Precision enhancement in variance estimation for complex environmental populations using adaptive cluster sampling.

Estimating dispersion in populations that are extremely rare, hidden, geographically clustered, and hard to access is a well-known challenge. Conventional sampling approaches tend to overestimate the variance, even though it should be genuinely reduced. In this environment, adaptive cluster sampling is considered to be the most efficient sampling technique as it provides generally a lower variance than the other conventional probability sampling designs for the assessment of rare and geographically gathered population parameters like mean, total, variance, etc. The use of auxiliary data is very common to obtain the precise estimates of the estimators by taking advantage of the correlation between the survey variable and the auxiliary data. In this article, we introduced a generalized estimator for estimating the variance of populations that are rare, hidden, geographically clustered and hard-to-reached. The proposed estimator leverages both actual and transformed auxiliary data through adaptive cluster sampling. The expressions of approximate bias and mean square error of the proposed estimator are derived up to the first-order approximation using Taylor expansion. Some special cases are also obtained using the known parameters associated with the auxiliary variable. The proposed class of estimators is compared with available estimators using simulation and real data applications.

Recent advances in Rapidly-exploring random tree: A review.

Path planning is an crucial research area in robotics. Compared to other path planning algorithms, the Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm possesses both search and random sampling properties, and thus has more potential to generate high-quality paths that can balance the global optimum and local optimum. This paper reviews the research on RRT-based improved algorithms from 2021 to 2023, including theoretical improvements and application implementations. At the theoretical level, branching strategy improvement, sampling strategy improvement, post-processing improvement, and model-driven RRT are highlighted, at the application level, application scenarios of RRT under welding robots, assembly robots, search and rescue robots, surgical robots, free-floating space robots, and inspection robots are detailed, and finally, many challenges faced by RRT at both the theoretical and application levels are summarized. This review suggests that although RRT-based improved algorithms has advantages in large-scale scenarios, real-time performance, and uncertain environments, and some strategies that are difficult to be quantitatively described can be designed based on model-driven RRT, RRT-based improved algorithms still suffer from the problems of difficult to design the hyper-parameters and weak generalization, and in the practical application level, the reliability and accuracy of the hardware such as controllers, actuators, sensors, communication, power supply and data acquisition efficiency all pose challenges to the long-term stability of RRT in large-scale unstructured scenarios. As a part of autonomous robots, the upper limit of RRT path planning performance also depends on the robot localization and scene modeling performance, and there are still architectural and strategic choices in multi-robot collaboration, in addition to the ethics and morality that has to be faced. To address the above issues, I believe that multi-type robot collaboration, human-robot collaboration, real-time path planning, self-tuning of hyper-parameters, task- or application-scene oriented algorithms and hardware design, and path planning in highly dynamic environments are future trends.

Assessment of the effects of dredging on metal levels in port waters using DGT passive samplers and spot sampling.

Aiming at assessing the effect of dredging activities on the levels of metals in Bilbao Port (northern Spain), dissolved and labile metal concentrations in the water were concurrently measured, before, during, and after dredging activities by spot sampling and Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGTs) passive samplers, respectively. Most of the dissolved metal results were below the quantification limits (Cd, <0.06-0.26 µg/L; Co, <5 µg/L; Cu, <5-15 µg/L; Fe, <10-48 µg/L; Mn, <10-22 µg/L; Ni, <2.6-7 µg/L; Pb, <0.39-0.8 µg/L; Zn, <9-24 µg/L). In contrast, DGT results for all sampling times and stations were obtained (Cd, 0.02-0.12 µg/L; Co, 0.08-0.15 µg/L; Cu, 0.5-2.8 µg/L; Fe, 1.0-3.6 µg/L; Mn, 4.7-23.5 µg/L; Ni, 0.5-0.9 µg/L; Pb, 0.15-0.28 µg/L; Zn, 2.6-7.2 µg/L), enabling to determine those metals affected by dredging. Only labile-Pb concentration surpassed momentarily the DGT-Environmental Quality Standard, enabling to rule out biological effects on biota. DGTs are a promising technique for facilitating decision-making during dredging operations.

