Highest Beta Coefficient Research Articles

The Impact of Digital Marketing, Product Quality, and Customer Relationship Management on Online Shop Consumer Loyalty

This study seeks to explore the effects of digital marketing, product quality, and customer relationship management (CRM) on consumer loyalty within the context of online retail. Employing a quantitative approach, the study conducted a survey among 91 respondents, comprising 34 males and 56 females. Data collection instruments utilized a Likert scale with 29 items designed to measure respondents' perceptions of the study variables. Regression analysis results indicate that collectively, digital marketing, product quality, and CRM explain 49.3% of the variation in consumer loyalty. Specifically, CRM emerges as significantly influential with the highest beta coefficient (0.438) and low statistical significance (p = 0.000), while digital marketing and product quality show less significant impacts With p-values of 0.296 and 0.127, respectively, these results highlight the critical role of effective customer relationship management strategies in fostering consumer loyalty in online commerce. They also indicate the necessity for strategic enhancements in digital marketing and product quality to optimize their influence. This research contributes to the comprehension of the dynamics affecting consumer behavior in the digital age.

Validating the Delone and Mclean’s model in a developing country’s infectious disease pandemic context.

BackgroundThis study aimed at validating the updated DeLone and McLean’s information systems success model (D&MISS) in a developing country’s infectious disease pandemic preparedness and response context. The findings from this study are relevant to inform policies and actions for enhancing developing countries’ the Health Information System’s (HIS) performance, and specifically to improve their future pandemic readiness and response. The study sought to respond to a key research question: to what extent can the D&MISS model provide evidence to enhance the HIS’s infectious disease pandemic readiness and response in developing countries?MethodA cross-sectional study design that involved a multi-stage probability sampling approach to select eligible healthcare workers was applied. Conducted in Nigeria and Liberia, 576 primary healthcare workers, out of the proposed 600, participated, representing a response rate of 96%. The D&MISS model served as the theoretical underpinning for this study, and nine hypothesized relationships were stated before the study based on the interconnectedness of the model’s six dimensions. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) data analysis using the Partial Least Square approach was used to determine if hypothesized relationships were supported.Results70% of the observed variance in the Net Benefit construct was explained by the predictive influence of the Use and User Satisfaction constructs. The Use construct had a slightly more substantial predictive influence than the User Satisfaction construct. Eight of the nine hypothesized relationships were supported, except for the relationship between Information Quality and Use. The relationships between System Quality and Use and User Satisfaction and Net Benefit had the highest beta coefficient, statistically significant at p < 0.05.Conclusion and relevanceThe D&MISS model demonstrated its relevance in providing evidence on the gaps of the HISs regarding future pandemic preparedness and response. However, from a future research opportunity, its enhancement and modifications with context-specific dimensions peculiar to developing countries will improve its ability to provide more context-specific evidence to improve pandemic preparedness and response for developing countries.

Enhancing Sustainable Finance through Green Hydrogen Equity Investments: A Multifaceted Risk-Return Analysis

Amidst the global push for decarbonization, green hydrogen has gained recognition as a versatile and clean energy carrier, prompting the financial sector to introduce specialized investment instruments like Green Hydrogen Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). Despite the nascent nature of research on green hydrogen portfolio performance, this study examines two key green hydrogen ETFs (i.e., HJEN and HDRO) from April 2021–May 2023, aiming at conducting a multifaceted exploration of their performance, isolating and measuring their sensitivity to the primary market factor, and assessing the capabilities of systematic trading strategies to preserve capital and minimize losses during market downturns. The results spotlight lower returns and higher risks in green hydrogen investments compared to conventional equity (proxied by ETFs offering exposure to developed markets—EFA and emerging markets—EEM) and green energy portfolios (proxied by the ETF ICLN). To comprehensively evaluate performance, an array of risk-adjusted metrics, including Std Sharpe, ES Sharpe, VaR Sharpe, Information ratio, Sortino ratio, Treynor ratio, and various downside risk metrics (historical VaR, modified VaR, Expected Shortfall, loss deviation, downside deviation, and maximum drawdown) are employed, offering a nuanced understanding of the investment landscape. Moreover, single-factor models highlight significant systematic market risk, reflected in notably high beta coefficients, negative alphas, and active premia, underscoring the sensitivity of green hydrogen investments to market fluctuations. Despite these challenges, a silver lining emerges as the study demonstrates the efficacy of implementing straightforward Dual Moving Average Crossover (DMAC) trading strategies. These strategies significantly enhance the risk-return profile of green hydrogen portfolios, offering investors a pathway to align financial and social objectives within their equity portfolios. This research is motivated by the need to provide market players, policymakers, and stakeholders with valuable insights into the benefits and risks associated with green hydrogen investment, considering its potential to reshape the global energy landscape.

