Statistical Basis Research Articles

EFFECT OF ITEM WRITING FLAWS IN MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT GROUPS AND RELIABILITIES OF TESTS IN AZAD JAMMU KASHMIR MEDICAL COLLEGE

BACKGROUND: MCQs can test different levels of cognitive knowledge from recall to analysis. This study was to determine the item writing flaws in multiple choice questions and their effects on students’ academic achievements and test reliabilities. Methods: This study was conducted at the Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) Medical College Muzaffarabad from December 2017 to June 2019. Ten end-of-block exams were used in this study. The item review committee went over every MCQ. Two tests from each class of MBBS were taken. The initial tests without being reviewed were deemed to be flawed tests. The outcomes of each test were assessed, and the students were ranked into three achievement levels high, moderate, and low based on their scores of >79.9, between 50 and 79.9, and <50%, respectively. After removal of flawed items from the exams, the scores of each test (the standard test) were calculated, compared to the flawed tests, and its impacts were evaluated among three achievement groups. The post-exam analysis of test items was done on optical mark reading (OMR) classic-4 programme and data analysis on SPSS-25. Results: In one test i.e. test no 6 the null hypothesis was rejected with p<0.05. However, in all other tests null hypothesis could not be rejected on statistical basis. Moderate achievers and low achievers had statistically significant correlation (p<0.05). The flawed tests had better reliabilities with statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Flawed MCQs had negative impact on high and moderate achievers. Reliabilities of flawed test were greater than standard tests.

Research Trends in the Impact of Digitization and Transparency on National Security: Bibliometric Analysis

In the context of rapid technological development, digitalization and transparency have a critical impact on national security, promoting transparency and combating corruption, while posing challenges to cybersecurity due to the increased availability of information. The purpose of this study is to identify, based on bibliometric analysis, trends and subject areas in research on the impact of digitalization and transparency on national security. To achieve this goal, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of scientific works on the role of digitalization and transparency in national security published in the publications indexed by the Scopus database for 1991-2023 was conducted, which formed the statistical basis of the analysis. The bibliometric programs Vosviewer and SciVal were chosen as research tools, which allowed for an in-depth analytical review and identification of the main trends and interrelationships between different research areas, confirming the hypothesis of increasing interest in the study of digitalization and transparency in the context of national security. Based on the analysis of the common use of keywords, seven clusters were identified, covering a wide range of topics from digital transformation and adaptive governance for national security to global political and economic strategies, each of which reveals unique interrelationships between digitalization, transparency, innovation and their impact on national security, including cybersecurity challenges, ethics in governance, and the importance of transparency for democracy and human rights. The analysis of the evolutionary trends in research allowed us to identify four key periods of development of scientific interest in the impact of digitalization and transparency on national security: 1) the period from 2014 to 2016 is characterized by initial research on the role of digitalization in national security and mainly concerns e-government studies; 2) during 2017-2018, research focuses on the growing attention to transparency and its role in national security 3) in the period from 2019 to 2021, there is an increase in the number of studies related to cybersecurity and the impact of digital technologies on democracy; 4) from 2022 to the present, there is further in-depth research on topics related to artificial intelligence The spatial clustering of studies shows a high level of international integration in research on the impact of digitalization and transparency on national security. The findings can be used by state institutions to improve national security strategies, in particular by adapting the legislative framework to the challenges of digitalization and ensuring transparency at all levels of government and public life, including macro (national), meso (regional) and micro (local) levels, ensuring openness and accountability in all spheres of government and public control, which will ultimately contribute to ensuring stability and security at the national level.

A novel interval estimation framework for wind power forecasting using multi-objective gradient descent optimization

Effective wind power forecasting enables reliable integration of renewable energy into the electric grid and enhances wind farm management and power system dispatch. To mitigate uncertainty in wind power forecasting, interval prediction is commonly used to provide information on confidence levels. The lower upper bound estimation (LUBE) method is a quality-driven solution that constructs prediction intervals (PIs) based on an ensemble loss function comprising two PI quality metrics without assuming any specific distribution function. However, the conventional LUBE method suffers from three major drawbacks: 1) it is incompatible with gradient descent (GD) due to its non-differentiable objective function; 2) its objective function is formulated based on qualitative assessment rather than on a statistical basis; and 3) the ensemble loss function cannot fully represent the PI quality information measured by two conflicting metrics, leading to potential performance loss. In this study, we propose a novel multi-objective gradient descent (MOGD)-based LUBE model to address these drawbacks. The loss function is derived based on the maximum likelihood estimation and is approximated by a sigmoid function to ensure its statistical basis and differentiable form. In the training process, MOGD is applied to search for the direction of GD subject to both PI metrics. The proposed model is compared with several benchmarks using four wind power datasets from different spatial locations. The numerical results indicate the superiority of the proposed MOGD-LUBE model over its counterparts in terms of the reliability and sharpness for efficient wind power forecasting.

