Probability Level Research Articles

Self-medication for dental caries-associated toothache among dental outpatients attended at public health facilities in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: A cross-sectional study.

Self-medication is a common practice worldwide, and its prevalence ranges between 20% and 80% among patients suffering from dental pain. The socioeconomic status of an individual plays a key role in self-medication practice, especially sex and education level. This study aims to investigate the extent of self-medication practice for toothache due to dental caries among adults in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This was an analytical cross-sectional study carried out over 6 months. It included adult patients presenting with toothache in public dental clinics. A questionnaire captured information on demography, self-medication practice, the substance used for self-medication, duration of self-medication, and reason for self-medication. Univariate analysis was carried out to assess factors associated with self-care remedies. The probability level of α < 0.05 was selected for statistical significance. A total of 420 participants took part in this survey with a majority (54.3%) being females. The ages of the participants ranged between 18 years and 79 years, with a mean age of 33.37 (SD = 12.64) years. Nearly all (98.5%) participants used some sort of self-prescribed remedies for managing toothache before attending a dental clinic for appropriate treatment. The sociodemographic status of the participants did not influence the practice of self-medication. About 98% of patients suffering from toothache in Tanzania practice self-medication, and it cuts across all social strata of the adult dental population. Patients with toothache secondary to dental caries participated in the pilot study and were consulted on the suitability of the study tool.

Impact of weed control methods and staking on the growth, yield, and weed response of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) in Kano, Sudan Savanna, Nigeria

Cucumber growing is becoming increasingly popular in Nigeria's Sudan savanna region due to its health benefits and minimal impact on the soil. However, weed infestation is a major challenge that can significantly reduce yields, by up to 45-95%. In view of this, two trials were conducted at the Teaching and Research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture and the net house of the Centre for Dryland Agriculture of the Bayero University Kano to examine the effects of weed control and staking on cucumbers during the 2021 dry season. The trial consisted of eight weed control treatments and two staking methods which were arranged in a split plot design with three replicates, with staking assigned to the main plot while weed control was assigned to the sub plots. The study analyzed data on growth and yield, using Genstat (17th edition) and significantly different means were separated using the Student Newman-Keuls Test (SNK) at a 5% level of probability. Results showed a higher composition of grass and broadleaf weeds in open fields compared to controlled net house environments. Weed Control Efficiency (WCE) was greater in weed-free plots, but Butachlor and metolachlor significantly outperformed other treatments, providing higher WCE. The herbicidal treated plots significantly resulted in longer days to 50% emergence than other treatments, while it also resulted in a shorter number of days to 50% flowering and fruiting than weedy check. The vine length, number of leaves, leaf area, and chlorophyll content were highly significant (p&lt;0.01) in weed free, butachlor at 1.5 + Imazethapyr 1.5 kg a.i.ha-1 post emergence ( POE) and metolachlor at 1.5 + Imazethapyr 1.5 kg a.i.ha-1 POE. Similarly, yield and yield attributes followed the same pattern as obtained in growth components. Staking of vines on the other hand significantly resulted in greater growth and yield of cucumber. Based on these findings, farmers in the study area are advised to grow cucumber staked with the application of Butachlor at 1.5 + Imazethapyr 1.5 kg a.i.ha-1 POE and metolachlor at 1.5 + Imazethapyr 1.5 kg a.i.ha-1 POE for sustainable weed management.