Impact of Country Image on Visit Intention with Mediating Role of Purchase Intention and Moderating Role of Personality Type

The study aims to investigate the influence of Country Image (CI) on Visit Intention (VI), with a focus on the mediating role of Purchase Intention (PI) and moderating role of personality types. To accomplish this, a quantitative research approach was employed to contribute to the existing body of knowledge. Cross-sectional data was collected, utilizing an explanatory research approach. The target population consisted of individuals residing in Pakistan who use mobile phones made in China. Purposive sampling was employed to gather data, with an initial distribution of 25 questionnaires for pre-testing, followed by the distribution of 330 questionnaires. Ultimately, 299 completed and valid responses were obtained for analysis, addressing various research questions related to demographic profiles and constructs assessing CI, PI, and VI, to explore their relationships. The analysis reveals significant indirect effects for three critical variables: Country Image (CGPS), Economic Work (Eco Work), and Environment Labor Work Condition (ELW). The results demonstrate that these variables exert a noteworthy influence on Visit Intention through the mediating factor of Purchase Intention. Lastly, the results observed the moderating effect of personality types on observed variables. The strength of these indirect effects is substantiated by high beta coefficients and statistically significant t-statistics.

MLR index-based principal component analysis to investigate and monitor probable sources of groundwater pollution and quality in coastal areas: a case study in East India.

Identifying groundwater contamination sources and supervising groundwater quality conditions are urgently needed to protect the groundwater resources of coastal areas like Contai of India, as communities here are heavily relying on groundwater which deteriorates progressively. So current research aims to address in detail about origins and influencing factors of groundwater contamination, status, and monitoring water quality by employing extremely useful leading technologies like principal component and factor analyses (PCA/FA), groundwater quality index (GWQI), and multiple linear regression (MLR) that helps to simplify complicated works instead of the conventional methods. Eight groundwater quality parameters were evaluated here, such as pH, TH (total hardness), Tur (turbidity), EC (electrical conductivity), TDS (total dissolved solids), Mn (manganese), Fe (iron), and Cl (chloride) for 38 sites. Three principal components with ~ 81% of the total variance were extracted from the PCA/FA analysis. The origin of maximum loadings of each factor is identified as a result of saline water, disintegration and leaching process, organic or else biogenic activities, and lithogenic or otherwise non-lithogenic links through percolating water. GWQI results show that ~ 87% of the samples fall into the good category and ~ 13% of the samples fall into the poor to very poor category. A model consisting of Tur, Fe, EC, Mn, TH, and Cl as independent parameters is more feasible and is proposed to predict GWQI obtained from MLR analysis. This MLR model also suggests that turbidity with the highest beta coefficient (0.820) is a key contributor relative to the entire groundwater class in this affected area. The findings relating to this research may support the designer and officials in monitoring and protecting coastal groundwater resources like selected areas.

Abstract 079: Multi-omics Analyses Identify Galectin-1 As A Potential Novel Mediator Of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction In Mice And Humans

