7,096 results
Search Results
2. Integrating Mental Health Management into Empowerment Group Sessions for Out-of-School Adolescents in Kenyan Informal Settlements: A Process Paper.
- Author
-
Mutahi J, Kangwana B, Khasowa D, Muthoni I, Charo O, Muli A, and Kumar M
- Subjects
- Humans, Adolescent, Kenya, Schools, Public Health, Mental Health, Empowerment
- Abstract
This article presents processes for developing contextualized training procedures to better appreciate partnership, capacity-building experiences, and specific implementation challenges and opportunities for mental and public health teams. The program enrolled 469 out-of-school adolescents to participate in the integration of youth mental health into health and life-skill safe spaces. The teams utilized various methods to achieve process outcomes of restructuring and adapting curricula, training youth mentors, and assessing their self-efficacy before integrating the intervention for 18 months. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic became an additional unique concern in the preliminary and the 18-month implementation period of the program. This necessitated innovation around hybrid training and asynchronous modalities as program teams navigated the two study locations for prompt training, supervision, evaluation, and feedback. In conclusion, out-of-school adolescents face a myriad of challenges, and a safe space program led by youth mentors can help promote mental health. Our study demonstrated how best this can be achieved. We point to lessons such as the importance of adapting the intervention and working cohesively in teams, building strong and trusting partnerships, learning how to carry out multidisciplinary dialogues, and continuous supervision and capacity building. This article aimed to document the processes around the design and implementation of this innovative intervention and present a summary of lessons learned.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Ovarian Cancer Incidence in the U.S. and Toxic Emissions from Pulp and Paper Plants: A Geospatial Analysis.
- Author
-
Hanchette C, Zhang CH, and Schwartz GG
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cluster Analysis, Female, Humans, Incidence, Middle Aged, Spatial Analysis, United States epidemiology, Air Pollutants adverse effects, Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial epidemiology, Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial etiology, Environmental Exposure adverse effects, Ovarian Neoplasms epidemiology, Ovarian Neoplasms etiology, Paper
- Abstract
Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of female cancer mortality in the U.S. and accounts for five percent of all cancer deaths among women. No environmental risk factors for ovarian cancer have been confirmed. We previously reported that ovarian cancer incidence rates at the state level were significantly correlated with the extent of pulp and paper manufacturing. We evaluated that association using county-level data and advanced geospatial methods. Specifically, we investigated the relationship of spatial patterns of ovarian cancer incidence rates with toxic emissions from pulp and paper facilities using data from the Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). Geospatial analysis identified clusters of counties with high ovarian cancer incidence rates in south-central Iowa, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and Georgia. A bivariate local indicator of spatial autocorrelation (LISA) analysis confirmed that counties with high ovarian cancer rates were associated with counties with large numbers of pulp and paper mills. Regression analysis of state level data indicated a positive correlation between ovarian cancer and water pollutant emissions. A similar relationship was identified from the analysis of county-level data. These data support a possible role of water-borne pollutants from pulp and paper mills in the etiology of ovarian cancer.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Measuring Interprofessional Collaboration's Impact on Healthcare Services Using the Quadruple Aim Framework: A Protocol Paper.
- Author
-
Foo YY, Xin X, Rao J, Tan NCK, Cheng Q, Lum E, Ong HK, Lim SM, Freeman KJ, and Tan K
- Subjects
- Humans, Health Services, Health Care Costs, Health Facilities, Interprofessional Relations, Cooperative Behavior, Delivery of Health Care
- Abstract
Despite decades of research on the impact of interprofessional collaboration (IPC), we still lack definitive proof that team-based care can lead to a tangible effect on healthcare outcomes. Without return on investment (ROI) evidence, healthcare leaders cannot justifiably throw their weight behind IPC, and the institutional push for healthcare manpower reforms crucial for facilitating IPC will remain variable and fragmentary. The lack of proof for the ROI of IPC is likely due to a lack of a unifying conceptual framework and the over-reliance on the single-method study design. To address the gaps, this paper describes a protocol which uses as a framework the Quadruple Aim which examines the ROI of IPC using four dimensions: patient outcomes, patient experience, provider well-being, and cost of care. A multimethod approach is proposed whereby patient outcomes are measured using quantitative methods, and patient experience and provider well-being are assessed using qualitative methods. Healthcare costs will be calculated using the time-driven activity-based costing methodology. The study is set in a Singapore-based national and regional center that takes care of patients with neurological issues.
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. Prevention Aiming at Functioning-Describing Prevention in the Context of Rehabilitation: A Discussion Paper.
- Author
-
Gutenbrunner C, Nugraha B, and Meyer T
- Subjects
- Humans, Disability Evaluation, International Classification of Diseases, Activities of Daily Living, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, Disabled Persons rehabilitation, Medicine
- Abstract
The widely accepted model of prevention, including primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, focuses predominantly on diseases. The WHO provides a comprehensive model of health conceptualized on the basis of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). This paper develops a conceptual description of prevention aimed at functioning on the basis of the ICF model. Starting from the ICF-based conceptual descriptions of rehabilitation as a health strategy, a conceptual description of functioning prevention has been developed. Prevention aiming at functioning is the health strategy that applies approaches to avoid or reduce risks of impairing bodily functions and structures, activity limitations and participation restrictions; to strengthen the resources of the person; to optimize capacity and performance; to prevent impairments of bodily functions and structures; to prevent activity limitations and participation restrictions; to reduce contextual risk factors and barriers, including personal and environmental factors; to promote and strengthen contextual facilitators, with the goal of enabling people with impairments and people at risk of disability; and to maintain or improve the level of functioning in interactions with the environment. The proposed concept widens the scope of prevention to all aspects of functioning, including contextual factors.
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. Removal of Hexavalent Chromium in Aqueous Solution by Cellulose Filter Paper Loaded with Nano-Zero-Valent Iron: Performance Investigation and Numerical Modeling.
- Author
-
Li H, Ren Z, Huang D, Jing Q, and Tang H
- Subjects
- Humans, Chromium analysis, Water, Adsorption, Iron, Water Pollutants, Chemical analysis
- Abstract
Cr(VI) pollution in water bodies is very harmful to human health and the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to remove Cr(VI) from water. In this study, the composite (FP-nZVI) was prepared by loading nano-zero-valent iron (nZVI) onto cellulose filter paper (FP) using a liquid-phase reduction method to improve the dispersibility and oxidation resistance of nZVI. In batch experiments, the effects of iron loading of FP-nZVI, initial concentration of Cr(VI), temperature, and pH on Cr(VI) removal were particularly investigated. The maximum removal rate of 98.6% was achieved at 25 °C, pH = 5, initial concentration of Cr(VI) of 20 mg/L, and FeCl
3 ·6H2 O solution concentration of 0.8 mol/L. The removal of Cr(VI) by FP-nZVI conformed to a pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model. The mechanism of Cr(VI) removal was a multi-step removal mechanism, involving adsorption, reduction, and coprecipitation. Column experiments investigated the effect of flow rate (1 mL/min, 3 mL/min, and 5 mL/min) on Cr(VI) removal. We found that increasing flow rate slightly decreased the removal rate of Cr(VI). The transport of Cr(VI) in composite porous media was simulated using HYDRUS-1D, and the results show that the two-site model can well simulate the reactive transport of Cr(VI). This study may provide a useful reference for the remediation of groundwater contaminated with Cr(VI) or other similar heavy metals using FP-nZVI.- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
7. Chronic Disease in Low-Resource Settings: Prevention and Management Throughout the Continuum of Care-A Call for Papers.
- Author
-
Heine M and Hanekom S
- Subjects
- Humans, Chronic Disease, Multimorbidity, Continuity of Patient Care
- Abstract
Multimorbidity, defined as the presence of two or more chronic conditions in an individual, has become a global public health challenge [...].
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. The Impact of Environmental Regulation on Firm Performance: Evidence from the Pulp and Paper Industry in China.
