI) as well as normal hearing children. Results: This case–control work was performed on 40 children, aged from 5–18 years, divided into two equal groups: a study group with unilateral CI and a control group with normal peripheral hearing. All patients were subjected to otological examination, audiological evaluation, frequency modulation difference limen (FMDL) and difference limen for intensity (DLI) tests. Patients with CI, as compared to normal hearing (NH) subjects, required significantly higher frequencies to discriminate FMDL and DLI respectively (P value = 0.001). At 2000 and 4000 Hz: FMDL had a significant diagnostic power for patients with CI (AUC = 0.980, 0.998 respectively, P < 0.001), at cut off 1.5, with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. While, at 4000 Hz: DLI had a significant diagnostic power for patients with CI (AUC = 0.999, P < 0.001), at cut off 1.5, with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Conclusion: A statistically substantial variation was observed among CI and NH children in FMDL and DLI at all frequencies tested. Patients with CI required significantly higher frequencies to discriminate as compared to NH subjects. Frequencies at 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz possess the best specificity and sensitivity of FMDL. While frequency 4000 Hz possess the best specificity and sensitivity of DLI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to analyze the influence of the variables of creativity, product innovation, and marketing strategy on increasing the purchasing power of PT Kaya Ilmu Bermanfaat consumers. This research uses survey research, where research data is obtained from questionnaires distributed to respondents and is generally carried out by testing hypotheses. Research is conducted on PT. Kaya Ilmu Bermanfaat. The research approach used is a quantitative approach, where this research approach is carried out directly in the field, from the data obtained, then the researcher will carry out hypothesis testing using statistical analysis The population are consumers of PT Kaya Ilmu Bermanfaat. The sampling method used was nonprobability sampling with a purposive sampling technique so that a research sample of 100 respondents was obtained. The data analysis technique used is PLS-SEM. The research results show that creativity and innovation have a positive and insignificant effect on increasing consumer purchasing power partially. Meanwhile, marketing strategy has a positive and significant effect on increasing consumer purchasing power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted with the aim to analyze the influence of entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation and product innovation on marketing performance in culinary MSMEs in Kesambi District. This research method uses quantitative research methods. The results showed that the first hypothesis was accepted, which means that entrepreneurial orientation has a positive and significant effect on the marketing performance of the Research. The results showed that the second hypothesis was accepted, which means that market orientation has a positive and significant effect on marketing performance. The results showed that the third hypothesis was accepted, which means that product innovation has a positive and significant effect on marketing performance. The results showed that the fourth hypothesis was accepted, which means that Entrepreneurial Orientation, Market Orientation and Product Innovation have a positive and significant effect simultaneously on marketing performance. Based on the results of the analysis that has been described regarding the influence of entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation and product innovation on the marketing performance of culinary MSMEs in the city of Cirebon, especially in Kesambi District, it is concluded that Entrepreneurial Orientation has a positive and significant effect on Marketing Performance. Market Orientation has a positive and significant effect on Marketing Performance. Product Innovation has a positive and significant effect on Marketing Performance. Entrepreneurial Orientation, Market Orientation and Product Innovation have a positive and significant effect simultaneously on marketing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-project defect prediction is a method that predicts defects in one software project by using the historical record of another software project. Due to distribution differences and the weak classifier used to build the prediction model, this method has poor prediction performance. Crossproject defect prediction may perform better if distribution differences are reduced, and an appropriate individual classifier is chosen. However, the prediction performance of individual classifiers may be affected in some way by their weaknesses. As a result, in order to boost the accuracy of crossproject defect prediction predictions, this study proposed a strategy that makes use of multiple classifiers and selects attributes that are similar to one another. The proposed method's efficacy was tested using the Relink and AEEEM datasets in an experiment. The findings of the experiments demonstrated that the proposed method produces superior outcomes. To further validate the method, we employed the Wilcoxon sum rank test at 95% significance level. The approach was found to perform significantly better than the baseline methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research analyzes the factors influencing students' intentions toward infaq and sedekah through digital platforms. This research involved 226 respondents from Java who had carried out transactions using digital platforms. Respondents were selected randomly using a simple random sampling technique, and data was collected through a questionnaire with a Likert scale. The analytical method used in this research is partial least squares, consisting of outer and inner models. Hypothesis testing checks the original sample, T-statistics, and Pvalue on the bootstrap results. The research results show that performance expectancy and social influence behavior intention while facilitating conditions and behavioral intention influence use behavior. However, no influence was found on behavior intention between effort expectancy and reducing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Scholarly literature indicates a slow pace at which maritime ports fully embrace digital transformation (DT). The reasons to this are largely anecdotal and lack solid empirical grounding. This inhibits an overall understanding of DT's tenets and the development of evidence-based policies and targeted actions. Methods: This study deployed a qualitative case study strategy to unpack the challenges of undertaking DT through the lens of principal-agent theory (PAT). Results: Analysis of data collected through 13 semi-structured interviews from a port's value chain stakeholders revealed five thematic challenges that contradict successful implementation of DT. These included interagency constraints and system ownership tussles; system sabotage and prevalent corruption; prevalent human agency in port operations; cultural constraints; and political influence on port governance. Conclusions: To address these challenges, the study proposes a four-stage empirically grounded DT strategy framework that guides both practitioners and policymakers through DT endeavors. The framework includes: (1) the port's value chain mapping, (2) stakeholder engagement, (3) resource mobilization, and (4) effective monitoring. For scholars, we provide an avenue for testing