Sampling Strata Research Articles

Adopting the risk information seeking and processing model to examine the impact of personality on vaccination intentions in Taiwan

Using the risk information seeking and processing model, this study examined how five personality traits—extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and agreeableness—influenced individuals’ information-seeking behaviors and vaccination intentions. An online survey was administered by a reputable polling company commissioned by this study. The survey employed age, education, gender, and income as distinct strata for sampling, which resulted in 1100 valid questionnaires.The following five conclusions were drawn from the data analysis: (1) Of the five personality traits, two—extraversion and conscientiousness—exhibited a notable impact on individuals' information-seeking behaviors and vaccination intentions. Individuals with the remaining three personality traits—neuroticism, agreeableness, and openness to experience—demonstrate either passive or no information-seeking behaviors on COVID-19. (2) Conscientiousness was the only personality trait linked to increased awareness of COVID-19 characteristics. Moreover, conscientious individuals were inclined to avoid depending on ISNs to seek COVID-19 information and developed vaccination intentions. In contrast, individuals high in agreeableness heavily depended on ISNs for COVID-19 information to initiate information-seeking behaviors. Meanwhile, individuals high in extraversion relied on two variables—affective responses and ISNs—to begin their information-seeking behaviors. (3) Respondents' perceptions of COVID-19 characteristics and their affective responses did not positively influence their perceived information insufficiency directly; instead, both needed to be mediated by ISNs to initiate their information-seeking behaviors. (4) In contrast to the two variables—perceived COVID-19 characteristics and affective responses—this study found that ISNs regarding COVID-19 played a more substantial role in shaping respondents' information-seeking behaviors and vaccination intentions. (5) Unexpectedly, openness to experience was found to have no impact on information-seeking behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Business model innovation and creativity impact on entrepreneurship development: An empirical study

Creative ideas are introduced to the market by business owners, and inventiveness creates new demands that cause existing markets to be disrupted and new ones to be created, which are then destroyed by even more innovative goods or services. In this rsesearch work, an empirical study is undertaken to gather information about business model innovation and creativity as well as Entrepreneurship development in Greek SMEs. Using the stratum sample size determination formula, a valid sample of 257 people influenced the study. SEM and the F-test were used in the research’s data analysis. The findings of the study demonstrate that entrepreneurship has a significant connection between business model innovation & creativity and digital capabilities. The test results also indicate that digital capabilities have a favorable impact on the business model innovation & creativity. They also found that the creativity and innovation of business models have a favorable impact on entrepreneurs’ business survival. However, the creativity and innovation of business models have no favorable impact on entrepreneurs’ business performance and reputation.

Comparing the effectiveness of pitfall traps and active sampling methods for ants and spiders in a Chromolaena odorata invaded site

Background: Active and passive arthropod sampling techniques have their specific limitations. Pitfall trapping is a commonly used passive sampling method, and bush beating, aerial hand collection above the knee, aerial hand collection below the knee cryptic and non-cryptic are widely used active sampling techniques. Objective and method: Pitfall traps and four active sampling techniques were used in a Chromolaena odorata invaded site to compare the methods used in sampling arthropods in Buffelsdraai Conservancy outside the city of Durban, South Africa. Results: Pitfall traps were the most efficient and the most effective sampling technique with high species richness for both the ant (78%) and spider (76%) samples. One explanation for these differences could be the longer sampling time for passive sampling compared to active sampling. Conclusion: Compared to the subjective identification of species by collectors in active techniques, the non-selective capturing of species by pitfall traps improves its efficiency. The fewest taxa and individuals were collected by aerial hand collection techniques but these techniques are recommended to supplement pitfall traps. The combination of methods allows for the adequate sampling of the various strata found in vegetatively complex sites. An investigation into the possible use of canopy techniques in C. odorata sites would be beneficial, as it considers the various vegetation strata when sampling for biodiversity.

