Variation In Effect Sizes Research Articles

A meta-analysis of the impact of customer mistreatment on service employees' affective, attitudinal and behavioral outcomes

PurposeAlthough service researchers have long suggested that customer mistreatment adversely impacts service employees' outcomes, statistical integration of current empirical findings has been lacking. This meta-analysis aims to review and statistically synthesize the state of research on the relationship between customer mistreatment and service employees' affective, attitudinal and behavioral outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe authors included 221 effect sizes of 135 independent samples from 119 primary studies (N = 47,964). The authors used a meta-analytic approach to quantitatively review the relationship between customer mistreatment and service employees' affective, attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. Meta-analysis structural equation modeling was used to explore the mediation mechanism of service employees' affective outcomes on the relationships between customer mistreatment and employees' attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. Meta-regression was applied to explore the impact of contextual-level moderators (i.e. service provider type and service delivery mode) on these relationships. Furthermore, we compared the effects of customer mistreatment with the effects of other organizational-related factors on some commonly measured employee outcomes.FindingsThe results show that customer mistreatment has a significant negative impact on service employees' affective outcomes (i.e. negative emotions), attitudinal outcomes (i.e. job satisfaction, organizational commitment, work engagement and turnover intention) and behavioral outcomes (i.e. job performance, surface acting and emotional labor). Additionally, service employees' negative emotions mediate the association between customer mistreatment and employees' job satisfaction, turnover intention, surface acting and emotional labor. Furthermore, the relationships between customer mistreatment and service employees' negative emotions and job performance are influenced by a contextual-level moderator (i.e. service delivery mode).Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the literature by providing robust meta-analytic estimates of the effects of customer mistreatment on a variety of service employees' affective, attitudinal and behavioral outcomes, as well as the different magnitudes of the effect sizes between customer mistreatment and other job-related and personality-related factors by quantifying the true variability of the effect sizes. The authors draw on current theories underpinning customer mistreatment to test a theoretical model of the mediation mechanism of service employees' affective outcomes (i.e. service employees' negative emotions) on the relationships between customer mistreatment and employees' attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. The authors explore the effects of two contextual-level factors (i.e. service provider types and service delivery mode) related to the service delivery context that may account for the variability of effect sizes across empirical studies.

Environmental dependence of mutational (co)variances of adaptive traits.

Standing genetic variation, and capacity to adapt to environment change, will ultimately depend on the fitness effects of mutations across the range of environments experienced by contemporary, panmictic, populations. We investigated how mild perturbations in diet and temperature affect mutational (co)variances of traits that evolve under climatic adaptation, and contribute to individual fitness in Drosophila serrata. We assessed egg-to-adult viability, development time and wing size of 64 lines that had diverged from one another via spontaneous mutation over 30 generations of brother-sister mating. Our results suggested most mutations have directionally concordant (i.e., synergistic) effects in all environments and both sexes. However, elevated mutational variance under reduced macronutrient conditions suggested environment-dependent variation in mutational effect sizes for development time. We also observed evidence for antagonistic effects under standard versus reduced macronutrient conditions, where these effects were further contingent on temperature (for development time) or sex (for size). Diet also influenced the magnitude and sign of mutational correlations between traits, although this result was largely due to a single genotype (line), which may reflect a rare, large effect mutation. Overall, our results suggest environmental heterogeneity and environment-dependency of mutational effects could contribute to the maintenance of genetic variance.

Acceptance factors of digitalization in hospitals: a mixed-methods study

IntroductionHospitals have identified IT as a suitable mean to cope with various challenges. However, the heterogenous progress regarding digitalization cannot solely be attributed to a lack of investment. Potentially underlying socio-technical causes should be further investigated. The aim of this work is to identify factors that affect the human acceptance of digitalization in hospitals. The goal is to validate practical relevance with affected professional stakeholders as well as quantify the magnitude of the impact.MethodsThe Mixed-Methods (MM) approach according to the APA Mixed Methods Article Reporting Standard (MMARS) was based on a structured literature analysis (PRISMA-ScR), expert interviews (COREQ), and a web-based survey (CHERRIES). The survey queries acceptance factors related to digitalization in hospitals. By means of a statistical analysis, correlations with the dependent variable acceptance, effect sizes and variances are investigated.ResultsA total of N = 258 hospital professionals participated in the survey, with n = 155 (60.1%) female respondents, and a large share (n = 106, 41.1%) of participants from the field of nursing. Six of the 22 queried factors show a significant impact on acceptance (P < .05). The predictors competence and perceived benefit seem to exert the greatest influence. A multiple linear regression with R2 = .68 (corrected R2 = .63) shows a high goodness of fit. The predictors thus statistically influence the criterion acceptance (F22, 193 = 13.32, p < .001).ConclusionsThe factors contributing to human acceptance of digitalization-related change processes in hospitals were divided into subject-, object- and context-related aspects. The factors skill, education, affinity for digitalization, future of the workplace, participation as well as the perceived benefit were identified as significant influence factors on acceptance of digitalization in hospitals.

