Individual Selection Research Articles

How can we resocialize adolescents in rehabilitation schools in Malaysia? Islamic education and programs as an alternative approach

Resocialization is an important process for a juvenile, and it can be achieved through various means, one of which is religion. This article solely focuses on the resocialization of juveniles through the implementation of a religious approach. A case study design was used involving two rehabilitation schools housing male and female juveniles who have broken the law and whose ages range from 10 to 18. Two schools, each housing a different gender, were chosen to provide a more detailed understanding of the resocialization process. A total of 10 teachers and 15 juveniles were selected as respondents through the purposive sampling technique. This technique allows the selection of appropriate individuals based on the scope of the study. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews with all respondents. To support the interview data, observations at the research sites were also carried out. The findings revealed that the implementation of Islamic education and programs helps the resocialization process of juveniles in rehabilitation schools. On this basis, more attention should be paid to improving the quality of Islamic education and programs so that juvenile resocialization efforts continue to yield positive results. The resocialization process takes a long time, but it is worthwhile for it to continue to be implemented in an effort to change delinquent behavior.

Evaluation of genetic parameters of growth traits in G2 selected generation of Penaeus monodon

Fifteen whole sib families of the second-generation Penaeus monodon were constructed using artificial mating design in 2020. After labeling the families with fluorescent markers, the growth traits and genetic parameters were evaluated in a cement pond for 56 days. The results showed that the coefficient of variation of growth traits was 11.52-47.53%, indicating a high genetic variation. The heritability range of growth traits of the G2 population of P. monodon was 0.25±0.03-0.41±0.13, which belonged to medium and high heritability, and the statistical test results were significant (P<0.01). The heritability of body length and body weight were 0.38±0.11 and 0.41±0.13, respectively. The evaluation results of genetic correlation among growth traits were highly positive, and the statistical test results were significant (P<0.01). The genetic correlation between body weight and body length was the highest (0.99), and the genetic correlation between the width of the first carapace and the height of the first abdominal segment was the lowest (0.71). The phenotypic correlation between body weight and body length was the highest (0.93), and the lowest was head breastplate width and first abdominal segment height (0.53). These results showed that the G2 generation population of P. monodon has high genetic improvement potential, and the combination of family selection and individual selection achieved better genetic gain. The growth traits were highly positively correlated. Body length and body weight could be selected as the key traits for fast growth line selection, while the other growth traits could be indirectly selected through positive genetic correlation.

CURRENT PRACTICES OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OF TEACHERS IN FINNISH UNIVERSITIES

The work is devoted to the study of the issue of the peculiarities of the higher education system of Finland from the point of view of professional training of teaching staff in Finnish universities. It is noted that becoming a teacher in Finland is a very competitive process. It is shown that the concept of professional training of teachers in Finland is comprehensive and continuous, covering all stages of the teaching career. It is highlighted that there is no detailed “curriculum of teacher education” in Finnish universities, however, there are principles and general features that all universities follow in the field of education. It is also highlighted that Finnish universities offer opportunities for individual course selection, allowing students to adapt their studies to their interests and career goals. It is shown the main methods, on which current system of professional training of teaching staff in Finland is based. Our recommendations, which are important from our point of view to become the aspects for the implementation of the successful Finnish experience in training teaching staff in the activities of higher education institutions of Ukraine, are presented. Some results of the empirical research of the peculiarities of the training of teaching staff in the higher education system of Finland through the prism of the experience of students of Ivan Franko Lviv National University – participants of international academic mobility in the University of Turku and the University of Jyväskylä under the Erasmus+ program as well as the experience of students of the University of Turku and the University of Jyväskylä are also presented.

Evolution of intraspecific floral variation in a generalist-specialist pollination system.

