Suitable Performance Measures Research Articles

Two-stage group-sequential designs with delayed responses – what is the point of applying corresponding methods?

BackgroundIn group-sequential designs, it is typically assumed that there is no time gap between patient enrollment and outcome measurement in clinical trials. However, in practice, there is usually a lag between the two time points. This can affect the statistical analysis of the data, especially in trials with interim analyses. One approach to address delayed responses has been introduced by Hampson and Jennison (J R Stat Soc Ser B Stat Methodol 75:3-54, 2013), who proposed the use of error-spending stopping boundaries for patient enrollment, followed by critical values to reject the null hypothesis if the stopping boundaries are crossed beforehand. Regarding the choice of a trial design, it is important to consider the efficiency of trial designs, e.g. in terms of the probability of trial success (power) and required resources (sample size and time).MethodsThis article aims to shed more light on the performance comparison of group sequential clinical trial designs that account for delayed responses and designs that do not. Suitable performance measures are described and designs are evaluated using the R package rpact. By doing so, we provide insight into global performance measures, discuss the applicability of conditional performance characteristics, and finally whether performance gain justifies the use of complex trial designs that incorporate delayed responses.ResultsWe investigated how the delayed response group sequential test (DR-GSD) design proposed by Hampson and Jennison (J R Stat Soc Ser B Stat Methodol 75:3-54, 2013) can be extended to include nonbinding lower recruitment stopping boundaries, illustrating that their original design framework can accommodate both binding and nonbinding rules when additional constraints are imposed. Our findings indicate that the performance enhancements from methods incorporating delayed responses heavily rely on the sample size at interim and the volume of data in the pipeline, with overall performance gains being limited.ConclusionThis research extends existing literature on group-sequential designs by offering insights into differences in performance. We conclude that, given the overall marginal differences, discussions regarding appropriate trial designs can pivot towards practical considerations of operational feasibility.

Enhancing Construction Performance: A Critical Review of Performance Measurement Practices at the Project Level

The construction industry faces significant challenges in measuring and assessing performance effectively. Conventional methods of measuring construction performance have become less effective, prompting a need to adopt non-financial performance measurements. This shift acknowledges the shortcomings of relying solely on financial performance measurement systems. As a result, there has been a substantial increase in research and focus on non-financial performance measurement systems in recent decades. This study focuses on analyzing performance measurement practices and key performance indicators (KPIs) in the construction industry, specifically at the project level. By examining 146 relevant articles, the study offers a thorough overview of various aspects of project performance. In addition to the traditional dimensions of the project management triangle (cost, time, and quality performance), the study emphasizes the importance of considering other dimensions. These include stakeholder performance, safety performance, technology utilization performance, value performance, environmental impact performance, and the application of maturity models. By incorporating these additional KPIs, a more comprehensive and holistic evaluation of project performance can be achieved. This study’s findings make notable contributions to the methodological framework of performance measurement in construction projects. By consolidating diverse research sources, the study offers valuable guidance for future research in the field of project performance. Moreover, it provides insights into selecting suitable performance measurement methods, empowering practitioners to effectively assess and manage project performance.

Shape configuration of mental targets representation as a holistic measure in a 3D real world pointing test for spatial orientation

