Random Method Research Articles

Effectiveness of therapy for patients with chronic acalculous cholecystitis based on the comprehensive use of therapeutic physical factors

Purpose of the study: to evaluate the effectiveness of the combined use of therapeutic physical factors (amplipulse and general magnetic therapy), as well as manual therapy in the treatment of patients with chronic acalculous cholecystitis. Material and methods. The study involved 125 patients with chronic biliary tract obstruction aged 31 to 60 years with a disease duration of 12.5±0.19 years. Using the simple fixed randomization method, all patients were divided into three proportional groups. Patients in the control group (n=42) received standard therapy according to the corresponding protocol. Patients in the comparison group (n=41) received standard therapy supplemented with manual interventions aimed at restoring the mobility and motility of the hepatobiliary system organs. Patients in the main group (n=42) additionally received a course of combined physiotherapy in the form of amplipulse and general magnetic therapy. Evaluation of clinical efficacy in the selected groups was carried out based on the dynamics of the severity of subjective signs of chronic biliary tract obstruction, laboratory parameters of duodenal intubation and biochemical blood parameters characterizing the state of the hepatobiliary system. Results. It has been established that, compared with standard therapy, the combined use of hardware physiotherapy methods and massage procedures significantly increases the effectiveness of treatment, which is manifested in a significant (more than 1.5 times) decrease in the severity of clinical symptoms of the disease, a decrease in bile lithogenicity by 45 %, an increase in the contractile function of the gallbladder by 24 %, with a decrease in the level of cholesterol in bile by 21 % and an increase in the concentration of cholecystokinin in the blood by 31 %. Correlation analysis showed that cholecystokinin claims the role of a kind of center of the correlation galaxy of pathogenetic reactions of chronic acalculous cholecystitis. The use of statistical analysis of predictors made it possible to reveal that the effectiveness of complex physiotherapy increases in younger patients and with a shorter duration of the disease, as well as with higher values of cholecystokinin in the blood and a reduced potential for lithogenicity of bile. Conclusion. Supplementation of the standard protocol for the treatment of chronic acalculous cholecystitis with methods of combined hardware physiotherapy in the form of amplipulse and general magnetic therapy is accompanied by the development of a pronounced clinical effect, confirmed by the dynamics of clinical and laboratory parameters.

Nutritional education on health beliefs, metabolic profiles, and quality of life among high-risk pregnant women for gestational diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial

In recent years, nutrition has become increasingly important in treating and managing gestational diabetes mellitus. The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a conceptual framework in health behavior research used in some medical research. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of glycemic index training based on the HBM on metabolic indicators and pregnant women’s health-related quality of life. In this open-label, parallel-controlled randomized trial, 90 pregnant women from primary health centers in Iran were recruited and randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group, using a block randomization method with a block size of six. The intervention group underwent 12 weeks of nutritional education on the glycemic index and load of foodstuff. The control group only received routine health care. Valid and reliable questionnaires included demographic and prenatal information, physical activity, three days of food records, quality of life (SF-12), and HBM constructs. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and end of the study, to assess fasting blood glucose (FBS), fasting insulin, hs-CRP, and lipids. Eighty-four pregnant women with an age mean of 30.12 ± 4.35 completed 12 weeks of intervention. At baseline, there were no significant differences between groups in the HBM subscales (P > 0.05). However, within the intervention group, there was an increase in perceived susceptibilities (mean change 1.45 ± 4.21; P = 0.03) and cue to action (mean change: 1.22 ± 3.38; P = 0.02). In the adjusted model, the General Health subscale of Quality of Life showed a significant increase in the comparison between groups (mean change 13.69 ± 29.83 vs. 0.00 ± 29.58; P = 0.04). Additionally, the adjusted model revealed a notable difference between the groups in serum hs-CRP level, (mean change -0.877 ± 3.47 vs. -0.067 ± 3.40; P = 0.01) and triglyceride level (mean change − 55.24 ± 111.21 vs. 40.92 ± 142.01; P = 0.001). However, in the adjusted model, the total cholesterol levels increased between groups (mean change 22.75 ± 66.17 vs. 30.12 ± 61.33; P = 0.01) at the end of the study. There was no significant difference in glycemic indices (P > 0.05). Participation in a nutrition education program might positively impact nutritional beliefs, behaviors, and some biochemical indicators among pregnant women. Future studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-ups are warranted.Trial registration number: IRCTID: IRCT20190227042858N1. Registration date: 2019-07-18.

