The degree of heterogeneity of news consumption in Germany—Descriptive statistics and relations with individual differences in personality, ideological attitudes, and voting intentions

This study aimed to examine the degree of homogeneity versus heterogeneity of individuals’ political information environments across offline and online media types and relations with sociodemographic variables, personality, and political attitudes. In two online surveys, German participants (sample 1: N = 686; sample 2: N = 702) provided information on sociodemographic variables, consumption of political news, and voting intentions, and completed the Big Five Inventory and Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) scales. Results revealed that absolutely homogeneous political news consumption was evident for a small proportion of individuals (2.04% and 0.43%). Openness (positively) and Agreeableness (negatively) exhibited significant associations with the degree of heterogeneity of political information environments across samples. No consistent patterns of relations with either the ideological attitudes of RWA and SDO or voting intentions were observed. The findings shed light on the existence of absolutely homogeneous political information environments and “who” might be prone to a more homogeneous versus more heterogeneous information environment.

Participant Characteristics Predicting Communication Outcomes in AAC Implementation for Individuals with ASD and IDD: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This meta-analysis examined social communication outcomes in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions, or those that involved aided (e.g., speech generating devices, picture point systems) or unaided AAC (e.g., gestures, manual sign language) as a component of intervention, and the extent to which communication outcomes were predicted by participant characteristics. Variables of interest included chronological age, communication mode used prior to intervention, number of words produced and imitation skills of participants prior to intervention. Investigators identified 117 primary studies that implemented AAC interventions with school-aged individuals (up to 22 years) with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability associated with complex communication needs and assessed social-communication outcomes. All included studies involved single-case experimental designs and met basic study design quality standards. We synthesized findings across studies using two complementary effect size indices, Tau(AB) and the log response ratio, and multi-level meta-analysis with robust variance estimation. With Tau(AB), the overall average effect across 338 participants was 0.72, 95% CI [0.67, 0.76], with a high degree of heterogeneity across studies. With the log response ratio, the overall average effect corresponded to a 538% increase from baseline levels of responding, 95% CI [388%, 733%], with a high degree of heterogeneity across studies and contrasts. Moderator analyses detected few differences in effectiveness when comparing across diagnoses, ages, the number and type of communication modes the participants used prior to intervention, the number of words used by the participants prior to intervention, and imitation use prior to intervention.

Immune Characteristics of IgA Nephropathy With Minimal Change Disease

Background: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) has a high degree of heterogeneity in clinical and pathological features. Among all subsets of IgAN, the pathogenesis of IgAN with minimal change disease (MCD-IgAN) remained controversial.Methods: We analyzed the clinical and pathological characteristics of MCD-IgAN patients in a retrospective cohort. Patients diagnosed with IgAN, excluding MCD-IgAN, were randomly selected as controls. Levels of plasma galactose-deficient IgA1 (GdIgA1), IgG autoantibodies against GdIgA1, GdIgA1 deposition in the glomerulus, and inflammatory reactivity of circulating poly-IgA1 complexes to cultured mesangial cells were evaluated.Results: Patients with MCD-IgAN had significantly higher levels of proteinuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), lower levels of albumin and urine blood cells, and milder histological lesions by a light microscope compared to IgAN patients, which bears a resemblance to MCD. Lower levels of GdIgA1 (3.41 ± 1.68 vs. 4.92 ± 2.30 μg/ml, p = 0.009) and IgG antiglycan autoantibodies (23.25 ± 22.59 vs. 76.58 ± 71.22 IU/ml, p < 0.001) were found in MCD-IgAN patients than those in IgAN controls. Meanwhile, weaker fluorescence intensities of both IgA and GdIgA1 were observed in the glomerulus of MCD-IgAN patients compared to those in IgAN patients. Furthermore, poly-IgA1 complexes from MCD-IgAN patients induced weaker inflammatory effects on cultured mesangial cells than those from IgAN patients in vitro.Conclusion: The results demonstrated that MCD-IgAN cases represent a dual glomerulopathy, namely, mild IgAN with superimposed MCD, which furthermore provides substantial evidence for the corticosteroids therapy in MCD-IgAN patients as the guidelines recommended.

