Rho Correlation Analysis Research Articles

Examining the Convergent Validity of the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills – Fourth Edition (TVPS-4) in the Australian Context

ABSTRACT The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills – Fourth Edition (TVPS-4) is a recently revised assessment of motor-free perceptual abilities, that was standardized in the United States. The TVPS-4 is commonly used by pediatric occupational therapists, health professionals and educators, therefore it is important that its psychometric properties and use in cross-cultural contexts are investigated. The study aim was to examine the convergent validity of the TVPS-4 when completed by Australian children. Thirty typically developing children aged 6–12 years (17 females and 13 males; mean age 8.7 years; SD = 1.7) completed the TVPS-4, the Developmental Test of Visual Perception – Third Edition (DTVP-3) and the Motor-Free Perception Test – Fourth Edition (MVPT-4). Spearman Rho correlation analyses with bootstrapping were completed to examine the associations between the TVPS-4, DTVP-3 and MVPT-4. The TVPS-4 total scale raw score exhibited strong significant correlations with the DTVP-3 (rho = .745, p < .000) and MVPT-4 (rho = .791, p < .000) total scale raw scores, and moderate to strong significant correlations with all of the DTVP-3 subscales (rho = .540 to .717, p = .002 to .000) and three of the MVPT-4 subscales (rho = .536 to .695, p = .004 to .000). Several weak to moderate significant correlations were found between the TVPS-4 and DTVP-3 subscale raw scores (rho = .370 to .607, p = .044 to .001). The TVPS-4 and MVPT-4 subscale raw scores exhibited several weak to strong, positive and statistically significant associations (rho = .385 to .600, p = .036 to .001). Australian children appeared to complete the TVPS-4 without any cross-cultural issues. The study findings suggest that the TVPS-4 assesses some similar motor-free perceptual abilities as the DTVP-3 and MVPT-4. This study provides some preliminary insights about the TVPS-4’s convergent validity with the Australian context. The primary clinical implication is that the study findings add to the TVPS-4’s body of validity evidence. Further research studies are recommended.

Does YouTube™ Offer Reliable Information about Mini Screws?

Objective: The goal of the present study was to estimate the quality and accuracy of provided data of orthodontic mini-screws related YouTube™ videos. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional research, a systematic survey of YouTube™ videos about mini-screws was gathered by applying the term "mini screw." The first 200 videos were viewed and at the end, the study was based on 77 videos. Demographics of videos were recorded. The video content was scored using a 14-point score scale, which was used for the classification of low and high content video groups. The video information and quality index (VIQI) was used to evaluate the quality of videos. Descriptive statistic was used. Distribution of YouTube™ Video Demographics in Low and High content groups was done by using the Pearson Chi-squared test and Fisher exact test. The Mann–Whitney U-test was used to compare the quantitative data, which did not show normal distribution. Spearman's rho correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationships among the parameters. Significance was evaluated as P &lt; 0.05. Results: We sorted 72 videos as low and 5 as high content. Healthcare providers uploaded most of the videos (58.4%). Educational videos were found to be the most (97.4%). Insertion of mini screw (65%), indication, and mechanics (45.5%) were the most; while, cost, oral hygiene (3.9%), and annoyance (5.2%) were the least mentioned topics. The mean "Duration of the videos" and "comments" in the high score group was statistically higher than the low content group. The VIQI Total Scores were found to be significantly higher in the high content group. Conclusion: Although a great variety of information, is available on YouTube™, content was found to be insufficient. Specialists must be aware that patients can use those videos as learning resources, and guide their patients to obtain correct/actual information.

