Quality Of Matter Research Articles

Probiotics: quality matters

Probiotics are a generally safe treatment option and have been evaluated positively for several conditions by the Cochrane Collaboration. However, they must have adequate compositional quality and be able to persist in the gut to be efficacious and safe.

Utilization of Tithonia diversifolia and sugarcane leaves to improve soil properties and plant growth on a sandy soil of Malang, East Java

A study on the addition of organic matter of different qualities was carried out to improve plant growth on a degraded sandy soil of Bambang Village, Wajak Malang, East Java. Two potential sources of organic matter in Bambang Village are Tithonia diversifolia and sugarcane leaves. This study aimed at elucidating the changes in some chemical properties of a degraded sandy soil of Malang, East Java, and nutrient uptake and growth of maize plants by applying mixtures of Tithonia diversifolia and sugarcane leaves of different quality. Treatments tested in this study were mixtures of Tithonia diversifolia leaves and sugarcane leaves at various proportions (%w/w), i.e. 100% Tithonia diversifolia leaves (T1), 100% sugarcane leaves (T2), 75% Tithonia diversifolia leaves + 25% sugarcane leaves (T3), 50% Tithonia diversifolia leaves + 50% sugarcane leaves (T4); without organic matters (T6), and control, without organic matter and inorganic fertilizers (T7). The results showed that the application of Tithonia diversifolia and sugarcane leaves affected soil pH, soil exchangeable bases, maize growth, and nutrients uptake. Nutrients taken up by maize plants significantly increased with the addition of Tithonia diversifolia leaves, either alone or in combination with sugarcane leaves. The application of 100% sugarcane leaves did not significantly affect maize growth and nutrient uptake.

Bacterial pathogens and factors associated withSalmonellacontamination in hybrid red tilapia (Oreochromisspp.) cultivated in a cage culture system

AbstractMicrobial food safety in cultured tilapia remains a challenge to public health worldwide, due in part to intensive aquaculture leading to poor water quality and high organic matter deposition. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of indicator and potential pathogenic bacteria in hybrid red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) and their cultivation water and to identify environmental parameters and other bacterial contaminants associated with Salmonella contamination. A total of 120 fish were sampled, which were partitioned into fish carcasses (n=120), muscle (n=120), intestine (n=120), liver and kidney (n=120), and cultivation water (n=120) from three commercial farms in western Thailand from October 2019 to November 2020. The prevalence of fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli (E. coli) in these 600 samples was 74.8% and 56.7%, respectively. The prevalence of Salmonella, Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae), Aeromonas hydrophila, and Vibrio vulnificus (V. vulnificus) was 23.0%, 17.5%, 2.5%, and 1.7%, respectively. None of the samples tested positive for Streptococcus agalactiae. Cultivation water exhibited a high prevalence for Salmonella (58.3%). Among fish samples, Salmonella had the highest prevalence at 14.1%, which was mainly from fish intestine. There was a significant association of Salmonella with the presence of fecal coliforms, E. coli, V. cholerae, and V. vulnificus. The predominant serovars of Salmonella included Saintpaul, Neukoelln, Escanaba, and Papuana. Grazing ducks that were raised in proximity to these cultured tilapia shared the same isolates of Salmonella based on the similarity of their rep-PCR DNA fingerprints, suggesting that ducks may function as either a biological reservoir for tilapia or at minimum participate in the environmental replication of this strain of Salmonella. Taken together, the results suggest that the environment used for tilapia aquaculture may be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria; therefore, food safety precautions are needed during processing, transportation, cooking, and consumption.

Does Institutional Quality Influence Financial Deepening In Selected African Countries?

