Sampling Error Research Articles

Advancements of non‐invasive imaging technologies for the diagnosis and staging of liver fibrosis: Present and future

AbstractLiver fibrosis is a reparative response triggered by liver injury. Non‐invasive assessment and staging of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease are of paramount importance, as treatment strategies and prognoses depend significantly on the degree of fibrosis. Although liver fibrosis has traditionally been staged through invasive liver biopsy, this method is prone to sampling errors, particularly when biopsy sizes are inadequate. Consequently, there is an urgent clinical need for an alternative to biopsy, one that ensures precise, sensitive, and non‐invasive diagnosis and staging of liver fibrosis. Non‐invasive imaging assessments have assumed a pivotal role in clinical practice, enjoying growing popularity and acceptance due to their potential for diagnosing, staging, and monitoring liver fibrosis. In this comprehensive review, we first delved into the current landscape of non‐invasive imaging technologies, assessing their accuracy and the transformative impact they have had on the diagnosis and management of liver fibrosis in both clinical practice and animal models. Additionally, we provided an in‐depth exploration of recent advancements in ultrasound imaging, computed tomography imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine imaging, radiomics, and artificial intelligence within the field of liver fibrosis research. We summarized the key concepts, advantages, limitations, and diagnostic performance of each technique. Finally, we discussed the challenges associated with clinical implementation and offer our perspective on advancing the field, hoping to provide alternative directions for the future research.

Estimating uncertainty when providing individual cardiovascular risk predictions: a Bayesian survival analysis

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) risk scores provide point estimates of individual risk without uncertainty quantification. The objective of the current study was to demonstrate the feasibility and clinical utility of calculating uncertainty surrounding individual CVD-risk predictions using Bayesian methods. Study Design and SettingIndividuals with established atherosclerotic CVD were included from the Utrecht Cardiovascular Cohort—Secondary Manifestations of ARTerial disease (UCC-SMART). In 8,355 individuals, followed for median of 8.2 years (IQR 4.2–12.5), a Bayesian Weibull model was derived to predict the 10-year risk of recurrent CVD events. ResultsModel coefficients and individual predictions from the Bayesian model were very similar to that of a traditional (‘frequentist’) model but the Bayesian model also predicted 95% credible intervals (CIs) surrounding individual risk estimates. The median width of the individual 95%CrI was 5.3% (IQR 3.6–6.5) and 17% of the population had a 95%CrI width of 10% or greater. The uncertainty decreased with increasing sample size used for derivation of the model. Combining the Bayesian Weibull model with sampled hazard ratios based on trial reports may be used to estimate individual estimates of absolute risk reduction with uncertainty measures and the probability that a treatment option will result in a clinically relevant risk reduction. ConclusionEstimating uncertainty surrounding individual CVD risk predictions using Bayesian methods is feasible. The uncertainty regarding individual risk predictions could have several applications in clinical practice, like the comparison of different treatment options or by calculating the probability of the individual risk being below a certain treatment threshold. However, as the individual uncertainty measures only reflect sampling error and no biases in risk prediction, physicians should be familiar with the interpretation before widespread clinical adaption.

HIV related knowledge and practices among undergraduate students in Africa: A cross-sectional multinational study

