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Objective To examine the association between observer-assessed functional status and perceived recovery in the late phase after stroke. The study also aimed to determine whether observer-assessed functional improvements as a result of horse-riding therapy (H-RT) are related to enhanced perception of stroke recovery.Methods This is a descriptive correlational study using data derived from a three-armed randomized controlled trial in which 123 individuals were enrolled, among whom 43 received H-RT for 12 weeks. The measures included the Modified Motor Assessment Scale, Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go, timed 10-m walk, and perceived recovery from stroke indicated by item #9 in the Stroke Impact Scale (version 2.0). Spearman rank order correlation (rs) was used in the analyses.Results There were moderate to strong positive or negative correlations between all four observer-assessed motor variables and participants’ ratings of perceived late-phase stroke recovery at trial entrance, ranging from rs=-0.49 to rs=0.54 (ps=-0.41, p=0.01 and rs=-0.38, p=0.02, respectively).Conclusion This study provided data supporting the association between individual ratings of self-perceived recovery after stroke and observer-assessed individual motor function. The results further demonstrate that enhancement in perceived stroke recovery after completing the intervention was associated with objectively measured gains in both self-selected and fast gait speed.

The study examined the factors responsible for change in vegetation cover between 1999 and 2019. Decadal data for climatic variable (rainfall and temperature), Landsat satellite images and population data of 1999, 2009 and 2019 were used. Land use/Land cover Change Detection, linear time series and Spearman rank order correlation analysis were used. The results revealed that the extent change between (1999-2009) and (2009-2019) for built-up, vegetation and bare surface were; (+91.66, +276.41), (-4.06, -40.42) and (-27.44, -23.5) respectively. There were increasing trends in the built-up environment, population growth and rainfall at the rate of (19.3 km2 per-10), (110116 persons per-10) and (231.5mm per-10) respectively. There were decrease trend of temperature and vegetation cover at the rate of (-1.15oC per-10) and (-19.3 km2 per-10) respectively. Negative relationship exist between population growth (r = -0.938), built up (r = -0.987), rainfall (r = -0.982) and vegetation cover, while positive relationship exist between temperature (r = 0.965) and vegetation cover. The study conclude that temperature is the major factor influencing the loss in vegetation cover, rapid population growth and urban expansion were experienced during the study period. The study recommend five (5) trees should be planted per built-up structure in order to create more carbon sink and to improve vegetal resource which were affected by human activities and changing climatic variables

Background\ud \ud The paper-grip-test (PGT) involves pulling a small card from underneath the participant’s foot while asking them to grip with their hallux. The PGT is shown to be effective in detecting foot muscle-weakening but its outcome is operator-dependent. To overcome this limitation, an enhanced PGT (EPGT) is proposed that replaces the pass/fail outcome of the PGT with a continuous measurement of the pulling force that is needed to remove the card (EPGT-force).\ud Research question\ud \ud Is the EPGT-force an accurate, reliable and clinically applicable measurement of strength?\ud Methods\ud \ud Reliability and clinical applicability were examined in two ways. Firstly, two examiners measured EPGT-force for twenty healthy volunteers in a test/retest set-up. EPGT force was measured using a dynamometer, the hallux grip force was measured using a pressure mat. The clinical applicability of the EPGT was tested in ten people with diabetes. Postural sway was also measured.\ud Results\ud \ud Interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) revealed excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC > 0.75). Intra-rater reliability was excellent for the first examiner (ICC = 0.795) and good for the second (ICC = 0.703). Linear regression analysis indicated that hallux grip force accounted (on average) for 83%±4% of the variability in EPGT force. This strong relationship between EPGT force and hallux grip force remained when the test was performed in a clinical setting with the latter accounting for 88% in EPGT force variability. Spearman rank order correlation showed that people with diabetes with a higher difference in EPGT force between limbs swayed more.\ud Significance\ud \ud EPGT force is a reliable and accurate measurement of hallux grip force. Hallux grip force was previously found to be strongly correlated to the strength of all muscle groups of the foot and ankle and to the ability to maintain balance. The proposed EPGT could be used to monitor muscle weakness in clinics for better falls-risk assessment.

Background Keratoconus is a disease characterized by progressive corneal distortion and quality of vision. So far, no study using disease-specific scales has evaluated whether different stages of the disease correlate with higher quality of life (QoL) compromise. Methods A total of 114 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Keratoconus were included in this retrospective study. All patients underwent a clinical and a Pentacam evaluation. They were also administered the “Keratoconus End-Points Assessment Questionnaire” (KEPAQ). Belin ABCD criteria were used for Keratoconus classification. “Better eye” was defined as the eye with the lowest maximum keratometry value. Spearman Rank Order Correlation was used to determine the correlation between the different Belin criteria and the KEPAQ scores in both subscales. Results Mean age was 28.13 ± 11.57 years, with 39.47% of patients being male. Mean score for the KEPAQ-E was 2.33 ± 3.40 Logit, while for the KEPAQ-F, it was 1.85 ± 3.61 Logit. Criteria A (anterior elevation), B (posterior elevation) and D (visual acuity) in the worse eye correlated significantly with a greater decrease in QoL (p < 0.05 for all correlations). No correlation could be found regarding the better eye. Conclusion A greater corneal distortion in the worse eye, as determined by Belin ABCD, is associated with a greater decrease in patient’s QoL. Surgical improvement of the worse eye should probably be performed before surgery of the better eye, as it may provide a better response regarding the quality of life improvement.

This paper reports on the findings of a study pertaining to the psychological impact of e-learning on social network sites. The findings have resulted by means of a correlational analysis between attitude towards e-learning on social network sites and satisfaction with life of students experienced with e-learning experiences. It was based on an online survey of 607 valid responses with e-learning experiences gathered from 896 online respondents. The gender profile was balanced (males 50.7% and females 49.3% respectively). The analysis found that students who had experience of e-learning on social network sites also had a positive score on the Satisfaction with Life Scale (females 4.40 out of 6, SD = 0.91 and males 4.38 out of 6, SD = 0.9). The attitudes towards e-learning were also positive (female 4.34 out of 6, SD = 1.0 and male 4.12 out of 6, SD = 1.2). The relationship between e-learning attitudes and satisfaction with life was investigated using the Spearman Rank Order Correlation (rho) statistic. The research data shows a significant positive association between attitudes towards e-learning and satisfaction with life by females and males.

The simple design using random assignment of the test and control groups and only one treatment and one day to carry it out enabled them to control for such sources of confounding as concurrent events and maturation, testing effects, sampling bias and drop outs. The researchers’ account of how their thinking changed after the original research design had been completed reveals two processes which are quite common in the evolution of research projects. First, as it became more evident that the study would have a reportable outcome, the researchers became more active in considering how the audience might evaluate the study. Second, when the researchers collected their data, it didn’t look quite as they had expected. The assumption lead them to believe that the appropriate way to assess coder reliability would be to use the familiar Spearman rank order correlation.

