scholarly journals Optimised Reduction of Surgical Gloves Pinholes using Forward Search Method

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 3733-3744
Author(s):  
Azimah Ahmad ◽  
Nur Anisah Mohamed @ A. Rahman ◽  
Zaharah Wahid
Keyword(s):  
Information Criterion ◽  
Fractional Factorial ◽  
Forward Search ◽  
Surgical Gloves ◽  
Influential Points ◽  
Multiple Variables ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Linear Regressions ◽  
Studentized Residual

This research investigates the factors that affect the existence of pinholes in surgical gloves during the manufacturing process. Since eight factors affect the existence of pinholes in surgical gloves, a two-level fractional factorial design 28-4 was used to study the main effects and the first-order interactions of the multiple variables. Multiple linear regressions are used to model the data. This paper also examines the presence of influential points in the data using the influential measures in linear regression such as Cook’s Distance, DFFITS, DFBETAS, Studentized Residual, Standardized Residual, Hadi's measure, and the robust forward search. The impact of influential points is further assessed through deletion of potential influential points and model selection using adjusted R2, information criterion, and stepwise selection to see whether these influential points significantly improved the existing model.

scholarly journals Factors influencing the imposition of a charge on the entrance to the interpretive trails in the large protected areas

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 1041-1049
Author(s):  
Josef Navrátil ◽  
Kamil Pícha
Keyword(s):  
Discrete Choice ◽  
Choice Experiment ◽  
Fractional Factorial Design ◽  
Multinomial Logit Model ◽  
Fractional Factorial ◽  
Large Protected Areas ◽  
A Charge ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way

The aim of this paper is to assess the relation between the character of the interpretive trail and the imposition of a charge on the entrance. This was done using the discrete choice experiment that involves eight attributes, seven of which are with three levels: the overall character of the trail, the way that the route signs are used in the terrain, the ways of providing information, the length of the trail, the way of the routing, the focus of the trail, and the price of the entrance. There is also one with two levels that involves the existence of the places for rest. The fractional factorial design was used (the orthogonal main effects plan) and the Multinomial Logit Model was used in analyzing the data. The 2,830 choices were done by random sampled visitors from eight tourist locations in the Tourist Regions of the Šumava Mts. and South Bohemia during the summer season 2012. The impact of the character of the trail was especially detected in the model. Except for that, the equipment of the trail and its length have had the fundamental impact on the choice of the trail as well. Those longer and worse equipped trails have a significantly lower degree of utility for the respondents. What is quite surprising is that the respondents refused the ecotourism elements of the interpretive trails, such as the possibility of going through the trail on horseback or the accompaniment of an expert who would provide some comments, as it is common to do this at historical attractions within those sightseeing paths.

AC Electrodeposition of Uniform High Aspect-Ratio Metal Nanowires in Porous Aluminum Oxide Templates

2005 ◽  
Vol 879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan J. Gerein ◽  
Shazma S. Mithani ◽  
Joel A. Haber
Keyword(s):  
Aluminum Oxide ◽  
Continuous Wave ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Fractional Factorial ◽  
Metal Nanowires ◽  
Porous Aluminum ◽  
Multiple Variables ◽  
Porous Aluminum Oxide ◽  
Iron Nanowires ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe use of alternating current (ac) electrodeposition permits deposition through the resistive Al2O3 barrier layer, enabling the use of the as-grown porous aluminum oxide (PAO) template. This results in a process that is cost effective, simple, and scalable. However, achieving uniform filling using this technique is challenging. We have carried out a systematic study of the effect of multiple variables on the ac electrodeposition of copper nanowires using a fractional factorial design of experiment (FFDOE). This experiment led to the identification of template damage that occurs when continuous wave ac deposition conditions are employed, as well as to effective pulsed wave ac electrodeposition conditions. Subsequent examination of the effect of wave shape has identified the impact of this variable on electrodeposition, producing a further optimized set of ac electrodeposition conditions. The utility of these electrodeposition conditions has also been extended to the deposition of iron nanowires with similar results.

