Non-significant Role Research Articles

Development of Alzheimer’s Disease‐Related Blood Biomarker in Long COVID Patient

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic has a significant global health impact. A substantial number of infected individuals continue to experience post‐acute sequelae that affect daily life activities. This study aims to assess blood biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, inflammatory markers, and antibody indices related to various organ symptoms, particularly neuropsychiatric and other pro‐inflammatory conditions, in Long COVID patients.MethodsPatients with symptoms as defined in criteria regardless were recruited in this study. Assessment on clinical conditions was done. Blood samples were collected for analysis of antibodies to COVID. Cytokines assay and Assay for accumulation of abnormal beta amyloid as ratio between 42/40, p‐Tau 181 and brain damage markers (NFL neuro filament light chain and GFAP glial fibrillary acidic protein) was also done in parallel. Data analysis performed in correlation with clinical symptoms.ResultsOne hundred and seventy‐five individuals. All antibody panels were similar in pattern except antibody to N protein, indicative of infection found almost exclusively in patient. Antibody to ACE 2 was found in approximately 10% and much diminished thereafter suggesting a nonsignificant role in contributing prolonged symptoms. Cytokine profiling determined as individual group and between groups of all visits followed roughly similar pattern in both groups with markedly elevated IL‐1b, gamma interferon, IL‐12p70 and IL‐33. Cytokine responses in patients who had amyloid positive were gamma interferon IL 33, IL10 IL 17a and IL 18, IL10, IL 18 and IL12p70 in Tau positive IL 10, IL 18, IL33, IL6 and IL12p70 in NFL positive. GFAP was prominent in patient. This suggests that brain damaging process may not entirely resolved since astrocyte activation (GFAP positive) leads to amyloid induction and Tau pathology albeit disappearance of all symptoms. This is also true in cytokines response that remained elevated.ConclusionsThis knowledge can be applicable not only to the current pandemic but also to future ones. Significant associations between specific neurological biomarkers and long COVID symptoms have been observed. Further studies can attempt to identify neurological biomarkers in the blood and utilize them as diagnostic and management tools for long COVID patients in clinical practice.

Association between placental site and successful induction of labor among postdate primiparous women.

This study aimed to determine the association between placental site and successful labor induction. This cross-sectional study recruited all postdate primiparous women undergoing induction of labor. Eligible women were subjected to proper history taking and clinical examination. Vaginal examination to determine the bishop score was done. Routine antenatal scan was done for fetal biometry and the placental site. Transvaginal ultrasound was done for cervical length assessment. Induction of labor was commenced and women were subdivided into those with successful induction (delivered vaginally) and those with failed induction (needed cesarean delivery). Successful induction was achieved in 73/91 (80.2%) participants. The bishop score was significantly increased among women with successful induction (4.6 ± 0.9 vs 3.9 ± 1.1, p value 0.014). In addition, the cervical length was significantly shorter among those who delivered vaginally (2.6 ± 0.5 vs 4.2 ± 0.5, p value 0.0001). There was no significant difference in the placental site among women with failed or successful induction. The cervical length was the only significant predictor for successful induction of labor (p value 0.0001). The placental site showed a non-significant role in the prediction of successful vaginal delivery (p value 0.280). The placental site is not associated with the outcome of labor induction. The cervical length was the significant predictor for successful induction of labor.

Intra-Ovarian Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injection in Management of POSEIDON IV Poor Responders before ICSI: Pilot Study

Abstract Background Poseidon IV poor responders are 35 years old or older women with antral follicle count < 5 and anti-Mullerian hormone < 1.2 ng/ml with cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) of 22.34% - 34.46% following ICSI. Aim of the Work To assess the effectiveness of intra-ovarian platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in POSEIDON IV poor responders before ICSI. Patients and Methods This study was conducted on women complaining from infertility at assisted reproductive techniques unit at Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital at the period from March 2021 till January 2022. We got a 55 cases matching the inclusion and exclusion criteria among them 25 cases accepted to participate as the study group (PRP group) and the others 30 cases refused to the participate PRP group and they were enrolled as a control group. Results Endometrium thickness at day of HCG trigger was statistically significantly higher among PRP group than among control group. Ovulation statistically was non-significantly more frequent among PRP group than among control group. Fertilization statistically was non- significantly more frequent among PRP group than among control group. biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy statistically were non-significantly more frequent among PRP group than among control group. Conclusion According to the finding in this study intra-ovarian platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in POSEIDON IV poor responders before ICSI had a non-significant role regarding the laboratory variables and pregnancy outcomes. Hence, further studies are required.

