Normal Distribution Of Data Research Articles

Effect of body mass index on quadriceps angle and tibial torsion in school-aged children

BackgroundThe prevalence of excessive body mass (BMI) is increasing in pediatric population. Accordingly, the number of musculoskeletal problems in this population is also likely to increase. The quadriceps angle (Q-angle) is a clinical measure used to measure knee alignment in relation to the hip, femur, and tibia, as well as evaluating alignment of the patella. Tibial torsion (T.T) is an important morphological feature of human tibia. The aim of that study was to study the relationship between the Q-angle and TT in children 8 to 12 years old, the effect of BMI on Q-angle and T.T, and the difference in Q-angle and TT between dominant and non-dominant side.Results“Seventy-five children from primary schools” were enrolled in the study and allocated into 3 groups (25 subjects in each group), according to BMI: group I (normal weight = 25), group II (overweight = 25), and group III (obese = 25). The mean value of age of groups I, II, and III was 10.35 ± 1, 10.74 ± 1.2, and 10.17 ± 1.18 years respectively; the mean value of weight was 29.88 ± 3.94, 43.68 ± 6.55, and 50.06 ± 10.44 kg respectively; the mean value of height was 135.28 ± 7.63, 143.2 ± 8.85, and 140.72 ± 9.3 cm respectively; and the mean value of BMI was 16.22 ± 1, 21.18 ± 1.4, and 25.17 ± 2.67 kg/m2. The number (%) of boys in groups I, II, and III was 15 (60%), 18 (72%), and 17 (68%) respectively and of girls was 10 (40%), 7 (28%), and 8 (32%) respectively.The significant values were Q-angle and TT. Data were expressed as mean ± SD. ANOVA was used to compare between subjects’ characteristics of the groups. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for testing normality of data distribution. One-way MANOVA was used to compare parametric variables (Q-angle and TT) between the two groups. Compared with normal weight children, there was statistically significant increase in Q-angle and TT angle in overweight and obese children.ConclusionAny change in BMI would eventually lead to change in both Q-angle and TT angle. The greater the BMI values, the greater the values of Q-angle and TT angle.

On the efficiency of paired ranked set sampling for estimating the population mean in the presence of non-response

Non-response is a common problem faced by surveyors while conducting surveys; this introduces a potential bias in the estimates of population parameters. One method of dealing with non-response is subsampling of the non-respondents, which increases precision in estimates by increasing the sample size. This study proposes an unbiased mean estimator in the presence of non-response using the Paired Ranked Set Sampling (PRSS) technique. The proposed estimator is based on a suggested strategy for adapting the subsampled units into the initial sample. Variance of the proposed estimator is derived, and conditions are provided for which the proposed estimator performs better than existing estimators. We conduct a simulation study to evaluate the precision of the proposed estimator in comparison with other existing estimators for estimating the population mean. In simulation, we assume populations based on normal distribution, exponential distribution, and real-life data on abalone. Simulation results show that the proposed mean estimator exhibits a higher probability of precisely estimating the finite population mean.

Determination of Maxillary and Mandibular Arch Width in Angle’s Class I Patients

Introduction: The transverse dimension plays a key role in smile. Maintaining the pretreatment arch form is a key to obtaining stable results. Objectives: The main aim of this study was to determine mean intercanine arch width and mean intermolar arch width in Angle’s class I patients. Methods: Seventy-six pretreatment casts were obtained from the records of patients who sought orthodontic treatment in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. Four parameters were used in this study namely; intercanine arch width and intermolar arch width in maxilla and mandible. Linear measurements were carried out with digital caliper. Kappa test was done for intra-observer reliability. Shapiro-Wilk test was done to determine the normal distribution of data. The Pearson Correlation test was done to assess the correlation between intercanine and intermolar arch width in maxilla and mandible. The independent t-test was used to compare between intercanine and intermolar arch width with male and female. Results: Mean intercanine arch width in maxilla and mandible were 35.41±1.47 mm and 26.85±1.59 mm respectively. Mean intermolar arch width in maxilla and mandible were 53.82±2.82 mm and 51.71±2.60 mm respectively. Statistically significant difference was found between intercanine and intermolar arch width in maxilla and mandible between male and female. The intercanine and intermolar arch width in maxilla and mandible has significantly low correlation. Conclusions: Intercanine and intermolar arch width in male and female were statistically significant and male has lager intercanine and intermolar arch width than female.

