Increased Rate Of Return Research Articles

Modeling the number of clothing merchandise returned through online shopping using a mixture of Poisson distribution: an interdisciplinary approach

Background: Online shopping has witnessed a significant surge in popularity owing to its accessibility and convenience. The rise of online shopping has revolutionized the retail industry, with clothing purchases garnering a dedicated following. However, a persistent challenge in internet purchasing lies in the uncertainty surrounding the fit, appearance, and quality of clothing merchandise. As a result, customers often resort to returning items that fail to meet their expectations or differ from the website's descriptions. In this study, we aim to address this issue by proposing a novel approach to model the number of items returned through online purchases. Specifically, we employ a mixture of Poisson distribution to capture the complexities of the return process and its underlying factors. Methods: A mixture of Poisson distribution is employed to model the uncertainties in online clothing returns. The approach aims to capture the complexities of the return process and its underlying factors, providing valuable insights for e-commerce businesses to optimize operations and enhance customer satisfaction. Results: The findings of this study have the potential to shed light on the reasons behind increased return rates, offering e-commerce businesses valuable information to optimize their operations and enhance customer satisfaction. Conclusions: Poisson distribution is capable of analyzing the hidden patterns in the data, and hence the results of the study are beneficial for various stakeholders, including statisticians, e-commerce firms, and app developers.

Engaging lower screening groups: a field experiment to evaluate the impact of a multiwave national campaign on participation in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program

ObjectivesThis field study evaluated a multiwave media campaign that aired in 2019 to promote participation in the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP), which provides free biennial mailed-out immunochemical...

Surface water with more natural temperatures promotes physiological and endocrine changes in landlocked Atlantic salmon smolts

Hatchery salmonid smolts are often reared using groundwater with elevated temperatures to maximize growth. Previous work has shown that rearing hatchery smolts in surface water with a more natural thermal regime resulted in increased return rates of adult landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). We evaluated whether landlocked Atlantic salmon reared in surface water with a natural temperature regime have altered physiological smolt characteristics compared with fish reared in groundwater with elevated winter temperatures. Hatchery fish were sampled three consecutive years from January to May. Additional fish were released as smolts, recaptured, and compared with fry-stocked smolts. Surface water smolts had earlier peaks of plasma T4, lower T3 levels, later peak cortisol, and lower gill Na+/K+-ATPase activity as compared with groundwater smolts. After release and recapture, surface water fish had elevated plasma T4 and gill Na+/K+-ATPase activity compared with groundwater fish, but less than stream-reared fish. Elevated plasma T4 in surface water fish in the hatchery and after release may have promoted imprinting and other aspects of smolt development, contributing to the higher adult return rates of a cohort reared in surface water.

Effect of a parent agreement on return rates of Vanderbilt assessments and treatment adherence in pediatric attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder patients

AbstractObjectiveWe implemented a parent–teacher Vanderbilt agreement program to increase return rates of Vanderbilt assessment scales for children in our primary care practice, and compared the assessment return rate before and after agreement signature.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who had a signed Vanderbilt agreement and were under continuous care at our clinic. Return rates were compared 1 year before and 1 year after the agreement date.ResultsAmong 195 children, prior to the agreement, 71% returned teacher assessments, and 59% returned parent forms; after the intervention, assessment rates were not significantly different (76%,p = .255; and 65%,p = .185, respectively). The median number of returned assessments increased after the agreement.ConclusionsLack of documented parent and teacher Vanderbilt assessments remain a barrier to appropriate management of ADHD. Improving the rate of assessments returned is an important outcome for treating ADHD in the primary care setting.

