Mean Effect Size Research Articles

Digital Full-Arch Implant-Supported Polymethyl Methacrylate Interim Prosthesis: A Practice-Based Cohort Study on Survival and Quality of Life.

To evaluate the clinical survival and impact on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of immediate loading of implant-supported full-arch CAD/CAM-milled PMMA interim restorations. This was a practice-based prospective cohort study performed in a Portuguese dental clinic. Eleven patients received a total of 17 CAD/CAM fully implant-supported, screw-retained, full-arch restorations with milled PMMA and were followed up for 1 year. The primary outcome was prosthesis survival, determined with a modification of the California Dental Association score and a Kaplan-Meier survival function analysis. The secondary outcome was the patient quality of life, as defined by application of the OHIP-14-PT questionnaire and standardized effect size variation between two visits. Significance was set at 5%. Survival probability at 12 months was 76%, complete fracture of the prosthesis occurred in 17.6% of the cases, and small fractures without lab involvement occurred in 5.9% of cases. There was a significant improvement in OHRQoL between visit 1 and visit 4. The mean difference and effect size for total OHIP-14-PT score were -32.91 ± 3.68 and 3.66 (95% CI -1.83 to -5.80) respectively (P < .001* Wilcoxon matched paired rank test). Fullarch implant-supported CAD/CAM-milled PMMA interim prosthesis seem to be a viable approach with good survival rate and great impact on patient OHRQoL.

Teaching and learning floating and sinking: A meta‐analysis

AbstractFloating and sinking (FS) is a key topic in science education, both at primary and secondary levels. The interpretation of FS phenomena, however, is challenging due to the difficulty of the scientific concepts and explanatory models involved (e.g., density, buoyancy), along with students' everyday experiences, which conflict with scientific explanations. Consequently, many studies over the last few decades have investigated how FS could be taught effectively to students of different ages while utilizing multiple teaching approaches. This meta‐analysis summarizes findings from 69 intervention studies on teaching FS conducted between 1977 and 2021. Over all studies, we estimated a mean effect size of g = 0.85 (95% CI = 0.71, 0.99). This large effect size demonstrates that, although FS is a challenging concept, teaching FS is effective even in elementary school. Moreover, in a moderator analysis, we investigate the effect of intervention characteristics, students' age, as well as study design, and assessment features on the mean study effect size. To analyze the effect of these moderator variables, we use a three‐level hierarchical meta‐regression model for dealing with multiple effect sizes from single studies. We found two intervention characteristics that explain variance in study effect sizes: longer lasting interventions result in larger effect sizes and interventions where hands‐on experiments are applied are more effective than those utilizing virtual experiments. Furthermore, studies with a treatment‐control group comparison have significantly smaller effect sizes than studies with a pre‐post design. We discuss the implications of our findings regarding the moderator variables for effective teaching of FS and further research on FS.

Antecedents predicting digital contact tracing acceptance: a systematic review and meta-analysis

An awareness of antecedents of acceptance of digital contact tracing (DCT) can enable healthcare authorities to design appropriate strategies for fighting COVID-19 or other infectious diseases that may emerge in the future. However, mixed results about these antecedents are frequently reported. Most prior DCT acceptance review studies lack statistical synthesis of their results. This study aims to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of antecedents of DCT acceptance and investigate potential moderators of these antecedents. By searching multiple databases and filtering studies by using both inclusion and exclusion criteria, 76 and 25 studies were included for systematic review and meta-analysis, respectively. Random-effects models were chosen to estimate meta-analysis results since Q, I2, and H index signified some degree of heterogeneity. Fail-safe N was used to assess publication bias. Most DCT acceptance studies have focused on DCT related factors. Included antecedents are all significant predictors of DCT acceptance except for privacy concerns and fear of COVID-19. Subgroup analysis showed that individualism/collectivism moderate the relationships between norms/privacy concerns and intention to use DCT. Based on the results, the mean effect size of antecedents of DCT acceptance and the potential moderators may be more clearly identified. Appropriate strategies for boosting the DCT acceptance rate can be proposed accordingly.

