Causes Of Poor Performance Research Articles

Sources of variability in Luminex bead-based cytokine assays: Evidence from twelve years of multi-site proficiency testing

Bead array assays, such as those sold by Luminex, BD Biosciences, Sartorius, Abcam and other companies, are a well-established platform for multiplexed quantification of cytokines and other biomarkers in both clinical and discovery research environments. In 2011, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-funded External Quality Assurance Program Oversight Laboratory (EQAPOL) established a proficiency assessment program to monitor participating laboratories performing multiplex cytokine measurements using Luminex bead array technology. During every assessment cycle, each site was sent an assay kit, a protocol, and blinded samples of human sera spiked with recombinant cytokines. Site results were then evaluated for performance relative to peer laboratories. After over a decade of biannual assessments, the cumulative dataset contained over 15,500 bead array observations collected at more than forty laboratories in twelve countries. These data were evaluated alongside post-assessment survey results to empirically test factors that may contribute to variability and accuracy in Luminex bead-based cytokine assays. Bead material, individual technical ability, analyte, analyte concentration, and assay kit vendor were identified as significant contributors to assay performance. In contrast, the bead reader instrument model and the use of automated plate washers were found not to contribute to variability or accuracy, and sample results were found to be highly-consistent between assay kit-manufacturing lots and over time. In addition to these statistical analyses, subjective evaluations identified technical ability, instrument failure, protocol adherence, and data transcription errors as the most common causes of poor performance in the proficiency program. The findings from the EQAPOL multiplex program were then used to develop recommended best practices for bead array monitoring of human cytokines. These included collecting samples to assay as a single batch, centralizing analysis, participating in a quality assurance program, and testing samples using paramagnetic-bead kits from a single manufacturer using a standardized protocol.

Equine poor performance: the logical, progressive, diagnostic approach to determining the role of the temporomandibular joint.

Poor performance is an ambiguous term used frequently by people in the horse industry. It means different things to different people, depending on the breed, discipline, or problem being discussed. There are myriad reasons that a horse may fail to achieve the expectations put upon it or, having achieved those goals, begin to falter. Equine temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease is beginning to be reported as 1 such cause of poor performance. Despite this, in certain disciplines, it has become the trendy diagnosis, and a logical approach to the diagnostic workup is often lacking. Many of the clinical signs attributed to TMJ abnormalities can be readily explained by other more common problems. This ambiguity is compounded by a lack of extensive scientific evidence linking TMJ-related disease to behavioral or performance changes. Despite this fact, the equine TMJ has been reported to be a cause of poor performance, and while rare, it should be included in a differential diagnosis list, albeit one of exclusion. The purpose of this article is to describe a logical, stepwise approach to excluding common causes of poor performance before investigating the potential role of the TMJ in cases of poor performance.

Exploring school factors of academic achievement in Macau: The application of educational data mining in Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 assessment

International large-scale assessments, provide structured and static data, and due to their extensive databases, they can be considered as a valuable resource for Big Data in Education. In this paper, we propose an educational data mining approach to detect and analyze factors linked to academic performance in Macau schools using data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016. We conducted a secondary data analysis based on a set of socioeconomic, process, and outcome variables from PIRLS and other sources, and built decision trees to obtain a predictive model of school performance. By doing so, we were able to identify the school and student-level variables that are most significant in predicting student performance in Macau. These findings will be useful for informing educational policy decisions and shedding light on the causes of poor performance in Macau schools. Overall, our study highlights the potential of educational data mining approaches in analyzing large-scale assessment data and generating insights for educational research and practice.

Exploratory Analysis of Factors Influencing Agile New Product Development Adoption in Manufacturing Industries

