Testing Approach Research Articles

Clinical Validation of MyProstateScore 2.0 Testing Using First-Catch, Non-DRE Urine.

The 18-gene MyProstateScore 2.0 (MPS2) test was previously validated for detection of Grade Group≥2 (GG≥2) prostate cancer using post-digital rectal examination (DRE) urine. To improve ease of testing, we validated MPS2 using first-catch, non-DRE urine. Patients provided first-catch urine prior to biopsy. MPS2 values were calculated using previously-validated models differing only by extent of clinical data included: biomarkers alone (BA; no clinical data), biomarkers and clinical factors (BA+CF), and biomarkers, clinical factors, and prostate volume (BA+CF+PV). The primary outcome was GG≥2 cancer on biopsy. MPS2 performance and clinical consequences of testing were compared to PSA and the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial risk calculator (PCPTrc). The cohort included 266 men with median PSA 6.6 ng/mL (IQR 4.9-9.1), of which 103 (39%) had GG≥2 cancer on biopsy. The area under the curve for GG≥2 cancer was 57% for PSA, 62% for PCPTrc, and 71%, 74%, and 77% for MPS2 models. Under a testing approach detecting >90% of GG≥2 cancers, MPS2 testing would have avoided 36-42% of unnecessary biopsies, as compared to 13% using the PCPTrc. In patients with a prior negative biopsy, MPS2 testing would have avoided 44-53% of repeat biopsies, as compared to only 2.6% using PCPTrc. Using first-catch urine, MPS2 meaningfully improved the proportion of biopsies avoided relative to PCPTrc while maintaining highly-sensitive detection of GG≥2 cancer. Non-DRE testing provides a convenient, objective, and highly-accurate testing option to reduce the need for imaging and biopsy in men with elevated PSA.

Navigating ethics in HIV data and biomaterial management within Black, African, and Caribbean communities in Canada

BackgroundThis study explored the ethical issues associated with community-based HIV testing among African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) populations in Canada, focusing on their perceptions of consent, privacy, and the management of HIV-related data and bio-samples.MethodsA qualitative community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was employed to actively engage ACB community members in shaping the research process. The design included in-depth qualitative interviews with 33 ACB community members in Manitoba, Canada. The study was guided by a Community Guiding Circle, which contributed to study design, data analysis, and interpretation. A diverse sample was recruited through community agencies, social media, and flyers, with considerations for variations in age, gender, sexual orientation, and geographical location. The study employed iterative inductive thematic data analysis.FindingsParticipants expressed significant concerns about the collection, sharing, and use of HIV data from healthcare encounters, revealing mistrust towards institutions like police, child welfare, and immigration accessing their health information. Their worries centered on the handling of biological samples, data misuse, potential human rights violations, HIV criminalization, deportations, challenging consent, privacy, and bodily autonomy principles. While open to contributing to medical research, they unanimously demanded greater transparency, informed consent, and control over the secondary use of their health data.ConclusionsThe study underscores the need for culturally safe approaches in HIV testing and ethical governance in healthcare for ACB communities. It highlights the importance of prioritizing participant empowerment, ensuring transparency, practicing informed consent, and implementing robust data security measures to balance effective HIV information management with the protection of individual rights.

Brief exposure to (-) THC affects zebrafish embryonic locomotion with effects that persist into the next generation

