Predictors Of Credibility Research Articles

The effect of shared ecological value on buyer–supplier relationship within mountaineering tourism

Shared values play an important role in attracting new tourists, retaining existing ones and gaining an important competitive advantage. Building upon the Commitment-Trust model, this study tested the role of shared ecological values in the creation of tourist trust and relationship commitment, and finally tourist behavioral intention. To test the hypotheses, a sample consisting of 480 mountaineering tourists of two representative travel agencies were surveyed, and a mixed-method approach based on a quantitative survey (n = 436) and qualitative interviews (n = 60) was also adopted to examine their relationships. Results revealed that shared ecological values between tourists and travel agencies were significantly negative predictors of credibility, while credibility and benevolence emerged as significantly positive predictors of relationship commitment. Moreover, credibility and relationship commitment were partially positively predictors of tourist’s behavioral intentions. The findings enrich the extant knowledge on mountaineering tourist relationship marketing and human-nature relationships and provide implications for destination management and wildlife protection.

Media, Doctors, Friends or No One? Predictors of Credibility of Health Information Sources in Ukraine

Media, Doctors, Friends or No One? Predictors of Credibility of Health Information Sources in Ukraine

CAIDE Score, Alzheimer's Disease Pathology, and Cognition in Cognitively Normal Adults: The CABLE Study.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Ageing and Dementia (CAIDE) risk score serves as a credible predictor of an individual's risk of dementia. However, studies on the link of the CAIDE score to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology are scarce. To explore the links of CAIDE score to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of AD as well as to cognitive performance. In the Chinese Alzheimer's Biomarker and LifestylE (CABLE) study, we recruited 600 cognitively normal participants. Correlations between the CAIDE score and CSF biomarkers of AD as well as cognitive performance were probed through multiple linear regression models. Whether the correlation between CAIDE score and cognitive performance was mediated by AD pathology was researched by means of mediation analyses. Linear regression analyses illustrated that CAIDE score was positively associated with tau-related biomarkers, including pTau (p < 0.001), tTau (p < 0.001), as well as tTau/Aβ42 (p = 0.008), while it was in negative association with cognitive scores, consisting of MMSE score (p < 0.001) as well as MoCA score (p < 0.001). The correlation from CAIDE score to cognitive scores was in part mediated by tau pathology, with a mediation rate varying from 3.2% to 13.2% . A higher CAIDE score, as demonstrated in our study, was linked to more severe tau pathology and poorer cognitive performance, and tau pathology mediated the link of CAIDE score to cognitive performance. Increased dementia risk will lead to cognitive decline through aggravating neurodegeneration.

Modeling telemedicine consumer behavior amid COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the consumer behavior toward telemedicine services in India during the COVID-19 pandemic onset. With lockdown restrictions and safety concerns in visiting brick-and-mortar clinics or hospitals during the pandemic, Telemedicine had emerged as a potent alternative for seeking redressal to health issues. Based on theory and focus interviews with the telemedicine users, the researchers proposed a model to understand the intent and actual usage of telemedicine in India.Design/methodology/approachThe cross-sectional study undertaken used a questionnaire designed on a seven-point Likert scale and administered to respondents with the objective of identifying the determinants of intent and actual usage of telemedicine services. Simple random sampling was used to collect primary data. The data was cleaned and finally a sample of 405 responses complete in all respects was considered for analysis. The questionnaire comprised of 34 items and following the recommendation of Hair et al. (2016), which says the minimum sample size in structural equation modeling should be ten times the number of indicator variables, a sample size of 405 was deemed adequate.FindingsThe research paper finds that performance expectancy, attitude, credibility and self-efficacy positively impact the intention of consumers to use telemedicine services. As the effort expectancy or risk perception toward telemedicine increases the intent and actual usage of telemedicine decreases. The intention to use telemedicine emerged as a strong predictor of the actual usage of telemedicine. Intent to use telemedicine was explained 81.4% by its predictors of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, attitude, risk, credibility and self-efficacy, and actual usage was explained 79.9% by its predictors. This study also reports that telemedicine was found to be popular among chronic as well as episodic patients though the preference was skewed in favor of the episodic patients. One of the advantages of telemedicine is its availability round the clock, and the study found that 8 a. m. to 12 noon time slot as the most preferred slot for seeking telemedicine services.Practical implicationsChang (2004) opined that telemedicine can fulfill the needs of all stakeholders: citizens, health-care consumers, medical doctors and health-care professionals, policymakers, and so on. Considering the promise telemedicine holds, this realm must be studied and leveraged to the full potential. The study found that patients were using telemedicine even for their day-to-day aliments. This indicates a growing popularity of telemedicine and as such an opportunity for telemedicine companies to leverage it. In India, pharmaceutical companies cannot give commercial advertisements for medicines, and the same can only be sold through a registered medical practitioner’s prescription. As such there is total dependency on the medical practitioner for the sale of medicines. Telemedicine companies offer services of home delivering medicines clubbed with medical consultation thus giving them forward integration in their business models. Using telemedicine the patients had control over the timings of the services offered, and as such the waiting time to get a consultation and subsequent treatment was reduced considerably. Best medical advice from across the globe is available to the patient at less cost. Medical practitioners also stand to benefit as they can treat a variety of cases, collaborate among the medical fraternity and give consultation safely in case of fatal contagious diseases.Originality/valueThis study points to a definite growing popularity of telemedicine services not only in episodic patients but also chronic patients. Telemedicine with its unique advantages holds the promise to grow exponentially in the future and is a compelling health-care segment to focus on for delivering health-care solution to the geographically distant consumers.

