• Title/Summary/Keyword: marginal effects

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Bacterial Diversity at Different Sites of the Digestive Tract of Weaned Piglets Fed Liquid Diets

  • Hong, Tran Thi Thu;Passoth, Volkmar;Lindberg, Jan Erik
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.24 no.6
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    • pp.834-843
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    • 2011
  • Bacterial diversity was studied using PCR-DGGE, cloning and sequencing. DNA was isolated from digesta samples from stomach, ileum and colon of 28 weaned piglets (Large White${\times}$Mong Cai) fed dry control feed, naturally fermented liquid feed (FE) and a liquid diet with inclusion of rice distiller's residue feed. General bacterial diversity was described using DGGE analysis of the V3 region of 16S rDNA. The microbial populations in the stomach and the ileum were considerably influenced by the diet, while only marginal effects were observed in the colon. There was a large variation of the microbial flora in the stomach between individuals fed non-fermented diets. In contrast, animals fed diet FE had a more uniform microbial flora in the stomach and the ileum compared to the other diets. In total 47 bands from the DGGE profiles were cloned. In stomach, most frequently lactic acid bacteria were found. Feeding diet FE resulted in the occurrence of Pediococcus species in stomach and ileum. In pigs fed the other diets, Lactobacillus gallinarum, Lactobacillus johnsonii and Lactobacillus fermentum were found in stomach and ileum. Most of the sequences of bands isolated from colon samples and several from ileum matched to unknown bacteria, which often grouped within Prevotellaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Bacteroidaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae. This study demonstrates that fermented liquid feed affects bacterial diversity and the specific microflora in stomach and ileum, which provides a potential to modulate the gut microflora with dietary means to increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria and improve piglets' health.

Early outcomes of cleft and palatal width following anterior palate repair (vomerine flap) in infants with wide cleft lip and palate

  • Saad, Arman Zaharil Mat;Chai, Koh Siang;Sulaiman, Wan Azman Wan;Johar, Siti Fatimah Noor Mat;Halim, Ahmad Sukari
    • Archives of Plastic Surgery
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    • v.46 no.6
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    • pp.518-524
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    • 2019
  • Background Anterior palatal repair performed during cleft lip repair using a vomerine flap may assist in recruiting additional soft tissue for subsequent completion of palatoplasty, especially in patients with a wide cleft. We present our early results in the hope of triggering a re-evaluation of this technique regarding its advantages for maxillary growth through further studies of patients with a wide cleft. Methods A retrospective analysis of patients with complete unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate was performed, including cleft and palatal measurements taken during initial surgery (lip repair together with anterior palate repair) and upon completion of palatoplasty. Results In total, 14 patients were included in this study, of whom nine (63.3%) had unilateral cleft lip and palate and five (37.5%) had bilateral cleft. All patients had a wide cleft palate. Lip and anterior palate repair was done at a median age of 3 months, while completion of palatoplasty was done at a median age of 10.5 months. Measurements taken upon completion of palatoplasty showed significant cleft width reduction in the mid-palate and intertubercle regions; however, the palatal arch distances at nearby landmarks showed non-significant marginal changes. Conclusions Anterior palate repair using a vomerine flap significantly reduced the remaining cleft width, while the palatal width remained. Further research is warranted to explore the long-term effects of this technique in wide cleft patients in terms of facial growth.

The Kuala Lumpur Qigong Trial for Women in the Cancer Survivorship Phase-Efficacy of a Three-Arm RCT to Improve QOL

  • Loh, Siew Yim;Lee, Shing Yee;Murray, Liam
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.19
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    • pp.8127-8134
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    • 2014
  • Background: Qigong is highly favoured among Asian breast cancer survivors for enhancing health. This study examined the hypothesis that quality of life (QoL) in the Qigong group is better than the placebo (aerobic) or usual care group. Materials and Methods: A total of 197 participants were randomly assigned to either the 8-week Kuala Lumpur Qigong Trial or control groups in 2010-2011. Measurement taken at baseline and post-intervention included QoL, distress and fatigue. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Kruskal Wallis were used to examine for differences between groups in the measurements. Results: There were 95 consenting participants in this 8week trial. The adherence rates were 63% for Qigong and 65% for the placebo group. The Qigong group showed significant marginal improvement in Quality of life scores compared to placebo (mean difference=7.3 unit; p=0.036), compared to usual care (mean difference=6.7 unit; p=0.048) on Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy-Breast measure. There were no significant changes between the placebo and usual care groups in fatigue or distress at post intervention (8-week). Conclusions: Cancer survivors who participated in the Qigong intervention showed slightly better QOL. Follow up studies are greatly needed to evaluate which subgroups may best benefit from Qigong. With a steep rise of cancer survivors, there is an urgent need to explore and engage more cultural means of physical activity to fight side effects of treatment and for cancer control in developing countries.