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a clinical syndrome where patients present with symptoms of volume overload despite having a normal systolic function. HFpEF is associated with elevation of inflammatory biomarkers, but the precise pathways leading to cardiac dysfunction is not known. In a deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt model of hypertension and HFpEF, we performed CITE-Seq analysis on total leukocytes isolated from the heart, which revealed significant differential gene expression primarily in the myeloid population. We took the top 20 genes that were differentially expressed between myeloid cells from DOCA-salt vs sham treated mice and performed a genetic analysis called PrediXcan in Vanderbilt’s DNA databank, BioVU. Of these, the gene encoding galectin 1, Lgals1 , had the lowest p-value (0.02) and highest beta coefficient (0.32) corresponding to an odds ratio for HFpEF of 1.38. The role of galectin-1 in heart failure is unknown. We hypothesized that Lgals1 exacerbates HFpEF. We found that siRNA knockdown of Lgals1 in bone marrow derived macrophages stimulated with lipoprotein saccharide and IFNγ; expressed significantly more inflammatory genes including IL-1α; (p&lt;0.0001), IL-6 (p=0.0219), iNOS (p=0.043), and TNF-α; (p=0.0031) using a 2-way ANOVA followed by Sidak’s multiple comparison test. Next, we explored the role of Lgals1 in the pathophysiology of HFpEF using Lgals1-/- mice. Surprisingly, Lgals1-/- mice did not show a significant difference in HFpEF phenotype (blood pressure, exercise tolerance, echocardiography, heart weight, or pulmonary congestion) after DOCA-salt treatment compared to littermate Lgals1+/+ controls in either males or females (p &gt; 0.05 using Student’s t-test, n=10-12). One hypothesis for this negative result is that Lgals1 is ubiquitously expressed, and a total body knockout may have compensatory mechanisms. We subsequently created Lgals1 floxed mice and ongoing studies will determine the effect of macrophage specific deletion of galectin-1 on HFpEF. In conclusion, while multi-omics approaches in mice and humans identify galectin-1 as a novel mediator of HFpEF, further studies are needed to determine its role as a potential therapeutic target.

Multi-omics Analyses Identify Galectin-1 as a Potential Novel Mediator of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction in Mice and Humans

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a clinical syndrome where patients present with symptoms of volume overload despite having a normal systolic function. HFpEF is associated with elevation of inflammatory biomarkers, but the precise pathways leading to cardiac dysfunction is not known. In a deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt model of hypertension and HFpEF, we performed CITE-Seq analysis on total leukocytes isolated from the heart, which revealed significant differential gene expression primarily in the myeloid population. We then took the top 20 genes that were differentially expressed between myeloid cells from DOCA-salt vs sham treated mice and performed a genetic analysis called PrediXcan in Vanderbilt’s DNA databank, BioVU. Genetically predicted expression of two genes were associated with a HFpEF phenotype in humans. Of these, the gene encoding galectin 1, Lgals1, had the lowest p-value (0.02) and highest beta coefficient (0.32) corresponding to an odds ratio for HFpEF of 1.38. The role of galectin-1 in heart failure is unknown, we hypothesized that overexpression of Lgals1 exacerbates HFpEF. We found that siRNA knockdown of Lgals1 in bone marrow derived macrophages stimulated with lipoprotein saccharide and IFNγ, they expressed significantly more inflammatory genes such as IL-1α (p&lt;0.0001), IL-6 (p=0.0219), iNOS (p=0.043), and TNFα (p=0.0031) using a 2-way ANOVA followed by Sidak’s multiple comparison test. Next, we explored the role of Lgals1 in the pathophysiology of HFpEF using Lgals1-/- mice. Surprisingly, despite both in vitro and in vivo data supporting a role of galectin-1 in HFpEF, Lgals1-/- mice did not show a significant difference in HFpEF phenotype (blood pressure, exercise tolerance, echocardiography, heart weight, or pulmonary congestion) after DOCA-salt treatment compared to littermate Lgals1+/+ controls in either males or females (p &gt; 0.05 using Student’s t-test for all parameters measured, n=10-12). One hypothesis for this negative result is that Lgals1 is ubiquitously expressed, and a total body knockout may have compensatory mechanisms. We therefore created Lgals1 floxed mice and future studies will determine the effect of macrophage specific deletion of galectin-1 on HFpEF. In conclusion, while multi-omics approaches in mice and humans identify galectin-1 as a novel mediator of HFpEF, further studies in mice are needed to confirm its roles as a potential therapeutic target. 1R01HL161212-01A1, 19EIA34480023,,19IPLOI34760558, and 1T32HL144446-01 This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

The factors affecting tourism mobile apps usage

The purpose of this study is to determine the key factors affecting the behaviour of using tourism mobile apps. Contrary to previous studies, the present paper highlights the key factors by evaluating the perceived advantages and technological self-efficacy together. So as to evaluate overall measurement quality and test the hypothesised relationships, a two-step approach was applied. In the first step, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to test the validity of the measurement scales. Then, the dataset was analysed using the PLS-SEM method to test the proposed hypotheses. Data were collected from 213 adult participants through an online survey. The study revealed that time-saving is a key determinant of tourism mobile apps usage with the highest beta coefficient (0.335, p&lt;0.01). The effects of convenience (0.293) and technological self-efficacy (0.201) were also significant and positive. However, the perceived financial advantage does not have a significant effect on the behaviour of tourism mobile apps usage. Given the growing value and market potential of mobile applications, this research provides crucial empirical evidence for application developers and tourism researchers about the use of mobile applications for the tourism industry.