Deficits in spatial memory are often early signs of neurological disorders. Here, we analyzed the geometrical shape configuration of 2D-projections of pointing performances to a memorized array of spatially distributed targets in order to assess the feasibility of this new holistic analysis method. The influence of gender differences and cognitive impairment was taken into account in this methodological study. 56 right-handed healthy participants (28 female, mean age 48.89 ± 19.35 years) and 22 right-handed patients with heterogeneous cognitive impairment (12 female, mean age 71.73 ± 7.41 years) underwent a previously validated 3D-real-world pointing test (3D-RWPT). Participants were shown a 9-dot target matrix and afterwards asked to point towards each target in randomized order with closed eyes in different body positions relative to the matrix. Two-dimensional projections of these pointing vectors (i.e., the shapes resulting from the individual dots) were then quantified using morphological analyses. Shape configurations in healthy volunteers largely reflected the real-world target pattern with gender-dependent differences (ANCOVA area males vs. females F(1,73) = 9.00, p 3.69 × 10−3, partial η2 = 0.10, post-hoc difference = 38,350.43, pbonf=3.69 × 10−3**, Cohen’s d 0.76, t 3.00). Patients with cognitive impairment showed distorted rectangularity with more large-scale errors, resulting in decreased overall average diameters and solidity (ANCOVA diameter normal cognition/cognitive impairment F(1,71) = 9.30, p 3.22 × 10−3, partial η2 = 0.09, post-hoc difference = 31.22, pbonf=3.19 × 10−3**, Cohen’s d 0.92, t 3.05; solidity normal cognition/cognitive impairment F(1,71) = 7.79, p 6.75 × 10−3, partial η2 = 0.08, post-hoc difference = 0.07, pbonf=6.76 × 10−3** Cohen’s d 0.84, t 2.79). Shape configuration analysis of the 3D-RWPT target array appears to be a suitable holistic measure of spatial performance in a pointing task. The results of this methodological investigation support further testing in a clinical study for differential diagnosis of disorders with spatial memory deficits.

A large group hesitant 2-tuple linguistic decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method to evaluate performance indicators

The internationalization of higher education has become an important means for countries worldwide to develop and enhance their strengths, in which performance measurement plays a vital role. However, current performance measurement usually involves many indicators, and it is impossible to improve them all due to resource constraints. Therefore, a suitable performance measurement system can enhance the international influence and competitiveness of higher education institutions. In response, based on the matrix decision, this study develops a large group evaluation approach using a hesitant 2-tuple linguistic model. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method is used, and key performance indicators (KPIs) are determined for higher education internationalization. In the method, the KPIs are focused on by constructing the correlation matrix between indicators using the hesitant 2-tuple linguistic model, which can then be determined by the extended DEMATEL method based on the cause-and-effect relationships between the performance indicators. In the case study, the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed hesitant 2-tuple linguistic DEMATEL method are verified. The results show that the proposed model can help higher education institutions focus on a limited number of key indicators and systematically manage higher education internationalization.

Developing a multidimensional performance measurement framework for international construction joint ventures (ICJVs): the perspective of Ghana-hosted ICJVs' practitioners

PurposeInternational construction joint ventures (ICJVs) will fully realize their potential for success and effectively monitor performance when an adequate and suitable performance benchmark is established. However, existing studies fall short of adequately providing a mutually acceptable benchmark for assessing the performance of ICJVs. This study aims to develop an adequate and suitable performance measurement framework for ICJVs.Design/methodology/approachA twofold structured questionnaire survey, supplemented by semi-structured interviews, was used to collect data from the practitioners of ICJVs hosted in the developing country of Ghana. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and a hybrid-fuzzy logic approach.FindingsA list of 30 performance indicators (PIs), defined by project performance, perceived satisfaction, company/partner performance, socio-environmental performance and performance of ICJV management, was validated and proved to be significant. Only 22 out of the 30 PIs, focusing on project efficiency, societal improvement and organizational goals are realized by the ICJV practitioners. Further, suitable determinants and viable quantitative ranges for measuring each PI are established to prevent different interpretations of the meanings of PIs and objectively express the level of success in quantitative terms. The results call for further investigation of the convergence between the practice of and research into some PIs (e.g. socio-environmental performance) and a range of different performance levels (PLs) in a more scientific manner.Practical implicationsThis study not only advances the knowledge base and practice of performance measurement in ICJVs but could also assist stakeholders and decision-makers to assess, compare and monitor the performance of different ICJV projects on common grounds objectively.Originality/valueThis study not only comprehensively assessed PIs – what to measure – but also systematically determined suitable determinants – how to measure – for each PI.