The effect of erector spinae plane block on postoperative pain and quality of recovery in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) is the preferred surgical procedure for treating renal stones larger than 2 cm. Patients may experience significant pain in the postoperative period due to factors such as the catheter entry site and tension in the renal capsule. Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) block provides perioperative muscle relaxation and reduces analgesic use. In this study, we investigated the effect of ESP block on postoperative pain scale and quality of recovery in patients undergoing PNL. The study was conducted with a total of 96 patients, with 45 patients receiving the ESP block and 51 patients not receiving the ESP block. Following the surgery, the visual pain scale (VAS) was completed at 0, 2, 6, 12, and 24 h, and the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) scale along with the willingness scale were completed at the 24-hour mark. The normal distribution of data was evaluated with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, histogram, and skewness-kurtosis coefficients. For comparing paired groups, the Student’s T-test was used for normally distributed variables, while the Mann-Whitney U test was used for parameters that did not have a normal distribution. The comparison of postoperative pain, as measured by VAS scores between the groups, revealed statistically significantly lower scores in the ESP block group at 0, 2, 6, 12, and 24 h (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.008, p = 0.010, respectively). Our study results indicated that patients who received the ESP block experienced reduced pain levels and had higher QoR-15 scores compared to those who did not receive the ESP block.

Sulfur dioxide in white sugar: Source of income, reference values

Sulfur dioxide is one of the classic essential technological processing aids used in modern technology for the production of white beet sugar. The technological and safe use of sulfites (sulfur dioxide, sodium sulfite and sodium hydrosulfite) in the formation of the food system of the sugar production process flow has been substantiated, and their functional effect is shown. It has been established that the change in the content of sulfur dioxide in white sugar under the influence of an antifoam, antiscale agent and decolorant in the doses used in massecuite occurred in accordance with the principle of additivity. The presence of the additive property was confirmed by the maximum approximation of the algebraic sum of the effects of each agent, amounting to 5.6%, to the range of variation in the values of the sulfur dioxide content (5.9) at a significance level of p=0.05. The dependence of the sulfur dioxide content in white sugar in a range of 0 to 6.5 mg/kg on the influence of the decolorant and defoamer in a dose range of 100 to 200 and of 4 to 6 g/t of massecuite was established. It has been revealed that increasing the minimum optimal dose of the decolorant to the maximum leads to an increase in the content of sulfur dioxide in white sugar by 1.7 times. Confidence intervals for the general mean were calculated based on the assumption of normal data distribution and a significance level of p=0.05. The reference values for the sulfur dioxide content in white sugar of the four categories were 1.28–2.69 mg/kg, and the upper limit level with consideration for the confidence interval was 1.39–3.01 mg/kg. The established reference values can be used at sugar factories in the production control system, and also provide an evidence base for comparison and assessment of this indicator of the white sugar safety for industrial consumers.

Linking Thermal Conductivity to Equations of State Using the Residual Entropy Scaling Theory.

