Magnetoencephalography resting-state correlates of executive and language components of verbal fluency

Verbal fluency (VF) is a heterogeneous cognitive function that requires executive as well as language abilities. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the specificity of the resting state MEG correlates of the executive and language components. To this end, we administered a VF test, another verbal test (Vocabulary), and another executive test (Trail Making Test), and we recorded 5-min eyes-open resting-state MEG data in 28 healthy participants. We used source-reconstructed spectral power estimates to compute correlation/anticorrelation MEG clusters with the performance at each test, as well as with the advantage in performance between tests, across individuals using cluster-level statistics in the standard frequency bands. By obtaining conjunction clusters between verbal fluency scores and factor loading obtained for verbal fluency and each of the two other tests, we showed a core of slow clusters (delta to beta) localized in the right hemisphere, in adjacent parts of the premotor, pre-central and post-central cortex in the mid-lateral regions related to executive monitoring. We also found slow parietal clusters bilaterally and a cluster in the gamma 2 and 3 bands in the left inferior frontal gyrus likely associated with phonological processing involved in verbal fluency.

Assessment of soil quality for guided fertilization in 7 barley agro-ecological areas of China

Soil quality is the basis for the development of sustainable agriculture and may be used for evaluating the sustainability of soil management practices. Soil quality status and integrated soil quality index (SQI) in sampled 97 farmlands distributed in 7 barley agro-ecological areas of China were analyzed by using 13 soil chemical parameters. The results showed six principal components totally explained 72% variability for the 13 parameters and identified 9 parameters (includes pH, NH4+-N, NO3--N, available P, available K, exchangeable Mg, DTPA-Fe, DTPA-Cu and Cl-) with high factor loading values as the minimum data set (MDS) for assessing soil quality. Average soil quality of all farmlands is moderate (SQI = 0.62). The SQI of barley farmlands in 7 agro-ecological areas showed the following order: Inner Mongolia Plateau (0.75 ± 0.02) > Yunnan-Kweichow Plateau (0.72 ± 0.06) > Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (0.63 ± 0.08) > Yangtze Plain (0.62 ± 0.10) > Huanghuai Region (0.58 ± 0.09) > Northeast China Plain (0.56 ± 0.07) > Xinjiang Province (0.54 ± 0.07). Total 29 out of 97 farmlands in 7 areas have low SQI level (< 0.55). Hence, these farmlands require urgent attention for soil quality improvement through modification of the soil parameters in the MDS.

Deflation-Corrected Estimators of Reliability

Underestimation of reliability is discussed from the viewpoint of deflation in estimates of reliability caused by artificial systematic technical or mechanical error in the estimates of correlation (MEC). Most traditional estimators of reliability embed product–moment correlation coefficient (PMC) in the form of item–score correlation (Rit) or principal component or factor loading (λi). PMC is known to be severely affected by several sources of deflation such as the difficulty level of the item and discrepancy of the scales of the variables of interest and, hence, the estimates by Rit and λi are always deflated in the settings related to estimating reliability. As a short-cut to deflation-corrected estimators of reliability, this article suggests a procedure where Rit and λi in the estimators of reliability are replaced by alternative estimators of correlation that are less deflated. These estimators are called deflation-corrected estimators of correlation (DCER). Several families of DCERs are proposed and their behavior is studied by using polychoric correlation coefficient, Goodman–Kruskal gamma, and Somers delta as examples of MEC-corrected coefficients of correlation.

Integrating Spirituality at the Workplace for Well-Being

The notion of spirituality is a divisive area when it moves to its applicability in organizations. In today's scenario with so much of chaos and volatility in organization especially after the pandemic, one cannot ignore the significance of spiritual practices. With changing time, the significance of spirituality becomes more pertinent for employee wellbeing. With numerous studies being conducted in this field, however the research gap provides enough space for authors to work on understanding and deciding the substantial factors affecting spirituality among academicians. This study employs a positivist research approach, comprising of a quantitative basis of enquiry, and assembled data via survey questionnaires. A total of 358 questionnaires were allocated, and finally, 240 usable cases were selected for study. The factor structure was proved by using SEM. This study raises awareness on the significance of spirituality in the university wellbeing which will ultimately contribute to improving academic delivery and bringing more satisfaction. Further factor loading helps in assessment.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Malay Version of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III for Malaysian Adolescents

The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale III (FACES-III) has been widely used to measure an individual’s family functioning in terms of cohesion and adaptability. In Malaysia, the FACES-III has been translated into the Malay language for the community, but its psychometric properties in this context remain unknown. Thus, the purpose of this research is to examine the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the FACES-III in 852 adolescents attending secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Data were randomly split into two halves: the exploration sample and the validation sample. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the exploration sample and a two-factor model was discovered after removing nine items that showed low factor loading. Then, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the validation sample to compare the one-factor models, two-factor models, and three-factor models. Results showed that the 11-item two-factor model (FACES-III-M-SF) was superior to the other competing models. Both the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses replicated the two-factor structure of the original version of FACES-III. The reliability of the overall scale was consistently good, but the subscale results were mixed. This suggests that researchers should use the overall score, but not the subscale scores, in analyses.

