Practical Measures Research Articles

중국 4대 직할시 온라인 플랫폼 창업자의 창업동기, 개인역량, 창업환경요인이 창업행동에 미치는 영향 : 사업기회포착의 매개효과를 중심으로

With the technological advancements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, traditional manufacturing industries are transitioning to platform entrepreneurship utilizing AI and robotics technology. This shift contributes to national economic growth and job creation, aligning with the “Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation” initiative advocated by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in 2015, which drives the development of the platform economy. This study empirically analyzes the impact of entrepreneurial motivation, individual competencies, and entrepreneurial environmental factors on entrepreneurial behavior, with a mediating effect of business opportunity recognition, based on data collected from 515 online platform entrepreneurs in China’s four major municipalities. Using SPSS V. 24.0 and Process Macro 4.0 for analysis, the results indicate that economic and non-economic motivations, interpersonal competencies, digital utilization competencies, entrepreneurial education, financial status evaluation, and entrepreneurial support programs positively influence entrepreneurial behavior, with business opportunity recognition playing a crucial mediating role. Among these factors, financial status evaluation emerged as the most significant variable affecting entrepreneurial behavior. This finding demonstrates that an entrepreneur's ability to identify and evaluate business opportunities significantly impacts their entrepreneurial preparation and execution. Conversely, problem-solving competencies showed no direct effect on entrepreneurial behavior nor a mediating effect through business opportunity recognition. The traditional Chinese culture emphasizing guanxi (relationships) highlights the greater importance of interpersonal competencies over problem-solving or digital utilization competencies in business success. Therefore, to promote online platform entrepreneurship, it is essential to provide systematic financial education and continuous entrepreneurial support, enable networking and interpersonal skill‘s development programs, and offer practical support measures considering the impact of entrepreneurial environmental factors such as financial status evaluation on entrepreneurial behavior.

디지털 무역환경에서 우리나라 중소수출기업의 대금결제 위험관리가 결제위험 관리성과에 미치는 영향: 거래 파트너십 구축지향의 조절효과

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between payment risk management and the performance of SME exporters in the digital trade environment. Research design, data, and methodology: In total, 1500 questionnaires were distributed, 200 questionnaires were returned, and 191 were utilized after excluding questionnaires with dishonest or inappropriate responses. Empirical analysis to derive the research results was conducted using the Smart PLS ver. 4.1 statistical package for structural equation modeling. Results: First, credit risk management, B2B trade receivables management, and strategic foreign exchange risk management were found to have a significant impact on payment risk management performance. Second, orientation toward building trade partnerships was found to positively moderate the relationship between payment risk management and payment risk management performance. Conclusions: This study provides guidance on the factors that small and medium-sized enterprise exporters should adopt for managing payment risks, and it is expected to contribute to strengthening export competitiveness by providing practical measures.

Modeling the stability of air flows in inclined workings in case of fire

Purpose. Development of a mathematical model and study of the processes occurring during conveyor belt fires in inclined mines to determine the mechanism of air flow distribution under appropriate conditions. Methods. Practical measurements of the distribution of air flows in an inclined conveyor operated at the mining and processing plant of PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih were carried out. Based on the obtained data, a mathematical model was crea-ted, which was then used to perform Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling of gas flows in the mine under normal conditions and in the event of a fire with a thermal capacity of 9 MW. Findings. The study reveals the peculiarities of gas flows during the combustion of a conveyor belt in inclined workings, as well as the influence of turbulence on the flow, changes in the density of gases during heating, and the impact of gravity on the distribution of gases in the cross-section and along the length of the workings. A fire centre with a heat output of 9 MW has a significant impact on the distribution of air flows. The phenomenon of thermal expansion results in a 59.2% increase in the volume of gases behind the fire. The thermal expansion of gases and their low density have a significant impact on the formation of gas flows in inclined workings. As the jet moves away from the centre of the fire, the velocity of the jet gradually increases, reaching a value of 12.4 m/s. This results in a notable alteration in the distribution of total pressure across adjacent workings, accompanied by an increase in flow turbulence. Consequently, the mass of air exiting the right branch is observed to have a five-fold increase in comparison to the pre-fire state. The overturning of the jet from the left branch of the workings gives rise to the exclusive distribution of combustion products along the right branch. Originality. The study helps to understand the mechanism of jet overturning and the peculiarities of the distribution of combustion products in case of fire in inclined conveyor workings. Practical implications. The results of the research allow us to predict the probability of fire, identify the most dangerous areas for fire, and plan the most rational actions for firefighting in specific unique conditions.

