Systematic Measurement Research Articles

Using "Real-World Data" to Study Cleft Lip/Palate Care: An Exploration of Speech Outcomes from a Multi-Center US Learning Health Network.

To assess the ability of a cleft-specific multi-site learning health network registry to describe variations in cleft outcomes by cleft phenotypes, ages, and treatment centers. Observed variations were assessed for coherence with prior study findings. Cross-sectional analysis of prospectively collected data from 2019-2022. Six cleft treatment centers collected data systematically during routine clinic appointments according to a standardized protocol. 714 English-speaking children and adolescents with non-syndromic cleft lip/palate. Routine multidisciplinary care and systematic outcomes measurement by cleft teams. Speech outcomes included articulatory accuracy measured by Percent Consonants Correct (PCC), velopharyngeal function measured by Velopharyngeal Competence (VPC) Rating Scale (VPC-R), intelligibility measured by caregiver-reported Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS), and two CLEFT-Q™ surveys, in which patients rate their own speech function and level of speech distress. 12year-olds exhibited high median PCC scores (91-100%), high frequency of velopharyngeal competency (62.50-100%), and high median Speech Function (80-91) relative to younger peers parsed by phenotype. Patients with bilateral cleft lip, alveolus, and palate reported low PCC scores (51-91%) relative to peers at some ages and low frequency of velopharyngeal competency (26.67%) at 5 years. ICS scores ranged from 3.93-5.0 for all ages and phenotypes. Speech Function and Speech Distress were similar across phenotypes. This exploration of speech outcomes demonstrates the current ability of the cleft-specific registry to support cleft research efforts as a source of "real-world" data. Further work is focused on developing robust methodology for hypothesis-driven research and causal inference.

Microphysical Characteristics of Snowfall on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

AbstractSnowfall on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is crucially important to the hydrological cycle and glacier acceleration over the TP and surroundings. Climate and weather models are challenged by biases and uncertainties in representing microphysical characteristics of snowfall over TP. In order to bridge the gaps in our understanding of microphysical characteristics of snowfall on the southeastern TP (SETP), an integrated and systematic measurement is conducted at the South‐East Tibetan Plateau Station during the two winters of 2022–2023. It is the first time to conduct a long‐term measurement of microphysical characteristics of snowfall on the SETP. The major objective of this campaign was to collect cloud microphysical properties including, fall velocity, aspect ratio, and particle size distribution (PSD). The results show that the particle number concentration is less than 103 mm−1·m−3, which is one to two orders of magnitude smaller than that reported in low‐altitudes in eastern China. The shape parameter μ is mainly in the range 0–4, and the slope parameter λ is mainly in the range 3–7 mm−1, exceeding the values for eastern China. In heavy snowfall processes (snowfall rate (SR) exceeding 2 mm/hr), the collision‐coalescence process between snowfall particles is enhanced, and the number concentration of small particles decreases with SR, whereas that of large particles increases. A negative correlation was observed between the aspect ratio and the diameter of snowfall particles. The microphysical characteristics of snowfall will be used to improve the microphysical scheme and evaluate the representation of precipitation in the climate model.

Quality Management Systems Implementation and their Output on Productivity and Organisational Performance

The companies that struggle with the problem of inefficient resource usage are most likely those with the absence of an effective management system. Organizational performance can be greatly enhanced through the systematic measurement, monitoring, and improvement of the quality of a company's offerings. This paper presents a study that determines the relationship between applying quality management systems (QMS) on organi-zational performance (OP) and impacts and benefits generated by their implementation. The main purpose of the article is to survey the effect of QMS on organisation efficiency based on the concept of change management. Data was collected from randomly selected employees from the top and middle management through questionnaire survey to check the implementation process and effectiveness of QMS. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results of this study confirm that there are some positive effects on organisational management variables and establishing training and explanation courses and meetings. Organisational impacts such as efficiency, consumer satisfaction, employee performance, profitability, internal improvement, competitive advantage, supplier relationships and quality of products and services can be also highlighted. The findings from this study are expected to support management’s decision to implement QMS if one of their objectives is to use their resources efficiently. Customer's needs and perceptions are also considered by an adequate feedback system, proper audits, and management reviews. It is shown that QMS can only be successful if top management are persuaded to take a sustained and active role in the implementation process, it is essential to regularly conduct training in this area in order to instill habits and make employees more amenable to the change of working methods.

