Breadth Of Use Research Articles

Large language models, social demography, and hegemony: comparing authorship in human and synthetic text

Large language models have become popular over a short period of time because they can generate text that resembles human writing across various domains and tasks. The popularity and breadth of use also put this technology in the position to fundamentally reshape how written language is perceived and evaluated. It is also the case that spoken language has long played a role in maintaining power and hegemony in society, especially through ideas of social identity and “correct” forms of language. But as human communication becomes even more reliant on text and writing, it is important to understand how these processes might shift and who is more likely to see their writing styles reflected back at them through modern AI. We therefore ask the following question: who does generative AI write like? To answer this, we compare writing style features in over 150,000 college admissions essays submitted to a large public university system and an engineering program at an elite private university with a corpus of over 25,000 essays generated with GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 to the same writing prompts. We find that human-authored essays exhibit more variability across various individual writing style features (e.g., verb usage) than AI-generated essays. Overall, we find that the AI-generated essays are most similar to essays authored by students who are males with higher levels of social privilege. These findings demonstrate critical misalignments between human and AI authorship characteristics, which may affect the evaluation of writing and calls for research on control strategies to improve alignment.

Bring Out Your Dead: A Review of the Cost Minimisation Approach in Health Technology Assessment Submissions to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.

Published literature has levied criticism against the cost-minimisation analysis (CMA) approach to economic evaluation over the past two decades, with multiple papers declaring its 'death'. However, since introducing the requirements for economic evaluations as part of health technology (HTA) decision-making in 1992, the cost-minimisation analysis (CMA) approach has been widely used to inform recommendations about the public subsidy of medicines in Australia. This research aimed to highlight the breadth of use of CMA in Australia and assess the influence of preconditions for the approach on subsidy recommendations METHODS: Relevant information was extracted from Public Summary Documents of Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) meetings in Australia considering submissions for the subsidy of medicines that included a CMA and were assessed between July 2005 and December 2022. A generalised linear model was used to explore the relationship between whether medicines were recommended and variables that reflected the primary preconditions for using CMA set out in the published PBAC Methodology Guidelines. Other control variables were selected through the Bolasso Method. Subgroup analysis was undertaken which replicated this modelling process. While the potential for inferior safety or efficacy reduced the likelihood of recommendation (p<0.01), the effect sizes suggest that the requirements for CMA were not requisite for recommendation. The Australian practice of CMA does not strictly align with the PBAC Methodology Guidelines and the theoretically appropriate application of CMA. However, within the confines of a deliberative HTA decision-making process that balances values and judgement with available evidence, this may be considered acceptable, particularly if stakeholders consider the current approach delivers sufficient clarity of process and enables patients to access medicines at an affordable cost.

The Role of Access Type and Age Group in the Breadth of Use of Patient Portals: Observational Study

Health care delivery and patient satisfaction are improved when patients engage with their medical information through patient portals. Despite their wide availability and multiple functionalities, patient portals and their functionalities are still underused. We seek to understand factors that lead to patient engagement through multiple portal functionalities. We provide recommendations that could lead to higher patients' usage of their portals. Using data from the Health Information National Trends Survey 5, Cycle 3 (N=2093), we performed descriptive statistics and used a chi-square test to analyze the association between the demographic variables and the use of mobile health apps for accessing medical records. We further fitted a generalized linear model to examine the association between access type and the use of portal functionalities. We further examined the moderation effects of age groups on the impact of access type on portal usage. Our results show that accessing personal health records using a mobile health app is positively associated with greater patient usage of access capabilities (β=.52; P<.001), patient-provider interaction capabilities (β=.24, P=.006), and patient-personal health information interaction capabilities (β=.23, P=.009). Patients are more likely to interact with their records and their providers when accessing their electronic medical records using a mobile health app. The impacts of mobile health app usage fade with age for tasks consisting of viewing, downloading, and transmitting medical results to a third party (β=-.43, P=.005), but not for those involving patient-provider interaction (β=.05, P=.76) or patient-personal health information interaction (β=-.15, P=.19). These findings provide insights on how to increase engagement with diverse portal functionalities for different age groups and thus improve health care delivery and patient satisfaction.