К вопросу о вреде избыточного документооборота

The article deals with the problem of redundant paperwork and unnecessary reporting which have overwhelmed state-funded organisations of modern Russia and lead to huge time and effort loss of public sector employees. The purpose of the research is to analyse the causes and results of redundant paperwork using mathematical modelling and to consider the possibilities for its regulation. The model is based on the following assumptions. An agent (employee of a state-run organisation) cannot evade performing a task issued by an official, which provides for drawing up a certain document in the form of a report, plan or programme. An official (a representative of a superior organisation or state governance body) has an uncontrolled possibility to demand the subordinate organisation’s performing the entrusted task within the appointed period. The paper shows that if an official uses such documents for personal purposes he/she is interested in unlimitedly increasing the labour intensity of the reporting burden imposed on the agent. Under the paperwork pressure, the agent has to reduce his/her efforts to comply with the officially prescribed paid duties up to minimising them to a level which completely excludes any activity and initiatives. The obtained results show that there is no reason, nevertheless, to accuse an official seeking to maximise his/her utility function of any hostile intentions. The article discusses four practical measures to limit and regulate the official’s paperwork activity: 1) compensation of efforts of the controlled organisation employees to draft the required documents; 2) imposing an adjustment tax upon the controlling organisation on the use of the controlled organisation’s labour resources; 3) the controlling organisation’s staff reduction with the preservation of all functions and the wage fund; 4) introduction of legislative restrictions on the number, types and volume of documents the controlling organisation has the right to demand from the controlled organisation.

밀레니얼 세대와 Z세대의 특성과 팔로워십이 조직몰입에 미치는 영향 : 직무만족의 매개효과와 세대 간 차이분석

The MZ generation is expected to account for 83% of the domestic workforce by 2025(Lee, J. W., 2019) and will play a key role in the future economy. Recently, issues such as the declining organizational adaptability of the MZ generation and frequent resignations have negatively impacted corporate management. This study analyzes the effects of autonomy, needs for achievement, Work-Life Balance(work-family balance, work-leisure balance) and followership on organizational commitment among the MZ generation, and examines the mediating effect of job satisfaction among these factors, followed by an analysis of the differences in moderating effects between generations. Data was collected from 336 MZ generation employees nationwide, and hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression analysis. The analysis results showed that, first, needs for achievement, work-leisure balance, and followership had significant effects on job satisfaction, while autonomy and work-family balance did not . Second, work-leisure balance and followership had significant effects on organizational commitment, while autonomy, needs for achievement, and work-family balance did not. Third, job satisfaction had a significant effect on organizational commitment, and the mediation test showed that needs for achievement had a full mediating effect. Work-leisure balance and followership showed partial mediating effects. Fourth, the influence of job satisfaction was greatest for needs for achievement, followed by followership and work-leisure balance, while organizational commitment was greatest for followership, followed by work-leisure balance. Fifth, the test of moderating effect differences based on generational classification showed that the moderating effects of work-leisure balance and followership were significant, with Generation Z showing a higher influence of these factors on organizational commitment. The implications of this study are that it emphasize the need for improving the work environment and strengthen collaboration capabilities to engage the MZ generation whithin the organizations, as well as the need for followership that reflects the characteristics of the MZ generation. In conclusion, this study provided practical measures to enhance the organizational commitment of MZ generation employees, there by Practical and academic implications for human resource development.

