Adj R2 Research Articles

Uric Acid and Diabetic Retinopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BackgroundThe relationship between uric acid (UA) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains ambiguous, and the results of current studies on the UA levels in patients with DR are conflicting. A meta-analysis was performed to provide a better understanding of the relationship between UA levels and DR.MethodsPubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched until December 11, 2021 to identify eligible studies, that compared the UA levels of the case group (patients with DR) and control group (controls with diabetes and healthy participants). The weighted mean difference (WMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to evaluate the difference in UA levels between the case and control groups.ResultsTwenty-one studies involving 4,340 patients with DR and 8,595 controls (8,029 controls with diabetes and 566 healthy participants) were included in this meta-analysis. We found that patients with DR had significantly higher UA levels than those in the controls with diabetes (WMD = 36.28; 95% CI: 15.68, 56.89; P < 0.001) and healthy participants (WMD = 70.80; 95% CI: 19.85, 121.75; P = 0.006). There was an obvious heterogeneity among the 21 studies (I2 = 97%, P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses of different phases of DR showed that UA levels were significantly increased in participants with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (WMD = 46.57; 95% CI: 28.51, 64.63; P < 0.001) than in controls with diabetes; however, the difference is not statistically significant when comparing UA levels in patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and controls with diabetes (WMD = 22.50; 95% CI: −6.07, 51.08; P = 0.120). In addition, UA levels were higher in participants with a body mass index (BMI) ≥25.0 kg/m2 and over 15 years of diabetes. Univariate meta-regression analysis revealed that BMI (P = 0.007, Adj R2 = 40.12%) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) (P = 0.040, Adj R2 = 29.72%) contributed to between-study heterogeneity.ConclusionsIn conclusion, our study provides evidence that UA levels are higher in patients with DR than those in the controls, but this difference is not statistically significant in the early phases. UA might be a potential biomarker for identifying disease severity in patients with DR, rather than predicting the onset of DR among patients with diabetes. However, more prospective and high-quality clinical evidence is required to confirm these present findings.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=297708.

Optimization of operational parameters in air-gap membrane distillation using central composite design applied in recovery of dye manufacturing wastewaters

ABSTRACT The challenge for water recovery from dye manufacturing wastewaters that contain high salinity and high dye concentration is recovery efficiency and water quality. The permeate flux and water quality mainly reflect the membrane distillation performance in treatments of these wastewaters. This study investigated the effects of Air Gap Membrane Distillation’s (AGMD) operational parameters and its interactions on permeate fluxes and recovered water quality in treatments of real dye manufacturing wastewaters using design of experiments (DOE). The DOE method used the response surface methodology (RSM) of central composite design (CCD) to predict and optimize the permeate flux and recovered water quality. The results showed a reliable predictive model of actual permeate flux (15.5 kg.m−2.h−1) with the adjusted R2 adj of 0.995 and only 34.4%–73.8% of the theoretical permeate flux because of salt contents’ main effect. The rejection rate of chloride ion (Cl−), sulfate ion (SO4 2-), and ADMI (American Dye Manufacturers’ Institute) color index from real dye manufacturing wastewaters with high salinity was more than 99,9%. The COD removal rate of raw wastewater (C1) from dye manufacturing was 99,4%. This study help in understanding theoretical and actual membrane flux and the scale-up of a membrane treatment plant.

Match/Mismatch Between Phytoplankton and Crustacean Zooplankton Phenology in the Strait of Georgia, Canada

