Comparison Of Procedures Research Articles

Step-down multiple testing procedures for the overall population and partitioning subgroups

ABSTRACT Multiple comparisons procedures are described for two-armed studies where there is a primary hypothesis and one or more ordered secondary hypotheses in the scenario where the objective is to test for an effect on the overall population and/or nonoverlapping subgroups that partition the population. This scenario arises when the subgroups are defined by disease etiology or by other patient characteristics such as genetic factors, age, sex, or race, and the treatment may have differential effects in the subgroups. The procedures described control the family-wise error rate in the strong sense at a specified level α.

“One Unique You”

AbstractStarting with the apparatus of DNA testing that produces and reifies ethnoracial differences and identities, this article articulates two layers of analysis. The larger implications of this analysis are to be understood in the articulation between these two layers. The first layer regards the neocolonial construction of an ethnosubject anchored in the racialization of DNA. This racialization consists of two steps. First, race is naturalized and biologized anew through the technological procedure of DNA decoding and data comparison. Second, race is reculturalized through its substitution with ethnicity. This step enables the neutralization of the politically antiliberal connotations of the rebiologization of race. The second layer of analysis connects this rebiologization of race to neocolonial processes of value extraction and biopolitical techniques of surveillance. The implications of these developments are attended to by interrogating the directions taken by DNA datafication in terms of both surveying and surveilling. At center stage is the question of the modulation of the individual's access—to countries and services—enabled by their datafication. Thus, the question of access is the question of how boundaries are drawn, who draws them, and how porous they are depending on the characteristics of the individual's biological data.

Rucaparib for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC): TRITON3 interim overall survival and efficacy of rucaparib vs docetaxel or second-generation androgen pathway inhibitor therapy.

18 Background: TRITON3 (NCT02975934) is a randomized, multicenter, open-label, phase 3 study of rucaparib vs physician’s choice (docetaxel [DTX], abiraterone [ABI] or enzalutamide [ENZ]) in patients (pts) with chemotherapy-naïve mCRPC with BRCA1/2 (BRCA) or ATM alterations. It was previously reported that rucaparib significantly improved the primary endpoint of radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) vs physician’s choice in pts with BRCA or ATM alterations. We report here the interim overall survival (OS) and also report on efficacy of rucaparib compared individually with either DTX or ABI/ENZ. Methods: Pts had disease progression after 1 prior second-generation androgen pathway inhibitor therapy in any setting and were randomized 2:1 to rucaparib 600 mg BID or physician’s choice of DTX, ABI or ENZ. An ordered step-down multiple comparisons procedure was used to control the overall error rate. OS was a key secondary endpoint with rPFS as the primary endpoint tested first in the BRCA subgroup, then the intent-to-treat (ITT) population. Subgroup analyses based on physician’s choice were exploratory. Results: As of August 25, 2022, 302 pts with BRCA and 103 pts with ATM alterations were randomized. OS maturity was 54% in the BRCA subgroup and 59% in the ITT population. rPFS and OS are shown. The most frequent treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) in the rucaparib, DTX and ABI/ENZ groups was asthenia/fatigue (61.1%, 67.6% and 57.6%, respectively). The most frequent grade ≥3 TEAE in the rucaparib, DTX and ABI/ENZ groups was anemia (23.7%), neutropenia (14.1%), and hypertension (10.2%), respectively. Conclusions: Rucaparib significantly improved rPFS vs either DTX or ABI/ENZ; safety was consistent with prior reports. Interim OS results suggest a trend towards improvement for rucaparib vs DTX or ABI/ENZ in pts with mCRPC and BRCA alterations. Clinical trial information: NCT02975934 . [Table: see text]

A sampling technique for worldwide comparisons of language contact scenarios.

