Sample Group Research Articles

Convective drying of golden delicious apple enhancement: drying characteristics, artificial neural network modeling, chemical and ATR-FTIR analysis of quality parameters

AbstractIn recent years, many innovative methods have been investigated to provide alternative approaches to the food drying industry, but currently the most widely used method is convective drying. There are difficulties in integrating innovative methods into the food industry due to cost, inapplicability to every food material, or product quality, etc. In addition, it is possible to improve the convective drying method by pre-treating of foods. Thanks to the convective drying method with increased efficiency, shorter drying processes can be achieved. This study investigates the effects of ethanol and citric acid pretreatments on the convective drying process of apple slices and the drying rate, diameter and thickness shrinkage, color properties, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (AA), ATR-FTIR spectra, and principal component analysis (PCA) of the dried samples. The results indicate that both ethanol and citric acid pretreatments significantly enhance the drying rate and decrease drying time, with the most favorable outcomes observed for apple slices immersed in an ethanol solution for 20 min. The study employs thin-layer and artificial neural network (ANN) modeling, revealing that ANN modeling outperforms thin-layer models in predicting moisture ratio. Shrinkage ratios in diameter and thickness were observed, but no significant statistical differences are found among the sample groups. The color properties of dried apple slices are influenced by pretreatments. L* values decreased in the ethanol-pretreated samples, whereas a* and b* values increased in all samples. On the other hand, drying process leads to a decrease in TPC and AA. Ethanol pretreatments caused higher losses; lower losses were observed in the citric acid–pretreated and untreated apples slices. ATR-FTIR analysis suggests distinct spectral changes in dried samples, particularly influenced by ethanol and citric acid pretreatments. The ATR-FTIR spectra highlighted shifts in water and carbohydrate levels, proteins, fibers, organic acids, and the occurrence of Maillard reactions throughout the drying process. PCA reveals that samples dried with ethanol and citric acid share a similar plane, while fresh samples and those dried at 60 °C exhibit different arrangements.

Cumulative Exposure to Natural Hazards and Mental Health in China: Are Older People More Vulnerable or More Resilient Than Younger and Middle-Aged Adults?

AbstractDespite the well-documented impacts of single natural hazards like earthquakes, less is known about the psychological adaptation to multiple natural hazards, particularly in rural areas. This study investigated the associations of multiple natural hazards with depression among Chinese adults. Data were retrieved from the China Family Panel Studies conducted during 2010–2018. With a sample of 11,633 Chinese adults, multilevel logistic regression was employed to examine the relationships between natural hazard exposure and depression in the total sample and different age groups. Overall, experiencing four or more natural hazards was associated with a higher risk of being depressed. Regarding hazard type, the number of hydrometeorological and biological hazards was associated with a higher likelihood of depression, whereas the number of geologic and other hazards was related to a lower risk of depression. Middle-aged adults from villages were more likely to be affected by natural hazard exposure than older and younger adults. The findings of this study show that cumulative exposure to natural hazards can generate lasting effects on depressive symptoms, particularly in middle adulthood. The findings also suggest that older adults from rural areas may have accumulated more resilience to mitigate the adverse well-being effects of hazard events. Policies and interventions should enhance disaster awareness and preparation for aging residents from multi-hazard communities.

The Study of Components Technology Leadership of Teachers in Public Art Education Management Take Nanning, Guangxi

The objectives of this article were: 1) to investigate the components and indicators of Technology Leadership of Teachers in Public Art Education Management in Nanning; 2) to examine the current conditions, desired conditions, and the necessity for developing Technology Leadership of Teachers in Public Art Education Management in Nanning; and 3) to explore guidelines for fostering Technology Leadership of Teachers in Public Art Education Management in Nanning, Guangxi. The research sample comprised 7 participants. The study was divided into three steps: Step 1 involved examining the components and indicators, with qualified individuals evaluating their suitability. Step 2 entailed investigating the current situation using a multi-stage sampling method, with a sample group of 263 individuals. Step 3 focused on exploring guidelines for developing technology leadership among teachers, utilizing data from 6 individuals. Research tools included questionnaires, interviews, and assessments. Statistical analysis methods such as mean, standard deviation, and the analysis of necessary conditions (PNI modified) were employed for data interpretation. The research findings revealed that: 1) the components and indicators of technology leadership among teachers in educational management comprised 4 components and 40 indicators, namely: Technological vision with 10 indicators, Technological competence with 10 indicators, Technology professional development with 10 indicators, and Technology integration with 10 indicators, rated as highly appropriate overall. 2) The necessary requirements for developing technology leadership among teachers in educational management suggested the need for development across all components. 3) The guidelines for fostering technology leadership among teachers in educational management encompassed a total of 13 development strategies. The assessment of these strategies indicated a high level of appropriateness and feasibility.

