Target Values Research Articles

Electromobility in local administration offices of provincial cities in Poland – status at the end of 2022

ABSTRACT: The objective of this article is to investigate behaviours related to electromobility in terms of owned vehicle fleets and charging stations in local administration units, the role of zero-emission vehicles in building the image of the administration and the promotion of environmentally friendly behaviours among its employees as at the end of 2022. The completion of the objective was based on surveys of the data collected using the CATI technique from provincial offices (POs) and municipal offices (MOs)[1] of provincial cities. The survey showed that the primary means of transport owned by the entities surveyed are internal combustion engine vehicles. Of these, the largest group is made up of passenger cars – the average age of vehicles at the time of the survey was approx. eight years. In sum, the local administration in the provincial cities is approaching the target value established by law. The average share of BEVs in the passenger vehicle fleet is 9%. In terms of charging station ownership, there were three dominant patterns. There is a perception among respondents that a fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles builds a positive, pro-environmental image of the office, while in none of the offices was there any action to support the environmentally friendly behaviour of employees in terms of travelling to and from work. [1] The survey covered local government administrative units in 16 cities where local government offices are located and involved provincial local government offices (POs) and municipal local government offices (MOs).

Preparation and characterisation of pozzolanic blended cement incorporating various ratio of volcanic basalt

ABSTRACT The construction industry relies heavily on cement and concrete as primary building materials. However, concerns regarding environmental sustainability have prompted efforts to develop more durable and sustainable alternatives to Ordinary Portland cement (OPC), the commonly used binder materials with low CO2 emission, where every ton of cement produce about 0.94 ton of carbon dioxide. The present study investigates the partial replacement of clinker with volcanic basalt powder in cement production to produce eco-friendly building materials with low emission of CO2, in addition to conserve the native raw materials from depletion. The replacement was done with various ratios up to 30%. The findings are supported by XRD and FTIR analyses as well as DTG. The results indicate that the use of basalt enhances the mineralogical and physical properties of the cement, resulting in the formation of a pozzolanic cement with sustainable characteristics. Notably, a 15% basalt ratio produces the highest extent of binding cementing phases upon hydration, leading to maximum compressive strength. Further, on increasing in basalt content lead to a decrease in strength, although the compressive strength remains above the target value of 42.5 MPa for 20% and more than 32.5 MPa for 25%.

Risky hybrid foraging: The impact of risk, reward value, and prevalence on foraging behavior in hybrid visual search.

In hybrid foraging, foragers search for multiple targets in multiple patches throughout the foraging session, mimicking a range of real-world scenarios. This research examines outcome uncertainty, the prevalence of different target types, and the reward value of targets in human hybrid foraging. Our empirical findings show a consistent tendency toward risk-averse behavior in hybrid foraging. That is, people display a preference for certainty and actively avoid taking risks. While altering the prevalence or reward value of the risky targets does influence people's aversion to risk, the overall effect of risk remains dominant. Additionally, simulation results suggest that the observed risk-averse strategy is suboptimal in the sense that it prevents foragers from maximizing their overall returns. These results underscore the crucial role of outcome uncertainty in shaping hybrid foraging behavior and shed light on potential theoretical developments bridging theories in decision making and hybrid foraging. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Information Basis to Assess Russian Technological Security: Problems and Solutions

In this study we continue the research on the main indicators of Russia’s technological security assessment. In previous study we identified and outlined the main vulnerabilities in the information base for assessing technological development. In this article we will consider the ways to address the problems identified earlier in order to improve the information base and minimise threats to technological security. The methodological basis of the study comprises the normative documents defining the technological development of the Russian Federation, as well as the information base of its indicators. The authors analysed the main strategic documents to determine whether there is a methodological basis for calculating the indicators contained in them, the relevance of their target values and the consistency of planned values with the nature of their dynamics at the present time — to identify the possibility of achieving them. The authors assess the relationship between the level of depreciation of fixed assets in the regions of Russia and the degree of reconstruction and modernization of fixed assets. The article suggests directions of improvement of the information base of indicators, necessary for their improvement and updating.