Home-Based Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections: Leveraging Online Resources During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Home-Based Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections: Leveraging Online Resources During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Scalar Effects in Ground Slate Technology and the Adaptive Consequences for Circumpolar Maritime Hunter-Gatherers

Ground slate technology is a trademark of circumpolar hunter-gatherers occupying coastal ecotones. However, a causal framework for explaining what drives the apparent adaptive success of slate technology is lacking. Attempting to remedy this, the current paper provides the first palaeodemographic and environmentally informed review of a maritime slate complex. Employing what is arguably the best documented and contextually controlled slate industry in Holocene Eurasia as a high-resolution case study (the Arctic Norwegian slate industry), the system components of demography, ecology and technology are integrated to get at (1) why slate technology appears to be a particular maritime success, (2) what causal contribution slate technology makes to population-scale adaptive success, (3) why slate technology was eventually abandoned. Based on extensive empirical investigations, the results demonstrate synchronous changes in population size, maritime intensification and the use of slate technologies. It is suggested that the mechanism responsible for this correspondence is that the slate industry facilitated a heightened adaptive success, reinforcing population growth and maritime intensification. Technological results indicate that superior properties for standardization make the slate technology ideal for establishing a scale economy in maritime resource exploitation when surpassing critical thresholds in population packing. Causal modelling demonstrates that, under particular demographic and ecological conditions, the scalar properties of slate technologies can offset high- and density-dependent start-up costs, by increasing return rates and reducing handling costs of hunting/processing of marine resources. Satisfying all criteria for tool “efficiency”, it is concluded that slate industries have causal efficacy as an “enabling technology” in circumpolar, maritime settings.

Long-term impact of poultry manure on crop yield, soil and water quality, and crop revenue

A long-term poultry manure fertilizer study was initiated in 1998 and continued until 2009 under corn-soybean (CS) rotation. To match changing landscape trends, the plots were switched to continuous corn (CC) from 2010 to 2017. In both CS and CC phases, poultry manure (PM) was applied at the crop rotation recommended agronomic N rate and either half (CC phase) or double (CS phase) the recommended rate. Urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) was applied to comparison plots at the crop recommended application rate (168 kg N ha−1 and 224 kg N ha−1 for the CS and CC phases, respectively) throughout the study. The objectives of this study include evaluation of the economic benefits of long-term PM application at various rates (PM2, PM, and PM0.5), and the impact of poultry manure application on soil health and nutrient levels, crop yield, and drainage water quality. Lower NO3–N concentrations were reported in drainage from PM treated plots when compared to UAN fertilizer applied at the same agronomic rate. Of the parameters tested for soil health analysis after twenty years of repeat application, particulate organic matter (POM) present was significantly greater in the PM treated soils (6.1–6.7 g kg soil−1) when compared to UAN plots (4.6 g kg soil−1), showing potential for stabilized soil particles, increased infiltration and water-holding capacity. The results show a consistent positive impact of manure application on corn and soybean yields when compared to yields observed in UAN treated plots. During the CS phase, we estimated the same average revenue per dollar spent for PM and UAN treatments, while the average return rate for PM2 was 1% lower; during CC phase,15% increased return rates were observed when PM0.5 and PM were compared against the UAN treatment. When managed properly, PM application to cropland is a sustainable option for diversifying agroecosystems, improving soil health and improving farm economics.

Well-being and return rate of first-time whole blood donors.

Previous studies observed a transient increase in well-being in about one-third of regular donors after blood donation. In addition, personal contact with donors after donation seems to increase return rates. We were interested whether changes in well-being and/or personal contact after the first donation impact return rates of first-time donors (FTDs). First-time donors were randomized to a questionnaire group (QG), in which questionnaires assessing the well-being had to be filled in, or a control group (CG), which was not contacted with a questionnaire. The QG had to complete the same questionnaire three times at the day of the first donation and then four times over an 8-week period with reminding calls by the study coordinator. Return rates of participants were followed for 12months. A total of 102 FTDs participated in the QG and 115 in the CG. Changes in well-being after the first donation had minimal impact on the return rates. In contrast, contacting FTDs after their first donation had a significant impact on the return rate of male donors (89·2% in the QG vs. 58·3% in the CG; P=0·001). Females showed no significant difference in return rates between both groups (P=0·32). The well-being of FTDs had no influence on their return rate. The intervention of regular contacts during a research project follow-up resulted in an increased return rate of male but not of female FTDs. The pronounced difference of the impact of this intervention between male and female donors requires further studies.

