Non-significant Effect Research Articles

Enhancing distance learning with virtual reality: investigating learners’ engagement and outcomes

With the increasing use of virtual reality (VR) technology in education, it is crucial to understand the factors that affect its effectiveness. One area where VR has been utilized is in online orientation, which can be especially beneficial for distant students to start their university programs. This study examines the impact of the learner attribute, behavioral engagement, on learning outcomes in a 3D desktop VR new student online orientation. Over 100 graduate and undergraduate students participated in the study and the results from regression analyses (n = 115) indicate a very weak positive relationship between engagement and learning outcomes (R = 0.0014, p = 0.98), with a negligible proportion of variance explained by engagement. The coefficient of engagement (−0.0066) suggests a negligible and non-significant effect on the dependent variable, indicating limited predictive power. While participants report high levels of perceived engagement, concentration, control, and skilfulness during the activity, they express difficulty viewing avatars in virtual world as real people. These findings have important implications for the development and implementation of VR-based educational interventions, highlighting the need to consider learners’ engagement.

Are Dutch adults equally susceptible to nudging and pricing strategies? Secondary analyses of the Supreme Nudge parallel cluster-randomised controlled supermarket trial

BackgroundSupermarket interventions are promising to promote healthier dietary patterns, but not all individuals may be equally susceptible. We explored whether the effectiveness of nudging and pricing strategies on diet quality differs by psychological and grocery shopping characteristics.MethodsWe used data of the 12-month Supreme Nudge parallel cluster-randomised controlled supermarket trial, testing nudging and pricing strategies to promote healthier diets. Participants were Dutch speaking adults aged 30–80 years and regular shoppers of participating supermarkets (n = 12) in socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Data on psychological characteristics (food-related behaviours; price sensitivity; food decision styles; social cognitive factors; self-control) and grocery shopping characteristics (time spent in the supermarket; moment of the day; average supermarket visits; shopping at other retailers; supermarket proximity) were self-reported at baseline. These characteristics were tested for their moderating effects of the intervention on diet quality (scored 0–150) in linear mixed models.ResultsWe included 162 participants from intervention supermarkets and 199 from control supermarkets (73% female, 58 (± 10.8) years old, 42% highly educated). The interventions had no overall effect on diet quality. Only five out of 23 potential moderators were statistically significant. Yet, stratified analyses of these significant moderators showed no significant effects on diet quality for one of the subgroups and statistically non-significant negative effects for the other. Negative effects were suggested for individuals with lower baseline levels of meal planning (β − 2.6, 95% CI − 5.9; 0.8), healthy shopping convenience (β − 3.0, 95% CI − 7.2; 1.3), and healthy food attractiveness (β − 3.5, 95% CI − 8.3; 1.3), and with higher levels of price consciousness (β − 2.6, 95% CI − 6.2; 1.0) and weekly supermarket visits (β − 2.4, 95% CI − 6.8; 1.9).ConclusionsAdults with varying psychological and grocery shopping characteristics largely seem equally (un)susceptible to nudging and pricing strategies. It might be that certain characteristics lead to adverse effects, but this is not plausible, and the observed negative effects were small and statistically non-significant and may be explained by chance findings. Verification of these findings is needed in real-world trials based on larger sample sizes and with the use of more comprehensive interventions.Trial registrationDutch Trial Register ID NL7064, 30th of May, 2018, https://onderzoekmetmensen.nl/en/trial/20990

Motivation Drives Employee Performance through Insights from an Indonesian Study

This study investigates the impact of career development, motivation, and the work environment on employee performance at the Al Falah Social Fund Foundation (YDSF) in Surabaya. Using a quantitative approach with regression analysis on data from 114 employees, the study found that intellectual ability and the non-physical work environment have positive but not significant effects on performance. In contrast, motivation has a significant positive effect. These findings highlight the importance of motivation in enhancing employee performance, suggesting that YDSF should prioritize motivational strategies to improve overall effectiveness. Highlights: 1. Motivation significantly boosts employee performance at YDSF.2. Intellectual ability, non-physical work environment show non-significant positive effects.3. Focus on motivational strategies to enhance performance. Keywords: career development, motivation, work environment, employee performance, YDSF

Conservation tillage: a way to improve yield and soil properties and decrease global warming potential in spring wheat agroecosystems.