Existing sampling methods in language typology strive to control for areal biases in typological datasets as a means to avoid contact effects in the distribution of linguistic structure. However, none of these methods provide ways to directly compare contact scenarios from a typological perspective. This paper addresses this gap by introducing a sampling procedure for worldwide comparisons of language contact scenarios. The sampling unit consists of sets of three languages. The Focus Language is the language whose structures we examine in search for contact effects; the Neighbor Language is genealogically unrelated to the Focus Language, and counts as the potential source of contact influence on the Focus Language; the Benchmark Language is a relative of the Focus Language neither in contact with the Focus nor with the Neighbor language, and is used for disentangling contact effects from genealogical inheritance in the Focus Language. Through this design, we compiled a sample of 49 three-language sets (147 languages in total), which we present here. By switching the focus of typological sampling from individual languages to contact relations between languages, our method has the potential of uncovering patterns in the diffusion of language structures, and how they vary and change.

Evaluation of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Repeatability and Reproducibility for Preclinical MRIs Using Standardized Procedures and a Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Phantom.

Relevant to co-clinical trials, the goal of this work was to assess repeatability, reproducibility, and bias of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for preclinical MRIs using standardized procedures for comparison to performance of clinical MRIs. A temperature-controlled phantom provided an absolute reference standard to measure spatial uniformity of these performance metrics. Seven institutions participated in the study, wherein diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data were acquired over multiple days on 10 preclinical scanners, from 3 vendors, at 6 field strengths. Centralized versus site-based analysis was compared to illustrate incremental variance due to processing workflow. At magnet isocenter, short-term (intra-exam) and long-term (multiday) repeatability were excellent at within-system coefficient of variance, wCV [±CI] = 0.73% [0.54%, 1.12%] and 1.26% [0.94%, 1.89%], respectively. The cross-system reproducibility coefficient, RDC [±CI] = 0.188 [0.129, 0.343] µm2/ms, corresponded to 17% [12%, 31%] relative to the reference standard. Absolute bias at isocenter was low (within 4%) for 8 of 10 systems, whereas two high-bias (>10%) scanners were primary contributors to the relatively high RDC. Significant additional variance (>2%) due to site-specific analysis was observed for 2 of 10 systems. Base-level technical bias, repeatability, reproducibility, and spatial uniformity patterns were consistent with human MRIs (scaled for bore size). Well-calibrated preclinical MRI systems are capable of highly repeatable and reproducible ADC measurements.

Spatio-temporal reconciliation of solar forecasts

In recent works by Yang et al. (2017a, 2017b), and Yang et al. (2019), geographical, temporal, and sequential deterministic reconciliation of hierarchical photovoltaic (PV) power generation have been considered for a simulated PV dataset in California. In the first two cases, the reconciliations were carried out in spatial and temporal domains separately. To further improve forecasting accuracy, in the third case these two reconciliation approaches were applied sequentially. During the replication of the forecasting experiment, some issues emerged about non-negativity and coherency (in space and/or in time) of the sequentially reconciled forecasts. Furthermore, while the accuracy improvement of the considered approaches over the benchmark persistence forecasts is clearly visible at any data granularity, we argue that an even better performance may be obtained by a thorough exploitation of spatio-temporal hierarchies. To this end, in this paper the spatio-temporal point forecast reconciliation approach is applied to generate non-negative, fully coherent (both in space and time) forecasts. New spatio-temporal reconciliation approaches are adopted, exploiting for the first time some relationships between two-step, iterative and simultaneous spatio-temporal reconciliation procedures. Non-negativity issues of the final reconciled forecasts are discussed and correctly dealt with in a simple and effective way. The spatio-temporal reconciliation procedures are applied to the base forecasts with forecast horizon of 1 day, of PV generated power at different time granularities (1 h to 1 day), of a geographical hierarchy consisting of 324 series along 3 levels. The normalized Root Mean Square Error (nRMSE) and the normalized Mean Bias Error are used to measure forecasting accuracy, and a statistical multiple comparison procedure is performed to rank the approaches. In addition to assuring full coherence and non-negativity of the reconciled forecasts, the results show that for the considered dataset, spatio-temporal forecast reconciliation significantly improves on the sequential procedures proposed by Yang et al. (2019), at any level of the spatial hierarchy and for any temporal granularity. For example, the forecasted hourly PV generated power by the new spatio-temporal forecast reconciliation approaches improve on the NWP 3TIER forecasts in a range from 4.7% to 18.4% in terms of nRMSE.

