Balanced Set Research Articles

The attention network characteristics of adults with high ADHD traits: low stability, boost accuracy by sacrificing response time

Adults with high ADHD traits (H-ADHD) face challenges in academics, social interactions, and careers, yet their attention characteristics remains unclear. Using Attention Network Test (ANT), we examine attentional characteristics (including specific attentional qualities and overall attentional performance) of H-ADHD and explore how their specific attentional qualities impact overall attentional performance. We find H-ADHD primarily manifests lower alerting network, higher intra-individual coefficient of variation (ICV) and poorer balanced integration score (BIS). These results remain stable even after controlling for covariates such as anxiety and depression scores. Furthermore, the BIS deficiency in high attention deficit traits group (H-ADHD-I) specifically manifests as “high accuracy—slow reaction time,” reflecting their response pattern as the reaction time compensated accuracy. Additionally, compared to alerting network, attentional variability (ICV) has a greater role in mediating the impact of ADHD symptoms on overall attentional performance (BIS). Taken together, H-ADHD mainly exhibit deficits in sustained attention (alerting network), attentional stability (ICV), and overall attentional performance. ADHD symptoms worsen overall attentional performance due to increased attentional variability. The study emphasizes the sensitivity of alerting network, ICV, and BIS indicators, and highlights the significance of attentional variability, suggesting their potential clinical value in the future.

Effects of the Interaction Between Oxidative Balance Score and Polygenic Risk Scores on Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged Korean Adults

Oxidative stress is implicated in insulin resistance, obesity, and metabolic syndromes (MetSs). However, the interplay between oxidative stress and genetic predisposition during the development of MetS remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of the interaction between oxidative balance score (OBS) and polygenic risk score (PRS) on the incidence of MetS in middle-aged Korean adults. We analyzed data from 25,879 participants aged ≥40 years from the Health Examinees Cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. The OBS was calculated using 11 antioxidant and five pro-oxidant factors. A genome-wide association study and clumping analysis identified 16 independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with MetS that were used to calculate individual PRSs. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for confounding variables were used to assess the impact of OBS and PRS on the incidence of MetS. During a mean follow-up period of 4.3 years, we recorded 3153 cases of MetS. In both men and women, the group with the lowest OBS and a high PRS had a 1.50-fold (hazard ratio [HR] 1.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07–2.11) and 1.89-fold (HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.40–2.56) higher incidence, respectively, of MetS compared to those with the highest OBS and a low PRS. Among women with a high PRS, the HRs decreased significantly across OBS quintiles 1 through 5 (p for trend = 0.009). These findings suggest that managing the oxidative balance may be particularly crucial for individuals with a high genetic risk for MetS.

Corrigendum: The association between oxidative balance score and sleep duration: a mediation analysis of a cross-sectional study

Corrigendum: The association between oxidative balance score and sleep duration: a mediation analysis of a cross-sectional study

Can the utilization of technology-enhanced learning spaces lead to improved learning outcomes? A meta-analysis based on 39 experimental and quasi-experimental studies

ABSTRACT In recent years, the promotion and application of technology-enhanced learning spaces in teaching have garnered significant attention, but the effectiveness of their application remains controversial. This is the first meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of technology-enhanced learning spaces on student learning outcomes. The study integrates data from 39 experimental and quasi-experimental studies. The results show that technology-enhanced learning spaces have a significantly positive effect on student learning outcomes (SMD=0.62). Further analysis of moderator variables such as educational stage, subject nature, knowledge type, sample size, experimental duration, teaching methods, and technical type number revealed that sample size and teaching methods significantly moderated the effects of technology-enhanced learning spaces. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, several recommendations for the application of technology-enhanced learning spaces are proposed: (1) choose learning spaces based on the type of knowledge; (2) strengthen emotional care for students in technology-enhanced environments; (3) control class size; and (4) integrate technology with pedagogy. However, the study has some limitations, including a relatively small sample size, lack of consideration of artificial intelligence technologies, and uneven research distribution. Future studies should incorporate a larger and more balanced set of research, and include more moderator variables for analysis.

