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Introduction Policies limiting electronic cigarette (ECIG) device and liquid characteristics have been considered to prevent dependence potential and youth product appeal. "Open-system" ECIGs allow people to adjust device and liquid characteristics, which may undermine these policies. This study examined anticipated reactions to a policy prohibiting the sale of open-system ECIG devices in the United States using concept mapping. Methods In 2020, adults who reported ECIG use in the past 30 days (n  = 70; 45.1% women; mean age = 33.0, SD = 10.6) recruited from a research registry of individuals from across the United States provided statements into a shared list that completed a prompt: "If open-system vaping devices were no longer sold in the US and only closed-system vaping devices were available, what is a specific reaction or response you would have?" at a study website. Participants rated statements (1–7) on how true the statements were for them. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses were used to identify thematic clusters. Mean ratings of statements were calculated and compared based on the type of ECIG used and current cigarette smoking status. Results Participants generated 85 unique statements. The analysis identified eight themes that were organized into two broad groups. The first group of five clusters described behavioral responses to the hypothetical policy (Loopholes , Switch to Closed-System ECIGs , Legal Approaches to Use Open-System ECIGs , ECIG Use Cessation , Switch to non-ECIG Products). The second group of three clusters described psychological responses to the hypothetical policy (Closed-System ECIG Cons , Psychological Responses , Policy Outcome Concerns). Conclusions While a ban on open-system ECIG devices may have positive impacts on public health, policy loopholes, and consumer behaviors may undermine the policy. Efforts to support policy enforcement could increase policy effectiveness. Implications Open-system electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) that allow people who use ECIGs to modify ECIG device and liquid characteristics may limit the effectiveness of policies that establish product standards which attempt to limit nicotine delivery and flavor content in ECIG liquids. This study identified predicted reactions to a hypothetical policy prohibiting the sale of open-system ECIGs in the United States. Results suggest that people who use ECIGs may view a policy prohibiting open-system ECIGs unfavorably, but would be willing to use closed-system ECIGs. However, many ECIG users may attempt to find loopholes in the policy or alternative sources to purchase open-system ECIGs if open-systems were banned. Future research should identify strategies for tobacco regulatory policy enforcement to increase effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to glance at the shipping sector in terms of financial ratios. To this end, 23 financial ratios were collected from each of the 223 companies worldwide and examined by factor analysis. Seven factors were spotted explaining 85% of the total variance. Subsequently, multidimensional scaling was conducted to analyse the sector on these seven factors. The findings demonstrate profitability ratios as the biggest source of variability and as the reason for the differences among companies. The findings also show that the profitability ratios can be used for monitoring, early warning or decision making purposes for the shipping sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to determine the similarities and differences between Türkiye and European Union countries in terms of beekeeping and classify similar countries. The main materials of the study consist of the number of beekeepers, the amount of honey produced, and the trade balance values of European Union countries and Türkiye. In this study, multidimensional scaling analysis and cluster analysis were conducted to reveal the similarities and differences between Türkiye and European Union countries regarding beekeeping. The analysis results indicate that Spain and Romania are the most similar countries and Türkiye and Germany significantly differ from other European Union countries regarding beekeeping. Specifically, Türkiye was differentiated from other countries by its high honey production amount. The key characteristics that differentiated Germany from other countries were the number of beekeepers and a high trade deficit. In order to compete effectively with European Union countries in beekeeping, Türkiye should prioritize policies that encourage the export of honey in small, branded packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Itobiad: Journal of the Human & Social Science Researches / İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of Itobiad: Journal of the Human & Social Science Researches 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.)

