Significant Differences In Performance Research Articles

KOMPARASI KINERJA SAHAM PT UNILEVER INDONESIA TBK SEBELUM DAN PADA SAAT PANDEMI COVID-19 (PERIODE TAHUN 2017-2022)

PT Unilever is one of the leading companies in Indonesia, which has become an attraction to invest in the company. The Covid-19 pandemic caused all business sectors to have a downtrend impact, as did the Unilever company, whose share price fell quite deeply during the pandemic. Using an Independent T-test sample, this study will examine differences in Unilever stock performance before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The test result shows that there is a significant difference in Unilevers stock performance before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

0953 A Novel Active Humidifier for Non-Invasive Ventilated Patients

Abstract Introduction The RespirAq® humidifier is a novel, active heated humidifier that humidifies without the need for additional water. Within milliseconds, the humidifier switches between a super-hydrophilic state to capture moisture during expiration, and a super-hydrophobic state, returning moisture during inspiration. The device delivers gases at 37°C/100% relative humidity to individuals requiring humidification, including those with tracheostomies. We demonstrated the device meets EN ISO 80601 2 74:2020 during bench testing. This study aimed to compare the performance of the novel humidifier with a heated humidifier - HH (MR850™ Fisher & Paykel Healthcare) and a heat and moisture exchanger - HME (DAR™ Covidien) in healthy volunteers during non-invasive ventilation (NIV) using a non-vented full face mask. Methods Ten healthy volunteers were recruited. NIV was performed at different settings (inspiratory positive airway pressure (IPAP) range 5-20cmH20, expiratory positive airway pressure (EPAP) = 5cmH20) over a one-hour period. Humidity and temperature were collected continuously during the study. Results Sixty per cent of participants were female. Mean age of 35.6 ± 5.89 years (M±SD, n=10). Absolute humidity inside the face mask increased from 22.55 ± 2.41 mg/L without humidification to 30.18 ± 2.07 mg/L with an HME, and 39.09 ± 1.05 mg/L and 38.23 ± 1.78 mg/L when using a water-based heated humidifier and the novel humidifier, respectively. When comparing the performance of the humidification devices head-to-head, the two heated humidifiers significantly outperformed the HME (HME vs Novel = P < 0.0001, HME vs HH = p < 0.0001) and there was no significant difference seen between the two active humidifiers (p =0.2047). Conclusion Results show that the device meets the 12 mg/L absolute humidity established by the EN ISO 80601-2-74:2020 standards and that there is no significant difference in performance compared to traditional heated humidification. This suggests that the novel device can deliver the performance of a heater humidifier at the size, reliability and ease of use of a heat and moisture exchanger. Due to the mechanism of action, droplet/aerosol transmission of COVID-19 may also be mitigated. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings. Support (if any) This research was supported by Tier 2 KiwiNet funding.

Deep learning for segmentation of the cervical cancer gross tumor volume on magnetic resonance imaging for brachytherapy

BackgroundSegmentation of the Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) is a crucial step in the brachytherapy (BT) treatment planning workflow. Currently, radiation oncologists segment the GTV manually, which is time-consuming. The time pressure is particularly critical for BT because during the segmentation process the patient waits immobilized in bed with the applicator in place. Automatic segmentation algorithms can potentially reduce both the clinical workload and the patient burden. Although deep learning based automatic segmentation algorithms have been extensively developed for organs at risk, automatic segmentation of the targets is less common. The aim of this study was to automatically segment the cervical cancer GTV on BT MRI images using a state-of-the-art automatic segmentation framework and assess its performance.MethodsA cohort of 195 cervical cancer patients treated between August 2012 and December 2021 was retrospectively collected. A total of 524 separate BT fractions were included and the axial T2-weighted (T2w) MRI sequence was used for this project. The 3D nnU-Net was used as the automatic segmentation framework. The automatic segmentations were compared with the manual segmentations used for clinical practice with Sørensen–Dice coefficient (Dice), 95th Hausdorff distance (95th HD) and mean surface distance (MSD). The dosimetric impact was defined as the difference in D98 (ΔD98) and D90 (ΔD90) between the manual segmentations and the automatic segmentations, evaluated using the clinical dose distribution. The performance of the network was also compared separately depending on FIGO stage and on GTV volume.ResultsThe network achieved a median Dice of 0.73 (interquartile range (IQR) = 0.50–0.80), median 95th HD of 6.8 mm (IQR = 4.2–12.5 mm) and median MSD of 1.4 mm (IQR = 0.90–2.8 mm). The median ΔD90 and ΔD98 were 0.18 Gy (IQR = -1.38–1.19 Gy) and 0.20 Gy (IQR =-1.10–0.95 Gy) respectively. No significant differences in geometric or dosimetric performance were observed between tumors with different FIGO stages, however significantly improved Dice and dosimetric performance was found for larger tumors.ConclusionsThe nnU-Net framework achieved state-of-the-art performance in the segmentation of the cervical cancer GTV on BT MRI images. Reasonable median performance was achieved geometrically and dosimetrically but with high variability among patients.