Purpose: Global competition, individualized customer requirements, and volatile market conditions create an environment conducive to agile new product development (ANPD). This research seeks to identify the key factors that influence ANPD adoption along with the development of a conceptual framework for the identified factors. Design/methodology: Through a literature review, eight factors having 47 sub-factors pertinent to ANPD adoption and its performance improvement were identified. Considering all of these factors, the development of conceptual framework and research hypotheses was carried out. A structured questionnaire was used to collect 118 online responses from both domestic and foreign subject matter experts. The structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used for validation of the conceptual framework along with the research hypotheses testing. Findings: This study supported six hypotheses: “Technology management competencies”, “Product development competencies”, “Organizational management competencies”, “Human resource competencies”, “Software management competencies”, and “Policy management competencies”. These supported hypotheses influence ANPD adoption significantly. However, the analysis did not support the two more positive factors, namely “Integrated system competencies” and “Supply chain competencies”, showcasing the necessity for a better understanding of them among the product development experts. Research limitations: As the proposed methodology relies on qualitative data, it is somewhat complex and time-consuming. While SEM can verify the linear relationship, a hybrid approach involving the SEM-MCDM technique can be employed to comprehend the impact of ANPD adoption and performance improvement. Practical implications: The findings of this study will assist product development experts, manufacturing executives, and managers in developing effective ANPD adoption policies. It will help in improving the new product development success rate and highlighting the causes of poor performance. Originality/value: This is a one-of-a-kind and highly beneficial structural modeling-based decision-making tool. This framework can be effective across multiple domains, and incidents of ANPD adoption failure can be mitigated.

Inovadora brita graduada tratada com cimento de alto desempenho como concreto compactado com rolo

Abstract The main causes of poor performance of cement-treated crushed stones (CTCS) pavement layers are material-related heterogeneity, porosity, and brittle cementitious matrix, leading to fast fatigue degradation. Seeking to improve CTCS mechanical properties and structural response it was studied different grading curves such as DER-SP, EN 14227-1 CBGM 2 and RCC-ACI were studied. The aim of the laboratory study was to rank and select among the classical particle size distribution models like Talbot & Richart, and analytical models as compressible packing model – CPM, the best grading curve which was capable of producing mixtures with the best aggregate interlocking and improved mechanical resistances. The effect of cement content (4% and 5%) as well as the potential of using silica fume in suspension (percentages of 5, 7 and 10% of cement mass) to improve the interfacial transition zone were evaluated. It was found that CPM is a powerful tool for aggregates ranking aggregates and designing well-graded mixtures like CTCS; the CBGM 2 EN 14227-1 mean curve achieved the best packing density. The effect of increasing the cement content from 4 to 5% in terms of mechanical strength has the same result as the addition of 7% of silica fume in mixtures with 4% cement. Eventually, mixtures with 5% cement and 10% silica fume showed modulus of elasticity similar to traditional CTCS; nonetheless, the HP-CTCS (high performance CTCS) split tensile strength was significantly higher (about 28%), leading to a lower Et,sp/fct,sp relationship, which is a highly positive outcome to improve mechanical durability of this innovative dry compacted concrete.

Influence Of Occupational Stress on Work Performance Among Kenya Police Officers in Njoro Sub-County, Kenya

Police Officers are exposed to a high level of stress due to heavy workload, long working hours, and exposure to traumatic experiences emanating from daily duties. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of occupational stress on work performance among Kenya police officers in Njoro Sub-County. The study was based on the role stress theory which explains how individual roles and expectations influence the outcome of individual responsibilities and how these functions cause occupational stress and affect work performance among police officers. The study adopts a descriptive survey design. The study targeted a population of 367 police officers. Stratified sampling was used to select a sample size of 104 respondents. The data collected through self-administered structured questionnaires were used as the research instrument to collect the data. Descriptive statistics were used in analyzing the data where the results were presented in form of tables, graphs, charts, frequency, and percentages to give meaning to the study. The results show that out of 104 questionnaires administered 81 were returned indicating a response rate of 77.88 percent. The study established that the majority of the respondents perform poorly due to stress they experience from work and that there is a strong influence on performance attributed to the poor communication network, lack of serviceable equipment, lack of support, lack of motivation, role conflict, heavy workload and long working hours. The study recommends that the National Police Service should focus on the causes of poor performance among the police officers and develop a strategy for addressing the gap to better service delivery. Develop counseling programs in the police syllabus and sensitize officers on the need of sharing problems that affect their work performance. Finally, the government should increase budgetary allocation and mobilize more resources and training to help them acquire skills to improve police public relationships and improve work performance. The study, 1therefore, recommended for a similar study be conducted in the national police service in other Sub-Counties in Kenya to compare the findings.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Equine Asthma Presentation and Response to Treatment Using Lung Function Testing and BAL Cytology Analysis in Combination with Owner Perception.