Switching intention in the online crowdsourced delivery environment: The influence of a platform's technological characteristics and relational bonding strategies

This paper aimed to investigate the effect of the technological characteristics and relational bonding strategies of crowdsourced delivery (CD) service platforms on customers' switching intention. It was proposed that this effect was mediated by perceived value and switching cost. Five hundred survey responses were collected using a stratified random sampling strategy to represent Singapore's population. The collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling, which revealed that technological characteristics (i.e. ease of use, breadth of use and switching experience) influence the perceived switching cost. In addition, relational bonds (i.e. structural, financial and social bonds) influence perceived value. Furthermore, perceived value and switching cost influence switching intention. The combination of perceived value, switching cost and social exchange theory carries cogent explanatory power regarding users' switching intention in the CD industry (R2 = 81%). The findings also provide managerial implications for CD companies to formulate appropriate strategies to build customer loyalty in light of increasing competition.

Evidence-based land conservation framework using multi-criteria acceptability analysis: A geospatial tool for strategic land conservation in the Gulf coast of the United States

Strategic land conservation investments that prioritize stakeholder priorities show promise for protection of ecological integrity and associated socioeconomic benefits of land conservation. However, despite many known benefits, decisions on where and what to conserve are often made without effective ecological and socioeconomic considerations. Ideally, multiple measurable attributes relevant to the ecological and socioeconomic priorities of stakeholders should be brought into an efficient, data-driven framework to evaluate areas of interest and help optimize decisions on conservation investments. Planners need to have access to a dynamic, web-based platform that assesses and compares conservation areas based on geospatial, science-based, and stakeholder-driven data. In this work, we provide a co-produced framework for a multi-criteria Conservation Prioritization Tool (CPT) that is based on available geospatial data reflecting stakeholder priorities for land conservation. The framework allows for flexible and hierarchical weighting of goals and data measures by the decision maker and allows for optimization of conservation decisions through a geospatial multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). Geospatial MCDA is a popular approach for evaluating decision alternatives in conservation problems, but the scarcity of functional tools that are widely accessible still limits their breadth of use. In this work, we describe the structure and creation of the CPT and demonstrate its application in the United States Gulf of Mexico coastal region, an area over 700,000 km2 in size. We designed and implemented a dynamic, cloud-based software tool that both considers and ranks user priorities and utilizes geospatial MCDA to evaluate areas of interest for land conservation. This tool improves the effectiveness and efficiency of land conservation actions by reducing the time needed to gather ecological evidence, increasing the transparency of decision processes, and encouraging inter-organizational partnerships. The versatile and open-access nature of the CPT broadens the availability of the geospatial MCDA methodology for conservation planners across large regions. We intentionally developed the CPT framework and procedures therein to be transferable and open-source to other objectives for any desired spatial geography.

THE STATE OF THE FUND OF TERMS AND CERTAIN WAYS TO IMPROVE IT (on the example of the sphere of military affairs)

The vocabulary of the Kazakh language, including legislation, is in constant development. The dynamics of changes in both the language and its basic unit – words since the 90s of the last century indicates a significant improvement in the language vocabulary. Among them, along with successfully entered into circulation, there are also one-time ones. For example, the breadth of use of such terms and concepts as «заңнама», «құқық», «сала», «зияткерлік құқық» is expanding from day to day. And such units as, «азаматтық заңнама қалыптары», «азаматтық заңдар», «заң құжаттары» etc. have long been out of legal and lexical circulation. Such examples are directly related to the object under study – the fund of terms. As a rule, all language units - terms in the Kazakh language for official use in circulation must be reviewed and approved by the Republican Terminological Commission under the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. But even such a high-level legalization procedure cannot guarantee the use of such terms and words, since there are successful and not quite successful units among them. The refore, among the almost 400,000 terms that have been approved by the above commission, there are also erroneous ones. Despite the fact that they are recommended by specialists at the lower level of the hierarchy, studied at the appropriate levels of government agencies and in terms, approved by authorized structures, there are many short comings in the fund of terms. Study of language units and terms. analysis and identification of their errors requires special applied scientific research. The refore, such an article, made according to the results of such a study, will certainly have both legal and linguistic significance.