0066 Continuous Theta Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Insomnia and its Effects on Verbal Recall Performance

Abstract Introduction In this project, we studied the efficacy of focused inhibitory stimulation using continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on an easily accessible region of the default mode network (DMN). As reported elsewhere, we found that cTBS improved brain connectivity and objectively measured sleep. However, there is little known about the side effects of rTMS in the treatment of insomnia, so here we evaluated the effects on verbal memory recall. Methods Twenty adults with clinical insomnia completed this study (Mage=26.90, SD=6.56). Participants conducted two overnight visits during the study; one where they received active cTBS and one where they received a sham cTBS prior to sleep. Participants completed the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) before stimulation and again completed the recall portion following a night of laboratory monitored sleep. We analyzed CVLT recall performance with a repeated measures ANOVA with factors of condition (active cTBS vs. sham cTBS) and session (Short Recall, Long Recall, Cued Recall, and Recognition). Results Contrary to our hypothesis, our analyses indicate there was no significant effects on recall performance due to active cTBS. There was no main effect of condition on recall scores post-TMS administration (F(1, 18)=1.162, p=.220, ηp2 = 0.082). There was no interaction effect of active or sham cTBS on recall performance (F(4, 15)=.828, p=.528, ηp2=0.181). Posthoc pairwise comparisons demonstrated that there was no significant difference post-TMS administration between active cTBS and sham cTBS conditions on long recall, cued recall, or recognition (p>.05). There was no significant difference post-TMS administration on short-term recall performance. Participants scored lower on short term recall after receiving active cTBS (M=12.632; SD=2.910) than after sham cTBS administration (M=13.42 ;SD=2.545) (p=.048). Conclusion Compared to sham, active cTBS was not associated with any significant difference in long-term recall performance after TMS administration. While the results demonstrate there are short term effects to recall after administration, recall scores bounce back shortly after. While participants didn’t necessarily improve with active cTBS, it is beneficial to know there are no long-term harmful effects of active cTBS on recall as side effect of insomnia treatment. Support (if any) W81XWH2010173

Antibacterial and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Clarithromycin-Loaded Poly(l-Lactide) Membrane in Rabbit Postoperation Model of Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

Macrolide antibiotics are often used to prevent infection and inflammation after functional endoscopic sinus surgery for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects of the clarithromycin-loaded poly(-lactide) (CLA-PLLA) membrane and its mechanism. Randomized controlled trial. Animal Experiment Center. We compared the difference between poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) and CLA-PLLA membranes by observing the morphology of fibrous scaffolds, measuring water contact angle, tensile strength, and drug release capacity, and evaluating the antimicrobial activity of CLA-PLLA. Twenty-four rabbits were divided into a PLLA group and a CLA-PLLA group after establishing CRS models. Another 5 normal rabbits comprised the control group. After 3 months, we placed the PLLA membrane in the nasal cavity of the PLLA group and the CLA-PLLA membrane in the CLA-PLLA group. Then, 14 days later, we evaluated the histological and ultrastructural changes in the sinus mucosa, protein, and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α, transforming growth factor-β1, α-smooth muscle actin, and type I collagen. The CLA-PLLA membrane showed no significant difference in physical performance to the PLLA membrane, which continuously released 95% of the clarithromycin (CLA) for 2 months. The CLA-PLLA membrane had significant bacteriostatic properties that can improve the morphology of mucosal tissues, and inhibit protein and mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines. In addition, CLA-PLLA also inhibited the expression of fibrosis-associated marker molecules. The CLA-PLLA membrane released CLAslowly and continuously, providing antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic effects in a rabbit model of postoperative CRS.

