Results Of Pairwise Comparisons Research Articles

Short-term effect of acupuncture dry needle in treatment of chronic mechanical low back pain: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

In today's industrialized world, between sixty and ninety percent of the working-age population experiences low back discomfort. Chronic mechanical low back pain (CMLBP), the most common ailment among working-age people in contemporary industrial society, causes a major economic burden due to the widespread use of medical services and the absence of work. For those suffering from persistent mechanical low back pain, this experiment aimed to assess the efficacy of using acupuncture dry needles in the short term. Our research included 30 individuals with nonspecific low back pain; their ages varied from 20 to 45. The participants were divided into two parallel groups using a random process: 15 individuals in group A had acupuncture treatment with a dry needle placed to specified locations on their backs, whereas 15 individuals in group B participated in muscle strengthening and stretching exercises. Both before and after therapy, researchers examined the lumbar range of motion (ROM) in four directions: flexion, extension, bilateral side bending, as well as pain intensity and functional impairment. We examined the data for normality and covariance homogeneity using the Shapiro-Wilk and Box's tests, respectively. The variables of interest that were investigated were compared across various test groups and measurement periods using a 2x2 mixed design-multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). We used a significance threshold of 0.05. When comparing the two groups after treatment, it was found that the flexion and extension range of motion increased significantly (p<0.05), while the pain intensity, bending to the right and left, and functional impairment decreased significantly (p<0.05). The results of multiple pairwise comparisons showed a noteworthy difference in pain severity, functional debility, and back ROM between the two groups before and after treatment (p<0.05), with group A showing an advantage over group B after treatment. Based on the study results, dry needle acupuncture may be a beneficial modality in treating chronic mechanical low back pain by relieving pain intensity, improving functional debility, and improving ROM.

Effects of host identity on the gut microbiota: A comparative study on three microtinae species.

Gut microbiota exert an immense effect on host health and host environmental adaptation. Furthermore, the composition and structure of gut microbiota are determined by the environment and host genetic factors. However, the relative contribution of the environment and host genetic factors toward shaping the structure of gut microbiota has been poorly understood. In this study, we characterized the fecal microbial communities of the closely related voles Neodon fuscus, Lasiopodomys brandtii, and L. mandarinus after caged feeding in the laboratory for 6 months, through high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. The results of pairwise comparisons of N. fuscus vs. L. brandtii and L. mandarinus vs. L. brandtii revealed significant differences in bacterial diversity and composition after domestication. While 991 same operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were shared in three voles, there were 362, 291, and 303 species-specific OTUs in N. fuscus, L. brandtii, and L. mandarinus, respectively. The relative abundances of Proteobacteria and Prevotella, which are reported to be enriched in high-altitude populations, were significantly higher in high-altitude N. fuscus than in low-altitude L. brandtii after domestication. Firmicutes, which produce various digestive enzymes for energy metabolism, and Spirochaetes, which can degrade cellulose, were found in higher abundance in subterranean L. mandarinus than thatin L. brandtii which dwells on the earth surface. Our findings showed that some components of gut microbiota still maintained dominance even when different host species are reared under the same environmental conditions, suggesting that these bacteria are substantially influenced by host factors.

Fruit and seed morphological divergence between wild and cultivated enset (Ensete ventricosum [Welw.] Cheesman)

Enset is a single-stemmed plant; i.e., non-suckering naturally both in wild and cultivated states. There are great differences in their life cycles between the wild and cultivated populations of enset. Wild enset reproduce naturally via seeds. As cultivated enset is usually harvested before or shortly after flowering, the development of flowers and fruits is rarely encountered in cultivation. As a result, cultivated enset is propagated vegetatively, with adventitious buds sprouting from the corm after the removal of the apical meristem. In vegetatively propagated crops, the loss of sexual reproduction capacity has been recognized as a domestication syndrome. The present study was performed to determine the pattern of fruit and seed variation between and within wild and cultivated populations, by measuring morphological differences in fruit and seed traits (number of hands per bunch, number of fruit per mid-hand, mean fruit weight, fruit length, fruit circumference, seed number per fruit, seed weight and seed diameter) in wild and cultivated plants. Results of pairwise PERMANOVA comparisons showed significant difference between wild and domesticated enset in terms of their fruit and seed morphological characters. Among the traits studied, average fruit weight, fruit length, fruit circumference, and number of seeds per fruit were the traits that differed most between cultivated and wild. These characters were significantly greater in the wild population than in cultivated. We suggest that these traits could define the domestication syndrome of this plant. Despite significant divergences between wild and cultivated ensets, some cultivated accessions, were certainly domesticated landrace are placed together with wild accessions in PCA biplot. Our results point to the possibility of complex evolutionary dynamics of both cultivated and wild forms, and gave an insight that there is huge potential to improve this crop through hybridization and clonal selection methods. Furthermore, the present results provide useful indications on how to act for more rational planning in reproductive material management and genetic resource conservation strategies.