US Decennial Census return rates: the role of social capital

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess whether additional information about a community’s level of social capital can help to better predict a return rate from that area, in order to better target resources to improve mail-in responses.Design/methodology/approachTwo-sample two-stage least squares is used to apply determinants of six different measures of social capital from the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey to observations in the Decennial Census (DC) which are then aggregated to the census tract level. The probability of a census tract having a high level of each social capital measure is estimated. Multivariate regression is used to identify the importance of high community social capital for predicting census mail-in return rates.FindingsThe analysis reveals that a higher level of trust contributes the most to increasing return rates and a high level of political activism decreases return rates. Additionally, higher levels of sociability contribute negatively to DC return rates, which is consistent with sociability being linked to a more insular (i.e. family and friends) focus.Practical implicationsWhile contributing statistically significantly to the predictability of census tract response rates, the cost of acquiring measures of social capital for each census tract may not to be viewed worth the gain in predictive power.Social implicationsHigher levels of trust contribute positively to survey participation, suggesting that any social, economic or political environment that diminishes trust will undercut civic engagement. Political activism and (insular) sociability decrease participation.Originality/valueThis paper combines non-public and public data to obtain measures of social capital along more dimensions than are typically studied, and finds that not all types of social capital are related to feelings of social integration in the same way.

Contrasting effects of dams with and without reservoirs on the population density of an amphidromous goby in southwestern Japan

Dam construction affects the distribution and abundance of freshwater fishes, particularly for diadromous species. Amphidromous fishes spawn in rivers, and hatched larvae descend to the sea (or standing water body such as lakes) immediately after hatching, grow there typically for a few months, and then ascend rivers as small juveniles. Landlocked populations of amphidromous fishes above dams and their migration between dam reservoirs and inlet streams (landlocked migration) have often been reported. In these cases, population density in the inlet streams may be increased by dam reservoirs, owing to reduced migration distance, which results in higher return rates. On the other hand, dams without reservoirs do not promote landlocked migration and merely act as a barrier to their upstream migration, resulting in decreased population density. In this study, we examined such contrasting effects of dams with and without reservoirs on the population density of an amphidromous goby, Rhinogobius fluviatilis, in two river systems (the Shigenobu and Yoshino Rivers) of Shikoku Island, Japan. In the Shigenobu River, where more than 300 sediment-control dams and weirs (barriers without reservoirs) have been installed, our analysis showed that the goby density decreased sharply with increasing the number of barriers higher than or equal to 2 m. On the other hand, in the Yoshino River, where we investigated both landlocked populations above water storage dams (with reservoirs) and non-landlocked populations in tributaries without water storage dams, the analysis showed that the goby density increased with decreasing the distance from standing water body (i.e. the sea or dam reservoirs). Furthermore, monthly surveys at sites above and below a water storage dam showed that the recruitment of ascending juveniles above the dam was more abundant and seasonally earlier than that below the dam, probably owing to reduced migration distance and increased return rates. Our results have implications for understanding how dams alter natural distribution patterns of amphidromous fishes.

Return of test results in Vietnam HIV sentinel surveillance: Implementation and preliminary results