To evaluate the role of mast cells on angiogenesis in various grades of oral squamous cell carcinoma: A histochemical study.

Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer, and 90% of them are oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). As most OSCC are asymptomatic and are only detected at an advanced stage, the 5-year survival rate is only 50%. Thus, using novel prognosticators can minimise mortality and morbidity associated with OSCC. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between mast cells and angiogenesis in different grades of OSCC to analyse their role in its progression. A total of 45 cases were included, comprising 10 well-differentiated SCCs (WDOSCC), 10 moderately differentiated SCCs (MDOSCC), and 10 poorly differentiated SCCs (PDOSCC). Additionally, five normal buccal mucosae (NBM) samples served as negative controls for OSCC. Five cases of neurofibroma and pyogenic granuloma were used as positive controls for mast cells and angiogenesis, respectively. The mean MCD in WDOSCC, MDOSCC, and PDOSCC were 3.2620 ± 2.65177, 3.0310 ± 1.38276, and 4.1580 ± 2.49482, respectively. The MVD in WDOSCC, MDOSCC, and PDOSCC were 10.2850 ± 4.35032, 9.9240 ± 2.72533, and 7.1520 ± 2.26966, respectively. MCD was the highest in PDOSCC, followed by WDOSCC and MDOSCC. These results indicate a redundant role of mast cells in OSCC, or they might jumpstart malignancy but are retarded with OSCC progression. The MVD decreased with higher grades, in contrast to the prevalent literature. The correlation analysis between MVD and MCD revealed no significant correlation between them. We found a non-significant role of mast cells in tumour biology and a decrease in vascularity with advancing grades. These results indicate a lower need for mast cell activation to augment vascularisation. A study with a larger sample size is needed to confirm our results.

Market Forces and Marketing Performance of Leather Products Manufacturers in Abia State, Nigeria

Marketing performance refers to the effectiveness of marketing efforts in achieving business success, particularly of the Leather Products Manufacturers in Nigeria. Of the thirty-six States of Nigeria, Abia State was selected for this study because of the huge commercial activities orchestrated by the beehive of small and medium scale enterprises in the State. The study adopted survey research design which involves the use of structured questionnaire with four-point Likert scale format to elicit responses from the selected members ofLeather Products Manufacturers Association of Abia State (LEPMAAS)sized 233,819. The Taro Yamane formula was used to compute the sample size of 399. Using Cronbach’s Alpha technique, the reliability coefficient of 0.961 was determined, reflecting high degree of internal consistency of the research instrument. Logit regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that market forces not only relate to but influence the marketing performance of the Leather Products Manufacturers in Abia State. The study posited significant contributions of the various marketing techniques deployed by the Leather firms to marketing performance and non-significant role of distribution techniquedue to the use of traditional supply chain.

Moral Disengagement Moderates the Relationship Between Anger Rumination and Bullying Behavior in Adolescents

