Average Alpha Research Articles

Assessment of natural radioactivity in soil and olive mill pomace utilizing nal (TI) gamma-ray spectrometry and low background alpha/beta counting system

The study conducted in the northwest region of Jordan aimed to assess the levels of natural radioactivity in soil and olive mill pomace (OMP) samples. The researchers used Nal (TI) gamma-ray spectrometry to measure the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs in the samples. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs in the soil samples were found to be 18.624 ± 5.82, 12.276 ± 5.728, 518.33 ± 212.57, and 0.140 ± 0.09 (Bq,kg−1), respectively. In the OMP samples, the average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were 7.272 ± 4.386, 3.454 ± 1.503, and 169.997 ± 81.873 (Bqkg−1), respectively, and no 137Cs was detected.The study also investigated fundamental parameters associated with radon, specifically the radon emanation coefficient (RnEC) and radon mass exhalation rate (Ex). The RnEC values ranged from 0.621 to 0.78 (Bqkg−1), with an average value of 0.71 ± 0.06 (Bqkg−1). The estimated Ex from the soil samples ranged from 65.83 to 124.86 (mBqkg−1h−1), with an average value of 99.74 ± 21.73 (mBqkg−1h−1).Regarding radiological hazards, the study examined various parameters, including radium equivalent activity, external and internal hazard indices, gamma and alpha indices, absorbed gamma dose rate, and excess lifetime cancer risk. All of these assessed values were found to be below the worldwide recommended limits for radiological safety.Additionally, the study analyzed the concentrations of gross alpha and gross beta radioactivities in soil and OMP samples. The soil samples had an average gross alpha activity of 4.642 ± 1.04 (Bqkg−1) and an average gross beta activity of 48.13 ± 14.50 (Bqkg−1). The OMP samples showed an average gross alpha activity of 0.32 ± 0.27 (Bqkg−1) and an average gross beta activity of 59.19 ± 12.94 (Bqkg−1).Overall, the obtained results are crucial for evaluating the radiological risks associated with natural radioactivity in the northwest region of Jordan. The findings establish baseline data for comparison and reference for radioactivity levels in the environment.

Human Resource Management and Employee Engagement in Nepalese Commercial Banks

Employee Engagement is mainstream attention for any type of organizations in the current business scenario. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between employee engagement and HRM components among employees of various commercial banks in Nepal. The workplace, values, motivation, and attitude are among the independent variables in the study. Employee engagement is the study's dependent variable. Descriptive research design is the one employed in this study. The study's population consisted of 46,508 employees, and 396 employees were randomly chosen from 11 commercial banks using a simple random sampling technique. A standardized Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect the data, with 1 denoting a strong disagreement and 5 denoting a strong agreement. The data were analyzed using regression analysis, correlation, and descriptive statistics. Cronbach's Alpha has been used to measure reliability. With an average Chronbach's Alpha rating of 0.79, reliability has been considered acceptable. The study has concluded that employees' attitude, motivation and value have a favorable and significant relationship with employee engagement, Workplace has a positive but insignificant impact on employee engagement. The main emphasis of this study is the need for proactive, comprehensive strategies to human resource management techniques in order to guarantee coherence with company goals and prioritize employee engagement.

Diaporthe melongenae sp. nov, a new fungal species causing leaf blight in eggplant

AbstractEggplant is a vegetable crop of the Solanaceae family. In November 2021, leaf blights of eggplant were observed from an eggplant field with an approximate disease incidence of 10%–30% in Cavite, Philippines. The infected leaves had typical symptoms of Phomopsis blight disease. Two fungal isolates were obtained, and morphological characteristics resemble those of a Diaporthe species. Based on the combined multi‐gene phylogenetic analysis, Diaporthe melongenae sp. nov. formed a separate clade from closely related species: D. guangdongensis, D. melonis and D. moriniae with high bootstrap support values of 99/1.0 ML/PP. Moreover, the morphological characteristics of D. melongenae have differences from the closely related species. D. melongenae differs by having a slightly smaller average alpha conidial size than D. guangdongensis and absence of beta conidia. Diaporthe melonis is distinct from D. melongenae by having slightly constricted middle alpha conidia. Together, based on morphology, multi‐locus phylogeny, GCPSRA and ecology (lifestyle, host and pathogenicity) herein we introduce D. melongenae as a novel species. Furthermore, this study presented the current phylogenetic tree of D. sojae species complex based on accepted Diaporthe species.