BRA-YOLOv7: improvements on large leaf disease object detection using FasterNet and dual-level routing attention in YOLOv7

Tea leaf diseases are significant causes of reduced quality and yield in tea production. In the Yunnan region, where the climate is suitable for tea cultivation, tea leaf diseases are small, scattered, and vary in scale, making their detection challenging due to complex backgrounds and issues such as occlusion, overlap, and lighting variations. Existing object detection models often struggle to achieve high accuracy in detecting tea leaf diseases. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a tea leaf disease detection model, BRA-YOLOv7, which combines a dual-level routing dynamic sparse attention mechanism for fast identification of tea leaf diseases in complex scenarios. BRA-YOLOv7 incorporates PConv and FasterNet as replacements for the original network structure of YOLOv7, reducing the number of floating-point operations and improving efficiency. In the Neck layer, a dual-level routing dynamic sparse attention mechanism is introduced to enable flexible computation allocation and content awareness, enhancing the model’s ability to capture global information about tea leaf diseases. Finally, the loss function is replaced with MPDIoU to enhance target localization accuracy and reduce false detection cases. Experiments and analysis were conducted on a collected dataset using the Faster R-CNN, YOLOv6, and YOLOv7 models, with Mean Average Precision (mAP), Floating-point Operations (FLOPs), and Frames Per Second (FPS) as evaluation metrics for accuracy and efficiency. The experimental results show that the improved algorithm achieved a 4.8% improvement in recognition accuracy, a 5.3% improvement in recall rate, a 5% improvement in balance score, and a 2.6% improvement in mAP compared to the traditional YOLOv7 algorithm. Furthermore, in external validation, the floating-point operation count decreased by 1.4G, FPS improved by 5.52%, and mAP increased by 2.4%. In conclusion, the improved YOLOv7 model demonstrates remarkable results in terms of parameter quantity, floating-point operation count, model size, and convergence time. It provides efficient lossless identification while balancing recognition accuracy, real-time performance, and model robustness. This has significant implications for adopting targeted preventive measures against tea leaf diseases in the future.

BALANCED INDEX SETS OF GRAPHS AND SEMIGRAPHS

Let G be a simple graph with vertex set V (G) and edge set E(G). Graph labeling is an assignment of integers to the vertices or the edges, or both, subject to certain conditions. For a graph G(V, E), a friendly labeling f : V (G) → {0, 1} is a binary mapping such that |vf (1) − vf (0)| ≤ 1, where vf (1) and vf (0) represents number of vertices labeled by 1 and 0 respectively. A partial edge labeling f ∗ of G is a labeling of edges such that, an edge uv ∈ E(G) is, f ∗(uv) = 0 if f (u) = f (v) = 0; f ∗(uv) = 1 if f (u) = f (v) = 1 and if f (u)̸ = f (v) then uv is not labeled by f ∗. A graph G is said to be balanced graph if it admits a vertex labeling f that satisfies the conditions, |vf (1) − vf (0)| ≤ 1 and |ef (1) − ef (0)| ≤ 1, where ef (0), ef (1) are the number of edges labeled with 0 and 1 respectively. The balanced index set of the graph G is defined as, {|ef (1) − ef (0)| : the vertex labeling f is friendly}. A semigraph is a generalization of graph. The concept of semigraph was introduced by E. Sampath Kumar. Frank Harrary has defined an edge as a 2-tuple (a, b) of vertices of a graph satisfying, two edges (a, b) and (a′, b′) are equal if and only if either a = a′ and b = b′ or a = b′ and b = a′. Using this notion, E. Sampath Kumar defined semigraph as a pair (V, X) where V is a non-empty set whose elements are called vertices of G and X is a set of n-tuples called edges of G of distinct vertices, for various n ≥ 2 satisfying the conditions: (i) Any two edges of G can have at most one vertex in common; and (ii) two edges (a1, a2, a3, ..., ap) and (b1, b2, b3, ..., bq ) are said to be equal if and only if the number of vertices in both edges must be equal, i.e p = q, and either ai = bi for 1 ≤ i ≤ p or ai = bp−i+1, 1 ≤ i ≤ p. In this article, balance index set of T (Pn), T (Wn), T (Km,n) and T (Sn) determined, and the balance index set of semigraph is introduced. Additionally, the balanced index set of semigraph Cn,m, Kn,m is determined.