Uncovering Disturbance Observer and Ultra-Local Plant Models in Series PI Controllers

The paper settles two major liabilities and asymmetries of the theory of automatic control to the design of simple system controllers. It shows the most frequently used series proportional integral (PI) controllers as disturbance reconstruction and compensation-based structures and solves their designs using two types of linear system models. Beginning with the example of a simple integrator controlled by a P controller, it shows that constant input disturbances can be reconstructed by evaluating steady state values of the controller output. Thereby, the nearly steady state controller output can be simply achieved by using a low-pass filter with a time constant significantly longer than the time constant of stabilized processes. This disturbance observer (DOB) functionality can be demonstrated as being kept by series PI controllers designed by the pole assignment method. The DOB design can also be extended to first-order systems with internal feedback. However, there, the reconstructed disturbances depend both on the controller and the plant output steady state values. Because this feature is missing in industrial PI controllers, it indicates their connections with simpler, ultra-local (integral) linear system models. The interpretation of PI controllers as DOB-based structures allows a systematic consistent classification of all existing disturbance compensation structures and simplifies their comparisons with other modern and postmodern DOB-based alternatives. Given the breadth of use, improved understanding of PI control functionality also represents an important step to their optimal implementation and to research of innovative modifications, as illustrated by facilitating the flexible use of the new functional capabilities offered by embedded controls. By enhancing “the birth” of new solutions, it is then possible to better satisfy the permanently growing requirements of practice.

DESIGN AUTOMATION IN AUTOCAD USING GROUPS AND BLOCKS

The article describes such goals of design automation as increasing the accuracy of design, reducing the time of preparation of design documentation in compliance with current standards, reducing the amount of files, providing conditions for joint design by several developers. Of the existing methods of design automation, methods are presented by creating and using groups, static and dynamic blocks with attributes in AutoCAD, a comparative analysis of these tools. The features and expediency of using the first or second method for specific design tasks, differing in complexity and breadth of use, are described. The article demonstrates the impact of the use of the above methods on the time spent in the development of design documentation, automation of compliance with norms and standards of design documentation. For each method the commands of creation, editing and management of objects are described, possibilities of this or that method of use for joint designing by group of developers are explained. Special attention is paid to blocks, the meaning of definitions and occurrences of blocks is explained, features of static simple blocks and their difference from groups are revealed, blocks with attributes are described, commands of creation, editing of attributes of blocks in the block editor are considered. The issue of managing, editing the type and content of block attributes as a data source for compiling specifications is covered. The difference between static and dynamic blocks as the most powerful and universal of the considered automation tools is revealed. The principle of organization of universal use of the control center, creation of libraries of blocks and tool palettes is explained.

Use and non-use values to explain farmers’ motivation for the provision of animal welfare

AbstractThis paper examines how differences in motivation in terms of use and non-use values affect the choice of animal welfare improvement practices. The application is focused on Swedish dairy farmers’ preferences for different flooring systems’ attributes. Using multiple indicators and multiple causes and hybrid latent class models, the findings demonstrate that dairy farmers who favour flooring solutions that enhance farm animal welfare are motivated by a complex set of both use values relating to internal and external pressures and non-use values linked to animal freedom, ethical codes of farmers and building business-to-customer relationships. The findings imply that measures to stimulate more uptake of animal welfare improvement practices can be better targeted by using insights into motivational constructs of farmers and by adopting policy communication that captures the whole breadth of use and non-use motivational constructs held by farmers.