This study finds new evidence that institutional quality matters in determining cross-country variation in financial deepening in Africa. Using the system-generalised method of moments (sys-GMM) technique on a sample of 35 African countries from 2005 to 2018, the study finds that: (1) while macroeconomic stability is vital for promoting financial deepening, it is not sufficient. Strong institutional quality, such as good governance systems, play a huge role in fostering financial deepening in African economies, and in determining cross-country variations, and (2) fiscal deficits or widespread financial indiscipline have constrained credit provision in Africa resulting in high cost of borrowing and crowding-out the productive private sector. Therefore, this study concludes that deepening financial markets will require prioritising institutional policy reforms aimed at fostering accountability, sound, and effective financial regulatory frameworks, honour the rule of law, control corruption, and rent-seeking behaviour.

Effects of digital public services on trades in green goods: Does institutional quality matter?

This is the first attempt to examine empirically the effects of the implementation of digital public services (DPS) on the value of trade in green goods (TGG). By applying diverse econometric techniques to a sample of 25 European economies for the period 2012–2019, the results show that DPS captured by three indices (user-centricity, business mobility, and key enabler) has a modest influence on the level of TGG. The results are robust. A higher level of DPS implementation appears to drive up the export value of green goods, and there is evidence of the long-term cointegration of DPS and TGG. Furthermore, the nexus between DPS and TGG is evident in two subsamples of developing and developed economies, but the importance of DPS is more pronounced in the former. Finally, the effects of DPS on TGG value become more significant in the European economies with a well-developed institutional system.

Extreme changes in financing policies and firm value: Does institutional quality matter?

Extreme changes in financing policies and firm value: Does institutional quality matter?

Does Institutional Quality Matter for International Migrants in Their Home and Host Country? A Case of Russian Federation (Валей А., Мамман С.О. Имеет ли значение качество институтов для международной миграции в стране происхождения и в стране назначения? Случай Российской Федерации)

Poor institutions have been identified to hinder economic growth and development, with negative social and economic effects such as skilled human resource emigration. In a resource-rich economy, a poor institutional framework has been stated to be a key cause of resource curse. The current study used the CIS and other bordering countries to investigate the impact of both home and destination country institutional quality on migration flows to the Russian Federation. Is the Quality of Institutions (Origin and Host Countries) Important in Migration? The study demonstrated that institutional quality matters for migration from surrounding countries using a gravity-based model estimated using the Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood (PPML). Population, unemployment, and GDP per capita were identified as push factors. In addition, the study discovered a correlation between the institutional quality of the host country and the inward migration flow. Therefore, the study recommends enhancing the institutional quality of the host country to increase the positive effects of inward migration flow

Renewable organic waste as substrate conditioning for the production of Euterpe oleracea seedlings

Forest restoration has the premise of restoring degraded native vegetation to conditions prior to degradation. The objective of this work was to evaluate the production of seedlings of a native species from the Amazon biome (Euterpe oleracea) under different substrates. The experiment was carried out at the Federal University of Tocantins, using a completely randomized design, and a 5x 4 factorial scheme, with five substrates (babassu stem + soil, babassu stem + rice husk + soil, coconut fiber + soil, babassu stem + fiber coconut + rice husk + soil, commercial substrate + soil - control), four trial periods (50, 100, 150 and 200 days). The evaluated variables: plant height, stem diameter, shoot dry matter, root dry matter, total dry matter, seedling quality index, leaf area and absolute growth rate. The growth of assai seedlings was influenced by the different substrates, until the 150 days after transplanting the quality and development of the seedlings were the same, both for the treatments that used commercial substrate and for the treatments that used renewable materials in their composition. The treatment using babassu stem (T1) obtained better shoot dry matter, total dry matter and seedling quality index values, in addition to being a material found in abundance in the regions, making this treatment the most viable and recommended for the production of assai seedlings.