Cannabis is one of the most widely used drugs, and yet an understanding of its impact on the human brain and body is inconclusive. Medicinal and recreational use of cannabis has increased in the last decade with a concomitant increase in use by pregnant women. The major psychoactive compound in cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), exists in different isomers, with the (-) trans isomer most common. Prenatal exposure to THC can alter neural and behavioral development, but it is unknown how exposure to (-) trans-THC ((-)THC) during very early stages of development impacts fetal growth and movement, and whether effects persist to adulthood, or into the next generation. Here we exposed zebrafish (Danio rerio) to a single exposure of (-)THC (0.001 mg/L (3.2 nM) to 20 mg/L (63.6 µM), for 5 h) during gastrulation (5.25 hpf to 10.75 hpf) when key neurons involved in locomotion such as the primary motor neurons and Mauthner cell first appear. We then examined the impact on embryo morphology and locomotion, adult behavior, and locomotion in the next (F1) generation. Embryos treated with (-)THC experienced changes in morphology, were shorter in length and experienced altered hatching and survival. Spontaneous coiling of 1 dpf embryos was reduced, swimming after touch-evoked responses was reduced and basal swimming in 5 dpf larvae was also reduced. Adult zebrafish tested in the open field test and novel object approach test demonstrated no differences in locomotion, anxiety-like behavior, nor boldness, compared to controls. The (-)THC F1 generation embryos at 1 dpf showed reduced coiling activity, while swimming after touch-evoked responses was reduced in 2 dpf animals but basal swimming at 5 dpf remained similar to controls. Taken together, exposure to (-)THC only once for 5 h during gastrulation has a significant impact on locomotion in embryos and larvae, a minimal impact on adult behavior, and effects that persist into the next generation.

Novel approach for quality control testing of medical displays using deep learning technology

Objectives:In digital image diagnosis using medical displays, it is crucial to rigorously manage display devices to ensure appropriate image quality and diagnostic safety. The aim of this study was to develop a model for the efficient quality control (QC) of medical displays, specifically addressing the measurement items of contrast response and maximum luminance as part of constancy testing, and to evaluate its performance. In addition, the study focused on whether these tasks could be addressed using a multitasking strategy.Methods:The model used in this study was constructed by fine-tuning a pretrained model and expanding it to a multioutput configuration that could perform both contrast response classification and maximum luminance regression. QC images displayed on a medical display were captured using a smartphone, and these images served as the input for the model. The performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the classification task. For the regression task, correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman analysis were applied. We investigated the impact of different architectures and verified the performance of multi-task models against single-task models as a baseline.Results:Overall, the classification task achieved a high AUC of approximately 0.9. The correlation coefficients for the regression tasks ranged between 0.6 and 0.7 on average. Although the model tended to underestimate the maximum luminance values, the error margin was consistently within 5% for all conditions.Conclusion:These results demonstrate the feasibility of implementing an efficient QC system for medical displays and the usefulness of a multitask-based method. Thus, this study provides valuable insights into the potential to reduce the workload associated with medical-device management the development of QC systems for medical devices, highlighting the importance of future efforts to improve their accuracy and applicability.

A Cloud Detection System for UAV Sense and Avoid: Analysis of a Monocular Approach in Simulation and Flight Tests

In order to contribute to the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) according to visual flight rules (VFR), this article proposes a monocular approach for cloud detection using an electro-optical sensor. Cloud avoidance is motivated by several factors, including improving visibility for collision prevention and reducing the risks of icing and turbulence. The described workflow is based on parallelized detection, tracking and triangulation of features with prior segmentation of clouds in the image. As output, the system generates a cloud occupancy grid of the aircraft’s vicinity, which can be used for cloud avoidance calculations afterwards. The proposed methodology was tested in simulation and flight experiments. With the aim of developing cloud segmentation methods, datasets were created, one of which was made publicly available and features 5488 labeled, augmented cloud images from a real flight experiment. The trained segmentation models based on the YOLOv8 framework are able to separate clouds from the background even under challenging environmental conditions. For a performance analysis of the subsequent cloud position estimation stage, calculated and actual cloud positions are compared and feature evaluation metrics are applied. The investigations demonstrate the functionality of the approach, even if challenges become apparent under real flight conditions.