statistical significance of association and causality among the identified challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of two-way interactions in linear models is common in the fields of ecology and evolution, being often present in allometric, macroevolutionary, and experimental studies, among others. However, the interpretation of significant interactions can be incomplete when limited to the examination of model coefficients and significance tests. The Johnson–Neyman technique represents a step forward in the interpretation of significant two-way interactions, allowing the user to examine how changes in the moderator variable, it being categorical or continuous, affect the significance of the relationship between the dependent variable and the predictor. Despite its implementation in several software since its initial development, the available options to perform the method lack certain functionality aspects, including the visualization of regions of non-significance when the moderator is categorical, the implementation of phylogenetic corrections, and more intuitive graphical outputs. Here I present the R package JNplots, which aims to fill gaps left by previous software regarding the calculation and visualization of regions of non-significance when fitting two-way interaction models. JNplots includes two basic functions which allow the user to investigate different types of interaction models, including cases where the moderator variable is categorical or continuous. The user can also specify whether the model to explore should be phylogenetically informed and choose a particular phylogenetic correlation structure to be used. Finally, the functions of JNplots produce plots that are largely customizable and allow a more intuitive interpretation of the interaction term. Here I provide a walkthrough on the use of JNplots using three different examples based on empirical data, each representing a different common scenario in which the package can be useful. Additionally, I present the different customization options for the graphical outputs of JNplots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The surgical procedure to create an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) can be performed in either an ambulatory or in-patient hospital setting, depending on the case's complexity, the anesthesia type used, and the patient's comorbidities. The main scope of this study is to assess the cost-effectiveness and clinical implications of surgically creating an AVF in both ambulatory and in-hospital settings. (2) Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study, in which we initially enrolled all patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) admitted to the Vascular Surgery Department, Emergency County Hospital of Targu Mures, Romania, to surgically create an AVF for dialysis, between January 2020 and December 2022. The primary endpoint of this study is to assess the cost-effectiveness of surgically creating an AVF in an ambulatory vs. in-hospital setting by comparing the costs required for the two types of admissions. Further, the 116 patients enrolled in this study were divided into two groups based on their preference for hospitalization: out-patients and in-patients. (3) Results: Regarding in-patient comorbidities, there was a higher prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) (p = 0.006), malignancy (p = 0.020), and previous myocardial infarction (p = 0.012). In addition, active smoking (p = 0.006) and obesity (p = 0.018) were more frequent among these patients. Regarding the laboratory data, the in-patients had lower levels of white blood cells (WBC) (p = 0.004), neutrophils count (p = 0.025), lymphocytes (p = 0.034), and monocytes (p = 0.032), but there were no differences between the two groups regarding the systemic inflammatory biomarkers or the AVF type. Additionally, we did not register any difference regarding the outcomes: local complications (p = 0.588), maturation failure (p = 0.267), and primary patency (p = 0.834). In our subsequent analysis, we discovered no significant difference between the hospitalization type chosen by patients regarding AVF primary patency failure (p = 0.195). We found no significant association between the hospitalization type and the recorded outcomes (all ps > 0.05) in both multivariate linear regression and Cox proportional hazard analysis. (4) Conclusions: In conclusion, there are no significant differences in the clinical implications, short-term and long-term complications of AVF for out-patient and in-patient admissions. Additionally, we found no variation in the costs associated with laboratory tests and surgical supplies for an AVF creation. Therefore, it is safe to perform ambulatory AVFs, which can reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections and provide greater comfort to the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's empowerment and health literacy are essential for fostering community well-being. Empowering women through education and diverse training plays a crucial role in ensuring their prosperity and overall health. This study investigates the satisfaction and experiences of underprivileged rural mothers participating in a functional literacy education program in the Kailali district, Nepal. We assess participants' perceptions of program effectiveness, examining training content, facilities, and trainers while exploring menstrual hygiene practices and maternal health awareness. Through convenience sampling, 141 underprivileged women from five rural villages near Tikapur were selected from literacy centers run by Mahima Group. Utilizing structured questionnaires and statistical analyses, including descriptive analyses, Spearman's rho correlation, and Pearson's chi-square test, we found that 65.2% of participants expressed high satisfaction levels. Moreover, 96.5% found the program highly effective, with 97.9% reporting improved literacy skills and 96.5% demonstrating increased awareness of menstrual hygiene practices. Additionally, 97.2% agreed that the program enhanced maternal and child health knowledge. Significant correlations were observed among the training course, facilities, trainers, and overall training perception. In line with this, significant associations were found between age groups (p = 0.003) and geographical areas (p = 0.023) with satisfaction levels with the literacy program. These results underscore the satisfaction of participants within the literacy program and its impact on their lives, and advocates for its broader implementation to empower marginalized communities for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the wake of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, affecting healthcare systems globally, urgent research is needed to understand its potential repercussions on the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disorders. This emphasises the importance of detecting coronary artery anomalies (CAAs), rare conditions that can range from benign to potentially life-threatening manifestations. We aimed to retrospectively assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the detection of various coronary anomalies using Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) within a regional tertiary cardiology unit in north-eastern Romania, focusing on perceived occurrence in the population under study, types, and related demographic and clinical factors. Methods: We analysed CCTA scans and investigated the trends in CAA detection among cardiology patients over a decade. We compared pre-COVID-19 and pandemic-era data to assess the