Machining Characteristics During Short Hole Drilling of Titanium Alloy Ti10V2Fe3Al

The single-phase titanium ß-alloy Ti10V2Fe3Al (Ti-1023) has been widely used in the aerospace industry due to its unique mechanical properties, which include high fatigue strength and fracture toughness, as well as high corrosion resistance. On the other hand, these unique properties significantly hinder the cutting processes of this material, especially those characterized by a closed machining process area, such as drilling. This paper is devoted to the study of the short hole drilling process of the above-mentioned titanium alloy using direct measurements and numerical modeling. Measurements of the cutting force components in the drilling process and determination of the resultant cutting force and total cutting power were performed. The macro- and microstructure of chips generated during drilling were analyzed, and the dependence of the chip compression ratio and the distance between neighboring segments of serrated chips on cutting speed and drill feed was determined. Experimental studies were supplemented by determining the temperature on the lateral clearance face of the drill’s outer cutting insert in dependence on the cutting modes. For the modeling of the drilling process using the finite element model, the parameters of the triad of component submodels of the numerical model were determined: the machined material model, the model of contact interaction between the tool and the machined material, and the fracture model of the machined material. The determination of these parameters was performed through the DOE sensitivity analysis. The target values for performing this analysis were the total cutting power and the distance between neighboring chip segments. The maximum deviation between the simulated and experimentally determined values of the resulting cutting force is no more than 25%. At the same time, the maximum deviation between the measured values of the temperature on the lateral clearance face of the drill’s outer cutting insert and the corresponding simulated values is 26.1%.

Shape Optimization of a Diffusive High-Pressure Turbine Vane Using Machine Learning Tools

Machine learning tools represent a key methodology for the shape optimization of complex geometries in the turbomachinery field. One of the current challenges is to redesign High-Pressure Turbine (HPT) stages to couple them with innovative combustion technologies. In fact, recent developments in the gas turbine field have led to the introduction of pioneering solutions such as Rotating Detonation Combustors (RDCs) aimed at improving the overall efficiency of the thermodynamic cycle at low overall pressure ratios. In this study, a HPT vane equipped with diffusive endwalls is optimized to allow for ingesting a high-subsonic flow (Ma=0.6) delivered by a RDC. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the prediction ability of machine learning tools in case of multiple input parameters and different objective functions. Moreover, the model predictions are used to identify the optimal solutions in terms of vane efficiency and operating conditions. A new solution that combines optimal vane efficiency with target values for both the exit flow angle and the inlet Mach number is also presented. The impact of the newly designed geometrical features on the development of secondary flows is analyzed through numerical simulations. The optimized geometry achieved strong mitigation of the intensity of the secondary flows induced by the main flow separation from the diffusive endwalls. As a consequence, the overall vane aerodynamic efficiency increased with respect to the baseline design.

An analysis of estimation strategies for knock control

Since knock behaves as a random process, all knock controllers regulate some statistical property of this process which must be estimated from the data. The choice of the statistical metric used for feedback, its target value, and the method used for its estimation all have a strong impact on the performance of the closed loop system. In this work, expressions for the asymptotic variance of the estimates of different test statistics are derived and used to compare empirical versus parametric estimation methods. The variance of different metrics and the slope of their response curves (e.g. knock probability vs knock percentile intensity feedback) are also used to compute and compare the efficacy of these different measures for knock control purposes. The efficacy is seen to vary as a function of the chosen knock probability target, and lower knock thresholds/higher knock rate targets are recommended. Finally, the estimator dynamics are shown to dominate the dynamics of the closed loop response, and estimates obtained using a sliding window versus an exponentially weighted moving average are compared and contrasted. In each case, the results are illustrated using closed loop simulations of controller response subject to disturbances.

