Significant Improvement In Consistency Research Articles

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of endoscopy among gastroenterologists in diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease in China: a multicenter cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe aim was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of endoscopy among gastroenterologists in the diagnosis and management of IBD in China.MethodsA multicenter cross-sectional KAP study was performed. The questionnaire was developed and improved using feedback and opinions from a team of experienced IBD specialist professors and then distributed and collected online. In addition, eight fellow gastroenterologists participated in an IBD endoscopy training program were asked to review endoscopic images, and the consistency of the endoscopic scores before and after training was calculated.ResultsA total of 193 participants from 12 provincial-level administrative regions encompassing both the Northern and Southern parts of China completed the study questionnaire. The median age of the participants was 40 (36, 45) years, with the majority being female (70.5%). The median professional experience as gastroenterologists was 11 (7, 17) years, while the median experience as endoscopists was 8 (3, 15) years. The median knowledge score was 8 out of 10 points for single-choice questions; however, most gastroenterologists believed that some concepts in these endoscopic indices were vague, including those regarding deep ulcerations, ulcerated surfaces, affected surfaces and narrowing in open-answer questions. The UCEIS and SES-CD were considered most consistent with clinical activity score in the evaluation of UC and CD, respectively. IBD subspecialists and gastroenterologists who had previously received IBD endoscopy screening training were more likely to use endoscopic indices (p<0.001, p = 0.029, respectively). The Rutgeerts score demonstrated the most significant improvement in consistency before and after training, from 0.407 (95% CI: 0.025–0.999) to 0.909 (95% CI: 0.530–1.000).ConclusionsWe propose the elucidation of ambiguous definitions in endoscopic indices, enhancement of training, and the application of innovative technology to enhance the application of endoscopic evaluation and endoscopic indices in clinical practice.

Novel hybrid arithmetic-equilibrium optimizer as robust tuner for power system stabilizer (PSS) parameters in interconnected electrical power system

Nowadays, the metaheuristic approaches become popular in the optimal tuning parameters of power system controllers, especially Power System Stabilizers (PSS). Besides the easiness, the stochastic behavior in metaheuristic approaches needs further investigation to increase the quality of the offered optimal parameters. Thus, this paper proposes A Novel Hybrid Arithmetic-Equilibrium Optimizer (HAEO) as a robust tuner for PSS in the interconnected electrical power system. The algorithms are hybridized in unique ways to utilize the features in both Arithmetic Optimizer (AO) and Equilibrium Optimizer (EO). Hybridization is performed to improve the exploration ability by providing the widest optimal parameters possible. In benchmarking by the Friedman Ranking Test, the proposed algorithm shows a significant improvement in consistency and accuracy over the basic AO and EO. A wider-distributed optimal solution and better convergence are also offered by the proposed algorithm. Besides that, the application in the optimal tuning shows that the proposed algorithm can provide the best PSS parameters in different objective functions with better average and standard deviation values. The HAEO-PSS gives a significant overshoot suppression of 35 % to 57 %, while the settling time of the system is also improved by 7 % to 13 %. Overall, the HAEO-PSS is proven to improve the stability response of the interconnected electrical power system both in local and interarea responses.

NVDS +: Towards Efficient and Versatile Neural Stabilizer for Video Depth Estimation.

Video depth estimation aims to infer temporally consistent depth. One approach is to finetune a single-image model on each video with geometry constraints, which proves inefficient and lacks robustness. An alternative is learning to enforce consistency from data, which requires well-designed models and sufficient video depth data. To address both challenges, we introduce NVDS + that stabilizes inconsistent depth estimated by various single-image models in a plug-and-play manner. We also elaborate a large-scale Video Depth in the Wild (VDW) dataset, which contains 14,203 videos with over two million frames, making it the largest natural-scene video depth dataset. Additionally, a bidirectional inference strategy is designed to improve consistency by adaptively fusing forward and backward predictions. We instantiate a model family ranging from small to large scales for different applications. The method is evaluated on VDW dataset and three public benchmarks. To further prove the versatility, we extend NVDS + to video semantic segmentation and several downstream applications like bokeh rendering, novel view synthesis, and 3D reconstruction. Experimental results show that our method achieves significant improvements in consistency, accuracy, and efficiency. Our work serves as a solid baseline and data foundation for learning-based video depth estimation. Code and dataset are available at: https://github.com/RaymondWang987/NVDS.

