Complete Sample Research Articles

Workplace Discrimination and Organizational Growth in Exxonmobil Nigeria Unlimited, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The researchers examined workplace discrimination and organizational growth in ExxonMobil Nigeria Unlimited, Akwa Ibom State. The core objective of the study was to determine the relationship between workplace discrimination and organizational growth in ExxonMobil Nigeria Unlimited, Akwa Ibom State. The researchers adopted survey research design. The study population centered on all the employees of ExxonMobil Nigeria Unlimited, Akwa Ibom State. A sample size of 95 respondents was selected for the study. The assembled sample had the same proportion of individuals as the entire population; thus, complete enumeration sampling procedures was used to obtain the data for the study. Questionnaire were the main instrument for data collection. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) Analysis was used to analyse the data from the field. The result revealed a positive and significant relationship between the proxies of workplace discrimination (Gender Discrimination and Ethnic Discrimination) and organizational growth in ExxonMobil Nigeria Unlimited, Akwa Ibom State. The researchers concluded that promoting gender equality and reducing ethnic discrimination among employees will result in an increase in organizational growth. They further recommended that ExxonMobil Nigeria Unlimited, Akwa Ibom State should implement targeted gender sensitivity training programs and promote equitable opportunities for career advancement. Also, ExxonMobil Nigeria Unlimited, Akwa Ibom State should adopt policies that celebrate diversity, ensure fair recruitment practices, and foster inclusive teamwork.

Association of PD-1 + Treg/PD-1 + CD8 ratio and tertiary lymphoid structures with prognosis and response in advanced gastric cancer patients receiving preoperative treatment

BackgroundRecent studies have highlighted the distinct ratio of PD-1 + Treg/PD-1 + CD8 for prognosis prediction. However, it remains unclear about the association of this ratio and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) with prognosis and response to neoadjuvant or conversion therapy in advanced gastric cancer.MethodsFirstly, fresh postoperative samples from 68 gastric cancer patients in Renji Hospital were collected. Meanwhile, immune cell infiltration as well as clinical prognosis analysis were conducted. Subsequently, we further systematically evaluated flow cytometry analysis of tumor samples and TLS expression in 38 gastric cancer patients with different response situations after neoadjuvant therapy. Also, a Renji conversion therapy cohort including 10 patients with complete matching samples before and after treatment was established to receive RNA sequencing analysis and multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) tests. The corresponding TLS score and immune cell infiltration were further compared based on therapeutic response variations.ResultsIn general, the ratio of PD-1 + Treg/PD-1 + CD8>1 could be regarded as an independent predictor of prognosis in advanced gastric cancer patients. Moreover, PD-1 + Treg/PD-1 + CD8 < 1 and high expression of TLS could indicate better neoadjuvant therapy response and extended survival time in advanved gastric cancer patients. Besides, PD-1 + Treg/PD-1 + CD8 low &TLS high group could predict better progression free survival time (PFS) in complete response (CR) subgroup. In response group after conversion therapy, the number of PD-1 + CD8 + T cells significantly increased, mainly occurring outside the TLSs. Meanwhile, the TLSs were also considerably activated as we could observed.ConclusionsThis study underlined that combining PD-1 + Treg/PD-1 + CD8 ratio and TLS were significantly associated with prognosis and preoperative treatment response in advanced gastric cancer. Inspiringly, these indicators have the potential to elucidate the immune balance of advanced gastric cancer patients and can accurately guide subsequent therapeutic strategies.

Mobile Anthropometry in Division I Baseball Athletes: Evaluation of an Existing Application and the Development of New Equations.

