Quality Of Adjustment Research Articles

Measuring the performance of New Zealand universities

Education plays a crucial role in every country and contributes to economic productivity growth. The performance of public NZ universities is of broader interest, and the teaching and research labour productivity vary across NZ universities. This study is built on the work of Gemmell et al. (2017), who established quality-adjusted productivity indices for the tertiary education sector. In this presentation, I will introduce the productivity estimates across NZ universities over 2008-18 by using a range of teaching and research quality indexes to adjust both output and input amounts, as well as present a summary for alternative weights to adjust these measures. I used partial labour productivity (methodology) for this study, a ratio of a university's outputs to labour input. Valid productivity measures account for changes in the quality-adjusted teaching and research outputs, such as the use of qualification completions weighted by credit or/and income weights and citation weights from bibliometric databases. The preliminary data analysis aims to determine whether adding a quality adjustment impacts the university's labour productivity and how the impacts vary between different quality adjustments. Providing such an empirical base is crucial as a platform for further analysis that would lead to meaningful policy advice to increase university productivity. My results suggest that quality adjustments might significantly affect conclusions about labour productivity comparison. For teaching labour productivity, the University of Waikato, the University of Otago and Lincoln University all show positive annual average growth rates when qualification completions are adjusted for credit or/and income weights. Instead, Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Canterbury experienced negative annual growth in labour productivity. For research, research outputs weighted for citation rates increase labour productivity growth for all NZ universities while decelerating labour productivity growth by introducing PBRF-ranked adjusted research staff, except for Massey University.

Quality of colonoscopy performed by medical or surgical specialists and trainees in five Australian hospitals.

Ensuring colonoscopy procedure quality is vital to the success of screening and surveillance programmes for bowel cancer in Australia. However, the data on the performance of quality metrics, through adequate adenoma detection, bowel preparation, and procedure completion rates, in the Australian public sector is limited. Understanding these can inform quality improvement to further strengthen our capacity for prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer. To determine the quality of colonoscopy in Australian teaching hospitals and their association with proceduralist specialty, trainee involvement, and location. We retrospectively evaluated 2443 consecutive colonoscopy procedure reports from 1 January to 1 April, 2018 from five public teaching tertiary hospitals in Australia (median 60 years old, 49% male). Data for bowel preparation quality, procedure completion rates, and detection rates of clinically significant adenomas, conventional adenomas, and serrated lesions was collected and compared to national criteria for quality in colonoscopy. Participating hospital, proceduralist specialty, and trainee involvement indicators were used for stratification. Data was analysed using Chi-squared tests of independence, Mann-Whitney U, One-way ANOVA, and multivariate binary logistic regression. Fifty-two point two percent (n = 1276) and 43.3% (n = 1057) were performed by medical and surgical proceduralists respectively, whilst 29.8% (n = 728) involved a trainee. Inadequate bowel preparation affected 7.3% of all procedures. The procedure completion rate was 95.1%, which increased to 97.5% after adjustment for bowel preparation quality. The pooled cancer, adenoma, and serrated lesion detection rates for all five hospitals were 3.5%, 40%, and 5.9% respectively. Assessed hospitals varied significantly by patient age (P < 0.001), work-force composition (P < 0.001), adequacy of bowel preparation (P < 0.001), and adenoma detection rate (P < 0.001). Two hospitals (40%) did not meet all national criteria for quality, due to a procedure completion rate of 94.5% or serrated lesion detection rate of 2.6%. Although lower than the other hospitals, the difference was not significant. Compared with surgical specialists, procedures performed by medical specialists involved older patients [65 years (inter-quartile range, IQR 58-73) vs 64 years (IQR 56-71); P = 0.04] and were associated with a higher adenoma detection rate [odds ratio (OR) 1.53; confidence interval: 1.21-1.94; P < 0.001]. Procedures involving trainee proceduralists were not associated with differences in the detection of cancer, adenoma, or serrated lesions, compared with specialists, or according to their medical or surgical background. On multivariate analysis, cancer detection was positively associated with patient age (OR 1.04; P < 0.001) and negatively associated with medical compared to surgical proceduralists (OR 0.54; P = 0.04). Conventional adenoma detection rates were independently associated with increasing patient age (OR 1.04; P < 0.001), positively associated with medical compared to surgical proceduralists (OR 1.41; P = 0.002) and negatively associated with male gender (OR 0.53; P < 0.001). Significant differences in the quality of colonoscopy in Australia exist, even when national benchmarks are achieved. The role of possible contributing factors, like procedural specialty and patient gender need further evaluation.

