Lower Efficiency Scores Research Articles

Efficiency and somatic cell count: Unraveling Holstein cow productivity through stochastic frontier modeling

The yield and quality decrease due to high somatic cell counts caused by mastitis, and this also negatively affects the profitability, efficiency, and sustainability of dairy farms. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of somatic cell counts on yield, milk chemicals, and the technical efficiency of Holstein dairy cows. A total of 165 lactating cows were involved in the research, and all cows were fed the diets as a total mixed ration three times a day. Milk samples were collected each day during milking and analyzed for chemical composition and somatic cell counts (SCC). The daily milk production of each cow was obtained from the SCR herd management program, which is integrated with the parlor. In conclusion, it was determined that for each group, the efficiency scores, SCC, and milk yield of cows varied between 0.80 and 0.99, 322.000 and 557.857 cells/mL, and 33.13 and 48.90 Kg/d, respectively; they also differed significantly in each group. Considering the findings, milk production can be increased by 7% without changing any input. Additionally, every 1% decrease in SCC will increase the efficiency of milk production by 0.55%. Cows with low technical efficiency (TE) scores produced 2.87 kg/d/cow less milk compared to animals with high TE. Reducing the SCC of the group with a low TE (456.878 cells/mL) to a SCC of high TE (438.869 cells/mL) will increase milk yield by 2.87 kg/d/cow on average. In conclusion, minimizing losses due to mastitis is paramount for enhancing dairy farm efficiency. This research underscores the interplay between TE and udder health, providing a comprehensive understanding of individual cow performance. Addressing inefficiencies and promoting udder health can significantly contribute to sustainable and economically viable dairy farming practices. Keywords: Dairy farm; Mastitis; Somatic cell count; Stochastic frontier analysis; Technical efficiency

Financial Performance Evaluation of Small Finance Banks: A CAMEL Analysis

Small finance banks (SFBs) are a special category of banks incepted by the Reserve Bank of India in 2015 to cater to the financial needs of the underserved population of the country with the aim of financial inclusion. They serve the priority sector and the unorganised sector of the country. This article analyses and evaluates the performance of these banks on the basis of various financial parameters such as capital adequacy, asset management, management quality, earning quality and liquidity derived from the CAMEL framework. Following a robust evaluation methodology, namely data envelopment analysis (DEA), a sample of all the SFBs operating in India to date is taken. As per the composite rating of CAMEL, results show that the majority of SFBs exhibit satisfactory performance. Utkarsh SFB Limited is ranked at the first position and is followed by Fincare SFB Limited on the second position. Jana SFB Limited stands at the last position amongst all the banks, preceded by ESAF SFB Limited. The results of DEA show average inefficiency among SFBs. The calculated efficiency scores of SFBs highlight that Capital SFB, Fincare SFB, Jana SFB, Shivalik SFB and Utkarsh SFB are the most efficient banks, with a technical efficiency score of 1. ESAF SFB has the lowest efficiency score. Scale inefficiency is the major reason for inefficiency. The study provides valuable insights to the authorities, managers and investors about the performance of these banks and gives them a future vision of the sustenance of these banks.

The relation between efficiency of credit operation and non-performing loans—An application of network DEA model with undesirable outputs

To evaluate the efficiency of decision-making units, researchers continually develop models simulating the production process of organizations. This study formulates a network model integrating undesirable outputs to measure the efficiency of Vietnam’s banking industry. Employing methodologies from the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach, the efficiency scores for these banks are subsequently computed and comparatively analyzed. The empirical results indicate that the incorporation of undesirable output variables in the efficiency evaluation model leads to significantly lower efficiency scores compared to the conventional DEA model. In practical terms, the study unveils a deterioration in the efficiency of banking operations in Vietnam during the post-Covid era, primarily attributed to deficiencies in credit risk management. These findings contribute to heightening awareness among bank managers regarding the pivotal importance of credit management activities.

Does chronic urticaria affect quality of sleep and quality of life?