Analysis of impulse withstand voltage of ester-based nanofluids

Ester-based nanofluids constitute an effective ecological alternative to petroleum-derived dielectric fluids for electrical engineering industry. Pulse induced dielectric breakdown is a key cause of power device failure. In this paper, we deal with the lightning impulse breakdown voltage (LI BDV) in natural and synthetic ester-based (NE and SE) nanofluids with various concentrations of magnetite (Fe3O4) and fullerene (C60) nanoparticles. The nanofluids show a decrement in positive polarity LI+ BDV as compared with the base ester. Negative polarity LI- BDV in the nanofluids is similar to that of base oils. Weibull statistical distributions are applied to analyse the results at different cumulative probabilities of 1 %, 10 %, and 50 %. Natural ester with C60 nanoparticles shows higher positive LI+ BDV values at a low probability level, while the negative LI- BDV reaches higher values at higher probability levels. The decreased LI BDV in NE and SE due to the magnetite nanoparticles are attributed to the nanoparticle clustering and percolation. The tendency of C60 nanoparticles to enhance the LI BDV in NE but not in SE is interpreted in the view of the nanoparticle concentration and oil's viscosity effect on the streamer branching and propagation.

Impact of Fish Guano and Abscisic Acid on Physiological Traits of Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) under Moisture Stress

Field trials were conducted during the 2021 and 2022 at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Facultyof Agriculture Bayero University Kano (110 97′ 98.6′′N 80 42′03.7′′'E) and Research Farm of Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology Wudil (11̊25′N 9̊E) to determine the impact of fish guano (FG) and abscisic acid (ABA) leaf area index (LAI), stomatal conductance(SC), photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and relative water content (RWC) of grain amaranth under moisture stress conditions. Treatments consisted of moisture stress stages (vegetative, flowering and grain filling), FG (0, 0.1 and 0.2kg) and ABA concentrations (0, 20and 50 µmolL-1) and laid out in a split-plot design and replicated three times. Moisture stress was applied in the main plots, while FG and ABA treatments were applied in the subplots. Data was collected on LAI, SC, PAR and RWC and subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using GENSTAT 17th edition software. Significant treatment means were separated using the Student Newman Keuls Test (SNK) at 5% probability level. In 2021 and 2022, the LAI and RWC of the plants at BUK and Wudil were significantly (p&lt;0.001) boosted by the application of 0.2 kg FG levels and 50 µmolL-1 ABA. In the 2021 season, plants experiencing moisture stress during flowering exhibited significantly (p&lt;0.05) higher RWC at BUK. Additionally, the application of 20 µmolL-1 ABA had a significant (p&lt;0.05) effect on stomatal conductance at BUK and Wudil in both seasons. The results of this study suggested that FG and ABA could be useful strategies for improving the performance and resilience of grain amaranth crops in the face of moisture stress.

The effect of silver nanoparticles prepared from the aqueous extract of the fenugreek plant on some of the hormones associated with polycystic ovary syndrome in female laboratory rats

Background: This study dealt with an assessment of the effect of the nanoparticles of the fenugreek plant and the metformin of 50 mg/kg on female laboratory rats infected with the updated ovarian cyst syndrome using the letrazole with a concentration of 1 mg/kg of body weight (except for the healthy group), as ovarian affiliation is a common endocrine disorder that affects 3-13% of women at the age of pregnancy and childbearing. Objective: to assess the effectiveness of medicinal plants represented by the Fenugreek extract with nanoparticles and its ability to treat female rats infected with ovarian cyst syndrome. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four animals of white laboratory rats were tested, and the groups were randomly divided into the following ways: 1- The control group. 2- A group of animals infected with ovaries. 3- A group of animals with cysts, was given orally the nano-fenugreek extract 2 mg/ kg. 4- A group of animals infected with cysts and treated by adding metformin 50 mg/ kg of body weight. After the end of the experiment period (30 days), the blood was withdrawn using a dispensed infection with cardiovis to conduct laboratory tests for hormones that are affected by the new disease, such as Lutein hormone, Follicle-stimulating hormone, Prolactin, Progesterone, and Estrogen. Results showed the following: 1- The injection of litrazole 1 mg/ kg led to an ovarian cyst and negative effects on the animal represented in a moral increase in levels, of lutein hormone and prolactin, while the injury led to a moral decrease in the hormone concentration that stimulates follicles, progesterone, and estrogen. 2- The treatment of an oral dosage of 2 mg/ kg of body weight with the nanoparticle fenugreek extract led to positive effects in the body's hormones represented in a moral increase in FSH, progesterone, estrogen while the same treatment led to a moral decrease in the lutein hormone and prolactin in the body at a level (P&gt; 0.05). For follicles and decrease in prolactin and lutein hormone in the body at the probability level (P&gt; 0.05). Conclusion: The current study has found that the Nano - extract fenugreek can be prepared with the Green synthesis by the use of Nanoscopic silver particles, which is an effective treatment to reduce the strikes in the hormones of the body with ovarian stinging syndrome, as a result of the small surface area to the size of the nanoparticles, so the absorption of cells has more efficient and faster than The normal size of the plant.