Research on Joint Forecasting Technology of Cold, Heat, and Electricity Loads Based on Multi-Task Learning

The cooperative optimization and dispatch operation of the integrated energy system (IES) depends on accurate load forecasts. A multivariate load, joint prediction model, based on the combination of multi-task learning (MTL) and dynamic time warping (DTW), is proposed to address the issue of the prediction model’s limited accuracy caused by the fragmentation of the multivariate load coupling relationship and the absence of future time series information. Firstly, the MTL model, based on the bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) neural network, extracts the coupling information among the multivariate loads and performs the preliminary prediction; secondly, the DTW algorithm clusters and splices the load data that are similar to the target value as the input features of the model; finally, the BiLSTM-attention model is used for secondary prediction, and the improved Bayesian optimization algorithm is applied for adaptive selection of optimal hyperparameters. Based on the game-theoretic view of Shapley’s additive interpretation (SHAP), a model interpretation technique is introduced to determine the validity of the liquidity indicator and the asynchronous relationship between the significance of the indicator and its actual contribution. The prediction results show that the joint prediction model proposed in this paper has higher training speed and prediction accuracy than the traditional single-load prediction model.

Modeling local scour around complex bridge supports using CFD and a shear-stresses-based simplified approach

This study presents a simplified numerical modeling approach that estimates the local scour depths around bridge supports based on the bed shear stresses. It is developed using 3D computational fluid dynamics and coding through ANSYS workbench scripting along with C++ language. The proposed model is called SCFDS (Simplified Computational Fluid Dynamics Scour). The model’s main idea is to lower the bed bathymetry at the locations affected by flow obstruction until the shear stresses reach stable target values. The developed model is assessed by applying it to a complex pier of a real bridge over the Nile-River, and its scour data is calculated using the Hec-18 empirical equations. The outcomes of the model’s assessment show that it can depict the local scour around complex bridge supports. The developed approach is a novel and efficient tool that can help the designers in simulating local scour in the vicinity of flow obstructions. However, more verification studies are necessary to reach a generalized conclusion.

P236 Immunhistochemical expression and prognostic value of novel therapeutic targets in squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder

P236 Immunhistochemical expression and prognostic value of novel therapeutic targets in squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder

Cooperative control strategy of variable evaporation temperature and variable superheat degree for a VRF system to improve temperature stability in multiple rooms

The energy consumption of variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems can be reduced by adopting the variable evaporation temperature and constant superheat degree (VECS) control strategy instead of constant evaporation temperature and constant superheat degree (CECS) control strategy. However, the constant superheat degree control strategy may weaken the adjustment ability of cooling capacity of indoor units, and result in obvious room temperature fluctuations. In order to decrease room temperature fluctuations and reduce energy consumption simultaneously, a cooperative control strategy of variable evaporation temperature and variable superheat degree (VEVS) is proposed, i.e. one indoor unit is chosen to be controlled by variable evaporation temperature and the rest of the indoor units are controlled by variable superheat degrees. In this control strategy, the target value of evaporation temperature is the lowest value among the upper limits of the evaporation temperatures of all indoor units, and the target values of the superheat degrees of indoor units are predicted according to the cooling demands of rooms. Comparative experiments on room temperature fluctuation and energy consumption among the control strategies of CECS, VECS and VEVS are done. It is shown that both the control strategies of VECS and VEVS achieve smaller room temperature fluctuation and lower energy consumption than those of CECS; compared with the VECS control strategy, the average room temperature fluctuation of the VEVS control strategy is decreased from 1.1°C to 0.5°C due to variable superheat degree, and the energy consumption of the VEVS control strategy is reduced by 4.4%.

Analysis of order-of-addition experiments

The order-of-addition (OofA) experiment involves arranging components in a specific order to optimize a certain objective, which is attracting a great deal of attention in many disciplines, especially in the areas of biochemistry, scheduling, and engineering. Recent studies have highlighted its significance, and notable works have aimed to address NP-hard OofA problems from a statistical perspective. However, solving OofA problems presents challenges due to their complex nature and the presence of uncertainty, such as scheduling problems with uncertain processing times. These uncertainties affect processing times, which are not known with certainty in advance. They introduce heteroscedasticity into OofA experiments, where different orders result in varying dispersions. To address these challenges, a unified framework is proposed to analyze scheduling problems without making specific assumptions about the distribution of these certainties. It encompasses model development and optimization, encapsulating existing homoscedastic studies (where different orders produce the same dispersion value) as a specific instance. For heteroscedastic cases, a dual response optimization within an uncertainty set is proposed, aiming to minimize the dispersion of response while keeping the location of response with a predefined target value. However, solving the proposed non-linear minimax optimization is rather challenging. An equivalent optimization formulation with low computational cost is proposed for solving such a challenging problem. Theoretical supports are established to ensure the tractability of the proposed method. Simulation studies are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. With its solid theoretical support, ease of implementation, and ability to find an optimal order, the proposed approach offers a practical and competitive solution to solving general order-of-addition problems.