Challenges and Solutions of Online Language Teaching and Assessment During Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic which began in March 2020 can be construed as the biggest change of the century, in terms of the adjustments in quality of life, economic, social, and education factors. The biggest change was seen in terms of interaction due to the lockdown, where physical interaction is no longer allowed during the early phase of the pandemic. Subsequently, all educational sectors were forced to close, and remote or online learning was the new norm. The sudden change affected all teachers and instructors from around the world, but this study is particularly interesting to know the effect towards language instructors in their online teaching and assessments. In particular, this study aims to investigate the challenges faced by language instructors during online learning and assessment amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and to provide recommendations for remote or online learning if faced by future crises. This study employs a qualitative method approach through focus group interviews. The focus group interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings demonstrate that the main challenges in online teaching include technological issues, creativity, interactions, class duration, inaccessibility issues and student emotional support, whereas the challenges in conducting online assessments are in terms of the different evaluation platforms, the issue of plagiarism and authenticity, marking or grading online assessments and assessing non-verbal cues.

Trends in Surgeon Burnout in the US and Canada: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

INTRODUCTION: Burnout among surgeons is increasingly recognized as a crisis. However, little is known about changes in burnout prevalence over time. We evaluated temporal trends in burnout among surgeons and surgical trainees of all specialties in the US and Canada. METHODS: We systematically reviewed MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO for studies assessing surgeon burnout from January 1981 to September 2021. Changes in dichotomized Maslach Burnout Inventory score and mean subscale score were assessed using multivariable random-effects meta-regression. RESULTS: Of 3,575 studies screened, 104 studies representing 67,003 individuals met inclusion criteria. Publication dates ranged from 1996 to 2021. Overall, 42% of surgeons met criteria for burnout (95% CI 38% to 45%). Trainees were more affected than attending surgeons (46% vs 36%, p = 0.011). Prevalence remained stable over the study period (odds ratio [OR] 0.93 per decade, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.01). Mean scores for emotional exhaustion (−5.4 per decade, 95% CI −8.1 to −1.9) and depersonalization (−1.5 per decade, 95% CI −3.0 to −0.2) improved over time. Personal accomplishment scores remained unchanged. A high degree of heterogeneity was noted in all analyses, despite adjustment for training status, specialty, practice setting, and study quality (Figure).FigureCONCLUSION: Contrary to popular perception, we found no evidence of rising surgeon burnout. Rather, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization are decreasing. Given the degree of heterogeneity, additional small, low-quality studies will not provide further clarity. Future research should be deliberately designed to support longitudinal integration through prospective meta-regression. Meaningful intervention to reduce surgeon burnout is needed across all training levels and specialties.

Chinese children’s heterogeneous friendship quality trajectories: Relations with school adjustment.

Friendships affect children's development and adjustment. This longitudinal study examined the possible heterogeneity and gender differences in the trajectories of children's friendship quality, as well as the relations between distinct friendship quality trajectories and school adjustment. A total of 3,779 Chinese elementary school students (45.5% girls, Mage = 9.94 years, SD = 0.72 at Time 1) completed measures of relevant constructs on five occasions at 6-month intervals. Latent class growth modeling revealed four heterogeneous developmental trajectory classes of friendship quality: high-increasing (49.6%), moderate-decreasing (5.1%), moderate-increasing (31.9%), and low-stable (13.4%). Girls were more likely than boys to fall into the higher friendship quality trajectory classes in reference to the low-stable class. Children in the high-increasing class and low-stable class showed the best and the worst school adjustment, respectively. The identification of four heterogeneous developmental trajectories of friendship quality with differential school adjustment outcomes highlights the importance of intervention programs tailored to specific groups for promoting children's friendship quality and school adjustment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Dietary patterns and alcoholic beverage preference in relation to 10-year cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes mellitus incidence in the ATTICA cohort study