Climate change is one of the main challenges, and it poses a tough challenge to the agriculture industry globally. Additionally, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the main contributor to climate change; however, croplands are a prominent source of GHG emissions. Yet this complex challenge can be mitigated through climate-smart agricultural practices. Conservation tillage is commonly known to preserve soil and mitigate environmental change by reducing GHG emissions. Nonetheless, there is still a paucity of information on the influences of conservation tillage on wheat yield, soil properties, and GHG flux, particularly in the semi-arid Dingxi belt. Hence, in order to fill this gap, different tillage systems, namely conventional tillage (CT) control, straw incorporation with conventional tillage (CTS), no-tillage (NT), and stubble return with no-tillage (NTS), were laid at Dingxi, Gansu province of China, under a randomized complete block design with three replications to examine their impacts on yield, soil properties, and GHG fluxes. Results depicted that different conservative tillage systems (CTS, NTS, and NT) significantly (p < 0.05) increased the plant height, number of spikes per plant, seed number per meter square, root yield, aboveground biomass yield, thousand-grain weight, grain yield, and dry matter yield compared with CT. Moreover, these conservation tillage systems notably improved the soil properties (soil gravimetric water content, water-filled pore space, water storage, porosity, aggregates, saturated hydraulic conductivity, organic carbon, light fraction organic carbon, carbon storage, microbial biomass carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen storage, microbial biomass nitrogen, total phosphorous, available phosphorous, total potassium, available potassium, microbial counts, urease, alkaline phosphatase, invertase, cellulase, and catalase) while decreasing the soil temperature and bulk density over CT. However, CTS, NTS, and NT had non-significant effects on ECe, pH, and stoichiometric properties (C:N ratio, C:P ratio, and N:P ratio). Additionally, conservation-based tillage regimes NTS, NT, and CTS significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the emission and net global warming potential of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) by 23.44, 19.57, and 16.54%, respectively, and decreased the greenhouse gas intensity by 23.20, 29.96, and 18.72%, respectively, over CT. We conclude that NTS is the best approach to increasing yield, soil and water conservation, resilience, and mitigation of agroecosystem capacity.

Effects of exercise during active surveillance for prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The efficacy of exercise in men with prostate cancer (PCa) on active surveillance (AS) remains unclear. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to examine the effects of exercise in PCa patients on AS. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library using search terms, including exercise, PCa, AS, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The means and standard deviations for peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and quality of life (QoL) were extracted for the intervention and control groups. A random-effects model was used to summarize the effects of exercise. Of the 158 identified studies, six RCTs with 332 patients were included. The interventions included lifestyle modifications (aerobic exercise + diet) in three studies and different exercise modalities in three studies. The intervention duration was 2-12 months; three interventions were supervised and three were self-directed. The pooled weighted mean difference between exercise and usual care for VO2peak was 1.42 mL/kg/min (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30 to 2.54, P ≤ 0.001). A non-significant effect was observed for QoL (pooled standardized mean difference [SMD]: 0.24, 95% CI: - 0.03 to 0.51, P = 0.08) which became statistically significant and stronger after excluding one outlier study (P < 0.001). Exercise also had a positive effect on PSA levels (pooled SMD: - 0.43, 95% CI: - 0.87 to 0.01, P = 0.05). Exercise improves cardiorespiratory fitness and may improve QoL and PSA levels in men with PCa on AS. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to obtain more reliable results.

Cross-cultural differences in diet and quality of life between Taiwanese and American women during breast cancer treatment.