BackgroundAfrica has the highest burden of HIV/AIDS globally, with young people being the most affected. This study aimed to assess HIV knowledge and practices among undergraduate students in Africa. MethodsAn analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in ten African countries using an online, self-administered, pre-validated questionnaire. The study was conducted in 10 African countries, located in 5 different regions across Africa including Kenya, Algeria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, during the academic year 2022–2023. A convenience sampling approach was utilized to collect the data. African undergraduates who were 18 years and older, enrolled in universities across ten African countries and were willing to participate and gave an e-informed consent were included.Shapiro-Wilk test was utilized to check the data normality. Student’s t-test and Chi-square test were used for continuous and categorical variables in independent samples. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for nonparametric comparisons. Logistic regression was used for identifying the predictors for the knowledge regarding HIV. Significance level was set at p < 0.05. ResultsA total of 3727 undergraduate students responded to the questionnaire. Most students were medical students (68.1 %), single (94.9 %), and living in urban areas (78.7 %). The overall median HIV knowledge score was 14, and medical students had significantly higher knowledge than non-medical students (p < 0.001). While the students had a strong understanding of HIV transmission, some aspects of their knowledge were inadequate. Most students relied on academic curricula for HIV information (72.3 %) and their institutions provided formal HIV prevention strategies (57.8 %). A low percentage engaged in risky sexual behaviors. The results indicated that being male (AOR (95 % CI) = 4 (1.2–13.2)), pursuing medical education (AOR (95 % CI) = 2.4 (2–2.8)), being in the final years of study (i.e. fourth, fifth, and sixth years) (AOR (95 % CI) = 1.3 (1.02–1.6), 1.6 (1.2–2.1), 2.4 (1.6–3.8), ever testing for HIV (AOR (95 % CI) = 2.3 (1.9–2.8), and ever engaging in sexual activity (AOR (95 % CI) = 2.6 (2.3–3) were independent predictors of good knowledge of HIV. ConclusionThe findings of this study reveal a notable proficiency in HIV knowledge among African undergraduate students, particularly those enrolled in medical programs. However, there remains scope for enhancing their HIV-related practices, particularly in the areas of routine HIV testing and the establishment of Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) services.

Predicting concentration changes via discrete receptor sampling

To successfully navigate chemical gradients, microorganisms need to predict how the ligand concentration changes in space. Due to their limited size, they do not take a spatial derivative over their body length but rather a temporal derivative, comparing the current signal with that in the recent past over the so-called adaptation time. This strategy is pervasive in biology, but it remains unclear what determines the accuracy of such measurements. Using a generalized version of the previously established sampling framework, we investigate how resource limitations and the statistics of the input signal set the optimal design of a well-characterized network that measures temporal concentration changes: the chemotaxis network. Our results show how an optimal adaptation time arises from the trade-off between the sampling error, caused by the stochastic nature of the network, and the dynamical error, caused by uninformative fluctuations in the input. A larger resource availability reduces the sampling error, which allows for a smaller adaptation time, thereby simultaneously decreasing the dynamical error. Similarly, we find that the optimal adaptation time scales inversely with the gradient steepness, because steeper gradients lift the signal above the noise and reduce the sampling error. These findings shed light on the principles that govern the optimal design of the chemotaxis network specifically, and any system measuring temporal changes more broadly. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Integrating adversarial training strategies into deep autoencoders: A novel aeroengine anomaly detection framework

The anomaly detection of aeroengines faces significant challenges, including high noise, complex parameter correlations, and imbalanced data. Current methods primarily rely on the reconstruction error of autoencoders to isolate anomalies. However, such methods are ineffective in detecting minor anomalies, as the reconstruction error for minor anomaly samples closely resembles that of normal samples. To address this problem, this paper proposes an innovative Deep Autoencoder Anomaly Detection Model (DAADM) for the anomaly detection of aeroengines. DAADM consists of two sub-networks: Anomaly Score Calculation Network (ASCN) and Deep Feature Extraction Network (DFEN). Firstly, ASCN introduces the adversarial training strategy into deep autoencoders, ensuring training stability while effectively isolating minor anomalies. Secondly, DFEN extracts deep-level features from input samples, providing a different perspective from ASCN to enhance sample information extraction. The combination of ASCN and DFEN compensates for their respective deficiencies, comprehensively considering input sample information, thereby promoting the capability of anomaly detection. Finally, the proposed DAADM is validated on real an aeroengine dataset and a public dataset. On the aeroengine dataset, the accuracy, recall, and F1 score of DAADM exceed the state-of-the-art method by 4.73%, 4.79%, and 5.76%, respectively. It is noteworthy that experimental results have proven that DAADM has strong anti-noise capabilities.

Noninvasive Tests to Assess Fibrosis and Disease Severity in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease.