Association of Chondrolabral Lesions with Ultrasound-Guided Detection of Pathological Head-Neck Contour.

This study aimed to investigate whether the asphericity of the neck-head junction of the femur confirmed via ultrasound is associated with further pathology due to femoro-acetabular impingement (FAI). After a clinical examination with positive FAI tests, an ultrasound examination of the hip was performed. In the case of asphericity, a quantitative ultrasound-assisted assessment of the hip was performed, followed by contrast-enhanced arthro-MRI with the question of cartilage or labral damage. We included 51 patients with a mean age of 35.25. According to the examination algorithm, asphericity was present in all patients via ultrasonography. The average anterior alpha angle (AAA) determined in ultrasonography was 43.49°. The average AAA on the arthro-MRI was 44.19°. The mean anterior head neck offset (AHNO) in ultrasound was 5.27 mm, and in arthro-MRI, it was 5.36 mm. Arthro-MRI confirmed a bump in 47 patients and a talization disorder in 4 patients. In 49 patients, a labral lesion was found, with one being a re-rupture. Furthermore, in one patient, labral degeneration was identified. Cartilage damage to the hip joint was found in 25 patients. Two patients had neither labral nor cartilage damage in the arthro-MRI. In our study, sonographically confirmed asphericity of the head-neck junction was found in 49 cases, which was associated with further pathology and, according to the current doctrine, was attributable to the FAI and required surgical intervention. This study shows that the detection of a pathologic head and neck contour via ultrasound in combination with positive clinical signs, as present in FAI, is associated with chondrolabral lesions detected via arthro-MRI in 96.1% of cases.

Resting-state EEG alpha rhythm spectral power in children with specific language impairment: a cross-sectional study.

This study investigated EEG alpha rhythm spectral power in children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and compared it to typically developing children to better understand the electrophysiological characteristics of this disorder. Specifically, we explored resting-state EEG, because there are studies that point to it being linked to speech and language development. EEG recordings of 30 children diagnosed with specific language impairment and 30 typically developing children, aged 4.0-6.11 years, were carried out under eyes closed and eyes open conditions. Differences in alpha rhythm spectral power in relation to brain topography and experimental conditions were calculated. In the eyes closed condition, alpha rhythm spectral power was statistically significantly lower in children with specific language impairment in the left temporal (T5) and occipital electrodes (O1, O2) than in typically developing children. In the eyes open condition, children with SLI showed significantly lower alpha rhythm spectral power in the left temporal (T3, T5), parietal (P3, Pz), and occipital electrodes (O1, O2). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in relation to the relative change (the difference between average alpha rhythm spectral power during eyes closed condition and average alpha rhythm spectral power during eyes open condition divided by average alpha rhythm spectral power during eyes closed condition) in the alpha rhythm spectral power between the conditions. Lower alpha rhythm spectral power in the left temporal, left, midline parietal, and occipital brain regions could be a valuable electrophysiological marker in children with SLI. Further investigation is needed to examine the connection between EEG alpha spectral power and general processing and memory deficits in patients with SLI.

Children's Shyness, Frontal Brain Activity, and Anxiety in the Perioperative Context.