BACKGROUND: Differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTC) preserve expression of thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR). AIM: The aim of our study was to evaluate the expression of mRNA-TSHR in peripheral blood of DTC patients, then to correlate the expression with clinical features: Serum thyroglobulin (sTg) value, initial staging and findings from the whole body scan (WBS), neck ultrasound (US), and total received dose of radioiodine therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients were divided into three groups according to the treatment response: Patients with incomplete structural response (TCs), incomplete biochemical response (TCb), and excellent responders (TCr). Total RNA was isolated from peripheral blood and used for two-step reverse transcriptase-PCR with appropriate primers. Relative quantification using the ΔCt and 2–ΔΔCt and method was applied. sTg levels were evaluated with chemiluminescent assay. The statistical analysis was performed with Spearman Rank Order Correlation. RESULTS: We found that TCs patients expressed mRNA-TSHR by a 5.37-fold higher level than TCr patients, TCb patients expressed TSHR by an 8.88-fold higher level than TCr patients. A significant negative correlation was detected between sTg and ΔCt (CtTSHR - CtGAPDH) value (R = −0.475; p < 0.05), and between WBS/US findings and ΔCt (R= −0.321; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data revealed higher expression of mRNA-TSHR in peripheral blood of TCs and TCb compared to TCr patients and analysis revealed a significant correlation between mRNA-TSHR and sTg and US/WBS findings. Further studies with larger number of subjects and absolute quantification are needed for understanding the real meaning of mRNA-TSHR as a biomarker in DTC.

Background: Respiratory muscle function (RMF) and peripheral muscle function deterioration is a common feature of patients with COPD. Nevertheless, associations between airway occlusion pressure (P0.1) and tension time index of inspiratory muscles (TTmus) and physical activity (PA) level and exercise tolerance (ET) have not been investigated in COPD. The relationship between RMF and PA level or ET remains unknown in COPD. Objective: To determine the association between RMF and PA level, exercise tolerance, sleep time and presence of fatigue in patients with COPD. Methods: Respiratory muscle function (P0.1, TTmus), exercise tolerance (incremental and endurance shuttle walk test - ISWT, ESWT) and Multidimensional assessment of fatigue (MAF) were assessed in 20 patients with COPD (mean age 67.4 years, 70% men). PA level (sedentary time, time of light and moderate-to-vigorous PA - MVPA, number of steps) and sleep time were measured over 7 days and nights (Axivity AX3, ActiGraph GT3X). Spearman Rank Order Correlation was used to conduct statistical analysis (p Results: The study revealed a negative correlation between P0.1 and ESWT (r=-0.48), and TTmus and ESWT (r=-0.55) as well. There was a positive correlation between TTmus and the level of fatigue (r=0.52). A positive correlation was found between P0.1 and sedentary time (r=0.48). There was no correlation between RMF and MVPA or sleep time in this group of patients with COPD. Conclusions: Adequate RMF is crucial for patients with COPD. It should be investigated in this population due to its impact on physical and functional status. Further research in this area is required.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and the level of association between body mass index (BMI) and total skinfold thickness (TST) in physically active (PA) and sedentary boys and girls aged between 8-14 years. This relationship was tested by Spearman rank order correlation. In both genders, the lower obesity tendency between the ages of 8 and 11 years reached the highest level at the age of 12 years. In sedentary boys, the relationship between BMI and TST at 9 and 11 years old was at the highest level whereas it was the lowest level at 12 and 14 years old. In PA boys, there was a high-level relationship between BMI and TST at 9 and 10 years, and this relationship was the lowest at 12 and 14 years. In PA girls, the relationship between BMI and TST of 9, 10, and 11 years was at the highest and was the lowest at 12 and 13 years. In sedentary girls, the relationship between BMI and TST from 8 to 14 years tends to increase slightly. In conclusion, BMI and TST measurements cannot be used alternately in the evaluation of body composition of inactive and sedentary children aged 8-14 years. © 2019 by authors, all rights reserved.

The transportation sector is one of the major sectors that drive any economy as it conveys man, materials, as well as goods and services from one point to another. This study was conducted to ascertain the influence of organizational learning on workers’ productivity of transport companies in Nigeria. 89 copies of the research instrument were administered, while only 86 were retrieved and analyzed, being 97% response rate. This exercise was carried out with the aid of SPSS using Spearman Rank Order Correlation. And a conclusion was drawn.

Learning disability is commonly associated with a weak working memory function of a student that impacts his or her performance in school. This study aims to identify the effective approaches that could enhance the working memory function of students with learning disability. This quasi-experimental study involved three group of five students that were allocated into control group, Brain Gym, and Brain Training intervention group. The Brain Gym intervention group performed Brain Gym ® Superspace exercise on a daily basis for four weeks during the first school session. Meanwhile, Brain Training intervention was carried out by another intervention groups on a daily basis for four weeks. They were allocated with 5-minutes Brain Training game for each person in a group during free time at school. Data for the working memory function that were collected during pre- and post-test using three instruments: (1) Digit Span Memory Test; (2) Spatial Memory Test; and (3) Picture Identification Test. Two non-parametric test was used to interpret the data: (1) Spearman Rank Order Correlation to determine the relationship of the three groups on the pre- and post-test and Wilcoxon Pair Signed Rank Test to measure the difference between pre- and post-test scores for the control group, two intervention groups, and three working memory component. The findings of the study show a significant increment of the working memory function for both intervention groups. The finding also shows a significant increment for Digit Span Memory and Spatial Memory skills among participants in the intervention group. This study provides alternative to parents, teachers and school administration to provide appropriate learning stimulus that could fulfill the needs of students in school and at home.

Objective To investigate if Vickers microhardness of dentin and enamel correlated with acoustic velocity c(l) or acoustic reflection from the sample’s top (amplitude). Methods Eight transversal sections of a sound human tooth were investigated with scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) and Vickers microhardness measurements. Longitudinal acoustic velocity c(l), amplitude and microhardness MHV were evaluated and for each c(l) test point corresponding amplitude and MHV were linearly interpolated and graphically analyzed. Spearman rank order correlation (rS) was calculated (p Results c(l) was predominantly 6100–7000 ms−1 in enamel and 3800–4600 ms−1 in dentin and correlated significantly with MHV with 27–420 in enamel and 20–90 in dentin (rs = 0,57). Amplitudes significantly correlated with MHV, too, but even better (rs = 0,77). Significance Acoustic velocity and amplitudes were appropriate to detect microhardness differences of dentin and enamel and certain value ranges of both could be assigned to certain MHV ranges. Further research is needed to differentiate more precisely between the different hard tooth tissues.