Study of the establishment of a guinea pig model of ocular accommodative spasm by carbachol eye drops.

To explore a method for establishing a model of ocular accommodative spasm in guinea pigs by using different concentrations of carbachol eye drops and different frequency of administration. Eighteen healthy guinea pigs were selected to establish models for both eyes. Guinea pigs were randomly divided into two groups. Group A was modeled with carbachol eye drops at a concentration of 2ml:0.1mg, and group B was modeled with carbachol eye drops at a concentration of 4ml:0.1mg. The two groups were further randomly divided into three groups according to the random number table method. Three groups of guinea pigs were established: In the A1, B1 group, the drug was administered one time/day; in the A2, B2 group, the drug was administered two times/day; and in the A3, B3 group, the drug was administered three times/day. Before modeling, retinoscopy optometry was performed on the guinea pigs without mydriasis and mydriasis, and a refractive state was recorded. On subsequent days, modeling was performed again, and carbachol eye drops were administered using the same administration times. Retinoscopy was performed in a dark room without mydriasis on days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21, and the data were recorded. After optimizing the modeling method, the ciliary muscle tissue of the model guinea pig and normal guinea pig were obtained for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of paraffin sections to compare the morphological differences under a light microscope. (1) There was no statistical significance in the interaction of time*0 d and time*drug frequency between group A and group B (P > 0.05). However, the main effect of different dose times varied between group A and group B (P < 0.05), and the modeling effect of three drops was better. (2) The overall modeling methods of groups A and B were not affected by the time factor, but three doses of carbachol eye drops achieved the best modeling effect on the 7th day, and the diopter of guinea pigs stabilized on the 14th and 21st days. (3) To further optimize the medication, the A and B groups were given three drops. On the 7th day, the refractive data of guinea pigs were compared between the groups, and the refractive status of the two groups of guinea pigs before modeling was compared within the groups. There was no statistical difference between the groups (P > 0.05), and there was a statistical difference within the groups (P < 0.05). (4) In the H&E staining of paraffin sections, the color of the ciliary muscle of the guinea pig with spasm of accommodation was darker than that of the normal guinea pig, and the myofilaments were more closely arranged. (1) Carbachol has the effect of contracting the ciliary muscle; (2) Three drops of 2ml:0.1mg or 4ml:0.1mg of carbachol eye drops can be selected for seven days for modeling.

Evaluation of liquefaction potential in central Taiwan using random forest method

Liquefaction is a significant geotechnical hazard in seismically active regions like Taiwan, threatening infrastructure and public safety. Accurate prediction models are essential for assessing soil susceptibility to liquefaction during seismic events. This study evaluates liquefaction potential in central Taiwan using the random forest (RF) method. The RF models were developed with a dataset of 540 soil and seismic parameter sets, including depth, effective and total overburden stresses, SPT-N values, fine soil content, earthquake magnitude, peak ground acceleration, and historical liquefaction occurrences. Rigorous validation techniques, such as cross-validation and comparisons with observed liquefaction events, confirm the RF model’s effectiveness, achieving an accuracy of 98.89%. The model also quantifies predictor importance, revealing that the SPT-N value is the most critical soil factor, while peak ground acceleration is the key seismic factor for liquefaction prediction. Notably, the RF model outperforms simplified procedures in accuracy, even with fewer input factors. Our case studies show that an accuracy of over 95% can still be achieved, highlighting the RF model’s superior performance compared to conventional methods, which struggle to reach similar levels.

