Journal Articles
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Item Agreement in Histological Assessment of Mitotic Activity Between Microscopy and Digital Whole Slide Images Informs Conversion for Clinical Diagnosis(SAGE Publications on behalf of the Association for Academic Pathology, 2022-03-28) Wei B-R; Halsey CH; Hoover SB; Puri M; Yang HH; Gallas BD; Lee MP; Chen W; Durham AC; Dwyer JE; Sánchez MD; Traslavina RP; Frank C; Bradley C; McGill LD; Esplin DG; Schaffer PA; Cramer SD; Lyle LT; Beck J; Buza E; Gong Q; Hewitt SM; Simpson RMValidating digital pathology as substitute for conventional microscopy in diagnosis remains a priority to assure effectiveness. Intermodality concordance studies typically focus on achieving the same diagnosis by digital display of whole slide images and conventional microscopy. Assessment of discrete histological features in whole slide images, such as mitotic figures, has not been thoroughly evaluated in diagnostic practice. To further gauge the interchangeability of conventional microscopy with digital display for primary diagnosis, 12 pathologists examined 113 canine naturally occurring mucosal melanomas exhibiting a wide range of mitotic activity. Design reflected diverse diagnostic settings and investigated independent location, interpretation, and enumeration of mitotic figures. Intermodality agreement was assessed employing conventional microscopy (CM40×), and whole slide image specimens scanned at 20× (WSI20×) and at 40× (WSI40×) objective magnifications. An aggregate 1647 mitotic figure count observations were available from conventional microscopy and whole slide images for comparison. The intraobserver concordance rate of paired observations was 0.785 to 0.801; interobserver rate was 0.784 to 0.794. Correlation coefficients between the 2 digital modes, and as compared to conventional microscopy, were similar and suggest noninferiority among modalities, including whole slide image acquired at lower 20× resolution. As mitotic figure counts serve for prognostic grading of several tumor types, including melanoma, 6 of 8 pathologists retrospectively predicted survival prognosis using whole slide images, compared to 9 of 10 by conventional microscopy, a first evaluation of whole slide image for mitotic figure prognostic grading. This study demonstrated agreement of replicate reads obtained across conventional microscopy and whole slide images. Hence, quantifying mitotic figures served as surrogate histological feature with which to further credential the interchangeability of whole slide images for primary diagnosis.Item Agreement in Histological Assessment of Mitotic Activity Between Microscopy and Digital Whole Slide Images Informs Conversion for Clinical Diagnosis(SAGE Publications on behalf of the Association for Academic Pathology, 2022-03-28) Wei B-R; Halsey CH; Hoover SB; Puri M; Yang HH; Gallas BD; Lee MP; Chen W; Durham AC; Dwyer JE; Sánchez MD; Traslavina RP; Frank C; Bradley C; McGill LD; Esplin DG; Schaffer PA; Cramer SD; Lyle LT; Beck J; Buza E; Gong Q; Hewitt SM; Simpson RMValidating digital pathology as substitute for conventional microscopy in diagnosis remains a priority to assure effectiveness. Intermodality concordance studies typically focus on achieving the same diagnosis by digital display of whole slide images and conventional microscopy. Assessment of discrete histological features in whole slide images, such as mitotic figures, has not been thoroughly evaluated in diagnostic practice. To further gauge the interchangeability of conventional microscopy with digital display for primary diagnosis, 12 pathologists examined 113 canine naturally occurring mucosal melanomas exhibiting a wide range of mitotic activity. Design reflected diverse diagnostic settings and investigated independent location, interpretation, and enumeration of mitotic figures. Intermodality agreement was assessed employing conventional microscopy (CM40×), and whole slide image specimens scanned at 20× (WSI20×) and at 40× (WSI40×) objective magnifications. An aggregate 1647 mitotic figure count observations were available from conventional microscopy and whole slide images for comparison. The intraobserver concordance rate of paired observations was 0.785 to 0.801; interobserver rate was 0.784 to 0.794. Correlation coefficients between the 2 digital modes, and as compared to conventional microscopy, were similar and suggest noninferiority among modalities, including whole slide image acquired at lower 20× resolution. As mitotic figure counts serve for prognostic grading of several tumor types, including melanoma, 6 of 8 pathologists retrospectively predicted survival prognosis using whole slide images, compared to 9 of 10 by conventional microscopy, a first evaluation of whole slide image for mitotic figure prognostic grading. This study demonstrated agreement of replicate reads obtained across conventional microscopy and whole slide images. Hence, quantifying mitotic figures served as surrogate histological feature with which to further credential the interchangeability of whole slide images for primary diagnosis.Item Performance of Socially Responsible Investment Funds in China: A Comparison with Traditional Funds(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-02-01) Saci F; Jasimuddin SM; Hasan M; Pérez AThis paper empirically examines and compares social responsibility investment funds to traditional funds, and explores the performance of the existing social responsibility investment funds in China. Based on 64 social responsibility investment funds (SRI Funds) and 64 traditional funds, this paper extracts the data of the sample fund from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of 2019 as sample data to conduct a comparative analysis of the difference between the SRI fund and the traditional fund in terms of return and risk, and to then empirically study the performance of the funds. The results show that the difference between the return of China’s socially responsible investment funds and the traditional funds is insignificant, and the risk of socially responsible investment funds is significantly lower than that of traditional funds. The regression