Literature highlights the need for adjustment for diet quality when the effect of alcohol consumption on health is investigated. We sought to define—a-posterior—dietary patterns according to various drinking preferences as well as to evaluate their combined effect against 10-year cardio-metabolic incidence. During 2001–2002, 3042 CVD-free adults consented to participate in the ATTICA study; of them, 2583 completed the 10-year follow-up (85 % participation rate), but precise information about cardio-metabolic incidence was available in 2020 participants (overall retention rate 66 %). Intake per type of alcoholic beverage was assessed and “a posterior” dietary patterns were defined. Results showed that among participants not drinking alcoholic beverages, women adhering more to a healthier dietary pattern had 25 % lower CVD risk within the 10-year study follow-up, while men adhering more to an unhealthy dietary pattern had almost two times higher CVD risk (p-values &lt; 0.05). Among beer drinkers, both men and women adhering more to a healthier dietary pattern were found to have at least 26 % lower risk of developing hypertension and at least 15 % lower risk of developing hypercholesterolemia, while men adhering more to a healthier dietary pattern were also found to have 29 % lower CVD risk (all p-values &lt; 0.05). Similarly, among wine drinkers, women adhering more to a healthier dietary pattern were found to have a 16 % and 52 % lower risk of developing hypertension and diabetes mellitus, respectively, whereas men adhering more to a healthier dietary pattern had 22 % lower CVD risk (all p-values &lt; 0.05). Finally, among spirit drinkers, higher adherence to an unhealthy dietary pattern in both genders had an aggravating effect on cardio-metabolic risk. It seems that the quality of dietary pattern stands out as a critical confounding factor in studies assessing the effect of alcohol consumption on cardio-metabolic risk. A Phytochemical-Rich Dietary Pattern is suggested, particularly among drinkers.

Direction and magnitude of social jetlag are associated with obesity: Results from a sample of hospital employees

ABSTRACT Social jetlag, the discrepancy between social and biological timing, has been suggested to disturb metabolic functions. However, the relationship between social jetlag and obesity has been inconsistent in other studies. In this study we examined the association between social jetlag and obesity among day and shift workers. We invited 2508 day workers and 1383 shift workers from a hospital worker health cohort to participate in a 2018–2019 survey on their sleep behaviors. Shift-specific social jetlag was quantified using the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire, and body mass index was measured during annual physical examinations. The distributions of shift-specific social jetlag were illustrated, and logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between social jetlag and obesity. We found that high level of social jetlag (odds ratio [OR] = 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08–1.47) and positive social jetlag (OR = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.30–3.90) during evening shifts were associated with obesity after adjustment for age, sex, health behaviors, and sleep quality. During night shift periods, sleep time varied greatly on free days, but the participants slept at similar times, namely 16:00, on workdays. In conclusion, phase advance on workdays and high levels of social jetlag were associated with obesity. Sleep timing should therefore be recommended according to the relative phase of individuals’ preferred sleep time and work time.

Association of desphospho-uncarboxylated matrix gla protein with incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: Results from the prospective Bruneck Study

Background and aimsMatrix Gla protein (MGP), a vitamin K-dependent protein, is a potent inhibitor of vascular calcification. Desphospho-uncarboxylated MGP (dp-ucMGP), a marker of vitamin K insufficiency, has been shown to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in high-risk populations. Whether the increased risk associated with dp-ucMGP also applies to the general, and especially, the elderly population has not yet been fully elucidated. Methods and resultsPlasma dp-ucMGP was measured in 684 individuals aged 50–89 years of the prospective population-based Bruneck Study (baseline evaluation in 2000). Baseline median dp-ucMGP was 478.4 (IQR 335.0–635.2) pmol/L. Over a median follow-up of 15.5 years, 163 CVD events occurred and 235 participants died. Age-/sex-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) per 1-SD higher level of loge transformed dp-ucMGP were 1.30 (95%CI: 1.09–1.55; p=0.004) for incident CVD and 1.36 (95%CI: 1.17–1.57; p<0.001) for all-cause mortality. After multivariable adjustment, the associations remained significant with HRs of 1.23 (95%CI: 1.02–1.47, p=0.029) for CVD and 1.40 (95%CI: 1.20–1.64; p<0.001) for all-cause mortality. The associations remained virtually unchanged after additional adjustment for dietary quality as measured with the Alternative Healthy Eating Index. We found no association of dp-ucMGP with myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac deaths, but a strong association with other vascular deaths and non-vascular/non-cancer deaths. ConclusionsThis study shows a significant association of plasma dp-ucMGP with incident CVD and a significant and even stronger association with all-cause mortality. Clinical trials are needed to investigate whether vitamin K substitution results in improved health outcomes.