Haynes, H, Tinsley, GM, Swafford, SH, Compton, AT, Moore, J, Donahue, PT, and Graybeal, AJ. Mobile anthropometry in Division I baseball athletes: evaluation of an existing application and the development of new equations. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-The purpose of this study was to evaluate the agreement between mobile application and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-derived body composition parameters in a group of Division I (DI) collegiate baseball athletes and to develop new equations for this population using this mobile technique. A total of 41 (age: 20.5 ± 1.5 years; DXA %fat: 18.9 ± 4.6%) DI collegiate baseball athletes underwent body composition assessments using DXA and a mobile anthropometric application. Total and appendicular body composition estimates were produced from this mobile application using previously developed equations and evaluated against the reference (DXA) in the complete sample of athletes. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regressions were then used to develop new equations using the mobile application in a portion of the athletes (n = 34) and subsequently tested in the remaining athletes (n = 7). In the complete sample, no body composition estimate using the mobile application's existing equations (R2: 0.00-0.68) demonstrated equivalence with DXA, including estimates of %fat (R2: 0.37; root-mean-squared error [RMSE]: 3.74%), fat mass (FM), and total (appendicular lean mass [ALM]) and leg lean mass ([ALMlegs] R2: 0.67-0.68; RMSE: 3.43-4.86 kg). In the testing sample, estimates produced from the newly developed equations demonstrated acceptable performance when compared to DXA, most notably %fat (R2: 0.80; RMSE: 3.66%), FM, ALM, and ALMlegs (R2: 0.55-0.87; RMSE: 0.74-3.46 kg). Previously developed equations using mobile anthropometrics may not demonstrate acceptable agreement with DXA in DI collegiate baseball athletes, and newly developed equations specific to this group may be more suitable. Those employing these newly developed equations should use caution until further external cross-validation is performed.

Participant Adherence and Contact Behavior in a Guided Internet Intervention for Depressive Symptoms: Exploratory Study.

The number of studies on internet-based guided self-help has rapidly increased during the last 2 decades. Guided self-help comprises 2 components: a self-help program that patients work through and usually weekly guidance from therapists who support patients using the self-management program. Little is known about participants' behavior patterns while interacting with therapists and their use of self-help programs in relation to intervention outcomes. This exploratory study aimed to investigate whether the number of messages sent to the therapist (ie, contact behavior) is an indicator of the outcome, that is, a reduction in depressive symptoms. Furthermore, we investigated whether adherence was associated with outcome. Most importantly, we investigated whether different combinations of adherence and contact behavior were associated with outcome. Drawing on a completer sample (n=113) from a randomized full factorial trial, participants were categorized into 4 groups. The groups were based on median splits of 2 variables, that is, the number of messages sent to therapists (low: groups 1 and 2; high: groups 3 and 4) and adherence (low: groups 1 and 3; high: groups 2 and 4). The 4 groups were compared in terms of change in depressive symptoms (measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9) from pre- to posttreatment and pretreatment to follow-up, respectively. On average, participants sent 4.5 (SD 3.7) messages to their therapist and completed 18.2 (SD 5.2) pages of the program in 6.39 (SD 5.39) hours. Overall, analyses revealed no main effect for participants' messages (H1=0.18, P=.67) but a significant main effect for adherence on changes in depressive symptoms from pre- to posttreatment (H1=5.10, P=.02). The combined consideration of adherence and messages sent to the therapist revealed group differences from pre- to posttreatment (H3=8.26, P=.04). Group 3 showed a significantly smaller improvement in symptoms compared with group 4 (Z=-2.84, P=.002). Furthermore, there were group differences from pretreatment to follow-up (H3=8.90, P=.03). Again, group 3 showed a significantly smaller improvement in symptoms compared with group 4 (Z=-2.62, P=.004) and group 2 (Z=-2.47, P=.007). All other group comparisons did not yield significant differences. This exploratory study suggests that participants characterized by low adherence and frequent messaging do not improve their symptoms as much as other participants. These participants might require more personalized support beyond the scope of guided internet interventions. The paper underscores the importance of considering individual differences in contact behavior when tailoring interventions. The results should be interpreted with caution and further investigated in future studies.