analysis is also carried out on a model of social responsibility as a factor affecting the performance of the funds. Subsequently, the results show that social responsibility has a significant positive impact on the fund’s return in the Chinese market.Item Big Data-Driven Banking Operations: Opportunities, Challenges, and Data Security Perspectives(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2023-09-01) Hasan M; Hoque A; Le T; Roubaud DAt present, with the rise of information technology revolution, such as mobile internet, cloud computing, big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, the banking industry is ushering in new opportunities and encountering severe challenges. This inspired us to develop the following research concepts to study how data innovation impacts banking. We used qualitative research methods (systematic and bibliometric reviews) to examine research articles obtained from the Web of Science and SCOPUS databases to achieve our research goals. The findings show that data innovation creates opportunities for a well-developed banking supply chain, effective risk management and financial fraud detection, banking customer analytics, and bank decision-making. Also, data-driven banking faces some challenges, such as the availability of more data increasing the complexity of service management and creating fierce competition, the lack of professional data analysts, and data costs. This study also finds that banking security is one of the most important issues; thus, banks need to respond to external and internal cyberattacks and manage vulnerabilities.Item Seasonal Effects and Heritability of Litter Size at Birth and Weaning in Commercial Rabbits in Central Mexico (2015–2021)(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2025-11-01) Parra-Bracamonte GM; Becerril-Martínez L; Sánchez-Dávila F; Esparza-Jiménez S; Albarrán-Portillo B; García-Martínez A; López-Villalobos N; Vázquez-Armijo JF; Mancini SReproductive performance in rabbits is highly sensitive to seasonal environmental variation and management practices, while the proportion of variance attributable to additive genetics for litter-level traits is typically low. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of year and season on litter size at birth (BR), litter size at weaning (WR), and weaning rate (WT), and to estimate the heritability of these traits in a commercial rabbit farm. A total of 770 kindling events recorded between 2015 and 2021 were analyzed. The mixed model for BR included the fixed effects of year and season, and the random effects of sire and residual error. The model for WR included the same structure, with BR added as a covariate. Least-squares means for fixed effects were used for pairwise comparisons using Tukey’s test. Year and season effects were significant for BR (p < 0.005), and the year effect was also significant for WR (p < 0.021). Litter size at birth ranged from 7.80 (dry season) to 9.21 (year 2020), with higher means observed during the semi-dry (8.52) and humid (8.56) seasons compared to the dry season (7.80). Litter size at weaning varied between 4.65 and 5.81 kits depending on the year. Weaning rate showed interannual variation (56.1–68.2%), but seasonal differences did not reach statistical significance (p < 0.075). Heritability estimates from the sire variance component were low: 0.01 for BR, 0.04 for WR, and 0.05 for WT. These results indicate that phenotypic variation in prolificacy in this population was predominantly driven by interannual and seasonal environmental factors, as well as perinatal management practices, while the additive genetic contribution was marginal.Item Mathematical models of the colonic microbiota: an evaluation of accuracy using in vitro fecal fermentation data(Frontiers Media S A, 2025-09-25) Geniselli da Silva V; Smith NW; Mullaney JA; Roy NC; Wall C; McNabb WC; Huang HTraditional approaches for studying diet-colonic microbiota interactions are time-consuming, resource-intensive, and often hindered by technical and ethical concerns. Metagenome-scale community metabolic models show promise as complementary tools to overcome these limitations. However, their experimental validation is challenging, and their accuracy in predicting colonic microbial function under realistic dietary conditions remains unclear. This study assessed the accuracy of the Microbial Community model (MICOM) in predicting major short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production by the colonic microbiota of weaning infants, using fecal samples as a proxy. Model predictions were compared with experimental SCFA production using in vitro fecal fermentation data at the genus level. The model exhibited overall poor accuracy, with only a weak, significant correlation between measured and predicted acetate production (r = 0.17, p = 0.03). However, agreement between predicted and measured SCFA production improved for samples primarily composed of plant-based foods: acetate exhibited a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.31, p = 0.005), and butyrate a trend toward a weak positive correlation (r = 0.21, p = 0.06). These findings suggest that the model is better suited for predicting the influence of complex carbohydrates on the colonic microbiota than for other dietary compounds. Our study demonstrates that, given current limitations, modeling approaches for diet-colonic microbiota interactions should complement rather than replace traditional experimental methods. Further refinement of computational models for microbial communities is essential to advance research on dietary compound-colonic microbiota interactions in weaning infants.Item Sensitivity analysis of global food and nutrition modelling(Springer Nature B V on behalf of the International Society for Plant Pathology, 2025-10-18) Shippey D; Vignes M; McNabb WC; Smith NWComputational models are often used to explore the future of the global food system, including the implications for human nutrition, an essential aspect of sustainability. However, the confidence that can be placed in the outputs of these models is often poorly quantified. Here, a sensitivity analysis of the DELTA Model® - a linear