Diagnostic studies for common invasive and infectious pathologies of rabbits in the Orenburg region

Rabbits, like other animal species, are susceptible to infection with invasive and infectious diseases. Both ecto- and endoparasites are registered in them, including helminths, insects on the body, acarus scabies, protozoa. Rabbits are characterized by a high degree of precocity, high fecundity and the breadth of use of the products obtained from them. As a product of rabbit breeding, first, meat is in demand as a dietary product. Part of the products from rabbits - hair, wool-molt is obtained during the life of the animal, and meat, skins, other products - after slaughter. Skins and rabbit hair are used for the manufacture of fur products, as well as in the felt and knitting industry. In addition, biologists, doctors, veterinarians use rabbits as laboratory animals in scientific research, for testing cosmetics, as well as in laboratories and bio factories for drug testing. To preserve the population of these species, it is important to prevent infection with various pathologies inherent in rabbits, including invasive diseases.

ОЦЕНКА ПОЗИЦИЙ СТРАН-ЭКСПОРТЕРОВ АГРОПРОДОВОЛЬСТВЕННОЙ ПРОДУКЦИИ НА МИРОВОМ РЫНКЕ ПО ИХ РОЛИ В ГЛОБАЛЬНЫХ ЦЕПОЧКАХ ДОБАВЛЕННОЙ СТОИМОСТИ

The place in the rankings of agricultural exporting countries in world trade is estimated in terms of the volume of imports and exports of raw materials and food. However, to assess the efficiency of agricultural exports, it is important to analyze the value added of exported goods produced in the country. The position of the exporting country in global value chains is derived from the type of agricultural production, which in turn depends on the level of development of the national economy, the availability and breadth of use of modern high technologies. The article examines the concept of the development of world agriculture from the point of view of the formation of global value chains, set out in the report of the UN World Food Organization [1] in comparison with the political decisions of such countries as India and the People’s Republic of China in the development of agricultural and food exports. The paper analyzes the risks associated with the consolidation of developing countries as suppliers of agricultural raw materials, as well as the conditions and action plan that allow the country-exporter of agricultural raw materials to move to higher levels in the global value chains on the world market. This experience should be considered to make comprehensive and effective decisions on the formation of the export policy of agricultural products and food of the Russian Federation, considering the food security of the country.

Highly Stretchable Hydrogel Using Vinyl Modified Narrow Dispersed Silica Particles as Cross‐Linker

AbstractHydrogel is advertently pertinent in numerous practical applications, but their breadth of use is often significantly restricted by their poor mechanical strength, including low toughness and reduced stretchability. A number of efforts to synthesize hydrogels with enhanced mechanical properties have already been rendered. However, a simple and widely adopted strategy for producing hydrogel with desirable strength and biocompatibility has yet to be materialized. Here, we have reported a hydrogel with incredible stretchability and toughness by strengthening the polyacrylamide (PAAm) network structure utilizing narrowly dispersed silica particles (SiO2) as a cross‐linker. SiO2 particles, grafted with vinyl end groups comprising 3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPTS), were used as a macro‐crosslinker (MSiO2) during the polymerization reaction of AAm to formulate hydrogel. The unique nature of synthesized hydrogel comprising both organic and inorganic compounds led to a rise in their wide‐spread applications as they have exceptional stretching and toughness of ∼59,400 Jm−2. Additionally, all synthesized hydrogels demonstrate high transparency in visible light wavelengths (above 75 %). The hydrogels exhibit significantly enhanced mechanical performance compared with the other ordinary type hydrogel prepared by conventional cross‐linker.

What drives organizations to switch to cloud ERP systems? The impacts of enablers and inhibitors