Are More Profiles Better Than Fewer?: Searching for Parsimony and Relevance in Stated Choice Experiments

2000 ◽  
Vol 1719 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter R. Stopher ◽  
David A. Hensher
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Choice Model ◽  
Fractional Factorial ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Stated Choice ◽  
Complex Design ◽  
Data Collection Instrument ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
Better Than

Transportation planners increasingly include a stated choice (SC) experiment as part of the armory of empirical sources of information on how individuals respond to current and potential travel contexts. The accumulated experience with SC data has been heavily conditioned on analyst prejudices about the acceptable complexity of the data collection instrument, especially the number of profiles (or treatments) given to each sampled individual (and the number of attributes and alternatives to be processed). It is not uncommon for transport demand modelers to impose stringent limitations on the complexity of an SC experiment. A review of the marketing and transport literature suggests that little is known about the basis for rejecting complex designs or accepting simple designs. Although more complex designs provide the analyst with increasing degrees of freedom in the estimation of models, facilitating nonlinearity in main effects and independent two-way interactions, it is not clear what the overall behavioral gains are in increasing the number of treatments. A complex design is developed as the basis for a stated choice study, producing a fractional factorial of 32 rows. The fraction is then truncated by administering 4, 8, 16, 24, and 32 profiles to a sample of 166 individuals (producing 1, 016 treatments) in Australia and New Zealand faced with the decision to fly (or not to fly) between Australia and New Zealand by either Qantas or Ansett under alternative fare regimes. Statistical comparisons of elasticities (an appropriate behavioral basis for comparisons) suggest that the empirical gains within the context of a linear specification of the utility expression associated with each alternative in a discrete choice model may be quite marginal.

scholarly journals Patient preferences for use of virtual consultations in an orthopaedic rehabilitation setting: Results from a discrete choice experiment

2021 ◽  
pp. 135581962110354
Author(s):  
Anthony W Gilbert ◽  
Emmanouil Mentzakis ◽  
Carl R May ◽  
Maria Stokes ◽  
Jeremy Jones
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Discrete Choice Experiment ◽  
Discrete Choice ◽  
Patient Preferences ◽  
Choice Experiment ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Problem Area ◽  
Fractional Factorial ◽  
The Impact

Objective Virtual Consultations may reduce the need for face-to-face outpatient appointments, thereby potentially reducing the cost and time involved in delivering health care. This study reports a discrete choice experiment (DCE) that identifies factors that influence patient preferences for virtual consultations in an orthopaedic rehabilitation setting. Methods Previous research from the CONNECT (Care in Orthopaedics, burdeN of treatmeNt and the Effect of Communication Technology) Project and best practice guidance informed the development of our DCE. An efficient fractional factorial design with 16 choice scenarios was created that identified all main effects and partial two-way interactions. The design was divided into two blocks of eight scenarios each, to reduce the impact of cognitive fatigue. Data analysis were conducted using binary logit regression models. Results Sixty-one paired response sets (122 subjects) were available for analysis. DCE factors (whether the therapist is known to the patient, duration of appointment, time of day) and demographic factors (patient qualifications, access to equipment, difficulty with activities, multiple health issues, travel costs) were significant predictors of preference. We estimate that a patient is less than 1% likely to prefer a virtual consultation if the patient has a degree, is without access to the equipment and software to undertake a virtual consultation, does not have difficulties with day-to-day activities, is undergoing rehabilitation for one problem area, has to pay less than £5 to travel, is having a consultation with a therapist not known to them, in 1 weeks’ time, lasting 60 minutes, at 2 pm. We have developed a simple conceptual model to explain how these factors interact to inform preference, including patients’ access to resources, context for the consultation and the requirements of the consultation. Conclusions This conceptual model provides the framework to focus attention towards factors that might influence patient preference for virtual consultations. Our model can inform the development of future technologies, trials, and qualitative work to further explore the mechanisms that influence preference.

scholarly journals Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Romanian Labor Market

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 271
Author(s):  
Carmen Valentina Radulescu ◽  
Georgiana-Raluca Ladaru ◽  
Sorin Burlacu ◽  
Florentina Constantin ◽  
Corina Ioanăș ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Labor Force ◽  
Semantic Differential ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Impact

