Preliminary Findings Research Articles

Feasibility of Robot-Assisted Cytoreductive Surgery With Upper-Abdominal Peritonectomy for Pseudomyxoma Peritonei With Low Peritoneal Carcinomatosis Index: A Pilot Study.

Our study's objective was to provide the method for, and preliminary findings from, robot-assisted cytoreductive surgery (r-CRS) combined with upper-abdominal peritonectomy in pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) with limited peritoneal surface malignancy (PSM). We conducted a retrospective pilot study on consecutive patients with PSM secondary to pseudomyxoma peritonei with a peritoneal cancer index (PCI) of under 10 who were indicated for r-CRS combined with upper-abdominal peritectomy. Perioperative and 30-day major morbidity and mortality characteristics were analyzed and compared with cases in which laparoscopic CRS (l-CRS) was performed under the same conditions. Six patients underwent r-CRS combined with an upper-abdominal partial peritonectomy. Their mean PCI was 4.83. Complete cytoreduction was achieved in all patients. The mean duration of the operation was 156.8 minutes. There was no major complication and no mortality. The mean length of hospital stay after surgery was 6.33 days. r-CRS resulted in less blood loss, a lower C-reactive protein level, and a shorter length of hospital stay that were significantly different compared with those of l-CRS. This is the initial technical report of a robotic approach for CRS combined with upper-abdominal peritonectomy. r-CRS with a combined upper-abdominal peritonectomy was shown to be safe and feasible for PMP with limited PSM.

The Dose-Response in Elite Soccer: Preliminary Insights From Menstrual-Cycle Tracking During the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019.

This preliminary study examined the influence of estimated menstrual-cycle (MC)phase on responses to soccer matches and training sessions in preparation for and during the FIFA (Fédération internationale de football association) Women's World Cup 2019. Twenty outfield players representing a national team were tracked over a 45-day period. External (10-Hz global positioning system; total and distance covered at high-metabolic power [≥20W·kg-1]) and internal load measures (minutes ≥80% heart-rate maximum, sessional ratings of perceived exertion) were collected during all training and matches, with single-item wellness measures (fatigue, soreness, sleep quality, and sleep duration) collected each morning prior to activity. MC phase was estimated individually via an algorithm, informed from pretournament survey responses and ongoing symptom reporting (FitrWoman). Model comparison statistics were used to determine the impact of estimated MC phase in nonhormonal contraceptive users (n = 16). Sessional rating of perceived exertion responses to total distances ≥5km were higher during the luteal phase (+0.6-1.0au; P ≤ .0178) versus menstruation (phase 1), but no other observable dose-response trends were observed. Sleep, fatigue, and soreness ratings were not typically associated with MC phase, with the exception of exacerbated fatigue ratings in luteal versus follicular phase 48 hours postmatch (-0.73au, P = .0275). Preliminary findings suggest that estimated MC phase may contribute to the understanding of the dose-response to soccer training and matches.

Inversion of Boreal Forest Height Using the CRITIC Weighted Least Squares Three-Stage Temporal Decorrelation Iterative Algorithm