Validation of the Thermo Scientific™ SureTect™ Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus PCR Assay for the Detection of Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus in Seafood Matrixes: AOAC Performance Tested MethodsSM 022301.

The Thermo Scientific™ SureTect™ Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus PCR Assay method is a real-time PCR method for the multiplex detection of Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus in seafood. The Thermo Scientific SureTect Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus Assay was evaluated for AOAC Performance Tested MethodsSM certification. Inclusivity/exclusivity, matrix, product consistency/stability, and robustness studies were conducted to assess the method's performance. For the matrix study, the method was validated using the Applied Biosystems™ QuantStudio™ 5 Real-Time PCR Food Safety Instrument and the Applied Biosystems™ 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR Food Safety Instrument against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual, Chapter 9 (2004), Vibrio and ISO 21872-1:2017 Microbiology of the food chain-Horizontal method for the determination of Vibrio spp.-Part 1: Detection of potentially enteropathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio cholerae, and Vibrio vulnificus reference methods. Matrix studies showed equivalent or superior performance of the candidate method compared to the reference method and, overall, no difference between presumptive and confirmed results, except for one matrix due to high background flora. The inclusivity/exclusivity study correctly identified/excluded all strains analyzed. Robustness testing showed no statistically significant differences in assay performance under varied test conditions. Product consistency and stability studies demonstrated no statistically significant differences between assay lots with different expiration dates. The data presented show that the assay constitutes a rapid and reliable workflow for the detection of V. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. vulnificus in seafood matrixes. The SureTect PCR Assay method allows for fast, reliable detection of stipulated strains in seafood matrixes with results obtained in as little as 80 min post-enrichment.

Numerical Investigation of Conductivity Additive Dispersion in High‐Power and High‐Energy NMC‐Based Lithium‐Ion Battery Cathodes: Application‐Based Guidelines

Herein, guidelines are provided for the dispersion of conductivity additive in nickel‐manganese‐cobalt‐oxide‐based lithium‐ion battery (LIB) cathodes with respect to its influence on electrochemical performance. The contrasting design strategies and operating conditions applicable to high‐power and high‐energy cathodes lead to significant differences in performance limiting factors for the respective microstructures. Hence, a generalization of the optimum dispersion of the conductivity additive that enhances cell performance in all cases is not possible. In this work, four distinct distributions of conductivity additive agglomerate/aggregate sizes resulting from varying mixing conditions are investigated with respect to their compatibility with cathode microstructures intended for different LIB applications with the help of spatially resolved electrochemical simulations. It is found that in the case of high‐power cathodes, wherein ionic transport is the dominant performance limiting factor, a more significant proportion of agglomerates that are bigger in size leads to improved diffusion and intercalation conditions. Conversely, in the case of high‐energy electrodes wherein the conductivity additive content is minimized, a larger fraction of smaller aggregates, produced by the fragmentation of the agglomerates during the mixing process are essential to ensure sufficient electrical conductivity.

Efficiency of intensive tilapia culture in earthen ponds applied biofloc technology (BFT), probiotics and off-flavor control methods

The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of Nile and red tilapia cultured in intensive systems applied a combination of biofloc technology (BFT) and probiotics in earthen ponds with different methods to control the off-flavor problem. A growing-out experiment was conducted for 150 days in which both Nile tilapia (5.88 ± 0.59 g) and red tilapia (9.72 ± 0.72 g) fingerlings were randomly allotted into three replicates of earthen ponds which were subdivided into four treatment groups, including: off-flavor controlled by algae management in Nile tilapia ponds (NT - AM) and red tilapia ponds (RT - AM), and off-flavor controlled by active water exchange in Nile tilapia ponds (NT - WE) and red tilapia ponds (RT - WE). The results showed that water quality was maintained in suitable ranges for fish growth. There were no significant differences in growth performance (final weight, daily weight gain and specific growth rate) among all treatments (P < 0.05). Feed conversion ratio of Nile tilapia (1.28 - 1.31) was significantly lower than that of red tilapia (1.35 - 1.37) (P < 0.05). The survival ratio (about 80%) and extrapolated yield (21.50 tons/ha in 150 days) of fish was similar and high for both Nile and red tilapia. The quality of the harvested fish in term of condition factor, size even and off-flavor intensity was also excellent. The economic efficiency of red tilapia farming in this system was higher as compared to cage systems. This study clearly demonstrated that the technique of combined BFT and probiotic application in earthen ponds could contribute to the sustainable development of tilapia production in Vietnam by reducing production cost, saving water resource and avoiding environmental pollution.