Health impact assessment for air pollution in the presence of regional variation in effect sizes: The implications of using different meta-analytic approaches

The estimated health effects of air pollution vary between studies, and this variation is caused by factors associated with the study location, hereafter termed regional heterogeneity. This heterogeneity raises a methodological question as to which studies should be used to estimate risks in a specific region in a health impact assessment. Should one use all studies across the world, or only those in the region of interest? The current study provides novel insight into this question in two ways. Firstly, it presents an up-to-date analysis examining the magnitude of continent-level regional heterogeneity in the short-term health effects of air pollution, using a database of studies collected by Orellano et al. (2020). Secondly, it provides in-depth simulation analyses examining whether existing meta-analyses are likely to be underpowered to identify statistically significant regional heterogeneity, as well as evaluating which meta-analytic technique is best for estimating region-specific estimates. The techniques considered include global and continent-specific (sub-group) random effects meta-analysis and meta-regression, with omnibus statistical tests used to quantify regional heterogeneity. We find statistically significant regional heterogeneity for 4 of the 8 pollutant-outcome pairs considered, comprising NO2, O3 and PM2.5 with all-cause mortality, and PM2.5 with cardiovascular mortality. From the simulation analysis statistically significant regional heterogeneity is more likely to be identified as the number of studies increases (between 3 and 30 in each region were considered), between region heterogeneity increases and within region heterogeneity decreases. Finally, while a sub-group analysis using Cochran's Q test has a higher median power (0.71) than a test based on the moderators' coefficients from meta-regression (0.59) to identify regional heterogeneity, it also has an inflated type-1 error leading to more false positives (median errors of 0.15 compared to 0.09).

Germline-encoded specificities and the predictability of the B cell response.

Antibodies result from the competition of B cell lineages evolving under selection for improved antigen recognition, a process known as affinity maturation. High-affinity antibodies to pathogens such as HIV, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 are frequently reported to arise from B cells whose receptors, the precursors to antibodies, are encoded by particular immunoglobulin alleles. This raises the possibility that the presence of particular germline alleles in the B cell repertoire is a major determinant of the quality of the antibody response. Alternatively, initial differences in germline alleles' propensities to form high-affinity receptors might be overcome by chance events during affinity maturation. We first investigate these scenarios in simulations: when germline-encoded fitness differences are large relative to the rate and effect size variation of somatic mutations, the same germline alleles persistently dominate the response of different individuals. In contrast, if germline-encoded advantages can be easily overcome by subsequent mutations, allele usage becomes increasingly divergent over time, a pattern we then observe in mice experimentally infected with influenza virus. We investigated whether affinity maturation might nonetheless strongly select for particular amino acid motifs across diverse genetic backgrounds, but we found no evidence of convergence to similar CDR3 sequences or amino acid substitutions. These results suggest that although germline-encoded specificities can lead to similar immune responses between individuals, diverse evolutionary routes to high affinity limit the genetic predictability of responses to infection and vaccination.

Genomic diversity landscapes in outcrossing and selfing Caenorhabditis nematodes.