How speech in acoustically different offices influences a working person? – Experiments in two countries

Working during task-irrelevant speech influences workers. Adequate room acoustic design can reduce the negative effects in open-plan offices, but harmonized target values do not exist. Our purpose was to examine the effects of room acoustic design levels on a working person during the exposure to task-irrelevant speech. The Finnish room acoustic regulation was chosen as a reference, as it is one of the strictest worldwide. Three room acoustic conditions were examined: regulation violated (Reg-) (Speech Transmission Index, STI=0.71), regulation fulfilled (Reg0) (STI=0.37), and regulation surpassed (Reg+) (STI=0.16). To examine the generalizability of the results, asimilar experiment was performed in two countries (two languages and laboratories): Finland and Germany (FinGer study, N=98). Experience was measured with questionnaires, performance with visual and auditory serial recall tasks, and physiological stress with heart rate variability. Results did not depend on the country, suggesting that our findings could be similar also in other countries. Speech annoyance and perceived concentration difficulty differed in each condition. With other experience measures, only Reg+ improved experience compared to the two other conditions. Visual serial recall performance was more accurate and faster in Reg+ than in Reg-. Accuracy was also improved in Reg0 compared to Reg-. The physiological stress levels did not depend on the condition. Our study shows that Reg0 was better than Reg- with respect to experience and performance but experience was further improved from Reg0 to Reg+. Therefore, it is beneficial to design room acoustics better than the Finnish regulation to maximize work performance and experience.

The short- and long-term results of therapy of surgical diabetic foot patients

Introduction. The arterial limb threating is the leading cause of non-traumatic amputations in diabetic foot patients. The breakthrough in the treatment of this group of patients was the widespread introduction of transluminal balloon angioplasty (TLBA) of the arteries of the lower extremities.Aim. To evaluate the results of the surgical treatment of the patients with diabetic neuro ischemic foot syndrome according the data of Government Center of Limb Salvation in 2022–2023 years.Materials and methods. The study presents a retrospective analysis of medical documentations and the results of a survey one year after discharge from the hospital of 180 patients.Results. The arterial limb threating is observed in equal frequency in both men with diabetes and women at a relatively young age (66.0 ± 12.8 years). The glycemic control in most patients is above the target values. Various groups of sugar-lowering drugs are widely used. More than a third of patients with CKD suffer from CKD with GFR less than 60 ml/min, however inSGLT-2 are used in slightly more than 15% of cases. The damages of the lower extremities arteries below the knee are observed in the most of cases. Every third patient has the occlusion/hemodynamically significant stenosis of the femoral and tibia arteries. The method of choosing revascularization is TLBA the lower extremities arteries without stenting, hybrid operations are performed in up to 10% of cases in the hospital. During the first year of follow up the 21.2% of the patients have recurrences of the ischemic tissue lesions of the feet including revascularization. The recurrences of the ischemic tissue lesions of the feet after surgical approach are revealed in 9% cases only. There are TLBA in all other cases. The mortality rate is 9.6 cases per 100 patients per year.Conclusion. The patients after revascularization for the neuro-ischemic diabetic foot tissue loss and limb salvage remain at high risk of both mortality and recurrence of arterial limb threating in the early and delayed follow up.