The effect of auditor rotation, fee, tenure and professional skepticism on audit quality

This study aimed to analyze the effect of auditor rotation, audit fees, audit tenure, and professional skepticism on audit quality. The data collection method was carried out on 370 auditors who worked at the big 10 public accounting firms (KAP). The research data was in the form of a Likert scale questionnaire which was collected and analyzed using SPSS for windows ver. 22. The results of this study indicated that each independent variable had a simultaneous effect on audit quality. The auditor rotation variable significantly affected audit quality with an antagonistic relationship direction, so the first hypothesis was accepted. The audit fee variable had no significant effect on audit quality. The audit tenure variable had no significant effect on audit quality. The professional skepticism variable had a significant effect on audit quality. The professional skepticism variable had the highest beta coefficient among other variables, so the professional skepticism variable had the strongest and simultaneous effect on audit quality.

PENGARUH MOTIF HEDONIS DAN PROMOSI DI MEDIA SOSIAL TERHADAP PEMBELIAN IMPULSIF

The objective of this research is to identify the effect of hedonic motivation and social media promotion on the impulsive buying of Shopee users. This study is categorized as explanatory research that is used to develop and validate causal relationship between variables through hypothesis testing. The samples were selected using non-probability sampling method and purposive sampling technique with the criteria of individuals with the minimum age of seventeen years who live in Malang city and use Shopee application, resulting in 120 respondents. The data of this research was harvested from Likert-scaled questionnaires, which were assessed using validity and reliability testing, and was analyzed in SPSS 25. The hypotheses were examined using t test. This study finds that hedonic motivation and social media promotion simultaneously and partially have significant effects on impulsive buying. Furthermore, hedonic motivation has the most dominant effect since it has the highest beta coefficient and t-score. The findings imply that Shopee can increase their sales by conducting social media promotion.

Abstract P025: Cite-seq And Predixcan Analyses Identify Galectin-1 As A Potential Novel Mediator Of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction In Mice And Humans

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a clinical syndrome where patients, despite having a normal left ventricular systolic function, present with symptoms of volume overload. Recent data have shown that HFpEF is associated with elevation of inflammatory biomarkers. In a well-known rodent hypertensive model (DOCA-salt), we isolated CD45+ leukocytes from the heart and then performed CITE-Seq, a novel technique to obtain transcriptomic and surface marker expression on single cells, on a total of 4,359 and 7,600 cells from four sham and four DOCA-salt left ventricles, respectively. Analysis showed significant differential gene expression in the myeloid (macrophage/monocytic) population. We then took the top 20 genes that were differentially expressed between DOCA-salt vs sham treated myeloid cells and performed a genetic analysis called PrediXcan in Vanderbilt’s DNA databank, BioVU. Our analysis used gene expression prediction models built from the GTEx Project and tested its association with the HFpEF phenotype, which was derived on ICD-9 and 10 codes and natural language programming. From BioVU, 88,660 subjects were included in the association analysis. Of the 20 genes, 8 did not meet prediction model criteria for PrediXcan. In the remaining 12 genes, genetically predicted expression of only 2 ( Lgals1 and Ctsl ) are associated with a HFpEF phenotype. Of these, the gene encoding galectin 1, Lgals1 , had the lowest p-value (0.02) and highest beta coefficient (0.32) corresponding to an odds ratio for HFpEF of 1.38. Galectin-1 is a well known mediator of inflammation resolution in infection and tumor biology, however its role in heart failure is unknown. We are currently exploring the role of galectin-1 in the pathophysiology of HFpEF through Lgals1 -/- and LysM-Cre x Lgals1 fl/fl mice. In conclusion, using two different approaches in mice and humans, we identified galectin-1 as a new potential mediator in HFpEF development.