Oldies but goldies? Comparing the trustworthiness and credibility of ‘new’ and ‘old’ information intermediaries

Abstract People increasingly access news through ‘new’, algorithmic intermediaries such as search engines or aggregators rather than the ‘old’ (i. e., traditional), journalistic intermediaries. As algorithmic intermediaries do not adhere to journalistic standards, their trustworthiness comes into question. With this study, we (1) summarize the differences between journalistic and algorithmic intermediaries as found in previous literature; (2) conduct a cross-media comparison of information credibility and intermediary trustworthiness; and (3) examine how key predictors (such as modality, reputation, source attribution, and prior experience) affect the trustworthiness and credibility assessments. Results from a quasi-experimental online survey (n = 485) confirm that recipients assess journalistic intermediaries more positively than algorithmic intermediaries and audio more positively than text intermediaries. Furthermore, we found reputation and information credibility to be the most important predictors of intermediary trustworthiness, while general media trust is the most important predictor of information credibility. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

An examination of university students’ perceptions of physicians’ humor usage, source credibility, and fear of physician

ABSTRACT The study examined university students’ (N = 237) ratings of their primary care physicians’ humor usage (identification and differentiation), credibility, and fear of physician. Participants reported physician identification humor to be a positive predictor of physician credibility and a negative predictor of fear of physician. Conversely, participants reported physician differentiation humor to be a negative predictor of physician credibility and a positive predictor of fear of physician. The study offers support for the continuum perspective of humor through empirical observations. Based on the study’s results, the author proposes recommendations for humor enactment in the physician-patient relationship.

The kinetics of mTORC1 activation associates with FOXP3 expression pattern of CD4+ T cells and outcome of steroid-sensitive minimal change disease.

Minimal change disease (MCD) usually responds to glucocorticoids (GCs) but relapses in most cases. Relapse pathogenesis after complete remission (CR) remains unclear. We hypothesized that FOXP3+ T regulatory cell (Treg) dysregulation may drive early relapses (ER). In this study, a cohort of 23 MCD patients were treated with a conventional GC regimen for the initial onset of nephrotic syndrome. Upon GC withdrawal, seven patients suffered from ER, while 16 patients sustained remission (SR) during the 12-month follow-up. Patients with ER had reduced FOXP3+ Treg proportions compared with healthy controls. Treg reduction, accompanied by IL-10 impairment, was ascribed to a proportional decline of FOXP3medium rather than FOXP3high cells. GC-induced CR was marked by a rise in the proportions of FOXP3+ and FOXP3medium cells compared to baseline levels. These increases declined in patients with ER. The expression level of phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 was used to track the dynamic shifts in mTORC1 activity within CD4+ T cells of MCD patients at various stages of treatment. Baseline mTORC1 activity was inversely correlated with FOXP3+ and FOXP3medium Treg proportion. The mTORC1 activity in CD4+ T cells served as a reliable indicator for ER and demonstrated improved performance when paired with FOXP3 expression. Mechanically, targeting mTORC1 intervention by siRNAs sufficiently altered the conversion pattern of CD4+ T cell to FOXP3+ Treg. Taken together, the activity of mTORC1 in CD4+ T cells can act as a credible predictor for ER in MCD, especially when combined with FOXP3 expression, and may offer a potential therapeutic avenue for the treatment of podocytopathies.