Intraspecific processes impact macroevolutionary patterns through individual variation, selection, and ecological specialisation. According to the niche variation hypothesis, the broader ecological niche of gen- eralist species results in an increased morphological variation among individuals, either because they are constituted of diversified specialised individuals each exploiting a fraction of the species' niche, or because they are constituted of true generalist individuals that experience relaxed selection. To test this hypoth- esis, we surveyed the individual floral morphology of species of Antillean Gesneriaceae, a group that has transitioned between specialisation for hummingbird pollination and generalisation multiple times throughout its evolutionary history. We characterised the profiles of corollas using geometric morpho- metrics and compared the intraspecific shape variance of specialists and generalists in a phylogenetic context. We used three approaches that differently accounted for the high dimensionality of morphologi- cal traits, the ancestral reconstruction of pollination syndromes over time, and the error associated with the estimation of the intraspecific variance. Our findings provide partial support for the niche variation hypothesis. If considering the whole shape in the analysis corroborated this idea, decomposing the shape into principal components indicated that not all aspects of the corolla exhibit the same pattern of vari- ation. Specifically, pollination generalists tend to display greater intraspecific variation than specialists in terms of tubularity, but not of curvature. Accounting for the error in the variance estimation also reduced the support for the hypothesis, suggesting that larger sample sizes may be required to reach stronger conclusions. This study emphasises the reciprocal influence between plants and their pollinators on floral morphology at different biodiversity scales, and suggests that ecological strategies of species can affect patterns of morphological variation at macroevolutionary scales.

New pea variety ‘Antey’

The current paper has presented the characteristics of the new pea variety ‘Antey’ of Altai breeding according to the most important economically valuable and morphological characteristics. Breeding work to develop a variety at the FSBSI “Federal Altai Research Center of Agrobiotechnologies” began in 2003 from the moment of hybridization of the original parental forms. The variety ‘Antey’ was developed by individual selection from a hybrid combination (Varyag x Novosibirets) x Batrak. The species of the variety was ecaducum. On average, over the years of testing (2020–2022), the variety ‘Antey’ reliably differed from the standard variety ‘Batrak’ in terms of a set of breeding valuable traits. This variety has the most important economic and biological indicators, such as high productivity (2.75 t/ha), resistance to lodging (5 points), low susceptibility to diseases (4.5 points), high protein percentage (23.5 %). Based on phenological observations of pea crops, there have been identified some morphological features of this variety. The variety ‘Antey’ is a middle maturing one. The vegetation period lasts 70...75 days. The variety is determinate, plant height is 65 cm. The leafless type and compressed internodes of the new pea variety increase the resistance of shoots to lodging. The plants bear white flowers of medium size. Beans are shelled, straight. The number of seeds in a bean is 4–7. Our research has shown that over the course of three years in the Competitive Variety Testing, according to the above-mentioned traits, the variety ‘Antey’ significantly exceeds those of the standard variety ‘Batrak’, which made it possible to send this pea variety to the State Variety Testing in 2022. The variety ‘Antey’ is going to be tested in region 10 (West Siberian).

ИНТЕНСИВНОСТЬ МОРФОГЕНЕЗА РЕГЕНЕРАНТОВ КАРТОФЕЛЯ ПРИ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИИ ОСВЕЩЕНИЯ РАЗЛИЧНОГО СПЕКТРАЛЬНОГО СОСТАВА

The aim of research is to establish the optimal parameters of LED lighting for in vitro cultivation of meristem plants of different potato varieties in order to optimize the elements of the original potato seed production technology. Research was conducted in 2023 in the laboratory of agricultural plant biotechnology of the Samara Research Institute of Agriculture. The object of research was meristem plants of six potato varieties. The explants were grown on a Murashige-Skoog nutrient medium for 40 days using various sources of artificial LED lighting. The photoperiod duration was 16 hours, the air temperature was 22–24 °C, the relative humidity was 70–75 %. After 10, 20, 30 and 40 days of cultivation, the biometric para¬meters of the regenerants were measured – plant length and the number of internodes. When growing meristematic potato plants in vitro, lighting of different spectral composition had a positive effect on the growth and development of regenerants at different periods of their development. At the initial stages of vegetation, the maximum parameters of growth and development of regenerants were revealed when using white and combined lighting. By the end of the vegetation period, plants in the variant with red-violet spectrum lighting were characterized by a significantly higher length and number of internodes. A pronounced variety-specific response of meristematic plants to different lighting conditions was shown. During the entire exposure period, an increase in the share of the influence of the interaction of genotypic and environmental factors on the variability of plant length was noted. The interaction of factors was also decisive for the number of internodes in the first 30 days of vegetation. In the last decade of vegetation, the maximum contribution to the variability of the trait was made by the lighting factor. For practical use in ori¬ginal seed production of potatoes, individual selection of LED lighting parameters for each variety is recommended with a gradual increase in the red-violet spectrum after the tenth day of exposure.