Adjusting Self‐Protective and Non‐Response Behaviours in Sensitive Prevalence Estimation by a Two‐Stage Multilevel Randomised Response Technique

SummaryWhen using the customary direct questioning approach to collect sensitive information in a survey, some respondents may have no problem disclosing their true status or opinion, while others may be reluctant to reveal them. The problem of response bias is likely to arise as some responses tend to be more socially desirable than truthful. Hence, the indirect questioning approach can be used to guarantee privacy protection and reduce the influence of social desirability bias. This paper introduces a new technique which combines, both the direct and indirect questioning approaches and allows Bayesian estimates of the prevalence of multisensitive attributes to be obtained by taking into account the estimated proportion of honest respondents under direct questioning. Our proposal stems from a real survey in Taiwan and is illustrated with two motivating examples concerning voting behaviours and sexual identity. The empirical analysis reinforces that the proposed two‐stage multilevel method is satisfactory in mitigating the effects of respondents' self‐protective behaviour, and produces results that are more reliable than those based on the traditional direct questioning approach and better than a previous version of the multilevel randomised response method that ignores the presence of cheating behaviours in the direct questioning stage.

Investigating the Effectiveness of Music Therapy on Anxiety Caused by Stuttering in Children Aged 4 to 12 Years in Yazd City, Iran

Introduction: This study evaluates the effectiveness of music therapy on anxiety caused by stuttering in children aged 4 to 12 years in Yazd City, Iran. Materials and Methods: This is an experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design and a control group. The statistical population of the study consisted of 4-12-year-old children with stuttering referred to speech therapy centers in Yazd City, Iran, who were selected based on available sampling and divided into two equal groups, experimental and control, using a simple random method. The instrument of this research included the Spence children’s anxiety scale, parent version (SCAS-P). Children with anxiety in the experimental group underwent music therapy for ten 1-h sessions. To analyze the data, the SPSS software, version 24, was used and the significance level of the tests was considered 0.05. The statistical method of covariance analysis was used to analyze the research data. Results: Based on the results of the analysis of covariance between the two control groups and the music therapy experiment, there was a significant reduction in the average level of anxiety (P&lt;0.001, F=157.045) of children in the post-test stage. Conclusion: Music therapy is effective in reducing the anxiety level of children with stuttering; therefore, it can be considered a complementary method to reduce children’s anxiety

Investigation on spontaneous fires regions in coal gangue hills using UAV thermal infrared images

ABSTRACT The spontaneous combustion of coal gangue hills is accompanied by the release of toxic gases and the infiltration of metal elements, posing a serious threat to the global ecological environment. The current temperature monitoring methods for coal gangue hills have certain limitations, hence advanced and timely temperature monitoring is crucial for the management of coal gangue hills. This paper takes Guojiahe coal gangue hill as an example, thousands of visible light and thermal infrared images are obtained by using an unmanned aerial vehicle, and the 3-D model of the surface temperature of the gangue hill is established with Gaussian kernel technique and Random Sampling Consensus Method (RANSAC). Furthermore, the high-temperature zone in the gangue hill is measured by handheld thermocouples. The results indicate that high-temperature areas are distributed in a circular pattern and mostly concentrated on the slope surface and the boundary line between the slope and the bench. The thermal images can reflect the temperature inside the gangue hill by comparing the results of thermocouple temperature measurement and UAV detection. Further, it is analyzed that the air leakage cracks formed on the slope of the gangue hill provide a channel for the combination of coal gangue and oxygen, accelerating the heat accumulation, and the three-field coupling mechanism of coal gangue spontaneous combustion is proposed. This study can provide technical and methodological support for the prevention and control of spontaneous combustion in coal gangue hills.