Search for interpulses in a complete sample of pulsars at a frequency of 111 MHz

An interpulse search was carried out in a sample of 96 pulsars observed on the Large Phased Array (LPA) radio telescope in the Pushchino Multibeams Pulsar Search (PUMPS). The pulsar sample is complete for pulsars having a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) in the main pulse (MP) greater than 40. To search for weak interpulses (IP), the addition of average profiles over an interval of up to 10 years was used. Interpulses were detected in 12 pulsars (12.5% of the sample), of which 7 pulsars have an interpulse located near the 180◦ phase relative to the main pulse (probable orthogonal rotators), and 5 have phases far from 180◦ (probable coaxial rotators). The amplitude ratios of IP/MP are in the range of 0.004−0.023, the median value is 0.01. Estimates of the observed number of coaxial and orthogonal rotators with IP/MP ≥0.01 do not contradict the model according to which, during evolution, the magnetic axis and the axis of rotation become orthogonal.

Polarisation results from the GOODS-N field with Apertif and polarised source counts

We analysed six Apertif datasets, covering the GOODS-N LOFAR deep field region, aiming to improve our understanding of the faint radio source composition, their polarisation behaviour, and how this affects our interpretation of polarised source counts. Using a semi-automatic routine, we ran rotation measure synthesis to generate a polarised intensity mosaic for each observation. The routine also performs source finding and cross-matching with the total power catalogue, as well as NVSS, SDSS and allWISE, to obtain a catalogue of 1182 polarised sources in an area of 47.4\,deg$^2$. Using the mid-infrared (MIR) radio correlation, we found no indication of any polarised emission from star formation. To robustly estimate the source counts, we performed an investigation of our sample's completeness as a function of the polarised flux via synthetic source injection. In contrast to previous works, we find no strong dependency of fractional polarisation on the total intensity flux density. We argue that differences regarding previous (small-scale, deep field) analyses can be attributed to sample variance. Relative to the findings of previous works, here we find a steeper slope for our Euclidean-normalised differential source counts. This is also visible as a flattening in cumulative source counts. We attribute the observed steeper slope in Euclidean normalised differential source counts to a change in the source composition and properties at low total intensities.

The Radio Spectra of High-luminosity Compact Symmetric Objects: Implications for Studies of Compact Jetted Active Galactic Nuclei

This paper addresses, for the first time, a key aspect of the phenomenology of compact symmetric objects (CSOs): the characteristics of their radio spectra. We present a radio-spectrum description of a complete sample of high-luminosity CSOs (CSO-2s), which shows that they exhibit the complete range of spectral types, including flat-spectrum sources (α ≥ −0.5), steep-spectrum sources (α < −0.5), and peaked-spectrum sources. We show that there is no clear correlation between spectral type and size, but there is a correlation between the high-frequency spectral index and both object type and size. We also show that, to avoid biasing the data and to understand the various classes of active galactic nuclei (AGN) involved, the complete range of spectral types should be included in studying the general phenomenology of compact jetted AGN, and that complete samples must be used, selected over a wide range of frequencies. We discuss examples that demonstrate these points. We find that the high-frequency spectral indices of CSO-2s span −1.3 < α hi < −0.3 and hence that radio spectral signatures cannot be used to discriminate definitively between CSO-2s, binary galactic nuclei, and millilensed objects, unless they have α hi > −0.3.

Cover Image:

Firs (Abies spp.) are keystone components of the boreal and temperate dark‐coniferous forests and this genus harbors a number of relict taxa. Wei et al. (pages 2664‐2682) reconstructed a transcriptomebased phylogeny and revealed the spatiotemporal evolution of global firs based on complete species sampling. Evolutionary and ecological analyses indicate that all extant firs underwent diversification in the Late Cenozoic, with the species richness distribution driven primarily by elevation and precipitation of the coldest quarter. Some morphological traits linked to elevational variation and cold tolerance may have contributed to the diversification of global firs. This work may inform forest management and species conservation in a warming world. The cover shows the dark blue cones of an alpine fir (Abies georgei var. smithii).