Bloom’s 3단계 학습모델 기반 감성디자인 3단계 체계 측정도구 개발에 관한 연구

A systematic understanding of the emotional factors and characteristics that consumers (users) experience while purchasing and using products and services is essential for designing products and services. This study aims to develop a more systematic quantitative measurement tool for analyzing products and services beyond the conceptual stages of Donald Norman's 'Three Stages of Perception Theory of Emotional Design' (after this referred to as 'ED 3s'), which is based on Bloom's Learning Model, as a follow-up to the previous study, 'Feasibility Study of Conceptualization of Three Stages of Emotional Design - Focusing on University Industrial Design Education Course'. The literature review obtained 165 scale items with validity and reliability with emotional design. Eighty items were extracted through the first round of expert review to assign five items to each of the 16 item systems to fit into Bloom's three-stage learning model system (after this, referred to as 'BL 3s'). The extracted 80-item survey was distributed to a target audience of 20-50 people using smart-phones and smart-watches; based on the final collected survey data, factor and reliability analyses confirmed the validity of 77 out of 80 questions except for 3. The first pilot survey questions derived from this study will be compared with the results of the third expert open-ended survey to be conducted in the future, and factor and reliability analysis will be conducted through the final fourth expert closed-ended survey.

Comparison of Performance in Removing Submicrometer Particles between Kitchen Hoods by Using a Systematic Measurement Test

Comparison of Performance in Removing Submicrometer Particles between Kitchen Hoods by Using a Systematic Measurement Test

(Re-)use and (re-)analysis of publicly available metabolomics data.

Metabolomics, the systematic measurement of small molecules (<1000Da) in a given biological sample, is a fast-growing field with many different applications. In contrast to transcriptomics and proteomics, sharing of data is not as widespread in metabolomics, though more scientists are sharing their data nowadays. However, to improve data analysis tools and develop new data analytical approaches and to improve metabolite annotation and identification, sharing of reference data is crucial. Here, different possibilities to share (metabolomics) data are reviewed and some recent approaches and applications regarding the (re-)use and (re-)analysis are highlighted.

Evaluation of the transmission tower and frequency-dependent soil parameters influence on the grounding potential rise waveforms

In this paper, the influence of the transmission tower and the frequency-dependent soil parameters on the grounding potential rise (GPR) waveform is evaluated. This evaluation is performed using a physically consistent electromagnetic model that determines the transient behavior of the grounding system submitted by lightning, together with the Alternative Transients Program for the representation of aerial elements (tower, phase cables and shield wires). This model was developed in the frequency domain and, in this way, allows the inclusion of frequency-dependence of soil electrical parameters. In this sense, three formulations of the dependence in question are considered, widely disseminated in the literature, and determined through systematic measurement processes. The results illustrate that the concomitant inclusion of the tower and the frequency-dependence substantially modifies the GPR waveforms, when compared with those in which isolated grounding is considered, especially for soils with high resistivity values and for first return strokes. This is of most importance when evaluating personal safety criteria in the transmission tower vicinity. In these situations, the GPR waveforms should be determined by considering the presence of the tower and not only with the isolated grounding, since the transient step and touch voltages are directly associated with GPR.

Beating Stellar Systematic Error Floors Using Transit-based Densities

It has long been understood that the light curve of a transiting planet constrains the density of its host star. That fact is routinely used to improve measurements of the stellar surface gravity and has been argued to be an independent check on the stellar mass. Here we show how the stellar density can also dramatically improve the precision of the radius and effective temperature of the star. This additional constraint is especially significant when we properly account for the 4.2% radius and 2.0% temperature systematic errors inherited from photometric zero-points, model atmospheres, interferometric calibration, and extinction. In the typical case, we can constrain stellar radii to 3% and temperatures to 1.75% with our evolutionary-model-based technique. In the best real-world cases, we can infer radii to 1.6% and temperatures to 1.1%—well below the systematic measurement floors—which can improve the precision in the planetary parameters by a factor of two. We explain in detail the mechanism that makes it possible and show a demonstration of the technique for a near-ideal system, WASP-4. We also show that both the statistical and systematic uncertainties in the parallax from Gaia DR3 are often a significant component of the uncertainty in L * and must be treated carefully. Taking advantage of our technique requires simultaneous models of the stellar evolution, bolometric flux (e.g., a stellar spectral energy distribution), and the planetary transit, while accounting for the systematic errors in each, as is done in EXOFASTv2.

(Invited, Digital Presentation) Materials Research in Low-Earth Orbit

Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) provides a high-quality, long-duration microgravity conditions. We go to space to eliminate gravity-induced systematic measurement error. My work has centered on control of convection during solidification and this talk will summarize some of my recent microgravity test results from onboard the International Space Station. I will also discuss the future trends in space-based physical and biological science from a fundamental and applied perspective.

