Ambiguous Results Research Articles

Enhancement in the Structural and Optical Properties after Incorporation of Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) Nanocomposite in Pristine CsSnBr3 for Solar Cell Application

The metal trihalide perovskite material has been studied due to its promising and outstanding optoelectronic properties. This study reveals that reduced graphene oxide (rGO) makes a nanocomposite with CsSnBr3 perovskite and it has the potential for making efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs). rGO is a very stable material with tunable electronic properties. For this reason, the incorporation of rGO shows inconsistent and ambiguous results. The crystal structure of the pristine CsSnBr3 and rGO/CsSnBr3 nanocomposite has been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). rGO’s incorporation into perovskite improves the absorption of photons, increases the surface roughness, and affects the crystal quality of the rGO nanocomposite. We have studied the surface morphologies of rGO, CsSnBr3, and rGO nanocomposite material by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We have fabricated the solar cell device, and the corresponding calculated parameters are improved relatively after rGO incorporation. The best solar cell results are found for 3% rGO and the parameters are obtained to be a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.27%, VOC of 0.714 V, JSC of 12.04 mA/cm2, and fill factor (FF) of 61.32%. Therefore, rGO incorporated in a lead-free perovskite layer demonstrates highly promising properties for developing futuristic photovoltaic (PV) devices.

Forensic Implications of the Discrepancies Caused between NGS and CE Results by New Microvariant Allele at Penta E Microsatellite.

Examination of STR markers using the MPS technology is becoming more common in forensic genetics, but scientists still have insufficient experience in dealing with ambiguous results. However, it is always essential to resolve discordant data if we want to use the technology as an accredited method in routine forensic casework. During the internal laboratory validation of the Precision ID GlobalFiler NGS STR Panel v2 kit, we observed two discrepant genotypes at Penta E locus compared to the previous capillary electrophoresis results. Each NGS software that we applied (i.e., Converge, STRaitRazor and IGV) returned the same 12,14 and 12,16 genotypes in the two samples, respectively, instead of the 11.3,14 and 11.3,16 genotypes previously observed with CE (Capillary electrophoresis) typing. In the case of the length variant 11.3 alleles, traditional Sanger sequencing confirmed a complete twelve repeat unit structure in both samples. However, after sequencing was extended to the flanking regions of the variant alleles, sequence data revealed a two-bases GG deletion downstream of the last TCTTT repeat motif in the forward strand. The determined allele variant has not been previously reported in the scientific literature and highlights the need for a careful evaluation and thorough concordance studies before using NGS STR data in forensic cases.

How to? My first experience as a sports doctor (GOTS young academy presentation)

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is the major cause of foodborne infections globally, with considerable morbidity and mortality. The accurate identification of Salmonella serovars is important in disease management and public health surveillance. However, traditional serotyping methods are laborious, time-consuming and may produce ambiguous results. In this study, we evaluated traditional serotyping and seven gene-based multilocus sequence typing (MLST) methods to determine the serogroups of Salmonella strains. This study analysis suggests that MLST based serotyping is accurate in serogroup identification and discrimination of Salmonella serovars compared to the traditional serotyping method and can be implemented in routine clinical practice.

Is it time to move on to gene-based Salmonella typing: Evidence and implications

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is the major cause of foodborne infections globally, with considerable morbidity and mortality. The accurate identification of Salmonella serovars is important in disease management and public health surveillance. However, traditional serotyping methods are laborious, time-consuming and may produce ambiguous results. In this study, we evaluated traditional serotyping and seven gene-based multilocus sequence typing (MLST) methods to determine the serogroups of Salmonella strains. This study analysis suggests that MLST based serotyping is accurate in serogroup identification and discrimination of Salmonella serovars compared to the traditional serotyping method and can be implemented in routine clinical practice.

Tribalism in American Politics: Are Partisans Guilty of Double Standards?