Development of nanoporous carbon models with tunable pore structures via the random packing-virtual atom method

Nanoporous carbon (NPC) is widely utilized due to its highly developed pore structure. The complex structure-property relationships of NPC necessitate simulation methods to complement experimental approaches, with structural model construction serving as the foundation. Regulating pore structures during construction of NPC models poses a significant challenge, and existing strategies for introducing pores have inherent limitations. In this work, NPC models were constructed using the random packing method, incorporating virtual atoms (VAs) to regulate pore development, achieving targeted control over the pore structure. The results indicate that the system density is a critical factor in determining the porosity range of NPC models, whereas VAs provide an effective means to regulate pore characteristics. By adjusting the number and radius of VAs, the pore characteristics of the models can be tuned, although their effects on different features vary. The number of VAs significantly influences SSA, which increases with the number of VAs, whereas VA radius predominantly affects porosity, increasing as the radius expands. Furthermore, the NPC-SDG-AC model was developed with an SSA of 968 m2/g and a pore size distribution consistent with actual microporous distribution. NPC-1, NPC-2, and NPC-3 models were also constructed, exhibiting mesoporous, large microporous, and small microporous characteristics.

A study on the effect of clinical intervention of evidence-based nursing measures on complications in patients after breast-conserving surgery.

Breast-conserving surgery is an important treatment for breast cancer, which not only eradicates the disease, but also protects the integrity of the breast, however, postoperative nausea and vomiting often bother patients. This study examines the effects of evidence-based nursing practices on nausea and vomiting in patients after breast-conserving surgery, with the aim of providing new perspectives for clinical nursing practice. One hundred and sixty patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery from January 2023 to December 2023 in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center were enrolled. The patients were divided into an intervention group (evidence-based nursing group) and a control group (conventional nursing group) using the random number table method, both groups comprised 80 patients. The control group used conventional nursing methods, and the intervention group added evidence-based nursing intervention on this basis. Comparative analysis focused on the incidence of nausea and vomiting, quality of life metrics, and postoperative satisfaction. In the intervention group, notably lower incidence rates of postoperative nausea and vomiting were observed compared to the control group within both the 0-24 hour and 24-48-hour postoperative periods (P< 0.05). Furthermore, the intervention group exhibited significantly higher scores across all five dimensions as well as the overall score of the FACT-B scale in comparison to the control group (P< 0.05), accompanied by heightened satisfaction with the nursing staff. This study demonstrated the positive clinical intervention effects of evidence-based nursing measures and emphasized their importance in improving postoperative nausea and vomiting and quality of life. Future studies are expected to incorporate evidence-based nursing practices into nursing care to improve patient recovery and overall quality of care.

Application of extracorporeal shockwave to regulate subchondral bone homeostasis through tumor necrosis factor-α/hypoxia-inducible factor-1α/vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway in treatment of talus bone marrow edema.

To investigate the effect of extracorporeal shock wave on the treatment of talus bone marrow edema by regulating subchondral bone homeostasis through tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)/hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway. A total of 81 patients with talus bone marrow edema admitted to our hospital from May 2019 to May 2021 were studied and divided into control group (n = 40) and extracorporeal shock group (n = 41) according to random number table method. The control group was given conventional treatment, and the extracorporeal shock group was combined with extracorporeal shock wave therapy on the basis of the control group. The expression of TNF-α, HIF-1α, and VEGF in the 2 groups were compared, pain degree, and the area of talus bone marrow edema was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging. The visual analogue scale scores of 1 month, 2 months and 5 months after treatment were decreased in both groups, and the extracorporeal shock group was lower than the control group (P < .05). After 5 months of treatment, the expressions of TNF-α and HIF-1α were decreased in both groups, and the extracorporeal shock group was lower than the control group, VEGF was increased, and the extracorporeal shock group was higher than the control group (P < .05), and the western blot expression levels of TNF-α, HIF-1α and VEGF in the extracorporeal shock group were higher than the control group (P < .05). The dorsiflexion motion and plantar flexion motion of both groups were increased, and the extracorporeal shock group was higher than the control group (P < .05). Extracorporeal shock wave therapy can regulate subchondral bone homeostasis through TNF-α/HIF-1α/VEGF signaling pathway to treat talus bone marrow edema, reduce the pain degree of talus bone marrow edema, and improve ankle joint function.