Transcriptomic and targeted metabolomic analyses provide insights into the flavonoids biosynthesis in the flowers of Lonicera macranthoides

BackgroundFlavonoids are one of the bioactive ingredients of Lonicera macranthoides (L. macranthoides), however, their biosynthesis in the flower is still unclear. In this study, combined transcriptomic and targeted metabolomic analyses were performed to clarify the flavonoids biosynthesis during flowering of L. macranthoides.ResultsIn the three sample groups, GB_vs_WB, GB_vs_WF and GB_vs_GF, there were 25, 22 and 18 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in flavonoids biosynthetic pathway respectively. A total of 339 flavonoids were detected and quantified at four developmental stages of flower in L. macranthoides. In the three sample groups, 113, 155 and 163 differentially accumulated flavonoids (DAFs) were detected respectively. Among the DAFs, most apigenin derivatives in flavones and most kaempferol derivatives in flavonols were up-regulated. Correlation analysis between DEGs and DAFs showed that the down-regulated expressions of the CHS, DFR, C4H, F3’H, CCoAOMT_32 and the up-regulated expressions of the two HCTs resulted in down-regulated levels of dihydroquercetin, epigallocatechin and up-regulated level of kaempferol-3-O-(6’’-O-acetyl)-glucoside, cosmosiin and apigenin-4’-O-glucoside. The down-regulated expressions of F3H and FLS decreased the contents of 7 metabolites, including naringenin chalcone, proanthocyanidin B2, B3, B4, C1, limocitrin-3,7-di-O-glucoside and limocitrin-3-O-sophoroside.ConclusionThe findings are helpful for genetic improvement of varieties in L.macranthoides.

The role of germinating, roasting and boiling on bioactive properties, fatty acid, phenolic components and biogenic element contents of soybean seeds

SummaryIn this study, the effects of germination, roasting and boiling processes on bioactive substances, mineral profiles, fatty acid composition and phenolic profiles present in soybean seeds and soybean oil extracted from soybean were investigated. While the acidity value of the crude and roasted soybean seed oils are 0.89% and 1.09%, the acidity values of the germinted and boiled soybean oils were 1.58% and 1.21%, respectively. The free fatty acid value of the germination sample group was established to be higher than the other treatment groups. The amounts of total phenolic substance were reported between 10.22 and 33.78 mgGAE/100 g. Linoleic acid amounts of soybean oil varied between 55.72% and 56.14%. The total carotenoid and flavonoid amounts of seeds were measured to be between 0.53 (control) and 2.83 μg g−1 (germination) to 43.60 mgCE kg−1 (boiled) to 126.60 mgCE kg−1 (roasting), respectively. Protein results of the seeds were established between 43.94% (control) and 46.94% (germination). The amount of K ranged from 10 883 (boiled) to 13 994 mg kg−1 (roasting), while the amount of P range from 5340.8 (control) to 5695.9 mg kg−1 germination. The amount of Ca of the samples varied between 4606.1 (control) and 5216.1 (boiled). While linoleic acid is determined at the highest rate in soybean oil obtained from crude soybean, linoleic acid amount was determined as highest in oil obtained after roasting, germination and boiling processes applied to soybean rutin contents of soybean seed samples were determined between 3.52 and 7.81 mg kg−1. Boiling and germination increased the routine value in soybean seed samples and was determined as 7.62 and 7.81 mg kg−1, respectively. Roasting, germination and boiling processes reduced the cinnamic acid values of soybeans.