e23187 Background: Limited research has examined the role of different food types (vegetables, fruits, meat, fat, and whole grains) on quality of life (QoL) among cancer patients undergoing active treatment. This study aimed to examine what different food intakes are associated with QoL among American and Taiwanese women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer (BC). Methods: This ongoing observational study enrolled 77 American (Black, Latina, and non-Hispanic White) adult women from MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and 79 Taiwanese women from National Taiwan University Hospital. They were diagnosed with stage 0-III primary BC within six months prior to enrollment, were undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, with no other cancers. Patient-reported overall health and QoL were assessed using the two global health items from the EORTC-QLQ30. Three random 24-hour diet recalls (two weekdays and one weekend) were administered using the NIH-developed ASA24 program. Linear regression was conducted to examine the associations between food categories and QoL outcome, adjusting for nationality, age, cancer stage, treatment type, body mass index, physical activities, financial problems, and appetite loss. Results: American and Taiwanese patients displayed differing food intake during BC treatment. Taiwanese patients consumed less starchy vegetables and total fat (both p &lt; .01) than American patients, on average. Multivariate results indicated that QoL was positively associated with higher total vegetable intake (excluding starchy vegetables and legumes; β = 5.38, 95% CI: 0.22, 1.20), controlling for other food types and covariates. Starchy vegetables and legumes showed non-significant negative effects on QoL. QoL was positively associated with total fat intake (β = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.21). Total meat, fruit, and whole grain intakes were not significantly associated with QoL. Conclusions: The associations between food intakes and QoL were not affected by nationality, regardless of food type. Non-starchy vegetables and adequate total fat intakes may support BC patients undergoing treatments. More research is needed to verify the identified associations and explore how cancer treatment affects the digestion of certain food types and their potential impact on QoL. This study provides cross-cultural insights into potential nutritional influence on QoL among patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Fragility index analysis of systemic therapy clinical trials in soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

11581 Background: The fragility index (FI) measures the robustness of randomized clinical trials (RCT) that have positive results based on statistical p-values. It estimates the minimum number of events that are needed to reverse the trial results from positive to negative. Here, we perform FI analysis on RCTs evaluating systemic treatments for STS. Methods: A systematic search of the Medline and Embase databases for RCTs in adults with advanced STS (Jan 1998 to Dec 2023) was conducted. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor trials were excluded. The FI framework was adapted to allow the use of time-to-event (TTE) outcomes – progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) as previously described (Desnoyers et al 2021). Survival tables were reconstructed from published data on positive TTE outcomes, using the Parmar Toolkit. Positive secondary endpoints were used only if the primary endpoint was negative. The number of additional events that would result in a non-significant effect for the hazard ratio (HR) of the positive endpoint of each trial (FI) was calculated and expressed as a proportion of the size of the experimental arm (fragility quotient; FQ). The number of censored patients – those who withdrew consent or were lost to follow-up (Cn) was noted. Results: Among 47 RCTs, 16 (8 phase II; 8 phase III) trials had positive outcomes. The primary endpoint was positive and used for FI analysis in 11/16 trials (68.8%). PFS was the most common positive outcome, evaluated in 13 trials (81.3%). The median FI was 6 (range 2 – 52), with FI &lt; 10 observed in 11 trials (68.8%). Median FQ was 7% (range 1 – 59%) and 10 trials (62.5%) had FQ &lt; 10%. Among 14 trials that reported data, Cn was ≥ FI in 7 trials (50%). Only 2 of 4 trials (50%) that led to regulatory approval had FI &gt; 10 or FQ &gt; 10%. Of the other 2, one drug approval was subsequently withdrawn (Table). Conclusions: Most positive clinical trials in STS were fragile and their outcomes may be confounded by the level of censoring. Real-world evaluation of approved systemic therapies and value scales such as ESMO Magnitude of Clinical Benefit scale or ASCO value framework are needed to confirm clinical benefit of systemic treatments in STS.[Table: see text]

