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The complex nature of microbiome data has made the differential abundance analysis challenging. Microbiome abundance counts are often skewed to the right and heteroscedastic (also known as overdispersion), potentially leading to incorrect inferences if not properly addressed. In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective framework to tackle the challenges by integrating Poisson (log-linear) regression with standard error estimation through the Bootstrap method and Sandwich robust estimation. Such standard error estimates are accurate and yield satisfactory inference even if the distributional assumption or the variance structure is incorrect. Our approach is validated through extensive simulation studies, demonstrating its effectiveness in addressing overdispersion and improving inference accuracy. Additionally, we apply our approach to two real datasets collected from the human gut and vagina, respectively, demonstrating the wide applicability of our methods. The results highlight the efficacy of our covariance estimators in addressing the challenges of microbiome data analysis. The corresponding software implementation is publicly available at https://github.com/yimshi/robustestimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a rare but aggressive malignancy that requires surgical treatment. However, postoperative recurrence rates are high, and reliable predictors of recurrence are limited. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in predicting early recurrence after curative surgery and complete adjuvant therapy in patients with BTC. Methods: Twenty-four patients who underwent R0 and R1 resections and completed adjuvant therapy for BTC between September 2019 and March 2022 were followed up until March 2024. Patients were categorized into early recurrence (ER) and non-ER groups, using one year as the cutoff for recurrence. Results: The combination score derived from ultrashort fragments of cfDNA, vimentin-positive CTCs, and carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 levels showed a statistically significant difference between the ER and non-ER groups (p-value < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve from the combination score and CA 19-9 levels yielded areas under the curve of 0.891 and 0.750, respectively. Conclusions: Although further research is required, these findings suggest that cfDNA and CTCs may increase the accuracy of predicting postoperative recurrence in patients with BTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: An increasing number of students delay graduation or graduate without a job, because they are not ready to make a career decision. In addition, the growing number of young adults who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) has become a social concern in South Korea. To facilitate career decision-making of undergraduates, this study examined the effects of work value orientation and academic major orientation on career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE). The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among South Korean undergraduates' intrinsic work value orientation, extrinsic work value orientation, academic major satisfaction and CDMSE. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the literature review, this study tested a research model using structural equation modeling with survey results of 217 undergraduates. Findings: The research results indicated that intrinsic work value orientation influenced academic major satisfaction and CDMSE. However, extrinsic work value orientation turned out to influence neither academic major satisfaction nor CDMSE. Academic major satisfaction also seemed to affect the CDMSE of the students in this study. Originality/value: This study contributes to the field of career development by explaining the significance of undergraduates' intrinsic work value orientation and academic major satisfaction on career decision-making. Whereas most research has focused on the effects of CDMSE, this study investigated the factors that influence undergraduates' CDMSE.

Temperature control is critical to prevent overfermentation during the storage, distribution, and export of kimchi. Studies to optimize the freezing conditions for kimchi are lacking. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the optimum freezing and storage temperature for kimchi during long‐term storage. Kimchi was frozen at −18°C, −40°C, and −80°C for 4 months, followed by thawing at 2°C until the core temperature reached 0°C. Thawing loss was maximum for samples frozen at −18°C, with increased cell membrane disruption, thus considerably decreasing the hardness. Compared to kimchi stored at −18°C, those frozen at −40°C and −80°C resisted the changes in pH, titratable acidity, reducing sugar content, antioxidant activity, and total phenol content. However, the total aerobic count and total lactic acid bacteria values of samples frozen at −18°C sharply decreased among treatments. Therefore, freezing at freezer temperature, particularly −80°C is ideal to maintain the kimchi quality for long‐term storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]