Political tribalism has increased dramatically in recent years. We explored partisan double-standards of Democratic and Republican voters across both hypothetical and real-world scenarios. In Study 1, participants rated the perceived legitimacy of election outcomes in response to hypothetical and ambiguous results from the 2020 presidential election. In Study 2 Part 1, college students and Amazon Turk volunteers rated their support of real-world presidential policies and actions. All policies/actions were attributed to Trump or Obama though they actually occurred under both presidents. In Study 2 Part 2, participants rated how bigoted various statements were; we manipulated who the utterances were attributed to (Trump v. Bill Clinton or Trump v. Martin Luther King [MLK]). Generally, Republican ratings were more favorable when statements were attributed to Trump vs. Democratic leaders while the opposite is true of Democrats. Crucially, these biases exist when evaluating identical information. Republicans and Democrats had a very small and very large tendency, respectively, to view statements as more bigoted under Trump vs. MLK. To the degree that this study can answer the question about which side is more guilty of double-standards, our results provide tentative evidence that this occurs under Democrats more than Republicans, though this overall difference may obscure important moderators. Our data provide evidence for tribal loyalty which may have significant social and political ramifications.

Multilineage contribution of CD34+ cells in cardiac remodeling after ischemia/reperfusion injury

The ambiguous results of multiple CD34+ cell-based therapeutic trials for patients with heart disease have halted the large-scale application of stem/progenitor cell treatment. This study aimed to delineate the biological functions of heterogenous CD34+ cell populations and investigate the net effect of CD34+ cell intervention on cardiac remodeling. We confirmed, by combining single-cell RNA sequencing on human and mouse ischemic hearts and an inducible Cd34 lineage-tracing mouse model, that Cd34+ cells mainly contributed to the commitment of mesenchymal cells, endothelial cells (ECs), and monocytes/macrophages during heart remodeling with distinct pathological functions. The Cd34+-lineage-activated mesenchymal cells were responsible for cardiac fibrosis, while CD34+Sca-1high was an active precursor and intercellular player that facilitated Cd34+-lineage angiogenic EC-induced postinjury vessel development. We found through bone marrow transplantation that bone marrow-derived CD34+ cells only accounted for inflammatory response. We confirmed using a Cd34-CreERT2; R26-DTA mouse model that the depletion of Cd34+ cells could alleviate the severity of ventricular fibrosis after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury with improved cardiac function. This study provided a transcriptional and cellular landscape of CD34+ cells in normal and ischemic hearts and illustrated that the heterogeneous population of Cd34+ cell-derived cells served as crucial contributors to cardiac remodeling and function after the I/R injury, with their capacity to generate diverse cellular lineages.

The Effectiveness of the Flipped Classroom Method on Students' Speaking Ability: A Meta-Analysis Study

Many studies have investigated the effectiveness of the flipped classroom method on students' speaking ability when compared to traditional learning methods. However, previous research has provided ambiguous results. This study aims to test the effectiveness of the flipped classroom method on students' speaking abilities compared to traditional methods, as well as investigate what factors can influence the effectiveness of using the flipped classroom method on students' speaking abilities. The design used in this study was group contrast meta-analysis by analyzing 15 primary studies that met the inclusion criteria. The results of the analysis using the random-effects approach obtained a combined effect size of (g = 1.25; p < 0.01). The effect size is in the "Large Effect" category. It can be concluded that the use of the flipped classroom method on students' speaking ability has a significant and more effective effect compared to traditional learning methods. Heterogeneity analysis found that the moderator variable educational level influenced the effectiveness of implementing the flipped classroom method on students' speaking abilities, but not the moderator variables educational level, experimental class capacity, and region. The findings of this meta-analysis provide more accurate results regarding inconsistent effect size variations and can enrich insight into knowledge about the effectiveness of using the flipped classroom method in improving students' speaking skills.