The impact of corporate social responsibility on firm financial performance: does audit quality matter?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relation between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm financial performance, and how audit quality moderates this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses panel dataset of 200 French firms listed during 2007–2018 period. The direct and moderating effects were tested by using multiple regression technique.FindingsThe authors find that CSR has a positive impact on firm financial performance proxy with return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and Tobin's Q (TQ), suggesting that investment in social activities helps firms to achieve better financial results. The authors also find that the improvement effect of CSR on corporate financial performance is more pronounced for firms audited by Big 4 auditors.Research limitations/implicationsOne limit of this study is the selection of independent variables. We are limited to one variable, namely CSR engagement. Further studies may consider other independent variables, such as the age of the company, the type of industry, the composition of the board of directors, etc., in order to provide an in-depth analysis of corporate financial performance drivers.Practical implicationsThe findings have practical implications that may be useful to managers in their management of the firm. They encourage all board members to seriously weigh investing in developing strategies that promote the social behavior components in order to improve overall corporate performance.Originality/valueThe research adds to the current literature on CSR by revealing the impact of external auditor quality on the CSR–financial performance relationship. In addition, it investigates not only the overall CSR ratings but also each of CSR dimensions, namely environmental, social and governance.

Does relationship quality matter in policy-making? The impact of government-public relationships and residents’ perceptions on their support towards a mega-sport event

ABSTRACT Guided by the increase in social and political challenges faced by local governments in their efforts tohost mega-sport events, this study attempts to shed light on theunder-researched relationship quality between a local governmentand its residents. Enhancing the relationship quality and mutualunderstanding through two-way communication between thegovernment and its residents has become more important thanever, with the host community considered a key stakeholder in thepolicy decision-making process, due to the development of onlinecommunication technologies. This research aims to identify themajor determinants of residents’ support, using government publicrelationships and social exchange theory. Data collected througha survey of Tokyo residents (N = 406), where the Tokyo 2020Olympic and Paralympic Games were hosted, are analysed usingstructural equation modelling. Results show that satisfaction withthe government can considerably influence the perceived impactsof a mega-sport event and trust, while trust in the government isshown to be a robust predictor of residents’ support and a mediatorto social exchange theory. Also, the importance of a mega-sportevent’s perceived impacts on residents’ support is shown, furthersupporting social exchange theory. Through the findings and theintegration of the two theories, this study illustrates the need forthe government to focus on producing policies aiming to increaseits public satisfaction and thus their trust in government usingbalanced symmetric communication, which in turn can raiseresidents’ support for a mega-sport event and help establish amutually beneficial relationship between the government and itspublic.

Creating a Culture of Online Quality: The People, Policies, and Processes that Facilitate Institutional Change for Online Course Quality Assurance

ABSTRACT The success of quality assurance initiatives in online education is dependent on the successful implementation of the processes, resources, and tools created to ensure quality. There is scant research, however, on the factors that most enable quality assurance implementation at higher education institutions. This research examined a specific population of institutions who were assessed as engaging in high levels of online course quality assurance efforts, as measured by their activity level of using the Quality Matters (QM) framework. The specific people, policies, and processes that enabled and supported institutional course design quality assurance are examined using a mixed-methods approach. Forty-three implementation coordinators from high-activity institutions completed a survey on institutional quality assurance efforts specific to course design and development. Seventeen of those coordinators also engaged in an individual interview to provide greater depth and insight into the institutional journey of quality assurance implementation for online course quality. Key takeaways showed an impact for focused, institutionally-supported goals for course design; choosing an experienced person who was passionate about quality assurance as the implementation lead; and utilizing an inclusive, flexible, collaborative implementation approach, rather than a top-down approach or mandates. The respondents also indicated that adapting the implementation to the institutional context was a key success factor, as was focusing on creating buy-in and shared goals for quality learning as a pathway toward creating an institutional culture shift.