Evaluating the design of digital tools for the transition to an e-continuous assessment in higher education

Evaluation is a crucial part of the teaching and learning process in any higher education institution and one that has gone through a deep change. This has been particularly true since the Bologna Declaration (http://www.ehea.info/page-ministerial-conference-bologna-1999, 1999) ushered in the European higher education area, with the subsequent major rise in the employment of continuous assessment methods focused on student participation. This article analyses the impact on academic performance of e-continuous assessment based on e-tests on a virtual platform as a previous step towards the substitution of the traditional evaluation system, based on a final exam, with a continuous evaluation system, prescribed as an alternative preferred by the regulations of multiple Spanish universities. Microeconometric models have been applied to a database of 250 first-year students on the Business Administration and Management course at the University of Seville (Spain). Our findings show that e-tests could prevent the risk of students dropping out and could also provide a credible predictor of students’ academic marks in the theoretical contents of the subject, but not in those of a practical or applied nature. Based on the results of this evaluation, an e-continuous assessment has been developed in the subject, which has become the majority option for students, with 90% participation, while also increasing pass rates. Moreover, the positive effect of a computing environment does not appear to be limited to the classroom, but also extends to students’ home environments. This teaching experience shows that the swift feedback that e-tools provides, especially in especially in environments of large class size such as in the class evaluated, could support instructors’ personal tutoring of students’ progress and promote a greater implementation of e-continuous assessment in Spanish higher education.

Using Machine-Learning to Predict Sleep-Disordered Breathing Diagnosis From Medical Comorbidities and Craniofacial Features.

Objectives This paper attempts to use machine-learning (ML) algorithms to predict the presence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in a patient based on their body habitus, craniofacial anatomy, and social history. Materials and methods Data from a group of 69 adult patients who attended a dental clinic for oral surgeries and dental procedures in the last 10 years was used to train machine-learning models to predict whether a subject is likely to have SDB based on input information such as age, gender, smoking history, body mass index (BMI), oropharyngeal airway (Mallampati assessment), forward head posture (FHP), facial skeletal pattern, and sleep quality. Logistic Regression (LR), K-nearest Neighbours (kNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Naïve Bayes (NB) were selected as these are the most frequently used supervised machine-learning models for classification of outcomes. The data was split into two sets for machine training (80% of total records) and the remaining was used for testing (validation). Results Initial analysis of collected data showed overweight BMI (at 25 or above), periorbital hyperchromia (dark circle eyes), nasal deviation, micrognathia, convex facial skeletal pattern (class 2) and Mallampati class 2 or above have positive correlations with SDB. Logistic Regression was found to be the best performer amongst the four models used with an accuracy of 86%, F1 score of 88% and area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 93%. LR also had 100% specificity and 77.8% sensitivity. Support Vector Machine was the second-best performer with an accuracy of 79%, F1 score of 82% and AUC of 93%. k-Nearest Neighbours and Naïve Bayes performed reasonably well with F1 scores of 71% and 67%, respectively. Conclusions This study demonstrated the feasibility of using simple machine-learning models as a credible predictor of sleep-disordered breathing in patients with structural risk factors for sleep apnoea such as craniofacial anomalies, neck posture and soft tissue airway obstruction. By utilising higher-level machine-learning algorithms, it is possible to incorporate a broader range of risk factors, including non-structural features like respiratory diseases, asthma, medication use, and more, into the prediction model.