How do we cope when we believe we can? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies on coping and negative mood regulation expectancies

AbstractNegative mood regulation expectancies (NMRE) are individuals’ beliefs about their ability to alleviate a negative mood. The literature on the relations between NMRE and coping often reports ambiguous results. The current review aims to integrate and summarize evidence on the associations between NMRE and coping. We searched the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), PsycInfo, PsycArticles, Scopus and Web of Science databases and found 19 articles for a systematic review and 17 articles for a meta‐analysis. There was a medium significant effect size for active coping (r = .31, 95% confidence interval [CI] [.26; .36]), and a small significant effect for avoidant coping (r = −.14, 95% CI [−.22; −.06]). Moderate to high levels of significant heterogeneity were observed, indicating differences in relationships between NMRE and coping across studies. Method of measuring coping was a significant moderator of its relationship to NMRE. Given the solid evidence of the positive relationship between NMRE and active coping, both variables should be considered in research and in psychological interventions. Further directions for the development of theory and for future research are suggested.

Empathy among male and female medical professionals: A cross-sectional study

Background: The measurable index for selflessness in medical professionals is empathy with patients. Thus, the relationship between a doctor and a patient is mainly based on empathy. Several studies measured the empathy scores before and after medical education and there are ambiguous results. Aims and Objectives: The present study was undertaken to assess the empathy among medical professionals in a tertiary care institute in North-east India. Materials and Methods: Three hundred undergraduate students were part of the study. Willing participants were recruited for the study. The standard tool to assess the empathy JSE-S was used in the study. This tool consists of 20 questions. Results: The empathy scores of female participants were significantly higher compared to male participants (P<0.0001). In both the residences wise that is a hostel and home, female participants’ empathy scores were higher than males (P<0.0001). Conclusion: The study explains higher empathy scores in both male and female students. In comparison, females are having higher scores than males. The study highlights need for future multicentric studies in this area to better understand the empathy of medical students and plan the curriculum accordingly.

Development and Application of a Quality Assessment Tool for Oncological Question Prompt Lists.

No specific quality criteria yet exist for question prompt lists (QPLs), so this study aims to develop a quality assessment tool to then use for an evaluation of online-available QPLs.An online search was conducted for German-language QPLs using different internet search engines and terms. A wide range of existing quality criteria for patient information was adapted to the field of QPLs to build an assessment tool and evaluate all identified QPLs by four independent raters.All new quality criteria were applicable to QPLs. The overall quality of 46 oncological QPLs was low, though the tool's subcategories were mostly fulfilled to over 80% by at least one QPL. For-profit organizations published lesser quality than medical organizations. The quality of breast- and prostate-cancer-specific QPLs was higher than that of general ones.High-quality QPLs could be created if more aspects were taken into account, but the available QPLs only focus on few quality aspects. The ambiguous results of effectiveness studies to date may be a result of vastly differing quality of the QPLs used for the interventions. The criteria provided in this study present a solid basis to assess the quality of QPLs. The creation of future QPLs as well as effectiveness studies should be more firmly based on quality criteria.

Open educational resources and student performance trajectories: B is achievable, A illusive

ABSTRACT Open Educational Resources (OER) are regularly adopted, yet questions persist about efficacy. Do OER improve student performance? Research produces ambiguous results, because these are derived from small sample sizes, inadequate efficacy measures, and neglect of interactional effects. We examine the effect of OER on student grades using over 500,000 courses, including 72,000 students during four years (2017-2020), from a community college in the Northeast of the USA. Relying on logistic regression models, we test the probability of passing and passing with the highest grade. Students who participate in OER initiatives have higher odds of both. Concurrently, these odds are affected by demographic and academic factors. The odds of passing are higher in OER classes for students in good academic standing, entry level, face-to-face classes. The odds of passing with a high grade are more nuanced. Minoritized students in advanced level, in-person OER courses are more likely to earn a “B.” White students in entry level, online, non-OER courses are more likely to earn an “A.” Overall, OER help most students pass up to a “B.” However, they fall short of helping select students reach an “A.” If OER are to replace traditional textbooks, more efforts are needed for maximal productivity.