Association Between Dietary Pattern and Perceived Stress

Abstract Objectives Recent evidence is pointing toward the effect of nutrients on neurotransmission. Therefore, dietary patterns may impact the stress response as well as mental wellbeing. This study aims to investigate the relationship between dietary patterns and perceived stress as a way to shed light on the impact of diet quality on psychological stress. Methods An anonymous questionnaire combining three validated scales was distributed through several social media platforms. The questionnaire included the Food-Mood Questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Kessler-6 scale as well as questions assessing frequency of consumption of various tyrosine-rich foods. Inclusion criteria included adults 18 years old or older. Results were analyzed using Spearman's Rho correlation and principal component analysis using SPSS Version 24.0. Results Our results indicated that several components of the Mediterranean diet such as whole grains (P &amp;lt; 0.05), dark green leafy vegetables (P &amp;lt; 0.01), fish (P &amp;lt; 0.01), beans (P &amp;lt; 0.05), and red lean meat (P &amp;lt; 0.01) were negatively correlated with perceived stress total score. Fast food was positively correlated with perceived stress total score (P &amp;lt; 0.01). The principal component analysis identified 3 components: a healthy dietary pattern, a healthy lifestyle, and an unhealthy dietary pattern. Interestingly, a healthy lifestyle, which shared multiple components with the Mediterranean diet, was inversely related to perceived stress total score and mental distress total score. Conclusions Our findings suggest that a dietary pattern similar to the Mediterranean diet may be associated with a lower perceived stress response. Funding Sources None.

EFL STUDENTS METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES IN ONLINE-BASED LEARNING: IN RELATION TO THEIR WRITING QUALITY

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between students metacognitive strategies and their writing quality in an online learning context. It involved 35 English-major students at one of the state universities in East Java, Indonesia. A metacognitive strategies questionnaire and a writing rubric were used as the instruments of this study. Then, the data obtained were analyzed by using a descriptive statistic and a Spearman rho correlation analysis with SPSS 21 program. The results reported that the participants applied metacognitive strategies at high frequency. Among the three kinds of metacognitive strategies, evaluating strategies (M=4.17) are the most strategy used by students, followed by monitoring strategies (M=3.98) and planning strategies (M=3.92) sequentially. The overall mean of the students essay scores (M=76.10) reported that the students writing quality was a good level. The highest to the lowest quality was obtained by the organization aspect, mechanics, language use, vocabulary, and content respectively. Further, there was a moderate positive correlation between students metacognitive strategies and their writing quality in online learning. In sum up, the more students apply metacognitive strategies, the better writing quality they have. It is suggested to conduct with larger participants to make the results more generalizable.

Interaksi Sosial Sesama Rekan Kerja Dengan Intensi Turnover Karyawan PT. Xuilong Outdoor

The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a relationship between the social interaction between coworkers and employee turnover intentions.The hypothesis proposed is that there is a link between the social interaction between colleagues and employee turnover intentions. Research subjects were 50 employees of PT. Xuilong Outdoor Tunggorono recruited through the Purposive random sampling technique. The independent variable chosen was the social interaction between colleagues. While, the dependent variable is the Turnover Intention. The data collection tools consist of a social interaction scale and a Turn over intention scale. Analysis of hypothesis testing using Spearman's Rho correlation analysis. Result of research rho XY = 0,-234; with p = 0.102 (p &gt; 0.05). This indicates that the hypothesis is rejected, meaning that there is no correlation between Social Interaction among Coworkers and Employee Turnover Intentions at PT. Xuilong Outdoor Tunggorono Jombang

A study on prevalence of risk factors for osteoporosis in Postmenopausal women and the importance of Osteoporosis self- assessment tool (OST) in identifying osteoporotic risk

Osteoporosis is a highly prevalent health issue among postmenopausal women, which can be prevented if identified in the early stages. The use of Osteoporosis Self - assessment Tool (OST) will help in identifying the risk of osteoporosis and hence will allow the patients to seek the best treatment if required. In this study we assessed the prevalence of risk factors for osteoporosis in 400 Postmenopausal women and have measured the osteoporotic risk using OST. The risk factors and risk scores were correlated using spearman’s rho correlation analysis. As per the postmenopausal classification, 52% of the population belonged to the late stage. Average BMI of the population was found to be 19.5 that is borderline of the normal which indicates the risk for Osteoporosis. Attaining early menopause 243(60.75%) and history of fall 223(55.75%) was the most common risk factors found in the population. Using OST, 78 patients were identified with high risk. The correlation between OST and risk factors revealed that OST is positively significant with the progression of menopausal stage. Patient education regarding the use and interpretation of OST will help to identify risk of osteoporosis; this should be implemented within the primary gynecological care units for the better outcome.&#x0D; Keywords: Osteoporosis, postmenopausal women, risk factors, Osteoporosis Self - assessment Tool.