Analysis of intestinal bacterial diversity and its gene function prediction in black-capped capuchin (Sapajus apella)

ABSTRACT In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing technology to analyze the diversity and predict gene function of intestinal bacteria from captive black-capped capuchin in two wildlife parks. The results showed that the composition of intestinal gut bacterial diversity was significantly higher in black-capped capuchins monkeys from ES than HT. Moreover, high similarity of intestinal bacteria of black-capped capuchins at the same site was found by sample stratum clustering. Black-capped capuchins intestinal bacteria can be clustered into 2296 ASVs, belonging to 16 phyla, 99 families and 210 genera, respectively. The dominant phyla were Bacteroidota and Firmicutes in the intestinal bacteria of black-capped capuchins, but there were differences in the dominant bacterial families and dominant bacterial genera between ES and HT, and the bacterial families with significant differences had correspondence with bacterial genera. The results provide a basis for the study of intestinal bacteria in black-capped capuchins and the isolation and purification of dominant bacteria. The results of this study fill the gap in the study of intestinal bacterial diversity and its gene functions in black-capped capuchins, and provide a reference for the isolation of dominant bacteria in black-capped capuchins’ intestinal microbes and the discovery and study of novel functional genes.

Grouped machine learning methods for predicting rock mass parameters in a tunnel boring machine‐driven tunnel based on fuzzy C‐means clustering

AbstractTo guarantee safe and efficient tunneling of a tunnel boring machine (TBM), rapid and accurate judgment of the rock mass condition is essential. Based on fuzzy C‐means clustering, this paper proposes a grouped machine learning method for predicting rock mass parameters. An elaborate data set on field rock mass is collected, which also matches field TBM tunneling. Meanwhile, target stratum samples are divided into several clusters by fuzzy C‐means clustering, and multiple submodels are trained by samples in different clusters with the input of pretreated TBM tunneling data and the output of rock mass parameter data. Each testing sample or newly encountered tunneling condition can be predicted by multiple submodels with the weight of the membership degree of the sample to each cluster. The proposed method has been realized by 100 training samples and verified by 30 testing samples collected from the C1 part of the Pearl Delta water resources allocation project. The average percentage error of uniaxial compressive strength and joint frequency (Jf) of the 30 testing samples predicted by the pure back propagation (BP) neural network is 13.62% and 12.38%, while that predicted by the BP neural network combined with fuzzy C‐means is 7.66% and 6.40%, respectively. In addition, by combining fuzzy C‐means clustering, the prediction accuracies of support vector regression and random forest are also improved to different degrees, which demonstrates that fuzzy C‐means clustering is helpful for improving the prediction accuracy of machine learning and thus has good applicability. Accordingly, the proposed method is valuable for predicting rock mass parameters during TBM tunneling.

벼, 팥, 들깨, 땅콩 작물 재배 농가 조사를 위한 표본설계

In this paper, as part of the Rural Development Administration's “Statistical Research on Cultivation Status by Crop Breed for Development of Consumer-Customized Breed Support Technology,” which is being carried out from 2022, we focused on the scientific estimation of statistics related to the cultivation area and households engaged in cultivating four food crops including rice, red beans, perilla seeds, and peanuts. In the 2023 survey, we deal with four major crops among the total of 15 subjects, which are considered key food crops. By the 2022 agricultural management database (DB) as the population, we selected major cultivation areas based on the scale of cultivation households for each crop. For each crop, we distinguished between the entire stratum and the sample stratum concerning the cultivation area. The sample size, approximately 1,500 households, was allocated using proportional allocation, Neyman allocation, and, notably, employing a power allocation method that ensured stable expected target error values for each stratum, known as power allocation. Subsequently, for the calculation of crop-specific statistics, we conducted a weight adjustment based on the population of households in the database. The results include estimates for the total and average quantities for each crop and variety.

Exploring the Condition of Wards in Malaysia Hospital Buildings

Hospital buildings condition necessitated the findings of this study especially the state of the wards in the hospital buildings. The objective of this study is to examine the conditions of the wards in the hospital buildings, and proffer recommendations to various stakeholders for enhancement. A quantitative approach was used where the condition of the hospital wards was ranked respectively by the participants were physicians, psychologists, dentists, veterinarians, medical doctors, medical officers, nurses, and other hospital buildings professional users constitute the sample stratum. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used to analyse the data; descriptive and inferential such as reliability, validity, and ranking. The salient finding is that polluted ventilation, faulty ceiling lamps, faulty fire alarms, faulty wall (wall finishes/painting) and faulty window handles, were the condition of wards that were ranked highest (slightly bad) and merely affected. This implies that there is the need to use a better maintenance management approach to avert further decline in the condition of the hospital wards. Also, the research findings states that hospital buildings conditions and components of wards could be in the good state at all times using a holistic approach that will reduce more wards component depreciations for quality services outputs for the users. The wards conditions in the hospital buildings could be greatly improved by using proper strategies and maintenance management plans. Most of the studies about hospital building wards had focused on thermal comfort, but there is a paucity of studies that investigate the hospital buildings' condition of wards with low number in respondent active participation. Despite the constant rise in maintenance costs, there are numerous complaints and critiques of hospital buildings reported in the media. The lack of proper consideration for maintenance management and weaknesses in Malaysia hospitals has led to the deterioration of hospital buildings and reduced healthcare services. The study was being able to highlight some beneficial qualities and were also highlights some weaknesses of wards condition in the Malaysian hospital buildings which can tentatively be curtailed so users can be comfortable and satisfied.