The Forced‐To‐Penetrate Myth Acceptance Scale (FTP‐MAS): A New Attitudinal Tool for Assessing Myths That Surround Female Perpetrated Sexual Violence Against Men

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to develop and validate a new measurement tool designed to capture endorsement of myths surrounding female perpetrated sexual violence against men, specifically in ‘forced‐to‐penetrate’ cases. Data were collected among a sample of 4152 UK adults aged 18–55+ (52% female). Dimensionality and construct validity of the Forced‐to‐Penetrate Myth Acceptance Scale (FTP‐MAS) was investigated using traditional Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) techniques separately for the complete sample, males only, and females only. CFA results indicated that FTP‐MAS scores are best captured by a three‐factor model (1. Distorted Sex and Gender Roles; 2. Harm Minimisation; 3. Offence Denial) across all samples tested. Excellent composite reliability and differential predictive validity were observed for all three subscales. The validated 22‐item FTP‐MAS constitutes the first measurement tool which allows for the assessment and evaluation of public attitudes towards female perpetrators who force men to penetrate them without consent. As such, this tool enables researchers to better understand the multi‐faceted nature of these myths, assess prevalence in different contexts, and can also be used as an outcome measure in research seeking to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions that aim to debunk endorsement of such myths and stereotypes.

Phylotranscriptomic and ecological analyses reveal the evolution and morphological adaptation of Abies.

Coniferous forests are under severe threat of the rapid anthropogenic climate warming. Abies (firs), the fourth-largest conifer genus, is a keystone component of the boreal and temperate dark-coniferous forests and harbors a remarkably large number of relict taxa. However, the uncertainty of the phylogenetic and biogeographic history of Abies significantly impedes our prediction of future dynamics and efficient conservation of firs. In this study, using 1,533 nuclear genes generated from transcriptome sequencing and a complete sampling of all widely recognized species, we have successfully reconstructed a robust phylogeny of global firs, in which four clades are strongly supported and all intersectional relationships are resolved, although phylogenetic discordance caused mainly by incomplete lineage sorting and hybridization was detected. Molecular dating and ancestral area reconstruction suggest a Northern Hemisphere high-latitude origin of Abies during the Late Cretaceous, but all extant firs diversified during the Miocene to the Pleistocene, and multiple continental and intercontinental dispersals took place in response to the late Neogene climate cooling and orogenic movements. Notably, four critically endangered firs endemic to subtropical mountains of China, including A. beshanzuensis, A. ziyuanensis, A. fanjingshanensis and A. yuanbaoshanensis from east to west, have different origins and evolutionary histories. Moreover, three hotspots of species richness, including western North America, central Japan, and the Hengduan Mountains, were identified in Abies. Elevation and precipitation, particularly precipitation of the coldest quarter, are the most significant environmental factors driving the global distribution pattern of fir species diversity. Some morphological traits are evolutionarily constrained, and those linked to elevational variation (e.g., purple cone) and cold resistance (e.g., pubescent branch and resinous bud) may have contributed to the diversification of global firs. Our study sheds new light on the spatiotemporal evolution of global firs, which will be of great help to forest management and species conservation in a warming world.

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH NURSE PERFORMANCE AT THE INPATIENT INSTALLATION OF THE SOUTH TANGERANG CITY GENERAL HOSPITAL IN 2023