Aqueous microwave assisted novel synthesis of isothiocyanates by amine catalyzed thionation of isocyanides with Lawesson's reagent

A green and sustainable chemistry approach for organic synthesis is described here, which involves microwave exposure of reactants in the presence of water. A general, practical, and highly efficient protocol for the preparation of a broad range of functionalized isothiocyanates has been developed from their corresponding isocyanides using Lawesson's reagent and catalytic amount of amine bases, particularly triethylamine under microwave irradiation conditions. As opposed to established approaches that employ toxic or volatile electrophilic liquids (thiophosgene, its derivatives, or CS2). In addition, these compounds were synthesized also by conventional heating procedures for comparison. Comparison between conventional and microwave-assisted synthesis was carried out by comparing total reaction time and percentage yield. The results suggest that microwave-assisted syntheses lead to higher yields within very short reaction times. From isocyanides to isothiocyanates using Lawesson’s reagent in the presence of triethylamine under conventional and microwave heating conditions.

A theoretical model of user acceptance of blockchain-based peer-to-peer accommodation

ABSTRACT Blockchain could disrupt traditional accommodation services by enabling safe, decentralised direct connections between guests and hosts. However, how users will accept and use blockchain-based services in tourism and hospitality remains unascertained. This study explores users’ perceptions of a blockchain-based peer-to-peer accommodation system and sets a theoretical basis to conceptualise the drivers of the acceptability of such a system. By using a grounded theory approach involving theoretical sampling and three steps of coding and constant comparison procedures, this study revealed that users were drawn to the system because it delivers desirable characteristics that are absent from existing services, such as further reduction of transaction fees, instant transaction settlement, wider income distribution, data integrity, algorithm autonomy, and smart protocol. Personal and social contexts were also found to influence users’ preferences for blockchain type and system ownership models. By offering key predictors and a theoretical model of user acceptance of a blockchain-based peer-to-peer accommodation system, hence taking a bottom-up approach to complement the highly top-down extant literature, this paper allows stakeholders exploring the use of blockchain technology in the tourism and hospitality sectors to have a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon.

On dependence assumption in p-value based multiple test procedures

ABSTRACT There are various multiple comparison procedures used in confirmatory clinical studies and exploratory research for multiplicity adjustment. Among them are the Hochberg and Benjamini-Hochberg procedures. A common misconception is that these procedures control the type I error rate properly if the test statistics are independent or positively correlated. In fact, a much stronger positive dependence assumption needs to be satisfied to guarantee the type I error rate control. We give a comprehensive review of the dependence conditions used in multiple testing procedures. We show that a weaker positive dependence assumption may result an inflation of type I error rate by a factor of 2 and discuss the type I error rate control under certain negative dependence conditions.

A Procedure for the Quantitative Comparison of Rainfall and DInSAR-Based Surface Displacement Time Series in Slow-Moving Landslides: A Case Study in Southern Italy

Earth observation data are useful to analyze the impact of climate-related variables on geomorphological processes. This work aims at evaluating the impact of rainfall on slow-moving landslides, by means of a quantitative procedure for identifying satellite-based displacement clusters, comparing them with rainfall series, and applying statistical tests to evaluate their relationships at the regional scale. The chosen study area is the Basento catchment in the Basilicata region (southern Italy). Rainfall series are gathered from rain gauges and are analyzed to evaluate the presence of temporal trends. Ground displacements are obtained by applying the P-SBAS (Parallel Small BAseline Subset) to three datasets of Sentinel-1 images: T146 ascending orbit, and T51 and T124 descending orbits, for the period 2015–2020. The displacement series of the pixels located in areas mapped as landslides by the Italian Landslide Inventory and sited within rain gauge influence regions (defined as 10 km circular buffers) are studied. Those displacement series are analyzed and compared to the rainfall series to search for correlations, by employing statistical and non-parametric tests. In particular, two landslides are selected and investigated in detail. Significant results were obtained for the T124 descending orbit for both landslides, for a 3-day cumulative rainfall and a 7-day delay of the slope response. Challenges in the whole procedure are highlighted and possible solutions to overcome the raised problems are proposed. Given the replicability of the proposed quantitative procedure it might be applied to any study area.