Integrating Workshop Training and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Contour Organs at Risk (OARs) in Thoracic Radiation Therapy

This work aimed to quantify and explore the effects of expert training and AI on improving the consistency in Organs at Risk (OAR) delineations on the and the concordance to RTOG Atlas for future work of multi-center clinical trials. This is a result of an on-site clinical training workshop/Global Collaborative Oncology Group (GCOG) and an online cross-over study of AI application on key thoracic OARs. The participating experts were provided with the same de-identified cases of stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and instructions on structure contouring and plan assessment criteria according to RTOG1106. Required OARs included lungs minus gross tumor volume, heart, spinal cord, esophagus and brachial plexus. The reference OAR contours were generated by one expert investigator of a RTOG trial on locally advanced NSCLC. The consistency between contours from the physicians and the concordance of contours to the Standard OAR contours were evaluated by the dice similarity coefficient (DSC). Post-workshop contours and AI-assistant contours were further assessed for consistency and concordance. A total of 35 centers participated in the workshop, 32 of them with complete DICOM files were eligible for the DSC analysis. Following the given instructions and atlas before training, for RTOG 1106, this experiment showed the mean DSC of the lung, heart, spinal cord, esophagus and brachial plexus were 0.91±0.15, 0.84±0.17, 0.72±0.22, 0.73±0.16 and 0.34±0.11, respectively. The DSC of the lung and heart of this case with earlier stage of disease were 0.96±0.06 and 0.88±0.07, respectively, which were better than that of the first case with mode locally advanced disease. The mean DSC of Contours after GCOG training of lung, heart, spinal cord, esophagus and brachial plexus were 0.92±0.15, 0.81±0.24, 0.70±0.26, 0.70±0.24 and 0.26±0.14, respectively. In the crossover experiment, the mean DSC of contours without AI assistance of lung, heart, spinal cord, esophagus and brachial plexus were 0.94±0.02, 0.87±0.07, 0.85±0.04, 0.81±0.04, and 0.38±0.12, respectively. The mean DSC of contours with AI assistance of lung, heart, spinal cord, esophagus and brachial plexus were 0.95±0.01, 0.91±0.04, 0.84±0.06, 0.81±0.02 and 0.40±0.05, respectively. The mean decreased time of delineating the lung, heart, spinal cord, esophagus and brachial plexus were 29 mins, 3 mins, 6 min, 4 min and 3 min, respectively, with a total of 45 mins for one case. This study demonstrated 1) remarkable variations in OAR delineation among 32 investigators, 2) notable improvement in concordance after the training workshop, and 3) significant improvement in consistency with AI assistance, along with time-saving of treating physicians. More training with better AI tools may further improve the contouring consistency, which is important for clinical practice and clinical trial.

ThTP1.5 Evaluating the Impact of Electronic Documentation on the Consent Process for Whipples Procedures within a HPB Department

Abstract Background The Whipples is an operation associated with major morbidity. Common risks include infection, wound problems and delayed gastric emptying. Less common but significant complications include fistula, anastomotic leak and cardiorespiratory dysfunction. This often requires intensive care or further procedures. Overall, mortality is 3%. This wide array of possible post-operative outcomes must be documented accurately on a consent form. However, what is stated often varies significantly depending on the consenting clinician. We assess the effect of a transition to an entirely electronic patient record (EPR) system on the consent process and the subsequent impact of standardised electronic consent forms. Methods Comparison of documented risks and additional procedures against ideal consent adapted from a patient information leaflet for Whipples. Cases performed by a tertiary centre hepatobiliary surgery department. Paper consent forms from July to September 2022 compared to electronically signed consent forms obtained from the EPR system from September to November 2022. Intervention in December 2022 (automated consent form). Re-audit from December 2022 to January 2023. Descriptive statistical analysis. Results 25 consent forms assessed. Majority of forms completed by middle grades (92%). Eighteen documented risks and four additional procedures in ideal consent. Complications such as bleeding, infection and cardiorespiratory complications consistently feature in consent forms. Transition to electronic system meant most additional procedures documented less frequently, as are other complications such as visceral injury. Broad improvements in consenting documentation following intervention. Conclusions Introduction of pre-filled consent forms produced swift and significant improvements in consistency of consent forms. Further assessment of other index procedures of hepatobiliary, general and vascular surgery to follow.