mass balance model calculating global nutrient supply using global and regional food balance sheet, processing, waste, inedible portion, composition, and bioavailability datasets - is conducted. First, a one-at-a-time analysis, varying 4019 underpinning datapoints from the above datasets individually by ± 50% was conducted to identify those with the greatest impact on calculated global nutrient supply. The most influential values from this initial analysis were then carried forward into a multiple value sensitivity analysis, where all possible combinations of ± 50% variations were simulated. Values related to cereals supply, waste, and nutritional value were the most influential on model output, with selenium, cystine, and carbohydrate supply the most sensitive nutrients. When compared to global nutrient requirements, variations in the calculated supply of some nutrients led to qualitative changes from a sufficient global supply to an insufficient supply. These results, while indicative rather than precise estimates of uncertainty, emphasise the critical importance of accurate cereals data in food system models, provide insight on the degree of sensitivity of similar linear models, and should encourage broader application of sensitivity analysis in the field.Item Harvesting optimization and Omega-3 recovery improvement from Schizochytrium DT3 using surfactant-aided dispersed air flotation: Response surface methodology(Elsevier B.V., 2024-06) Alhattab M; Puri MMicroalgae's potential to produce high value bioactives is contingent on the cost-effective harvesting of algal biomass. The use of CTAB (cetyl trimethylammonium bromide) assisted dispersed air flotation as a harvesting technique for Schizochytrium biomass, was optimized as a cost-effective means for recovery (R) and concentration factor (CF) using Response Surface Methodology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to employ surfactant assisted dispersed air flotation (SDAF) in the recovery of a heterotrophic thraustochytrid strain. A Box-Behnken design of experiment investigating the operating parameters of CTAB amount, air flow rate and volume on Schizochytrium was employed. Initially, both responses were analyzed individually and then used to simultaneously maximize both variables. The optimized conditions of CTAB (500 mg/L), air flow of 2 L/min and volume of 600 mL resulted in a R of 91 % and CF of 19 times. Although a secondary step is necessary for further concentration, this technique utilizes 70 times less energy as compared to conventional centrifugation techniques which are used to recover Schizochytrium sp. This is significant as this technique can be easily adapted to existing bioreactors, as they are already equipped with gas spargers. In addition, the presence of surfactant carried through demonstrated an improvement in the recovery of long chain poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) by 6 %, particularly in DHA and DPA which was not observed in washed biomass.Item Nutritive value of fodder beet for broilers chickens(Elsevier B V, 2026-01-15) Ganraj K; David LS; Morel PCHAn experiment was conducted to determine the apparent metabolisable energy (AME), nitrogen-corrected AME (AMEn) and the standardised ileal digestible content of amino acids in fodder beet (FB). Three maize-soybean-based diets were formulated, a basal diet (FB0), the basal diet supplemented with 12.5 % of FB (FB12.5), and the basal diet supplemented with 25 % of FB (FB25). Each diet was randomly allocated to six replicate cages with six birds per cage and fed from days 14–21. Titanium dioxide (4 g/kg) was included in all diets as an indigestible marker for the measurement of marker-based AME and ileal nutrient digestibility. The total collection (TC) method was also used for the measurement of AME. A regression method was used to determine the nutritive value of FB. The AME and AMEn of FB were determined to be 9.63 MJ/kg and 9.36 MJ/kg, respectively, using the TC method, and 7.97 MJ/kg, 7.79 MJ/kg, respectively, using the marker method. The apparent ileal crude protein (CP) and gross energy (GE) content of FB were 56.4 g/kg and 11.2 MJ/kg, respectively. Standardised ileal digestible amino acid content was higher for glutamic acid (21.1 g/kg) while it was lower for sulfur containing amino acids (-0.1 to −0.4 g/kg). In conclusion, nutritive value of FB was determined for 14–21 day old broilers using regression method. Further studies are needed to validate the current findings, and to determine the optimal inclusion level of FB in poultry diets.Item Modeling the role of institutional trust to improve vaccine confidence: The New Zealand case(Taylor and Francis Group, 2025-07-03) Diers-Lawson A; Ashwell D; Murray NThis study explores how institutional trust influences vaccine confidence during public health crises, using New Zealand’s COVID-19 response as a high-trust case study. Applying the Stakeholder Relationship Management (SRM) framework, the research investigates how demographic, value-based, health, institutional, and informational factors shape vaccine attitudes across varying levels of institutional trust. Results demonstrate that institutional trust is a critical predictor of both vaccine confidence and skepticism, with trust in science and reliance on official sources driving confidence, and social media reliance correlating with skepticism. Segmenting participants by trust levels revealed distinct patterns, highlighting the importance of tailoring communication strategies to trust-based subgroups. The findings reposition vaccine hesitancy as a crisis and risk communication challenge—rooted not solely in individual traits but in institutional relationships and the complex information environment. The study advocates for integrating strategic communication principles into public health risk communication, emphasizing long-term trust-building, credibility, and message alignment across platforms. This research offers a model for cross-contextual testing and underscores the need for governments and health authorities to engage low-trust communities more effectively, particularly through strategic use of social media during health emergencies.