Effect of Nitrate Acid Treated Dolomite on the Tensile Properties of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Composites

Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) polymers have been used in biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility, durability, toughness and high wear resistance. To enhance the mechanical properties, various types of minerals are commonly utilized as fillers in UHMWPE. One of the minerals is dolomite, which has been recognized as a valuable mineral with versatile applications, particularly in the field of biomedical applications. This paper presents the tensile properties of UHMWPE composites that filled with dolomite and treated-dolomite at various filler loading (i.e., 1-5 wt.%). Nitric acid and diammonium phosphate were used to treat the dolomite. From the results, the peaks of the FTIR spectrum displays carbonate (CO3–2), phosphate (PO4–3) and hydroxyl (OH–) groups in the ct-dolomite powder sample while the XRD pattern reveals that using dolomite treated with 1M nitric acid resulted in the presence of calcium hydroxide phosphate (Ca10(PO4)5(OH)) and MgO. For tensile strength, UHMWPE/ct-dolomite composites show better tensile strength than the pure UHMWPE composites. Treated improve the dolomite filler and resulted in significantly better matrix-filler interfacial interactions and improve the properties.

Alternations in the human skin, gut and vaginal microbiomes in perimenopausal or postmenopausal Vulvar lichen sclerosus

Vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) is a chronic and progressive dermatologic condition that can cause physical dysfunction, disfigurement, and impaired quality of life. However, the etiology of VLS remains unknown. The vulvar skin, intestinal and vaginal microbiomes have been postulated to play important roles in the pathogenesis of this disease. The aim of this study was to compare the compositional characteristics of the vulvar skin, vagina, and gut microbiota between perimenopausal or postmenopausal VLS patients and healthy controls. The study involved six perimenopausal or postmenopausal VLS patients which were based on characteristic clinical manifestations and histologic confirmation and five healthy controls. The pruritus severity of each patient was evaluated using the NRS scale, and the dermatology-specific health-related quality of life was assessed using the Skindex-16. Metagenomic sequencing was performed, and the results were analyzed for alpha and beta diversity. LEfSe analysis were used to investigate the microbial alterations in vulvar skin, gut and vagina. KEGG databases were used to analyze differences in functional abundance. The study found significant differences in alpha diversity between the two groups in stool and vaginal samples (P < 0.05). Patients with VLS had a higher abundance of Enterobacter cloacae, Flavobacterium_branchiophilum, Mediterranea_sp._An20, Parabacteroides_johnsoniiand Streptococcus_bovimastitidis on the vulvar skin, while Corynebacterium_sp._zg-913 was less abundant compared to the control group. The relative abundance of Sphingomonas_sp._SCN_67_18, Sphingobium_sp._Ant17, and Pontibacter_sp_BT213 was significantly higher in the gut samples of patients with VLS.Paenibacillus_popilliae,Gemella_asaccharolytica, and Coriobacteriales_bacterium_DNF00809 compared to the control group. Additionally, the vaginal samples of patients with VLS exhibited a significantly lower relative abundance of Bacteroidales_bacterium_43_8, Bacteroides_sp._CAG:20, Blautia_sp._AM28-10, Fibrobacter_sp._UWB16, Lachnospiraceae_bacterium_AM25-39, Holdemania_filiformis, Lachnospiraceae_bacterium_GAM79, and Tolumonas_sp. Additionally, the butyrate-producing bacterium SS3/4 showed a significant difference compared to the controls. The study found a negative relationship between Sphingobium_sp._Ant17 in stool and Skindex-16 (P < 0.05), while Mediterranea_sp._An20 had a positive correlation with Skindex-16 (P < 0.05) in the skin. Additionally, our functional analysis revealed alterations in Aminoacyl_tRNA_biosynthesis, Glutathione_metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, and Alanine__aspartate_and_glutamate_metabolism in the VLS patient group. The study suggests that perimenopausal or postmenopausal patients with VLS have a modified microbiome in the vulvar skin, gut, and vagina. This modification is linked to abnormal energy metabolism, increased oxidative stress, and abnormal amino acid metabolism.