Enterprise Credit Risk Assessment Based on Hybrid Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation Model

This article uses a hybrid fuzzy synthetic evaluation model to evaluate the credit risk of Shouguang vegetable enterprises, and designs four risk levels: impact degree, occurrence probability, risk manageability and government support level. The model uses average score technology to calculate the scores of secondary indicators, primary indicators and evaluation targets at each level, uses sorting technology to sort secondary indicators and primary indicators at each level, and uses fuzzy synthetic evaluation technology to construct Shouguang enterprise credit risk evaluation. The model uses the geometric mean method to calculate the comprehensive score, and summarizes the comprehensive score results to make decisions. Among them, the data in this article comes from a questionnaire, which was completed by a total of 41 professionals who have a better understanding of the credit risks of Shouguang vegetable companies Through calculation, the comprehensive credit risk score of Shouguang Vegetable Enterprise is 2.8585. The risk is medium risk. Banks can lend based on the operation of specific enterprises. The calculation results also show that the risk assessment results at different levels are not completely consistent. The main first-level risk indicators at the first three levels are "enterprise technological innovation" and "enterprise financial status", and the main first-level risk indicators at the last level are "Enterprise management level" and "enterprise development plan". Indicators related to corporate technological innovation and financial status are the main influencing indicators of the credit risk of Shouguang vegetable companies.

Exploring the impact of plant growth-promoting bacteria in alleviating stress on Aptenia cordifolia subjected to irrigation with recycled water in multifunctional external green walls

BackgroundRapid urbanization and population growth exert a substantial impact on the accessibility of drinking water resources, underscoring the imperative for wastewater treatment and the reuse of non-potable water in agriculture. In this context, green walls emerge as a potential solution to augment the purification of unconventional waters, simultaneously contributing to the aesthetic appeal and enjoyment of urban areas. This study aims to optimize water management in green walls by investigating the impact of bacterial strains on the biochemical properties and performance of the ornamental accumulator plant, Aptenia cordifolia, grown with various unconventional water sources. The experiments were designed as split plots based on a completely randomized block design with three replications. The main factor was recycled water with three levels (gray water, wastewater from the Kashfroud region of Mashhad, and urban water (control)). The sub-factor included different bacterial strains at four levels, composed of various bacteria combinations, (B1: Psedoumonas flucrecens + Azosporillum liposferum + Thiobacillus thioparus + Aztobactor chorococcum, B2: Paenibacillus polymyxa + Pseudomonas fildensis + Bacillus subtilis + Achromobacter xylosoxidans + Bacillus licheniform, B3: Pseudomonas putida + Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans + Bacillus velezensis + Bacillus subtilis + Bacillus methylotrophicus + Mcrobacterium testaceum, and the control level without bacterial application (B0).ResultThe findings revealed significant differences at the 5% probability level across all morphophysiological traits, including plant height, the number and length of lateral branches, growth index, and plant coverage. Moreover, superior morphophysiological traits were observed in plants cultivated in substrates inoculated with wastewater irrigation. Substrates inoculated with bacteria exhibited the highest relative water content (RWC) and chlorophyll levels, coupled with the lowest relative saturation deficit (RSD), electrolyte leakage (EL), and carotenoid levels. Furthermore, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), from a biochemical perspective, were associated with increased carbohydrates, total protein, and anthocyanin. They also contributed to controlling oxidative stress caused by free radicals by enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and peroxidase (POD), while reducing catalase enzyme (CAT) activity. This led to increased resistance to stress, as evidenced by a decrease in malondialdehyde and proline levels. The study concludes that the MIX B3, being both ecofriendly and economical, represents an effective strategy for mitigating the adverse effects of wastewater on plants.ConclusionThis study showed that plant irrigation using wastewater increases the levels of proline, phenols and oxidative stress. However, the application of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) reduced oxidative damage by increasing antioxidant activity and decreasing proline and phenol levels. These findings show the potential of bacterial treatments to improve plant growth and reduce adverse effects of recycled water irrigation.