Choosing a sample size allocation to strata based on trade-offs in precision when estimating accuracy and area of a rare class from a stratified sample

Stratified random sampling is often used to obtain reference data for assessing the accuracy of land cover maps created from remotely sensed data and for estimating area of land cover and land cover change. The sample size allocation to strata determines the precision of estimates of user's accuracy, producer's accuracy, and proportion of area. Different choices of nh (the sample size in stratum h) may favor precision of one estimate at the expense of a larger standard error for another estimate. Here we address the question of optimally allocating a sample of size n when multiple estimates are of interest, focusing on applications in which the target class is rare (≤10% of the study region). We limit attention to the case of stratified random sampling with two strata, stratum 1 being the mapped area of the target class with sample size n1 and stratum 2 including all other area with sample size n2 = n - n1. We investigate how n1 changes depending on which estimates are targeted by the optimal allocation. For example, the optimal n1 would differ when the estimated proportion of area is optimized versus when estimates of user's and producer's accuracies are optimized. We compare the standard errors resulting from these different optimal allocations for a diverse set of 80 populations created by all possible combinations of five proportions of area of the rare class (p = 0.001, 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.10), four user's accuracies (60%, 75%, 85%, and 95%), and four producer's accuracies (60%, 75%, 85%, and 95%). The results indicate that estimating accuracy exerts a stronger impact on the optimal n1 than estimating proportion of area. Larger n1 is advantageous for precise estimation of user's accuracy, but conflicts with the smaller n1 that is optimal for estimating producer's accuracy and proportion of area. The trade-offs among the standard errors of the three estimates resulting from different n1 are magnified as the target class becomes rarer (i.e., p decreases). When deciding between an allocation optimizing estimation of accuracy versus an allocation optimizing estimation of proportion of area, it is precision of estimated user's accuracy that is most strongly impacted by the choice. Conversely, precision of estimated producer's accuracy and precision of estimated proportion of area are relatively insensitive to the decision between these two allocation options. Choosing a sample allocation when multiple estimates are of interest is complex because of the precision trade-offs among the estimates. This article provides quantitative evidence to guide sample allocation decisions given the estimation objectives specified for a particular application.

Constructing efficient strata boundaries in stratified sampling using survey cost

For maximum precision in population parameter estimation under the Stratified sampling design, the optimum strata boundaries (OSB) could be constructed based on a continuous study variable rather than a set of categorical variables. If constructed optimally, the OSB results in homogenous units within each stratum leading to optimal stratum sample sizes (OSS) as well. The OSB and OSS may not remain optimum if the problem is considered in terms of a fixed total sample size, especially when a survey design involves a fixed budget. This article suggests a methodology for computing the OSB and OSS when the per unit stratum measurement costs for the survey or its probability density function are known. To plan for such a stratified survey, we demonstrate a design-based stratification empirically by using Wave 18 of the HILDA Survey general release dataset where we estimate the mean level of Gamma-distributed annual total disposable income in Australia, which could potentially be an important variable for policy decision-making. We also provide numerical illustrations for hypothetical study variables that follow exponential and right-triangular distributions respectively. The findings indicate that the suggested method is satisfactory in the sense that it is either more efficient or relatively comparable with other methods aimed at improving the accuracy of population parameter estimates. The proposed technique has been implemented in the updated stratifyR package.