Enhancing sugarcane leaf disease classification through a novel hybrid shifted-vision transformer approach: technical insights and methodological advancements.

In the agricultural sector, sugarcane farming is one of the most organized forms of cultivation. India is the second-largest producer of sugarcane in the world. However, sugarcane crops are highly affected by diseases, which significantly affect crop production. Despite development in deep learning techniques, disease detection remains a challenging and time-consuming task. This paper presents a novel Hybrid Shifted-Vision Transformer approach for the automated classification of sugarcane leaf diseases. The model integrates the Vision Transformer architecture with Hybrid Shifted Windows to effectively capture both local and global features, which is crucial for accurately identifying disease patterns at different spatial scales. To improve feature representation and model performance, self-supervised learning is employed using data augmentation techniques like random rotation, flipping, and occlusion, combined with a jigsaw puzzle task that helps the model learn spatial relationships in images. The method addresses class imbalances in the dataset through stratified sampling, ensuring balanced training and testing sets. The approach is fine-tuned on sugarcane leaf disease datasets using categorical cross-entropy loss, minimizing dissimilarity between predicted probabilities and real labels. Experimental results demonstrate that the Hybrid Shifted-Vision Transformer outperforms traditional models, achieving higher accuracy in disease detection of 98.5%, making it crucial for reliable disease diagnosis and decision-making in agriculture. This architecture enables efficient, large-scale automated sugarcane disease monitoring.

Higher oxidative balance score is associated with lower female infertility: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundAn imbalance of the pro-oxidant and antioxidant profiles in the body contributes to the development of diseases, including female infertility.MethodsIn this study, we performed a secondary analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and calculated the values of oxidative balance score (OBS). A weighted logistic regression model was used to explore the potential relationship between OBS (continuous factor and quartile set) and female infertility, and the P for trend was calculated. Subgroup analyses were also carried out further to explore the association between OBS and female infertility, and the P for interactions were obtained.ResultsThere were 1,626 females (aged 18 to 45) included in the study, including 198 with infertility and a prevalence of approximately 13.28%. Multifactorial logistic regression showed a 5% decrease in infertility for each unit increased in OBS (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92 to 0.98). When OBS was used as a categorical variable, female infertility decreased by 60% in the highest OBS group compared with the lowest OBS group (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.74). In addition, subgroup analyses showed that the negative association between OBS and infertility was significant in the non-chronic disease (hypertension and diabetes) population, those with less than a high school educational background, poverty-to-income ratio (1 to 3), and those with more than 30 years of age.ConclusionHigher OBS was negatively associated with female infertility. Further prospective studies are needed to determine causality and to provide new perspectives on female infertility in the context of diet and lifestyle.

Concurrent Cognitive Task Alters Postural Control Performance of Young Adults With Unilateral Cochlear Implants.

The aim of this study was to investigate the balance performances of young adults with unilateral cochlear implants (CIs) in a dual-task condition. Fifteen young adults with unilateral CIs and 15 healthy individuals were included in the study. The balance task was applied using the Sensory Organization Test via Computerized Dynamic Posturography. The Backward Digit Recall task was applied as an additional concurrent cognitive task. In the balance task, participants completed four different conditions, which gradually became more difficult: Condition 1: fixed platform, eyes open; Condition 3: fixed platform, eyes open and visual environment sway; Condition 4: platform sway, eyes open; Condition 6: platform sway, eyes open and visual environment sway. To evaluate the dual-task condition performance, participants were given cognitive and motor tasks simultaneously. Visual (p = .016), vestibular (p < .001), and composite balance scores (p < .001) of CI users were statistically significantly lower than the control group. Condition 3 (p = .003), Condition 4 (p = .007), and Condition 6 (p < .001) balance scores of CI users in the single-task condition were statistically significantly lower than controls. Condition 6 (p < .001) balance scores of CI users in the dual-task condition were statistically significantly lower than the control group. Condition 1 score (p = .002) of the CI users in the dual-task condition showed a statistically significant decrease compared to the balance score in the single-task condition, while the Condition 6 score (p = .011) in the dual-task condition was statistically significantly higher than the balance score in the single-task condition. The balance performance of individuals with CIs in the dual-task condition was worse than typical healthy individuals. It can be suggested that dual-task performances should be included in the vestibular rehabilitation process in CI users in the implantation process in terms of balance abilities in multitasking conditions and risk of falling.

