A Practical Approach to choosing Formulae for Economic Index Numbers

Traditional axiomatic, economic and stochastic approaches to choosing a formula for economic index numbers are based on theoretical considerations, with little regard to whether they reflect the actual circumstances affecting the markets to which they relate. This paper presents an approach to index number formulation based on how markets operate and presents a general, parameter-based formula for price and quantity indices. Two variants of this general formula cater for the “substitution effect” in different ways and one of these variants provides a practical expression for an economic-theoretic index based on purchasers' revealed preferences. Another variant applies this approach to short-term inflation indices. A final variant provides a straightforward means of estimating purchasing power parities for spatial indices. The analysis also emphasises the importance in National Accounts of using coherent price and quantity indices, whose products generate the corresponding value indices.

Demam Korea: Minat Beli Terhadap Produk Kecantikan Korea (K-Beauty)

This research aims to examine the effect of brand image, celebrity endorser, country of origin and electronic word of mouth on buying interest in Korean beauty products (K-Beauty). The method used is quantitative associative. The sampling technique used is accidental sampling as many as 108 respondents. Data was collected by distributing online questionnaires via google form. The collected data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) which consists of two stages, namely the measurement model and the structural model with IBM SPSS AMOS software version 20 and index number analysis as descriptive analysis. The results of the analysis show that brand image has a positive and significant effect on buying interest in Korean beauty products (K-Beauty), celebrity endorser has a positive and insignificant effect on buying interest in Korean beauty products (K-Beauty), while country of origin and electronic word of mouth have a negative and insignificant effect on buying interest in Korean beauty products (K-Beauty).

On Wiener Polarity Index and Wiener Index of Certain Triangular Networks

A topological index of graph G is a numerical quantity which describes its topology. If it is applied to the molecular structure of chemical compounds, it reflects the theoretical properties of the chemical compounds. A number of topological indices have been introduced so far by different researchers. The Wiener index is one of the oldest molecular topological indices defined by Wiener. The Wiener index number reflects the index boiling points of alkane molecules. Quantitative structure activity relationships (QSAR) showed that they also describe other quantities including the parameters of its critical point, density, surface tension, viscosity of its liquid phase, and the van der Waals surface area of the molecule. The Wiener polarity index has been introduced by Wiener and known to be related to the cluster coefficient of networks. In this paper, the Wiener polarity index W p G and Wiener index W G of certain triangular networks are computed by using graph-theoretic analysis, combinatorial computing, and vertex-dividing technology.

A DNA barcode library for the water mites of Montenegro

Water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) are a significant component of freshwater ecosystems inhabiting a wide range of aquatic habitats. This study provides a first comprehensive DNA barcode library for the water mites of Montenegro. DNA barcodes were analysed from 233 specimens of water mites morphologically assigned to 86 species from 28 genera and 15 families. In the course of the study, four species, i.e. Lebertia reticulata (Koenike, 1919), Atractides inflatipalpis K.Viets, 1950, A. latipes (Szalay, 1935) and Parabrachypoda montii (Maglio, 1924) were molecularly confirmed as new for Montenegro and three species, i.e. Protzia octopora Lundblad, 1954, Piona laminata (Thor, 1901) and Unionicola ypsilophora (Bonz, 1783) are new for the Balkan Peninsula. Results are analysed using the Barcode Index Number system (BIN) and the Refined Single Linkage (RESL) of BOLD. The BIN assigned sequences to 98 clusters, while the RESL reveal 103 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Unique BINs were revealed for 72 species (83.7%), whereas twelve species (14%) were characterised by two BINs and two species (2.3%) with three BINs. Amongst the studied taxa, 14 species were found with a high intraspecific sequence divergences (˃ 2.2%), emphasising the need for additional comprehensive morphological and molecu­lar analysis of these species.

Evaluation of Blended NPS Fertilizer Rates and Inter Row Spacing on Yield Components and Yield of Maize (Zea Mays L.)