(1) Background: Equine asthma (EA) is a pervasive and important cause of poor performance and respiratory morbidity in horses. Diagnosis of EA includes an owner complaint, clinical scoring, lung function testing, and cytological analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology. There is a paucity of information about the longitudinal course of the disease using these outcome assessments; thus, this study sought to describe and quantify, in horses with more than one visit to a specialty pulmonary clinic in New England, the type and range of clinical presentations with an eventual diagnosis of EA. It also aimed to develop and compare the outcomes of scoring systems for owner complaints and veterinary assessments, document and assess the diagnostic methods used, and evaluate the response of the horses to treatment and time. (2) Methods: This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional, STROBE-compliant observational analysis of equine patients who visited the Tufts Cummings Hospital for Large Animals (HLA) for evaluation of equine asthma (EA) from 1999-2023. The horses were categorized as having mild-moderate (mEA) or severe EA (sEA) using the ACVIM consensus statement guidelines. After excluding those with inadequate documentation or only one visit (n = 936), a total of 76 horses were included in the study. Of the 197 visits, 138 (70.0%) resulted in a diagnosis of mEA and 45 (22.8%) resulted in a diagnosis of sEA. Demographic information, owner complaints, clinical examination and scoring, lung function testing, BAL cytology, and recommendations for environmental remediation and pharmacologic treatment were recorded for all the visits. The data were analyzed for agreement between owner complaints (complaint score, CS) and clinical examination findings (examination score, ES), changes in CS and ES, lung function testing, and BAL cytology over time, with 197 visits recorded. (3) Results: A comparison between the CS and ES showed that the owners were more likely than veterinarians to detect cough, and a decrease in cough was the most common owner observation after treatment. The response to the histamine challenge, used to detect airway hyperreactivity, was significantly improved with treatment or time in the horses with mEA, whereas baseline lung function did not significantly change in mEA or sEA. (4) Conclusions: Owners can be astute observers of clinical signs, especially cough, in EA. Tests of airway hyperreactivity are more successful in detecting changes in mEA than are baseline lung function testing and assessment of BAL cytology.

Democratic centralism: The root cause of poor municipal performance in South Africa

This paper is a product of a Doctoral study that applied grounded theory to derive a performance improvement model for a particular Municipality in South Africa. Drawing from this study, this paper argues that democratic centralism, which manifests in politicised bureaucracy and implemented through the ANC policy of cadre deployment, is the root cause of poor performance across South African municipalities. In advancing this argument, the paper interrogates public management literature to conceptualise poor municipal performance and justify the relevance of the politics-administration dichotomy as a framework for positioning democratic centralism as the root cause of poor performance in South African municipalities. In addition, interrogating public management literature allowed the author to identify methodological limitations of past studies and select grounded theory as the most appropriate research design to address these limitations. In applying grounded theory, the author used purposive sampling to identify research participants who were subsequently interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. In preparation for data analysis, the author recorded and transcribed the information obtained from the interviews. Thereafter, the author used open coding with particular emphasis on constant comparative analysis and theoretical sampling. The use of these techniques allowed the author to move the level of abstraction from open codes through to empirical categories leading to generation of empirical explanations that link democratic centralism to poor performance in South African municipalities. To this end, the paper empirically linked poor municipal performance, often displayed through violent protests, to democratic centralism, a phenomenon entrenched into the South African public service through the ANC policy of cadre deployment.

Assessment of Cost and Time of Errors in Construction Documents on Selected Building Projects in Nigeria

The construction industry has generally been tagged with poor project performance. Cost and time overruns are the leading causes of poor performance. Design and construction errors are equally leading causes of cost and time overruns. The objectives of this study are to investigate the prevalent types of errors in construction documents, the cost implication of the errors, the time implication of the errors, and strategies adopted to mitigate the errors. The study involves an interview of construction professionals on 51 selected building projects across the southwestern States of Nigeria through the non-probabilistic convenience sampling technique. The findings of the study indicated that the Nigerian construction industry is largely dominated by the use of traditional procurement method and many construction projects lack complete construction documents. Also, errors in construction documents added about 9% to the contract sum and 31% to cost overrun. It also added about 21% to the agreed duration and 40% to the total time overrun. The study concluded that errors in construction documents affect project duration more than the project cost and can triple the agreed duration of building projects in some cases. The study recommended that based on the projects investigated, an additional 10% should be added to the agreed cost and 20% to the scheduled duration of building projects.