Relationship Between Inflammation and Radiographic Progression in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis Attaining a BASDAI of Less Than 4 During Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor Treatment.

To determine the relationship between inflammation and radiographic progression over time in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) attaining a Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) of < 4 during tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) treatment. Medical records data of patients with AS with BASDAI scores of < 4 during TNFi treatment were analyzed at 6-month intervals from January 2001 to December 2018. To determine the relationship between the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score (mSASSS) and C-reactive protein (CRP) over time, we fitted linear mixed models with mSASSS as the response variable, baseline mSASSS and the cumulative sum of CRP with different lag times (6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months) as fixed effects, and patients as random effects. Associations between mSASSS and the cumulative sum of CRP, or the lag times with the highest beta coefficients, were further investigated with linear mixed models that included additional clinical variables. A total of 2956 intervals were obtained from 333 patients. Among different lag times, the cumulative sum of log CRP in the previous 18 to 36 months associated with mSASSS showed significant beta coefficients. In the final linear mixed model, the cumulative sum of log CRP in the previous 24 months was significantly associated with mSASSS at 24 months (β 0.04, 95% CI 0.01-0.07, P = 0.004). Remnant inflammation correlates with radiographic progression, even in patients attaining a BASDAI of < 4 during TNFi treatment. CRP is a surrogate marker for radiographic progression despite clinical improvement with TNFi treatment.

Health literacy and medication adherence in psoriasis patients: a survey in Iran

BackgroundMedication adherence among Psoriasis patients is often inadequate identified as a significant problem in Psoriasis symptoms management. Poor medication adherence could necessitate stronger and more expensive medications, which could place a significant burden on the healthcare system. Moreover, the importance of health literacy assessment as a factor influencing adherence in psoriasis patients cannot be overstated. This study aimed to evaluate the medication adherence level of Iranian Psoriasis patients and its relationship with the patients’ health literacy level and demographic conditions.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study among Iranian psoriasis patients conducted through a web-based questionnaire survey between 26 July 2020 and 5 January 2021 and a total of 575 samples were collected. The questionnaire consisted of 3 sections: First, demographic information and disease characteristics were evaluated. Second, the medication adherence was evaluated by using valid Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 (MMAS-8), and, finally, the health literacy was evaluated by using Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA). Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 22 with descriptive statistics; Chi-square and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Stepwise multiple linear regression was also used to evaluate the impact of independent variables related on medication adherence score.ResultsResults showed that the mean health literacy score in the study population was 74.3 ± 14.23, and the mean medication adherence score was 4.1 ± 2.18. Out of the total participants, 28.8% had high health literacy, 67.1% had adequate health literacy, and 4% had inadequate health literacy. The majority of the participants (70.7%) reported low adherence, while 24.1% reported moderate and 5.2% reported high adherence. The results of the Chi-square test showed a significant relationship between age, comorbidities, type of treatment, satisfaction with treatment, the experience of adverse effects, and health literacy with medication adherence (P < 0.05 for all). The final constructed model of stepwise multiple linear regression was highly statistically significant. The highest beta coefficient in the final model belonged to the total health literacy score.Conclusions.Based on the results, medication adherence among Iranian psoriasis patients is low. Health literacy correlates most strongly with medication adherence and is the best variable to determine it. Improving the access to the internet and the ICTs to enhance the patients` health literacy along with developing the patient education approaches and techniques should be considered by health policymakers.

Influence of Professional Commitment and Organizational Climate on the Work Engagement of Employees in the Department of Education

The main purpose of this study was to determine whether work engagement mediates the relationship between professional commitment and organizational climate. The study employed a quantitative, non-experimental design using a correlational technique. The respondents were the public school non-teaching personnel of the Davao de Oro Division. Mean, Pearson-r, and Regression Analysis were used to determine the study's findings. Moreover, adapted survey questionnaires were used for professional commitment, organizational climate, and work engagement. Results revealed that the level of professional commitment is very high, the level of organizational climate is very high, and the level of work engagement among non-teaching personnel is very high. Further, there were significant relationships between professional commitment and work engagement and between organizational climate and work engagement. In its singular capacity, among professional commitment and organizational climate, organizational climate best influences the work engagement having the highest beta coefficient. However, professional commitment can also influence the working competence but with the support of other variables.