Passive sampler housing and sorbent type determine aquatic micropollutant adsorption and subsequent bioassay responses.

The combination of integrative passive sampling and bioassays is a promising approach for monitoring the toxicity of polar organic contaminants in aquatic environments. However, the design of integrative passive samplers can affect the accumulation of compounds and therewith the bioassay responses. The present study aimed to determine the effects of sampler housing and sorbent type on the number of chemical features accumulated in polar passive samplers and the subsequent bioassay responses to extracts of these samplers. To this end, four integrative passive sampler configurations, resulting from the combination of polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) and Speedisk housings with hydrophilic-lipophilic balance and hydrophilic divinylbenzene sorbents, were simultaneously exposed at reference and contaminated surface water locations. The passive sampler extracts were subjected to chemical non-target screening and a battery of five bioassays. Extracts from POCIS contained a higher number of chemical features and caused higher bioassay responses in 91% of cases, while the two sorbents accumulated similar numbers of features and caused equally frequent but different bioassay responses. Hence, the passive sampler design critically affected the number of accumulated polar organic contaminants as well as their toxicity, highlighting the importance of passive sampler design for effect-based water quality assessment.

Association of Positive, Negative, and Disorganized Schizotypy With the Temporal Dynamics of Schizotypic Experiences in Daily Life.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Schizotypy is a useful and unifying construct for examining the etiology, development, and expression of schizophrenia-spectrum psychopathology. The positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy dimensions are associated with distinct patterns of schizophrenia-spectrum symptoms and impairment. Furthermore, they are differentiated by mean levels of psychotic-like, suspicious, negative, and disorganized schizotypic experiences in daily life, and by temporal dynamics of affect. The schizotypy dimensions were thus hypothesized to be differentiated by the temporal dynamics of schizotypic experiences in daily life. STUDY DESIGN: The present study employed experience sampling methodology in a large nonclinically ascertained sample (n = 693) to examine the associations of multidimensional schizotypy with psychotic-like, suspicious, negative, and disorganized schizotypic experiences in daily life, as well as with their temporal dynamics (variability, reactivity, inertia, and instability). STUDY RESULTS: We replicated the mean-level associations between multidimensional schizotypy and schizotypic experiences in daily life. Furthermore, positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy demonstrated hypothesized, differential patterns of temporal dynamics of schizotypic experiences. Disorganized schizotypy demonstrated the most robust associations, including intensity, variability, and inertia of disorganized schizotypic experiences. Disorganized schizotypy also moderated reactivity of psychotic-like and disorganized schizotypic experiences following previously reported stress. Positive schizotypy was associated with intensity and variability of psychotic-like experiences. Negative schizotypy was associated with intensity and variability of negative schizotypic experiences. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that schizotypy dimensions can be differentiated by both mean levels and temporal patterns of psychotic-like, suspicious, negative, and disorganized schizotypic experiences in daily life, with disorganized schizotypy uniquely characterized by stress reactivity.

Pressure to not feel bad among (different-sex) romantic partners: prevalence, and correlates.

Western society generally highly values happiness. As a result, people sometimes experience pressure not to feel negative emotions. In this study, we comprehensively investigated this pressure, and how it manifests itself, in adult romantic relationships. Specifically, we first examined when, how often and how intensely people experience pressure not to feel bad from their romantic partners (94 different-sex couples). Additionally, we investigated (both between- and within-person) how this pressure is related to context (presence of, contact and or conflict with a partner), emotional processes (i.e. experienced sadness and anxiety, emotion suppression, and how their partner perceived their affect), and relationship well-being. Using experience sampling methodology data (6/14 reports per day over one week) we found that although participants generally did not experience strong pressure from their partner, they experienced some feelings of pressure about 50% of the time. Furthermore, within-person predictors associated with negative processes/emotions (i.e. negative emotions, conflict, emotion suppression) were related to the momentary frequency (odds) and/or intensity of perceived pressure not to feel bad. At the between-person level, individuals who experience more sadness, anxiety and reported suppressing their emotions more often tended to experience more and/or stronger pressure. Only weak associations with relationship well-being were found.