Medical causes of poor performance and their associations with fitness in Standardbred racehorses.

Poor performance is a multifactorial syndrome of racehorses, commonly associated with subclinical disorders, which can be diagnosed by exercise testing. Describe the prevalence of medical causes of poor performance in Standardbreds unassociated with lameness, and evaluate their relationships with fitness variables measured by exercise treadmill test. Hospital population of 259 nonlame Standardbred trotters referred for poor performance. The horses' medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Horses underwent a diagnostic protocol including resting examination, plasma lactate concentration, treadmill test with continuous ECG and assessment of fitness variables, creatine kinase activity, treadmill endoscopy, postexercise tracheobronchoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and gastroscopy. The prevalence of different disorders was evaluated, including cardiac arrhythmias, exertional myopathies, dynamic upper airway obstructions (DUAOs), exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), moderate equine asthma (MEA), and gastric ulcers (EGUS). The associations of these disorders with fitness variables were investigated individually and using multivariable models. Moderate equine asthma and EGUS were the most common disorders, followed by EIPH, DUAOs, cardiac arrhythmias, and exertional myopathies. Hemosiderin score was positively correlated with BAL neutrophils, eosinophils, and mast cells; increased creatine kinase activity was associated with BAL neutrophilia, DUAOs, premature complexes, and squamous gastric disease. Treadmill velocity at a plasma lactate concentration of 4 mmol/L and at heart rate of 200 beats per minute was negatively affected by BAL neutrophilia, multiple DUAOs, exertional myopathies, and squamous gastric disease. The multifactorial nature of poor performance was confirmed, with MEA, DUAOs, myopathies and EGUS representing the main diseases involved in fitness impairment.

Modelling the Impact of Environmental Factors on the Performance of Construction Companies through the Lens of Institutional Pressures

While investigating how environmental factors affect the performance of construction enterprises has remained a topical issue in the literature, many concerns about these factors, particularly in developing nations, are still unresolved. This study empirically examines specific environmental drivers affecting construction firms' performance and establishes the role of institutional pressures on construction firms' performance outcomes. Primary data were gathered from a sample of 197 respondents working in Syria's construction industry and were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). When considering the impact of some environmental factors (economic environment, human capital, leadership, communication culture, socio-cultural environment, and political environment) on construction firm performance, the findings revealed that institutional pressures (coercive, mimetic, and normative) play a mediating role. However, the mediating influence of institutional pressures on the technological environment and performance of construction firms was not significant, thus indicating the need for more research. The findings of this study make a substantial addition to the current discussion about the most important environmental factors impacting construction firm performance. This study adds to the current debate about the causes of poor performance in construction firms by assisting managers in recognising the impact of the mentioned factors above on a firm's performance.

A complementary electrochromic device based on Prussian Blue and Tungsten Trioxide: The influence of switching time operation on high performance and long-term stability

The sustainability of electrochromic devices has been heavily focused on both novel materials and electrolytes. Nonetheless, profound research into the operation of electrochromic devices have typically gone unnoticed. Accordingly, there is still a scarcity of research related to a systematic approach to driving principles of electrochromic devices such as the balanced electrochemical process between the anodic and the cathodic electrodes. Based on fundamental electrochemistry, there are three possible causes of poor performance and cycle stability in an electrochromic device: (1) charge is not equally shuttled between Prussian blue (PB) and tungsten trioxide (WO3), (2) irreversible ions are trapped within PB and/or WO3, and (3) PB and/or WO3 deterioration. Herein, this study discovered the impact of switching time operation on a complementary electrochromic device based on PB and WO3, providing a potentially novel direction for enhancing and controlling the electrochromic performance in smart windows or display applications.

Musculoskeletal pains among amateur and professional athletes of five disciplines in Senegal: a preliminary study