Urticaria affects a wide range of daily activities and social relationships. It has a severe impact on quality of life (QOL) and causes psychological problems. was to assess the impact of chronic urticaria (CU) on quality of sleep, the levels of depression, anxiety, QOL and their interaction with each other and their relation to disease related factors. The study included 25 patients with CU and 25 healthy controls. Urticaria Activity Score (UAS) was used for objective evaluation of the intensity of urticaria. Patients completed a 10-cm visual analogue score (VAS) indicating the overall severity of their itching over the previous 2 weeks. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was used to evaluate patients' QOL. Patients were also assessed for anxiety and depression with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used for evaluation of sleep quality and sleep disturbances. In our CU patients the mean of UAS7 score was 39.72 ± 2.76 and the mean of VAS score was 28 ± 1.34. The mean of DLQI score was 24.8 ± 4.37 indicating severe impact of QOL. CU patients had higher total HADS score when compared to controls; 72% of the patients had depression and 92% had anxiety. By using PSQI, CU patients had significantly longer sleep latency onset, shorter total sleep duration, lower sleep efficiency and higher PSQI scores compared to controls. CU highly affects the QOL of patients and is associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression and poor sleep quality.

A comparison of chance-constrained data envelopment analysis, stochastic nonparametric envelopment of data and bootstrap method: A case study of cultural regeneration performance of cities

This study comprehensively compares three efficiency measurement methods—chance-constrained data envelopment analysis (CCDEA), stochastic nonparametric envelopment of data (StoNED), and the bootstrap method—in the context of the cultural regeneration performance of cities. The research examines these methods’ methodological differences, advantages, and disadvantages with a focus on uncertainty handling, production function assumptions, and computational requirements. The analysis reveals that CCDEA and the bootstrap method yield similar efficiency scores, while StoNED tends to produce lower efficiency scores. Furthermore, regions exhibit higher value-creation efficiency of cultural and creative industry than operational management efficiency, thus highlighting the untapped potential for improving value creation in cultural regeneration projects. This comprehensive comparison enables researchers and practitioners to further understand the nuances among these methods and select the most suitable method for their specific needs and objectives when evaluating the performance of cultural regeneration projects or other applications.

On the fourth-order hybrid beta polynomial kernels in kernel density estimation

This paper introduces a novel family of fourth-order hybrid beta polynomial kernels tailored for statistical analysis. The efficacy of these kernels is evaluated using two principal performance metrics: asymptotic mean integrated squared error (AMISE) and kernel efficiency. Comprehensive assessments were conducted using both simulated and real-world datasets, enabling a thorough comparison with conventional fourth-order polynomial kernels. The evaluation process entailed computing AMISE and efficiency metrics for both the hybrid and classical kernels. Consistently, the results illustrated the superior performance of the hybrid kernels over their classical counterparts across diverse datasets, underscoring the robustness and effectiveness of the hybrid approach. By leveraging these performance metrics and conducting evaluations on simulated and real world data, this study furnishes compelling evidence supporting the superiority of the proposed hybrid beta polynomial kernels. The heightened performance, evidenced by lower AMISE values and elevated efficiency scores, strongly advocates for the adoption of the proposed kernels in statistical analysis tasks, presenting a marked improvement over traditional kernels.

CIPP Model Approach to School-Based Management Program Evaluation

This study is an evaluative study using the CIPP model to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing the School-based Management program at the 1 Sukasada State High School. The subjects involved 70 respondents, including the head of the school, teachers, entrepreneurs, students, and school committees. Data processing is performed in a descriptive quantitative manner with simple statistical analysis and tabulation, following the National Department of Education standards. The results showed a context component score of 2,973, an input of 3,604, a process of 2,892, and a product (output and outcomes) of 2,495. The results of the observations show that the conditions of the community and the potential of the area are very supportive of the development of schools. However, of the 483 alumni, only 230 (46.75%) were traceable, with 27.39% working according to competence and 20.87% continuing education. Low output quality is affected by the efficiency of processes, contexts, and inputs, resulting in low school performance efficiency scores. Thus, the effectiveness of the implementation of School-based Management in the State High School 1 Sukasada was assessed as unsatisfactory. It is recommended that managers improve planning, consider market needs, and improve the effectiveness of implementation and evaluation of School-Based Management programs in the school.