Sustainable development is a concept created to address the awareness of relationships between important elements such as human and economic development, political structures, population, and welfare levels. The Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable Development Solutions Network prepare and publish the Sustainable Development Goals Report that helps states to achieve their sustainable development goals and evaluate their progress. The relevant research report provides information on which problems countries should prioritize in achieving the sustainable development goals by the year 2030. The main objective of the study is to theoretically examine the Sustainable Development Goals Index consisting of 17 goals and to assess the changes that occurred before and after the Covid-19 pandemic using statistical methods. In the study, Multidimensional Scaling Analysis is utilized to calculate the index for European Union member countries and Turkey. For the analysis, data for the year 2019 is used for the period before the Covid-19 pandemic, and data for the year 2022 is used for the period after the Covid-19 pandemic. In the research, both countries and variables related to the Sustainable Development Goals Index are separately examined based on their similarities. Among the variables, the most prominent goals that stand out are socioeconomic goals such as poverty eradication, quality of life, and gender equality. When analyzing countries, the most prominent and leading countries before and after the pandemic are identified as Austria, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Luxembourg, which hold significant positions in the world economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frame of the research: The research investigates the key issues of electronic human resource management platforms from a business application perspective. Purpose of the paper: The aim of this systematic literature review (SLR) is to shed new light on the key issues found in literature on electronic human resource management (e-HRM) platforms and to point out the main perspectives adopted in their business application. Ultimately, the goal is to provide insights for future research and highlight new managerial implications. Methodology: In a SLR the number of papers on e-HRM platforms in the literature, the nature of the studies conducted, and the many definitions of key concepts have been investigated. Through a Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) analysis, the depth of the key issues is then analyzed, and their perspectives studied. Findings: A definition of these platforms is given along with an explanation of their functionality, attributes and key issues. It is noted which journals write most about the topic, the provenance of the authors and how the topic is growing. What emerges from the MDS is that there are two perspectives to the analysis. Research limits: The research may have limitations as the keywords used on the search platforms include certain papers, whilst excluding others that could be considered important by other researchers. The MDS is highly subjective. Practical implications: It could be interesting to explore the critical and success factors of information technology and innovation. Originality of the paper: Managers can use the MDS analysis and topics correlated to the thematic area to better understand these platforms. This study can help managers solve practical issues confronting companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate disease pattern clusters and co-occurrences of oral signs and symptoms in a Colombian population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out through a telephone survey amongst 1155 people registered in the telephone directory from Pasto, Colombia. The calls were made from July to November 2019. A 14-item self-report questionnaire about signs and symptoms related to oral diseases that included sociodemographic characteristics was employed. Descriptive and multivariable analyses such as hierarchical clustering, multidimensional scaling, and generalized linear models were used to determine co-occurrences in different sex and age strata. Results: Age- and condition-specific clusters of signs and symptoms were identified, while sex differences were limited. Calculus and denture sore mouth were related in 18- to 34-year-olds; tooth loss and calculus in 35- to 54-year-olds, and teeth holes or pits (dental caries) and dental abscess in those aged 55 years and older. We found stronger associations between periodontal disease (bleeding gums) and dental caries (odds ratio [OR], 2.484; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.812–3.405; P < .001) as well as grinding/clenching and facial tension (OR, 7.162; 95% CI, 5.227–9.814; P < .001). Conclusions: Age-specific clustering of signs and symptoms and diagnostic patterns wer present in ths Colombian cohort.

ObjectiveTo investigate the genetic polymorphism of InDel loci in SifalnDel 45plex system in the Han population in Jiangsu Province and the Mongolian population in Inner Mongolia, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the system in forensic medicine.MethodsSifaInDel 45plex system was used for genotyping in blood samples of 398 unrelated individuals from the above two populations, and allele frequencies and population genetic parameters of the two populations were calculated respectively. Eight intercontinental populations in the gnomAD database were used as reference populations. The genetic distances between the two studied populations and eight reference populations were calculated based on the allele frequencies of 27 autosomal-InDels （A-InDels）. The phylogenetic trees and multidimensional scaling （MDS） analysis diagrams were constructed accordingly.ResultsAmong two studied populations, the 27 A-InDels and 16 X-InDels showed no linkage disequilibrium between each other and the allele frequency distributions were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The CDP of the 27 A-InDels in two studied populations were all higher than 0.999 999 999 9, and the CPEtrio were all less than 0.999 9. The CDP of the 16 X-InDels in Han in Jiangsu and Mongolian in Inner Mongolia female and male samples were 0.999 997 962, 0.999 998 389, and 0.999 818 940, 0.999 856 063, respectively. The CMECtrio were all less than 0.999 9. The results of population genetics showed that the Jiangsu Han nationality, Inner Mongolia Mongolian nationality and East Asian population clustered into one branch, showing closer genetic relationship. The other 7 intercontinental populations clustered into another group. And the above 3 populations displayed distant genetic relationships with the other 7 intercontinental populations.ConclusionThe InDels in the SifaInDel 45plex system have good genetic polymorphism in the two studied populations, which can be used for forensic individual identification or as an effective complement for paternity identification, and to distinguish different intercontinental populations.