Components and Indicators of the Supervision Models for Developing Experiential Competency that Promote Life Skills for Early Childhood Teachers under the Office of the Basic Education Commission

This research aimed to: 1) investigate the components and performance indicators for organizing experiential activities that foster life skills among early childhood students, particularly those taught by teachers under the Office of the Basic Education Commission of Thailand; 2) examine the current state, desired state, and the needs of supervision models for teachers to develop experiential competency that promotes life skills in early childhood students; and 3) enhance the supervision models for developing experiential competency, specifically focusing on promoting life skills among early childhood students taught by teachers under the Office of the Basic Education Commission of Thailand. The research is divided into 3 phrases. Phase 1: examine the components and indicators, targeting a qualified group of 9 experts selected through purposive sampling. This selection is based on the appropriateness assessment using the components and indicators evaluation form. Phase 2: investigate the needs of the supervision models. The sample group comprises 320 early childhood teachers, selected through multi-stage random sampling using a questionnaire with a 5-level Likert scale. Phase 3: developing the supervision models. Nine qualified experts selected through purposive sampling examined the appropriateness of the supervision models. The data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, assessments, and observations. Average, standard deviation and Priority Needs Index (PNImodified) were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study revealed the following: &#x0D; &#x0D; 1. The components and indicators of life skills serve as standards for teachers in organizing experiences that promote life skills for early childhood students. There are 5 components and 23 indicators, categorized as follows: 1) Decision-making with 5 indicators, 2) Problem-solving with 5 indicators, 3) Analytical thinking with 4 indicators, 4) Empathy with 4 indicators, and 5) Communication with 5 indicators. Overall, the proficiency level is rated as the highest.&#x0D; &#x0D; 2. The current state is rated as the highest, and the desired state is also at a high level. When assessing the needs of the supervision models, it is found that the component with the highest need is Component 3&amp;mdash;Analytical Thinking. This is followed by Component 2&amp;mdash;Problem-Solving, Component 4&amp;mdash;Empathy, Component 1&amp;mdash;Decision Making, and Component 5&amp;mdash;Communication, with the lowest index of essential needs respectively.&#x0D; &#x0D; 3. The results of enhancing the supervision models for teachers to develop experiential competency that promotes life skills in early childhood students reveal that the supervision models encompasses five formats: 1) Preparation: Planning and development, 2) Strengthen Relationships and Increase Knowledge: Building relationships and expanding knowledge, 3) Knowledge into Practice: Applying knowledge into practice, 4) Reflection: Reflecting on outcomes for understanding, and 5) Evaluation: Quality measurement and assessment. These formats are deemed highly suitable, appropriate, and effective.

The Strategies of Driving Upright Schools Under the Office of the Basic Education Commission in the Northeastern

The study aimed 1) to investigate the components and indicators of the upright schools, 2) to explore the current state, the desired state, and the need assessment of driving the upright schools, 3) to develop strategies for driving the upright schools and 4) to investigate the outcomes of implementing driving the upright school strategies in schools in the northeastern region under the supervision of the Office of Basic Education Commission. The study is divided into 4 phases. Phase 1: seven experts scrutinize, evaluate the components and indicators. Phase 2: investigate the need assessment of a sample group including school directors and teachers total of 375 schools took derived by multi-stage sampling. Phase 3: 10 experts for assessment the strategies. Phase 4: apply the strategies to 30 schools. The data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, assessments, and observational forms. Average, standard deviation and Priority Needs Index (PNImodified) were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study revealed the following: &#x0D; &#x0D; 1. The components and indicators of the upright school project include five components and sixteen indicators: 1) academic administration (4 indicators), 2) budget administration (3 indicators), 3) personnel administration (2 indicators), 4) general administration (2 indicators), and 5) result and success (5 indicators). These are measured at the highest level when evaluating the appropriateness of the mentioned features and indicators. &#x0D; &#x0D; 2. The overall current state of the upright schools is rated at a moderate level, while the desired state is rated at high level. However, when classifying the needs of driving the upright school project, the required components were arranged from highest to lowest as follows: result and success, academic administration, budget administration, personnel administration, and general administration. &#x0D; &#x0D; 3. The strategies for driving upright schools under the authority of the Office of Basic Education Commission, which are comprised of 5 strategies (5S) &#x0D; &#x0D; 4. The outcomes of implementing driving the upright school strategies demonstrated that the target schools understandably applied the strategies and have been evaluated at the highest level in all standards regarding the standard of upright school project administration on the whole.