Breast-cancer specific comprehensive archive of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) for clinical research and clinical practice in oncology: Results from the PRO4All project

BackgroundInclusion of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in oncology clinical trials is strongly recommended. However, selecting the most appropriate patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) is not easy. This study aimed to develop a breast cancer (BC) specific comprehensive archive of PROMs. MethodsAs part of the PRO4All project, we identified available PROMs in oncology by searching facit.org, eortc.org, eprovide.mapi-trust.org, PubMed, ema.europa.eu (European Public Assessment Reports) and published reviews. For this analysis, only BC tools were extracted. We described information about PROM name, type of questionnaire, questionnaire variant(s), recall period, number of items, and presence of minimum clinically important difference (MCID) reference in literature. Then, we assigned each item to a specific domain according to a predefined taxonomy of 38 items for outcome classification. ResultsWe identified and analyzed 383 PROMs. Of these, 29 were BC specific, but 2 were excluded because the questionnaires description was not available. 6 (22.2 %) were variants of another questionnaire. All questionnaires were self-reported. In 6 cases (22.2 %) the recall period to consider was the “last week”. The mean number of items per questionnaire was 25.81 (range 6–71). 602 items were assigned to an outcome domain: emotional functioning/wellbeing in 26.6 % of cases, physical functioning in 14.1 %, delivery of care in 10.8 %, and general outcomes in 10.5 %. MCID reference was found only in 4 (14.8 %) cases. ConclusionsThe newly developed archive represents a useful tool to optimize the use of PROMs in the evaluation of treatments in BC patients, promoting a patient-centered approach both in clinical research and practice.

Timed instrumental activities of daily living tasks in adults with irreversible vision impairment: validation to visual function and self-report

BackgroundInstrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are typically self-reported ability to perform complex tasks vital for independent living. There is a need for a complementary objective, performance-based approach especially in tracking outcomes in visual rehabilitation for patients with irreversible vision impairment (“low vision”). Our goals are: (1) To describe the validity of timed performance of instrumental activities of daily living (timed IADL or TIADL) tasks in individuals with irreversible vision impairment, by examining its association with visual function (visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual field), (2) To explore the correlation between TIADL and self-reported IADL.MethodsTwenty TIADL tasks were administered to 88 patients (median age 63.3 years, IQR 37.4–78.0) recruited from the UAB Department of Ophthalmology, Callahan Eye Hospital Clinics. An average Z-score incorporating time and accuracy of task completion was constructed. Minor accuracy errors were penalized 1 standard deviation from their calculated Z-score and major accuracy errors were assigned maximum allotted time. Linear regression was used to analyze the association between TIADL score and measured visual acuity (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study, ETDRS chart), contrast sensitivity (Pelli-Robson), and binocular visual field (Esterman) with an unadjusted model and an adjusted model accounting for age, comorbidities, and depression scale (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression, CES-D). Pearson correlation was used to estimate the correlation between TIADL and IADL.ResultsIncreased time to task completion was associated with decreased visual function. Each decreased line of ETDRS read was associated with an increase of 0.002 (95% CI 0.001, 0.002) Z-score (P < 0.01). A decreased ability to discern each Pelli-Robson letter was associated with an increase of 0.26 (95% CI 0.19, 0.33) Z-score (P < 0.01). For each less Esterman target identified, there was an increase of 0.01 (95% CI 0.003, 0.02) Z-score. Self-reported IADL and TIADL were correlated for reading tasks such as newspapers, nutrients on food can, and microwave timer (P < 0.05).ConclusionsLonger time to perform TIADL is associated with decreased visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and binocular visual field. TIADL and self-reported IADL are significantly correlated for reading tasks providing an accurate, complementary outcome measure in clinical practice and research.

Keeping medical information safe and confidential: a qualitative study on perceptions of Israeli physicians