The Effect of Hopping Trainings on the Static and Dynamic Balance of Iraqi Deaf Athletes: A Semi-experimental Study

Background: Deafness is recognized as the most common sensory-neural defect. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of hopping training on the static and dynamic balance of Iraqi deaf athletes. Methods: The current research was a semi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population included deaf male athletes aged 15 to 25 in Baghdad, Iraq. Fifty deaf athletes were purposefully selected and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Static and dynamic balance were evaluated using the stork test and the Y balance measuring device, respectively. The experimental group underwent an eight-week hopping training program (three sessions per week, each lasting one hour). Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and covariance analysis at a significance level of 0.05, using SPSS version 25. Results: The findings revealed that eight weeks of hopping training significantly improved static balance (F = 40.58, P = 0.001, η² = 0.46), dynamic balance in the anterior direction (F = 44.60, P = 0.001, η² = 0.48), posterior-external direction (F = 36.88, P = 0.007, η² = 0.42), posterior-internal direction (F = 39.50, P = 0.004, η² = 0.43), and the total balance score (F = 42.60, P = 0.001, η² = 0.45). No significant differences were observed in the control group following the intervention. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that an eight-week program of hopping training can enhance both static and dynamic balance performance in deaf athletes. It is recommended to incorporate this type of intervention as an effective alternative for balance training, especially in settings with limited facilities for individuals with hearing impairments.

Effect of mixed protein supplementation on golf performance and muscle function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

As a relatively novel approach to enhancing skeletal muscle health, mixed protein supplementation has shown similar responses to whey protein. However, no previous studies have examined its impact on golf swing performance. This study aimed to examine the effect of mixed protein supplementation on the swing performance and muscle strength of casual golfers. Sixty participants with a handicap of less than 20 were recruited and randomly assigned to a double-blind, placebo-controlled study design. The participants were divided into two groups: a mixed protein group (MG, n = 30), and a placebo control group (CG, n = 30). They were instructed to ingest either a supplement containing casein calcium, whey protein, and isolated pea protein, or a placebo, once daily for 8 weeks. Pre- and posttests consisted of anthropometric measurements, muscle strength (isokinetic knee and trunk strength, and handgrip strength), 2-minute push-ups, balance, and golf swing performance using a driver and 7-iron. After the 8-week supplementation period, ANCOVA, using baseline values as covariates, revealed significant differences for driver distance (p = .004) and driver ball speed (p < .001). MG significantly increased driver distance by 5.17 ± 12.8 m (p = .046), driver ball speed by 1.36 ± 2.87 m/s (p = .021). Additionally, significantly improvements were observed in hand grip strength (+2.12 ± 3.47 kg, p = .004), two-minute push-ups (+4.89 ± 8.14 reps, p = .004), and balance score (-0.37 ± 0.69 min, p = .009). No significant differences were observed in body composition parameters (p > .05). The intake of a mixed protein containing both animal and plant proteins had positive effects on golf performance and muscle function. Therefore, mixed proteins may represent a safe and effective approach to enhancing skeletal muscle health in golf players.

Generalized Parametric Contrastive Learning.

In this paper, we propose the Generalized Parametric Contrastive Learning (GPaCo/PaCo) which works well on both imbalanced and balanced data. Based on theoretical analysis, we observe supervised contrastive loss tends to bias on high-frequency classes and thus increases the difficulty of imbalanced learning. We introduce a set of parametric class-wise learnable centers to rebalance from an optimization perspective. Further, we analyze our GPaCo/PaCo loss under a balanced setting. Our analysis demonstrates that GPaCo/PaCo can adaptively enhance the intensity of pushing samples of the same class close as more samples are pulled together with their corresponding centers and benefit hard example learning. Experiments on long-tailed benchmarks manifest the new state-of-the-art for long-tailed recognition. On full ImageNet, models from CNNs to vision transformers trained with GPaCo loss show better generalization performance and stronger robustness compared with MAE models. Moreover, GPaCo can be applied to semantic segmentation task and obvious improvements are observed on 4 most popular benchmarks.