In recent years, the application of the residual entropy scaling (RES) method for modeling transport properties has become increasingly prominent. Based on Yang et al. (Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 13052) in modeling the thermal conductivity of refrigerants, we present here an RES model that extends Yang et al.'s approach to a wider range of pure fluids and their mixtures. All fluids available in the REFPROP 10.0 software, i.e., those with reference equations of state (EoS), were studied. A total of 71,554 experimental data of 125 pure fluids and 16,702 experimental data of 164 mixtures were collected from approximately 647 references, mainly based on the NIST ThermoData Engine (TDE) database 10.1. As a result, over 68.2% (corresponding to the standard deviation of a normal distribution) of the well-screened experimental data agree with the developed RES model within 3.1% and 4.6% for pure fluids and mixtures, respectively. Comparative analysis against the various models implemented in the REFPROP 10.0 (one of the state-of-the-art software packages for thermophysical property calculations) reveals that our RES model demonstrates analogous statistical agreement with experimental data yet with much fewer parameters. Regarding the average absolute value of the relative deviation (AARD) from experimental values to model predictions, the developed RES model shows a smaller or equal AARD for 74 pure fluids out of 125 and 76 mixtures out of 164. Besides, a detailed examination of the impact of the critical enhancement term on mixture calculations was conducted. To use our model easily, a software package written in Python is provided in the Supporting Information.

Nitrogen metabolism in blackmoiled cattle of Kuzbass

A research analysis of nitrogen metabolism in black-and-white cattle was carried out in the conditions of the Kuzbass region. Healthy animals at the age of 2nd lactation with a productivity level from 7300 to 10500 kg were selected for the experimental group. Laboratory studies were carried out at the Department of Veterinary Genetics and Biotechnology of the Novosibirsk State Agrarian University. Indicators of nitrogen metabolism in blood serum were assessed photometrically on a biochemical semi-automatic analyzer Photometer 5010 V5+. Reagent kits from Vector-Best and Olvex-Diagnosticum were used. When biometric data processing, standard descriptive statistics techniques and robust indicators were used. The Anderson-Darling test was used to assess the normality of data distribution. .When calculating correlation relationships, the Pearson coefficient was used. Calculations were performed in the “RStudio” programming environment. The obtained average values of nitrogen metabolism indicators were within the physiological norm. The strongest positive associations were observed between urea levels and uric acid, and urea and creatinine. No connection was found between other indicators of nitrogen metabolism. There were no differences in milk yield between cows with high and low levels of nitrogen metabolism. Graphs of the range of nitrogen content in black-and-white cows during lactation are presented. Calculations of reference indicators based on data from Kuzbass dairy cattle make it possible to more accurately assess the clinical condition of animals and timely detect deviations from established standard values. It is also necessary to take into account reference limits when monitoring the quality and completeness of cattle.

Out-of-Distribution Detection with Memory-Augmented Variational Autoencoder

This paper proposes a novel method capable of both detecting OOD data and generating in-distribution data samples. To achieve this, a VAE model is adopted and augmented with a memory module, providing capacities for identifying OOD data and synthesising new in-distribution samples. The proposed VAE is trained on normal data and the memory stores prototypical patterns of the normal data distribution. At test time, the input is encoded by the VAE encoder; this encoding is used as a query to retrieve related memory items, which are then integrated with the input encoding and passed to the decoder for reconstruction. Normal samples reconstruct well and yield low reconstruction errors, while OOD inputs produce high reconstruction errors as their encodings get replaced by retrieved normal patterns. Prior works use memory modules for OOD detection with autoencoders, but this method leverages a VAE architecture to enable generation abilities. Experiments conducted with CIFAR-10 and MNIST datasets show that the memory-augmented VAE consistently outperforms the baseline, particularly where OOD data resembles normal patterns. This notable improvement is due to the enhanced latent space representation provided by the VAE. Overall, the memory-equipped VAE framework excels in identifying OOD and generating creative examples effectively.

Should we prioritise proper surgical staging for patients with Atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH)? Experience from a single-institution tertiary care oncology centre