Pengaruh Adanya Restrukturisasi Kredit Terhadap Perilaku Pembayaran Kewajiban Umkm dalam Masa Pandemi Covid-19 Kabupaten Pesisir Selatan Tahun 2020

This study discusses the Effect of Credit Restructuring on repayment capacity of UMKM the Covid-19 Pandemic in Pesisir Selatan Regency. The sample selection technique used strata sampling with a percentage level of 2% from each strata area and obtained as many as 113 UMKM as samples. Data processing in this study is to use a simple regression model using SPSS 21.0 The results of the analysis of this study indicate that the regression of the credit restructuring variable is 0.655, meaning that if the credit restructuring is increased by one unit of weight, it will result in an increase in Credit Restructuring on repayment capacity of UMKM the Covid-19 Pandemic of 0.655. In the hypothesis test, the credit restructuring variable (X) with a tcount value of 10.311 > ttable 1.65870 and a significant level of 0.000 <0.05 and, it can be concluded that Ho is rejected and H1 is accepted, meaning that credit restructuring (X) partially has a positive and significant effect. on the effect of UMKM in repayment capacity (Y) to UMKM in the South Coast. The contribution of the independent variable of credit restructuring (X) to the dependent variable, namely the behavior of MSMEs in paying obligations, is 0.489 or 48.9%. While the remaining 0.511 or 51.1% is influenced by other variables outside the study.

Integrating assemblage structure and habitat mapping data into the design of a multispecies reef fish survey

AbstractObjectiveSince 2010, three spatially disjunct reef fish video surveys have provided fishery‐independent data critical to the assessment and management of reef fishes in the Gulf of Mexico. Although analytical approaches have recently been developed to integrate data from these surveys into a single measure of relative abundance and size composition, a more parsimonious approach would be to integrate survey efforts under a single Gulf‐wide survey design. Accordingly, we conducted a retrospective analysis of historical video‐ and habitat‐mapping data to develop a novel stratified random sampling design for conducting surveys of natural and artificial reef habitats.MethodsWe conducted a series of classification and regression tree analyses to delineate both spatial and habitat strata, and conducted simulations to assess the performance of an optimized survey design.ResultSpatially, classification and regression tree results identified three depth strata (10–25 m, >25–50 m, >50–180 m) and three regional strata (north‐central Gulf, Big Bend, southwest Florida) in the eastern Gulf. For both natural and artificial reefs, habitat strata were delineated based on a combination of relative relief (low, medium, high) and size of the individual reef feature, although reef scale differed markedly between natural (<100 m2, 100–1000 m2, >1000 m2) and artificial habitats (<25 m2, 25–100 m2, >100 m2). To optimize effort among sampling strata, effort was allocated proportionally based on a combination of habitat availability and managed‐species richness for each stratum. Simulation results indicated that relative median biases were <10% and relative median absolute deviations <30% on estimates of abundance for most species examined on natural reefs under the optimal design, except Greater Amberjack Seriola dumerili. These measures of bias and imprecision were similar or higher for most species simulated using simple random and stratified random survey designs. Estimated relative median bias and relative median absolute deviations were notably higher for artificial reef surveys.ConclusionBased on these results, survey efforts were integrated as the Gulf Fishery Independent Survey of Habitat and Ecosystem Resources (G‐FISHER) in 2020.

TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF CO2 EFFLUX AND LITTER DEPOSITION IN A DRY TROPICAL FOREST IN THE BRAZILIAN SEMIARID REGION

The study of the dynamics of the Caatinga ecosystem, which includes the process of nutrient cycling through the contribution and litter decomposition, and the microbial activity measured through CO2 efflux, can contribute to a better understanding of the ecological processes in this ecosystem. Thus, the present study sought to quantify the contribution of the litter forming material and its chemical composition, and CO2 efflux from soil respiration in an area of shrubby-tree caatinga. A transect with 3 arborescent stratum sampling points and 3 shrubby strata, totaling 6 sampling points (2 environments x 3 points per environment x 3 replications per point) was drawn. The litter production was collected monthly (October 2017 to October 2018), using 6 collectors. The monthly CO2 emission was evaluated by the static closed chamber method. The influence of rainfall, soil moisture and temperature on the studied variables was evaluated. The annual litter production was estimated at 590 kg ha-1 for arboreal species and 767 kg ha-1 for shrubby species, and this layer is responsible for 23% more in the supply of plant material in the area. The highest CO2 emissions were found in the environment of shrubby vegetation with one annual total of 21.2 μmol m-2s-1 in relation to the area of arboreal vegetation that obtained 17.6 μmol m-2s-1. Spatial and temporal variability were observed in all analyzed variables and the strong influence of climatic factors such as precipitation, humidity and soil temperature.

