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Eritrea does not have one official language and there is experience in using multiple languages in official government communications, education, media and the legal system. Since Eritrean independence in May 1991, Eritrean laws have been promulgated in a mix of Arabic, English and Tigrinya: some are issued in these three languages; some are issued in Arabic and Tigrinya or Tigrinya and English; and the rest are issued in English or Tigrinya only. Given the continuation of some pre-independence laws, laws written in Amharic and Italian are also applicable. There is also a plan to translate four basic laws (called Codes), circulated in 2015 in Arabic, Tigrinya and English, into the remaining seven Eritrean languages and making them operational. The Eritrean legal system which gives equal weight to laws prepared in, or translated into, multiple languages has created, and will continue to create, a difficult atmosphere of linguistic discrepancy with prejudicial consequences on rights and duties of people and on the expectation for consistency, predictability and uniformity of judgments. This article presents the experiences in Eritrean courts in relation to discrepancies in legal texts issued in different languages and suggests possible solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Letter of Credit (LC) opening banks receive transport and other documents from the LC issuing Bank through banking channels. Upon receiving the information, bankers scrutinize the documents to determine if there is a deviation or discrepancy per the previously agreed terms and conditions. Based on the primary data from this study, forty-two discrepancies were identified. The discrepancies were grouped into four categories based on their nature. These are missing information, mismatched information, and non-submission of documents. The data were analyzed using the R Program and visualized with ggplot2. The study reveals that the most common discrepancy is mismatched information in warranty certificates. Most of the cases have only one discrepancy. The study also identified potential outliers, such as mismatched information in Currency, quality assurance certificate, and country of origin. Regression analysis shows that there is no significant relationship between the values of LC and the number of discrepancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many practical experiments, the number of possible levels for each experimental factor is often limited to a finite number. Various discrepancies, like discrete discrepancy and Lee discrepancy, have been proposed to measure the uniformity on the discrete experimental domain. However, these two discrepancies can yield unreasonable results when multiple levels are involved. In this paper, a new discrepancy, termed absolute discrepancy (AD), is proposed as a more reasonable measure of uniformity on a discrete experimental domain, particularly for discrete-numerical factors. Moreover, connections between AD and other design optimality criteria, such as generalized minimum aberration and orthogonality, are established. These connections provide strong statistical justification for AD. Some lower bounds of AD are also obtained, serving as important benchmarks for the design uniformity. In addition, uniform designs based on the AD criterion have produced better prediction performance by fitting statistical surrogate models of complex surfaces compared to their competitors. Furthermore, the application in hyperparameter optimization for machine learning algorithms also validates the superiority of uniform designs with the proposed AD criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Exposure to a range of stressful life events (SLE) is implicated in youth psychopathology. Previous studies point to a discrepancy between parents'/children's reports regarding stressful life events. No study systematically assessed the correlation between such discrepancies and psychopathology in depressed youth. This study was designed to assess parent—youth discrepancies regarding stressful life events and its association with severity of psychopathology at baseline and response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment in depressed youth. Methods: Reports regarding stressful life events were assessed in children/adolescents suffering from depressive/anxiety disorders using the life events checklist (LEC), a self-report questionnaire measuring the impact of negative life events (NLE) and positive life events (PLE), as reported by the children and their parents. The severity of depression/anxiety disorders and response to antidepressant treatment were evaluated and correlated with both measures of LEC. Results: Participants were 96 parent-child dyads (39 boys, 57 girls) aged 6–18 years (mean = 13.90 years, SD = 2.41). Parents reported more NLE and higher severity of NLE events than their children (number of NLE: 7.51 ± 4.17 vs. 6.04 ± 5.32; Cumulative severity of NLE: 24.95 ± 14.83 vs. 17.24 ± 12.94). Discrepancy in PLE, but not NLE, was associated with more severe psychopathology and reduced response to treatment. Discussion: Discrepancy in informant reports regarding life events in depressed/anxious youth, especially regarding PLE, is associated with more severe psychopathology and reduced response to pharmacotherapy. It is essential to use multiple reporters in assessing stressful life events in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates acute myeloid leukemia/lymphoblastic leukemia (AML/ALL) through a 14-year analysis (2009–2022) of 46 autopsied cases (age >12 years). B-ALL was the dominant subtype (34.8%). Liver and spleen were the common sites of active leukemia (63% cases). Symptoms like dyspnea and altered sensorium associated significantly with heart (p =.031) and brain leukostasis (p =.006). Measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity correlated with disease-free status outside the bone marrow, while MRD-positive cases displayed leukemic infiltrates. Infections were identified in 23 autopsied cases, notably linked to post-induction and post-transplant fatalities. Surprisingly, 18 of these 23 cases had unexpected infections mainly fungal (13 cases) with Aspergillus species as the most common. Diagnostic discrepancies were identified in 48% of cases. Malignant infiltration (46%) and infections (25%) were the leading causes of death. This research sheds light on leukemia in extra-medullary tissues, uncovers novel clinical-pathological associations, and highlights overlooked therapy side effects, offering insights for future case management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research with 2-day-old neonates shows that they create mental representations—schemata—for their experiences and that this cognitive ability is hardwired and functional at birth. This research and studies with older infants indicate that both the formation and the expansion of schemata occur through moderate discrepancies, a concept that Jerome Kagan promoted conceptually and through his research. Discrepancy, as distinct from novelty, is insufficiently acknowledged in the literature on schema theory. The schema is both cognitive and affective and develops in unison in a curvilinear pattern with a gradual onset and exponential expansion. Optimal attentiveness and positive affect occur at the peak of formation and to moderate