Relationships Between Oral-Mucosal Pressure Ulcers, Mechanical Conditions, and Individual Susceptibility in Intubated Patients Under Intensive Care: A PCR-Based Observational Study.

This study was performed to determine the relationship between oral-mucosal pressure ulcer (PU) stage and mechanical conditions and individual susceptibility in intubated patients. We collected 80 patient-days data from an intensive care unit of a 700-bed hospital in Korea. We analyzed oral-mucosal PUs, medical records, amount of saliva, and oral mucosal swabs. Bacterial abundance was enumerated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The χ2 or Fisher's exact test, t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman's rho correlation analysis were performed. The incidence of overall oral-mucosal PUs was 31.3%, and in the maxillary and mandibular sites were 16.3% and 26.3%, respectively. There were significant correlations between the maxillary site PU stage and restraint use (r = .43, p < .001), albumin level (r = -.22, p = .046), and relative abundance of P. aeruginosa (r = .45, p < .001) and S. aureus (r = -.24, p = .033). In the mandibular sites, there were significant correlations between PU stage and restraint use (r = .30, p = .008), level of consciousness (r = .31, p = .005), and relative abundance of P. aeruginosa (r = .25, p = .028) and S. pneumoniae (r = .22, p = .046). Frequent monitoring and repositioning the mechanical pressure on the oral-mucosa could be an effective preventive strategy against the development and advancement of oral-mucosal PUs. Additionally, monitoring the oral microorganisms can prevent advanced stage oral-mucosal PUs in intubated patients.

Identification of Psychological and Social Problems in Caregivers of Individuals Diagnosed with Hematologic Malignancy

Objective:Caring for patients with hematological malignancy could lead to many problems in different aspects regarding the lives of caregivers. However, there is limited data on the emotional and social problems of caregivers, who deal with patients of hematological malignancy. The aim of this study is to determine the emotional and social problems in caregivers of individuals diagnosed with hematological malignancy.Methods:The study was carried out descriptively to identify the emotional and social problems in the relatives of the patients diagnosed with hematological malignancy as their caregivers, as well as the factors affecting these problems. The data of the study were collected with the Introductory Information Form and Identification of Emotional and Social Problems Form that were administered to the relatives of the patients. The data were evaluated by using Spearman's Rho correlation analysis and the Logit analysis in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software.Results:Among the caregivers, 59.8% were in the age group of 30–51 years, and 66.2% were female. Of the caregivers, 70.1% had difficulty in fulfilling their responsibilities. Spiritual distress had the highest score among the emotional problems, and experiencing caregiver strain had the highest score among the social problems. In the Logit model, the changes in the professional life was the variable that affects the emotional and social problems the most and significantly. In addition, emotional problems were affected by the financial problems at a statistically significant level.Conclusions:In this study, it is suggested that the caregivers should be provided with certain conveniences in their professional lives based on the fact that the problem, which affected emotional and social problems the most, is the change in the professional life; it is recommended that further studies should be carried out on the caregivers.

HUBUNGAN PENGETAHUAN TENTANG METODE KONTRASEPSI DENGAN SIKAP TERHADAP PEMILIHAN METODE KONTRASEPSI PADA AKSEPTOR KONTRASEPSI WANITA