impact of healthcare utilisation, patient behaviour, and diagnostic approaches on anomaly detection. Results: Our analysis revealed a higher detection rate of CAAs during the pandemic (3.9% versus 2.2%), possibly highlighting differences in patient clinical profile and addressability changes presentation compared to the previous period. Origination and course anomalies, often linked to severe symptoms, were significantly higher pre-COVID-19 (64.1% versus 51.3%). Conversely, intrinsic CAAs, typically asymptomatic or manifesting later in life, notably increased during the pandemic (49.0% versus 61.4%; p = 0.020). Conclusions: Our study underscores a significant rise in CAA detection during the COVID-19 era, potentially linked to changes in cardiovascular and respiratory clinical patterns, with advanced imaging modalities like CCTA offering accuracy in identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Healthcare professionals appear to play a key role in shaping pregnant women's views and attitudes towards lifestyle issues, such as exercise. The aim of this study is to investigate the views and beliefs of Greek midwives and obstetricians regarding exercise during pregnancy. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted during the period of January 2022–March 2023. For this study, 237 Greek midwives and obstetricians employed in healthcare settings in Attica, Greece completed an anonymous and self-report questionnaire. Four different/independent models of multivariate analyses of variance were conducted. Results: The vast majority of these healthcare professionals (88.6%) believed that exercise during pregnancy is generally beneficial. According to the multivariate analyses, healthcare professionals with postgraduate/doctoral studies were more likely to believe that (a) exercise is generally beneficial (p = 0.03), (b) pregnant women should be informed about it (p = 0.028), (c) informing pregnant women is necessary/useful (p = 0.023), and (d) pregnant women showed interest in it (p = 0.034). Also, freelance midwives were more likely to believe that pregnant women should be informed about exercise (p = 0.006), and that they showed interest in it (p = 0.034). In addition, (a) freelance midwives (p = 0.050), and those who had experience in antenatal counselling (p = 0.037), as well as (b) obstetricians who were largely experienced in monitoring normal pregnancies (p = 0.001), were less likely to associate exercise during pregnancy with the occurrence of placental abruption. Conclusion: Alongside healthcare professionals' educational level, their professional setting and professional experience emerge as key factors and need to be considered when designing innovative interventions to support exercise during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is devoted to the study of the digital divide between the developed and frontier regions of China, as a model for solving the problems of the global digital divide. The research is based on a representative sample of 1,520 high school students and 220 teachers. The study included several successive stages; each of them was devoted to finding an answer to one of the formulated research questions or confirming/rejecting the corresponding hypotheses. The first stage was a survey. The researchers then tested for correlations between scores within the same geographic region. The study revealed statistically significant differences in the assessments and the level of proficiency in digital education tools in groups from developed and frontier regions, and using correlation analysis revealed the absence of significant differences in the assessments between genders in all regions and groups and established a strong correlation between the assessment of methods for e-education and the degree of proficiency and familiarity with this tool. The key reason for the digital divide was found to be insufficient access to technology rather than psychological opposition, unpreparedness for e-education, or other reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tax evasion is considered a fundamental problem for countries and is common in some jobs. The aim of this research is designing the tax break model with an emphasis on manufacturing problems in clothing and clothing industry. The research method is mixed and applied. The statistical population is the qualitative sector of 10 university professors and managers in the garment manufacturing industry and 310 in the quantitative sector of the garment industry. The sampling method is simple. Qualitative data were analyzed using theme analysis and for quantitative phase structural equation method. 5 main and 15 sub-themes of the model were identified in the qualitative phase. The model had good fitness and the combined reliability was 0.781 which was acceptable. After testing the hypotheses, it was all confirmed and according to the results of the interpretive structural modeling, complex and multiple tax laws were placed at the fifth level, which indicates that it has the greatest impact on tax evasion of producers. Thus, the relevant authorities in manufacturing apparel and clothing industry are proposed to consider the most important tax evasion factors including increased inflation rate, and to provide strategies to reduce this factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In statistics, samples are drawn from a population in a data‐generating process (DGP). Standard errors measure the uncertainty in estimates of population parameters. In science, evidence is generated to test hypotheses in an evidence‐generating process (EGP). We claim that EGP variation across researchers adds uncertainty—nonstandard errors (NSEs). We study NSEs by letting 164 teams test the same hypotheses on the same data. NSEs turn out to be sizable, but smaller for more reproducible or higher rated research. Adding peer‐review stages reduces NSEs. We further find that this type of uncertainty is underestimated by participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The game of soccer is complex and unpredictable, demanding multifaceted strategies for success. Performance analysis has evolved, focusing on key performance indicators (KPIs) to determine the factors that most significantly influence a team's success or failure during matches. Traditional performance analysis methods have emphasized quantifiable data like physical exertion and basic play events but often neglected the subtler tactical dimensions that could significantly impact game outcomes. This study aimed to fill the gap in the current literature by creating a comprehensive framework that incorporates tactical situations as KPIs. The objective was to examine whether specific playing styles adopted by teams in various tactical situations and phases of the game could predict the outcome of matches. A dataset comprising all First Division Championship matches from 11 different European countries for the 2021–2022 season was analyzed. Variables representing tactical situations were correlated with match outcomes using a Generalized Estimating Equation framework. The model was specified with a binomial distribution and a logit link function. Statistical significance was determined using Wald χ2 tests with a significance level set at p < 0.05. The study's findings revealed that possession style, counterattacking during offensive transitions, and a balanced aggressive defensive strategy significantly increase a team's chances of victory. It also showed that successful teams tend to focus on central attacks, minimize crossing, and execute strategic plays that lead to final attempts on