BackgroundMusculoskeletal pains (MSPs) in sport are cause of poor performances and loss of competition in athletes. The present study aimed at determining the prevalence of MSPs with regard to sport disciplines and athletic status.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 Senegalese professional and amateur athletes practicing football, basketball, rugby, tennis, athletics, and wrestling. Rates of MSPs in the past year (MSPs-12) and week (MSPs-7d) were assessed using standard questionnaires.ResultsOverall proportions of MSPs-12 and MSPs-7d were 70 and 74.2%, respectively. MSPs-12 were more frequently reported on shoulders (40.6%), neck (37.1%) and hips/thigh (34.4%), while MSPs-7d were predominant on hips/thigh (29.5%), shoulders (25.7%), and upper back (17.2%). Proportions of MSPs-12 and MSPs-7d varied significantly by sport disciplines, with highest values among basketball players. Again, highest MSPs-12 proportions on shoulders (29.7%, P = 0.02), wrists/hands (34.6%, P = 0.001), (40.2%, P = 0.0002), and knees (38.8%, P = 0.002) were seen among basketball players. High proportions of MSPs-7d were seen on shoulders (29.6%, P = 0.04) for tennis players, wrists/hands (29.4%, P = 0.03) for basketball and football players, and hips/thigh (38.8%, P < 0.00001) for basketball players. Football players had reduced risk of MSPs-12 by 75% on lower back (OR = 0.25; 95% CI. 0.10—0.63; P = 0.003) and by 72% on knees (OR = 0.28; 95% CI. 0.08—0. 95; P = 0.04). In contrast, tennis players were more at risk of MSPs-12 on shoulders (OR = 3.14; 95% CI. 1.14–8.68; P = 0.02), wrists/hands (OR = 5.18; 95% CI.1.40–11.13; P = 0.01), and hips/thigh (OR = 2.90; 95% CI. 1.1–8.38; P = 0.04). Professionals were protected from MSPs-12 on neck pain with a significant reduction of risk by 61% (OR = 0.39, 95% CI. 0.21–0.75, P = 0.03).ConclusionMSPs are a reality among athletes and their risk is modulated by sport disciplines, athletic status and gender.

Prediction of Cognitive Load from Electroencephalography Signals Using Long Short-Term Memory Network

In recent years, the development of adaptive models to tailor instructional content to learners by measuring their cognitive load has become a topic of active research. Brain fog, also known as confusion, is a common cause of poor performance, and real-time detection of confusion is a challenging and important task for applications in online education and driver fatigue detection. In this study, we propose a deep learning method for cognitive load recognition based on electroencephalography (EEG) signals using a long short-term memory network (LSTM) with an attention mechanism. We obtained EEG signal data from a database of brainwave information and associated data on mental load. We evaluated the performance of the proposed LSTM technique in comparison with random forest, Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost), support vector machine, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and artificial neural network models. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed approach had the highest accuracy of 87.1% compared to those of other algorithms, including random forest (64%), AdaBoost (64.31%), support vector machine (60.9%), XGBoost (67.3%), and artificial neural network models (71.4%). The results of this study support the development of a personalized adaptive learning system designed to measure and actively respond to learners' cognitive load in real time using wireless portable EEG systems.

On the Use of Polar Code for LoRa PHY

LoRa (long range) PHY adopts simple hamming codes with maximum one-bit error correction capacity, which is one of the main causes of poor performance in fading environments. As one approach to improve performance in fading environments, in this paper, we will investigate the use of a polar code for LoRa. Specifically, through computer simulations, we will compare the performance gain in Rician fading channels according to the application of a polar code with code rate 0.5 instead of the original (8,4) hamming code in LoRa PHY.

An assessment of the effectiveness of supervision in preventive healthcare institutions under the purview of the Regional Directorate of Health Services, Kalutara