Հայաստանի տնտեսական արդյունավետության պարամետրային և ոչ պարամետրային գնահատումը / Parametric and non-parametric evaluation of economic efficiency of Armenia

In modern economics, two main approaches are used to measure production efficiency: frontier and non-frontier. Each of them can be calculated in parametric and non-parametric ways. The non-frontier approach is based on the theory that the country is technically efficient, in other words, the actual output itself is the maximum possible output. Whereas, according to the frontier approach, efficiency is defined as the actual output's score relative to the production frontier, which is considered a tangible advantage over the non-frontier approach. Based on the data of 2000-2021, for 47 middle-income countries, including Armenia, we calculated the GDP production efficiency of each country in parametric and non-parametric ways using the stochastic frontier model and the Malmquist index, respectively. Armenia has a lower efficiency score than the average for the countries studied for the period under review, however, in terms of efficiency growth, the country's rating is relatively high. In the first ten years of the observed period, the increase in the RA standard of living was not caused by an increase in efficiency, unlike the next decade. The efficiency of RA GDP production is mainly determined by technical efficiency. The country needs to expand production frontier and improve scale efficiency.

Detroit Interventional Pain Assessment Scale: A Pain Score and Method for Measuring and Evaluating Post-Operative Pain Management-A Prospective Study.

Background and Objectives: Orthopedic surgeons commonly prescribe opioids, surpassing all medical specialties. Our objective was to develop a pain management scale that captures medication use, patient-reported pain scores, and helps orthopedic surgeons evaluate their post-operative prescribing practice. Materials and Methods: An IRB-approved prospective study followed 502 post-operative orthopedic surgery patients over a six-month period. All patients were surveyed in an orthopedic clinic at a Level 1 US Trauma Center, during a routine follow-up. Patient pain satisfaction was assessed using the validated Interventional Pain Assessment (IPA) scale, which uses three categories: 0 (no pain), 1 (tolerable pain), and 2 (intolerable pain). Daily narcotic use was translated to morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) using the Michigan Automated Prescription System (MAPS) narcotics registry. When patient pain satisfaction and narcotic usage were combined, this scale was called the Detroit Interventional Pain Assessment (DIPA) scale. Results: The five classes based on common prescription and usage of narcotics in this cohort include the following: A (no pain medication), B (over-the-counter medication), C (occasional use of short-acting narcotics 1-30 MMEs), D (consistent/regular use of short-acting narcotics 31-79 MMEs), and E (long-duration or stronger short-acting narcotics 80+ MMEs). Patients were most satisfied with their pain management at six weeks (80.5%) and three months (75.65%), and least satisfied at two weeks (62.5%) and six months (60.9%). Additional information displayed on the DIPA graph revealed there was a significant decrease in the percentage of patients on narcotics at two weeks (65.2%) to six months (32.6%) at p < 0.001. Conclusions: The DIPA pain scale shows the relationship between patient pain perception and opioid prescription/usage, while also tracking prescriber tendencies. Providers were able to visualize their post-operative pain management progression at each designated clinic visit with corresponding alphabetical daily MME categories. In this study, results suggest that surgeons were not effective at managing the pain of patients at two weeks post-operative, which is attributed to an inadequate number of pain pills prescribed upon discharge. Overall, the DIPA graph signaled that better pain management interventions are necessitated in periods with lower efficiency scores.

Measuring efficiency of public hospitals under the impact of Covid-19: the case of Türkiye

The Covid-19 pandemic has had serious medical, administrative and financial effects on the health system and hospitals around the world. In Türkiye, compared to 2019 realizations, in 2020 and 2021 respectively there were 39% and 21% decrease in the number of outpatient services and 29% and 17% decline in total inpatient services of public hospitals. The main subject of this research is how the pandemic period affects the Turkish public hospitals’ efficiency. We have measured the technical efficiency of outpatient and inpatient care services of Turkish public hospitals using Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA). The dataset includes 563 hospitals for the years 2015 through 2021. Inputs of number of physicians, nurses and other medical staff, and number of beds and their interactions with each other are introduced to the SFA models of outputs of outpatient visits and inpatient discharges adjusted with case mix index are derived. Firstly, we found that the years associated with Covid-19 have a significant negative impact on the inpatient service efficiency. Training and Research and City Hospitals have low efficiency scores in outpatient services but high efficiency scores in inpatient services. In addition, the regions with high population rates have positive impact in outpatient efficiency and negative impact in inpatient efficiency. During the pandemic, city hospitals, have received large investments, gained a key role by increasing both the patient load and their efficiency. Future reforms can be guided by taking advantage of the efficiency differences of hospitals in different environmental factors.