Caenorhabditis nematodes form an excellent model for studying how the mode of reproduction affects genetic diversity, as some species reproduce via outcrossing whereas others can self-fertilize. Currently, chromosome-level patterns of diversity and recombination are only available for self-reproducing Caenorhabditis, making the generality of genomic patterns across the genus unclear given the profound potential influence of reproductive mode. Here we present a whole-genome diversity landscape, coupled with a new genetic map, for the outcrossing nematode C. remanei. We demonstrate that the genomic distribution of recombination in C. remanei, like the model nematode C. elegans, shows high recombination rates on chromosome arms and low rates toward the central regions. Patterns of genetic variation across the genome are also similar between these species, but differ dramatically in scale, being tenfold greater for C. remanei. Historical reconstructions of variation in effective population size over the past million generations echo this difference in polymorphism. Evolutionary simulations demonstrate how selection, recombination, mutation, and selfing shape variation along the genome, and that multiple drivers can produce patterns similar to those observed in natural populations. The results illustrate how genome organization and selection play a crucial role in shaping the genomic pattern of diversity whereas demographic processes scale the level of diversity across the genome as a whole.

Does Context-Based Learning Increase Academic Achievement and Learning Retention?: A Review based on Meta-Analysis

The meta-analysis focuses on examining the effects of context-based learning on students' academic achievement and learning retention. A comprehensive search of the available research literature identified a total of 42 studies addressing academic achievement and 10 studies investigating learning retention. The findings of the analysis indicated that context-based learning had a statistically significant positive impact on both academic achievement (g=0.970) and learning retention (g=0.791) when compared to teacher-led instruction. These results were obtained using the random-effects model. To ensure the robustness of the findings, an assessment for publication bias was conducted. The analysis suggested that the observed effects were not influenced by publication bias. However, it is important to note that there was a notable variability in effect sizes across the included studies. To explore potential factors contributing to this heterogeneity, moderator analysis was performed on five possible moderator variables. The results of moderator analysis revealed that the impact of context-based learning on academic achievement was only moderated by group size. Specifically, studies with fewer than 50 participants demonstrated a strong effect (g=1.116), as did studies with 50-100 participants (g=1.096). On the other hand, studies with more than 100 participants exhibited a modest effect (g=0.498). These findings suggest that group size plays a role in moderating the effects of context-based learning on academic achievement. It implies that smaller groups may provide a more conducive environment for implementing context-based learning approaches, resulting in stronger effects compared to larger groups.

Ageism in Hiring: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Age Discrimination

We aimed to identify effect sizes of age discrimination in recruitment based on evidence from correspondence studies and scenario experiments conducted between 2010 and 2019. To differentiate our results, we separated outcomes (i.e., call-back rates and hiring/invitation to interview likelihood) by age groups (40-49, 50-59, 60-65, 66+) and assessed age discrimination by comparing older applicants to a control group (29-35 year-olds). We conducted searches in PsycInfo, Web of Science, ERIC, BASE, and Google Scholar, along with backward reference searching. Study bias was assessed with a tool developed for this review, and publication bias by calculating R-index, p-curve, and funnel plots. We calculated odds ratios for callback rates, pooled the results using a random-effects meta-analysis and calculated 95% confidence intervals. We included 13 studies from 11 articles in our review, and conducted meta-analyses on the eight studies that we were able to extract data from. The majority of studies were correspondence studies (k=10) and came largely from European countries (k=9), with the rest being from the U.S. (k=3) and Australia (k=1). Seven studies had a between-participants design, and the remaining six studies had a within-participants design. We conducted six random-effects meta-analyses, one for each age category and type of study design and found an average effect of age discrimination against all age groups in both study designs, with varying effect sizes (ranging from OR = 0.38, CI [0.25, 0.59] to OR = 0.89, CI [0.81, 0.97]). There was moderate to high risk of bias on certain factors, e.g., age randomization, problems with application heterogeneity. Generally, there’s an effect of age discrimination and it tends to increase with age. This has important implications regarding the future of the world’s workforce, given the increase in the older workforce and later retirement.

Preventive practice and associated factors among health care workers towards COVID-19 in Addis Ababa covid care center