Risk of disease progression and clinical outcomes in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is associated with fibrosis stage and presence of "at-risk metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)." Although liver biopsy is considered the gold standard to diagnose MASH and stage of fibrosis, biopsy is infrequently performed in clinical practice and has associated sampling error, lack of interrater reliability, and risk for procedural complications. Noninvasive tests (NITs) are routinely used in clinical practice for risk stratification of patients with MASLD. Several NITs are being developed for detecting "at-risk MASH" and cirrhosis. Clinical care guidelines apply NITs to identify patients needing subspecialty referral. With recently approved Food and Drug Administration treatment for MASH and additional emerging pharmacotherapy, NITs will identify patients who will most benefit from treatment, monitor treatment response, and assess risk for long-term clinical outcomes. In this review, we examine the performance of NITs to detect "at-risk MASH," fibrosis stage, response to treatment, and risk of clinical outcomes in MASLD and MASH.

Value of Mac-2 Binding Protein Glycosylation Isomer (M2BPGi) in Assessing Liver Fibrosis in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Liver Disease: A Comprehensive Review of its Serum Biomarker Role.

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) is a broad condition characterized by lipid accumulation in the liver tissue, which can progress to fibrosis and cirrhosis if left untreated. Traditionally, liver biopsy is the gold standard for evaluating fibrosis. However, non-invasive biomarkers of liver fibrosis are developed to assess the fibrosis without the risk of biopsy complications. Novel serum biomarkers have emerged as a promising tool for non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in MAFLD patients. Several studies have shown that elevated levels of Mac-2 binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) are associated with increased liver fibrosis severity in MAFLD patients. This suggests that M2BPGi could serve as a reliable marker for identifying individuals at higher risk of disease progression. Furthermore, the use of M2BPGi offers a non-invasive alternative to liver biopsy, which is invasive and prone to sampling errors. Overall, the usage of M2BPGi in assessing liver fibrosis in MAFLD holds great promise for improving risk stratification and monitoring disease progression in affected individuals. Further research is needed to validate its utility in clinical practice and establish standardized protocols for its implementation.

Methodology for evaluating soil carbon stock changes based on regional geochemical survey data: A case study in Huangpi, China

Soil carbon pools play a crucial role in the Earth's ecosystem, acting as significant carbon sinks and sources. Through a detailed analysis of soil carbon content using data from the Huangpi District in Wuhan, China, this research employs geochemical survey data, field replicates, and spatial autocorrelation information to establish an assessment model for soil carbon stocks. The model addresses the sources of errors and their effects on carbon pool changes, using both traditional statistical theories and geostatistical models to detect changes in carbon density and estimate carbon sources and sinks with minimized error ranges. Key findings indicate that sampling errors, influenced by small-scale spatial variability, are the primary source of observational inaccuracies in assessing total soil carbon and organic carbon, accounting for over 90% of the variation. Meanwhile, analytical errors are more significant when quantifying soil inorganic carbon content due to its lower concentrations. From 2001 to 2022, no significant changes were observed in the soil organic carbon stock in Huangpi District, while a modest increase in inorganic carbon was noted. The study highlights that increasing sample density beyond a certain threshold does not significantly affect carbon stock estimates or their error ranges, emphasizing the stability of the block kriging method in estimating regional carbon stocks.

THE EFFECT OF EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE PRE-ELDERLY POPULATION

The quality of life of the pre-elderly population is the key to readiness to enter the stages of old age to realize a prosperous life. Previous research has extensively studied the condition of the elderly population in various scientific disciplines and still minimally examines the quality of life of the pre-elderly population, especially regarding educational background as an indicator of human resource development. This research aims to measure and analyze the influence of educational background on the quality of life of the pre-elderly population as they enter old age. This research method is quantitative with the instrument used being a questionnaire. This research population was residents in Timbangan Sub District, Ogan Ilir Regency aged 45-59 years. The sample calculation used the Isaac and Michael formula with a sampling error of 5% so that the sample size for this study is 310 residents. Data analysis used in this research is the independent sample median K test, Tukey test, and ordinal regression test using SPSS version 20 and STATA version 17 software. The results show that there is a significant influence between educational background and the quality of life of the pre-elderly population in Timbangan Sub District, Ogan Ilir Regency, it was 7,16%. Thus, educational background variables can contribute to improving the quality of life of the pre-elderly population in Timbangan Sub District, Ogan Ilir Regency.