Although preoperative anxiety affects up to 75% of children undergoing surgery each year and is associated with many adverse outcomes, we know relatively little about individual differences in how children respond to impending surgery. We examined whether patterns of anterior brain electrical activity (i.e., a neural correlate of anxious arousal) moderated the relation between children's shyness and preoperative anxiety on the day of surgery in 70 children (36 girls, Mage = 10.4 years, SDage = 1.7, years, range 8 to 13 years) undergoing elective surgery. Shyness was assessed using self-report approximately 1 week prior to surgery during a preoperative visit (Time 1), preoperative anxiety was assessed using self-report, and regional EEG (left and right frontal and temporal sites) was assessed using a dry sensory EEG headband on the day of surgery (Time 2). We found that overall frontal EEG alpha power moderated the relation between shyness and self-reported preoperative anxiety. Shyness was related to higher levels of self-reported anxiety on the day of surgery for children with lower average overall frontal alpha EEG power (i.e., higher cortical activity) but not for children with higher average overall frontal alpha EEG power (i.e., lower cortical activity). These results suggest that the pattern of frontal brain activity might amplify some shy children's affective responses to impending surgery. Findings also extend prior results linking children's shyness, frontal brain activity, and anxiety observed in the laboratory to a real-world, ecologically salient environment.

Restoring the mind: A neuropsychological investigation of university campus built environment aspects for student well-being

This study explored the role of the built environment of an academic campus in influencing students' perception of mental restoration and well-being, who are constantly at risk of stress and psychological distress. A survey of 429 college students was conducted to identify activity hotspots on campus, and a neuropsychological study involving mobile EEG and Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS) was conducted on 22 students at these hotspots to investigate the role of built environment aspects on restorative approach/neglect behavior and perception of built environment. The study relies on four prominent theoretical constructs in the area, namely Attention Restoration Theory (ART), Stress Reduction Theory (SRT), Arousal Theory, and Prospect & Refuge Theory, to develop combinatory mechanism-based hypotheses for identifying aspects of a mentally resilient campus built-environment. The study's statistical analyses reveal that certain environmental aspects, such as vegetation, novelty/uncertainty, acoustic ambience, and expansive vistas, are positively associated with favourable approach behaviours and normalized average alpha brain waves, while other elements, such as presence of high density of buildings may be related to avoidance behaviours. Greenery and Sky had the most positive relationship with the Normalized Alpha (β = 0.487 and β = 0.352, respectively) while the presence of buildings revealed a negative relationship (β = −0.291), indicating that a stronger building density was linked to a weaker level of normalized alpha waves. The study also shows that natural components such as grass, sky, and filtered and diffused light boost people's perceptions of an environment's restorative characteristics. The findings of the study have the potential to impact campus design and planning strategies that prioritize student well-being and create more hospitable environments for students to thrive, resulting in improved mental health and academic accomplishment.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF SIP (SYSTEMATIC INVESTMENT PLAN) IN MUTUAL FUNDS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

The Performance Evaluation of Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) in Mutual Funds is a crucial way of investment avenue analysis, it aids potential investors in making informed decisions. The present study aims to present a comprehensive comparative analysis of SIPs in selected set of top 30 mutual funds in India through SIPs. The research methodology employed in present study is purposive sampling method of mutual fund schemes based on their SIP returns. The evaluation was implemented using the BSE Sensex for benchmark and 91-day Treasury bills for the risk-free rate. Various tools and techniques such as average return, alpha, beta, Sharpe ratio, Treynor ratio, Sortino ratio, standard deviation, downside capture, and upside capture were employed to analyse the risk and performance of mutual funds through SIPs. The study found fluctuations in the performance of selected mutual fund categories. This comparative analysis of mutual fund performance through SIP contributes to assisting investors in making well-informed investment decisions by means evaluating the performance and risk associated with selected mutual fund schemes.

A Structural Relationship Model of Communicative Competence

Aim: To investigate the most appropriate model of students' competence to communicate using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) as the basis for the instrument's design in analyzing the relationship of readiness to direct learning, strategy in language learning, learning environment, and communicative competence.
 Study Design: Quantitative Causal Analysis.
 Place and Duration of Study: Region XI, Philippines, during the second semester of 2022.
 Methodology: The stratified Random sampling technique was utilized using Raosoft Application to select the 1184 high school students. The instrument underwent pilot testing and obtained an average Cronbach alpha of .954. Consent forms were obtained from the respondents' parents. All respondents were oriented on the purpose of the study.
 Results: The findings showed that the level of readiness in direct learning, language learning strategies in the learning environment, and communicative ability were high. It was also found that there was a significant relationship between direct learning readiness, language learning strategies, and students' learning environment with communicative ability. Moreover, model 5 is the best fit. The findings support Reynolds and Walberg's Theory of Academic Achievement which states that the psychological characteristics and way of dealing with a student influence what he achieves when it comes to behavior, attitude, and cognitive matters, and Canale and Swain's Theory of Communicative Competence which states that communicative language in teaching requires an environment of trust and confidence where students interact without fear or threat of failure and the importance of the classroom environment in developing communicative competence.
 Conclusion: The results highlighted the influence of psychological characteristics on educational outcomes and underscored the importance of a trusting classroom environment for developing communicative abilities.