Feed forensic strategy: Incorporating multivariate data analysis with high-performance liquid chromatography refractive index detector and differential scanning calorimeter for authentication of fish feed sources

This study authenticated fish feed sources and determined lard adulteration using dataset pre-processing, principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant analysis (DA) and partial least square regression (PLSR) on 19 triacylglycerols (TAGs) and 16 thermal properties (TPs). At cumulative variability (90.625%) and Keiser-Meyer Olkin (KMO) value (0.811), the PCA identified strong factor loading variables, i.e., OLL, PLL, OOL, POL, PPL, POO, PPO, PSO, ICT and FHT in PC1 and LLLn, OOO and CT2 in PC2. These variables were significantly (p < 0.05) contributing to lard-palm-oil (L-PO) clusters: (1) POO, PPO and PPL (high loading) and OLL, PLL, OOL, ICT, POL, PSO and FHT (low loading) in 0:100 and 25:75 L-PO clusters; (2) CT2, OOO and LLLn (high loading) in 50:50 L-PO cluster; and (3) OLL, PLL, OOL, ICT, POL, PSO and FHT (high loading) and POO, PPO and PPL (low loading) in 72:25 and 100:0 L-PO clusters. Training, validation and testing datasets had 100%, 84.44% and 100% correct-classification, respectively at p < 0.0001 of Wilks' lambda and p < 0.0001 Fisher distance. The DA selected PLL, OOL, POL, PPL, PSO, ICT and FHT as the significantly authenticating biomarkers (p < 0.05). With determination coefficient (R²) (0.9693), mean square error (MSE) (38.382) and root mean square error (RMSE) (6.195), the PLSR's variable importance in the projection (VIP) identified the most influential biomarkers, i.e., PPL, POL, PPO, OOL, ICT, PLL, FHT, POO and OLL. The Z-test result (p > 0.05) indicated that the PLSR could determine the lard adulteration percentage in fish feed.

Effectiveness of Online Learning When Implementing Collaborative Online Learning In Flipped Classroom

The COVID 19 pandemic has forced schools, Universities to deliver courses in online learning environments. Finding an effective online learning model is crucial for online teachers to design, develop, and deliver an online course. This research has been conducted to analyze the online learning activities through using collaborative online learning in the flipped classroom for the students at the college level. Data have been gathered through an online questionnaire and it was sent to 300 first-year students in the department of electronic and electrical engineering attending physics courses at Cao Thang Technical College. Cronbach’s Alpha is applied to evaluate the reliability and internal consistency of the associated factors. The exploratory factor analysis is performed to extract the variables and measure the factor loading in this study. Nine factors have been found to evaluate the effectiveness of collaborative online learning with flipped classroom, including goal and learning outcome (GLO), assessment strategy (AS), learning task (LT), course content (CC), learning resource materials (LRM), collaborative online learning (COL), types of interactions (ToI), types of presence (ToP), problem-solving task in post-class (PST-PC). The relationship between the dependent variable and independent variables is determined by using the linear regression model. The results show that nine independent variables were used in the study viz. GLO, AS, LT, CC, LRM, COL, ToI, ToP, and PST-PC positively impact students’ satisfaction and further students’ satisfaction positively impact the effectiveness of online learning (EOL).

Downside Beta and Downside Gamma: In Search for a Better Capital Asset Pricing Model

In the financial world, the importance of “downside risk” and “higher moments” has been emphasized, predominantly in developing countries such as Pakistan, for a substantial period. Consequently, this study tests four models for a suitable capital asset pricing model. These models are CAPM’s beta, beta replaced by skewness (gamma), CAPM’s beta with gamma, downside beta CAPM (DCAPM), downside beta replaced by downside gamma, and CAPM with downside gamma. The problems of the high correlation between the beta and downside beta models from a regressand point of view is resolved by constructing a double-sorted portfolio of each factor loading. The problem of the high correlation between the beta and gamma, and, similarly, between the downside beta and downside gamma, is resolved by orthogonalizing each risk measure in a two-factor setting. Standard two-pass regression is applied, and the results are reported and analyzed in terms of R2, the significance of the factor loadings, and the risk–return relationship in each model. The risk proxies of the downside beta/gamma are based on Hogan and Warren, Harlow and Rao, and Estrada. The results indicate that the single factor models based on the beta/downside beta or even gamma/downside gamma are not a better choice among all the risk proxies. However, the beta and gamma factors are rejected at a 5% and 1% significance level for different risk proxies. The obvious choice based on the results is an asset pricing model with two risk measures.

Nurses’ Awareness and Actual Nursing Practice Situation of Stroke Care in Acute Stroke Units: A Japanese Cross-Sectional Web-Based Questionnaire Survey

The awareness of care provided by stroke care unit (SCU) nurses in Japan to patients with an acute cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and the characteristic differences in their actual nursing practice were evaluated. A cross-sectional web-based questionnaire survey was administered to 1040 SCU nurses. Data collection and reporting procedures followed the STROBE Statement Checklist for cross-sectional studies. Exploratory factor analysis, using 52 observation items, identified eight factors with a factor loading > 0.4. For all factors, the actual practice was significantly lower than the awareness of the importance of nursing care for patients with acute CVA. Awareness and actual practice of recognition of patients’ physical changes (RPPCs) were high. The actual practice of RPPCs and preventing the worsening of acute stroke and related symptoms varied, depending on years of experience in acute phase stroke care. RPPCs in actual practice had a significantly higher score among certified nurses or certified nurse specialists. Their awareness of the importance of collaborating with therapists was low. On-the-job training can improve nurses’ competence and prevent worsening conditions in patients with CVA. An emphasis on enhancing practice experience toward patients with acute CVA and facilitating the deployment of certified nurses in SCUs can improve nursing care practice.