Measurement error effects on estimates from linear and nonlinear regression whole‐stand yield models

AbstractSystems of whole‐stand yield models facilitate projections of forest attributes, but their inputs may be difficult to measure accurately. This study conducted sensitivity analyses to examine the effect of systematic and stochastic measurement errors on outputs from a representative system of equations. Simulated error was added to explanatory variables stand age, site index, or both. Results showed that large systematic error in one variable tended to produce moderate to large percent changes in all models, particularly the height and volume equations (often &gt;50% change). Systematic error in both variables amplified this effect, especially for young, less productive stands. Stochastic error dramatically increased estimate variability (some relative standard errors &gt;50%), particularly in the height and volume models at young ages and low site indices. These results suggest that measurement error may considerably alter projections and increase uncertainty when using whole‐stand yield models, highlighting the need for careful crew training.

Novel measures to assess ventricular assist device patient-reported outcomes: Findings from the MCS A-QOL study

Generic and heart failure-specific measures do not capture unique aspects of living with a ventricular assist device (VAD). Using state-of-the-science psychometric measurement methods, we developed a measurement system to assess post-ventricular assist deviceadjustment and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Patients were recruited from 10/26/16-2/29/20 from 12 U.S. VAD programs. We created a dataset of participants (n=620) enrolled before left (L)VAD implantation, with data at 3- or 6- months post-implantation (group1 [n=154]), and participants enrolled after LVAD implantation, with data at one timepoint (group 2 [n=466]). We constructed 5item banks: 3 modified from existing measures and 2 new measures. Analyses included item response theory (IRT) modeling, differential item functioning tests for systematic measurement bias, and indicators of reliability and validity. Of 620 participants, 56% (n=345) were implanted as destination therapy, 51% (n=316) were <12 months post-implantation, mean age=57.3 years, 78% (n=485) male, 70% (n=433) White, 58% (n=353) married/partnered, and 58% (n=357) with >high school education. We developed 5 new VAD item banks/measures: 6-item VAD Team Communication; 12-item Self-efficacy Regarding VAD Self-care; 11-item Being Bothered by VAD Self-care and Limitations; 7-item Satisfaction with Treatment; and 11-item Stigma. Cronbach's alpha reliability ranged from good (≥0.80) to excellent (≥0.90) for item banks/measures. All measures, except VAD Team Communication, demonstrated at least moderate correlations (≥0.30) with construct validity indicators. These measures meet IRT modeling assumptions and requirements; scores demonstrate reliability and validity. Use of these measures may assist VAD clinicians to inform patients about VADs as a treatment option and guide post-VAD interventions.

Measuring the Severity of Objective and Subjective Patient-to-Staff Violence in Psychogeriatric and Adult Psychiatric Wards: A Retrospective Study of Four Swiss Hospitals

Measurement of patient-to-staff violence (PSV) is essential for the institution to prevent negative outcomes and provide effective interventions. Although there are several approaches to doing this in psychiatry, little is known about how well they adapt to different types of wards. The role of gender and age also needs further investigation. The present study aimed to examine and compare characteristics that contribute to the objective and subjective measurement of the severity of PSV in adult (AP) and geriatric (PG) psychiatric wards. Results show that 70% of the reported violence over 30 months (N = 589) was PSV, mostly perpetrated by male patients against nurses. Objective severity ratings were higher in PG than in AP wards, and conversely, subjective ratings were higher in AP than in PG wards. The findings support the systematic measurement of PSV in psychiatric wards and highlight the need for targeted interventions to address the risks associated with minimizing violence.

What types of social policies does business want? Examining German employer associations’ positions toward labor-protective and labor-activating social policies

AbstractStudies inspired by the varieties of capitalism (VoC) approach suggest that in coordinated market economies, some employer associations support public social policies to encourage the workforce to invest in company and industry-specific skills (VoC thesis). Yet the VoC thesis remains disputed. We present and assess an alternative thesis that builds on employers’ interest in the protection of labor supply (labor supply thesis). We test the labor supply thesis using a systematic content analysis of 370 press releases issued from 2002 to 2017 and find evidence of moderate employer support for more labor-activating social policies and less labor-protective social policies. Moreover, the analysis shows a decline in preference heterogeneity, with the positions of the four German employer associations converging toward the end of the period analyzed. Our findings have theoretical and methodological implications: First, they point to the relevance of labor supply as a source of employers’ social policy preferences. Second, they point to the need for a more systematic measurement of employer policy positions to be able to compare positions accurately.