The Strait of Georgia, Canada, is an important region for numerous commercially and culturally important species (e.g., herring, salmon, and orcas), yet little is known about the links between lower trophic level (e.g. phytoplankton and zooplankton) phenology due to historical sampling gaps. Here, we present fourteen years (2003-2016) of data linking interannual variability in phytoplankton and zooplankton phenology in the Central Strait of Georgia, BC. Satellite-derived chlorophyll a (Chl a) data were used to calculate spring bloom dynamics (bloom initiation, bloom intensity, and bloom magnitude). Average spring bloom initiation occurred during the last week of March in the Central Strait of Georgia. Bloom initiation occurred in mid-to-late February/early March during “early” Chl a bloom years (2004, 2005, and 2015) whereas initiation did not occur until the end of April during “late” bloom years (2007, 2008). Spring Chl a bloom initiation was significantly correlated with the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO; r = 0.75, p &amp;lt; 0.01) and spring sea surface temperature (SST; r = -0.70, p &amp;lt; 0.01); spring blooms occurred earlier during warm years. When all environmental variables were considered together, NPGO best explained variations in spring bloom initiation (Adj R2 = 0.53, p &amp;lt; 0.01) and bloom magnitude (Adj R2 = 0.57, p &amp;lt; 0.01), whereas stratification best explained variations in bloom intensity (Adj R2 = 0.38, p &amp;lt; 0.05). Early Chl a blooms were associated with high crustacean abundance (maximum of &amp;gt; 1000 ind m-3) but low biomass (37.5 mg m-3). Independent of the Chl a data, hierarchical cluster analysis revealed similar groupings of years for crustacean abundance data. Most notably, community composition in cluster Group 2 (2004, 2005, and 2015; early Chl a bloom years), was comprised of a higher proportion of small crustaceans (e.g. non-calanoid copepods) compared to the other cluster groups. To our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence linking early spring Chl a bloom timing to a shift in the crustacean community towards smaller taxa in response to multiple warm events in the Strait of Georgia. Our results show that early Chl a blooms may potentially result in a mismatch between phytoplankton and large energy-rich crustacean zooplankton, with lower abundances of the latter. In contrast, average Chl a bloom years were optimal for large-bodied euphausiids, whereas late Chl a blooms were a match for some crustaceans (e.g., medium calanoid copepods), but not others (e.g., large calanoid copepods and amphipods). We hypothesize that early bloom years may result in poorer feeding conditions for juvenile salmon and other predators in the region.

The analysis of dynamic gene expression patterns in peripheral blood of multiple sclerosis patients indicates possible diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers

IntroductionAmong numerous invasive procedures for the research of biomarkers, blood-based indicators are regarded as marginally non-invasive procedures in the diagnosis and prognosis of demyelinating disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, we looked into the blood-derived gene expression profiles of patients with multiple sclerosis to investigate their clinical traits and linked them with dysregulated gene expressions to establish diagnostic and prognostic indicators. MethodsWe included 51 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS, n = 31), clinically isolated syndrome (CIS, n = 12), primary progressive MS (PPMS, n = 8) and a control group (n = 51). Using correlational analysis, the transcriptional patterns of chosen gene panels were examined and subsequently related with disease duration and the expanded disease disability score (EDSS). In addition, principal component analysis, univariate regression, and logistic regression analysis were employed to highlight distinct profiles of genes and prognosticate the excellent biomarkers of this illness. ResultsOur findings demonstrated that neurofilament light (NEFL), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), Tau, and clusterin (CLU) were revealed to be increased in recruited patients, whereas the presenilin-1 (PSEN1) and cell-surface glycoprotein-44 (CD44) were downregulated. Principal Component Analysis revealed distinct patterns between the MS and control groups. Correlation analysis indicated co-dependent dysregulated genes and their differential expression with clinical findings. Furthermore, logistic regression demonstrated that Clusterin (AUC=0.940), NEFL (AUC=0.775), TNF-α (AUC=0.817), Tau (AUC=0.749), PSEN1 (AUC=0.6913), and CD44 (AUC=0.832) had diagnostic relevance. Following the univariate linear regression, a significant regression equation was found between EDSS and IGF-1 (R2 adj = 0.10844; p= 0.0060), APP (R2 adj = 0.1107; p= 0.0098), and PSEN1 (R2 adj = 0.1266; p=0.0102). ConclusionThis study exhibits dynamic gene expression patterns that represent the significance of specified genes that are prospective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for multiple sclerosis.

Hardness-Dependent Water Quality Criteria for Protection of Freshwater Aquatic Organisms for Silver in China.