Vertical stratification of ant assemblages varies along a latitudinal gradient in Brazilian savanna

AbstractAimArboreal and ground‐dwelling species experience distinct microclimates, have contrasting thermal tolerances and thus may be expected to respond differentially to geographic climatic gradients. We tested this idea by evaluating if the degree of vertical stratification of savanna ant assemblages varies along a latitudinal climatic gradient, and by determining how compositional dissimilarities within each stratum varies across increased geographical and climatic distances.LocationBrazil.TaxonAnts.MethodsWe sampled ants foraging on the ground or in trees at 32 sites. Species were classified according to their main foraging stratum, as arboreal, ground‐dweller or strata generalist. We used linear models to evaluate the effects of latitude and sampling stratum on species richness, and the effect of latitude on the proportion of species typical from trees or from the ground in different sampling strata. The influence of geographic and climatic distances on the compositional differences between assemblages from the same stratum was assessed using regression on distance matrices.ResultsSpecies richness on the ground increased with latitude significantly faster than in trees. The turnover of species between strata was lower at lower latitudes, where there were proportionally more strata generalists and species typical from the ground stratum foraging in trees. Consequently, the compositional dissimilarity between vertical strata decreased with decreasing latitude. Despite that, the dissimilarities between vertical strata were, on average, as great or even greater than the dissimilarities between assemblages from the same stratum across the horizontal space.Main ConclusionsWe found support for the idea that climatic variation across latitude had different effects on arboreal compared with ground‐foraging assemblages. Overall, our results suggest that as Brazilian savanna becomes hotter and drier as forecast under climate change, ant assemblages may become not only less diverse, notably on the ground, but also more homogeneous vertically.

Addressing substantial covariate imbalance with propensity score stratification and balancing weights: connections and recommendations.

Propensity score (PS) weighting methods are commonly used to adjust for confounding in observational treatment comparisons. However, in the setting of substantial covariate imbalance, PS values may approach 0 and 1, yielding extreme weights and inflated variance of the estimated treatment effect. Adaptations of the standard inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) can reduce the influence of extremes, including trimming methods that exclude people with PS values near 0 or 1. Alternatively, overlap weighting (OW) optimizes criteria related to bias and variance, and performs well compared to other PS weighting and matching methods. However, it has not been compared to propensity score stratification (PSS). PSS has some of the same potential advantages; being insensitive extreme values. We sought to compare these methods in the setting of substantial covariate imbalance to generate practical recommendations. Analytical derivations were used to establish connections between methods, and simulation studies were conducted to assess bias and variance of alternative methods. We find that OW is generally superior, particularly as covariate imbalance increases. In addition, a common method for implementing PSS based on Mantel-Haenszel weights (PSS-MH) is equivalent to a coarsened version of OW and can perform nearly as well. Finally, trimming methods increase bias across methods (IPTW, PSS and PSS-MH) unless the PS model is re-fit to the trimmed sample and weights or strata are re-derived. After trimming with re-fitting, all methods perform similarly to OW. These results may guide the selection, implementation and reporting of PS methods for observational studies with substantial covariate imbalance.

Changes in access to water and incidence of waterborne diseases after the Vale dam collapse in Brumadinho (MG), Brazil.

To describe, within the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation (HRWS) framework, the access to water supply services and the incidence of waterborne diseases in the communities affected by the dam disaster in Brumadinho (MG), Brazil. A quantitative and qualitative methodology was used, having as variables information on access to water supply services and waterborne diseases. The primary data were extracted from the "Brumadinho Health Project", using a sample stratum with 981 people interviewed, totaling 92.5% of the eligible population in the affected communities of Córrego do Feijão and Parque da Cachoeira. The secondary data from Brumadinho was extracted from the project "Sanitation conditions and the River Basin of the B1 River Basin of Mineradora Vale between 2017 and 2020", available in public databases between 2017 and 2020, and qualitative data was collected in 2022 through individual interviews with health professional also live in the communities. With regard to access to water supply services, the results of this combined data analysis indicate that the HRWS is being neglected, especially with regard to availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of water. The study also shows a significant increase in the incidence of waterborne diseases in the region after the disaster. It is necessary to use the HRWS as the basis to the implementation of public policies aiming to reduce vulnerability in access to water supply services.