From anticipation to action: A RCT on mental imagery exercises in daily life as a motivational amplifier for individuals with depressive symptoms.

Encouraging engagement in rewarding or pleasant activities is one of the most important treatment goals for depression. Mental imagery exercises have been shown to increase the motivation for planned behaviour in the lab but it is unclear whether this is also the case in daily life. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of mental imagery exercises on motivation and behaviour in daily life. Participants with depressive symptoms (N = 59) were randomly assigned to a group receiving mental imagery (MI) exercises or a control group receiving relaxation (RE) exercises via study phones. We employed an experience sampling design with 10 assessments per day for 10 days (three days baseline, four days with two exercises per day and three days post-intervention). Data was analysed using t-tests and multilevel linear regression analyses. As predicted, MI exercises enhanced motivation and reward anticipation during the intervention phase compared to RE. However, MI did not enhance active behaviour or strengthen the temporal association from reward anticipation (t-1) to active behaviour (t). Mental imagery exercises can act as a motivational amplifier but its effects on behaviour and real-life reward processes remain to be elucidated.

Estimating Haplotype Structure and Frequencies: A Bayesian Approach to Unknown Design in Pooled Genomic Data.

The estimation of haplotype structure and frequencies provides crucial information about the composition of genomes. Techniques, such as single-individual haplotyping, aim to reconstruct individual haplotypes from diploid genome sequencing data. However, our focus is distinct. We address the challenge of reconstructing haplotype structure and frequencies from pooled sequencing samples where multiple individuals are sequenced simultaneously. A frequentist method to address this issue has recently been proposed. In contrast to this and other methods that compute point estimates, our proposed Bayesian hierarchical model delivers a posterior that permits us to also quantify uncertainty. Since matching permutations in both haplotype structure and corresponding frequency matrix lead to the same reconstruction of their product, we introduce an order-preserving shrinkage prior that ensures identifiability with respect to permutations. For inference, we introduce a blocked Gibbs sampler that enforces the required constraints. In a simulation study, we assessed the performance of our method. Furthermore, by using our approach on two distinct sets of real data, we demonstrate that our Bayesian approach can reconstruct the dominant haplotypes in a challenging, high-dimensional set-up.

Feasibility, reliability and satisfaction of (automated) capillary carcinoembryonic antigen measurements for future home-based blood sampling: the prospective CASA-I study.

AIM: Follow-up for colorectal cancer (CRC) necessitates regular monitoring of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) at the hospital. Capillary home-based blood collection, including minimally invasive techniques such as lancet sampling or an automated upper arm device (TAP-II), has the potential to replace a significant portion of hospital-based blood sampling, thereby enhancing self-reliance and quality of life. The objectives of this study were to assess the feasibility, reliability and preference for CEA blood collection. METHODS: Baseline venous and capillary (by lancet and TAP-II) blood samples were collected from 102 participants, including 20 CRC patients with elevated CEA levels, 60 CRC patients undergoing postoperative outpatient monitoring and 20 healthy volunteers. The second group performed capillary blood collections at home on two consecutive follow-up appointments and subsequently sent them to the hospital. Satisfaction was assessed via patient reported outcome measures on pain, burden, ease of use and preference. RESULTS: The Pearson's correlation test of all usable samples resulted in a linear coefficient of 0.998 (95% CI 0.997-0.998) for the TAP-II method and 0.997 (95% CI 0.996-0.998) for the lancet method, both compared to venipuncture. Following the initial blood collection, 86% of the participants (n = 102) favoured the TAP-II, rating it as the least painful and burdensome option. After two home-based blood samples, the preference for the TAP-II method persisted, with 64% of the patients endorsing its use. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the feasibility of home-based capillary sampling of CEA. The TAP-II blood collection is the most reliable method and is preferred by patients over venipuncture and lancet sampling.