The origins and drivers of sexual size dimorphism in sharks.

While sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is abundant in nature, there is huge variation in both the intensity and direction of SSD. SSD results from a combination of sexual selection for large male size, fecundity selection for large female size and ecological selection for either. In most vertebrates, it is variation in the intensity of male-male competition that primarily underlies variation in SSD. In this study, we test four hypotheses regarding the adaptive value of SSD in sharks-considering the potential for each of fecundity, sexual, ecological selection and reproductive mode as the primary driver of variation in SSD between species. We also estimate past macroevolutionary shifts in SSD direction/intensity through shark phylogeny. We were unable to find evidence of significant SSD in early sharks and hypothesise that SSD is a derived state in this clade, that has evolved independently of SSD observed in other vertebrates. Moreover, there is no significant relationship between SSD and fecundity, testes mass or oceanic depth in sharks. However, there is evidence to support previous speculation that reproductive mode is an important determinant of interspecific variation in SSD in sharks. This is significant as in most vertebrates sexual selection is thought to be the primary driver of SSD trends, with evidence for the role of fecundity selection in other clades being inconsistent at best. While the phylogenetic distribution of SSD among sharks is superficially similar to that observed in other vertebrate clades, the relative importance of selective pressures underlying its evolution appears to differ.

Optimization of filter structures by evolutionary strategies

The increasing pressure drop of filter media during the capture of solid particles is directly correlated to the energy consumption. It is largely based on the microstructure of the media, especially with regard to the selected porosity gradient. The development of new filter media optimized for separation efficiency and energy consumption is based mainly on experimental work. The use of evolutionary algorithms inspired by nature is of particular interest for the optimization of filter media, as a large number of non-linear influencing factors can be processed. However, a large number of simulations is required for successful application in order to reproduce the natural process of mutation and individual selection. Most numerical simulations of filtration properties are limited due to the high computing power required, making them unsuitable in this context. Therefore, a 1D simulation with low computing power requirements was used in this paper to simulate the loading of a filter medium with particles. This approach enabled the rapid calculation of the loading of different filter media structures, and was coupled with an evolutionary algorithm with the aim of optimizing the porosity gradient. The algorithm was tested on different particle size distributions, which represented different operating conditions. The porosity gradients of the optimized filters was in the form of an inverse square function, leading to a much more homogenous, microscopic loading with particles. Due to the significantly improved utilization of the filter depth compared to a reference medium, a much slower increase in pressure difference could be obtained with a similar filtration efficiency, resulting in increased quality factors of 30% and higher. The optimization of an operating point took about 24 hours on a standard desktop PC and could be extended to other structural parameters of the filter medium apart from the porosity gradient. This shows the potential for a broad application in the selection and optimization of filter media.

Prospects for the development of educational computer games in the context of the theory of the "state of flow" by M. Csikszentmihalyi