Silver is toxic to freshwater aquatic organisms and aquatic ecosystems, and it is necessary to develop regional water quality criteria (WQC) for silver to protect the freshwater aquatic organisms in China. The toxicity database of silver for freshwater aquatic organisms involved 121 acute toxicity values for 35 species (6 phyla and 27 families) and 15 chronic toxicity values for 4 species (2 phyla and 4 families). Teleost fish showed the most sensitivity to silver after both short-term and long-term exposure. Significant correlations between the natural logarithms of hardness and the natural logarithms of acute silver toxicity were found for Daphnia magna, Oncorhynchus mykiss, and Pimephales promelas. The criterion maximum concentration (CMC) was calculated by the species sensitivity distribution method with sigmoid as the best fitting model (Adj R2 0.9797), and the criterion continuous concentration (CCC) was obtained by the acute-to-chronic ratio method. The CMC and CCC of silver were , and respectively, in China, with water hardness (, mg/L) as an independent variable. This research can provide a basis and reference for the management of silver to protect freshwater aquatic organisms in China.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK BEHAVIOUR SUB VARIABLES AND ROLE EFFICIENCY OF HEALTH SECTOR EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN SELECTED PRIVATE AND TEACHING HOSPITALS IN LAGOS STATE

Employee work behaviour (WB) as a construct is critical to the task performance of any organisation. In spite of this; little or no attention has been attached to the relevance of WB as it applies to the Nigerian medical sectors employees’ performance. Consequently, this study evaluated the relationship between work behaviour sub variables and rolek efficiency of health sector employee performance in selected private and teaching hospitals in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross sectional research design on the population of 2,886 employees of the selected hospitals. A purposive and stratified sampling technique method was adopted to select a sample of 349 respondents using Cochran formula. Primary dada sources was adopted via a validated research instrument and collected data were analysed using multiple linear regression. The study also found that work behaviours positively correllated role efficiency in the dimension of β=4.344 Adj R2 =0.276, F(4,344), = 34,222 P&lt;0.05. The study concluded that work behaviour variables had significant relationship with role efficiency aspect of employee performance, promotion of positive work behaviour through adequate compensation package have very strong correlation with the performance of employees in the selected teaching and private hospitals. The study recommends that stakeholders in the health sector should create policies that would facilitate health employee’s innovative behaviour and improve their organizational citizenship behaviour as well to enable enhance efficient role performance.

Theoretical modeling and design of some pyrazolopyrimidine derivatives as Wolbachia inhibitors, targeting lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis.

Lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis are two common filarial diseases caused by a group of parasitic nematodes called filarial worms, which play host to the bacteria organism Wolbachia. One good treatment approach seeks Wolbachia as drug target. Here, a QSAR study was conducted to investigate the anti-wolbachia activities (pEC50) of 52 pyrazolopyrimidine analogues, while using the built model to predict the pEC50 values of the newly designed analogues. Density Functional Theory was used for the structural optimization, while the model building was based on Genetic Function Algorithm approach. The built QSAR model was validated thus: R2 = 0.8104, R2 adj = 0.7629, Q2 cv = 0.6981, R2 test = 0.7501 and cRp2 = 0.7476. The predicted pEC50 of all newly designed compounds were higher than that of the template (43). The new compounds were; observed to pass the drug-likeness criteria, uniformly distributed to the brain, and found to be non-mutagenic. Also, the new compounds and the reference drug (doxycycline), were docked onto Ovarian Tumor (OTU) deubiquitinase receptor (PDB ID: 6W9O) using iGEMDOCK tool. This protein is known to help Wolbachia subvert host ubiquitin signaling. The resulting binding scores of the newly designed compounds except A5 were higher than that of doxycycline, while the protein-ligand interactions were majorly characterized by Hydrogen-bonding and hydrophobic interaction types. Therefore, the newly designed molecules could be developed as potential drug candidates for the treatment of lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis.