Endoscopic Grading and Sampling of Gastric Precancerous Lesions: A Comprehensive Literature Review.

Gastric cancer remains a disease with an ominous prognosis, while early gastric cancer has a good-to-excellent prognosis, with 5-year survival rates of up to 92.6% after successful endoscopic resection. In this context, the accurate identification of patients with established gastric precancerous lesions, namely chronic atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia, is the first step in a stepwise approach to minimize cancer risk. Although current guidelines advocate for the execution of random biopsies to stage the extent and severity of gastritis/intestinal metaplasia, modern biopsy protocols are still imperfect as they have limited reproducibility and are susceptible to sampling error. The advent of novel imaging-enhancing modalities, i.e., high-definition with virtual chromoendoscopy (CE), has revolutionized the inspection of gastric mucosa, leading to an endoscopy-based staging strategy for the management of these premalignant changes in the stomach. Nowadays, the incorporation of CE-targeted biopsies in everyday clinical practice offers not only the robust detection of premalignant lesions but also an improvement in quality, by reducing missed diagnoses along with mean biopsies and, thus, the procedural costs and the environmental footprint. In this review, we summarize the recent evidence regarding the endoscopic grading and sampling of gastric precancerous lesions.

O-152 Pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A) improves reproductive outcomes in advanced maternal age patients undergoing IVF/ICSI: a multicentre retrospective cohort study with propensity score matching

Abstract Study question In patients &amp;gt; 37 years undergoing IVF/ICSI, does PGT-A improve live birth rates (LBR) and cumulative live birth rates (CLBR)? Summary answer In advanced maternal age women with ≥1 embryo to transfer, PGT-A improves the live birth and cumulative live birth rates. What is known already The age-related rate of aneuploidy remains a major cause of IVF failure. Therefore, PGT-A has been proposed as a method to select embryos with the highest implantation potential. Previous studies have shown that women younger than 37 years old do not benefit from PGT-A given the comparable outcomes in terms of implantation, clinical pregnancy, and live-birth rates. Moreover, PGT-A may also be inherently ineffective given the risk of mitotic mosaicism, sampling errors and misinterpretation of results. However, we are currently lacking solid scientific evidence to support whether this approach benefits advanced maternal age women. Study design, size, duration A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted including 9328 patients &amp;gt;37y undergoing their first IVF/ICSI cycle with an oocyte retrieval performed between 1/01/2013-31/07/2021 in a multinational private fertility clinic. The study group (n = 4664) included patients who performed PGT-A. The control group included patients without PGT-A (n = 4664) and was selected by propensity score matching adjusted for age at oocyte retrieval, number of oocytes retrieved and year of oocyte retrieval. Participants/materials, setting, methods The primary outcome was CLBR (delivery of at least one live birth per started cycle, including the fresh and subsequent frozen embryo transfer cycles). The secondary outcomes were LBR and time to pregnancy. The analysis was conducted including all patients with an initiated cycle of ovarian stimulation and also per embryo transfer. Comparisons are presented as adjusted odd-ratios (adjOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) following multivariable logistic regression (LBR) or cox regression (CLBR) analysis. Main results and the role of chance Patients in the PGT-A group had more oocytes retrieved (11.03±6.82 vs 9.24±6.15, p &amp;lt; 0.001), and a higher number of available blastocysts (2.82±2.21 vs 1.22±2.00, p &amp;lt; 0.001). In the PGT-A group, 13.153 embryos were analysed, with an euploidy rate of 29.30% (n = 3854). In total, 49.83% (n = 2324) patients did not undergo embryo transfer due to unavailable euploid embryos. Considering all patients that initiated ovarian stimulation, the PGT-A group presented a higher unadjusted CLBR per started cycle (27.38% vs 21.81%, p &amp;lt; 0.001). Considering only patients who underwent embryo transfer, a total of 5934 embryo transfers were analysed (n = 3166 in the control group and n = 2768 in the PGT-A group). Following multivariable logistic regression analysis, LBR and CLBR were significantly higher in the PGT-A group (respectively, adjOR 1.56 [95% CI 1.38-1.77], adjOR 1.53 [95% CI 1.39-1.68]). Following the transfer of 5 embryos, the CLBR was approximately 100% in the PGT-A group and 74.51% in the control group. Survival analysis was also perfomed to assess the impact of PGT-A on time to pregnancy. Despite the fact that from 6 months onwards the CLBR was higher in the PGT-A group, the median time to pregnancy was higher in the PGT-A group (3.27 (95%CI 3.16-3.40) vs 2.74 months (95%CI 2.57-3.03). Limitations, reasons for caution This study is limited by its retrospective design and low number of women with more than 3 embryos transferred. Also, the fact that only the first IVF/ICSI cycle was analysed provides a proper patient counselling in this specific context but does not provide data on repeated cycle outcomes. Wider implications of the findings Our findings suggest that, in women older than 37 years with at least one available embryo to biopsy, performing PGT-A may improve the reproductive outcomes in terms of LBR and CLBR, providing a useful clinical tool for embryo selection. Trial registration number not applicable