Contribution of agro-pastoral diversification to the livelihood outcomes of households in South Kerio Basin, Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya

This study assessed the nature and effects of agro-pastoral diversification, in particular diversification into horticulture, on the livelihood outcomes in the South Kerio Basin, Elgeyo Marakwet County (EMC), Kenya, a semi-arid region. The study was a cross-sectional survey design with a mixed methods approach in three locations; Keu, Kibargoi and Arror. The study targeted 8,199 households, from which a sample of 383 households was determined using the Yamane (1967) formula. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) V22 was used to generate quantitative data in terms of frequencies, percentages and multiple regression analyses. The study established that the average household land size was 3.4 acres, whereby 33 per cent of the land and 30 per cent of annual investments were deployed to horticultural production. A greater proportion of households incorporated horticulture into agricultural production between 2017 and 2019. The majority of households experienced minimum to moderate improvements in food, income security and socio-economic wellbeing as a result of diversifying into horticulture. Diversification into horticultural production significantly influenced livelihood outcomes at the probability level of error less than 0.001. The study concluded that horticultural production was an important livelihood activity for enhancing livelihood outcomes in the basin. The study recommends that the national and county governments promote horticultural livelihoods by reviewing policies and interventions that address agro-pastoral livelihoods and incorporate local socio-economic capabilities while involving households in the intervention process.

Temperature history reconstruction in steel box girders using limited data and proper orthogonal decomposition-based dimension reduction representation

The monitoring temperature history of steel box girders inevitably contains gaps or anomalies due to the malfunctions of the structural health monitoring system. Traditional methods for reconstructing temperature histories face the challenge in accounting for the randomness of temperature variations caused by the uncertainty of complex environmental factors. This research proposes a framework for reconstructing the long-term temperature of steel box girders by combining the limited measurements with a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) based dimension reduction representation approach, to account for the stochastic nature of daily temperature variations. Unlike the conventional Monte Carlo-based POD method, the developed POD-based dimension reduction representation approach effectively reduces the number of elementary random variables from thousands to two by introducing random functions serving as constraints, overcoming the challenge of high-dimensional random variables inherent in the Monte Carlo methods. The proposed approach divides the measured temperature histories into random high-frequency (HF) and deterministic low-frequency (LF) components and establishes the theoretical models of power spectral density and coherence functions of HF temperature components to accommodate the generation of HF temperature component samples, and finally reconstructs temperature samples by superimposing the LF components and generated HF component samples. The results from a practical example demonstrate that the statistical characteristics of representative HF temperature component samples generated by the POD-based dimension reduction representation align well with the corresponding targeted values, and the proposed method outperforms the traditional POD method, yielding a 60% efficiency enhancement without compromising computational accuracy. The developed framework owns apparent superiority in accuracy compared to the traditional POD and the long short-term memory methods, particularly in continuous and extensive missing data. Moreover, the reconstructed temperature samples with assigned probabilities present complete probability information from the level of total probability. These results advance the probabilistic methods in tackling long-term temperature history reconstruction.