The primary focus of health services is nurse performance since maintaining and enhancing the quality of health services requires assessment. A bridge to guaranteeing the caliber of services rendered to patients is good performance. The fact that performance statistics did not rise by 50% between 2013 and 2015—the target performance criterion is 70–80%—indicates that performance levels among Indonesian nurses are still very poor and have not significantly improved. Data on nurse performance at RSU Kota Tangerang Selatan for the years 2019 (82%), 2020 (85.4%), 2021 (74.3%), and 2022 (75.8%). It is well known that in 2021–2022, nurses' performance did not meet the 80% target. Finding the variables associated with nurses' performance at the South Tangerang City Public Hospital's inpatient installation in 2023 was the aim of this study. This study's methodology combined a cross-sectional study design with a quantitative approach. With 59 respondents overall, complete sampling was the sample strategy employed in this investigation. The data was analyzed using the chi-square test and SPSS software. Age, gender, education, and years of service did not correlate with nursing performance, according to the bivariate analysis (p-value 0.503; 0.481; 0.219; 0.814 &gt; 0.05). However, there was a correlation between nurse performance and the work environment (p-value 0.000 &lt; 0.05) and work discipline (p-value 0.008 &lt;0.05).

Impact of maternal anemia on neonatal outcomes

Background: Maternal anemia can have adverse neonatal outcomes like low birth weight, prematurity, lower APGAR scores, lower cord blood hemoglobin, and neonatal mortality. This study aims to estimate the association of maternal anemia with demographics and the outcomes of newborns. i.e. birthweight, gestational age, APGAR score, and cord blood hemoglobin. Methods: A cross-sectional study on 384 pregnant women and their newborns was done at Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Sitapur over 18 months. A complete blood count sample of the pregnant women followed by a cord blood hemoglobin sample of the newborn was collected. Neonates' gestational age, birth weight, length, and APGAR score were noted. Data analysis (descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, Pearson’s correlation) was done using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) software. P value &lt;0.05 was considered significant. Results: Working mothers had lower chances of being anemic (p&lt;0.00001) while mothers with vegetarian diets had higher chances of anemia (p&lt;0.00001). A significant association of maternal anemia was found with lower educational status (p=0.003), alcohol abuse (p=0.003), and smoking/tobacco abuse (p=0.021). Babies born to non-anemic mothers had higher birth weights than those born to anemic mothers (p&lt;0.0001) but maternal anemia did not significantly impact the gestational age outcome (p=0.404). A positive correlation was established between maternal and cord blood hemoglobin levels (r=0.230). Conclusions: Monitoring and addressing maternal hemoglobin levels are essential strategies for preventing anemia in the newborn and promoting healthy development in neonatal life.

Efficient Trans-Dimensional Bayesian Inversion of C-Response Data from Geomagnetic Observatory and Satellite Magnetic Data

To investigate deep Earth information, researchers often utilize geomagnetic observatories and satellite data to obtain the conversion function of geomagnetic sounding, C-response data, and employ traditional inversion techniques to reconstruct subsurface structures. However, the traditional gradient-based inversion produces geophysical models with artificial structure constraint enforced subjectively to guarantee a unique solution. This method typically requires the model parameterization knowledge a priori (e.g., based on personal preference) without uncertainty estimation. In this paper, we apply an efficient trans-dimensional (trans-D) Bayesian algorithm to invert C-response data from observatory and satellite geomagnetic data for the electrical conductivity structure of the Earth’s mantle, with the model parameterization treated as unknown and determined by the data. In trans-D Bayesian inversion, the posterior probability density (PPD) represents a complete inversion solution, based on which useful inversion inferences about the model can be made with the requirement of high-dimensional integration of PPD. This is realized by an efficient reversible-jump Markov-chain Monte Carlo (rjMcMC) sampling algorithm based on the birth/death scheme. Within the trans-D Bayesian algorithm, the model parameter is perturbated in the principal-component parameter space to minimize the effect of inter-parameter correlations and improve the sampling efficiency. A parallel tempering scheme is applied to guarantee the complete sampling of the multiple model space. Firstly, the trans-D Bayesian inversion is applied to invert C-response data from two synthetic models to examine the resolution of the model structure constrained by the data. Then, C-response data from geomagnetic satellites and observatories are inverted to recover the global averaged mantle conductivity structure and the local mantle structure with quantitative uncertainty estimation, which is consistent with the data.