BackgroundPatients expect their information to remain confidential, and physicians have a legal and ethical obligation to keep it this way. Confidentiality is not just a legal requirement but a crucial element in establishing trust between patients and healthcare providers. Patients must feel confident that their personal and medical information is kept confidential and shared only with those who need to know. Previous studies have primarily concentrated on patients’ perceptions of medical confidentiality, data privacy, and data protection issues. However, research on the practical practices and perceptions of medical confidentiality among hospital physicians is scant, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of this critical issue.MethodsThrough qualitative methods and as part of a large-scale study on aspects of patient dignity and responsiveness in Israel, physicians shared their views and practices on managing medical information.ResultsThe study revealed the practical challenges physicians face in upholding various aspects of data protection within hospital settings. These challenges, strategies, and deviations from data protection principles that physicians discussed are of significant practical relevance. The importance of patient consent and the practical measures for safeguarding patient information were also highlighted. While physicians acknowledged the importance of protecting patient information, they also grappled with the realities of doing so in a complex healthcare environment. In future healthcare policies, it is critical to ensure robust measures are in place to safeguard and uphold medical confidentiality. These can include specific measures to increase compliance, such as regularly monitoring compliance with confidentiality policies, producing safe and anonymous channels to voice concerns, and enforcing consequences for any breaches to ensure accountability.ConclusionsWhile protecting medical information has emerged as an important goal, it is equally crucial to strike a balance between the need to share information to advance and provide quality medical care. Physicians and policymakers must navigate this delicate balance. Additionally, organizations should strengthen compliance to enhance their monitoring and enforcement of confidentiality policies. Ineffective implementation of medical confidentiality leads to theoretical guidelines that do not translate effectively into practice.

Original Research: Alarm Fatigue: Exploring the Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping Strategies of Nurses.

To improve patient safety, hospitals use alarm notification systems to increase nurses' real-time situational awareness of a patient's condition. Such alarms are critical to nurses' clinical decision-making and prioritization, thus helping to improve patient care and care efficiency. But the frequent and often simultaneous ringing of alarms, including many that are false, nonemergent, or nonactionable, has led to overwhelm, alarm distrust, and desensitization, resulting in alarm fatigue. This study aimed to explore oncology nurses' lived experiences with alarms and the adaptive and maladaptive strategies they use to cope with alarm fatigue. This qualitative, phenomenological study was guided by the theoretical framework of the Roy Adaptation Model. A purposive sample of nine nurses was recruited from two oncology units at a large midwestern Magnet hospital in the United States. Qualitative data were collected using a six-question, semistructured interview guide. Interviews were conducted either face-to-face in a private conference room on the unit or via the online videoconferencing platform Zoom. Data analysis yielded five themes, the most prominent being the high volume and frequency of alarms . Nurse participants reported adopting more maladaptive than adaptive coping strategies. Overall, they felt that the high frequency of false, nonemergent, and nonactionable alarms disrupted their workflow and contributed to a general desensitization to alarms. This study's findings offer valuable insight into the problem of alarm fatigue among nurses. Practical measures are urgently needed to reduce nurses' cognitive overload; shift nonnursing responsibilities to other staff; and implement efficiency-focused process changes, such as reengineering workflows to minimize interruptions. Every effort should be made to redesign protocols to reduce alarm fatigue, including by decreasing the number of false, nonemergent, and nonactionable calls and alarms.

Can-and should-automaticity be self-reported using a single item? A secondary analysis of 16 datasets.

Understanding the influence of habit on health behaviour, or the formation or disruption of health habits over time, requires reliable and valid measures of automaticity. The most used measure, the Self-Report Behavioural Automaticity Index (SRBAI; derived from the Self-Report Habit Index [SRHI]), comprises four items, which may be impractical in some research contexts. Responding to demand from fellow researchers, this study sought to identify whether and which single items from the SRBAI adequately detect hypothesised effects of automaticity, via secondary analysis of 16 datasets, incorporating 16,838 participants and seven different behaviours. We assessed construct validity through correlations between each item and the full SRBAI (and where possible, the SRHI) and predictive validity by examining correlations with behaviour. All four single-item measures independently met construct and predictive validity criteria. We recognise compelling conceptual and methodological arguments regarding why people should not attempt to assess automaticity via a single, self-report item. However, where circumstances require brief measures, three SRBAI items each offer a credible and practical one-item measure that can substitute for the SRBAI or SRHI. We recommend one item in particular-'Behaviour X is something I do automatically'-because it tended to most closely replicate the effects of the four-item SRBAI.

Exploration of Teaching Reform of TCM Dispensing Technology in Higher Vocational Colleges Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Skills Competition

This paper aims to thoroughly explore the teaching reform of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) dispensing technology in higher vocational colleges, with a focus on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Skills Competition. By analyzing the current teaching status and main challenges of TCM dispensing technology, and aligning with the requirements of the skills competition, a series of detailed and practical teaching reform measures are proposed. These measures are designed to comprehensively improve the teaching quality of TCM dispensing technology in higher vocational colleges, enhance students’ practical skills and professional qualities, and ultimately meet the demand for high-quality, skilled talents in the field of TCM.