Efficacy of rehabilitation physiotherapy combined with brace correction in patients with mild to moderate scoliosis secondary to cerebral palsy.

Scoliosis secondary to cerebral palsy is one of the common complications of cerebral palsy in children with cerebral palsy. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of rehabilitation combined with brace correction in patients with scoliosis secondary to cerebral palsy. A total of 52 patients with scoliosis secondary to cerebral palsy were selected from our hospital from April 2019 to April 2022 and divided into the control group and experimental group according to the statistical randomization method (n= 26 in each group). Control group: mean age (14.28 ± 2.31) years; 16 males and 10 females. Experimental group: average age (14.24 ± 2.35) years; 15 males and 11 females. The control group wore scoliosis orthopedic brace, while the experimental group was treated with rehabilitation manipulation and rehabilitation training (including gymnastic training and weight training) on the basis of the control group for 1 year. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared and observed; the number of degrees of scoliosis (Cobb angle), the angle of vertebral rotation (AVR) and the distance of the parietal vertebrae from the sacral midline (AVT) were compared before and after treatment; the incidence of adverse events during treatment was observed in the two groups. After treatment, both groups showed significant improvement in the overall effectiveness of treatment, Cobb's angle, AVR and AVT compared with those before treatment (P< 0.05). The experimental group had a significantly higher overall effective rate of treatment than the control group (P< 0.05), a significantly smaller Cobb's angle and AVR than the control group (P< 0.05) and a significantly shorter AVT than the control group (P< 0.05). The incidence of adverse events during treatment was lower in both groups and was not significantly different (P> 0.05). The combination of rehabilitation physiotherapy and bracing is effective in optimizing the clinical outcome of patients with scoliosis secondary to cerebral palsy, improving their scoliosis dysfunction and providing a high level of safety in treatment.

Objective and subjective evaluation of the use of protective clothing on the thermal strain and mental workload of nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nurses are among high-risk occupational groups during the outbreak of epidemics. Therefore, these people are required to use personal protective equipment (PPE). Previous studies have shown that the use of personal protective equipment can affect people's thermal strain and mental workload. The present study was conducted with the aim of objectively and subjectively evaluating the use of protective clothing on the thermal strain and mental workload of nurses during the covid-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study was divided into two groups with a sample size of 300 people who were selected by systematic random method. In the first group, 120 people were objectively evaluated (use of protective clothing). In the second group, 180 people only completed the questionnaire of mental workload, feeling of heat and sweating and other information related to the type of clothing and the duration of its use, etc. Measurements were done in August and September of 2021 and in the morning shift of hospitals. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 software and chi-square, independent T-test and linear regression tests. The average age and average working hours per month of the participants in the study were 33.51±7.88 years, 187.91±35.37 hours, respectively. The results showed that the predicted average vote (PMV) index and the predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD), moisture felt on the skin surface, the feeling of desirability and pleasantness of the temperature, the weight of sweat and the humidity inside the clothes between the two groups of people using insulated clothes There is a significant difference between medicine and dressing (P < 0.05). There was a significant relationship between mental workload and type of clothing, average working hours per month. The use of medical isolation clothes causes a high heat load on nurses and can increase their mental workload. On the other hand, people using normal gowns suffer from a high mental workload due to the fear of disease due to the uncertainty of high-level protection. In addition, medical isolation clothes increase the humidity of the skin due to their impermeability, which causes skin complications.

A guide for planning triangulation studies to investigate complex causal questions in behavioural and psychiatric research.