Treatment of post-burn pruritus – A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundPost-burn pruritus is one of the most common complaints reported by patients with limited evidence for a gold-standard treatment. ObjectiveTo review the literature and assess the efficacy of various interventions in treating post-burn pruritus. MethodsPubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Sciences, Ovid Databases, and ClinicalTrials.Gov were searched. The articles were scored by two assessors for inclusion with a third independent assessor resolving conflicting scores. ResultsThe present systematic review and meta-analysis synthesised findings from a total of nine studies, representing a pool of 323 patients. The standardized mean effect size for the various categories of interventions was: naltrexone at 1.47 (95 % CI of 0.75–2.20, p < 0.0000), coverings at 0.94 (95 % CI of 0.40–1.48, p = 0.006), topical ozonated oil at 2.64 (95 % CI of 1.94–3.34, p < 0.00001), lasers at 2.34 (95 % CI of 1.60–3.09, p < 0.00001), current stimulation at 1.03 (95 % CI of −0.04 to 2.10, p = 0.06), and lemon balm tea at 0.54 (95% CI of 0.12–0.96, p = 0.01). ConclusionsCurrent evidence suggests that current modalities have a statistically significant, but not clinically significant, reduction in pruritus. This review highlights the limited quality of evidence in the literature and the poor quality of reporting among excluded studies.

Effectiveness of Computer-Tailored Health Communication in Increasing Physical Activity in People With or at Risk of Long-Term Conditions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Regular physical activity (PA) is beneficial for enhancing and sustaining both physical and mental well-being as well as for the management of preexisting conditions. Computer-tailored health communication (CTHC) has been shown to be effective in increasing PA and many other health behavior changes in the general population. However, individuals with or at risk of long-term conditions face unique barriers that may limit the applicability of CTHC interventions to this population. Few studies have focused on this cohort, providing limited evidence for the effectiveness of CTHC in promoting PA. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess the effectiveness of CTHC in increasing PA in individuals with or at risk of long-term conditions. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the effect of CTHC in increasing PA in people with or at risk of long-term conditions. Hedges g was used to calculate the mean effect size. The total effect size was pooled and weighted using inverse variance. When possible, potential moderator variables were synthesized, and their effectiveness was evaluated by subgroups analysis with Q test for between-group heterogeneity Qb. Potential moderator variables included behavior change theories and models providing the fundamental logic for CTHC design, behavior change techniques and tailoring strategies to compose messages, and computer algorithms to achieve tailoring. Several methods were used to examine potential publication bias in the results, including the funnel plot, Egger test, Begg test, fail-safe N test, and trim-and-fill method. In total, 24 studies were included in the systematic review for qualitative analysis and 18 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Significant small to medium effect size values were found when comparing CTHC to general health information (Hedges g=0.16; P<.001) and to no information sent to participants (Hedges g=0.29; P<.001). Half of the included studies had a low to moderate risk of bias, and the remaining studies had a moderate to high risk of bias. Although the results of the meta-analysis indicated no evidence of publication bias, caution is required when drawing definitive conclusions due to the limited number of studies in each subgroup (N≤10). Message-tailoring strategies, implementation strategies, behavior change theories and models, and behavior change techniques were synthesized from the 24 studies. No strong evidence was found from subgroup analyses on the effectiveness of using particular behavior change theories and models or from using particular message-tailoring and implementation strategies. This study demonstrates that CTHC is effective in increasing PA for people with or at risk of long-term conditions, with significant small to medium effects compared with general health information or no information. Further studies are needed to guide design decisions for maximizing the effectiveness of CTHC.