- Author
-
Ou X and Jiang H
- Subjects
- China, Conservation of Natural Resources, Ownership, Environmental Pollution prevention & control, Industry
- Abstract
In areas with serious pollution problems, the government designates a special emission limit (SEL) for pollution control and environmental protection in China. This paper examines the effects of chemical oxygen demand (COD) SEL on firms' production activity and market performance in the pulp and paper industry in the Lake Tai area in China. Using firm-level data, we employ a difference-in-differences strategy and find that SEL has a negative impact on the production scale, profitability, and market size of the regulated firms, while showing no significant impact on firm exports. The heterogeneity tests suggest that the impact of SEL on production and market performance varies with firm ownership, firm size, and target market. The reallocation effect of production shifts extra production from exited firms to existing firms, which explains the expansion of production scale and market size for SOEs and large-sized regulated firms. Compared with the decline of production scale, the inventory alleviation effect reduces the negative impact of stricter environmental regulation on firm performance.
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
9. Comparison of the Physical Care Burden on Formal Caregivers between Manual Human Care Using a Paper Diaper and Robot-Aided Care in Excretion Care.
- Author
-
Ko JB, Kong YK, Choi KH, Lee CK, Keum HJ, Hong JS, and Won BH
- Subjects
- Humans, Caregiver Burden, Caregivers, Robotics
- Abstract
Although the older population has been rapidly growing, the availability of formal caregivers remains limited. Assistance provided by care robots has helped lower this burden; however, whether using a care robot while providing excretion care (EC) is quantitatively increasing or decreasing caregivers' physical care burden has not been extensively studied. This study aimed to quantitatively compare the physical burden experienced by caregivers while providing manual excretion care (MC) using a paper diaper versus robot-aided care (RC). Ten formal caregivers voluntarily participated in the experiment. MC and RC tasks were structuralized according to phases and classified by characteristics. The experiment was conducted in a smart care space. The physical load of formal caregivers was estimated by muscular activity and subjective rating of perceived physical discomfort. The results demonstrated that although the physical load on the lower back and upper extremities during the preparation and post-care phases were greater in RC than MC, RC markedly alleviated caregivers' physical load when performing front tasks. In the preparation-care phases, the physical loads on the lower back and upper extremities were approximately 40.2 and 39.6% higher in the case of RC than MC, respectively. Similar to the preparation-care phases, the physical loads on the lower back and upper extremities during post-care phases were approximately 39.5 and 61.7% greater in the case of RC than MC, respectively. On the other hand, in the front-care phases, the physical loads on the lower back and upper extremities were approximately 25.6 and 34.9% lower in the case of RC than MC, respectively. These findings can quantitatively explain the effectiveness and features of a care robot to stakeholders and provide foundational research data for the development of EC robots. This study emphasizes the implementation and promotion of the dissemination, popularization, and development of care robots to fulfill formal caregiving needs.
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
10. Assessing and Predicting Green Credit Risk in the Paper Industry.
- Author
-
Zhao Y and Chen Y
- Subjects
- Carbon, Industry, Forestry
- Abstract
The paper industry is closely related to forestry resources, which constitute an essential part of achieving sustainable development. Green credit can provide financial support to assist the paper industry in achieving carbon neutrality. To develop a method for performing green credit risk assessments in the paper industry, first, an initial index system was established on the basis of two dimensions: financial risk and socio-environmental risk. Then, the KMV model was applied to measure credit risk. The combined results of this model, along with the environmental penalties of an enterprise, formed the basis for the classification of green credit risk. Third, the Gini index was used to filter out, one by one, the indexes with the least influence among the factors, and then random forest iterations were performed until the prediction accuracy reached the optimum, thus establishing a green credit risk prediction model for the paper industry. The results show that the accuracy of the sample classification reached 93.75%, and the accuracy of the sample classification for high-risk enterprises reached 100%. The established index system offers good guidance for the assessment of green credit risk in the paper industry, in which the interest coverage ratio, current ratio, asset-liability ratio, and green emissions are the main factors affecting green credit risk.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
11. Characterization and Feasibility Assessment of Recycled Paper Mill Sludges for Land Application in Relation to the Environment.
- Author
-
Abdullah R, Ishak CF, Kadir WR, and Bakar RA
- Subjects
- Feasibility Studies, Malaysia, Environmental Pollutants analysis, Fertilizers analysis, Industrial Waste analysis, Paper, Recycling
- Abstract
The disposal of industrial paper mill sludge waste is a big issue and has a great importance all over the world. A study was conducted to determine the chemical properties of recycled paper mill sludge (RPMS) and assess its possibilities for land application. RPMS samples were collected from six different paper mills in Malaysia and analyzed for physical and chemical properties, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, (13)C-NMR spectra and for the presence of dioxins/furans. The RPMS was dewatered, sticky with a strong odour, an average moisture of 65.08%, pH 7.09, cation exchange capacity (CEC) 14.43 cmol (+) kg(-1), N 1.45, P 0.18, K 0.12, Ca 0.82, Mg 0.73, Na 0.76 and Al, 1.38%. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals levels were below the standard Class 2 limits. The dioxin and furan were in below the standard concentration of Class 1. The most prominent peak in the (13)C-NMR spectra of RPMS was centered at 31 ppm, proving the presence of methylene (-CH2) groups in long aliphatic chains, with lipids and proteins. The signal at 89 ppm and highly shielded shoulder at 83 ppm were due to presence of cellulose carbon C-4, and the peak at 63 and 65 ppm was due to the cellulose carbon spectrum. The RPMS therefore contains significant amount of nutrients with safe levels of heavy metals and PAHs for environment and can be used as a fertilizer and soil amendment for land application.
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
12. Study on the Development of a Conceptual Framework to Identify the Risk Factors of Diabetic Retinopathy among Diabetic Patients: A Concept Paper.
- Author
-
Naserrudin NA, Jeffree MS, Kaur N, Rahim SSSA, and Ibrahim MY
- Subjects
- Comorbidity, Humans, Malaysia epidemiology, Prevalence, Risk Factors, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 epidemiology, Diabetic Retinopathy epidemiology, Diabetic Retinopathy etiology
- Abstract
The most common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) is diabetic retinopathy (DR). The control of DR risk factors is essential for the effective prevention of DR. There is currently a lack of research to guide DR-related research in Malaysia. This concept paper aimed to review published studies and propose a conceptual framework (CF) as a guide for future research to determine the prevalence of DR and its risk factors across DM patients. After a review of prior research, this study has presented a CF that takes into account these four key elements: the patient's sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, complications, and diabetes conditions, namely, the length of the disease and glycaemic control. In the suggested CF, ethnicity was highlighted as a crucial risk factor for DR across lower- to middle-income countries (LMIC) and multiracial countries. In order to guide future studies, scientific guidance is essential. The proposed CF would help future research to conduct scientific research related to DR. Also, the proposed CF was tailored to suit research across LMIC and multiracial countries.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
13. Impact of Environmental Information Disclosure Policy and Trade on Chinese Paper Industry Environmental Effects.
- Author
-
Feng S and Chen K
- Subjects
- China, Economic Development, Environmental Policy, Environmental Pollution analysis, Disclosure, Industry
- Abstract
While participation in the international division of labor has led to rapid economic development, it has also resulted in pressing environmental issues in China. In the context of "building a resource-saving and environment-friendly society" and the current sustainability requirements, research on the environmental impact of Chinese paper companies from the perspective of Environmental Information Disclosure (EID) policy and trade has not yet reached a consensus. This study constructs an analytical framework for the EID policy impact mechanism and trade on the environmental effects of the paper industry and enterprises. It explores the direct and indirect effects of EID policy and import-and-export trade on the paper industry environmental effects using the Propensity Score Matching and Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DID) model. EID positively impacts the pollution reduction of enterprises mainly through the technical effect. Export trade positively impacts the reduction of enterprises' emissions through the technology effect. However, the demand of the international market increases the pollution from the paper industries, which has a negative impact. Importing will enable enterprises to obtain greater price advantages which can alleviate and transfer the costs brought by EID. This study analyzes the impact of trade on the environmental effects of Chinese paper enterprises and identifies the impact of China's EID policy and trade on enterprises' pollution emissions. It provides a theoretical and practical foundation for the Chinese government to formulate environmental and trade policies.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
14. The Top 100 Most Cited Scientific Papers in the Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Category of Web of Science: A Bibliometric and Visualized Analysis.