PENGARUH DESAIN KEMASAN, VARIASI PRODUK, DAN KUALITAS PRODUK TERHADAP MINAT BELI KONSUMEN

Business competition in the food and beverage industry is not easy and is getting tougher. Competition makes consumers have a variety of choices and are more selective in choosing the products to buy. The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of packaging design, product variation, and product quality on the intention of consumers to purchase Bluder Cokro products. This research is categorized as explanatory study since it explains the causal relationship between variables through hypothesis testing. The sample of this research was selected using purposive sampling method and non-probability sampling technique. With the criteria of people with the minimum age of eighteen years who live in East Java and are interested in the products of Bluder Cokro, 120 respondents were acquired. The data was harvested through Likert-scaled questionnaires and tested using validity and reliability tests. The hypotheses were tested using t test, and the data analysis was performed in SPSS 21. This study finds that packaging design, product variation, and product quality significantly influence purchase intention both partially and simultaneously. Furthermore, product variation is the most dominant factor as it has the highest beta coefficient and t statistics values. Bluder Cokro has been successful in making prospective customers buy their products over the products of other brands.

Relationships of accelerometer-based measured objective physical activity and sedentary behaviour with cognitive function: a comparative cross-sectional study of China\u2019s elderly population

BackgroundThis study explored the effects of physical activity and sedentary behaviour on the decline of cognitive ability among the elderly. To compensate for the limitations of self-reported physical activity, objective measures were used.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 308 aged people mean 68.66 ± 5.377 years, in Nanjing, China, was conducted. Physical activity was measured using the ActiGraph GT3X+, and cognitive function was measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.ResultsThe overall participant model, adjusted for age, BMI, education, and monthly average income, found that light physical activity (β = 0.006, p < 0.01), moderate-vigorous physical activity (β = 0.068, p < 0.001), and total physical activity (β = 0.006, p < 0.01) had a significant linear relationship with cognitive ability, while sedentary time did not (β = − 0.020, p>0.05). Further, light physical activity only affects the cognitive ability of elderly females (β = 0.006, p < 0.05). There was an inverted ‘U’ association between moderate-vigorous physical activity and cognitive ability. The association models found that moderate-vigorous physical activity in the 22.13 min·day− 1~38.79 min·day− 1 range affected cognitive ability most beneficially, with the highest beta coefficient among all groups (β = 0.091, p < 0.05).ConclusionsWhile physical activity can significantly improve cognitive ability among the elderly, sedentary behaviour is associated with decreased cognitive function across genders.

Identification of late-blooming almond (Prunus dulcis L.) genotypes with high kernel quality

Almond (Prunus dulcis L.) is one of the most important nut crops in the world. The present study was carried out to select the late-blooming almond genotypes with high kernel quantity and quality. In the first step, pre-selection was done based on blooming time among a large number of almond seedling trees. Early and middle blooming genotypes were eliminated and finally, 76 genotypes were selected. Then, in the second step, late-blooming trees were evaluated based on vegetative and fruit traits to identify the superior genotypes. The selected late-blooming genotypes showed significant morphological and pomological differences (P < 0.05). Nut weight ranged from 2.03 to 7.68 g with an average of 4.22. Kernel weight ranged from 1.20 to 2.31 g with an average of 1.52 g. Nut weight and kernel weight with high standardized beta coefficients showed positive and significant associations with kernel percentage and therefore they had a great impact on this key character and should be considered in breeding programs. Considering the ideal values of the important and commercial traits of almond, 14 genotypes were superior and thus they could be cultivated in orchards and/or to be used as a parent for crosses to create suitable populations or to improve blooming time, kernel quality, and nutritional values of almond cultivars.