goal with minimal ball possession. The above findings demonstrate that adopting certain tactical approaches significantly influences soccer match outcomes, highlighting the importance of considering tactical aspects as KPIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the measurements of the lumbar spine and pelvic flexion have shown that subjects with radiculopathy exhibited greater decreases of motion when compared with subjects with low back pain, there is still a lack of evidence regarding the changes in flexion relaxation ratio in patients with radiculopathy. The aims of this study were to investigate the flexion relaxation ratio and flexion of the lumbar spine and pelvis in subjects with low back pain (LBP) and LBP with radiculopathy (LBPR) in comparison with healthy subjects (CG—control group). A total of 146 participants were divided in three groups: LBP patients (54 males; 21 females); LBPR patients (26 males; 11 females); and CG subjects (16 males; 18 females). The lumbar spine and pelvis flexion was recorded using optoelectronic motion capture system. The electrical activity of the erector spinae muscles was assessed by surface electromyography during flexion-extension movements. Comparisons between groups were made using one-way ANOVA tests and Mann–Whithney U test with the level of statistical significance at 0.05. The lumbar and pelvic flexion and electromyography of the erector spinae muscle showed significant differences between LBP and LBPR patients compared to CG. Patients LBPR showed significantly smaller angles of lumbar and pelvic flexion compared to LBP patients and CG. An increase in the erector spinae muscle activity during flexion was also observed in patients with radiculopathy. The increased muscular activity of the erector spinae is related to the reduced flexion of the lumbar spine in order to protect the lumbar spine structure. Measurements of trunk, lumbar spine and pelvic flexion, and the flexion relaxation ratio may allow us to predict better outcomes or responsiveness to treatment of LBPR patients in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychiatric nurses are challenged with high levels of stress, which, in turn, lower their professional quality of life (ProQoL) and job satisfaction and increase their intention to leave jobs in psychiatric settings. An adequate level of ProQoL improves patient care provision. The purpose of this study is to assess the levels, relationships, and predictors of the professional quality of life of Jordanian psychiatric nurses and their job satisfaction and intention to leave their job. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to collect data using the Professional Quality of Life Scale-5 from a convenience sample. Data were collected from 144 psychiatric nurses working in the largest psychiatric hospitals run by Ministry of Health, military, and university-affiliated hospitals. The results showed that the mean scores for compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) were 35.21, 27.0, and 26.36, respectively. The mean scores for intention to leave and job satisfaction were 2.33 and 3.7, respectively. The income level, educational level, intention to leave, and job satisfaction significantly differed in the CS dimension. Nurses' age, intention to leave, and job satisfaction significantly differed in BO. Nurses' age, years of experience, frequent C-shifts worked, and work affiliation were different in STS. Burnout, STS, and educational level predicted CS. CS, STS, job satisfaction, and level of education predicted BO. BO, CS, and frequently working night C-shifts predicted STS. Due to the presence of nurses reporting low levels of ProQoL, job satisfaction, and intension to leave, more studies are needed to assess the factors that affect ProQoL among psychiatric nurses and to evaluate interventional programs that improve the quality of life of psychiatric nurses. This is important in retaining nurses and increasing their job satisfaction. There is a need for interventions that enhance ProQoL. Also, longitudinal studies that measure ProQoL overtime are recommended. This study was not registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the problem of testing statistical hypotheses about the variance components under linear models with crossed random effects. The objective here is two-fold. First, new derivations of exactly distributed F test statistics are presented. Second, an alternative Monte Carlo permutation procedure is proposed to approximate the distribution of the F statistics, which shows its usefulness when the error components distributions depart from normality. Transformations that uniquely decompose the covariance structure of the response vector and do not sacrifice any part of the data, as existing methods do, are presented in matrix form. The suggested transformations highlight the exchangeable covariance structure of the model under the null hypotheses of interest and thus motivate the use of the permutation procedure. Comments on the performance of the proposed procedure compared to existing tests as well as using a real data example are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edwin Locke's (1969, 1976, 1984) range-of-affect (RoA) hypothesis played a critical role in the literature on job satisfaction. Drawing on the parallel between job facets (e.g., freedom and promotion opportunities) to job and life domains (e.g., health and family) to life, the RoA hypothesis has also been applied to the subjective well-being (SWB) literature. The application of the RoA hypothesis to the SWB literature has focused on the topic of domain importance weighting which refers to the use of weighting of domain importance in aggregating domain-specific satisfaction to obtain overall satisfaction or SWB. The purpose of this study is to examine the applicability of the RoA hypothesis to the SWB literature, particularly concerning the topic of domain importance weighting. Based on the analysis of two survey data sets, this study found that not all empirical evidence supporting the RoA hypothesis from the job satisfaction literature could be replicated in the context of SWB. This study also pointed out that the empirical evidence presented to oppose domain importance weighting in the SWB context was based on an approach that deviated from the conventional approach of the null hypothesis significance test. The applicability of the RoA hypothesis from the job satisfaction context to the SWB context should not be assumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose Fieller-type methods for inference on generalized entropy inequality indices in the context of the two-sample problem which covers testing the statistical significance of the difference in indices, and the construction of a confidence set for this difference. In addition to irregularities arising from thick distributional tails, standard inference procedures are prone to identification problems because of the ratio transformation that defines the considered indices. Simulation results show that our proposed method outperforms existing counterparts including simulation-based permutation methods and results are robust to different assumptions about the shape of the null distributions. Improvements are most notable for indices that put more weight on the right tail of the distribution and for sample sizes that match macroeconomic type inequality analysis. While irregularities arising from the right tail have long been documented, we find that left tail irregularities are equally important in explaining the failure of standard inference methods. We apply our