The ESSAG-trial protocol: A randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of offering a self-sampling kit by the GP to reach women underscreened in the routine cervical cancer screening program.

BACKGROUND: In Flanders (Belgium), women not screened for cervical cancer (CC) within the last three years receive an invitation letter from the regional screening organization, the Centre for Cancer Detection (CCD), encouraging them to have a cervical specimen taken by their general practitioner (GP) or gynecologist. However, the coverage for CC screening remains suboptimal (63%). The offer of a self-sampling kit (SSK, for HPV testing) by a GP may trigger participation among women who do not attend regular screening. METHODS: The ESSAG-trial is a cluster-randomized controlled trial with three arms, each including 1125 women aged 31-64 years, who were not screened for CC in the last 6 years. In arm A, GPs offer a SSK when eligible women consult for any reason. In arm B, women receive a personal GP signed invitation letter including an SSK at their home address. In the control arm, women receive the standard invitation letter from the CCD. The primary outcome is the response rate at three months after inclusion. Secondary outcomes are: screen test positivity; compliance with foreseen follow-up among screen-positives; costs per invited and per screened women; as well as contrasts between trial arms and between socio-demographic categories. CONCLUSION: The ESSAG-trial will assess the effect of GP-based interventions using SSKs on CC screening participation among hard-to-reach populations. Findings will inform policymakers about feasible strategies on increasing CC screening that may be rolled-out throughout the whole region. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05656976.

A biobehavioral observational study to understand the multilevel determinants of cardiovascular health in Black women: the BLOOM Study protocol.

BACKGROUND: The racial/ethnic and gender disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality in the United States are evident. Across nearly every metric, non-Hispanic Black women have poorer overall cardiovascular health. Emerging evidence shows a disproportionately high burden of increased CVD risk factors in Black women of childbearing age, which has a far-reaching impact on both maternal and child outcomes, resulting in premature onset of CVD and further widens the racial disparities in CVD. There is growing recognition that the fundamental driver of persistent racial/ethnic disparities in CVD, as well as disparities in behavioral risk factors such as physical activity and sleep, is structural racism. Further, the lived personal experience of racial discrimination not only has a negative impact on health behaviors, but also links to various physiological pathways to CVD risks, such as internalized stress resulting in a pro-inflammatory state. Limited research, however, has examined the interaction between daily experience and health behaviors, which are influenced by upstream social determinants of health, and the downstream effect on biological/physiological indicators of cardiovascular health in non-pregnant Black women of childbearing age. METHODS/DESIGN: The BLOOM Study is an observational study that combines real-time ambulatory assessments over a 10-day monitoring period with in-depth cross-sectional lab-based physiological and biological assessments. We will use a wrist-worn actigraphy device to capture 24-h movement behaviors and electronic ecological momentary assessment to capture perceived discrimination, microaggression, and stress. Blood pressure will be captured continuously through a wristband. Saliva samples will be self-collected to assess cortisol level as a biomarker of psychological stress. Lab assessments include a fasting venous blood sample, and assessment of various indices of peripheral and cerebral vascular function/health. Participants' address or primary residence will be used to obtain neighborhood-level built environmental and social environmental characteristics. We plan to enroll 80 healthy Black women who are between 18 and 49 years old for this study. DISCUSSION: Results from this study will inform the development of multilevel (i.e., individual, interpersonal, and social-environmental levels) lifestyle interventions tailored to Black women based on their lived experiences with the goal of reducing CVD risk. GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT06150989.