Family planning is the first program established by the Indonesian government as one of the methods to suppress population growth in Indonesia since 1970. Badan Kependudukan dan Keluarga Berencana Nasional (BKKBN) established a sustainable development program namely Kependudukan, Keluarga Berencana dan Pembangunan Keluarga (KKBPK) which is equivalent to the international level program Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants of Riau province are using active contraception from 2017-2018 always ranks 8th lowest out of 34 provinces in Indonesia with the most methods in the form of non- long-term contraception methods (non-MKJP). One of the reason is low of society knowledge related to contraceptive methods. Knowledge and attitude are foundation in forming a behavior that is suitable with conditions for contraceptive acceptor.The purpose of this research was to know the relationship of knowledge about contraceptive methods with attitudes about the selection of contraceptive methods in women’s contraceptive acceptors in primary health center region of Pekanbaru city.The method of this research used analytic observational study design, with a cross sectional study design. This research was conducted at 12 primary health centers region of Pekanbaru city. The sampling technique is done by stratified random sampling with a sample size of 400 people and statistically tested using the Spearman correlation test. The result of spearman 's rho correlation analysis indicate there is a significant relationship between knowledge and attitude (pvalue = 0.027) with a correlation coefficient value of 0.097.

The spatial cognition of a forest landscape and its relationship with tourist viewing intention in different walking passage stages

BackgroundUnderstanding which types of landscapes are attractive to tourists during forest walking and which factors affect tourists' viewing intentions, plays a significant role in the drafts by forest landscape planners and designers. Main purposeTo clarify the spatial cognition characteristics and differences when tourists appreciation the forest landscape and explore the factors that affect tourists' viewing intentions at different walking passage stages. MethodsThis study used one-way ANOVA and Spearman's rho correlation analysis to statistically analyze the data and performed a multiple linear regression analysis in SPSS 23.0 to establish a model of tourists' viewing intention for each walking passage. Main results1. There are differences, at different walking passage stages, in the spatial cognition of forest landscapes and the spatial cognition of different types of forest landscapes by tourists gradually changes. 2. There are differences in the factors that affect tourists' viewing intentions of forest landscapes in different walking passage stages. Even with the same spatial cognition parameters, the contribution of tourists' viewing intention differs in different walking passage. In different walking passages, visitors' viewing intentions of broad-leaved forest space are significantly lower than those of other landscape spaces, especially in the early and middle walking passages. 3. As the forest walking experience unfolds, tourists' experience in the "middle passage" and "late passage" stages of the forest landscape have a greater impact on their overall viewing intention.Through the above analysis, we suggest that in the planning and design of forest walking spaces, landscape elements or landscape facilities should be properly matched according to the spatial cognitive characteristics of the scenes in the different walking passages. The above suggestions will improve tourists' viewing intentions of scenes, especially in-forest landscape spaces with a background of forest elements.

Analysis on the characteristics of eye movement and the evaluation of psychological perception for forest waterscape space

For landscape architects, how to provide a highly quality forest landscape for visitors has always been an important topic. This study based on the results of previous field observation, combined with eye tracking technology and psychological perception questionnaire, and used the Wilcoxon rank sum test, T test and Spearman’s rho correlation analysis in SPSS 23.0 to statistically analyze the data. The main purpose is to clarify the relationship between visual behavior characteristics and psychological perception evaluation of the forest waterscape space where tourists have more behavioral evaluations during forest walk. Main results are as follows: 1. There are differences eye movement behaviors of different types of forest waterscape space, especially in the visual span; 2. There are significant differences visitor’s psychological evaluation of different types of forest waterscape in five indices, which in whether the landscape content is changing, whether the color is rich, whether the color is bright, whether the space is open and whether you can see the distant landscape; 3. There is a correlation between human eye movement behavior and psychological perception evaluation in different types of forest waterscape spaces. The scenes with a large number of fixations also have higher satisfaction, and fixations count have positively correlated with the spatial perception evaluation results, which including plant diversity, landscape richness, permeability and the layering. That is to say, richness of landscape elements and color, permeability of the space and the regularity of the forest waterscape space affect the participants’ eye movement observation mode. Through the above analysis, we suggest that in the planning and design of forest waterscape space should be considerate the characteristics of different landscape elements, meanwhile we should pay attention to the interspersion of appropriate heterogeneous landscape space.

Consumer's Satisfaction with Community Pharmacies in Sindh, Pakistan.