Measuring network efficiency of the aquaculture value chain in Turkey

The objectives of this study were: (i) to analyze trout and sea bream/sea bass value chains in Turkey; (ii) to estimate the overall efficiency of trout and sea bream/sea bass value chains in Turkey by market type; (iii)to compare the profit margins and individual efficiency levels of producers, wholesalers, and retailers within each value chain. Research data sources were fish farms producing trout and sea bream/sea bass, as well as processors, wholesalers, exporters, and retailers along the value chain. Producer-level data were collected from 30 cultured fish farms in the Muğla province, using a simple random sampling method. Other actor-level data were identified using the snowball technique based on the response of the previous actor. Value chain analysis was conducted using the Porter model. A multi-stage network Data Envelopment Analysis model was used to estimate overall efficiency. Research results showed that in the domestic market, producers added the most value to both trout and sea bream/sea bass value chains while gaining the lowest total net profit. In the overseas market, sea bream/sea bass producers added the most value to the value chain, but gained a smaller total net profit than retailers. Trout producers added the second most value to the value chain but obtained a lower total net profit than retailers and processors. Research results also showed that retailers had the highest net profit margin in both value chains in the overseas market. In the domestic value chain, producers and wholesalers had the highest net profit margins in the sea bream/sea bass market, while producers had the highest net profit margin in the trout market. Based on the network efficiency analysis results for the domestic fresh fish market, the individual efficiency score of intermediaries increased as fish moved from producers toward the other links in the network. Producers had the lowest efficiency score in the overseas processed fish market. This study suggests carrying out holistic training and education, focused on creating fair value chains for fresh and processed fish with the cooperation of all parties. This would increase both the overall efficiency of value chain networks and the individual efficiency of intermediaries. Building a more collaborative culture among fish farmers, processors, exporters, and retailers along the fresh and processed fish value chains, and promoting communication between them, can also lead to increased efficiency of intermediaries.

Cognitive impairment in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 and short duration myalgic encephalomyelitis patients is mediated by orthostatic hemodynamic changes.

Cognitive impairment is experienced by people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). Patients report difficulty remembering, concentrating, and making decisions. Our objective was to determine whether orthostatic hemodynamic changes were causally linked to cognitive impairment in these diseases. This prospective, observational cohort study enrolled PASC, ME/CFS, and healthy controls. All participants underwent clinical evaluation and assessment that included brief cognitive testing before and after an orthostatic challenge. Cognitive testing measured cognitive efficiency which is defined as the speed and accuracy of subject's total correct responses per minute. General linear mixed models were used to analyze hemodynamics and cognitive efficiency during the orthostatic challenge. Additionally, mediation analysis was used to determine if hemodynamic instability induced during the orthostatic challenge mediated the relationship between disease status and cognitive impairment. Of the 276 participants enrolled, 256 were included in this study (34 PASC, 71 < 4 year duration ME/CFS, 69 > 10 year ME/CFS duration, and 82 healthy controls). Compared to healthy controls, the disease cohorts had significantly lower cognitive efficiency scores immediately following the orthostatic challenge. Cognitive efficiency remained low for the >10 year ME/CFS 2 and 7 days after orthostatic challenge. Narrow pulse pressure less than 25% of systolic pressure occurred at 4 and 5 min into the orthostatic challenge for the PASC and ME/CFS cohorts, respectively. Abnormally narrow pulse pressure was associated with slowed information processing in PASC patients compared to healthy controls (-1.5, p = 0.04). Furthermore, increased heart rate during the orthostatic challenge was associated with a decreased procedural reaction time in PASC and < 4 year ME/CFS patients who were 40 to 65 years of age. For PASC patients, both their disease state and hemodynamic changes during orthostatic challenge were associated with slower reaction time and decreased response accuracy during cognitive testing. Reduced cognitive efficiency in <4 year ME/CFS patients was associated with higher heart rate in response to orthostatic stress. Hemodynamic changes did not correlate with cognitive impairment for >10 year ME/CFS patients, but cognitive impairment remained. These findings underscore the need for early diagnosis to mitigate direct hemodynamic and other physiological effects on symptoms of cognitive impairment.