Exploring the effects of a 12-Week functional training program on fundamental motor skills for primary school children aged 6–7

BackgroundFundamental motor skills (FMS) are the foundation of children’s movement. Professional guidance and customised training methods are essential to effectively acquiring and mastering fundamental motor skills. Recently, functional training has gained widespread popularity and is associated with numerous benefits. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of functional training on fundamental motor skills in children aged 6–7. MethodsThis study was conducted at a primary school. One hundred children were randomly selected from 382 who met the criteria and allocated to a functional training or regular physical education group, with 25 boys and 25 girls in each group. The research program lasted 12 weeks, with two weekly sessions, each lasting 40 min. The assessment of fundamental motor skills utilises the Test of Gross Motor Development and Pediatric Balance Scale. The pre-test and post-test data were analysed using generalised estimating equations. ResultsThe data analysis showed statistically significant differences between and within groups. There was a significant interaction effect of time and group on the gross motor quotient (x2 = 51.603, p = 0.001), locomotor subtest standard scores (x2 = 22.259, p = 0.001), object control subtest standard scores (x2 = 29.283, p = 0.001), and PBS balance scores (x2 = 24.881, p = 0.001). Furthermore, the main effect of time was significant for the four variables. However, the main effects of the group varied. Significant effects of the group were observed for the gross motor quotient (x2 = 8.662, p = 0.003) and object control subtest standard scores (x2 = 7.471, p = 0.006), but not for locomotor subtest standard scores (x2 = 2.558, p = 0.110) or PBS balance scores (x2 = 1.188, p = 0.276). Discussion and ConclusionsFunctional training can positively impact the development of fundamental motor skills in children aged 6–7, demonstrating greater effectiveness than regular physical education courses. These findings provide evidence that incorporating functional training into early childhood physical education can be an effective intervention for enhancing the development of fundamental motor skills.

Social Infrastructure During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evaluating the Impact of Outdoor Recreation on Pandemic Dynamics in Europe

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected mental and physical well-being, leading to significant changes in daily habits and preferences. Given that pandemics require the tear down of most social ties and interactions to limit their inevitable spread, this study delved into the extent to which social infrastructures have been affected, focusing on behavioral shifts in essential services such as retail, recreation, groceries, pharmacies, public transport, parks and open spaces, workplaces, and residential areas. Notably, while most social infrastructures saw a decline in public usage, parks and open spaces experienced increased visitation despite public health measures aimed at minimizing social interactions. This striking increase in park and open space visitations has captured the interest of this study to observe the impact it had on the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the underlying causes behind this trend. Since Europe was heavily affected by the pandemic, this study focused specifically on European countries over a two-year period (March 2020 to March 2022), covering the severe period of the pandemic. While parks and open spaces initially showed no direct influence on the pandemic trajectory, when closely observing visitation trends, both increases and declines, opposing insights were revealed. This study found that attempts to reduce park and open space visitation were significantly unsuccessful, leading to substantial increases in both the magnitude and duration of visits once restrictions were eased. This surge in park and open space attendance corresponded to notable spikes in new infections during periods of peak visitation. Therefore, urban planning and public health authorities must prioritize safely accommodating the increased park and open space demand while effectively minimizing virus transmission. This involves considering park sizes and proximity, along with implementing a balanced set of crucial public health strategies to support community well-being and resilience.

Relationship between oxidative balance score and post-stroke depression: insights from the NHANES 2005-2018 cross-sectional study.