At the basis of many important research questions is causality - does X causally impact Y? For behavioural and psychiatric traits, answering such questions can be particularly challenging, as they are highly complex and multifactorial. 'Triangulation' refers to prospectively choosing, conducting and integrating several methods to investigate a specific causal question. If different methods, with different sources of bias, all indicate a causal effect, the finding is much less likely to be spurious. While triangulation can be a powerful approach, its interpretation differs across (sub)fields and there are no formal guidelines. Here, we aim to provide clarity and guidance around the process of triangulation for behavioural and psychiatric epidemiology, so that results of existing triangulation studies can be better interpreted, and new triangulation studies better designed. We first introduce the concept of triangulation and how it is applied in epidemiological investigations of behavioural and psychiatric traits. Next, we put forth a systematic step-by-step guide, that can be used to design a triangulation study (accompanied by a worked example). Finally, we provide important general recommendations for future studies. While the literature contains varying interpretations, triangulation generally refers to an investigation that assesses the robustness of a potential causal finding by explicitly combining different approaches. This may include multiple types of statistical methods, the same method applied in multiple samples, or multiple different measurements of the variable(s) of interest. In behavioural and psychiatric epidemiology, triangulation commonly includes prospective cohort studies, natural experiments and/or genetically informative designs (including the increasingly popular method of Mendelian randomization). The guide that we propose aids the planning and interpreting of triangulation by prompting crucial considerations. Broadly, its steps are as follows: determine your causal question, draw a directed acyclic graph, identify available resources and samples, identify suitable methodological approaches, further specify the causal question for each method, explicate the effects of potential biases and, pre-specify expected results. We illustrated the guide's use by considering the question: 'Does maternal tobacco smoking during pregnancy cause offspring depression?'. In the current era of big data, and with increasing (public) availability of large-scale datasets, triangulation will become increasingly relevant in identifying robust risk factors for adverse mental health outcomes. Our hope is that this review and guide will provide clarity and direction, as well as stimulate more researchers to apply triangulation to causal questions around behavioural and psychiatric traits.

Enhanced Subspace Iteration Technique for Probabilistic Modal Analysis of Statically Indeterminate Structures

In structural stochastic dynamic analysis, the consideration of the randomness in the physical parameters of the structure necessitates the establishment of numerous stochastic finite element models and the subsequent computation of their corresponding vibration modes. When the complete analysis is applied to calculate the vibration modes for each sample of the stochastic finite element model, a substantial computational expense is incurred. To enhance computational efficiency, this work presents an extended subspace iteration method aimed at rapidly determining the vibration modal parameters of statically indeterminate structures. The essence of this proposed method revolves around efficiently constructing reduced basis vectors during the subspace iteration process, utilizing flexibility disassembly perturbation and the Krylov subspace. This extended subspace iteration method proves particularly advantageous for the modal analysis of finite element models that incorporate a multitude of random variables. The proposed modal random analysis method has been validated using both a truss structure and a beam structure. The results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves substantial savings in computational time. Specifically, for the truss structure, the calculation time of the proposed method is approximately 1.2% and 65% of that required by the comprehensive analysis method and the combined approximation method, respectively. For the beam structure, on average, the computational time of the proposed method is roughly 2.1% of a full analysis and approximately 48.2% of the Ritz vector method’s time requirement. Compared to existing stochastic modal analysis algorithms, the proposed method offers improved computational accuracy and efficiency, particularly in scenarios involving high-discreteness random analyses.