The New Public Management approach has led to institutional change in the governance structures of states. As a result of this change, the authority to regulate the markets has been delegated to Regulatory and Supervisory Authorities (RSA). The purpose of delegating authority to these institutions is to create an environment of trust by keeping the markets away from both economic and political interests and conflicts. That is, to reduce political transaction costs and to ensure the credibility of the regulatory commitment. There is a close relationship between the reasons for the delegation of authority to RSAs and their independence. Increasing the level of independence ensures the credibility of the regulatory commitment and reduces political transaction costs. However, a decrease in the level of independence undermines credibility and increases political transaction costs. RSAs were also established in Turkey for these purposes. However, Turkey's administrative culture and governance structure have led to a continuous debate on these institutions. This study aims to measure the formal independence of RSAs in Turkey using Multidimensional Scaling Analysis. It also examines the relationship between credible commitment, political transaction costs, and independence. The two decree laws enacted in 2011 and the Presidential Decree Law enacted in 2018 have negatively affected the independence of RSAs. In this context, it can be said that credible commitment has decreased and political transaction costs have increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Milk yield and fertility traits in dairy cattle and their relationship with the influencing factors were investigated using multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) in this study. The study focused on the relationship between lactation length, 305-day milk yield, actual milk yield and peak remaining days from milk yield characteristics, and service period, dry period, insemination per conception and calving interval from fertility traits, as well as the influencing factors such as calving age, lactation number, birth season, and birth year. When the MDS results were examined, it was discovered that all the traits had close Euclidean distances from each other, save for the birth season and birth year. As a result of MDS analysis, R2 and Stress Coefficient were calculated as 88.4% and 0.099, respectively. Consequently, the selection direction was tried to be identified by determining the milk yield and fertility traits and the relationship between these traits and the influencing factors through the MDS analysis and it was concluded that the MDS method could be employed in this field.

We examined the evolution of cross-market linkages between four major precious metals and US stock returns, before (Phase I) and after (Phase II) the COVID-19 outbreak. Phase II was also extended to encompass the Ukrainian conflict, which prolonged the period of uncertainty in financial markets. Due to the increase in volatility observed in Phase II, we used a heteroskedasticity-adjusted correlation coefficient to examine the evolution of correlation changes since the COVID-19 outbreak. We also propose a relevant dissimilarity measure in multidimensional scaling analysis that can be used for depicting associations between financial returns in turbulent times. Our results suggest that (i) the correlation levels of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium returns with US stock returns have not changed substantially since the COVID-19 outbreak, and (ii) all precious metal returns exhibit movements that are less synchronized with US stock returns, with palladium and gold being the least synchronized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the rural living environment has become one of the hot issues in the study of rural revitalization in China. Based on 972 high-quality journal articles, in the database of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), this paper provides a detailed bibliometric review of research on the improvement of the rural living environment in China, from 1992 to 2022. Based on a descriptive statistical analysis of the publication trends, authors, institutions, source journals, and high-frequency keywords of the sample literature, this paper uses cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling analysis to quantitatively analyze the main research fields, hot topics, and improvement directions. The results show, that the study of the improvement of the rural living environment presents a good trend. The main research include six aspects: rural sewage improvement, rural waste management, rural environment collaborative treatment, rural toilet improvement, new rural construction and management, and rural environmental green development. Among them, the research heat and abundance of research results of the first three, is higher than the latter three. To further deepen the research related to the rural living environment improvement in the future, issues such as rural toilet improvement, new rural construction and governance, and green development of rural environment, need more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to improve the understanding of the conceptual structure of pluractionality, a bundle of functions denoting the plurality of events. By conducting a multidimensional scaling analysis on 366 marking strategies from the 183-language sample in Mattiola, Simone (2019. Typology of pluractional constructions in the languages of the world. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins), a spatial model is presented showing the semantic distance of pluractional functions as Euclidean distance. This quantitatively induced conceptual space differs in some way from the space proposed by Mattiola (2019) comprising data from only a small fraction of the sample. The analysis reveals that the conceptual space could be interpreted as defined by two prominent dimensions: a vertical dimension that represents the boundedness of events and a horizontal dimension that represents participant-oriented versus event-oriented plurality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Changzhou University (Social Science Edition) is the property of Editorial Department of Journal of Changzhou University 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.)