ObjectiveTo describe the implementation and preliminary results of returning HIV test results to participants in Vietnam HIV sentinel surveillance.IntroductionKnowledge of one’s HIV serostatus helps improve quality of life for those who test positive and decreases the risk of HIV transmission. WHO recommends that all participants in HIV prevalence surveys be provided access to their test results, especially those who test HIV positive [1]. Anonymous Vietnam HIV sentinel surveillance (HSS), implemented since 1994, focuses on people who inject drugs (PWID), female sex workers (FSW), and men who have sex with men (MSM) [2]. According to national guidelines, the HIV testing algorithm for surveillance purposes was based on two tests whereas the diagnostic algorithm for individuals was based on three tests. Thus, surveillance test results could not be returned to participants [3] who were instead encouraged to learn their HIV serostatus by testing at public confirmatory testing sites.In 2015, a three-test strategy was applied as part of HSS so that test results could be returned to participants.MethodsIn 2015, return of HIV test results was implemented as a pilot in 16 HSS provinces. HSS participants were asked to identify which of the designated HIV testing and counselling centers (HTC) in the province was most convenient for them. Participants were then given appointment cards with an assigned survey ID to receive their test results at the chosen venue at a specific date and time. Specimens, with assigned survey IDs, were transferred to the respective HIV laboratory at the Province AIDS Center (PAC) for confirmatory testing. The same three-test algorithm was used for surveillance purposes as well as to return confirmatory test results to participants [3]. Final test results were classified as “positive”, “negative” or “indeterminate”. HIV confirmatory test results were made available at all designated HTC in the provinces within 10 days after blood collection; thus, if a participant presented at a location, date or time that differed from the appointment card, s/he could still receive the test result. In some settings in which provinces integrated HSS with either static or mobile HTC, three rapid tests were used at point-of-care so that same-day test results were available. In this case, participants received test results at the end of the specified time regardless of their infection status.At the HTC, individuals showed their appointment cards. The IDs were used to identify the correct test results which were then given verbally to participants by HTC counsellors. Test results were not returned by phone or email. Individuals who tested positive were immediately referred to HIV treatment and other available health/social services in the province.The proportion of participants who received their test results was calculated for each survey group and province.ResultsThe number of provinces that reported returning of HIV test results in 2015 and 2016 were 14 and 15, respectively. Overall, among 15,530 persons tested through HSS in 2015 and 2016, 7,354 persons returned to receive their test results. The proportion of participants who returned for test results varied by province and survey population (table 1). In some provinces where HSS was integrated with HTC, such as Hai Phong and Dong Thap, 100% of participants received their test results within a day [4].ConclusionsReturning HIV test results to HIV surveillance participants is feasible and beneficial in low-income countries like Vietnam. This enhancement facilitates participants learning their serostatus and contributes toward Vietnam’s achievement of HIV control [4]. Based on the pilot experiences, Vietnam Ministry of Health decided to extend test result notifications to all 20 HSS provinces in 2017.Key factors that contributed to the success of the activity were fast turnaround time, roles and level of commitment of PAC, and coordination between the survey and HTC. The returning rate in HSS 2015 and 2016 are promising but these could be improved further. Better coordination and commitment between the survey and HIV testing service are needed to further increase return rates so that HIV-positive individuals can learn their serostatus and be better linked to care and treatment services.

Numerical analysis of tungsten erosion and deposition processes under a DEMO divertor plasma

Erosion reduction of tungsten (W) divertor target is one of the most important research subjects for the DEMO fusion reactor design, because the divertor target has to sustain large fluence of incident particles, composed mainly of fuel ions and seeded impurities, during year-long operation period. Rate of net erosion and deposition on outer divertor target has been studied by using the integrated SOL/divertor plasma code SONIC and the kinetic full-orbit impurity transport code IMPGYRO. Two background plasmas have been used: one is lower density ni and higher temperature case and the other is higher ni and lower temperature case. Net erosion has been seen in the lower ni case. But in the higher ni case, the net erosion has been almost suppressed due to increased return rate and reduced self-sputtering yield. Following two factors are important to understand the net erosion formation: (i) ratio of the 1st ionization length of sputtered W atom to the Larmor gyro radius of W+ ion, (ii) balance between the friction force and the thermal force exerted on W ions. DEMO divertor design should take into account these factors to prevent target erosion.