Association of Comorbidities With Pneumonia and Death Among COVID-19 Patients in Mexico: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Study

  • Hernandez-Vasquez, Akram;Azanedo, Diego;Vargas-Fernandez, Rodrigo;Bendezu-Quispe, Guido
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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    • v.53 no.4
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    • pp.211-219
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    • 2020
  • Objectives: The goal of this study was to identify chronic conditions and multimorbidity patterns in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to examine their associations with pneumonia and death. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed the official data of COVID-19 patients in Mexico through May 18, 2020 (released by the Secretaría de Salud de México). Adjusted logistic regression models were applied to assess the associations of comorbidities with pneumonia and death. The marginal effects were estimated, and the probability of pneumonia or death according to the number of comorbidities was graphed for each year of age. Results: Of the 51 053 COVID-19 patients enrolled in the final analysis, 27 667 (54.2%) had no chronic conditions, while 13 652 (26.7%), 6518 (12.8%) and 3216 (6.3%) were reported to have 1, 2, and 3 or more simultaneous conditions, respectively. Overall, a significant incremental gradient was observed for the association between multimorbidity and pneumonia (p<0.001); for 2 chronic conditions, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 2.07 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.95 to 2.20), and for ≥3 conditions, the aOR was 2.40 (95% CI, 2.22 to 2.60). A significant incremental gradient was also found for the relationship between multimorbidity and death (p<0.001); an aOR of 2.51 (95% CI, 2.30 to 2.73) was found for 2 chronic conditions and an aOR of 3.49 (95% CI, 3.15 to 3.86) for ≥3 conditions. Conclusions: Underlying chronic conditions and multimorbidity are associated with pneumonia and death in Mexican COVID-19 patients. Future investigation is necessary to clarify the pathophysiological processes behind this association, given the high burden of chronic diseases in various countries, including Mexico.

Progress Report on the Relationship Between the Bright and Faint Galaxies in Abell 3659

  • Lee, Hye-Ran;Lee, Joon Hyeop;Kim, Minjin;Oh, Seulhee;Ree, Chang Hee;Jeong, Hyunjin;Kyeong, Jaemann;Kim, Sang Chul;Lee, Jong Chul;Ko, Jongwan;Park, Byeong-Gon;Sheen, Yun-Kyeong
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.38 no.2
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    • pp.55.1-55.1
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    • 2013
  • The properties of bright galaxies are closely related to those neighbors and satellite galaxies. However, the effects of nearby companion are known to be very weak in a galaxy cluster, when the companions are bright galaxies. On the other hand, until now, it has not been clear whether the properties of bright galaxies are affected by their faint satellites in a galaxy cluster. Recently, J. H. Lee et al. (in preparation) have found that the colors of bright galaxies in WHL J085910.0+294957, a galaxy cluster at z = 0.3, show a measurable correlation with the mean colors of faint galaxies around them. To confirm that result and to investigate the host-satellite relationship depending on cluster properties, we carry out follow-up studies of a few galaxy clusters, beginning with Abell 3659 (z ~ 0.0907) imaged in the g' and r' bands using IMACS on the Magellan (Baade) 6.5m telescope. Cluster members are selected based on the distributions of color, size and concentration along magnitude and spatial distribution. In this poster, we present some preliminary results: marginal correlations in color between bright galaxies and their faint companions are found at the central region of Abell 3659. The implication of these results is discussed.

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The Establishment of Security Strategies for Introducing Cloud Computing

  • Yoon, Young Bae;Oh, Junseok;Lee, Bong Gyou
    • KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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    • v.7 no.4
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    • pp.860-877
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    • 2013
  • Cloud computing has become one of the most important technologies for reducing cost and increasing productivity by efficiently using IT resources in various companies. The cloud computing system has mainly been built for private enterprise, but public institutions, such as governments and national institutes, also plans to introduce the system in Korea. Various researches have pointed to security problems as a critical factor to impede the vitalization of cloud computing services, but they only focus on the security threats and their correspondents for addressing the problems. There are no studies that analyze major security issues with regard to introducing the cloud computing system. Accordingly, it is necessary to research the security factors in the cloud computing given to public institutions when adopting cloud computing. This research focuses on the priority of security solutions for the stepwise adoption of cloud computing services in enterprise environments. The cloud computing security area is classified into managerial, physical and technical area in the research, and then derives the detailed factors in each security area. The research derives the influence of security priorities in each area on the importance of security issues according to the identification of workers in private enterprise and public institutions. Ordered probit models are used to analyze the influences and marginal effects of awareness for security importance in each area on the scale of security priority. The results show workers in public institutions regard the technical security as the highest importance, while physical and managerial security are considered as the critical security factors in private enterprise. In addition, the results show workers in public institutions and private enterprise have remarkable differences of awareness for cloud computing security. This research compared the difference in recognition for the security priority in three areas between workers in private enterprise, which use cloud computing services, and workers in public institutions that have never used the services. It contributes to the establishment of strategies, with respect to security, by providing guidelines to enterprise or institutions that want to introduce cloud computing systems.