Obtaining Conservative Estimates of Integrated Profitability for a Single-Period Product in an Own-Branding-and-Manufacturing Enterprise with Multiple Owned Channels

The achievable capacity index (ACI) is a simple and efficient approach for estimating the profitability of newsboy-type products, wherein profitability is defined as the probability of achieving the target profit by optimizing the order quantity. At present, the ACI is applicable to single retail stores (i.e., single demand) but not to multiple sales channels (i.e., multiple demand). This paper presents an integrated achievable capacity index (IACI) by which to measure the aggregate profitability of multiple mutually independent channels under normally distributed demand. An unbiased IACI estimator is also developed, to which is applied the Taylor expansion to approximate its sampling distribution, wherein the sizes, means, and variances of demand differ in each channel. Furthermore, overestimates due to sampling error are avoided by deriving the lower confidence bound for the IACI. This paper also provides generic tables to aid managers seeking conservative estimates of profitability. The applicability of the proposed scheme is demonstrated numerically using a real-world example involving an own-branding-and-manufacturing (OBM) enterprise with multiple owned channels.

Analysis of the structure of the information field of perception of risk factors for non-communicable diseases

When studying the attitude of the population to saving their own health, the question of the connection between abstract knowledge about the harm caused to health by risk factors and a real understanding of the harm caused by these factors to their own health remains poorly understood.The purpose of this work is to analyze the structure of the information field of the population’s attitude to the impact of FR on health.Materials and methods. The material for the analysis was the results of a sociological survey in three pilot regions of the Russian Federation – Tula Region, Stavropol Territory and the Republic of Crimea. The questionnaire consisted of 33 questions concerning risk factors and their impact on the human body and a block of questions concerning sources of medical information and trust in them. The sample size was 1,718 respondents. The following methods were used: descriptive statistics and the sociological method of questioning. Statistical data processing and reweighing were carried out in the statistical data processing package SPSS22.0. In general, the sampling error in the study does not exceed 1.99% for a confidence level of p&lt;0.1.Results. The study showed that abstract knowledge about the harm of a particular FR in almost all FR is quite high, since it is precisely on them that the efforts of the medical community have been directed in recent decades. Moreover, the highest values are expected to have such factors as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, elevated blood sugar (glucose) and high blood pressure. The level of knowledge of the harm of FR, to which the medical community paid less attention, was expected to be lower. The lowest value is such a FR as a low iodine content in salt, which is consumed in food. An assessment of the relationship of variables such as abstract knowledge of harm about FR and understanding of their harm to one’s body using a two-way T-criterion showed that these variables are completely independent of each other at the significance level p&lt;0.001. This result made us look more closely at the factor structure of the studied field of reality and put forward the assumption of independence of knowledge about the harm caused to the human body by FR and behavioral patterns in relation to FR. As a result of factor analysis of 73 variables, 9 factors were identified: the first and most powerful factor (10.33%) – knowledge of the effect of FR on one’s own health; the second most powerful factor (8.71%) – knowledge