The Applicability of the AJCC TNM Staging 8th Edition to Esophageal Small-Cell Carcinoma: A Multicenter Retrospective Trial from China

Small cell carcinoma of the esophagus (SCCE) is a rare type of esophageal cancer, the incidence of it is only 0.1% to 2.4% in all cases of esophageal cancer. However, the optimal disease staging system has not yet been defined. To comprehensively explore the impact of AJCC TNM Staging 8th edition on survival outcome of SCCE. From January 2007 to December 2020, 909 patients with SCCE who had completed TNM staging from 14 cancer centers in China were retrospectively examined. Univariate survival rate analyses were estimated using the Kaplan and Meier method, with comparisons made between groups by the log-rank test. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 25 statistical software. Statistical significance was assumed for a two-tailed p value less than 0.05. TNM stage also was a statistically significant prognostic factor for OS and PFS in SCCE(p<0.001). Increasing clinical T category using the AJCC8 TNM staging system resulted in progressively poorer survival in patients who did not have metastatic (M0) involvement(p<0.01). However, the results of pairwise comparisons showed no significant differences in survival between patients with adjacent phases except for those between T3 versus T2 (p<0.0001). N staging also showed significant influence on OS, and with significant difference between successive stages (p<0.05) except that between the survival rates of N1 and N2 cases (p = 0.00758). Similar to t category, increasing M category was associated with progressively worse survival. The T and N staging confirmed significant influence on PFS in the SCCE patients (p<0.001). AJCC TNM Staging 8th edition criteria for SCCE patients has a high prognostic impact. Therefore, it is applied to clinical practice and future therapeutic trials.

Rankability and linear ordering problem: Probabilistic insight and algorithms

The linear ordering problem (LOP), which consists in ordering M objects from their pairwise comparisons, is commonly applied in many areas of research. While efforts have been made to devise efficient LOP algorithms, verification of whether the data is rankable, that is, if the LOP solutions have a meaningful interpretation, received much less attention. To address this problem, we adopt a probabilistic perspective where the results of pairwise comparisons are modeled as Bernoulli variables with a common parameter, and we estimate the latter from the observed data. The enumeration over the space of permutations, required to solve the problem, has a prohibitive complexity of O(M!) if implemented explicitly. We thus reformulate the problem and introduce a concept of the Slater spectrum that generalizes the Slater index, and then devise an algorithm to find the spectrum with complexity O(M32M) that is manageable for moderate values of M. Furthermore, with a minor modification of the algorithm, we are able to find all solutions of the LOP with the complexity O(M2M). Numerical examples are shown on synthetic and real-world data, and the algorithms are publicly available.

Does interpersonal self-support matter for freshman nursing students' professional identity? Evidence from mainland China.

Many studies have focused on undergraduate nursing students' professional identity (PI), but freshman nursing students (FNSs) have been ignored, and the relationship between interpersonal self-support (ISS) and PI is unknown. This study was designed to determine the patterns of ISS and its association with PI among Chinese FNSs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 358 FNSs recruited from two nursing colleges in southeast China. Students completed the Sociodemographic Characteristics Questionnaire, the Interpersonal Self-Support Scale for Adolescent Students, and the Professional Identity Questionnaire for Nurse Students. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to determine the patterns of ISS among freshmen. The Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars method was used to examine the influencing role of ISS in PI. LPA indicated that ISS could be classified into three subgroups: the ISS-Individualist group (7.54% of the total sample), ISS-Dependent group (63.13% of the total sample), and ISS-Extrovert group (29.33% of the total sample). Overall, these three profiles differed significantly in the five dimensions of ISS and PI (p < 0.05). The results of pairwise comparisons examined the positive role of the ISS-Extrovert group on the promotion of PI among FNSs. These findings emphasize the need for the promotion of PI and ISS among Chinese FNSs. Freshman students need more confidence and general communication knowledge to maintain harmonious social relationships with others. Parent-teacher association could be applied to nursing education to guide FNSs' positive development of ISS.