Digital pixel test structures implemented in a 65 nm CMOS process

The ALICE ITS3 (Inner Tracking System 3) upgrade project and the CERN EP R&D on monolithic pixel sensors are investigating the feasibility of the Tower Partners Semiconductor Co. 65nm process for use in the next generation of vertex detectors. The ITS3 aims to employ wafer-scale Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors thinned down to 20–40µm and bent to form truly cylindrical half barrels. Among the first critical steps towards the realisation of this detector is to validate the sensor technology through extensive characterisation both in the laboratory and with in-beam measurements. The Digital Pixel Test Structure (DPTS) is one of the prototypes produced in the first sensor submission in this technology and has undergone a systematic measurement campaign whose details are presented in this article.The results confirm the goals of detection efficiency and non-ionising and ionising radiation hardness up to the expected levels for ALICE ITS3 and also demonstrate operation at ＋20°C and a detection efficiency of 99% for a DPTS irradiated with a dose of 10151MeV neq cm-2. Furthermore, spatial, timing and energy resolutions were measured at various settings and irradiation levels.

The Seasonal Variations Analysis of Permanent GNSS Station Time Series in the Central-East of Europe

Observations from permanent GNSS stations are actively used for the research and monitoring of geodynamic processes. Today, with the use of modern scientific programs and IGS products, it is possible to determine GNSS station coordinates and velocities at the level of a few millimeters. However, the scientific community constantly faces the question of increasing the accuracy of coordinate definitions to obtain more reliable data in the study of geodynamic phenomena. One of the main sources of errors is systematic measurement errors. To date, the procedure for their removal is still incomplete and imperfect. Also, during the processing of long-term GNSS measurements, it was found that the coordinate time series, after the removal of trend effects, are also characterized by seasonal variations, mainly of annual and semi-annual periods. We estimated the daily coordinate time series of 10 permanent GNSS stations in the central-eastern part of Europe from 2001 to 2019 and calculated the seasonal variation coefficients for these stations. The average value of the coefficients for the annual cycle for the N, E, and H components is −0.7, −0.2, and −0.7 mm, and for the semi-annual cycle the average value is 0.3, 0.4, and −0.5 mm. The obtained coefficients are less than 1 mm, which is why it can be argued that there is no seasonal component in the coordinate time series or that it is so small that it is a problematic task to calculate it. This practical absence of a seasonal component in long-term time series of GNSS coordinates, in our opinion, is partly compensated by the use of modern models of mapping functions (such as VMF3) for zenith tropospheric delays instead of the empirical GMF. To test the obtained results, we calculated the coefficients of seasonal variations for the sub-network of GNSS stations included in the category of the best EPN stations—C0 and C1. The values of the coefficients for the stations of this network are also less than 1 mm, which confirms the previous statement about the absence of a seasonal component in the long-term time series of coordinates. We also checked the presence of seasonal changes in the time series using the well-known decomposition procedure, which showed that the seasonal component is not observed because the content does not exceed 10% for additive decomposition and 20% for multiplicative decomposition.

Regression calibration utilizing biomarkers developed from high-dimensional metabolites.

Addressing systematic measurement errors in self-reported data is a critical challenge in association studies of dietary intake and chronic disease risk. The regression calibration method has been utilized for error correction when an objectively measured biomarker is available; however, biomarkers for only a few dietary components have been developed. This paper proposes to use high-dimensional objective measurements to construct biomarkers for many more dietary components and to estimate the diet disease associations. It also discusses the challenges in variance estimation in high-dimensional regression methods and presents a variety of techniques to address this issue, including cross-validation, degrees-of-freedom corrected estimators, and refitted cross-validation (RCV). Extensive simulation is performed to study the finite sample performance of the proposed estimators. The proposed method is applied to the Women's Health Initiative cohort data to examine the associations between the sodium/potassium intake ratio and the total cardiovascular disease.