The inversion of forest height using the RVoG (Random Volume over Ground) model is susceptible to overestimation or underestimation due to three error sources, propagating inaccuracies to the estimated forest height. Furthermore, variations in the height and density of the scenario could impact how well the RVoG three-stage inversion performs. This work utilizes the L-band single-baseline full polarization interferometric dataset as its basis. It optimally applies the CRITIC (Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation) method to the first stage of a three-stage process. This approach aims to overcome the issues mentioned above and enhance the accuracy of forest parameter estimation. A CRITIC weighted least squares temporal decoherence iterative algorithm is also proposed for the characteristics of the spaceborne data, in combination with the temporal decoherence algorithm of previous research. The proposed approach is tested and applied to both simulated and actual data. The optimization approach is first assessed using four simulated datasets that simulate coniferous forests with different densities and heights. The preliminary findings suggest that optimizing the complex coherence fitting process through the weighted least squares method enhances the accuracy of ground phase estimation and, consequently, improves the accuracy of the three-stage approach for inverting forest height. The ground phase estimation results for low forest height consistently remained within 0.02 rad, with a root mean square error (RMSE) below 0.05 rad, and no saturation occurred with increasing forest density. The enhanced algorithm outperforms the traditional technique in terms of accuracy in ground phase estimation. Subsequently, the optimized approach is applied to ALOS-2 spaceborne data, proving more successful than the conventional algorithm in reducing the RMSE of forest height. The findings illustrate the method’s superior inversion performance, obtaining an accuracy exceeding 80% in both the test and validation sets. The validation set’s RMSE is approximately 2.5 m, and the mean absolute error (MAE) is within 2 m. Moreover, it is observed that to counteract the uncertainty in temporal decoherence induced by climate change, a larger temporal baseline necessitates a larger random motion compensation term and phase offset term.

Demographic, Clinical and Language Characteristics of Malaysian Patients with Aphasia: A Retrospective Study

Limited research has been conducted in Malaysia on the characteristics of patients with aphasia. To address this gap, a retrospective study was conducted at Hospital Rehabilitasi Cheras (HRC). The study aimed to profile the demographic, clinical, and language characteristics of patients who underwent speech therapy for aphasia. Medical records from 2014 to 2017 were reviewed, focusing on 1,259 adult patients who were referred to the Speech Therapy Unit. Analysis included demographics, clinical aspects, and linguistic features. The Western Battery of Aphasia-Revised (WAB-R), a comprehensive assessment tool, was used to evaluate the language abilities. Among the patients' files analysed, a total of 211 contained WAB-R test results. The demographic profile revealed a higher proportion of male patients compared to females, with Malay patients comprising the majority, followed by Chinese and Indians. Age distribution included 41.7% older adults (aged 55 and above), 37.9% middle-aged (aged 36-55), and 20.4% younger adults (aged 18- 35). Notably, 44.5% had completed high school education. Clinically, right- sided hemiparesis was prevalent as noted with 67.8% of patients, while 14.7% had left-sided hemiparesis. The primary cause of aphasia was stroke, accounting for 71.1% of cases, with ischemic stroke being the dominant subtype (56.9%). Fluent aphasia was presented in 50.2% of the cases, compared to 49.3% of non-fluent aphasia. Anomic aphasia was the most common subtype (35.5%), followed by global aphasia (27.5%) and Broca’s aphasia (17.5%). The language profile provided a detailed description, encompassing linguistic aspects relevant to different aphasia types. These preliminary findings yielded valuable insights and hold significant implications for the clinical management of aphasia patients in Malaysia.

Abstract 4849: Mosaic chromosomal alterations in a prospective cohort of Mexican Americans for cancer risk and genetic insights