Could the Hybridization of the SE/TGfU Pedagogical Models Be an Alternative for Learning Sports and Promoting Health? School Context Study.

The present study aims to analyze the influence of the Sport Education (SE)/Teaching for understanding (TGfU) hybrid unit on enjoyment, perceived competence, intention to be physically active, skill execution, decision making, performance and game involvement. A short-term (12-lesson) pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design was conducted in two groups: control (technical approach: 70 students; age = 14.43 ± 0.693; n = 32 female) and experimental (hybrid unit SE-TGfU: 67 students; age = 13.91 ± 0.900; n = 30 female). The coding instrument was based on the Game performance Assessment Instrument. The Enjoyment and Perceived Competence Scale and the Measure of Intentionality to be Physically Active questionnaire were also used. The results of pairwise comparisons between the groups showed higher post-test scores for most dependent variables for boys and girls using the hybrid SE/TGfU unit. Lower post-test scores were found in pairwise comparisons for several dependent variables in both boys and girls. The present study showed that the application of hybrid models SE/TGfU could increase and help facilitate students' game involvement and game performance, enjoyment, perceived competence and intention to be physically active, in both boys and girls. In future studies, it would be necessary to analyze psychological variables in the educational context for a deeper assessment.

Corpus-based Development of Syntactic Complexity in EFL Writing

Syntactic complexity has long been taken as a significant factor in determining writing quality by EFL learners. And researchers in recent years have made a lot of efforts to devise and verify a wide range of factors or indicators for the purpose of measuring syntactic complexity or predicting EFL writing quality. The present study discussed bases itself on a self-built learner corpus with data collected over three years, with the aim of determining the applicable indices for predicting beginner writing quality. Based on previous research, the present study takes into account such factors as unit length, verb-VAC complexity, and clausal complexity. The results of pairwise comparisons by year indicate that there are significant differences for some indices but not for others. In terms of unit length, the three indicators of mean length of sentence, mean length of Tuni, and mean length of clause can serve as the main descriptive variables for the development of the language of beginners; for clausal complexity, seven indices: coordinate phrases per T-unit, verb phrases per T-unit, clauses per T-unit, coordinate phrases per clause, complex nominals per Tunit, complex nominals per clause and T-units per sentence, are the reliable indicators for beginner writing development. But indices for noun phrase complexity and verb-VAC complexity show no significant difference in the Kruskal-Wallis tests. The findings provide proof for the conclusion that knowledge and skills of modification, coordination, and subordination form the real difficulties for EFL beginners. It provides implications for coursebook design and classroom teaching where beginners are supposed to focus more on breeding awareness and skills in these aspects.

Technology Selection of Microalgae Thermochemical Conversion to Bio-Crude Oil

Microalgae as a third-generation biofuel source with various advantages is a potential part of renewable energy resources. Various studies on the conversion process of microalgae into biofuels have been carried out, one of which is the thermochemical process. The thermochemical conversion process is considered better than the biochemical process which has a low conversion rate and higher production costs. Recent researches state that to obtain bio-crude oil from microalgae through a thermochemical process, there are two alternative technologies that can be used, which are pyrolysis and liquefaction. In this research, a selection was made to determine which technology was better using decision making tools of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The evaluation criteria that have been used are technological (readiness level, energy efficiency, pre-treatment process, and product output), operational complexity, environment, and economy (investment cost and operation cost). The alternative technologies evaluated were pyrolysis with bubbling fluidized bed reactor, pyrolysis with circulating fluidized bed reactor, and hydrothermal liquefaction. From the results of pairwise comparisons, the technological criteria had the highest weight (0.343) and hydrothermal liquefaction technology was the best alternative technology among other alternatives (0.420).