discrepancies. Redundancy beyond the optimal level produces decreasing interest and positive affect and increasing negative affect resulting in boredom and avoidance. These characteristics of schema development are difficult to study with older children and adults. Rumelhart (1980) regarded the schema as the "building block of cognition" and Kagan (2002) called its expansion through moderate discrepancies an "engine of change" implying widespread application for cognition and behavior throughout life. Kagan urged the search for structure (form) as opposed to function in cognition, and the curvilinear pattern of schema development and its characteristics, it is argued, is the structure he sought. Implications and select applications of schema development and expansion are presented. Public Significance Statement: The work in this review underscores that the creation of schemata, mental representations of experiences that develop through moderate discrepancies, is fully functional at birth. The schema expands in a replicable curvilinear pattern with characteristics that determine much of human behavior and is the prototype for cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the connections between the notions of combinatorial discrepancy and graph degeneracy. In particular, we prove that the maximum discrepancy over all subgraphs H of a graph G of the neighborhood set system of H is sandwiched between Ω (log ⁡ deg (G)) and O (deg (G)) , where deg (G) denotes the degeneracy of G. We extend this result to inequalities relating weak coloring numbers and discrepancy of graph powers and deduce a new characterization of bounded expansion classes. Then we switch to a model theoretical point of view, introduce pointer structures, and study their relations to graph classes with bounded expansion. We deduce that a monotone class of graphs has bounded expansion if and only if all the set systems definable in this class have bounded hereditary discrepancy. Using known bounds on the VC-density of set systems definable in nowhere dense classes we also give a characterization of nowhere dense classes in terms of discrepancy. As consequences of our results, we obtain a corollary on the discrepancy of neighborhood set systems of edge colored graphs, a polynomial-time algorithm to compute ε -approximations of size O (1 / ε) for set systems definable in bounded expansion classes, an application to clique coloring, and even the non-existence of a quantifier elimination scheme for nowhere dense classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this note we study estimates from below of the single radius spherical discrepancy in the setting of compact two-point homogeneous spaces. Namely, given a d-dimensional manifold M endowed with a distance ρ so that (M , ρ) is a two-point homogeneous space and with the Riemannian measure μ , we provide conditions on r such that if D r denotes the discrepancy of the ball of radius r, then, for an absolute constant C > 0 and for every set of points { x j } j = 1 N , one has ∫ M | D r (x) | 2 d μ (x) ⩾ C N - 1 - 1 d . The conditions on r that we have depend on the dimension d of the manifold and cannot be achieved when d ≡ 1 (mod 4) . Nonetheless, we prove a weaker estimate for such dimensions as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately predicting discrepancies between simulated and actual building performance is becoming increasingly crucial in building management and optimization of e.g., Digital Twins and energy efficiency assessments. This challenge is amplified by the growing dependence on simulation models which predict building behavior, energy consumption, and operational efficiency. Despite advancements in simulation technology, aligning these models with real-world data remains a persistent challenge. This study addresses this challenge by developing a regression-based model designed to predict discrepancies between simulated and actual operational characteristics of buildings. The model identifies differences between synchronized time series data to generate a new series that highlights these discrepancies. By employing a sliding window technique, the model processes actual operational data to predict discrepancies. They implemented this approach using AdaBoost and Random Forest, evaluating performance across eight datasets of Indoor Air Temperature from two cities. The results demonstrate that the Random Forest algorithm significantly outperforms AdaBoost, with improvements in R² scores of up to 23 percent and reductions in RMSE by up to 4.5 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social camouflaging in autism involves hiding social differences and autistic traits to fit in with neurotypical settings and is associated with poorer mental health in both autistic adolescents and adults. This study explored the association between self-reported social camouflaging behaviours and adolescents' self-report of generalised anxiety disorder and depressive symptoms compared with caregiver reports. A clinical sample of 43 autistic and 39 non-autistic adolescents (14–19 years), without intellectual disability and matched on social anxiety, and their primary caregiver completed questionnaires reporting the young person's autistic traits, generalised anxiety disorder and depression symptoms. Using response surface analysis, congruence between adolescent and caregiver rated autistic traits, generalised anxiety disorder and depression symptoms were not associated with greater camouflaging scores. Response surface analysis parameters showed that camouflaging was greater when both adolescent and caregivers rated high levels of autistic traits and generalised anxiety disorder symptoms, and when adolescents exceeded caregiver ratings on autistic traits, generalised anxiety disorder and depression symptoms. Adolescents who experience greater anxiety and autistic traits may engage in more (though less effective) social camouflaging behaviours, which in turn may contribute towards poorer mental health outcomes. Clinicians may benefit from collaboratively creating with adolescents a person-centred formulation that considers the associations between autistic traits and mental health outcomes. Social camouflaging or masking refers to strategies autistic individuals adopt to hide their autism persona when trying to fit in. It is unclear whether camouflaging is only applicable to social differences unique to autism, or more generally to any types of social difference, such as experiences of mental health difficulties. We asked 43 autistic and 39 non-autistic adolescents (aged 14–19 years, all of whom showed similarly high levels of social anxiety) and their primary caregivers to complete questionnaires about their mental health (anxiety and depression) and autistic traits, and adolescents self-reported camouflaging behaviours. We wondered if camouflaging may be used to hide mental health difficulties reported by young people and affect caregiver report on symptom severity. We found that adolescents who self-reported greater levels of autistic traits, anxiety and depression symptoms compared with their caregivers reported greater camouflaging. Adolescents who agreed on having high levels of autistic traits and anxiety symptoms with their caregivers reported greater camouflaging behaviours. We discuss how having high levels of autistic traits and anxiety may increase adolescents' camouflaging behaviours to hide