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Assessment of the methodological quality of studies on core outcome sets for respiratory diseases: A systematic review and meta-research study
Background With increasing attention to core outcome sets (COS), the number of studies on COS for respiratory diseases (COS-RD) is on the rise. However, the methodological quality is still unclear. Therefore, we conducted a study to assess the methodological quality of studies on COS-RD. Methods PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for study protocols or original studies on COS-RD about adults, from their inception to February 23, 2024. The COMET database and Chinese databases (including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Chongqing VIP database, and China Biology Medicine) were also searched as a supplement. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and assessed the methodological quality of included studies using the Core Outcome Set-STAndardised Protocol (COS-STAP) statement, the Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Development (COS-STAD) recommendations, and the Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Reporting (COS-STAR) statement. Results A total of 27 articles (five study protocols and 22 original studies, 26 studies) were included in this study. For the assessment of study protocols using the COS-STAP statement, the item with the lowest complete reporting rate was "missing data" (Item 9, 40.0%), while "description how outcomes may be dropped/combined, with reasons" (Item 5b, 60.0%) and "dissemination" (Item 11, 60.0%) had relatively low complete reporting rates. For the assessment of original studies using the COS-STAD recommendations, the item with the highest non-reporting rate was "care was taken to avoid ambiguity of language used in the list of outcomes" (Item 11, 45.5%), while "the population(s) covered by COS" (Item 3, 31.8%) and "the intervention(s) covered by COS" (Item 4, 31.8%) had relatively high non-reporting rate. When using the COS-STAR statement to assess the original studies, the item with the lowest complete reporting rate was "protocol deviations" (Item 11, 13.6%), while “describe how outcomes were dropped/combined, with reasons (if applicable)” (Item 6b, 36.4%), "participants" (Item 5, 40.9%), "ethics and consent" (Item 10, 54.5%), "protocol/registry entry" (Item 14, 63.6%), and “outcome scoring” (Item 8, 63.6%) had relatively low complete reporting rates. Conclusion The methodological quality of studies on COS-RD needs to be further improved. The appropriate use of aforementioned international reporting standards can advance the methodological quality and reporting transparency of studies on COS-RD.
Machine learning-based analysis of microfluidic device immobilized C. elegans for automated developmental toxicity testing
Synthesis and characterization of allomelanin model from 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene autooxidation
Multispanning membrane protein SIDT2 increases knockdown activity of gapmer antisense oligonucleotides
Correction: Yinzhihuang injection induces apoptosis and suppresses tumor growth in acute myeloid leukemia cells
3D highly isolated 6-port tri-band MIMO antenna system with 360° coverage for 5G IoT applications based machine learning verification
Experiment and numerical analysis of prestressed unequal-walled rectangular concrete-filled steel box beams
Abstract When long-span beams undergo large, the strength of the beam material cannot be fully utilized. To solve this problem, a prestressed unequal-walled rectangular concrete-filled steel box (PURCFSB) beam is proposed in this paper. The prestressing is added to the concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) beam and the section is designed. This beam is an improved concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) beam with flanges of unequal thickness; the upper part of the steel box contains concrete, and the lower part is fitted with prestressed steel bars. Bending tests on ten PURCFSB beams with different concrete filling ratios and prestress levels revealed that prestressing can increase the yield bending moment and delay the cracking of concrete. The appropriate filling ratio can improve the structure’s yield moment and ultimate bearing capacity and reduce its self-weight while avoiding concrete cracking within the scope of work. Finite element analysis of the whole bending process of PURCFSB beams, carried out using ABAQUS software, yields results that are in good agreement with the experimental results. Parametric analysis (based on the validated finite element model) of the effects of the filling ratio and prestress level on the bending performance revealed that PURCFSB beams have good bearing capacity and deformation performance.
Adaptive fault tolerant control for cantilever thick plates with piezoelectric patches
Misbehavior or misalignment? Examining the drift towards bureaucratic box-ticking in Competency-Based Medical Education
Within competency-based medical education (CBME) residency programs, Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA) assessments endeavor to both bolster learning and inform promotion decisions. Recent implementation studies describe successes but also adverse effects, including residents and preceptors drifting towards bureaucratic / purely administrative behaviors and attitudes, although the drivers behind this tendency are not adequately understood. This study sought to examine resident and faculty experiences with implemented EPA processes to elucidate what leads them toward a ‘tick-box’ approach that has been described in the literature. The internal medicine residency program at the University of Alberta implemented a CBME pilot in 2016. From March to June 2018, a research assistant interviewed 16 residents and 27 preceptors shortly after they completed an EPA assessment. They described their goals, judgements, and actions during a recent EPA observation. Three researchers analyzed the data to identify themes following qualitative description methodology. The requirement to accrue EPA assessments turned them into currency exchanged by preceptors and residents to acknowledge clinical work. Predicaments arose when the prescriptive EPA process felt misaligned with the assessment context. The selected encounter sometimes suited formative but not summative purposes. Preceptors variably prioritized the dual formative and summative purposes and framed the message for either the resident’s or the program’s benefit. The drift toward bureaucracy in workplace-based assessments is becoming a predictable implementation pattern. Instead of solely attributing this pattern to residents and preceptors misusing the assessment process, viewing their actions as workarounds suggests that users make rational choices to overcome obstacles in the assessment system. Obstacles identified by workarounds could be targeted by design modifications.
An integrated approach using social support theory and technology acceptance model to investigate the sustainable use of digital learning technologies
Association of serum lycopene with low-frequency hearing loss in adults in their 70s based on NHANES database
Comparison of 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk in metropolitan and rural areas of South of Iran
Energy management strategy for methanol hybrid commercial vehicles based on improved dung beetle algorithm optimization
In order to solve the problem of poor adaptability and robustness of the rule-based energy management strategy (EMS) in hybrid commercial vehicles, leading to suboptimal vehicle economy, this paper proposes an improved dung beetle algorithm (DBO) optimized multi-fuzzy control EMS. First, the rule-based EMS is established by dividing the efficient working areas of the methanol engine and power battery. The Tent chaotic mapping is then used to integrate strategies of cosine, Lévy flight, and Cauchy Gaussian mutation, improving the DBO. This integration compensates for the traditional dung beetle algorithm’s tendency to fall into local optima and enhances its global search capability. Subsequently, fuzzy controllers for the driving charging mode and hybrid driving mode are designed under this rule-based EMS. Finally, the improved DBO is used to obtain the optimal control of the fuzzy controller by taking the fuel consumption of the whole vehicle and the fluctuation change of the battery state of charge (SOC) as the optimization objectives. Compared to traditional rule-based energy management strategies, the optimized fuzzy control using the enhanced DBO continuously adjusts the torque distribution between the engine and motor based on the vehicle’s real-time state, resulting in a 9.07% reduction in fuel consumption and a 3.43% decrease in battery SOC fluctuations.