Copyright of Journal of Forensic Medicine / Fayixue Zazhi is the property of Journal of Forensic Medicine Editorial Office 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.)

Absolute muscle strength or adjusted by body mass index (BMI) are useful to identify sarcopenia. However, these values are not accurate for older adults with extreme body sizes because the nonlinear relationship between strength and body size. The purpose was to determine cut-off points for identify sarcopenia in older adults using allometric coefficients to normalise handgrip strength (HGS) and 30-sec chair stand test (30-s CST) by body size. Allometric exponents were proposed with log-linear models for body-size variables (body mass, height and BMI). The remotion of body-size effect on muscle strength with allometric normalisation was tested by partial correlation. Cut-off points for low muscle strength were established by ROC curve and Youden index considering functional limitation (six-minute walk test70%). Allometry removed influence of body size on the expression of HGS and 30-s CST and permits evaluate muscle strength regardless of body-size.

New technologies, new forms of production, flexible working styles and deepening international competition shaped by the globalization process have more deeply affected the already fragile female employment. Along with all these changes, gender inequality, especially in the labor market, makes it difficult for women to find and hold a place in the labor market. It is possible to embody the gender inequality in the labor market through the main labour market indicators. In this study, Turkey and OECD countries (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) were compared using the multidimensional scaling method within the framework of basic indicators in the labor market (according to gender discrimination). Thus, Turkey's position on an international scale was determined in terms of gender inequality in the labor market. A total of 37 countries, including Turkey, are members of the OECD. Analysis was carried out based on 2019 data compiled from OECD statistical database. Colombia and Lithuania were not included in the analysis due to lack of data. As part of the analysis, women's labor force participation rates, employment rates, part time working rates, the proportion of women working as managers and unemployment rates were used as the main indicators. Accordingly, it was concluded that Turkey differs from other OECD countries in terms of female employment indicators. But when it comes to the male workforce, Turkey's position changes according to the same variables, it bears similarities with countries such as Spain, Italy, France.

Products have tangible and intangible attributes that influence consumption decisions. In a consumer survey they chose the 13 most important human values and the 13 least important, from a list of 40; they rated the importance of six tangible attributes of the calla lily and expressed the frequency of consumption of the flower. Multidimensional scaling analysis was used to identify structure of human values in consumers. Tangible values and attributes were reduced by factor analysis. Three correlation coefficients were obtained: a) tangible attributes and consumption; b) human and residual values of tangible attributes, and consumption, and c) human values and consumption. Consumers were shown an image of a calla lily and asked to mention three words that came to mind. Proportions k test and Marascuilo procedure were applied to related word categories. Influence of human values occurred mainly via the direct route, evidencing the existence of intangible attributes, in addition to the tangible ones, that influence consumption decisions. The calla lily has a greater number of symbolic psychological meanings (81.3 %), than utilitarian (18.7 %). The symbolic psychological function includes sensory, emotional, and affective aspects. Results may vary within other cultural/regional contexts and with other research tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, reliability and validity of the VIG-express questionnaire., Design: Descriptive, observational, cross-sectional and multicenter study., Setting: Catalonia., Participants: 24 professionals from 18 centers: 10 from Primary Care, 5 from hospitals acute, 2 intermediate care and 3 residential., Main Measurements: For the feasibility analysis, the administration time -mean and standard deviation (SD)-. The questionnaire was administered twice to the same patient by the same professional (intraobserver agreement), or by two different professionals (interobserver agreement), evaluating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Discriminant validity was calculated by comparing the responses of subgroup with higher fragility (percentile >75) and subgroup with lower fragility (percentile <25), for each item of the questionnaire., Results: 195 questionnaires were administered, 59 repeatedly, in a group of elderly (mean age of 79 years) and fragile (mean score of 0.33 in the Fragile Index-VIG). The average administration time was 6.52minutes (DE: 6.02). The concordance in the degree of fragility score obtained a ICC of 0.95 (intraobserver) and 0.72 (interobserver). In discriminant validity, the differences in response frequencies between the two subgroups ranged from 1.7 (oncological disease) to 67.1 (medication management), all of which were statistically significant (p<0.05), with the sole exceptions of the presence of oncological and neurological diseases., Conclusions: The VIG-express questionnaire appears to be a feasible, reliable and valid tool for rapid multidimensional/geriatric assessment., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Publicado por Elsevier España S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance is the property of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance 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.)