PurposeSwitching to public cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems not only provides financial and functional benefits to organizations, but also results in sunk costs of incumbent systems and uncertainty costs of cloud systems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the enablers and inhibitors concerning switching to cloud ERP systems at the organizational level.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 212 top managers and owners of the enterprises in Taiwan, and 10 hypotheses were examined using structural equation modeling.FindingsTechnological (system quality), organizational (financial advantage), and environmental contexts (industry pressure) are found to be the antecedents of switching benefits. Perceived risk of cloud ERP systems and satisfaction with and breadth of use of incumbent ERP systems are found to be the predictors of switching costs. Switching benefits positively affect switching intention, but switching costs negatively affect switching intention.Research limitations/implicationsThis study develops a theoretical model grounded in a set of theoretical foundations, including two-factor theory, technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework, information systems (IS) success model, and expectation confirmation theory (ECT). Two-factor theory is used to characterize switching benefits and costs that affect switching intention. Technological factors come from IS success model, and the factors affecting benefits are organized based on TOE framework. Sunk costs of incumbent ERP systems are developed based on ECT.Originality/valueDifferent from previous studies on cloud computing adoption, this study provides insights into switching intention to cloud computing. The study also proposes an integrated model grounded in multiple perspectives to explain organizations' decisions to switch to cloud ERP systems. These findings help cloud service providers better understand how to promote cloud ERP adoption from technical, organizational, and environmental perspectives.

Assumptions Checked

Users of voice assistants often report that they fall into patterns of using their device for a limited set of interactions, like checking the weather and setting alarms. However, it's not clear if limited use is, in part, due to lack of learning about the device's functionality. We recruited 10 diverse families to participate in a one-month deployment study of the Echo Dot, enabling us to investigate: 1) which features families are aware of and engage with, and 2) how families explore, discover, and learn to use the Echo Dot. Through audio recordings of families' interactions with the device and pre- and post-deployment interviews, we find that families' breadth of use decreases steadily over time and that families learn about functionality through trial and error, asking the Echo Dot about itself, and through outside influencers such as friends and family. Formal outside learning influencers, such as manufacturer emails, are less influential. Drawing from diffusion of innovation theory, we describe how a home-based voice interface might be positioned as a near-peer to the user, and that by describing its own functionality using just-in-time learning, the home-based voice interface becomes a trustworthy learning influencer from which users can discover new functionalities.

An Empirical Study on Factors Affecting Switching Intention to Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning

With the diffusion of cloud computing, public and private enterprise resource planning (ERP) have received increasing attention. However, several prior studies have investigated the factors that affect cloud system adoption for either public or private cloud systems. This article attempts to compare public and private cloud ERP. A research model is developed based on Two-Factor Theory and empirically test our hypotheses by collecting 253 public cloud samples and 227 private cloud samples. The results show that system quality and perceived ease of use positively affect switching benefits, which in turn positively affect switching intention. Security risk, satisfaction, and breadth of use positively affect switching costs. The moderating effects of public and private clouds affect the relationships between perceived ease of use and switching benefits, between breadth of use and switching costs, and between switching costs and switching intention. The findings offer suggestions for promoting organizations to switch to cloud public and private ERP.

ИНФОРМАТИВНОСТЬ ГЕОМЕТРИЧЕСКИХ АТРИБУТОВ ДЛЯ ПРОГНОЗИРОВАНИЯ ТРЕЩИНОВАТОСТИ КОЛЛЕКТОРОВ НА ПРИМЕРЕ МЕСТОРОЖДЕНИЯ УГЛЕВОДОРОДОВ ТОМСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