Changes in lipid lowering therapy one year after percutaneous coronary intervention: data from the large contemporary ZON-HR registry

Abstract Background Patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) should receive at least high-intensity statin therapy according to current ESC guidelines to prevent ischemic events. However, previous studies have shown that about 80% of the patients using high-intensity statin monotherapy are not reaching the low density lipoprotein- cholesterol (LDL-C) target value of below 1.4 mmol/L. This means that additional lipid lowering therapy is necessary in most patients. The ‘Zuid-Oost Netherlands Heart Registry’ (ZON-HR) is a multicentre, prospective registry designed to improve secondary prevention after PCI by a patient-tailored approach. Purpose To describe changes in lipid lowering therapy one year after PCI in the ZON-HR. Methods Since November 2020 data from all patients who underwent PCI in one of the four participating ZON-HR hospitals were included. In 4811 patients one year follow-up was completed. Patients with known discharge medication and medication at one year after PCI were included in the analyses (n=3487). Combination therapy was defined as having at least two different lipid lowering medications prescribed. The association between predefined variables and combination therapy at one year post PCI was assessed with multivariable logistic regression to adjust for baseline differences. Results The mean age of the patients was 67.7 ± 10.7 years, 72.4% was male and the baseline LDL-C value was 2.7 ± 1.1 mmol/L. While patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) had higher LDL-C values at baseline, they received combination of lipid lowering therapy at discharge less often compared to patients with a chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) (7.9% vs 11.5%, p<0.001) (table 1). After one year, both ACS and CCS patients were treated more often with combination therapy (20.1% vs 23.3%, p=0.047). However, still only about 20% of the patients were receiving combination therapy one year after PCI. In the ACS population, younger patients with higher LDL-C values at baseline and previous myocardial infarction had a higher chance of receiving combination lipid lowering therapy one year after PCI (table 2). Conclusion Additional lipid lowering medication is needed, besides high-intensity statins, in order to reach the strict LDL-C target values in very high risk patients. However, the step-up from mono- to combination lipid lowering therapy only occurs in about 10% of the patients. Lipid lowering combination therapy is prescribed more often in CCS patients compared to ACS patients, both at discharge and one year after PCI.Baseline values and combination therapyPredictors combination therapy at 1 year

Suboptimal lipid lowering therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention and impact on 1 year outcomes: data from a large contemporary PCI registry

Abstract Background Myocardial revascularisation by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an effective method for symptom relief in obstructive coronary artery disease on top of pharmacological therapy. In patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), revascularization also leads to improved prognosis. However, patients who underwent PCI are still at high risk for future coronary events such as myocardial infarction, in-stent restenosis or development of new lesions at other locations. According to the current ESC guidelines every patient undergoing PCI should receive at least high-intensity statin therapy to achieve low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target values and to prevent future coronary events. The Zuid-Oost Netherlands Heart Registry (ZON-HR) is an ongoing, multicentre, prospective registry designed to improve secondary prevention after PCI. Purpose To describe differences in lipid lowering therapy after PCI and the influence on major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral events (MACCE) one year after PCI. Methods Since November 2020 data from all patients who underwent PCI in one of the four ZON-HR hospitals were included. Patients with known lipid lowering medication at discharge and 1 year follow-up were selected (N=4272). Patient characteristics, lipid lowering medication at discharge and 1 year follow-up regarding complications were collected. Cross tables and logistic regressions were used to observe baseline differences between patients with and without lipid lowering therapy (LLT) at discharge. A cox regression survival analysis with adjustments for baseline differences was performed to look at differences in MACCE after one year in patients with and without LLT after discharge. Results In 11.9% of the patients LLT was not part of the discharge medication. Patients without LLT were older and had more often chronic coronary syndrome (71.3 ± 10.7 vs 67.6 ± 10.9 and 63.2% vs 43.1%, respectively)(table 1). After one year, MACCE had occurred more often in patients without LLT at discharge after adjustment for baseline differences (HR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.15-1.98) (figure 1). In an additional analysis with only ACS patients even a higher occurrence of MACCE was observed in patients without LLT at discharge (HR: 1.97, 95%CI 1.41-2.76). Conclusion In real-world practice, suboptimal cholesterol management is frequently observed and leads to a higher occurrence of MACCE one year post PCI. Almost 12% of the patients did not have any LLT after PCI. Patients with ACS indication for PCI without LLT after PCI even had worse outcome regarding MACCE after 1 year. More attention should be paid regarding cholesterol management after PCI in order to prevent future coronary events.Baseline differencesMACCE and lipid lowering medication