Uncovering consumers’ returning behaviour: a study of fashion e-commerce

The increasing prominence of e-commerce is shaping the nature and dynamics of retailing. E-commerce offers consumers lower prices, wider product categories and a more convenient shopping experience. In addition, consumers seek ways to manage the risk that is often perceived when making purchases online, which is why retailers’ online return policies have become an increasingly important attribute through which companies compete. Lenient return policies fuel unnecessary ordering and increase return rates, which in turn has major implications both for consumer behaviour and for managing the increasingly complex ecological and economical issue of online returning. Despite its relevance, prior research has paid limited attention to this evolving phenomenon. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to explore and analyse online returning behaviour in the context of fashion merchandise. As a result, 10 categories of online returning behaviour are identified that capture the reasons why consumers actually return items they have ordered online. These categories are further linked with when the decision to return ordered items emerges. Based on the results, managerial implications are provided to give guidance in managing online returning behaviour.

What drives ‘soft deportation’? Understanding the rise in Assisted Voluntary Return among rejected asylum seekers in the Netherlands

AbstractStates experience difficulties in realizing the return of rejected asylum seekers, but migration control policies are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Against this background, we consider explanations for the increase in Assisted Voluntary Return from the Netherlands in the 2005–2011 period. Both macro‐level factors (source country societal conditions and characteristics of the Dutch “deportation regime”) and individual‐level factors (applicants' demographic characteristics and variation in status determination time) are examined. The study, which is based on a unique multilevel dataset (N = 15,682) with data from governmental and other sources (including International Organisation for Migration), is the first to quantitatively test assumed Assisted Voluntary Return determinants and contributes to the study of policy effects in migration studies. We find that states are capable of increasing return rates by expanding the use of “hard” and “soft” power. We propose the term “soft deportation” as a way to go beyond the dichotomy of “voluntary” and “forced” return.

Use of cellular phone contacts to increase return rates for immunization services in Kenya.

IntroductionIn Kenya, failure to complete immunization schedules by children who previously accessed immunization services is an obstacle to ensuring that children are fully immunized. Home visit approaches used to track defaulting children have not been successful in reducing the drop-out rate.MethodsThis study tested the use of phone contacts as an approach for tracking immunization defaulters in twelve purposively-selected facilities in three districts of western Kenya. For nine months, children accessing immunization services in the facilities were tracked and caregivers were asked their reasons for defaulting.ResultsIn all of the facilities, caregiver phone ownership was above 80%. In 11 of the 12 facilities, defaulter rates between pentavalent1 and pentavalent3 vaccination doses reduced significantly to within the acceptable level of < 10%. Caregivers provided reliable contact information and health workers positively perceived phone-based defaulter communications. Tracking a defaulter required on average 2 minutes by voice and Ksh 6 ($ 0.07). Competing tasks and concerns about vaccinating sick children and side-effects were the most cited reasons for caregivers defaulting. Notably, a significant number of children categorised as defaulters had been vaccinated in a different facility (and were therefore “false defaulters”).ConclusionUse of phone contacts for follow-up is a feasible and cost-effective method for tracking defaulters. This approach should complement traditional home visits, especially for caregivers without phones. Given communication-related reasons for defaulting, it is important that immunization programs scale-up community education activities. A system for health facilities to share details of defaulting children should be established to reduce “false defaulters”.

Blood donor to inactive donor transition in the Basel region between 1996 and 2011: a retrospective cohort study.

For the prevention of blood shortages, it is essential for blood banks to design and implement donor recruitment and donor retention strategies that take into account the determinants of donor return. We studied the behaviour of first-time blood donors in the region of Basel, Switzerland, between 1996 and 2011 and described factors associated with transition from active to inactive donor in two successive first-time donor cohorts (1996-2002, 2003-2008). The risk of becoming an inactive donor was associated with being younger and female, not being a 0-negative donor and living in an urban area. Over time, hazards of becoming an inactive donor were converging for individuals living in non-urban and urban areas as were those of younger and older donors. After their first donation, 73.6% and 67.5% of males in the 1996-2002 and 2003-2008 cohorts, respectively, donated at least once in the following 24 months. The proportion of returning female donors was 71.8% and 65.4%, respectively. The increased volatility of first-time blood donors suggests that marketing actions and strategies aimed at increasing return rates should be reinforced, especially for younger and female blood donors.