Ubiquitin Is Not a Blood Biomarker of an Early Cognitive Decline in the Polish Elderly.

Together with development of new pharmaceutical interventions, as well as the introduction of the concept of initial dementia phase, the demand for early diagnosis has been growing. Research on potential blood biomarkers, amazingly attractive, mainly due to the facility of deriving the material, has provided ambiguous results throughout. The existence of an association between ubiquitin and Alzheimer's disease pathology suggests that it could be a potential neurodegeneration biomarker. The present study aims to identify and assess the relationship between ubiquitin with regard to the adequacy as a biomarker of an initial dementia and cognitive decline in the elderly. Method: The study sample was composed of 230 participants: 109 women and 121 men aged 65 and older. The relationships of plasma ubiquitin levels with cognitive performance, gender, and age were analyzed. The assessments were performed in three groups of cognitive functioning level: cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment, and mild dementia, of which the subjects were divided with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results: No significant disparities in plasma ubiquitin levels for various levels of cognitive functioning were identified. Significantly higher plasma ubiquitin levels in women were found in comparison to men. No significant differences were found in ubiquitin concentrations based on age. Results suggest that ubiquitin does not meet the requirements for qualification as a blood biomarker of an early cognitive decline. In order to thoroughly evaluate the potential of research on ubiquitin in connection to an early neurodegenerative process, further studies are needed.

A nationwide propensity score analysis comparing ablation and resection for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Studies have reported ambiguous results regarding the efficacy of ablation for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our study compared outcomes of ablation versus resection for HCC ≤50 mm to identify tumor sizes that would most benefit from ablation in terms of long-term survival. The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with stage I and II HCC ≤50 mm who underwent ablation or resection (2004-2018). Three cohorts were created based on tumor size: ≤20, 21-30, and 31-50 mm. A propensity score-matched survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. In total, 36.47% (n = 4263) and 63.53% (n = 7425) of patients underwent resection and ablation, respectively. After matching, resection was associated with a significant survival benefit compared to ablation (3-year survival: 78.13% vs. 67.64%; p < 0.0001) in patients with HCC of ≤20 mm. The impact of resection was even more striking among patients with HCC of 21-30 mm (3-year survival: 77.88% vs. 60.53%; p < 0.0001) and 31-50 mm (3-year survival: 67.21% vs. 48.55%; p < 0.0001). While resection offers a survival benefit over ablation in the treatment of early-stage HCC ≤50 mm, ablation may provide a feasible bridging strategy in patients awaiting transplantation.

Individual response to transcranial direct current stimulation as a function of working memory capacity and electrode montage.

Attempts to improve cognitive abilities via transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have led to ambiguous results, likely due to the method's susceptibility to methodological and inter-individual factors. Conventional tDCS, i.e., using an active electrode over brain areas associated with the targeted cognitive function and a supposedly passive reference, neglects stimulation effects on entire neural networks. We investigated the advantage of frontoparietal network stimulation (right prefrontal anode, left posterior parietal cathode) against conventional and sham tDCS in modulating working memory (WM) capacity dependent transfer effects of a single-session distractor inhibition (DIIN) training. Since previous results did not clarify whether electrode montage drives this individual transfer, we here compared conventional to frontoparietal and sham tDCS and reanalyzed data of 124 young, healthy participants in a more robust way using linear mixed effect modeling. The interaction of electrode montage and WM capacity resulted in systematic differences in transfer effects. While higher performance gains were observed with increasing WM capacity in the frontoparietal stimulation group, low WM capacity individuals benefited more in the sham condition. The conventional stimulation group showed subtle performance gains independent of WM capacity. Our results confirm our previous findings of WM capacity dependent transfer effects on WM by a single-session DIIN training combined with tDCS and additionally highlight the pivotal role of the specific electrode montage. WM capacity dependent differences in frontoparietal network recruitment, especially regarding the parietal involvement, are assumed to underlie this observation.