A Comparison Analysis Of Ahp And Topsis Methods In The Selection Of Outstanding Students At Smp Negeri 5 Kaur Of Bengkulu Province

The number of decision support system methods makes it difficult for decision makers to determine which method is better to use in a case. In this case is the selection of outstanding students at SMP Negeri 5 Kaur of Bengkulu Province. The decision support system method taken for comparison is AHP and TOPSIS methods. In helping the comparison process, an application for selecting outstanding students at SMP Negeri 5 Kaur of Bengkulu Province was built using the Visual Basic.Net programming language and SQL Server 2008r2 database. A comparative analysis is done by looking at 2 aspects, namely the final result of the assessment and the processing time. Based on the final results of the assessment, AHP and TOPSIS methods have different results, this is because there are differences in determining the weight of the criteria, where AHP method is obtained from the results of pairwise comparisons while TOPSIS method is obtained from the school. Based on the processing time, AHP method is faster than TOPSIS method, this is because the stages in the AHP method process are fewer than the TOPSIS method

Deep preference learning for multiple criteria decision analysis

We propose preference learning algorithms for inferring the parameters of a threshold-based sorting model from large sets of assignment examples. The introduced framework is adjusted to different scores originally used in Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). They include Ordered Weighted Average, an additive value function, the Choquet integral, a distance from the ideal and anti-ideal alternatives, and Net Flow Scores built on the results of outranking-based pairwise comparisons. As a concrete application of these models, we use Artificial Neural Networks with up to five hidden layers. Their components and architecture are designed to ensure high interpretability, which supports the models’ acceptance by domain experts. To learn the most favorable values of all parameters at once, we use a variant of a gradient descent optimization algorithm called AdamW. In this way, we make the MCDA methods suitable for handling vast, inconsistent information. The extensive experiments on various benchmark problems indicate that the introduced algorithms are competitive in predictive accuracy quantified in terms of Area Under Curve and the 0/1 loss. In this regard, some approaches outperform the state-of-the-art algorithms, including generalizations of logistic regression, mathematical programming, rule ensemble and tree induction algorithms, or dedicated heuristics.

Application of analytic hierarchy process for evaluation Western region of Ukraine with the purpose of organic land use development

The purpose of the research described in this article is to test the method of hierarchies for assessing the territory according to the selected criteria and to determine the most attractive area for the development of organic land use in the Western region of Ukraine, which is suitable for organic land use. The interest of agricultural producers in organic products comes from a stable trend towards growth of the global organic market, and the significant potential of our country as one of the main producers and exporters of organic raw materials and products. The method of hierarchies was chosen to provide the accurate evaluation of the areas for developing organic land use, as it allows to gradually break down the problems into more and more simple components and set the priority of criteria. That is, to assess the importance of individual indicators in the further processing of the sequence of judgments based on the results of pairwise comparisons, which are then expressed numerically, as well as to evaluate alternative solutions and find the best of them. Taking into account the recommendations of scientists and the requirements of the standards according to which organic producers work, in order to build a hierarchical structure of indicators of agricultural land selection there were used ecological-toxicological and agrochemical indicators of its condition. There were derived normalized ratings for each criterion and checked their reliability by the index and the ratio of consistency. There was made a comparison for each criterion, for all studied alternatives and the corresponding generalized ratings were calculated. A matrix of global priorities is constructed, which characterizes the potential of the considered areas. According to the results of the assessment by the hierarchy method, the greatest potential for the introduction of organic land use in the Western region of Ukraine is in Lviv, Khmelnytsky and Ternopil regions. There is the largest area of agricultural land which is potentially suitable for organic production with the least risk and greater economic efficiency in the above-mentioned regions. Further research will focus on the use of the hierarchy method to evaluate the potential of the territory in terms of areas of the region on a wider list of criteria, taking into consideration the suggestions and priorities of the farmer (the potential investor).

Gender differences in citation sentiment: A case study in life sciences and biomedicine

In this study, we investigated whether female and male authors in the field of life sciences and biomedicine differed in their tendency for citation and citation sentiment. The data comprised two sets, cited set and citing set. Cited set comprised 17,237 articles whereas citing set comprised 115,935 articles. The cited set which is from the area Life Sciences &amp; Biomedicine and published during 2012–2016 was retrieved from the Web of Science Medline. The citing set and its citation contexts were retrieved using the Colil database. The analysis was done using a combination of homophily analysis, regression analysis and a chi-square test. The covariates in the regression analyses were features related to authors, journal, institution, country and abstract readability. The homophily analysis showed a significant tendency for female (8%) and male (14%) authorship teams to cite papers by the same gender composition teams. In addition, the results of regression analysis (Model 1) and pairwise comparisons showed that male-authored papers received a significant higher positive sentiment compared with female-authored papers. The results of regression analysis (Model 2) showed a small significant positive association between gender similarity of cited and citing authorship teams and the sentiment score. However, further analysis using the chi-square test showed a significant lower tendency for women to use positive terms when citing the research findings of papers with the same gender composition. Men, in contrast, used significantly more positive terms when citing papers with the same gender composition. Finally, lay summary for a cited paper, country similarity and the venue of cited publication when it was a mega journal had a positive significant association with the sentiment score received.