Sense of coherence and coping behaviours in persons with late effects of polio

Sense of coherence (SOC), comprising "comprehensibility", "manageability" and "meaningfulness", is important for successful adaptation in persons with late effects of polio (LEoP) and can be used as an estimate of the ability to cope with stressors. Coping behaviours are the actions a person performs to reduce stress and can be divided into problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and less useful coping. Our knowledge is very limited of what coping behaviours persons with LEoP use to manage their life situation as well as the association between SOC and coping behaviours. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to assess coping behaviours and to explore the association between SOC and coping behaviours in persons with LEoP. In total, 93 ambulant persons (52% women, mean [SD] age 74 [8] years) with clinically and electromyographically verified LEoP responded to a postal survey with the Sense of Coherence Scale 13 items (SOC-13) and the Brief Cope Scale. Three linear regression analyses were used to explore the association between SOC and problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and less useful coping, controlling for age and sex. The most-used coping behaviours belonged to the categories problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. We found a significant negative association between SOC and less useful coping; less useful coping explained 34% of the variance of SOC (adj R2=0.34, p<0.001), whereas age and sex were not significant in the analyses. Persons with LEoP primarily use problem-focused and emotion-focused coping behaviours, which suggests that generally they have adapted well to their disability. Regardless of age and sex, persons with lower SOC scores use less useful coping behaviours, which suggests that they are not as well adapted. These results can facilitate the development of rehabilitation interventions that help persons with LEoP adapt to their situation with a life-long disability.

Corporate Governance on Stakeholders’ Obligations of Non-financial Firms Quoted in Nigeria: Moderating Effect of Firm Size and Liquidity

Entities exist to create value for, not only their shareholders but all groups of stakeholders that affect and are affected by the entities’ activities. Studies have however revealed that companies do fall short of meeting stakeholders’ obligations for reasons not unconnected with ineffective corporate governance mechanisms. This study examined the effect of corporate governance on stakeholders’ obligations of non-financial quoted companies in Nigeria and the extent to which firm size and liquidity moderate this effect. The study adopted ex-post facto research design and the population comprised 73 companies from the non-financial sectors that have faced financial distress in the period of consideration and shall be classified as failed or financially distressed firms. Using the purposive sampling technique, a sample of 52 delisted or suspended firms were selected for the study using stratified and purposive sampling techniques. The study used data extracted from the annual reports of the sampled companies covering 2008 to 2019. The finding revealed that corporate governance had a significant effect on stakeholder’s obligations (Adj R2 = 0.117, Wald-Test = 32.57, p = 0.000). The study further shows that firm size and liquidity significantly moderated the effect of corporate governance on the stakeholders’ obligation of non-financial firms quoted in Nigeria. On the basis of these empirical findings, the study recommended that the management of non-financial quoted firms in Nigeria should properly consider their size and liquidity positions in their corporate governance policy.

An Empirical Investigation into the Relationship between Electronic Tax Management System and Tax Revenue Collection Efficiency in Selected States in South West, Nigeria

Tax revenue generation in Nigeria has received contemporary discuss and debate in accounting literature and this has aroused great concern for the attainment of sustainable development. The attainment of revenue goals have been adduced to the fact that many issues and challenges faced are multiplicity of taxes, non-availability of database, difficulty in keeping proper track records of tax payers or defaulters, complexity in tax compliance and collection and non-payment of tax refunds amongst others. The study investigated the effect of electronic tax management system on tax revenue collection efficiency. The survey research design was adopted for the study and total enumeration sampling technique was adopted. A total of 2670 copies of structured questionnaires were distributed to respondents across the three selected states to illicit responses while 2199 copies were retrieved back which accounted for 82.4% response rate. Reliability ranged between 0.7 and 0.9. Data were obtained through the use of a well-structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential (multiple regression) statistics were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that electronic tax management system measured by Perceived ease of use, internet payment system, mobile payment system and electronic billing machine had a significant impact on the simplicity of filing tax return of tax payers (Adj R2 = 0.113, F-stat = 68.343, p &lt; 0.005). The study concluded that electronic tax management system impacted tax revenue collection efficiency. The study recommended that tax policy makers should ensure that the electronic tax system is designed in such a way that it will make the filing of tax return very simple and will motivate tax payers to pay their taxes and skillful personnel should be made to be in charge of the tax management system.

Renal Function and Body Mass Index Contribute to Serum Neurofilament Light Chain Levels in Elderly Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

