Objective Performance Indicators Research Articles

Family firm performance through transformational CEO leadership and familiness-related team forces

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to test the role of familiness-related team forces induced by the CEO of family firms. In particular, we report on the effects of the transformational leadership style of CEOs on their respective top-management team (TMT) and firm performance when viewed through a familiness lens.Design/methodology/approachSurvey measures were taken from a snowballed sample of 72 CEOs of German family firms as well as from 245 members of their TMTs. We tested the aggregated firm-level data with objective performance indicators of the firms they led.FindingsSupport was obtained for the three hypothesized team-force mediations and the four-path mediation model. The relationship between CEO’s transformational style and high family-firm performance is found to be serially mediated by TMT cohesion, behavioral integration and efficacy. Together, these three types of collective forces are assumed to be the familiness effect of a family-member CEO with a transformational leadership style.Originality/valueWith our model, we quantitatively tested familiness-type forces vis-à-vis firm performance. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Person-centred quality indicators are associated with unplanned care use following hospital discharge

ObjectivePerformance indicators are used to evaluate the quality of healthcare services. The majority of these, however, are derived solely from administrative data and rarely incorporate feedback from patients who receive...

Effective Zero-Shot Multi-Speaker Text-to-Speech Technique Using Information Perturbation and a Speaker Encoder

Effective Zero-Shot Multi-Speaker Text-to-Speech Technique Using Information Perturbation and a Speaker Encoder

A combined experimental-correlational approach to the construct validity of performance-based and self-report-based measures of sustained attention.

The ability to sustain attention is often measured with either objective performance indicators, like within-person RT variability, or subjective self-reports, like mind wandering propensity. A more construct valid approach, however, may be to assess the covariation in these performance and self-report measures, given that each of these is influenced by different sources of measurement error. If the correlation between performance-variability and self-report measures reflects the sustained attention construct, then task manipulations aimed at reducing the sustained attention demands of tasks should reduce the correlation between them (in addition to reducing mean levels of variability and mind wandering). The current study investigated this claim with a combined experimental-correlation approach. In two experiments (Ns ~ 1,500 each), participants completed tasks that either maximized or minimized the demand for sustained attention. Our demand manipulations successfully reduced the mean levels of sustained attention failures in both the objective and subjective measures, in both experiments. In neither experiment, however, did the covariation between these measures change as a function of the sustained attention demands of the tasks. We can therefore claim only minimal support for the construct validity of our measurement approach to sustained attention.

Kinematic metrics and surgeon experience in robotic cholecystectomies: a pilot study on breaking down technical performance.

Recent studies have correlated surgical skill measured by video-based assessment with improved clinical outcomes. Certain automated measures of operative performance in robotic surgery can be gathered beyond video review called objective performance indicators (OPIs). We explore the relationship between OPIs, surgeon experience, and postoperative recovery, hypothesizing that more efficient dissection will be associated with experience. Fifty-six robotic cholecystectomies between February 2022 and March 2023 were recorded at a large tertiary referral center. Surgeon experience and clinical outcomes data from the EMR were obtained for all 56 cases with 10 completing the QOL survey. Two steps of robotic cholecystectomies were reviewed: dissection of Calot's triangle (DCT) and dissection of the gallbladder from the liver (DGL). Postoperative recovery was measured using the SF-36 well-being survey. Univariate analysis was conducted using Pearson's coefficient. Increased operative experience was associated with more efficient camera and instrument movements. DCT had 7 and DGL had 31 of 41 OPIs that correlated with experience. With respect to DGL, more experienced surgeons had reduced step duration and instrument path length and increased camera and instrument speeds. Several OPIs correlate with surgical experience and may form the basis of more instructive feedback for trainees and less experienced surgeons in improving intraoperative technique.

A multifactorial evaluation of objective performance indicators and video analysis in the context of case complexity and clinical outcomes in robotic-assisted cholecystectomy.