Adolescent Sports Participation and Health in Early Adulthood: An Observational Study

We study the impact of teenage sports participation on early-adulthood health using data from the National Study of Youth and Religion. We focus on two primary outcomes measured at ages 23 to 28 (self-rated health and PHQ9 Patient Depression Questionnaire score) and control for several demographic and socioeconomic confounders. To probe the possibility that certain types of sports participation may have larger effects on health than others, we conduct matched observational studies at each level within a hierarchy of exposures. Our hierarchy ranges from broadly defined exposures (e.g., participation in any organized after-school activity) to narrow (e.g., participation in collision sports). We maintained a fixed family-wise error rate using an ordered testing approach that exploits the hierarchical relationships between our exposure definitions. Compared to teenagers who did not participate in any after-school activities, those who participated in sports had statistically significantly better self-rated and mental health outcomes in early adulthood.

Improving UTI Diagnostics in Oncology: Reliability of Reflex Urine Culture in Immunosuppressed Neutropenic and Non-neutropenic Cancer Patients.

Urinary tract infections are prone to overdiagnosis, and reflex urine culture protocols offer a valuable opportunity for diagnostic stewardship in this arena. However, there is no recommended standard testing approach. Cancer patients are often excluded from reflex urine culture protocols, especially if severely immunosuppressed or neutropenic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance characteristics of urine screening studies, including dipstick urinalysis for nitrite and leukocyte esterase and urine microscopy for white blood cell count, to detect significant pathogen growth. A retrospective study of 58,098 urine cultures with a paired dipstick urinalysis with or without urine microscopy was performed at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, evaluating data from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020. A dipstick urinalysis was considered negative only if leukocyte esterase and nitrite were undetected. A negative dipstick urinalysis had a negative predictive value (NPV) of 98% for clinically significant bacteriuria in voided urine, and 95% for catheterized urine. Notably, a negative urine dipstick test screen maintained a high NPV among patients with neutropenia and in those with antibiotic exposure before testing. Finally, the presence of pyuria ≥10 white blood cells per high power field on urine microscopy offered negligible incremental diagnostic benefit in samples with a negative dipstick urinalysis. Reflex urine culture protocols contingent upon a screening dipstick urinalysis are a safe and effective platform for diagnostic stewardship in patients with cancer including those with neutropenia.

Effectiveness and user experience of nose and throat swabbing techniques for SARS-CoV-2 detection: results from the UK COVID-19 National Testing Programme

BackgroundThe UK’s National Health Service Test and Trace (NHSTT) program aimed to provide the most effective and accessible SARS-CoV-2 testing approach possible. Early user feedback indicated that there were accessibility issues associated with throat swabbing. We report the results of service evaluations performed by NHSTT to assess the effectiveness and user acceptance of swabbing approaches, as well as qualitative findings of user experiences from research reports, surveys, and incident reports. Our intent is to present and summarize our findings about the application of alternative swabbing approaches during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.MethodsFrom May 2020 to December 2021, NHSTT conducted a series of service evaluations assessing self-swabbing and assisted swabbing of the nose and throat, and nose only (anterior nares/mid-turbinate) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and lateral flow devices (LFDs), for diagnostic suitability within the COVID-19 National Testing Programme. Outcomes included observational user feedback on swabbing approaches and quantitative testing performance (concordance, sensitivity, and specificity). A post-hoc indirect comparison of swabbing approaches was also performed. Additionally, an analysis of existing cross-service research was conducted in April 2021 to determine user feedback regarding swabbing approaches.ResultsObservational data from cross-service research indicated a user preference for nose swabbing over throat swabbing. Significantly more users reported that nose swabbing was easier to perform than throat swabbing (50% vs. 12%) and there were significantly fewer reported incidents. In the service evaluations, while there was reduced sensitivity for nose-only swabbing for PCR (88%) compared with nose and throat swabbing, similar sensitivities were observed for nose-only and nose and throat swabbing for LFDs. The sensitivity of nose-only swabbing for LFDs was higher for individuals with higher viral concentrations.ConclusionsUser experience analyses supported a preference for nose-only swabbing. Nose-only swabbing for LFDs provided sufficient diagnostic accuracy, supporting its use as a viable option in the COVID-19 National Testing Programme. Less invasive swabbing approaches are important to maximize testing accessibility and alongside other behavioral interventions, increase user uptake.