ObjectiveThe study aimed to evaluate the incidence of concurrent endometrial cancer (EC) and lymph node positivity in patients with Atypical Endometrial Hyperplasia (AEH) who underwent surgical staging with sentinel lymph node evaluation. It also sought to identify the risk factors associated with detecting concurrent endometrial cancer in patients with a preoperative diagnosis of AEH. Study designA retrospective study was conducted at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, involving 54 cases of AEH diagnosed on pre-operative biopsy specimens and undergoing staging surgery between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2020. The study analysed demographic parameters, clinical presentations, pathological features, and clinical outcomes. Categorical variables were expressed in numbers and percentages, normal distribution data were presented as mean, and non-normal distribution data were presented as median and range. ResultsFifty-four patients diagnosed with AEH underwent surgical staging. The median age was 54 years. Final HistoPathology Report (HPR) showed 48.14 % with AEH and 51.85 % with concurrent EC. Among those with concurrent EC, 96.4 % had type I EC, and one patient was upgraded to type 2 EC. Among them, 17.8 % patients belonged to high-intermediate and high-risk categories. Patients with AEH and concurrent EC were more likely to be diabetic (OR: 3.56, p = 0.04), have a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (OR: 1.47, p = 0.04), exhibit a thickened endometrial lining of ≥9 mm (OR: 3.13, p = 0.05) on ultrasound, and undergo preoperative biopsy at a non-oncology centre (OR: 8.33, p = 0.001) whereas experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding had a substantially lower likelihood (OR: 0.29, p = 0.01) of developing concurrent EC. ConclusionThe study revealed that more than half of patients undergoing staging surgery for AEH were found to be at risk of having concurrent EC in their final HPR. The research also pointed out that surgical staging can help identify both low-risk and high-risk ECs, which may require additional treatment. Higher BMI, diabetes mellitus, and an endometrial thickness of ≥9 mm were identified as significant risk factors for concurrent EC. Additionally, heavy menstrual bleeding was associated with a decreased risk of concurrent EC.

Unsupervised health indicator construction by a new Gaussian-student’s t-distribution mixture model and its application

The equipment’s remaining useful life (RUL) must be accurately estimated to guarantee its reliable operation. As a crucial part of data-driven RUL prediction, the health indicator (HI) construction method employing the distribution discrepancies can represent the variation trend of health conditions. However, the existing Gaussian mixture model based HI construction method cannot accurately estimate the long-tail distribution characteristics in some degradation data. Moreover, it cannot comprehensively mine the distribution characteristics of degradation data by leveraging different types of distributions. A novel Gaussian-student’s t-distribution mixture model (GSMM) that simultaneously considers Gaussian distribution and student’s t-distribution is developed in this work to estimate the distributions of normal and degradation data. Next, the distribution contact ratio metric (DCRM) is applied to measure the discrepancies between the baseline distribution of normal data and the distributions of test data at different moments. The bearing HI can be constructed with the acquired DCRMs. Finally, the effectiveness and merit of the developed HI construction approach are validated by two bearing life-cycle datasets. The experimental results illustrate that the GSMM-based HI performs better than other classical and state-of-the-art HIs. Additionally, the constructed HI is more suitable for bearing RUL prediction.

Comparative efficacy of pharmaceutical (Ibuprofen) and non-pharmaceutical (photobiomodulation, and chewing gum) interventions for pain reduction after elastomeric separator placement in orthodontic patients: a randomized clinical trial.

This study compared the efficacy of pharmaceutical (ibuprofen) and non-pharmaceutical (photobiomodulation and chewing gum) interventions for pain reduction after elastomeric separator placement in orthodontic patients. This 3-arm, parallel-group randomized clinical trial was conducted on 90 orthodontic patients. The level of anxiety and pain threshold of patients were measured at baseline using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and an algometer, respectively. The patients were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 30; equal number of males and females). In the laser group, 940nm diode laser (Epic X, Biolase, USA, 12.35J/cm2 energy density and 300 mW power in continuous-wave mode., The cross-sectional area of the laser handpiece tip was 1.7 cm2.) was irradiated to the buccal and lingual surfaces for 35s each, prior to placement of separators. In the gum group, the patients were asked to chew a piece of sugar-free gum immediately after the placement of separators and repeat every 8h for 5min for one week in case of pain. In the ibuprofen group, patients received 400mg ibuprofen (Hakim Pharmaceuticals, Tehran, Iran) after the placement of separators and were asked to take one tablet every 8h for one week in case of pain. The pain score was recorded using the Modified McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ). The normality of data distribution was analyzed by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. ANOVA was applied to compare age, and the Chi-square and Monte Carlo Chi-square tests were used to compare gender and patient responses to the questions among the groups. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare the pain score at different time points and among the three groups. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 19 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) at 0.05 level of significance. Data analysis in this study had an intention to treat approach. Although the pain score was slightly lower in ibuprofen and gum groups, the difference among the three groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). 'Repeated measures ANOVA showed no significant effect of method of pain reduction on pain score (F = 1.520, P = 0.225). Time had a significant effect on pain score (F = 20.310, P < 0.001). The interaction effect of time and pain reduction method on pain score was not significant (F = 0.737, P = 0.651). patients experienced a lower level of pain in the ibuprofen and chewing gum groups, the difference in pain score was not significant among the three groups (P = 0.225). patients experienced a higher level of pain at 12 and 24 hours after the placement of separators in all groups. Considering the comparably equal analgesic efficacy of this modalities, non-pharmaceutical interventions can be used for pain reduction of elastomeric separator. The study protocol was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20210927052611N1). Date of registration 2022/03/14.