Data Envelopment Analysis for the Efficiency of Higher Education Departments at Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, Indonesia

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The quality of higher education is vital for a country’s future, not only in terms of transferring knowledge to younger generation but also for supporting economic development. This paper applies data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the relative efficiency of 38 academic departments at Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, Surabaya, Indonesia. The input factors are the number of lecturers, the number of staff and budget allocations, whereas the output is the performance achievement level. The empirical analysis incorporates two traditional DEA models: the Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes (CCR) and the Banker, Charnes and Cooper (BCC) models with input orientation. The results indicate that the CCR model considers five departments efficient while the BCC model considers ten departments efficient, five of which are those considered efficient by the CCR model. It may seem counterintuitive that a department with an output performance achievement below 100% is deemed efficient, and vice versa. However, the underlying principle of efficiency under input-oriented DEA model is resource utilization. Finally, we provide recommendations for the departments with low efficiency scores to improve their performance.&lt;/p&gt;

PD30-04 SURGICAL GESTURES TO MEASURE SURGICAL DISSECTION PERFORMANCE IN APICAL DISSECTION OF ROBOT-ASSISTED RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023PD30-04 SURGICAL GESTURES TO MEASURE SURGICAL DISSECTION PERFORMANCE IN APICAL DISSECTION OF ROBOT-ASSISTED RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY Maxwell X. Otiato, Runzhuo Ma, Timothy N. Chu, Elyssa Y. Wong, Christian Wagner, and Andrew J. Hung Maxwell X. OtiatoMaxwell X. Otiato More articles by this author , Runzhuo MaRunzhuo Ma More articles by this author , Timothy N. ChuTimothy N. Chu More articles by this author , Elyssa Y. WongElyssa Y. Wong More articles by this author , Christian WagnerChristian Wagner More articles by this author , and Andrew J. HungAndrew J. Hung More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003316.04AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Surgical performance impacts patient outcomes, yet ideal performance is challenging to objectively quantify. Previously, we established a surgical gesture classification system that deconstructs robotic tissue dissection into discrete basic surgical maneuvers. Here, we evaluate surgical gestures as a novel assessment method by correlating this metric with surgeon experience and technical skill assessment scores in the apical dissection (AD) of robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). METHODS: RARPs from 2016-2018 across two international institutions were included. After standardized training, raters decoded AD surgical videos with surgical gestures. Surgeons were grouped into two experience levels by the median robotic caseload (range 80-5,800 cases; median 475 cases). The less experienced group performed <475 robotic cases and more experienced group performed ≥475 robotic cases. Videos were assessed by a validated assessment tool, Dissection Assessment for Robotic Technique (DART), which contains six domains. A Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare surgical gesture proportion with DART scores from surgeons of different experience levels. Spearman’s correlation coefficients were used to assess the associations between surgical gesture usage and DART. RESULTS: In total, 78 surgical videos from 20 surgeons were included. More experienced surgeons (n=10) utilized larger proportions of cold cut (50% vs 39%, p=0.008) and smaller proportions of peel/push (12% vs 25%, p=0.02) than less experienced surgeons (n=10). Correlations between the surgical gestures and technical skills assessments ranged from -0.40 to 0.32 using the Spearman’s correlation coefficient (p<0.05, Figure 1b). Surgeons who utilized more retraction gestures had a lower retraction score, efficiency score, and total DART score (all p<0.05). Those who used more discrete gestures and spent more time per gesture had a lower efficiency score (both p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons of different experience levels use different surgical gestures during AD. Significant correlations were demonstrated between surgical gestures and dissection technical skills. Surgical gestures can serve as a novel method to teach and evaluate dissection skill. Source of Funding: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01CA273031. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e832 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Maxwell X. Otiato More articles by this author Runzhuo Ma More articles by this author Timothy N. Chu More articles by this author Elyssa Y. Wong More articles by this author Christian Wagner More articles by this author Andrew J. Hung More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

The evolution and determinants of Chinese inter-provincial green development efficiency: an MCSE-DEA-Tobit-based perspective.