Abstract Introduction: In this study, we aim to explore mosaic chromosomal alterations (mCA) and their implications in cancer risk among Mexican Americans (MA) - an expanding yet historically underrepresented ethnic minority in the U.S. In addition, we propose to develop a novel method that identifies high mutant cell fraction (MCF) copy-neutral Loss of heterozygosity (cn-LOH). At sufficiently high MCF, these will look like runs of homozygosity (ROH) and may be missed by current mCA detection techniques that rely on identified germline heterozygote genotypes. Our preliminary findings revealed frequent and widespread homozygosity across the genome, predominantly in short regions (<10 Mb), although some exceeded 100 Mb. Our objective is to advance mCA detection techniques, differentiating cn-LOH from ROH, to deepen our understanding of mCA. Methods: We analyzed SNP array data from blood and saliva samples of 1657 individuals, focusing on cancer and chronic disease risk ages, from the Mano a Mano Mexican American Cohort Study. We applied hapLOH and MoChA, both haplotype-based methods, to detect mCA. To identify high-MCF cn-LOH, we first scanned for observed ROH using PLINK. Separately, we develop a statistical framework through simulations to differentiate high-MCF cn-LOH from ROH. We considered multiple methods; initially, we built a statistical framework using a hypothesis-testing approach (H0: ROH; H1: cn-LOH), where we compared the “B allele” frequency information within observed ROH. To split this information and obtain our groups, we used population genetic principles. Secondly, we classified our events, calculating the likelihood ratio of our statistical hypotheses. Finally, we explored a haplotype-based imputation approach that leverages flanking diploid region information. Results: We identified numerous mCA, predominantly in individuals without cancer. Simulations showed effective classification in larger homozygosity regions (>10 Mb), guiding our methodological focus on detecting shorter high-MCF regions. Not surprisingly, extremely high MCFs (0.99-1) presented challenges in accurate identification. Conclusion and Future Directions: To improve our mCA results description, we will thoroughly characterize and study their association with cancer phenotypes and environmental exposures. We are in the process of genotyping the entire cohort, which consists of over 25,000 participants. To date, our cohort includes 909 cancer cases, of which 262 are hematological malignancies. We sought to design a unique method that differentiates high-MCF cn-LOH from observed ROH, improving current mCA discovery. Our focus is on small regions as they provide limited information to infer event types. Our next step is to characterize and validate our results, especially in pathologically normal samples, as a way of identifying potential biomarkers of interest. Citation Format: Jessica Valdebenito, Justin Wong, Dahwei Chang, Henry Gomez, Kevin T Nead, Yasminka Jakubek, Paul Scheet. Mosaic chromosomal alterations in a prospective cohort of Mexican Americans for cancer risk and genetic insights [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4849.

Optimizing Growth Parameters of Bell Pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) Through Comprehensive Nutrient Management on Farm of the Department of Horticulture, MGCGV, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, India

The study was conducted at the Research Farm of the Department of Horticulture, MGCGV, Chitrakoot. Bell pepper, a popular vegetable crop, faces challenges related to growth and productivity. This research aimed to determine the most suitable treatment for enhancing the growth parameters of Bell pepper plants.
 The experiment involved a comprehensive approach, combining organic nutrient management, bioenhancers, and chemical fertilizers. Various treatments were applied to evaluate their impact on the growth parameters of Bell pepper. These parameters included plant height, leaf area, flowering, fruit set, and yield. Additionally, soil health and nutrient dynamics were assessed to understand the long-term sustainability of the treatments.
 Preliminary findings suggest that a balanced combination of organic nutrients, bioenhancers, and judicious use of chemical fertilizers significantly improved the growth parameters of Bell pepper. This approach not only promoted vigorous vegetative growth but also enhanced reproductive stages, leading to higher fruit set and ultimately increased yield. Moreover, the study provides insights into the potential for sustainable Bell pepper cultivation practices.
 The outcomes of this research contribute to the development of effective strategies for optimizing the growth parameters of Bell pepper, thereby enhancing its overall productivity and sustainability in agriculture. Further investigation is recommended to validate and fine-tune these findings for broader adoption in Bell pepper cultivation.

The complementary impacts of nurse home visiting and quality childcare for children experiencing adversity