Bitcoin Price Prediction and NFT Generator Based on Sentiment Analysis

Twitter sentiment has been found to be useful in predicting whether the price of Bitcoin will rise or fall will climb or decline. Modelling market activity and hence emotion in the Bitcoin ecosystem gives insight into Bitcoin price forecasts. We take into account not just the emotion retrieved not just from tweets, but also from the quantity of tweets. With the goal of optimising time window within which expressed emotion becomes a credible predictor of price change, we provide data from research that examined the link among both sentiment and future price at various temporal granularities. We demonstrate in this study that not only can price direction be anticipated, but also the magnitude of price movement with same accuracy, and this is the study's major scientific contribution. Non-Fungible Token (NFT) has gained international interest in recent years as a blockchain-based application. The most prevalent kind of NFT that can be stored on many blockchains is digital art. We did studies on CryptoPunks, the most popular collection on the NFT market, in examine and depict each and every major ethical challenges. We investigated ethical concerns from three perspectives: design, trade transactions, and relevant Twitter topics. Using Python libraries, a Twitter crawler, and sentiment analysis tools, we scraped data from Twitter and performed the analysis and prediction on bitcoin and NFTs.

The visceral pancreatic neck anterior distance may be an effective parameter to predict post-pancreaticoduodenectomy clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula

BackgroundThe clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) is significantly correlated with a high post-pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) mortality rate. Several studies have reported an association between visceral obesity and CR-POPF. Nevertheless, there are many technical difficulties and controversies in the measurement of visceral fat. The aim of this research was to determine whether the visceral pancreatic neck anterior distance (V-PNAD) was a credible predictor for CR-POPF. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the data of 216 patients who underwent PD in our center between January 2016 and August 2021. The correlation of patients’ demographic information, imaging variables, and intraoperative data with CR-POPF was assessed. Furthermore, areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for six distances (abdominal thickness, visceral thickness, abdominal width, visceral width, abdominal PNAD, V-PNAD) were used to identify the best imaging distance to predict POPF. ResultsIn the multivariate logistic analysis, V-PNAD (P < 0.01) was the most significant risk factor for CR-POPF after PD. Males with a V-PNAD >3.97 cm or females with a V-PNAD >3.66 cm were included into the high-risk group. The high-risk group had a higher prevalence of CR-POPF (6.5% vs. 45.1%, P < 0.001), intraperitoneal infection (1.9% vs. 23.9%, P < 0.001), pulmonary infection (3.7% vs. 14.1%, P = 0.012), pleural effusion (17.8% vs. 33.8%, P = 0.014), and ascites (22.4% vs. 40.8%, P = 0.009) than the low-risk group. ConclusionOf all imaging distances, V-PNAD may be the most effective predictor of CR-POPF. Moreover, high-risk patients (males, V-PNAD >3.97 cm; females, V-PNAD >3.66 cm) have a high incidence of CR-POPF and poor short-term post-PD prognosis. Therefore, surgeons should perform PD carefully and take adequate preventive measures to reduce the incidence of pancreatic fistula when the patient has a high V-PNAD.

The influence of electronic word of mouth through Tiktok on purchasing intention of skincare products in Indonesia

The ever-expanding internet has brought social media become a medium by which Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) is disseminated, particularly among skincare users. This study aims to assess the impact of eWOM through TikTok on skincare product purchase intention by developing a conceptual model of hypotheses that encompasses a multiplicity of factors that might be associated. The researcher investigates what factors impact eWOM usefulness &amp; eWOM credibility and why consumers may adopt it when making a purchase. To examine our research model, a quantitative approach is employed using a sample of 373 Indonesian respondents via a web-based questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis with the program SmartPLS was employed to test ten proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that source expertise is the most significant factor that may impact eWOM credibility in addition to perceived persuasiveness, perceived informativeness, and source trustworthiness. Additionally, source trustworthiness is the main predictor of eWOM credibility in addition to perceived persuasiveness and source expertise with regard to TikTok. It was found that eWOM usefulness and credibility together increase the possibility of adopting an eWOM message, and eWOM adoption mediates the influence of credibility and usefulness on customer purchase intention toward skincare products on TikTok. Only a few studies have examined TikTok as a medium of eWOM distribution and its influence on skincare product purchase intention, therefore this study provides vital insights into eWOM literature by identifying the new platform. This study helps brands learn what to consider when designing marketing strategies to enhance purchase intentions.