Objective:The present research is the first comprehensive cross-sectional study of consumer satisfaction with community pharmacies in Sindh, Pakistan. Moreover, the study has also designed a nonorder theoretical model for consumer satisfaction with community pharmacies.Methods:This is a cross-sectional descriptive study from a general population of Sindh, Pakistan, with a total of four hundred and fifteen (n = 415) participants. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to verify the factor structure between Pharmaceutical services (PS), the Skill of Pharmacists, Non-pharmaceutical services (NPS), and pricing (P). Pearson correlation analysis, Kendall's tau correlation analysis, and Spearman's rho correlation analysis were used to identify the correlation between different factors, such as PS, SKP, NPS, and P.Findings:The 23-item scale that consisted of four elements have shown an acceptable root mean squared error of approximation (0.076), Cronbach's alpha (0.787), and Chi-square value (3.381) (P < 0.001). Of the respondents, 56.4% rated their satisfaction on pharmacist attitude, whereas 67.2%, 41.4%, and 51.8% were satisfied with other services, such as receipt provided on medication they take, prescription drug service and availability of pharmacies on the weekend and public holidays, respectivelyConclusion:This cross-sectional study confirms that there are relationships among PS, SPK, NPS, and P. Moreover, there is a lack of facilities in community pharmacies in Sindh, such as the unavailability of a consultation room, immunization services, information on routine health matters, and medication record.

Association between Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation with Cardiac Necrosis and Heart Failure in Non-ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients and Various Degrees of Kidney Function.

The aim of this study was to explore the possible association between markers of inflammation and oxidative stress (OS) and markers of cardiac function and necrosis in 100 NSTEMI (non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction) patients with various degrees of kidney dysfunction. At admission, ejection fraction (EF), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), troponin (TnI), creatinine phosphokinase (CPK), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukins 6 and 10 (IL-6, IL10), myeloperoxidase (MPO), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β1), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and albuminuria were assessed. Study participants were divided into 2 subgroups based on the median level of EF. Compared to the high, patients in the low EF group had higher GFR, BNP, CPK, hs-CRP, IL-10, IL-6, and MPO values and lower albuminuria levels. The levels of EF decreased in parallel with the progression of CKD, whereas the levels of BNP, IL-6, and TGF-β were significantly higher in late stages of CKD. Spearman's rho correlation analysis showed that EF was inversely correlated with MPO (r = −0.20, p = 0.05) BNP (r = −0.30, p = 0.002), hs-CRP (r = −0.38, p < 0.0001), IL-10 (r = −0.30, p = 0.003), and IL-6 (r = −0.24, p = 0.02) and positively with GFR (r = 0.27, p = 0.008). TnI was correlated with CPK (r = 0.44, p < 0.0001), CPK-MB (r = 0.31, p = 0.002), ALT (r = 0.50, p < 0.0001), AST (r = 0.29, p = 0.004), IL-10 (r = 0.22, p = 0.03), and MPO (r = −0.28, p = 0.006). In multivariate regression analysis, only BNP (β = −0.011, p = 0.004), hs-CRP (β = −0.11, p = 0.001), and GFR (β = 0.12, p = 0.0029) were independent determinants of EF. Similarly, MPO (β = −1.69, p = 0.02), IL-10 (β = 0.15, p = 0.006), and AST (β = 0.04, p = 0.001) were the 3 major determinants of TnI. Based on these associations, we built a predictive model including markers of inflammation and OS (MPO, IL-10, and hs-CRP) to identify patients with the most severe cardiac injury (combined EF below median and troponin above median values). Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve of this model to detect patients with low EF and high TnI was 0.67 (p = 0.015, 95%confidence interval = 0.53‐0.81).