A Validation Study of Mental Health Monitoring Through a Mobile Application.

Face-to-face evaluation is the most important in psychiatric evaluation, but smart healthcare, including non-face-to-face evaluation, can be beneficial considering the situation in which face-to-face evaluation is limited or the preventive aspect of mental illness. In this paper, we aimed to check whether mental health screening tests have the same significance as paper-based tests even when collected through mobile applications. A smart mental healthcare screening test was conducted on the 1,327 community subjects. We measured two indicators of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item scale, PHQ-9) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale, GAD-7) to check mental health conditions. The average Cronbach's alpha value of the PHQ-9 questionnaire was good at 0.870. As a result of PHQ-9's principal component analysis, one component with an eigenvalue of 1 or more was identified, which is suitable to be described as a single factor. The average Cronbach's alpha value of the GAD-7 was 0.919. The structural validity of the GAD-7 was confirmed through principal component analysis. Our results show that PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales performed through mobile applications can have the same meaning as paper-based tests. Surveys using a tablet PC, or smartphone application can monitor residents' mental health and accumulate data. Based on these data, smart mental health management can check the mental health of residents and treat mental illness in connection with medical services.

Biomass temporal stability increases at two spatial scales during secondary succession

Abstract Ecological stability has long been considered to change over succession, but how secondary succession influences the relationship between diversity and temporal stability of biomass production at different spatial scales is poorly understood. We studied changes in plant diversity, functional temporal stability (biomass production) and compositional temporal stability (the latter two are hereafter referred to as functional stability and compositional stability) and explored the stabilizing roles of plant diversity at two spatial scales (small plots of 0.25 m2 and large transects of 1.25 m2) during secondary succession in a subalpine meadow from 2003 to 2010. Our results showed that both plant diversity and functional and compositional stability increased at the small plot scale and large transect scale during secondary succession. As secondary succession proceeded, higher average alpha diversity (i.e. species diversity at the plot scale) led to higher functional and compositional stability at the plot scale by mainly species stability, predominantly contributing to higher functional and compositional stability at the large transect scale. In addition, Simpson‐based beta diversity (i.e. compositional dissimilarity among communities within the same transect), while unaffected by succession, contributed to functional stability at the large transect scale by promoting asynchronous dynamics among communities. Synthesis. Our study highlights the stabilizing effects of plant diversity across the two spatial scales during secondary succession. Our findings provide the first empirical evidence that biodiversity‐mediated effects on ecosystem temporal stability strengthen over successional time, suggesting that the stabilizing effects of biodiversity should be considered across spatial and temporal scales in the face of global changes and biodiversity loss.

Evaluation of variability of the content of alpha and beta acids in Czech bittering hop varieties (Humulus lupulus L.)

Czech bitter varieties were evaluated between 2010 and 2022. Hop varieties displayed an average content of alpha acids between 10.24% w/w (Agnus) and 13.73% w/w (Gaia). Variability below 15%, proved good stability of alpha acids content in all tested bittering hops. All varieties showed a decrease in the content of alpha acids over a period of 13 years of hop cultivation. The highest content of beta acids was determined in Gaia (7.30% w/w). In contrast, the lowest content of beta acids was found in Rubín (3.73% w/w). The new bitter genotypes Uran and 5304 had an average alpha acid content of 11.56% w/w and 10.82% w/w, respectively. Uran showed an average beta acid content of 5.47% w/w and for the genotype 5304 it was 3.61% w/w. In terms of the alpha/beta acids ratio, the hop varieties can be divided into three groups. The first group included the varieties with an alpha/beta acids ratio below 2, i.e. Vital, Boomerang and Gaia. While Agnus and Uran displayed an alpha/beta ratio slightly above 2. The highest alpha/beta ratio above 3 was found in Rubín and the 5303 genotype.