of the harm of FR; the third highlighted factor (5.46%) – trust in information sources, which included both trust in the media and trust in TV presenters, popular personalities and trust in the leaders of the region and the city; the fourth highlighted factor (4.67%) is the gender characteristics of the control of the FR by the population; the fifth highlighted factor (4.59%) is the sources of information about the FR; the sixth highlighted factor (4.30%) – age–related features of FR control; the seventh highlighted factor (3.32%) – the use of gadgets to control FR and exercise; the eighth highlighted factor (3.00%) – trust in health workers as a source of information; the ninth highlighted factor (2.59%) – smoking and alcohol consumption.Conclusion. The assessment of the effect of FR on the respondents’ own health in the framework of the conducted study turned out to be significantly lower than abstract knowledge about the harmful effects of these FR. The analysis of the factor structure of the studied field confirmed the validity of such a division of knowledge based on ideas about its various forms – «knowledge in itself» and «knowledge for oneself». The analysis made it possible to formulate a number of conditions for improving the effectiveness of preventive work with the population, including to increase the impact of population prevention: it is necessary to more actively involve the most important sources for the population – medical workers, scientific medical workers and health managers; more fully take into account the gender and age characteristics of audiences in preventive measures; the use of mass media should be preceded by an analysis of the level of trust in them from the target audience; the information messages themselves must first be checked for memorability. Preventive measures should change the personal meanings of specific people in relation to FR and HLS, and not be limited to stating general knowledge about them. The study also allows us to determine the directions for further research of the population’s attitude to the FR and their own health as an interdisciplinary task with the necessary involvement of specialists in medical and general psychology, personality psychology and motivation psychology, as well as sociologists.

Accuracy of the Mincer Method for Dental Age Estimation in a Honduran Population

Abstract Aim: This study aims to determine the accuracy of the Mincer method for estimating dental age (DA) using digital panoramic radiographs (PR) in a Honduran population aged 14–22 years. Materials and Methods: This observational, cross-sectional, retrospective study was applied in a sample of 134 digital PR from a private dental center in Comayagua (72 females and 62 males; mean age 18 ± 3 years). A calibrated observer (kappa ≥0.83) analyzed DA with the Demirjian and Mincer method in all third molars (3M) from stage D (complete crown) to H (apex closure) differentiating by sex. The decimal DA of each individual was calculated from the average of the four 3M. Estimation of chronological age (CA) according to the Mincer method was obtained with linear regression formulas. Results: The results revealed that the mean and standard error of the difference between CA and DA was 0.58 ± 0.13 years (male 0.5 ± 0.19 and female 0.65 ± 0.19). Age groups showed higher overestimation (&gt;1.1) from 14 to 17 years (50%–100%), agreement (±1.1 years) at 18 years (66.7%–70%), and underestimation (&lt;–1.1) from 21 and 22 years (42.9%–100%; P = 0.000). The prediction equations of CA according to DA were statistically significant (P = 0.000) explaining 66.5% of the total sample (error = 1.465), 84.5% in males (error = 1.367), and 79.3% in females (error = 1.548). Conclusion: This study concludes that the Mincer method obtained a reasonable prediction to estimate the age of the majority with improvement in the adjustments with the age estimation formula in a specific population in Comayagua, Honduras.

Preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion: new insights into personalized therapy for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

Owing to advances in diagnosis and treatment methods over past decades, a growing number of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnoses has enabled a greater of proportion of patients to receive curative treatment. However, a high risk of early recurrence and poor prognosis remain major challenges in HCC therapy. Microvascular invasion (MVI) has been demonstrated to be an essential independent predictor of early recurrence after curative therapy. Currently, biopsy is not generally recommended before treatment to evaluate MVI in HCC according clinical guidelines due to sampling error and the high risk of tumor cell seeding following biopsy. Therefore, the postoperative histopathological examination is recognized as the gold standard of MVI diagnosis, but this lagging indicator greatly impedes clinicians in selecting the optimal effective treatment for prognosis. As imaging can now noninvasively and completely assess the whole tumor and host situation, it is playing an increasingly important role in the preoperative assessment of MVI. Therefore, imaging criteria for MVI diagnosis would be highly desirable for optimizing individualized therapeutic decision-making and achieving a better prognosis. In this review, we summarize the emerging image characteristics of different imaging modalities for predicting MVI. We also discuss whether advances in imaging technique have generated evidence that could be practice-changing and whether advanced imaging techniques will revolutionize therapeutic decision-making of early-stage HCC.

The change of albumen quality during the laying cycle and its potential physiological and molecular basis of laying hens

To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms that impact variability in albumen quality of laying hens from the peak of lay to the late production phase. A 60-week study was conducted on a cohort of 20,000 Hy-Line Brown laying hens from 20 to 80 weeks old. Before commencement at 20 weeks, the 10-week-old hens were acclimatized for ten weeks. This study examined changes in albumen quality, serum, and liver antioxidant capacity, magnum morphology, and expression of albumen-protein-related genes in the magnum. To reduce sampling error, we collected eggs (n=90) from pre-determined cages at every sampling point (5-week intervals), and 8 hens were selected at 10-week intervals for blood and tissue collection. Our findings revealed that age significantly affected most evaluated parameters. Albumen gel properties, including hardness, gumminess, and chewiness, increased significantly with age (P < 0.05). With the increasing of hens' age from 20 to 80 weeks, the albumen proportion of eggs was decreased, but eggshell proportion, yolk proportion, thick albumen proportion, thick to thin ratio, thick albumen solid content, albumen height, Haugh units, and yolk color were increased and then decreased (P < 0.05). Compared to hens aged 20-60 weeks, the hens (70-80 weeks) had significantly reduced total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and glutathione levels (GSH) in the liver and lower serum TAC and superoxide dismutase levels (SOD) (P < 0.05). The magnum mucosal folds were highest in 40-60 weeks-old hens, and the luminal diameter increased with age (P < 0.05). In the magnum, the mRNA expression levels for OVA, CPE, and NUP205 increased significantly between 30 and 40 weeks, while FBN1 expression was higher between 30 and 50 weeks (P < 0.05). At 70-80 weeks, the expression of BRCA2 was significantly downregulated (P < 0.05). Albumen height, thick albumen proportion with protein secretion-related genes, enhanced antioxidant function, and luminal diameter correlated positively. However, the thick-to-thin albumen ratio negatively correlated with BRCA2, downregulated in aged laying hens. We used principal component and cluster analysis to deduce albumen quality changes during three phases: 25-35, 40-55, and 60-80 weeks. The decline in albumen quality in aging hens is linked with decreased antioxidant capacity, magnum health, and downregulation of key genes involved in protein synthesis and secretion. These findings emphasize critical albumen quality changes in laying hens and suggest molecular pathways underlying age-related albumen quality alterations.