The increased digitization in robotic surgical procedures today enables surgeons to quantify their movements through data captured directly from the robotic system. These calculations, called objective performance indicators (OPIs), offer unprecedented detail into surgical performance. In this study, we link case- and surgical step-specific OPIs to case complexity, surgical experience and console utilization, and post-operative clinical complications across 87 robotic cholecystectomy (RC) cases. Videos of RCs performed by a principal surgeon with and without fellows were segmented into eight surgical steps and linked to patients' clinical data. Data for OPI calculations were extracted from an Intuitive Data Recorder and the da Vinci ® robotic system. RC cases were each assigned a Nassar and Parkland Grading score and categorized as standard or complex. OPIs were compared across complexity groups, console attributions, and post-surgical complication severities to determine objective relationships across variables. Across cases, differences in camera control and head positioning metrics of the principal surgeon were observed when comparing standard and complex cases. Further, OPI differences across the principal surgeon and the fellow(s) were observed in standard cases and include differences in arm swapping, camera control, and clutching behaviors. Monopolar coagulation energy usage differences were also observed. Select surgical step duration differences were observed across complexities and console attributions, and additional surgical task analyses determine the adhesion removal and liver bed hemostasis steps to be the most impactful steps for case complexity and post-surgical complications, respectively. This is the first study to establish the association between OPIs, case complexities, and clinical complications in RC. We identified OPI differences in intra-operative behaviors and post-surgical complications dependent on surgeon expertise and case complexity, opening the door for more standardized assessments of teaching cases, surgical behaviors and case complexities.

Comparison of Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Surgery with objective performance indicators for the assessment of skill during robotic-assisted thoracic surgery

BackgroundThe Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills is a popular but ultimately subjective assessment tool in robotic-assisted surgery. An alternative approach is to record system or console events or calculate instrument kinematics to derive objective performance indicators. The aim of this study was to compare these 2 approaches and correlate the Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills with different types of objective performance indicators during robotic-assisted lobectomy. MethodsVideo, system event, and kinematic data were recorded from the robotic surgical system during left upper lobectomy on a standardized perfused and pulsatile ex vivo porcine heart–lung model. Videos were segmented into steps, and the superior vein dissection was graded independently by 2 blinded expert surgeons with Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills. Objective performance indicators representing categories for energy use, event data, movement, smoothness, time, and wrist articulation were calculated for the same task and compared to Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills scores. ResultsVideo and data from 51 cases were analyzed (44 fellows, 7 attendings). Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills scores were significantly higher for attendings (P < .05), but there was a significant difference in raters’ scores of 31.4% (defined as >20% difference in total score). The interclass correlation was 0.44 for 1 rater and 0.61 for 2 raters. Objective performance indicators correlated with Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills to varying degrees. The most highly correlated Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills domain was efficiency. Instrument movement and smoothness were highly correlated among objective performance indicator categories. Of individual objective performance indicators, right-hand median jerk, an objective performance indicator of change of acceleration, had the highest correlation coefficient (0.55). ConclusionThere was a relatively poor overall correlation between the Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills and objective performance indicators. However, both appear strongly correlated for certain metrics such as efficiency and smoothness. Objective performance indicators may be a potentially more quantitative and granular approach to assessing skill, given that they can be calculated mathematically and automatically without subjective interpretation.

Strategies for building institutional repositories a case study of content recruitment in Malaysian higher learning institutions

Various strategies have been developed to ensure the success of the critical and challenging process of recruiting content for institutional repositories. This article presents an in-depth exploration of content recruitment strategies used by three Malaysian higher learning institutions in their institutional repositories. Through interviews with nine repository librarians, the study investigates the various methods used to acquire content, including mediated deposit, self-archiving, and promotion activities. The study reveals that setting up content deposit as a quality objective and key performance indicator (KPI) is a new and effective strategy used among the three case studies. The findings provide valuable insights into the approaches taken by these institutions to recruit content and offer practical guidelines for academic librarians in general. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on institutional repository management, highlighting the importance of implementing effective content recruitment strategies to ensure the success and sustainability of these repositories.

Leadership cycles, styles, and antecedent factors: the perspective of coaches and young soccer athletes from national Slovak leagues.