Predictive Models of Intensive Care Unit Mortality - Severity of Illness Scores or Artificial Intelligence instruments? - Literature Review and Metanalysis (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The Severity of Illness Scores (SIS)- Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE), Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS), and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) - are current risk stratification and mortality prediction tools used in Intensive Care Units (ICU) across the globe, and rely on scores that assess disease severity on admission. Developers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Learning (ML) models predictive of ICU mortality use the SIS performance as a reference point when reporting the performance of these computational constructs. OBJECTIVE Using systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluated studies that compare ML-based mortality prediction models to SIS-based models. The review should inform clinicians regarding the prognostic value of ML-based ICU mortality prediction models compared with SIS models and their validity in supporting clinical decision-making. METHODS We performed a systematic search using PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and IEEE databases. Studies that report the performance of newly developed ML models predictive of ICU mortality and compare it with the performance of SIS models on the same datasets were eligible for inclusion. ML and the SIS models with a reported Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUROC) curve were included in the meta-analysis to identify the group with superior performance. Data were extracted with guidance from the CHARMS (Critical Appraisal and Data Extraction for Systematic Reviews of Prediction Modelling Studies) checklist[1] and was appraised for risk of bias and applicability using PROBAST (A Tool to Assess the Risk of Bias and Applicability of Prediction Model Studies ) [2]. RESULTS After screening the literature, we identified and included 20 papers containing 47 ML models based on seven types of algorithms that were compared with three types of SIS models. The AUROC for predicting ICU mortality ranged between 0.828-0.875 for ML-based models and between 0.707-0.760 for SI-based models. We noted substantial heterogeneity among the models reported, and considerable variation among the AUROC estimates for both ML and SIS model types. Due to the high degree of heterogeneity, we performed a limited random-effect meta-analysis of externally validated subgroups of ML models and the subgroups of SIS used for comparison. CONCLUSIONS ML-based models can accurately predict ICU mortality as an alternative to traditional scoring models. The high degree of heterogeneity observed within and between studies limit the assessment of pooled results. The differences in development strategies, validation, statistical, and computational methods that these models rely on impede a head-to-head comparison, and we cannot declare the superiority of one model over the other. Consequently, we make no recommendation regarding the ML-based ICU mortality prediction models’ performance in clinical practice. To bridge the knowledge gap from design to practice, ML model developers must provide explainer models and make those knowledge objects reproducible, interoperable, and transparent[3]. CLINICALTRIAL the review was registered and approved by the international prospective register of systematic reviews, PROSPERO (reference number CRD42021203871).

Studying the homogeneity of the coordinate base SSC-2011 at arranging a special-purpose geodetic network

The results of studies on the SSC-2011 coordinate base homogeneity carried out in the process of linking a special-purpose geodetic network’s points to this coordinate system are presented. The research consisted of multiple determinations of the differential geodetic stations (DGS) coordinates in GSK-2011 from different types of the coordinate base of this system. In the first version, they were obtained through their binding to the nearest points of the SGN with known coordinates in the SSC-2011. In the second one, the DGS was linked to SSC-2011 by GNSS vectors to four FAGS points. In the third variant, in order to obtain these coordinates in SSC-2011 the reference were four points of the IGS network. The grid coordinates of the DGS determined in GSK-2011 from the FAGS and IGS points coincided within 1,3 cm. Those of the DGS in SSC-2011, from points of the SGN, differ from the ones obtained in the FAGS and IGS by maximum values up to 21,8 cm, 22,2 cm, 27,2 cm in the abscissa, ordinate, and position, respectively. The derived data on the degree of heterogeneity of the SGN in SSC-2011 enable concluding the impracticality of using it as the coordinate basis of this system at carrying out works, requiring positioning accuracy at the level of several centimeters.

The South African Informal Economy

The literature and key policy debates on the South African informal economy are reviewed through the lens of Chen’s taxonomy of informal economy debates into legalist, dualist, voluntarist, and structuralist schools of thought. Previous insights are supplemented with an empirical analysis of the South African informal economy, using Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Surveys. Together these analyses suggest that the post-apartheid informal economy is characterized by a large degree of heterogeneity by status in employment and sectoral distribution and is highly gendered in its segmentation. Further, earnings are low for all but a few groups of informal workers. Much of the existing evidence also suggests that, somewhat in contrast to conventional economic theory, the South African informal economy does not absorb newcomers easily, and particularly not in times of crisis. The chapter concludes by reflecting on the primary thrust of post-apartheid policy and by examining South Africa’s response to the global call to promote the formalization of the informal economy.

