In contrast to the classical discrete choice experiment, the respondent in a rank-order discrete choice experiment, is asked to rank a number of alternatives instead of the preferred one. In this paper, we study the information matrix of a rank order nested multinomial logit model (RO.NMNL) and introduce local D-optimality criterion, then we obtain Locally D-optimal design for RO.NMNL models in...

• Homeowners value energy efficiency beyond expected heating cost savings. They have strongly heterogeneous preferences for different technologies. Fossil fuel users are not willing to pay required premiums low-carbon options. Targeted subsidies combined with information can help phasing out fossil fuels. We elicit homeowners’ willingness (WTP) and technologies in the context of appliance repla...

Background Misdiagnosis, arbitrary charges, annoying queues, and clinic waiting times among others are long-standing phenomena in the medical industry across world. These factors can contribute to patient anxiety about misdiagnosis by clinicians. However, with increasing growth use of big data biomedical health care communities, performance artificial intelligence (Al) techniques diagnosis is i...

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to present an update concerning several imaging modalities in diagnosis, staging and pre-surgery treatment response assessment in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Modalities include: traditional morphological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI such as dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). A systemati...

Introduction The ‘Online elicitation of Personal Utility Functions’ (OPUF) is a new method for valuing health states. It based on compositional preference techniques. In contrast to established, decompositional techniques, such as time trade-off or discrete choice experiment (DCE), the OPUF approach does not require hundreds thousands respondents, but allows estimating utility functions small (...

"Dehalococcoides ethenogenes" 195 can reductively dechlorinate tetrachloroethene (PCE) completely to ethene (ETH). When PCE-grown strain 195 was transferred (2% [vol/vol] inoculum) into growth medium amended with trichloroethene (TCE), cis-dichloroethene (DCE), 1,1-DCE, or 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA) as an electron acceptor, these chlorinated compounds were consumed at increasing rates over time, ...

BACKGROUND Delivering effective health care within limited budgets requires an understanding of patient priorities. Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) provide patients with choices, where each choice differs in terms of certain attributes (such as waiting times, quality of care). Although this technique has significant potential in examining priorities, its use raises practical and conceptual i...