Background: COVID-19 has made exceptional challenges to public health globally. Healthcare experts who are at the frontline of the outbreak reaction are at increased risk of getting infected. The high infection rate of COVID-19 has been reported amongst frontline health care workers which might be linked to low prevention practice. However, in the context of Ethiopia, studies ascribed to the prevention practice against COVID-19 among healthcare workers are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the Preventive practice against COVID-19 and associated factors among health care workers. Methods and materials: Institution-based cross-sectional study design was conducted on 240 healthcare workers at millennium covid care center and a pretested structured questionnaire was used for the data collection. The data was entered into epi data version 4.4.2.2 and exported to SPSS window version 25 for analysis. Descriptive statics and binary logistic regression were used. Odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval and p-value ≤ 0.05 were quantified to measure effect sizes of independent variables and to declare statistical significance respectively. Result: This study showed that 55% of health care workers have good preventive practice and In line with this, lack of personal protective equipment(AOR=2.978, 95%CI(1.426-6.220)), designed isolation area (AOR=2.251, 95%CI(1.056-4.799)), availability of chemical disinfectant (AOR=5.055, 95%CI (2.283-11.191)), training on covid case management(AOR=6.04, 95%CI(2.569-14.204)), infection prevention guideline availability (AOR=2.59, 95%CI(1.192-5.627), and discomfort while using PPE (AOR=4.125 95%CI (1.779-9.561)) showed significant association with the preventive practice of frontline health care workers towards covid 19. Conclusion: The overall finding of this study revealed that healthcare workers had poor preventive practice (45%) towards covid 19. Addressing these identified factors will enable to reduce the infection rate among health care providers. Keywords: covid 19, prevention practice, factors, frontline, Ethiopia

The Effects of Co-Teaching and Related Collaborative Models of Instruction on Student Achievement: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Co-teaching and related collaborative models of instruction are widely used in primary and secondary schools in many school systems. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effects of such models on students’ academic achievement and how these effects are moderated by factors of theoretical and practical relevance. Although previous research and reviews have asserted that the evidence base is scarce, we found 128 treatment and control group studies from 1984 to 2020. We excluded 52 studies due to critical risk of bias via Cochrane’s risk of bias assessment tools and conducted a meta-analysis of 76 studies. This yielded 280 short-term effect sizes, of which 82% were pretest-adjusted. We found a moderate, positive, and statistically significant mean effect of [Formula: see text] = .11, 95% confidence interval [.035, .184] of collaborative instruction compared to single-taught controls, using the correlated-hierarchical effects (CHE-RVE) model. From moderator analyses, we found that collaborative instruction yields effects of mostly the same size, whether the interventions involved trained teachers or assistants with no teaching qualifications. This implies a potential for the expansion of such interventions at lower costs than otherwise expected. Moreover, factors that are highlighted in the co-teaching literature as preconditions for the effectiveness of collaborative instruction did not explain variations in effect sizes. Finally, we found no clear evidence for publication bias or small study effects. Notably, a large number of the studies that we drew upon were nonrandomized studies; and therefore, more rigorous experimental research is needed, especially on relevant co-teaching interventions.

Perceived descriptive norms strengthen the global human identification—general pro-environmental behavior association: Empirical evidence from survey studies

Limiting climate change requires the concerted efforts of all human beings, and thus focusing on global human identification, numerous studies identified a positive association between such a personal identity and pro-environmental behavior. However, the effect sizes of their association varied widely among previous studies, making it difficult to utilize global human identification to improve pro-environmental behavior. The variations in effect sizes indicate that some situational boundary conditions are likely to fluctuate the strength of the association between global human identification and pro-environmental behavior. In order to shed light on the situational factor that may boost the positive effect of global human identification on pro-environmental behaviors, the current research systematically examined the moderating role of perceived descriptive norms in the focal relationship, drawing on the theories regarding social identity and social norms. Specifically, we conducted an online questionnaire survey to measure all the core variables (Study 1) as well as an online survey experimental study to manipulate perceived descriptive norms (Study 2). The results of two studies consistently showed that participants with high global human identification demonstrated more general pro-environmental behavior only when they perceived that others were also behaving in an eco-friendly way. By uncovering the potential of perceived descriptive norms to amplify the facilitating effect of global human identification on general pro-environmental behavior, our findings provide empirical evidence for the social identity model of pro-environmental action and highlight the joint impact of personal and situational factors on eco-friendly behaviors.