Bullying is an act of verbal, nonverbal, and physical violence. The cause is not trusting each other so that they bully each other even though the problem is trivial. In adolescence, individuals begin to have more abstract and reasonable thoughts, as well as the ability to draw conclusions from events. However, at this age emotions are still relatively unstable so that at this stage many are controlled by the emotions that exist in themselves. Teenagers who are victims of bullying tend to reflect on the distress they have experienced. They have a tendency to remember bad things that have happened in their lives and find it difficult to forget them, which is commonly called rumination. Previous research with child and adolescent subjects found that adolescents who experience victimization more often tend to experience rumination that causes anger and sadness. Moral Disengagement is considered a cognitive process that individuals use to justify behavior that they know is wrong. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of Moral Disengagement in moderating the relationship between anger rumination and bullying behavior in adolescents. This research uses a quantitative approach with a research design using ex-post facto which is carried out after a phenomenon occurs. Based on the results of the study, it was found that anger rumination has a significant role in the emergence of bullying behavior in bullying victims (Sig. 0.000 < 0.005). The results of this study support previous research on rumination and anger rumination in the development of bullying behavior. Interaction between variables X and Y is not significant, P = 0.886 (>0.05) which means that anger rumination does not affect bullying. Likewise, the interaction between variables M and Y is also not significant, P = 0.7945 (>0.05) which means that moral disagreement variables do not affect bullying behavior. The results of the research show that anger rumination plays a non-significant role in the emergence of bullying behavior in bullying victims (Sig. 0.8836 < 0.005). The results of this study do not prove the effect of anger rumination on the emergence of bullying behavior. This result is not in accordance with previous research on rumination and anger rumination affecting the emergence of bullying behavior. Keywords: anger rumination, bullying, moral disengagement

Cytokine Patterns Associated with Bronchial Asthma in Saudi Patients

Asthma is a common respiratory disease worldwide; most patients exhibit mild to moderate states of clinical severity. The aim of this study was designed to measure different cytokines (IL-4 and IL-5) levels in Saudi asthmatic patients and healthy volunteers’ serum, in addition to evaluating of the role of cytokines in clinical severity and diagnosis of bronchial asthma in Saudi patients. Through this study, 70 cases of Saudi bronchial asthma patients at different ages and case severity will be included in addition to 20 apparently healthy cases as a control. Serum cytokines (IL-4 and IL-5) levels will be measured by cytokines assay using Enzyme immunoassay. The results proved that the total levels of IL-4 and IL-5 were significantly higher in asthmatic patients than in control volunteers. Moreover, the concentrations of IL-4 in severe were significantly higher than those detected in moderate cases at different age groups for IL-4 but not in all age groups for IL-4. The Mean±SD for IL-4 in moderate was 13.55±1.25 pg/ml whereas in severe was 15.49±1.73 pg/ml while the Mean±SD of control was 7.55±1.47 pg/ml. The concentrations of IL-5 were non-significant in severe when compared with moderate cases. The Mean±SD for total IL-5 in moderate was 4.24±1.38 pg/ml whereas in severe was 4.46±1.40 pg/ml although the total Mean±SD in control was 2.29±0.37 pg/ml. Our results prove that there was a non-significant role of gender in bronchial asthma severity and there were no significant differences between serum cytokines levels in males and females in bronchial asthma. These results also expressed a significant role of IL-4 in the disease severity of asthmatic patients. Furthermore, detecting serum levels of IL-4 and IL-5 indicates the role of these cytokines in the development and pathogenesis of bronchial asthma.

Moderating Role of Socio-Economic Status: Health Belief Model and Preventive Measures for COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan

Objective: The current study aimed at understanding the health belief model approach about the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan and the assessment of preventive measures against this pandemic. Secondly, the study aimed to examine the role of socioeconomic status as a moderator between the health belief model and preventive measures.Study Design: Cross-sectional study.Place and Duration of Study: The study was cross-sectional and grounded on data gathered by google forms throughout Punjab province from March 2021 to May 2021.Materials and Methods: For assessment of the health belief model World Health Organization (WHO) Cosmo protocol was adopted, and the preventive strategies questionnaire was implemented through Google Forms. It analyzed how socioeconomic status moderates the influence of the health beliefs of the Pakistani population on preventive behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Socio-economic status was assessed through the Federal Bureau of Statistic (FBS) data with the addition of four other dimensions (total family members, monthly income, total earning members in the family, residence personal/rent).Results: Results revealed that constructs of the health belief model, Susceptibility (p<.002), Severity (p<.026), Self-efficacy (p<.000), and Knowledge about the disease (p<.006) revealed a statistically predictive relationship with the predictive measures taken by Pakistani population. Furthermore, moderating analysis exposed that although some constructs of the health belief model played a significant role in the use of predictive measures, but role of socioeconomic status as a moderator in their relationship was non-significant.Conclusion: The current study's findings revealed that although different health beliefs like susceptibility, severity, self-efficacy, and knowledge predict the taking of preventive measures, socio-economic status as moderating variable played a non-significant role on the relationship between health beliefs and preventive measures taken by Pakistani population.