ObjectiveSerum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) is increasingly used as a neuroaxonal injury biomarker in the elderly. Besides age, little is known about how other physiological factors like renal function and body mass index (BMI) alter its levels. Here, we investigated the association of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and BMI with sNfL in a large sample of elderly patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).MethodsThis is a cross-sectional analysis from the Swiss-AF Cohort (NCT02105844). We measured sNfL using an ultrasensitive single-molecule array assay. We calculated eGFR using the chronic kidney disease epidemiology collaboration (CKD-EPI) creatinine (eGFRcrea) and creatinine–cystatin C (eGFRcrea–cys) formulas, and BMI from weight and height measurements. We evaluated the role of eGFR and BMI as determinants of sNfL levels using multivariable linear regression and the adjusted R2 (R2adj).ResultsAmong 2,277 Swiss-AF participants (mean age 73.3 years), eGFRcrea showed an inverse curvilinear association with sNfL after adjustment for age and cardiovascular comorbidities. BMI also showed an independent, inverse linear association with sNfL. The R2adj of models with age, eGFRcrea, and BMI alone was 0.26, 0.35, and 0.02, respectively. A model with age and eGFRcrea combined explained 45% of the sNfL variance. Sensitivity analyses (i) further adjusting for vascular brain lesions (N = 1,402 participants with MRI) and (ii) using eGFRcrea–cys yielded consistent results.InterpretationIn an elderly AF cohort, both renal function and BMI were associated with sNfL, but only renal function explained a substantial proportion of the sNfL variance. This should be taken into account when using sNfL in elderly patients or patients with cardiovascular disease.

Analysis of Organizational Commitment against Employee Performance with Organizational Culture Moderation (Study at Walisongo State Islamic University (UIN) Semarang)

This research that is done in University Agama Islam Walisongo Semarang. Data used by primary data taken with questionnaire with 82 respondents for sample research. The writer did the reseach by using purposive sampling, with some criteria. Those criteria are the respondents have to had level stratum -2 for level education and tree year minimum in a work periode. Analysis appliance weared by instrument test, the test reliability, and while the test models, test the Adj R2 (coefficient of determination), Test the hypothesizing used regression analysis, test the F Test (Goodness of Fit), and test the moderation using analysis path (path analysis). The results of the analysis in this study resulted in regersi determination coefficient of 0.423, or in other words, changes in performance can be influenced by effective commitment, continuance commitment, normative commitment and organizational culture of 43.3%. The results of this study indicate that affective commitment does not affect the employee performance, ccontinuance commitment has the influence a significant effect on employee performance, normative commitment does not effect on employee performance, organizational culture did not moderate the influence of affective organizational commitment to employee performance, organizational culture did’t moderate the influence of continuance organizational commitment to employee performance and organizational culture moderates the effect of normative commitment on employee performance.

Factors influencing the dementia care behavior of long-term care hospital nurses

This is a descriptive research study for examining influencing factors on person-centered dementia care behaviors of nurses working in long-term care hospitals. In March 2021, data were collected from 13 care hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The subjects include a total of 180 long-term care hospital nurses who have the experience to care for elderly people with dementia. Descriptive statistical analysis, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé-test, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis of the data collected were conducted using IBM SPSS 25.0. The dementia care behaviors of long-term care hospital nurses had statistically significant correlations with caring efficacy (r=.49, p&lt;.001), nursing professionalism (r=.43, p&lt;.001) and job resources (r=.37, p&lt;.001), and influencing factors on dementia care behaviors had the final explanation of 36.7% (adj R²=.367, F=14.253, p&lt;.001). Ultimately, the most significant influencing factor on dementia care behaviors of long-term care hospital nurses was identified as nurses’ caring efficacy, followed by nursing professionalism, and nurses’ age and job resources. The higher the nursing professional intuition, the older the nurse's age, and the higher the job resource, the more important the person-centered dementia care behaviors. This study is meaningful in identifying the factors affecting person-centered dementia care behaviors of long-term care hospital nurses and providing basic data to improve dementia care behaviors.