Control for multiple risk factors and incident heart failure and mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus: insights from the kailuan cohort study

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between control for multiple risk factors and diabetes-related heart failure and all-cause mortality, and to explore the extent to which the excess risk can be reduced. Methods Diabetes participants with pre-existing heart failure documented in discharge register or medical insurance records and incomplete baseline risk factor information were excluded. Each of these patients was then matched randomly to four control subjects. The degree of risk factor control was defined by attainment of target values for blood pressure, body mass index , low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, high-sensitive C-reactive protein and smoking. The primary outcome was newly diagnosed heart failure, and the secondary outcome was all-cause mortality.Fine-Gray and Cox regression were performed to estimate the risk of heart failure and all-cause mortality among diabetes patients in relation to the degree of control for multiple risk factors respectively, and the group with ≤1 risk factor control was set as the reference group. All-cause mortality was used as a competing risk in the Fine-Gray model. Results A total of 17,676 patients with diabetes and 69,493 matched non-diabetic control subjects were included. Of these, 84.2% were men and the mean age was 56.2±10.7 years. Over a median follow-up of 11.2 (13.1-15.0) years, a total of 1,070 cases of heart failure and 4,121 cases of all-cause mortality were identified among patients with diabetes. Significant inverse associations were observed between the number of well-controlled risk factors and the risk of incident adverse outcomes in diabetes patients. For each additional risk factor that was controlled, there was an associated 16% decrease in the risk of heart failure and a 10% decrease in the risk of all-cause mortality. The incidence rate of heart failure among diabetes patients was at its lowest for those with ≥5 risk factors (HR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.34-0.62), and it constantly increased with a lower number of well-controlled risk factors. As for all-cause mortality, the lowest risk was associated with optimal risk factor control (HR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.50-0.68). Among diabetes patients with ≥5 risk factors that were well controlled, the adjusted hazard ratio for heart failure and all-cause mortality was 1.25 (95%CI: 0.99-1.56) and 1.17(95%CI: 1.05-1.31) respectively, as compared with controls. The protective impact of comprehensive risk factor control on the risk of heart failure was more pronounced among men than women, as well as among those using antihypertensive medications than non-users. Conclusions Control for multiple risk factors is related to a lower risk of heart failure and all-cause mortality in an accumulative and sex-specific manner. Compared to the general population, patients with diabetes mellitus remains associated with an increased risk for the outcomes in spite of the optimization of risk factor control.

Sex-specific guideline target value attainment and prognostic value of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in tertiary care

Abstract Background Factors contributing to guideline-target-level-attainment of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in countries with high healthcare expenditure are incompletely understood. Purpose the primary aim of this study was to test two hypotheses: 1) LDL-C control may be inferior in women versus men; 2) within the secondary prevention group, presence of a previous acute atherothrombotic event (acute myocardial infarction and stroke) may result in superior LDL-C control. Methods LDL-C levels and guideline target level attainment were determined in 4090 consecutive patients referred for myocardial perfusion single photon emission tomography (MPI-SPECT) between 2010 and 2016. Findings were validated in an independent cohort (n=1228) of consecutively enrolled patients in an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program, between 2016 and 2023. Results About one third of patients (33%) were women, median age was 68 years, 1439 patients had a history of atherothrombosis, 759 patients a history of atherosclerosis without atherothrombosis, and 1892 were in primary prevention. LDL-C levels were higher and guideline target level attainment worse in women than in men in all three strata: age-adjusted difference in atherothrombosis 0.19 mmol/L (95%CI 0.03,0.35 mmol), guideline-target-value-attainment 39.5 % versus 49.4%, p<0.01; in atherosclerosis 0.33 mmol/L (95%CI 0.10-0.57), guideline-target-value-attainment 27.3 % versus 42.2 %, p<0.01; and in primary prevention 0.24 mmol/L (95% CI 0.13-0.38). This was confirmed in the validation cohort. LDL-C levels were higher and guideline-target-value-attainment worse in women versus men: age-adjusted difference age-adjusted difference 0.17 mmol/L (95%CI 0.02-0.33) guideline-target-value-attainment 43.8% versus 49.5%, After multivariate adjustment, female sex remained an independent predictor for higher LDL-C levels. LDL-C concentrations with atherothrombosis was 1.93 mmol/L (IQR 1.48-2.47) versus 2.07 mmol/L (IQR 1.40-2.72, p=0.003) with atherosclerosis and guideline target value attainment 47.5% vs 38.6%, p<0.001, respectively. Conclusion Concerning age-adjusted sex-inequalities with higher LDL-C levels and lower guideline-target-value-attainment in women were found in both primary and secondary prevention. Within secondary prevention, a previous atherothrombotic event was associated with lower LDL-C levels and higher guideline-target-value-attainment.