城市公园春季声景观与植被结构的关系

城市公园是城市生态系统的重要组成部分和城市生物多样性热点地区，具有丰富的声景观资源。由于声景观及声学方法具有信息量大，成本低，低侵入的特点，因此其研究和应用对生态系统健康及监测具有较高价值。声景观研究通过总结生物声的活动或多样性来衡量生物多样性。记录了北京20个城市公园的春季声景观，使用定量方法描述了声景观特征与变化；测试三种了已被证明与生物多样性相关并被广泛使用的声学指数（BIO、ADI、NDSI）与植被群落关系，完成了城市环境中声景观与环境关系的初步探究。研究结果表明：（1）声学指数能够有效表征城市公园声景观信息，具有显著的时间动态特性，能准确反映鸟类黎明合唱等重要生物生态活动；（2）声学强度指数也具有显著的时间动态变化和沿频率梯度的变化，不同的频率区间反映了不同声学群落的活动信息；（3）植被结构尤其是垂直结构对声景观起着重要作用，垂直异质性越大，声学多样性越高。发现支持声景观作为公园植被状况的度量，强调了其作为生物多样性和生态系统健康状况监测方法，用于城市管理和可持续发展的巨大潜力。;Urban foresters are addressing the challenges of urban biodiversity loss through management plans to adapt to urbanization. Protecting the integrity of the urban ecosystem requires long-term monitoring and planning for resilience as well as effective management. Urban parks are important parts of the urban ecosystem and hot spots of urban biodiversity, with rich soundscape resources. Due to the informative, low-cost, and low-impact features, soundscape-related researches and applications have a great potential of monitoring ecosystem health. Acoustic indices have been commonly used in soundscape ecology researches to measure biodiversity conditions by summarizing the activity or diversity of biological sounds. In this study, we recorded the soundscapes of 20 city parks within Beijing urban area in spring, trying to describe the characteristics and changes of soundscape quantificationally. A total of 23,040 minutes of sound materials were automatically sampled from raw data using Python. Then we calculated three widely used acoustic indices (BIO, ADI, NDSI) that have been proven to be related to biodiversity. The soundscape intensity index, power spectral density (PSD), was calculated to measure acoustic features along every frequency interval. All the indices' calculation is based on R studio. Spearman rho correlation analysis and principal component analysis were carried out to explore how environmental vegetation structures affecting soundscape in park habitats. The results show that (1) acoustic indices can not only effectively characterize the soundscape information of urban parks, but also have significantly time-dynamic characteristics, which can accurately reflect important biological activities and ecological processes such as bird dawn chorus. (2) The acoustic intensity index also reflects significantly temporal variations and changes along the frequency intervals. Different frequency interval groups reflect the corresponding activity information of acoustic communities. These results also provide more supports to the acoustic niche hypothesis (ANH) theory. (3) Our PCA modelling results show that the vegetation structure, especially the vertical structure, plays an important role in urban soundscapes. More vertical heterogeneity or multilayered vegetation, is associated with more acoustic diversity in urban parks. In the absence of historical soundscape data, we systematically collected and analyzed the soundscape of urban parks in Beijing. This is a pilot study for soundscape in Beijing urban parks. Our findings support soundscape as a measurement of habitat vegetation status and emphasize its great potential for urban management and sustainable development in biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring, which will enable regular assessment of urban parks and forests to inform adaptive planning and management strategies.

Integration of ICTS and Digital Skills in Times of the Pandemic Covid-19

In these times of global tragedy due to the pandemic that caused COVID-19, distance learning relies on the resources of the digital field, as well as on the management of ICT and the development of digital skills. Therefore, this research has been aimed at corroborating the existing links between the integration of ICT and digital skills pandemic times. A study with a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational approach was developed. The sample consisted of 168 students from a public university in Lima, Peru. Two tools were adapted: 1) integration of ICT, 18 items and 2) digital skills, 30 items, with reliability coefficients by Cronbach's Alpha of 0.976 and 0.889, respectively. The questionnaires were developed and taken through Google forms. The results showed that the level of integration of ICT was high (89.9%) as well as digital skills (86.9%). Spearman's Rho correlation analysis concluded that there was a positive and high relationship between integration of ICT and digital skills (0.761, p &lt; 0.05). Finally, discussions were raised about the development of aspects related to ICT during the current pandemic.