The Role of Integrin Beta 3 Polymorphisms in Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objectives: The literature on the role of integrin beta 3 (ITGB3) exonic variants in coronary artery disease (CAD) and lipid outcomes is scarce. However, the findings remained uncertain and still not clear. Therefore, the current study aims to determine the association of rs5918 polymorphism with coronary artery disease. Methodology: All the eligible literature published in the English language from February 3, 2005, up to December 19, 2021, were searched by using different electronic databases and extracted all the required information from the available literature. The statistical analysis was performed through the MetaGenyo program, and pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to determine the association between rs5918 and CAD. Results: The final analysis includes four studies, and the overall rs5918 risk allele in all the tested genetic models as follow: allelic model: OR 0.80 CI 0.41-1.58; homozygote model: OR 1.66, 95% CI 0.20-2.16; recessive model: OR 0.71 CI 0.44-1.14; dominant model: OR 0.81 CI 0.22-3.03. In addition, the lipid outcomes, including lipoproteins, cholesterol, and triglycerides were associated with increased disease risk. The shapes of the funnel plots suggest no publication bias in our study. Conclusion: In conclusion, our final pooled analysis revealed a non-significant role of this exonic polymorphism in coronary artery disease that may exert its effect by modulating various lipid parameters. However, more studies are required with a larger cohort size that may give us conclusive results in the future.

The Role of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Reduction of Mortality from Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-analysis.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are widely used in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. However, the exact role of these inhibitors, particularly in the reduction of mortality of non-small cell lung cancer, is unclear so far. As a result, we used RevMan 5 to conduct a meta- analysis of accessible data from randomised clinical trials. The studies were categorised based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria after being collected from PubMed using appropriate MeSH terms. The fixed or random effect model was used based on heterogeneity among studies. The overall estimate was estimated as an odd ratio with a confidence interval of 95%. The heterogeneity among studies was calculated by I2 and Cochrane Q test. The qualitative analysis of publication bias was done using a funnel plot. The overall estimate measures [OR 1.02 (0.83, 1.25)] have shown non-significant role of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in reduction of deaths of non-small cell lung cancer patients as compared to non-tyrosine kinase inhibitors group. The subgroup analysis of individual tyrosine kinase inhibitors (erlotinib, gefitinib, afatinib, osimertinib and vandetanib) has also shown similar findings. Based on available data, there is no significant role played by tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the reduction of deaths of non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Is Religion a Social Factor in the Variation of (ðˤ)? The Case of Khirbit Al-Wahadneh, Jordan

This is a sociolinguistic study investigating the variation of the phonological variable (ðˤ) in Al-Wahadneh town in Jordan where Christians and Muslims live together peacefully and harmoniously. The phonological variable (ðˤ) has two variants: a traditional [ðˤ] and an innovative [dˤ]. The main objective of this study is to examine if religion is a statistically significant social factor in relation to the variable in question. The data is elicited from recorded sociolinguistic interviews and analysed via Rbrul. The results show that religion has no statistically significant influence on the pronunciation of the linguistic variable under investigation. The pattern of linguistic change with regard to (ðˤ) seems to be a typical change in progress away from the traditional variant [ðˤ] in favour of the innovative variant [dˤ]. This change is clearly led by the young female generation. The findings regarding the nonsignificant role of religion on variant choice in Al-Wahadneh can be interpreted in relation to how Christians and Muslims live in the town and how they both view themselves as Jordanian Arabs regardless of their religious affiliation. Keywords: Religion, Variationist Sociolinguistics, Age, Gender.