Modifiable risk factors that mediate the effect of insomnia on the risk of low back pain: a network mendelian randomization study

BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) and insomnia are common global health issues, but their relationship and potential mediators remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the impact of insomnia on LBP using mendelian randomization (MR) methods and analyze the mediating role of modifiable factors.MethodsUnivariable MR (UVMR) analysis was employed to examine the causal relationship between insomnia and LBP, as well as the association between modifiable factors [smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), and type 2 diabetes (T2DM)] and LBP. Subsequently, multivariable MR (MVMR) analysis was conducted to explore the impact of insomnia on the mediation of LBP risk by modifiable factors.ResultsIn the UVMR analysis, insomnia [odds ratio (OR) = 2.95, 95%CI: 2.33–3.72)] and BMI (OR = 1.18, 95%CI: 1.02–1.37) were positively associated with the prevalence of LBP. The effects of smoking, alcohol consumption, and T2DM on LBP were not significant (P > 0.05). In the MVMR analysis, the proportion of mediation of BMI on the relationship between insomnia and LBP was 7.12%.ConclusionThis study revealed the causal relationship between insomnia and LBP using MR methods for the first time, and identified the mediating role of BMI. These findings offer new insights into understanding the relationship between insomnia and LBP, informing the prevention and treatment of these two health issues.

Identifying the genetic association between severe autoimmune type 2 diabetes and the risk of focal epilepsy.

Observational studies suggested a bidirectional relationship between severe autoimmune type 2 diabetes and focal epilepsy. However, it remains debated whether and in which direction a causal association exists. This genetics-based study aimed to explore the relationships of severe autoimmune type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and focal epilepsy outcomes with two sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) method. Genetic instruments were obtained from large-scale genome-wide meta-analysis of severe autoimmune T2DM (Ncase = 452, Ncontrol = 2,744), and focal epilepsy (Ncase = 929, Ncontrol = 212,532) of European ancestry. A series of analyses were performed to select eligible genetic instruments robustly associated with each of the traits using summary-level statistics. Inverse variance weighted was used for primary analysis, with alternative 11 MR methods. A scatter plot was utilized to illustrate the association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) effects on the exposure and SNP effects on the outcome. The Wald ratio for individual SNPs and their cumulative effects was depicted using a forest plot. And diagnostics and sensitivity analyses were used to evaluate if the causal estimates are robust to violations of MR underlying assumptions, including pleiotropy, heterogeneity assessment, and leave-one-out analysis. Then the results were validated using CURATED database of DisGeNET platform. For forward analysis, genetic predisposition to severe autoimmune T2DM was associated with an increased risk of focal epilepsy (Inverse variance weighted (IVW) method: OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.03-1.18, p = 0.012). For reverse analysis, there was no enough instrument variables of focal epilepsy on severe autoimmune T2DM. Further, the interrelation between severe autoimmune T2DM and focal epilepsy was demonstrated via variant-disease association network analysis using the instrument SNPs. This MR study supports a causal link between severe autoimmune T2DM and focal epilepsy. More effort should be made to screen seizure in severe autoimmune T2DM, unravel its clinical implications, and explore its role as a putative modifiable risk factor.

Chief executive officers’ compensation: Does gender pay parity exist in the Nigerian context?

The optimal contract theory posits that an effective compensation plan should be based on performance. Globally, legislators are concerned about the gender pay gap due to stereotypes against women in line with congruity theory. Despite the plethora of gender-related studies, empirical evidence on the gender pay gap at the upper-echelon management level is limited, especially in Africa. Hence, the study examines the effect of CEO gender on CEO compensation in the Nigerian deposit money banks using a longitudinal research design. The study employed the ordinary least square (OLS), fixed effect method, and random effect method to analyze the 144 firm-year observations collected from the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) factbooks and the financial reports of 12 banks during 2011–2022. The Hausman Test (chi sq = 3.623, P = 0.003) and Redundant Fixed Effect Test (chi sq = 8.159, P = 0.000) indicated that the appropriate method of reporting is the fixed effect method. The association between CEO gender and CEO compensation (coeff = –8.690 and t = –10.31) is statistically negatively related. The study concluded a gender pay gap in favor of men among Nigerian Nigerian deposit money banks’ CEOs. These findings align with the congruity theory. The study recommends a mandatory gender pay parity plan in line with the optimal contract theory to reduce gender pay inequality.