Abstract A051: Inequities in financial burden, quality of life, and physical functioning among cancer survivors: A nationally-representative Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS) study

Abstract Introduction: We examined the relationship between financial burden, quality of life (QOL), and physical functioning for young adult (YA) cancer survivors under 40 years of age in comparison to their healthy peers and older cancer survivors ages 40-64 while adjusting for demographic factors, utilization, and access to care. Methods: Data from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS) from 2011 to 2018 household component survey were used. We examined differences in 1) out-of-pocket expenditures (first modeled as a binary outcome of any expenditures; then modeled as the sum of office/outpatient visits, emergency department use, inpatient stays, and prescriptions expenditures with log base 10 adjusted to 2018 dollars), 2) quality of life (measured with the VR-12 mental component score or MCS), and 3) physical functioning (measured with the VR-12 physical component score or PCS). Outcomes were compared among 1) YA cancer survivors to YAs without a cancer history (<40) and 2) YA survivors (<40) to older adult cancer survivors (40-64). Multivariable generalized linear models with a log link function were adjusted for demographics (sex, annual household income), utilization (any prescriptions and any outpatient, inpatient, and emergency department visits), and access to care (delayed medical care because of cost and insurance). MEPS sampling weights, stratum, and clusters were used. Results: YA cancer survivors were not more likely to have any expenditures in comparison to their non-cancer peers. However, if YA survivors did have expenditures, their total out-of-pocket expenditures in the multivariable model were 1.3 times more than their non-cancer peers annually. YA survivors were 2.7 times less likely to have expenditures in comparison to older adult cancer survivors. If YA survivors did have expenditures, they were 1.6 times less than older survivors annually. YA survivors experienced an annual decrease in MCS when compared to their healthy peers by 2.3 points and by 1.2 points when compared to older adult survivors. YA survivors experienced an annual decrease in PCS in comparison to their healthy peers by 3.2 points. YA survivors experienced an annual increase in PCS in comparison to older adult survivors by 4.8 points. Conclusion: If YA cancer survivors did have expenditures, they were significantly more than their non-cancer peers. In comparison to older adult survivors, YA survivors were less likely to have any expenditures and if they did have expenditures, they were less. MCS scores were lower among YA cancer survivors, indicating lower QOL in comparison to both healthy peers and older adult survivors. PCS scores were lower among YA survivors in comparison to their healthy peers, indicating decreased physical functioning, and higher than older adult survivors. The findings underscore the need for appropriate access to high-quality care for cancer survivors and interventions associated with improving MCS and PCS, particularly among those most vulnerable. Citation Format: Erin M. Mobley, Gerard Garvan, Daniel Norez, Halle Mitchell, Ramzi Salloum, Michael S. Gutter, Ziad T. Awad, Dejana Braithwaite, Stephen Anton, Matthew Gurka, Alexander S. Parker. Inequities in financial burden, quality of life, and physical functioning among cancer survivors: A nationally-representative Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS) study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A051.

Parametric Bootstrap Inference for Stratified Models With High-Dimensional Nuisance Specifications

Inference about a scalar parameter of interest typically relies on the asymptotic normality of common likelihood pivots, such as the signed likelihood root, the score and Wald statistics. Nevertheless, the resulting inferential procedures have been known to perform poorly when the dimension of the nuisance parameter is large relative to the sample size and when the information about the parameters is limited. In such cases, the use of asymptotic normality of analytical modifications of the signed likelihood root is known to recover inferential performance. It is proved here that parametric bootstrap of standard likelihood pivots results in as accurate inferences as analytical modifications of the signed likelihood root do in stratified models with stratum specific nuisance parameters. We focus on the challenging case where the number of strata increases as fast or faster than the stratum samples size. It is also shown that this equivalence holds regardless of whether constrained or unconstrained bootstrap is used. This is in contrast to when the dimension of the parameter space is fixed relative to the sample size, where constrained bootstrap is known to correct inference to higher-order than unconstrained bootstrap does. Large scale simulation experiments support the theoretical findings and demonstrate the excellent performance of bootstrap in some extreme modelling scenarios.

Dietary Characteristics of Elders with Frailty and with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Cross-Sectional Findings and Implications from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan 2014-2017.