Turkey has entered into a radical change process that has the quality of reform in the health field with the health transformation program, which started to be implemented in 2003. The aim of this study is to classify OECD countries according to health system indicators and to identify OECD countries with which Turkey is similar in terms of health system. In this study, multivariate statistical analysis methods, multidimensional scaling and clustering analyzes were used to determine similar and different aspects of OECD countries in terms of health system indicators. Within the scope of the research, the data of 17 health system indicators belonging to 33 OECD member countries were analyzed separately for the years 2002 and 2015. The variables that are effective in the clustering of countries and the differentiation of clusters have been determined. According to the results of multidimensional scaling analysis, Turkey is similar to Mexico, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Slovak Republic in 2002 and Mexico, Estonia, Korea, Latvia, Poland in 2015 in terms of health system indicators. Research findings show that important steps have been taken to improve health indicators in the health reform process in Turkey. However, despite all these developments, Turkey was included in the cluster consisting of the developing country group including Mexico, Latvia and Poland in 2002, which refers to the pre-health reform period, and 2015, which refers to the post-reform period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose the use of wavelet coefficients, which are generated from nondecimated discreet wavelet transforms, to form a correlation-based dissimilarity measure in metric multidimensional scaling. This measure enables the construction of configurations depicting the associations between objects across different timescales. The proposed method is used to examine the similarities between the economic sentiment indicators of the EU member states that are published monthly by the European Commission. The results suggest that economic sentiment differs considerably among the member states in the short term. In contrast, several similarities emerge when considering the associations over longer time horizons. These similarities tend to be related to the countries that are geographically close or that exhibited similar economic behaviour prior to the introduction of the euro. Furthermore, the results of a detailed simulation study suggest that the proposed dissimilarity measure is particularly well suited for identifying long-term associations between nonstationary time series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Omer Halisdemir Universitesi Iktisadi ve Idari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Omer Halisdemir University, Faculty of Economics & Admistrative Sciene 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.)

Copyright of Itobiad: Journal of the Human & Social Science Researches / İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of Itobiad: Journal of the Human & Social Science Researches 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.)

Copyright of Dokuz Eylul University Muhendislik Faculty of Engineering Journal of Science & Engineering / Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Fen ve Mühendislik Dergisi is the property of Dokuz Eylul Universitesi Muhendislik Fakultesi Fen ve Muhendislik Dergisi 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.)

This study explores what makes a competent international project manager in emerging and developing countries by applying content analysis and multidimensional scaling method on the reports of project managers nominated by a Chinese nonprofit organization. The results indicate that international project manager competences can be understood from an efficiency-effectiveness−oriented perspective and an input-output−focused perspective. Four competence sets are identified, including fundamental knowledge and skills, goals-oriented competences, uncertainty and change management competences, and stakeholder management competences. The findings contribute to competence research in the international project context and provide insight for companies and individuals on career and competence development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many different measures of organizational effectiveness have been proposed and one, widely used, based on Quinn's competing value framework, was applied in various national contexts. The competing values framework describes organizational effectiveness as paradoxical and contradictory by nature and in terms of seemingly mutually exclusive value dimensions, such as flexibility versus control and internal focus versus external focus. The competing values framework was broadly employed to examine various organizational phenomena, such as leadership, organizational commitment, organizational culture and decision making, and thus providing universal metric for trans-organizational analyses for different levels. This study presents the research results of 150 managers' perceptions of effectiveness of Bosnia and Herzegovina's organizations according to competing values approach. Multidimensional scaling was employed. It provides qualified support to structure of the competing values framework and shows that seemingly opposite organizational effectiveness models really coexist and can be effectively managed to accomplish and fulfil planned organizational goals.

