Displaying publications 61 - 80 of 93 in total

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  1. Construct validity of the Herth Hope Index: A systematic review
    Nayeri ND, Goudarzian AH, Herth K, Naghavi N, Nia HS, Yaghoobzadeh A, et al.
    Int J Health Sci (Qassim), 2020 9 22;14(5):50-57.
    PMID: 32952505
    Objective: The psychological construct of hope is an important determinant for mental health and well-being. The availability of valid and reliable instruments to measure hope is, therefore, critical. Despite a large number of psychometric studies on the Herth Hope Index (HHI), its construct validity has not yet been determined. Therefore, this paper aimed to conduct a systematic review of the psychometric properties of the HHI.

    Methods: Databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Magiran, SID, IranDoc, and IranMedex were evaluated systematically using the terms "HHI," "psychometric," "validity," "reliability," and related terms (with the use of OR and AND operators) and no restrictions on the year of publication. A total of 13 eligible studies were found published between 1992 and 2018 in the USA, Portugal, Switzerland, Iran, Germany, Petersburg, Japan, the Netherlands, Lima, Peru, and Norway. The methodology used in the available studies included principal component analysis (n = 6), maximum likelihood estimation (n = 5), and principal axis factoring (n = 1). One study did not point the methodology.

    Results: Four studies reported the total extracted variances to be less than 50%, six studies reported variance between 50% and 60%, and three papers reported variance that exceeded 60%. Of the papers that examined the factor structure of the HHI, two studies reported a one-factor solution, seven reported two factors, and four reported a three-factor solution. Although the HHI is the most widely translated and psychometrically tested tool in languages other than English, psychometric variations in factor solutions remain inconsistent.

    Conclusion: Findings highlight the need for future research that appraises the validity of the HHI in different countries, and how the measure relates to other scales that evaluate hope.

    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  2. Fulltext Demographic and Habitual Factors of Periodontal Disease among South Indian Adults
    Selvaraj S, Naing NN, Wan-Arfah N, de Abreu MHNG
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 07 26;18(15).
    PMID: 34360201 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18157910
    The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a set of sociodemographic and habits measures on estimating periodontal disease among south Indian adults. This cross-sectional study was carried out among 288 individuals above 18 years old in Tamil Nadu, India. The outcome of the study was periodontal disease, measured by WHO criteria. The covariates were age, ethnicity, smoking and alcohol habit. The assessment of factors predicting periodontal disease was carried out by multiple logistic regression analysis using R version 3.6.1. The demographic factors like age group (AOR = 3.56; 95% CI 1.69-7.85), ethnicity (AOR = 6.07; 95% CI 2.27-18.37), non-alcoholic (AOR = 0.31; 95% CI 0.13-0.64) and non-smoking (AOR = 0.33; 95% CI 0.15-0.67) were found to be associated with the outcome. The maximum log likelihood estimate value was -30.5 and AIC was 385 for the final model, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the periodontal disease was 0.737. We can conclude that sociodemographic factors and habits were useful for predicting periodontal diseases.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  3. Fulltext Translation and Validation of the Malay Version of the Parents' Satisfaction Scale (PSS-M) for Assessment of Caregivers' Satisfaction with Health Care Services for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
    Nik Adib NA, Ibrahim MI, Ab Rahman A, Bakar RS, Yahaya NA, Hussin S, et al.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2018 11 04;15(11).
    PMID: 30400357 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15112455
    BACKGROUND: A Malay version of Parent Satisfaction Scale (PSS-M) is needed to investigate the factors contributing to the Malay caregivers' satisfaction with health care management for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of the study is to translate and validate the questionnaire to assess the caregivers' satisfaction on health care services.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 110 caregivers of children with ASD aged between 2 and 17 years old that received treatment at two tertiary care centres in Kelantan. Permission to use the original version of the PSS questionnaire was obtained. The original English version of the PSS was translated into a Malay version following the 10 steps proposed by an established guideline. Pre-testing of the PSS was carried out with 30 caregivers before confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was established using 110 caregivers. They were asked to assess their understanding of the questionnaire. The one-dimensional questionnaire consists of 11 items, including staff attitudes, availability of staff, supportiveness, and helpfulness. The 5-point Likert scale provided ratings from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Confirmatory factor analysis was performed using a robust maximum likelihood estimator.