Feasibility Studies of Rainwater Harvesting System for Ablution Purposes

For countries with an abundance of rain, there is definite potential to implement a rainwater harvesting system for different applications. This paper describes feasibility studies of an open-pond rainwater harvesting system for ablution purposes, analysing the quality of harvested rainwater and formulating a rainwater harvesting model with suitable performance measures. The formulated model can be used to analyse the feasibility of the system in any locality by inputting local meteorological data. Quality analysis has shown that the harvested rainwater can be used safely for ablution purposes, albeit with a slightly acidic pH below 6.5. At a depth of 1.0 m and using the current pond configuration of a local mosque, the reliability of the system is 62.5% (228 days per year), and the amount of water saved is 345 m3, which is 60.7% of the water demand. It has been shown that a pond surface area of 60–70 m2 provides optimum reliability and water saving, and more water savings can be expected with a more economical usage of water during ablution. These results indicate the feasibility of implementing a rainwater harvesting system for ablution purposes in religious institutions to help curb the water shortage crisis.

Portfolio performance under benchmarking relative loss and portfolio insurance: From omega ratio to loss aversion

AbstractWe study an optimal investment problem under a joint limited expected relative loss and portfolio insurance constraint with a general random benchmark. By making use of a static Lagrangian method in a complete market setting, the optimal wealth and investment strategy can be fully determined along with the existence and uniqueness of the Lagrangian multipliers. Our numerical demonstration for various commonly used random benchmarks shows a trade-off between the portfolio outperformance and underperformance relative to the benchmark, which may not be captured by the widely used Omega ratio and its utility-transformed version, reflecting the impact of the benchmarking loss constraint. Furthermore, we develop a new portfolio performance measurement indicator that incorporates the agent’s utility loss aversion relative to the benchmark via solving an equivalent optimal asset allocation problem with a benchmark-reference-based preference. We show that the expected utility performance is well depicted by looking at this new portfolio performance ratio, suggesting a more suitable portfolio performance measurement under a limited loss constraint relative to a possibly random benchmark.

Evaluating classifier predictive performance in multi‐class problems with balanced and imbalanced data sets

AbstractA major issue in classification problems arises when dealing with class imbalance, which requires the adoption of a suitable performance measure able to handle imbalanced data sets. This paper introduces the Balanced and its weighted version Balanced as classifier performance measures suitable for both balanced and imbalanced data sets. The performances of the proposed measures are compared against those of other well‐known performance measures through an empirical comparison using several algorithms and data sets. Moreover, the applicability of Balanced is showcased through an illustrative example dealing with steel plate faults classifications, where class imbalance typically occurs due to non‐common defects which, though rare, may seriously impact steel quality.

A Case Study in Social Manufacturing: From Social Manufacturing to Social Value Chain

A new manufacturing mode, called social manufacturing, has been developing widely, and employed in many enterprises across the business value chain in recent years. Faced with this increasing dynamic, both enterprises and customers have to be more aware of the potential opportunity and benefit to be derived from this new manufacturing mode. One benefit is more value-adding potential for both enterprises upstream and customers downstream across the business value chain, compared with the normal mode. This research extends the application of social manufacturing to the entire business value chain system to bring new opportunities and value-adding potential for enterprises. This paper proposes a social value chain system that applies the social manufacturing mode to the entire value chain and contributes to three areas: (1) a new way of thinking for enterprises to create new opportunities to add value throughout the value chain by employing the social manufacturing mode; (2) establishing the social value chain system for all participants/enterprises across the chain in order to gain a win–win situation for all participants; and (3) suggesting some idea of a suitable performance measurement to monitor and evaluate the proposed social value chain system.