- Author
-
Hernández-González V, Carné-Torrent JM, Jové-Deltell C, Pano-Rodríguez Á, and Reverter-Masia J
- Subjects
- Bibliometrics, France, Germany, Spain, Occupational Health
- Abstract
(1) Background: The main basis for the public recognition of the merits of scientists has always been the system of scientific publications and citations. Our goal is to identify and analyze the most cited articles in the Public, Environmental & Occupational Health category. (2) Methods: We searched the Web of Science for all articles published in the "Public, Environmental & Occupational Health" category up to March 2022 and selected the 100 most cited articles. We recorded the number of citations, the journal, the year of publication, quartile, impact factor, institution, country, authors, topic, type of publication and collaborations. (3) Results: 926,665 documents were analyzed. The top 100 had 401,620 citations. The journal with the most articles was the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology and the one with the highest number of citations was Medical Care. The year with the highest number of articles in the top 100 was 1998. The country with the highest percentage of publications was the USA and the most productive institution was Harvard. The most frequent keywords were bias, quality, and extension. The largest collaboration node was between the USA, Canada, Germany, Spain, Australia, France, and Sweden. (4) Conclusions: This bibliometric study on Public, Environmental & Occupational Health provides valuable information not only to identify topics of interest in the analyzed category, but also to identify the differences in the topics they study.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
15. Global Research on Cognitive Frailty: A Bibliometric and Visual Analysis of Papers Published during 2013-2021.
- Author
-
Hui Z, Wang X, Zhou Y, Li Y, Ren X, and Wang M
- Subjects
- Cognition, Data Analysis, Databases, Factual, United States, Bibliometrics, Publications
- Abstract
This study analyzed the current status, hotspots, and emerging trends of global research on cognitive frailty, in order to provide new research ideas for researchers. Articles and reviews related to cognitive frailty, published from 2013 to 2021, were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database on 26 November 2021. CiteSpace 5.8.R3 was employed for data analyses. A total of 2077 publications were included. There has been a rapid growth of publications on cognitive frailty research since 2016. The United States, Italy, England, and Australia have been the leading research centers of cognitive frailty; however, China has also recently focused on this topic. The National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, and Shimada H. were found to be the most prolific institution and author, respectively. Co-citation analysis identified 16 clusters, of which the largest was cognitive frailty. The keywords which occurred most frequently were "older adult", followed by "cognitive impairment", "frailty", "risk", "dementia", "prevalence", "mortality", "health", and "Alzheimer's disease". Burst keyword detection revealed a rising interest in cognitive frailty models. By analyzing these publications from recent years, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of cognitive frailty research.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
16. The Combined Process of Paper Filtration and Ultrafiltration for the Pretreatment of the Biogas Slurry from Swine Manure.
- Author
-
Zhan Y, Dong H, Yin F, and Yue C
- Subjects
- Ammonia analysis, Animals, Farms, Filtration, Nitrogen analysis, Paper, Swine, Water Pollutants, Chemical analysis, Biofuels, Manure, Waste Disposal, Fluid methods
- Abstract
The membrane process had been applied for the advanced treatment of pig farm biogas slurry. As studied, this physical pretreatment, with low cost and high efficiency of the suspended solids removal and nutrient retention, is required to control membrane fouling. The combined process of paper filtration and ultrafiltration in a pilot scale was applied in the present study. The main objective was to explore and identify the feasibility of the new process for the pretreatment of the separation liquid of pig farm biogas slurry. A precision identification experiment of paper filtration and the multi-batch repetitive experiments of the combined process were designed. The results showed, at the identified paper filtration precision of 50μm and an operating pressure of 0.3 bar of the ultrafiltration process, that the flux rate at the stable stage of the multi-batch operation was around 295.00 L/h. The combined process achieved an overall processing rate of 345.41 ± 18.81 L/h and a volume permeation proportion of 82.45% ± 0.85%. The TSS was removed by 95.71%, but total nitrogen (TN) and ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) were retained by 76.29% ± 2.04% and 73.74% ± 2.10%, respectively. Comprehensively, the requirement for the pretreatment was obtained.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
17. The Emerging Threat of Plasmodium knowlesi Malaria Infection: A Concept Paper on the Vulnerable Factors in Human.
- Author
-
Naserrudin NA, Hod R, Jeffree MS, Ahmed K, and Hassan MR
- Subjects
- Animals, Asia, Southeastern epidemiology, Humans, Macaca, Anopheles, Malaria epidemiology, Plasmodium knowlesi genetics
- Abstract
In South-East Asia (SEA), there has been an increase in the trend of detected and reported cases of Plasmodium knowlesi malaria in the last few decades. This higher transmission rate within SEA countries is attributed to the distribution of the Macaque , banded leaf monkeys, and Anopheles mosquito in this region. This study aims to propose a concept that highlights the integration of vulnerability factors to P. knowlesi malaria infection. The relevant literature on the vulnerability factors of P. knowlesi was reviewed. Any theories and models that could be integrated to support the factors were also explored throughout this study. Exposure to P. knowlesi malaria was found to be influenced by sociodemographic, socioeconomic, environmental, social context, belief, and human behaviour factors. However, these factors were commonly discussed separately in existing studies. For better disease prevention and control, all these factors should be explored collectively, to facilitate research aimed at generating a deeper understanding of the vulnerability factors to P. knowlesi malaria from various perspectives, including the genetic, sociodemographic, socioeconomic, environmental, sociocultural beliefs, and human behaviour of the population.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
18. Psychological Resilience to Suicidal Experiences in People with Non-Affective Psychosis: A Position Paper.
- Author
-
Gooding PA, Harris K, and Haddock G
- Subjects
- Humans, Suicidal Ideation, Psychotic Disorders therapy, Resilience, Psychological, Schizophrenia therapy, Suicide psychology
- Abstract
It is important to understand the psychological factors which underpin pathways to suicidal experiences. It is equally as important to understand how people develop and maintain resilience to such psychological factors implicated in suicidal experiences. Exploring optimal routes to gaining this understanding of resilience to suicidal thoughts and acts in people with severe mental health problems, specifically non-affective psychosis, was the overarching aim of this position paper. There are five central suggestions: 1. investigating resilience to suicidal experiences has been somewhat over-looked, especially in those with severe mental health problems such as schizophrenia; 2. it appears maximally enlightening to use convergent qualitative, quantitative and mixed research methods to develop a comprehensive understanding of resilience to suicide; 3. relatedly, involving experts-by-experience (consumers) in suicide research in general is vital, and this includes research endeavours with a focus on resilience to suicide; 4. evidence-based models of resilience which hold the most promise appear to be buffering, recovery and maintenance approaches; and 5. there is vast potential for contemporary psychological therapies to develop and scaffold work with clients centred on building and maintaining resilience to suicidal thoughts and acts based on different methodological and analytical approaches which involve both talking and non-talking approaches.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
19. Romanian Students' Environment-Related Routines during COVID-19 Home Confinement: Water, Plastic, and Paper Consumption.