    RESULTS: The analysis showed model fit data with good reliability.

    CONCLUSION: The PSS-M shows overall model fitness based on specific indices, with good construct validity and excellent absolute reliability to determine the satisfaction level of caregivers of children with ASD with respect to health care services.

    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  4. Estimating the population density of the Asian tapir (Tapirus indicus) in a selectively logged forest in Peninsular Malaysia
    Rayan DM, Mohamad SW, Dorward L, Aziz SA, Clements GR, Christopher WCT, et al.
    Integr Zool, 2012 Dec;7(4):373-380.
    PMID: 23253368 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2012.00321.x
    The endangered Asian tapir (Tapirus indicus) is threatened by large-scale habitat loss, forest fragmentation and increased hunting pressure. Conservation planning for this species, however, is hampered by a severe paucity of information on its ecology and population status. We present the first Asian tapir population density estimate from a camera trapping study targeting tigers in a selectively logged forest within Peninsular Malaysia using a spatially explicit capture-recapture maximum likelihood based framework. With a trap effort of 2496 nights, 17 individuals were identified corresponding to a density (standard error) estimate of 9.49 (2.55) adult tapirs/100 km(2) . Although our results include several caveats, we believe that our density estimate still serves as an important baseline to facilitate the monitoring of tapir population trends in Peninsular Malaysia. Our study also highlights the potential of extracting vital ecological and population information for other cryptic individually identifiable animals from tiger-centric studies, especially with the use of a spatially explicit capture-recapture maximum likelihood based framework.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  5. Speciation and phylogeography of the Southeast Asian Anopheles sundaicus complex
    Dusfour I, Michaux JR, Harbach RE, Manguin S
    Infect Genet Evol, 2007 Jul;7(4):484-93.
    PMID: 17350896
    Anopheles sundaicus s.l. is a malaria vector in coastal areas of Southeast Asia. Previous studies showed at least four distinct species within the complex. The present study investigated the phylogeography and the status of A. sundaicus s.l. populations from Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia with regard to A. sundaicus s.s. from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo and A. epiroticus in Vietnam and Thailand. Three lineages recovered by analyses of Cyt-b and COI (mtDNA) confirmed the presence of A. sundaicus s.s. in Malaysian Borneo, the distribution of A. epiroticus from southern Vietnam to peninsular Malaysia, and recognised a distinct form in Indonesia that is named A. sundaicus E. The phylogenetic and demographic analyses suggest that the three species were separated during the Early Pleistocene (1.8-0.78 Myr) and experienced bottlenecks followed by a genetic expansion in more recent times. Based on the results and knowledge of the biogeography of the area, we hypothesise that the combination of cyclical island and refugium creation was the cause of lineage isolation and bottleneck events during the Pleistocene.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  6. Fulltext Large scale multifactorial likelihood quantitative analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants: An ENIGMA resource to support clinical variant classification
    Parsons MT, Tudini E, Li H, Hahnen E, Wappenschmidt B, Feliubadaló L, et al.
    Hum Mutat, 2019 Sep;40(9):1557-1578.