Meta-analysis of the Effect of Jigsaw Model Based on Hybrid-Based Learning on Students' Critical Thinking Skills

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the jigsaw learning model based on hybrid learning on students' critical thinking skills. This type of research is quantitative research with a meta-analysis approach. Data sources come from analyzing national and international journals. Inclusion criteria are research must come from Scopus and SINTA-indexed journals or proceedings; Data source searches come from Google Scholar, ERIC, IEEE, and Wiley; Research must have experimental and control classes; Research must be published from 2017-2023; Research has a relationship with research variables and research has a value (t), (r) and (f). Data analysis is quantitative statistical analysis with the help of the JSAP application. The results of this study concluded that the average value of the summary effect size or mean effect size of the entire study (ES = 0.896; p &lt; 0.001) with very high criteria. This finding explains that the jigsaw learning model based on hybridized learning has a great influence on students' critical thinking skills.

The Effect Artificial Intelligence Based Discovery Learning Model on Student Creative Thinking Skills

This research aims to determine the effect of artificial intelligence-based discovery learning models on students' creative thinking skills. This research is a type of meta-analysis research. The data source comes from the analysis of 12 national and international journals. Search for data sources via Google Scholar, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, and Plos ONE. Inclusion criteria in this research are published articles from national and international journals indexed by SINTA and Scopus. The research was published from 2016-2023. The research has an experimental class with a discovery learning model and a control class with a conventional model. The research has a sample size of &gt; 20 students. The research results concluded that the summary effect size or mean effect size value was 0.851 , a high criterion. These findings show that the artificial intelligence-based discovery learning model has an influence on students' creative thinking skills.

수준별 영어 수업에서의 정의적 영역에 대한 효과 분석

As a follow-up study for meta-analysis on cognitive domain (Park &amp; Yun, 2019), this study aims to investigate the overall effect on affective domain in level differentiated English classes. The procedure of meta-analysis consists of literature search with criteria for inclusion as well as data analysis including data coding and cleaning. After heterogeneity tests, random-effect model, subgroup analyses, and publication bias are conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. Moderators used for subgroup analyses were; affective domains, schools, grades, and teaching methods and periods of level differentiated English classes. The results indicate that affective domain in level differentiated English classes had an overall mean effect size (d = 0.33) showing lower effect size than in cognitive domain (d = 0.74). More specific findings of meta-analysis are as follows: First, grouping factors based on affective domain had medium effects in confidence (d = 0.68), interest (d = 0.57) and participation (d = 0.51). Second, according to grade and to students in elementary school through university, the effects were larger with higher grade elementary school students and high school freshmen students. Third, among teaching methods, affective domain showed a large effect in extra supplementary classes. Lastly, the pedagogical implication and suggestions were further discussed.

The relationship between school and classroom climate, and academic achievement: A meta-analysis

This study reports two independent meta-analyses on the relationship between (a) classroom climate and academic achievement; and (b) school climate and academic achievement. The analyses were based on extant correlational research studies at the K-12 level that were published between 2000 and 2020. The relationships were analyzed in terms of various moderator variables. The first dataset included 53 research studies focusing on classroom climate and academic achievement, and the second dataset included 37 research studies on school climate and academic achievement. The meta-analyses were carried out with a random effects model. Fisher's effect size was calculated for each study. Publication bias was tested with Egger's linear regression method and Duval and Tweedie's trim and fill method. We used the Q-test for moderation analyses and I2 test for heterogeneity analyses. The results revealed that the mean effect size for the relationship between classroom climate and academic achievement was small, while it was medium for the relationship between school climate and academic achievement. The effect sizes regarding classroom climate differed significantly only in terms of the academic area moderator variable, and the effect sizes regarding school climate differed in terms of school area, report type, and unit of analysis. This meta-analysis study confirmed that school climate and classroom climate are significant correlates of academic achievement, and the dataset in this study revealed a greater magnitude of relationship in favor of school climate (although a comparison is not meant in this study). This study suggests that policymakers and practitioners should invest their efforts in promoting sound school climates while maintaining an emphasis on classroom climate components, as the two types of climates are intertwined.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the long-term effects of physical activity interventions on objectively measured outcomes