Building positive relationships and interactions between coaches and athletes is critical to an athlete's success. The current study aimed to overview how coaches and their young athletes perceive three elements of the Leadership Efficacy Model (philosophy, practice, and criteria). The aim was examined with four goals of analysis: the perceptions of coaches and athletes about coaches' leadership philosophy, practice, and criteria (1); the differences between athletes' and coaches' perceptions of leadership cycles (2); the differences between athletes' and coaches' perceptions of leadership styles (3); and the differences between athletes' and coaches' perceptions of leadership antecedent factors (4). The study involved 304 athletes and 20 coaches competing in the youth national leagues U15, U16, U17, and U19. Two-source data collection was applied: coaches completed the questionnaires from their point of view, and so did athletes. The coaches were paired then with their athletes to compare the answers. Coaches fulfilled Leadership Cycles Questionnaire (LEQ), Multidimensional Scale of Leadership in Sport (MSLS), and Leadership Antecedent Factors Questionnaire (LAFQ). Athletes completed the same questionnaires as the coaches did and also fulfilled the Sport Performance Perception Questionnaire (SPPQ). Athletes' age and SPPQ served as control variables. Both athletes (37.5%) and coaches (40%) perceived that the philosophy of the leadership efficacy model should be increased. Coaches evaluated their philosophy (F = 4.43; p = 0.036; η2 = 0.014), support in MSLS (F = 5.05; p = 0.025; η2 = 0.016) and active management in MSLS (F = 4.08; p = 0.044; η2 = 0.013) higher than their athletes. The athletes assessed the maturity of the team members (LAFQ dimension) (F = 13.98; p <0.001; η2 = 0.044), negative feedback in MSLS (F = 6.02; p = 0.015; η2 = 0.020), and passive management in MSLS (F = 4.95; p = 0.027; η2 = 0.016) higher than their coaches. The tendency of coaches to have a more positive perception of their leadership behavior compared to their athletes represents the coach-athlete perception gap of leadership. Future research can examine the efficacy of congruent perceptions of leadership between athletes and coaches during the sports season and the impact produced by objective performance indicators.

Kinematic data profile and clinical outcomes in robotic inguinal hernia repairs: a pilot study.

Surgical training requires clinical knowledge and technical skills to operate safely and optimize clinical outcomes. Technical skills are hard to measure. The Intuitive Data Recorder (IDR), (Sunnyvale, CA) allows for the measurement of technical skills using objective performance indicators (OPIs) from kinematic event data. Our goal was to determine whether OPIs improve with surgeon experience and whether they are correlated with clinical outcomes for robotic inguinal hernia repair (RIHR). The IDR was used to record RIHRs from six surgeons. Data were obtained from 98 inguinal hernia repairs from February 2022 to February 2023. Patients were called on postoperative days 5-10 and asked to take the Carolina Comfort Scale (CCS) survey to evaluate acute clinical outcomes. A Pearson test was run to determine correlations between OPIs from the IDR with a surgeon's yearly RIHR experience and with CCS scores. Linear regression was then run for correlated OPIs. Multiple OPIs were correlated with surgeon experience. Specifically, for the task of peritoneal flap exploration, we found that 23 OPIs were significantly correlated with surgeons' 1-year RIHR case number. Total angular motion distance of the left arm instrument had a correlation of - 0.238 (95% CI - 0.417, - 0.042) for RIHR yearly case number. Total angular motion distance of right arm instrument was also negatively correlated with RIHR in 1year with a correlation of - 0.242 (95% CI - 0.420, - 0.046). For clinical outcomes, wrist articulation of the surgeon's console positively correlated with acute sensation scores from the CCS with a correlation of 0.453 (95% CI 0.013, 0.746). This study defines multiple OPIs that correlate with surgeon experience and with outcomes. Using this knowledge, surgical simulation platforms can be designed to teach patterns to surgical trainees that are associated with increased surgical experience and with improved postoperative outcomes.

Predicting Surgical Experience After Robotic Nerve-sparing Radical Prostatectomy Simulation Using a Machine Learning-based Multimodal Analysis of Objective Performance Metrics.

Machine learning methods have emerged as objective tools to evaluate operative performance in urological procedures. Our objectives were to establish machine learning-based methods for predicting surgeon caseload for nerve-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy using our validated hydrogel-based simulation platform and identify potential metrics of surgical expertise. Video, robotic kinematics, and force sensor data were collected from 35 board-certified urologists at the 2022 American Urological Association conference. Video was annotated for surgical gestures. Objective performance indicators were derived from robotic system kinematic data. Force metrics were calculated from hydrogel model integrated sensors. Data were fitted to 3 supervised machine learning models-logistic regression, support vector machine, and k-nearest neighbors-which were used to predict procedure-specific learning curve proficiency. Recursive feature elimination was used to optimize the best performing model. Logistic regression predicted caseload with the highest AUC score for 5/7 possible data combinations (force, 64%; objective performance indicators + gestures, 94%; objective performance indicators + force, 90%; gestures + force, 93%; objective performance indicators + gestures + force, 94%). Support vector machine predicted the highest AUC score for objective performance indicators (82%) and gestures (94%). Logistic regression with recursive feature elimination was the most effective model reaching 96% AUC in predicting case-specific experience. Most contributory features were identified across all model types. We have created a machine learning-based algorithm utilizing a novel combination of objective performance indicators, gesture analysis, and integrated force metrics to predict surgical experience, capable of discriminating between surgeons with low or high robot-assisted radical prostatectomy caseload with 96% AUC in a standardized, simulation-based environment.