The subject of the study concerns one of the most significant problems of computer gamification of education – the question of criteria for the development and evaluation of educational computer games, including optimization of their game mechanics, game structure and forms of integration of players into their space, taking into account their specifics, goals and main educational purpose. The concept of "game flow", which originated in the gaming industry under the influence of the theory of the "state of flow" by M. Csikszentmihalyi, represents an original interpretation of the criteria of internal motivation of human activity and, as the goal of game design, assumes the achievement of the highest immersiveness of the game and the creation of space for the construction of meanings. The concept of game flow is widely used in modern trends in the development of educational games: the use of innovative game mechanics that complement and enrich the traditional and most common model of PBL gamification and allow achieving the greatest human involvement in the process of playing and learning is gaining great promise in them. The article uses a comprehensive methodological approach, including a descriptive method applied to various concepts of learning gamification and motivation theories, as well as a comparative and hermeneutic analysis of research on the development of educational computer games. The scientific novelty of the research is due to the correlation of the concept of game flow and the theory of the state of flow by M. Csikszentmihalyi with the main tasks of educational games and trends in their development. The conclusions of the article state that the development of virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies, 3D visualization, and the improvement of computer graphics open up new prospects for the use of computer games in education, including in the humanities. Despite the fact that the issue of determining the prospects for the development of computer learning games is solved in modern pedagogy by studying the mechanisms of formation of internal motivation and involvement in learning, the theory of the "state of flow" by M. Csikszentmihalyi is of great interest in this sense. Optimization of the game mechanics of modern educational computer games is aimed at personalization, creating a space of free choice for the player and involves individual selection of the level of difficulty of tasks. These and other characteristics of game design can significantly improve the effectiveness of training.

A hybrid feature selection model for identifying groups of critical elements in aero‐engine assembly

AbstractAero‐engine assembly has a wide range of indicators, and finding critical assembly elements to guide assembly and troubleshooting is essential in improving the reliability and safety of aero‐engine. In order to identify critical elements in aero‐engine assembly components, this study aims to establish a two‐stage hybrid feature selection model, namely, FSBP approach, which integrated filter method and particle swarm algorithm with Bayesian optimization. Specifically, individual filter feature selection methods are compared to select a relatively effective method to reduce the data dimensions and ensure the quality of the initial subset. Then, the particle swarm algorithm combined with Bayesian optimization obtains a subset of features in the second stage that are more suitable for predictive models with more robust classification prediction capability. The algorithm is successfully applied to real aero‐engine assembly and trial test datasets, and the experimental results show that our proposed two‐stage hybrid feature selection model outperforms other benchmark methods.

DEVELOPMENT OF TEST BENCH FOR EVALUATION OF RESISTANCE OF INTERNAL PROTECTIVE TUBING COATINGS TO INORGANIC SALT DEPOSITS

The formation of inorganic deposits on the working surface of oil and gas equipment is one of the most common causes of failures in oil and gas fields. Inorganic salt deposits formed in tubing reduce pipeline throughput capacity and lead to equipment failure. Thus, the problem of salt formation in tubing is relevant and requires the search for optimal methods to solve it. There are a large number of methods aimed at preventing the formation of inorganic scale and at removing the resulting scale from tubing. The methods of removal of scale from the tubing are expensive, time-consuming, and they require a shutdown at the oil production facility. Therefore, it is preferable to use methods for preventing salt formation in tubing pipes.One of the methods for preventing salt formation in oil production is the use of internal protective coatings of the NKT. It is important to understand that the use of coatings to prevent salt formation is not a universal method, individual selection of the protective coating is required for each object. In addition, at the moment, the effectiveness of the use of protective coatings as a measure to prevent salt formation in the tubing has not been fully proven. The selection of an effective internal coating (to prevent salt formation on the surface of the equipment) using pilot field tests is an expensive and long procedure, so it is necessary to develop a laboratory method and specialized testing equipment to solve this problem. This paper reviewed the existing test equipment to assess its potential for laboratory dynamic testing of tubing coatings under saline conditions. Based on the advantages and disadvantages of existing equipment, the «Stand for assessing the resistance of coatings to inorganic salt deposits» was developed. This article describes the development of the «Test Bench for Evaluation of Coating Resistance to Inorganic Salt Deposits,» which can be used to assess the possibility of using protective tubing coatings to prevent the formation of inorganic salt deposits on the inner surface of pipes.