How to define the threshold of takeover response ability of different drivers in conditional automated driving

In conditional automated driving, the takeover response ability threshold is necessary for driver qualification assessment and liability division of automated vehicle accidents. The primary objective of this study is to establish a clear and quantifiable threshold for drivers’ takeover response ability in conditional automated driving scenarios. This threshold aims to serve as a benchmark for evaluating drivers’ readiness and developing safety regulations in automated driving. We designed 18 takeover events and invited 42 drivers to participate in the driving simulation experiment, and obtained their takeover time data. First, we analyze the differences of takeover time among drivers with different attributes (gender, age, driving year). Second, based on the Peaks Over Threshold and the generalized Pareto distribution model, we use the graphic method to calculate the range of takeover time threshold for drivers with different attributes. The result shows that the difference in the threshold range of takeover time between male and female drivers is relatively tiny. There are differences in the threshold range of takeover time for different age drivers, and the threshold is negatively correlated with age. Drivers with high driving experience within a safe range are allowed to have longer takeover times. Finally, the rationality of the takeover time threshold for drivers with different attributes has been verified. The return level curves are approximately linear (R2 > 0.77), indicating that the GPD model can capture the overall trend of the return level, which is changing with the probability level. This proves that the takeover time threshold is reasonable. This study uses TTCmin to calibrate takeover safety, and the takeover time threshold has a good classification performance for takeover safety (accuracy > 85 %). The above content proves the rationality of the takeover time threshold. The contribution of this study is to calculate the takeover time threshold of drivers with different attributes, which can help regulatory authorities assess the driver’s takeover response ability and support the liability division of automated vehicle accidents.

Assessing the potential long-term effects of sea-level rise on salt marsh’s coastal protective capacity under different climate pathway scenarios

Salt marshes act as natural barriers that reduce wave energy during storm events and help protect coastal communities located in low-lying areas. This ecosystem can be an important asset for climate adaptation due to its particular capability of vertically accrete to adjust to long-term changes in water levels. Therefore, understanding marsh protection benefits thresholds in the face of sea-level rise (SLR) is important for planning future climate adaptation. In this context, the main goal of this manuscript is to examine how the storm protection benefits provided by salt marshes might evolve under SLR projections with different probability levels and emission pathways. In this study, a modeling framework that employs marsh migration predictions from the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) as parameterization into a hydrodynamic and wave model (ADCIRC + SWAN) was utilized to explicitly represent wave attenuation by vegetation under storm surge conditions. SLAMM predictions indicate that the SLR scenario, a combination of probability level and emission pathways, plays a substantial role in determining future marsh migration or marsh area loss. For example, results based on the 50% probability, stabilized emissions scenario show an increase of 45% in the marsh area on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore by 2100, whereas Dorchester County alone could experience a 75% reduction in total salt marsh areas by 2100 under the 1% probability, growing emissions scenario. ADCIRC + SWAN results using SLAMM land cover and elevation outputs indicate that distinct temporal thresholds emerge where marsh extent sharply decreases and wave heights increase, especially after 2050, and exacerbates further after 2080. These findings can be utilized for guiding environmental policies and to aid informed decisions and actions in response to SLR-driven environmental changes.

Impact of Cricket and Caterpillar Meal Supplementation on the Nutritional Profile and Consumer Acceptability of Cookies