Characterization of rhizosphere bacterial microbiota under Robinia pseudoacacia plantations during long-term vegetation restoration on ex-arable land

Rhizosphere microbiota are intimately linked with plant growth and defense, but the microbial response to long-term vegetation restoration remains unclear. Here, soil samples were collected from Robinia pseudoacacia stands of different ages (7–35 years old) and a wheat field (control) for a comparative study of rhizosphere bacterial microbiota. The potential influencing factors were identified using principal coordinate analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis, and partial least squares path modeling. Afforestation influenced soil environmental conditions and bacterial microbiome structure. Microbiota differentiation was mainly explained by niche compartments at the horizontal level. Age-related differences in the rhizosphere microbiota were not prominent, whereas soil samples of different niche compartments were clustered separately. The rhizosphere microbiota exhibited remarkable convergence with increasing stand age. The rhizosphere microbiota dynamics were inconsistent with those of the bulk soil microbiota. Soil organic carbon and available phosphorus contents were the major environmental factors influencing rhizosphere bacterial richness. Accordingly, rhizosphere niche predominantly drove microbiota differentiation along horizontal gradients depending on the soil environment. Growth of R. pseudoacacia trees played a non-significant role in the structuring of rhizosphere microbiota in the restored ecosystem. Results of this study enable a broader understanding of how rhizosphere microbiota respond to long-term afforestation, which could facilitate vegetation restoration.

Role of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as a acute prerenal kidney injury marker: Exploring factors associated with its postoperative levels in hypotension-controlled otorhinolaryngology surgery

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden decrease in kidney function due to damage within seven days or less, thus inducing an early stress response that can be promptly detected by biomarkers, such as Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL). The aim of this study was to analyse the role of NGAL level as a biomarker of postoperative prerenal AKI in patients who underwent otorhinolaryngology surgery with controlled hypotension. Methods: A prospective study was conducted among patients that underwent otorhinolaryngology surgery with controlled hypotension. Patients were selected with purposive sampling. NGAL level was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from venous blood collected 1-hour pre- and 2-hour post-surgery. NGAL levels were compared between preoperative and postoperative states. Wilcoxon and Spearman test were used to determine the correlation between NGAL levels and parameters of AKI. Results: A total of 30 patients underwent a varies of otorhinolaryngology surgeries were recruited in this study. Our data suggested no significant different between the level of NGAL during preoperative and postoperative (184.73±120.09 ng/mL vs 175.80±129.97 ng/mL). Pre-operative laboratory parameters of AKI such as blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatine (SCr), BUN/SCr ratio, and GFR had no correlation with postoperative NGAL level. In addition, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, MAP, heart rate, EtCO2, duration of surgery and the duration of controlled hypotension had no correlation with postoperative NGAL. Conclusion: NGAL levels have nonsignificant role as biomarker of incidence of postoperative prerenal AKI in patients who receiving otorhinolaryngology surgery with controlled hypotension. However, further study with the bigger sample size is warrant to confirm the findings of this study.

ROLE OF RND-EFFLUX PUMP IN LEVOFLOXACIN RESISTANCE AMONG ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII

In this study out of 130 different clinical specimens, 70 Acinetobacter baumannii were collected from hospitalized patients. Then; all the isolates were characterized using biochemical tests and confirmed by using the Vitek II compact system. All isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii were subjected to the disc diffusion method to determine it's a susceptibility to 8 types of antibiotic disc, and the result showed these bacteria were resistant to Cefepime, Imipenem, trimethoprim, Piperacillin, tetracycline, Amikacin, ampicillin-sulbactam and levofloxacin. According to bacterial susceptibility test, all isolated were showed highly resistance to Trimethoprim (88.57%) and the lower resistance to tetracycline (47.14%). Minimum inhibitory concentration was determined only for levofloxacin resistant isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii using the broth dilution method. MIC shows these bacteria were resistant to levofloxacin in concentration ranging between 32µg/100µl to 128µg/100µl. The relation between adeIK and levofloxacin resistance was calculated by determining gene expression using real-time PCR. The result showed the mean value of adeI and adeK before exposing bacteria to levofloxacin was 2.3 and 0.42 respectively while the mean value of adeI and adeK after exposing bacteria to levofloxacin was 3.15 and 3.29 respectively. This study indicates that adeI has a non-significant role (p-value=0.11) in providing resistance to levofloxacin, while adeK plays a significant role (p-value= 0.008) in providing resistance to levofloxacin.