Effectiveness of empathy portfolios in developing professional identity formation in medical students: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundMedical education requires innovative strategies to enhance empathic skills and the formation of professional identities among students. However, evidence-based teaching of empathy and professional identity formation is inadequately represented, particularly in medical curricula. This study investigated the effectiveness of empathy portfolios in developing Professional Identity Formation (PIF) among medical students and the correlation between empathy and PIF. The objectives of this study were to determine the effectiveness of empathy portfolios for teaching and nurturing PIF in medical students and to investigate the correlation between empathy and PIF.MethodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted at Peshawar Medical College, Pakistan. The protocol adhered to CONSORT guidelines. A total of 120 students participated in the study. Empathy and PIF were assessed using two validated questionnaires JSPE-S and PIQ before randomization. The participants were randomized in a stratified fashion into the experimental (n = 60) and control (n = 60) groups. The Participants in the intervention group attended a training workshop on portfolio use. Students maintained their portfolios and wrote reflections on incidents that evoked empathy. Independent t-tests were performed to determine whether the control and experimental groups differed in terms of mean empathy and PIF scores, and Pearson’s correlation analyses were used to investigate the relationships between pre- and post-empathy, and pre-post-PIF.ResultsThe mean post-test scores on the Empathy and PIF showed a statistically insignificant difference of 0.75 +-17.6 for empathy and 0.45 ± 8.36 for PIF. The intervention had little influence on empathy and PIF scores, as evidenced by nonsignificant effect sizes of 0.32 and 0.36 for empathy and PIF respectively.A strong positive correlation was found between Pre-Empathy and the PIF-Total score (0.519), and between Post- empathy and the PIF-Total score (0.395) (p < 0.001).ConclusionsEmpathy had a positive linear correlation with PIF; however, the use of empathy portfolios as a three-week single-point intervention was ineffective at nurturing PIF.

The impact of SLCO1B1 single nucleotide polymorphism and non-genetic factors on statin-induced myopathy

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements None. Background Statins, also known as HMG CoA Reductase Inhibitors, are a class of drugs considered the drug of choice for treating hypercholesterolemia. Statins are well tolerated; however, they may cause severe myopathy in 20% to 30% of patients, due to the individual variation regarding its efficacy and related adverse effects. Of these, comes the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) T521C of the SLCO1B1 gene that encodes the protein involved in the trafficking of statins from the blood to hepatocytes which is called Organic Anion Transport Protein 1B1 (OATP1B1). The T521C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) results in a substitute of valine with alanine resulting in a decreased or lack of functional protein. Purpose The aim is to determine the frequency of the high-risk C allele and to define its impact on statin-induced myopathy in Syrian patients on statins. In addition to the non-genetic factors that may affect the ability to develop statin-induced myopathy. Methods This was an observational case-control study that had ethical approval from Damascus University (No.433/ 2020). The case group included 44 patients on statins who experienced myopathy, 18 patients who had increased creatinine kinase levels (CK), and 26 patients with normal CK levels, while the control group encompassed 56 patients who were taking statins and had no muscular adverse events. The DNA was extracted from each sample and then genotyped using standard sequencing of specific PCR products using a specific pair of primers. Results The age of patients in the case arm ranged between 27 and 84 years with an average ± SD of (58.2 ± 12.7 years), 70% of them were males. In comparison with (53.34 ± 12.4 years) in the control arm, 66% of them were males without a statistically significant differences (p=0.672, 0.057) respectively. The statin type and dose have a statistically non-significant effect, the average statin dose in the case arm and the control arm was 26.02 mg and 31.27 mg respectively (p=0.072). While the statin type treatment varied as 59% used atorvastatin and 39% used rosuvastatin in the case group compared with 71% used atorvastatin and 27% used rosuvastatin in the control group, without a statistically significant difference (p=0.252). The frequency of the C allele reaches 19.3% and is distributed in three genotypes: wild-type TT (68%), heterozygote TC (25%), and homozygote CC (7%) in the case arm, while it does not exceed 8% in the control arm with the absence of the CC genotype. Only a statistically significant difference was found in the frequency of the CC genotype between these two groups (p=0.047). Conclusion Our study is the first to identify the frequency of the 521T&amp;gt;C SNP of the SLCO1B1 gene in Syrian patients taking statins. Our data reveals a high prevalence of risk allele C in the patients who suffer from statin-induced myopathy with a statically significant difference from the control arm (p=0.026).