비대면 수업만족에 영향을 미치는 요인에 관한 메타분석

Objectives The present study conducted meta-analysis with the goal of systematically arranging the relation between variables related to non-face-to-face class satisfaction.&#x0D; Methods To this end, the study collected data in the form of dissertations and academic papers published in Korea up to 2022. The final selection of papers numbered 215, including 52 master’s theses, 11 doctoral dissertations, and 152 academic papers. The coding method for the data followed the meta-analysis methods and coding procedures by Lipsy and Wilson(2001) as well as Cooper(2010). The effect size was calculated by converting the correlated data into Fisher’s Z transformation, which was then converted back to a correlation coefficient for interpretability.&#x0D; Results The analysis shows that the overall effect size of class satisfaction variables was high at .582, with effect sizes higher in the order of content, teacher, support model and system, and learner. In terms of effect size depending on moderator variable, the study found differences depending on year of issue, research subject, and non-face-to-face class type.&#x0D; Conclusions This study specifically confirmed the relationship between variables related to non-face-to-face class satisfaction by organizing research related to non-face-to-face class satisfaction through meta-analysis. In order to increase the satisfaction of learners in the educational scene, effective non-face-to-face class methods or strategies should be sought.

An Umbrella Review and Meta-analysis of Interventions, Excluding Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition, Initiated in the Hospital for Adults with or at Risk of Malnutrition

BackgroundMultiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMAs) on various nutritional interventions in hospitalized patients with or at risk of malnutrition are available, but disagreements among findings raise questions about their validity in guiding practice. ObjectivesWe conducted an umbrella review (a systematic review of systematic reviews in which all appropriate studies included in SRMAs are combined) to assess the quality of reviews, identify the types of interventions available (excluding enteral and parenteral nutrition), and re-analyze the effectiveness of interventions. MethodsThe databases MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were searched. AMSTAR-2 was used for quality assessment and GRADE for certainty of evidence. Updated meta-analyses with risk of bias (ROB) by Cochrane ROB 2.0 were performed. Pooled effects were reported as relative risk (RR), with zero-events and publication bias adjustments, and trial sequential analysis (TSA) performed for mortality, readmissions, complications, length of stay, and quality of life. ResultsA total of 66 randomized controlled trials were cited by the 19 SRMAs included in this umbrella review, and their data extracted and analyzed. Most clinical outcomes were discordant with variable effect sizes in both directions. In trials with low ROB, interventions targeting nutritional intake reduce mortality at 30 d (15 studies, n: 4156, RR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.55, 0.94, P: 0.02, I2: 6%, Certainty: High), 6 mo (27 studies, n: 6387, RR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.71, 0.92, P = 0.001, I2: 4%, Certainty: Moderate), and 12 mo (27 studies, n: 6387, RR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.95, P: 0.01, I2: 33%, Certainty: Moderate), with TSA verifying an adequate sample size and robustness of the meta-analysis. ConclusionExisting evidence is sufficient to show that nutritional intervention is effective for mortality outcomes at 30 d, 6 mo, and 12 mo. Future clinical trials should focus on the effect of nutritional interventions on other clinical outcomes. Trial registration numberThe protocol is registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022341031).

Second and Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning through Digital Reading: A Meta-Analysis

Digital reading facilitates L2 development by allowing anytime-anywhere learning with various digital resources. Although there has been increasing research exploring the role of digital reading on L2 vocabulary learning, synthesized evidence regarding the overall facilitating power of digital reading is still lacking. This meta-analysis aggregates 21 important empirical studies published within the last 20 years and indexed in scholarly recognized databases, so as to provide a comprehensive panoramic assessment of how effectively digital reading has enhanced second and foreign language vocabulary acquisition with diversified learner backgrounds and learning environments. A total of 77 effect sizes were yielded across different studies, and random-effect modeling was employed for analyzing the study-level heterogeneity and sub-group variability. Results demonstrate that digital reading had an overall significant effect (dimmediate = 1.45, p < .01; ddeleayed = 2.98, p < .01) on L2 vocabulary learning of between-subject studies. For within-subject studies, digital reading was found to have an upper-medium (d = 1.39, p < .01) and medium (d = .86, p < .01) effect on immediate and delayed L2 vocabulary post-tests. Moderating factor analysis results show that L2 proficiency, vocabulary test formats, and digital resources could robustly explain the variance of effect sizes. The findings have strong pedagogical implications on the effective design for digital reading tasks, including the development of adaptive learning algorithms and personalized lexical glosses. Recommendations for future research in the field are provided by pinpointing where to improve in terms of experimental design and the focus of the learner group.

Active and passive exploration for spatial knowledge acquisition: A meta-analysis.