The Impact of Group- and Single-Tree-Selection Cuttings on Runoff and Sediment Yield in Mixed Broadleaved Forests, Northern Iran

Silvicultural treatment and the forest harvesting operations using different methods can lead to an increase in the production of runoff and sediment by changing the canopy and soil surface where they are conducted. In order to investigate this issue, sampling plots were established in the Namkhaneh district of the Kheyrud forest with three replications for every treatment: control stand and tree harvesting systems using single-selection cuttings and group-selection cuttings. The amount of runoff and sediment was collected and estimated from precipitation over a period of one year. Also, some soil physical properties such as bulk density, penetration resistance, sand, silt, and clay content, soil moisture, and soil organic matter were measured. The results showed that tree harvesting systems has a significant effect on runoff, the runoff coefficient, and sediment but the season (growing season and fall) and the combined effect of tree harvesting systems and the season have no significant effect on the runoff coefficient and sediment. The mean runoffs of each rainfall event for the control, single-tree, and group-selection treatments were 5.67, 8.42, and 10.28 mm, respectively, and the sediment amounts were 3.42, 6.70, and 11.82 gr/m2, respectively. Furthermore, the total annual erosion amounts of the control, selection, and grouping treatments were 0.427, 0.838, and 2.178 t/ha, respectively. The bulk density, penetration resistance, and percentage of sand and silt were positively related and the percentages of clay and organic matter were negatively related with the amount of runoff and sediment. In the method of individual selection cuttings, the damage to the forest in terms of the amount of runoff and soil erosion was less than for the group-selection cuttings. Forest harvesting by the selection method (single-selection and group-selection) has caused different changes in the vegetation canopy. The final summary of our results could be the advice to predominantly use the single-selection method in high-slope stands.

Exploration of the Healthy Donor Effect Among 0.6 Million Blood Donors in China: Longitudinal Study.

The World Health Organization emphasizes the importance of completely voluntary blood donation to maintain safe and sustainable blood supplies. However, the benefits of blood donation for donors, such as reducing the risk of disease, remain a topic of debate due to the existence of the healthy donor effect (HDE). This effect arises because of inherent health differences between blood donors and the general population, and it is also considered a methodological issue. This study aims to generate a more detailed health profile of blood donors from a donor cohort study to mitigate and quantify the HDE and properly interpret the association between blood donation and disease outcomes among blood donors. A retrospective cohort study was conducted between January 2012 and December 2018 among donors before their first donation. One-to-one propensity score matching was conducted through a random selection of individuals without any history of blood donation, as reported from their electronic health records. We conducted a Poisson regression between blood donors and non-blood donors before the first donation to estimate the adjusted incidence rate ratio (AIRR) of selected blood donation-related diseases, as defined by 13 categories of International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes. Of the 0.6 million blood donors, 15,115 had an inpatient record before their first donation, whereas 17,356 non-blood donors had an inpatient record. For the comparison between blood donors and the matched non-blood donors, the HDE (the disease incidence rate ratio between non-blood donors and blood donors) was an AIRR of 1.152 (95% CI 1.127-1.178; P<.001). Among disease categories not recommended for blood donation in China, the strongest HDE was observed in the ICD-10 D50-D89 codes, which pertain to diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs as well as certain disorders involving the immune mechanism (AIRR 3.225, 95% CI 2.402-4.330; P<.001). After age stratification, we found that people who had their first blood donation between 46-55 years old had the strongest HDE (AIRR 1.816, 95% CI 1.707-1.932; P<.001). Both male and female donors had significant HDE (AIRR 1.082, 95% CI 1.05-1.116; P=.003; and AIRR 1.236, 95% CI 1.196-1.277; P<.001, respectively) compared with matched non-blood donors. : Our research findings suggest that the HDE is present among blood donors, particularly among female donors and those who first donated blood between the ages of 46 and 55 years. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2200055983; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=51760.

Bacteriophage specificity is impacted by interactions between bacteria.

There is significant natural diversity in how many different types of bacteria a bacteriophage can infect, but the mechanisms driving this diversity are unclear. This study uses a combination of mathematical modeling and an in vitro system consisting of Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, a T5-like generalist phage, and the specialist phage P22vir to highlight the connection between bacteriophage specificity and interactions between their potential microbial prey. Mathematical modeling suggests that competing bacteria tend to favor generalist bacteriophage, while bacteria that benefit each other tend to favor specialist bacteriophage. Experimental results support this general finding. The experiments also show that the optimal phage strategy is impacted by phage degradation and bacterial physiology. These findings enhance our understanding of how complex microbial communities shape selection on bacteriophage specificity, which may improve our ability to use phage to manage antibiotic-resistant microbial infections.