Neuroprognostication after cardiac arrest: what the cardiologist should know.

Two aspects are a key to mastering prognostication of comatose cardiac arrest survivors: a detailed knowledge about the clinical trajectories of consciousness recovery (or lack thereof) and the ability to correctly interpret the results of multimodal investigations, which include clinical examination, electroencephalography, neuroimaging, evoked potentials, and blood biomarkers. While the very good and the very poor ends of the clinical spectrum typically do not pose diagnostic challenges, the intermediate 'grey zone' of post-cardiac arrest encephalopathy requires cautious interpretation of the available information and sufficiently long clinical observation. Late recovery of coma patients with initially ambiguous diagnostic results is increasingly reported, as are unresponsive patients with various forms of residual consciousness, including so-called cognitive motor dissociation, rendering prognostication of post-anoxic coma highly complex. The aim of this paper is to provide busy clinicians with a high-yield, concise overview of neuroprognostication after cardiac arrest, emphasizing notable developments in the field since 2020.

Vertical anisotropy in lightness perception not caused by lighting assumption

Our recent study found an illusory effect whereby an image of an upward-facing gray panel appears darker than its 180-degree rotated image. We attributed this inversion effect to the observer’s implicit assumption that light from above is more intense than light from below. This paper aims to explore the possibility that low-level visual anisotropy also contributes to the effect. In Experiment 1, we investigated whether the effect could be observed even when the position, the contrast polarity, and the existence of the edge were manipulated. In Experiments 2 and 3, the effect was further examined using stimuli that contained no depth cues. Experiment 4 confirmed the effect using stimuli of even simpler configuration. The results of all the experiments demonstrated that brighter edges on the upper side of the target make it appear lighter, indicating that low-level anisotropy contributes to the inversion effect, even without depth orientation information. However, darker edges on the upper side of the target produced ambiguous results. We speculate that the perceived lightness of the target might be affected by two kinds of vertical anisotropy, one of which is dependent on contrast polarity while the other is independent of it. Moreover, the results also replicated the previous finding that the lighting assumption contributes to perceived lightness. Overall, the present study demonstrates that both low-level vertical anisotropy and mid-level lighting assumption influence lightness.

Validation and application of new NGS-based HLA genotyping to clinical diagnostic practice.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized clinical genotyping, providing high-resolution HLA genotyping with a low ambiguity rate. This study aimed to develop new NGS-based HLA genotyping (HLAaccuTest, NGeneBio, Seoul, KOREA) on the Illumina MiSeq platform and validate the clinical performance. The analytical performance of HLAaccuTest was validated for 11 loci comprising HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1/3/4/5, -DQA1, -DQB1, -DPA1, and -DPB1 using 157 reference samples. Among the 345 clinical samples, 180 were tested for performance evaluation and protocol optimization, and 165 were used in clinical trials in the validation phase for five loci, including HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DQB1. In addition, the improvement in the resolution of ambiguous alleles was also evaluated and compared with other NGS-based HLA genotyping for 18 reference samples, including five overlapping samples in analytical performance validation. All reference materials produced 100% concordant results for 11 HLA loci, 96.9% (2092 of 2160 HLA alleles) of the clinical samples were matched with the SBT results in the pre-validation phase. After the optimization phase, the clinical trials in the validation phase showed 99.7% (1645/1650 alleles) concordance with the complete resolution for 34 ambiguity results. The retesting of five discordant cases resolved all issues and yielded 100% concordant results with the SBT method. Additionally, for ambiguity using 18 reference materials with ambiguous alleles, about 30% of ambiguous alleles were more resolved than Trusight HLA v2. HLAaccuTest was successfully validated using a large volume of clinical samples and is fully applicable to the clinical laboratory.