Experiences of Self-Sampling and Future Screening Preferences in Non-Attenders Who Returned an HPV Vaginal Self-Sample in the YouScreen Study: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: We assessed experiences of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaginal self-sampling and future screening preferences in an ethnically and socio-economically diverse group of women overdue for cervical screening. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A postal questionnaire was embedded in the YouScreen self-sampling trial in England: 32.5% (2712/8338) of kit completers returned the survey. Kit non-completers were encouraged to return a questionnaire, but no responses were received. Participants were ethnically diverse (40.3% came from ethnic minority backgrounds), and 59.1% came from the two most deprived quintiles. Differences in confidence in kit completion, trust in the test results and intention to attend a follow-up test if HPV-positive were evaluated using Pearson's χ2 analyses. Binary logistic regression models explored predictors of a future screening choice and preferences for urine versus vaginal self-sampling. RESULTS: Most kit-completers reported high confidence in self-sampling (82.6%) and high trust in the results (79.9%), but experiences varied by ethnicity and screening status. Most free-text comments were positive but some reported difficulties using the device, pain or discomfort. Most women would opt for self-sampling in the future (71.3% vs. 10.4% for a clinician-taken test) and it was more often preferred by ethnic minority groups, overdue screeners and never attenders. Urine self-tests were preferred to vaginal tests (41.9% vs. 15.4%), especially among women from Asian, Black or Other Ethnic backgrounds. CONCLUSIONS: Kit-completers were confident, found the test easy to complete, and trusted the self-sample results. However, experiences varied by ethnic group and some women highlighted difficulties with the kit. Most women would prefer self-sampling in the future, but it was not a universal preference, so offering a choice will be important. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: We did not have direct patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in the questionnaire design. However, patients and public representatives did input into the design of the YouScreen trial and reviewed the wider study materials (e.g. participant information sheet). TRIAL REGISTRATION: This questionnaire study was embedded in the YouScreen trial. The protocol for the YouScreen trial is available at https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN12759467. The National Institute for Health Research 43 Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN) Central Portfolio Management System (CPMS) ID is 4441934.

Detection of active SARS-CoV-2 in cough aerosols from COVID-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an airborne pathogen, but detection of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in air and in particular the introduction of the virus into the environment by different human expiratory manoeuvres is not well studied. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in cough from coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) in-patients and to study contamination of the virus in the patient's environment. METHODS: Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in cough was analyzed by PCR, culture and imaging. Detection in cough was compared to presence of the virus in air and on surfaces from patient rooms. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients in 21 rooms were included in the study. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in cough aerosols from 16 out of 22 patients that produced voluntary cough. As demonstrated by plaque-forming unit assays, active virus was isolated from 11 of these 16 patients. Using mainly molecular detection, the virus was also found in air, on high-contact surfaces, and no-touch surfaces from the room of the COVID-19 patients. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that infectious SARS-CoV-2 circulating in air can originate from patient cough and should be considered against the risk of acquiring COVID-19 through inhalation.

Design, synthesis, pharmacological evaluation, and computational study of benzo[d] isothiazol-based small molecule inhibitors targeting PD-1/PD-l1 interaction.

Blockade of the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway is an attractive strategy for immunotherapy, but the clinical application of small molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors remains unclear. In this work, based on BMS-202 and our previous work YLW-106, a series of compounds with benzo[d]isothiazol structure as scaffold were designed and synthesized. Their inhibitory activity against PD-1/PD-L1 interaction was evaluated by a homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) assay. Among them, LLW-018 (27c) exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 2.61 nM. The cellular level assays demonstrated that LLW-018 exhibited low cytotoxicity against Jurkat T and MDA-MB-231. Further cell-based PD-1/PD-L1 blockade bioassays based on PD-1 NFAT-Luc Jurkat cells and PD-L1 TCR Activator CHO cells indicated that LLW-018 could interrupt PD-1/PD-L1 interaction with an IC50 value of 0.88 µM. Multi-computational methods, including molecular docking, molecular dynamics, MM/GBSA, MM/PBSA, Metadynamics, and QM/MM MD were utilized on PD-L1 dimer complexes, which revealed the binding modes and dissociation process of LLW-018 and C2-symmetric small molecule inhibitor LCH1307. These results suggested that LLW-018 exhibited promising potency as a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor for further investigation.