The development of a parent report instrument of early communication and language skills of infants and toddlers in mainland China.

This study was designed to produce a new parent-report measure, the Diagnostic Receptive Expressive Assessment of Mandarin-Infant Toddler Assessment of Communication and Language (DREAM-IT) in order to provide norms for the developmental skills of children aged 0-36 months in four areas: expressive language, receptive language, cognitive play and social skills. The scale was designed to be both broader and deeper than existing instruments that neglect one or more of these significant domains involved in early language. Items were chosen by a group of specialists with clinical experience working with the age group and with attention to the developmental literature. Caregivers were tested individually by a trained person who asked the questions and provided examples. In addition to an extensive health questionnaire, caregivers answered questions in Mandarin about their child's behaviour using a scale of 'not yet', 'sometimes' or 'always' or listing out words and/or sounds understood or said by the child. The 476 participating caregivers were recruited at maternal and child healthcare clinics centred in Chengdu, China, 191 of whom were tested a second time seven months later. The children were sampled in three-month age-bands from 0 to 36 months. The sample was balanced for child gender by age band, and parental education was balanced. Caregivers of 0-24-month-old children and caregivers of 12-36 months were each asked a different set of questions, to determine the appropriate age range and cutoff points for each question, requiring the sample size to be doubled for children aged 12-24 months. The results were subject to item-response theory analysis to remove outlying items, and the resulting internal reliability was high for each domain (average Cronbach's alpha=0.87). The final instrument (between 67 and 113 questions in total) was refined to include the least redundant questions that had the highest intercorrelations, with attention paid to coverage of all domains across the age range. Two scales were developed: one for children 0-18 months, the second for children aged 18-36 months. The longitudinal design permitted the creation of growth curves and norms for each domain for six-month intervals from 0 to 36 months. A small sample of 32 parents of children with Down syndrome aged 18-36 months provided validation that the scales are highly sensitive to developmental delay. The instrument shows considerable promise for detecting early communication problems in children in China. What is already known on the subject In China, efforts were made in recent years to develop language assessments for infants and toddlers, but limitations existed with the domains included and number of items included per age group. Many clinical practitioners also continued to rely on language subtests of general developmental scales, which were limited in depth and breadth of language skills tested and were never intended for diagnosis of language delay. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This paper discusses the development of a valid caregiver report instrument for early communication and language skills of infants and toddlers in mainland China. The Diagnostic Receptive Expressive Assessment of Mandarin-Infant Toddler (DREAM-IT) includes foundational domains necessary for language and communication development in young children (receptive language, expressive language, cognitive play and social communication domains). The results show strong internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha) for each domain on a sample of 716 children sampled in three-month age bands from 0 to 36 months. The external validity proved strong when tested on a group of 32 young children with Down syndrome. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Besides helping to inform the diagnosis of language delays in infants and toddlers in China, the caregiver report instrument has special features to support clinical practitioners in a field that is just emerging in China. The unique support features include the automatic generation of a profile of relative strengths and weaknesses of the child on the report and the recommendation of child-specific caregiver coaching videos on a companion app.

Translation and validation of the contact lens dry eye questionnaire 8 (CLDEQ-8) in Canadian French.