The preoperative Hounsfield unit value at the position of the future screw insertion is a better predictor of screw loosening than other methods

ObjectiveScrew loosening is a widely reported issue after spinal screw fixation and triggers several complications after lumbar interbody fusion. Osteoporosis is an essential risk factor for screw loosening. Hounsfield units (HU) value is a credible indicator during bone mineral density (BMD) evaluation. As compared with the general evaluation of BMD, we hypothesized that specific measurements of HU at the precise location of the future screw insertion may be a better predictor of screw loosening.MethodsClinical data of 56 patients treated by oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) of the L4-L5 segments with an anterior lateral single rod (ALSR) screw fixation were reviewed in this study. Vertebral bodies with ≥ 1 mm width radiolucent zones around the screw were defined as screw loosening. HU in the insertional screw positions, the central transverse plane, and the average values of three and four planes were measured. Regression analyses identified independent risk factors for screw loosening separately. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was computed to evaluate predictive performance.ResultsThe local HU values were significantly lower in the loosening group, regardless of the selected measuring methods. The AUC of screw loosening prediction was higher in the insertional screw positions’ HU than other frequently used methods.ConclusionsThe HU value measured in the insertional screw position is a better predictor of ALSR screw loosening than other methods. The risk of screw loosening should be reduced by optimizing the trajectory of the screw based on the measurement of HU in preoperative CT.Key Points• Osteoporosis is an essential risk factor for screw loosening, and Hounsfield units (HU) are a credible predictor during bone mineral density (BMD) evaluation.• The HU value measured in the insertional screw position is a better predictor of screw loosening than other frequently used HU measurement methods.• The risk of screw loosening might potentially be reduced by optimizing the trajectory of the screw based on the measurement of HU in preoperative CT.

A cuproptosis-related genes signature associated with prognosis and immune cell infiltration in osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most prevalent primary bone tumors at all ages of human development. The objective of our study was to develop a model of Cuproptosis-Related Genes (CRGs) for predicting prognosis in OS patients. All datasets of OS patients were obtained from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We obtained the gene set (81 CRGs) related to cuproptosis by accessing the database and previous literature. All the CRGs were analyzed by univariate COX regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) COX regression analysis to screen for CRGs associated with prognosis in OS patients. Then these CRGs were used to construct a prognostic signature, which was further verified by independent cohort (GSE21257) and clinical correlation analysis. Afterward, to identify underlying mechanisms, Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were used for the high-risk group by using the GSEA method. The association between the prognostic signature and 28 types of immune infiltrating cells in the tumor microenvironment was assessed. Ultimately, Lipoic Acid Synthetase (LIAS) (HR=0.632, P=0.004), Lipoyltransferase 1 (LIPT1) (HR=0.524, P=0.011), BCL2 Like 1 (BCL2L1/BCL-XL) (HR=0.593, P=0.022), and Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase 1 (PDK1) (HR=0.662, P=0.025) were identified. Subsequently, they were used to calculate the risk score and build a prognostic model. In the training cohort, risk score (HR=1.878, P=0.003) could be considered as an independent prognostic factor, and OS patients with high-risk scores showed lower survival rates. Biological pathways related to substance metabolism and transport were enriched. There were significant differences in immune infiltrating cells in the tumor microenvironment. All in all, The CRGs signature is related to the tumor immune microenvironment and could be used as a credible predictor of the prognostic status in OS patients.

Dynamic Predictive Models With Visualized Machine Learning for Assessing Chondrosarcoma Overall Survival.

Chondrosarcoma is a malignant bone tumor with a low incidence rate. Accurate risk evaluation is crucial for chondrosarcoma treatment. Due to the limited reliability of existing predictive models, we intended to develop a credible predictor for clinical chondrosarcoma based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data and four Chinese medical institutes. Three algorithms (Best Subset Regression, Univariate and Cox regression, and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selector Operator) were used for the joint training. A nomogram predictor including eight variables—age, sex, grade, T, N, M, surgery, and chemotherapy—is constructed. The predictor provides good performance in discrimination and calibration, with area under the curve ≥0.8 in the receiver operating characteristic curves of both internal and external validations. The predictor especially had very good clinical utility in terms of net benefit to patients at the 3- and 5-year points in both North America and China. A convenient web calculator based on the prediction model is available at https://drwenle029.shinyapps.io/CHSSapp, which is free and open to all clinicians.