Background: Supervision is an essential element in primary healthcare. It is not only the number that matters but the quality and effectiveness of supervision as well. Ineffective supervision is a cause of poor performance that can lead to sub-optimal health outcomes.Objective: To assess the effectiveness of supervision in preventive healthcare institutions under the administrative purview of the Regional Directorate of Health Services (RDHS), Kalutara.Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was designed and carried out in all preventive sector healthcare institutions under the administrative purview of the RDHS, Kalutara. The entire population of the supervisors (Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director of Health Services, Consultant Community Physician, Medical Officer-Maternal &amp; Child Health, Regional Epidemiologist, District Dental Surgeon, Supervisory Public Health Nursing Officers, Supervisory Public Health Inspector, Medical Officers of Health, Additional Medical Officers of Health, Supervisory Public Health Inspectors, Public Health Nursing Sisters, and Supervisory Public Health Midwives) and supervisees (Public Health Inspectors and School Dental Therapists) in the RDHS division except the Public Health Midwives (PHMs) was included in the study as their actual numbers are low. The selection of PHMs, the major category of supervisees, was subjected to random sampling. Self-administered questionnaires, focus group discussions, and observatory visits were used to collect the data. Data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The effectiveness of supervision was assessed utilizing Manchester Clinical Supervision Scale (MCSS-26). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of supervisors were assessed through a self-administered questionnaire and to some extent through observations.Results: The overall response rate was 67.8%. The knowledge related to supportive supervision among the supervisors was moderate. The level of knowledge was not significantly different among the different categories of supervisors. The level of attitudes towards supervision was also moderate. However, it was significantly different among the supervisory categories. As per the scale devised through the questionnaire, the supervisory practice was moderate as well, but it was not significantly different among the different categories of supervisors. The mean score of MCSS-26 was 65.67 indicating that overall supervision was ineffective by its threshold limit of 73. Apart from the administrative function of supervision, the supportive and educational functions were largely ineffective.Conclusion and recommendations: The effectiveness of supervision was suboptimal in preventive care health institutions of the RDHS division Kalutara. Appropriate measures that focused on enhancing supportive and educational functions of supervision are therefore required to improve the effectiveness of supervision among different categories of supervisors in the division. Designing and implementing more focused training and development activities to improve knowledge, attitude, and practices in supportive supervision; facilitating, encouraging, and empowering the supervisors to implement their post-supervisory recommendations; and utilizing the MCSS-26 as a tool of measuring supervisory effectiveness for the purpose of monitoring and evaluating the supervisory activities, are therefore recommended to improve the effectiveness of supervision in the division.

The Effects of Mathematics Anxiety on Mathematics Performance among Secondary School Students in Tanzania: A Case of Arusha City Council

The continuous trend of poor mathematics performance in Tanzania has developed different stakeholders' attention, including the Government, to research the possible causes of poor performance. The presence of mathematics anxiety among students is believed to have an impact on students' performance in Mathematics. In this study, the researcher aimed to investigate the effects of Mathematics Anxiety on Mathematics Performance Among Secondary Schools Students in Tanzania. The study employed a sample size of 396 students from six secondary schools in the Arusha City Council. The researcher collected data through structured questionnaires with closed-ended questions distributed to respondents. Respondents' mathematics terminal examination marks were used in this study. The collected data were analysed using descriptive (percentages and mean) and inferential statistics (correlation and multiple regression analysis). The results generally revealed a significant effect of mathematics anxiety on mathematics performance among secondary school students at a 0.05 level of significance (P-Value 0.00 2- tailed). A correlation coefficient r = 0.304 indicate a significant moderate positive relationship between the effects of mathematics anxiety and mathematics performance. The regression equation indicates that mathematics anxiety affects mathematics performance by 46.6% when other factors remain constants. Based on the findings, it was recommended that mathematics teachers be aware of the possibility of mathematics anxiety among their students. Also, further studies that involve a large sample should be conducted to re-confirm the assertion.

SpeedCAP: An Efficient Method for Estimating Neural Activation Patterns Using Electrically Evoked Compound Action-Potentials in Cochlear Implant Users.