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by bone and joint destruction, but other organ systems can also be involved. Recent studies have suggested that the disease may start in the lungs. Exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) is a marker of inflammation. The aims of the study were to compare the NO parameters between subjects with RA and healthy control subjects, and to examine whether the NO parameters correlated with lung function and disease activity in the subjects with RA. Methods Subjects with RA (n = 35) were recruited during their regular outpatient visits to the rheumatology department. The nitric oxide (NO) parameters: alveolar NO concentration (CANO), airway compartment diffusing capacity of NO (DawNO), and tissue concentration of NO in the airway wall (CawNO), were algorithmically estimated. Healthy subjects (n = 35) matched by age, gender and height were used as controls. Data are given in median, (quartile 25, 75). Wilcoxon Matched Pairs test was used for group comparisons. Mann-Whitney U test was used to make comparisons between any two groups and for pairwise comparisons. Correlations were tested with Spearman rank order correlation. Results CANO was significantly lower in the RA subjects compared with healthy subjects; 1.1 (0.5, 1.8) ppb versus 2.4 (2.0, 3.0) ppb, (p Conclusions There are significant differences between subjects with RA and matched healthy control subjects regarding the exhaled NO parameters. It is unclear if this can be explained by the pathogenesis of RA, consequences of long-term disease, and/or due to drug treatment.

Obesity is associated with inflammatory disorders in humans, including degenerative joint disease. While obesity is endemic in horses, its relationship to equine degenerative joint disease has not been explored. The current study sought to describe relationships between: body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), lameness grade (AAEP), total body fat mass (kg; FM) and fat per cent (FP) [multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (mfBIA)], age, gender, activity level (AL), synovial fluid (SF) and plasma (PL) PGE2 and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in horses. During this field investigation, the BCS (of nine) of 54 horses at multiple farms in southern Ontario, Canada, was determined. Horses were categorized as thin (BCS=3/9; n = 6), moderate (BCS=4 or 5/9; n = 18), overweight (BCS=6 or 7/9; n = 19) or obese (BCS=8 or 9/9; n = 11). Total fat mass (kg) and body fat% was measured using mfBIA, lameness was assessed (AAEP lameness scale) and synovial fluid was collected via aseptic arthrocentesis from the left intercarpal joint for assessment of inflammatory biomarkers (PGE2 , GAG). Means were compared with a one-way ANOVA; correlation coefficients were calculated using a Spearman Rank Order Correlation to reveal correlations between variables. BCS was positively correlated with BW, FM, FP, AL and PL-PGE2 . BW was also significantly positively correlated with PL-PGE2 . It is concluded that BCS is significantly correlated with PL-PGE2 , due in part to the combined effect of AL and body condition. Net inflammatory effects of body fat on risk for joint disease require further study.

This study investigated trends in 35 years (1979–2013) temperature (maximum, Tmax and minimum, Tmin) and rainfall at annual and seasonal (pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon, and winter) scales for 31 grid points in a coastal arid region of India. Box-whisker plots of annual temperature and rainfall time series depict systematic spatial gradients. Trends were examined by applying eight tests, such as Kendall rank correlation (KRC), Spearman rank order correlation (SROC), Mann-Kendall (MK), four modified MK tests, and innovative trend analysis (ITA). Trend magnitudes were quantified by Sen’s slope estimator, and a new method was adopted to assess the significance of linear trends in MK-test statistics. It was found that the significant serial correlation is prominent in the annual and post-monsoon Tmax and Tmin, and pre-monsoon Tmin. The KRC and MK tests yielded similar results in close resemblance with the SROC test. The performance of two modified MK tests considering variance-correction approaches was found superior to the KRC, MK, modified MK with pre-whitening, and ITA tests. The performance of original MK test is poor due to the presence of serial correlation, whereas the ITA method is over-sensitive in identifying trends. Significantly increasing trends are more prominent in Tmin than Tmax. Further, both the annual and monsoon rainfall time series have a significantly increasing trend of 9 mm year−1. The sequential significance of linear trend in MK test-statistics is very strong (R2 ≥ 0.90) in the annual and pre-monsoon Tmin (90% grid points), and strong (R2 ≥ 0.75) in monsoon Tmax (68% grid points), monsoon, post-monsoon, and winter Tmin (respectively 65, 55, and 48% grid points), as well as in the annual and monsoon rainfalls (respectively 68 and 61% grid points). Finally, this study recommends use of variance-corrected MK test for the precise identification of trends. It is emphasized that the rising Tmax may hamper crop growth due to enhanced metabolic-activities and shortened crop-duration. Likewise, increased Tmin may result in lesser crop and biomass yields owing to the increased respiration.

This study aims to determine the correlation between peer assessment with learning achievement. The learning achievement was obtained from the value of chemistry practicum by taking three values, namely the value of responses and the pretest values taken using written test, and the value of practical skills taken using the peer assessment observation sheet. This research is a descriptive study. The sample of this research is second-semester student, force 2015/2016 Chemical Education Study Program, Islamic University of Indonesia. Data analysis using nonparametric statistic correlation test Spearman Rank Order Correlation. Based on statistical analysis, it is found that there is a correlation between peer assessment and student learning achievement: 1) correlation of peer assessment with response 0,722; correlation of peer assessment with pretest of 0.651; and the correlation of peer assessment with practical skills of 0.617 Keywords: peer assessment, learning achievement, correlation Received: 15 January 2018, Revised: 15 February 2018, Accepted: 24 February

The sensitivity analysis could be defined as a study of how the variability of the output parameter of the considered model can be distributed to its sources, actually, on the variability of the various input model parameters. It helps to identify the most important design parameters of a particular structure and to focus on them during the design and optimization process. This paper is focused on the application of stochastic sensitivity analysis of maximum equivalent stress and maximum mid-span deflection of timber-concrete composite beam. All input parameters were considered to be random variables. Latin Hypercube Sampling numerical simulation method was employed. The estimation of the sensitivity was derived from Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient.