Intelligence is not deception: from the Turing test to community-based ascriptions

Abstract The Turing test has a peculiar status in the artificial intelligence (AI) research community. On the one hand, it is presented as an important topic in virtually every AI textbook, and the research direction focused on developing AI systems that behave in human-like fashion is standardly called the “Turing test approach”. On the other hand, reports of computer programs passing the Turing test have had relatively little effect. Does this mean that the Turing test is no longer relevant as a test, doomed to be a theoretical notion with little connection to AI practice? In this paper, I argue that there is one problem in particular with common traditional versions of the Turing test, namely their focus on deception. The criterion for passing the Turing test is standardly connected to an AI system’s ability to deceive the interrogator about its identity. But why should we connect intelligence to the ability deceive? Here I present a revised version of an intelligence test that is not based on deception. In what I call the Community-based intelligence test (CBIT), an AI is introduced to a community of human subjects. If after a sufficient number of interactions within that community the humans are not able to identify the AI system as a computer, it is considered to have passed CBIT. I discuss whether that should be enough to ascribe intelligence to the AI, and if not, what more would be needed?

Exploring Demographic Disparities in Private Well Water Testing in North Carolina.

The natural, built, and social environments shape drinking water quality supplied by private wells. However, the combined effects of these factors are not well understood. Using North Carolina as a case study, we (i) estimate the demographic characteristics of the private well population; (ii) evaluate representation in well testing records; and (iii) demonstrate how spatial scale influences knowledge of well-using household demographics and representation in testing. We leverage a statewide database of 117,960 well testing records collected over 20 years and a national model predicting well locations. An estimated 25% well-using households identify as Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) and 15% have incomes below the poverty threshold. While there is robust well sampling (an average of 4,269 wells tested annually), we observed that most testing records were from predominately White block groups (BGs). Well-using households that did not participate in state testing were 2.4 times more likely to be from predominately BIPOC BGs compared predominately White BGs. Due to the spatial heterogeneity of the well population, demographic differences in well populations were more evident using higher resolution data. Multifaceted testing approaches that couple government-driven efforts with localized studies that engage underrepresented communities are needed to facilitate evidence-based management.

Deleterious coding variation associated with autism is consistent across populations, as exemplified by admixed Latin American populations.

Branko Aleksic, Mykyta Artomov, Mafalda Barbosa, Elisa Benetti, Catalina Betancur, Monica Biscaldi-Schafer, Anders D. Børglum, Harrison Brand, Alfredo Brusco, Joseph D. Buxbaum, Gabriele Campos, Simona Cardaropoli, Diana Carli, Angel Carracedo, Marcus C. Y. Chan, Andreas G. Chiocchetti, Brian H. Y. Chung, Brett Collins, Ryan L. Collins, Edwin H. Cook, Hilary Coon, Claudia I. S. Costa, Michael L. Cuccaro, David J. Cutler, Mark J. Daly, Silvia De Rubeis, Bernie Devlin, Ryan N. Doan, Enrico Domenici, Shan Dong, Chiara Fallerini, Magdalena Fernandez, Montserrat Fernández-Prieto, Giovanni Battista Ferrero, Eugenio Ferro, Jennifer Foss Feig, Christine M. Freitag, Jack M. Fu, Liliana Galeano, J. Jay Gargus, Sherif Gerges, Elisa Giorgio, Ana Cristina Girardi, Stephen Guter, Emily Hansen-Kiss, Erina Hara, Danielle Halpern, Gail E. Herman, Luis C. Hernandez, Irva Hertz-Picciotto, David M. Hougaard, Christina M. Hultman, Suma Jacob, Miia Kaartinen, Lambertus Klei, Alexander Kolevzon, Itaru Kushima, Maria C. Lattig, So Lun Lee, Terho Lehtimäki, Lindsay Liang, Carla Lintas, Alicia Ljungdahl, Andrea del Pilar Lopez, Caterina Lo Rizzo, Yunin Ludena, Patricia Maciel, Behrang Mahjani, Nell Maltman, Marianna Manara, Dara S. Manoach, Dalia Marquez, Gal Meiri, Idan Menashe, Judith Miller, Nancy Minshew, Matthew Mosconi, Marina Natividad Avila, Rachel Nguyen, Norio Ozaki, Aarno Palotie, Mara Parellada, Maria Rita Passos-Bueno, Lisa Pavinato, Katherine P. Peña, Minshi Peng, Margaret Pericak-Vance, Antonio M. Persico, Isaac N. Pessah, Thariana Pichardo, Kaija Puura, Abraham Reichenberg, Alessandra Renieri, Kathryn Roeder, Catherine Sancimino, Stephan J. Sanders, Sven Sandin, F. Kyle Satterstrom, Stephen W. Scherer, Sabine Schlitt, Rebecca J. Schmidt, Lauren Schmitt, Katja Schneider-Momm, Paige M. Siper, Laura Sloofman, Moyra Smith, Renee Soufer, Christine R. Stevens, Pål Suren, James S. Sutcliffe, John A. Sweeney, Michael E. Talkowski, Flora Tassone, Karoline Teufel, Elisabetta Trabetti, Slavica Trajkova, Maria del Pilar Trelles, Brie Wamsley, Jaqueline Y. T. Wang, Lauren A. Weiss, Mullin H. C. Yu, Ryan Yuen, Jessica Zweifach.