    PMID: 31131967 DOI: 10.1002/humu.23818
    The multifactorial likelihood analysis method has demonstrated utility for quantitative assessment of variant pathogenicity for multiple cancer syndrome genes. Independent data types currently incorporated in the model for assessing BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants include clinically calibrated prior probability of pathogenicity based on variant location and bioinformatic prediction of variant effect, co-segregation, family cancer history profile, co-occurrence with a pathogenic variant in the same gene, breast tumor pathology, and case-control information. Research and clinical data for multifactorial likelihood analysis were collated for 1,395 BRCA1/2 predominantly intronic and missense variants, enabling classification based on posterior probability of pathogenicity for 734 variants: 447 variants were classified as (likely) benign, and 94 as (likely) pathogenic; and 248 classifications were new or considerably altered relative to ClinVar submissions. Classifications were compared with information not yet included in the likelihood model, and evidence strengths aligned to those recommended for ACMG/AMP classification codes. Altered mRNA splicing or function relative to known nonpathogenic variant controls were moderately to strongly predictive of variant pathogenicity. Variant absence in population datasets provided supporting evidence for variant pathogenicity. These findings have direct relevance for BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant evaluation, and justify the need for gene-specific calibration of evidence types used for variant classification.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  7. Fulltext A likelihood ratio approach for utilizing case-control data in the clinical classification of rare sequence variants: application to BRCA1 and BRCA2
    Zanti M, O'Mahony DG, Parsons MT, Li H, Dennis J, Aittomäkkiki K, et al.
    Hum Mutat, 2023;2023.
    PMID: 38725546 DOI: 10.1155/2023/9961341
    A large number of variants identified through clinical genetic testing in disease susceptibility genes, are of uncertain significance (VUS). Following the recommendations of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the frequency in case-control datasets (PS4 criterion), can inform their interpretation. We present a novel case-control likelihood ratio-based method that incorporates gene-specific age-related penetrance. We demonstrate the utility of this method in the analysis of simulated and real datasets. In the analyses of simulated data, the likelihood ratio method was more powerful compared to other methods. Likelihood ratios were calculated for a case-control dataset of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC), and compared with logistic regression results. A larger number of variants reached evidence in favor of pathogenicity, and a substantial number of variants had evidence against pathogenicity - findings that would not have been reached using other case-control analysis methods. Our novel method provides greater power to classify rare variants compared to classical case-control methods. As an initiative from the ENIGMA Analytical Working Group, we provide user-friendly scripts and pre-formatted excel calculators for implementation of the method for rare variants in BRCA1, BRCA2 and other high-risk genes with known penetrance.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  8. Maximum likelihood parentage assignment using quantitative genotypes
    Hamilton MG
    Heredity (Edinb), 2021 06;126(6):884-895.
    PMID: 33692533 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-021-00421-0
    The cost of parentage assignment precludes its application in many selective breeding programmes and molecular ecology studies, and/or limits the circumstances or number of individuals to which it is applied. Pooling samples from more than one individual, and using appropriate genetic markers and algorithms to determine parental contributions to pools, is one means of reducing the cost of parentage assignment. This paper describes and validates a novel maximum likelihood (ML) parentage-assignment method, that can be used to accurately assign parentage to pooled samples of multiple individuals-previously published ML methods are applicable to samples of single individuals only-using low-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 'quantitative' (also referred to as 'continuous') genotype data. It is demonstrated with simulated data that, when applied to pools, this 'quantitative maximum likelihood' method assigns parentage with greater accuracy than established maximum likelihood parentage-assignment approaches, which rely on accurate discrete genotype calls; exclusion methods; and estimating parental contributions to pools by solving the weighted least squares problem. Quantitative maximum likelihood can be applied to pools generated using either a 'pooling-for-individual-parentage-assignment' approach, whereby each individual in a pool is tagged or traceable and from a known and mutually exclusive set of possible parents; or a 'pooling-by-phenotype' approach, whereby individuals of the same, or similar, phenotype/s are pooled. Although computationally intensive when applied to large pools, quantitative maximum likelihood has the potential to substantially reduce the cost of parentage assignment, even if applied to pools comprised of few individuals.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  9. Fulltext Norm-dist Monte-Carlo integrative method for the improvement of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process
    Wicaksono FD, Arshad YB, Sihombing H
    Heliyon, 2020 Apr;6(4):e03607.