Dimension reduction has been used to visualise the distribution of multidimensional microbiome data, but the composite variables calculated by the dimension reduction methods have not been widely used to investigate the relationship of the human gut microbiome with lifestyle and disease. In the present study, we applied several dimension reduction methods, including principal component analysis, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), and non-negative matrix factorization, to a microbiome dataset from 186 subjects with symptoms of  allergic rhinitis (AR) and 106 controls. All the dimension reduction methods supported that the distribution of microbial data points appeared to be continuous rather than discrete. Comparison of the composite variables calculated from the different dimension reduction methods showed that the characteristics of the composite variables differed depending on the distance matrices and the dimension reduction methods. The first composite variables calculated from PCoA and NMDS with the UniFrac distance were strongly associated with AR (FDR adjusted P = 2.4 × 10 -4 for PCoA and P = 2.8 × 10 -4 for NMDS), and also with the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and Prevotella. The abundance of Bifidobacterium was also linked to intake of several nutrients, including carbohydrate, saturated fat, and alcohol via composite variables. Notably, the association between the composite variables and AR was much stronger than the association between the relative abundance of individual genera and AR. Our results highlight the usefulness of the dimension reduction methods for investigating the association of microbial composition with lifestyle and disease in clinical research., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Public comments are an important opinion for civic when the government establishes rules. However, recent AI can easily generate large quantities of disinformation, including fake public comments. We attempted to distinguish between human public comments and ChatGPT-generated public comments (including ChatGPT emulated that of humans) using Japanese stylometric analysis. Study 1 conducted multidimensional scaling (MDS) to compare 500 texts of five classes: Human public comments, GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 generated public comments only by presenting the titles of human public comments (i.e., zero-shot learning, GPTzero), GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 emulated by presenting sentences of human public comments and instructing to emulate that (i.e., one-shot learning, GPTone). The MDS results showed that the Japanese stylometric features of the public comments were completely different from those of the GPTzero-generated texts. Moreover, GPTone-generated public comments were closer to those of humans than those generated by GPTzero. In Study 2, the performance levels of the random forest (RF) classifier for distinguishing three classes (human, GPTzero, and GPTone texts). RF classifiers showed the best precision for the human public comments of approximately 90%, and the best precision for the fake public comments generated by GPT (GPTzero and GPTone) was 99.5% by focusing on integrated next writing style features: phrase patterns, parts-of-speech (POS) bigram and trigram, and function words. Therefore, the current study concluded that we could discriminate between GPT-generated fake public comments and those written by humans at the present time., Competing Interests: We have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zaitsu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) diagnostic criteria underestimate the complex presentation of semantic (sv) and logopenic (lv) variants, in which symptoms partially overlap, and mixed clinical presentation (mixed-PPA) and heterogenous profile (lvPPA +) are frequent. Conceptualization of similarities and differences of these clinical conditions is still scarce., Methods: Lexical, semantic, phonological, and working memory errors from nine language tasks of sixty-seven PPA were analyzed using Profile Analysis based on Multidimensional Scaling, which allowed us to create a distributed representation of patients' linguistic performance in a shared space. Patients had been studied with [ 18 F] FDG-PET. Correlations were performed between metabolic and behavioral data., Results: Patients' profiles were distributed across a continuum. All PPA, but two, presented a lexical retrieval impairment, in terms of reduced production of verbs and nouns. svPPA patients occupied a fairly clumped space along the continuum, showing a preponderant semantic deficit, which correlated to fusiform gyrus hypometabolism, while only few presented working memory deficits. Adjacently, lvPPA + presented a semantic impairment combined with phonological deficits, which correlated with metabolism in the anterior fusiform gyrus and posterior middle temporal gyrus. Starting from the shared phonological deficit side, a large portion of the space was occupied by all lvPPA, showing a combination of phonological, lexical, and working memory deficits, with the latter correlating with posterior temporo-parietal hypometabolism. Mixed PPA did not show unique profile, distributing across the space., Discussion: Different clinical PPA entities exist but overlaps are frequent. Identifying shared and unique clinical markers is critical for research and clinical practice. Further research is needed to identify the role of genetic and pathological factors in such distribution, including also higher sample size of less represented groups., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Copyright of Actualidad Economica (0327585X) is the property of Instituto de Economia y Finanzas de la Facultad de Ciencias Economicas 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.)

