In psychology, mixed-effects models and latent-curve models are both widely used to explore growth over time. Despite this widespread popularity, some confusion remains regarding the overlap of these ...different approaches. Recent articles have shown that the two modeling frameworks are mathematically equivalent in many cases, which is often interpreted to mean that one’s choice of modeling framework is merely a matter of personal preference. However, some important differences in estimation and specification can lead to the models producing very different results when implemented in software. Thus, mathematical equivalence does not necessarily equate to practical equivalence in all cases. In this article, we discuss these two common approaches to growth modeling and highlight contexts in which the choice of the modeling framework (and, consequently, the software) can directly impact the model estimates, or in which certain analyses can be facilitated in one framework over the other. We show that, unless the data are pristine, with a large sample size, linear or polynomial growth, and no missing data, and unless the participants have the same number of measurements collected at the same set of time points, one framework is often more advantageous to adopt. We provide several empirical examples to illustrate these situations, as well as ample software code so that researchers can make informed decisions regarding which framework will be the most beneficial and most straightforward for their research interests.
Our aim was to examine whether the length of stay, hospital charges and in-hospital mortality attributable to healthcare- and community-associated infections due to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria ...were higher compared with those due to susceptible bacteria in the Lebanese healthcare settings using different methodology of analysis from the payer perspective .
We performed a multi-centre prospective cohort study in ten hospitals across Lebanon. The sample size consisted of 1289 patients with documented healthcare-associated infection (HAI) or community-associated infection (CAI). We conducted three separate analysis to adjust for confounders and time-dependent bias: (1) Post-HAIs in which we included the excess LOS and hospital charges incurred after infection and (2) Matched cohort, in which we matched the patients based on propensity score estimates (3) The conventional method, in which we considered the entire hospital stay and allocated charges attributable to CAI. The linear regression models accounted for multiple confounders.
HAIs and CAIs with resistant versus susceptible bacteria were associated with a significant excess length of hospital stay (2.69 days 95% CI,1.5-3.9; p < 0.001) and (2.2 days 95% CI,1.2-3.3; p < 0.001) and resulted in additional hospital charges ($1807 95% CI, 1046-2569; p < 0.001) and ($889 95% CI, 378-1400; p = 0.001) respectively. Compared with the post-HAIs analysis, the matched cohort method showed a reduction by 26 and 13% in hospital charges and LOS estimates respectively. Infections with resistant bacteria did not decrease the time to in-hospital mortality, for both healthcare- or community-associated infections. Resistant cases in the post-HAIs analysis showed a significantly higher risk of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.517 95% CI, 0.327-0.820; p = 0.05).
This is the first nationwide study that quantifies the healthcare costs of antimicrobial resistance in Lebanon. For cases with HAIs, matched cohort analysis showed more conservative estimates compared with post-HAIs method. The differences in estimates highlight the need for a unified methodology to estimate the burden of antimicrobial resistance in order to accurately advise health policy makers and prioritize resources expenditure.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
During mammalian pregnancy and lactation, the maternal demand for calcium is increased to satisfy fetus and newborn skeletal growth. In addition to the dietary intake, females use the calcium ...contained in their bones to supply this increased demand, leading to a decrease in maternal bone mineral content. In reproductive insectivorous female bats, bone loss has been described as a physiological cost of reproduction, due to the reported increased risk of bone fracture. This physiological cost may be the mechanism underlying the conflict between increasing litter size and maintaining wing skeletal integrity, which would help to explain the small litter size of most bat species. If bone loss is a linking cost between reproduction and survival in bats, and most bat species have small litter sizes, one would expect to find a loss of bone and an increasing probability of bone fracture during pregnancy and lactation in other non-insectivorous bats. In this study, we tested for the existence of this cost in the Great-fruit eating bat, Artibeus lituratus. We analyzed trabecular structure, bone strength and bone mineral content for the humerus bone, hypothesizing that bone loss during reproduction in females would increase the risk of fracture. Our results showed a decrease of 22-31% in bone trabecular area in lactating females, rapidly compensated following weaning. Bone strength did not differ among reproductive and non-reproductive groups and seems to be more influenced by bone organic components rather than mineral contents. Since we observed bone loss during reproduction yet the humerus strength seems to be unaffected, we suggest that bone loss may not represent a physiological cost during reproduction for this frugivorous bat.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Over the past decades nuclear physics experiments have seen a drastic increase in complexity. With the arrival of second generation radioactive ion beam facilities all over the world, the ...run for exploring more and more exotic nuclei is raging. The low intensity of RI-beams requires more complex setup, larger solid angle coverage and detection of a wider variety of charged and neutral particles. Design, construction and operation of a variety of complex instruments used in such experiments require many software developments. The short lifetime of experimental setups and multiple combinations of instruments demand a strong methodology. As the community is shifting to this new paradigm, the quest for the optimum framework is becoming central in the field. In this outlook we will introduce the specificity of the nuclear physics community, technical needs of such frameworks, and give an overview of the existing ones, with an emphasize on the difficult balance between computing performances, versatility and integration with other frameworks.
This paper discusses the explanatory power of discourse analysis, an approach to typically considered one of the main qualitative methods for data analysis. Although discourse analysis is typically ...not used to develop explanatory models, some have claimed that discourse models can causally explain social phenomena, such as institutional change. I analyze a case of institutional change to discuss and provide arguments for two claims. First, discourse analysis cannot generate causal explanations of social phenomena. Secondly, discourse analysis can generate non-causal explanations, specifically constitutive explanations of social phenomena. I conclude the paper by discussing possible implications for social research.
Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that infects a wide range of animals and causes zoonotic infections in humans. Although it normally only results in mild illness in healthy individuals, toxoplasmosis ...is a common opportunistic infection with high mortality in individuals who are immunocompromised, most commonly due to reactivation of infection in the central nervous system. In the acute phase of infection, interferon-dependent immune responses control rapid parasite expansion and mitigate acute disease symptoms. However, after dissemination the parasite differentiates into semi-dormant cysts that form within muscle cells and neurons, where they persist for life in the infected host. Control of infection in the central nervous system, a compartment of immune privilege, relies on modified immune responses that aim to balance infection control while limiting potential damage due to inflammation. In response to the activation of interferon-mediated pathways, the parasite deploys an array of effector proteins to escape immune clearance and ensure latent survival. Although these pathways are best studied in the laboratory mouse, emerging evidence points to unique mechanisms of control in human toxoplasmosis. In this Review, we explore some of these recent findings that extend our understanding for proliferation, establishment and control of toxoplasmosis in humans.
•Method to automatically discover manufacturing systems structure from data.•Automatic generation of digital twins with an appropriate level of detail.•Characteristics of production systems ...automatically retrieved from data.•Model tuning method that generates models able to estimate system performances.•1-min model development allows for online application.
The latest developments in industry involved the deployment of digital twins for both long and short term decision making, such as supply chain management, production planning and control. Modern production environments are frequently subject to disruptions and consequent modifications. As a result, the development of digital twins of manufacturing systems cannot rely solely on manual operations. Recent contributions proposed approaches to exploit data for the automated generation of the models. However, the resulting representations can be excessively accurate and may also describe activities that are not significant for estimating the system performance. Generating models with an appropriate level of detail can avoid useless efforts and long computation times, while allowing for easier understanding and re-usability. This paper proposes a method to automatically discover manufacturing systems and generate adequate digital twins. The relevant characteristics of a production system are automatically retrieved from data logs. The proposed method has been applied on two test cases and a real manufacturing line. The experimental results prove its effectiveness in generating digital models that can correctly estimate the system performance.
Molecules can be exposed to strong local electric fields of the order of 10(8)-10(10) V m(-1) in the biological milieu. The effects of such fields on the rate constant (k) of a model reaction, the ...double-proton transfer reaction in the formic acid dimer (FAD), are investigated. The barrier heights and shapes are calculated in the absence and presence of several static homogenous external fields ranging from 5.14 × 10(8) to 5.14 × 10(9) V m(-1) using density functional theory (DFT/B3LYP) and second order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) in conjunction with the 6-311++G(d,p) Pople basis set. Conventional transition state theory (CTST) followed by Wigner tunneling correction is then applied to estimate the rate constants at 25 °C. It is found that electric fields parallel to the long axis of the dimer (the line joining the two carbon atoms) lower the uncorrected barrier height, and hence increase the raw k. These fields also flatten the potential energy surface near the transition state region and, hence, decrease the multiplicative tunneling correction factor. The net result of these two opposing effects is that fields increase k(corrected) by a factor of ca. 3-4 (DFT-MP2, respectively) compared to the field-free k. Field strengths of ∼3 × 10(9) V m(-1) are found to be sufficient to double the tunneling-corrected double proton transfer rate constant at 25 °C. Field strengths of similar orders of magnitudes are encountered in the scanning tunneling microscope (STM), in the microenvironment of a DNA base-pair, in an enzyme active site, and in intense laser radiation fields. It is shown that the net (tunneling corrected) effect of the field on k can be closely fitted to an exponential relationship of the form k = aexp(bE), where a and b are constants and E the electric field strength.
While physical performance has long been thought to be limited only by physiological factors, many experiments denote that psychological ones can also influence it. Specifically, the deception ...paradigm investigates the effect of psychological factors on performance by manipulating a psychological variable unbeknownst to the subjects. For example, during a physical exercise performed to failure, previous results revealed an improvement in performance (i.e., holding time) when the clock shown to the subjects was deceptively slowed down. However, the underlying neurophysiological changes supporting this performance improvement due to deceptive time manipulation remain unknown. Here, we addressed this issue by investigating from a neuromuscular perspective the effect of a deceptive clock manipulation on a single‐joint isometric task conducted to failure in 24 healthy participants (11 females). Neuromuscular fatigue was assessed by pre‐ to post‐exercise changes in quadriceps maximal voluntary torque (Tmax), voluntary activation level (VAL), and potentiated twitch (TTW). Our main results indicated a significant performance improvement when the clock was slowed down (Biased: 356 ± 118 s vs. Normal: 332 ± 112 s, p = .036) but, surprisingly, without any difference in the associated neuromuscular fatigue (p > .05 and BF < 0.3 for Tmax, VAL, and TTW between both sessions). Computational modeling showed that, when observed, the holding time improvement was explained by a neuromuscular fatigue accumulation based on subjective rather than actual time. These results support a psychological influence on neuromuscular processes and contribute significantly to the literature on the mind–body influence, by challenging our understanding of fatigue.
Limits of physical performance can be extended by psychological manipulation. However, the fundamental mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. Here we explore the underlying neurophysiological changes that support performance improvement due to deceptive clock manipulation. Our results showed that fatigue accumulation followed subjective rather than real time for participants who improved their performance, thus allowing to overcome physical performance limits without increasing the generated neuromuscular fatigue.
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