Markers of systemic inflammation in hemorrhagic stroke with effective and ineffective cerebral blood flow

Neuroinflammation during intracerebral hemorrhage is initiated by blood breakdown products in the subarachnoid space and/or brain parenchyma. In this case, neuroinflammation can cause the development of systemic inflammation. In some cases, intracerebral hemorrhage is accompanied by the appearance of the phenomenon of ineffective cerebral blood flow and clinical manifestations of brain death. The purpose of the study is to identify markers of systemic inflammation in severe hemorrhagic stroke with or without effective cerebral blood flow. The study included patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and the presence of multiple organ failure syndrome, as well as coma on the first day of manifestation, to determine markers of systemic inflammation. A total of 3 groups were analyzed: patients with ineffective cerebral blood flow (Group 2); with effective cerebral blood flow (Group 3); and control group (Group 1) – healthy blood donors. Criteria for non-inclusion in the study: the presence in patients with hemorrhagic stroke of septic complications during hospitalization and acute infectious diseases during the manifestation of intracerebral hemorrhage. In frozen blood plasma samples (anticoagulant – citrate), the levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNFá, procalcitonin, neuron-specific enolase, cortisol, myoglobin, troponin I and D-dimers were determined. Enzyme immunoassay was carried out on an automatic analyzer “Dynex Lazurite” (Dynex Technologies, VA, USA). The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to confirm the normality of data distribution. Further comparison of quantitative data was carried out using the nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test. All results were considered statistically significant at p 0.05. In patients with effective and ineffective cerebral blood flow, statistically significant differences were observed in almost all studied markers of systemic inflammation, except for troponin I. However, in the presence of effective cerebral blood flow, significantly higher values of a number of indicators were noted, which may indicate a more rapidly occurring acute systemic inflammatory response in case of effective cerebral blood flow. At the same time, 28 day mortality and SOFA scores in the group with effective blood flow were lower than in the group with ineffective blood flow. This discrepancy may indicate a greater contribution to 28 day mortality and patient severity from direct loss of brain function than from systemic inflammation in patients with ineffective blood flow. On the other hand, the lack of severity of systemic inflammation in this category of patients is most likely due to impaired blood outflow from the damaged brain and the entry of tissue breakdown products and other pro-inflammatory factors into the systemic circulation. That is, intracerebral hemorrhage is accompanied by the development of neuroinflammation, which may be an important component of systemic inflammation. However, disruption of the inflow and outflow of blood in the main great vessels of the brain reduces the likelihood and severity of the development of systemic inflammation.

