Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Luis Furuya-Kanamori, Lifeng Lin, Polychronis Kostoulas, Justin Clark, Chang Xu
Summary: This study investigates the application of limiting search dates in rapid reviews of diagnostic test accuracy studies and compares the accuracy differences between full meta-analyses and rapid reviews. The findings suggest that restricting the search dates to the most recent 10-15 years can yield reliable evidence.
RESEARCH SYNTHESIS METHODS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Mary Jane E. Vaeth, Omar Abdullah, Minahil Cheema, Kristie Sun, Maryam Elhabashy, Asia Mitchell, Maisha Foyez, Mahita Talla, Aamna Cheema, Charles Locke, Melinda Kantsiper, Andrew Pekosz, Heba H. Mostafa, Zishan K. Siddiqui
Summary: The study evaluated the reliability of expired antigen testing kits and found that expired BinaxNOW COVID-19 rapid antigen tests still maintain a high level of sensitivity. The findings have significant implications for waste management, cost efficiency, supply chain resilience, and the formulation of clinical guidelines for interpreting results from expired kits.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Daegun Yoon, Sangyoon Oh
Summary: This paper proposes a novel direction selection method, SURF, to enhance the performance of BFS on GPU. The method selects the traversal direction of a BFS execution using metrics and a deep neural network model, resulting in improved accuracy and reduced execution time compared to existing methods.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ritesh Kumar, Abhishek K. Singh
Summary: The research combines high-throughput and machine learning strategies in the discovery of efficient water-splitting photocatalysts, utilizing SHapley Additive exPlanations to interpret opaque ML models. A new database of 3099 2D materials was developed, with ML models constructed based on composition and chemical hardness features, leading to a hypothesis following the HSAB principle.
NPJ COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Optics
Yanxue Wu, Quan Mu, Fei Wu, Shichao Yang, Tian Yang, Fei Liu
Summary: This paper presents a novel two-neighbor-wavelength fringe projection approach for fast and accurate 3D measurement. By encoding four fringe images, including two short-wavelength images and two long-wavelength images, the proposed approach significantly reduces the image acquisition time. Additionally, the difference in fringe period between short and long wavelength patterns improves the noise tolerance. The effectiveness and superiority of the method are demonstrated through static and dynamic experiments.
OPTICS AND LASER TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Basilua Andre Muzembo, Kei Kitahara, Anusuya Debnath, Keinosuke Okamoto, Shin-Ichi Miyoshi
Summary: This study systematically evaluated the accuracy of cholera rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and found that they have moderate sensitivity and specificity, especially when enriched with alkaline peptone water (APW). Although they are less useful for clinical management, the current generation of RDTs can be valuable for surveillance efforts if used in a principled manner.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhanqi Liu, Haijiang Wang, Xueting Chen, Wei Wei
Summary: This study aims to develop a theoretical model combined with RVE theory for rapid fatigue limit prediction. It is believed that anelastic and microplastic behaviors contribute to temperature variation in high-cycle fatigue, and a constitutive equation is deduced to relate temperature rise evolution to stress amplitude using the heat balance equation. A method combining statistical analysis with thermographic experimental data is also developed for accurate fatigue limit estimation. Experimental data of metallic specimens and welded joints validate the proposed model, showing good agreement between experimental and predicted data.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Min Jing, Raymond Bond, Louise J. Robertson, Julie Moore, Amanda Kowalczyk, Ruth Price, William Burns, M. Andrew Nesbit, James McLaughlin, Tara Moore
Summary: The study aimed to understand the user experience of the general public using self-administered LFIA tests at home. Analysis of post-test questionnaires revealed that most participants completed the test with a high overall average user experience score. The participants showed a high level of accuracy in interpreting test results, but had lower confidence when interpreting weak positive cases.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Deepak Devadiga, T. N. Ahipa
Summary: This review highlights the importance of halogen bonding interactions in liquid crystalline materials, discussing various types of halogen-bonded LC molecules and their potential applications in developing supramolecular actuators, sensors, and tunable photonic devices.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2021)
Review
Thermodynamics
Arvind Kumar, Zafar Said, Evangelos Bellos
Summary: The evacuated tube solar collector is a suitable solar technology for producing useful heat in various climate conditions. Design parameters such as tracking system, collector design, mass flow rate, optical design, and working fluid play crucial roles in influencing the performance of the collector.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL ANALYSIS AND CALORIMETRY
(2021)
Article
Sport Sciences
Stephen W. West, Sean Williams, Dario Cazzola, Simon Kemp, Matthew J. Cross, Keith A. Stokes