В последние годы, в связи с истощением традиционных коллекторов углеводородов, значительно возрос интерес к коллекторам, проницаемость которых обусловлена главным образом степенью их трещиноватости. Перспективы картирования зон трещиноватости связывают с сейсморазведкой. По существу, она является единственным наземным геофизическим методом, который позволяет получить детальное трехмерное изображение геологической среды. Однако возможности сейсморазведки ограничены ее разрешающей способностью и строением интервалов коллекторов. Исходя из результатов выполненного нами ранее сравнительного анализа новейших методик и технологических приемов изучения трещинно-кавернозных коллекторов, мы протестировали все методы анализа сейсмических данных в той последовательности, в которой они излагаются в обзорах. Анализируемые методики ранжированы по широте использования и доказанной эффективности. По убывающей эффективности, методы изучения трещиноватости располагаются следующим образом: 1. Азимутальный анализ анизотропии с получением эффективной модели азимутальной анизотропии; 2. Анализ геометрических атрибутов; 3. Специальные технологии миграционных преобразований (дуплексная миграция и др.); 4. Выделение из сейсмической записи поля рассеянных волн. Так как проведенная на участке работ сейсморазведка является стандартной (не широкоазимутальной, не мультиазимутальной, не многоволновой), то для исследования трещиноватости из списка вышеперечисленных методов нам доступны методы анализа геометрических атрибутов. Необходимо отметить, что в этом случае прогноз трещиноватости мог быть ограничен выделением зон трещиноватости (качественный анализ). Это актуальность. Цель: изучение возможностей атрибутного анализа сейсмических данных для прогноза выделения тектонических нарушения и зон повышения трещин. Объекты: породы со сложным строением пустотного пространства интенсивной кавернозности и трещиноватости, за счет которых образовались тектонические дислокации в осадочном чехле. Методология. Был рассчитан ряд объемных сейсмических атрибутов, таких как атрибуты когерентности (дисперсии) и кривизны (и ее разные варианты), хаоса. Полученные результаты были визуализированы в программном интерфейсе Petrel® компании Schlumberger с помощью имеющихся 3D МОГТ сейсмических данных для исследования потенциальных структурных и стратиграфических контролей и выделения зон с интенсивностью развития трещин в пределах исследуемой области. Аналогичным образом для горизонтов были рассчитаны поверхностные атрибуты с целью создания карт атрибутов и получения полного понимания строения целевых объектов и признаков для выделения зон интенсивного развития трещин. Результаты. Проведен анализ геометрических атрибутов для выделения зон повышения трещин, также была рассмотрена калибровка сейсмических атрибутов по данным скважин (керна).

Predicting engagement with an online psychosocial intervention for psychosis: Exploring individual- and intervention-level predictors

BackgroundIndividuals with psychosis demonstrate positive attitudes towards utilising digital technology in mental health treatment. Although preliminary research suggests digital interventions are feasible and acceptable in this population, little is known about how to best promote engagement with these resources. Candidate predictors include therapist support, sources of motivation and recovery style. Understanding what factors predict engagement will aid more effective design and implementation of digital interventions to improve clinical benefits. ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate demographic, psychological, and treatment variables that predict overall and type of engagement with a psychosocial, online intervention for individuals with psychosis. MethodsNinety-eight participants with a history of psychosis were given access to a web program containing modules on self-management and recovery, which they were asked to use flexibly at their own pace. Activity was automatically logged by the system. Baseline measures of demographics, recovery style and motivation were administered, and participants were randomised to receive either website access alone, or website access plus weekly, asynchronous emails from an online coach over 12 weeks. Log and baseline assessment data were used in negative binomial regressions to examine predictors of depth and breadth of use over the intervention period. A logistic regression was used to examine the impact of predictor variables on usage profiles (active or passive). ResultsDepth and breadth of engagement were positively predicted by receiving email support, low levels of externally controlled motivations for website use, older age, and having a tertiary education. There was a significant interaction between level of controlled motivation and condition (+/−email) on breadth and depth of engagement: receiving asynchronous emails was associated with increased engagement for individuals with low, but not high, levels of externally controlled motivations. Receiving email support and more autonomous motivations for treatment predicted more active use of the website. ConclusionsAsynchronous email support can promote engagement with online interventions for individuals with psychosis, potentially enabling self-management of illness and improving clinical outcomes. However, those using online interventions due to external motivating factors, may have low levels of engagement with the intervention, irrespective of coaching provided. These findings may guide design and implementation of future online interventions in this population.

АКСИОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ СОСТАВЛЯЮЩАЯ ЯЗЫКОВОЙ КАРТИНЫ МИРА (НА МАТЕРИАЛЕ "ЖИТИЯ ПРОТОПОПА АВВАКУМА")