- Author
-
Gherheș V, Cernicova-Buca M, Fărcașiu MA, and Palea A
- Subjects
- Humans, Pandemics, Plastics, Romania, SARS-CoV-2, Students, Universities, Water, COVID-19
- Abstract
The disruptive force of the COVID-19 pandemic is lessening in power and plans are being made for the postcrisis period, among which increasing the sustainability of higher education is of significant importance. The study aims at establishing students' existing environment-related routines during their home confinement, as a basis for applying green measures to campus living once academic life is resumed with the physical presence of students. The collected data rely on self-reported information provided by 816 students from Politehnica University of Timisoara (Romania), collected via an online, anonymous survey. The novelty of the approach is that household environment-related routines are investigated during a crisis period, with the possibility to build upon the results to implement tailored measures to encourage or diminish environmentally relevant consumption by young, highly skilled individuals. The students display a moderate awareness of environmental issues and indicate consumption routines that may be steered towards an increased sustainability-conscious campus life, through the combined intervention of the university, city administration, and stakeholder involvement. The findings are used to explore the possible directions for action towards increasing or contributing to the territorial sustainability in the socio-ecological context of Timisoara, the largest university city in the western part of Romania via educational, managerial and policy interventions.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
20. Making Biodegradable Seedling Pots from Textile and Paper Waste-Part B: Development and Evaluation of Seedling Pots.
- Author
-
Juanga-Labayen JP and Yuan Q
- Subjects
- Methane, Seeds, Seedlings, Textiles
- Abstract
This study evaluates the efficacy of using textile waste blended with paper waste to form biodegradable seedling pots. A bio-composite blend of cotton (20% cotton, 40% newspaper, and 40% corrugated cardboard) and polycotton (20% polycotton, 40% newspaper, and 40% corrugated cardboard) with an optimum strength was formed into seedling pots. The appreciated seedling pots (untreated blends of cotton and polycotton) were compared with the commercial pots (cardboard seed starter pot and Jiffy pot) in terms of mechanical properties (tensile strength and compressive strength), biodegradability (soil burial test and anaerobic digestion), and seed germination. The untreated blends of cotton and polycotton pots demonstrated a comparable optimum strength, while the Jiffy pot and cardboard seed starter pot obtained the least tensile and compressive strengths, respectively. The anaerobic biodegradability assay suggests that the cotton blend pot, polycotton blend pot, and cardboard seed starter pot can degrade anaerobically because of high biogas and methane generation potential. A 100% seed germination was observed from the four seedling pots tested. Thus, the results demonstrate the efficacy of utilizing textile waste and paper waste to develop seedling pots with desirable strength and biodegradability compared to the commercial pots.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
21. The Interplay between Housing Environmental Attributes and Design Exposures and Psychoneuroimmunology Profile-An Exploratory Review and Analysis Paper in the Cancer Survivors' Mental Health Morbidity Context.
- Author
-
Hernandez-Garcia E, Chrysikou E, and Kalea AZ
- Subjects
- Adult, Housing, Humans, Mental Health, Morbidity, Psychoneuroimmunology, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Cancer Survivors, Neoplasms epidemiology
- Abstract
Adult cancer survivors have an increased prevalence of mental health comorbidities and other adverse late-effects interdependent with mental illness outcomes compared with the general population. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) heralds an era of renewed call for actions to identify sustainable modalities to facilitate the constructs of cancer survivorship care and health care delivery through physiological supportive domestic spaces. Building on the concept of therapeutic architecture, psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) indicators-with the central role in low-grade systemic inflammation-are associated with major psychiatric disorders and late effects of post-cancer treatment. Immune disturbances might mediate the effects of environmental determinants on behaviour and mental disorders. Whilst attention is paid to the non-objective measurements for examining the home environmental domains and mental health outcomes, little is gathered about the multidimensional effects on physiological responses. This exploratory review presents a first analysis of how addressing the PNI outcomes serves as a catalyst for therapeutic housing research. We argue the crucial component of housing in supporting the sustainable primary care and public health-based cancer survivorship care model, particularly in the psychopathology context. Ultimately, we illustrate a series of interventions aiming at how housing environmental attributes can trigger PNI profile changes and discuss the potential implications in the non-pharmacological treatment of cancer survivors and patients with mental morbidities.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
22. Feature Paper in Environmental Chemistry and Technology.
- Author
-
Varrica D
- Subjects
- Technology, Environment
- Abstract
Attention to the environment and its problems has undergone unprecedented growth in recent years [...].
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
23. Making Biodegradable Seedling Pots from Textile and Paper Waste-Part A: Factors Affecting Tensile Strength.
- Author
-
Juanga-Labayen JP and Yuan Q
- Subjects
- Sodium Hydroxide, Starch, Tensile Strength, Seedlings, Textiles
- Abstract
This study investigates the efficacy of using discarded textile (cotton and polycotton) and paper waste (newspaper and corrugated cardboard) as substrates to form sheets with optimum tensile strength. The effect of alkali treatment (sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO
3 )), compressive loads (200 N and 500 N), and the use of binding agents (blackstrap molasses, sodium alginate, and cornstarch) were studied to optimize the tensile strength of homogeneous sheets. The alkali treatment using 5% NaOH for 5 h of soaking demonstrated the highest increase in tensile strength of 21% and 19% for cotton and newspaper, respectively. Increasing compressive load from 200 N to 500 N showed the highest increase in tensile strength of 37% and 42% for cotton and newspaper, respectively. Remarkably, among the binders, cornstarch at 20% concentration obtained an increase in tensile strength of 395%, 320%, 310%, and 185% for cotton, polycotton, corrugated cardboard, and newspaper sheets, respectively. The optimum results obtained from this study will be utilized to develop biodegradable seedling pots using discarded textile and paper waste.- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
24. From Clinical Practice to the Classroom. Advantages and Disadvantages of Video and Paper Cases on the Motivation and Clinical Reasoning of Occupational Therapy Students.
- Author
-
Rodríguez-Bailón M, Fernández-Solano AJ, Merchán-Baeza JA, and Vidaña-Moya L
- Subjects
- Clinical Competence, Clinical Reasoning, Exercise, Humans, Students, Motivation, Occupational Therapy
- Abstract
Case-based learning enables the application of theory to practice using real-life patient cases. The present study aims to compare the effect between video cases and paper cases on motivation for learning and knowledge acquisition to perform a clinical reasoning case exercise by occupational therapy students. A mixed-methods design was used with 120 students randomized into two groups. All students conducted a clinical reasoning case exercise on the same case, although in different presentation formats: paper case and video case. The quantitative measures of this study were the scores of motivation for learning from the Instructional Material Motivation Survey and the grades of a clinical reasoning case exercise. The qualitative part was based on the positive and negative aspects perceived by the participants. The results showed that the motivation for learning was significantly higher for the video case compared to the paper case, although there were no differences in the grades of the clinical reasoning case exercise between the two groups. The video cases were perceived as more relevant to professional practice and more informative in terms of non-verbal communication and context. In light of the results, teachers could use these two formats of presentation of cases with different objectives.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
25. The Increase in Frequency of Protective Behavior against Pesticide Poisoning in Narail, Bangladesh through Use of an Easy Paper Checklist; an Interventional Study.
- Author
-
Kobashi Y, Haque SE, Nishikawa Y, Morita T, Nagami H, Sakisaka K, Mubassara S, and Tsubokura M
- Subjects
- Agriculture, Bangladesh epidemiology, Checklist, Humans, Male, Occupational Exposure, Pesticides toxicity
- Abstract
Protecting the health of farmworkers is a crucial issue. Previous studies report that safety training and educational interventions might increase farmworkers' protective behaviors. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of distributing a checklist as an interventional measure for pesticide protection in rural Asia, where pesticide poisoning is a major problem. This study was a community-based interventional study, using the distribution of a checklist with pesticide protective habits in Narail district, Bangladesh, with a total of 100 eligible males. Two questionnaire surveys were conducted before distributing the checklist and 25 days after. Change between the baseline and follow-up surveys was measured by frequency scores of protective behavior. The average pesticide-protective behavioral score increased from 4.58 in the baseline survey to 8.11 in the follow-up. Additionally, the checklist was more effective in the group with higher education, the younger group, and the group with lower pesticide-protective behavioral scores in the baseline survey. The paper checklist on protective behaviors against pesticide poisoning was effective because of the increase in the frequency of such positive behavior among farmworkers. Thus, intervention measures should be implemented to increase the knowledge and awareness regarding pesticide protection habits to protect the health of farmworkers.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