The link between airborne fungal spores and environmental parameters was investigated for 4 years in the city of Athens, Greece. Spearman rank order correlation analysis (rs), stepwise multiple linear regression analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis evidenced significant interrelationships between the fungal spore concentration and meteorological factors, and less significance with the air pollutants. Air temperature, solar radiation and wind speed influenced positively (p

Quantitative characterization of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes is valuable in glucuronidation reaction phenotyping, predicting metabolic clearance and drug-drug interactions using extrapolation exercises based on pharmacokinetic modeling. Different quantitative proteomic workflows have been employed to quantify UGT enzymes in various systems, with reports indicating large variability in expression, which cannot be explained by interindividual variability alone. To evaluate the effect of methodological differences on end-point UGT abundance quantification, eight UGT enzymes were quantified in 24 matched liver microsomal samples by two laboratories using stable isotope-labeled (SIL) peptides or quantitative concatemer (QconCAT) standard, and measurements were assessed against catalytic activity in seven enzymes (n = 59). There was little agreement between individual abundance levels reported by the two methods; only UGT1A1 showed strong correlation [Spearman rank order correlation (Rs) = 0.73, P < 0.0001; R2 = 0.30; n = 24]. SIL-based abundance measurements correlated well with enzyme activities, with correlations ranging from moderate for UGTs 1A6, 1A9, and 2B15 (Rs = 0.52-0.59, P < 0.0001; R2 = 0.34-0.58; n = 59) to strong correlations for UGTs 1A1, 1A3, 1A4, and 2B7 (Rs = 0.79-0.90, P < 0.0001; R2 = 0.69-0.79). QconCAT-based data revealed generally poor correlation with activity, whereas moderate correlations were shown for UGTs 1A1, 1A3, and 2B7. Spurious abundance-activity correlations were identified in the cases of UGT1A4/2B4 and UGT2B7/2B15, which could be explained by correlations of protein expression between these enzymes. Consistent correlation of UGT abundance with catalytic activity, demonstrated by the SIL-based dataset, suggests that quantitative proteomic data should be validated against catalytic activity whenever possible. In addition, metabolic reaction phenotyping exercises should consider spurious abundance-activity correlations to avoid misleading conclusions.

This study developed a standard methodology for identifying spatial trends using satellite-based raster datasets. It involves the novelty of exploring the capabilities of a geographic information system in implementing the procedures of three trend tests, the Spearman rank order correlation (SROC) test, the Kendall rank correlation (KRC) test and the Mann-Kendall (MK) test, on raster datasets of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission at 0.25° × 0.25° resolution. Comparative evaluation of the three tests revealed fair agreement of a major part of the test results for pre-, post- and non-monsoon and one-day maximum rainfall. Also, similar results from KRC and MK tests were obtained over a considerable area for annual, monsoon and monthly maximum rainfall. These findings suggest the importance of selecting the appropriate test depending on rainfall magnitudes at the chosen time scale and emphasize the robustness of the KRC and MK tests.

High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is a recommended triage approach for females with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), but due to its poor specificity this approach is not recommended for patients with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL). The objective of the current study was to determine microRNA (miR)-205 expression levels in liquid-based cytology (LBC) samples, and evaluate their ability to predict cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2/3 or worse (CIN2/3+) in females with minor cytological abnormalities. LBC samples were obtained from patients attending the Swedish Cervical Cancer Screening Program. The Mann-Whitney U test, one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman rank order correlation analysis, and Pearson's χ2 test were used to assess the results. Accuracy analyses indicated that high miR-205 expression had a significantly higher specificity to high-risk HPV testing, and a sensitivity similar to that of high-risk HPV testing to predict CIN2+ and CIN3+ in women with LSIL, but not those with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. Although further research is required for females with LSIL, miR-205 expression in LBC samples may be a novel triage marker for, or a beneficial supplement to high-risk-HPV testing in these patients.

Background: Caregivers have intimate knowledge of their children and can provide reliable information on their quality of life (QoL). Objective: This study assessed the factors that could influence caregiver report of QoL of children with Cerebral Palsy.Methods: The cross-sectional survey recruited 30 caregivers and children diagnosed with CP using purposive sampling technique. QoL was assessed with CP-QoL questionnaire, depression with Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and functional level with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). Socio-demographic data and perceived stress were assessed with a pro-forma. The data were summarised with descriptive statistics and analysed with Spearman Rank Order correlation at alpha level of 0.05. Results: The mean age of caregivers and that of children with CP were 34.40 ± 7.02 years and 7.23 ± 2.08 years respectively. The mean QoL score was 60.06±4.27. The ‘social well-being and acceptance’ (75.07 ± 9.52) and ‘Access to services’ (66.65±7.87) domains have the highest mean scores. Marital status has significant relationship with proxy report of children’s overall QoL (Rho=0.40; P

Introduction: Radiographs are effective tools in assessing the stages of bone maturation in dentistry. The cervical vertebral maturation method is a proven effective tool in assessing the adolescent growth spurt than hand-wrist radiographs in an individual. Assessment of dental calcification stages are a reliable method for determining dental maturity. Panoramic imaging can be used as the primary imaging modality for assessing maturity if a correlation can be found out between tooth calcification stages and cervical vertebral maturation stages. This study was conducted to determine the correlation between dental maturity stage and cervical vertebral maturity stage and to estimate predictor variables for cervical vertebral maturation stages (CVMS) stratified by gender in a tertiary hospital setting. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was conducted among patients accessing orthodontic care in radiology outpatient clinic, Oral Medicine and Radiology department, Government Dental College Thiruvananthapuram for a period of 15 months. Participants were selected between the ages of 8 and 16 years. Panoramic radiographs and lateral cephalograms were used to determine dental maturity stages using Demirjian method and CVMS using Bacetti and Franchi method, respectively. Results: One hundred patients (males = 46, females = 54) were included in the study; the spearman rank order correlation revealed significant relationship. The correlation ranged from 0.61 to 0.74 for females and 0.48 to 0.51 for males. Second premolar showed highest correlation and canine the lowest for both females and males. Stage G of mandibular second premolar signifies the pubertal growth period in this study population. By ordinal regression model, G stage of second premolar was found to be a significant predictor in males and stage H followed by G and F in females for the age group of 12–14 years. Conclusion: Dental maturation stages were significantly correlated with CVMS. The development stages of mandibular second premolar had the strongest correlation with cervical vertebral maturity in both males and females. G stage of mandibular second premolar can be clinically used as a maturity indicator in the pubertal growth period. Moreover, G stage of second premolar can be used as a significant predictor for the age group of 12–14 years in both males and females.