To present the process that led to the creation of the French Canadian translated version of the Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire-8 (which allows for an assessment of symptoms while wearing soft contact lenses) as well as the validation data of the f-CLDEQ-8. The CLDEQ-8 went through the process of reverse translation, which was then reviewed and improved by an experts' committee to create a first version of the French questionnaire. Cognitive interviews were conducted to pretest the tool and ensure content validity. After a review of the pretest, the f-CLDEQ-8 was created. A web-based version of this questionnaire was sent to contact lens wearers (CLW) recruited out of a clinical setting for completion at two different endpoints interspaced by 7days. Internal consistency and test-reliability were calculated using Cronbach's alpha and Intra-class Correlation coefficient (ICC), respectively. Convergent validity between the f-CLDEQ-8 score and overall opinion of the contact lenses was evaluated with a correlation. 9 CLW with different socio-economic statuses and education levels went through a cognitive interview with the back-translated version of the f-CLDEQ-8 to improve the questionnaire wording and enhance its comprehension. 63 CLW (34.2±10.1years old and 2/3 of them women) completed the f-CLDEQ-8 twice. An average Cronbach alpha of 0.928 was found and an ICC of 0.944 (CI at 95% 0.905;0.966). A moderately strong correlation of -0.714 (CI at 95% -0.817;-0.566) was found between the overall opinion of the contact lenses and the total score to the f-CLDEQ-8. The French language version (f-CLDEQ-8) generated from the original CLDEQ -8 was shown to be easy to use, reliable and culturally adapted to French spoken in Canada.

Can Global Sourcing Strategy Predict Stock Returns?

Problem definition: Whereas firms are increasingly relying on sourcing globally as a key constituent of their supply chain strategy, there is no empirical evidence on whether investors of these firms adequately reflect firms’ global sourcing strategy (GSS) in their stock-valuation process. In this paper, we empirically test whether stock market participants are efficient in doing so. Methodology/results: Using the empirical asset-pricing framework, we find that information concerning firms’ GSS strongly predicts their future stock returns. We compile a transaction-level imports database for U.S.-listed firms and construct measures for five widely studied GSS aspects in the operations management literature: the extent of global sourcing, supplier relationship strength, supplier concentration, sourcing lead time, and sourcing countries’ logistical efficiency. For each measure, we examine returns of a zero-cost investment strategy of buying from the highest and selling from the lowest quintile of that measure. Collectively, these investment strategies yield an average annual four-factor alpha of 6%–9.6% (6%–13.9%) with value (equal)-weighted portfolios. Their return predictability is incremental over other operations- and cost arbitrage–motivated predictors, such as inventory turnover, cash conversion cycle, and gross profitability; is persistent across different supply chain positions; and is robust to alternate risk models, subsamples, and empirical specifications. Together, our results indicate that the GSS measures embody independent information about firms’ future profitability, and this information is mispriced by market participants, leading to predictable returns. In accordance with this mechanism, we find that the GSS measures strongly predict both firms’ future earnings and the surprise in market reactions around the earnings announcement days. Managerial implications: The robust return predictability of our GSS measures suggests that investors are not fully incorporating GSS-related information in their stock valuation frameworks. Therefore, our results call for greater investor education on global sourcing and better dissemination of global-sourcing information so as to mitigate valuation inefficiency. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.1189 .

Abstract P1-04-02: Gut microbiome diversity correlates with tumor PD-L1 status in metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC): correlative analysis of gut microbiome and tumoral biomarkers