AbstractAustralian Governments are increasingly understanding the impacts of early adversity, evidenced by ongoing policy and investment in two of the most widely implemented early interventions: nurse home visiting (NHV) and early childhood education and care (ECEC). Neither intervention fully redresses the developmental inequities engendered by early adversity, yet their synergistic impacts (“dynamic complementarity”) are unknown. In this research, we aimed to (1) inform evaluation of policy implementation by (2) experimentally testing the dynamic complementarity of NHV and ECEC. We capitalised on an opportunity afforded by the Australian “right@home” randomised trial, which involved 722 pregnant women experiencing adversity, randomised to receive NHV or usual care to child age 2 years. Detailed data describing family‐accessed ECEC were collected from parents at 3–4 years, and “quality ECEC” was categorised according to meeting quality recommendations defined by Australian policy and provision. Children's developmental outcomes (language, executive functioning, behaviour and well‐being) were parent‐reported or assessed directly at 4 years. At 4 years, 33 per cent of families had received neither intervention; 40 per cent NHV only; 14 per cent quality ECEC only; and 13 per cent had received both. We used linear regression to estimate differences in mean outcomes between exposure groups, including interaction between NHV and ECEC. Unadjusted analyses indicated modest effects of the combination of NHV and ECEC, which attenuated after adjustment for socioeconomic confounders. We present the design and preliminary findings as an approach that could be used to evaluate equitable implementation at scale and enable policymakers to determine the most effective evidence‐based policy.

Facilitators and barriers of pre-employment transition services implementation: Preliminary findings and recommendations

BACKGROUND: Employment rates for people with disabilities have only slightly changed since the passage of WIOA. As possible reauthorization nears, it is necessary to reassess the provision and coordination of pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) to increase employment outcomes for students with disabilities. OBJECTIVE: This article identifies facilitators and barriers to Pre-ETS implementation and provides practical recommendations to align with the original intent of WIOA. METHOD: Researchers used independent samples t-tests to analyze 56 students’ pre and post-test quiz scores following Pre-ETS lessons. Researchers then employed qualitative thematic analysis of research artifacts collected during one phase of a three-year study to gather data on instructors’ experiences of facilitating Pre-ETS services. RESULTS: Results reveal higher student quiz scores reported with a small effect demonstrating increased student knowledge in job exploration (d = 0.312) and workplace readiness (d = 0.275). In addition, five qualitative themes emerged including silos, performative technology, career alienation, absenteeism, and instructional autonomy. CONCLUSION: Findings show increased student knowledge in job exploration and workplace readiness. The study also identifies 1) family engagement, interagency collaboration, and technology as possible barriers to Pre-ETS implementation while 2) instructor autonomy acted as a potential facilitator. Recommendations suggest personnel preparation and training of educators and VR professionals to support improved collaboration.

Assessment of dental bur sterilization awareness among general dentists in Uttarakhand

This study assesses general dentists' knowledge and adherence to dental bur sterilization practices in Uttarakhand, aiming to enhance patient safety and clinical precision by identifying implementation gaps. Evaluate practitioners' understanding of optimal sterilization protocols for burs, pinpoint areas for improvement, and establish a baseline of current practices in general dentistry. A state-wide distribution of a structured questionnaire gathered responses from 237 general dentists. The survey focused on sterilization equipment usage, frequency, and compliance with industry guidelines. Quantitative data were analyzed for insights into current practices. Preliminary findings show varying awareness and adherence levels among practitioners. While a significant proportion demonstrated commendable knowledge, specific gaps and deviations were identified, suggesting areas for improvement. Continuous education and reinforcement of best practices in bur sterilization are crucial within the general dentistry community. Addressing identified gaps can elevate the standard of care, ensuring patient safety and precision in dental procedures. Ongoing education and awareness campaigns are vital for sustained improvement in bur sterilization practices.

Perception of undergraduate students of Nigeria’s premier university on the use of emergency remote teaching during Covid-19

This study reports preliminary findings on undergraduate students’ perception of the Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, during Covid-19. Proportional to size sampling was used in obtaining the sample size of 366, while respondents were selected using convenience sampling. Data collection was through a structured questionnaire containing both open and closed ended questions and data was collected on the factors - attitude, affect, motivation; perceived behavioural control (accessibility, self-efficacy, ease of use,); and cognitive engagement. Findings showed that students’ positive attitude towards face-to-face learning was significantly higher than towards ERT and correlation analysis showed a relationship between preference for face-to-face learning and struggling with ERT. Also, the average difference in students’ motivation for learning before and after commencement of ERT was not statistically significant. Students reported more frequent use of educational technologies after ERT commenced than before and the difference was statistically significant. Increase was reported in all the self-efficacy and cognitive engagement constructs. Positive changes reported were mainly acquisition of additional hobbies as well as business, social and technology skills. Challenges to online learning included poor power supply, cost of data subscription, network disruptions and distractions from family and friends.