The cultural evolution of collective property rights for sustainable resource governance

With commons encompassing approximately 65% of Earth’s surface and vast tracts of the ocean, a critical challenge for sustainability involves establishing effective institutions for governing these common-pool resources (CPR). While examples of successful governance exist, the circumstances and mechanisms behind their development have often faded from historical records and memories. Drawing on ethnographic work, we introduce a generic evolutionary multigroup modelling framework that examines the emergence, stability and temporal dynamics of collective property rights. Our research reveals a fundamental insight: when intergroup conflicts over resources exist, establishing and enforcing ‘access rights’ becomes an essential prerequisite for evolving sustainable ‘use rights’. These access rights, in turn, enable cultural group selection and facilitate the evolution of sustainable use rights through the imitation of successful groups. Moreover, we identify four crucial aspects within these systems: (1) seizures in CPR systems create individual-level incentives to enforce use and access rights; (2) support for collective property rights is frequency dependent and prone to oscillations; (3) the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is a tipping point that alters the interplay between individual and group-level selection pressures; (4) success-biased social learning (imitation) of out-group members plays a vital role in spreading sustainable institutions and preventing the tragedy of the commons.

Genomic selection accelerates genetic improvement of resistance to Vibriosis in the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas

Due to lack of acquired immune system, the oysters cultured along coasts are subject to frequent pathogen threats, which leads to severe disease outbreaks around the world. It's well recognized that the selection breeding of aquatic animals can be accelerated via the harnessing of genomic tools to increase genetic gain and shorten the breeding time. In this work, we carried out genomic selection breeding in the Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) for genetic improvement of resistance to Vibriosis. The genome-wide variations were genotyped by ddRAD-seq from 295 oysters with contrasted resistance to Vibrio infection. Based on genome-wide SNPs, we performed an estimation of genomic heritability and prediction accuracy for resistance to Vibrio alginolyticus in C. gigas. The genomic heritability of resistance to V. alginolyticus was low to moderate, ranging from 0.1405 to 0.2730. Four genomic selection models including rrBLUP, Bayes A, Bayes B and Bayesian Lasso were evaluated, of which Bayes A showed superior prediction accuracy and computational speed. The genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) calculated by genomic selection model can effectively distinguish the resistance or susceptibility of oysters to Vibriosis. Selection of individuals with high GEBV as broodstock greatly improved the resistance to Vibriosis of their progeny, resulting in 18.42% increase in relative survival rate and 12.73% increase in relative survival time compared to the control population. For the first time, this work reported the efficiency of genomic selection breeding for genetic improvement for resistance trait to Vibriosis in the C. gigas, which would greatly accelerate the cultivation of Vibriosis resistant oyster strains to support the healthy and sustainable development of aquaculture.

Efficient Selection Methods in Evolutionary Algorithms

Evolutionary algorithms mimic some elements of the theory of evolution. The survival of individuals and the possibility of producing offspring play a huge role in the process of natural evolution. This process is called a natural selection. This mechanism is responsible for eliminating poor population members and gives the possibility of development for good ones. The evolutionary algorithm - an instance of evolution in the computer environment also requires a selection method, a computer version of natural selection. Widely used standard selection methods applied in evolutionary algorithms are usually derived from nature and prefer competition, randomness and some kind of ``fight'' among individuals. But computer environment is quite different from nature. Computer populations of individuals are usually small, they easily suffer from a premature convergence to local extremes. To avoid this drawback, computer selection methods must have different features than natural selection. In the computer selection methods randomness, fight and competition should be controlled or influenced to operate to the desired extent. Several new methods of individual selection are proposed in this work: several kinds of mixed selection, an interval selection and a taboo selection. Also advantages of passing them into the evolutionary algorithm are shown, using examples based on searching for the maximum α-clique problem and traditional TSP in comparison with traditionally considered as very efficient tournament selection, considered ineffective proportional (roulette) selection and similar classical methods.

Orthopaedic Personal Statement Thematic Review: Does Topic Matter?