Outcomes in elderly patients undergoing hepatic resection compared to ablative therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatic resection is an excellent option in the care of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Elderly patients often forego hepatic resection in favor of liver-directed ablative therapies due to the increased likelihood of adverse postoperative outcomes due to age. We sought to determine long-term outcomes in patients who underwent hepatic resection compared to liver-directed ablative therapy in this patient population. We queried the National Cancer Database for elderly patients (≥70 years) diagnosed with HCC between 2004 and 2018. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS) computed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard regression. A total of 10 032 patients were included in this analysis. On unadjusted analysis (p < 0.001) as well as multivariable analysis (hazard ratio: 0.65, 95% confidence interval: 0.57-0.73), hepatic resection was associated with improved OS. The protective association between hepatic resection and OS persisted after 1:1 propensity score matching. Hepatic resection is associated with improved survival for well-selected elderly patients with HCC. While age is often thought of as influencing the decision to offer surgery, our study, in combination with others, demonstrates that it should not. Instead, other objective indicators of performance and functional status may be considered.

Assessment of Thermodynamic Efficiency of the Belarusian Energy System. Part 2

The energy system is a structure that is among the most complex artificial objects, the successful functioning and development of which is absolutely necessary to ensure the livelihoods of a modern state. In this regard, its continuous monitoring with obtaining reliable and objective performance indicators is undoubtedly in demand. Traditional key energy indicators (specific consumption of conventional fuel for electricity generation and heat release) do not give a complete picture of the operation of the power system for such complex structures and in some cases are calculated incorrectly. The present paper proposes to add a well-known, but practically unused exergetic efficiency coefficient to the range of traditional characteristics. Its application expands the monitoring capabilities and increases the objectivity of the evaluation. For the first time, the analysis of various periods (annual, heating and inter-heating) was carried out on the example of thermal power plants (CHP) of the Unified Energy System of Belarus. The relative power generation of the CHP before the commissioning of the Belarusian NPP was estimated at ≈45 %, and after commissioning it decreased to ≈39 %. More than half of the annual consumption of thermal energy in Belarus is accounted for by heat-generating sources, while thermal power plants provide up to 88 % of heat output. The installed electric capacity utilization factor, the extraction factor and the average annual specific generation of electricity on thermal consumption for each CHP separately have been determined. The results are presented graphically, which makes the content more informative and facilitates the perception. Solutions have been proposed to improve the efficiency of the CHP.

MP26-11 PROJECT SURGICAL RADAR: MASTERY REGISTRY OF OBJECTIVE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS DURING A REALISTIC NERVE-SPARING ROBOTIC RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY SIMULATION

