Simple, Closed-Form Expressions Relating Long-Term (Z score) and Short-Term (Defects per Opportunity) Variability

Background: Measuring undernutrition using composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) and identifying its determinants in tribal regions is essential to recognize the true burden of undernutrition in these settings. Objective: To determine anthropometric failure and its determinants among tribal children younger than 5 years in Palghar, Maharashtra, India. Methods: A cross-sectional survey employing CIAF was performed in children <5 years to estimate undernutrition in the tribal district of Palghar in Maharashtra, India. Anthropometric measurements, maternal and child characteristics were recorded from 577 mother–child pairs in 9 villages. Results: As per Z score, prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight were 48%, 13%, and 43%, respectively. According to CIAF, 66% of children had at least one manifestation of undernutrition and 40% had more than one manifestation of undernutrition. Odds of anthropometric failure were 1.5 times higher among children of mothers who were illiterate (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =1.57, 95% CI: 1.0-2.3), children who had birth weight >2.5 kg had lesser odds (AOR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.4-0.9) of anthropometric failure, and children who had initiated early breastfeeding had 1.5 times higher odds of anthropometric failure (crude odds ratio: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.1). However, when adjusted for other independent variables, the results were not significant. Conclusion: The alarming proportion of anthropometric failure among tribal children calls for urgent short-term interventions to correct undernutrition and long-term interventions to improve maternal literacy and awareness to prevent and manage child undernutrition.

Download Full-text

Z-Score Application for Jordanian Islamic Banks

Journal of Public Administration and Governance ◽

10.5296/jpag.v10i1.16335 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yazan Qasim

Keyword(s):

Diagnostic Technique ◽

Bank Performance ◽

Grey Zone ◽

Islamic Banks ◽

Z Score ◽

Short Term ◽

Islamic Bank ◽

Score Model ◽

Safe Zones

This research primarily aims to utilise the Altman model of Z-score to examine the trend performance and predict bankruptcy among three Islamic banks in Jordan for the period of 2010-2016. Furthermore, it also aims to introduce the Z-score model as a beneficial diagnostic technique for possible causes standing behind the bank performance crises. The results of the Z-score model showed that the Jordan Dubai Islamic Bank (JDIB), Jordan Islamic Bank for Finance and Investment (JIBFI), and International Islamic Arabic Banks (IIAB) recorded safe zones in the period of study except for JDIB and IIAB which recorded a Grey zone in 2010, 2011, and 2012 and 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. The implication of this research is important to policymakers, managers, and investors who can use the information to monitor the safest bank among these three Islamic banks in Jordan based on the priority for lending that has to be done in the order of JIBFI, JDIB, and then IIAB. On the other hand, the Z-score was found to be a valid model to examine performance, and ratios utilised in computing the Z-score which was considered to provide workable instrumental indicators as well as being adopted to finance short-term and long-term projects by Jordanian Islamic banks.

Download Full-text

Spirometric classifications of COPD severity as predictive markers for clinical outcomes: the HUNT Study

10.1101/2020.11.03.20221432 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Laxmi Bhatta ◽

Linda Leivseth ◽

Xiao-Mei Mai ◽

Anne Hildur Henriksen ◽

David Carslake ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Continuous Variable ◽