Assessing the Accuracy of Quantum Dynamics Performed in the Time-Dependent Basis Representation.

A full quantum-mechanical (QM) description of large amplitude nuclear motion, associated with chemical reactions or isomerization of high-dimensional molecular systems, is inherently challenging due to the exponential scaling of the QM complexity with system size. To ameliorate the scaling bottleneck in studies of realistic systems, typically modeled in the configuration space, the nuclear wave functions are represented in terms of time-dependent basis functions. Such bases are expected to give an accurate description with a modest number of basis functions employed, by adapting them to the wave function solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. It is not, however, straightforward to estimate the accuracy of the resulting solution: in QM the energy conservation, a convenient such measure for a classical trajectory evolving in a time-independent potential, is not a sufficient criterion of the dynamics' accuracy. In this work, we argue that the expectation value of the Hamiltonian's "variance", quantifying the basis completeness, is a suitable practical measure of the quantum dynamics' accuracy. Illustrations are given for several chemistry-relevant test systems, modeled employing time-independent as well as time-dependent bases, including the coupled and variational coherent states methods and the quantum-trajectory guided adaptable Gaussians (QTAG) as the latter basis type. A novel semilocal definition of the QTAG basis time-evolution for placing the basis functions "in the right place at the right time" is also presented.

Research on the Education of Career Outlook for College Students in the New Era under the Guidance of Socialist Core Values

Employment has always been a major issue for livelihood. The overall employment situation in China is still severe, especially for college students who have many confusions and misconceptions about employment choices. Career education is not fully adapted to the needs of college students and needs to be addressed through various measures. In the new era, it is even more necessary to integrate the core values of socialism into the career education of college students, so that it can meet the needs of national development, social development, and college student development. This article first points out the necessity and role of socialist core values leading the education of career choices for college students in the new era, and then emphasizes the main content of socialist core values leading the education of career choices in the new era and the need to handle four pairs of relationships well. Finally, it proposes practical measures for the education of career choices in the new era under the guidance of socialist core values.

Certifiably optimal rotation and pose estimation based on the Cayley map

We present novel, convex relaxations for rotation and pose estimation problems that can a posteriori guarantee global optimality for practical measurement noise levels. Some such relaxations exist in the literature for specific problem setups that assume the matrix von Mises-Fisher distribution (a.k.a., matrix Langevin distribution or chordal distance) for isotropic rotational uncertainty. However, another common way to represent uncertainty for rotations and poses is to define anisotropic noise in the associated Lie algebra. Starting from a noise model based on the Cayley map, we define our estimation problems, convert them to Quadratically Constrained Quadratic Programs (QCQPs), then relax them to Semidefinite Programs (SDPs), which can be solved using standard interior-point optimization methods; global optimality follows from Lagrangian strong duality. We first show how to carry out basic rotation and pose averaging. We then turn to the more complex problem of trajectory estimation, which involves many pose variables with both individual and inter-pose measurements (or motion priors). Our contribution is to formulate SDP relaxations for all these problems based on the Cayley map (including the identification of redundant constraints) and to show them working in practical settings. We hope our results can add to the catalogue of useful estimation problems whose solutions can be a posteriori guaranteed to be globally optimal.

Impact of public health and patient-centered prevention strategies on periodontitis and caries as causes of tooth loss in high-income countries.

In high-income countries, the oral health of the population is influenced by public health interventions, widespread use of oral care products, dental practice measures, and the cost of dental treatment. We compiled information on changes of the prevalence of proximal and upstream determinants of periodontitis, caries, and tooth loss over the last three decades to outline their potential effects on changes of oral health during this period. Information was retrieved from repeated cross-sectional studies and from published literature. While both the prevalence of edentulism and the number of missing teeth (from the DMF-T index) decreased, the number of sound teeth as well as the total number of teeth increased. The prevalence of severe periodontitis was unchanged, whereas the prevalence of periodontal health and moderate periodontitis may have increased to a minor extent. Concerning oral health risk factors, the proportion of individuals with tertiary education increased, while smoking prevalence declined. More and more people used oral care products. Whether one reimbursement system worked better than another one in terms of tooth retention could not be elucidated. In tooth retention, population-wide use of fluoridated toothpastes had the greatest impact. To some extent, the higher number of teeth present may be related to the more frequent use of interdental cleaning aids and powered toothbrushes. Since there was no decrease in severe periodontitis in most cohorts, periodontal interventions probably contributed little to improved tooth retention.