Influence of saprophages (Isopoda, Diplopoda) on leaf litter decomposition under different levels of humidification and chemical loading

The paper presents a study about the influence of two saprophage groups (Isopoda, Diplopoda) on leaf litter decomposition under different levels of humidification and chemical stress. Because of their worldwide distribution, we focused on the common pillbug Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille, 1804) (Isopoda, Armadillidiidae), and the common millipede species Rossiulus kessleri (Lohmander, 1927) (Julida, Julidae). The function of environment creation by the given saprophages, as destructors of dead plant matter, supporting such ecosystem services as soil fertility improvement and nutrients’ turnover, is highlighted. To conduct the experiment, the animals were collected manually and using pitfall trapping. In order to bring the experimental conditions closer to the natural, the individuals were not sexed. The maximum consumption of leaf litter by woodlice was recorded in the conditions with adequate moisture (0.5 mL of distilled water per box) and amounted to 2.52 mg/10 individuals per day, which exceeds its consumption with low and increased moisture, respectively, by 1.82 and 1.24 times. As for the effect of interaction, the consumption of maple litter with optimal moisture (4.77 mg/10 individuals per day) was the greatest. The largest absolute difference between broad-leaved tree species in the average weight of leaf litter consumed by woodlice was between maple leaf litter and oak leaf litter, the minimum – between robinia leaf litter and oak leaf litter. According to the results of the obtained data (Diplopoda), it can be stated that there is a statistically significant effect of chemical stress and discrepancy of the average zinc content in the object of study (in Diplopoda and their faecal pellets). We found that the diet provided did not affect the distribution of zinc in Diplopoda under conditions of chemical stress. According to the results of pairwise comparisons, we determined that the zinc content in the Diplopoda clearly differs for control and almost every concentration of zinc sulfate solution – 0.03 and 0.15 g/L, the samples of which do not form a homogeneous group. The species composition, abundance and distribution in space of soil invertebrates are informative indicators which reflect the ecological state of soils, intensity in development of soil horizons as well as intensity of processes occurring in them.

Quantitative Proteomics Comparison of Total Expressed Proteomes of Anisakis simplex Sensu Stricto, A. pegreffii, and Their Hybrid Genotype.

The total proteomes of Anisakis simplex s.s., A. pegreffii and their hybrid genotype have been compared by quantitative proteomics (iTRAQ approach), which considers the level of expressed proteins. Comparison was made by means of two independent experiments considering four biological replicates of A. simplex and two each for A. pegreffii and hybrid between both species. A total of 1811 and 1976 proteins have been respectively identified in the experiments using public databases. One hundred ninety-six proteins were found significantly differentially expressed, and their relationships with the nematodes’ biological replicates were estimated by a multidimensional statistical approach. Results of pairwise Log2 ratio comparisons among them were statistically treated and supported in order to convert them into discrete character states. Principal component analysis (PCA) confirms the validity of the method. This comparison selected thirty seven proteins as discriminant taxonomic biomarkers among A. simplex, A. pegreffii and their hybrid genotype; 19 of these biomarkers, encoded by ten loci, are specific allergens of Anisakis (Ani s7, Ani s8, Ani s12, and Ani s14) and other (Ancylostoma secreted) is a common nematodes venom allergen. The rest of the markers comprise four unknown or non-characterized proteins; five different proteins (leucine) related to innate immunity, four proteolytic proteins (metalloendopeptidases), a lipase, a mitochondrial translocase protein, a neurotransmitter, a thyroxine transporter, and a structural collagen protein. The proposed methodology (proteomics and statistical) solidly characterize a set of proteins that are susceptible to take advantage of the new targeted proteomics.