26. Binge Drinking: The Top 100 Cited Papers.
- Author
-
Cortés-Tomás MT, Giménez-Costa JA, Martín-Del-Río B, Gómez-Íñiguez C, and Solanes-Puchol Á
- Subjects
- Bibliometrics, Cross-Sectional Studies, Databases, Factual, Humans, Retrospective Studies, Binge Drinking epidemiology
- Abstract
We conducted a review to analyze the 100 most-cited studies on binge drinking (BD) in the Web of Science (WoS) database to determine their current status and the aspects that require further attention. We carried out a retrospective bibliometric analysis in January 2021. The year of publication, authors, design, subject, journal, institution and lead author's country, as well as the definition of BD, were extracted from the articles. The data on the country, year, thematic category of the journals and their rank were obtained from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Journal Citation Reports 2020. The number of citations was collected from the WoS, and the h index was collected from the Scopus database. The citation density and Bradford's law were calculated. The majority of the articles were empirical quantitative studies with a cross-sectional design published between 1992 and 2013 in 49 journals. There were 306 authors, mostly English-speaking and from the USA. The definitions used to describe BD are not homogeneous. The most-cited topics were the analysis of consequences, determinants and epidemiology. There is a need to unify the definitions of BD and base them on scientific evidence. The multidisciplinary nature of BD is not well reflected in each of the thematic areas discussed in this work.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
27. Protocol Paper: Conducting Life History Interviews to Explore the Journeys of People with Disability from Syrian and Iraqi Refugee Backgrounds Settling in Australia.
- Author
-
Dew A
- Subjects
- Australia, Employment, Humans, Syria, Disabled Persons, Refugees
- Abstract
This paper outlines a research protocol to be undertaken with people with disability from Syrian and Iraqi refugee backgrounds settling in Australia. Since 2012, the numbers of people with disability arriving from these countries has increased with limited understanding about the impact of their refugee journeys on their settlement. The aim of this small-scale exploratory study is to learn about the journeys made by people with disability from Syrian and Iraqi refugee backgrounds from their countries of origin, through transit countries, to Australia in order to understand the impact of these journeys on inclusion and participation in Australian society. This participatory action research study employs a bilingual co-researcher with disability from a Syrian background to conduct life history interviews with up to five participants. Participants will recount their journeys with a focus on the impact of their disability on this experience. The study design is informed by BenEzer and Zetter's 2014 seminal paper on the importance of the refugee journey to settlement. This study has the potential to foreground the voices and experiences of people with disability from refugee backgrounds who are often absent, silenced or excluded in research and, in so doing, hopefully impact Australian refugee policy.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
28. Toilet Paper, Minced Meat and Diabetes Medicines: Australian Panic Buying Induced by COVID-19.
- Author
-
Engstrom T, Baliunas DO, Sly BP, Russell AW, Donovan PJ, Krausse HK, Sullivan CM, and Pole JD
- Subjects
- Australia epidemiology, Consumer Behavior, Humans, Meat, Pandemics, SARS-CoV-2, Bathroom Equipment, COVID-19, Diabetes Mellitus drug therapy, Diabetes Mellitus epidemiology
- Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the management of non-communicable diseases in health systems around the world. This study aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19 on diabetes medicines dispensed in Australia. Publicly available data from Australia's government subsidised medicines program (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme), detailing prescriptions by month dispensed to patients, drug item code and patient category, was obtained from January 2016 to November 2020. This study focused on medicines used in diabetes care (Anatomical Therapeutical Chemical code level 2 = A10). Number of prescriptions dispensed were plotted by month at a total level, by insulins and non-insulins, and by patient category (general, concessional). Total number of prescriptions dispensed between January and November of each year were compared. A peak in prescriptions dispensed in March 2020 was identified, an increase of 35% on March 2019, compared to average growth of 7.2% in previous years. Prescriptions dispensed subsequently fell in April and May 2020 to levels below the corresponding months in 2019. These trends were observed across insulins, non-insulins, general and concessional patient categories. The peak and subsequent dip in demand have resulted in a small unexpected overall increase for the period January to November 2020, compared to declining growth for the same months in prior years. The observed change in consumer behaviour prompted by COVID-19 and the resulting public health measures is important to understand in order to improve management of medicines supply during potential future waves of COVID-19 and other pandemics.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
29. Sustainable Working Life in a Swedish Twin Cohort-A Definition Paper with Sample Overview.
- Author
-
Ropponen A, Wang M, Narusyte J, Silventoinen K, Böckerman P, and Svedberg P
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Cohort Studies, Humans, Middle Aged, Pensions, Sweden epidemiology, Unemployment, Young Adult, Disabled Persons, Sick Leave
- Abstract
Background : A unified or consensus definition of "sustainable working life" remains lacking, although studies investigating risk factors for labour market exit are numerous. In this study, we aimed (1) to update the information and to explore a definition of "sustainable working life" via a systematic literature review and (2) to describe the working life trajectories via the prevalence of sickness absence (SA), disability pension (DP), and unemployment in a Swedish twin cohort to provide a sample overview in our Sustainable Working Life-project. Methods : A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the studies with the search phrase "sustainable working life" in PubMed, PsycInfo, and the Web of Science Database of Social Sciences in January 2021, resulting in a total of 51 references. A qualitative synthesis was performed for the definitions and the measures of "sustainable working life." Based on the Swedish Twin project Of Disability pension and Sickness absence (STODS), the current dataset to address sustainable working life includes 108 280 twin individuals born between 1925 and 1990. Comprehensive register data until 2016 for unemployment, SA and DP were linked to all individuals. Using STODS, we analysed the annual prevalence of SA, DP, and unemployment as working life trajectories over time across education and age groups. Results : The reviewed 16 full articles described several distinct definitions for sustainable working life between 2007 and 2020 from various perspectives, i.e., considering workplaces or employees, the individual, organizational or enterprise level, and the society level. The definition of "sustainable working life" appearing most often was the swAge-model including a broad range of factors, e.g., health, physical/mental/psychosocial work environment, work motivation/satisfaction, and the family situation and leisure activities. Our dataset comprised of 81%-94% of individuals who did not meet SA, DP, or unemployment during the follow-up in 1994-2016, being indicative for "sustainable working life." The annual prevalence across years had a decreasing trend of unemployment over time, whereas the prevalence of SA had more variation, with DP being rather stable. Both unemployment and DP had the highest prevalence among those with a lower level of education, whereas in SA, the differences in prevalence between education levels were minor. Unemployment was highest across the years in the youngest age group (18-27 years), the age group differences for SA were minor, and for DP, the oldest age group (58-65 years) had the highest prevalence. Conclusions : No consensus exists for a "sustainable working life," hence meriting further studies, and we intend to contribute by utilising the STODS database for the Sustainable Working Life project. In the upcoming studies, the existing knowledge of available definitions and frameworks will be utilised. The dataset containing both register data and self-reports enables detailed follow-up for labour market participation for sustainable working life.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
30. Understanding the Global Challenges to Accessing Appropriate Wheelchairs: Position Paper.
- Author
-
Gowran RJ, Bray N, Goldberg M, Rushton P, Barhouche Abou Saab M, Constantine D, Ghosh R, and Pearlman J
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Child, Humans, Wheelchairs
- Abstract
Introduction: Appropriate wheelchairs are often essential for the health and wellbeing of people with mobility impairments to enhance fundamental freedoms and equal opportunity. To date, provision has mainly focused on just delivering the wheelchair instead of following an evidence-based wheelchair service delivery process. In addition, many governments have not committed to a national wheelchair provision policy. Approach: To prepare this position paper, a systemic development model, founded on the sustainable human security paradigm, was employed to explore the global challenges to accessing appropriate wheelchairs. Positions: I: Consideration of key perspectives of wheelchair provision across the life course is essential to meet the needs to children, adults, older people and their families; II: Comprehensive wheelchair service delivery processes and a competent workforce are essential to ensure appropriate wheelchair service provision; III: Evaluations on wheelchair product quality development, performance and procurement standards are key as wheelchair product quality is generally poor; IV: Understanding the economic landscape when providing wheelchairs is critical. Wheelchair funding systems vary across jurisdictions; V: Establishing wheelchair provision policy is a key priority, as specific policy is limited globally. Conclusion: The vision is to take positive action to develop appropriate and sustainable wheelchair service provision systems globally, for me, for you, for us.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
31. Anxiety and Panic Buying Behaviour during COVID-19 Pandemic-A Qualitative Analysis of Toilet Paper Hoarding Contents on Twitter.