Middle School Students Attitudes Toward Educational Counseling Services Provided in Jordanian Schools

This study aimed to identify the attitudes of middle school students towards the educational counselling services provided in Jordanian schools and to reveal whether their attitudes towards the counselling services are affected by the variables of gender and place of residence. It also sought to predict middle school students' attitudes toward the counselling services provided in Jordanian schools through the study's psychometric and demographic variables. A total of (820) male and female middle school students in Jordanian schools participated in the study during the second semester of the academic year (2023/2024) and were selected using a random method. The study tool (questionnaire) was applied to measure students' attitudes toward the counselling services provided. The study findings revealed that students' attitudes towards the counselling process ranked highest, followed by their attitudes towards the counsellor (second place) and the counselee (third place). Regarding the study samples' overall performance on the study tool, they exhibit a typically positive attitude towards the educational counselling services offered in Jordanian schools. Furthermore, it was found that there were statistically significant differences between the averages of the participants' attitudes towards the educational counselling services provided in Jordanian schools attributable to the variable of the place of residence favouring the category of those residing in (the village). No significant statistical gender differences between the averages of the participants' attitudes towards the educational counselling services provided in Jordanian schools were observed. Finally, based on the results of this study and the literature reviewed, the researcher proposed a set of practical procedures to be applied. Received: 14 July 2024 / Accepted: 27 October 2024 / Published: 05 November 2024

The Impact of Using the Brainstorming Method on the Listening Skills of Tenth Grade Students

This study explored the impact using the brainstorming method on the listening skills of tenth grade students. To meet the study’s goals, the researchers adopted the experimental approach. They developed an instrument (i.e. listening skills test). This test consists from twenty (20) multiple choice items. The sample consists from 143 female and male 10th grade students. Those students were chosen from Marka, Amman. The researchers chose the sample through using the cluster random method. The data were collected during the first semester of the academic year (2023 / 2024). The sampled students were chosen from four sections. Two sections serve as the experimental group and two sections serve as the control group. It was found that there are significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of the mean score on the post-test. It was found that there are significant differences between the scores of the respondents which can be attributed to gender for the favor of males. Based on the results, the researchers recommend using the brainstorming method in curricula and the teachers’ guidebook. They recommend conducting further studies to identify the impact of the brainstorming method on other language skills and other students. Received: 14 July 2024 / Accepted: 27 October 2024 / Published: 05 November 2024

Random Oversampling-Based Diabetes Classification via Machine Learning Algorithms

Diabetes mellitus is considered one of the main causes of death worldwide. If diabetes fails to be treated and diagnosed earlier, it can cause several other health problems, such as kidney disease, nerve disease, vision problems, and brain issues. Early detection of diabetes reduces healthcare costs and minimizes the chance of serious complications. In this work, we propose an e-diagnostic model for diabetes classification via a machine learning algorithm that can be executed on the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). The study uses and analyses two benchmarking datasets, the PIMA Indian Diabetes Dataset (PIDD) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) diabetes dataset, to classify diabetes. The proposed model consists of the random oversampling method to balance the range of classes, the interquartile range technique-based outlier detection to eliminate outlier data, and the Boruta algorithm for selecting the optimal features from the datasets. The proposed approach considers ML algorithms such as random forest, gradient boosting models, light gradient boosting classifiers, and decision trees, as they are widely used classification algorithms for diabetes prediction. We evaluated all four ML algorithms via performance indicators such as accuracy, F1 score, recall, precision, and AUC-ROC. Comparative analysis of this model suggests that the random forest algorithm outperforms all the remaining classifiers, with the greatest accuracy of 92% on the BRFSS diabetes dataset and 94% accuracy on the PIDD dataset, which is greater than the 3% accuracy reported in existing research. This research is helpful for assisting diabetologists in developing accurate treatment regimens for patients who are diabetic.