ANALISIS MEKANISME TRANSMISI KEBIJAKAN MONETER JALUR NILAI TUKAR DENGAN PENDEKATAN VECM PERIODE 2005:1-2012:12

This thesis discusses about analysis of transmission mechanism of monetary policy through exchange rate channel in Indonesia, during the period 2005:1 - 2012:12. By using variables such as PUAB Interest Rate, Exchange Rate, Total Export, National Income and Price lndex. The method's try to used in this thesis is a method of Vector Error Correction Models (VECM). This research aims to know the effectiveness of transmission mechanism of monetary policy through exchange rate channel within respect to see the influence of the operational targets (PUAB Interest Rate) to the intermediary target (Exchange Rate), as well as the final goals of monetary target (national income and price level). &#x0D; The results of this research show the transmission mechanism of monetary policy through exchange rate channel path deserves to be researched further, it is based on the significant value of the t-test, f-test, and Adj R2. Meanwhile, the results of the analysis of the "Impulse Response" found that the influence of shock caused by PUAB Interest Rate will cause the depreciation of Exchange Rate and also increasing of total export, we can visible to see the direct mechanism from Interest Rate to Exchange Rate (monetary sector) and after that transmitted to the real sector through the Total Export. As seen from the analysis of Variance Decomposition can be stated that during the period 2005:1-2012:12, the National Income variance contribution donated by Total Export and Exchange Rate, While Price Level variance contribution rate donated by Exchange Rate and PUAB Interest Rate

Microwave-assisted carbon-based sulphonated melon seed peel catalyst development for the optimization of neem seed oil epoxidation using response surface methodology

Pure neem seed oil (NSO) was epoxidized via in situ conventional method using hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid in the presence of a microwave-assisted carbon-based sulphonated melon seed peel catalyst (MACSMSPC). The MACSMSPC was prepared via a two-step process (carbonization and sulphonation) using a microwave. The characterization results from Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) and X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) confirms the successful -SO3H group attachment to the solid catalyst. The modelling and optimization studies of the epoxidation process of NSO were performed using Box Behnken design implementing Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with catalyst concentration, time and temperature as the independent factors and oxirane value as the dependent factor. The ANOVA showed a second-order polynomial model with an R2 value of 0.9901, Adj R2 of 0.9774 and Pred R2 of 0.8415, indicating the significant correlation between the experimental values and predicted responses. The 3D plots showed that the process parameters significantly impacted the oxirane value. The optimal oxirane value of 9.816% was obtained at a catalyst concentration of 0.6, reaction time of 4 h, reaction temperature of 50 °C with a desirability of 1.000. also, characterizations result via FT-IR and GCMS on the epoxy NSO indicate the oxirane ring's successful attachment on the NSO.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAREER CHALLENGES SUB VARIABLES AND ROLE EFFICIENCY OF HEALTH SECTOR EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN SELECTED PRIVATE AND TEACHING HOSPITALS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

The goal of every organisation is performance achievement through efficient role that is devoid of Career challenges (CB). However, the presence of some career challenges in some organisations has always hindered employees’ role efficiency resulting to little or no performance. This study examined the relationship between career challenges sub variables and role efficiency of health sector employee performance in selected private and teaching hospitals in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross sectional research design on the population of 2,886 employees of the selected hospitals. A purposive and stratified sampling technique method was adopted for the selection of 349 sample size. With primary source of data collection via a reliable and validated questionnaire, 78% response rate was achieved. Multiple linear regressions was employed for data analysis. Findings revealed that removal of career challenges positively correlated to medical sector employee performance in the following dimensions: Role efficiency in the dimension of: β= 10.043 Adj R2 = 0.153. f(5343)= 13,599, P&lt; 0.05. The study concluded that removal of career challenges and promotion of employees’ role efficiency through adequate monitoring of employees activities have very strong correlation with the performance of employees in the selected teaching and private hospitals. The study recommends that stake holders of these hospitals should initiate policies that would remove career challenges, promote employees’ role efficiency and adequately remunerate employees of these hospitals to enhance their performance.

Association between self-perceived activity performance and upper limb functioning in subacute stroke.

This study aimed to investigate to what extent upper limb (UL) motor impairment, trunk compensation, and activity performance are related to self-perception of UL activity performance in subacute stroke. This was a prospective observational study. Twenty-four adults with subacute stroke (age: 65.4±10.8years) underwent clinical and kinematic assessments at baseline (33.9±5.2days after stroke onset) and 4weeks after the baseline. The clinical assessment included the UL Fugl-Meyer motor assessment (FMA), Simple Test for Evaluating hand Function (STEF), and the performance and satisfaction scores of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). The kinematic measurement was performed using a motion capture system during a standardized reach-to-grasp task. Endpoint performance variables and trunk displacement were calculated as kinematic outcomes. An inpatient rehabilitation program of 3h/day was provided every day for 4weeks between the two measurement points. The relationships between COPM scores and clinical/kinematic outcomes were examined by multiple regression analysis. Significance levels of p<0.05 were used. The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that the changes in STEF (β=0.520, p=0.005) and trunk compensation (β=-0.398, p=0.024) were moderately related to the change in the COPM satisfaction (R2 adj =0.426, p=0.001), while the change in UL FMA was not. The changes in activity performance and trunk compensation were related to improved self-perception of UL activity performance. Therapeutic management for activity performance and trunk compensation may be important for improving self-perception of UL activity performance after stroke.