    PMID: 32346625 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03607
    This paper presents the novel approach of the Norm-dist Monte-Carlo fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (NMCFAHP) to incorporate probabilistic and epistemic uncertainty due to human's judgment vagueness in multi-criteria decision analysis. Normal distribution is applied as the most appropriate distribution model to approximate the probability distribution function of the criteria and alternatives within Monte-Carlo simulation. To test the applicability of the proposed NMCFAHP, the case study of non-destructive test (NDT) technology selection is performed in the Petroleum Company in Borneo, Indonesia. When compared with the conventional triangular fuzzy-AHP, the proposed NMCFAHP method reduces the standard error of mean values by 90.4-99.8% at the final evaluation scores. This means that the proposed NMCFAHP significantly involves fewer errors when dealing with fuzzy uncertainty and stochastic randomness. The proposed NMCFAHP delivers reliable performance to overcome probabilistic uncertainty and epistemic vagueness in the group decision making process.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  10. Taxonomic assignment of the benthic toxigenic dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus sp. type 6 as Gambierdiscus balechii (Dinophyceae), including its distribution and ciguatoxicity
    Dai X, Mak YL, Lu CK, Mei HH, Wu JJ, Lee WH, et al.
    Harmful Algae, 2017 07;67:107-118.
    PMID: 28755713 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2017.07.002
    Recent molecular phylogenetic studies of Gambierdiscus species flagged several new species and genotypes, thus leading to revitalizing its systematics. The inter-relationships of clades revealed by the primary sequence information of nuclear ribosomal genes (rDNA), however, can sometimes be equivocal, and therefore, in this study, the taxonomic status of a ribotype, Gambierdiscus sp. type 6, was evaluated using specimens collected from the original locality, Marakei Island, Republic of Kiribati; and specimens found in Rawa Island, Peninsular Malaysia, were further used for comparison. Morphologically, the ribotype cells resembled G. scabrosus, G. belizeanus, G. balechii, G. cheloniae and G. lapillus in thecal ornamentation, where the thecal surfaces are reticulate-foveated, but differed from G. scabrosus by its hatchet-shaped Plate 2', and G. belizeanus by the asymmetrical Plate 3'. To identify the phylogenetic relationship of this ribotype, a large dataset of the large subunit (LSU) and small subunit (SSU) rDNAs were compiled, and performed comprehensive analyses, using Bayesian-inference, maximum-parsimony, and maximum-likelihood, for the latter two incorporating the sequence-structure information of the SSU rDNA. Both the LSU and SSU rDNA phylogenetic trees displayed an identical topology and supported the hypothesis that the relationship between Gambierdiscus sp. type 6 and G. balechii was monophyletic. As a result, the taxonomic status of Gambierdiscus sp. type 6 was revised, and assigned as Gambierdiscus balechii. Toxicity analysis using neuroblastoma N2A assay confirmed that the Central Pacific strains were toxic, ranging from 1.1 to 19.9 fg P-CTX-1 eq cell-1, but no toxicity was detected in a Western Pacific strain. This suggested that the species might be one of the species contributing to the high incidence rate of ciguatera fish poisoning in Marakei Island.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  11. An evaluation of the genus Amphidinium (Dinophyceae) combining evidence from morphology, phylogenetics, and toxin production, with the introduction of six novel species
    Karafas S, Teng ST, Leaw CP, Alves-de-Souza C
    Harmful Algae, 2017 09;68:128-151.
    PMID: 28962975 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2017.08.001
    The genus Amphidinium is an important group of athecated dinoflagellates because of its high abundance in marine habitats, its member's ability to live in a variety of environmental conditions and ability to produce toxins. Furthermore, the genus is of particular interest in the biotechnology field for its potential in the pharmaceutical arena. Taxonomically the there is a history of complication and confusion over the proper identities and placements of Amphidinium species due to high genetic variability coupled with high morphological conservation. Thirteen years has passed since the most recent review of the group, and while many issues were resolved, some remain. The present study used microscopy, phylogenetics of the 28S region of rDNA, secondary structure of the ITS2 region of rDNA, compensatory base change data, and cytotoxicity data from Amphidinium strains collected world-wide to elucidate remaining confusion. This holistic approach using multiple lines of evidence resulted in a more comprehensive understanding of the morphological, ecological, and genetic characteristics that are attributed to organisms belonging to Amphidinium, including six novel species: A. fijiensis, A. magnum, A. paucianulatum, A. pseudomassartii, A. theodori, and A. tomasii.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  12. Increasing the discrimination power of ancestry- and identity-informative SNP loci within the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit
    King JL, Churchill JD, Novroski NMM, Zeng X, Warshauer DH, Seah LH, et al.