Student Access Application

In an era where a lot of disruptive technologies that change the entire perspective of the market are arriving very often. One such is the emergence of Mobile App Development, which completely changed the way users utilized software. Even though soft- ware development generally meant a stand-alone or Web application in the past, now it has landscape, facilitating seamless access to academic resources is paramount for student success. Preliminary findings indicate a significant improvement in students' ability to access academic resources efficiently, leading to heightened engagement with course materials and improved communication between students and faculty. The SAA demonstrates promise in addressing challenges associated with traditional methods of information dissemination in educational institutions. The implications of this research extend beyond the immediate benefits for students, as institutions can draw insights for optimizing their technology-driven strategies to enhance overall educational experiences. The findings presented in this paper contribute valuable knowledge to the ongoing discourse on leveraging mobile applications to create more accessible and engaging learning environments for students in the digital age.

Farmed Insect Frass as a Future Organic Fertilizer

The aim of this incubation experiment was to evaluate the effect of Tenebrio molitor L. frass on selected chemical and microbiological properties of acid peat. The optimal rate of mealworm frass in the substrate for growing ornamental trees and shrubs was determined. Acid peat was fertilized with frass or urea at five nitrogen (N) rates: 0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg dm−3. Mineral N content and electrical conductivity increased, and calcium content decreased in peat with increasing N rates. Similarly to urea, frass increased the ammonification rate at the beginning of incubation and the nitrification rate from the second week of incubation. Higher frass rates increased the abundance of plant-available nutrients (N, P, Mg, K, and Na) in acid peat. Frass undesirably decreased the counts of bacteria with antagonistic activity against soil-borne plant pathogens. Regarding the abundance of functional genes, the optimal N rate was 100 mg dm−3, which promoted the growth of N-fixing and chitinolytic bacteria. Higher N rates promoted the development of aerobic spore-forming bacteria, which produce antibiotics that can be used as biocontrol agents. Moderate fertilizer rates contributed to N accumulation in bacterial biomass. These preliminary findings, which indicate that insect frass can partially replace mineral fertilizers, are promising and can be used in pot and field experiments testing various plant species.

An Automated Insulin Delivery System with Automatic Meal Bolus Based on a Hand-Gesturing Algorithm.

Background: Carbohydrate counting (CC) and meal announcements, before eating, introduce a significant burden for individuals managing type 1 diabetes (T1D). An automated insulin delivery system with automatic bolusing that eliminates the need for CC and premeal bolusing (i.e., a hands-free closed-loop [HFCL] system) was assessed in a feasibility trial of adults with T1D. Methods: The system included the MiniMed™ 780G pump and a smartphone-paired smartwatch with the Klue application (Klue, Inc.) that detects eating and drinking gestures. A smartphone algorithm converted gestures into carb amounts that were transmitted to the pump for automatic bolusing. For 5 days, participants (N = 17, 18-75 years of age) used the system at home with meal announcements based on traditional CC, with the Klue application disabled (Home-stay phase). Thereafter, participants moved to a supervised hotel setting, where the Klue application was enabled for 5 days and meals were not announced (Hotel-stay phase). Participants consumed the same eight test meals (six solid and two liquid) of varying caloric and carb size at the same time and day of the week for both phases, and glycemic metrics were compared. Otherwise, there were no other meal restrictions. Results: The overall time in range (70-180 mg/dL) was 83.4% ± 7.0% and 80.6% ± 6.7% for the Home-stay and Hotel-stay, respectively (P = 0.08). The average time at <70 mg/dL was 3.1% and 3.0% (P = 0.9144), respectively, and the average time at >180 mg/dL was 13.5% and 16.3% (P = 0.1046), respectively. Postprandial glycemia following low-carb test meals was similar between the two phases. The system's ability to accommodate high-carb meals was somewhat limited. There were no episodes of severe hypoglycemia or diabetic ketoacidosis. Conclusion: Preliminary findings show that a HFCL system was safe and maintained overall glycemic control, similar to that observed with traditional CC and manual meal bolusing. By eliminating these daily T1D burdens, a HFCL system may improve quality of life for individuals with T1D. ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT04964128.