Continuous and rapid economic development has brought about excessive resource consumption and environmental pollution. Therefore, it is particularly essential to coordinate economic, resource, and environmental factors to achieve sustainable development. This paper develops a new data envelopment analysis (DEA) method that can be used for multi-level complex system evaluation (MCSE-DEA) to reveal the inter-provincial green development efficiency (GDE) in China from 2010 to 2018. Moreover, the Tobit model is applied to explore the influencing factors of GDE. We found that (i) the MCSE-DEA model tends to have lower efficiency scores than the traditional P-DEA (panel data envelopment analysis) model, and the top three provinces are Shanghai, Tianjin, and Fujian; (ii) the efficiency shows an increasing trend during the whole study period. The southeast region and the Middle Yangtze River region have the highest efficiency values, reaching 1.09, while the northwest region ranks last with an average efficiency value of 0.66. Shanghai performs the best, while Ningxia performs the worst, with efficiency values of 1.43 and 0.58, respectively; (iii) the provinces with lower efficiency values mainly come from economically underdeveloped remote regions, which can be attributed to issues of water consumption (WC) and energy consumption (EC). Moreover, there are much room for improvement in solid waste emissions (SW) and soot and industrial dust emissions (SD); (iv) the environmental investment, R&D investment, and economic development level can significantly improve GDE, while industrial structure, urbanization level, and energy consumption have inhibiting effects.

Benchmarking the operational efficiency of Mexican hospitals – a longitudinal study

PurposeThis study aims to benchmark the operational efficiency of fifty-eight public hospitals across Mexico between 2015 and 2018 and identifies the most critical inputs affecting their efficiency. In doing so, the study analyzes the impact of policy changes in the Mexican healthcare system introduced in recent years.Design/methodology/approachTo measure the operational efficiency of Mexican public hospitals, data envelopment analysis (DEA) window analysis variable returns to scale (VRS) methodology using longitudinal data collected from the National Institute for Transparency and Access to Information (IFAI). Hospital groups are developed and compared using a categorization approach according to their average and most recent efficiency.FindingsResults show that most of the hospitals in the study fall in the moving ahead category. The hospitals in the losing momentum or falling behind categories are mostly large units. Hospitals with initially low efficiency scores have either increased their efficiency or at least maintained a steady improvement. Finally, the findings indicate that most hospitals classified as moving ahead focused on a single care area (cancer, orthopedic care, child care and trauma).Research limitations/implicationsThis study examined the technical efficiency of the Mexican healthcare system over a four-year period. Contrary to conventional belief, results indicate that most public Mexican hospitals are managed efficiently. However, recent changes in public and economic policies that came into effect in the current administration (2018) will likely have long-lasting effects on the hospitals' operational efficiency, which could impact the results of this study.Originality/valueTo the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examines the efficiency of the complex Mexican healthcare system using longitudinal data.

High vagally mediated resting-state heart rate variability is associated with superior working memory function.

Heart rate variability (HRV), a cardiac vagal tone indicator, has been proven to predict performance on some cognitive tasks that rely on the prefrontal cortex. However, the relationship between vagal tone and working memory remains understudied. This study explores the link between vagal tone and working memory function, combined with behavioral tasks and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). A total of 42 undergraduate students were tested for 5-min resting-state HRV to obtain the root mean square of successive differences (rMSSD) data, and then divided into high and low vagal tone groups according to the median of rMSSD data. The two groups underwent the n-back test, and fNIRS was used to measure the neural activity in the test state. ANOVA and the independent sample t-test were performed to compare group mean differences, and the Pearson correlation coefficient was used for correlation analysis. The high vagal tone group had a shorter reaction time, higher accuracy, lower inverse efficiency score, and lower oxy-Hb concentration in the bilateral prefrontal cortex in the working memory tasks state. Furthermore, there were associations between behavioral performance, oxy-Hb concentration, and resting-state rMSSD. Our findings suggest that high vagally mediated resting-state HRV is associated with working memory performance. High vagal tone means a higher efficiency of neural resources, beneficial to presenting a better working memory function.