Two‐Phase Electrocoagulation of Perfumes and the Analytical Approach for Investigation of the Odor‐Active Compound Changes

AbstractIn this study, a 2‐phase electrocoagulation (EC) system has been applied to treat odor active compounds in perfume extracts. The system employed an electrochemical cell using two aluminium electrodes and 2‐phase electrolyte containing hexane, NaCl(aq) and the perfume compounds. This approach allowed electrochemical reaction of the compounds with the subsequent changes of their profiles in the extracts. The volatile compounds in the samples before and after 2‐phase EC sampled at different parts of the system were tentatively identified by using solid phase micro extraction (SPME) and gas chromatography hyphenated with mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). The results revealed different types and amounts of the odor active compounds in the samples after the 2‐phase EC treatment with the enhanced fruity, floral, sweet, green, minty, herbal and citrus smells. The electrochemical oxidation/reduction and esterification/hydrolysis were proposed as the possible reactions. The developed 2‐phase EC technique has a potential for application in the area of cost‐effective adjustment of essential oil and perfume quality.

Can the Relationship between Atmospheric Environmental Quality and Urban Industrial Structure Adjustment Achieve Green and Sustainable Development in China? A Case of Taiyuan City

Atmospheric environmental quality affects the high quality and sustainable development of the economy. The optimisation and upgrading of the industrial system are important to improve the operation efficiency of the economy and society. Firstly, this paper constructs the theoretical analysis framework of coupling and coordination between the atmospheric environment system and the industrial system and analyses the internal mechanism of the interaction and coordinated development of the two systems. Then, it puts forward the combination of the coupling coordination model and the VAR model (Vector autoregressive model) and presents the analysis and evaluation method of the relationship between them from the two perspectives of “static” and “dynamic”. Finally, the empirical study is conducted in Taiyuan, a resource-based city in China. The results show that: (1) The two systems in Taiyuan have an obvious interaction and develop in the direction of benign coupling. (2) The impact of the two systems on each other is mainly in the medium and long term and dominated by the role of the atmospheric environment system on the industrial system. This study provides a theoretical framework and evaluation methods for evaluating and analysing the relationship between the urban atmospheric environment system and the industrial system in China, and then provides suggestions for policymaking.

Health service utilisation during the COVID-19 pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020: a multicountry empirical assessment with a focus on maternal, newborn and child health services

IntroductionThere are concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the continuation of essential health services in sub-Saharan Africa. Through the Countdown to 2030 for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’...

Flow incorporated neural network based lightweight video compression architecture

The sudden surge in the video transmission over internet motivated the exploration of more promising and potent video compression architectures. Though the frame prediction based hand designed techniques are performing well and widely used but the recent deep learning based researches in this domain provided further directions of pure deep learning based next generation codecs. As the bandwidth over the internet is varying, adaptive bit rate representation is more suitable for video quality adjustment in tune with bandwidth variation. The proposed architecture comprises of end to end trainable video compression network consisting of majorly three modules namely-motion extension network, flow autoencoder and frame autoencoder. Frame autoencoder generates the individual compressed frames, flow autoencoder is used for optical flow based motion compensation chore and next frame is predicted by the motion extension network. The network is designed and evaluated in incremental manner. The analysis of the outcomes demonstrates the promising performance of the network quantitatively and qualitatively. Moreover, the results reveal that inclusion of optical flow based motion compensation network to the MotionNet architecture has enhanced the performance.

Association of animal and plant protein intakes with biomarkers of insulin and insulin-like growth factor axis

Insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 signaling is a proposed mechanism linking dietary protein and major chronic diseases. However, it is unclear whether animal and plant proteins are associated with biomarkers of insulin and IGF axis. We analyzed a total of 14,709 participants from Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study who had provided a blood sample. Detailed dietary information was assessed using validated food frequency questionnaires. We assessed C-peptide, insulin, IGF-1, and IGF binding proteins (BP). Multivariable-adjusted linear regressions were used to examine associations of animal and plant protein intake with biomarkers after adjusting for confounders. The medians (5th-95th percentiles) of animal and plant protein intake (% of total energy) were 13% (8-19%) and 5% (4-7%), respectively. Compared to participants in the lowest quintile, those in the highest quintile of animal protein had 4.8% (95% CI: 1.9, 7.9; P-trend<0.001) higher concentration of IGF-1 and -7.2% (95% CI:-14.8, 1.1; P for trend=0.03) and-11.8% (95% CI:-20.6,-1.9; P-trend<0.001) lower concentration of IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2, respectively, after adjustment for major lifestyle factors and diet quality. In contrast, no association was observed between animal protein intake and C-peptide, insulin and IGFBP-3. The associations were restricted to participants with at least one unhealthy lifestyle risk factor (i.e., overweight/obese, physical inactivity, smoking, and heavy alcohol intake). Plant protein tended to be strongly associated with numerous biomarkers in age-adjusted analyses but these became largely attenuated or non-significant in multivariable adjustment. Plant protein intake remained positively associated with IGF-1 (P-trend=0.002) and possibly IGFBP-1 (P-trend=0.02) after multivariable adjustment. Substitution of plant protein with animal protein sources was associated with lower IGFBP-1. In additional analysis, IGF-1 and IGFBPs were estimated to mediate approximately 5-20% of the association between animal protein and type 2 diabetes. Higher animal protein intake was associated with higher IGF-1 and lower IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2, whereas higher plant protein intake was associated with higher IGF-1 and IGFBP-1.