Abstract Background: Greater gut microbiome diversity is observed in patients with a clinical response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in solid tumors and in preclinical models targeting the gut microbiome is a promising strategy to improve ICI efficacy. The investigation of the immunomodulatory effects of the gut microbiome and tumor biology is in its infancy and whether interindividual microbiome variations correlate with tumor biology in breast cancer is unknown. Here we report a correlative analysis of gut microbiome diversity with tumor biomarkers: PD-L1, tumor immune cell density, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), MutSig3, and interferon (IFN) gene signatures in a cohort of mTNBC patients treated with olaparib and durvalumab of the Adaptive Multi-Drug Treatment of Evolving Cancers (AMTEC) trial (NCT03801369). Methods: AMTEC participants undergo a baseline biopsy (bx) and fecal sample collection, then start olaparib monotherapy on a 28-day cycle. Following the first cycle, an on-treatment (on-tx) bx and fecal sample are collected, then as part of enrollment to Arm 1, durvalumab is added to the treatment regimen. Ten patients with stool collections and tissue biopsies were used in this analysis, eight had paired pre- and on-tx collections. At interim-analysis, participants were categorized as responders (PR/SD) or non-responders (PD). Gut microbiome composition in fecal samples collected pre- and on-olaparib monotherapy was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing and alpha diversity was quantified by observed diversity, Fisher, Inverse Simpson, Pielou, and Shannon indices. Response, PDL1 expression (Positive CPS >1), multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) immune cell density and immune cell signature, TILs, RNA signatures including interferon (INF) family signatures, and mutational significance (MutSig3) were correlated to alpha diversity by T-test. Results: Average baseline alpha diversity of the fecal microbiome did not vary based on response (6 non-responses and 4 responses). However, in the on-tx samples, Fisher (CB: mean = 21.81, std. dev. = 3.6; PD: mean = 17.04, std. dev. = 2.3; p=0.048) and Observed alpha diversity (CB: mean = 260, std. dev. = 38.8; PD: mean = 209, std. dev. = 25.8; p = 0.049) were higher in responders. Average baseline alpha diversity of the gut microbiome as measured across all examined indices was significantly lower in participants with PD-L1 expressing tumors (p < 0.05 for each, T-test). Among on-tx samples, there was a trend toward lower alpha diversity in PD-L1 expressing tumors, but PD-L1 expression did not correlate with clinical response. There was a notable trend toward greater alpha diversity in on-tx bx and high TILs. Alpha diversity did not differ by immune cell densities by mIHC (CD8+ T cell, B cell, and regulatory T cells), hypo-inflamed/pro-inflammatory signature, IFN gene signature, nor MutSig3 score. Conclusion: Our preliminary data reveal that higher alpha diversity following olaparib monotherapy correlated with response to therapy with combination olaparib and durvalumab and correlated with tumor PD-L1 status. Whether gut microbiome features represent a meaningful biomarker for ICI treatment of mTNBC warrants further study. Enrollment to stage 2 of AMTEC Arm 1 is ongoing. Citation Format: Brie Chun, Shaun Goodyear, Travis Rice-Stitt, Lisa Karstens, Erin Dahl, Allen Li, Evthokia Hobbs, Mitri Zahi. Gut microbiome diversity correlates with tumor PD-L1 status in metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC): correlative analysis of gut microbiome and tumoral biomarkers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-04-02.

Validation of the Arabic Version of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System.

Quality cancer care is a team effort. In addition, patients' symptoms change over the course of treatment. As such, the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) is a simple tool designed to quickly monitor symptom change. Here, we present the results from a two-phase study aimed at validating the Arabic version of the ESAS (ESAS-A). Phase one involved the creation of two versions of the ESAS with both reverse and forward translations by bilingual, native Arabic speakers as well as evaluation by an expert panel. The reconciled version was then administered to 20 patients as a pilot from which to create the final version, which was then used with 244 patients. Phase two for the ESAS-involved an ESAS-based validation of 244 adults aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with advanced cancer; then, further validation was completed in conjunction with two other symptom survey tools, the EORTC-Pal 15 and the HADS. The ESAS-A items possessed good internal consistency with an average Cronbach's alpha of 0.84, ranging from 0.82 to 0.85. Moreover, the results of ESAS-A showed good agreement with those of EORTC QLQ- 15 PAL (r = 0.36 to 0.69) and HADS (r = 0.60 and 0.57) regarding anxiety and depression. We found the ESAS-A to be responsive to symptom change and a median time to completion of 3.73 min. The results of our study demonstrate that the ESAS-A is a reliable, valid, and feasible tool for the purposes of monitoring symptom change over the course of cancer treatment.

Assessing the sustainability capacity of evidence-based programs in community and health settings.