Z Score ◽

Uk Biobank ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Survival ◽

Respiratory Mortality ◽

Hunt Study

ABSTRACTRationaleGOLD grades based on percent-predicted FEV1 poorly predicts mortality. Studies have recommended alternative expressions of FEV1 for the classification of COPD severity and they warrant investigation.ObjectiveTo compare the predictive abilities of ppFEV1 (ppFEV1 quartiles, GOLD grades, ATS/ERS grades), FEV1 z-score (FEV1 z-score quartiles, FEV1 z-score grades), FEV1.Ht-2 (FEV1.Ht-2 quartiles, FEV1.Ht-2 grades), FEV1.Ht-3 (FEV1.Ht-3 quartiles), and FEV1Q (FEV1Q quartiles) to predict clinical outcomes.MethodsPeople aged ≥40 years with COPD (n=890) who participated in the HUNT Study (1995-1997) were followed for 5 years (short-term) and up to 20.4 years (long-term). Survival analysis and time-dependent area under curve (AUC) were used to compare the predictive abilities. A regression tree approach was applied to obtain optimal cut-offs of different expressions of FEV1. The UK Biobank (n=6495) was used as a replication cohort with a 5-year follow-up.ResultsAs a continuous variable, FEV1Q had the highest AUCs for all-cause mortality (short-term 70.2, long-term 68.3), respiratory mortality (short-term 68.4, long-term 67.7), cardiovascular mortality (short-term 63.1, long-term 62.3), COPD hospitalization (short-term 71.3, long-term 70.9), and pneumonia hospitalization (short-term 67.8, long-term 66.6), followed by FEV1.Ht-2 or FEV1.Ht-3. Generally, similar results were observed for FEV1Q quartiles. The optimal cut-offs of FEV1Q had higher AUCs compared to GOLD grades for predicting short-term and long-term clinical outcomes. Similar results were found in UK Biobank.ConclusionsFEV1Q best predicted the clinical outcomes and could improve the classification of COPD severity.

Download Full-text

Assessing Patient Preferences for the Benefits and Risks of Treating for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML): A Pilot Study

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v128.22.4799.4799 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 128 (22) ◽

pp. 4799-4799 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jaein Seo ◽

B. Douglas Smith ◽

Elihu H. Estey ◽

Ernest S. Voyard ◽

Bernadette O'Donoghue ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Side Effects ◽

Patient Preferences ◽

Myeloid Leukemia ◽

Research Funding ◽

Z Score ◽

Short Term ◽

Stakeholder Committee ◽

Society Research

Abstract Introduction:Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a blood cancer which progresses rapidly in the absence of treatment. There have been few advances in the treatment of AML over the last three decades. In 2015 the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) initiated a research program to assess patient preferences for AML treatments. The aim of this research was to promote patient-focused drug development and inform future regulatory decisions. We sought to develop and pilot a patient-centered survey instrument to assess patient preferences for the benefits and risks of AML treatments. Methods: Development was informed by a targeted literature review and engagement with an expert stakeholder committee (n=12) to guide the clinical accuracy and relevance of the survey instrument. A community stakeholder committee, consisting of patients with AML and caregivers (n=15), provided information about their experiences with AML and various treatments. They also engaged in pretest interviews to test comprehension and ensure it captured the patient experience. A discrete-choice experiment (DCE) was developed spanning 5 benefits and risks, including event-free survival (EFS), complete remission (CR), time in hospital, short-term side effects, and long-term side effects. This DCE consisted of 16 pairs of hypothetical treatments, with participants being asked to identify which treatment they would prefer in each pair. Results of a pilot study with AML patients and caregivers were assessed by Z-score that were derived from a conditional logistic model regressing each attribute upon their choices. Results: The pilot included 18 patients and 8 caregivers with a mean age of 50 years (range=24-81). Most participants were college educated (n=22), Caucasian (n=19), privately insured (n=21), and employed (n=13). Participants valued CR the most (Z-score=7.95, p<0.001), followed by EFS (5.32, p<0.001). They were most averse to time in hospital (-3.41, p=0.001), followed by long-term side effects (-3.03, p=0.002) and short-term side effects (-1.99, p=0.047), which was marginally significant. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the value of rigorous community engagement in developing survey instruments to measure patient preferences. The results of this pilot study demonstrate the ability of our DCE to measure treatment preferences of AML patients and caregivers. Given this success, we are currently engaged in a nationally study where we will recruit a larger and more diverse sample. The results of this national study will inform drug developers and regulatory decision makers. Disclosures Seo: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Research Funding. Voyard:The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Employment. O'Donoghue:The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Employment. Bridges:The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Research Funding.