The Efficacy and Durability of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in the Treatment of Anxiety and Depressive Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: There is a dearth of meta-analytical studies measuring the durability of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in the treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate both the effectiveness and durability of MBCT in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. Methods: We systematically searched six databases from June 11, 2023 to September 16, 2023 for randomized control trials (RCTs) of adults diagnosed with anxiety or depressive disorders as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision or the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems diagnostic criteria; the treatment group received the complete form of MBCT, whereas the control group received other interventions or treatment as usual; the treatment outcome focused on symptoms of depression or anxiety. Two independent reviewers included studies, assessed quality, and extracted data. The Cochrane Risk-of-Bias 2.0 tool was applied to appraise the methodological quality of the included studies. R 4.2.1 software and the “metafor” package were used to estimate the effect sizes based on mean and standard deviation of anxiety and depressive disorders at baseline and postintervention, and at postintervention and follow-up periods for both the treatment and control groups. Result: A total of 1,470 studies were reviewed, and 21 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed an overall standardized mean difference of −0.4806 [CI: −0.7185; −0.2428] and −0.3817 [CI: −0.5407; −0.2228] for reducing anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively indicating the effectiveness of MBCT. Comparison between postintervention and follow-up or follow-up measurement showed a small and nonsignificant effect size for depression (0.0130 [CI: −0.2109; 0.2369]) and anxiety (0.0198 [CI: −0.0660; 0.1057]), suggesting that recovered symptoms in the treatment group were maintained until the follow-up evaluation. Conclusion: MBCT produces long-term treatment effects in the management of both depressive and anxiety disorders. Protocol preregistration: The current meta-analysis followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and got registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023465494).

The role of germline BRCA1 & BRCA2 mutations in familial pancreatic cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Familial Pancreatic Cancer (FPC) presents a notable risk, with 3-10% of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cases having a family history. Studies link FPC to syndromes like HBOC, suggesting BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations play a role. BRCA gene functions in DNA repair impact FPC management, influencing sensitivity to therapies like PARP inhibitors. Identifying mutations not only aids FPC treatment but also reveals broader cancer risks. However, challenges persist in selectively applying genetic testing due to cost constraints. This Systematic Review focuses on BRCA1/BRCA2 significance in FPC, diagnostic criteria, prognostic value, and limitations. Original articles published from 2013 to January 2023 were sourced from databases such as Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect. Inclusion criteria comprised observational cohort or diagnostic studies related to the role of BRCA1/2 mutation in correlation to familial pancreatic cancer (FPC), while article reviews, narrative reviews, and non-relevant content were excluded. The assessment of bias used ROBINS-I, and the results were organized using PICOS criteria in a Google spreadsheet table. The systematic review adhered to the PRISMA 2020 checklist. We analyzed 9 diagnostic studies encompassing 1325 families and 4267 patients from Italy, USA, and Poland. Despite the limitation of limited homogenous PICO studies, our findings effectively present evidence. BRCA1/2 demonstrates benefits in detecting first-degree relatives FPC involvement with 2.26-10 times higher risk. These mutation findings also play an important role since with the BRCA1/2 targeted therapy, Poly-ADP Ribose Polymerase inhibitors (PARP) may give better outcomes of FPC treatment. Analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2 administration's impact on odds ratio (OR) based on six and five studies respectively. BRCA1 exhibited non-significant effects (OR = 1.26, P = 0.51), while BRCA2 showed significance (OR = 1.68, P = 0.04). No heterogeneity observed, indicating consistent results. Further research on BRCA1 is warranted. Detecting the BRCA1/2 mutation gene offers numerous advantages, particularly in its correlation with FPC. For diagnostic and prognostic purposes, testing is strongly recommended for first-degree relatives, who face a significantly higher risk (2.26-10 times) of being affected. Additionally, FPC patients with identified BRCA1/2 mutations exhibit a more favorable prognosis compared to the non-mutated population. This is attributed to the availability of targeted BRCA1/2 therapy, which maximizes treatment outcomes.

Integrating modern research on social courage via psychological contract theory: direct and interactive effects of work engagement and moral disengagement

PurposeThe current article integrates four prominent directions of modern research on workplace social courage. We (1) apply a novel framework, psychological contract theory, to identify (2) work engagement and moral disengagement as potential antecedents of social courage, (3) unethical pro-organizational behaviors as a possible duplicitous outcome of these antecedents and (4) moderating effects of moral disengagement on the relations of work engagement with these outcomes.Design/methodology/approachWe perform a two-wave survey study (n = 347), wherein antecedents are measured at Time 1 and outcomes are measured at Time 2 (one week later).FindingsWe support that work engagement and moral disengagement significantly relate to both workplace social courage and unethical pro-organizational behaviors. We also support that moral disengagement moderates the relation of work engagement with unethical pro-organizational behaviors but not workplace social courage.Practical implicationsWe highlight that work engagement can be a possible avenue to promote workplace social courage, but organizations should monitor any interventions because it may also promote unethical pro-organizational behaviors for those who are morally disengaged. We also contend that the current results support the “resiliency of courage” by discovering a nonsignificant moderating effect, providing further support for this broadly replicable aspect of workplace social courage.Originality/valueWe discuss how these findings support psychological contract theory as a viable lens to understand workplace social courage, and we call on future researchers to apply the theory to identify further relations of the construct.