Simulation Study on Model Selection Based on AIC under Unbalanced Design in Linear Mixed Effect Models (불균형 자료에서 AIC를 이용한 선형혼합모형 선택법의 효율에 대한 모의실험 연구)

  • Lee, Yong-Hee
    • The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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    • v.23 no.6
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    • pp.1169-1178
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    • 2010
  • This article consider a performance model selection based on AIC under unbalanced deign in linear mixed effect models. Vaida and Balanchard (2005) proposed conditional AIC for model selection in linear mixed effect models when the prediction of random effects is of primary interest. Theoretical properties of cAIC and related criteria have been investigated by Liang et al. (2008) and Greven and Kneib (2010). However, all of the simulation studies were performed under a balanced design. Even though functional form of AIC remain same even under the unbalanced deign, it is worthwhile to investigate performance of AIC based model selection criteria under the unbalanced design. The simulation study in this article shows how unbalancedness affects model selection in linear mixed effect models.

A Logit Model for Repeated Binary Response Data (반복측정의 이가반응 자료에 대한 로짓 모형)

  • Choi, Jae-Sung
    • The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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    • v.21 no.2
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    • pp.291-299
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    • 2008
  • This paper discusses model building for repeated binary response data with different time-dependent covariates each occasion. Since repeated measurements data are having correlated structure, weighed least squares(WLS) methodology is applied. Repeated measures designs are usually having different sizes of experimental units like split-plot designs. However repeated measures designs differ from split-plot designs in that the levels of one or more factors cannot be randomly assigned to one or more of the sizes of experimental units in the experiment. In this case, the levels of time cannot be assigned at random to the time intervals. Because of this nonrandom assignment, the errors corresponding to the respective experimental units may have a covariance matrix. So, the estimates of effects included in a suggested logit model are obtained by using covariance structures.

Ten Years of Results of Modified Frontalis Muscle Transfer for the Correction of Blepharoptosis

  • Kim, Woo Jeong;Park, Dae Hwan;Han, Dong Gil
    • Archives of Plastic Surgery
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    • v.43 no.2
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    • pp.172-180
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    • 2016
  • Background Conventional frontalis transfer may cause a range of complications. In order to overcome complications, we made modifications to the surgical technique, and compared the outcomes of patients who underwent conventional frontalis transfer with those of patients who underwent modified frontalis transfer. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of 48 patients (78 eyes) who underwent conventional frontalis transfer between 1991 and 2003 (group A) and 67 patients (107 eyes) who underwent modified frontalis transfer between 2004 and 2014 (group B). The frontalis transfer procedures were modified conform to the following principles. The tip of the frontalis muscle flap included soft tissue that was as thick as possible and the soft tissue on the tarsal plate was removed to the greatest extent possible. A double fold was created in cases of unilateral ptosis. In order to evaluate the objective effects of modification, preoperative and postoperative values of the marginal distance reflex 1 (MRD1), the corneal exposure area, and the decrease in eyebrow height were compared between the two groups. Results In group A, patients showed an improvement of 1.19 mm in the MRD1, a 6.31% improvement in the corneal exposure area, and a 7.82 mm decrease in eyebrow height. In group B, patients showed an improvement of 2.17 mm in the MRD1, an 8.39% improvement in the corneal exposure area, and an 11.54 mm decrease in eyebrow height. The improvements in group B were significantly greater than those in group A. Conclusions Modified frontalis transfer showed better results than the conventional procedure and provided satisfactory outcomes.

The Influence of Disability on Prevalence of Obesity at Each Stage: Considering Severity and Type of Disability (장애가 비만 단계별 유병률에 미치는 영향: 장애중증도, 장애유형을 고려하여)

  • Jeong, Jae Yeon;Koo, Jun Hyuk;Shin, Eui Chul;Lee, Hae Jong
    • Health Policy and Management
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.345-354
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    • 2020
  • Background: This study purposed to examine the difference in the prevalence of obesity at each stage among people with and without disabilities considering the severity and type of disability. Methods: The study targeted a total of 1,315,967 people, including 68,418 disabled and 1,247,549 non-disabled, who completed the national health screenings. Logistic analysis and average marginal effect analysis were conducted in three stages (pre-obesity, obesity, severe obesity). Those analyses were conducted considering the severity and type of disabilities. Results: People with disabilities were more likely to be at all stages of obesity than non-disabled people. In severely disabled people, the probability of obesity was higher than non-disabled people at all stages of obesity, but mildly disabled people had a higher only in the severe obesity stage, no difference in obesity stage, and a low in the pre-obesity stage. In physical and mental disabilities, the probability of obesity was higher than non-disabled people at all stages of obesity, but external physical function and internal organs disabled had a lower in the obesity and pre-obesity stage, and no difference in severe obesity stage. Conclusion: This study found that people with disabilities had a higher relationship with obesity than people without disabilities. In addition, severity and types of disabilities have different effects on the stage of obesity. Therefore, it is necessary to care about the health inequality and health of disabled people considering their severity and types of disabilities.