social differences, which may contribute towards poor mental health outcomes. We think it is important to talk with adolescents about how camouflaging social and mental health difference can have negative impacts for mental health as well as possible positive social gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Fiber Inspection / Zhongguo Xian-Jian is the property of China Fiber Inspection and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A multitude of classifiers can be trained on the same data to achieve similar performances during test time while having learned significantly different classification patterns. When selecting a classifier, the machine learning practitioner has no understanding on the differences between models, their limits, where they agree and where they don't. But this choice will result in concrete consequences for instances to be classified in the discrepancy zone, since the final decision will be based on the selected classification pattern. Besides the arbitrary nature of the result, a bad choice could have further negative consequences such as loss of opportunity or lack of fairness. This paper proposes to address this question by analyzing the prediction discrepancies in a pool of best-performing models trained on the same data. A model-agnostic algorithm, DIG, is proposed to capture and explain discrepancies locally in tabular datasets, to enable the practitioner to make the best educated decision when selecting a model by anticipating its potential undesired consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let S k (N) denote the space of cusp forms of even integer weight k and level N. We prove an asymptotic for the Petersson trace formula for S k (N) under an appropriate condition. Using the non-vanishing of a Kloosterman sum involved in the asymptotic, we give a lower bound for discrepancy in the Sato–Tate distribution for levels not divisible by 8. This generalizes a result of Jung and Sardari (Math Ann 378(1–2):513–557, 2020, Theorem 1.6) for squarefree levels. An analogue of the Sato-Tate distribution was obtained by Omar and Mazhouda (Ramanujan J 20(1):81–89, 2009, Theorem 3) for the distribution of eigenvalues λ p 2 (f) where f is a Hecke eigenform and p is a prime number. As an application of the above-mentioned asymptotic, we obtain a sequence of weights k n such that discrepancy in the analogue distribution obtained in Omar and Mazhouda (Ramanujan J 20(1):81–89, 2009) has a lower bound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Letter of Credit (LC) opening banks receive transport and other documents from the LC issuing Bank through banking channels. Upon receiving the information, bankers scrutinize the documents to determine if there is a deviation or discrepancy per the previously agreed terms and conditions. Based on the primary data from this study, forty-two discrepancies were identified. The discrepancies were grouped into four categories based on their nature. These are missing information, mismatched information, and non-submission of documents. The data were analyzed using the R Program and visualized with ggplot2. The study reveals that the most common discrepancy is mismatched information in warranty certificates. Most of the cases have only one discrepancy. The study also identified potential outliers, such as mismatched information in Currency, quality assurance certificate, and country of origin. Regression analysis shows that there is no significant relationship between the values of LC and the number of discrepancies.

We study the query complexity on slices of Boolean functions. Among other results we show that there exists a Boolean function for which we need to query all but 7 input bits to compute its value, even if we know beforehand that the number of 0's and 1's in the input are the same, i.e., when our input is from the middle slice. This answers a question of Byramji. Our proof is non-constructive, but we also propose a concrete candidate function that might have the above property. Our results are related to certain natural discrepancy type questions that, somewhat surprisingly, have not been studied before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy; however, there is no useful blood diagnostic biomarker. This study aimed to determine the utility of tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TFPI2), a biomarker of ovarian cancer, as a diagnostic marker for endometrial cancer. Methods We examined serum TFPI2 levels in patients with endometrial cancer (n = 328) compared to those in healthy controls (n = 65) and evaluated the performance of serum TFPI2 levels as a diagnostic marker. We investigated the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with TFPI2-negative and TFPI2-positive endometrial cancer. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), we examined TFPI2 expression in tumor tissues of 105 patients with type II endometrial carcinoma and evaluated the correlation between serum and tissue TFPI2 positivity. Results Patients with endometrial cancer had significantly higher serum TFPI2 levels than controls (196.7 pg/mL vs. 83.3 pg/mL; p 0. There was no significant difference in the immunostaining score according to histological type. Serum TFPI2 levels and immunostaining score showed poor agreement (kappa coefficient, -0.039). Conclusions The serum TFPI2 level is a promising marker for diagnosing and predicting the prognosis of endometrial cancer. No correlation exists between serum and tissue TFPI2 levels. Further multicenter clinical trials are needed to test the utility of TFPI2 as a diagnostic marker.

Abstract Background The fit of a metal-ceramic restoration is essential to its long-term durability. Regarding marginal and internal fit, there is not enough information about the technologies used in the production of metal-ceramic restorations. The aim of this in vitro study is to compare, both before and after porcelain firing, the marginal, axial, axio-occlusal, and occlusal fit of metal-ceramic restorations manufactured using casting, additive or subtractive computer-aided design, and computer-aided manufacturing techniques (CAD/CAM). Methods CAD/CAM were used to create 50 prepared maxillary first molar-shaped Co-Cr die models, which were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 10). Cobalt-chrome copings were produced by casting (C), hard metal milling (HM), soft metal milling (SM), selective laser melting (SLM), and selective laser sintering (SLS) techniques. Before and after porcelain firing, discrepancies of the copings were measured using the silicone replica technique. The data obtained by measurements with a stereomicroscope at x80 magnification were analyzed statistically in the SPSS program. The ROBUST three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was used to compare the discrepancy values. Results There were statistically significant differences among fabrication methods (P .001). The highest discrepancy was observed on the occlusal area (87.1 μm), and the lowest discrepancy was observed on the axial area (47.7 μm) of the coping. Porcelain firing had a decrease in the discrepancy values (P = .001). Conclusion All CAD/CAM techniques are appropriate for clinical use; selective laser sintering and soft milling can be the more recommended methods for the compatibility of metal-porcelain restorations, as they have lower discrepancy values than the SLM and HM methods.