The Disaggregated Oswestry Disability Index: What is the Most Predictive Subsection for Patient Satisfaction After Lumbar Surgery?

Retrospective review of cohort studies. To analyze how different ODI subsections and their improvement affect patient satisfaction 2 years after elective lumbar surgery for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS). The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is crucial in evaluating outcomes of spinal disorders and provides valuable insights into a patient's preoperative status. There is limited information available on the individual characteristics of its subsections and their relation to postoperative patient satisfaction. Pre- and 2-year postoperative ODI and patient satisfaction were assessed. The analysis included preoperative scores and improvements in each ODI subsection 2 years postoperatively. Satisfaction was rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with scores ≥4 deemed satisfactory. Univariate linear regression and ROC analysis established cutoffs for subsection improvement and postoperative target values to achieve postoperative satisfaction. 265 patients (60% female, 67±8 years) were included. ODI improvement was achieved in 91%, and postoperative patient satisfaction in 73%. Patients with lower postoperative subsection scores and greater differences between pre- and postoperative scores were more likely to be satisfied (all P<0.001). A postoperative subsection target score of ≤1 was associated with patient satisfaction. Change in degree of pain was the most predictive subsection for satisfaction, with an AUC of 0.84 (sensitivity 79%, specificity 86%). Walking (AUC 0.83, sensitivity 87%, specificity 65%), pain intensity (AUC 0.82, sensitivity 79%, specificity 79%), personal care (AUC 0.82, sensitivity 83%, specificity 68%), and standing (AUC 0.82, sensitivity 83%, specificity 83%) all had an AUC greater than 0.80. The postoperative subsection with the lowest predictability was sleeping (AUC 0.69). Pain domains, walking, standing, and personal care were the subsections with the highest predictability for patient satisfaction. These findings on the correlation between different ODI subscales and patient satisfaction are valuable for improving preoperative education, addressing disability, and ensuring postoperative satisfaction.

Enhancing Daily Crash Count Prediction using Deep Learning with Window Size Selection and Seasonality Predictor Integration

The escalating need for proactive safety measures, coupled with advancements in data collection and analytical techniques, has significantly refined the accuracy of crash count predictions, shifting from annual scales to finer daily or hourly estimates. This research places emphasis on recurrent neural networks (RNNs), specifically the long short-term memory (LSTM) model, acknowledged for effectively managing sequential data in time series predictions. Paramount considerations encompass the treatment of input data, including the decision to incorporate temporal features alongside endogenous historical target values, and the establishment of an optimal window size for data input. Despite the critical nature of these facets, exhaustive studies concurrently investigating both under controlled conditions are scarce. This research addresses this gap, assessing diverse scenarios featuring distinct temporal treatments and window sizes, and employing an LSTM model with uniform fine-tuned parameters to ensure a fair comparison. Findings indicate a significant variation in performance among models employing different window sizes and month predictor integration, under identical RNN structures and LSTM configurations. The best model outperformed the least effective by roughly 30% concerning root mean square error (RMSE) and ranking correlation between predicted and actual target crash counts in the test datasets. Unlike seasonality predictor treatment, diverse window size selections did not lead to statistically significant differences in model performance. Generally, a window size of 3 performed worst under most conditions, followed by a size of 14. Sizes of 7 and 28 performed best in nearly an equal numbers of cases.