Evaluation of the Cytotoxicity effects of ethanolic extract of Ferula assafoetida resin on oral Squamous Cells Carcinoma (KB) compared with L929 cells

One of the most common forms of malignancy is oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Despite advances in cancer treatment, the mortality rate of OSCC has remained almost unchanged for the past decades. Improving treatment requires the search for new classes of safer and more effective anticancer agents. Oleo-gum-resin obtained from Ferula assafoetida has significant anticancer properties against various cancer cells. The current study aims to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of the oleo-gum-resin extract on oral squamous cell carcinoma (KB) compared with normal mouse fibroblast cells (L929). The KB (cancer group) and L929 (control group) cells were cultured in an enriched RPMI-1640 medium. Then the cells were treated with 5 - 160 μg/ml concentrations of oleo-gum-resin extract for 24, 48, and 72 hours. The cell viability rate was determined by MTT assay. The statistical data analysis was done using SPSS software and the one-way ANOVA technique. Tukey’s comparison procedure was used to compare individual means. A t-test was used to compare the identical concentrations between two cell lines. In this study, IC50 was 37.36 and 89.81 µg/ml for KB and L929 cells, respectively. The IC50 ratio for normal (L929)-to-tumoral (KB) cells was 89.81: 37.36 = 2.40, indicating that a 2.5-fold higher effect of asafoetida extract on normal mouse fibroblast cells (L929) compared tumoral cells (KB). According to the results, the ethanolic asafoetida extract exhibited more cytotoxic effects on KB than on L929 cells. This study demonstrated that the asafoetida extract exerted more cytotoxic effects on oral squamous cell carcinoma than normal cells.

Finding the Optimal Topology of an Approximating Neural Network

A large number of researchers spend a lot of time searching for the most efficient neural network to solve a given problem. The procedure of configuration, training, testing, and comparison for expected performance is applied to each experimental neural network. The configuration parameters—training methods, transfer functions, number of hidden layers, number of neurons, number of epochs, and tolerable error—have multiple possible values. Setting guidelines for appropriate parameter values would shorten the time required to create an efficient neural network, facilitate researchers, and provide a tool to improve the performance of automated neural network search methods. The task considered in this paper is related to the determination of upper bounds for the number of hidden layers and the number of neurons in them for approximating artificial neural networks trained with algorithms using the Jacobi matrix in the error function. The derived formulas for the upper limits of the number of hidden layers and the number of neurons in them are proved theoretically, and the presented experiments confirm their validity. They show that the search for an efficient neural network can focus below certain upper bounds, and above them, it becomes pointless. The formulas provide researchers with a useful auxiliary tool in the search for efficient neural networks with optimal topology. They are applicable to neural networks trained with methods such as Levenberg–Marquardt, Gauss–Newton, Bayesian regularization, scaled conjugate gradient, BFGS quasi-Newton, etc., which use the Jacobi matrix.

Comparison of Short and Long-Term Results after Injection Laryngoplasty with Radiesse® Voice and Thyroplasty Type I in Unilateral Vocal Fold Palsy.

Unilateral vocal fold palsy independently of etiology results in glottic insufficiency leading to unfavorable short or long-term impact on voice quality. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of injection laryngoplasty using Radiesse® Voice and thyroplasty type I on glottic closure, voice quality and aerodynamics by comparing preoperative, short- and long-term results. Data of 32 consent patients were reviewed between 2012 and 2023. All patients underwent either injection laryngoplasty (14 patients) or thyroplasty type I (18 patients) under local anesthesia. Maximum phonation time, glottic closure based on videolaryngostroboscopy, VHI-30 values and GRBAS scale were recorded prior, short-term (3 month) and long-term (12 months) after procedures for statistical comparison. Friedman test, Mann-Whitney test and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used for statistical analysis. In injection laryngoplasty group, we found significant improvement in maximum phonation time (p = 0.002), grade of hoarseness (p = 0.002) and breathiness (p = 0.000) when comparing results before and short-term after procedure. In thyroplasty type I group we saw significant improvement of maximum phonation time (p = 0.000), glottic insufficiency (p = 0.000), all three VHI-30 components (p = 0.000), as well as grade of hoarseness, breathiness (both p = 0.000) and roughness (p = 0.011) of GRBAS scale when comparing voice outcome before and short-term after procedure. There was no significant difference in voice outcome results neither between short and long-term results nor between the two groups in any parameter. These results demonstrate both short and long-term efficiency of injection laryngoplasty and thyroplasty type I in the improvement of voice quality and glottic closure.