Background/Aim: The leukocytes have been reported to contain blood group specific antigens, that are clinically relevant, however visualisation of A and B group antigens on leukocytes is a big issue. In cases of ABO discrepancies weak blood group antigens on nuclear cells have been demonstrated by using expensive techniques. Thus, the development of the method of the detection of weak blood group antigens on leukocytes available for any laboratory technician is hardly essential. The study aimed to reveal and analyse A and B blood group specific adsorbing antigens on leukocytes and erythrocytes and to develop a method for visualisation of weak blood group antigens on leukocytes. Methods: Polyclonal and monoclonal anti-A and anti-B antibodies, received from international laboratories according to the program of Workshop IV, held in Paris, 2000, were used for the study. Mixed agglutination reaction was performed as the method for visualisation of weak blood group antigens on leukocytes as nuclear cells. Results: Polyclonal sera from O blood group persons without weak blood group antigens in contrast to monoclonal antibodies demonstrated the ability to reveal weak blood group specific antigens on leukocytes by the method of mixed agglutination reaction. However, the test erythrocytes from the persons with increased levels of platelets and erythrocyte sedimentation rate did not allow to visualise weak antigen expression on the studied leukocytes in contrast to the persons with normal levels of platelets and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, that successfully formed mixed agglutinates with weak blood group antigens on leukocytes in mixed agglutination reaction. The leukocytes suspended in 0.9 % saline (as a diluent) incubated with the mixture of the serum with 0.9 % saline (1:2) led to the formation of specific agglutinates with test erythrocytes. The experiments with different temperature regimes and time of incubation demonstrated the usefulness of the studied method in specific leukocytes antigen visualisation during prolonged incubation at 4 °C. The persons with weak group A and B antigens, revealed on the leukocytes by the studied method, demonstrated decreased level of erythrocytes, platelets, titre of corresponding warm agglutinating antibodies (less than 1:8) and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Conclusion: The mixed agglutination reaction with prolonged incubation at 4 °C and the use of the selected polyclonal sera and test erythrocytes from the donors with normal values of platelets and erythrocyte sedimentation rate may be used for weak blood group antigens detection on leukocytes. The donors of the sera and test erythrocytes used in mixed agglutination reaction should be investigated on common blood analysis, agglutinating titre of corresponding warm group specific antibodies and presence of weak blood group antigens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we consider a class of substitutions on infinite alphabets and show that they exhibit a growth behaviour which is impossible for substitutions on finite alphabets. While for both settings the leading term of the tile counting function is exponential (and guided by the inflation factor), the behaviour of the second-order term is strikingly different. For the finite setting, it is known that the second term is also exponential or exponential times a polynomial. We exhibit a large family of examples where the second term is at least exponential in n divided by half-integer powers of n , where n is the number of substitution steps. In particular, we provide an identity for this discrepancy in terms of linear combinations of Catalan numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Indexed left ventricular end‐diastolic volume (LVEDVi) is a left ventricle (LV) size marker. The "Recommendations for Chamber Quantification" guideline was published in 2006 and updated in 2015. Although the previous guideline maintained uniform cutoff points for both men and women, the latest revision introduced new thresholds that vary between genders. We evaluated the extent of change in labeled indexed LV diastolic volumes in men and women following the adoption of the 2015 guideline. Methods: Data were extracted from a web‐based registry from March 2020 to October 2022. LV indexed volume variables were categorized on the basis of the 2006 and 2015 guidelines. Results: Among the 7598 individuals, the classification of LVEDVi differed in 910 (12.0%) individuals. In 213 (5.5%) female subjects, substantial reclassification (i.e., transitioning from normal to moderate LV enlargement to mild to severe LV enlargement) occurred on the basis of the 2015 guideline. All females classified as having moderately abnormal LVEDVi according to the 2006 guideline were reclassified as having severely abnormal LVEDVi according to the 2015 guideline. Age, LV ejection fraction (LVEF), and significant aortic regurgitation (AR) were common factors contributing to the observed discrepancy in both men and women. Significant mitral regurgitation (MR) and regional or global motion abnormality were correlated with the reclassification of LVEDVi to higher abnormal partitions only in women. Conclusion: The observed disparities underscore the importance of ongoing dedicated research to reassess the range of indexed echocardiographic parameters, considering various outcomes and differences in countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, reasonable regulation of optimum parameters in sequential uniform design (algorithm) is developed by means of probabilistic multi–objective optimization (PMOO) in term of total preferable probability, which aims to conduct rational option in the subsequent deep optimization with a series of provisional ″optimum status″ candidates. The provisional ″optimum statuses″ were produced in the sequential uniform algorithm of subsequent deep optimization in each step, which is in turn used to form a ″special point set″ in this study, the total preferable probability is evaluated for the ″special point set″. The final optimum status is with the highest total preferable probability of the ″special point set″ comparatively. Besides, under condition of ″target value being the best″, both discrepancy of average value Y ¯ of a response from its target value Y0 (ε =| Y ¯ −Y0|) and averaged deviation γ of the actual response value Y from the target value Y0 are taken as the dual individual response objectives for robust design simultaneously. Two examples are given to illuminate the proposed procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy; however, there is no useful blood diagnostic biomarker. This study aimed to determine the utility of tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TFPI2), a biomarker of ovarian cancer, as a diagnostic marker for endometrial cancer. Methods: We examined serum TFPI2 levels in patients with endometrial cancer (n = 328) compared to those in healthy controls (n = 65) and evaluated the performance of serum TFPI2 levels as a diagnostic marker. We investigated the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with TFPI2-negative and TFPI2-positive endometrial cancer. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), we examined TFPI2 expression in tumor tissues of 105 patients with type II endometrial carcinoma and evaluated the correlation between serum and tissue TFPI2 positivity. Results: Patients with endometrial cancer had significantly higher serum TFPI2 levels than controls (196.7 pg/mL vs. 83.3 pg/mL; p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity were 54.3% and 95.4%, respectively (cutoff value, 191 pg/mL). Serum TFPI2 levels were significantly elevated along with the stage progression (stage I, 189.6 pg/mL; stage III, 230.9 pg/mL; stage IV, 312.5 pg/mL; p < 0.001). Patients with high-risk histology showed significantly elevated serum TFPI2 levels than those with low-risk histology (220.8 pg/mL vs. 187.7 pg/mL; p < 0.001). The positivity rate for TFPI2 was the highest among tumor markers, including CA125, CA19-9, and CEA. Serum TFPI2 and CA125 levels were almost independent (r = 0.203, p < 0.001), and the combined sensitivity increased to 58.8%. The 5-year survival rate was significantly worse in TFPI2-positive patients (≥ 191 pg/mL, n = 178) than in TFPI2-negative patients (< 191 pg/mL, n = 150) (hazard ratio, 8.22; 95% confidence interval, 2.49–27.1; p < 0.001). TFPI2 immunostaining revealed that 37.1% (39/105) of the samples were positive for TFPI2, with an IHC score of > 0. There was no significant difference in the immunostaining score according to histological type. Serum TFPI2 levels and immunostaining score showed poor agreement (kappa coefficient, -0.039). Conclusions: The serum TFPI2 level is a promising marker for diagnosing and predicting the prognosis of endometrial cancer. No correlation exists between serum and tissue TFPI2 levels. Further multicenter clinical trials are needed to test the utility of TFPI2 as a diagnostic marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An avatar is one’s figure of representation within the virtual world. The user-avatar bond is suggested to carry information about who/how the person is in their real life. Discrepancies between an individual’s self and avatar perceptions have been associated with disordered gaming and reduced well-being, requiring assessment. Although several instruments purport to measure UAB, there is no targeted user-avatar discrepancy scale. To address this gap, the user-avatar views of 477 gamers aged between 11–21 years old (meanage = 16.39; SD = 1.6) were assessed across 15 dimensions, each defined by a pair of bipolar adjectives (e.g. strong-weak) rated on a seven-point scale. The optimum combination of scale items was concluded via a three-step validation procedure including (i) exploratory factor analysis, (ii) confirmatory factor analysis, and (iii) item response theory analysis. Findings supported a unifactorial user-avatar discrepancy measure composed of eight items, with social-desirability issues involving strength, physical abilities, and emotionality underpinning participants’ responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Fiber Inspection / Zhongguo Xian-Jian is the property of China Fiber Inspection and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The fit of a metal-ceramic restoration is essential to its long-term durability. Regarding marginal and internal fit, there is not enough information about the technologies used in the production of metal-ceramic restorations. The aim of this in vitro study is to compare, both before and after porcelain firing, the marginal, axial, axio-occlusal, and occlusal fit of metal-ceramic restorations manufactured using casting, additive or subtractive computer-aided design, and computer-aided manufacturing techniques (CAD/CAM). Methods: CAD/CAM were used to create 50 prepared maxillary first molar-shaped Co-Cr die models, which were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 10). Cobalt-chrome copings were produced by casting (C), hard metal milling (HM), soft metal milling (SM), selective laser melting (SLM), and selective laser sintering (SLS) techniques. Before and after porcelain firing, discrepancies of the copings were measured using the silicone replica technique. The data obtained by measurements with a stereomicroscope at x80 magnification were analyzed statistically in the SPSS program. The ROBUST three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was used to compare the discrepancy values. Results: There were statistically significant differences among fabrication methods (P <.001). The HM method showed the highest discrepancy (90.1 μm), and the C (63 μm) method showed the lowest discrepancy in terms of the die model- crown fit. The C, SLS, and SM methods (63 μm; 61.6 μm; 67.7 μm) were statistically similar (P >.001). The highest discrepancy was observed on the occlusal area (87.1 μm), and the lowest discrepancy was observed on the axial area (47.7 μm) of the coping. Porcelain firing had a decrease in the discrepancy values (P =.001). Conclusion: All CAD/CAM techniques are appropriate for clinical use; selective laser sintering and soft milling can be the more recommended methods for the compatibility of metal-porcelain restorations, as they have lower discrepancy values than the SLM and HM methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Various factors affect the assessor’s ability to assess an oral presentation and arrive at an accurate assessment of the interconnected skills such as fluency, coherence, syntax, grammar, diction, and task achievement concurrently. The oral presentation rubric aids in achieving consistency in assessing this complex skill. This research investigates assessors’ application and perceptions of the speaking assessment rubric prepared in-house and used in the Foundation Program (FP) English Unit at Dhofar University (DU) for levels 1, 2, and 3 in order to identify the rubric’s possible weakness and ambiguities to provide insights to plug the loopholes and ensure fair, objective and uniform assessment. Methodology: Data was collected in a 3-phase data collection cycle through a pre-session task (n=18), a hands-on focus groups session (n=16) to explore qualitative data regarding actual application of the rubric, and a questionnaire (n=40) to obtain quantitative data for further investigation of teachers’ perceptions to cross check with implementation. This makes the present study a mixed-methods one in an exploratory sequential design. Findings: The findings of this research clearly showed the loopholes in the current oral presentation rubric used by the FP for formative and summative assessments. This research has exposed a notable inconsistency in grading practices of the oral presentation using the in-house rubric despite the surprising finding regarding assessors’ confidence in the rubric’s reliability and their level of training. The identified gap between assessors’ perceptions and the application of rubric criteria highlights potential issues in the design of the rubric leading to inconsistencies in the assessment outcomes. Contributions: This research emphasizes the importance of the regular refinement of assessment rubrics to minimize ambiguity and subjective elements, coupled with comprehensive user training to enhance assessment practices, support professional development, promote clearer learning expectations for students, and mitigate the impact of grading disparities in evaluation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SERVQUAL model is a commonly used tool for evaluating service quality in public and private sector organizations. It was applied to evaluate the quality of service in the public sector in Ethiopia through the discrepancy between perceived and expected services (ESs). Therefore, a gap score was calculated based on customers’ perceived minus ES quality, as most scholars used to measure the actual service quality. The survey used a descriptive cross-sectional design. A structured questionnaire with 22 items derived from the SERVQUAL model was administered to 562 customers to collect data from the public sector in Ethiopia. Customers who have visited the public sector at least twice were selected for this study. Due to the challenge of selecting the customers randomly, a convenient sampling method was employed as it was easier to pick customers while visiting the offices. The discrepancy between customers’ perceived and ESs across all dimensions of the SERVQUAL model became negative. The mean score of all items and dimensions of expectation is higher than perception. Hence, service quality in Ethiopia in the public sector remained low. Reliability, tangibility and empathy scored the highest mean gap, respectively, while responsiveness and assurance scored the lowest mean. Despite customers’ expectations, the most essential dimensions, reliability, tangibility and empathy, had the lowest perceived service (PS) quality. Finally, customers’ expectations were not met. Therefore, the service quality in public sector institutions needs improvement in all dimensions. This study has important implications for both theoretical and practical research in service delivery.