Disambiguation of Isolated Manipuri Tonal Contrast Word Pairs Using Acoustic Features

Manipuri is a low-resource, Tibeto-Burman tonal language spoken mainly in Manipur, a northeastern state of India. Tone identification is crucial to speech comprehension for tonal languages, where tone defines the word’s meaning. Automatic Speech Recognition for those languages can perform better by including tonal information from a powerful tone detection system. While significant research has been conducted on tonal languages like Mandarin, Thai, Cantonese, and Vietnamese, a notable gap exists in exploring Manipuri within this context. To address this gap, this work expands our previously developed handcrafted speech corpus, ManiTo, which comprises isolated Manipuri tonal contrast word pairs to study the tones of Manipuri. This extension includes contributions from 20 native speakers. Preliminary findings have confirmed that Manipuri has two unique tones, Falling and Level. The study then conducts a comprehensive acoustic feature analysis. Two sets of features based on Pitch contours, Jitter, and Shimmer measurements are investigated to distinguish the two tones of Manipuri. Support Vector Machine, Long Short-term Memory, Random Forest, and k-Nearest Neighbors are the classifiers adopted to validate the selected feature sets. The results indicate that the second set of features consistently outperformed the first set, demonstrating higher accuracy, particularly when utilizing the Random Forest classifier, which provides valuable insights for further advancements in speech recognition technology for low-resource tonal language Manipuri.

Same sleep disorder but different sleep patterns: individual differences in sleep health and depressive symptomatology in veterans with obstructive sleep apnea.

Poor sleep health, a composite measure of key sleep characteristics, may relate to increased depressive symptoms among individuals treated for obstructive sleep apnea. The current investigation examined the association between sleep health and depressive symptomatology. In a pilot sample of 13 symptomatic OSA military Veterans with adequate CPAP adherence (mean age = 54.8, 76.9% male, 100% White), empirically validated cutoffs were applied to actigraphy-derived sleep variables: duration, efficiency, timing, and regularity. Participants with zero optimal sleep scores had significantly higher depressive scores (M = 19.0, SD = 3.0) than participants with 1 or 2 (M = 9.8. SD = 4.3, p = .016) and 3 or more optimal sleep scores (M = 11.3, SD = 4.9, p = .038). These preliminary findings suggest that better sleep health was associated with lower depressive symptomatology. Future work should replicate these preliminary findings in a larger sample.

Word-of-mouth generated influences of different prepared dishes via online consumer purchases: Preliminary text-based research findings from "Jingdong Mall" flagship shops.

With the rapid development of China's prepared vegetable product market, consumer demand for prepared vegetable products is increasing. The study adopts a qualitative research method to construct a model of factors influencing the generation of consumer word-of-mouth (IWOM) in the online consumption context, taking the real consumer word-of-mouth of Jingdong's own flagship shop of prepared dishes as the object of the study. The model states that the objective factors that promote the generation of word of mouth include specific consumption context (emotionality, initiality, scarcity, convenience and process) and specific product attributes (richness, safety, accessibility and emotionality). Meanwhile subjective factors design consumer satisfaction with the product (satisfaction with a single attribute and satisfaction with the brand as a whole) and emotions (positive self-conscious emotions, high arousal positive emotions and medium arousal positive emotions). Objective factors may contribute directly to the generation of word-of-mouth, or they may further contribute to word-of-mouth generation through subjective consumer factors. In addition, IWOM is often generated not by a single factor, but by a combination of factors.