Marital Quality and Heavy Alcohol Use Among Older Couples

Supportive marital relationships may reduce partners’ problematic health behaviors, whereas unhappy relationships may lack efficacious spousal monitoring of health and increase the likelihood of using maladaptive coping strategies, such as heavy alcohol use, to deal with relationship problems. We used pooled data from the 2014 and 2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study to examine how both partners’ perceptions of marital quality were associated with heavy drinking. Our analytic sample included married couples in which both spouses were over age 50, completed the leave-behind psychosocial questionnaire, and provided non-missing data on marital quality and alcohol use (n=2,095 couples). Measures included both positive and negative dimensions of marital quality and controls for sociodemographic, economic, health, household and marital characteristics. Using Proc Glimmix, we estimated a dual-intercept Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), in which separate equations were computed simultaneously for husbands and wives. For husbands, higher negative marital quality was associated with an increase in the odds of their own heavy drinking (OR=1.27), but there was no significant association between wives’ marital quality and husbands’ heavy drinking behavior. For wives, marital quality was not significantly associated with their own heavy drinking, but husbands’ higher ratings of both negative and positive marital quality increased the risk of wives’ heavy drinking (OR=1.60 and OR=1.75, respectively). Results suggest that marital quality is associated with heavy drinking in later life: self-ratings of marital quality matter for men, whereas spousal perceptions of marital quality are more important for women.

Properties of Humic Acids in Meadow Soils Irrigated with the Slope-and-Flooding System

The still-advancing soil degradation and the related losses of soil organic carbon stocks due to the limited inflow of organic residues in agro-ecosystems encourage more and more soil protection. Establishing meadow ecosystems is one of the key methods of agricultural land use preventing losses of organic carbon in soils. Based on the research on the properties of humic acids, it is possible to determine the advancement of the processes of transformation and decomposition of soil organic matter. The obtained results may allow for the development of a soil protection strategy and more effective sequestration of organic carbon. Therefore, the aim of the research was to determine the properties of humic acids defining the quality of organic matter of meadow soils irrigated for 150 years with the slope-and-flooding system. The research was performed based on the soils (Albic Brunic Arenosol) sampled from Europe’s unique complex of permanent irrigated grasslands (the same irrigation management for 150 years), applying the slope-and-flooding system: the Czerskie Meadows. The soil samples were assayed for the content of total organic carbon (TOC) and the particle size distribution. HAs were extracted with the Schnitzer method and analysed for the elemental composition, spectrometric parameters in the UV-VIS (ultraviolet-visible) range, hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties and the infrared spectra. The research results showed that the HAs properties depend on the depth and the distance from the irrigation ditch. The HAs of soils sampled from the depth of 0–10 cm were identified with a lower “degree of maturity” as compared with the HAs of soils sampled from the depth of 20–30 cm, reflected by the values of atomic ratios (H/C, O/C, O/H), absorbance coefficients, and the FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared) spectra. The mean values of the H/C ratio in the HAs molecules of soils sampled from the depth of 20–30 cm were lower by 8.2% than those from the depth of 0–10 cm. The mean values of the absorbance coefficient A4/6 in the HAs molecules of soils sampled from the depth of 20–30 cm were lower by 9.6% than in the HAs molecules of soils sampled from the depth of 0–10 cm. The HAs molecules of the soils sampled 25 m from the irrigation ditch were identified with a higher degree of humification, as compared with the HAs of the soils sampled 5 m from the irrigation ditch. The results identified that humic acids produced in the many-year irrigated sandy soils were identified with a high degree of humification, which proves the relative stability of the soil’s organic matter. It confirms the importance of meadow soils for the carbon sequestration process. It should also be emphasized that the research area is interesting, although hardly described in terms of organic matter properties. Further and more detailed applicable research is planned, e.g., monitoring of total organic carbon content and comparing the properties of irrigated and non-irrigated meadow soils. Continuity of research is necessary to assess the direction of the soil organic matter transformation in such a unique ecosystem. The obtained results may allow for the development of, inter alia, models of agricultural practices that increase carbon sequestration in soils. In the long term, this will allow for greater environmental benefits and, thus, also increased financial benefits.

What matters more for employees’ mental health: job quality or job quantity?