The Oxidative Balance Score (OBS) represents an integrated measure of oxidative-reductive homeostasis. Despite the established role of oxidative stress in the development of post-stroke depression (PSD), the association between OBS and PSD in the general population remains unclear. This study aims to explore this relationship using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2005-2018. The OBS was calculated using validated methods that incorporate dietary and lifestyle factors, whereas PSD status was determined using self-reported data and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to evaluate the associations of total OBS, dietary OBS, and lifestyle OBS with PSD prevalence, adjusting for potential confounders. Dose-response relationships were further assessed using restricted cubic splines (RCS). Among the 26,668 participants included in the analysis, 201 were diagnosed with PSD. After adjusting for confounding variables, higher total OBS, dietary OBS, and lifestyle OBS were each significantly associated with reduced odds of PSD. The adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the highest versus lowest quartiles were 0.31 (95% CI: 0.15-0.67) for total OBS, 0.45 (0.27-0.73) for dietary OBS, and 0.28 (0.13-0.60) for lifestyle OBS. RCS analyses indicated a linear dose-response relationship for all three OBS categories with PSD risk. In sex-stratified analyses, significant inverse associations were observed between all OBS categories and PSD in females, whereas only lifestyle OBS was significantly associated with PSD in males. Higher OBS was associated with reduced odds of PSD, with a particularly pronounced effect in females. These findings suggest that adherence to an antioxidant-rich diet and lifestyle may mitigate PSD risk.

The Effect of Exercise on Improving Respiratory Function and Physical Activity in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has been associated with various physical and psychological effects. The role of exercise in strengthening the immune system and reducing inflammation has already been proven. Moderate levels of exercise can enhance overall immunity. Exercise can improve intracellular metabolism and increase cell defense activity by improving inflammatory cytokines, immature B cells, and cytotoxic T cells. Therefore, exercise is known as a defense strategy against respiratory infections. Here the role of exercise in improving respiratory function and physical activity in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 was evaluated. Methods: The present study was performed as a randomized clinical trial on 90 hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Both groups received all routine treatments (medication, invasive or non-invasive ventilation, physiotherapy). Then, in the experimental group, standard exercises were provided to improve the patients’ physical condition and exercise capacity. After two weeks and one month later, all indices were measured again in two groups. Results: The results of the present study showed that exercise causes significant changes in indicators such as 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) (p=0.001), balance score (p=0.02), and Sf1 score (p=0.05) in two time periods before and after rehabilitation in two groups. Conclusion: Performing standard and defined exercise exercises for patients with the new coronavirus improves the physical activity and respiratory function of patients.

Strategic Management Practices and Climate Change Mitigation of Total Energies Kenya Limited

Climate change is a major challenge to humanity’s existence as it leads to potential shift of weather patterns accelerating the vulnerability of the ecosystems. Realization of Climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives requires effective strategic management practices. Successful strategic management practices guarantee effective reduction of climate change impact and improved environmental sustainability. Failure to incorporate strategic management in the company’s short and long-term goals may result in lack of vision and failure to meet set environmental sustainability objectives within the set timelines. The aim of this study was to determine how strategic management practices has influenced the climate change mitigation within the oil sector in Kenya. The study was anchored on four theories; Triple Bottom Line Theory, Resource Based View Theory, Strategic Leadership Theory and Balanced Score Card Model. Descriptive research design was used for this study with a target populations of 360 employees of TEMK. Proportionate random sampling design was applied with 20% target sample size. Structured questionnaires with close ended question questions was employed as data collection instruments. Cronbach’s alpha measure was used to gauge the reliability of the questionnaire with result above 0.7 considered acceptable. The collected data was analyzed through coding of the questionnaire in SPSS. Multicollinearity test was done to show the occurrence of relationships among two or three independent variables. Variance Inflation (VIF) score was used for multicollinearity test and Normality test was done to ascertain the normality of error terms. A multiple regression equation was developed to show the connection between dependent and independent variables. Further analysis was done through percentages, means, standards deviations, regression and correlations. The analyzed data was presented through graphs, bar charts, histograms, pie charts and tables for easy and quick understanding. The study found out that climate financing, technological investments and climate change policies implementation have significant positive impact on the mitigation of climate change within the oil sector. The study concludes that factors such as climate financing, technological investments and climate change policies implementation have positive impact on the mitigation of climate change in the oil sector in Kenya. The study recommends that, in order to enhance climate financing, the government should establish enabling economic conditions through favorable tax regimes on projects related to climate change mitigation. Also, the study recommends that the oil sector should lobby for green financing by local banks to support investments on climate change. Further, the study recommends that in order to exploit the use of technological investments, the oil sector should enhance investment in renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.