Age Contributes to Volume Estimation and Form Factor of Pinus Pseudostrobus Lindley in Commercial Forest Plantations from Western Mexico

ABSTRACT Sectional equations and mathematical volume models are a reliable way to estimate carbon sequestration and storage, which is a key foundation for forest management and conservation. The objective of this study was to assess stem volume and form factor through the classical sectional method to then, using five regression models commonly used for forest management, identify the most suitable mathematical model to estimate the stem volume in a commercial forest plantation (CFP) of Pinus pseudostrobus Lindley in the Comunidad Indígena de Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro, Michoacán, in Western Mexico. By using 10, 15 and 20 yr.-old sampling points and two sampling methods (destructive and nondestructive), we found a form factor 0.42, 0.48 and 0.51 and stem volume of 0.098 m3, 0.400 m3 and 0.804 m3 for the three ages assessed, which presented diameter classes (DC), from 10 to 45 cm. The mathematical models identified that age of plantation determines stem volume and form factor, and the models that best fit volume estimation were the Schumacher-Hall model and the Australian model with an R2 adj range between 0.89 and 0.99. Estimation of stem volume is of vital importance to assess the income generated by the timber industry, and relevant for forest conservation, management, and carbon sequestration studies.

Mid-Infrared Spectrum Analysis for Mapping Attributes of Cohesive Soils in Brazil

ABSTRACT Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is a promising technique for advances in soil studies. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in the mid-infrared range to estimate the sand, silt, clay, pH, H+ Al, sum of bases, organic matter contents, phosphorus, and remaining phosphorus of Argissolo Amarelo distrocoeso típico (Typic Hapludult) in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. Two areas with different characteristics were selected for sampling: Area 1 and Area 2. A square sampling grid with 121 points was used for each area. Samples were collected from the 0.0–0.2 m soil layer. The spectra were recorded in the mid-infrared range (2500–25000 nm; 4000–400 cm−1) at 8 cm−1 resolution. The data of Area 1 were used for chemometric model calibrations by Partial Least Squares Regression analysis. The data of Area 2 were used for the geostatistical modeling. All attributes presented, in general, positive calibration parameters, with adjusted coefficient of determination (R2 adj) for sand (0.76), silt (0.51), clay (0.77), pH (0.51), H+ Al (0.45), sum of bases (0.75), organic matter contents (0.71) and remaining phosphorus (0.6), and residual prediction deviation equal to or higher than 1.4, except for phosphorus. The lowest prediction errors were found for sand (17%) and silt (19%) contents, pH (15%), and remaining phosphorus (8%). The distribution of spatial attributes – measured and predicted – presented positive correlation, confirming the potential of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy as an alternative for prediction of soil attributes.

Kinetics of microwave-assisted extraction of virgin coconut oil from solid coconut waste

Solid coconut waste (SCW) is a by-product of coconut milk production which still contains virgin coconut oil (VCO). This waste usually is thrown away or left in fields. This study aims to optimize the effects of Microwave power (80–400 W), irradiation time (1–4 minutes), and solvent to feed ratio (SF) (10–30 ml/g) on the extraction of VCO from SCW using microwave-assisted extraction. The optimized conditions were microwave power: 160 W, Irradiation time: 2.5 minutes, and SF: 30 ml/g (15.93% yield). After the extraction, the characteristics of the oil such as matters volatile at 105 °C (0.193%), Free Fatty Acid (FFA) (1.38%), peroxide value (undetectable), insoluble impurities (0.0015%), saponification value (258 mg/g), iodine value (7.60), specific gravity at 30 °C (0.918), and total plate count (0 CFU/ml) were determined. The second-order kinetic model described the extraction the best (R2 adj = 0.9994). This method proves to be more efficient than the conventional virgin coconut oil extraction method.