The present research aims to establish the impact that the current crisis situation the planet is facing, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, has had so far on the Romanian labor force market. In this context, given the lack of information and information regarding this pandemic and its effects, the administration of a questionnaire among the population was considered to identify the research results. The method of semantic differential and the method of ordering the ranks were used for the interpretation of the results. With the help of this questionnaire, it will be possible to answer the question of the research in this study: What are the main effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Romanian labor market? The main results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the Romanian workforce; the respondents of the applied questionnaire claimed that they obtained better results and maintained a similar income, but the health crisis also influenced the mentality of employees, with respondents stating that in the event of changing jobs, they would consider it very important for the new employer to ensure the conditions for preventing and combating COVID-19, as well as complex health insurance. However, analyzing at the macroeconomic level, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic induced an increase in the number of unemployed people in the Romanian labor market.

Does Wrongdoer Reputation Matter? Impact of Auditor-Wrongdoer Performance and Likeability Reputations on Fellow Auditors' Intention to Take Action and Choice of Reporting Outlet

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse C. Robertson ◽  
Chad M. Stefaniak ◽  
Mary B. Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Good Performer ◽  
Reporting Decisions ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
Reporting Channel ◽  
Channel Preferences ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Selection Of

ABSTRACT We investigate the effects of auditor-wrongdoer reputations for performance and likeability on fellow auditors' intentions to take action in response to a questionable audit act. We also use this context to explore auditor selection of reporting outlets, when they do choose to take action. In an experiment with 181 auditors, main effects suggest that likeability reputation is a significant determinant of intention to take action, while performance reputation is marginally significant. As expected, interaction results indicate that auditors have the greatest intention to take action against less likeable, poor performers. Contrary to expectations, intention to take action against a more likeable, good performer is no lower than the mixed conditions. Thus, the influence of the two dimensions of reputation is complex. Additionally, we find auditors are more likely to whistle-blow internally than externally, and through non-anonymous outlets than anonymous outlets. Our contributions include exploring the impact of reputation on the actions of third parties, and advancing prior literature by considering the influence of wrongdoer attributes on reporting decisions and auditors' reporting channel preferences. Data Availability: Data are available from the first author upon request.

scholarly journals Combined effects of genotype and childhood adversity shape variability of DNA methylation across age

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darina Czamara ◽  
Elleke Tissink ◽  
Johanna Tuhkanen ◽  
Jade Martins ◽  
Yvonne Awaloff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Synaptic Function ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Impact

AbstractLasting effects of adversity, such as exposure to childhood adversity (CA) on disease risk, may be embedded via epigenetic mechanisms but findings from human studies investigating the main effects of such exposure on epigenetic measures, including DNA methylation (DNAm), are inconsistent. Studies in perinatal tissues indicate that variability of DNAm at birth is best explained by the joint effects of genotype and prenatal environment. Here, we extend these analyses to postnatal stressors. We investigated the contribution of CA, cis genotype (G), and their additive (G + CA) and interactive (G × CA) effects to DNAm variability in blood or saliva from five independent cohorts with a total sample size of 1074 ranging in age from childhood to late adulthood. Of these, 541 were exposed to CA, which was assessed retrospectively using self-reports or verified through social services and registries. For the majority of sites (over 50%) in the adult cohorts, variability in DNAm was best explained by G + CA or G × CA but almost never by CA alone. Across ages and tissues, 1672 DNAm sites showed consistency of the best model in all five cohorts, with G × CA interactions explaining most variance. The consistent G × CA sites mapped to genes enriched in brain-specific transcripts and Gene Ontology terms related to development and synaptic function. Interaction of CA with genotypes showed the strongest contribution to DNAm variability, with stable effects across cohorts in functionally relevant genes. This underscores the importance of including genotype in studies investigating the impact of environmental factors on epigenetic marks.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Hospitality Industry in Greece and Its Treasured Santorini Island

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7906
Author(s):  
Nikola Medová ◽  
Lucie Macková ◽  
Jaromir Harmacek
Keyword(s):  
Social Impact ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Multiple Variables ◽  
Hospitality Sector ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Further Development