proposed method to analyze income per-capita inequality across U.S. states and non-OECD countries. Empirical results illustrate how Fieller-based confidence sets can: (i) differ consequentially from available ones leading to conflicts in test decisions, and (ii) reveal prohibitive estimation uncertainty in the form of unbounded outcomes which serve as proper warning against flawed interpretations of statistical tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pediatric colorectal specialists care for patients with a variety of defecation disorders. Anorectal (AR) manometry testing is a valuable tool in the diagnosis and management of these children. This paper provides a summary of AR manometry techniques and applications as well as a review of AR manometry findings in pediatric patients with severe defecation disorders referred to a pediatric colorectal center. This is the first study describing multi-year experience using a portable AR manometry device in pediatric patients. Methods: An electronic medical record review was performed (1/2018 to 12/2023) of pediatric patients with defecation disorders who had AR manometry testing. Demographics, diagnostic findings, and outcomes are described. Key Results: A total of 297 unique patients (56.9% male, n = 169) had AR manometry testing. Of these, 72% (n = 188) had dyssynergic defecation patterns, of which 67.6% (n = 127) had fecal soiling prior to treatment. Pelvic rehabilitation (PR) was administered to 35.4% (n = 105) of all patients. A total of 79.5% (n = 58) of the 73 patients that had fecal soiling at initial presentation and completed PR with physical therapy and a bowel management program were continent after therapy. AR manometry was well tolerated, with no major complications. Conclusions: AR manometry is a simple test that can help guide the management of pediatric colorectal surgical patients with defecation disorders. As a secondary finding, PR is a useful treatment for patients with dyssynergic stooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the diversity and volume of images continue to grow, the demand for efficient fine-grained image retrieval has surged across numerous fields. However, the current deep learning-based approaches to fine-grained image retrieval often concentrate solely on the top-layer features, neglecting the relevant information carried in the middle layer, even though these information contains more fine-grained identification content. Moreover, these methods typically employ a uniform weighting strategy during hash code mapping, risking the loss of critical region mapping—an irreversible detriment to fine-grained retrieval tasks. To address the above problems, we propose a novel method for fine-grained image retrieval that leverage feature fusion and hash mapping techniques. Our approach harnesses a multi-level feature cascade, emphasizing not just top-layer but also intermediate-layer image features, and integrates a feature fusion module at each level to enhance the extraction of discriminative information. In addition, we introduce an agent self-attention architecture, marking its first application in this context, which steers the model to prioritize on long-range features, further avoiding the loss of critical regions of the mapping. Finally, our proposed model significantly outperforms existing state-of-the-art, improving the retrieval accuracy by an average of 40% for the 12-bit dataset, 22% for the 24-bit dataset, 16% for the 32-bit dataset, and 11% for the 48-bit dataset across five publicly available fine-grained datasets. We also validate the generalization ability and performance stability of our proposed method by another five datasets and statistical significance tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, there has been increased interest in issues related to functional linear regression models with points of impact. While the estimation of model parameters with a scalar response has been considered in past studies, there has been no attention on the hypothesis testing for these impact points. To test this hypothesis, one needs to determine the asymptotic distribution of the impact points coefficients estimators. In recent literature, the asymptotic distribution has been pointed out in a special case, but the proof has not been provided. Taking into account the necessary conditions, this study establishes the asymptotic distribution for the estimators of impact points coefficients in a general setting. It also offers a method to test the significance of these impact points. To validate the proposed test's asymptotic properties, a simulation study is conducted to assess its performance under various parameter settings. Furthermore, the study analyzes Iranian weather data collected from January 1st to 31st, 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recurring question is whether rating scales should be considered metrically scaled or merely ordinally scaled. This has direct implications for the permissible statistical procedures for significance testing. Based on the results of a simulation study, it is shown that the use of parametric procedures for rating scales has distinct advantages over the nonparametric alternatives. It is also shown that the parametric procedures are robust to violations of the assumption of normality, which only result in a modest loss of power compared with continuous variables. This loss should be taken into account when calculating the optimal sample size. The results suggest that sample sizes about 25% larger should be chosen for discrete rating scales than for continuous variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays the effects of global commerce and technological spillover has gained power in developing countries. Empirical data demonstrates that although some nations benefit from international commerce and technical innovation to compete in the global market, others suffer. Bhagwati Hypothesis postulates that Foreign Direct Investment positively related to economic growth. To test empirically the Bhagwati postulates, this study considers time series data-set 1972 to 2018 along with modern era driver, ICT, of economy. Autoregressive Distributive Lag model results signify a direct linkage between employment, investment, ICT, and economic growth, respectively. Capital accumulation and high employment rate indicate better economic performance, whereas increment in foreign direct investment has an inverse effect on growth. The estimated empirical results are contradictory to the "Bhagwati Hypothesis". Underdeveloped infrastructure, worse law & order situation due to war on terror and inconsistency in Government policies regarding FDI may explain this negative FDI growth effect. This study suggests investing in economic activities, human capital enhancement, ICT infrastructure and FDIfriendly policies to boost economic growth, create job opportunities, and create a competitive business environment, thereby attracting global investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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With limited understanding of most new biotechnologies, how do citizens form their opinion and what factors influence their attitudes about these innovations? In this study, we use gene drive biotechnology in agricultural pest management as an example and theoretically propose that given low levels of knowledge and awareness, citizens' acceptance of, or opposition to, gene drive is significantly shaped by two predisposition factors: individuals' general orientation toward science and technology, and their specific benefit‐risk assessment