First description of antimicrobial resistance in carbapenem-susceptible Klebsiella pneumoniae after imipenem treatment, driven by outer membrane remodeling

BackgroundThe emergence of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) poses a looming threat to human health. Although there are numerous studies regarding porin alteration in association with the production of ESBLs and/or AmpC β-lactamase, a systematic study on the treatment-emergence of porins alteration in antibiotic resistance does not yet exist. The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanism of resistance of K. pneumoniae during carbapenem treatment.ResultsHere, we report three strains (FK-2624, FK-2723 and FK-2820) isolated from one patient before and after imipenem treatment during hospitalization. Antibiotic susceptibility testing indicated that that the first isolate, FK-2624, was susceptible to almost all tested antimicrobials, being resistant only to fosfomycin. The subsequent isolates FK-2723 and FK-2820 were multidrug resistant (MDR). After imipenem therapy, FK-2820 was found to be carbapenem-resistant. PCR and Genome Sequencing analysis indicated that oqxA, and fosA5, were identified in all three strains. In addition, FK-2624 also harbored blaSHV-187 and blaTEM-116. The blaSHV-187 and blaTEM-116 genes were not detected in FK-2723 and FK-2820. blaDHA-1, qnrB4, aac (6′)-IIc, and blaSHV-12, EreA2, CatA2, SulI, and tetD, were identified in both FK-2723 and FK-2820. Moreover, the genes blaDHA-1, qnrB4, aac (6′)-IIc were co-harbored on a plasmid. Of the virulence factors found in this study, ybtA, ICEKp6, mrkD, entB, iroN, rmpA2–6, wzi16 and capsular serotype K57 were found in the three isolates. The results of pairwise comparisons, multi-locus sequencing typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed high homology among the isolates. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) results showed that isolate FK-2820 lacked OmpK36, with genome sequence data validating that there was a premature stop codon in the ompK36 gene and real-time RT-PCR suggesting high turnover of the ompK36 non-sense transcript in FK-2820, with the steady-state mRNA level 0.007 relative to the initial isolate.ConclusionThis study in China highlight that the alteration of outer membrane porins due to the 14-day use of imipenem play a potential role in leading to clinical presentation of carbapenem-resistance. This is the first description of increased resistance developing from a carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae with imipenem treatment driven by outer membrane remodeling.

Short-term effects of atropine combined with orthokeratology (ACO) on choroidal thickness

PurposeTo analyse the one-month change in subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFChT) of myopic children treated with 0.01 % atropine, orthokeratology (OK), or their combination. MethodsThis is a prospective, randomized controlled trial. One hundred fifty-four children aged between 8 and 12 years with a spherical equivalent (SE) of -1.00 to -6.00 diopters were enrolled. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive 0.01 % atropine and orthokeratology (ACO, n = 39), 0.01 % atropine and single vision glasses (atropine, n = 42), orthokeratology and placebo (OK, n = 36), or placebo and single vision glasses (control, n = 37). SFChT was assessed using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Ocular parameters, including axial length (AL), were measured using a Lenstar LS 900. ResultsSFChT significantly increased in the ACO (14.12 ± 12.88 μm, p < 0.001), OK (9.43 ± 9.14 μm, p < 0.001) and atropine (5.49 ± 9.38 μm, p < 0.001) groups, while it significantly decreased in the control group (-4.81 ± 9.93 μm, p = 0.006). The one-month change in SFChT was significantly different between the control and treatment groups (p < 0.001). The results of pairwise comparisons among the treatment groups showed that the magnitude of the SFChT change was larger in the ACO group than in the atropine group (p = 0.002). The changes in the ACO and OK groups were not significantly different (p = 0.326). ConclusionThe combination of OK and atropine induced a greater increase in SFChT than monotherapy with atropine, which might indicate a better treatment effect for childhood myopia control.

Решение двухкритериальной задачи оценки альтернатив с помощью тропической оптимизации

A problem is considered to evaluate scores (priorities, weights) of alternatives through the results of pairwise comparisons according to two criteria. A formal derivation and computational procedures of the solution to the problem are described, using methods of tropical mathematics, which studies algebraic systems with specially defined operations of addition and multiplication. The problem is reduced to simultaneous approximation of two matrices of pairwise comparisons by a common consistent matrix, in the Chebyshev metric in logarithmic scale. First, auxiliary variables are introduced to represent the minima of the objective functions, and a parameterized inequality is derived, which determines the set of solutions to the original optimization problem. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions of the inequality are used to evaluate the values of parameters, which correspond to the Pareto front of the problem. All solutions of the inequality under the obtained values are taken as a Pareto-optimal solution for the problem. To illustrate the computational procedures used, numerical examples of evaluating scores of alternatives are given for problems with matrices of the third order.

Modeling the Growth of Black Soldier Fly Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae): An Approach to Evaluate Diet Quality.