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023MP26-11 PROJECT SURGICAL RADAR: MASTERY REGISTRY OF OBJECTIVE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS DURING A REALISTIC NERVE-SPARING ROBOTIC RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY SIMULATION Nathan Schuler, Lauren Shepard, Andrea Smith, Sue Kulason, Andrew Yee, and Ahmed Ghazi Nathan SchulerNathan Schuler More articles by this author , Lauren ShepardLauren Shepard More articles by this author , Andrea SmithAndrea Smith More articles by this author , Sue KulasonSue Kulason More articles by this author , Andrew YeeAndrew Yee More articles by this author , and Ahmed GhaziAhmed Ghazi More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003254.11AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Erectile dysfunction after nerve-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (NS-RARP) ranges from 8% to 49% even by high-volume surgeons with no consensus on granular tasks that result in the best potency. Studies found robotic kinematic data to correlate with select RARP clinical outcomes. We analyzed Objective Performance Indicators (OPIs) from a mastery registry of high-volume urologists performing a NS-RARP simulation to identify which metrics can predict operative expertise. METHODS: Thirty urologists (avg. RARP volume=734) performed a NS-RARP on a validated, realistic, hydrogel model with force sensors embedded in the neurovascular bundle (NVB). Robotic kinematic (51 OPIs) and force (number of force peaks, variability, average and total force) data were collected. These OPIs were mapped to broader technical skill categories and used to build logistic regression classifiers that predict the probability of case volume and force data. Data was fit to a Gaussian Mixture model, then separated based on OPIs. Tukey’s HSD test was used to determine significance in inter-group comparisons of overall robotic, RARP volume and force metrics RESULTS: Urologists were clustered into 3 groups based on mean total Overall robotic and RARP volume into 7 Super-Users (SU), 14 High Volume (HV), and 9 Low Volume (LV) surgeons (Figure 1a). OPIs were categorized into 3 broad categories: robotic efficiency, tool motion, and operative fluidity. A significant difference (<0.05) across groups was seen in 31 OPIs (18 across all 3 groups, 10 when comparing SU vs HV and HV vs LV, and 6 when comparing HV vs LV groups). Force metrics showed significant difference comparing SU and HV to LV (Figure 1a). A significant negative correlation was found between force metrics and robotic volume, RARP volume and 13 OPIs (5 robotic efficiency , 4 tool motion, and 4 operative fluidity OPIs) (Figure 1b). CONCLUSIONS: Experienced urologists demonstrated a higher incidence of operative fluidity and tool efficiency OPIs, which are also predictive of less force data applied to the NVB during the simulation. These specific actions specific to super users may improve surgical efficiencies through structured feedback. Source of Funding: None © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e356 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Nathan Schuler More articles by this author Lauren Shepard More articles by this author Andrea Smith More articles by this author Sue Kulason More articles by this author Andrew Yee More articles by this author Ahmed Ghazi More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Ratio of Economy of Motion: A New Objective Performance Indicator to Assign Consoles During Dual-Console Robotic Proctectomy.

Our group investigates objective performance indicators (OPIs) to analyze robotic colorectal surgery. Analyses of OPI data are difficult in dual-console procedures (DCPs) as there is currently no reliable, efficient, or scalable technique to assign console-specific OPIs during a DCP. We developed and validated a novel metric to assign tasks to appropriate surgeons during DCPs. A colorectal surgeon and fellow reviewed 21 unedited, dual-console proctectomy videos with no information to identify the operating surgeons. The reviewers watched a small number of random tasks and assigned "attending" or "trainee" to each task. Based on this sampling, the remainder of task assignments for each procedure was extrapolated. In parallel, we applied our newly developed OPI, ratio of economy of motion (rEOM), to assign consoles. Results from the 2 methods were compared. A total of 1811 individual surgical tasks were recorded during 21 proctectomy videos. A median of 6.5 random tasks (137 total) were reviewed during each video, and the remainder of task assignments were extrapolated based on the 7.6% of tasks audited. The task assignment agreement was 91.2% for video review vs rEOM, with rEOM providing ground truth. It took 2.5hours to manually review video and assign tasks. Ratio of economy of motion task assignment was immediately available based on OPI recordings and automated calculation. We developed and validated rEOM as an accurate, efficient, and scalable OPI to assign individual surgical tasks to appropriate surgeons during DCPs. This new resource will be useful to everyone involved in OPI research across all surgical specialties.

Objective performance indicators of cardiothoracic residents are associated with vascular injury during robotic-assisted lobectomy on porcine models.

Surgical training relies on subjective feedback on resident technical performance by attending surgeons. A novel data recorder connected to a robotic-assisted surgical platform captures synchronized kinematic and video data during an operation to calculate quantitative, objective performance indicators (OPIs). The aim of this study was to determine if OPIs during initial task of a resident's robotic-assisted lobectomy (RL) correlated with bleeding during the procedure. Forty-six residents from the 2019 Thoracic Surgery Directors Association Resident Boot Camp completed RL on an ex vivo perfused porcine model while continuous video and kinematic data were recorded. For this pilot study, RL was segmented into 12 tasks and OPIs were calculated for the initial major task. Cases were reviewed for major bleeding events and OPIs of bleeding cases were compared to those who did not. Data from 42 residents were complete and included in the analysis. 10/42 residents (23.8%) encountered bleeding: 10/40 residents who started with superior pulmonary vein exposure and 0/2 residents who started with pulmonary artery exposure. Twenty OPIs for both hands were assessed during the initial task. Six OPIs related to instrument usage or smoothness of motion were significant for bleeding. Differences were statistically significant for both hands (p < 0.05). OPIs showing bimanual asymmetry indicated lower proficiency. This study demonstrates that kinematic and video analytics can establish a correlation between objective performance metrics and bleeding events in an ex vivo perfused lobectomy. Further study could assist in the development of focused exercises and simulation on objective domains to help improve overall performance and reducing complications during RL.