Exploration of the Influence: Self Action, Self Efficacy on Student Creativity in General Biology

Purpose of the study: This study aims to explore the relationship between self-action and self-efficacy with students' creativity in Biology practicum activities. In the context of higher education, understanding the factors that influence creativity, such as self-action and self-efficacy, is very important for designing. Methodology: This is a quantitative study with an ex post facto research method. This study involves three variables, two independent variables and one dependent variable. The sample variables were taken using the Simple Random Sampling technique, so that the researcher obtained sample of 74 students. This study used questionnaire instrument. The data analysis techniques used were descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Main Findings: The results of this study indicate that for self-action and self-efficacy, the average score is in the moderate category. While for student creativity, the average score is also in the moderate category. The results of inferential statistical analysis with the F test indicate a significant influence between self-action and self-efficacy on student creativity in General Biology practicum activities in the Biology Education Study Program, Fatmawati Sukarno State Islamic University, Bengkulu. Novelty/Originality of this study: This research pays attention to psychological aspects, such as how individuals act towards themselves (Self Action) and individual beliefs in their abilities (Self Efficacy), which may have a significant influence on students' ability to produce creativity when participate in General Biology practicum activities. Focusing on the context of practicum activities can illustrate the influence of these variables in real.

The Gaussian distribution: Derivation method and its applications in selected examples

Gaussian distribution is the most important and common form of distribution in statistical theory, and its density function has more complicated forms. When Gauss dealt with the problem of measurement error, he derived the form of normal distribution from another angle, and proposed the least squares theory based on the normal distribution of error. This helps solve the problem of the probability density distribution of the error, enabling people to make a better statistical measure of the effect of the size of the error. In short, Gaussian distribution is not only a powerful mathematical tool, but also a connection between theory and practical applications. It is also a bridge between theory and practical application. In practice, the Gaussian distribution has a wide range of applications, in the natural sciences, engineering and social sciences and other fields, the Gaussian distribution is used to describe the continuity of random variables, such as measurement error, temperature change, population intelligence level. In this paper, the author briefly deduces the Gaussian distribution derivation process, from the overall and the measurement error of the simple random samples to cut in, to admit that x is already the estimates that should be taken. Hopefully, it will be helpful to scholars who are interested in this area.

Event‐triggered stabilization for systems with an unknown control direction

AbstractIn this article, we present an event‐triggered control law for systems with an unknown control direction, where the adaptation dynamics of the Nussbaum gain are sampled. Specifically, we employ the emulation method and introduce a specific set of sampling errors. This approach enables the design of an event‐triggered law without encountering Zeno behavior. Additionally, we introduce a lemma to address the non‐integrability issue of the Nussbaum gain dynamics during the event‐triggered law design. We apply this design philosophy to co‐design both the continuous‐time controller and the event‐triggered law, aiming to achieve the global stabilization of systems with an unknown control direction. Finally, we validate the theoretical results through a numerical example.

Fuzzy Evaluation Model for Lifetime Performance Using Type-I Censoring Data

As global warming becomes increasingly serious, humans start to consider how to coexist with the natural environment. People become more and more aware of environmental protection and sustainable development. Therefore, in the pursuit of economic growth, it has become a consensus that enterprises should be responsible for the social and ecological environment. Regarding the manufacturing of electronic devices, as long as both component production quality and assembly quality are ensured, consumers can be provided with high-quality, safe, and efficient products. In light of this trend, enhancing product availability and reliability can reduce costs and carbon emissions resulting from repairing or replacing components, thus becoming a vital factor for corporate and environmental sustainability. Accordingly, enterprises enhance their economic benefits as well as have the effects of energy conservation and waste reduction by extending products’ service lifetime and increasing their added value. According to several studies, it takes a long time to retrieve electronic products’ lifetime data. Moreover, acquiring complete samples is often challenging. Consequently, when analyzing real cases, samples are usually collected using censoring techniques. The type-I right censoring data is suitable for industrial processes. Thus, this study utilized type-I right censoring sample data to estimate the lifetime performance index. It usually takes a large amount of time to access lifetime data for electronic products and it is often impossible to obtain complete samples since the size of the sample is usually small. Hence, to avoid misjudgment caused by sampling errors, this study followed suggestions from existing research and applied fuzzy tests built on confidence intervals to establish a fuzzy evaluation model for the lifetime performance index. This model helps relevant electronic industries not only evaluate the lifetime of their electronic components but also instantly seize opportunities for improvement.