The black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus), Diptera: Stratiomyidae) is an edible insect widely reared by using various types of organic wastes as its diet. Developing tools to evaluate the growth performance of BSF is crucial for improving its production. In this study, we monitored the daily growth of BSF larvae reared with 10 diets with diverse nutritional quality and compared 7 growth models for quantifying growth performance. We found that BSF generally exhibited an S-shaped growth curve and that the Richards model was the best-fitting growth model. We estimated asymptotic growth limit (W∞) and constructed a time-series curve of absolute growth rate (AGR) by using the Richards model. We used Gaussian functions to estimate AGR parameters (maximum AGR, m; timing of maximum AGR, T; the deviation of AGR, d) to evaluate whether these parameters adequately quantify the growth performance of BSF. Correlation analysis showed that the AGR parameters were mostly independent of W∞ but were correlated with the duration of the larval stage, indicating that W∞ and the AGR parameters respond to different dietary factors. The results of pairwise comparisons showed that the diets rich in carbohydrates and protein had high W∞, m, and d, and early T. The diets with low levels of carbohydrates had low W∞, and the diets with low levels of protein had low m and d and delayed T. We conclude that the parameters estimated by the Richards model could be effective indices for evaluating the growth performance of BSF and their diet quality.

Clinical characteristics and drug susceptibility test of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and drug susceptibility test (DST) of patients infected with different nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Methods: The patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NMLD) in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital from March 2014 to March 2015 were studied retrospectively by analyzing the clinical characteristics, radiological features and DST results. A total of 201 NMLD patients [male 108, age(58±15) yrs] were enrolled into this study including 48 cases of M. Kansasii [male 13, age (52±16) yrs],46 cases of M. Abscess[male 46, age (57±16) yrs], 92 cases of M. Intracellulare [male 43, age (61±13) yrs], and 15 cases of M. Avium [male 6, age (67±10) yrs]. Clinical data were collected when the diagnosis was made and Chi-square test was used to compare the differences among 4 groups of patients. Bonferroni method was used for further pairwise comparisons. Results: There were significant differences among the 4 groups in the age(χ(2)=6.42, P<0.001) and the gender(χ(2)=49.18, P<0.001) of the patients. The history of bronchiectasis in the groups of M. Kansasii, M. Abscess, M. Intracellulare and M. Avium were 2/48, 31/46, 39/92 and 4/15 cases respectively(χ(2)=41.84, P<0.001). For the Gamma-interferon release assays (ELISA) (IGRA), the positive rate of IGRA in the groups of M. Kansasii, M. Abscess, M. Intracellulare and M. Avium were 83%(40/48), 30%(14/46), 23%(21/92) and 33% (5/15) respectively(χ(2)=50.96, P<0.001). The radiological features were significantly different in tree-in-bud(8/48, 35/46, 36/92 and 4/15 cases respectively, χ(2)=36.48, P<0.001), pleural thickness or mild effusion (21/48, 36/46, 69/92 and 7/15 cases, χ(2)=19.54, P<0.001), bronchiectasis (20/48, 39/46, 78/92 and 10/15 cases, P<0.001) and cavities (38/48, 21/46, 63/92 and 10/15 cases, χ(2)=12.38, P<0.001) among the 4 groups(M. Kansasii, M. Abscess, M. Intracellulare and M. Avium). The drug resistance rates of M. Kansasii to rifampin, ethambutanol and ofloxacin were 10%(5/48), 8%(4/48) and 15%(7/48) respectively; the resistance rates of M.Intracellulare to ethambutanol was 45%(41/92), and the resistance rates of M.Abscess were all over 80% to all anti-TB drugs. The results of pairwise comparisons showed that the male proportion(46/48) and IGRAs positive rate(40/48) of patients with M. Kansasii were higher than those of other groups, and the incidence of bronchiectasis(20/48) and pleural changes(21/48) was lower than those of other groups. The female ratio(33/46), history of bronchiectasis (31/46) and tree-in-bud sign of patients(35/46) with M. Abscess were higher than those of other groups. Conclusions: There were differences in the clinical manifestations and imaging features of 4 common NMLD diseases, which were helpful for clinical differentiation. The patients with M. Kansasii infection were mainly male, with a high IGRA positive rate and fewer lesions of bronchiectasis or pleural changes. Most of the patients with M. Abscess were female, with a previous history of bronchiectasis, and with most of the lesions showing tree-in-bud signs. The NTM species had a high rate of resistance to anti-TB drugs except M. Kansasii.