Do Strong Bars Exhibit Strong Noncircular Motions?

Galactic bars induce characteristic motions deviating from pure circular rotation, known as noncircular motions. As bars are nonaxisymmetric structures, stronger bars are expected to show stronger noncircular motions. However, this has not yet been confirmed by observations. We use a bisymmetric model to account for the stellar kinematics of 14 barred galaxies obtained with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer and characterize the degree of bar-driven noncircular motions. For the first time, we find tight relations between the bar strength (bar ellipticity and torque parameter) and the degree of stellar noncircular motions. We also find that the bar strength is strongly associated with the stellar radial velocity driven by bars. Our results imply that stronger bars exhibit stronger noncircular motions. Noncircular motions beyond the bar are found to be weak, comprising less than 10% of the strength of the circular motions. We find that galaxies with a boxy/peanut (B/P) bulge exhibit a higher degree of noncircular motions and higher stellar radial velocity compared to galaxies without a B/P bulge, by 30% ∼ 50%. However, this effect could be attributed to the presence of strong bars in galaxies with a B/P feature in our sample, which would naturally result in higher radial motions, rather than to the B/P bulges themselves inducing stronger radial motions. More observational studies, utilizing both stellar and gaseous kinematics on statistically complete samples, along with numerical studies are necessary to draw a comprehensive view of the impact that B/P bulges have on bar-driven noncircular motions.

Optimal Constant-Stress Accelerated Life Tests for the Marshall-Olkin Extended Lindley Distribution under Complete Sampling

This study introduces an extended Lindley distribution utilizing a new family of Marshall-Olkin distributions, providing a more flexible framework for modeling lifetime data. The distribution is examined within the context of complete sampling for k-level constant stress accelerated life testing. A reliability analysis of the proposed model and a discussion on parameter estimation using maximum likelihood estimation are presented. Asymptotic confidence intervals for the parameters are derived through the Fisher information matrix. Bayesian estimation procedures and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach are also explored. Real data is analyzed to assess the model’s fit, followed by simulation studies to illustrate its performance. The paper concludes with a summary of findings and implications for future research.

Evidence-based approach for the generation of a multivariate logistic regression model that predicts instrument failure.

Identification of instrument failure (IF) represents a point to improve the quality of services provided by medical laboratories. Here, a logistic regression model was created to define the relationship between instrument downtime and laboratory quality management systems. Interval-level quality control (QC) and categorical quality assurance data from 3 identical chemistry analyzers was utilized to generate a logistic regression model able to predict IF. A case-control approach and the forward stepwise likelihood-ratio method was used to develop the logistic regression model. The model was tested using a case-control dataset and again using the complete sample. A total of 650 downtime events were identified. A total of 22,880 QC data points, 187 calibrations, 24 proficiency testing events, and 107 maintenance records were analyzed. The regression model was able to correctly predict 59.2% of no instrument downtime events and 69.2% of instrument downtime events using the case-control data. Using the entire data set, the sensitivity of the model was 69.2% and the specificity was 58.2%. A logistic regression model can predict instrument downtime nearly 70% of the time. This study acts as a proof of concept using a limited data set collected by the chemistry laboratory.

Enhancing news writing skills of grade 4 students through graphic organizer strategy

This study aims to enhance the news writing skills of Grade 4 pupils at Cateel Central Elementary School using a graphic organizer strategy. The respondents are selected through a complete enumeration sampling technique, with two sections serving as respondents. The Aiken's V coefficient method and Cronbach's alpha were employed to ensure the validity and reliability of the research instrument. The validation process yielded an impressive Aiken V coefficient of 0.75, indicating robust validity. Additionally, reliability testing resulted in Cronbach's alpha values of 0.78 and 0.86, signifying satisfactory reliability levels. The pre-test results indicated that the students did not meet the expectations set by the K to 12 grading system, with a grade percentage of 66.60. Post-test results, however, revealed a significant improvement in the student's performance, with a grade percentage of 88.33, indicating a very satisfactory level. The statistical analysis confirmed this difference as significant, demonstrating the effectiveness of the graphic organizer strategy in enhancing news writing skills among Grade 4 students. The significant improvement in students' news writing skills after the implementation of graphic organizers highlights the effectiveness of this pedagogical tool, suggesting its wider adoption in curricula and the need for further teacher training to maximize its benefits for enhancing academic performance.