Development of Problem-Based Mobile Augmented Reality Application to Enhance Creative Problem-Solving Skills for Undergraduate Students

This study aims to develop a problem-based mobile augmented reality (AR) application to enhance creative problem-solving skills among undergraduate students. The research involves an experiment conducted on a sample group of 30 undergraduate students enrolled in the maintenance of computers and audio-visual equipment course, selected through a simple random sampling method. The instruments used in the study included structured interview questions, needs assessment questionnaires, quality evaluation of mobile applications, evaluation of the learning plan, measurement of creative problem-solving ability, and satisfaction surveys. The data obtained were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, dependent t-test, and effect size statistics. The findings demonstrated that the developed mobile application achieved the highest quality level, with an average value of 4.62 (SD = 0.64). The mobile application efficiency reached 75.48 out of 75.16, meeting the established threshold of 75 out of 75. Using the mobile application led to statistically significant improvements in creative problem-solving skills after the learning process, with scores higher than those before learning at the 0.05 level. The effect size was 6.61, indicating a large impact. Additionally, student satisfaction with the mobile application was reported as the highest.

Insider Threats to the Military Health System: A Systematic Background Check of TRICARE West Providers.

To address the pandemic, the Defense Health Agency (DHA) expanded its TRICARE civilian provider network by 30.1%. In 2022, the DHA Annual Report stated that TRICARE's provider directories were only 80% accurate. Unlike Medicare, the DHA does not publicly reveal National Provider Identification (NPI) numbers. As a result, TRICARE's 9.6 million beneficiaries lack the means to verify their doctor's credentials. Since 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has excluded 17,706 physicians and other providers from federal health programs due to billing fraud, neglect, drug-related convictions, and other offenses. These providers and their NPIs are included on the OIG's List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE). Patients who receive care from excluded providers face higher risks of hospitalization and mortality. We sought to assess the extent to which TRICARE screens health care provider names on their referral website against criminal databases. Between January 1-31, 2023, we used TRICARE West's provider directory to search for all providers within a 5-mile radius of 798 zip codes (38 per state, ≥10,000 residents each, randomly entered). We then copied and pasted all directory results' first and last names, business names, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, degree types, practice specialties, and active or closed statuses into a CSV file. We cross-referenced the search results against US and state databases for medical and criminal misconduct, including the OIG-LEIE and General Services Administration's (GSA) SAM.gov exclusion lists, the HHS Office of Civil Rights Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) breach reports, 15 available state Medicaid exclusion lists (state), the International Trade Administration's Consolidated Screening List (CSL), 3 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) debarment lists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) list of January 6 federal defendants, and the OIG-HHS list of fugitives (FUG). Our provider search yielded 111,619 raw results; 54 zip codes contained no data. After removing 72,156 (64.65%) duplicate entries, closed offices, and non-TRICARE West locations, we identified 39,463 active provider names. Within this baseline sample group, there were 2398 (6.08%) total matches against all exclusion and sanction databases, including 2197 on the OIG-LEIE, 2311 on the GSA-SAM.gov list, 2 on the HIPAA list, 54 on the state Medicaid exclusion lists, 69 on the CSL, 3 on the FDA lists, 53 on the FBI list, and 10 on the FUG. TRICARE's civilian provider roster merits further scrutiny by law enforcement. Following the National Institute of Standards and Technology 800, the DHA can mitigate privacy, safety, and security clearance threats by implementing an insider threat management model, robust enforcement of the False Claims Act, and mandatory security risk assessments. These are the views of the author, not the Department of Defense or the US government.

DIGITAL REFLECTIVE JOURNAL IN THE TRANSLATION CLASSROOM: DOES THE FORMAT CHANGE THE GAME?