    Forensic Sci Int Genet, 2018 09;36:60-76.
    PMID: 29935396 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2018.06.005
    The use of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in forensic genetics has been limited to challenged samples with low template and/or degraded DNA. The recent introduction of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technologies has expanded the potential applications of these markers and increased the discrimination power of well-established loci by considering variation in the flanking regions of target loci. The ForenSeq Signature Preparation Kit contains 165 SNP amplicons for ancestry- (aiSNPs), identity- (iiSNPs), and phenotype-inference (piSNPs). In this study, 714 individuals from four major populations (African American, AFA; East Asian, ASN; US Caucasian, CAU; and Southwest US Hispanic, HIS) previously reported by Churchill et al. [Forensic Sci Int Genet. 30 (2017) 81-92; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2017.06.004] were assessed using STRait Razor v2s to determine the level of diversity in the flanking regions of these amplicons. The results show that nearly 70% of loci showed some level of flanking region variation with 22 iiSNPs and 8 aiSNPs categorized as microhaplotypes in this study. The heterozygosities of these microhaplotypes approached, and in one instance surpassed, those of some core STR loci. Also, the impact of the flanking region on other forensic parameters (e.g., power of exclusion and power of discrimination) was examined. Sixteen of the 94 iiSNPs had an effective allele number greater than 2.00 across the four populations. To assess what effect the flanking region information had on the ancestry inference, genotype probabilities and likelihood ratios were determined. Additionally, concordance with the ForenSeq UAS and Nextera Rapid Capture was evaluated, and patterns of heterozygote imbalance were identified. Pairwise comparison of the iiSNP diplotypes determined the probability of detecting a mixture (i.e., observing ≥ 3 haplotypes) using these loci alone was 0.9952. The improvement in random match probabilities for the full regions over the target iiSNPs was found to be significant. When combining the iiSNPs with the autosomal STRs, the combined match probabilities ranged from 6.40 × 10-73 (ASN) to 1.02 × 10-79 (AFA).
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  13. Sex differences from fingerprint ridge density in Chinese and Malaysian population
    Nayak VC, Rastogi P, Kanchan T, Yoganarasimha K, Kumar GP, Menezes RG
    Forensic Sci Int, 2010 Apr 15;197(1-3):67-9.
    PMID: 20071110 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.12.055
    The fingerprints are very typical for a human being. The present study was undertaken to study the gender differences in fingerprint ridge density in Chinese and Malaysian population. The study done on 200 subjects (100 males and 100 females) of Chinese origin and 100 subjects (50 males and 50 females) of Malaysian origin revealed that significant gender differences occur in the finger ridge density. Fingerprint mean ridge density of 12 ridges/25 mm(2) or less is found to be more likely to be of males and a mean ridge count of more the 13 ridges/25 mm(2) is more likely of female origin in Chinese subjects. Fingerprint mean ridge density of 11 ridges/25 mm(2) or less is found to be more likely to be of males and a mean ridge count of more the 13 ridges/25 mm(2) is more likely of female origin in Malaysian subjects.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  14. Validation of Cameriere's third molar maturity index alone and in combination with apical maturity of permanent mandibular second molar for indicating legal age of 14 years in a sample of South Indian children
    Balla SB, Banda TR, Galic I, N NM, Naishadham PP
    Forensic Sci Int, 2019 Apr;297:243-248.
    PMID: 30844636 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.02.009
    The aims of the present study were to validate the discriminatory potential of Cameriere's third molar maturity index (I3M) cut-off value of I3M 
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  15. Codiversification in an ant-plant mutualism: stem texture and the evolution of host use in Crematogaster (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) inhabitants of Macaranga (Euphorbiaceae)
    Quek SP, Davies SJ, Itino T, Pierce NE
    Evolution, 2004 Mar;58(3):554-70.