Circulating microvesicles (MV) can be analysed using a number of different techniques. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between functional procoagulant based assays including thrombin generation, factor Xa activation test (XaCT), and phosphatidylserine factor Xa-activity by ELISA with optical MV enumeration by flow cytometry and nanoparticle tracking analysis.Citrated blood samples were collected from 60 healthy volunteer blood donors after informed consent. Platelet free plasma was prepared using a standardized published protocol. MV subsets were enumerated by flow cytometry (BDFACS Canto) after staining with specific antibodies for platelets (CD41), endothelial cells (CD105), red cells (CD235) monocytes (CD14), tissue factor (CD142) and for phosphatidylserine expression by binding to annexin V. A standardized protocol using counting beads was employed. Nanotracking analysis was performed on both scatter and fluorescent settings after MV staining with quantum dot stain, Qdot 655. Procoagulant function was assessed by the XaCT assay on an automated coagulation analyser and by thrombin generation assay measuring endogenous thrombin potential (ETP), lagtime, peak (PEAK) and time to peak (ttPEAK) using a Calibrated Automated Thrombogram (CAT). The statistical analysis was carried out with Statistica 12 software using non-parametric tests (Spearman rank order correlations, with significance set at p0.05).In normal healthy subjects, thrombin generation parameters correlated with levels of MV measured by flow cytometry. ETP, lagtime, ttPEAK and PEAK correlated with MV expressing phosphatidylserine (rs, Spearman rank order correlation was 0.29, 0.40, 0.31 and 0.34 respectively, p0.05), and MV expressing tissue factor (rs was 0.29, 0.40, 0.31 and 0.34 respectively, p0.05), whilst red cell derived MV correlated with lagtime, ttPEAK and PEAK (rs, was 0.35,0.30 and 0.3, respectively, p0.05). Lagtime and ttPEAK negatively correlated with the clot based XaCT test (rs, was -0.34 and -0.30 respectively, p0.05) and positively correlated with the ELISA MP-activity assay (rs=0.42 for both, p0.05). In addition, endothelial MV levels weakly correlated with white cell counts (rs = 0.27, p0.05).Thrombin generation and flow cytometry for phosphatidylserine or tissue factor expressing MV correlate well as markers for procoagulant activity. A combination of optical or non-optical enumeration as well as functional methods may be required for a complete profiling of circulating MV.

Why consumers consistently rank hospital reputation as one of the most important factors when selecting health care services remains unknown. We hypothesized that this is explained by consumers associating reputation with objective quality. We performed a cross-sectional, US population-based survey of consumers (N = 23,410) exploring this association. A Spearman rank order correlation was used to measure the strength of this relationship. Subgroups of consumers more likely to associate the two was explored with multivariable logistic regression. Consumers commonly agree (56%) that a hospital's reputation is the same as its quality of health care. Consumers also associate hospital reputation with the belief that they will be less like to suffer a complication (ρ = 0.509) or die (ρ = 0.441), although the strength of these relationships were modest (all p < 0.01). Consumers who were male (OR: 0.84), Hispanic (OR: 0.82), African American (OR: 0.86), married (OR: 0.85), self-reported as healthy (OR: 0.67), and had a recent hospitalization (OR: 0.70) were less likely to believe that reputation and quality were equivalent (all p < 0.01). This data suggests that consumers link the construct of hospital reputation with objective health care quality, but this pattern of behavior is of concern, particularly when reputation does not align with objective data.

STUDY DESIGN A prospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was first to compare monthly measurements of low back pain (LBP) with quarterly and yearly retrospective measurements of LBP, and second to investigate possible bias effects for recall bias of LBP. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA LBP is a subjective experience often measured by a single rating of recalled pain over a certain time interval. However, retrospectively reported pain may be subject to recall bias. METHODS The agreement between monthly measurements of LBP and quarterly and yearly retrospective measurements of LBP was evaluated by Spearman rank order correlation coefficients, intraclass correlation coefficients, and Bland-Altman plots. Bias effects for recall bias were investigated by a linear regression model. RESULTS There were no statistical significant differences in mean values of monthly measurements of LBP compared with quarterly and yearly retrospective measurements of LBP on a group level. However, the Bland-Altman plots revealed that within individuals, the difference between monthly measurements of LBP and quarterly and yearly retrospective measurements of LBP was highly variable. For both quarterly and yearly recall, social support from colleagues and average LBP days were significantly associated with the recall bias. CONCLUSION The agreement of pain recall among workers in the current study seems to be good on a group level, but both between and within individuals, the difference between monthly and quarterly and yearly retrospective measurements was quite high. Factors that impacted the recall bias were social support from colleagues and average LBP days over the recall period. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3.

We propose a screening approach to find reliable and effectively expert crowd workers in image quality assessment (IQA). Our method measures the users' ability to identify image degradations by using test questions, together with several relaxed reliability checks. We conduct multiple experiments, obtaining reproducible results with a high agreement between the expertise-screened crowd and the freelance experts of 0.95 Spearman rank order correlation (SROCC), with one restriction on the image type. Our contributions include a reliability screening method for uninformative users, a new type of test questions that rely on our proposed database1of pristine and artificially distorted images, a group agreement extrapolation method and an analysis of the crowdsourcing experiments.

Initializing forest landscape models (FLMs) to simulate changes in tree species composition requires accurate fine-scale forest attribute information mapped continuously over large areas. Nearest-neighbor imputation maps, maps developed from multivariate imputation of field plots, have high potential for use as the initial condition within FLMs, but the tendency for field plots to be imputed over large geographical distances can result in species being mapped outside of their home ranges, which is problematic. We developed an approach for evaluating and imputing field plots based on their similarity across multiple spatial environmental variates, their species composition, and their geographical distance between source and imputation to produce a map that is appropriate for initializing an FLM. We used this approach to map 13 million ha of forest throughout the six New England states (Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine). Using both independent state forest and, more extensive, ecoregion validation data sets, we compared the imputation map to field inventory data, based on the dissimilarity of tree community composition and the rank order correlation of tree species abundance. Average Bray-Curtis dissimilarity between the imputation map and field plots was 0.32 and 0.12, for the state forest and ecoregion validation data sets, respectfully. Average Spearman rank order correlation was 0.81 and 0.93 for the state forest and ecoregion validation data sets, respectfully. Our analyses suggest that this approach to imputation can realistically capture regional variation in forest composition. We expect the imputation map will be valuable for several regional forest studies and that the approach could be successfully used in other regions.

In recent years, studies on campus sustainability have been conducted to measure the impact that universities have on the environment and several mechanisms to measure and rank universities globally on how they perform in sustainability have been proposed. The UI Greenmetrics ranks universities based on sustainable performance ratings and focused more on the initiatives and opportunities provided to achieve sustainability but did not address the issue of environmental literacy among the university students. This study aims to understand how sustainable practices and policies adopted by Green Universities as well as demographic factors relate to the level of environmental attitude and responsible environmental behaviour of Malaysian student leaders. A census survey was carried out on student leaders of Malaysian public universities to assess their level of perception, attitude, personal responsible environmental behaviour (REB) and REB with regards to UI Greenmetrics Criteria. The Mann-Whitney U test conducted revealed that there was no significant difference in the level of the assessed components across all demographic factors between green and nongreen universities. Spearman rank order correlation showed that there was a significant positive correlation between perception and personal REB (rs(322) = .385, p < .05) as well student council REB (rs(322) = .542, p < .05). Attitude was found to have a significant negative correlation with student council REB (rs(322) = -.114, p < .05) while a high level of personal REB was significantly correlated with student council behaviour (rs(322) = .579, p < .05).