Activation region overlap visualization for image-guided cochlear implant programming

Objective. The cochlear implant is a neural prosthesis designed to directly stimulate auditory nerve fibers to induce the sensation of hearing in those experiencing severe-to-profound hearing loss. After surgical implantation, audiologists program the implant’s external processor with settings intended to produce optimal hearing outcomes. The likelihood of achieving optimal outcomes increases when audiologists have access to tools that objectively present information related to the patient’s own anatomy and surgical outcomes. This includes visualizations like the one presented here, termed the activation region overlap image, which is designed to decrease subjectivity when determining amounts of overlapping stimulation between implant electrodes. Approach. This visualization uses estimates of electric field strength to indicate spread of neural excitation due to each electrode. Unlike prior visualizations, this method explicitly defines regions of nerves receiving substantial stimulation from each electrode to help clinicians assess the presence of significant overlapping stimulation. A multi-reviewer study compared this and an existing technique on the consistency, efficiency, and optimality of plans generated from each method. Statistical significance was evaluated using the two-sided Wilcoxon rank sum test. Main results. The study showed statistically significant improvements in consistency (p < 10–12), efficiency (p < 10−15), and optimality (p < 10−5) when generating plans using the proposed method versus the existing method. Significance. This visualization addresses subjectivity in assessing overlapping stimulation between implant electrodes, which currently relies on reviewer estimates. The results of the evaluation indicate the provision of such objective information during programming sessions would likely benefit clinicians in making programming decisions.

Reporting of diagnostic and laboratory tests by general hospitals as an indication of access to diagnostic laboratory services in Kenya.

IntroductionInformation on laboratory test availability and current testing scope among general hospitals in Kenya is not readily available. We sought to explore the reporting trends and test availability within clinical laboratories in Kenya over a 24-months period through analysis of the laboratory data reported in the District Health Information System (DHIS2).MethodsMonthly hospital laboratory testing data were extracted from the Kenyan DHIS2 between January 2018 and December 2019. We used the national laboratory testing summary tool (MoH 706) to identify the tests of interest among 204 general hospitals in Kenya. A local practitioner panel consisting of individuals with laboratory expertise was used to classify the tests as common and uncommon. We compared the tests on the MoH 706 template with the Essential Diagnostic List (EDL) of the World Health Organisation and further reclassified them into test categories based on the EDL for generalisability of our findings. Evaluation of the number of monthly test types reported in each facility and the largest number of tests ever reported in any of the 24 months were used to assess test availability and testing scope, respectively.ResultsOut of the 204 general hospitals assessed, 179 (179/204) reported at least one of the 80 tests of interest in any of the 24 months. Only 41% (74/179) of the reporting hospitals submitted all their monthly DHIS2 laboratory reports for the entire 24 months. The median testing capacity across the hospitals was 40% with a wide variation in testing scope from one hospital laboratory to another (% IQR: 33.8–51.9). Testing scope was inconsistent within facilities as indicated by often large monthly fluctuations in the total number of recommended and EDL tests reported. Tests of anatomical pathology and cancer were the least reported with 4 counties’ hospitals not reporting any cancer or anatomical pathology tests for the entire 24 months.ConclusionThe current reporting of laboratory testing information in DHIS2 is poor. Monitoring access and utilisation of laboratory testing across the country would require significant improvements in consistency and coverage of routine laboratory test reporting in DHIS2. Nonetheless, the available data suggest unequal and intermittent population access to laboratory testing provided by general hospitals in Kenya.