Brain Oxygen–Directed Management of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. Temporal Patterns of Cerebral Ischemia During Acute Brain Attack, Early Brain Injury, and Territorial Sonographic Vasospasm

Neurocritical management of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage focuses on delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) after aneurysm repair. This study conceptualizes the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia and its management using a brain oxygen-directed protocol (intracranial pressure [ICP] control, eubaric hyperoxia, hemodynamic therapy, arterial vasodilation, and neuroprotection) in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage, undergoing aneurysm clipping (n = 40). The brain oxygen-directed protocol reduced Lbo2 (Pbto2 [partial pressure of brain tissue oxygen] <20 mm Hg) from 67% to 15% during acute brain attack (<24 hours of ictus), by increasing Pbto2 from 11.31 ± 9.34 to 27.85 ± 6.76 (P < 0.0001) and then to 29.09 ± 17.88 within 72 hours. Day-after-bleed, Fio2 change, ICP, hemoglobin, and oxygen saturation were predictors for Pbto2 during early brain injury. Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography velocities (>20 cm/second) increased at day 2. During DCI caused by territorial sonographic vasospasm (TSV), middle cerebral artery mean velocity (Vm) increased from 45.00 ± 15.12 to 80.37 ± 38.33/second by day 4 with concomitant Pbto2 reduction from 29.09 ± 17.88 to 22.66 ± 8.19. Peak TSV (days 7-12) coincided with decline in Pbto2. Nicardipine mitigated Lbo2 during peak TSV, in contrast to nimodipine, with survival benefit (P < 0.01). Intravenous and cisternal nicardipine combination had survival benefit (Cramer Φ = 0.43 and 0.327; G2 = 28.32; P < 0.001). This study identifies 4 zones of Lbo2 during survival benefit (Cramer Φ = 0.43 and 0.3) TSV, uncompensated; global cerebral ischemia, compensated, and normal Pbto2. Admission Glasgow Coma Scale score (not increased ICP) was predictive of low Pbto2 (β = 0.812, R2 = 0.661, F1,30 = 58.41; P < 0.0001) during early brain injury. Coma was the only credible predictor for mortality (odds ratio, 7.33/>4.8∗; χ2 = 7.556; confidence interval, 1.70-31.54; P < 0.01) followed by basilar aneurysm, poor grade, high ICP and Lbo2 during TSV. Global cerebral ischemia occurs immediately after the ictus, persisting in 30% of patients despite the high therapeutic intensity level, superimposed by DCI during TSV. We propose implications for clinical practice and patient management to minimize cerebral ischemia.

Eyewitness recall, lineup identification, and verbal and visual memory among chronic cannabis users after a minimum of 24‐h abstinence

AbstractResearch has begun to investigate the reliability of cannabis‐intoxicated eyewitnesses; however, no studies have evaluated eyewitness memory among chronic cannabis users after a minimum 24‐h abstinence. This study compared cannabis users' (n = 23) and nonusers' (n = 26) eyewitness recall/identification and investigated the relationship between eyewitness memory and neuropsychological functioning. Users demonstrated better visual recognition relative to nonusers. Groups' neuropsychological performance was otherwise similar. Regarding eyewitness memory, users recalled more inaccurate crime details when cued, whereas total accurate and inaccurate details recalled were similar. Neither user status, lineup type, their interaction, nor education were credible predictors of lineup identification accuracy. Verbal memory performance and years of education, but not user status, credibly predicted eyewitness recall accuracy. Findings suggest that cannabis‐user eyewitnesses may require special consideration regarding police interviewing techniques; however, additional research is necessary to determine the conditions in which chronic cannabis users are reliable or unreliable eyewitnesses.