Reflection is considered an integral part of modern translation classrooms, particularly within the framework of the social constructivist paradigm. To enhance its effectiveness, students' reflective activities should be supported with appropriate tools. This paper aims to compare the effectiveness of two formats of digital reflective journals. A mixed-methods research was conducted involving 34 third-year undergraduate translation students, who were divided into two sample groups (SG). They were instructed to accompany their translation submissions with reflective journal entries, either in a MS Word document (SG1) or in a digital reflective journal application (SG2). The research results indicated a statistically significant difference in the translation proficiency levels of students in the two SGs. Reflective journaling using a specific application resulted in better translation performance and higher quality journal entries over the term. This study highlights alternative approaches to reflective journal writing in translation classrooms. Future research could explore the evaluation of journal entries using digital tools.

The Development of Happy Organization Indicators of Private Vocational Colleges in The Northeast

Background and Aims: The concept of a happiness organization is another idea aimed at promoting the quality of life in the workplace for individuals. It believes that fostering relationships within the organization leads to happiness. The feeling of being valued and having a sense of worth to the organization creates a sense of commitment, joy, love in work, and devotion to the organization. ready to dedicate physical and mental strength to contribute fullest potential of the organization. This research aims, to development of happy organization indicators and to test the goodness of fit of the structural relationship model of happy organization indicators of private vocational colleges in the Northeast with empirical data. Methodology: The research is divided into 2 phases. Phases 1 to development of happy organization indicators. The key informants group consisted of 9 experts, a sample group of 490 administrators and teachers. The research instrument is an interview form and a questionnaire. Statistics to analyze data by mean and standard deviation. Phase 2 to test the goodness of fit of the structural relationship model happy organization indicators of private vocational colleges in the Northeast with the empirical data, by second-order confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The indicators of the happy organization of private vocational colleges in the Northeast comprised 5 factors and 25 indicators, Happy people 5 indicators, Happy home 5 indicators, Organizational culture 5 indicators, Job satisfaction 5 indicators, and Happy Teamwork 5 indicators. 2. The goodness of fit of the structural relationship model of happy organization indicators of private vocational colleges in the Northeast. It was in good agreement with the empirical data, with Chi-Square = 3853.531, df = 270, P-Value = 0.000, CMIN/df. = 1.428, CFI = .962, GFI = 0.929 TLI = .958, AGFI= 0.915, RMSEA=0.033 RMR= 0.030, NFI= 0.886, IFI= 0.963. Every component had a statistically significant relationship at the 0.001 level. Conclusion: The consideration of workplace happiness is deemed a crucial factor in organizational management, particularly in the realm of human resource management. It has a significant impact on an individual level, fostering greater motivation and effectiveness in the workplace, and creating an atmosphere of happiness in the educational environment, administrators, teachers, and students collaboratively work together with full dedication and ability, resulting in improved operations and increased efficiency and effectiveness. Creating a positive image for the organization, and most importantly, the ultimate product of the educational institution: students who receive instruction from teachers working joyfully

Cerebrating and engagement, paths to reduce fresh produce waste within homes

A real-world study was conducted with the aim to reduce people’s fresh fruit and vegetables waste within their homes. For 6 weeks participants measured their fresh produce waste. Half the participants were impelled to complete food waste logs whilst the other half was a control group. This was followed by a 6-month monitoring period to establish if changes would last. Fresh produce waste decreased with over a quarter of what the participants had wasted at the beginning of the 6 weeks, for all groups. Additionally, an attitude questionnaire distributed at the onset and at the end of the study showed a shift in pro-reduction of food waste. As this indicated that thinking about food waste prompts engagement, we tested this idea using a different sample group. A questionnaire measuring attitudes and cognition confirmed the importance of thinking and provided further insight into the findings from the first study.