An exploration of parental age in relation to parents’ psychological health, child adjustment and experiences of being an older parent in families formed through egg donation

Research questionIs parental age associated with parents’ psychological health, couple relationship satisfaction and child adjustment in egg donation families, and how do parents think and feel about their age in relation to parenting? DesignSeventy-two families with a child born after IVF egg donation were included. Mothers were aged between 32 and 51 years and fathers between 31 and 61 years when the target child was born. When the child was aged 5 years, parents were interviewed and asked to complete questionnaire assessments of parenting stress, anxiety, depression, marital quality and child adjustment. ResultsOlder parents experienced more parenting stress and poorer couple relationship quality than younger parents. No differences were found for child adjustment. Qualitative content analysis of the interviews revealed themes related to ‘health and mortality’, ‘giving and receiving support’, ‘treatment and age’, ‘positive aspects of older parenting’ and ‘other’. ConclusionsThis exploratory study found that older parents experienced greater parental stress and poorer relationship quality. Some parents had concerns about their older age, specifically in relation to their health and mortality. It would be important to follow up these families as the child grows older to understand the child's thoughts and feelings about having older parents. Furthermore, findings should be replicated in a larger sample of families formed through egg donation, which includes more younger mothers who have used egg donation.

Parents in couple therapy: An intervention targeting marital and coparenting relationships.

This article describes the treatment framework and core therapeutic principles of the integrative brief systemic intervention (IBSI), a manualized six‐session intervention intended for parents seeking couple therapy. IBSI aims to work on the couple's presenting problem, considering its specific impact in the marital and coparenting domains. The basic premise of IBSI is to consider that, when working with couples who have children, therapeutic work on their coparenting alliance may be used as a lever, as both parents may be particularly motivated to improve their relationship for their children's benefit. Increasing the coparenting alliance may then facilitate work on deeper conflicts within the marital relationship. The core therapeutic principles of IBSI are: (1) joining with the couple as romantic partners and a coparenting team from the start of the therapeutic process; (2) supporting the parents in increasing their awareness regarding their children's behavior and emotional experiences when facing their parents’ conflicts; and (3) working on the spill‐ and cross‐over effects between marital and coparenting relationships (i.e., exploring how conflict or positivity spills over from one relationship to the other or crosses over from one partner to the other). Therapeutic work following these main therapeutic principles is expected to improve the quality of both relationships. A clinical case is provided to illustrate the core therapeutic principles of IBSI.

Planetary boundary layer height retrieval using GNSS Radio Occultation over Egypt

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Radio Occultation (RO) is an excellent remote sensing technique for sounding the atmosphere. GNSS satellites send signals through the atmosphere of the Earth, and a GNSS receiver mounted on a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite receives them. Through GNSS RO, refractivity will be estimated, which is considered the main parameter in the determination of planetary boundary layer height (PBLH). This paper presents the use of GNSS RO for the detection of PBLH over Egypt.PBLH is an important parameter to characterize the lower troposphere and plays a significant role in air quality adjustment. GNSS RO can be used to detect PBLH because of its high spatial and temporal coverage. The estimated PBLHs from GNSS RO are compared with PBLH estimated from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model. This paper introduces the variation of the PBLH over Egypt for the period from 2006 to 2019. GNSS RO PBLH distribution is consistent with that of ECMWF. The maximum value of PBLH (4.75 km) occurs in the summer and its minimum value (0.43 km) occurs in the winter. PBLH shows higher values around 15:00 LT (late afternoon) in Egypt. Our results show that GNSS RO is a promising technique for sensing the atmosphere's dynamics.

Effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation During Walking on Pain Sensitivity in Women With Obesity With Knee Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectiveTo assess the extent to which pain sensitivity is altered in women with obesity with frequent knee symptoms who walk with either a hybrid training system (HTS) that provides antagonist muscle electrical stimulation vs sensory transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). DesignRandomized, double-blinded, controlled trial. SettingUniversity-based fitness center. ParticipantsTwenty-eight women (N=28) with obesity, aged 40-70 years, with daily knee symptoms. InterventionsParticipants were randomized to 12 weeks of biweekly 30-minute walking exercise with either HTS (HTSW group) or sensory TENS (control group). Main Outcome MeasuresPressure pain thresholds (PPTs) at the more symptomatic knee (local PPT) and PPT at the ipsilateral pain-free wrist (remote PPT). ResultsAfter adjustment for preintervention values and body mass index (BMI), there was a statistically significant improvement in local PPT in the HTSW group compared with the control group (P=.039). After adjustment for pretraining value, age, and BMI, changes in remote PPT when comparing groups did not reach statistical significance, although the HTS group tended to demonstrate increased remote PPT (P=.052) compared with the control group. Moreover, after adjustment for pretraining value, knee pain, and quality of life, comparing groups did not reach statistical significance, although the HTS group tended to demonstrate decreased knee pain (P=.069) compared with the control group. ConclusionsAugmentation of walking exercise with HTS was more effective than application of sensory TENS in improving local pain sensitivity at the knee but not at the wrist in women with obesity with frequent knee symptoms.

Development of an image analysis code for hydrided Zircaloy using Dijkstra's algorithm and sensitivity analysis of radial hydride continuous path

PROPHET, a software that conducts an image analysis of hydrided Zircaloy for Radial Hydride Fraction (RHF) and Radial Hydride Continuous Path (RHCP) evaluation using Dijkstra's algorithm was developed. Enabling autonomous image quality adjustment capability, and user-defined noise and hydride detection sensitivity control options, PROPHET instrumentally ensures limited sensitivity to potential variation in quality of the Optical Image (OM) and post-characterization of hydrided Zircaloy. Sensitivity analyses were conducted for magnification and resolution of OM, input fracture toughness, and employed algorithms. x200 and 0.8M (i.e., 1024×774) were recommended for magnification and image resolution, respectively. Fracture toughness ratio of 1:50 for hydride to Zr-matrix was confirmed to be a sound choice and RHCP exhibits limited sensitivity to fracture toughness around fracture toughness ratio input of 1:50. Algorithm has a large effect on RHCP. Dijkstra's algorithm exhibits unmatched fidelity to identifying the least-resistant path (hence maximum RHCP). RHCP and RHF exhibit notable varations along the angular positions of a homogenously distributed hydrides on the surface of a tubular Zircaloy. The uncertainties of RHCP and RHF due to spatial hydride distributions call for (1) multiple image analysis for a statistically reliable RHCP evaluation or (2) low magnification but ultrahigh resolution OM to capture the significant fraction, if not all, of the entire cladding surface of interest. RHCP successfully correlates strain energy density of hydrided Zircaloy with limited accuracy. Introduction of a kernel function which instrumentally adjusts the importance of one or more factors that affect the mechanical behavior of hydrided Zirclaoy (i.e., hydrogen amount or RHF) may complement the accuracy of prediction.

An Image Quality Adjustment Framework for Object Detection on Embedded Cameras

Automatic analysis tools are ubiquitously applied on wireless embedded cameras to extract high-level information from raw data. The quality of images may be degraded by factors such as noise and blur introduced during the sensing process, which could affect the performance of automatic analysis. Object detection is the first and the most fundamental step for the automatic analysis of visual information. This paper introduces a quality adjustment framework to provide satisfactory object detection performance on wireless embedded cameras. Key components of the framework include a blind regression model for predicting the performance of object detection and two distortion type classifiers for determining the presence of noise and blur in an image. Experimental results show that the proposed framework achieves accurate estimations of image distortion types, and it can be easily applied on embedded cameras with low computational complexity to improve the quality of captured images.

The determinants of inflation volatility: a panel data analysis for US-product categories

ABSTRACT Some macroeconomic dimensions like the economic business cycle, the exchange rate movements when the degree of country openness is significant, or the level of inflation are often considered to explain measured-inflation dynamics. However, inflation volatility may also be affected by statistical agencies methodological changes. This paper explores both potential explanations in a panel data for 100 United States CPI-U subcategories. Using both unconditional and conditional variances, we find that crucial changes in how agencies consider quality adjustment in products, together with the macroeconomic variables help to understand CPI volatility over time, both in the short-run and in the long-run.