The quality of cookies produced from wheat flour, cricket, and caterpillar meal blends was evaluated. This was done to examine the effect of adding edible cricket and caterpillar meals on the nutritional and sensory quality of wheat-based cookies. Edible crickets and caterpillars were purchased from local farmers in Benue state, de-gutted, washed, oven-dried, sorted, milled, and sieved to produce their respective meals. The meals were mixed in wheat flour: edible insects ratios of 95:5, 90:10, 85:15 and 80:20 for Cricket and Caterpillar meal blends, respectively. However, samples 100:0 were not mixed and contained 100% wheat flour. The samples were subjected to functional analysis of proximate composition, mineral, vitamin, amino acid profile, physical properties analysis, and sensory attributes evaluation. The result generated from the study was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Duncan multiple range test (DMRT) was used for mean separation at the probability level of significance of 5%. While the protein, fat, ash, crude fibre, and moisture content of the cookies increased with increasing amount of edible insect meal incorporated into the formulation, the carbohydrate content of the cookies decreased significantly (p&lt;0.05). All minerals evaluated in the study (Ca, Zn, K, P, Na, Mg, and Fe) increased with the increase in the amount of edible insect meals in the formulations. An increase in vitamin content was also observed in the cookies, but this increase was insignificant (p&gt;0.05). There was a significant increase in all essential and non-essential amino acid content of the cookies as the level of cricket/caterpillar meal in the formulation increased. The addition of up to 20% of edible cricket/caterpillar meals to wheat flour increased all sensory attributes of the cookies. Cookies fortified with caterpillar meal were found to be more nutritious than those fortified with cricket meal. In general, samples 85:15(85% wheat flour + 15% cricket meal) and 85:15(85% wheat flour + 15% caterpillar meal) contained high nutritional content and recorded the best sensory attributes and therefore were selected as the best blends for a wheat flour+cricket meal and wheat flour+caterpillar meal blends for cookies production.

Integrating sustainability with performance: Effect of social and environmental dimensions of the balanced scorecard on the performance of financial institutions in Ethiopia, moderated by management commitment

AbstractThis study investigates the primary factors driving sustainable performance in financial institutions, focusing on the effect of social and environmental aspects of a balanced scorecard on the performance of financial institutions in Ethiopia. It also examines how management commitment moderates the relationship between these social and environmental dimensions and institutional performance. The research adopts a descriptive and explanatory design, utilizing proportional stratified sampling followed by systematic random sampling. From a population of 4990, a sample of 480 was determined using Daniel Soper's formula for structural equation modeling, accounting for an expected effect size of 0.23, a statistical power level of 0.95, and a probability level of .05. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, covariance‐based structural equation modeling, and the interaction‐term method for moderation. Findings indicate a significant positive relationship between the social and environmental dimensions of the balanced scorecard and the performance of Ethiopian financial institutions. Additionally, management commitment significantly enhances this relationship. The study confirms that incorporating social and environmental metrics into the balanced scorecard positively impacts financial institution performance, emphasizing the importance of sustainability in performance measurement frameworks. This research underscores the practical implications of integrating sustainability metrics and management commitment in enhancing institutional performance.

The Influence of Leadership and Organizational Culture on the Performance of Health Personnel Mediated by Work Motivation (Study of Kendari City Hospital Health Workers)

The aim of this research is to determine the influence of leadership and organizational culture on health performance performance mediated by work motivation. This research was carried out on health workers at the Kendari City Regional Hospital, with the consideration that the Kendari City Regional Hospital is one of the advanced level health service facilities belonging to the Kendari City Government which has the task of providing health services to the community. The population of this study is health workers who have the status of State Civil Apparatus, have worked for more than 2 (two) years and serve in the Kendari City Regional Hospital, totaling 267 people. To determine the sample size using the Slovin formula, at a precision level of 5%, from a total population of 267 health workers, a sample size (n) of 160 respondents was obtained. The type of inferential statistics used in this research is the t-test which is used to determine whether groups of scores have significant differences in the level of choice probability. To determine the value of the research t-test statistic, this research data was analyzed using SmartPLS software version 3.0. The results of this study found that Leadership had a positive and insignificant effect on the performance of health workers, Organizational Culture had a positive and significant effect on the Performance of health workers, Work Motivation had a positive and significant effect on the Performance of health workers, Leadership had a positive and significant effect on Work Motivation, Organizational Culture had an effect positive and significant towards Work Motivation, Work Motivation plays a role in mediating the influence of Leadership on the Performance of health workers, and Work Motivation plays a role in mediating the influence of Organizational Culture on the Performance of health workers.