Quality of Care of Adult Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) at the Emergency Room of a Tertiary Hospital in the Philippines

Introduction. Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a significant public health problem worldwide and in the Philippines. Adherence to guideline-directed therapy improves the quality of care (QOC).
 Objective. We aimed to evaluate the QOC initially received by ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) patients at our Emergency Room (ER), based on compliance to 2014 PHA CAD guidelines recommendations.
 Methods. We reviewed the charts of adult patients with STEMI admitted at the ER who were not previously managed in a different hospital. The primary outcome was QOC assessed through quality indicators (QI) based on class I and IIa recommendations in the PHA CAD guidelines.
 Results. Of the 29 patients included, all had ECG done upon admission, but only four were done within 10 minutes (QI: 13.79%). All eligible patients received antiplatelets (QI: 100%). Six eligible patients (QI: 100%) received nitrates, and four eligible patients (QI: 100%) received morphine. Of 16 eligible patients, only six were reperfused within the recommended 12 hours of ischemia (QI: 37.5%), two by thrombolysis and four by the primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
 Conclusion. The timely performance of initial ECG and reperfusion need improvement. Suitable performance measures for the provision of nitrates and morphine to eligible patients were met. Investigating intrinsic and extrinsic factors that lead to the time delays observed are also recommended.

Truck travel time performance measures and their association with on- and off-network characteristics

Trucks transport a significant amount of freight and are susceptible to traffic congestion related delays. Practitioners are interested in identifying suitable truck travel time performance measures and examining their association with on-network (road) and surrounding off-network (land use and demographic) characteristics for planning, designing, and building better transportation facilities. The focus of this research is on the investigation of truck travel time performance measures and their association with on-/off-network characteristics using Pearson correlation coefficient analysis. Truck travel time data for the year 2019 and on-network and off-network characteristics captured using geospatial methods were considered for 501 links in Mecklenburg County, Buncombe County, and Wake County in North Carolina, USA for this research. The average travel time (ATT), planning time index (PTI), buffer time index (BTI), and travel time index (TTI) were selected based on the correlations within the truck travel time performance measures. Road functional class, number of through lanes, area type, annual average daily traffic (AADT), and speed limit are significantly but lowly associated with the truck travel time performance measures. The agriculture, light commercial, and residential land uses in the near vicinity have a moderate to strong association with the truck travel time performance measures. The associations varied with the truck travel time performance measure, day of the week, time of the day, and buffer width to capture off-network characteristics. The methodology and findings assist in identifying potential corridors/areas for the implementation of truck exclusive lanes, truck signal priority at intersections, decentralized delivery locations, or other unconventional strategies.

Steering the performance of academic institutions: Proposal for a KPI system for a university research laboratory in Morocco

Many performance models in the literature, such as Gimsi, Ovar, and the Balanced Scorecard have proven their effectiveness to design dashboards supporting decision-making in higher education institutions and managing organization performance more effectively. In fact, the use of governance tools at the university based on practices like ITIL, COBIT, or Balanced Scorecard has proven its effectiveness in Europe and the United States. Unfortunately, Moroccan universities have a significant lack of using governance tools based on practices like ITIL, COBIT, or Balanced Scorecard that threaten to compromise good governance. To overcome this challenge, a suitable performance measurement model has become an imperative need to keep each university's functions toward its goals. In this work, we adopt and implement the Balanced Scorecard model using the BSC-Designer software, to the university context specifically to our research laboratory. The proposed model aims to translate university missions, visions, and objectives into concrete measurement indicators, to be communicated and used to guide it towards excellence. Additionally, we introduce a new indicator for measuring the global laboratory performance called ‘the Global Laboratory Performance Indicator’ to deal with certain BSC limits.

Sustainability Performance of Port Infrastructure—A Case Study of a Quay Wall

Ports form a vital link in the global maritime supply chain, and adherence to the UN sustainable goals in each port development and operation is all-important. Improving the sustainability performance of port infrastructure requires identifying all relevant aspects of sustainability, defining suitable performance measures, applying tools for quantification, and proposing intervention measures if needed. We present a framework for assessing and managing the sustainability performance of port infrastructure incorporating these elements. We apply the framework to quay walls in the Port of Rotterdam (PoR); however, the information to assess only four out of fourteen sustainability themes was available. This fact underlines the need for sustainability monitoring and reporting. We also present a case study of a quay wall in PoR. Based on the vision of PoR and literature, the sustainability theme ‘air pollutants’ was given priority, the selected performance measure being the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Dubocalc was chosen as a quantification tool and estimated a total emission of 1.9 kt of CO2eq for a 100-m length of quay wall over a 100-year lifecycle. The measures proposed to achieve climate neutrality in 2050 include using renewable energy for the Impressed Current Cathodic Protection and the temporary drainage systems, electrified transport and machinery, hydrogen as dredging fuel, and steel with hydrogen as a reduction-agent in the future. These could result in a total GHG reduction of 86% by the year 2050.