Visual Analysis of Epidemic Epidemiological Investigation Track Data

The visualization analysis of the flow data of the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic can intuitively show the development dynamics of the epidemic, explore the law of epidemic transmission, and provide a new way of thinking and method for the analysis of the epidemic situation. Firstly, the convection-modulated trajectory data is preprocessed, and then the convection-modulated data is theoretically transferred on the basis of expectation maximization statistics to realize multi-trajectory fusion algorithm, and finally the trajectory fitting of infected population is carried out. Finally, the multi-type thematic map is used to combine the flow data with the map system to realize the visualization of flow data and conduct in-depth analysis, so as to dig out the distribution characteristics of the flow data, provide a reference for the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus epidemic in a place, enable people to correctly understand the spread of the epidemic, and promote the development of preventive medicine.

Validation of a Method for Surveillance of Nanoparticles in Mussels Using Single-Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry.

Determining the concentration of nanoparticles (NPs) in marine organisms is important for evaluating their environmental impact and to assess potential food safety risks to human health. The current work aimed at developing an in-house method based on single-particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) suitable for surveillance of NPs in mussels. A new low-cost and simple protease mixture was utilized for sample digestion, and novel open-source data processing was used, establishing detection limits on a statistical basis using false-positive and false-negative probabilities. The method was validated for 30 and 60 nm gold NPs spiked to mussels as a proxy for seafood. Recoveries were 76-77% for particle mass concentration and 94-101% for particle number concentration. Intermediate precision was 8-9% for particle mass concentration and 7-8% for particle number concentration. The detection limit for size was 18 nm, for concentration 1.7 ng/g, and 4.2 × 105 particles/g mussel tissue. The performance characteristics of the method were satisfactory compared with numeric Codex criteria. Further, the method was applied to titanium-, chromium- and copper-based particles in mussels. The method demonstrates a new practical and cost-effective sample treatment, and streamlined, transparent, and reproducible data treatment for the routine surveillance of NPs in mussels.

Modern educational technologies and their use in training technical specialists of industrial enterprises

In this article, the author offers an analysis collected from the results of the online school’s activities and describes which modern educational technologies produce successful results. A description of audience demand is provided, collected on the basis of statistics during the operation of the online school. A description of the tools used and the reasons for their effectiveness in modern education are givenes

The Mystery of Homochirality on Earth.

Homochirality is an obvious feature of life on Earth. On the other hand, extraterrestrial samples contain largely racemic compounds. The same is true for any common organic synthesis. Therefore, it has been a perplexing puzzle for decades how these racemates could have formed enantiomerically enriched fractions as a basis for the origin of homochiral life forms. Numerous hypotheses have been put forward as to how preferentially homochiral molecules could have formed and accumulated on Earth. In this article, it is shown that homochirality of the abiotic organic pool at the time of formation of the first self-replicating molecules is not necessary and not even probable. It is proposed to abandon the notion of a molecular ensemble and to focus on the level of individual molecules. Although the formation of the first self-replicating, most likely homochiral molecule, is a seemingly improbable event, on a closer look, it is almost inevitable that some homochiral molecules have formed simply on a statistical basis. In this case, the non-selective leap to homochirality would be one of the first steps in chemical evolution directly out of a racemic "ocean". Moreover, most studies focus on the chirality of the primordial monomers with respect to an asymmetric carbon atom. However, any polymer with a minimal size that allows folding to a secondary structure would spontaneously lead to asymmetric higher structures (conformations). Most of the functions of these polymers would be influenced by this inherently asymmetric folding. Furthermore, a concept of physical compartmentalization based on rock nanopores in analogy to nanocavities of digital immunoassays is introduced to suggest that complex cell walls or membranes were also not required for the first steps of chemical evolution. To summarize, simple and universal mechanisms may have led to homochiral self-replicating systems in the context of chemical evolution. A homochiral monomer pool is deemed unnecessary and probably never existed on primordial Earth.

A statistical acoustics approach for estimating population-scale bowhead whale migration speed and direction.