Data-driven unsupervised anomaly detection of manufacturing processes with multi-scale prototype augmentation and multi-sensor data

Accurate anomaly detection (AD) of machine tools is crucial to ensure the quality and efficiency of the manufacturing processes. Due to the lack of tool anomaly information, it is difficult for AD model to precisely capture the distribution of health states and then obtain a discriminative decision boundary. Current methods try to reconstruct the normal data distribution without restricting the abnormal, resulting in the unacceptable overlap between normal and abnormal regions and finally leading to high false alarm rate. To tackle these issues, a hierarchical augmented autoencoder is proposed for AD of machine tools during manufacturing. First, a skip-connected autoencoder is built to basically learn the normal representations of multi-sensor data in an unsupervised manner. Then, to improve further emphasis the reconstruction on normality and suppress that on anomalies, we propose hierarchical memory modules to store multi-scale normal prototypical patterns, using them as a prior to guide the reconstruction with preference. Finally, A compound metric loss function is designed to measure data similarity considering both distance and angle perspectives, which can restrain noise interference and enhance model robustness. Extensive experiments are conducted on real-world CNC machine tool datasets, the proposed method achieves better performance for unsupervised AD compared with other typical methods.

Missile Fault Detection and Localization Based on HBOS and Hierarchical Signed Directed Graph

The rudder surfaces and lifting surfaces of a missile are utilized to acquire aerodynamic forces and moments, adjust the missile’s attitude, and achieve precise strike missions. However, the harsh flying conditions of missiles make the rudder surfaces and lifting surfaces susceptible to faults. In practical scenarios, there is often a scarcity of fault data, and sometimes, it is even difficult to obtain such data. Currently, data-driven fault detection and localization methods heavily rely on fault data, posing challenges for their applicability. To address this issue, this paper proposes an HBOS (Histogram-Based Outlier Score) online fault-detection method based on statistical distribution. This method generates a fault-detection model by fitting the probability distribution of normal data and incorporates an adaptive threshold to achieve real-time fault detection. Furthermore, this paper abstracts the interrelationships between the missile’s flight states and the propagation mechanism of faults into a hierarchical directed graph model. By utilizing bilateral adaptive thresholds, it captures the first fault features of each sub-node and determines the fault propagation effectiveness of each layer node based on the compatibility path principle, thus establishing a fault inference and localization model. The results of semi-physical simulation experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is independent of fault data and exhibits high real-time performance. In multiple sets of simulated tests with randomly parameterized deviations, the fault-detection accuracy exceeds 98% with a false-alarm rate of no more than 0.31%. The fault-localization algorithm achieves an accuracy rate of no less than 97.91%.

Morphological Measurement and Clinical Significance of Abnormal Development of Distal Femur with Hemophilia Knee Arthritis: A Consideration on the Renewal of Total Knee Prosthesis.

The knee joint of hemophiliacs may face the result of local morphological changes due to long-term irritation of synovitis. This study aims to elucidate the morphological characteristics of distal femur in hemophilic arthritis (HA) and compare the compatibility of three types of prostheses with the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) dimensions of the femoral osteotomy surface. This study retrospectively and randomly selected 50 patients with HA registered for treatment at our hospital from June 2016 to August 2022 as the study subjects, with an equal number of male osteoarthritis (OA) patients and healthy male individuals set as the control group. This study used medical digitalization software to simulate osteotomies on the distal femur during total knee arthroplasties (TKA) for 50 patients with HA, OA patients, and the healthy population, respectively, and measure the morphological parameters to compare with three commonly used femoral components of TKA in clinical practice. The differences between the femur resection of anteroposterior and mediolateral (FRAP, FRML) osteotomy surface and the prosthesis's BOX-AP/ML were compared in three prostheses. One-way ANOVA and multiple Kruskal-Wallis H test were used for the normal or non-normal distribution data, and pairwise comparisons between groups were conducted using the Bonferroni method, and the linear correlation analysis was utilized to assess the relationship between section femoral morphological data and prosthesis parameters. In HA patients, the morphological characteristics of the distal femur were shown as shorter than femur AP (FAP), medial and lateral condyle anterior-posterior dimension (FMCAP, FLCAP), notch width (NW), posterolateral condyle height (PLCH), posteromedial condyle width (PMCW), and posterior condylar axis length (PCAL) dimension. They had comparatively smaller femur section aspect ratios (p < 0.005). They showed longer posterolateral condyle width (PLCW), anterior condyle mediolateral dimension (FRACML), anterolateral condyle height (ALCH), and femur resection anterior condylar mediolateral (FRACML) dimension (p < 0.005). They showed larger distal femur aspect ratio and resection aspect ratio (FAR, FRAR, p < 0.005). All selected prostheses showed ML undercoverage under similar AP dimensions, and ML undersizing of Attune systems was more obvious in three femoral prostheses. The distal femur morphological change of HA patient is shown as smaller AP dimension, narrow posterior condyle spacing, lower and shallower trochlear, thinner anterior condyle, wider and lower intercondylar notch and higher posterior-lateral condyle. The selected prostheses showed ML undercoverage under similar AP dimensions. This typical morphological tendency of the distal femur seems to warrant consideration in the process of knee joint prosthesis upgrading.