Corn is an important cereal crop in Ethiopia due to its use as a source of food security. However, its productivity is limited by insufficient application of the NPS fertilizer and different row spacing. A field trial was carried out to assess the effects of the application of different NPS fertilizer quantities and inter row spacing on the growth, yield components and yield of maize and the cost-benefit analysis of the NPS compound fertilizer application on the yield of maize in the main growing season 2019/2020.The study was arranged in a factorial combination of five levels of NPS fertilizers (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg NPS ha-1) and four inter row spacing (55 cm, 65 cm, 75 cm and 85 cm). in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The consequence showed the main result of the NPS fertilizer had a highly significant (p <0.01) effect on days up to 50% anthesis, days up to 50% silk formation, 90% physiological maturity, leaf area, leaf area index, number of plants at harvest, the number of grains per ear was determined from the main effects of NPS fertilizer of 200 kg NPS ha-1. The interaction effects of NPS and row spacing have highly significant (p <0.01) effects on the number of ears per plant, number of ears per hectare, ear length, agronomic effectiveness and grain yield were obtained when using 150 kg. measured NPS ha-1 at 75 cm row spacing. The highest economic (91,608 Birr ha-1) and a higher MRR (1745%) resulted from the 150 kg NPS ha-1 and 75 cm row spacing. Thus, it should be noted that the application of 150 kg NPS ha-1 with a row spacing of 75 cm was both agronomic and cost-effective for the grain yield of the Melkassa-II in the study area.

Association, direct and indirect effects of yield, biochemical and physiological characters on seed yield in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

The present research consists of the 25 genotypes of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) which was carried out at the field experimentation center, Department of the Genetics and Plant Breeding, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj during Rabi 2019-20 in Randomized Block Design with three replications with an aim to determine genetic variability, correlation, direct and indirect effects yield, biochemical and physiological characters on seed yield. All the genotypes of chickpea showed significant differences among them, significance variability existed for all the characters. Based on the mean performance, high yield was found for the C-18106 followed by C-18122, C-18103, and C-18101, genotypes C-18123, ICC-15896, C-18102 & GPF-02 showed against pod borer. High heritability (?70%) coupled with high genetic advance (?20%) were being observed for the number of seeds per plant, biological yield. Seed yield per plant exhibited positive and highly significant correlation with biological yield, chlorophyll index, starch content and number of seeds per plant at both genotypic and phenotypic level. Path analysis at phenotypic level identified hundred seed weight followed by chlorophyll index, number of seeds per plant, number of secondary branches, trypsin inhibitor and harvest index important direct components for seed yield per plant. Thus, due consideration should be given to these characters during the selection.

Fertilization of two genetic groups of Pinus patula Schiede ex Schltdl. & Cham. in a four-year progeny trial

Introduction: Genetic improvement and nutritional management are used to increase productive capacity. Objective: To analyze the effect of traditional and controlled-release fertilizers, as well as the way to define the doses (technically or empirically), on growth of 20 tree families of Pinus patulaSchiede ex Schltdl. & Cham. Materials and methods: Four fertilization treatments were applied: 1) control; 2) “technical”, based on foliar analysis; 3) controlled release (18-6-12 + 2CaO + 3.5 Mg + 2.1 Si + microelements); and 4) mixture of agricultural fertilizers in nutrient concentrations similar to the controlled-release treatment. Height, diameter, biomass index, number of whorls, leaf mass, and growth initiation and cessation were evaluated in a group of 10 superior and 10 inferior three-year old families in Chignahuapan, Puebla. Data were analyzed with the MIXED procedure of SAS. Results and discussion: Trees showed no significant differences in growth, biomass production and growth initiation by fertilization effect, but showed significant differences by genetic quality (P ≤ 0.05). The genotype*fertilization interaction was significant; after one year of controlled-release fertilizer application, inferior genotypes had the highest values of relative rates of biomass production, diameter at root collar and height. Conclusions: Controlled-release fertilizers at appropriate doses and environmental conditions are a viable option to promote growth of young P. patula trees in the field.

Statistical Analysis of Determinants of Institutional Delivery Service among Reproductive Age Women in Ethiopia

Health care services during pregnancy and during delivery are important for the survival and wellbeing of both the mother and the infant so that increasing institutional deliveries is a basic concern for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality. This article was focused on assessing the trend of institutional delivery service and identifying associated factors using basic statistical tools. The analysis was based on the hypothetical data of 5753 women in reproductive age carefully managed from Ethiopian Mini Demographic and Health Survey (EMDHS) 2019. The trend of institutional delivery revealed a sharp increase from 26% in 2016 to 49.92% in 2019 based on DHS data of the respective years. The study identified variables such as region, place of residence, education level, sex of household head, wealth index, number of living children and antenatal care as highly significant determinants of institutional delivery service in Ethiopia. Institutional delivery service increases with better access to education, living in urban, being in better off wealth category, and following antenatal care visit. The study recommended that there should be well equipped health facilities for pregnant women at each stage.