Based on an entrepreneurship education framework: what are expectations for engineering entrepreneurship education in Hong Kong?

ABSTRACT Awareness and interest in engineering entrepreneurship education has been steadily increasing, yet questions remain on what should be taught. There is a need for research to examine the impact of engineering entrepreneurship education with reference to existing theory and research, and from perspectives of different stakeholders. This study investigates the expectations and perspectives of multiple stakeholders towards learning outcomes in engineering entrepreneurship education, mainly including students from first and final years of higher education, along with educators and industry professionals. A survey instrument was adopted to investigate student expectations towards engineering entrepreneurship education learning outcomes. The quantitative phase offered preliminary findings to support the next phase of individual interviews with students, educators, and professionals from the engineering industry. Findings revealed diverse expectations, needs and preferences across individuals and stakeholder groups. Implications are offered for curriculum design and implementation of teaching and learning practices in this field.

A peek into the population genetics of white teatfish (Holothuria fuscogilva) of Kenya's south coast.

The white teatfish, Holothuria fuscogilva, is widely distributed in coastal areas, including waters around coral reefs and seagrasses in the Indo-Pacific. In Kenya, the species is distributed in shallow reefs with higher landings reported from the Vanga-Shimoni-Gazi seascape on the Kenyan south coast. Despite its high exploitation for export and its vulnerable and endangered statuses under IUCN and CITES respectively, Kenya's H. fuscogilva populations and how they may have been impacted by the fishing pressure have not been studied. We estimated the genetic diversity and structure of H. fuscogilva population conveniently sampled from three sites in Kenyan south coast using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences. We recorded 30 haplotypes with 43 polymorphic sites across the population. Furthermore, we estimated an overall high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity of estimates of h = 0.970 ± 0.013 and π = 0.010 ± 0.001 respectively. These preliminary findings suggest several population outcomes, among them a fit population, which require confirming with more comprehensive study to inform strategies for the sustainable exploitation and management of the species.

Exploring the link between economic growth, energy consumption, and environmental pollution in G20

AbstractThis study examined the interplay between economic growth and environmental pollution in G20 countries, employing panel data analysis techniques. The primary aim was to assess the validity of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis using contemporary econometric methods, while considering the pertinent literature. Preliminary findings of the study affirm the EKC hypothesis, which posits that environmental pollution initially escalates with economic growth but diminishes after surpassing a specific income threshold. Nevertheless, upon integrating per capita energy consumption into the analysis, the descending trajectory postulated in the inverted U‐shaped hypothesis emerged as statistically non‐significant. This undermines the EKC hypothesis's assertion that industrialized nations with elevated per capita incomes predominantly contribute to reduced environmental pollution. Consequently, in the context of developed nations, this research bolsters the prevailing consensus in scholarly discourse that economic growth augments resource consumption, thereby adversely impacting environmental quality.

From Value Stream Mapping to Choreographic Tension Mapping: Preliminary Results and Insights from an Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT Value Stream Mapping (VSM), a lean manufacturing technique, is a process analysis approach that focuses on value and waste. This project explored the development and incorporation of a VSM-inspired tool to help dance composition students consider the value present in their choreography explicitly. The proposed Choreographic Tension Mapping (CTM) tool was incorporated into an upper-level dance composition course in the Dance Program in collaboration with the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Florida. Students used this tool multiple times throughout the semester. They responded to a set of prompts to reflect on their experience of using CTM and its impact on their creative processes. Students’ responses to one of the prompts were qualitatively analyzed. The preliminary findings demonstrated the potential benefits of the use of CTM to support the development of skills in choreographing, collaborating in a group, and giving constructive feedback in dance composition education.