Genetic landscape in undiagnosed patients with syndromic hearing loss revealed by whole exome sequencing and phenotype similarity search.

There are hundreds of rare syndromic diseases involving hearing loss, many of which are not targeted for clinical genetic testing. We systematically explored the genetic causes of undiagnosed syndromic hearing loss using a combination of whole exome sequencing (WES) and a phenotype similarity search system called PubCaseFinder. Fifty-five families with syndromic hearing loss of unknown cause were analyzed using WES after prescreening of several deafness genes depending on patient clinical features. Causative genes were identified in 22 families, including both established genes associated with syndromic hearing loss (PTPN11, CHD7, KARS1, OPA1, DLX5, MITF, SOX10, MYO7A, and USH2A) and those associated with nonsyndromic hearing loss (STRC, EYA4, and KCNQ4). Association of a DLX5 variant with incomplete partition type I (IP-I) anomaly of the inner ear was identified in a patient with cleft lip and palate and acetabular dysplasia. The study identified COL1A1, CFAP52, and NSD1 as causative genes through phenotype similarity search or by analogy. ZBTB10 was proposed as a novel candidate gene for syndromic hearing loss with IP-I. A mouse model with homozygous Zbtb10 frameshift variant resulted in embryonic lethality, suggesting the importance of this gene for early embryonic development. Our data highlight a wide spectrum of rare causative genes in patients with syndromic hearing loss, and demonstrate that WES analysis combined with phenotype similarity search is a valuable approach for clinical genetic testing of undiagnosed disease.

Perancangan dan Implementasi Sistem Informasi Berbasis Website pada Toko Sembako Sayur Amanah

In the midst of the rapid development of digital technology, various business sectors, including the trade sector, have begun to adopt digital-based information systems to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness. Toko Sembako Sayur Amanah currently still relies on a manual system for recording transactions, managing stock items, and financial reporting using a cash book. This manual system causes the sales process to be inefficient, time-consuming, and prone to errors such as misrecording or data loss. In addition, the manual system is unable to meet the needs of customers who have limited time and makes it difficult to manage transactions and stock items effectively. To overcome these problems, this research aims to design and implement a website-based information system using the Waterfall method, which includes requirements analysis, system design, implementation, and system testing. Testing is carried out with a Black-box Testing approach to ensure the suitability of system functionality with predetermined needs. The test results show that the developed system has succeeded in increasing the efficiency of managing categories and goods by the admin and making it easier for customers to place orders and make payments online. This research is expected to be a reference for the development of similar systems in other grocery stores with the potential to increase competitiveness in an increasingly competitive market. As a follow-up, this research opens up opportunities for further development, such as integration with mobile applications or more sophisticated inventory management systems.