BackgroundAlthough physical activity interventions are frequently reported to be effective, long-term changes are needed to generate meaningful health benefits. There are criticisms that evaluations of physical activity interventions mostly report short-term outcomes and that these are often self-reported rather than measured objectively. This study therefore aimed to assess the long-term (at least 24 month) effectiveness of behavioural interventions on objectively measured physical activity.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review with a meta-analysis of effects on objectively measured physical activity. We searched: Cochrane CENTRAL, EMBASE, PsychInfo, CINAHL and Pubmed up to 10th January 2022. Studies were included if they were in English and included a physical intervention that assessed physical activity in the long-term (defined as at least 24 months).ResultsEight studies with 8480 participants were identified with data suitable for meta-analysis. There was a significant effect of interventions on daily steps 24 months post baseline (four studies, SMD: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.28) with similar results at 36 to 48 months of follow up (four studies, SMD: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.27). There was a significant effect of interventions on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity 24 months post baseline (four studies, SMD: 0.18 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.29) and at 36 to 48 months (three studies, SMD: 0.16 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.23). The mean effect size was small. However, the changes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and steps per day were clinically meaningful in the best-performing studies.ConclusionThis review suggests that behavioural interventions can be effective in promoting small, but clinically meaningful increases in objectively measured physical activity for up to 48 months. There is therefore a need to develop interventions that can achieve greater increases in long-term physical activity with greater efficiency.

Endogenous oxytocin and human social interactions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

While there has been an increase in studies investigating the relationship between endogenous oxytocin (OXT) concentrations and human social interactions over the past decades, these studies still seem far from converging, both in methodological terms and in terms of their results. This systematic review and meta-analysis were aimed at a comprehensive evaluation and synthesis of empirical evidence on the relationship between endogenous OXT concentrations and human social interactions by reviewing studies published between 1970 and July 2020 and addressing various related methodological and analytical limitations. Sixty-three studies were included in the qualitative synthesis, and results from 51 studies were pooled in a meta-analysis (n = 3,741 participants). The results indicated that social interaction did not lead to an expected hormonal response in causal designs, either in a pre-post design (g = 0.079) or when comparing experimental conditions with and without social interaction (g = 0.256). However, in correlational designs, the overall mean effect size (ES) of the correlations between indicators of social interaction and OXT concentrations was significantly different from zero (z = 0.137). In both designs, subgroup analyses revealed that studies involving either parent-child interactions, or the utilization of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method for OXT analysis, or unrestricted eating, drinking, or exercise before biofluid collection showed significantly higher than zero mean ESs. This review exposes the observed inconsistencies and suggests that standardized, replicable, and reliable approaches to assessing social interaction and measuring OXT concentrations need to be developed to study neurochemical mechanisms of sociality in humans. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Personality traits and health care use: A coordinated analysis of 15 international samples.

Some people use health care services more than others. Identifying factors associated with health care use has the potential to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of health care. In line with the Andersen behavioral model of health care utilization and initial empirical findings, personality traits may be key predisposing factors associated with health care use. Across 15 samples, the present study examined cross-sectional and prospective associations between Big Five personality traits and the likelihood of dental visits, general medical practitioner visits, and hospitalizations. Using coordinated data analysis, we estimated models within each of 15 samples individually (sample Ns ranged from 516 to 305,762), and then calculated weighted mean effect sizes using random-effects meta-analysis across samples (total N = 358,803). According to the synthesized results, people higher in conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, and openness, and lower in neuroticism were more likely to visit the dentist; people higher in neuroticism were more likely to visit general medical practitioners; and people lower in conscientiousness and agreeableness and higher in neuroticism were more likely to be hospitalized. Associations tended to be small with odds ratios around 1.20 (rs ≈ .05). These findings provide evidence across 15 international samples for small but consistent associations between personality traits and health care use and demonstrate that personality-health care associations differ by type of care. We discuss directions for future research, including examining more specific personality facets (e.g., productiveness vs. responsibility) as well as important dimensions of health care (e.g., preventative vs. reactive care; acute vs. chronic care). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A meta-analytic review of accuracy and bias in romantic partner perceptions.