Abstract Recent debates about whether the standard full-time working week (35–40 h) can be replaced by a shorter working week have received extensive attention. Using 2015 European Working Conditions Survey data, this study contributes to these debates by exploring the relationships between job quantity, job quality and employees’ mental health. Overall, we find that a job’s quality matters more than its quantity as measured in hours per week. The results show that actual working hours are hardly related to employees’ mental health but job quality, especially intrinsically meaningful work, less intensified work and having a favourable social environment, has positive effects on employee mental health, even in jobs with short working hours. Moreover, although working less than one prefers (under-employment) has negative effects, these negative effects become much smaller in size and non-significant in good quality jobs, especially in jobs with skill discretion and good job prospects. These findings develop the debates about a shorter standard working week by emphasising the continued and crucial importance of job quality in debates on the future of work. These results also suggest that policymakers should pay particular attention to job quality when addressing the dramatic reduction in total hours of employment in Europe following the COVID-19 crisis.

Unrepresentative big surveys significantly overestimated US vaccine uptake.

Surveys are a crucial tool for understanding public opinion and behaviour, and their accuracy depends on maintaining statistical representativeness of their target populations by minimizing biases from all sources. Increasing data size shrinks confidence intervals but magnifies the effect of survey bias: an instance of the Big Data Paradox1. Here we demonstrate this paradox in estimates of first-dose COVID-19 vaccine uptake in US adults from 9 January to 19 May 2021 from two large surveys: Delphi–Facebook2,3 (about 250,000 responses per week) and Census Household Pulse4 (about 75,000 every two weeks). In May 2021, Delphi–Facebook overestimated uptake by 17 percentage points (14–20 percentage points with 5% benchmark imprecision) and Census Household Pulse by 14 (11–17 percentage points with 5% benchmark imprecision), compared to a retroactively updated benchmark the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published on 26 May 2021. Moreover, their large sample sizes led to miniscule margins of error on the incorrect estimates. By contrast, an Axios–Ipsos online panel5 with about 1,000 responses per week following survey research best practices6 provided reliable estimates and uncertainty quantification. We decompose observed error using a recent analytic framework1 to explain the inaccuracy in the three surveys. We then analyse the implications for vaccine hesitancy and willingness. We show how a survey of 250,000 respondents can produce an estimate of the population mean that is no more accurate than an estimate from a simple random sample of size 10. Our central message is that data quality matters more than data quantity, and that compensating the former with the latter is a mathematically provable losing proposition.

Does time of day matter for colonoscopy quality? A review of over 13,000 screening colonoscopies in a colorectal surgery unit

BackgroundThere exists conflicting data in the literature with regard to adequate adenoma detection rate (ADR) as well as other quality metrics during colonoscopy based on the time of day that the procedure is performed. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of time of day on quality metrics in patients undergoing screening colonoscopy. MethodsScreening colonoscopies performed between January 2010 and September 2018 by twenty-eight colorectal surgeons were queried from a prospectively maintained database. Quality parameters examined included adenoma detection rate (ADR), gender-specific ADR, withdrawal time, total examination time, cecal intubation rate, bowel preparation quality, and intra-procedural complications. Colonoscopies were compared between morning (07:30–11:59 AM) and afternoon (12:00–17:00 PM) groups. ResultsThere were 13,809 endoscopic screening examinations performed in asymptomatic patients older than 45 years. Patients had a mean age of 59.8 years, and 48.5% were female. A total of 8868 (64%) of the scopes were performed in the morning and 4941 (36%) were performed in the afternoon. Median endoscopist volume was 189 [54, 701] and included only surgeons who performed both afternoon and morning colonoscopies. There was no difference in both ADR and bowel preparation quality between the two groups. Both groups exceeded all national quality benchmarks, with the morning group having significantly shorter examination times. ConclusionsIn our practice, colonoscopies meet and exceed all national quality benchmarks, independent of the time of day they are performed.