Electrically evoked compound action-potentials (ECAPs) can be recorded using the electrodes in a cochlear implant (CI) and represent the synchronous responses of the electrically stimulated auditory nerve. ECAPs can be obtained using a forward-masking method that measures the neural response to a probe and masker electrode separately and in combination. The panoramic ECAP (PECAP) analyses measured ECAPs obtained using multiple combinations of masker and probe electrodes and uses a nonlinear optimization algorithm to estimate current spread from each electrode and neural health along the cochlea. However, the measurement of ECAPs from multiple combinations of electrodes is too time consuming for use in clinics. Here, we propose and evaluate SpeedCAP, a speedy method for obtaining the PECAP measurements that minimizes recording time by exploiting redundancies between multiple ECAP measures. In the first study, 11 users of Cochlear Ltd. CIs took part. ECAPs were recorded using the forward-masking artifact-cancelation technique at the most comfortable loudness level (MCL) for every combination of masker and probe electrodes for all active electrodes in the users' MAPs, as per the standard PECAP recording paradigm. The same current levels and recording parameters were then used to collect ECAPs in the same users with the SpeedCAP method. The ECAP amplitudes were then compared between the two conditions, as were the corresponding estimates of neural health and current spread calculated using the PECAP method previously described by Garcia et al. The second study measured SpeedCAP intraoperatively in 8 CI patients and with all maskers and probes presented at the same current level to assess feasibility. ECAPs for the subset of conditions where the masker and probe were presented on the same electrode were compared with those obtained using the slower approach leveraged by the standard clinical software. Data collection time was reduced from ≈45 to ≈8 minutes. There were no significant differences between normalized root mean squared error (RMSE) repeatability metrics for post-operative PECAP and SpeedCAP data, nor for the RMSEs calculated between PECAP and SpeedCAP data. The comparison achieved 80% power to detect effect sizes down to 8.2% RMSE. When between-participant differences were removed, both the neural-health (r = 0.73) and current-spread (r = 0.65) estimates were significantly correlated (p < 0.0001, df = 218) between SpeedCAP and PECAP conditions across all electrodes, and showed RMSE errors of 12.7 ± 4.7% and 16.8 ± 8.8%, respectively (with the ± margins representing 95% confidence intervals). Valid ECAPs were obtained in all patients in the second study, demonstrating intraoperative feasibility of SpeedCAP. No significant differences in RMSEs were detectable between post- and intra-operative ECAP measurements, with the comparison achieving 80% power to detect effect sizes down to 13.3% RMSE. The improved efficiency of SpeedCAP provides time savings facilitating multi-electrode ECAP recordings in routine clinical practice. SpeedCAP data collection is sufficiently quick to record intraoperatively, and adds no more than 8.2% error to the ECAP amplitudes. Such measurements could thereafter be submitted to models such as PECAP to provide patient-specific patterns of neural activation to inform programming of clinical MAPs and identify causes of poor performance at the electrode-nerve interface of CI users. The speed and accuracy of these measurements also opens up a wide range of additional research questions to be addressed.

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome affects fitness parameters in poorly performing Standardbred racehorses.

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is a highly prevalent disorder in horses, which can be classified, based on the localization of the lesions, as Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD) or Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD). Although EGUS is recognized as a common cause of poor performance in racehorses, objective investigations about its relation with athletic capacity are lacking. Therefore, the present retrospective study aims to evaluate the associations between EGUS severity and some fitness parameters measured during an incremental treadmill test in Standardbred racehorses in training. With this aim, data from 87 Standard bred racehorses which underwent a complete diagnostic evaluation for poor performance was reviewed. During gastroscopic examination, a 0-4 score was assigned to ESGD, while EGGD was evaluated for absence/presence; a total EGUS score was obtained by adding 1 point to ESGD score in horses showing concomitant EGGD. Fitness parameters obtained during incremental treadmill test included speed at a heart rate of 200 bpm (V200), speed and heart rate at a blood lactate of 4 mmol/L (VLa4, HRLa4), peak lactate, lactate and heart rate at 30 minutes post-exercise, maximum speed, minimum pH and maximum hematocrit. The associations between fitness parameters and EGUS and ESGD scores were evaluated by Spearman correlation, while Mann-Whitney test was used to compare them between horses with or without EGGD. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. EGUS grade was inversely correlated with V200 (p = 0.0025) and minimum pH (p = 0.0469); ESGD grade was inversely correlated with V200 (p = 0.0025) and VLa4 (p = 0.0363). Although a trend was observed, no significant differences in V200 were observed between horses with or without EGGD (p = 0.073); horses with EGGD reached a lower minimum pH (p = 0.0087). These results show a negative association between aerobic capacity and EGUS, in particular ESGD. Although different hypotheses have been proposed, including abdominal pain and decreased appetite due to lactate accumulation, the underlying mechanisms are still unknown, and it is not clear whether EGUS represents a cause or a consequence of an early lactate accumulation and post-exercise acidosis.

Attentional Orienting in Working Memory in Children with ADHD

ABSTRACT Children with attentional-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have impairments in working memory (WM) functioning. Impaired orienting of visual attention during encoding and/or maintenance is hypothesized as the cause of poor performance in visuospatial WM in 10-to-16-year-olds. We used a color-recognition task with valid location cues before encoding (pre-cues) and during maintenance (retro-cues). If ADHD children have an orienting deficit during these processing stages, they should not benefit from the cues. We observed strong pre- and retro-cueing benefits both for ADHD and typically developing controls, with no differences between the groups. This strengthens findings showing that ADHD is not characterized by deficits in orienting attention and provides evidence of retro-cue benefits in this population.