People's perceptions of their romantic partners are somewhat accurate but also contain biases. In the current meta-analytic review, we sought to examine overall levels of accuracy and bias in romantic partner perceptions and moderators of accuracy and bias. We examined tracking accuracy (k = 157), projection (k = 157), indirect accuracy (k = 69), and mean-level bias (k = 153) in perceptions of a romantic partner across samples that estimated tracking accuracy and projection simultaneously. Gender, relationship length, study design, geographic region, publication year, and judgment type were examined as potential moderators. Results revealed significant mean effect sizes for tracking accuracy (β = .24), projection (β = .42), similarity (β = .22), and indirect accuracy (β = .11). Overall, people tended to have mean-level accuracy (d = -0.006) even when constructs were coded as conceptually positive or negative (d = -0.03). Men seemed to view their partners more negatively. Publication year and relationship length did not matter for any perceptual process. Tracking accuracy was higher in overall judgments, whereas projection was higher in daily judgments. Positive interaction traits and mind-reading judgments showed a negative bias. Greater projection and positive bias in noninteraction judgments were associated with higher relationship quality. Our results are the first to provide effect sizes for projection, tracking accuracy while controlling for projection, and indirect accuracy, and build on prior research concerning the complex ways in which partners perceive each other. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Is there any hepatic impact associated with rice bran arabinoxylan compound supplementation? A systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Rice Bran Arabinoxylan Compound (RBAC) results from an enzymatic modification of rice bran, which is reported to have immunomodulatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects by regulating the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The current systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the hepatic adverse effects of RBAC by assessing the effect through liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). In the present study, the Medline (PubMed), Web of Sciences, and Scopus databases were searched for relevant publications from the beginning to October 2022. The meta-analysis was based on the Mixed effect model to generate the mean effect sizes in weighted mean differences (WMD) and the 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). The heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochrane Chi-squared test, and the analysis of Galbraith plots was applied. Subgroup meta-analysis on five eligible randomized controlled trials (n=239) showed a significant decrease in serum AST regarding RBAC supplementation in powder form (WMD (95%CI)=-3.52 (-5.62,-1.42) U/L; P-value=0.001, I2 (%)=46.9; P heterogeneity=0.170), three months and more supplementation duration (WMD (95%CI)=-3.71 (-5.95,-1.48) U/L; P-value=0.001, I2 (%)=29.9; P heterogeneity=0.240) and studies with a good quality (WMD (95%CI)=-3.52 (-5.62,-1.42) U/L; P-value=0.001, I2 (%)=46.9; P heterogeneity=0.170). In conclusion, RBAC supplementation seems to not have any hepatic adverse effects and its supplementation as powder or for three months and more may decrease serum AST levels. However, we need further studies to confirm the results. CRD42022361002, registration time: 29/09/2022.

A Critical Review of Amphibian Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Ecotoxicity Research Studies: Identification of Screening Levels in Water and Other Useful Resources for Site-Specific Ecological Risk Assessments.