- Author
-
Leung J, Chung JYC, Tisdale C, Chiu V, Lim CCW, and Chan G
- Subjects
- Anxiety, Humans, Bathroom Equipment, COVID-19, Consumer Behavior, Hoarding, Pandemics, Social Media
- Abstract
Background : The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had increased population-level anxiety and had elicited panic buying behaviour across the world. The over-hoarding of toilet paper has received a lot of negative public attention. In this work, we used Twitter data to qualitatively analyse tweets related to panic buying of toilet paper during the crisis. Methods : A total of 255,171 tweets were collected. Of these 4081 met our inclusion criteria and 100 tweets were randomly selected to develop a coding scheme in the initial phase. Random samples of tweets in folds of 100 were then qualitatively analysed in the focused coding phase until saturation was met at 500 tweets analysed. Results : Five key themes emerged: (1) humour or sarcasm, (2) marketing or profiteering, (3) opinion and emotions, (4) personal experience, and (5) support or information. About half of the tweets carried negative sentiments, expressing anger or frustration towards the deficiency of toilet paper and the frantic situation of toilet paper hoarding, which were among the most influential tweets. Discussion : Panic buying of toilet paper was seen during the 2020 pandemic period with a mass amount of related content spread across social media. The spontaneous contagion of fear and panic through social media could fuel psychological reactions in midst of crises. The high level of negative social media posts regarding the toilet paper crisis acts as an emotional trigger of public anxiety and panic. Conclusions : Social media data can provide rapid infodemiology of public mental health. In a pandemic or crisis situation, real-time data could be monitored and content-analysed for authorities to promptly address public concerns.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. Informetric Analysis of Highly Cited Papers in Environmental Sciences Based on Essential Science Indicators.
- Author
-
Ma Q, Li Y, and Zhang Y
- Subjects
- China, Data Management, Publishing, Environmental Science, Publications
- Abstract
Highly cited papers in the Essential Science Indicators database refer to papers with citations in the top 1% of all papers in a research field, and they are considered to be symbols of scientific excellence and top performance of the past ten years. This study provided an informetric analysis of 7791 highly cited papers in the environmental sciences category during 2009-2019. Informetric indicators and visualization tools were applied to evaluate and present the performances of journals, countries/territories, institutions, top cited papers, and research hotspots. The results showed that the cumulative number of publications has increased exponentially, suggesting strong development of the environmental sciences category. There were 211 journals publishing highly cited papers, with Energy & Environmental Science as the leading journal. The USA ranked first with the highest number of publications and occupied the core position in the collaboration network, while Mainland China took the first place in independent research output. Review articles have an obvious advantage in terms of achieving high citations. "Adsorption", "climate change", and "heavy metal" were the most frequent keywords, with "microplastic" rising rapidly as a new research frontier in recent years. Five research hotspots were visualized from highly cited papers via cluster analysis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
33. What Role Can Process Mining Play in Recurrent Clinical Guidelines Issues? A Position Paper.
- Author
-
Gatta R, Vallati M, Fernandez-Llatas C, Martinez-Millana A, Orini S, Sacchi L, Lenkowicz J, Marcos M, Munoz-Gama J, Cuendet MA, de Bari B, Marco-Ruiz L, Stefanini A, Valero-Ramon Z, Michielin O, Lapinskas T, Montvila A, Martin N, Tavazzi E, and Castellano M
- Subjects
- Delivery of Health Care, Evidence-Based Medicine
- Abstract
In the age of Evidence-Based Medicine, Clinical Guidelines (CGs) are recognized to be an indispensable tool to support physicians in their daily clinical practice. Medical Informatics is expected to play a relevant role in facilitating diffusion and adoption of CGs. However, the past pioneering approaches, often fragmented in many disciplines, did not lead to solutions that are actually exploited in hospitals. Process Mining for Healthcare (PM4HC) is an emerging discipline gaining the interest of healthcare experts, and seems able to deal with many important issues in representing CGs. In this position paper, we briefly describe the story and the state-of-the-art of CGs, and the efforts and results of the past approaches of medical informatics. Then, we describe PM4HC, and we answer questions like how can PM4HC cope with this challenge? Which role does PM4HC play and which rules should be employed for the PM4HC scientific community?
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. "No Papers. No Doctor" : A Qualitative Study of Access to Maternity Care Services for Undocumented Immigrant Women in Denmark.
- Author
-
Funge JK, Boye MC, Johnsen H, and Nørredam M
- Subjects
- Adult, Child, Denmark, Female, Humans, Pregnancy, Qualitative Research, Emigrants and Immigrants, Health Services Accessibility, Maternal Health Services, Undocumented Immigrants
- Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore undocumented immigrant women's experiences of, as well as their access to, maternity care services during pregnancy in Denmark. Recruiting through the two branches of a non-governmental organization (NGO)-driven health clinic in Denmark, we conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with undocumented immigrant women in Denmark from January 2018 to January 2019. The undocumented immigrant women experienced barriers such as fear of deportation, concerns about payment for services, and uncertainties about rules for access. Many of them described depending on NGO-driven initiatives to access maternity care services and found these as providing a safe environment for care. Our findings contribute insights towards understanding the health behavior of undocumented immigrant women and highlight the need for inclusive care to safeguard the health of the women and their children.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
35. Global Research Output and Theme Trends on Climate Change and Infectious Diseases: A Restrospective Bibliometric and Co-Word Biclustering Investigation of Papers Indexed in PubMed (1999-2018).
- Author
-
Li F, Zhou H, Huang DS, and Guan P
- Subjects
- Humans, Medical Subject Headings, Periodicals as Topic, PubMed, Bibliometrics, Climate Change, Communicable Diseases, Ecosystem, Publications
- Abstract
Climate change is a challenge for the sustainable development of an international economy and society. The impact of climate change on infectious diseases has been regarded as one of the most urgent research topics. In this paper, an analysis of the bibliometrics, co-word biclustering, and strategic diagram was performed to evaluate global scientific production, hotspots, and developing trends regarding climate change and infectious diseases, based on the data of two decades (1999-2008 and 2009-2018) from PubMed. According to the search strategy and inclusion criteria, a total of 1443 publications were found on the topic of climate change and infectious diseases. There has been increasing research productivity in this field, which has been supported by a wide range of subject categories. The top highly-frequent major MeSH (medical subject headings)/subheading combination terms could be divided into four clusters for the first decade and five for the second decade using a biclustering analysis. At present, some significant public health challenges (global health, and travel and tropical climate, etc.) are at the center of the whole target research network. In the last ten years, "Statistical model", "Diarrhea", "Dengue", "Ecosystem and biodiversity", and "Zoonoses" have been considered as emerging hotspots, but they still need more attention for further development.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. Selected Papers from 2019 IEEE Eurasia Conference on Biomedical Engineering, Healthcare and Sustainability (IEEE ECBIOS 2019).
- Author
-
Meen TH, Matsumoto Y, and Hsu KS
- Subjects
- Delivery of Health Care, Sustainable Development, Artificial Intelligence, Biomedical Engineering
- Abstract
Recently, healthcare has undergone a sector-wide transformation thanks to advances in computing, networking technologies, big data, and artificial intelligence. Healthcare is not only changing from being reactive and hospital-centered to preventive and personalized, but it is also changing from being disease focused to well-being centered. Healthcare systems, as well as fundamental medicine research, are becoming smarter and enabled in biomedical engineering. This special issue on "Selected Papers from 2019 IEEE Eurasia Conference on Biomedical Engineering, Healthcare, and Sustainability (IEEE ECBIOS 2019)" selected nine excellent papers from 160 papers presented at IEEE ECBIOS 2019 on the topics of environmental health sciences and public health. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical research to promote scientific predictions and impact assessments of global change and development.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. Air Monitoring Stations Far Removed from Drilling Activities do not Represent Residential Exposures to Marcellus Shale Air Pollutants. Response to the Paper by Hess et al. on Proximity-Based Unconventional Natural Gas Exposure Metrics.