It is unclear whether low dietary intake accompanied with multiple nutrient deficiencies or specific nutrient inadequacy is associated with geriatric syndrome. This study aimed to examine the nutrition inadequacy profiles associated with frailty and cognitive impairment (CI). With information from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan, 2014-2017, sex-specific nutrient intakes and intake per kg of body weight (BW) were estimated from 24-hour recall data for two age groups (65-74 years; ≥75 years) regarding the three frailty and three CI subgroups. Total energy intakes were significantly lower with the severity of both frailty and CI in analysis combining both gender and age groups, and in both the 65-to-74-year-old women or the over-75-year-old women. These trends were observed but not significant in either of the two age groups in men. Significantly lower levels of energy intake have been observed when age, sex, and sampling strata were adjusted. Intake levels of multiple nutrients also decreased with the severity of frailty and CI. A greater number of nutrient inadequacies for the frail and the CI was found in the 65-to-74-year-old group than the over-75-year-old age group. However, most of the associations between micronutrients and the two geriatric syndromes disappeared after energy adjustment. The remaining few did not show consistency across age-sex subgroups. In conclusion, frailty or CI was associated with low amounts of food consumption accompanied by multiple nutrient insufficiencies. Dietary intervention to ensure adequate total energy and multiple nutrient intakes should be trialed in the geriatric population to address both the causal and efficacy issues.

Differences in Route of Benign Hysterectomy in Black Patients for Abnormal Uterine Bleeding with Exclusion of Fibroid Diagnosis

<h3>Study Objective</h3> To investigate whether racial disparities still exist in rates of minimally invasive hysterectomy (MIH) performed for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) when fibroid diagnosis is excluded. <h3>Design</h3> Cross-sectional survey with a target population of all ambulatory discharges in the United States. <h3>Setting</h3> 2019 Nationwide Ambulatory Surgery Sample (NASS) and National Inpatient Sample (NIS). <h3>Patients or Participants</h3> Female patients age ≥18 years undergoing hysterectomy for primary indication of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), excluding malignancy and uterine fibroids. <h3>Interventions</h3> N/A. <h3>Measurements and Main Results</h3> A multivariate logistic regression model with appropriate weighting, primary sampling units and strata was utilized. Primary outcome was odds ratio (OR) of abdominal hysterectomy (AH) vs MIH (vaginal/endoscopic) in Black patients compared to white patients. Of 487,008 (SE=11,530) hysterectomies performed for benign indications, 64,681 (SE=1,483) were AH (13.3%), 422,327 (SE=10,047) were MIH (86.7%). After filtering the survey design dataset for hysterectomies performed primarily for AUB using the international classification of diseases 10^th edition, and further excluding those with an associated code for uterine fibroids, the sample size was 75,838 (SE=2,103). Of these, MIH: 68,206 (SE=1,812) (89.9%) and AH: 7,632 (SE=291) (10.1%). After controlling for comorbidities, demographic data, hospital, regional and payer factors, the OR for a Black patient to undergo AH vs MIH for all benign diagnoses was 2.7 (CI-2.44,2.98; p<0.001). For Black patients undergoing benign hysterectomy for AUB excluding fibroids, this trend persisted though was less extreme with OR=1.38 (CI-1.12,1.70; p<0.001). <h3>Conclusion</h3> For the primary indication of AUB excluding malignancy and fibroids, Black patients were still 38% more likely than white patients to undergo AH. It has previously been proposed that rates of MIH are lower in Black patients due to a larger prevalence of fibroids, and by extension, larger uterine sizes. Given that we excluded fibroids and still found a difference in MIH rates, our study suggests there may be other factors leading to disparity in surgical route.

PENGARUH KOMPETENSI TERHADAP PRESTASI KERJA DALAM KALANGAN KETUA PANITIA MATA PELAJARAN DI NEGERI PAHANG

The performance of employees is highly emphasized by the school organization to improve the quality of superior and effective services. Competencies are given priority for each leader to achieve success in their work performance. Therefore, this study aims to identify the influence of competence on job performance. The survey method was used in this study by distributing questionnaires. A total of 278 committee heads from 163 national secondary schools in the state of Pahang were involved as respondents in the study. Sample selection is by strata sampling. Analysis of study data was using SPSS software version 23 and SmartPLS 3.0. Analysis using PLS-SEM found that there was a significant influence between competence and job performance. The findings of this study have practical implications for the MOE to assess competencies and abilities by including factors that contribute to the improvement of the work performance of the head of the committee. In conclusion, it was found that the head of the national secondary school committee in Pahang has high work competencies and can present the required characteristics in the context of employment.