Inflation Dynamics

<p>This thesis studies inflation dynamics, investigating both reasons why prices change, and why they sometimes do not. It investigates four areas that are of interest to monetary policy makers, but where our knowledge is incomplete. The first area investigated is the causes of price stickiness at the firm level. Insight is given by a large survey of price-setting behaviour of New Zealand firms. There is a large degree of heterogeneity in price-setting practices between, and within, sectors. Explicit contracts, implicit contracts and strategic complementarity are the most widely recognised causes of price rigidity. Menu costs and sticky information are not widely recognised. The second area investigated is how exporters price, and in particular the decisions over currency of invoice and whether to differentiate prices across markets. In sharp contrast to commonly held views, we find that primary sector firms do differentiate prices across markets. Indeed, these firms are more likely to do so in New Zealand than firms in other sectors. Larger, and more productive firms, are more likely to differentiate prices. This thesis then studies the influence that global inflation factors have on domestic inflation. A CPI database for 223 countries and territories extends the previous research, which focuses on high income countries. Global factors explain a large share of the variance of national inflation rates in advanced countries, but not for less developed countries. More generally, global factors have greater influence in countries with higher GDP per capita, financial development and central bank transparency. Global factors explain a large share of the variance of food and energy prices but a much smaller share of the variance of other sub-components. Finally, this thesis carries out the first systematic analysis of the impact on inflation of disasters caused by natural hazards. There is a large degree of heterogeneity, with disasters having little significant effect in advanced countries, but having effects that can persist for years in developing economies. There are also differences between types of disasters and sub-indices of inflation. Storms have a short-run impact on food price inflation that lasts for the first two quarters, before being reversed in the subsequent two. Earthquakes reduce CPI inflation excluding food, housing and energy.</p>

Inflation Dynamics

<p>This thesis studies inflation dynamics, investigating both reasons why prices change, and why they sometimes do not. It investigates four areas that are of interest to monetary policy makers, but where our knowledge is incomplete. The first area investigated is the causes of price stickiness at the firm level. Insight is given by a large survey of price-setting behaviour of New Zealand firms. There is a large degree of heterogeneity in price-setting practices between, and within, sectors. Explicit contracts, implicit contracts and strategic complementarity are the most widely recognised causes of price rigidity. Menu costs and sticky information are not widely recognised. The second area investigated is how exporters price, and in particular the decisions over currency of invoice and whether to differentiate prices across markets. In sharp contrast to commonly held views, we find that primary sector firms do differentiate prices across markets. Indeed, these firms are more likely to do so in New Zealand than firms in other sectors. Larger, and more productive firms, are more likely to differentiate prices. This thesis then studies the influence that global inflation factors have on domestic inflation. A CPI database for 223 countries and territories extends the previous research, which focuses on high income countries. Global factors explain a large share of the variance of national inflation rates in advanced countries, but not for less developed countries. More generally, global factors have greater influence in countries with higher GDP per capita, financial development and central bank transparency. Global factors explain a large share of the variance of food and energy prices but a much smaller share of the variance of other sub-components. Finally, this thesis carries out the first systematic analysis of the impact on inflation of disasters caused by natural hazards. There is a large degree of heterogeneity, with disasters having little significant effect in advanced countries, but having effects that can persist for years in developing economies. There are also differences between types of disasters and sub-indices of inflation. Storms have a short-run impact on food price inflation that lasts for the first two quarters, before being reversed in the subsequent two. Earthquakes reduce CPI inflation excluding food, housing and energy.</p>

Assessment of the Homogeneity of Polymeric Materials Using Hounsfield Units

The X-ray transparency of various polymers and plastics is one of the most important factors in the choice of material in the design of new medical robotic and mechatronic systems and complexes. Along with the radiolucency, such a parameter as material inhomogeneity is also one of the main ones. The inhomogeneity of the material can not only affect the radiolucency of individual areas of the product but also impose restrictions on the use of polymeric materials by changing the physical and mechanical properties of the products. In this work, a technique was proposed for determining the location of regions of interest with reliable values on a CT image. Data were obtained for the values of the parameter HU and standard deviation for various polymer materials. A technique was proposed for determining the degree of heterogeneity of polymeric materials. The values of the degree of heterogeneity were obtained for all investigated materials.

Strategic investment decisions in multi-stage contests with heterogeneous players

When heterogeneous players make strategic investment decisions in multi-stage contests, they might conserve resources in a current contest to spend more in a subsequent contest, if the degree of heterogeneity in the current (subsequent) contest is sufficiently large (small). We confirm these predictions using data from German professional soccer, in which players are subject to a one-match ban if they accumulate five yellow cards. Players with four yellow cards facing the risk of being suspended for the next match are (i) less likely to be fielded when the heterogeneity in the current match increases and (ii) more likely to receive a fifth yellow card in the current match when heterogeneity in the next match increases or heterogeneity in the next match but one (when they return from their ban) decreases.