The effect of irrigation with magnetized wastewater on soil heavy metals, water productivity and heavy metals in aerial parts and grains of maize

Rising population strains food resources; reusing wastewater increases but brings microbial and heavy metal pollution, impacting nature and human health. Among environmental pollutants, heavy metals in wastewater are a major concern. Using magnetized water is a method to improve water and soil quality. The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of using treated magnetized wastewater on the chemical properties and tracking of heavy metals in the soil, performance and yield components, water efficiency, and absorption of heavy metals by maize plant. Irrigation treatments consisted of various water and wastewater blending ratios under both magnetic and non-magnetic field application conditions. The results showed that the effect of irrigation water and mixing of water and wastewater on electrical conductivity, soil salts and heavy metals in different depths were significant at 1% probability level. On average, irrigation with magnetized wastewater caused a significant increase in grain yield (9.8%) and biological yield of maize (10.63%) compared to non-magnetized wastewater treatment. Irrigation with magnetized wastewater caused a significant increase in biological (10.92%) and physical (10.13%) productivities compared to non-magnetized wastewater treatment. With applying a magnetic field resulted in a reduction of 17.99%, 23.25%, 17.86%, and 17.12% in the concentration of lead, cadmium, zinc, and nickel in the aerial parts of the plant, respectively, compared to the non-magnetized water treatment. Magnetized water increases the water use efficiency of maize and irrigation management with this technology can be useful in more effective and economical use of limited water resources.

Investigating the Preference on Public Transport in a Metropolitan Area of Lampung Province, Indonesia

Metropolitan areas grow and develop as the region's population grows and travels to meet needs such as education, work, family matters, and business. Kotabumi and Bandar Lampung are two of the regions that have grown faster in recent years as a result of the construction of the trans-Sumatera toll road, while railway has been operating for more than two decades. The main objective of this works is to explore preference towards public transport with service quality attributes. The minibus mode or "travel" in Indonesia is defined as transportation services that pick up passengers. This study surveyed 384 commuters who used three modes of transportation: rail, bus, and minibus with relatively different service characteristics and trip purposes of school/college (35%), leisure (28%), family affairs (19%), work (14%), and business (4%) and represented predominantly an age range of 17 to 55 years (97%). The rail mode's utility value was 4.383, while the bus and minibus modes' utility values were 3.751 and 3.737, respectively. Because utility value reflects the level of user satisfaction with the overall attributes and service quality, the rail mode has a much higher probability of being chosen by respondents, with a probability level of 48.65%, compared to the bus and minibus modes, which have a probability level of 25.86% and 25.49%, respectively.

Guidelines for future agricultural technology development to increase productivity in the Agricultural sector

Technology development in the agricultural sector is important in the development of Thailand’s economy. The purpose of this research was to study the approach of guidelines for future agricultural technology development to increase productivity in the Agricultural sector in order to develop a structural equation model. The research applied mixed-methodology. Qualitative research by in depth interview from 9 experts and focus group with 11 successful businesspersons for approve this model. The quantitative data gather from firm, in the 500 of agricultural sector by using questionnaire, using statistical tests of descriptive analysis, inferential analysis, and multivariate analysis. The research found guidelines for future agricultural technology development to increase productivity in the Agricultural sector composed of 4 latent. The most important item of each latent were as following: 1) Agrobiology Technology (= 4.41), in important item as choose seeds that for disease resistance and tolerate the environment to suit the cultivation area, 2) Environmental Assessment (= 4.37),, in important item as survey of cultivated areas according to topography with geographic information system, 3) Agricultural Innovation (= 4.30), in important item as technology reduces operational procedures, reduce the workforce and can reduce operating costs, and 4) Modern Management Systems (= 4.13), in important item as grouping and manage as a cooperative to mega farms. In addition, the hypothesis test found that the difference in manufacturing firm sizes. Medium and Small size and large size revealed overall aspects that were significantly different at the level of 0.05. The analysis of the developed structural equation model found that there was in accordance and fit with the empirical data and passed the evaluation criteria. Its Chi-square probability level, relative Chi-square, the goodness of fit index, and root mean square error of approximation were 0.062, 1.165, 0.961, and 0.018, respectively.