Recovery and Analysis of Long-Read Metagenome-Assembled Genomes.

The development of long-read nucleic acid sequencing is beginning to make very substantive impact on the conduct of metagenome analysis, particularly in relation to the problem of recovering the genomes of member species of complex microbial communities. Here we outline bioinformatics workflows for the recovery and characterization of complete genomes from long-read metagenome data and some complementary procedures for comparison of cognate draft genomes and gene quality obtained from short-read sequencing and long-read sequencing.

Optimal Capacitor Placement and Rating for Large-Scale Utility Power Distribution Systems Employing Load-Tap-Changing Transformer Control

Significant opportunity for savings in energy and investment through improved performance of power distribution systems exists in the optimal placement and rating of capacitors, a conventionally cost-effective and popular reactive power compensating technology. A novel optimal capacitor planning (OCP) procedure is proposed for large-scale utility power distribution systems, which is exemplified on an existing utility circuit of approximately 4,000 buses. An initial sensitivity analysis is employed to intelligently reduce OCP computation time and maintain quality of optimal configurations. Three optimization objectives are considered, including the minimization of total system active power losses, standard deviation of node voltages, and investment in total capacitor power rating. Eight multi-objective optimization methods that employ the non-dominated sorting algorithm III (NSGA-III) concept are compared to determine individual merits. Differences between the methods include the incorporation of a penalty constraint for voltage violations and the automatic readjustment of load-tap-changing (LTC) transformer tap settings for proposed capacitor re-configurations concurrently within the optimizer, which ensures peak system performance and fair comparison to the reference case. A multi-step model conversion process was developed with OpenDSS to enable the OCP procedure to be generally applicable to real large-scale utility circuits. OCP is performed for three example sub-circuits served by a substation with a 48MW, 9Mvar peak load, which represents the most extreme case and offers the best opportunity for savings. Example configurations from the resulting Pareto sets through a pseudo-weight vector approach are also analyzed through a systematic procedure of comparison between the most extreme configuration types to inform configuration selection.

Results of using geoinformation and statistical analysis methods to study spectral reflectance characteristics of agricultural crops of Belarus

The results of using geoinformation and statistical analysis methods to study spectral reflectance characteristics of the nine most typical agricultural crops of Belarus are presented. Spectral brightness coefficients and normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) values were extracted from Landsat-8 multispectral satellite images in the software package ENVI (version 5.2) and analysed based on the methods of zonal statistics in the software complex ArcGIS (version 10.2) and mathematical and statistical analysis in the program Statistica (version 10). The verification of satellite data with the corresponding field measurements was carried out on the basis of correlation analysis, namely, a reliable strong positivelinear relationship between the measured in the field by a specialised GreenSeeker instrument NDVI values and the calculated by Landsat-8 satellite data NDVI values was established. The character of the distribution of spectral brightness coefficients and average NDVI values depending on the type of agricultural crop was assessed using a dispersion analysis, which allowed revealing patterns hidden in the spectral data. In particular, after applying the procedure of multiple comparisons using post hoc tests, it was established which types of crops significantly differ from each other and for which dates these differences were observed. The obtained scientific results were systematised and presented in the form of correspondingtables. The data contained in the tables made it possible to improve the methodology of automated recognition of the crops considered in the study.

Operator versus material influence on film thickness using adhesive resin cement or pre-heated resin composite.