Bowhead whales vocalize during their annual fall migration from the Beaufort Sea to the Bering Sea, but the calling rates of individual animals are so low that tracking an individual trajectory is impractical using passive acoustic methods. However, the travel speed and direction of the migrating population can be inferred on a statistical basis by cross-correlating time sequences of call density measured at two locations spaced several kilometers apart. By using the triangulation abilities of a set of vector sensors deployed offshore the Alaskan North Slope between 2008 and 2014, call density time sequences were generated from 1-km wide and 40-km tall rectangular "zones" that were separated by distances ranging from 3.5 to 15 km. The cross-covariances between the two sequences generate a peak corresponding to the average time it takes for whales to travel between the zones. Consistent westward travel speeds of ∼5 km/h were obtained from four different locations on 6 of the 7 years of the study, independent of whether the zones were separated by 3.5, 7, or 15 km. Some sites, however, also revealed a less prominent eastern movement of whales, and shifts in migration speed were occasionally detectable over week-long time scales.

The large-scale environment of 3CR radio galaxies at z<0.3

The question of whether and how the properties of radio galaxies (RGs) are connected with the large-scale environment is still an open issue. For this work we measured the large-scale galaxies' density around RGs present in the revised Third Cambridge Catalog of radio sources (3CR) with $0.02 < z < 0.3$. The goal is to determine whether the accretion mode and morphology of RGs are related to the richness of the environment. We considered RGs at $0.05 < z < 0.3$ for a comparison between optical spectroscopic classes, and those within $0.02 < z < 0.1$ to study the differences between the radio morphological types. Photometric data from the Panoramic Survey Telescope Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) survey were used to search for "red sequences" within an area of 500 kpc of radius around each RG. We find that 1) RGs span over a large range of local galaxies' density, from isolated sources to those in rich environments, 2) the richness distributions of the various classes are not statistically different, and 3) the radio luminosity is not connected with the source environment. Our results suggest that the RG properties are independent of the local galaxies density, which is in agreement with some previous analyses, but contrasting with other studies. We discuss the possible origin of this discrepancy. An analysis of a larger sample is needed to put out results on a stronger statistical basis.

Adherence to disease-modifying therapies among patients with multiple sclerosis in Bulgaria – A real world study

Introduction: The purpose was to assess the level of medication adherence (MA) and related factors among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Bulgaria. Materials and methods: A prospective one-year study was conducted among 54 patients with MS diagnosed, treated, and monitored in Clinic of Neurology, University Hospital “Alexandrovska”, Sofia in 2022/2023. Clinical data, patients reported outcomes, patients’ characteristics such as age, gender and reduced work capacity, and other data were collected to define the predictors of non-adherence to medicines. MA level was assessed through a free Morisky–Green 4-item questionnaire. Results: Мost of the observed patients were rated with high and moderate adherence to MS therapy (n = 44; 81.48%). The remaining 18.52% of the patients with poor adherence to therapy were women. There was no statistical basis for asserting differences in adherence levels among the various factors considered. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates the importance of MA assessment and provides insights into MA among patients with MS in Bulgaria. Still, there are low-adherent patients, and the responsible factors should be further investigated.

Study of the fingerprints of a Spanish sample for the determination of the hand and finger

The individuality and permanence of fingerprints make of them a very useful feature in the identification of individuals. There are now automated computer programmes that allow a quick comparison between a fingermark and a database. However, in order to assess the strength of evidence in fingerprint identification, complementary information on the frequencies of the different morphological features of the dermopapillary ridges is required. This idea is used in this work as a starting point to evaluate the frequencies of the parameters used in the determination of the hand and finger in a large sample of 2600 fingerprints taken from 134 male and 127 female Spanish population. Based on these fingerprints, the frequencies of different categories of the following parameters were obtained: type of pattern, slope of the apex ridge, subtype of two-delta pattern, ridge tracing, major angle, major ridge count, bisector, rotation of the central ridge, assimilation to loops and slant. Moreover, the results have shown that these characters are useful for the determination of the hand in whorls (two-delta pattern) and loops (one-delta pattern), but not for the determination of the finger. The most useful and classificatory parameter when determining the hand of origin of a two-delta fingerprint is the slope of the apex ridge, and for the one-delta pattern, knowing the location of the delta allows the correct estimation of the hand of a fingerprint in more than 93% of the cases. The data presented in this paper are novel and can be used by latent print examiners to improve the statistical basis of their decisions in reaching conclusions.

Frontal Sinus Fractures and Traumatic Brain Injury: Predictors of Mortality in Surgical Management.