The Role of K and Ca Channels in Hydrogen Sulfide Induced Relaxation in Arteries Feeding Human Colorectal Cancer

This study was designed to find out the vasorelaxant effects of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on arteries feedinghuman colon cancer. In addition, it also included the study of the possible roles of potassium (K+) andcalcium (Ca2+) channel types in H2S-induced relaxation in the isolated arteries. Sodium sulfide (Na2S)showed a potent dose-dependent relaxant effect on Norepinephrine (1X10-5 M) precontracted arteries.The use of different specific K+ channel blockers (BaCl2, 4-AP, GLIB, and TEA) individually indicatedH2S-induced relaxation was affected by all K channel types participated to a various extent, except Kvchannels. Both Kca2+ and Kir channels played a major role in the induced relaxation, while KATP playeda minor and non-significant role. On the other hand, Kv channel played no direct role, and the inducedresponse curve was very close to that of the control. Possible combinations of K channel blockersshowed that some produced synergistic effect to different extent, whereas others produced mild andnon-significant effect except at the highest doses used on dose-response curves. Thus, combinations of(GLIB+4-AP), (GLIB+BaCl2) and (BaCl2+TEA) caused a highly significant blocking in the inducedresponse curve, while (BaCl2 +4-AP) and (TEA+4-AP) produced a mild inhibition except at the highestdoses used in which the inhibition was significant.

Adult height and diabetes control: is there an association?

Background: Obesity is commonly associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). The most frequent anthropometric index utilised to assess obesity is the body mass index (BMI), which uses height and weight as variables, but eliminates height as an independent analytical variable. Currently there are no data available on the relationship between adult height and glycaemic control in patients living with diabetes (PLWD) within the context of HIV infection.Objectives: This study aimed to determine an association between final adult height and glycaemic control in an HIV endemic area.Methods: Standardised clinic sheets were used from the DM clinic at Edendale Hospital, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019. Statistical analysis was done.Results: This study had 957 PLWD. In the height categories of < 1.40 m, 1.40–1.49 m, 1.50–1.59 m, 1.60–1.69 m, 1.70–1.79 m, 1.80–1.89 m and ≥ 1.90 m, there were 11, 60, 321, 343, 121, 26 and 2 patients respectively (with 73 patients having no height recorded). Taller patients had smaller waist circumferences and had poorer glycaemic control. In the lowest vs. highest height (< 1.40 m vs ≥ 1.90 m) categories, the HbA1c values were 8.49% vs. 12.45%, respectively, p = 0.019. Height had a strong positive association with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (p = 0.001). Those PLWD in the 1.80–1.89 m height cohort had higher triglyceride levels and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels when compared with the other height categories. Shorter PLWD with uncontrolled glycaemic control had significantly elevated systolic blood pressure. Gender and HIV infection had a non-significant role on height categories in PLWD.Conclusion: Taller height categories had poorer glycaemic control. Increasing height was strongly associated with increasing DBP. A higher DBP and triglyceride level with lower HDL level places these PLWD in a higher cardiovascular risk category. Strong emphasis needs to be placed on the monitoring of lipids and blood pressure in PLWD, this more especially in taller patients.

