The information inequality has been shown to be an effective tool for providing lower bounds for the minimax risk. Bounds based on the chisquare distance can sometimes offer a considerable improvement especially when applied iteratively. This paper compares these two methods in four examples including the bounded normal mean problem as well as obervations from a Poisson distribution.

OBJECTIVES To examine whether wheelchair users' self-reports of height and weight differed significantly from direct measurements and whether weight category classifications differed substantially when based on self-reported or measured values. DESIGN Single group, cross-sectional analysis. Analyses included paired t tests, chi-square test, analysis of variance, and Bland-Altman agreement ana...

The aims of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of a lower lingual holding arch (LLHA) in maintaining arch length, and to compare the effectiveness of two LLHAs made of two different gauges (0.9 and 1.25 mm) of stainless steel (SS) wire. The sample comprised 44 subjects (24 males and 20 females) who for various reasons attended orthodontic clinics at Jordan University of Science and T...

BACKGROUND Feedback delivery is deemed as a key element during a students' clinical education. It keeps students on track to meet their goal and increase students' motivation and confidence. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare the quality of feedback delivery in oral versus written feedback delivery to nursing students in clinical education. METHODS A randomized controlled trial ...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to (1) compare parental and child recording of children's fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption, including family-related factors, and (2) investigate the potential differences in the relation of children's and parents' perceptions of family-related factors. METHODS Children were recruited from Dutch seventh and eighth grade classrooms. Each child and ...

Hospitals play a critical role in the health promotion of the society. This study aimed to determine the impact of establishing standards of health promoting hospitals on hospital indicators in Shahroud. This applied study was a quasi-experimental one which was conducted in 2013. Standards of health promoting hospitals were established as an intervention procedure in the Fatemiyeh hospital. Par...

A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted to describe the occurrence of daytime sleep (DS) and to examine factors associated with DS in nursing home residents. We used the Minimum Data Set 2.0 records of 300 residents in a nursing home from January 2005 to March 2010. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, chi-square, Pearson correlations, and logistic regression were utilized i...

BACKGROUND High rejection rates of subject recruitments for research studies have been reported in immigrants in many countries. However, the barriers in recruiting members of the expatriate population in Kuwait have not yet been investigated. This study was therefore designed to identify barriers in recruiting expatriates for research studies in the state of Kuwait. METHODS A population-base...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Social reactions to infertility are one of the concerns infertile people. This study aimed to investigate the social consequences of infertility among urban and rural population of Shahroud in northeast of Iran. METHOD This study is a comparative study that was conducted in 2013. In this study, 1,528 women (511 infertile and 1017 fertile ones) were randomly selected. Th...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether fruit and vegetable consumption among California adults significantly increased from 1997-2007. DESIGN Biennial telephone surveillance surveys of California adults' dietary practices. PARTICIPANTS California adults (n = 9,105 total all 6 surveys). INTERVENTION Surveillance data reporting. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Changes in fruit and vegetable consumption ove...