With the goal of aiding risk assessors conducting site-specific risk assessments at per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS)-contaminated sites, this critical review synthesizes information on the ecotoxicity of PFAS to amphibians in 10 amphibian species and 16 peer-reviewed publications. The studies in this review consisted of spiked-PFAS chronic toxicity experiments with perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2 FTS) that evaluated apical endpoints typical of ecological risk-based decision making (survival, growth, and development). Body mass was the most sensitive endpoint, showing clear and biologically meaningful population level adverse effect sizes (≥20% adverse effects). From these results, we recommend chronic no observed effect concentration (NOEC) screening levels of 590 µg/L for PFOS and 130 µg/L for PFOA. At or above recommended chronic lowest observed effect concentration screening levels of 1100 µg/L PFOS and 1400 µg/L PFOA, there is an increased chance of adverse biologically relevant chronic effects. Biologically relevant adverse effects were not observed for PFHxS and 6:2 FTS, so unbounded NOECs of 1300 µg/L PFHxS and 1800 µg/L 6:2 FTS are recommended. Screening levels are also provided for the concentration of PFAS in an amphibian diet, amphibian tissue, and moss substrate. In addition, we recommend bioconcentration factors that can be useful to predict concentrations of PFAS in amphibians using concentrations in water; these values are useful for food web modeling to understand risks to vertebrate wildlife that prey on amphibians. Overall, the present study provides a guide to the wealth of ecotoxicological research on PFAS conducted by our research group and highlights the need for additional work that would improve the understanding of chemical risks to amphibians. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;00:1-13. © 2023 SETAC.

The impact of innate immunity on malaria parasite infection dynamics in rodent models.

Decades of research have probed the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control the immune response to malaria. Yet many studies offer conflicting results on the functional impact of innate immunity for controlling parasite replication early in infection. We conduct a meta-analysis to seek consensus on the effect of innate immunity on parasite replication, examining three different species of rodent malaria parasite. Screening published studies that span four decades of research we collate, curate, and statistically analyze infection dynamics in immune-deficient or -augmented mice to identify and quantify general trends and reveal sources of disagreement among studies. Additionally, we estimate whether host factors or experimental methodology shape the impact of immune perturbations on parasite burden. First, we detected meta-analytic mean effect sizes (absolute Cohen's h) for the difference in parasite burden between treatment and control groups ranging from 0.1475 to 0.2321 across parasite species. This range is considered a small effect size and translates to a modest change in parasitaemia of roughly 7-12% on average at the peak of infection. Second, we reveal that variation across studies using P. chabaudi or P. yoelii is best explained by stochasticity (due to small sample sizes) rather than by host factors or experimental design. Third, we find that for P. berghei the impact of immune perturbation is increased when young or female mice are used and is greatest when effector molecules (as opposed to upstream signalling molecules) are disrupted (up to an 18% difference in peak parasitaemia). Finally, we find little evidence of publication bias suggesting that our results are robust. The small effect sizes we observe, across three parasite species, following experimental perturbations of the innate immune system may be explained by redundancy in a complex biological system or by incomplete (or inappropriate) data reporting for meta-analysis. Alternatively, our findings might indicate a need to re-evaluate the efficiency with which innate immunity controls parasite replication early in infection. Testing these hypotheses is necessary to translate understanding from model systems to human malaria.

Changes in fatigue among cancer patients before, during, and after radiation therapy: A meta-analysis.

Fatigue is a common symptom in cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. However, previous studies report inconsistent patterns of fatigue change. The aim of this study was to estimate changes in fatigue among patients with cancer before, during, and after radiotherapy. Five databases (PubMed, SDOL, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Medline [ProQuest], and ProQuest Dissertations) were searched for studies published from January 2006 to May 2021. Three effect sizes of fatigue change (immediate, short-term, and long-term) were calculated for each primary study using standardized mean difference. A random-effect model was used to combine effect sizes across studies. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression were performed to identify potential categorical and continuous moderators, respectively. Sixty-five studies were included in this meta-analysis. The weighted mean effect size for immediate, short-term, and long-term effects was 0.409 (p < .001; 95% CI [0.280, 0.537]), 0.303 (p < .001; 95% CI [0.189, 0.417]), and 0.201 (p = .05; 95% CI [-0.001, 0.404]), respectively. Studies with prostate cancer patients had a significantly higher short-term (0.588) and long-term weight mean effect size (0.531) than studies with breast (0.128, -0.072) or other cancers (0.287, 0.215). Higher radiotherapy dosage was significantly associated with a higher effect size for both immediate (β = .0002, p < .05) and short-term (β = .0002, p < .05) effect. Findings from this meta-analysis indicated that radiotherapy-induced fatigue (RIF) exist for more than 3 months after the completion of treatment. Assessment of radiation-induced fatigue in cancer patients should extend long after treatment completion, especially for patients with prostate cancer and patients receiving a higher radiation dose. Interventions to reduce fatigue tailored for different treatment phases may be developed.