Personality traits and select socio-demographic variables as predictors of military morale: longitudinal research in the Estonian defence forces

Abstract Military morale is a concept widely used to describe the motivational element of soldiers’ will to fight or “the energy that drives soldiers to perform qualitatively better in stressful conditions, characterised by enthusiasm and persistence when engaging in collective, i.e. unit-level activities”. This longitudinal study explored the interlink-ages between perceptions of military morale, the Big Five personality traits and select socio-demographic characteristics among the conscripts of the Estonian Defence Forces and predicting directly measurable individual and collective types of military morale. Moreover, the fluctuation of military morale over the training cycle of conscript service (11 months) was tracked. The findings indicate that at the start of military service, individual morale has a low or medium statistically significant correlation with conscripts’ personality traits, with Conscientiousness and Neuroticism demonstrating the strongest relations; however, the correlation with Neuroticism was negative. Additionally, when viewed throughout the course of the entire training cycle, the morale demonstrated a U-shaped progression, i.e. high at the beginning, dropping in the middle and rising back up at the end of military service. At the same time, socio-demographic variables demonstrated little or non-significant role in predicting individual or collective morale. The results indicate that morale fluctuates over time and is affected by personal characteristics. For practitioners, these results could help to reinforce the positive impact of morale on collective and individual performances.

Heterogeneous effects of foreign exchange appreciation on industrial output: Evidence from disaggregated manufacturing data

• Real exchange rate fluctuations impact domestic economic activity throughout the trade and financial channels. • We estimate the partial effect of exchange rate innovations on the dynamics of the Brazilian manufacturing output using disaggregated manufacturing data. • On the aggregate level, impacts are statistically and economically negligible. • Disaggregated data shows that an unanticipated depreciation positively (negatively) affect output in net export (import) sectors. • Our evidence highlights how heterogeneous are manufacturing response to exchange rate shocks due to the trade channel. Real exchange rate fluctuations impact domestic economic activity throughout the trade and financial channels. Using granular data from the Brazilian manufacturing sector, we decompose the manufacturing sector into different sub-sectors according to their net exposures to international trade and analyze how the industrial production responds to real exchange rate appreciation innovations. On the aggregate level, our evidence suggests a non-significant role of the exchange rate in explaining the dynamics of industrial production, before and after the Great Financial Crisis of 2008. However, consistent with the trade channel of real exchange rates, we find that shocks to the exchange rate (e.g., an unanticipated depreciation) positively (negatively) affect output in net export (import) sectors. Though non-homogeneous, these effects are modest in terms of economic magnitude. Further, by including analysts’ macroeconomic forecasts in the model, we find that such effects stem from exogenous, unanticipated shocks to the exchange rate. Our evidence is robust to a trade-weighted measure of the exchange rate and to alternative manufacturing outcomes rather than output. Overall, our results highlight how heterogeneous are manufacturing responses to exchange rate shocks in an important emerging economy.

Peranan Perilaku, Kebiasaan dan Dukungan Tokoh Masyarakat terhadap Kepemilikan Jamban Sehat di Pesisir Kampung Bugis Kota Tanjungpinang

One of the problems of sanitation development in Indonesia is about of socio-cultural challenges, one of which is the behavior of some people who are accustomed to open defecation. The pur-pose of this study was to find out the role of behavior, habits and support of community leaders on the ownership of healthy latrines in the coastal area of Kampung Bugis in Tanjungpinang City, by conducting an analytic observational research with cross sectional design, i.e. to study the correlation dynamics between risk factors and the effects, by observing or collecting data at the same time. The study population were 372 householders in Kampung Bugis, and as the sample was 193 householder. The data were analyzed by chi-square test at 0,05 significance level. The study results indicate that among the factors, significant role is showed by habits (p&lt;0,001), and non-significant role is showed by knowledge (p=0,788), attitude (p=0,092) and support from community leader (p=1,000). Based on the study results, all relevant parties are advised to sup-port the people of Kampung Bugis, so that they can possess healthy latrines that meet health re-quirements and is also proper to use.

Social support, well-being and involvement of fathers in transnational families in the Philippines

This study investigated left-behind Filipino fathers and their involvement as child caregivers. It hypothesized that social support and well-being predict paternal involvement, with well-being as the mediator. Results showed that familial and peer support predicted involvement, with well-being as mediator. Spousal support did not predict involvement or well-being. Findings highlight the importance of familial and peer support to left-behind fathers. Interactions between significant predictors of involvement present novel pathways to childcare. The non-significant role of spousal support is discussed in the context of transnational migration. Several interventions involving families and peers are suggested.