Performance Evaluation of Aeronautical Cables in Semi-Coaxial Geometries: A Novel Test Approach

Performance Evaluation of Aeronautical Cables in Semi-Coaxial Geometries: A Novel Test Approach

Validation of Marburg Virus Inactivation by AVL Buffer.

The removal of inactivated Marburg virus (MARV) material from a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) setting is a critical first step to enable downstream analyses at lower containment levels. The following method presents a highly sensitive approach for efficacy testing of virus inactivation without the loss of a low titer virus that may otherwise be masked by cytotoxic effects of the cells. This protocol outlines the procedure used to validate the inactivation of MARV samples for viral RNA extraction in cell culture, demonstrating accurate contact time needed for exposure, minimal loss of virus titers that may be present in minute quantities, and the removal of toxic elements to cells.

Poincaré plot analysis of electrocardiogram uncovers beneficial effects of omaveloxolone in a mouse model of Friedreich ataxia.

Friedreich ataxia (FA) is a rare inherited neuromuscular disorder whereby most patients die of lethal cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias. Mechanisms leading to arrhythmic events in patients with FA are poorly understood. This study aimed to examine cardiac electrical signal propagation in a mouse model of FA with severe cardiomyopathy and to evaluate effects of omaveloxolone (OMAV), the first Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy. Cardiac-specific MCK-Cre frataxin knockout (FXN-cKO) mice were used to mimic FA cardiomyopathy. Invivo surface electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings, Western blotting, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, and histochemistry were performed. Characteristics like long QT syndrome, interatrial block, and ST-segment abnormalities in patients with FA were identified in FXN-cKO mice. FXN-cKO mice exhibited sexual dimorphism in electrical signal propagation and cardiac structural integrity. Untreated FA males showed increased ventricular propagation intervals, whereas females exhibited delayed atrial propagation. OMAV showed no significant therapeutic effect on average ECG time intervals but improved chamber-specific waveforms when aggregated frequency distributions were analyzed. The J wave was absent in FXN-cKO male mice but reappeared with OMAV treatment. Poincaré plots revealed disparate idiopathic arrhythmias with multi-clustering events in individual mice with high incidence in FXN-cKO males. OMAV treatment reduced multi-clustering events to a single cluster; however, autonomic nervous system dysfunction still remained. Our study revealed significant electrical propagation disturbances and sexual dimorphism in FXN-cKO mice with severe cardiomyopathy. Poincaré plots identified irregularities in heart rhythm and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. OMAV improved heart function by stabilizing early repolarization and reducing disparate arrhythmias. This work stresses sex-specific ECG interpretations and alternative mathematical approaches for drug testing in FA models.

Genetic Analyses on Transgender Individuals: Impact on Physician Attitudes and Surgical Decision-Making.

Genetic studies on the transgender and gender diverse (TGD) community have started to appear in the literature. However, there are limited studies on how genetic data will impact attitudes and perspectives toward TGD individuals. In this study, we investigated the impact of genetic alterations on physicians' attitudes toward TGD individuals and on physicians' decisions concerning gender confirmation surgery (GCS). In this context, we intended to highlight a number of strategies to reduce the inequalities that the TGD community is exposed to in accessing health-care services. An online survey including the Turkish version of the Attitudes Toward Transgendered Individuals Scale (ATTIS) was completed by 224 physicians from relevant specialties. Scheffé and least significant difference (LSD) post hoc analysis methods were used to determine physicians' perspectives on whether genetic findings would cause TGD individuals to feel validated/invalidated. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression analysis was employed to assess their responses concerning the decision to perform GCS when genetic alterations had been identified. More than half of the physicians expressed the view that genetic analyses for TGD individuals would confer benefits (67.1%). Those who thought that the presence of gender-diversity-related genetic alterations would have a "positive impact" on their GCS-related decision to operate were found to have less positive attitudes toward TGD individuals (Bonferroni corrected p < 0.001). Multivariate multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that age, presenting the odds ratio as the strongest factor, distinguished the "no impact" group from the reference "positive impact" group, particularly among those aged ≤ 35 years (3.299, 95% CI: 1.355-8.033; p = 0.009). Although genetic analysis of TGD individuals is predicted to have a positive effect on physicians' attitudes toward them and on the GCS decision-making process, it should be emphasized that the benefits for TGD individuals must outweigh the potential harm. The results showed that physicians need "early and continuing education" to develop a comprehensive perspective on gender identity. The most appropriate approach for genetic testing would be to include the TGD community in decision-making processes and to develop guidelines for the interpretation of genetic data.