Little is known about the role of the second molar eruption in forensic age estimation; however, in countries where the legal age is 14-years-old, it can provide important information. This study aims to analyse whether the eruption stages of the second mandibular molar can be used for forensic age estimation purposes. The eruption stage of the second left mandibular molar was assessed and correlation between age and stage of eruption was evaluated using Spearman rank order correlation. A Chi-square test was used to assess the correlation between age equal or superior to 14 and stage C or D attainment. The level of significance was defined as p

The purpose of this multiple case study was to critically evaluate the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework by examining the convergent and discriminant validity associated with two popular TPACK measures. Twenty-seven preservice teachers completed the Schmidt et al. (2009) survey and their planning documents were analyzed using the Harris et al. (2010) rubric. A Spearman rank order correlation on the two measures revealed low levels of convergence within similar constructs and a lack of discrimination between dissimilar constructs. Holistic narrative analysis of end-of-course portfolios supported the rubric scores overall. Recommendations for re-examining the measures and the TPACK framework itself are discussed.

Researchers and managers within the Upper Midwest currently use a variety of sampling methodologies and biological indices to assess ecological condition of stream systems. With multiple entities collecting bioassessment data it is important that we determine the comparability of data and the indices derived from these data for effective assessment of natural systems. In this study we assessed the similarity of data collected by different agencies and we focused on data from one watershed to examine the outputs of different indices for stream assessment, and the temporal variation of index score within sites. We compared duplicate macroinvertebrate community data collected by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality for overall community composition and index scores derived from these data. Duplicate samples were similar in composition index scores. Taxonomic resolution was addressed and indicated that genus level resolution gives a more favorable score when using indices. We also evaluated the utility of currently available macroinvertebrate indices of biotic integrity to assess data from the Big Manistee River watershed. The indices evaluated were the Hilsenhoff biotic index, the benthic community index for the Northern Lakes and Forests (NLFBCI), the Great Lakes Environmental Assessment Survey (GLEAS) procedure 51 for macroinvertebrates and a biological condition gradient model for the Upper Midwest. Outputs from the indices were moderately correlated (Spearman rank order correlation, r = 0.35–0.698) though they indicated different assessments of overall site integrity. Compared with larger scale regional indices, locally calibrated indices generally classified sites as having better biological condition. Replicate samples collected within sites indicated the GLEAS had higher levels of variability (0–265%CV) within sites than the other indices (

Correlations between ten-channel EEGs obtained from thirteen healthy adult participants were investigated. Signals were obtained in two behavioral states: eyes open no task and eyes closed no task. Four time domain measures were compared: Pearson product moment correlation, Spearman rank order correlation, Kendall rank order correlation and mutual information. The psychophysiological utility of each measure was assessed by determining its ability to discriminate between conditions. The sensitivity to epoch length was assessed by repeating calculations with 1, 2, 3, …, 8 s epochs. The robustness to noise was assessed by performing calculations with noise corrupted versions of the original signals (SNRs of 0, 5 and 10 dB). Three results were obtained in these calculations. First, mutual information effectively discriminated between states with less data. Pearson, Spearman and Kendall failed to discriminate between states with a 1 s epoch, while a statistically significant separation was obtained with mutual information. Second, at all epoch durations tested, the measure of between-state discrimination was greater for mutual information. Third, discrimination based on mutual information was more robust to noise. The limitations of this study are discussed. Further comparisons should be made with frequency domain measures, with measures constructed with embedded data and with the maximal information coefficient.

The aim of this study was to investigate rainfall–groundwater dynamics over space and annual time scales in a hard-rock aquifer system of India by employing time series, geographic information system and geostatistical modelling techniques. Trends in 43-year (1965–2007) annual rainfall time series of ten rainfall stations and 16-year (1991–2006) pre-monsoon and post-monsoon groundwater levels of 140 sites were identified by using Mann–Kendall, Spearman rank order correlation and Kendall rank correlation tests. Trends were quantified by Kendall slope method. Furthermore, the study involves novelty of examining homogeneity of pre-monsoon and post-monsoon groundwater levels, for the first time, by applying seven tests. Regression analysis between rainfall and post-monsoon groundwater levels was performed. The pre-monsoon and post-monsoon groundwater levels for four periods – 1991–1994, 1995–1998, 1999–2002 and 2003–2006 – were subjected to geographic information system-based geostatistical modelling. The rainfall showed considerable spatiotemporal variations, with a declining trend at the Mavli rainfall station (p-value 0.5) between groundwater level and rainfall for eight rainfall stations. Non-homogeneity and declining trends in the groundwater level, attributed to anthropogenic and hydrologic factors, were found at 5–61 more sites in pre-monsoon compared with post-monsoon season. The groundwater declining rates in phyllite–schist, gneiss, schist and granite formations were found to be 0.18, 0.26, 0.21 and 0.14 m year−1 and 0.13, 0.19, 0.16 and 0.02 m year−1 during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. The geostatistical analyses for four time periods revealed linkages between the rainfall and groundwater levels. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We describe a patient with persistent cerebral achromatopsia occurring after bilateral occipital strokes. Blinded color recognition was assessed with a computerized experimental paradigm and the patient reported the degree of confidence in the response exactness on a visual percent scale. Color recognition was accurate and above chance (Fisher's exact test, p < 0.002). The degree of confidence in the answers showed a significant correlation with recognition scores (Spearman rank order correlation, p < 0.0001). These findings constitute the exceptional condition of what we called color anopsognosia (not knowing of seeing colors) and recall the theoretic figure of the ‘philosophical zombie'. However, the cognitive mechanisms of the dissociation between a subjective colorless vision and good performance for color naming still remain poorly understood.

Blind Image Quality Assessment (BIQA) has received considerable importance with the increase in the use of multimedia in our daily lives. The main objective of BIQA is to predict the quality of distorted images without any prior information about the original image. In this work, we propose an efficient feature selection method for blind image quality assessment based on natural scene statistics i.e., Distortion Identification-based Image Verity and Integrity Evaluation (DIIVINE). The proposed method produces better results for non-reference image quality assessment by selecting features, which produce the best Spearman Rank Order Correlation Constant (SROCC) scores averaged over 1000 random runs. The experimental results conducted on the LIVE database show that the proposed method strongly correlates to the subjective mean observer score and is competitive to the state-of-the-art image quality assessment techniques with a minimum number of features that reduces the computational expense.