Quantitative correlation of ENPP1 pathogenic variants with disease phenotype

Ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1) codes for a type 2 transmembrane glycoprotein which hydrolyzes extracellular phosphoanhydrides into bio-active molecules that regulate, inter alia, ectopic mineralization, bone formation, vascular endothelial proliferation, and the innate immune response. The clinical phenotypes produced by ENPP1 deficiency are disparate, ranging from life-threatening arterial calcifications to cutaneous hypopigmentation. To investigate associations between disease phenotype and enzyme activity we quantified the enzyme velocities of 29 unique ENPP1 pathogenic variants in 41 patients enrolled in an NIH study along with 33 other variants reported in literature. We correlated the relative enzyme velocities with the presenting clinical diagnoses, performing the catalytic velocity measurements simultaneously in triplicate using a high-throughput assay to reduce experimental variation. We found that ENPP1 variants associated with autosomal dominant phenotypes reduced enzyme velocities by 50 % or more, whereas variants associated with insulin resistance had non-significant effects on enzyme velocity. In Cole disease the catalytic velocities of ENPP1 variants associated with AD forms trended to lower values than those associated with autosomal recessive forms – 8-32 % vs. 33 % of WT, respectively. Additionally, ENPP1 variants leading to life-threatening vascular calcifications in GACI patients had widely variable enzyme activities, ranging from no significant differences compared to WT to the complete abolishment of enzyme velocity. Finally, disease severity in GACI did not correlate with the mean enzyme velocity of the variants present in affected compound heterozygotes but did correlate with the more severely damaging variant. In summary, correlation of ENPP1 enzyme velocity with disease phenotypes demonstrate that enzyme velocities below 50 % of WT levels are likely to occur in the context of autosomal dominant disease (due to a monoallelic variant), and that disease severity in GACI infants correlates with the more severely damaging ENPP1 variant in compound heterozygotes, not the mean velocity of the pathogenic variants present.

Effect of Fermentation Time, pH, and Their Interaction on the Production of Volatile Fatty Acids from Cassava Wastewater

Acidogenic fermentation is a technology that involves halting methanogenesis in the conventional anaerobic digestion process to produce mainly volatile fatty acids (VFAs). VFAs serve as direct precursors to energy-rich or higher value-added products upon undergoing additional processing. In this study, batch reactors were utilized to assess the individual and interaction effects of fermentation time and pH variables on VFA production from acidogenic fermentation of cassava wastewater through the establishment of a completely randomized design and a second-order response surface (rotatable central composite design), respectively. The maximum VFA production observed was 3444.04 mg of acetic acid (HAc)/L (0.58 gCODVFA/gCOD) in a fermentation time of 6 days, with acetic (48.5%), propionic (28.3%), and butyric (13.6%) acids identified as the main metabolites. Additionally, in the assessment of the effect of pH, the maximum VFA production reached 2547.72 mgHAc/L (0.34 gCODVFA/gCOD) at pH 5.9, and acetic acid was identified as the predominant organic acid. Statistically, the fermentation time and pH variables individually affect VFA production from cassava wastewater; however, the interaction between them generated a non-significant effect.