ASSESSING CHILD-PLAY ENVIRONMENTS: ARCHITECTURAL IMPACT OF NATURE BASED PLAY-AREAS ON THE QUALITY OF CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT

This study is concerned with the positive impact of nature- based play on proper physical, social and cognitive child development. The study tackles the problem of conventional play areas in Cairo. Areas characterized by artificial environments and guided play, which limit children’s ability to explore. The aim is to assess the conventional design approach of playgrounds and to reach recommendations for ones that acknowledge and incorporate the benefits of natural features in children’s play spaces. The objectives of the study are to extract guidelines for the enhancement of the physical built environment based on the interaction of child driven play settings and to develop tools to incorporate child play spaces with natural elements. The study adopts a methodology based on interviews and multi-tasked group workshops with children. A sample group of 25 children, aged six to eight years, were interviewed. They were also asked to draw their dream play spaces and to answer a visual questionnaire to record their impressions and suggestions towards play around natural features. The children were observed while playing in conventional playgrounds to record their interactions with the few available natural features. The fieldwork took place in three conventional play settings in Cairo. The results of the study verify that children would choose natural elements to play around, if they were available. Moreover, the results advocate physical, social and cognitive potentials in the availability of natural features within play settings. The study concludes that the conventional design approach of a soft ground with manufactured equipment needs to be revisited to accommodate natural features that offer free play opportunities. Thus, eventually prepare skilful, nature-conscious children.

Asset Management that Affects Profit Quality Industrial Product Group in the Stock Exchange of Thailand

This research aims to study and analyze financial ratios. Analysis of profit quality and analyze asset management that affects profit quality Industrial product group in the Stock Exchange of Thailand Sample group used in the research study is a company registered on the Stock Exchange of Thailand Industrial products group from 2020 to 2022, including 3 accounting periods, 90 companies, totaling 270 samples, combining data from secondary sources, financial statements, annual reports, and forms. 56-1 The received data was analyzed statistically according to the research objectives with a ready-made program. The statistics used to analyze the data are descriptive statistics, consisting of mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, quantitative statistics such as analysis of the Pearson correlation coefficient. and multiple regression analysis.  Important Findings Inventory turnover rate (IT) is significantly related to gross profit margin (GPM) at the 0.05 level. Therefore, the two variables were analyzed to find the relationship between the variables with the Correlate command. It was found that the turnover rate of Inventory (IT) has a value of .162 which is negative. The results can be interpreted as Inventory turnover rate (IT) is related to gross profit margin (GPM) and is related in the opposite direction, and asset turnover rate (TAT) is significantly related to return on assets ratio (ROA). At the level of 0.05, the two variables were then analyzed to find the relationship between the variables with the Correlate command. It was found that the asset turnover rate (TAT) was equal to .258, which is a positive value. The results can be interpreted as the current ratio (CR) is related to the return on assets ratio (ROA) and is related in the same direction.

Preferences and Constraints: A Study on Urban Outdoor Sportive Recreation Areas

It is increasingly important to identify the determinants and barriers to the use of urban parks. To this aim; the sample group in the study, which was carried out to determine the participation preferences and constraints of individuals using open space urban recreation areas, consists of 629 people using 11 urban open recreation areas in Turkey’s Ankara province. In addition to the demographic questionnaire, “Preference Factors of Recreation Areas” (PFRA) and “Sportive Recreation Barriers Scale” (SRBS) scales were used to collect the data. Frequency, arithmetic mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data. Independent sample t test and one-way analysis of variance ANOVA test were applied to determine the difference since homogeneity and normal distribution conditions were fulfilled. Correlation coefficients were given by Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and regression analysis was used. The findings obtained can be stated that individuals who use open space recreation areas in Ankara province have a high preference for recreation area participation and perceive sportive recreation barriers at average values. It was determined that the variables such as gender, education level, marital status and reasons for going to recreational areas significantly differentiated recreation area preference factors and sportive recreation barriers. It was found that there was a statistically significant relationship between PFRA and SRBS, and it was also found to be a factor in explaining the barriers to sportive recreation. Within the scope of the findings obtained, the findings were discussed with the support of the literature in terms of evaluating the preference factors of open space urban recreation area users for using parks and the barriers that they may encounter.   