Isokinetic predictors of gait speed increase following high-intensity resistance training of the ankle dorsiflexors in people with multiple sclerosis: A pilot study

BackgroundMaximal strength is a predictor of functional capacity for people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), who frequently exhibit unilateral weakness of the ankle dorsiflexors. Aims of this study were to investigate the relationships between dorsiflexors' weakness and gait speed, the effects of high-intensity training of the affected dorsiflexors on gait performance and to identify isokinetic predictors of changes in gait speed in PwMs. MethodsTwenty patients aged 45 (10.3) years, illness duration 14.9 (8.5) years, median EDSS 3, underwent isokinetic dorsiflexors' strength testing at 10°/s and 45°/s angular velocities and gait analysis before and after a 6-week training of dorsiflexors. Pre-to-post differences in strength and gait parameters were analyzed by paired t-test; association between gait speed and isokinetic parameters was tested through correlation and regression analyses. FindingsDorsiflexors' strength (peak moment at 10°/s: +14.9%, p = 0.02; at 45°/s: +21.7%, p = 0.03) and gait parameters (speed: +9.6%; p = 0.004; stride time: −5.7%; p = 0.01; cadence: +6.2%; p = 0.001; ankle power: +27.5%, p = 0.003) increased significantly. Of the thirteen isokinetic descriptors of strength, only peak moment, maximal and total work significantly correlated with gait speed increase. Regression analyses revealed high beta coefficients only for maximal work (10°/s: B = −6.528; beta = −1.825; p = 0.008; 45°/s: B = −1.466; beta = −1.364; p = 0.03). InterpretationIn PwMS, high-intensity training of weakened ankle dorsiflexors induced significant improvements in maximal strength and gait speed. The finding of maximal work as a significant predictor of training-induced changes in gait speed suggests that PwMS with reduced muscle work may benefit from strength training approaches aimed at increasing gait speed.Registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02010398

The selection of superior pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) genotypes among seedling trees originated from open-pollination

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is considered as one of the most important fruit nuts in the world. The present research was conducted on the morphological evaluation of 96 pistachio seedling trees originated from open-pollination to identify the promising genotypes. Significant differences were observed among the studied genotypes based on the measured traits. Nut dry weight ranged from 0.45 to 1.40 g, while kernel weight ranged from 0.17 to 0.80 g, and also kernel percentage varied from 27.84 to 92.17%. In addition, split nut percentage, as a very important characteristic in pistachio, ranged between 0.00 and 97.37%. Split nut percentage showed positive and significant correlations with bunch weight, fruit number per bunch, nut weight, and kernel width. Kernel weight with high standardized beta coefficients (β = 0.96, P < 0.00) showed a significant positive association with kernel percentage. Thus, kernel weight is highly influencing kernel percentage and thus should be considered in the breeding programs. Principal component analysis indicated 15 components that explained 75.44% of the total variance. The UPGMA dendrogram showed four different clusters, indicating high phenotypic variation among the genotypes. Based on ideal values of the main traits in pistachio, the genotypes no. 28, 46, 8, 12, 58, 31, 61, 5, 20, 51, 74, 47, 64, 88, 32, and 14 were promising and may be used for cultivation. Furthermore, they may be applied as parents to improve the cultivated ones in the breeding programs.

Back surface measurements by rasterstereography for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: from reproducibility to data reduction analyses.

Aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the reproducibility of back surface measurements obtained by rasterstereography (RS) in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), and to identify the most informative RS parameters through a multi-step reduction analysis approach. Sixty-six AIS were assessed with a RS scanner. The assessment was repeated in the same day 15min after the first scan and after 1week. Intraclass-correlation analyses were conducted to verify the consistency of the measurements. A multi-step reduction technique including correlation, principal component analysis (PCA) and regression was employed to extract a core-set of key RS parameters. Back surface measures were obtained from 66 AIS aged 10-17years (median 13), with a mild Scoliosis angle < 25 (median 20). The reliability over the 3 sessions proved high to very high, with all the intraclass correlation coefficients ≥ 0.8 and 32 out of 48 coefficients ≥ 0.9. Only 8 of the 12 parameters provided by the RS device showed significant inter-item correlations and were therefore considered for further analyses. PCA extracted 4 of them, which entered the final regression analysis. High beta coefficients were found for 2 predictors: "Surface rotation-rms" and "Side deviation-rms," which were found to be significantly associated with the dependent variable "Scoliosis angle." Data showed that RS measurements are reliable in AIS with mild severity of scoliosis. "Surface rotation" and "Side deviation" were the best descriptors of the Scoliosis angle and should be considered as key parameters when surveilling AIS with mild curves by RS surface topography. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.