frame. Empirically, we employ data collected from a recent US nationally representative public opinion survey (N = 1220) and conduct statistical analyses to test the hypotheses derived from our theoretical expectations. Our statistical analyses, based on various model specifications and controlling for individual‐level covariates and state‐fixed effects, show that citizens with a more favorable general orientation toward science and technology are more likely to accept gene drive. Our data analyses also demonstrate that citizens' specific gene drive assessment frame—consisting of a potential benefit dimension and a potential risk dimension, significantly shapes their attitudes as well—specifically, people emphasizing more on the benefit dimension are more likely to accept gene drive, whereas those who place more importance on the risk dimension tend to oppose it. We discuss contributions of our study and make suggestions for future research in the conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a nonparametric test procedure based on order statistics for testing the null hypothesis of equality of two continuous distributions. The exact null distribution of the proposed test statistic is obtained using an enumeration method and a novel combinatorial argument. A recurrence relation for the probability generating function and a sequential approach for computing the mean and variance of the distribution are given. Critical values and characteristics of the distribution for selected small sample sizes are presented. For the Lehmann alternative family, the exact power function of the new test is derived, and its power performance is examined. We also study the power performance of the proposed test under the location-shift and scale-shift alternatives using Monte Carlo simulations and observe its superior performance when compared to commonly used nonparametric tests under various scenarios. A generalization of the proposed procedure for unequal sample sizes is discussed. An illustrative example and some concluding remarks are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In genomic studies, univariate analysis is commonly used to discover susceptible variants. It applies univariate regression for each variant and tests the significance of the regression coefficient or slope parameter. This strategy, however, may miss signals that are jointly detectable with other variants. Multivariate analysis is another popular approach, which tests grouped variants with a predefined group, e.g., based on a gene, pathway, or physical location. However, the power will be diminished if the modeling assumption is not suited to the data. Therefore, data-adaptive testing that relies on fewer modeling assumptions is preferable. Possible approaches include a data-adaptive test proposed by Ueki (2021), which applies to various data-adaptive regression models using a generalization of Yanai's generalized coefficient of determination. While several regression models are possible choices for the data-adaptive test, this paper focuses on the fused lasso that can count for the effect of adjacent variants and investigates its performance through comparison with other existing tests. Simulation studies demonstrate that the test using fused lasso has a high power compared to the existing tests including the univariate regression test, saturated regression test, SKAT (sequence kernel association test), burden test, SKAT-O (optimized sequence kernel association test), and the tests using lasso, ridge, and elastic net when assuming a similar effect of adjacent variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces the New Exponential-Exponential Distribution (NEED) within the broader New Exponential-Generating (NE-G) family of distributions, targeting enhancements in rainfall data analysis. The significance of this research lies in addressing the need for sophisticated statistical models to accurately capture the complex variability of rainfall patterns, which are critical for effective environmental planning and disaster management. Aiming to refine rainfall data modeling, we employ the NEED model, emphasizing its application across diverse climatic conditions. Our methodology encompasses a comprehensive evaluation of seven distinct parameter estimation techniques, with a particular focus on the Anderson-Darling and maximum product spacing methods. These were selected based on their performance in minimizing bias and mean square error, assessed through a rigorous Monte-Carlo simulation study. Additionally, the study utilizes rainfall data from various geographical regions to validate the model's efficacy. The major conclusion of our investigation is the demonstrable superiority of NEED over traditional models in fitting rainfall data, as evidenced by its enhanced predictive accuracy. This outcome not only contributes to the theoretical advancements in statistical meteorology but also offers practical methodologies for improved weather forecasting. The integration of NEED with contemporary machine learning algorithms further suggests potential for groundbreaking applications in climate science and water resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal disorders are some of the most prevalent health concerns, especially among students. Based on student demographics, this cross-sectional study evaluated the correlation between functional tests (FTs) and spinal range of motion (ROM). This study included 206 students (age = 19.85 ± 1.80 years) from the Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacău. Participants' assessments were conducted using the following tests: (i) Ott, (ii) Schober, (iii) Stibor, (iv) finger-to-floor distance, (v) lateral flexion of the cervical and lumbar spine, and (vi) flexion of the cervical spine. Correlation analyses were evaluated using the Spearman correlation coefficient analysis. The results indicated a very strong relationship between lateral flexion of the lumbar spine on the left (LFLSL) and right (LFLSR) for all departments (r = 0.85 to 0.97, p < 0.05). There was a stronger relationship between FT results and spinal ROM for physical-education-department students compared to students from other departments (n = 17, r = −0.38 to 0.93, p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation between FTs and spinal ROM based on age (p > 0.05). The study results provide evidence of the primary risk factors that predispose students to postural deviations. Practitioners and physiotherapists can utilize these values as a reference for potential therapeutic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to evaluate the effect of different whitening toothpastes on the enamel surface roughness and color variation. Twenty-four molars were sectioned and divided into eight groups (n = 3) considering the following two factors under study: toothpaste type (Colgate® Total Original, Oral B® 3D White Luxe Perfection, Curaprox® Black is White, and Signal® White Now) and brushing protocol (short- and long-term). Surface roughness was examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and color change (ΔE) was measured using the CIE L*a*b* system. Data were statistically analyzed using comparative parametric tests at a 5% significance level. In the short-term protocol, only the Signal® White Now toothpaste increased surface roughness (p = 0.038) compared to the Colgate® Total Original group. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed in surface roughness in the long-term protocol. Regarding color variation, no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed in either protocol. Overall, the whitening toothpastes did not affect enamel surface roughness or color, except for Signal® White Now, which caused increased roughness in the short-term protocol. However, all toothpastes induced a visual change in color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the effect of service quality, company image and consumer confidence on consumer satisfaction. In this study using primary data obtained from distributing questionnaires to 100 KRL transportation service customers at PT. Kereta Commuter Indonesia. This research uses descriptive analysis and inferential analysis, and analyzed using multiple linear regression correlation analysis, the model feasibility test, and hypothesis testing. The results of this study indicate that there is a positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction. The results of the multiple linear regression equation are Y = 0.672 + 0.211X1 + 0.245X2 + 0.278X3 The feasibility test of the model in the R2 test shows that service quality, company image and consumer trust have an effect of 59.2% on consumer satisfaction. In the results of hypothesis testing (t test) obtained a significant value on the quality of service veriabel of 0.001, a significant value on the corporate image variable of 0.005, and a significant value of consumer trust variables of 0.004, it can be concluded that it means partially the three independent variables have a positive influence and Significant to the dependent variable is the variable customer satisfaction at PT. Kereta Commuter Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a new goodness-of-fit test based on the empirical distribution function for complete or type II right-censored random samples, which are drawn from either the exponential or log-normal distributions. Some simulation studies were conducted to compare the newly proposed test with some of the well-known goodness-of-fit tests, such as Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Cramer-von Mises, and Anderson-Darling, in terms of power over various sample sizes and censoring rates. The simulation results show that the newly proposed goodness of fit test generally seems to perform well compared to the other goodness of fit tests considered. In addition, the newly proposed test and the other goodness of fit tests are illustrated by applying them to some real data sets obtained from the relevant literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is a growing concern in today's urbanized world, necessitating efficient and accurate methods for air quality monitoring. The proliferation of IoT devices has led to a surge in the generation of time-series data. With its high volume and complexity, this surge in time-series data necessitates cloud-based solutions for handling and analyzing this data effectively. However, existing methods for air quality monitoring face challenges in capturing the complex patterns and dynamics of air pollution, which often exhibit both linear and nonlinear characteristics. Air pollution data often exhibit both linear and nonlinear characteristics. Linearity and nonlinearity refer to the nature of the relationships within the data. Some aspects of air quality, such as pollutant concentrations, may follow linear patterns, while other factors, like the interaction of multiple pollutants and environmental conditions, exhibit nonlinear relationships. This complexity arises from the multifaceted nature of air quality dynamics, which various factors and interactions can influence. To address these challenges, this study introduces a novel hybrid time-series approach that combines the proven strengths of two well-established techniques: traditional time-series autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and soft computing adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). The hybrid model is designed to provide a comprehensive solution that accommodates the diverse characteristics of air quality time-series data. To assess the efficacy of our proposed model, we conducted extensive experiments using real-world air pollution datasets obtained from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India, covering the period from January 2015 to July 2020. Our evaluation includes a range of performance metrics such as root-mean-square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and mean squared logarithmic error (MSLE). Specifically, our model demonstrates exceptional accuracy, with notably low error values for key metrics such as air quality index (AQI) and PM2.5. Furthermore, we subjected our innovative hybrid model to rigorous statistical testing using the Diebold-Mariano test, establishing the significance and superiority of our approach. This research advances our understanding of air quality prediction and offers a valuable solution for mitigating the detrimental effects of air pollution on public health and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Healthcare workforce diversity is essential for increasing access and reducing racial/ethnic health disparities. We examined the growth and trends in physician assistant/associate (PA) workforce demographic composition by initial year of certification. Methods: Drawing on data from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, we aggregated gender, age (1975-2020), race/ethnicity, and underrepresented in medicine (URiM) (2000-2020). Descriptive statistics of demographics were calculated by the initial certification year and assessed for trends using the Cochran-Armitage test. Results: Analyses revealed an 11.7% annual growth rate in PAs earning initial certification and a change in gender composition (23.9% to 74.2% female) from 1975 to 2020. Between 2000 and 2020, we observed significant increases (all p<0.001) in the proportions of PAs who self-identify as Asian (5.7 percentage points), Hispanic/Latino(a) (3.5 percentage points), and multiracial (2.4 percentage points). However, there was a decline (all p<0.001) in the proportions of PAs who self-identify as Black/African American (1.2 percentage points), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.1 percentage points), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (0.1 percentage points), and other race (1.1 percentage points). Trend analyses revealed that the proportion of PAs identifying as URiM decreased over the past 21 years. Conclusion: Ongoing assessment of the PA workforce demographics is essential to track the progress and effectiveness of diversification initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study concerns the management of operational risk in truck transport using the reliability theory of risks. In this regard, the risk analysis of changes in the vehicle unavailability represents an important topic. In this study, the authors present their own method for analysing the phase changes in risk corresponding to successive sections (phases) of vehicle mileage. The presented risk analysis method is based on an integrated assessment of losses associated with the costs of incidental repairs and losses caused by lost income during vehicle downtime. This includes the following: assessment of differences in average risk and differences in the coefficient of variation in the time series of vehicle mileage phases, indicating the outliers and extremes of phase risk, identifying their physical causes and testing the statistical significance of phase risk differences. The proposed method is described mathematically and verified experimentally based on the operational data concerning trucks from two selected brands (20 trucks from each brand). We show that the method can be used to predict