Literature reported mixed evidence on whether active exploration benefits spatial knowledge acquisition over passive exploration. Active spatial learning typically involves at least physical control of one's movement or navigation decision-making, while passive participants merely observe during exploration. To quantify the effects of active exploration in learning large-scale, unfamiliar environments, we analysed previous findings with the multi-level meta-analytical model. Potential moderators were identified and examined for their contributions to the variability in effect sizes. Of the 128 effect sizes retrieved from 33 experiments, we observed a small to moderate advantage of active exploration over passive observation. Important moderators include gender composition, decision-making, types of spatial knowledge, and matched visual information. We discussed the implications of the results along with the limitations.

Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Group Format in Spain: Results of a Noninferiority Randomized Controlled Trial at 15 Months after Treatment Onset

Evidence-based psychological treatments (EBPT) are an effective and efficient solution for the treatment of emotional disorders (EDs). However, their implementation and dissemination are not yet widespread. The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of EDs (UP), applied in a group format, could be an effective option to be implemented in specialized public mental health services in Spain. The sample consisted of 533 users of public specialized mental health centers (77.3% women), with a mean age of 42.0 years ( SD = 12.62 ), who were randomized to the UP in group format condition ( n = 277 ) or treatment as usual (specific cognitive behavioral therapy for each disorder in individual format, n = 256 ). Assessments were performed at preintervention (T1) and at 3, 6, 9 and 15 months after treatment onset (T2, T3, T4, and T5, respectively). The results showed a main effect of time in both conditions for all primary outcomes ( p &lt; 0.05 ) and no statistically significant Time ∗ Condition interaction. Similarly, the noninferiority tests showed that UP results were statistically noninferior compared to TAU. Effect sizes for psychological variables were higher in the UP condition at T5, even though the differences were not statistically significant. Statistically significant differences ( p &lt; 0.05 ) in the evolution of the diagnostic criteria and comorbidity were found, with the highest percentage of patients no longer meeting main and secondary diagnosis criteria in the UP condition at all assessment moments (except for secondary diagnosis at T3). The results showed statistically significant differences in treatment retention between conditions at T5, being the UP condition the one with less dropouts. Finally, participants in the group UP condition showed high satisfaction with the treatment. The UP is an EBPT that has been shown to be effective when applied in groups and may represent an efficient option for its implementation in public mental health services in Spain. This trial is registered with NCT03064477.

Understanding the what and when of peer feedback benefits for performance and transfer

The impact of online peer feedback on learning outcomes has been well-established in previous meta-analyses. However, considerable variations remain unexplained, emphasizing the need to better understand the underlying reasons for heterogeneity. In this study, a large-scale and cross-context dataset, comprising 20,879 students enrolled in 505 assignments within 243 courses at 76 different institutions, was employed. Meta-regression, multi-level modeling, and ANCOVA were used to examine the effect size of each peer feedback experience and explore the associated heterogeneity of effects across courses and assignments within courses. Results revealed that learning benefits are more closely associated with providing feedback rather than receiving it, and are influenced more by the length of peer feedback rather than its helpfulness. Furthermore, heterogeneity exists at the assignment level rather than the course level, and only two peer feedback experiences (i.e., provided length and received length) exhibit particularly large variations in effect size. Particularly novel to our study, we found that learning benefits of both peer feedback experiences diminished as knowledge transfers further away. Similarly, providing feedback demonstrates robust learning compared to receiving feedback, primarily in the form of smaller downward trends and higher learning gains at more further transfer level. Instructors are recommended to design logically-structured consecutive assignments within a course and to provide more guidance to students on giving detailed feedback.

A multicomponent complex intervention for supportive follow-up of persons with chronic heart failure: a randomized controlled pilot study (the UTILE project)