Indoor Air Quality at an Urban Primary School in Madrid (Spain): Influence of Surrounding Environment and Occupancy.

Monitoring indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools is critical because children spend most of their daytime inside. One of the main air pollutant sources in urban areas is road traffic, which greatly influences air quality. Thus, this study addresses, in depth, the linkages of meteorology, ambient air pollution, and indoor activities with IAQ in a traffic-influenced school situated south of Madrid. The measurement period was from 22 November to 21 December 2017. Simultaneous measurements of indoor and outdoor PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 mass concentrations, ultrafine particle number concentration (PNC) and equivalent black carbon (eBC) were analyzed under different meteorological conditions. PNC and eBC outdoor concentrations and their temporal trend were similar among the sampling points, with all sites being influenced in the same way by traffic emissions. Strong correlations were found between indoor and outdoor concentrations, indicating that indoor pollution levels were significantly affected by outdoor sources. Especially, PNC and eBC had the same indoor/outdoor (I/O) trend, but indoor concentrations were lower. The time delay in indoor vs. outdoor concentrations varied between 0.5 and 2 h, depending on wind speed. Significant differences were found between different meteorological conditions (ANOVA p-values < 2.14 × 10-6). Atmospheric stability periods led to an increase in indoor and outdoor pollutant levels. However, the highest I/O ratios were found during atmospheric instability, especially for eBC (an average of 1.2). This might be related to rapid changes in the outdoor air concentrations induced by meteorology. Significant variations were observed in indoor PM10 concentrations during classroom occupancy (up to 230 µg m-3) vs. non-occupancy (up to 19 µg m-3) days, finding levels higher than outdoor ones. This was attributed to the scholarly activities in the classroom. Conversely, PNC and eBC concentrations only increased when the windows of the classroom were open. These findings have helped to establish practical recommendations and measures for improving the IAQ in this school and those of similar characteristics.

Redefining academic trajectories: A comprehensive analysis of the factors and impacts of the gender gap in STEM higher education

Purpose The purpose of this study is to critically analyze the key factors contributing to gender disparities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields and propose creative solutions to mitigate these differences. Despite the significance of this issue, it has not received sufficient attention owing to the absence of clarity regarding the factors that exacerbate the gender gap. Design/methodology/approach This study used a qualitative methodology that combined the viewpoints of social psychology and educational research to pinpoint and evaluate essential elements. Using a grounded theory approach, semistructured interviews were analyzed, and the obtained data were coded and categorized using ATLAS.ti software. Findings This qualitative research identified three key areas: internal and external factors influencing the gender gap, as well as strategic actions within higher education to address these disparities. The innovative contribution of this study lies in its development of a comprehensive theoretical framework that enables the diagnosis, quantification and understanding of these factors and proposes practical measures to mitigate these gender disparities. By promoting greater gender diversity, the proposed model can contribute to more inclusive and sustainable development, which is consistent with the 2030 agenda. Originality/value This study highlights the need for a multidimensional approach to address the gender gap in higher education, fills a crucial knowledge gap and provides a theoretical model to guide effective university policies.

Improving community detection in blockmodel by distance-based observation selection

Community detection is an important research topic in complex systems and has plenty of applications in real-world networks. Probabilistic methods, such as the Expectation–Maximization (EM), are developed to classify nodes that have similar connection patterns in a network based on blockmodels. However, the detection procedures in these models are typically started from randomly generated initial community distributions without prior knowledge. In biological and social networks, there are practical measures to obtain prior knowledge for a subset of nodes, such as local observations. These facts lead us to question how we can select a subset of nodes with known community labels to enhance the accuracy of the EM method. The current selection methods lack the relationship between detection accuracy and structural characteristics and most approaches consider the nodes as the center of communities, which is not suitable for block models. In this paper, we first study the relationships between the structural distance and detection accuracy without prior knowledge. Then we propose a distance-based indicator to describe the performance of the observation node set in the EM method. Finally, we introduce a scoring method based on the indicator to select a partial observation set, improving the accuracy of community detection using the EM method. Empirical results from synthetic and real-world networks corroborate that the proposed indicator could contribute to a better performance in kinds of scenarios.