Objective Quantitative determination of fecal fat still is the gold standard for measuring malabsorption. We evaluated the importance of standardized food intake before and under the collection of feces. Material and Methods In a project, evaluating patients with suspected chronic pancreatitis (CP) and healthy volunteers (HC), stools were collected for 72 hours coupled to registration of nutritional intake over five consecutive days. Patient groups were created by a modified Layer score, which includes imaging findings, clinical parameters and pancreas function testing. Results We found 12 patients with CP, 11 patients without CP and 13 healthy individuals in our database. Median fecal fat in CP patients was 12 g/day, in non-CP patients 5 g/day and in healthy controls 5 g/day. Median fat absorption coefficient was 81% in those with chronic pancreatitis, 92% in those without CP and 92% in healthy controls. Corresponding median fat intake was 65 g/day, 68 g/day and 81 g/day in the respective groups. Spearman Rank Order Correlation between fecal fat (g/d) and fat absorption coefficient in all study subjects (n = 36) was good (-0.88 (p

Background:Limited data exist of tracking and changes in accelerometer-measured physical activity in children.Methods:Physical activity was assessed by accelerometers for 4 days in 167 children (boys, n = 90; girls n = 77) age 9.8 ± 0.6 years. Follow-up measurement was made 2.0 ± 0.1 yrs later (range 1.9−2.1 yrs). General physical activity (GPA) was defined as mean count/minute. Minutes of inactivity; light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity (LMVPA); moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA); and vigorous physical activity (VPA) per day were calculated both as absolute values and as percentage of total registration time.Results:Spearman rank order correlation indicated low tracking of MVPA and VPA in girls (r = .25−0.33, P < .05), and low-moderate tracking of GPA, inactivity, LMVPA, MVPA and VPA in boys (r = .23−0.40, P < .05). Time in inactivity increased at follow-up by 5%−14%. Most of the assessed physical activity variables were decreased at follow-up by 6% to 30%.Conclusions:Physical activity tracks at a low-moderate degree from age 10−12 years, which confirm previous investigations that have used self-report assessments. The low-moderate tracking of physical activity variables indicate that those who were most active initially remained most active. Increasing inactive behavior was observed and that several other physical activity variables were decreased at follow-up.

Several epidemiologic studies have reported that exposure to noise is associated with cardiovascular disease. The increased body weight is often associated with metabolic as well as increased blood pressure. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between the elevation of blood pressure and serum leptin hormones due to the effects of noise in the work place. A total of 80 volunteer males where included in this study with an age range between of 20 and 45 years, they were divided in two groups equally, the 1 st group were exposed to noise in the workplace while the 2 nd group were not. The individual noise exposure was determined by using a sound level meter. The range of noise was 80-100 dBA. Body Mass Index was also taken for each individual by a standard measure, blood pressure was measured by OMRON sphygmomanometer and serum leptin was measured through venous blood sample analysis enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Spearman rank order correlation was used to examine the correlations between Blood pressure value (Systolic, Diastolic) and Leptin. All the relationships between parameters showed a positive correlation. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure values had a significant correlation to leptin hormone level in comparison to the control. There was a significant relation between leptin and blood pressure. leptin effects on the sympathetic nervous system may provide a partial explanation. Therefore, Leptin might have diverse cardiovascular actions.

Background Epilepsy is a chronic seizure disorder that affects numerous people worldwide. Community integration (CI) is the ultimate goal of rehabilitation of any chronic condition. There seems to be a dearth of research on CI among people living with epilepsy (PLWE). Aim The present study was designed to investigate on the level of satisfaction with CI and its associated factors in a Nigerian PLWE. Methodology This was a cross-sectional survey of 70 adult PLWE (28.6% females; mean age = 34.91 ± 16.21 years) consecutively recruited from three purposively selected specialized clinics in Anambra State of South-eastern Nigeria. The Reintegration to Normal Living Index was used to assess the level of satisfaction with CI among the participants. Data was analysed using Spearman Rank Order Correlation, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests at 0.05 level of significance. Results The total level of satisfaction with CI among PLWE was poor (59.76 ± 23.24). PLWE were severely restricted in nine out of the fourteen CI scores but were mildly or moderately restricted in the remaining five CI scores. The participants’ total level of satisfaction with CI significantly correlated with their annual (r = −0.319; p = 0.007), six-month (r = −0.275; p = 0.021) and one-month (r = −0.221; p = 0.025) episodes of seizures, and was significantly influenced by their occupational status (k = 12.15; p = 0.009) and highest educational attainment (k = 12.39; p = 0.006). Conclusion Generally, the total level of satisfaction with CI among PLWE was poor. There is need for interventional programmes aimed at integrating PLWE into their various communities with special emphasis laid on unemployed and less educated ones having high seizure frequency.

Background: The Ibadan Knee/Hip Osteoarthritis Outcome Measure (IKHOAM) an outcome measure developed for evaluating the outcome of therapeutic interventions in patients with knee and/or hip osteoarthritis (OA) in Nigerian clinical settings and similar environment. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of the English version of the IKHOAM. Methods: Fifty-four English-speaking patients with OA of knee/hip from physiotherapy clinics of all secondary and tertiary health institutions in Ibadan participated in this cross-sectional survey. The participants completed the self-reported parts of IKHOAM at 48-hr interval. Clinician-measured part of IKHOAM was administered once to each participant by three physiotherapists at the same time and for a second time by one of the physiotherapists after 48 hr. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and percentage) and analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficient and Spearman rank order correlation. Resul...

This paper aims to collect and analyse existing information on different filter media used for phosphorus (P) removal from wastewater in constructed wetlands. The most commonly used materials are categorized as natural materials (considered in 39 papers), industrial byproducts (25 papers) and man-made products (10 papers). A majority of studies on sorbents have been carried out in lab-scale systems as batch experiments, and only very few studies have highlighted results on full-scale systems. Among the great variety of filter media studied, most of materials had a pH level >7 and high Ca (CaO) content. The highest P-removal capacities were reported for various industrial byproducts (up to 420 g P kg −1 for some furnace slags), followed by natural materials (maximum 40 g P kg −1 for heated opoka) and man-made filter media (maximum 12 g P kg −1 for Filtralite). We found a significant positive Spearman Rank Order Correlation between the P retention and CaO and Ca content of filter materials ( R 2 = 0.51 and 0.43, respectively), whereas the relation of P retention to pH level was weak ( R 2 = 0.22) but significant. There is probably an optimal level of hydraulic loading rate at which the P removal is the highest. Additional important factors determining the applicability of filter materials in treatment wetlands such as saturation time, availability at a local level, content of heavy metals, and the recyclability of saturated filter media as fertilizer should be taken into consideration.

Item does not contain fulltext PURPOSE: To investigate the congruent validity of a structured interview protocol for assessing the preferences of seven children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHOD: Using the structured interview protocol described by Green et al., parents were asked to provide a rank ordering of their child's preferred foods, drinks, toys and sensory stimuli. The resulting rank order was then compared to the results of a multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment by calculating the Spearman rank order correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The results revealed a high level of correspondence between the rank orderings of both assessments for four of the six participants for food and drink items and four of the seven participants for play items and sensory stimuli. CONCLUSION: Results support the use of the structured interview protocol to determine the preferences of children with ASD. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed. 6 p.