- Author
-
Buonocore JJ, Casey JA, Croy R, Spengler JD, and McKenzie L
- Subjects
- Benchmarking, Environmental Monitoring, Epidemiologic Studies, Air Pollutants analysis, Natural Gas
- Abstract
In their study "Assessing Agreement in Exposure Classification between Proximity-Based Metrics and Air Monitoring Data in Epidemiology Studies of Unconventional Resource Development" [...]., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. Evaluating Successful Aging in Older People Who Participated in Computerized or Paper-and-Pencil Memory Training: The Memoria Mejor Program.
- Author
-
Requena C and Rebok GW
- Subjects
- Aged, Attention, Cognition, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Cognitive Remediation instrumentation, Cognitive Remediation methods, Healthy Aging psychology, Learning, Therapy, Computer-Assisted standards
- Abstract
Background. The evaluation of successful aging includes objective criteria to measure cognitive function and psychological well-being and levels of functional capacity needed to perform daily activities related to the preservation of autonomy. In addition, the emergence of computerized cognitive training programs has allowed us to use a new class of tools to verify the theoretical postulates of neural plasticity in aging. Objective. The present study investigates subjective and objective criteria of successful aging in healthy older adults participating in a memory training program offered as two versions: computer and paper-and-pencil. Method. Fifty-four healthy older adult participants recruited for the study were organized into two training groups. Group 1 (G1) used the computer program and Group 2 (G2) used the paper-and-pencil program. Results. The analysis revealed no significant differences in psychological well-being between the two training groups. However, the groups did differ significantly in objective evaluations of successful aging, as measured by attention and everyday memory, and brain activity as measured by sLORETA, with G1 outperforming G2 on both measures. Conclusion. Computerized memory training programs show promise for restoring cognitive and cerebral functioning in older adults, and consequently, may be better suited to achieving the objective criteria of successful aging than paper-and-pencil memory training programs. However, this conclusion should be taken with caution since differences in age and educational level may have influenced the results.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. A Three-Year Follow-Up Study of Antibiotic and Metal Residues, Antibiotic Resistance and Resistance Genes, Focusing on Kshipra-A River Associated with Holy Religious Mass-Bathing in India: Protocol Paper.
- Author
-
Diwan V, Purohit M, Chandran S, Parashar V, Shah H, Mahadik VK, Stålsby Lundborg C, and Tamhankar AJ
- Subjects
- Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology, Bacteria drug effects, Bacteria isolation & purification, Baths, Environmental Monitoring, Follow-Up Studies, India, Religion, Rivers chemistry, Water Quality, Anti-Bacterial Agents analysis, Bacteria genetics, Drug Resistance, Microbial genetics, Genes, Bacterial, Metals analysis, Water Pollutants analysis
- Abstract
Background: Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is one of the major health emergencies for global society. Little is known about the ABR of environmental bacteria and therefore it is important to understand ABR reservoirs in the environment and their potential impact on health., Method/design: Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected during a 3-year follow-up study of a river associated with religious mass-bathing in Central India. Surface-water and sediment samples will be collected from seven locations at regular intervals for 3 years during religious mass-bathing and in absence of it to monitor water-quality, antibiotic residues, resistant bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes and metals. Approval has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of R.D. Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, India (No. 2013/07/17-311)., Results: The results will address the issue of antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistance with a focus on a river environment in India within a typical socio-behavioural context of religious mass-bathing. It will enhance our understanding about the relationship between antibiotic residue levels, water-quality, heavy metals and antibiotic resistance patterns in Escherichia coli isolated from river-water and sediment, and seasonal differences that are associated with religious mass-bathing. We will also document, identify and clarify the genetic differences/similarities relating to phenotypic antibiotic resistance in bacteria in rivers during religious mass-bathing or during periods when there is no mass-bathing.
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. The Relationships between Human Fatigue and Public Health: A Brief Commentary on Selected Papers from the 9th International Conference on Managing Fatigue in Transportation, Resources and Health.
- Author
-
Sargent C, Roberts P, Dawson D, Ferguson S, Meuleners L, Brook L, and Roach GD
- Subjects
- Accident Prevention, Eating, Health Resources, Humans, Industry, Internationality, Risk Management, Sleep Apnea Syndromes, Transportation, Fatigue psychology, Public Health
- Abstract
The 9th International Conference on Managing Fatigue in Transportation, Resources and Health was held in Fremantle, Western Australia in March 2015. The purpose of the conferences in this series is to provide a forum for industry representatives, regulators, and scientists to discuss recent advances in the field of fatigue research. We have produced a Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health based on papers from the conference that were focused on various aspects of public health. First, the Special Issue highlights the fact that working long shifts and/or night shifts can affect not only cognitive functioning, but also physical health. In particular, three papers examined the potential relationships between shiftwork and different aspects of health, including the cardiovascular system, sleep disordered breathing, and eating behaviour. Second, the Special Issue highlights the move away from controlling fatigue through prescriptive hours of service rules and toward the application of risk management principles. In particular, three papers indicated that best-practice fatigue risk management systems should contain multiple redundant layers of defense against fatigue-related errors and accidents., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Best Paper Award 2015.
- Author
-
Tchounwou PB and Zhou J
- Subjects
- Humans, Awards and Prizes, Environmental Health, Public Health, Publishing standards
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Best Paper Award 2013.
- Author
-
Tchounwou PB and Han O
- Subjects
- Awards and Prizes, Environmental Health, Public Health, Publishing standards
- Abstract
With the start of 2013, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is instituting an annual award to recognize outstanding papers related to environmental health sciences and public health that meet the aims, scope and high standards of this journal. We are pleased to announce the first "International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Best Paper Award" for 2013. Nominations were solicited from the Editorial Board members, with all papers published in 2009 eligible for consideration.
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Combined system of activated sludge and ozonation for the treatment of kraft E1 effluent.
- Author
-
Assalin MR, Dos Santos Almeida E, and Durán N
- Subjects
- Bioreactors, Color, Oxygen chemistry, Paper, Phenols analysis, Industrial Waste analysis, Ozone chemistry, Sewage, Waste Disposal, Fluid methods
- Abstract
The treatment of paper mill effluent for COD, TOC, total phenols and color removal was investigated using combined activated sludge-ozonation processes and single processes. The combined activated sludge-O3/pH 10 treatment was able to remove around 80% of COD, TOC and color from Kraft E(1) effluent. For the total phenols, the efficiency removal was around 70%. The ozonation post treatment carried out at pH 8.3 also showed better results than the single process. The COD, TOC, color and total phenols removal efficiency obtained were 75.5, 59.1, 77 and 52.3%, respectively. The difference in the concentrations of free radical produced by activated sludge-O3/pH 10 and activated sludge-O3/pH 8.3 affected mainly the TOC and total phenol removal values.
- Published
- 2009
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. Identity leadership, employee burnout, and the mediating role of team identification : evidence from the Global Identity Leadership Development project
- Abstract
Do leaders who build a sense of shared social identity in their teams thereby protect them from the adverse effects of workplace stress? This is a question that the present paper explores by testing the hypothesis that identity leadership contributes to stronger team identification among employees and, through this, is associated with reduced burnout. We tested this model with unique datasets from the Global Identity Leadership Development (GILD) project with participants from all inhabited continents. We compared two datasets from 2016/2017 (n = 5290; 20 countries) and 2020/2021 (n = 7294; 28 countries) and found very similar levels of identity leadership, team identification and burnout across the five years. An inspection of the 2020/2021 data at the onset of and later in the COVID-19 pandemic showed stable identity leadership levels and slightly higher levels of both burnout and team identification. Supporting our hypotheses, we found almost identical indirect effects (2016/2017, b = -0.132; 2020/2021, b = -0.133) across the five-year span in both datasets. Using a subset of n = 111 German participants surveyed over two waves, we found the indirect effect confirmed over time with identity leadership (at T1) predicting team identification and, in turn, burnout, three months later. Finally, we explored whether there could be a "too-much-of-a-good-thing" effect for identity leadership. Speaking against this, we found a u-shaped quadratic effect whereby ratings of identity leadership at the upper end of the distribution were related to even stronger team identification and a stronger indirect effect on reduced burnout.