Summary: Training load monitoring using the acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) has become popular in recent years for assessing injury risk, but this study found no consistent relationship between ACWR and injury. Alternative methods of training load aggregation may provide more useful information in understanding injury risk factors.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Colin L. L. Widmer, Amy Summerville, Ion Juvina, Brandon S. S. Minnery
Summary: Limiting forecaster choice in large-scale geopolitical forecasting tournaments does not adversely affect accuracy or motivation, and may actually be beneficial in ensuring sufficient forecasts and matching individuals to their best-suited questions.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Nicholas R. Piniella, Theresa E. Fuller, Laura Smith, Hojjat Salmasian, Cathy S. Yoon, Stuart R. Lipsitz, Jeffrey L. Schnipper, Anuj K. Dalal
Summary: Accurate estimation of expected discharge date (EDD) is crucial for clinical operations and discharge planning. However, EDD entries made within the first 24 hours of hospitalization are often inaccurate.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SYSTEMS
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Andrew B. Dagens, Amanda Rojek, Louise Sigfrid, Annette Pluddemann
Summary: A systematic review assessed the diagnostic accuracy of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for Ebola virus disease (EVD). The results showed that lateral flow assays had a sensitivity of 86.1% and specificity of 97%, while rapid PCR devices had a sensitivity of 96.2% and specificity of 96.8%. These RDTs can be used as a 'rule in' test to expedite treatment and vaccination.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Areti Angeliki Veroniki, Andrea C. Tricco, Jennifer Watt, Sofia Tsokani, Paul A. Khan, Charlene Soobiah, Ahmed Negm, Amanda Doherty-Kirby, Paul Taylor, Carole Lunny, Jessie McGowan, Julian Little, Patrick Mallon, David Moher, Sabrina Wong, Jacqueline Dinnes, Yemisi Takwoingi, Lynora Saxinger, Adrienne Chan, Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai, Bryn Lander, Adrienne Meyers, Guillaume Poliquin, Sharon E. Straus
Summary: This study aimed to determine the most sensitive and specific rapid test for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 through a rapid review and diagnostic test accuracy network meta-analysis. The results showed that rapid molecular tests had high sensitivity and specificity, while rapid antigen tests were mainly associated with high specificity.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yaqi Jing, Mohammad Hassan Murad, Lifeng Lin
Summary: This article proposes a Bayesian hierarchical model to synthesize different types of study results. The Bayesian method generally produces more accurate results compared to the conventional conversion method. However, the Bayesian method relies on the normality assumption for continuous measures and may lead to biases for non-normal data.
JOURNAL OF BIOPHARMACEUTICAL STATISTICS
(2023)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Luis Furuya-Kanamori, Lifeng Lin, Polychronis Kostoulas, Justin Clark, Chang Xu
Summary: This study investigates the application of limiting search dates in rapid reviews of diagnostic test accuracy studies and compares the accuracy differences between full meta-analyses and rapid reviews. The findings suggest that restricting the search dates to the most recent 10-15 years can yield reliable evidence.
RESEARCH SYNTHESIS METHODS
(2023)
Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Lifeng Lin, Aiwen Xing, Haitao Chu, M. Hassan Murad, Chang Xu, Benjamin R. Baer, Martin T. Wells, Luis Sanchez-Ramos
Summary: Since 2014, the fragility index has been increasingly used to assess the robustness of clinical trial results. It aims to identify the smallest number of event changes that could affect initially statistically significant results. Despite concerns about its validity and usefulness, this article offers a comprehensive review of the fragility index's rationale, calculation, software, and interpretation, with a focus on its application in obstetrics and gynecology studies. In addition, worked examples are provided to demonstrate how the fragility index can be appropriately calculated and interpreted.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jianxiong Hu, Guanhao He, Ruilin Meng, Weiwei Gong, Zhoupeng Ren, Heng Shi, Ziqiang Lin, Tao Liu, Fangfang Zeng, Peng Yin, Guoxia Bai, Mingfang Qin, Zhulin Hou, Xiaomei Dong, Chunliang Zhou, Zhuoma Pingcuo, Yize Xiao, Min Yu, Biao Huang, Xiaojun Xu, Lifeng Lin, Jianpeng Xiao, Jieming Zhong, Donghui Jin, Qinglong Zhao, Yajie Li, Cangjue Gama, Yiqing Xu, Lingshuang Lv, Weilin Zeng, Xing Li, Liying Luo, Maigeng Zhou, Cunrui Huang, Wenjun Ma
Summary: Injury poses a heavy burden on public health, and little evidence is available on the potential impact of climate change on injury. This study collects data from six provinces in China between 2013 and 2019 to investigate the relationship between temperature and injury mortality, as well as project future mortality burden caused by temperature change driven by climate change. The results indicate a significant increase in injury mortality risk with rising temperature, with intentional injury having a higher risk than unintentional injury. The findings highlight the need for public health policies to effectively adapt to climate change.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Zhuo Meng, Chong Wu, Lifeng Lin
Summary: Directional tests can be used to assess small-study effects, providing a more accurate evaluation of the validity of research findings. These tests showed better performance in simulation studies and real-world case studies, effectively ruling out false conclusions and assessing small-study effects more powerfully.
JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE-BASED DENTAL PRACTICE
(2023)
Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Jessica D. Davis, Luis Sanchez-Ramos, Jordan A. McKinney, Lifeng Lin, Andrew M. Kaunitz
Summary: This study aimed to reassess the effect of prophylactic transcervical amnioinfusion for intrapartum meconium-stained amniotic fluid. The results showed that amnioinfusion significantly reduces the odds of meconium aspiration syndrome and other adverse neonatal outcomes.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
M. Hassan Murad, Zhen Wang, Ye Zhu, Samer Saadi, Haitao Chu, Lifeng Lin
Summary: Trading off benefits and harms requires knowledge of the absolute risk reduction or risk difference, making risk difference a critical measure for decision making. However, estimating risk difference is not straightforward and the available methods have various limitations. This article discusses four methods for estimating risk difference and provides recommendations on when to use each approach.
BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Minhan Dai, Luis Furuya-Kanamori, Asma Syed, Lifeng Lin, Qiang Wang
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the difference between randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies of interventions (NRSIs) in the evaluation of adverse events. The results showed no substantial difference in the effects between RCTs and NRSIs when they have similar sample sizes, suggesting that evidence from NRSIs can be considered as a supplement to RCTs for safety assessment.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Education & Educational Research
Peng Peng, Wei Wang, Marissa J. Filderman, Wenxiu Zhang, Lifeng Lin
Summary: This study used Bayesian network meta-analysis to explore the intervention effectiveness of different reading comprehension strategy combinations among students with reading difficulties. Results showed that teaching more strategies did not necessarily lead to stronger effects, and there was no single strategy that produced the strongest effect. However, teaching main idea, text structure, and retell together seemed to be the most effective, and the effects of strategies were only significant when combined with background knowledge instruction.
REVIEW OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Mohammad Hassan Murad, Zhen Wang, Haitao Chu, Lifeng Lin, Ibrahim K. El Mikati, Joanne Khabsa, Elie Akl, Robby Nieuwlaat, Holger J. Schuenemann, Irbaz Bin Riaz
Summary: Living systematic reviews (LSRs) are continuously updated reviews that incorporate new evidence as it becomes available. It is important to determine when to retire LSRs from the living mode, and we propose triggers for making that decision. The first trigger is retiring LSRs when there is conclusive evidence for decision-making. The second trigger is retiring LSRs when the question becomes less pertinent for decision-making or when resources are unavailable.
BMJ EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
M. Hassan Murad, Lifeng Lin, Haitao Chu, Bashar Hasan, Reem A. Alsibai, Alzhraa S. Abbas, Reem A. Mustafa, Zhen Wang
Summary: This study examined the association between disease prevalence and sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests. The results showed that higher prevalence was associated with higher sensitivity and lower specificity.
CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ke Ju, Liyong Lu, Zhikang Wang, Chenyu Yang, Ting Chen, En Zhang, Fan Tian, Jay Pan
Summary: This study examined the causal relationship between chronic exposure to air pollutants during pregnancy and depression in adolescent offspring. The findings suggest that maternal exposure to PM2.5 during pregnancy exacerbates depressive symptoms in adolescence, especially during the first trimester. Certain populations, such as those with low household income, being male, irregular exercise habits, living in rural areas, and having mothers with poorer mental status, may be more vulnerable.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Zheng Wang, Thomas A. Murray, Mengli Xiao, Lifeng Lin, Demissie Alemayehu, Haitao Chu
Summary: In the absence of a gold standard, we propose a Bayesian hierarchical model for simultaneously estimating sensitivity, specificity, and disease prevalence. Compared to the pragmatic reference standard approach, this method provides a more accurate evaluation in a meta-analytic framework.
STATISTICS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Yi Zhu, Pengwei Ren, Suhail A. R. Doi, Luis Furuya-Kanamori, Lifeng Lin, Xiaoqin Zhou, Fangbiao Tao, Chang Xu
Summary: This study aims to investigate the differences in data extraction error rates between pharmaceutical interventions and non-pharmaceutical interventions. Participants will complete pre-defined data extraction tasks and be randomly assigned to different groups for data extraction. The study will provide valuable evidence for improving data extraction practices and guidelines.
CONTEMPORARY CLINICAL TRIALS COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zunjing Lv, Xiaofang Pan, Zhi-Long Ye, Irini Angelidaki, Nan Lv, Yanlin Li, Guanjing Cai, Lifeng Lin
Summary: The aim of this study was to reduce the risk of VFA accumulation and optimize anaerobic digestion by promoting the enrichment of homoacetogens. It was found that homoacetogens had a higher abundance at ambient temperature, which effectively reduced the risk of VFA accumulation.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)