Fitting a Linear Regression Model and Forecasting in R in the Presence of Heteroskedascity with Particular Reference to Advanced Regression Technique Dataset on kaggle.com.

Since ancient times, men have built and sold houses. But just how much is a house worth? The challenge is to be able to use information about a house such as its location, and the area on which it is built to predict its price. Such predicted prices can be of great importance to any participant in the real estate business be it an agent, a buyer, seller or a bank to make intelligent decisions and the profit that come with such decisions. Since every company’s success depends on its ability to accurately predict financial outcomes, its profitability will depend on how well it can forecast economic outcomes. The goal of this thesis is to demonstrate how to use the forecasting tools of the software R to forecast house prices. To achieve this, we use random forest, correlation plots and scatter plots to select variables to include to use in building a model using the information in one of the data sets (training data set) and then test the effectiveness of the model on another set (test data set). Then, we explore the relationships between these variables and decide whether it is appropriate to build linear models(lm) or a generalized linear models(glm). Finally, we build our model on the dataset making sure to avoid an overly complex or overfit model. Noting that our model suffers from unconditional heteroskedasticity, we discuss its goodness of fit. Then we use the model to predict sales prices for the point in the testing data set

Neural tube defects-disorders of neurulation and related embryonic processes

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are severe congenital malformations affecting 1 in every 1000 pregnancies. ‘Open’ NTDs result from failure of primary neurulation as seen in anencephaly, myelomeningocele (open spina bifida), and craniorachischisis. Degeneration of the persistently open neural tube in utero leads to loss of neurological function below the lesion level. ‘Closed’ NTDs are skin-covered disorders of spinal cord structure, ranging from asymptomatic spina bifida occulta to severe spinal cord tethering, and usually traceable to disruption of secondary neurulation. ‘Herniation’ NTDs are those in which meninges, with or without brain or spinal cord tissue, become exteriorized through a pathological opening in the skull or vertebral column (e.g., encephalocele and meningocele). NTDs have multifactorial etiology, with genes and environmental factors interacting to determine individual risk of malformation. While over 200 mutant genes cause open NTDs in mice, much less is known about the genetic causation of human NTDs. Recent evidence has implicated genes of the planar cell polarity signaling pathway in a proportion of cases. The embryonic development of NTDs is complex, with diverse cellular and molecular mechanisms operating at different levels of the body axis. Molecular regulatory events include the bone morphogenetic protein and Sonic hedgehog pathways which have been implicated in control of neural plate bending. Primary prevention of NTDs has been implemented clinically following the demonstration that folic acid (FA), when taken as a periconceptional supplement, can prevent many cases. Not all NTDs respond to FA, however, and adjunct therapies are required for prevention of this FA-resistant category. WIREs Dev Biol 2013, 2:213–227. doi: 10.1002/wdev.7

Neural tube defects: recent advances, unsolved questions, and controversies

Neural tube defects are severe congenital malformations affecting around one in every 1000 pregnancies. An innovation in clinical management has come from the finding that closure of open spina bifida lesions in utero can diminish neurological dysfunction in children. Primary prevention with folic acid has been enhanced through introduction of mandatory food fortification in some countries, although not yet in the UK. Genetic predisposition accounts for most of the risk of neural tube defects, and genes that regulate folate one-carbon metabolism and planar cell polarity have been strongly implicated. The sequence of human neural tube closure events remains controversial, but studies of mouse models of neural tube defects show that anencephaly, open spina bifida, and craniorachischisis result from failure of primary neurulation, whereas skin-covered spinal dysraphism results from defective secondary neurulation. Other malformations, such as encephalocele, are likely to be postneurulation disorders

Reducing Occupational Stress and Improving Coping Strategies among Nursing Home Nurses: Implementation of the BREATHE web-based program.

Objective: The purpose of this quality improvement evidence-based project is to determine the effect of a web-based stress management program called BREATHE on reducing occupational stress and improving coping strategies. This evidence-based web-based program was made available to nurses in a nursing home (NH) in the Southeastern United States who have not participated in any stress management program before. Method: The project provided a web-based stress management educational program to the participants. The program consists of six modules that give nurses an in-depth understanding of stress, how to manage it, and develop coping strategies. The project was carried out in a NH in the Southeastern United States. Measurements: The demographic variables, valid and reliable questionnaires of the Nursing Stress Scale (NSS), and Brief COPE were included. These were created as HIPAA/PHI-compliant surveys in Qualtrics. The pre-survey consisted of questionnaires of demographic variables, NSS and Brief COPE questionnaires while the post and follow-up questionnaires were the NSS and Brief COPE, respectively. Results: This quality improvement EBP project demonstrated that there was a statistically significant increase in the nurse’s coping strategies while there was no significant difference in the nurses’ perception of occupational stress. Linking Evidence to Action: Our findings suggest that although the BREATHE program did not improve occupational stress; it did significantly increase the Brief COPE scores of the participants. An increase in coping strategies suggests that the program is a vital education program to be included in the continuous education module of the NH

Energy Crisis in Nigeria: A Golden Way for Building Other African Economies with Particular Reference to Ghana in the 21st Century

Structurally, functional infrastructural facilities are one of the stimuli for the development of any nation. For long, Nigerian has been experiencing energy crisis, with negative impact on the national economy. Power is perhaps the infrastructural axis in which economy revolves. Towards the beginning of this century, the power situation in Nigeria deteriorated each passing day forcing productive industries to generate private power through the use of generators. The production cost become too burdensome to bear and often times resorted to huge losses. This was as a result of persistent power outages, closure of businesses etc. Some African countries especially Ghana then, and even now, are doing well in the power sector. In this connection many industries in Nigeria have since relocated and some are planning to relocate to Ghana and elsewhere. Besides power, it is also contended that other environmental factors such as security, good tariff regime are favourable to business development and growth in Ghana. The paper therefore examines the impact of the power crisis in Nigeria and the benefits the Ghanaians are deriving from this crisis. It concludes that Nigerians are suffering economically and socially. The movement of key industries to Ghana have increased the unemployment ratio in Nigeria, reduced the level of taxes to states; these and others have generated social and insecurity problems and aggravated underdevelopment. Ghanaian economy is receiving a boost and potentials for growth at the expense of Nigeria caused by ineptitude of Nigerian leaders.LWATI: A Journal of Contemporary Research, 8(1), 232-240, 201