Global gap-analysis of amphipod barcode library

In the age of global climate change and biodiversity loss there is an urgent need to provide effective and robust tools for diversity monitoring. One of the promising techniques for species identification is the use of DNA barcoding, that in Metazoa utilizes the so called ‘gold-standard’ gene of cytochrome c oxidase (COI). However, the success of this method relies on the existence of trustworthy barcode libraries of the species. The Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) aims to provide barcodes for all existing organisms, and is complemented by the Barcode Index Number (BIN) system serving as a tool for potential species recognition. Here we provide an analysis of all public COI sequences available in BOLD of the diverse and ubiquitous crustacean order Amphipoda, to identify the barcode library gaps and provide recommendations for future barcoding studies. Our gap analysis of 25,702 records has shown that although 3,835 BINs (indicating putative species) were recognised by BOLD, only 10% of known amphipod species are represented by barcodes. We have identified almost equal contribution of both records (sequences) and BINs associated with freshwater and with marine realms. Three quarters of records have a complete species-level identification provided, while BINs have just 50%. Large disproportions between identification levels of BINs coming from freshwaters and the marine environment were observed, with three quarters of the former possessing a species name, and less than 40% for the latter. Moreover, the majority of BINs are represented by a very low number of sequences rendering them unreliable according to the quality control system. The geographical coverage is poor with vast areas of Africa, South America and the open ocean acting as “white gaps”. Several, of the most species rich and highly abundant families of Amphipoda (e.g., Phoxocephalidae, Ampeliscidae, Caprellidae), have very poor representation in the BOLD barcode library. As a result of our study we recommend stronger effort in identification of already recognised BINs, prioritising the studies of families that are known to be important and abundant components of particular communities, and targeted sampling programs for taxa coming from geographical regions with the least knowledge.

Multimorbidity patterns of chronic conditions and geriatric syndromes in older patients from the MoPIM multicentre cohort study

ObjectivesTo estimate the frequency of chronic conditions and geriatric syndromes in older patients admitted to hospital because of an exacerbation of their chronic conditions, and to identify multimorbidity clusters in these patients.DesignMulticentre, prospective cohort study.SettingInternal medicine or geriatric services of five general teaching hospitals in Spain.Participants740 patients aged 65 and older, hospitalised because of an exacerbation of their chronic conditions between September 2016 and December 2018.Primary and secondary outcome measuresActive chronic conditions and geriatric syndromes (including risk factors) of the patient, a score about clinical management of chronic conditions during admission, and destination at discharge were collected, among other variables. Multimorbidity patterns were identified using fuzzy c-means cluster analysis, taking into account the clinical management score. Prevalence, observed/expected ratio and exclusivity of each chronic condition and geriatric syndrome were calculated for each cluster, and the final solution was approved after clinical revision and discussion among the research team.Results740 patients were included (mean age 84.12 years, SD 7.01; 53.24% female). Almost all patients had two or more chronic conditions (98.65%; 95% CI 98.23% to 99.07%), the most frequent were hypertension (81.49%, 95% CI 78.53% to 84.12%) and heart failure (59.86%, 95% CI 56.29% to 63.34%). The most prevalent geriatric syndrome was polypharmacy (79.86%, 95% CI 76.82% to 82.60%). Four statistically and clinically significant multimorbidity clusters were identified: osteoarticular, psychogeriatric, cardiorespiratory and minor chronic disease. Patient-level variables such as sex, Barthel Index, number of chronic conditions or geriatric syndromes, chronic disease exacerbation 3 months prior to admission or destination at discharge differed between clusters.ConclusionsIn older patients admitted to hospital because of the exacerbation of chronic health problems, it is possible to define multimorbidity clusters using soft clustering techniques. These clusters are clinically relevant and could be the basis to reorganise healthcare circuits or processes to tackle the increasing number of older, multimorbid patients.Trial registration numberNCT02830425.