Premortem clinical diagnoses and postmortem autopsy findings do not match historically. These clinicopathological discrepancies are expected to be higher during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic due to increased pressure on healthcare. At the same time, autopsies and clinicopathological discrepancies accurately display the quality of the healthcare system. To assess that, we examined the relevant works of literature according to the PRISMA-based protocol. As a discrepancy rate change-related antemortem scrutiny of medical care in the hospital, we also checked whether studies with patients from the intensive care unit (ICU) differed in discrepancies significantly. We found similar overall risk differences in “pre-COVID” and “during the pandemic” groups of studies. Based on this, we concluded that healthcare quality did not drop significantly during the pandemic. Be that as it may, the pandemic exposed some shortcomings in mortem healthcare regarding consensus to the autopsy, organ retention, burial, and the postponed burial or the digitalization of postmortem healthcare. All of these issues should be addressed in the future.

Background The diagnostic accuracy of preoperative radiologic findings in predicting the tumor characteristics and clinical outcomes of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) was evaluated across all risk groups. Methods In total, 939 PTMC patients, comprising both low-risk and non-low-risk groups, who underwent surgery were enrolled. The preoperative tumor size and lymph node metastasis (LNM) were evaluated by ultrasonography within 6 months before surgery and compared with the postoperative pathologic findings. Discrepancies between the preoperative and postoperative tumor sizes were analyzed, and clinical outcomes were assessed. Results The agreement rate between radiological and pathological tumor size was approximately 60%. Significant discrepancies were noted, including an increase in tumor size in 24.3% of cases. Notably, in 10.8% of patients, the postoperative tumor size exceeded 1 cm, despite being initially classified as 0.5 to 1.0 cm based on preoperative imaging. A postoperative tumor size >1 cm was associated with aggressive pathologic factors such as multiplicity, microscopic extrathyroidal extension, and LNM, as well as a higher risk of distant metastasis. In 30.1% of patients, LNM was diagnosed after surgery despite not being suspected before the procedure. This group was characterized by smaller metastatic foci and lower risks of distant metastasis or recurrence than patients with LNM detected both before and after surgery. Conclusion Among all risk groups of PTMCs, a subset showed an increase in tumor size, reaching 1 cm after surgery. These cases require special consideration due to their association with adverse clinical outcomes, including an elevated risk of distant metastasis.

The most crucial blood group system in transfusion medicine is still the ABO system. Any unresolved discrepancy could result in the patient receiving blood that is incompatible and could trigger acute intravascular hemolysis. ABO subgroups are one of the astounding differences in blood grouping. The amount of A and B antigens carried by red blood cells and present in secretion varies depending on the ABO subgroup phenotype. Clinically, A1 and A2 are the two most frequently observed subtypes. Many weaker A subgroups have been described, including A3, Axe, am, and el. This example involves an Indian male donor who was initially misclassified as a Group O individual before being identified as an Ax/Aweak subgroup phenotypically. The next-generation sequencing defined the genotype of this case as ABO*AW.31.01/*O.01.75.