The Guidelines for Development the Servant Leadership of School Administrators under the Mahasarakham Primary Educational Service Area Office 3

Background and Aims: School administrators who follow the concept of servant leadership will give importance to and recognize the value of co-workers and will pay attention to developing the potential of co-workers. Ignore personal interests to get what others want and help others develop, to grow. Therefore, this research aims to study the current state, the desirable state, and the priority needs and study the guidelines for the development of the servant leadership of school administrators under the Mahasarakham primary educational service area office 3. Methodology: The research is divided into 2 phases: Phase 1 studies the current state, desirable state, and the priority needs of servant leadership of school administrators, A sample group of 280 school administrators and teachers, was randomly selected using a stratified sampling method. The research instrument is a questionnaire with a 5-level with a confidence value of 0.93 and data analysis by mean and standard deviation. phase 2 study of the guidelines for the development of servant leadership of school administrators. The key informant group comprises 3 best practice schools and 9 experts for assessment of the development guideline. The research instrument was a semi-structured interview form and assessment form the suitability and feasibility of development guideline Results: 1. The current state overall was high level; desirable state overall was the highest level. The priority needs ranked from high to low level were humility, service, awareness, empowerment, and human development dedication, respectively. 2. The guidelines for the development of servant leadership of School administrators include 5 elements 1) principle 2) purpose 3) content 4) development process and 5) measurement and evaluation. The results of the evaluation of the suitability and feasibility of development guidelines overall were at the highest level. Conclusion: The servant leadership style of school administrators involves fulfilling responsibilities with an understanding and practice of prioritizing the needs of others over one's own, placing the benefits of others above personal gains, and adding value to the development of others. This is done for the needs of others and the decentralization of power. The key components include: humility, service, awareness, empowerment, and human development dedication

A novel speech analysis algorithm to detect cognitive impairment in a Spanish population

ObjectiveEarly detection of cognitive impairment in the elderly is crucial for diagnosis and appropriate care. Brief, cost-effective cognitive screening instruments are needed to help identify individuals who require further evaluation. This study presents preliminary data on a new screening technology using automated voice recording analysis software in a Spanish population.MethodData were collected from 174 Spanish-speaking individuals clinically diagnosed as cognitively normal (CN, n = 87) or impaired (mild cognitive impairment [MCI], n = 63; all-cause dementia, n = 24). Participants were recorded performing four common language tasks (Animal fluency, alternating fluency [sports and fruits], phonemic “F” fluency, and Cookie Theft Description). Recordings were processed via text-transcription and digital-signal processing techniques to capture neuropsychological variables and audio characteristics. A training sample of 122 subjects with similar demographics across groups was used to develop an algorithm to detect cognitive impairment. Speech and task features were used to develop five independent machine learning (ML) models to compute scores between 0 and 1, and a final algorithm was constructed using repeated cross-validation. A socio-demographically balanced subset of 52 participants was used to test the algorithm. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), covarying for demographic characteristics, was used to predict logistically-transformed algorithm scores.ResultsMean logit algorithm scores were significantly different across groups in the testing sample (p &amp;lt; 0.01). Comparisons of CN with impaired (MCI + dementia) and MCI groups using the final algorithm resulted in an AUC of 0.93/0.90, with overall accuracy of 88.4%/87.5%, sensitivity of 87.5/83.3, and specificity of 89.2/89.2, respectively.ConclusionFindings provide initial support for the utility of this automated speech analysis algorithm as a screening tool for cognitive impairment in Spanish speakers. Additional study is needed to validate this technology in larger and more diverse clinical populations.

Age-related differences in trait affect: Establishing measurement invariance of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).

The present study examined trajectories of trait positive and trait negative affect as measured by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule across the lifespan. Increasing levels of measurement invariance of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule were tested across a wide age range (18-99 years of age; 10 age groups) in a large sample (N = 3,309; 65.82% women; 74.22% with a university entrance diploma; 92.23% with German as their mother tongue). Strong invariance was established so that the latent factor means of positive and negative affect could be meaningfully compared across age groups. Age had a small effect on positive affect, which showed a reversed U-shaped function with a maximum between the ages of 40 and 50. For negative affect, there was a strong cubic age effect. Specifically, negative affect decreased until about the age of 70 and then increased again. We also found a negative covariance between positive and negative affect, which first increased slightly and then decreased across age groups until becoming positive in the oldest age group. In summary, the present study supports previous findings on age trajectories of positive and negative affect but also highlights the importance of testing for measurement invariance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).