Evidence for bottom–up trophic effects on return rates to a second spawning for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from the Miramichi River, Canada

Abstract Chaput, G., and Benoît, H. P. 2012. Evidence for bottom–up trophic effects on return rates to a second spawning for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from the Miramichi River, Canada. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 1656–1667. Increased return rates of consecutive repeat-spawning Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) have been noted in the Miramichi River during the past two decades, and the short period for their reconditioning at sea suggests that they occupy the southern Gulf of St Lawrence ecosystem. A 40-year time-series of observations was used to examine linkages between return rates to a second spawning for Atlantic salmon in the Miramichi River and changes in the small fish community of the southern Gulf of St Lawrence that is potential prey for adult salmon. The positive association between the variations in the return rates of repeat spawners and the variations in the small fish biomass index early in the reconditioning year at sea provides evidence that abundant food supplies after return to sea following first spawning may be beneficial for the survival of Atlantic salmon to a second consecutive spawning. In contrast, no association was found between prey availability and return rates of alternate repeat spawners that presumably recondition outside the Gulf of St Lawrence.

Relationship between first-year blood donation, return rate for subsequent donation and demographic characteristics.

The aim of this study was to determine any relationships between return rates of first-time donors, number of donations in the first year and the donors' demographic characteristics. Data from 1,500 volunteer, first-time donors who donated blood at Shiraz Blood Transfusion Centre (Iran) were obtained from the donor database. The donors' demographic characteristics (sex, age, educational status) and donation histories were obtained for a 3-year period and the number of donations and interval between the first donation and the following donation within a 1-year period were recorded. We searched for correlations between return rate and demographic characteristics and the number of donations in the first, second and third years. The data were analysed with the chi-squared test, multiple logistic regression and Spearman's correlation tests. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. More than half of the first-time donors returned to donate again (n=776, 51.7%) during the 3 years after the first donation. The mean number of donations in the whole 3-year period was 0.69±0.49, while it was 1.33±0.62 (median 1) in the first year, 0.4±0.7 (median 0) in the second, and 0.3±0.65 (median 0) in the third year. The return rate was directly correlated with the number of donations in the first year (r=0.74, P<0.001). The return rate increased as the interval between the first and second donations decreased (P<0.05, OR=1.03). The return rate was higher for male donors and single donors (P<0.05), but was not related to age or educational level (P>0.05). In this study 51.7% of first-time donors returned to donate again, a high figure indicating the success of our recruitment strategy. Understanding the importance of the number of donations in the first year for donors' return rate and planning recruitment programs and more effective measures to encourage donors in the first year may help to increase return rates.

Effect of effort and deadlines on consumer product returns

While extant research has examined return policies as a combination of time and effort, we investigate both the independent and interactive impacts of time and effort on consumer decisions to return or retain products. We find that decreasing return deadlines can have the counterintuitive effect of increasing return rates under some conditions. Using construal level theory, we propose that perceived effort (both physical and cognitive) mediates the effect of return policy on return rates leading to suppressed returns. Further, when deadlines are framed as durations between store visits, overall product returns are exacerbated except when perceived effort is high.

Modeling Single Establishment Firm Returns to the 2007 Economic Census

The Economic Census is one of the most important activities that the U.S. Census Bureau performs. It is critical for updating firm ownership structure and industry information for a large number of businesses in the Census Bureau’s Business Register, impacting most other economic programs. We model the check-in rate for single-establishment firms by using a large number of variables that might be correlated with whether or not a firm returns a form in the Economic Census. These variables are broadly categorized as the characteristics of firms, measures of external factors, and the features of the survey design. We use the model for two purposes. First, by studying many of the factors that may be correlated with returns we aim to focus limited advertising and outreach resources to low-return segments of the population. Second, we use the model to investigate the efficacy of an unplanned intervention targeted at increasing return rates: using certified mailing for one of the form follow-ups.