An effective video inpainting technique using morphological Haar wavelet transform with krill herd based criminisi algorithm.

In recent times, video inpainting techniques have intended to fill the missing areas or gaps in a video by utilizing known pixels. The variety in brightness or difference of the patches causes the state-of-the-art video inpainting techniques to exhibit high computation complexity and create seams in the target areas. To resolve these issues, this paper introduces a novel video inpainting technique that employs the Morphological Haar Wavelet Transform combined with the Krill Herd based Criminisi algorithm (MHWT-KHCA) to address the challenges of high computational demand and visible seam artifacts in current inpainting practices. The proposed MHWT-KHCA algorithm strategically reduces computation times and enhances the seamlessness of the inpainting process in videos. Through a series of experiments, the technique is validated against standard metrics such as peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index (SSIM), where it demonstrates superior performance compared to existing methods. Additionally, the paper outlines potential real-world applications ranging from video restoration to real-time surveillance enhancement, highlighting the technique's versatility and effectiveness. Future research directions include optimizing the algorithm for diverse video formats and integrating machine learning models to advance its capabilities further.

Concentrations of potentially endocrine disrupting chemicals in car cabin air and dust - Effect of temperature and ventilation.

Materials in car cabins contain performance-enhancing semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). As these SVOCs are not chemically bound to the materials, they can emit from the materials at slow rates to the surrounding, causing human exposure. This study aimed at increasing the understanding on abundance of SVOCs in car cabins by studying 18 potential endocrine disrupting chemicals in car cabin air (gas phase and airborne particles) and dust. We also studied how levels of these chemicals varied by temperature inside the car cabin along with ventilation settings, relevant to human exposure. A positive correlation was observed between temperature and SVOC concentration in both the gas and the particle phase, where average gas phase levels at 80 °C were a factor of 18-16,000 higher than average levels at 25 °C, while average particle phase levels were a factor of 4.6-40,000 higher for the studied substances. This study also showed that levels were below the limit of detection for several SVOCs during realistic driving conditions, i.e., with the ventilation activated. To limit human exposure to SVOCs in car cabins, it is recommended to ventilate a warm car before entering and have the ventilation on during driving, as both temperature and ventilation have a significant impact on SVOC levels.

Microplastic pollution in the North-east Atlantic Ocean surface water: How the sampling approach influences the extent of the issue.

A lack of standardization in monitoring protocols has hindered the accurate evaluation of microplastic (MP) pollution in the open sea and its potential impacts. As sampling techniques significantly influence the amounts of MPs contained in the sample, the aim of this study was to compare two sampling methods: Manta trawl (size selective approach) and grab sampling (volume selective approach). Both approaches were applied in the open sea surface waters of the North-east Atlantic Ocean. Onshore sample processing was carried out using the innovative tape lifting technique, which affords a series of advantages, including prevention of airborne contamination during analysis, without compromising integrity of the results. The results obtained indicated an MP concentration over four orders of magnitude higher using grab sampling compared to the Manta net approach (mean values equal to 0.24 and 4050 items/m3, respectively). Consequently, the sole quantification of MPs using results obtained with the Manta trawl resulted in a marked underestimation of abundance. Nevertheless, the grab sampling technique is intricately linked to a risk of collecting non-representative water volumes, consequently leading to an overestimation of MPs abundance and a significant inter-sample variability. Moreover, the latter method is unsuitable for use in sampling larger MPs or in areas with low concentrations of MP pollution. The optimal sampling method therefore is dependent on the specific objectives of the study, often resulting in a combination of size and volume selective methods. The results of this study have the potential to contribute to the standardization of monitoring protocols for microplastics, both during the sampling phase and sample processing.