Premortem clinical diagnoses and postmortem autopsy findings do not match historically. These clinicopathological discrepancies are expected to be higher during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic due to increased pressure on healthcare. At the same time, autopsies and clinicopathological discrepancies accurately display the quality of the healthcare system. To assess that, we examined the relevant works of literature according to the PRISMA-based protocol. As a discrepancy rate change-related antemortem scrutiny of medical care in the hospital, we also checked whether studies with patients from the intensive care unit (ICU) differed in discrepancies significantly. We found similar overall risk differences in "pre-COVID" and "during the pandemic" groups of studies. Based on this, we concluded that healthcare quality did not drop significantly during the pandemic. Be that as it may, the pandemic exposed some shortcomings in mortem healthcare regarding consensus to the autopsy, organ retention, burial, and the postponed burial or the digitalization of postmortem healthcare. All of these issues should be addressed in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residency and site fidelity are important parameters in population ecology for many species as they indicate the temporal and spatial use for individuals. Although both terms are clearly different, they are used interchangeably due to lack of clarity in their definitions and the ways to assess them, especially in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.). Individuals with well-defined patterns of residency and site fidelity may be more vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances; thus, the study of these parameters may help to better assess such impacts. However, interspecific differences and logistical restrictions for the study of dolphins have prevented consensus. We set out to investigate the factors that have influenced measurements of residency and site fidelity in bottlenose and a set of other dolphin species through a retrospective (~30 y: 1990 to 2019) literature review. We found 117 scientific papers with a two-fold increasing trend approximately every 15 years, with 50% published in only four journals. Most of the studies were developed in the United States, followed by Australia and Europe, likely due to strict policies for marine mammal conservation. Author collaboration network analysis showed highly atomized national groups in which North American organizations formed the biggest cluster, followed by Australia, Africa, and Europe. However, large worldwide gaps still exist, possibly because of the heterogeneity in marine mammal sampling efforts and limited information availability in the North Pacific, Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and the Indian Ocean. We found 30 different classification methods in which 12 were based on defined categories. We provide conceptual aid to distinguish between the use of both terms, as well as guidance to tackle the challenge of defining patterns of temporal use due to the variability of thresholds for classifying individuals. A paradigm shift is needed to create comprehensive, standardized, and generalized assessments of residency and site fidelity, which can be compared based on their performance across different populations of bottlenose dolphins around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior studies have shown that experts possess an excellent ability for action anticipation. However, it is not clear how experts process the discrepancies between predicted outcomes and actual outcomes. Based on Bayesian theory, Experiment 1 in the current study explored this question by categorizing unexpected outcomes into gradually increasing discrepancies and comparing the performance of experts and novices on a congruence discrimination task. Our behavioral analysis revealed that experts outperformed novices significantly in detecting these discrepancies. The following electroencephalogram study in Experiment 2 was conducted focused exclusively on experts to examine the role of theta wave oscillations within the mid-frontal cortex in processing varying levels of discrepancy. The results showed that reaction time and theta oscillations gradually increased as the magnitude of discrepancy increased. These findings indicate that compared to the novices, experts have a better ability to perceptual the discrepancy. Also, the magnitude of discrepancies induced an increase in mid-frontal theta in experts, providing greater flexibility in their response strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: The leukocytes have been reported to contain blood group specific antigens, that are clinically relevant, however visualisation of A and B group antigens on leukocytes is a big issue. In cases of ABO discrepancies weak blood group antigens on nuclear cells have been demonstrated by using expensive techniques. Thus, the development of the method of the detection of weak blood group antigens on leukocytes available for any laboratory technician is hardly essential. The study aimed to reveal and analyse A and B blood group specific adsorbing antigens on leukocytes and erythrocytes and to develop a method for visualisation of weak blood group antigens on leukocytes. Methods: Polyclonal and monoclonal anti-A and anti-B antibodies, received from international laboratories according to the program of Workshop IV, held in Paris, 2000, were used for the study. Mixed agglutination reaction was performed as the method for visualisation of weak blood group antigens on leukocytes as nuclear cells. Results: Polyclonal sera from O blood group persons without weak blood group antigens in contrast to monoclonal antibodies demonstrated the ability to reveal weak blood group specific antigens on leukocytes by the method of mixed agglutination reaction. However, the test erythrocytes from the persons with increased levels of platelets and erythrocyte sedimentation rate did not allow to visualise weak antigen expression on the studied leukocytes in contrast to the persons with normal levels of platelets and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, that successfully formed mixed agglutinates with weak blood group antigens on leukocytes in mixed agglutination reaction. The leukocytes suspended in 0.9 % saline (as a diluent) incubated with the mixture of the serum with 0.9 % saline (1:2) led to the formation of specific agglutinates with test erythrocytes. The experiments with different temperature regimes and time of incubation demonstrated the usefulness of the studied method in specific leukocytes antigen visualisation during prolonged incubation at 4 °C. The persons with weak group A and B antigens, revealed on the leukocytes by the studied method, demonstrated decreased level of erythrocytes, platelets, titre of corresponding warm agglutinating antibodies (less than 1:8) and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Conclusion: The mixed agglutination reaction with prolonged incubation at 4 °C and the use of the selected polyclonal sera and test erythrocytes from the donors with normal values of platelets and erythrocyte sedimentation rate may be used for weak blood group antigens detection on leukocytes. The donors of the sera and test erythrocytes used in mixed agglutination reaction should be investigated on common blood analysis, agglutinating titre of corresponding warm group specific antibodies and presence of weak blood group antigens.

Abstract Background Preprints are increasingly used to disseminate research results, providing multiple sources of information for the same study. We assessed the consistency in effect estimates between preprint and subsequent journal article of COVID-19 randomized controlled trials. Methods The study utilized data from the COVID-NMA living systematic review of pharmacological treatments for COVID-19 (covid-nma.com) up to July 20, 2022. We identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating pharmacological treatments vs. standard of care/placebo for patients with COVID-19 that were originally posted as preprints and subsequently published as journal articles. Trials that did not report the same analysis in both documents were excluded. Data were extracted independently by pairs of researchers with consensus to resolve disagreements. Effect estimates extracted from the first preprint were compared to effect estimates from the journal article. Results The search identified 135 RCTs originally posted as a preprint and subsequently published as a journal article. We excluded 26 RCTs that did not meet the eligibility criteria, of which 13 RCTs reported an interim analysis in the preprint and a final analysis in the journal article. Overall, 109 preprint–article RCTs were included in the analysis. The median (interquartile range) delay between preprint and journal article was 121 (73–187) days, the median sample size was 150 (71–464) participants, 76% of RCTs had been prospectively registered, 60% received industry or mixed funding, 72% were multicentric trials. The overall risk of bias was rated as ‘some concern’ for 80% of RCTs. We found that 81 preprint–article pairs of RCTs were consistent for all outcomes reported. There were nine RCTs with at least one outcome with a discrepancy in the number of participants with outcome events or the number of participants analyzed, which yielded a minor change in the estimate of the effect. Furthermore, six RCTs had at least one outcome missing in the journal article and 14 RCTs had at least one outcome added in the journal article compared to the preprint. There was a change in the direction of effect in one RCT. No changes in statistical significance or conclusions were found. Conclusions Effect estimates were generally consistent between COVID-19 preprints and subsequent journal articles. The main results and interpretation did not change in any trial. Nevertheless, some outcomes were added and deleted in some journal articles.