Association of oxidative balance score with blood pressure, all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality among hypertensive patients: a prospective study

Objective: The oxidative balance score (OBS) has emerged as a novel marker for assessing oxidative stress status. This study aimed to investigate the association of OBS with systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), all-cause, and cardiovascular disease mortality in hypertensive patients. Methods: We conducted an analysis of data from 7602 hypertensive patients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2018. Multiple linear regression, Cox proportional hazards models, Kaplan–Meier survival curves, restricted cubic spline, and subgroup analysis were used to examine the association between OBS and SBP, DBP, estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV), and mortality risk. Results: The results showed that individuals in the highest OBS quartile (27 ≤ OBS ≤ 40) had a significant 2.41 mmHg reduction in SBP compared to the lowest quartile (5 ≤ OBS ≤ 15) (P trend &lt; 0.001). Compared to the lowest quartile, individuals in the highest OBS quartile had a 29% lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 44% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality (P trend &lt; 0.001). This inverse association persisted irrespective of antihypertensive medication use. OBS is inversely associated with SBP, all-cause, and cardiovascular disease mortality in hypertensive patients. Conclusion: This finding provides new evidence and suggestions for those with poor blood pressure control and low OBS (&lt;15) to adjust their diet and lifestyle reasonably.

The associations between oxidative balance score and serum Klotho level in the U.S. population aged 40–79 years

The relationship between the oxidative balance score (OBS) and the serum Klotho level has yet to be defined. We sought to investigate the potential relationship between OBS and the serum Klotho level in the U.S. population aged 40–79 years. This study included 8,145 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) database spanning from 2007 to 2016. The OBS consisted of the dietary OBS and the lifestyle OBS, based on 16 dietary components and 4 lifestyle components. Weighted multiple linear regressions were performed to explore the association between OBS and serum Klotho level. Furthermore, nonlinear relationships were analyzed through the application of restricted cubic splines (RCS). In the multivariate linear regression model with adjustment for such as demographics, economic income and dietary intake, a higher OBS was associated with a higher serum Klotho, with the beta estimate and 95%CI of 2.85 (1.03–4.68, p < 0.01). Compared with the lowest tertile group, the highest group was associated with a higher Klotho level (30.35, 3.43–57.28, p < 0.05). Furthermore, higher dietary OBS and lifestyle OBS were similarly associated with higher Klotho level (beta (95%CI): 1.27 (0.79–3.32); 14.23 (9.53–18.92), respectively). The RCS exhibited a linear dose-response association between OBS, dietary OBS and lifestyle OBS with serum Klotho concentration (Pnon−linearity>0.05). The association between OBS and serum Klotho level was consistent across age, sex, education, marital status, energy intake and poverty income ratio (PIR) (Pinteraction>0.05). The study reported significant association between OBS and klotho, indicating that adherence to antioxidant behaviors may be linked to slower aging and better health.

Role of Perceived Social Support in Facilitating Work Life Balance among Female Professionals

The current research intends is to explore the predictive liaison concerning perceived social support and work-family balance in working females. After reviewing the literature, it remained hypothesized that, 1) Work-family balance would be significantly predicted by perceived social support in working females.; 2) There would be significant differences in the scores of work family balance and perceived social support in married and unmarried working females; and 3) There would be significant differences in the scores of work-family balance and perceived social support in working females living in nuclear and joint family systems. The sample comprised of 288 participants, which includes doctors, teachers, and registered nurses, with age ranges between 21-40 years. The sample was recruited from various hospitals and educational institutions of Hazara division, Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa, Pakistan, by using a purposive sampling technique. Participants were assessed by using the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS,(Zimet et al., 1990) and Work-Family Balance Scale (WFBS, (Zhang et al., 2012)followed by the administration of demographic information form. SPSS; V-25 is used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics were used for the demographic information, whereas, regression analysis and t-test were used to make inferences regarding investigation of hypotheses. Results showed significant predictive association between perceived social support and work-family balance [r=.130 ; R2=.017, F= (4.93); p&lt;.05; work-family enrichment .143, p&lt;.05 &amp; work-family conflict .106, p&gt;.05). The results of the current study concludes that perceived social support helps in strengthening work family balance, enhancing the work-family enrichment and reducing work-family conflict among female employees.