This paper focuses on the dynamic of the recent upheaval in the tourism and hospitality sector due to the COVID-19 epidemic in Greece and Santorini island. It uses the case study of a country one-fourth of whose GDP consists of tourism. We compare the available statistical data showing the change in variables in the previous years with 2020 and look into the new challenges and opportunities posed by the drop in the numbers of visitors and flights. We focus mainly on the economic and social impact on the destination and possible future scenarios for further development in the area. Data show a significant effect of the pandemic on multiple variables, such as the long-term trend of the importance of tourism sector in GDP in Greece, the number of flights and visitors to Greece and Santorini island, and the contribution of tourism and travel to GDP. Based on the available data, we also construct three foresight scenarios that describe the possible futures for Santorini island in terms of the pandemic evolution. These scenarios may help various stakeholders and policymakers to be better prepared for different developments that may appear.

scholarly journals Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sports Entrepreneurship

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8493
Author(s):  
Paloma Escamilla-Fajardo ◽  
Juan M. Núñez-Pomar ◽  
Ferran Calabuig-Moreno ◽  
Ana M. Gómez-Tafalla
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Paired Sample ◽  
Sports Clubs ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Linear Regressions ◽  
Crisis Situations

Sports entrepreneurship has been considered an important part of sports organisations when overcoming crisis situations. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of the crisis derived from COVID-19 on sports entrepreneurship and whether there are differences in the prediction of entrepreneurship on service quality in non-profit sports clubs. To this end, 145 sports clubs were analysed before and after the outbreak of the virus in society. Paired sample-t tests were carried out to determine the differences in variables studied before (Time I) and after (Time II) the COVID-19 outbreak, and correlations and hierarchical linear regressions were used to analyse the relationship between the variables studied in the two different stages. The results obtained show that risk-taking and innovation are significantly higher after the appearance of COVID-19, while proactivity has not undergone significant changes. Finally, the relationship between sports entrepreneurship and service quality is positive and significant in both stages but stronger before the crisis.

scholarly journals Modeling the Impact of Climate Changes on Crop Yield: Irrigated vs. Non-Irrigated Zones in Mississippi

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2249
Author(s):  
Sadia Alam Shammi ◽  
Qingmin Meng
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Information Criterion ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
The Impact

Climate change and its impact on agriculture are challenging issues regarding food production and food security. Many researchers have been trying to show the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on agriculture using different methods. In this study, we used linear regression models to assess the impact of climate on crop yield spatially and temporally by managing irrigated and non-irrigated crop fields. The climate data used in this study are Tmax (maximum temperature), Tmean (mean temperature), Tmin (minimum temperature), precipitation, and soybean annual yields, at county scale for Mississippi, USA, from 1980 to 2019. We fit a series of linear models that were evaluated based on statistical measurements of adjusted R-square, Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). According to the statistical model evaluation, the 1980–1992 model Y[Tmax,Tmin,Precipitation]92i (BIC = 120.2) for irrigated zones and the 1993–2002 model Y[Tmax,Tmean,Precipitation]02ni (BIC = 1128.9) for non-irrigated zones showed the best fit for the 10-year period of climatic impacts on crop yields. These models showed about 2 to 7% significant negative impact of Tmax increase on the crop yield for irrigated and non-irrigated regions. Besides, the models for different agricultural districts also explained the changes of Tmax, Tmean, Tmin, and precipitation in the irrigated (adjusted R-square: 13–28%) and non-irrigated zones (adjusted R-square: 8–73%). About 2–10% negative impact of Tmax was estimated across different agricultural districts, whereas about −2 to +17% impacts of precipitation were observed for different districts. The modeling of 40-year periods of the whole state of Mississippi estimated a negative impact of Tmax (about 2.7 to 8.34%) but a positive impact of Tmean (+8.9%) on crop yield during the crop growing season, for both irrigated and non-irrigated regions. Overall, we assessed that crop yields were negatively affected (about 2–8%) by the increase of Tmax during the growing season, for both irrigated and non-irrigated zones. Both positive and negative impacts on crop yields were observed for the increases of Tmean, Tmin, and precipitation, respectively, for irrigated and non-irrigated zones. This study showed the pattern and extent of Tmax, Tmean, Tmin, and precipitation and their impacts on soybean yield at local and regional scales. The methods and the models proposed in this study could be helpful to quantify the climate change impacts on crop yields by considering irrigation conditions for different regions and periods.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document