Effect of Clostridium butyricum on Plasma Immune Function, Antioxidant Activity and Metabolomics of Weaned Piglets

After weaning, piglets suffer from various stresses, and their immune function declines, causing diarrhoea and death. In recent years, the intestinal health of piglets has been a hot topic in the field of swine nutrition and feedstuff research. The present work aimed to investigate the effects of Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum) on plasma immune function, antioxidant activity and plasma metabolomics of weaned piglets. A total of 90 weaning piglets of average weight (6.22 ± 0.24 kg BW) and 28±2 days old were randomly divided into three groups: control diet, control diet + 0.1 g/kg antibiotic (colistin sulphate), and control diet + 5 × 108 CFU/kg C. butyricum. The pigs were divided into 6 pens per group with 5 piglets per pen for 21 days. Our results showed that the diet supplemented with 5 × 108 CFU/kg C. butyricum significantly reduced the levels of plasma glucose, total protein, high-density lipoprotein, phosphorus, IL-6, TNF-α, MDA and increased the levels of albumin, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, IgG, C3, SOD activity, T-AOC in the plasma (P<0.05). There were seventeen kinds of differential metabolites were obtained by qualitative comparison of mass spectrometry (P<0.05). we conjectured that C. butyricum's role in immunity of weaned piglets may be mainly realized through the taurine and hypotaurine metabolism pathways (P=0.07). Based on the Spearman's rho correlation analysis, there were eleven differential metabolites (|ρ|≧0.60, P≦0.05) among significant plasma biochemical indexes, immune indexes, antioxidant enzyme activity and plasma metabolites. They were UMP, melanin, L-valine, thiamine(1+) diphosphate chloride, vanillylmandelic acid, L-methionine, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Phosphatidylethanolamine lyso 18:0, (R)-octopamine, 3-amino-2-naphthoic acid and galactitol, respectively. To sum up, C. butyricum can improve the immune performance and antioxidant enzyme activity of weaned piglets and can be considered as a potential substitute for antibiotics.

Impact of Investment, Trade and Income per Capita on the Growth of the Manufacturing in Kosovo

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FGI), Domestic Investment (DI), Trade (T), and Income per Capita (GDPpc) on the Growth rate (GR) of the manufacturing sector in Kosovo. Methodology: Descriptive statistical analysis, Spearman's rho correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, Likelihood Ratio Tests that include the Chi-Square test were used to validate the research hypothesis. The data were obtained from the World Bank covering the period 2004-2018, the data processing is done with the SPSS-21 software package. Findings: The results found a positive impact of domestic investments in the manufacturing sector. Whereas, Foreign Direct Investment has a negative impact on the manufacturing sector as a result of the low reinvestment of foreign investors in this sector. Whereas, the trade coefficient is statistically significant and negative as a result of the dominance of imports of products and services and low productivity. The per capita income ratio is statistically significant and negative because of the low level of per capita income which reduces the demand for products of the manufacturing sector by increasing the demand for cheaper imported goods. Practical implications: The results are clear imposing a strong message to policymakers to prioritize macro-fiscal policies that drive increased output, increased exports, and employment. Originality: This paper highlights an empirical analysis based on real data obtained from the World Bank Indicator for Kosovo with previously unexplained variables.

Swallowing-related quality of life among oral-feeding Chinese patients with Parkinson’s disease – a preliminary study using Chinese SWAL-QOL

Purpose The objective of the present study is to evaluate swallowing-related quality of life in Chinese patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) using the validated Chinese version of the Swallowing Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (C-SWAL-QOL) and factors associated with swallowing-related quality of life, including age, disease duration, and severity of depression by 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale in Chinese version (GDS-C). Methods C-SWAL-QOL was administered to 67 Chinese patients with PD. Upon completion of C-SWAL-QOL, they completed the 15-item GDS-C. Spearman’s Rho correlation analyses were performed to examine the relationship between the 10-subscale scores of C-SWAL-QOL and (1) age, (2) disease duration, and (3) depression. Results Among the subscales in C-SWAL-QOL, sleep, fatigue, eating duration, and communication were the most severely affected. Significant relationships existed between composite C-SWAL-QOL score, total C-SWAL-QOL score, Dysphagia Symptom Battery (DSB) core, and depression. Significant relationships were also observed between depression and the following subscales: communication, fear, mental health, social functioning, and fatigue. Yet, no relationships existed between score of C-SWAL-QOL and age or disease duration in PD. Conclusions Considering the goal of dysphagia intervention is to improve swallowing safety and efficiency and ultimately enhance patients’ QOL, clinicians should consider using C-SWAL-QOL in clinical practice to measure swallowing outcomes and to better understand treatment effectiveness. Implications for rehabilitation Dysphagia-related patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures such as Swallowing Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (SWAL-QOL) are the cornerstone to systematically collecting patient-centered data and monitoring rehabilitation outcomes. Based on the scores of Chinese Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients in an oral feeding population indicated in the current study, treatment goal and rehabilitation plan can be set. Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease might benefit from a rehabilitation program focusing on the most severely affected subscales in C-SWAL-QOL.