Dynamic Electronic and Ionic Transport Actuated by Cobalt-Doped MoSe2 /rGO for Superior Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Molybdenum selenium (MoSe2 ) has tremendous potential in potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) due to its large interlayer distance, favorable bandgap, and high theoretical specific capacity. However, the poor conductivity and large K+ insertion/extraction in MoSe2 inevitably leads to sluggish reaction kinetics and poor structural stability. Herein, Coinduced engineering is employed to illuminate high-conductivity electron pathway and mobile ion diffusion of MoSe2 nanosheets anchored on reduced graphene oxide substrate (Co-MoSe2 /rGO). Benefiting from the activated electronic conductivity and ion diffusion kinetics, and an expanded interlayer spacing resulting from Co doping, combined with the interface coupling with highly conductive reduced graphene oxide (rGO) substrate through Mo-C bonding, the Co-MoSe2 /rGO anode demonstrates remarkable reversible capacity, superior rate capability, and stable long-term cyclability for potassium storage, as well as superior energy density and high power density for potassium-ion capacitors. Systematic performance measurement, dynamic analysis, in-situ/ex-situ measurements, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidate the performance-enhancing mechanism of Co-MoSe2 /rGO in view of the electronic and ionic transport kinetics. This work offers deep atomic insights into the fundamental factors of electrodes for potassium-ion batteries/capacitors with superior electrochemical performance.

Brown tumors revealing primary hyperparathyroidism: It still exists

Hyperparathyroidism is a frequent endocrinopathy, often diagnosed at the stage of subclinical hypercalcemia by systematic calcium measurement and the advent of new parathyroid hormone measurement techniques. Brown tumors represent a late-onset, locally aggressive but potentially benign non-metastatic bone complication secondary to an abnormality of bone metabolism within the context of hyperparathyroidism. It is usually a late complication, rarely revealing. We report 2 clinical cases of primary hyperparathyroidism revealed by a brown tumor, complicated in one case by a pathological fracture. The aim of our work is to underline the importance of looking for hyperparathyroidism in every lytic lesion, given the insidious nature of this endocrinopathy, thus preventing pathological fractures and improving functional quality of life.

Systematic Measurement of Temperature Errors of Positive and Negative FOG Scale Factors Using a Low-Precision Turntable

Measurement of temperature errors of fiber optic gyro (FOG) scale factor is important in FOG technology. In traditional methods, the measurement errors of FOG scale factors are greatly affected by the turntable’s orientation control errors. This article proposes a systematic method to measure the positive and negative FOG scale factor errors using a low-precision turntable. The relationship between the inertial navigation errors and the complete inertial measurement unit errors is revealed. A simplified tracking algorithm is devised to obtain the change rates of the velocity errors with lower computation. A measurement procedure is designed, with three groups of π and -π rotations around the east axis of the turntable at each temperature. Observation equations are derived to estimate the positive and negative FOG scale factor errors. Simulation and experimental results show that a low-precision turntable can accurately measure the FOG scale factor errors at each temperature. Furthermore, temperature errors of accelerometer biases, scale factors, and nonlinear scale factors can also be measured at the same time using the rotation sequences and formulas in this article without additional rotations.

Determinants of virological failure in HIV1 infected patients followed in a third-level hospital Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

: Côte d'Ivoire has been committed to achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) follow-up since 2015. The proportion of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) was below the desired rates for 2020. The laboratory of the University Hospital Center (CHU) of Yopougon has been equipped with instruments capable of quantifying the plasma viral load (VL) of PLHIV on ART. This quantification allowed for early detection of virological failure in PLHIV. The objective of this study was to determine the rate of virological failure and the epidemiological, immunological and virological determinants of virological failure in patients followed at the Yopougon University Hospital in Abidjan. : This was a retrospective study covering the period from January 1, 2015 to October 31, 2019. It was carried out on data related to blood samples (plasma) of PLHIV (infected with HIV-1) under ART for at least 6 months and who had quantified their viral load.: A total of 52356 PLHIV were included in this study. The age group 40-50 years comprised the majority of the patients (46.7%) with a median age of 40 +/- 0.3 years. The female sex predominated with 72% and a sex ratio of (M/F) = 0.38. The TCD4 cell were between 500 and 350 cells/µL in 57.0% of patients at treatment initiation. The TDF+3TC+EFV treatment regimen was prescribed in the majority of patients (88.62%). The population of patients with virological failure (defined as VL ≥ 1000 copies/ml) was 12924 or a prevalence of 24.7%. The determinants of virological failure were age ≤ 15 years, male sex and CD4+ LT rate below 250 cells/µL (p &amp;#60;0.05).: The virological failure rate was high especially in children and male subjects at the Yopougon University Hospital. It appears therefore important to act on these determinants, by additional efforts through concrete actions such as regular and systematic measurement of CV at the time of rapid change of treatments with effective combinations for this type of PLHIV. The goal is to achieve the objectives of the UNAIDS to eradicate HIV by 2030.