    PMID: 15119439
    We investigate the evolution of host association in a cryptic complex of mutualistic Crematogaster (Decacrema) ants that inhabits and defends Macaranga trees in Southeast Asia. Previous phylogenetic studies based on limited samplings of Decacrema present conflicting reconstructions of the evolutionary history of the association, inferring both cospeciation and the predominance of host shifts. We use cytochrome oxidase I (COI) to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships in a comprehensive sampling of the Decacrema inhabitants of Macaranga. Using a published Macaranga phylogeny, we test whether the ants and plants have cospeciated. The COI phylogeny reveals 10 well-supported lineages and an absence of cospeciation. Host shifts, however, have been constrained by stem traits that are themselves correlated with Macaranga phylogeny. Earlier lineages of Decacrema exclusively inhabit waxy stems, a basal state in the Pachystemon clade within Macaranga, whereas younger species of Pachystemon, characterized by nonwaxy stems, are inhabited only by younger lineages of Decacrema. Despite the absence of cospeciation, the correlated succession of stem texture in both phylogenies suggests that Decacrema and Pachystemon have diversified in association, or codiversified. Subsequent to the colonization of the Pachystemon clade, Decacrema expanded onto a second clade within Macaranga, inducing the development of myrmecophytism in the Pruinosae group. Confinement to the aseasonal wet climate zone of western Malesia suggests myrmecophytic Macaranga are no older than the wet forest community in Southeast Asia, estimated to be about 20 million years old (early Miocene). Our calculation of COI divergence rates from several published arthropod studies that relied on tenable calibrations indicates a generally conserved rate of approximately 1.5% per million years. Applying this rate to a rate-smoothed Bayesian chronogram of the ants, the Decacrema from Macaranga are inferred to be at least 12 million years old (mid-Miocene). However, using the extremes of rate variation in COI produces an age as recent as 6 million years. Our inferred timeline based on 1.5% per million years concurs with independent biogeographical events in the region reconstructed from palynological data, thus suggesting that the evolutionary histories of Decacrema and their Pachystemon hosts have been contemporaneous since the mid-Miocene. The evolution of myrmecophytism enabled Macaranga to radiate into enemy-free space, while the ants' diversification has been shaped by stem traits, host specialization, and geographic factors. We discuss the possibility that the ancient and exclusive association between Decacrema and Macaranga was facilitated by an impoverished diversity of myrmecophytes and phytoecious (obligately plant inhabiting) ants in the region.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  16. Fulltext Comparison between two fast threshold strategies: SPARK and SITA in normal subjects
    Foo SK, Cubbidge RP, Heitmar R
    Eur J Ophthalmol, 2021 Jul;31(4):1870-1876.
    PMID: 32468855 DOI: 10.1177/1120672120926455
    BACKGROUND: Numerous fast threshold strategies have been developed in perimetry which use maximum likelihood approaches to estimate the threshold. A recent approach to threshold estimation has been developed estimating the threshold from a limited number of test points which further reduces examination time. This strategy, SPARK, has not been compared to the SITA strategy. The aim of this study was to compare SPARK with SITA in a normal cohort to evaluate within and between strategy agreement in threshold estimates.

    METHODS: A total of 83 normal subjects each underwent two visual field examinations with SITA and SPARK on two separate occasions on a randomly selected eye. The eye examined and the order of strategy examined first was randomised but remained constant over the two perimetry visits.

    RESULTS: Visual field examination with SPARK Precision was on average 33% faster than SITA Standard. A positive correlation between group mean sensitivities of SITA Standard and SPARK Precision (rho = 0.713, p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  17. Determinants of pollution and the role of the military sector: evidence from a maximum likelihood approach with two structural breaks in the USA
    Solarin SA, Al-Mulali U, Ozturk I
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Nov;25(31):30949-30961.