Analysis and fully memristor-based reservoir computing for temporal data classification

Reservoir computing (RC) offers a neuromorphic framework that is particularly effective for processing spatiotemporal signals. Known for its temporal processing prowess, RC significantly lowers training costs compared to conventional recurrent neural networks. A key component in its hardware deployment is the ability to generate dynamic reservoir states. Our research introduces a novel dual-memory RC system, integrating a short-term memory via a WOx-based memristor, capable of achieving 16 distinct states encoded over 4 bits, and a long-term memory component using a TiOx-based memristor within the readout layer. We thoroughly examine both memristor types and leverage the RC system to process temporal data sets. The performance of the proposed RC system is validated through two benchmark tasks: isolated spoken digit recognition and with only a fraction of complete samples forecasting the Mackey-Glass (MG) time series prediction. The system delivered an impressive 98.84% accuracy in speech digit recognition and sustained a low normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of 0.036 in the time series prediction task, underscoring its capability. This study illuminates the adeptness of memristor-based RC systems in managing intricate temporal challenges, laying the groundwork for further innovations in neuromorphic computing.

Sociodemographic factors are related to hair sample collection in economically marginalized families.

Aim: Limited research has explored factors influencing participants' decisions to consent to and complete hair sample collection. This study examined the relationships of sociodemographics, perceived stress and coping with hair sample collection among children aged 3-5years and parents.Research design & methods: Data were analyzed from 188 parent-child dyads. Among these, 78% of parents provided consent to hair sample collection. Hair samples were collected from 81% children and 68% parents.Results: Parents who provided consent reported higher levels of stress and used more avoidant coping strategies compared with those who did not. Parents who provided a hair sample engaged in less problem-focused coping. Children who were girls, non-Hispanic and White had higher odds of completing hair sample collection. Additionally, children were more likely to complete hair sample collection if their parents were married, employed full-time, or had an annual family income of ≥$20,000. Pregnant women and full-time employed parents also had higher odds of completing hair sample collection.Conclusion: The study identified important sociodemographic factors that may influence hair sample collection in research. To improve participation, tailored approaches such as at-home self-collection, sensitive hair cutting approaches to maintain participants' hair style, and addressing participants' unique barriers are recommended.

Quantitative sampling by IR-MALDESI is not susceptible to tissue heterogeneity in a multi-organ model.

Quantitative mass spectrometry imaging (qMSI) provides the relative or absolute analyte quantities in a biological specimen in a spatially resolved manner. However, the chemical complexity and physical structure of biological specimens often require one to precisely account for matrix effects in qMSI platforms. Infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (IR-MALDESI) completely ablates a volume of cryosectioned tissue. This enables the use of a normalization standard that is sprayed underneath the tissue for qMSI applications. Complete sampling has shown to be a significant advantage for qMSI by IR-MALDESI; however, the impact of high tissue heterogeneity has not been systematically studied or quantified. The bias introduced by tissue heterogeneity was investigated by uniformly spraying standards beneath and on top of a whole-body zebrafish section. The quantitative relationship between the signals of the two standards was investigated across this multi-organ model to serve future qMSI experiments by IR-MALDESI and other laser ablation-based sampling methods. The overall ratio between the standards sprayed on top of and beneath the tissue sections remained constant across the entire whole-body section despite significant tissue heterogeneity (e.g., gills, heart, and liver). Additionally, we noted that thinner and/or sucrose-embedded tissues improved these ratios, which will inform future qMSI investigations.