Food security remains a global public health priority but there may be bias in the prevalence of household food insecurity, depending upon who answers the questions. Using a cross‐section from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, we analysed components of food insecurity reported separately by both partners in 718 households, allowing examination of discrepancies among couples. We modelled discrepancy in reports of food insecurity on 8 items using binary logit models for each question and a binomial regression for the number of questions on which there was discrepancy. Among couples who differed on an item, (conditional) discrepancy rates ranged from 71.75% to 85.86%. Females were more likely than males to report food insecurity on most items. Key characteristics associated with discrepancy were female's and male's age, female's education, being born in Australia, renting and male's employment. Male's age and birthplace were associated with discrepancy on more items while male's higher education and being a homeowner were associated with discrepancy on fewer items. Among couples who differed in responses, females were more likely to report food insecurity if they were older or had a disability, if their male partner was younger or had no disability, or if either person had more education than high school. The prevalence of food insecurity among couple households may be underestimated by 7.4 percentage points due to discrepancies in reporting. Discrepancies can reduce the accuracy of measures of food insecurity, impeding the targeting of responses, and lead to a less efficient allocation of resources to combat food insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although scholars have researched Chinese parents' perspectives on play pedagogy, few investigate the differences between parents of preschoolers and early primary schoolers, non-immigrant and immigrant parents. The present study employs the theoretical framework of parental ethnotheories to describe parental understanding and concerns about the use of play in supporting young children's English learning in China. The nine participants included parents of preschoolers and/or primary schoolers who were non-immigrant and immigrant Chinese parents in Canada. Findings revealed different types of discrepancies concerning parental beliefs and practices. First, there was a gap between parents' beliefs and their practices regarding child-rearing and education. Second, in terms of understanding play, Chinese parents held a slightly different perspective compared to that of western parents in other studies, showing that Chinese parents only valued play's supporting role in the development of non-cognitive aspects, such as improving interest in learning English. Third, parents of preschoolers and early primary schoolers held conflicting attitudes toward the use of play in children's learning. Fourth, immigrant Chinese parents were inclined to follow traditional Chinese notions of child-rearing, revealing discrepant perceptions about child play and rearing compared to western knowing of child-rearing in previous studies. The findings raise implications for educators to balance the pedagogical perspectives of child development and parental ethnotheories of child development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris System (TPS) provides a uniform reporting system of urine cytology based on well-defined cytologic criteria. Due to their rarity, there are limited data on the utility of TPS in upper urinary tract (UUT) lesions and follow-up histology of cases with abnormal cytology. We aimed to evaluate the utility of TPS for UUT lesions by correlating the cytologic diagnoses using TPS criteria with subsequent histology. Additionally, the diagnostic utility of UroVysion (Abbott) fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was assessed. A total of 148 UUT cytology specimens were retrospectively identified (2018-2022). Cytologic interpretation was performed using TPS, and then correlated with the findings of concurrent or subsequent histologic specimens. The performance of UroVysion FISH was analyzed. Sensitivity and specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) for detecting high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC) were determined. Among 83 patients who had concurrent or subsequent histologic specimens, cyto-histologic discrepancy was seen in 7 cases (8.4%). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV using TPS criteria for detecting HGUC were 87%, and 92%, 96.4%, and 73%, respectively. UroVysion FISH was performed in 21 patients with atypical cytologic findings. The sensitivity and specificity of UroVysion for detecting HGUC was 75% and 86%, respectively, while PPV and NPV were 86% and 75%, respectively. In our experience, the application of TPS criteria for reporting upper urinary cytology was reliable at detecting UUT lesions, especially HGUC. UroVysion FISH was a valuable ancillary test for detecting HGUC of UUT. • The Paris System (TPS) for reporting urinary cytology is a standardized, evidence-based reporting system and particularly focuses on the detection of high grade urothelial carcinoma. However, limited studies on the utility of TPS in upper urinary tract (UUT) lesions and follow-up histology of cases with abnormal cytology are available. • In this 5-year retrospective study, we described our experience of upper urinary tract cytology specimens with cytologic interpretation using TPS, and further correlated with histology findings and UroVysion FISH test. • A total of 83 patients had concurrent or subsequent histologic specimens and cyto-histologic discrepancy was seen in 9 cases (10.8%). The sensitivity and specificity using TPS criteria for detecting HGUC were 82% and 92%, respectively. • UroVysion FISH was performed in 21 patients with atypical cytologic findings. The sensitivity and specificity of UroVysion for detecting HGUC of UUT was 75% and 86%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Pooled steganalysis aims to discover the guilty actor(s) among multiple normal actor(s). Existing techniques mainly rely on the high-dimension and time-consuming features. Moreover, the minor feature distance between cover and stego is detrimental to pooled steganalysis. To overcome these issues, this paper focuses on the discrepancy of the statistical characteristics of transmitted multiple images and designs a model-based effective pooled steganalysis strategy. Facing the public and monitored channel, without using the feature extractions, pooled steganalysis collects a set of images transmitted by a suspicious actor and use the corresponding distortion values as the statistic representation of the selected image set. Specifically, the normalized distortion of the suspicious image set generated via normal/guilty actor(s) is modelled as a normal distribution, and we apply maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to estimate the parameter (cluster center) of the distribution by which we can represent the defined model. Considering the tremendous distortion difference between normal and stego image sets, we can deduce that the constructed model can effectively discover and reveal the existence of abnormal behavior of guilty actors. To show the discrepancy of different models, employing the logistic function and likelihood ratio test (LRT), we construct a new detector by which the ratio of cluster centers is turned into a probability. Depending on the generated probability and an optimal threshold, we make a judgment on whether the dubious actor is normal or guilty. Extensive experiments demonstrate that, compared to existing pooled steganalysis techniques, the proposed scheme exhibits great detection performance on the guilty actor(s) with lower complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]