On Pre-Emptive In-Wheel Motor Control for Reducing the Longitudinal Acceleration Oscillations Caused by Road Irregularities

Road irregularities induce vertical and longitudinal vibrations of the sprung and unsprung masses, which affect vehicle comfort. While the vertical dynamics and related compensation techniques are extensively covered by the suspension control literature, the longitudinal dynamics on uneven road surfaces are less frequently addressed, and are significantly influenced by the tires and suspension systems. The relatively slow response of internal combustion engines does not allow any form of active compensation of the effect of road irregularities. However, in-wheel electric powertrains, in conjunction with pre-emptive control based on the information on the road profile ahead, have some potential for effective compensation, which, however, has not been explored yet. This paper presents a proof-of-concept nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) implementation based on road preview, which is preliminarily assessed with a simulation model of an all-wheel drive electric vehicle with in-wheel motors, including a realistic tire model for ride comfort simulation. The major improvement brought by the proposed road preview controller is evaluated through objective performance indicators along multiple maneuvers, and is confirmed by the comparison with two benchmarking feedback controllers from the literature.

Recognition of road cracks based on multi-scale Retinex fused with wavelet transform

Cracks are the main diseases of roads and potential threats to road safety. The detection and repair of cracks is the focus of intelligent transportation system research. However, the performance of automatic crack detection is often not good enough due to the uneven illumination, low contrast between the crack and the surrounding pavement and the possible presence of shadows similar in intensity to the crack. In this paper, an improved multi-scale Retinex algorithm is proposed to enhance the crack image. The wavelet transform is integrated into the traditional multi-scale Retinex algorithm to avoid the halo generated by the Retinex algorithm, thereby reducing the image distortion. Meanwhile, the multi-scale Retinex algorithm can make up for the lack of useful information lost by wavelet transform, so the combination of the two can obtain better crack enhancement effect. In addition, the preprocessing of shadow removal is performed before crack enhancement, which effectively eliminates the interference of high-intensity shadows. Through the comparison of objective performance indicators, the newly proposed algorithm can better highlight the crack information. The method proposed in this paper can effectively realize the functions of shadow removal and crack enhancement, so that the recognition accuracy of the overall detection system reaches 95.8%, indicating that the algorithm has high research significance and engineering application value.

Distance Project-Based Learning During Lockdown and Learner’s Motivation

During the first lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic, project-based learning (PBL) had to be implemented remotely. To gain knowledge on this learning context, we monitored motivation (in Self-Determination Theory framework), flow, social identification and self-rated performance during a 10-day project conducted with 281 engineering students. Final grades were also collected as objective performance indicators. Results show that intrinsic and identified motivation, flow, self-rated performance and group identification increased throughout the project, which suggests that remote PBL stimulated students’ needs for autonomy and competence without hindering their need for relatedness. Furthermore, the analysis of significant predictors of teams’ and individuals’ performance draw avenues for improving PBL and stimulating intrinsic and identified motivation, for the subject and for the project, at the right time along the program.

A Bayesian network to analyse basketball players’ performances: a multivariate copula-based approach

Statistics in sports plays a key role in predicting winning strategies and providing objective performance indicators. Despite the growing interest in recent years in using statistical methodologies in this field, less emphasis has been given to the multivariate approach. This work aims at using the Bayesian networks to model the joint distribution of a set of indicators of players’ performances in basketball in order to discover the set of their probabilistic relationships as well as the main determinants affecting the player’s winning percentage. From a methodological point of view, the interest is to define a suitable model for non-Gaussian data, relaxing the strong assumption on normal distribution in favour of Gaussian copula. Through the estimated Bayesian network, we discovered many interesting dependence relationships, providing a scientific validation of some known results mainly based on experience. At last, some scenarios of interest have been simulated to understand the main determinants that contribute to rising in the number of won games by a player.