A RANDOMIZED CONTROLL TRIAL TO COMPARE THE EFFICACY OF SACCHAROMYCES BOULARDII, BACILLUS CLAUSII, AND LACTOBACILLUS RHAMNOSUS GG PREPARATION IN THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE DIARRHEA IN CHILDREN

Objective: Probiotics have been recommended as an adjunct to standard treatment of acute diarrhea but the choice of probiotics is unclear. The aim of study is to compare the efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii, Bacillus clausii versus Lactobacillus rhamnosus in children with acute diarrhea and to expand the tolerability of S. boulardii, B. clausii versus L. rhamnosus GG in acute diarrhea. Methods: Hospital based Randomized Controlled Clinical trial (chit in box) carried out at the Department of Pediatrics, Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Jaipur Rajasthan from January 2020 to June 2021. 120 Children were enrolled in the study and randomized to either Group A or Group B or Group C. Group A received S. boulardii, Group B received B. clausii and Group C received L. rhamnosus GG. Sample size was 40 samples for each group. Statistical analysis was done with the SPSS software. Results: There was statistically significant improvement in consistency observed in Group C as compared to Group A an Group B (p&lt;0.001). Significant higher cases (87.5%) were improved in Group C compare to Group B (67.5%), followed by Group A (65%). While all patients were observed well tolerated and accepted during the study. Conclusions: In our study, L. rhamnosus GG significantly reduce the frequency, improve the consistency of stools in diarrhea as compared to B. clausii and S. boulardii while tolerability of S. boulardii, B. clausii and L. rhamnosus GG was good with no adverse effect.

Improvements in symptoms related to bone metastasis in recipients of Lutetium-177 PSMA-617 for prostate cancer.

96 Background: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioligand therapy (RLT) targeted to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a new targeted treatment for progressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). PSMA-RLT conjugates a radionuclide to a small molecule ligand with affinity for PSMA. Recent trials, such as TheraP and VISION, established improvements in progression free survival, overall survival, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for PSMA-RLT. Less is known about the impact of PSMA-RLT on symptoms related to bone metastasis (BM), commonly causing significant morbidity in men with mCRPC. The optimal tools for PRO collection with PSMA-RLT are also uncertain. We previously reported improvements in Brief Pain Inventory and now report EORTC QLQ-BM22 data to describe change in symptoms related to bone metastasis among men receiving PSMA-RLT for mCRPC. Methods: From 2015 to 2017, 50 patients received up to 4 cycles of 177Lu-PSMA-617 every 6 weeks (trial registration: ACTRN12615000912583). Patients completed a validated assessment of bone metastasis-related pain (EORTC QLQ-BM22) prior to each cycle and 6 or 12 weeks after the last cycle of 177Lu-PSMA. Change in pain over the course of the study was examined using linear mixed effects models. We also examined whether unadjusted changes in PROs exceeded published cutoffs for minimal clinically important difference scores. Results: Patients reported reduced bone metastasis-related pain at various sites over time ( p =.01). Of 44 patients completing this scale before cycle 2, 22 (50%) reported clinically significant improvement in pain at various sites. At follow-up, of the 37 patients alive, 25 provided evaluable data on bone metastasis-related pain. Of these, 10 (40%) reported clinically significant improvement in pain at various sites. Patients also reported less functional interference from pain over time ( p &lt;.01) and lower consistency, intermittency, and difficulty alleviating pain with medication over time ( p =.01). Before cycle 2 and at follow-up, 26% and 38% of respondents reported clinically significant reduction in functional interference from pain. Before cycle 2 and at follow-up, 33% and 42% of respondents reported clinically significant improvement in consistency, intermittency, and difficulty alleviating pain with medication. Conclusions: 177Lu-PSMA RLT resulted in improvements in bone metastasis-related symptoms, supporting prior findings using other PRO measures. At follow-up, 38-42% of patients completing PRO assessment reported clinically meaningful improvements in bone metastasis-related pain, a significant contributor to quality of life. Clinical trial information: ACTRN12615000912583.

Consistency With and Disengagement From Self-monitoring of Weight, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity in a Technology-Based Weight Loss Program: Exploratory Study.