Deep brain stimulation for substance use disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a significant public health issue with a high mortality rate. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has shown promising results in treating SUD in certain cases. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of DBS in the treatment of SUD and reduction of relapse rates. We performed a thorough and methodical search of the existing scientific literature, adhering to the PRISMA guidelines, to identify 16 original studies that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. We used the evidence levels recommended by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine to assess bias. The R version 4.2.3 software was utilized to calculate the mean effect size. We estimated study heterogeneity by employing tau2 and I2 indices and conducting Cochran's Q test. The results showed that DBS treatment resulted in a significant improvement in the clinical SUD scales of patients, with an average improvement of 59.6%. The observed relapse rate was 8%. The meta-analysis estimated a mean effect size of 55.9 [40.4; 71.4]. Heterogeneity analysis showed a large degree of heterogeneity among the included studies. Subgroup and meta-regression analysis based on age and SUD type suggested that DBS may be more effective for patients above 45 years of age, and for alcohol and opioid addiction compared to nicotine addiction. The current literature suggests that DBS has a moderate effect on SUD symptoms. However, the limited number of studies and small sample size indicate that more research is needed to better understand the factors that influence its effectiveness.

The Response of Retisol’s Carbon Storage Potential to Various Organic Matter Inputs

Organic carbon sequestration and its quality in soil is a crucial aspect in maintaining the productivity of the soil and the whole ecosystem. The study examined the changes in soil organic carbon (SOC), its sequestration potential, and the mean effect size under various long-term organic matter inputs in acid soil (Dystric Retisol). Cattle manure (CM 60 t ha−1) and various plant residues were used for the fertilization of acid and limed soil. The following treatments were included in the experimental design: (1) natural Retisol; (2) natural Retisol + CM; (3) natural Retisol + various plant residues; (4) calcium carbonate (CaCO3) at a 1.0 rate every five years); (5) CaCO3 + CM; (6) CaCO3 + various plant residues. The data demonstrated that the treatments including the use of organic material (CM and various plant residues) showed a greater SOC content accumulation with a storage of up to 0.2–0.6% more carbon in the topsoil. Alternative organic fertilizers had a detrimental impact when applied to unlimed soil, with a loss of 0.59 g kg−1 C per year. All the fertilization treatments significantly increased the SOC level with the mean effect size of 0.02–0.28, and the increase varied from 1.89% to 32.89%. This result suggested that liming, together with organic fertilizers, proved to be a relatively efficient approach to improving the soil’s health and quality.

Using smart phone technology to improve daily living skills for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Individuals with intellectual disabilities need continued supports in completing daily living tasks to increase the likelihood of achieving independence. Fortunately, research has shown that assistive technology, and particularly video prompting helps support independent living for individuals with intellectual disabilities. This study investigated the efficacy of a highly customizable task analysis smartphone application in assisting three young adults with intellectual disabilities learn how to cook three different multistep recipes. Three young adults with intellectual disabilities enrolled in a four-year postsecondary education program (PSE) participated in a multiple probe design across participants to examine the effect of a Task Analysis app on the participants' completion of three cooking tasks. In this present study, the use of video prompting to teach a daily living skill resulted in large and meaningful effect size gains of 99%-100% for all three participants, as measured by Tau-U. Video prompting is an effective instructional strategy which allows the user to self-prompt and manage their ability to successfully complete daily living skills. In this current study, video prompting made a substantial difference in the safety of participants. The use of video prompting can decrease the reliance on others (e.g., teachers and caregivers), improve self-confidence of the user, and improve the user's level of autonomy.