Automating Video-Based Two-Dimensional Motion Analysis in Sport? Implications for Gait Event Detection, Pose Estimation, and Performance Parameter Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Two-dimensional (2D) video is a common tool used during sports training and competition to analyze movement. In these videos, biomechanists determine key events, annotate joint centers, and calculate spatial, temporal, and kinematic parameters to provide performance reports to coaches and athletes. Automatic tools relying on computer vision and artificial intelligence methods hold promise to reduce the need for time-consuming manual methods. OBJECTIVE: This study systematically analyzed the steps required to automate the video analysis workflow by investigating the applicability of a threshold-based event detection algorithm developed for 3D marker trajectories to 2D video data at four sampling rates; the agreement of 2D keypoints estimated by an off-the-shelf pose estimation model compared with gold-standard 3D marker trajectories projected to camera's field of view; and the influence of an offset in event detection on contact time and the sagittal knee joint angle at the key critical events of touch down and foot flat. METHODS: Repeated measures limits of agreement were used to compare parameters determined by markerless and marker-based motion capture. RESULTS: Results highlighted that a minimum video sampling rate of 100 Hz is required to detect key events, and the limited applicability of 3D marker trajectory-based event detection algorithms when using 2D video. Although detected keypoints showed good agreement with the gold-standard, misidentification of key events-such as touch down by 20 ms resulted in knee compression angle differences of up to 20°. CONCLUSION: These findings emphasize the need for de novo accurate key event detection algorithms to automate 2D video analysis pipelines.

A constrained optimum adaptive design for dose finding in early phase clinical trials.

Recently, interest has grown in the development of dose-finding methods that consider both toxicity and efficacy as endpoints. Along with responses on these, the incorporation of pharmacokinetic (PK) data can be beneficial in terms of patients' safety and can also increase the efficiency of the design for finding the best dose for the next phase. In this paper, the maximum concentration (Cmax) is used as the PK measure guiding the dose selection. The ethically attractive approach, which is based on the probability of efficacy, is used as a dose optimisation criterion. At each stage of an adaptive trial, that dose is selected for which the criterion is maximised, subject to the constraints imposed on the Cmax and the probability of toxicity. The inter-patient variability of the PK model parameters is considered, and population D-optimal sampling time points for measuring the concentration of a drug in the blood are calculated. The method is illustrated with a one-compartment PK model with first-order absorption, with the parameters being assumed to be random. The Cox model for bivariate binary responses is employed to model the dose-response outcomes. The results of a simulation study for several plausible dose-response scenarios show a significant gain in the efficiency of the design, as well as a reduction in the proportion of toxic responses.

Investigation of an Optimal Sampling Resolution to Support Soil Management Decisions for Urban Plots.

The main objective of the current study was to use seven lots in Hartford, CT that are planned for community reuse to determine the optimal sampling density that allows for the detection of hotspots of lead pollution while limiting the labor of the sampling process. The sampling density was investigated using soil Pb measured by in situ X-ray Fluorescence as the indicator to evaluate soil health, with a new threshold of 200-mg/kg proposed by the USEPA in January of 2024. Even though this study takes place in an urban setting, where the new USEPA policy requires the use of a 100-mg/kg threshold for Pb due to the fact that there are other identifiable sources of the contaminant, only the 200-mg/kg threshold is discussed because it is evident from the analysis that compliance of a 100 mg/kg threshold in urban plots is highly unlikely (five out of seven sites would require complete site excavation prior to reuse). Using the inverse distance weighted geospatial interpolation of in situ pXRF determined lead measurements, grid sampling resolutions of 3-m, 4-m, 5-m, 6-m, 8-m, 10-m, and 12-m were compared. Ultimately, the case study finds that the largest grid resolution that can be implemented for soil screening to maintain hotspots of pollution to properly inform soil management decisions is a 6-m grid, or a density of approximately 1/36-m2.