Energy efficiency of drinking water treatment plants: A methodological approach for its ranking

Drinking water treatment systems (DWTSs) are energy intensive facilities, and are an example of the water-energy nexus. Benchmarking energy efficiency is a valuable tool for improving the economic and environmental performance of such facilities. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is typically used to assess efficiency, allocating flexible weights (FSW) to variables that maximise energy efficiency scores for each DWTS (DEA-FSW). It means that different conditions are applied to each DWTS. Moreover, the DEA-FSW approach has finite discriminatory power which limits cross-unit comparison of energy efficiency hindering the benchmarking of DWTSs. To overcome these limitations, our study explored the effect of estimating the energy efficiency scores of DWTSs by allocating common sets of weights (CSW) within DEA (DEA-CSW). This approach was applied empirically on a sample of 146 DWTSs. Evaluated DWTSs had poor energetic performance based on both DEA-FSW and DEA-CSW estimates (low energy efficiency scores: 0.329 and 0.163, respectively). Even in the optimistic scenario, the average energy efficiency score was low (0.220), with potential electricity savings of 78 % by DWTPs when energy efficient. Unlike DEA-FSW, DEA-CSW allowed energy efficient DWTSs to be distinguished from the 146 facilities. Significant differences in the weights allocated to electricity and pollutants removed from raw water were reported for both approaches, and contributed to diverging energy efficiency scores. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the relevance of using suitable methods to generate comparable results for water companies, allowing the energy performance of DWTSs to be objectively evaluated for benchmarking purposes.

Brighter Time: A Smartphone App Recording Cognitive Task Performance and Illuminance in Everyday Life.

Light is an influential regulator of behavioural and physiological state in mammals. Features of cognitive performance such as memory, vigilance and alertness can be altered by bright light exposure under laboratory and field conditions. However, the importance of light as a regulator of performance in everyday life is hard to assess and has so far remained largely unclear. We set out to address this uncertainty by developing a tool to capture measures of cognitive performance and light exposure, at scale, and during everyday life. To this end, we generated an app (Brighter Time) which incorporated a psychomotor vigilance (PVT), an N-back and a visual search task with questionnaire-based assessments of demographic characteristics, general health, chronotype and sleep. The app also measured illuminance during task completion using the smartphone’s intrinsic light meter. We undertook a pilot feasibility study of Brighter Time based on 91-week-long acquisition phases within a convenience sample (recruited by local advertisements and word of mouth) running Brighter Time on their own smartphones over two study phases in winter and summer. Study compliance was suitable (median = 20/21 requested task completions per subject). Statistically significant associations were observed between subjective sleepiness and performance in all tasks. Significant daily variations in PVT and visual search performance were also observed. Higher illuminance was associated with reduced reaction time and lower inverse efficiency score in the visual search. Brighter Time thus represents a viable option for large-scale collection of cognitive task data in everyday life, and is able to reveal associations between task performance and sleepiness, time of day and current illuminance. Brighter Time’s utility could be extended to exploring associations with longer-term patterns of light exposure and/or other light metrics by integrating with wearable light meters.

Eco-efficiency assessment under natural and managerial disposability: an empirical application for Chilean water companies.

Getting a good understanding regarding the economic and environmental performance of water utilities is of great importance to achieve the goal of an efficient and sustainable industry. In this study, we apply the range adjusted measure (RAM) data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to evaluate the integrated (production and environmental) efficiency of several water utilities located in Chile. Integrated efficiency is evaluated using the concepts of natural and managerial disposability. This approach further allows us to quantify the contribution of each input and undesirable product on efficiency scores. The results highlighted that the Chilean water industry showed high levels of production and environmental efficiency over time. Under natural disposability, water utilities could control production costs to reduce water leakage and unplanned water supply interruptions by 3.3% on average. Under managerial disposability, water utilities could further cut down undesirable outputs by 1.4% on average by adopting best managerial practices. On average, potential savings in operating costs, employment, water leakage, and unplanned water supply interruptions were higher for concessionary utilities as they showed slightly lower efficiency scores than full private utilities.