Tag: statistics

Womens Health (Lond). 2026 Jan-Dec;22:17455057261478351. doi: 10.1177/17455057261478351. Epub 2026 Aug 14.

ABSTRACT

BackgroundApproximately 13,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer and approximately 4000 women die from it annually. Although there has been an overall decline in mortality rates for cervical cancer, the mortality rates for women in rural areas are 42% higher than for urban areas. Given rural cervical cancer disparities, it is important to identify how to improve this population’s cancer care.ObjectivesBy applying intersectionality theory, we explored the unique healthcare experiences of rural women diagnosed with cervical cancer. The goal of this study was to examine (1) how rural cervical cancer survivors describe their cancer care needs and barriers and (2) rural cervical cancer survivors’ perspectives on optimal cancer care.DesignUtilizing an exploratory qualitative study design, we conducted approximately 60-minute semi-structured individual interviews with ten cisgender women diagnosed with cervical cancer residing in five different rural areas of the United States.MethodsData were analyzed utilizing reflective thematic analysis.ResultsData revealed six themes: (1) “No treatment options around here”; (2) “Don’t dismiss us”; (3) “Certain things aren’t talked about”; (4) “Being more trauma-informed”; (5) “You really need to stick up for yourself”; and (6) “They cared about my well-being outside of just being a patient.” Taken as a whole, these themes demonstrate the ways that rurality, gender, and cancer type intersected to impact the type and quality of care received by rural cervical cancer survivors.ConclusionsAs with many cancer survivors, rural cervical cancer survivors value care that respects their bodily autonomy and treats survivors holistically. Trauma-informed survivor-provider interactions are critical for improving outcomes for rural cervical cancer survivors whose location may limit their choices in providers and how they access care. Providers can address intersectional barriers to enhance shared decision-making, survivor self-advocacy, and affirming cancer care.

PMID:42600052 | DOI:10.1177/17455057261478351

J Econ Entomol. 2026 Aug 14:toag252. doi: 10.1093/jee/toag252. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The Old World date mite, Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae), is one of the most economically important pests of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Reliable estimation of mite density is essential for integrated pest management (IPM), but the aggregated spatial distribution of this species reduces the efficiency of conventional fixed-sample-size sampling. This study developed and validated cultivar-specific fixed-precision sequential sampling plans for O. afrasiaticus on the commercially important date palm cultivars Sayer and Barhi using field data collected from commercial orchards in southwestern Iran during 2020 and 2021. Taylor’s power law adequately described the variance-mean relationship for both cultivars (R² > 0.93), with aggregation parameters significantly greater than unity (b = 1.380 for Sayer and 1.460 for Barhi), confirming aggregated distributions. Green’s fixed-precision sequential sampling model was used to construct stop lines at precision levels of D = 0.25, 0.15, and 0.10. Required sample size decreased with increasing mite density and increased as higher precision was required. Validation using the Resampling for Validation of Sampling Plans (RVSP) procedure with 1,000 iterations and 10 independent datasets showed excellent agreement between target and achieved precision. Mean achieved precision ranged from 0.101 to 0.251 for Sayer and from 0.099 to 0.249 for Barhi, with deviations from target precision below 0.01 for all sampling plans. The proposed sequential sampling plans provide statistically robust and operationally efficient tools for estimating O. afrasiaticus populations and improving pest monitoring and decision-making in date palm IPM programs.

PMID:42600049 | DOI:10.1093/jee/toag252

PLoS One. 2026 Aug 14;21(8):e0355354. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0355354. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between geographic region and availability of ICU resources in Brazil, as well as the relationship between resource availability and KAP for protective ventilation.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of ICU directors using a validated online survey that included 29 items about ICU characteristics and the availability of 38 resources, and 27 KAP items. We used a Likert scale to score KAP items and calculated a KAP score as the sum of the points, standardized on a scale of 0-100. We used multiple linear regression to assess associations between geographic regions, resources, and KAP.

RESULTS: We included 255 ICUs, 12% of the country’s ICUs, in a geographically representative distribution of all regions in Brazil. The median of resources available was 34 (interquartile range [IQR] 33-36) out of 38, with statistically significant inequalities among regions, p < 0.001 and 178 (70%) of participants reported an increase in resources available after the COVID-19 pandemic. The median KAP score was 83 (IQR 77-90) and there was a significant association between a greater number of resources and higher KAP (p = 0.031).

CONCLUSION: In this study including a representative sample of ICUs in Brazil, we identified regional inequalities in the availability of ICU resources. KAP scores regarding protective ventilation were generally high but varied across regions. Although greater resource availability was associated with higher KAP scores, the magnitude of this association was modest, suggesting that factors beyond resource availability may also contribute to differences in knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to protective ventilation.