Contribution of Non-Current Assets Management on Organisation Performance

The study assessed contribution of non-current assets management on organization performance in Tanzania. The study consisted three identified independent variable that were tested towards organization performance as the dependent variable. The independent variables include company size, production catalyst and company inputs. The study was conducted using explanatory design through causality testing approach in knowledge generation. The study employed primary data since a case was selected for the inquiry to be undertaken which was the Institute of Finance Management (IFM). Primary data were obtained from the sample of 83 respondents through structured questionnaire. The gathered results were computed in SPSS software specifically version 23.0 whereas relevant statistical tests were obtained to present the findings. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the profile of the respondents with inferential analysis specifically correlation and multiple regression analysis used to describe the relationship between study variables. The results revealed that all three tested predicting variables to the dependent variable namely company size, production catalyst and company inputs are positive with significant effect statistically to the dependent variable (p&lt;0.05) which is organization performance. The implication of the results is that performance of the organizations in Tanzania through non-current assets is influenced with company size, production catalyst and company inputs. The study recommended that it is essential for non-current assets to be considered prior to the company focus or assessment towards performance respectively.

A deep-learning-based consistency test approach for Earth system models on HPC systems.

Evaluating climate consistency is a critically important step in the development and optimization of Earth system models (ESMs) on the high-performance computing (HPC) systems. We have developed an Earth system model deep-learning consistency test, referred to as ESM-DCT. The ESM-DCT is based on the unsupervised bidirectional gate recurrent unit-autoencoder (BGRU-AE) model to study the features from the ESM simulation ensembles and adopts the reconstruction errors to evaluate the consistency. We use the Community Earth System Model (CESM) on the new Sunway heterogeneous system to evaluate the ESM-DCT. The results show that the ESM-DCT can determine whether or not the new model simulations are statistically distinguishable from the original trusted ensembles in the case of the heterogeneous computing environment, compiling optimization option changes, and model parameter changes. Our ESM-DCT tool provides an efficient and objective approach for verifying the reliability of the development and optimization of ESMs on HPC systems.

Concordance of Whole-Genome Long-Read Sequencing with Standard Clinical Testing for Prader-Willi and Angelman Syndromes.

Current clinical testing approaches for individuals with suspected imprinting disorders are complex, often requiring multiple tests performed in a stepwise manner to make a precise molecular diagnosis. We investigated whether whole-genome long-read sequencing could be used as a single data source to simultaneously evaluate copy number variants, single-nucleotide variants, structural variants, and differences in methylation in a cohort of individuals known to have either Prader-Willi or Angelman syndrome. We evaluated 25 individuals sequenced to an average depth of coverage of 36× on an Oxford Nanopore Technologies PromethION. A custom one-page report was generated that could be used to assess copy number, single-nucleotide variants, and methylation patterns at select CpG sites within the 15q11.2-q13.1 region and prioritize candidate pathogenic variants in UBE3A. After training with three positive controls, three analysts blinded to the known clinical diagnosis arrived at the correct molecular diagnosis for 22 of 22 cases (20 true positive, 2 negative controls). Our findings demonstrate the utility of long-read sequencing as a single, comprehensive data source for complex clinical testing, offering potential benefits, such as reduced testing costs, increased diagnostic yield, and shorter turnaround times, in the clinical laboratory.