This is anobservational, retrospective, analytical study. The aim was todetermine a statistical basis for a future line of research based on the epidemiology of a center located in a developing country, as well as defining indirect mortality predictors. Clinical files were reviewed based on diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), according to the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10). Sociodemographic variables as well as treatment modality of the condition during hospitalization was recorded. The patient sample was divided into two groups. Student's T-test was performed in variables with normal distribution and Chi-square test in independent random variables with standard normal distribution. For correlations, Pearson's correlation coefficient was used, taking the P-value <.05 as statistically significant. A total of 150 participants were included in this study, from which 125 were male (83.3%). The average age was 28.58 ± 16.55years. The median hospitalization time was 9days. Forty-five patients (30%) were treated conservatively. Fifteen patients died during hospitalization. The factors considered as predictors of mortality in the general population corresponded to Motor Vehicle Accident, Frontonasal Duct Obstruction, Neuroinfection, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at admission, as well as GCS at discharge. In the patients who underwent surgery, predictors of mortality corresponded to Motor Vehicle Accident, Bilateral Frontal Craniotomy, Surgical Bleeding >475 cc, Neuroinfection, as well as GCS at admission and discharge. The creation of adequate diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms in traumatic brain injury management is needed, especially in developing countries. More specific studies are needed, particularly analytical and multicentric studies, which may allow the development of these algorithms.

Novel approach to measure quark/gluon jets at the LHC

In this paper, we present a new proposal on how to measure quark/gluon jet properties at the LHC. The measurement strategy takes advantage of the fact that the LHC has collected data at different energies. Measurements at two or more energies can be combined to yield distributions of any jet property separated into quark and gluon jet samples on a statistical basis, without the need for an independent event-by-event tag. We illustrate our method with a variety of different angularity observables, and discuss how to narrow down the search for the most useful observables.

Связь стилей родительского воспитания c учебной мотивацией и эмоциональным состоянием подростков в условиях цифровизации

Background. The emotional state, the length of screen time and the level of educational motivation of schoolchildren are often a matter of concern for many parents. The study examines the relationship between educational motivation, the level of anger, and parenting styles from the adolescents’ point of view. Objectives. Identification and description of the specific interrelations between various aspects of parenting and the teenagers' motivation and anger in the context of global digitalization. Study Participants. The study involved 265 people (54% — female). The average age of the respondents was 13.8 years (M = 13.8, Me = 14, SD = 1.62). Methods. To study parenting styles, teenagers filled out the ad hoc questionnaire “Adolescents about parents”. The motivational and emotional components of the adolescents’ personality were examined by means of Andreeva &amp; Prikhozhan’ questionnaire “Motivation of learning and emotional attitude to learning”. The level of digital engagement of adolescents was assessed on the basis of daily statistics of the average time spent using a mobile phone. Statistical analysis was performed using the general linear model (GLM) method in the Jamovi 2.3.16.0 program. Results. According to the results of the GLM model, the adolescents’ achievement motivation is negatively related to their average screen time. The level of educational motivation of adolescents is positively associated with the positive interest and autonomy provided by their parents. The teenagers’ level of anger is positively associated with directiveness, hostility and inconsistency of parents. According to the Wilcoxon test results, parenting styles such as directiveness, hostility and autonomy are more pronounced in fathers than in mothers. Conclusions. The most favorable parenting style for achieving high academic motivation and reducing the level of anger in adolescents is a pronounced positive interest and autonomy provided by parents along with a low level of directiveness, hostility and inconsistency. Achievement motivation has a negative relationship with the length of teenagers' screen time.