the continuity of transport services in the short term (one-year horizon). The method could also be useful to compare vehicles of different brands in the context of their sensitivity to operational risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The material developed focuses on the analysis of energy efficiency trends in Poland, utilising ODEX indicators for the sectors of industry, transport, households and in general, from 2011 to 2021. The objective of the study is to assess the progress made in energy efficiency and to forecast future trends in these sectors. The methods employed are based on statistical modelling of time series, taking into account sector-specific energy consumption dynamics. The following techniques were employed: linear regression, cluster analysis to identify patterns of change, statistical hypothesis testing for energy efficiency and simplified autoregressive models. The results demonstrated significant improvements in energy efficiency in the industrial sector, stability of the ODEX indicator in the transport sector and gradual improvements in households and overall. The prediction indicates an upward trend in the ODEX indicator in the short term, suggesting an increase in energy demand. However, it also predicts a decline in the long term, which may indicate the effectiveness of future energy efficiency strategies and investments. Consequently, the necessity for continued efforts to increase energy efficiency and further research into the factors influencing energy efficiency in different economic sectors is emphasised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cognitive advantage (CA) hypothesis claims that multilingualism promotes the development of several basic cognitive capacities. A large number of empirical findings support this hypothesis, but recently there have also been numerous contradictory findings and methodological objections. The present paper extends the investigation of possible cognitive advantages from basic cognitive (executive) functions to broader cognitive competencies such as cognitive flexibility. A promising candidate for this is 'flexibility of goal adjustment' (FGA), a capacity of developmental regulation that solves problems through flexible adaptation processes. In a study with N = 119 monolingual and multilingual adults we found the predicted positive correlation between multilingualism and FGA. However, the mediator function of executive capacities entailed in the CA hypothesis operationalised as Stroop and flanker tasks could not be demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: More than half of the patients with moderate and severe osteoarthritis (OA) report unsatisfactory pain relief, requiring consideration of intra‐articular (IA) injections as the second‐line management. Ultrasound‐guided IA injection has proven evidence of higher accuracy in administering IA injectates into the joints than landmark‐guided or blind IA injections. However, questions remain about translating higher accuracy rates of ultrasound‐guided injection into better clinical improvements. Therefore, we examined the symptomatic benefits (pain, function and patient satisfaction) of ultrasound‐guided injection in knee, hip and hand OA compared with blind injections by synthesising a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCT). Methods: PubMed, Medline and Embase databases were searched for eligible studies from their inception to August 28, 2023. Results: Out of 295 records, our meta‐analysis included four RCTs (338 patients with knee OA), demonstrating significant improvement in procedural pain [−0.89 (95% CI −1.25, −0.53)], pain at follow‐up [−0.51 (95% CI −0.98, −0.04)] and function [1.30 (95% CI 0.86, 1.73)], favouring ultrasound guidance. One single study showed higher patient satisfaction with ultrasound guidance. Conclusion: Ultrasound‐guided IA injection provided superior clinical outcomes compared with landmark‐guided IA injection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study concentrates on two different genetic programming approaches for determining passenger car equivalent (PCE) values and observing the impact on capacity estimation at urban unsignalized intersections. Considering heterogeneous traffic conditions, a new PCE value is introduced to encompass sustainable modes of public transit vehicles, specifically slow-moving three-wheelers (SM3W), commonly known as E-Rickshaws. Since PCE value is considered an important parameter for capacity calculations, the present study considered 14 unsignalized intersections located in Ranchi city of India. An automatic plate recognition system is employed to have the count of vehicular traffic. The methodologies include age-layered population structure genetic programming (ALPSGP), and the offspring selection genetic programming (OSGP) approach that incorporates static and dynamic variables. Based on the significance test and ranking of the genetic programming (GP) models, the OSGP model is recommended as the most appropriate model for heterogeneous traffic. Sensitivity analysis reported that lagging headway () is the most contributing factor in PCE estimation. The PCE value of SM3W is found to be 0.81 and that could be incorporated as a new classification of vehicles in Indo-HCM. It is observed that evaluated capacity based on PCE values of OSGP performed admirably in both normal and congested traffic situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate measurement of polyps size is crucial in predicting malignancy, planning relevant intervention strategies and surveillance schedules. Endoscopists' visual estimations can lack precision. This study builds on our prior research, with the aim to evaluate a recently developed quantitative method to measure the polyp size and location accurately during a simulated endoscopy session. Methods: The quantitative method merges information about endoscopic positions obtained from an electromagnetic tracking sensor, with corresponding points on the images of the segmented polyp border. This yields real-scale 3D coordinates of the border of the polyp. By utilising the sensor, positions of any anatomical landmarks are attainable, enabling the estimation of a polyp's location relative to them. To verify the method's reliability and accuracy, simulated endoscopies were conducted in pig stomachs, where polyps were artificially created and assessed in a test–retest manner. The polyp measurements were subsequently compared against clipper measurements. Results: The average size of the fifteen polyps evaluated was approximately 12 ± 4.3 mm, ranging from 5 to 20 mm. The test–retest reliability, measured by the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for polyp size estimation, demonstrated an absolute agreement of 0.991 (95% CI 0.973–0.997, p < 0.05). Bland & Altman analysis revealed a mean estimation difference of − 0.17 mm (− 2.03%) for polyp size and, a mean difference of − 0.4 mm (− 0.21%) for polyp location. Both differences were statistically non-significant (p > 0.05). When comparing the proposed method with calliper measurements, the Bland & Altman plots showed 95% of size estimation differences between − 1.4 and 1.8 mm (− 13 to 17.4%) which was not significant (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The proposed method of measurements of polyp size and location was found to be highly accurate, offering great potential for clinical implementation to improve polyp assessment. This level of performance represents a notable improvement over visual estimation technique used in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]