- Published
- 2023
45. Natural Cyanobacteria Removers Obtained from Bio-Waste Date-Palm Leaf Stalks and Black Alder Cone-Like Flowers
- Abstract
The impact of urbanization and modern agricultural practice has led to accelerated eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems, which has resulted in the massive development of cyanobacteria. Very often, in response to various environmental influences, cyanobacteria produce potentially car-cinogenic cyanotoxins. Long-term human exposure to cyanotoxins, through drinking water as well as recreational water (i.e., rivers or lakes), can cause serious health consequences. In order to overcome this problem, this paper presents the synthesis of completely new activated carbons and their potential application in contaminated water treatment. The synthesis and characterization of new active carbon materials obtained from waste biomass, date-palm leaf stalks (P_AC) and black alder cone-like flowers (A_AC) of reliable physical and chemical characteristics were presented in this article. The commercial activated carbon (C_AC) was also examined for the purpose of comparisons with the obtained materials. The detailed characterization of materials was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), low-temperature N2 physisorption, and Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Preliminary analyzes of the adsorption capacities of all activated carbon materials were conducted on water samples from Aleksandrovac Lake (Southern part of Serbia), as a eutrophic lake, in order to remove Cyanobacteria from water. The results after 24 h of filtration showed removal efficiencies for P_AC, A_AC, and C_AC of 99.99%, 99.99% and 89.79%, respectively.
- Published
- 2022
46. A qualitative study of a mindfulness-based intervention in educational contexts in Chile : an approach based on adolescents’ voices
- Abstract
This article belongs to the Special Issue "Mental Health of Child and Young People"., The application of mindfulness-based interventions in school settings has increased considerably in recent years, showing that differences between the characteristics of programmes can impact on the receptivity and effectiveness of mindfulness training. However, few studies have explored the learning process from the perspective of the children and adolescents who participate in mindfulness practice. The goal of this paper is to analyse the subjective experience of a group of adolescents following the completion of a mindfulness-based intervention developed for schools in Chile. The intervention studied is the “.b curriculum”, which is part of the Mindfulness in School Project (MiSP) developed in the UK. Twenty adolescents participated in semi-structured interviews within their school, in which three key areas were explored: pedagogy, perceived effects, and mechanisms of action, each of them being analysed from the perspective of thematic analysis. The results support the view that pedagogy is a very relevant consideration in the implementation, development, and efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions within the school context. We propose that the inclusion of structure, contents, process/mindful practices, and teachers’ expertise provides the pedagogical-relational framework required for students to successfully develop mindfulness skills, which enables them to experience their cognitive, emotional, and somatic effects. These effects are linked to self-regulation strategies, based on paying attention to one’s somatic experience with kindness and curiosity, which works as an attentional anchor. It is hoped that these results will contribute to the spread of mindfulness research in adolescents in Latin America, thus facilitating cross-cultural and international comparisons.
- Published
- 2020
47. A qualitative study of a mindfulness-based intervention in educational contexts in Chile : an approach based on adolescents’ voices
- Abstract
This article belongs to the Special Issue "Mental Health of Child and Young People"., The application of mindfulness-based interventions in school settings has increased considerably in recent years, showing that differences between the characteristics of programmes can impact on the receptivity and effectiveness of mindfulness training. However, few studies have explored the learning process from the perspective of the children and adolescents who participate in mindfulness practice. The goal of this paper is to analyse the subjective experience of a group of adolescents following the completion of a mindfulness-based intervention developed for schools in Chile. The intervention studied is the “.b curriculum”, which is part of the Mindfulness in School Project (MiSP) developed in the UK. Twenty adolescents participated in semi-structured interviews within their school, in which three key areas were explored: pedagogy, perceived effects, and mechanisms of action, each of them being analysed from the perspective of thematic analysis. The results support the view that pedagogy is a very relevant consideration in the implementation, development, and efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions within the school context. We propose that the inclusion of structure, contents, process/mindful practices, and teachers’ expertise provides the pedagogical-relational framework required for students to successfully develop mindfulness skills, which enables them to experience their cognitive, emotional, and somatic effects. These effects are linked to self-regulation strategies, based on paying attention to one’s somatic experience with kindness and curiosity, which works as an attentional anchor. It is hoped that these results will contribute to the spread of mindfulness research in adolescents in Latin America, thus facilitating cross-cultural and international comparisons.
- Published
- 2020
48. Assessment of leaching characteristics of solidified products containing secondary alkaline lead slag
- Abstract
Reuse of waste is one of the main principles of sustainable development and circular economy. Secondary alkaline lead slag is a hazardous waste generated in the recycling process of lead-acid batteries that may be suitable in construction materials. The environmental impact of the use of lead slag as a partial replacement of fine aggregates in the cement-based stabilization/solidification (S/S) process for the preparation of concrete was studied in this paper. Solidified products containing 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% slag were laboratory tested by unconfined compressive strength (UCS) analyses and the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). At the same time, the leachability of toxic elements from solidified products with a high percent of slag was evaluated under environmental conditions for during one year. The results of the UCS and TCLP indicated that utilization of this type of slag in cement-based applications may be justified with its controlled addition. However, the described application of the slag was disputed due to the high release of As under high alkaline environmental conditions. Eh-pH analyses and the geochemical modeling using the software PHREEQC were evaluated, as well as the mechanism of pollutant (Pb, As) immobilization (precipitation, adsorption) as a function of pH conditions.
- Published
- 2019
49. Prevalence and correlates of cyberbullying perpetration : findings from a German representative student survey
- Abstract
Based on a survey of 9512 ninth-grade students conducted in Lower Saxony in 2013, this paper examines the prevalence of cyberbullying perpetration and the correlates of this behavior. Binary logistic multilevel regression was used in order to analyze correlates of sexual and psychological cyberbully perpetration. In the preceding semester, 2.4% of the adolescents were perpetrators of psychological cyberbullying and 0.4% bullied someone online sexually. Low levels of empathy, frequent consumption of violent media, and being victims of aggressive online behaviors are correlated with the risk that a child will become a bully. Female adolescents are less likely than boys to engage in sexual cyberbullying perpetration, but they are more likely to engage in psychological cyberbullying perpetration. Only a small share of adolescents engage in sexual and psychological cyberbullying perpetration. Both behaviors differ in their correlates, however being a victim of aggressive online behaviors increase the risk for perpetration of both behaviors, respectively.
- Published
- 2019
50. Assessment of leaching characteristics of solidified products containing secondary alkaline lead slag
- Abstract
Reuse of waste is one of the main principles of sustainable development and circular economy. Secondary alkaline lead slag is a hazardous waste generated in the recycling process of lead-acid batteries that may be suitable in construction materials. The environmental impact of the use of lead slag as a partial replacement of fine aggregates in the cement-based stabilization/solidification (S/S) process for the preparation of concrete was studied in this paper. Solidified products containing 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% slag were laboratory tested by unconfined compressive strength (UCS) analyses and the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). At the same time, the leachability of toxic elements from solidified products with a high percent of slag was evaluated under environmental conditions for during one year. The results of the UCS and TCLP indicated that utilization of this type of slag in cement-based applications may be justified with its controlled addition. However, the described application of the slag was disputed due to the high release of As under high alkaline environmental conditions. Eh-pH analyses and the geochemical modeling using the software PHREEQC were evaluated, as well as the mechanism of pollutant (Pb, As) immobilization (precipitation, adsorption) as a function of pH conditions.
- Published
- 2019
Discovery Service for Jio Institute Digital Library
For full access to our library's resources, please sign in.