Psychometric Properties of Vestibular and Ocular Measures Used for Concussion Assessments: A Scoping Review.

Concussions most commonly affect the vestibular and ocular systems. Clinical measures used in the assessment of vestibular and ocular deficits should contain strong psychometric properties so that clinicians can accurately detect abnormality to guide treatment interventions. The aim of this scoping review was: (1) to identify the measures used to evaluate the vestibular and ocular domains postconcussion and (2) to document the psychometric properties of the measures. Two databases (Medline (Ovid) and Embase) were searched from inception to May 2023. An updated search was completed in January 2024 using the same databases and search terms. Studies were screened and data were extracted independently by 2 reviewers. Measures were categorized into vestibular, ocular, or both (vestibular and ocular) domains, and relevant psychometric properties were documented. Fifty-two studies were included in this review. 28 studies explored the use of vestibular measures, 12 explored ocular measures, and 12 explored both vestibular and ocular measures or explored the use of vestibulo-ocular reflex measures. Most studies explored the properties associated with balance measures, particularly the balance error scoring system. Diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity metrics) of the associated measures was the most frequently documented characteristic in the literature. Identification of clinical measures used to evaluate vestibular and ocular deficits postconcussion is needed to understand the evidence supporting their use in practice. Documenting the psychometric properties will allow clinicians and researchers to understand the status of the current literature and support for the use of certain measures in practice in terms of their ability to appropriately detect deficits in people with concussion when deficits are truly present.

Dipyridamole-grafted copolymer electrospun nanofiber membranes for suppression of peritendinous adhesions

Post-traumatic tendon adhesions significantly affect patient prognosis and quality of life, primarily stemming from the absence of effective preventive and curative measures in clinical practice. Current treatment modalities, including surgical excision and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, frequently exhibit limited efficacy or result in severe side effects. Consequently, the use of anti-adhesive barriers for drug delivery and implantation at the injury site to address peritendinous adhesion (PA) has attracted considerable attention. Electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENMs) have been extensively employed as drug-delivery platforms. In this study, we fabricated a polylactic acid (PLA)–dipyridamole (DP)-graft copolymer ENM called PLC-DP. This membrane exhibits enzyme-sensitive features, allowing more controlled and sustained drug release compared with conventional drug-loaded ENMs. In experiments, PLC-DP implantation reduced tissue adhesion by 47 % relative to the control group while not adversely affecting tendon healing. Mechanistically, PLC-DP effectively activates the FXYD domain containing ion-transport regulator 2 (FXYD2) protein, thereby downregulating the fibroblast-transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)/Smad3 signaling pathway. PLC-DP leverages the anti-adhesive properties of DP and the enzyme-sensitive characteristics of graft copolymers, providing a promising approach for the future clinical treatment and prevention of PA. Statement of significancePeritendinous adhesions (PA) are a common and disabling condition that seriously affects the prognosis and quality of life of post-trauma patients. Current treatments often have limited efficacy or severe side effects, leaving a serious gap in clinical practice. We developed a significant biomaterial, poly(lactic acid)-dipyridamole graft copolymer electrospun nanofibrous membrane (PLC-DP), specifically for PA inhibition. In addition, this study uniquely combines dipyridamole, an anti-adhesive agent, and enzyme-sensitive copolymers in electrospun nanofibrous membrane. Unlike conventional drug-loaded electrospun nanofibrous membranes, PLC-DPs have enzyme-sensitive drug properties that allow for sustained drug release on demand. Our experiments showed that implantation of PLC-DP was effective in reducing tissue adhesions by 47 % without affecting tendon healing. We elucidated the mechanism behind this phenomenon, suggesting that PCD activates FXYD2 to inhibit TGF-β-induced expression of Col III, which is a key factor in PA development.