Improving the Working Conditions: Productivity, Safety, and Teamwork in a Pottery Processing/Manufacturing Workplace

This paper intends to examine employees’ performance in pottery manufacturing in terms of productivity, safety, and teamwork in order to improve working conditions in the said industry. The degree of performance of workers in the pottery manufacturing industry was evaluated using a descriptive study approach. The data was then collected through questionnaires and interpreted using appropriate statistical tools and procedures. Validation procedures and approval for ethical considerations for this research paper were also sought by the researcher. The findings showed a strong correlation between teamwork, safety, and productivity. It was also found that there is a significant difference in the performance of employees in terms of teamwork between age groups, which suggests that the diversity of employees in terms of age is an essential factor to consider when it comes to work collaboration. Additionally, a significant difference in performance in terms of production was recorded between male and female employees, which is an indication that male and female employees have different performance levels in terms of productivity.

Pooling sputum testing to diagnose tuberculosis using xpert MTB/RIF and xpert ultra: a cost-effectiveness analysis

BackgroundThe World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) using molecular tests, such as Xpert MTB/RIF (MTB/RIF) or Xpert Ultra (Ultra). These tests are expensive and resource-consuming, and cost-effective approaches are needed for greater coverage.MethodsWe evaluated the cost-effectiveness of pooling sputum samples for TB testing by using a fixed amount of 1,000 MTB/RIF or Ultra cartridges. We used the number of people with TB detected as the indicator for cost-effectiveness. Cost-minimization analysis was conducted from the healthcare system perspective and included the costs to the healthcare system using pooled and individual testing.ResultsThere was no significant difference in the overall performance of the pooled testing using MTB/RIF or Ultra (sensitivity, 93.9% vs. 97.6%, specificity 98% vs. 97%, p-value > 0.1 for both). The mean unit cost across all studies to test one person was 34.10 international dollars for the individual testing and 21.95 international dollars for the pooled testing, resulting in a savings of 12.15 international dollars per test performed (35.6% decrease). The mean unit cost per bacteriologically confirmed TB case was 249.64 international dollars for the individual testing and 162.44 international dollars for the pooled testing (34.9% decrease). Cost-minimization analysis indicates savings are directly associated with the proportion of samples that are positive. If the TB prevalence is ≥ 30%, pooled testing is not cost-effective.ConclusionPooled sputum testing can be a cost-effective strategy for diagnosis of TB, resulting in significant resource savings. This approach could increase testing capacity and affordability in resource-limited settings and support increased testing towards achievement of WHO End TB strategy.

Association of Pelvic Floor Disorders, Perceived Psychological Stress, and Military Service in U.S. Navy Servicewomen: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) are linked to psychological stress and decreased work performance in civilian populations. Higher psychological stress is reported in female active-duty servicewomen (ADSW), which affects military readiness. This study sought to associate PFDs, work-related challenges, and psychological stress in ADSW. We conducted a single-site, cross-sectional survey of ADSW seeking care in the urogynecology, family medicine, and women's health clinics between December 2018 and February 2020 using validated questionnaires to determine the prevalence of PFDs and the association with psychological stress, performance of military duties, and continued military service. One hundred seventy-eight U.S. Navy ADSW responded; most were seeking care for PFDs. The reported prevalence rates of PFDs were as follows: urinary incontinence, 53.7%; pelvic organ prolapse, 16.3%; fecal incontinence, 73.2%; and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, 20.3%. Active-duty servicewomen with PFDs were more likely to have higher psychological stress scores (22.5 ± 3.7 vs 20.5 ± 4.2, P = 0.002) and body composition failures (22.0% vs 7.3%, P = 0.012), yet more strongly consider remaining on active service if they reported urinary incontinence (22.8% vs 1.8%) or interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (19.5% vs 1.8%; all P ≤ 0.001). No significant differences were noted in physical fitness failures or other military duties. For these U.S. Navy ADSW with PFDs, there was no significant difference in duty performance but reported psychological stress levels were higher. The presence of PFD was associated with women more strongly considering ongoing military service compared with other factors such as family, job, or career path.