Association of Mutual Fund Risk Measures and Return Parameters: A Juxtapose of Ranking for Performance in Pakistan

This purpose of this study is to investigate the association among mutual funds (MFs) risk measures and return parameters, evaluate mutual fund performance and also explore the best appropriate mutual fund performance measure for investment in Pakistan. Therefore, thirtyfive mutual funds have been selected for the period 2007-2015. The Sharpe, Treynor, Jensen Alpha, Information ratio and Fama’s Net Selectivity measures has been used to analyze MF performance. Our study findings show significant positive relation exist between Sharpe and Jenson alpha & information ratio (IR); Treynor ratio is negatively correlated to Jenson alpha and Jenson alpha is positively allied with IR. Moreover, association among performance measures, Fama’s net selectivity is a major driver in leading to other measures but Sharpe and IR lead to Treynor ratio as well. Furthermore, performance measures are ranked in accordance standard deviation with the arrangement of Fama’s net selectivity at top, Jenson Alpha at second, Sharpe ratio at third, IR at fourth and Treynor ratio at fifth position according to risk parameters in Pakistan. Overall, Jensen Alpha measure appears to be the best suitable mutual fund performance measure in Pakistan due to its practical nature. Finally, the Pakistani stock market index KSE100 (as benchmark) performs better than MF industry of Pakistan.

APPLICABILITY OF SCOR-BASED DEA PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT IN SMALL MED-SIZE ENTERPRISES

This paper aims to test the applicability of a SCOR-based DEA benchmarking approach for SMEs in Indonesia, due to the increasing call for suitable supply chain performance measurement in the context of SMEs. An input-oriented DEA assuming both CRS and VRS was employed by deriving a set of metrics from the SCOR attributes. A sample of 16 SME convenience stores was selected for the illustration. Results show that the SCOR-based DEA provided a simple groundwork for supporting SME managerial decision making in terms of administering concise feedbacks and identifying directions to venture on. Moreover, analysis results alluded to a distinct, more comprehensive assessment of performances as opposed to that of traditional measurements that is prominent among SMEs. The distinct, comprehensive insights from the analysis may engage SMEs into taking up the more innovative performance measurement approach. Moreover, better awareness of supply chain metrics is foreseen. The SCOR-based DEA provided a unique approach to meet the conformance of Indonesian SMEs in regard to supply chain performance measurement.
 

Learning nonlocal regularization operators

<p style='text-indent:20px;'>A learning approach for determining which operator from a class of nonlocal operators is optimal for the regularization of an inverse problem is investigated. The considered class of nonlocal operators is motivated by the use of squared fractional order Sobolev seminorms as regularization operators. First fundamental results from the theory of regularization with local operators are extended to the nonlocal case. Then a framework based on a bilevel optimization strategy is developed which allows to choose nonlocal regularization operators from a given class which i) are optimal with respect to a suitable performance measure on a training set, and ii) enjoy particularly favorable properties. Results from numerical experiments are also provided.</p>

Survey of Practices on Performance Measurement of U.S. Inland Waterway Freight Transportation