Research on visual behavior characteristics and cognitive evaluation of different types of forest landscape spaces

BackgroundWith the increasing demand for forest tourism and forest leisure space in recent years, providing a high-quality forest landscape space to participants has become an increasingly important topic for designers and managers of forest parks. Main purposeTo clarify differences in the visual behavior characteristics and psychological cognitive evaluation of participants when viewing different types of forest landscape spaces and to explore the relationship between them in order to identify the psychological evaluation factors that affect visual behavior. This analysis will provide a theoretical basis and a basis for the construction and reconstruction of forest park landscape spaces, even for new forests in the future. MethodsThis study used eye-tracking technology and cognitive questionnaires for participants. ANOVA and Spearman's rho correlation analysis in SPSS 23.0 were used to statistically analyze the data. Main results1. There are differences in participants' visual behavior, especially in visual spans, when participants appreciate different types of forest landscape spaces. The visual span of forest waterscape space is small, while the visual span of in-forest landscape space is large. 2. There are differences in participants' psychological cognitive evaluations of different types of forest landscape spaces. The forest waterscape space is evaluated highly on multiple indicators, especially for dynamic water space, whereas for in-forest landscape space, participants also pay attention to unique or interesting landscape elements, with the exception of color and plants. 3. There are correlations between the mean visual span, mean pupil diameter and psychological cognitive evaluation of participants in different types of forest landscape spaces. When people admire scenes with diverse plant species, rich landscape content, good landscape depth and permeability, rich and bright color, open and tidy spaces, and good landscape permeability and layering, their mean pupil diameter and lateral and portrait visual span are small. Based on the above analysis, we recommend that when planning and designing forest landscape space, we should consider not only the characteristics of different types of landscape spaces and their visual and cognitive effects for participants but also the combination of some iconic elements or interesting landscape elements.

Inter‐relationships between pain‐related temporomandibular disorders, somatic and psychological symptoms in Asian youths

This cross-sectional, observational study assessed the inter-relationships between painful TMDs, somatic and psychological symptoms in Asian youths. Study subjects were recruited from a local Polytechnic. Pain-related TMDs were established with the TMD pain screener (TPS), while somatic and psychological symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). Demographic information, TPS, PHQ-15 and DASS-21 responses were gathered with the CDRSS system and analysed using the binomial-exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman's rho correlation and logistic regression analysis (P<.05). Data from a total of 400 participants were collected and examined. The "no TMDs" (NT) group comprised of 366 subjects (180 males; 186 females) with a mean age of 18.72±1.49years, while the "with TMDs" (WT) group consisted of 34 subjects (11 males; 23 females) aged 19.26±1.89years. Significant differences in median PHQ-15 and DASS-21 scores were observed between the NT and WT groups (P≤.007). The WT group was observed to have moderate somatic symptoms, moderate depression, moderate-to-severe anxiety and mild stress. For subjects with pain-related TMDs, correlation between somatic and psychological symptoms was moderate-to-strong (rs =.55-.69). Stepwise logistic regression indicated that somatisation and anxiety were possible risk factors for painful TMDs with odds ratios of 1.08 and 1.07, respectively. The prevalence of pain-related TMDs was 8.5%. Subjects with painful TMDs had significantly higher levels of somatic and psychological distress. In addition, somatic symptoms were strongly correlated with anxiety and stress but less so with depression.