Within many public health settings, there remain large challenges to sustaining evidence-based practices. The Program Sustainability Assessment Tool has been developed and validated to measure sustainability capacity of public health, social service, and educational programs. This paper describes how this tool was utilized between January 2014 and January 2019. We describe characteristics of programs that are associated with increased capacity for sustainability and ultimately describe the utility of the PSAT in sustainability research and practice. The PSAT is comprised of 8 subscales, measuring sustainability capacity in eight distinct conceptual domains. Each subscale is made up of five items, all assessed on a 7-point Likert scale. Data were obtained from persons who used the PSAT on the online website (https://sustaintool.org/), from 2014 to 2019. In addition to the PSAT scale, participants were asked about four program-level characteristics. The resulting dataset includes 5,706 individual assessments reporting on 2,892 programs. The mean overall PSAT score was 4.73, with the lowest and highest scoring subscales being funding stability and program adaptation, respectively. Internal consistency for each subscale was excellent (average Cronbach's alpha = 0.90, ranging from 0.85 to 0.94). Confirmatory factor analysis highlighted good to excellent fit of the PSAT measurement model (eight distinct conceptual domains) to the observed data, with a comparative fit index of 0.902, root mean square error of approximation equal to 0.054, and standardized root mean square residual of 0.054. Overall sustainability capacity was significantly related to program size (F = 25.6; p < 0.001). Specifically, smaller programs (with staff sizes of ten or below) consistently reported lower program sustainability capacity. Capacity was not associated with program age and did not vary significantly by program level. The PSAT maintained its excellent reliability when tested with a large and diverse sample over time. Initial criterion validity was explored through the assessment of program characteristics, including program type and program size. The data collected reinforces the ability of the PSAT to assess sustainability capacity for a wide variety of public health and social programs.

The change in stock-selection risk and stock market returns

Following Jiang et al. (2021), who propose a stock-selection opportunity (SSO) measurement by the absolute average positive alpha of individual stocks to reflect stock-selection timing, we construct a stock-selection risk (SSR) measure from the perspective of negative alphas of individual stocks. Then, we investigate the predictive abilities of SSO, SSR, the change of SSO (CSSO), and the change of SSR (CSSR) on stock market returns. By using data from 2003 to 2020 in China, we find that only CSSR significantly predicts future one-month market returns. Moreover, considering other popular predictors, our in-sample and out-of-sample results and a series of robustness checks support the proposal that CSSR provides unique information for predicting market returns that reduces forecast errors and increases economic value for investors. Furthermore, our trading activity evidence shows that CSSR predicts stock market returns due to investors' underreaction to the information of CSSR.

The Extent to Which the Activities of the Reading and Arithmetic Initiative are Employed to Support the Educational Process in the Primary Grades from the Point of View of Teachers of Public Schools Affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Education, aft

The aim of the research is to identify the extent to which the activities of the reading and arithmetic initiative continue to be used in the educational process and its impact on primary grade students from the point of view of teachers of public schools affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Education, especially after moving towards distance learning in light of the abnormal conditions during the Corona pandemic. The researcher adopted the descriptive analytical approach in conducting the research and the research sample consisted of (83) male and female teachers of the first three grades in government schools in the central region of the Jordanian Ministry of Education. Percentages, ranks, arithmetic average, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient).The researcher concluded a number of results, the most important of which are: The teachers’ attitudes towards employing the activities of the reading and arithmetic initiative are positive trends in a large way and appear through their belief that the activities of the reading and arithmetic initiative during the Corona pandemic contributed significantly to (enabling students to self-learning, and enriching the educational curriculum Raising students' motivation towards learning. And that the activities of the reading and arithmetic initiative contribute significantly to taking into account the individual differences between students, and lead to strengthening the relationship between the teacher and his students. And it contributed significantly to raising the level of communication between the teacher and his students. And that a very large percentage of the study sample believes that the lack of material capabilities to connect to the electronic network and technological infrastructure, whether it is inside school classrooms or in homes and among students, is one of the biggest obstacles to effectively employing the various educational activities of the reading and arithmetic initiative, and that a small percentage of the sample The study finds that the lack of provision of tools and supplies for teachers hinders the effective use of the activities of the educational reading and arithmetic initiative. Keywords: the extent to which the activities of the reading and arithmetic initiative are employed, the Jordanian Ministry of Education, the Corona pandemic. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-31-04 Publication date: November 30 th 2022