Трансформация характера занятости в постсоветской России

The subject of the article is the Russian specifics of the nature of employment against the background of highly developed countries. The aim is to analyze the evolution of the nature of employment as a result of demographic and socio-economic transformations in Russia. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the consideration of the forms of employment as a result of the combined influence of demographic, sectoral and professional-labor transformations (existing works either did not analyze the reasons for the transformation of the nature of employment or limited to its individual aspects). The research method is a descriptive identification of the main theoretical approaches to the essential aspects of the nature of employment and their practical verification through statistical analysis on the basis of ILO, OECD and WB world statistics in correlation with the main stages of the socio-economic development of Russia after 1991. The analysis was carried out over a long period of time, starting from 1992, taking into account Russia’s economic cycles, which made it possible to trace the evolution of the nature of employment taking into account the transformation of socio-economic conditions. The simultaneous analysis of changes in all forms of employment was carried out, which made it possible to identify the Russian specifics of combining elements of standard and non-standard employment. It is concluded that with a certain lag in the sphere of demographic ageing and sectoral transformation in the form of shifting employment from the productive sector to the service sector, Russia, compared to highly developed countries, is characterized by a stronger differentiation of jobs by skill level and nature of labor operations (employment is more concentrated in two opposite sectors of mental highly skilled labor and manual physical low-skilled labor). The opinion of a number of authors about the strengthening of non-standard forms of employment in Russia has been verified and refuted. After the transition to capitalism, the basis of employment remains wage labor, and forms of non-wage labor (except for employers) during recessions are more of a transitional forced nature. At the same time, the share of informal employment has increased in Russia, but the basis of the labor force functioning regime is still full-time permanent employment (this observation refutes the opinion of a number of authors about the close connection between informal employment and other forms of non-standard employment). The conclusion is made that in the future the Russian labor market will see a strengthening of standard employment in the form of permanent wage labor, which will be beneficial to both employees (whose influence will increase due to the shift of the age structure towards older ages) and employers (due to increased requirements to the level of personnel qualification). At the same time, a certain increase in the share of temporary employment is possible in case of economic growth. Given that non-standard forms of employment in Russia mean a deterioration in the quality of jobs, the strengthening of standard forms of employment should be seen as a positive phenomenon. The results of this article can be used by Russian government agencies when planning the state employment policy, as well as by employers when taking into account the Russian specifics of the labor force in the preferred nature of employment.

Investigation of an automotive subsystem submitted to vibration loads considering scatter of influence parameters

Modern vehicles contain numerous subsystems for comfort, safety, electrification and autonomous driving functions that are mounted to the body-in-white structure. These subsystems are submitted to stochastic vibrational loads induced mainly by the road unevenness. The vibration fatigue behaviour of the subsystems and their connection to the body-in-white structure depend on a great number of influence parameters and associated uncertain scatter bands that are usually unknown and difficult to consider in the design process. This study investigates the oscillation behaviour and fatigue life of a current car component excited by vi-brational loads focusing on scatter of relevant influence parameters (mass, stiffness) on a pronounced statistical sample basis. An experimental modal analysis is used to determine eigenmodes and damping characteristics for the three variants: nominal value, increased mass and reduced stiffness. As a further experimental investigation vibration fatigue tests are performed. A probabilistic approach using a simulation tool chain with the aid of commercial computer aided engineering (CAE) programs is proposed to consider scatter effects on the fatigue life of the component submitted to vibration loads and its connection to the body-in-white structure. The simulation fidelity when using uncertain broader scatter bounds is compared to simulation fidelity using both measured data and modal analysis output. Furthermore, correlations between the vibration behaviour and the fatigue of the component are derived. Finally, the hardware fatigue tests results are compared to the simulation results. A very good agreement for eigen-modes, frequency response functions and fatigue lifetime was observed between simulation model and experimental findings. A significant accuracy improvement of the fatigue life simulation using the introduced probabilistic simulation method considering measured scatter bounds for uncertain input parameters is presented.

Analytical review of the inf l uence of socio-economic factors on the state of pharmaceutical care for patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Aim: To investigate the influence of socio-economic factors on the state of pharmaceutical provision of patients with cardiovascular diseases. Materials and Methods: To achieve the goal of the research, scientific publications posted in Ukrainian information and scientific databases (NRAT, OUCI) and scientometric databases Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, MedLine, BMJ, Embase were used. The analysis of international and domestic legal documents was carried out, the sites of global international organizations, the sites of cardiology societies and Ukrainian statistical data bases were researched. The methods of content analysis, synthesis, systematization, and generalization were used. Conclusions: As a result of the study, socio-economic factors that af f ect the state of pharmaceutical provision of patients with CVD (in particular, CAD) were determined. In this study, among the specif i ed socio-economic factors, the need to update the regulatory and legal security of the pharmaceutical care process attracts the most of attention. The positive impact of the use of modern drug pharmacotherapy for coronary artery disease on the budget of the health care system in clinical practice proposed by the ESC was determined.

Use of dislodgeable foliar residue studies for the evaluation of isomerization potential of active substances for non-dietary risk assessment.