The inland waterway freight transportation system plays a vital role in the trade and commerce of the U.S.A. To ensure that the system performs at an acceptable level, routine monitoring and performance evaluation of the system is critical. Individual states are responsible for developing and implementing suitable performance measurement systems for their respective inland waterways. This paper focuses on surveying, reviewing, and synthesizing current performance measurement practices adopted by different states in the U.S.A. It finds that, among the 38 states with inland navigability, only 12 states have established performance measures to monitor the performance of their inland water transportation systems. To aid the states in developing and enhancing inland waterway performance measurement programs, the paper further outlines the current state of research on inland waterways, recommendations from various federal and maritime organizations, and also current practice outside of the U.S.A. Based on a scan of the publicly available data sources, the paper proposes a two-dimensional performance measurement practice from the perspectives of performance areas and infrastructure types. Such an approach will help state Departments of Transportation to identify system needs and deficiencies while offering a comprehensive picture of performance of an inland water freight transportation system.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Teaching Outcomes in Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic forced much of the world to adapt suddenly to severe restrictions. In this study, we attempt to quantify the impact of the pandemic on student performance in higher education. To collect data on important covariates, we conducted a survey among first-year students of Microeconomics at the University of Cologne. In contrast to other studies, we are able to consider a particularly suitable performance measure that was not affected by the COVID-19 restrictions implemented shortly before the start of the summer term 2020. While the average performance improves in the first term affected by the restrictions, this does not apply to students with a low socioeconomic background. Trying to identify more specific channels explaining this finding, interestingly, our data yield no evidence that the average improvement results from the altered teaching formats, suggesting instead that the enhanced performance stems from an increase in available study time.

다중 센서 데이터를 이용한 무인기 유성감속기의 고장진단 연구

Purpose: The harsh operating conditions of unmanned aerial vehicles cause crack propagation in the gear teeth in the actuator, which eventually leads to breakdown. For the prevention of service delays or failure because of crack propagation, a diagnostic process based on the built-in and add-on sensors’ signals is proposed for the planetary gearbox of unmanned aerial vehicles.BRMethods: A planetary gearbox test rig is constructed, and the motor current, the position and vibration signals are acquired for the normal and crack-induced states. Features representing the health state are extracted and selected by using a suitable performance measure. Subsequently, the K-Nearest Neighbor algorithm is applied to the selected features, from which the classifications of the normal and fault states are performed.BRResults: Among the acquired signals, the vibration signal obtained from add-on sensor showed better performance (100%, J₃ = 46.6) than the motor current (88.7%, J₃ = 3.89) and angular position (100%, J₃ = 5.88) acquired from the built-in sensor. In the features of the vibration signal, those in the frequency band with strong energy concentration showed outstanding separability.BRConclusion: The proposed method successfully classifies the fault from the normal in the planetary gearbox in the basis of the frequency-domain features of the vibration signal.

Development of a Patient-centered Quality Measurement Framework for Measuring, Monitoring, and Optimizing Rheumatoid Arthritis Care in Canada.

The aim of this study was to develop a patient-centered quality measurement framework to address a predefined vision statement and 7 strategic objectives for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) care that was developed in prior qualitative work with arthritis stakeholders. One hundred forty-seven RA-related performance measures (PMs) were identified from a systematic review. A candidate list of 26 PMs meeting predefined criteria and addressing the strategic objectives previously defined was then assessed during a 3-round (R) modified Delphi. Seventeen panelists with expertise in RA, quality measurement, and/or lived experience with RA rated each PM on a 1-9 scale based on the items of importance, feasibility, and priority for inclusion in the framework during R1 and R3, with a moderated discussion in R2. PMs with median scores ≥ 7 on all 3 items without disagreement were included in the final set, which then underwent public comment. Twenty-one measures were included in the final framework (15 PMs from the Delphi and 6 published system-level measures on access to care and treatment). The measures included 4 addressing early access to care and timely diagnosis, 12 evidence-based care for RA and related comorbidities, 1 addressing patient participation as an informed partner in care, and 4 on patient outcomes. The proposed framework builds upon existing measures capturing early access to care and treatment in RA and adds important PMs to promote high-quality RA care and outcome measurement. In the next phase, the authors will test the framework in clinical practice in addition to addressing certain areas where no suitable PMs were identified.