Evaluating Flight Performance and Eye Movement Patterns Using Virtual Reality Flight Simulator

Efficient and economical performance evaluation of pilots has become critical to the aviation industry. With the development of virtual reality (VR) and the combination of eye-tracking technology, solutions to meet these needs are becoming a reality. Previous studies have explored VR-based flight simulators, focusing mainly on technology validation and flight training. The current study developed a new VR flight simulator to evaluate pilots' flight performance based on eye movement and flight indicators in a 3D immersive scene. During the experiment, 46 participants were recruited: 23 professional pilots and 23 college students without flight experience. The experiment results showed significant differences in flight performance between participants with and without flight experience, the former being higher than the latter. In contrast, those with flight experience showed more structured and efficient eye-movement patterns. These results of the differentiation of flight performance demonstrate the validity of the current VR flight simulator as a flight performance assessment method. The different eye-movement patterns with flight experience provide the basis for future flight selection. However, this VR-based flight simulator has shortcomings like motion feedback compared to traditional flight simulators. This flight simulator platform is highly flexible except for the apparent low cost. It can meet the diverse needs of researchers (e.g., measuring situation awareness, VR sickness, and workload by adding relevant scales).

Prior Enlisted Medical Students at the Uniformed Services University: Outcomes During Four Years of Medical School

The Uniformed Services University (USU) implemented the Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program (EMDP2) with the goal of enhancing the diversity of the military physician corps. Programs like EMDP2 can assist students in making the social and intellectual transition from undergraduate studies to medical school and beyond. These types of programs are also opportunities to reduce health disparities and prepare students to work in multicultural settings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there was any significant difference in performance between USU medical students who had attended the EMDP2 and those who had not.We compared the results of National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Clinical Science Subjects, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1, and USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge exams of EMDP2 learners from the School of Medicine classes of 2020 to 2023 to those of four similarly sized cohorts of their peers who varied by age and prior military service.We found that the performance of EMDP2 graduates was comparable to their peers who followed more traditional and other alternative paths to medical school. For example, regression models showed that EMDP2 status was not a statistically significant predictor of average clerkship NBME exam score, nor of USMLE Step 1 failure.EMDP2 graduates performed on a par with their medical school peers, and EMDP2 status does not appear to influence NBME or USMLE performance. EMDP2 provides a focused curriculum and addresses the mandate to make medical education opportunities available to a more diverse population.

Research on Two-Way Contra-Rotating Axial-Flow Pump–Turbine with Various Blade Angles in Pump Mode

In tidal two-way contra-rotating units, significant differences in performance often occur when arranging the front and rear impellers, which requires an optimized design of the impellers. To solve this problem, by reducing the blade inlet and outlet angles, the impact of different blade angles on the performance of two-way pump–turbines and the internal flow was explored, and the effects of the blade inlet angle of the impellers on the performance of the counter-rotating pump were obtained. Afterward, the streamline and vorticity of the two-stage impeller at different angles were analyzed. The results show that different blade angles will have a certain impact on the internal flow of the two-way pump–turbine. Different blade outlet angles have a significant impact. The variation in different inlet blade angles is not significant for the vorticity changes in the front impeller and rear impeller. In addition, changes in the outlet blade angle will have an impact on the location of LE impact water of the rear impeller, which in turn affects the contours of vorticity of the rear impeller near LE, which also means that the vorticity in this area is mainly dominated by the vortex stretching term.

Blinding of Admissions Committee to MCAT Scores: Is There a Difference in Subsequent Medical School Performance Between Cohorts?

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is designed to inform members of the admissions committee about applicants' academic readiness for medical school. Although previous work has shown that MCAT scores have some predictive validity evidence for a variety of medical student outcomes, there is also a concern that the MCAT is overly emphasized by admissions committees, which may, for example, affect matriculant diversity. The purpose of this study was to understand whether deemphasizing the MCAT by blinding committee members to applicants' specific scores has resulted in matriculants with different pre-clerkship and clerkship performance. The Admissions Committee from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) created a policy to blind admissions committee members to MCAT scores. The MCAT-blinded policy was implemented for classes of 2022 to 2024. This MCAT-blinded cohort's performance was compared with a previous cohort, classes of 2018 to 2020. Two analyses of covariance were performed to test for differences in the pre-clerkship and clerkship module scores. Undergraduate grade point average (uGPA) and MCAT percentile for matriculants were included as covariates. There were no statistically significant differences in either pre-clerkship or clerkship performance between the MCAT-revealed and MCAT-blinded cohorts. This study found similar medical school performance between the MCAT-blinded and MCAT-revealed cohorts. The research team plans to continuously follow these two cohorts to understand their performance further down their education path, including step 1 and step 2 examinations.