A mathematical description of nonself for biallelic genetic systems in pregnancy, transfusion, and transplantation.

A central issue in immunology is the immunological response against nonself. The prerequisite for a specific immunological response is the exposure to the immune system of a nonself antigen. Mathematical equations are presented, which define the fraction of all outcomes with a nonself allele in biallelic systems at the population level in pregnancy and transfusion/transplantation medicine. When designing assays, the mathematical descriptions can be used for estimating the number of genetic markers necessary to obtain a predetermined probability level in detecting nonself alleles of a given frequency. For instance, the equations can be helpful in the design of assays, where the nonself allele can be detected by analysis of cfDNA in plasma from pregnant women, to estimate fetal fraction or to monitor changes in cfDNA in plasma of transplantation patients. The equations give exact, quantitative descriptions of all nonself situations in pregnancy and transfusion/transplantation.

Support of Characteristics, Physical Environmental and Psychological On Quality Of Life Of Patients With DM Type II

Background: Diabetes mellitus is one of the diseases that ranks high in the list of non-communicable diseases in Indonesia. Factors that can affect quality of life such as physical environment and psychological. Objective: This study aims to examine the relationship between characteristic, physical environment and psychological on quality of life of type II diabetes mellitus patients at the Barombong Public Health Center, Makkasar City. Methodology: This study is a quantitative research with an analytical observational approach using a cross-sectional design. The population size in this study is 578 individuals, sample calculation using the WHO formula yielded a sample size of 385 individuals with predefined exclusion an inclusion criteria. The sampling technique employed is simple random sampling (SRS), and the hypothesis test used is chi-square. Results: Bivariate statistical analysis shows that there is a relationship between quality of life and age (p=0,000), duration of illness (p=0,000), temperature (p=0,000), noise (p=0,000), positive feelings (p=0,000), thinking, learning, and concentration (p=0,000), self-esteem (p=0,000), while variables that are not associated with quality of life are gender (p=0,111), marital status (p=0,228) and social support (p=0,645). Based on logistic regression analysis, it was found that the factors that most influence quality of life are duration of illness (p=0,000) and positive feelings (p=0,000). Conclusion: Length of suffering and positive feelings are the most dominant variables associated with quality of life with a probability level of 99.8%.

Comparison of the Bactericidal Effect of Ultrasonic and Heat Combined with Ultrasonic Treatments on Egg Liquids and Additional Analysis of Their Effect by NIR Spectral Analysis.

Eggs are a valuable source of nutrients, but they represent a food safety risk due to the presence of microbes. In this work, three types of egg liquids (albumen, yolk and whole egg) previously contaminated with E. coli were treated with ultrasound (US) and a combination of ultrasound and low (55 °C) temperature (US+H). The US treatment parameters were 20 and 40 kHz and 180 and 300 W power and a 30, 45 or 60 min treatment time. The ultrasonic treatment alone resulted in a reduction in the microbial count of less than 1 log CFU, while the US+H treatment resulted in a reduction in CFU counts to below detectable levels in all three egg liquids. Heat treatment and ultrasound treatment had a synergistic effect on E. coli reduction. For all measurements, except for the whole egg samples treated with US, the 20 kHz treated samples showed a significantly (>90% probability level) lower bactericidal effect than the 40 kHz treated samples. PCA and aquaphotometric analysis of NIR spectra showed significant differences between the heat-treated groups' (H and US+H) and the non-heat-treated groups' (US and control) NIR spectra. LDA results show that heat-treated groups are distinguishable from non-heat-treated groups (for albumen 91% and for egg yolk and whole egg 100%).