    PMID: 30182312 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3060-5
    We investigate the role of military expenditure on emission in USA during the period 1960-2015. To achieve the objectives of this study, two measures of military expenditure are utilised, while several timeseries models are constructed with the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, population, energy consumption per capita, non-renewable energy consumption per capita, renewable energy consumption per capita, urbanisation, trade openness and financial development serving as additional determinants of air pollution. We also use ecological indicator as an alternative measure of pollution. Moreover, different timeseries methods are utilised including a likelihood-based approach with two structural breaks. The output of this research concluded that all the variables are cointegrated. It is found that military expenditure has mixed impact on CO2 emissions. Real GDP per capita, energy consumption per capita, non-renewable energy consumption per capita, population and urbanisation increase CO2 emissions per capita in the long-run, while renewable energy consumption, financial development and trade openness reduce it. There is also evidence for the mixed role of military expenditure, when ecological footprint is utilised as the environmental degradation index. From the output of this research, few policy recommendations are offered for the examined country.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  18. Monsoonal differences and probability distribution of PM(10) concentration
    Md Yusof NF, Ramli NA, Yahaya AS, Sansuddin N, Ghazali NA, Al Madhoun W
    Environ Monit Assess, 2010 Apr;163(1-4):655-67.
    PMID: 19365611 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-009-0866-0
    There are many factors that influence PM(10) concentration in the atmosphere. This paper will look at the PM(10) concentration in relation with the wet season (north east monsoon) and dry season (south west monsoon) in Seberang Perai, Malaysia from the year 2000 to 2004. It is expected that PM(10) will reach the peak during south west monsoon as the weather during this season becomes dry and this study has proved that the highest PM(10) concentrations in 2000 to 2004 were recorded in this monsoon. Two probability distributions using Weibull and lognormal were used to model the PM(10) concentration. The best model used for prediction was selected based on performance indicators. Lognormal distribution represents the data better than Weibull distribution model for 2000, 2001, and 2002. However, for 2003 and 2004, Weibull distribution represents better than the lognormal distribution. The proposed distributions were successfully used for estimation of exceedences and predicting the return periods of the sequence year.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  19. Fulltext The whole genome sequence data analyses of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain SBH321 isolated in Sabah, Malaysia, belongs to Ural family of Lineage 4
    Jani J, Mustapha ZA, Ling CK, Hui ASM, Teo R, Ahmed K
    Data Brief, 2020 Dec;33:106388.
    PMID: 33102655 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106388
    In 2019, 10 million new cases of tuberculosis have been reported worldwide. Our data reports genetic analyses of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain SBH321 isolated from a 31-year-old female with pulmonary tuberculosis. The genomic DNA of the strain was extracted from pure culture and subjected to sequencing using Illumina platform. M. tuberculosis strain SBH321 consists of 4,374,895 bp with G+C content of 65.59%. The comparative analysis by SNP-based phylogenetic analysis using maximum-likelihood method showed that our strain belonging to sublineage of the Ural family of Europe-America-Africa lineage (Lineage 4) and clustered with M. tuberculosis strain OFXR-4 from Taiwan. The whole genome sequence is deposited at DDBJ/ENA/GenBank under the accession WCJH00000000 (SRR10230353).
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
  20. Fulltext Whole genome sequencing data and analysis of a rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain SBH162 from Sabah, Malaysia
    Jani J, Mustapha ZA, Jamal NB, Stanis CS, Ling CK, Avoi R, et al.
    Data Brief, 2019 Oct;26:104445.
    PMID: 31534995 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2019.104445
    A Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain SBH162 was isolated from a 49-year-old male with pulmonary tuberculosis. GeneXpert MDR/RIF identified the strain as rifampicin-resistant M. tuberculosis. The whole genome sequencing was performed using Illumina HiSeq 4000 system to further investigate and verify the mutation sites of the strain through genetic analyses namely variant calling using bioinformatics tools. The de novo assembly of genome generated 100 contigs with N50 of 156,381bp. The whole genome size was 4,343,911 bp with G + C content of 65.58% and consisted of 4,306 predicted genes. The mutation site, S450L, for rifampicin resistance was detected in the rpoB gene. Based on the phylogenetic analysis using the Maximum Likelihood method, the strain was identified as belonging to the Europe America Africa lineage (Lineage 4). The genome dataset has been deposited at DDBJ/ENA/GenBank under the accession number SMOE00000000.
    Matched MeSH terms: Likelihood Functions
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