Effects of breed and genomic inbreeding on milk, fat and protein lactation yields and fertility traits in pasture-based dairy cows in Argentina

Abstract The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of breed and genomic inbreeding on 305-day lactation yields of milk, fat and protein; and fertility traits of pasture-based dairy cows in Argentina. The genomic inbreeding and heterozygosity of 890 first-lactation cows and 27 bulls were calculated through methods based on the genomic relationship matrix and run of homozygosity using 44 174 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Cows were classified into four breed groups: Holstein, Holstein crossbred, Holstein–Jersey crossbred and Jersey crossbred. The effect of genomic inbreeding was not significant on production traits, but inbred cows increased 3.0 days calving to conception interval (CCI) per 1% genomic inbreeding. On average, purebred Holstein cows produced 1119 kg milk, 22 kg fat and 30 kg protein more than Jersey crossbred cows. In the case of the fertility traits, Jersey crossbred cows had 45 days shorter CCI than purebred Holstein cows. A possible reason for the non-significant effects of genomic inbreeding of production and fertility traits is that these effects were evaluated in a crossbred population in which rates of heterozygosity would operate to some extent in the opposite direction to rates of genomic inbreeding.

Effectiveness assessment of protected areas based on the states, trends, and relative changes in forest ecosystem: a case study in the Three Parallel Rivers Region, China

Establishing protected areas (PAs) is a major measure of biodiversity conservation, and various methods have been explored to assess PAs’ effectiveness. However, those methods mainly compared the relative changes in land cover between treated samples inside the PAs and their matched samples outside the PAs, which would produce misjudgments, especially in some climax communities with a relatively steady state. Thus, in this study, we constructed an integrated framework through a series of assessments according to the state, trend, and relative change of each PA to explore the conservation effectiveness of PAs in the Three Parallel Rivers Region in China from 2000 to 2020. Here, “state” refers to the difference among samples from within and outside the PA, assessed through yearly sample mean comparison. “Trend” means linear regression of mean forest area of each PA throughout the assessment period. “Relative change” means the difference in the mean value of the slope of forest changes between the treated samples inside each PA and their matched control samples outside of PAs. The entire forest area within all PAs in the Three Parallel Rivers Region showed a significant increasing trend from 2000 to 2020 (R2 = 0.919, P&amp;lt;0.05). Among all the PAs, twelve (86%) had a positive effect on protecting the forest ecosystem, and two had a nonsignificant effect. Among the factors affecting the state and relative change in PAs’ forests, the annual total precipitation was the most important, followed by distance to the nearest road. Moreover, the management-level variable was an essential factor in the state of PAs’ forest ecosystems, which indicated that national PAs (nature reserves and natural parks) were in a better state than local (provincial- and county-level) nature reserves. Overall, the conservation effectiveness of forests in PAs was assessed at a regional scale in the Three Parallel Rivers Region, implying that our framework would be additional useful in regions with high biodiversity and steady ecosystems. This framework better avoids underestimating conservation effectiveness assessment tasks than traditional methods do. Thus, we posit that this framework is suitable for future global or country-level assessments.

The influence of monosodium glutamate dosage on the yield of long beans (Vigna sinensis L.) Peleton variety

This study aims to determine the effects of monosodium glutamate (MSG) dosage on the yield of long beans (Vigna sinensis L.) of the Peleton variety. The use of MSG as a food ingredient has been a topic of debate, but research on its impact on plant growth is still limited, especially regarding long beans. Therefore, this research is important for providing further understanding of the influence of MSG on long beans plants. The study was conducted from July to October 2023 in Mata Air Village, Central Kupang District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. The research method used was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 9 treatments and 3 replications. The treatments included: No MSG, MSG at doses of 2.5 g/plant, 5 g/plant, 7.5 g/plant, 10 g/plant, 12.5 g/plant, 15 g/plant, 17.5 g/plant, and 20 g/plant. Parameters observed included flowering age (days), number of pods (pieces), pod length (cm), and pod weight (g). Based on the results and discussion, it can be concluded that MSG application had a significant effect on the number, length, and weight of pods, but had a non-significant effect on flowering age. The treatment of 15 g/plant was identified as the optimal MSG dosage for the plants, resulting in the highest number of pods (16.2), longest pod length (60.4 cm), and highest pod weight (256.4 g/plant). This research is innovative in exploring the potential use of monosodium glutamate (MSG) on long beans plants, particularly the Peleton variety. The focus on MSG application as a growth stimulant is an innovative step that has been less studied previously. The discovery of the optimal MSG dosage (15 g/plant) for achieving the best results provides valuable information for farmers to enhance productivity efficiently, sustainably, and environmentally friendly. Information about MSG’s potential as a plant stimulant can serve as a starting point for more sustainable agricultural strategies aimed at optimizing available resources.