Phase 1b study of XPro1595 in Alzheimer's patients with biomarkers of inflammation

AbstractBackgroundXPro1595 is currently being tested in a proof of biology Phase 1b study in Alzheimer’s patients with biomarkers of inflammation.MethodInflammatory and neurodegeneration protein and imaging biomarkers were measured 3 months after weekly treatment with multiple doses of XPro1595.ResultXPro1595 dose‐dependently reduced All CSF inflammatory protein levels and neuroimaging inflammatory markers (free water white matter). Moreover, we observed a strong correlation between MRI inflammation (Free water white matter) and CSF inflammation was observed (R2 =0.761). In addition to the reduction in neuroinflammation, XPro1595 reduced biomarkers of neural injury and synaptic dysfunction as assessed by CSF protein and neuroimaging. Additional data on novel MRI metrics to assess neuroinflammation and white/gray matter quality will be presented.ConclusionXPro1595 achieved its primary goal of reduced markers of neuroinflammation, neural injury, synaptic dysfunction across multiple measures and assays. Data support advancement to Phase 2.

Perfect strangers: Digital asset management and lean Six Sigma

In order to grow, organisations must be nimble at problem-solving, agile at exploiting opportunities and adept at surmounting challenges. Growing a business entails more than just a focus on efficiency and costs, as quality and effectiveness matter too. It is a common misconception that adopting lean processes means doing more with less. In reality, the main focus is on simplifying processes, thus improving output and making work better (for everyone). Lean thinking entails looking at what you do, the kind of problems you have and how you currently solve them. Within the field of digital asset management, problem areas may be anything from mistakes or errors in metadata, to waiting on assets to be uploaded to be used, to moving files from one place to another manually. This paper discusses the benefits of lean continuous improvement for digital asset management. It describes how to utilise lean principles that have been vetted and practised by businesses all over the world, in all kinds of industries, to help them be successful, and discusses how these principles apply to digital asset management.

Influence of alternative substrates on biomass and quality of cedar seedlings

The production of native species seedlings is essential for the establishment of planted forests or for the recovery of degraded areas. In the nursery stage, the quality of the substrate is crucial for plant growth and development. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of alternative substrates, produced from agroforestry residues and decomposed forage grasses, on the biomass input and quality of cedar (Cedrela odorata) seedlings. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, located in Rio Branco, Acre, in a completely randomized design, with three treatments, consisting of substrates: brachiaria organic compost (1:1); organic compost combined with crushed brazil nut husk (2:1) and commercial substrate, with ten repetitions. At 90 days after sowing, total, shoot and root dry matter and Dickson's quality index were evaluated. The organic compost from Brachiaria grass favors the accumulation of biomass, improves the quality of cedar seedlings and can replace the commercial substrate in a viable way.

Electronic Health Records as Biased Tools or Tools Against Bias: A Conceptual Model.

Health care delivery is now inextricably linked to the use of electronic health records (EHRs), which exert considerable influence over providers, patients, and organizations. This article offers a conceptual model showing how the design and subsequent use of EHRs can be subject to bias and can either encode and perpetuate systemic racism or be used to challenge it. Using structuration theory, the model demonstrates how a social structure, like an EHR, creates a cyclical relationship between the environment and people, either advancing or undermining important social values. The model illustrates how the implicit bias of individuals, both developers and end-user clinical providers, influence the platform and its associated information. Biased information can then lead to inequitable outcomes in clinical care, organizational decisions, and public policy. The biased information also influences subsequent users, amplifying their own implicit biases and potentially compounding the level of bias in the information itself. The conceptual model is used to explain how this concern is fundamentally a matter of quality. Relying on the Donabedian model, it explains how elements of the EHR design (structure), use (process), and the ends for which it is used (outcome) can first be used to evaluate where bias may become embedded in the system itself, but then also identify opportunities to resist and actively challenge bias. Our conceptual model may be able to redefine and improve the value of technology to health by modifying EHRs to support more equitable data that can be used for better patient care and public policy. For EHRs to do this, further work is needed to develop measures that assess bias in structure, process, and outcome, as well as policies to persuade vendors and health systems to prioritize systemic equity as a core goal of EHRs.