BackgroundDigital self-monitoring tools offer promise to improve adherence to self-monitoring of weight and weight-related behaviors; however, less is known regarding the patterns of participant consistency and disengagement with these tools.ObjectiveThis study characterizes the consistency of use and time to disengagement with digital self-monitoring tools during a 6-month weight loss intervention and investigates whether the provision of phone-based intervention improved self-monitoring adherence.MethodsParticipants were 54 adults with overweight or obesity (mean age 49.6 years, SD 12.4 years; mean BMI 32.6 kg/m2, SD 3.2 kg/m2) enrolled in a pilot trial assessing the impact of self-monitoring technology (Fitbit Zip, Aria scale, and smartphone app), with and without additional interventionist contact, on weight loss. All participants received weight loss education and were asked to self-monitor weight, dietary intake, and physical activity daily throughout the 6-month program. Consistency was defined as the number of weeks that participants adhered to self-monitoring recommendations (7 out of 7 days). Disengagement was defined as the first of 2 consecutive weeks that the 7-day self-monitoring adherence goal was not met. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to examine differences in consistency and disengagement by behavioral targets. t tests (2-tailed) and Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine whether providing additional interventionist contact would lead to significant improvements in consistency and time to disengagement from self-monitoring tools, respectively. Linear regressions were used to examine associations between consistency, time to disengagement, and weight loss.ResultsParticipants consistently self-monitored physical activity for more weeks (mean 17.4 weeks, SD 8.5 weeks) than weight (mean 11.1 weeks, SD 8.5 weeks) or dietary intake (mean 10.8 weeks, SD 8.7 weeks; P<.05). Similarly, participants had a significantly longer time to disengagement from self-monitoring of physical activity (median 19.5 weeks) than weight (4 weeks) or dietary intake (10 weeks; P<.001). Participants randomized to receive additional interventionist contact had significantly greater consistency and longer time to disengagement for self-monitoring of dietary intake compared with participants who did not (P=.006); however, there were no statistically significant differences between groups for self-monitoring of weight or physical activity (P=.24 and P=.25, respectively). Greater consistency and longer time to disengagement were associated with greater weight loss for self-monitoring of weight and dietary intake (P<.001 and P=.004, respectively) but not for physical activity (P=.57).ConclusionsResults demonstrated that self-monitoring adherence differed by behavioral target, with greater consistency and longer time to disengagement associated with lower-burden tools (ie, self-monitoring of physical activity). Consistent with supportive accountability theory, additional interventionist contact improved consistency and lengthened time to disengagement from self-monitoring of dietary intake. Given the observed associations between consistency, disengagement, and weight loss outcomes, it is important to identify additional methods of increasing consistency and engagement with digital self-monitoring tools.

Improving Consistency for a Mefenamic Acid Immediate Release Formulation

The objective of this study was to develop an immediate release dose form containing 250 mg Mefenamic acid (MFA) presented as a crystalline solid dispersion in order to achieve improved consistency in drug release through a simplified formulation compared to a commercial product. An MFA-Soluplus®-Sorbitol polymer matrix was developed using an HME process based on rheological screening assays of physical mixtures. The physico-chemical properties of these formulations were assessed by thermal analysis, FTIR, mechanical testing and SEM image analysis, confirming the crystalline character and stable polymorphic form I of the API in the polymer matrix. A faster release and a significant improvement in consistency (±6%) of drug release was observed compared to a commercially available MFA product (±17%) (250 mg capsule). This study illustrates advantages of applying a structured development program aimed at retaining API physical properties in the final dosage form.

Consistent and Efficient Modeling of the Nonlinear Properties of Ferroelectric Materials in Ceramic Capacitors for Frugal Electronic Implants

In recent years, the development of implantable electronics has been driven by the motivation to expand their field of application. The main intention is to implement advanced functionalities while increasing the degree of miniaturization and maintaining reliability. The intrinsic nonlinear properties of the electronic components, to be used anyway, could be utilized to resolve this issue. To master the implementation of functionalities in implantable electronics using the nonlinear properties of its electronic components, simulation models are of utmost importance. In this paper, we present a simulation model that is optimized in terms of consistency, computing time and memory consumption. Three circuit topologies of nonlinear capacitors, including hysteresis losses, are investigated. An inductively coupled measurement setup was realized to validate the calculations. The best results were obtained using the Trapezoid method in ANSYS with a constant step size and a resolution of 500 k points and using the Adams method in Mathcad with a resolution of 50 k points. An inductive coupling factor between 7% and 10% leads to a significant improvement in consistency compared to lower coupling factors. Finally, our results indicate that the nonlinear properties of the voltage rectifier capacitor can be neglected since these do not significantly affect the simulation results.