Experimental Evaluation of AGV Dispatching Methods in an Agent-Based Simulation Environment and a Digital Twin

A critical part of Automated Material Handling Systems (AMHS) is the task allocation and dispatching strategy employed. In order to better understand and investigate this component, we here present an extensive experimental evaluation of three different approaches with randomly generated, as well as custom designed, environment configurations. While previous studies typically focused on use cases based on highly constrained navigation capabilities (e.g., overhead hoist transport systems), our evaluation is built around highly mobile, free-ranging vehicles, i.e., Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) that are gaining popularity in a broad range of applications. Consequently, our experiments are conducted using a microscopic agent-based simulation, instead of the more common discrete-event simulation model. Dispatching methods often are built around the assumption of the asynchronous evaluation of an event-based model, i.e., vehicles trigger a cascade of individual dispatching decisions, e.g., when reaching intersections. We find that this does not translate very well to a fleet of highly mobile systems that can change direction at any time. With this in mind, we present formulations of well known dispatching approaches that are better suited for a synchronous evaluation of the dispatching decisions. The formulations are based on the Stable Marriage Problem (SMP) and the Linear Sum Assignment Problem (LSAP). We use matching and assignment algorithms to compute the actual dispatching decisions. The selected algorithms are evaluated in a multi-agent simulation environment. To integrate a centralised fleet management, a digital twin concept is proposed and implemented. By this approach, the fleet management is independent of the implementation of the specific agents, allowing to quickly adapt to other simulation-based or real application scenarios. For the experimental evaluation, two new performance measures related to the efficiency of a material handling system are proposed, Travel Efficiency and Throughput Effort. The experimental evaluation indicates that reassignment mechanisms in the dispatching method can help to increase the overall efficiency of the fleet. We did not find significant differences in absolute performance in terms of throughput rate. Additionally, the difference in performance between SMP- and LSAP-based dispatching with reassignment seems negligible. We conclude with a discussion, where we consider potential confounding factors and relate the findings to previously reported results found in the literature.

Automatic Authorship Classification for German Lyrics Using Naïve Bayes

Text classification is a prevalent and essential machine-learning task. Machine learning classifiers have developed immensely since their inception. The naïve Bayes classifier is one of the most prominent supervised machine learning classifiers. In this experiment, we highlight the performance of Naïve Bayes for classifying of authors/artists on the German lyrics corpus (“Songkorpus”) and compare the classification results with other classifier algorithms. The corpus of investigation consists of six artists with 970 songs in total. Bayes model evaluation measures revealed a precision of 0.91, recall of 0.94, and F1-measure of 0.9. Furthermore, the classification performance with other classifier algorithms did not reveal any statistically significant difference in performance. The results of the study add to the high volume of reports on the classification accuracy of Naive Bayes for the task of lyrical classification.

Noninvasive risk assessment of hepatic decompensation in patients with hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis.