There is a growing interest in using pre-heated composites instead of dual-cured cements when luting indirect restorations. This study evaluated the film thickness obtained from two pre-heated composites and two resin cements, by two different operators. The influence of the materials and the level of expertise of the operator were analyzed. Forty specimens of human dentin and composite discs were prepared and divided into four groups depending on the luting process. Each group was randomly equally divided to be handled by two operators with different levels of experience. Two of the initial four groups were luted using dual-cured cements and the two remaining groups using light-cured pre-heated composites. Specimen discs were cut after luting, and film thickness was measured using a Digital microscope. Data were analyzed using a 2-way ANOVA with the Holm-Sidak pairwise multiple comparison procedure (p < 0.05). Mean film thickness ranged from 156.16 ± 4.7 to 33.82 ± 0.7μm. Significant differences (p < 0.001) were noticed between expert and novice results with pre-heated composites. Within the limits of this study, using pre-heated composites as a luting cement requires a better level of expertise to achieve a clinically acceptable film thickness. Using pre-heated composites as luting agent for indirect restorations requires an experimented skill level to achieve a clinically recommended film thickness.

Pairwise comparisons using ranks in block designs

Friedman’s rank test and the associated aligned rank test are the standard rank alternatives to the classical linear models F statistic for the randomized complete block design (RCBD). However, in current practice there are no good rank alternatives to the Tukey–Kramer all pairwise comparisons procedure for the normal linear model. For example, the standard rank method found in Section 7.3 of Hollander et al. [John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey; 2014] is based on the permutation distribution under the complete null of no differences and thus cannot strongly control the family-wise error rate (FWER). It also has low power. However, we show that the closed method introduced by Marcus et al. [Biometrika 63 (3);1976:655–60] applied to aligned ranks has strong FWER control and good power compared to the Tukey–Kramer method for long-tailed error distributions.

Efecto del uso de Moringa oleifera en la alimentación de pollos de engorde sobre el rendimiento de la canal y vísceras

This research was carried out in the bird´s experimental area of the Santa Inés Farm (Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Universidad Técnica de Machala), El Oro Province, Ecuador. The objective was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of Moringa oleifera leaf meal in the feed of Cobb 500 chickens on carcass and visceral parameters. To guarantee the welfare of the chickens, all the suggestions for open-shed systems was followed, as well as a basic vaccination schedule applied in the area. The variables evaluated were: antemortem weight; blood, feathers, viscera, thighs, counter-thighs, breast, shoulder, wings, neck, legs, head, heart, liver, gizzard, spleen, intestines and gizzard fat expressed as a percentage, and finally abdominal fat was expressed in millimeters. A Completely Randomized Design was applied, consisting of 5 treatments (T) with 4 experimental units, containing 10 chickens each one. The T1 or control without M. oleifera meal, while T2, T3, T4 and T5 incorporated Moringa leaf meal at a rate of 1, 2, 3 and 4%, respectively. An ANOVA analysis was used prior to observing the assumptions of normality and homogeneity, and to discriminate among the means, the Bonferroni multiple comparison procedure was applied, with a 95% confidence level. All calculations were obtained through the statistical program Statgraphics Centurión XV.I. The results showed that there is no negative effect on the variables evaluated, which allows to assume that up to 4% Moringa meal can be used in feed for chickens without any restrictions since it does not affect the weight of the carcass.

Forecasting Monthly Wind Energy Using an Alternative Machine Training Method with Curve Fitting and Temporal Error Extraction Algorithm

The aim of this research was to forecast monthly wind energy based on wind speed measurements that have been logged over a one-year period. The curve type fitting of five similar probability distribution functions (PDF, pdf), namely Weibull, Exponential, Rayleigh, Gamma, and Lognormal, were investigated for selecting the best machine learning (ML) trained ones since it is not always possible to choose one unique distribution function for describing all wind speed regimes. An ML procedural algorithm was proposed using a monthly forecast-error extraction method, in which the annual model is tested for each month, with the temporal errors between target and measured values being extracted. The error pattern of wind speed was analyzed with different error estimation methods, such as average, moving average, trend, and trained prediction, for adjusting the intended following month’s forecast. Consequently, an energy analysis was performed with effects due to probable variations in the selected Lognormal distribution parameters, according to their joint Gaussian probability function. Error estimation of the implemented method was carried out to predict its accuracy. A comparison procedure was performed and was found to be in line with the conducted Markov series analysis.