Significantly Improved Electrical Properties of Photo-Initiated Auxiliary Crosslinking EPDM Used for Cable Termination.

In order to achieve high quality electrical materials for cable terminations, the crosslinked ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) materials, with adequate breakdown strength, appropriately increased conductivity and are developed by employing auxiliary crosslinker and ultraviolet (UV) photoinitiated crosslinking technique. The characteristic cyclic anhydrides with coupled carbonyl groups are utilized as auxiliary crosslinkers to promote crosslinking efficiency and provide polar-groups to EPDM molecules in UV-initiated crosslinking processes, which can be effectively fulfilled in industrial cable production. The results of infrared spectroscopy show that the auxiliary crosslinkers have been successfully grated to EPDM molecules through UV initiation process. The conductivity of EPDM increases after individually utilizing three auxiliary crosslinkers to EPDM at various temperatures of cable operations, by which the highest conductivity has been acquired by grafting N.N-m-phenylene dimaleimide. The first-principles calculations demonstrate that some occupied local electronic-states have been introduced in the band-gap of the EPDM crosslinked by N.N-m-phenylene dimaleimide (EPDM-HAV2), which can be thermally excited from valence band to conduction band at lower temperature or in higher density, leading to augmentation in electrical conductivity. Meanwhile, the breakdown strength achieves a significant improvement in consistency with the theoretical estimation that deeper hole-traps can be introduced by auxiliary-crosslinking modification, and will consequently increase breakdown strength through the trapping mechanism of space charge suppression. in relation to the appropriately increased conductivity, in combination with persistent breakdown strength, the finite element simulations of the electric field distribution in EPDM cable terminations suggest that the effectively homogenized electric field at the root of stress cone will be realized for EPDM-HAV2. The present study offers a fundamental strategy to ameliorate EPDM materials in the application of insulated cable accessories.

DeepHarmony: A deep learning approach to contrast harmonization across scanner changes

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a flexible medical imaging modality that often lacks reproducibility between protocols and scanners. It has been shown that even when care is taken to standardize acquisitions, any changes in hardware, software, or protocol design can lead to differences in quantitative results. This greatly impacts the quantitative utility of MRI in multi-site or long-term studies, where consistency is often valued over image quality. We propose a method of contrast harmonization, called DeepHarmony, which uses a U-Net-based deep learning architecture to produce images with consistent contrast. To provide training data, a small overlap cohort (n = 8) was scanned using two different protocols. Images harmonized with DeepHarmony showed significant improvement in consistency of volume quantification between scanning protocols. A longitudinal MRI dataset of patients with multiple sclerosis was also used to evaluate the effect of a protocol change on atrophy calculations in a clinical research setting. The results show that atrophy calculations were substantially and significantly affected by protocol change, whereas such changes have a less significant effect and substantially reduced overall difference when using DeepHarmony. This establishes that DeepHarmony can be used with an overlap cohort to reduce inconsistencies in segmentation caused by changes in scanner protocol, allowing for modernization of hardware and protocol design in long-term studies without invalidating previously acquired data.

Small doses from artificial UV sources elucidate the photo-production of vitamin D

To clarify the relation between UV exposure and vitamin D status, 201 volunteers wore personal electronic UV dosimeters during daylight hours, to record their UV exposure over a 10 week period when ambient UV levels were significantly less than the summer maxima. Blood samples to determine serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] levels were taken at the end of week 4 and week 8. Participants were then given a single full-body exposure of approximately 2 SED from one of four artificial UV sources with different spectral outputs and a further blood sample taken at study completion, nominally week 10. The artificial UV exposure reversed the mean seasonal decline in 25(OH)D3. Increases in 25(OH)D3 from week 8 to week 10 were related to total UV exposure, including the ambient sun exposures. These exposures were weighted by the erythemal action spectrum and separately for three different action spectra for pre-vitamin D production. For the erythema weighting function, 25(OH)D3 increased 1.78 ± 0.25 nmol per litre per SED, a value consistent with other studies. Any differences due to age, BMI, gender, and skin reflectance were not statistically significant. Ethnicity differences were the only significant factor, with Asians producing the least vitamin D, and Maori the most. There was no statistically significant improvement in consistency between sources for any of the three pre-vitamin weightings compared with that for erythema. Further work is needed to verify which vitamin D action spectrum is most appropriate. Nevertheless, these small doses of UV from artificial sources were helpful in quantifying the relationship between UV exposure and vitamin D status among the New Zealand population.