BackgroundHeart failure (HF) is a progressive disease associated with a high burden of symptoms, high morbidity and mortality, and low quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and potential outcomes of a novel multicomponent complex intervention, to inform a future full-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Switzerland.MethodsWe conducted a pilot RCT at a secondary care hospital for people with HF hospitalized due to decompensated HF or with a history of HF decompensation over the past 6 months. We randomized 1:1; usual care for the control (CG) and intervention group (IG) who received the intervention as well as usual care. Feasibility measures included patient recruitment rate, study nurse time, study attrition, the number and duration of consultations, intervention acceptability and intervention fidelity. Patient-reported outcomes included HF-specific self-care and HF-related health status (KCCQ-12) at 3 months follow-up. Clinical outcomes were all-cause mortality, hospitalization and days spent in hospital.ResultsWe recruited 60 persons with HF (age mean = 75.7 years, ± 8.9) over a 62-week period, requiring 1011 h of study nurse time. Recruitment rate was 46.15%; study attrition rate was 31.7%. Follow-up included 2.14 (mean, ± 0.97) visits per patient lasting a total of 166.96 min (mean, ± 72.55), and 3.1 (mean, ± 1.7) additional telephone contacts. Intervention acceptability was high. Mean intervention fidelity was 0.71. We found a 20-point difference in mean self-care management change from baseline to 3 months in favour of the IG (Cohens’ d = 0.59). Small effect sizes for KCCQ-12 variables; less IG participants worsened in health status compared to CG participants. Five deaths occurred (IG = 3, CG = 2). There were 13 (IG) and 18 (CG) all-cause hospital admissions; participants spent 8.90 (median, IQR = 9.70, IG) and 15.38 (median, IQR = 18.41, CG) days in hospital. A subsequent full-scale effectiveness trial would require 304 (for a mono-centric trial) and 751 participants (for a ten-centre trial) for HF-related QoL (effect size = 0.3; power = 0.80, alpha = 0.05).ConclusionWe found the intervention, research methods and outcomes were feasible and acceptable. We propose increasing intervention fidelity strategies for a full-scale trial.Trial registrationISRCTN10151805, retrospectively registered 04/10/2019.

Genome-wide association study of multiyear dynamic growth traits in hybrid Liriodendron identifies robust genetic loci associated with growth trajectories.

The genetic factors underlying growth traits differ over time points or stages. However, most current studies of phenotypes at single time points do not capture all loci or explain the genetic differences underlying growth trajectories. Hybrid Liriodendron exhibits obvious heterosis and is widely cultivated, although its complex genetic mechanism underlying growth traits remains unknown. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) is an effective method for elucidating the genetic architecture by identifying genetic loci underlying complex quantitative traits. In the present study, using a GWAS, we identified robust loci associated with growth trajectories in hybrid Liriodendron populations. We selected 233 hybrid progenies derived from 25 crosses for resequencing, and measured their tree height (H) and diameter at breast height (DBH) for 11 consecutive years; 192 972 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were obtained. The dynamics of the multiyear single-trait GWAS showed that year-specific SNPs predominated, and only five robust SNPs for DBH were identified in at least three different years. Multitrait GWAS analysis with model parameters as latent variables also revealed 62 SNPs for H and 52 for DBH associated with the growth trajectory, displaying different biomass accumulation patterns, among which four SNPs exerted pleiotropic effects. All identified SNPs also exhibited temporal variations in effect sizes and inheritance patterns potentially related to different growth and developmental stages. The haplotypes resulting from these significant SNPs might pyramid favorable loci, benefitting the selection of superior genotypes. The present study provides insights into the genetic architecture of dynamic growth traits and lays a basis for future molecular-assisted breeding.

Competition and moral behavior: A meta-analysis of forty-five crowd-sourced experimental designs

Does competition affect moral behavior? This fundamental question has been debated among leading scholars for centuries, and more recently, it has been tested in experimental studies yielding a body of rather inconclusive empirical evidence. A potential source of ambivalent empirical results on the same hypothesis is design heterogeneity-variation in true effect sizes across various reasonable experimental research protocols. To provide further evidence on whether competition affects moral behavior and to examine whether the generalizability of a single experimental study is jeopardized by design heterogeneity, we invited independent research teams to contribute experimental designs to a crowd-sourced project. In a large-scale online data collection, 18,123 experimental participants were randomly allocated to 45 randomly selected experimental designs out of 95 submitted designs. We find a small adverse effect of competition on moral behavior in a meta-analysis of the pooled data. The crowd-sourced design of our study allows for a clean identification and estimation of the variation in effect sizes above and beyond what could be expected due to sampling variance. We find substantial design heterogeneity-estimated to be about 1.6 times as large as the average standard error of effect size estimates of the 45 research designs-indicating that the informativeness and generalizability of results based on a single experimental design are limited. Drawing strong conclusions about the underlying hypotheses in the presence of substantive design heterogeneity requires moving toward much larger data collections on various experimental designs testing the same hypothesis.