PMID:42600045 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0355354

PLoS One. 2026 Aug 14;21(8):e0354966. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0354966. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

In this study, we propose and examine two procedures for constructing intervals that capture the uncertainty associated with determining the effective number of components in model selection problems or the shrinkage parameters in a regularization problem. The output of these methods is an interval (defined by two integer bounds) representing plausible values for the number of components and/or shrinkage parameters. Notably, these methods do not rely on the availability of a likelihood function, making them broadly applicable across various domains, such as regression, classification, feature and/or order selection, clustering, and dimensionality reduction. These techniques leverage the geometric properties of the error curve to construct intervals. Extensive experiments on both synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrated the effectiveness and practical utility of the proposed procedures. In addition, a MATLAB code is provided to facilitate adoption by practitioners and researchers.

PMID:42600041 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0354966

Sci Adv. 2026 Aug 14;12(33):eaee2671. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aee2671. Epub 2026 Aug 14.

ABSTRACT

Structured light offers a promising solution for the increasing data demands of modern optical networks, opening up degrees of freedom that can be leveraged for greater channel capacity and more bits per photon. However, its implementation is hindered by real-world distortions, for example, atmospheric turbulence in free space, with severe and rapidly evolving phase perturbations that alter the amplitude, phase, and vectorial polarization structure of the beam. Here, we demonstrate that optical topologies in the form of skyrmions are highly resilient to the effects of real-world atmospheric turbulence. We create and transmit these particle-like topologies of light through a 270-meter free-space optical link, revealing their robustness across a wide variety of conditions and turbulence strengths. While we observe severe distortion in the states’ underlying degrees of freedom, we show that the topological numbers are preserved in all cases. We account for fast changes to the medium, where the channel produces statistically averaged outcomes, by probing the state’s decoherence, showing that while the degree of polarization consequently decays, the topology remains intact. Using topology, we show that information can be transmitted through the channel with almost perfect fidelity (>98%) in most cases, only decreasing to 86% in the most severe conditions tested. This work idemonstrates the potential for optical topologies as reliable and robust information carriers in a real-world environment and points to the potential for other complex channels too, offering attractive features for classical and quantum communication alike.

PMID:42600027 | DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aee2671

Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2026 Aug 14:1-30. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2026.2716554. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This research aimed to investigate the perception of visually impaired individuals regarding high-relief tactile 2D images produced by 3D printing, in order to identify design parameters (contour line height, line width and texture density) that optimize tactile comprehension.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: An experiment was developed and applied to 28 participants with visual impairments. Tasks were designed based on skills whose foundations are needed and used in daily life, such as scanning, tactile discrimination, icon/object comprehension and copy finding. The tactile images were produced by additive manufacturing and printed on 180 g/m² sulphite paper, varying contour line height, line width and texture density.

RESULTS: The best performances were obtained when: (1) contour line heights were between 0.2 and 0.4 mm; and (2) texture densities were between 10% and 50%, when used alone, or between 10% and 90%, when combined with another texture. The tested line widths (0.8 and 1.2 mm) did not show statistically significant differences. Vision status (low vision or blindness) and moment of vision loss (congenital or late blindness) did not influence the results; schooling, however, affected performance in object identification and copy location tasks.

CONCLUSIONS: A detailed set of recommendations for the production and application of tactile materials is presented, ranging from the simplification of forms to the encouragement of bimanual exploration during content assimilation.

PMID:42599990 | DOI:10.1080/17483107.2026.2716554

PLoS One. 2026 Aug 14;21(8):e0354366. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0354366. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Despite attitudes’ central role in shaping health behaviors, little is known about the attitudes of dentists and patients, key stakeholders, toward smoking cessation counselling by dentists (SCCD), particularly within Iran’s primary care system. This study provides a side-by-side comparison of SCCD attitudes among these key stakeholder groups and examines their individual-level determinants.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This two-phase cross-sectional study, incorporating both descriptive and analytical elements, recruited dentists from all comprehensive healthcare centers (CHCs) in Tehran province via census (March-June 2019) and patients from three randomly selected CHCs in Tehran city (July-August 2020). Both groups completed questionnaires on SCCD attitudes and individual-level factors, with patient attitudes further analyzed across three dimensions: dentist competence, SCCD effectiveness, and oral symptoms as motivators. Statistical analyses included independent t-tests, multiple logistic regression, and simple and multiple linear regression.

RESULTS: Of 380 patients (68.9% response rate), 51.6% were female, with a mean age of 38.8 years (SD = 7.1). Among 180 dentists (93% response rate), 81.6% were female, with a mean age of 34 years (SD = 10.0). Among dentists, non-smokers (B = 5.99, p = 0.005) and those working in Tehran city (B = -3.24, p = 0.024) were more likely to show positive SCCD attitudes. Among patients, non-smokers (OR = 1.52, p = 0.049) and those with a smoking family member (OR = 0.61, p = 0.021) were more likely to deem SCCD effective. Employed patients saw oral symptoms as stronger quitting motivators (OR = 0.46, p = 0.001), and employed smoking patients were more willing to quit using SCCD (OR = 0.43, p = 0.010).