In the process of applying into medical residency, the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) requires critical documents including a personal statement. Utility of personal statements are questioned based on suspected congruity of the content within personal statements among those who apply into orthopaedic surgery. The goal of this study was to identify and categorize the thematic elements found within the 2021 to 2022 personal statements of orthopaedic surgery applicants at a single institution and assess a correlation to interview invitation. Deidentified personal statements among 2021 to 2022 ERAS applicants were reviewed by the research staff and categorized into one of the proposed themes. Three hundred ninty-four applications passed initial screening filters, and 49 applicants were granted an interview. Proposed themes that were collected included: family of physician, working with hands, history of injury/disease, prior professional setting, immigration/travel, athlete/sports, reapplication, previous clinical experience, and other. χ2 test was used to analyze categorical themes and additional univariate group-to-group comparisons. Multivariate principal component analysis was performed to determine which themes were associated with interview invitation. There was a significant difference in theme selection for an applicant's personal statement (χ2 = 209.5, p < 0.001), but no statistical difference was observed between each individual categorical themes and interview selection. Univariate group-to-group comparison demonstrated greater interview rates between immigration/travel compared with reapplicant and family of physician compared with working with hands. Multivariate principal component analysis demonstrated immigration/travel as the theme with a positive correlation toward an interview invitation. Despite a significant focus of the application process into orthopaedic surgery residencies, our single-institution study did observe specific themes that were more prevalent. There was an increased interview rate between applicant's themes for immigration/travel and family of physician when comparing groups. Immigration/travel was also identified as the only significant theme associated with interview invitation which may be due to the recent emphasis on promoting diversity within orthopaedic surgery.

United States Consumers’ Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Environmental Practices in a Retail Floral Provider’s Business Model

Research suggests consumers are willing to pay a premium for goods from industries that design products using environmentally sound practices and that these practices lead to customer loyalty. Using environmentally friendly practices can differentiate a business from competitors through branding, which has been known to help increase profit margins and stimulate demand in a saturated market. The main purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of consumer perceptions and willingness to pay as they relate to retail floral providers’ sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. A total of 2172 people responded to an online survey. The sample used in this study was a random selection of individuals 18 years and older living in the United States. Survey responses were collected from 21 Dec 2022 to 27 Jan 2023. Respondents indicated the use of locally sourced flowers followed by the recycling of flower waste through composting as the two sustainable attributes that would increase their willingness to make purchases the most. Respondents indicated the strongest willingness to pay 10% or more for locally sourced flowers (61.7%), followed by flower providers composting their floral waste (59.5%). In addition, 50% or more of all respondents indicated a willingness to pay 10% or more for all the sustainable attributes for which they were asked. The methods in which retail floral providers source floral material, create floral designs, and market and brand their company are important considerations when promoting their services toward environmentally conscious consumers and in creating a valuable repeat customer base.

Demographic Differences in United States Consumers’ Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Environmental Practices in the Floral Industry

Consumers have become increasingly concerned about the environmental standards of industries from which they purchase products. Because consumers’ environmental concerns are increasingly becoming part of their purchasing decisions, industries have begun to restructure their business model to one that is more environmentally sustainable. Studies have indicated consumers’ actions and motivations for purchasing sustainable products vary based on consumer demographics. The main purpose of this study was to compare the differences in consumers’ perceptions and willingness to pay as they relate to retail floral providers’ sustainable and environmentally sound practices based on demographic traits. A total of 2172 people responded to an online survey. The sample used in this study was a random selection of individuals 18 years of age or older living in the United States. Survey responses were collected from 21 Dec 2022 to 27 Jan 2023. Data were analyzed using analyses of variance and post hoc tests as well as descriptive and frequency statistics. Results indicated there was a difference in the way respondents answered the survey questions based on demographics. Respondents 34 years of age or younger with college experience indicated the most willingness to make purchases and pay premiums from floral providers that incorporate sustainable attributes into their business model. Males indicated a stronger willingness to shop at a floral provider based on several of the environmental statements when compared with other genders. The results provide evidence of the value of the integration of sustainability practices into the business model of floral providers to make it more competitive.