Difference in Laterality of the Dorsal Striatum in Schizoaffective Disorder.

Recent research has demonstrated that the dorsal striatum is directly associated with the integration of cognitive, sensory-motor, and motivational/emotional data. Disruptions in the corticostriatal circuit have been implicated in the pathophysiology of psychosis. The dorsal striatum was reported to show lateralized pathology in psychotic disorders. In this study, we aimed to analyze the laterality of the dorsal striatum with texture analysis of T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images from schizoaffective disorder (SAD) patients. Twenty SAD patients, met the inclusion criteria and had available cranial MRI data were assigned as the patient group. Twenty healthy individuals were determined as the control group. Texture analysis values were obtained from striatum region of interests (ROI) generated from T2-weighted MRI images. Data are presented as mean and standard deviation. The suitability of the data for normal distribution was analyzed with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test (Post Hoc TUKEY) was employed to compare the group data based on test findings. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of gender and age. There were differences in the values of texture analysis parameters of both caudate and putamen nuclei in comparison to controls. We identified differences in the left dorsal striatum nuclei in SAD. The differences in the putamen were more and more pronounced than in the caudate. Texture analyses suggest that the left dorsal striatum nuclei may be different in SAD patients. Further studies are needed to determine the pathophysiology of SAD and how it may affect disease treatment.

Smooth muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential or atypical leiomyomas: A long-term evaluation of surgical outcomes and clinicopathological features

ObjectiveThe Primary Objective of this study was to analyse reproductive outcomes in patients with STUMP (Smooth Muscle Tumour of Uncertain Potential) or ALM (Atypical Leiomyoma) who underwent fertility-preserving surgeries. Secondary Objectives were to analyse long-term prognosis for these patients and to study the basic demographic and pathological characteristics of patients with STUMP or ALM. Study Design:This retrospective study was conducted at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences. Cases of STUMP and ALM were retrieved from the hospital medical database between June 2014 and December 2022. Demographic parameters, clinical presentations, pathological features and clinical outcomes were analysed. Categorical variables were expressed in numbers and percentages. Normal distribution data were presented as mean while non-normal distribution was expressed as median and range. ResultsThirty-eight patients were included in the study with a diagnosis of STUMP or ALM in postoperative histology. Seven patients (18.4%) were nulliparous. Myomectomy was performed in 9 (23.6%), while hysterectomy was done in 29 patients (76.3%). Fertility-preserving surgeries were performed on six patients (15.7%). Of these six patients, 4(66.6%) conceived spontaneously and had successful pregnancies. Recurrences were found in 3 patients (7.8%) out of which one had undergone fertility-sparing surgery. All the patients with recurrences had previous history of myomectomies. Morcellation was reportedly done in 2 of these three patients. ConclusionGood reproductive outcomes have been demonstrated in patients diagnosed with STUMP or ALM and desiring fertility. However, these patients should be kept under follow-up care as they are prone for recurrences. Patients who have undergone morcellation mayhave an increased chance of recurrence.

Do Fair Play Behaviors Reduce Aggression and Anger in Sport?