ALB-dNLR Score Predicts Mortality in Coronary Artery Disease Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BackgroundThe influence of the albumin/derived neutrophil and lymphocyte ratio (ALB-dNLR) on the outcomes of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is not known. Here, we aimed to determine the association between the ALB-dNLR score and post-PCI CAD patient outcomes.MethodsA total of 6,050 patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were enrolled between January 2008 and December 2016. These patients were divided into three groups according to their ALB-dNLR scores (0 points, n = 1,121; 1 point, n = 3,119; 2 points, n = 1,810). Mortality after PCI [all-cause (ACM) and cardiac (CM)] was taken as the primary endpoint. The prognostic value of the ALB-dNLR score was determined with the Cox proportional hazard model after adjustment for covariates.ResultsThe ACM and CM rates differed among participants in the three groups (P = 0.007 and P = 0.034, respectively). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that the ALB-dNLR score independently predicted both ACM [1 point vs. 0 points, HR = 1.249 (95% CI: 0.79–1.774), P = 0.215; 2 points vs. 0 points, HR = 1.777 (95% CI: 1.239–2.549), P = 0.002] and CM [1 point vs. 0 points, HR = 1.294 (95% CI: 0.871–1.922), P = 0.202; 2 points vs. 0 points, HR = 1.782 (95% CI: 1.185–1.782), P = 0.027]. We also found that among male patients in the three groups, both ACM and CM rates differed (P = 0.006 and P = 0.017, respectively). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that the ALB-dNLR score independently predicted both ACM [1 point vs. 0 points, HR = 1.237 (95% CI: 0.806–0.330), P = 0.330; 2 points vs. 0 points, HR = 1.790 (95% CI: 1.159–2.764), P = 0.009] and CM [1 point vs. 0 points HR = 1.472 (95% CI: 0.892–2.430), P = 0.130; 2 points vs. 0 points, HR = 1.792 (95% CI: 1.182–3.289), P = 0.009].ConclusionThe ALB-dNLR score is a credible predictor for mortality in patients with CAD who have undergone PCI.

Hereditarity of potential matrices and positive affine prediction of nonnegative risks from mixture models

ABSTRACT Nonnegative linear filtering of nonnegative risk variables necessitates positivity properties on the variance–covariance matrices of random effects, if experience rating is derived from mixture models. A variance–covariance matrix is a potential if it is nonsingular and if its inverse is diagonally dominant, with off-diagonal entries that are all nonpositive. We consider risk models with stationary random effects whose variance–covariance matrices are potentials. Positive credibility predictors of nonnegative risks are obtained from these mixture models. The set of variance–covariance matrices that are potentials is closed under extraction of principal submatrices. This strong hereditary property maintains the positivity of the affine predictor if the horizon is greater than one and if the history is lacunary. The specifications of the dynamic random effects presented in this paper fulfill the required positivity properties, and encompass the three possible levels for the length of memory in the mixing distribution. A case study discusses the possible strategies in the prediction of the pure premium from dynamic random effects.

Pyroptosis-related gene mediated modification patterns and immune cell infiltration landscapes in cutaneous melanoma to aid immunotherapy

Tumor occurrence, infiltration, and metastasis are significantly affected by the tumor microenvironment (TME). Increasing evidence has elucidated TME’s clinical significance in prognostic assessment and immunotherapy efficacy. Nonetheless, no studies have reported the potential pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) function in TME immune cell infiltration. In this study, we systematically analyzed different PRG modification patterns in 685 cutaneous melanoma (CM) cases. We comprehensively explored the relationship between these PRG modification patterns and TME cell infiltration characteristics. Then, we used principal component analysis to construct a pyroptosis scoring system to quantify the PRG modification patterns in each CM patient. Three different PRG modification patterns were identified. Pyroptosis score was confirmed as an independent prognostic factor for CM patients. High pyroptosis score was characterized by high immunophenscore and more lymphocytes infiltration, such as T, B, and NK cells - indicating a strong ability to monitor and clear tumors, which may be responsible for the advantageous survival. Three independent cohorts that received immunotherapy confirmed the significant therapeutic efficacy and clinical benefit in high pyroptosis scores patients. This study revealed that the PRG modification patterns have a crucial effect on the CM complex and diverse microenvironment. Pyroptosis scores might serve as credible predictors of immunotherapy response and prognostic assessment. This provides a new direction for personalized immunotherapy strategies and appropriate immunotherapy candidates screening.