Download Full-text

Conceptual short-term memory (CSTM) supports core claims of Christiansen and Chater

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x15000928 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 ◽

Author(s):

Mary C. Potter

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Rapid Serial Visual Presentation ◽

Language Comprehension ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Visual Presentation ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Use Of Knowledge

AbstractRapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of words or pictured scenes provides evidence for a large-capacity conceptual short-term memory (CSTM) that momentarily provides rich associated material from long-term memory, permitting rapid chunking (Potter 1993; 2009; 2012). In perception of scenes as well as language comprehension, we make use of knowledge that briefly exceeds the supposed limits of working memory.

Download Full-text

Ultrastructural investigations of MDL 19,660-induced effects on the canine platelet and megakaryocyte

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100159412 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 374-375

Author(s):

D.E. Loudy ◽

J. Sprinkle-Cavallo ◽

J.T. Yarrington ◽

F.Y. Thompson ◽

J.P. Gibson

Keyword(s):

Antidepressant Drug ◽

Beagle Dogs ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Short Term ◽

Platelet Counts ◽

Toxicological Studies ◽

Induced Aggregation ◽

Internal Architecture

Previous short term toxicological studies of one to two weeks duration have demonstrated that MDL 19,660 (5-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,4-dihydro-2,4-dimethyl-3Hl, 2,4-triazole-3-thione), an antidepressant drug, causes a dose-related thrombocytopenia in dogs. Platelet counts started to decline after two days of dosing with 30 mg/kg/day and continued to decrease to their lowest levels by 5-7 days. The loss in platelets was primarily of the small discoid subpopulation. In vitro studies have also indicated that MDL 19,660: does not spontaneously aggregate canine platelets and has moderate antiaggregating properties by inhibiting ADP-induced aggregation. The objectives of the present investigation of MDL 19,660 were to evaluate ultrastructurally long term effects on platelet internal architecture and changes in subpopulations of platelets and megakaryocytes.Nine male and nine female beagle dogs were divided equally into three groups and were administered orally 0, 15, or 30 mg/kg/day of MDL 19,660 for three months. Compared to a control platelet range of 353,000- 452,000/μl, a doserelated thrombocytopenia reached a maximum severity of an average of 135,000/μl for the 15 mg/kg/day dogs after two weeks and 81,000/μl for the 30 mg/kg/day dogs after one week.

Download Full-text

Comparison of Auditory, Language, Memory, and Attention Abilities in Children With and Without Listening Difficulties

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2020_aja-20-00018 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 710-727

Author(s):

Beula M. Magimairaj ◽

Naveen K. Nagaraj ◽

Alexander V. Sergeev ◽

Natalie J. Benafield

Keyword(s):

Auditory Processing ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Group Differences ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Short Term ◽

Significant Group ◽

Term Memory ◽

Memory And Attention ◽

Speed And Accuracy

Objectives School-age children with and without parent-reported listening difficulties (LiD) were compared on auditory processing, language, memory, and attention abilities. The objective was to extend what is known so far in the literature about children with LiD by using multiple measures and selective novel measures across the above areas. Design Twenty-six children who were reported by their parents as having LiD and 26 age-matched typically developing children completed clinical tests of auditory processing and multiple measures of language, attention, and memory. All children had normal-range pure-tone hearing thresholds bilaterally. Group differences were examined. Results In addition to significantly poorer speech-perception-in-noise scores, children with LiD had reduced speed and accuracy of word retrieval from long-term memory, poorer short-term memory, sentence recall, and inferencing ability. Statistically significant group differences were of moderate effect size; however, standard test scores of children with LiD were not clinically poor. No statistically significant group differences were observed in attention, working memory capacity, vocabulary, and nonverbal IQ. Conclusions Mild signal-to-noise ratio loss, as reflected by the group mean of children with LiD, supported the children's functional listening problems. In addition, children's relative weakness in select areas of language performance, short-term memory, and long-term memory lexical retrieval speed and accuracy added to previous research on evidence-based areas that need to be evaluated in children with LiD who almost always have heterogenous profiles. Importantly, the functional difficulties faced by children with LiD in relation to their test results indicated, to some extent, that commonly used assessments may not be adequately capturing the children's listening challenges. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12808607

Download Full-text