Effects of Hydroponic Maize Fodder with and Without Supplementation of Probiotics (Saccharomysis cerevisiae) on Rumen Parameters in Calves

An experiment was conducted during October to January, 2018 at Gir Cattle Farm, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Navania, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India to evaluate the effect of hydroponic maize fodder with and without supplementation of probiotics on rumen fermentation. A feeding trial of 120 days was conducted on 36 male Gir calves of same age group (6–12 months) and randomly allotted to nine dietary treatments. All the animals were offered basal feed ad lib. The T1 i.e. control group were fed concentrate mixture as per requirement. For calves in T2, T3, T4 and T5 groups, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of crude protein (CP) supplied through concentrate mixture was replaced by hydroponics maize green fodder, respectively. Whereas, in T6, T7, T8, T9 groups, 25% 50%, 75% and 100% of crude protein (CP) supplied through concentrate mixture was replaced by hydroponics maize green fodder along with probiotics, respectively. All the rumen parameters viz. pH, Total protozoal count (105 ml-1), Total Volatile Fatty Acids (meq l-1), Ammonia nitrogen (mg dl-1), Total nitrogen (mg dl-1), TCA-precipitable nitrogen (mg dl-1), and Non protein nitrogen (mg dl-1), were estimated according to treatment and time intervals. There was non-significant effect of treatments on rumen pH but due to time intervals were found to be highly significant (p&lt;0.01). The concentration of Total protozoal count, Total volatile fatty acids (TVFA), Total ammonia nitrogen (NH3–N), Total nitrogen, TCA- Precipitable N and Non-Protein Nitrogen (NPN) were highly significant (p&lt;0.01) effect due to treatments and time intervals.

Intellectual Capital and Bank Stability in Saudi Arabia: Navigating the Dynamics in a Transforming Economy

This research investigates the influence of intellectual capital on the stability of banks in the evolving context of Saudi Arabia’s banking sector. Against the backdrop of rapid economic reforms under Vision 2030 and the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this research incorporates specific metrics related to these contexts and provides a nuanced analysis of how intellectual capital and its components (human capital efficiency (HCE), structural capital efficiency (SCE), and capital employed efficiency (CEE)) affect the financial stability of Saudi banks. This research analyzes a decade-long panel dataset for ten major Saudi banks from 2012 to 2022, utilizing both fixed-effects and cross-section random-effects models to discern the impact of intellectual capital on bank stability. The findings reveal a positive overall influence of intellectual capital on bank stability; however, individual components present a complex relationship, with CEE showing a positive association and HCE and SCE demonstrating unexpected negative correlations with bank stability. The research identifies leverage (LEV) as a significant factor negatively impacting stability. Operational efficiency (OPEF) and size (SIZE) also negatively affect stability. Surprisingly, macroeconomic indicators and bank size exhibit non-significant effects on bank stability. Similarly, the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was found to be non-significant, suggesting a resilient banking environment or the presence of effective mitigating strategies. As Saudi Arabia continues its ambitious economic transformation, this research underscores the critical role of effectively managed intellectual capital in ensuring the banking sector’s stability. It provides a foundation for ongoing research in this vital area.

Impact of Low-Carbon City Pilot Policies on Regional Green Total Factor Productivity: A Study

Based on data from 246 prefecture-level cities in China spanning the years 2006 to 2019, this paper employs a multi-temporal double-difference model to empirically examine the effects of low-carbon pilot policies implemented since 2010 on green total factor productivity. Furthermore, the paper conducts a mechanism analysis and heterogeneity analysis to explore the policys impact mechanisms and effects on different regions. The study reveals that low-carbon pilot policies have enhanced Chinas green total factor productivity. Results from the mechanism analysis indicate that these policies increase green total factor productivity by promoting the agglomeration of productive service industries and the innovation of green technologies, with the mechanism test for manufacturing industry agglomeration showing non-significant effects. Heterogeneity analysis results suggest that the impact of low-carbon pilot policies on the improvement of green total factor productivity is significant in Chinas eastern and western regions as well as in non-resource-based cities.