A Comparative Study of Bayesian Model Selection Criteria for Capture-Recapture Models for Closed Populations

Capture-Recapture models estimate unknown population sizes. Eight standard closed population models exist, allowing for time, behavioral, and heterogeneity effects. Bayesian versions of these models are presented and use of Akaike\u27s Information Criterion (AIC) and the Deviance Information Criterion (DIC) are explored as model selection tools, through simulation and real dataset analysis

Improving quality for maternal care - a case study from Kerala, India.

BACKGROUND: The implementation of maternal health guidelines remains unsatisfactory, even for simple, well established interventions. In settings where most births occur in health facilities, as is the case in Kerala, India, preventing maternal mortality is linked to quality of care improvements. CONTEXT: Evidence-informed quality standards (QS), including quality statements and measurable structure and process indicators, are one innovative way of tackling the guideline implementation gap. Having adopted a zero tolerance policy to maternal deaths, the Government of Kerala worked in partnership with the Kerala Federation of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (KFOG) and NICE International to select the clinical topic, develop and initiate implementation of the first clinical QS for reducing maternal mortality in the state. Description of practice: The NICE QS development framework was adapted to the Kerala context, with local ownership being a key principle. Locally generated evidence identified post-partum haemorrhage as the leading cause of maternal death, and as the key priority for the QS. A multidisciplinary group (including policy-makers, gynaecologists and obstetricians, nurses and administrators) was established. Multi-stakeholder workshops convened by the group ensured that the statements, derived from global and local guidelines, and their corresponding indicators were relevant and acceptable to clinicians and policy-makers in Kerala. Furthermore, it helped identify practical methods for implementing the standards and monitoring outcomes. LESSONS LEARNED: An independent evaluation of the project highlighted the equal importance of a strong evidence-base and an inclusive development process. There is no one-size-fits-all process for QS development; a principle-based approach might be a better guide for countries to adapt global evidence to their local context

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

An Autoregressive Point Source Model for Spatial Processes

We suggest a parametric modeling approach for nonstationary spatial processes driven by point sources. Baseline near-stationarity, which may be reasonable in the absence of a point source, is modeled using a conditional autoregressive Markov random field. Variabilit

Mn(II) staircase structures stitched by water clusters to a 3D metal-organic open framework: X-ray structural and magnetic studies

4-Hydroxypyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (chelidamic acid, cdaH<SUB>2</SUB>) reacts with Mn(OAc)<SUB>2</SUB>&#183;4H<SUB>2</SUB>O to form a 1D staircase structure with dimeric Mn(II) units connected by water clusters to form a 3D framework, {[Mn<SUB>2</SUB>(cda)<SUB>2</SUB>&#183;4H<SUB>2</SUB>O]&#183;4H<SUB>2</SUB>O}<SUB>n</SUB>, 1, in aqueous pyridine at room temperature. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P with a = 9.495(3), b =10.733(5), c = 11.065(4) &#197;, &#945; = 87.42(5), &#946; = 74.14(5), &#947; = 80.07(2)&#176; , U = 1068.5(9) &#197;<SUP>3</SUP>, Z = 2, &#961;<SUB>calcd</SUB> = 1.915 g cm<SUP>-3</SUP>, T = 100 K, &#956; = 1.28 mm<SUP>-1</SUP>, R<SUB>1</SUB> = 0.0453 (I &gt; 2&#963;(I)), wR<SUB>2</SUB> = 0.1046, GOOF = 1.282. Upon removal of the water molecules by heating, the 3D structure breaks down. Thermogravimetric analysis, infrared, X-ray powder diffraction studies, and X-ray crystallography were performed to characterize this compound. Since the coordination polymer has diaqua-bridged Mn(II) centers, it was subjected to variable-temperature magnetic studies