CONCLUSIONS: Enhancing SCCD attitudes in Iranian primary care settings may be achieved through mentorship for smoking dentists, virtual or remote education for rural dentists, workplace-based SCCD for employed patients, and engagement in family and community advocacy for non-smoking patients.

PMID:42599989 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0354366

Dermatol Surg. 2026 Aug 17. doi: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000005323. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Dermatology residency requires completion of a preliminary internship year in internal medicine (IM), general surgery (GS), or a transitional year (TY). Whether internship background differs between residents who pursue Mohs micrographic surgery fellowship and those who do not is unknown.

OBJECTIVE: To compare preliminary year training backgrounds of Mohs surgery fellows and general dermatology residents.

METHODS: The authors performed a cross-sectional analysis of publicly available internship data for Mohs surgery fellows (2023-2025) and a random sample of US dermatology residents (2024-2025). Internship training was categorized as IM, GS, or TY. The prevalence of GS training was compared using chi-square analysis.

RESULTS: The final cohorts included 231 Mohs fellows and 266 dermatology residents. Mohs fellows were significantly more likely to have completed GS internship or other prior surgical residency training compared with dermatology residents (6.1% vs 1.9%, p = .014). Distributions of IM and TY training were similar between groups.

CONCLUSION: A small but statistically significant increase in surgical preliminary training was observed among Mohs fellows compared with dermatology residents. Internal medicine and TY internships remain the predominant pathways for Mohs fellowship preparation.

PMID:42599274 | DOI:10.1097/DSS.0000000000005323

J Emerg Nurs. 2026 Aug 14:S0099-1767(26)00238-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2026.06.025. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Virtual reality and related immersive technologies have been increasingly explored as patient education tools, but evidence supporting their role in emergency department–based patient education remains limited.

METHODS: This prospective, single-center randomized study included emergency department patients with traumatic wounds requiring suturing and/or their primary wound caregivers. Participants were assigned to mixed reality-based wound care education using Meta Quest 3 or conventional nurse practitioner-delivered education. Pretest and posttest knowledge scores and participant-reported outcomes were compared using nonparametric tests.

RESULTS: A total of 293 participants were analyzed, including 147 in the control group and 146 in the Meta Quest group. Baseline characteristics did not differ significantly between the groups. Knowledge scores improved significantly from pretest to posttest in both groups (both P < .001). The median score change was 1 in both groups, and the between-group difference did not reach statistical significance (P = .06). Participant-reported comprehension, satisfaction, and confidence were comparable between the groups (all P > .05).

DISCUSSION: Mixed reality-based wound-care education was associated with significant short-term improvement in knowledge scores; however, the magnitude of improvement and participant-reported outcomes were comparable to those observed with conventional health care professional-delivered education. These findings support the potential feasibility of mixed reality as an adjunctive modality for standardized wound-care education in the emergency department, although superiority over conventional education was not demonstrated.

PMID:42599253 | DOI:10.1016/j.jen.2026.06.025

J Emerg Nurs. 2026 Aug 14:S0099-1767(26)00243-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2026.07.005. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Emergency department overcrowding contributes to prolonged wait times, increased mortality, and staff burnout. The vertical flow model was developed to improve patient flow and has demonstrated reductions in length of stay, door-to-provider time, and rates of patients who leave without being seen. Although it is adaptable to different emergency department settings, implementation has primarily occurred in large, urban hospitals. This project aimed to develop a staff-led policy for a modified vertical flow model tailored to a small, rural emergency department.

METHODS: An anonymous survey was distributed to emergency department staff to assess perceptions of the current patient flow and perceived areas for improvement. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and used to guide the development of a modified vertical flow model policy. The proposed policy was submitted to emergency department leadership for review and was revised based on feedback.

RESULTS: Nearly 75% of participants rated the current patient flow as 3 or lower on a 5-point Likert scale. Participants identified reducing door-to-provider time as a key factor in improving patient flow. Major barriers included the increasing patient volume and delays in orders and discharge processes. When comparing emergency department performance metrics 6 months before and 6 months postimplementation, a decrease was found in length of stay and rates of patients who left without being seen.

DISCUSSION: A modified vertical flow model policy was developed using the waiting room as the vertical flow area and was revised due to limited provider availability to include protocol orders in triage. The revised policy was accepted by emergency department leadership, demonstrating that the model can be adapted successfully in small, rural emergency departments.

PMID:42599252 | DOI:10.1016/j.jen.2026.07.005