Hepatic decompensation is a major complication of liver cirrhosis. We validated the predictive performance of the newly proposed CHESS-ALARM model to predict hepatic decompensation in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related cirrhosis and compared it with other transient elastography (TE)-based models such as liver stiffness-spleen size-to-platelet (LSPS), portal hypertension (PH), varices risk scores, albumin-bilirubin (ALBI), and albumin-bilirubin-fibrosis-4 (ALBI-FIB-4). Four hundred eighty-two patients with HBV-related liver cirrhosis between 2006 and 2014 were recruited. Liver cirrhosis was clinically or morphologically defined. The predictive performance of the models was assessed using a time-dependent area under the curve (tAUC). During the study period, 48 patients (10.0%) developed hepatic decompensation (median 93months). The 1-year predictive performance of the LSPS model (tAUC=0.8405) was higher than those of the PH model (tAUC=0.8255), ALBI-FIB-4 (tAUC=0.8168), ALBI (tAUC=0.8153), CHESS-ALARM (tAUC=0.8090), and variceal risk score (tAUC=0.7990). The 3-year predictive performance of the LSPS model (tAUC=0.8673) was higher than those of the PH risk score (tAUC=0.8670), CHESS-ALARM (tAUC=0.8329), variceal risk score (tAUC=0.8290), ALBI-FIB-4 (tAUC=0.7730), and ALBI (tAUC=0.7451). The 5-year predictive performance of the PH risk score (tAUC=0.8521) was higher than those of the LSPS (tAUC=0.8465), varices risk score (tAUC=0.8261), CHESS-ALARM (tAUC=0.7971), ALBI-FIB-4 (tAUC=0.7743), and ALBI (tAUC=0.7541). However, there was no significant difference in the predictive performance among all models at 1, 3, and 5years (P>0.05). The CHESS-ALARM score was able to reliably predict hepatic decompensation in patients with HBV-related liver cirrhosis and showed similar performance to the LSPS, PH, varices risk scores, ALBI, and ALBI-FIB-4.

Cognitive Function in Patients at Different Stages of Treatment for Colorectal Cancer: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

ObjectivesTo compare subjective and objective cognitive functions among patients at the following three stages of treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC): new diagnosis (Group A), ≤2 years since chemotherapy completion (Group B), and >2 years since chemotherapy completion (Group C). Data SourcesA comparative cross-sectional approach was used in this study. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function questionnaire and neuropsychological assessments were used to assess patients’ subjective cognitive function, attention, memory, and executive functions. A total of 63 patients with stage I to III CRC were recruited from a medical center in northern Taiwan. We performed one-to-one-to-one propensity score matching to identify 36 individuals as eligible for this study. A generalized estimating equation was used to compare subjective and objective cognitive functions. ConclusionWe observed no significant between-group differences in subjective cognitive function and objective performance in overall cognition and memory. Group B had significantly longer reaction time in attention and processing speed than did Group A. Adjuvant chemotherapy had significantly deleterious effects on attention and processing speed in patients with CRC. These cognitive symptoms last for approximately 2 years after the completion of chemotherapy. Implications for Nursing PracticeThe early detection of cancer-related cognitive impairment is necessary for managing symptom distress. Future studies with a large sample size and longitudinal design may elucidate the trajectory of specific cognitive functions. Developing nursing interventions aimed at improving attention and executive function in patients with CRC are needed.

Investigation of In-Cylinder Pressure Measurement Methods within a Two-Stroke Spark Ignition Engine

<div>This work describes an investigation of measurement techniques for the indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) on a 55 cc single-cylinder, 4.4 kW, two-stroke, spark ignition (SI) engine intended for use on Group 1 and Group 2 remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs). Three different sensors were used: two piezoelectric pressure transducers (one flush mount and one measuring spark plug) for measuring in-cylinder pressure and one capacitive sensor for determining the top dead center (TDC) position of the piston. The effort consisted of three objectives: to investigate the merits of a flush mount pressure transducer compared to a pressure transducer integrated into the spark plug, to perform a parametric analysis to characterize the effect of the variability in the engine test bench controls on the IMEP, and to determine the thermodynamic loss angle for the engine. The results indicate that as a spark plug, the measuring spark plug is not statistically different from the stock spark plug at the 95% confidence level. The results indicate a statistically significant, 4% difference in the measured IMEP between the pressure transducer in the measuring spark plug and the flush mount transducer. The results also suggest a statistically significant difference in performance between the modified and unmodified engine heads, verifying the suppositions of other researchers who suggested that even a small modification to a combustion chamber this size could measurably affect the engine performance. While run-to-run variation resulted in a 2% to 5% variation in IMEP, a sensitivity analysis determined that 1% to 3% of that variation arose from variability in the control variables, while the remainder was caused by variation in other engine operating parameters. Between 1000 rpm and 2000 rpm, where the engine was typically motored to determine the TDC, the thermodynamic loss angle was 0.3 crank angle degrees (CAD) to 0.7 CAD, larger than loss angles observed in automotive-sized gasoline engines. The results indicate that using tabulated thermodynamic loss angles to set the TDC location of the engine using a mono-directional peak pressure method would lead to a −1% to −2.5% bias in the IMEP.</div>