YouTube radical content recommendations: a meta-analysis

YouTube's recommendation system algorithms have been the subject of controversy and debate, as there have been incidents of the recommendation system offering hazardous, most often extremist content to users. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that YouTube recommendations can contain and promote radical content. The scientific and practical significance of this work is that YouTube has a huge popularity, and knowledge about the algorithms of its recommendation system would help to improve information literacy of users and thus prevent the potential danger that can be caused by exposure to malicious information. This study seeks to popularize the idea that all information on the Internet requires a thorough verification. Improving information literacy of users, this research contributes globally to the prevention of terrorist attacks, acts of self-mutilation, suicide, pedophilia, etc. The sources for the present investigation with description at least one type of radical content were published in the last 5 years. The material of interest was searched through authoritative scientific and metric databases, namely: Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed by extracting suitable records. A total of 22 studies were pooled according to the eligibility and exclusion criteria, and a meta-analysis was performed which found that in 13 of them YouTube recommendations contained and promoted hazardous content, in 7 studies the scientists presented ambiguous results, and only in 2 studies the authors found that the recommendations did not contain or promote any radical content. Thus, according to the results of this research, it was found that YouTube recommendations can contain and disseminate prohibited hazardous content, and therefore the authors strongly recommend making adjustments to the algorithms of the recommendations in order to protect users from prohibited information, including the promotion of extremism and violence. Keywords: YouTube, recommendations, recommendation system, hazardous content, pseudoscientific content, radical content, extremism, pedophilia, meta-analysis.

The Efficiency of Sustainability Engagement Reported by Banks in Poland, Croatia and Romania

Abstract Purpose This study aims to verify the efficiency of economic, organisational, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability performance. Methodology Disclosure analysis and 2-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) examining the efficiency of sustainability engagement of listed banks in Poland, Croatia, and Romania disclosed in the annual and CSR/sustainability reports for 2015–2018. Findings There are apparent differences between the efficiency of sustainability engagement in the banking sectors of the three countries examined in the study. Banking sectors in all these countries are on different stages of their paths to value creation via the efficiency of sustainability engagement. Practical implications The results of this study may help compare sustainability engagement and understanding of the further directions of sustainable development in the banking sector in both the analysed and other countries, as well as in other institutions from other sectors. These results may be important for the decision-makers in determining the actions focused on improving efficiency on the way to value creation. Originality/value Since only a limited number of studies examine the efficiency of sustainability engagement, especially in CEE countries, little is known about value creation, understood as the efficient use of the resources and activities concerning sustainability. This paper contributes to filling in this gap. It also proposes an alternative approach, analysing the relationship between sustainability engagement and value creation based on efficiency rather than on the direct impact on financial results giving ambiguous results. This approach may be extended to different sectors and other countries.

SOME PROBLEMS OF NATIONAL-TERRITORIAL DEMARCATION IN CENTRAL ASIA. 1920S.

Annotation. The author suggests analyzing the problems of national-territorial demarcation in Central Asia in the context of the general process of forming the federal image of the USSR. Researchers in the former Soviet republics and abroad have now made a number of clarifications and additions to the study of a complex range of issues on this problem, but discussions about the expediency, methods and results of nation-building in its Soviet version for the peoples of modern Central Asia remain relevant. Historians' assessments often remain polar – from accusing the Bolshevik government of causing irreparable damage to the peoples to recognizing the progressive role of the creation of republics, which, practically in the form that developed in the 1920s and 1930s, became independent states after 1991. The study of facts and documents makes it possible to highlight the important role of local ethnoelites in the creation of the former Soviet republics of Central Asia and the Kazakh ASSR, the specifics of intraregional socio-economic and cultural ties, difficulties and contradictions in the transition from tradition to modernity. The cultural complexity of society, the multiple nature of the identity of representatives of different peoples, political and ethno-social components in their dynamics and interaction predetermined the ambiguous results of the demarcation and the historical inertia of their influence on the development and relations of modern states in the region. Keywords. USSR, ethno-national policy, nation-building, Central Asia, national-territorial division.