When assessing the non-dietary risks for operators, workers, bystanders and residents to active substances in plant protection products (PPPs) that contain stereoisomers, the EFSA guidance on stereoisomers recommends the application of uncertainty factors when the initial ratio of stereoisomers undergoes a significant stereoisomeric excess change of more than 10%. This precautionary approach may be over-conservative in cases where the change in isomers is due to differences in their degradation rates rather than conversion of one isomer to a potentially more toxic isomer. Therefore, the impact of isomeric composition in non-dietary risk assessments of PPPs was evaluated, with particular emphasis on dislodgeable foliar residues (DFR) data and potential enantioselective degradation processes. Hypothetical outcomes are discussed as well as an evaluation of data for 5 compounds from a total of 35 DFR studies conducted under GLP, aimed at deriving DFR values for higher tier assessments. The findings indicate that possible isomerization of the active substance on leaves can be detected in DFR studies, which is essential for assessing risks to workers and residents. The results of this evaluation highlight the potential for over-conservatism of the current EFSA method for calculating uncertainty factors in non-dietary risk assessments. The EFSA method's reliance on worst-case assumptions, coupled with the lack of a formal statistical basis, can lead to overestimation of exposure, as illustrated in our theoretical considerations and supported by empirical data from DFR studies. To address this, we propose an alternative approach to evaluating risk considering both degradation and interconversion rates.

The Roles of Strategic Leadership in Ensuring Sustainable Competitive Advantage: Empirical Evidence from Pharmaceutical Distribution in Emerging Markets

This research addresses the crucial yet underexplored area of strategic leadership roles in enhancing sustainable competitive advantage in the pharmaceutical distribution sector of emerging markets, particularly focusing on South Africa. The relevance of this study lies in its exploration of strategic leadership within a sector experiencing significant growth and global competition, specifically in the context of emerging markets where such investigations are scarce. The primary aim is to delineate strategic leadership roles crucial for fostering sustainable competitive advantage in this sector. The choice of the pharmaceutical distribution sector in South Africa as the research object is due to its dynamic nature and the unique challenges it presents in emerging markets. This study covers a significant period that reflects the evolving dynamics of the industry. Utilising a qualitative research methodology, the study involves in-depth interviews with 10 strategic leaders in South African pharmaceutical distribution firms. This approach provides a robust informational and statistical basis for the research. Through thematic analyses, the research uncovers five key strategic leadership roles: setting strategic direction, managing business complexity, promoting organisational structure, managing organisational culture, and developing human resources. These roles are pivotal in establishing and maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage in the pharmaceutical distribution industry in emerging markets. The study confirms the hypothesis that effective strategic leadership is vital for achieving sustainable competitive advantage. It reveals specific trends and quantitative regularities in leadership strategies that contribute to this goal. This research offers substantial practical significance for managerial decision-making in the pharmaceutical distribution industry, particularly in emerging markets. Its insights are crucial for leaders aiming to create and sustain competitive advantage, thereby contributing to the industry’s growth and stability. Furthermore, it lays a foundation for future investigations across various contexts within the pharmaceutical sector and different leadership perspectives.

Response Surface Method for the Optimization of Glyphosate Degrada-tion by Bacillus sp. Isolated from Soils Near Lake Maninjau

The study utilized a Box-Behnken experimental design to assess the impact of three parameters on the percentage of glyphosate biodegradation by a bacterium. The variables examined were incuba-tion period (measured in days), glyphosate concentration (measured in grams per liter), and pH, each assessed at three different levels. The quadratic model, which has squared terms, interaction products, linear terms, and an intercept, most accurately characterizes the connection between the variables and the response. The findings demonstrated that glyphosate concentration exerted the most pronounced impact on glyphosate degradation, with pH ranking second, as supported by substantial F-values and low p-values. The incubation period had no discernible effect. The ANOVA analysis validated the dependability of the model, as evidenced by an R² value of 0.9602 and an adjusted R² value of 0.9091. These values indicate that the model accounts for 90% of the variability observed in the response data. The contour and response surface plots demon-strated substantial interactions among the variables, specifically between pH and glyphosate con-centration and between the incubation period and glyphosate concentration. The model's anticipat-ed optimal conditions were experimentally tested, demonstrating no significant deviation from the projected values. The predicted maximum biodegradation of 90.097% closely matched the exper-imentally observed value of 92.505% (p&gt;0.05). The predicted combination to give the desired maximum response was at pH 6.81, glyphosate concentration of 0.692 g/L and an incubation period of 3.092 days. On the other hand, the predicted combination to give the desired maximum response is based on the requirement for the conditions where biodegradation is at the highest possible glyphosate concentration of 0.844 g/L and an incubation period of 3.112 days. A higher response of about 5.779% degradation was achieved through RSM. This study showcases the efficacy of the Box-Behnken design in optimizing biodegradation processes, offering a solid sta-tistical basis for further investigations on glyphosate degradation.