We made an attempt of development theoretical propositions “diachrony in synchrony of language”, reflected in the works of N.I. Gainullina. On the text material we consider axiological representation of a linguistic personality with a position diachrony in the synchrony of language; the attention is focused on the fact that axiological representations are the cornerstone on which the linguistic view of the world is formed. It is proved that the universality, anthropocentricity and expressiveness of the linguistic view of the world are based on the foundation of evaluativity. During the study we establish that one of the leading concepts correlated with the reclamation zone of the scale of assessments is the concept of purity, which in the human consciousness of the 17th century meant, of course, not only the purity of thoughts, but also the construction of service to God in the main life goal, which is not typical for the linguistic view of the world of the recipient of the late 20th – early 21th century. Our study reveal that in the “Hagiography of Protopope Avvakum” more than 20 contexts containing means of expression of evaluation. It is proved that the linguistic view of the world, coupled with the Russian literary language of the 19th, 20th and 21th centuries, does not imply such a variety of estimates and the breadth of use of means of expression evaluation in this sphere.

Tongue base mucosectomy for carcinoma of unknown primary using endoscopic electrocautery: rationale for wider implementation of an institutionally restricted technique

Cervical metastasis from an unknown primary site invariably results in pan-mucosal irradiation if a primary tumour is not identified. Transoral robotic and laser-assisted mucosectomy are valid techniques to increase diagnostic rates, but these remain restricted to certain centres. This paper describes, in detail, a technique in which mucosectomy is performed via endoscopic electrocautery. Patients were prospectively recruited between May 2017 and June 2018. Inclusion criteria stipulated biopsy-proven metastatic cervical squamous cell carcinoma, with negative findings on magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography/computed tomography, in addition to examination under anaesthetic, tonsillectomy and 'blind' tongue base biopsies without tumour identification, prior to mucosectomy. Of nine patients, a mucosal primary was identified in four (44.4 per cent), for which ipsilateral intensity-modulated radiotherapy was advocated in three and completion tongue base resection in the fourth. Dysplasia was demonstrated in two further patients, which provided information relevant to radiotherapy fields and post-treatment surveillance. No surgical complications were identified. Tongue base mucosectomy using electrocautery and conventional tonsillectomy equipment is a safe, effective technique in the identification of cervical metastasis from an unknown primary site. It expands the potential breadth of use, quickens prolonged diagnostic pathways and obviates the necessity for pan-mucosal irradiation.

Eliciting Preferences in Dentistry with Multiattribute Stated Preference Methods: A Systematic Review.

Preference experiments are used to understand how patients and stakeholders value aspects of health care. These methods are gaining popularity in dentistry, but quality and breadth of use have not been evaluated. To describe multiattribute stated preference experiment use in dentistry through illustration and critique of existing studies. Systematic literature search of PubMed, Econlit and Ovid for Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, PsychARTICLES, and All EBM Reviews, as well as gray literature. Multiattribute stated preference experiments eliciting preferences for dental service delivery, treatments, and oral health states from the perspective of patients, the public, and dental professionals. Outcomes of interest were preference weights and marginal rates of substitution. Study selection was independently performed by 2 reviewers. Ten-point checklist published by the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research was used for quality assessment. Descriptive analysis. Searches identified 12 records published between 1999 and 2015, mostly in nondental academic journals. Studies were undertaken in high-income countries in Europe and the United States. The studies aimed to elicit preference for service delivery, treatment, or oral health states from the perspective of the patients, dentists, or the public via discrete choice experiment methods. The quality scores for the studies ranged from 53% to 100%. A detailed description and critique of stated preference methods are provided, but it was not possible to provide synthesized preference data. Multiattribute stated preference experiments are increasingly popular, but understanding the methods and outputs is essential for designing and interpreting preference studies to improve patient care. Patient preferences highlight important considerations for decision making during treatment planning. Valuation of health states and estimation of willingness-to-pay are important for resource planning and allocation and economic evaluation. Preference estimates and relative value of attributes for interventions and service delivery inform development and selection of treatments and services (PROSPERO 21.3.17: CRD42017059859). Understanding patient, professional, and public preferences is fundamental for evidence-based decision making and treatment delivery. Preference elicitation methods can be used to estimate the value given to health states, service delivery, individual treatments, and health outcomes. By describing and appraising the methodology and application of multiattribute stated preference experiments in dentistry, this review provides an essential first step to wider use of well-designed, high-quality preference elicitation methods.