Estimating financial distress with a dynamic model: Evidence from family owned enterprises in a small open economy

Employing earnings shortfall as a financial distress indicator, we formulate a dynamic nonlinear model, implementing Wooldridge's conditional maximum likelihood estimator and accounting for potentially endogenous covariates. Likewise, we not only achieve a significant improvement in consistency and classification accuracy over static approaches, but we also manage to understand better the evolution of the financial distress process. In our sample of Greek listed firms the higher the positive performance and the lower the leverage at the initial period the greater the chance that a company enters financial distress further down the road, possibly due to manager–owner overconfidence and debt-imposed discipline by company's creditors.

Evolutionary Optimization of an Ice Accretion Forecasting System

Abstract The ability to model and forecast accretion of ice on structures is very important for many industrial sectors. For example, studies conducted by the power transmission industry indicate that the majority of failures are caused by icing on overhead conductors and other components of power networks. This paper presents an extension to the ice accretion forecasting system (IAFS) that is comprised of a numerical weather prediction model, a precipitation-type algorithm, and an ice accretion model. To optimize the performance of IAFS, the parameters of the precipitation-type algorithm are estimated using a genetic algorithm. The system is developed by hindcasting a well-documented freezing-rain event and calibrated using four additional ice storms. Subsequently, the system is tested using three independent storms. The results show a significant improvement in consistency, accuracy, and skill of IAFS. The methodology described in this contribution is not limited to ice accretion modeling—it provides a general approach for setting operational parameters of data-processing algorithms to achieve interoperability of numerical weather prediction models with add-on applications based on empirical observations.

Performance-based seismic design of steel frames using ant colony optimization

In this paper, a performance-based optimal seismic design of frame structures is presented using the ant colony optimization (ACO) method. This discrete metaheuristic algorithm leads to a significant improvement in consistency and computational efficiency compared to other evolutionary methods. A nonlinear analysis is utilized to arrive at the structural response at various seismic performance levels, employing a simple computer-based method for push-over analysis which accounts for first-order elastic and second-order geometric stiffness properties. Two examples are presented to illustrate the capabilities of ACO in designing lightweight frames, satisfying multiple performance levels of seismic design constraints for steel moment frame buildings, and a comparison is made with a standard genetic algorithm (GA) implementation to show the superiority of ACO for the discussed optimization problem.

An experiment on simplifying conjoint analysis designs for measuring preferences.

In conjoint analysis (CA) studies, choosing between scenarios with multiple health attributes may be demanding for respondents. This study examined whether simplifying the choice task in CA designs, by using a design with more overlap of attribute levels, provides advantages over standard minimal-overlap methods. Two experimental conditions, minimal and increased-overlap discrete choice CA designs, were administered to 353 respondents as part of a larger HIV testing preference survey. In the minimal-overlap survey, all six attribute levels were allowed to vary. In the increased-overlap survey, an average of two attribute levels were the same between each set of scenarios. We hypothesized that the increased-overlap design would reduce cognitive burden, while minimally impacting statistical efficiency. We did not find any significant improvement in consistency, willingness to trade, perceived difficulty, fatigue, or efficiency, although several results were in the expected direction. However, evidence suggested that there were differences in stated preferences. The results increase our understanding of how respondents answer CA questions and how to improve future surveys.

Mediator of moderators: temporal stability of intention and the intention-behavior relation.

Intention certainty, past behavior, self-schema, anticipated regret, and attitudinal versus normative control all have been found to moderate intention-behavior relations. It is argued that moderation occurs because these variables produce "strong" intentions. Stability of intention over time is a key index of intention strength. Consequently, it was hypothesized that temporal stability of intention would mediate moderation by these other moderators. Participants (N = 185) completed questionnaire measures of theory of planned behavior constructs and moderator variables at two time points and subsequently reported their exercise behavior. Findings showed that all of the moderators, including temporal stability, were associated with significant improvements in consistency between intention and behavior. Temporal stability also mediated the effects of the other moderators, supporting the study hypothesis.