Using a retrospective evaluation of feed efficiency, this study investigated the effects of physiological age on residual feed intake (RFI) in growing heifers. Data were collected during 1973 and 1974 at the McGregor location of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Heifers (n = 77) were obtained from a large crossbreeding program utilizing a five-breed diallel mating scheme using Angus, Brahman, Hereford, Holstein and Jersey breeds. At approximately 6 months of age, pre-pubertal heifers were individually penned and received ad libitum access to a balanced diet. Individual feed intake and body weight data were collected at 28-day intervals for 84 days prior to puberty and for 90 days after puberty. The diet was changed at puberty to provide a lower energy density. Considering all females as cohorts, RFI was calculated for each heifer for each period using separate models for the pre- and post-pubertal periods. A moderate, positive Pearson correlation (r = 0.48; P < 0.001) was detected between pre- and post-pubertal RFI. Furthermore, heifer RFI rank was compared between the pre- and post-pubertal periods using Spearman rank order correlation and a similar correlation (r = 0.46; P < 0.001) was revealed. This suggests that RFI determined during the pre-pubertal period may only be a moderate predictor of post-pubertal RFI. As a result, physiological age should be considered when evaluating cattle for feed efficiency using RFI.

Soil cover, which is one of the most informative and integrative landscape factors, can be used for the analysis of landscape patterns. We studied the spatial autocorrelation (Moran's I ) of raster format soil maps (1:10,000; 10 m pixel size) in 35 study areas representing all landscape regions in Estonia. The carbonate concentration of soils, volumetric soil moisture (%) and the depth of the groundwater table were taken into consideration in compiling a scale of contrast of 17 soil groups. We introduce a simple characteristic based on spatial correlograms: a half-value distance lag, h I = 0.5 —a distance where Moran's I drops below 0.5. Spatial autocorrelation decreased very rapidly in the case of heights with a very heterogeneous landscape composition, showing low values of h I = 0.5 ( h I = 0.5 I did decrease slowly with increasing lag, being >200 m in all forest and bog areas with complex topographical conditions due to the variety of glacial landforms and peatlands. All of the eight FRAGSTATS landscape metrics studied demonstrated significant correlations with h I = 0.5 , whereas five of them – Contrast Weighted Edge Density (CWED); Percentage of Like Adjacencies (PLADJ), Edge Density (ED), Patch Density (PD) and Mean Patch Area Distribution (AREA_MN) – had Spearman Rank Order Correlation values higher than 0.8. Landscapes with high ED, PD, and CWED values have a low autocorrelation: PD, ED, and CWED correlated negatively with h I = 0.5 . PD, ED, and CWED decreased and PLADJ increased with the power-law relationship with increasing h I = 0.5 . Spatial autocorrelation is lower in landscapes with complex structure and high contrast. The positive relationship with PLADJ indicates the same. Thus, spatial correlograms of potential landscape structure based on soil cover analysis can be used for the characterization of human-influenced landscape (land use) structure.

OBJETIVO: Este estudo teve como objetivo averiguar a atividade enzimática da N-acetil-β-D-glicosaminidase (NAG) como possível biomarcador precoce de disfunção renal para a exposição ocupacional ao chumbo inorgânico. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Foi selecionado um grupo de 30 pessoas do sexo masculino expostas ao chumbo inorgânico em uma fábrica de baterias localizada no estado do Paraná. Fizeram parte do grupo os funcionários que mostraram valores de chumbo sanguíneo inferiores a 40 mg/dl. O grupo controle foi representado por 15 adultos saudáveis com similaridade em relação à idade e ao gênero do grupo exposto. Foram determinados os níveis de plumbemia, do ácido d-aminolevulínico urinário e a atividade da NAG urinária. RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO: Foi evidenciado que a atividade urinária da NAG foi significativamente maior (p < 0,05; teste U de Mann-Whitney) no grupo exposto ao chumbo inorgânico quando comparado ao grupo controle, e houve uma correlação negativa com significância (p < 0,05; correlação de Spearman Rank Order) entre o indicador biológico de exposição plúmbica e a atividade urinária da NAG. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados demonstraram que o aumento da atividade urinária da NAG pode ser utilizado como um biomarcador precoce da exposição ao chumbo inorgânico. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to verify the enzymatic activity of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) as a possible early biomarker of renal dysfunction due to occupational exposure to inorganic lead. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We selected a group of 30 males that had been exposed to inorganic lead in a battery factory in the state of Paraná. This group comprised those employees whose blood lead levels were below 40 mg/dl. The control group consisted of 15 healthy adults of similar age and gender compared with the exposed group. Blood lead concentrations, d-aminolevulinic acid levels and urinary NAG activity were measured. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: It was shown that urinary NAG activity was significantly higher (p < 0.05, U test of Mann-Whitney) in the exposed group in comparison to the control group, and there was a significant negative correlation (p < 0.05, Spearman Rank Order correlation) between the biological indicator of lead exposure and urinary NAG activity. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the increase of urinary NAG activity may be used as an early biomarker of the exposure to inorganic lead.

Purpose To evaluate the association between office-hour central corneal thickness (CCT) and 24-hour intraocular pressure (IOP) fluctuation in patients with glaucoma. Design Observational case-control study. Methods Measurements of IOP were obtained every 2 hours during a 24-hour period from 52 untreated glaucoma patients and 29 age-matched normal control subjects housed in a sleep laboratory. Habitual IOP measurements were obtained using a pneumatonometer in the sitting positions during the diurnal/wake period (7 AM to 11 PM) and in the supine position during the nocturnal/sleep period (11 PM to 7 AM). CCT was measured in all subjects using ultrasound pachymetry once during office hours. The association between IOP fluctuation (peak IOP-trough IOP) during the 24-hour period and the office-hour CCT was assessed in both glaucoma patients and healthy age-matched controls using Spearman rank order correlation. Results There was no statistically significant correlation between IOP fluctuation and CCT in glaucomatous (P=0.405) and normal subjects (P=0.456). Conclusions Twenty-four-hour IOP fluctuations were not correlated with single CCT measurements taken during office hours in glaucoma patients.

This study evaluates whether a shelter dog could be rehomed successfully into a facility for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD). The goal was to assess the effect on animal welfare of this form of pet ownership and of individual sessions of animal assisted activity (AAA) with some pre-selected patients. After the enrollment of a suitable shelter dog, the dog was introduced gradually into the facility. Upon adoption, the dog's welfare was monitored during the first 6 months by integrating indirect assessment (18-item questionnaire) with direct observations of behavioral and clinical responses (31-item score system table), and with an assay of hormonal changes. Only descriptive statistics were done on the questionnaire data. The findings suggest a progressive positive integration into the new environment. The qualitative data using direct observations were analyzed with the Spearman Rank order correlation test. Some data showed significant variation during the period of observation, suggesting a gradual reduction of the dog's stress during AAA sessions. The hormonal trend, especially for cortisol measured in hair, seemed to correlate with the clinical and behavioral findings.