The purpose of this study is to reveal the similarities and differences between regions in Turkey in terms of live sheep and mutton prices. In this context, the 12 statistical regions in Turkey were compared with multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) method based on live sheep (sheep and rams), mutton (yearling and sheep) and lamb prices. The price data used in the study covered the prices received by the sheep farmers and these data were obtained from Turkish Statistical Institute. In the first dimension of the multidimensional scaling analysis, the mosten important separating regions were determined as Istanbul and Central Anatolia. Istanbul, Central Anatolia, West Marmara, Middle East Anatolia, Northeast Anatolia and Eastern Black Sea regions differed from the general trend. These regions are generally the places where the expected parallel relationship between the number of sheep and carcass meat prices is not realized. In terms of live sheep and carcass meat prices, Aegean, East Marmara, Western Anatolia, Mediterranean, Western Black Sea, and Southeastern Anatolia were determined as similar regions. However, there are regions such as Istanbul, Central Anatolia and West Marmara, which differ from the general trend. High carcass meat prices in the regions where the number of sheep are high is one of the notable points. The second important point that draws attention is that the regions are not ranked similar in terms of live sheep and carcass mutton prices. As a result, Turkey has problems in accessing reliable data for the mutton production and supply. A well-functioning database is needed for decision-makers to guide sector-related policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Cukurova University Institute of Social Sciences is the property of Cukurova University Institute of Social Sciences 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.)

This paper compares operational efficiency of major cargo airports in the Asia Pacific region. The multi-dimensional scaling cluster analysis by R-square method was used as the benchmarking tool to provide airport management with a means to examine various aspects of their operational efficiency against those of other airports. Ten operational efficiency factors for the clustering and efficiency estimation of airports in the Asia Pacific region were used in a regression model to overcome the complexity of multi-dimensional scaling approach. The resulting classification is used to identify the efficiency benchmarks of leading air cargo airports which have implications for Incheon airport in Korea.

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In this paper we address the problem of visualizing in a bounded region a set of individuals, which has attached a dissimilarity measure and a statistical value, as convex objects. This problem, which extends the standard Multidimensional Scaling Analysis, is written as a global optimization problem whose objective is the difference of two convex functions (DC). Suitable DC decompositions allow us to use the Difference of Convex Algorithm (DCA) in a very efficient way. Our algorithmic approach is used to visualize two real-world datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to reveal research hotspots in the field of regional health information networks (RHINs) and use visualization techniques to explore their evolution over time and differences between countries.Methods: We conducted a literature review for a 50-year period and compared the prevalence of certain index terms during the periods 1963-1993 and 1994-2014 and in six countries. We applied keyword frequency analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis, multidimensional scaling analysis, and network visualization technology.Results: The total number of keywords was found to increase with time. From 1994 to 2014, the research priorities shifted from hospital planning to community health planning. The number of keywords reflecting information-based research increased. The density of the knowledge network increased significantly, and partial keywords condensed into knowledge groups. All six countries focus on keywords including Information Systems; Telemedicine; Information Service; Medical Records Systems, Computerized; Internet; etc.; however, the level of development and some research priorities are different.Conclusions: RHIN research has generally increased in popularity over the past 50 years. The research hotspots are evolving and are at different levels of development in different countries. Knowledge network mapping and perceptual maps provide useful information for scholars, managers, and policy-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies explore when and how young people make sexual choices but few empirical investigations link their sexual motivations with their inner conceptions about their sexual identities. We used multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis to connect young adult participants’ (N = 128) self-descriptions of twelve identities to their sexual motivations and ideals. Identities clustered along two semantically distinct dimensions: Dimension 1 was anchored by family identities on one side and non-family identities on the other; Dimension 2 was anchored on one side by friend/romantic relationships and achievement-based social identities on the other. Those who cited intimacy (e.g., sex as an expression of love) and enhancement (e.g., gratification; to feel good) sexual motivations were more likely to describe their sexual identities and gender identities as distinct from other identities, especially for women. Idealizing physically passionate relationships was positively linked to a higher distinction between sexual and non-sexual identities, and between gender and personal identities and family identities. The mental structuring of identities may inform sexual relationship motives, ideals, and expectations.