The sample group of the study, which examined the relationship between the fair play behaviors of student athletes and their levels of aggression and anger in sports, consisted of a total of 333 student athletes, 140 female and 193 male, studying at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University Faculty of Sports Sciences in the 2021-2022 academic year. The aim of the study, in which both screening (descriptive) and correlational models were used, was to examine the relationship between student athletes' fair play behaviors and their levels of aggression and anger in sports. The Multidimensional Scale of Sportsmanship Orientation (MSOS-25) and the Scale of Aggression and Anger in Sport (CAAS) were used to collect data. The data were collected from the participants through face-to-face forms in April 2022. In the analysis of the data obtained in the study, Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient was calculated to examine the internal consistency of the measurement tools. According to the various demographic characteristics of the participants, t-test and ANOVA tests were applied to evaluate the levels of the Multidimensional Sportsmanship Orientation Scale and the Aggression and Anger in Sport Scale. In addition, the level of relationship between the scales was evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis. Whether the data met the prerequisites of parametric tests was decided by examining the Skewness and Kurtosis (normal distribution of data) values and Levene (equality of variance) test results. As a result of the research, it was seen that there was a significant negative relationship between the Multidimensional Sportsmanship Orientation levels of student athletes and the levels of Aggression and Anger in Sports. Accordingly, it can be said that as the fair play behaviors of student athletes increase, their levels of aggression and anger in sports decrease.

The Enhancing French Oral Production Skills Through Digital Media: The Effectiveness of the 'French School TV' YouTube Channel in Secondary Education

This study investigates the effectiveness of the "French School TV" YouTube channel in enhancing the oral production skills of secondary school students learning French at MAS YASPI Medan. Employing a pre-experimental design, 26 students from class X Agama were subjected to a pre-test to assess their initial proficiency in introducing themselves in French. The intervention involved the use of YouTube videos from the "French School TV" channel over two sessions, focusing on self-introduction skills. A post-test was conducted to evaluate the improvement in students' oral production skills. The results demonstrated a significant improvement in the students' performance, with the average score rising from 26.92 in the pre-test to 84.58 in the post-test. Statistical analyses, including the Shapiro-Wilk normality test and paired sample t-test, confirmed the normal distribution of data and the significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores (p-value = 0.000). The N-Gain analysis further validated the intervention's effectiveness, with an average N-Gain score of 0.85, categorizing it as "highly effective." These findings suggest that integrating digital media, specifically YouTube, into the language curriculum can significantly enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. The study highlights the need for modern teaching tools and adequate teacher training to maximize the benefits of digital resources. While the results are promising, further research with larger and more diverse samples is recommended to validate these findings and explore the long-term effects of digital media on various aspects of language learning. The present study implies that the "French School TV" YouTube channel is a highly effective tool for improving the oral production skills of students learning French, offering valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and researchers in the field of language education.

The Relationship Between Teachers' Web 2.0 Tools Usage Competency Levels and Self-Efficacy Perceptions

The research aims to determine Web 2.0 tools usage levels of teachers teaching at preschool, primary and secondary school levels, in terms of school levels and educational backgrounds, and to reveal the possible relationship between teachers' use of Web 2.0 tools and their self-efficacy levels. The study comprised 203 instructors from Zonguldak province with various education levels and teaching at various school levels. The data in this study was collected through “Competency in Using Web 2.0 Tools" and "Teachers' Self-Efficacy Perceptions" scales. Correlation and two-factor ANOVA analyses were used to determine the outcomes after verifying the data's normal distribution and the scales' fit indices. According to the study's findings, scores on the "Web 2.0 Tools Usage Competency Scale" were higher in favor of teachers with a master's degree. It was concluded that teachers' usage levels of Web 2.0 tools were significantly related to classroom management, one of the sub-dimensions of the teachers' self-efficacy perception scale, and their educational level, one of the demographic characteristics of the teachers. Furthermore, when the self-efficacy measure sub-dimensions were examined, it can be concluded that teachers' levels of the use of Web 2.0 tools did not differ significantly by school level or educational level, but they did differ significantly in terms of classroom management. The research findings also offer suggestions.