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Automatic detection and prediction of falls specifically in elderly population who live alone can prevent untoward incidents by taking action at appropriate time. Validating these automated systems requires a labeled dataset. The available datasets are mostly based on inertial features. A health-related concern may also be a reason behind a fall. Considering physiological features along with inertial features can increase the accuracy of the system. In this paper, a labeled multiclass dataset is presented based on physiological and Inertial features of the body (PIF v2). Two trials are performed by each participant. The participants are young as well as elderly performing activities and falls in real-time using the prototype containing various sensors designed for collecting inertial as well as physiological features. Two trials are performed by each participant. 27 subjects (15 males and 12 females) between the age 10 years to 75 years participated in data collection. A detailed comparison between PIF v1 where the data were collected individually using each sensor and PIF v2 is given along with statistical analysis of PIF v2. The statistical analysis of various features with a t-test shows that the different activities and falls can be differentiated using inertial as well as physiological features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Evolution of personal finance beliefs over the course of a college career are unknown. The purpose of this study is to compare perceptions and knowledge of personal finance in undergraduate and pharmacy students at baseline and after completing a personal finance course. Educational Activity and Setting: A personal finance elective course was implemented for second- and third-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students and for undergraduate freshman students. On the first and last day of class, students completed an anonymous survey evaluating demographics, opinions and knowledge regarding personal finance, and current financial status. Baseline data between undergraduate and pharmacy students was compared and the impact of the personal finance course was assessed. Findings: The median score on the baseline knowledge assessment was 58% for freshman (n = 19) and 50% for pharmacy students (n = 28) (P =.571). Five percent of freshman and 86% of pharmacy students reported having debt at baseline (P <.001) compared to 84% and 68%, respectively, having savings (p =.110). After completing the personal finance course, knowledge assessment scores were 54% and 73% for freshman and pharmacy students, respectively (P <.001). Summary: Despite additional years of education and life experience, PharmD students had similar knowledge and perceptions of personal finance while reporting more debt than freshmen. Pharmacy students, however, exhibited improvement in knowledge after taking a personal finance course, while freshman students did not. Personal finance-focused education may help empower graduating pharmacists for financial decision-making upon entering the workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The engagement of senior citizens with urban nature has been shown to provide multiple health benefits and mitigate health issues associated with demographic aging. This review utilized the PRISMA methodology to systematically analyze the relationship between monitoring tools, seniors' behaviors in urban nature, and influencing factors. The main findings are as follows: (1) 4 main types, including self-reports, on-site observations, sensors, and third-party data, and 24 sub-types of measurement tools: ranging from questionnaires to crowdsourced imagery services. Self-reports capture participants' awareness of behaviors, on-site observations record various types of behaviors, sensors collect indicators to detect the body's direct responses, and third-party data provide representative behavior data from large samples. (2) 4 categories and 45 types of behaviors: physical and sports behaviors, leisure and recreational behaviors, relaxation, and passive behaviors, social and care behaviors, based on their characteristics and purposes. Physical and sports behaviors are the most common types for the elderly in urban nature, with walking being the most frequently measured behavior. (3) 36 influencing factors: ranging from diabetes risk to balanced meal habits, classified into 4 categories from physical and vitality health to social and lifestyle health. Physical and vitality health are the most affected category, receiving more academic attention. Gardening is identified as having the most health benefits. This review provides a classification of tools and behaviors, and a detailed discussion of future trends in the field. It provides actionable insights for researchers, urban designers, city managers, and policymakers to select the appropriate measurement tool from 24 sub-tools to better understand behaviors of elderly people in urban nature. It can also help them select the right type of behavior from 45 sub-behaviors to investigate in line with their research goals to improve seniors' health and well-being. • This study evaluates measurement tools for assessing seniors' behaviours in urban nature and their effects. • Measurement tools are categorized into 4 main types and 24 sub-types. • We identified 45 types of seniors' behaviours: Physical, leisure, recreational, and social behaviours. • 36 influencing factors are identified and classified by physical and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La situation de confinement décidée en France pour prévenir la diffusion de la Covid-19 a temporairement modifié la structure des activités quotidiennes. Or, les activités quotidiennes influencent le bien-être. De même, l'intention qui sous-tend l'action est déterminante. Cette étude a exploré trois variables hypothétiquement en relation avec le bien-être sous confinement : le temps consacré à chaque activité, la motivation sous-jacente à l'activité, et un potentiel effet de modération de l'effet du temps par la motivation. Un suivi longitudinal hebdomadaire d'une sélection d'activités potentiellement liées au bien-être chez des individus confinés a été réalisé sur quatre semaines (N participants = 461, N observations = 1213) puis traité par des modèles linéaires mixtes. Concernant le type d'activités, les temps passés à donner du support social, à effectuer du volontariat, à réaliser une activité physique et à méditer étaient positivement associés au bien-être. De plus, les motivations hédonistes, eudémonistes et altruistes étaient positivement reliées au bien-être, alors que la motivation extrinsèque lui était négativement reliée. Les motivations étaient généralement plus associées au bien-être que le temps passé sur les activités. Enfin, des interactions ont été trouvées entre le temps passé sur les activités et les motivations, en particulier avec les motivations hédoniste et altruiste. Cette étude contribue à donner des pistes sur la distribution du temps d'activité en confinement et sur les motivations associées au bien-être dans une telle situation. The lockdown decided in France to prevent the spread of Covid-19 has temporarily modified the structure of daily activities. But, daily activities and the intention underlying actions influence well-being. This study explored three variables hypothetically related to well-being under lockdown: the time spent on each activity, the motivation underlying the activity, and a potential moderating effect of time by motivation. Weekly longitudinal tracking of a selection of activities potentially related to well-being in confined individuals was conducted over four weeks (N = 461, 1213 total observations, April 16–May 20, 2020) and then processed by linear mixed model analyses. At the activity level, the time spent giving social support, volunteering, physical activity, and meditation were positively associated with well-being. In addition, hedonic, eudemonic, and altruistic motivations were positively related to well-being, whereas extrinsic motivation was negatively related. Motivations were generally more associated to well-being than time spent on activities. Finally, interactions were found between time spent on activities and motivations, particularly with hedonic and altruistic motivations. This study provides insights into the distribution of activity time in confinement and the motivations associated with well-being in such a situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparative High Performance Liquid Chromatography (pre-HPLC) is one of the most modern instrumental liquid chromatography available today. The methodological development phase requires time and skills, especially when dealing with complex samples, as in the case of polyphenol-rich herbal matrices. Polyphenols are the most widely distributed constituents of secondary metabolism in plants of medicinal interest, presenting social and economic importance, contributing to the investigation of their complex structures and therapeutic properties. Considering the challenges of isolation of this class of bioactives, the bibliography of the last five years presented in Scopus, Science Direct and Wiley Online Library databases was discussed in this work, bringing together the methodological strategies of pre-HPLC, from sample preparation to post-isolation analysis, for the separation and recovery of polyphenols from crude extracts or enriched fractions. The impacts of obtaining isolated compounds were observed and addressed according to the contribution in building the identity of plant species, the establishment of model methodologies, the elucidation of structure-activity and correlation of isolates as responsible for the therapeutic properties of plant species, in processes involving the removal of free radicals, modulation of enzymatic pathways and inhibition of microbial growth. Results were observed that generate new perspectives on the deepening of knowledge of plant species, highlighting the importance of this as a primary step in the development of nutraceuticals, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products with the delivery of polyphenols, isolated, in concentrated fractions or even in their initial form present in the complex herbal matrices. [Display omitted] • Recents advances of isolation of polyphenols by prep-HPLC. • Important contribution of methods in the construction of medicinal plant identities. • Predictions of mechanisms involved in complex therapeutic actions of polyphenols. • Use of polyphenols as waste recovery strategy. • Development of nutraceutical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products from polyphenol delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to explore the protective mechanism of Vitamin E (VE) and selenium (Se) against T-2 toxin-induced oxidative damage of bovine Leydig cells. Leydig cells were isolated, cultured and divided into five treatment groups such as: control, T-2, Se + T-2, VE + T-2 and VE + Se + T-2. After treatment for 24 h, the cells and supernatants were harvested to examine the cell viability, the activities and mRNA expression of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and DNA damage. Results showed that T-2 toxin exposure significantly reduced the cell viability, increased the MDA level, reduced GSH-Px, SOD and CAT activities and increased DNA damage (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, T-2 toxin was attributed to the down-regulation of the mRNA expression of GSH-Px, SOD and CAT (P < 0.05). However, VE and Se reduced T-2 toxin-induced oxidative damage and tended to maintain normal levels (P < 0.05). Furthermore, VE and Se substantially up-regulated the activities and mRNA expressions of the GSH-Px, SOD and CAT. In conclusion, VE and Se, due to its anti-oxidative ability, could ameliorate T-2 toxin-induced cytotoxicities by regulating oxidative stress in bovine Leydig cells. • VE and Se improved cell viability, GSH-Px, SOD and CAT enzymatic activities and mRNA expressions. • VE and Se reduced DNA damages and content of MDA in Leydig cells exposed to T-2 toxin. • Oxidative stress plays an important role in the protective effects of VE and Se on testicular toxicity induced by T-2 toxin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A sample of young adults (YAs) who vape completed up to 14 consecutive daily surveys. • Nicotine vaping occurred on days when YAs used alcohol and visited bars/parties. • Cannabis vaping occurred on days when YAs drank moderately and visited bars/parties. • Dual-substance vaping occurred on days when YAs spent less time on schoolwork. • Dual-substance vaping occurred on days when YAs spent more time at bars/parties. Over the past two decades, vaping has increased in popularity among young adults. Yet, little is known about the daily activities or contexts associated with vaping behavior. The current study examined whether nicotine vaping, cannabis vaping, and dual-substance vaping (i.e., vaping both nicotine and cannabis) fluctuated in tandem with alcohol use and activities on a given day. Data came from the Monitoring the Future Vaping Supplement, a national sample of U.S. young adults. A subsample of people who vaped (N = 330 people) completed up to 14 daily surveys (N = 3686 days). Multilevel logistic regressions separated within- and between-person characteristics and controlled for combustible nicotine and cannabis use, day of the week, and demographic characteristics. Weights accounted for the complex survey design and attrition. Results demonstrated that nicotine vaping was more common on days when participants drank moderately or binge drank (compared to not drinking), used cigarettes, and spent more time at bars and parties than usual. Cannabis vaping on a given day was more likely on days when young adults drank moderately and spent more time at bars/parties. Likewise, moderate drinking, spending more time at bars/parties than usual, and spending less time on schoolwork than usual was associated with a higher likelihood of dual-substance vaping on a given day. Our findings highlight when young adults vape nicotine and cannabis, while also identifying proximal correlates of these behaviors to inform intervention and cessation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Several common extraction methods of Chinese date polysaccharide were compared. • The purification methods of Chinese date polysaccharide were summarized. • It aimed to provide reference for the application of Chinese date polysaccharide. Because of its rich active ingredients, Chinese date is one of the key plants in the study of natural products. Polysaccharide is an important active ingredient in Chinese date. Recent studies have shown that Chinese date polysaccharide has good antioxidant activity, anti-tumor activity, anti-inflammatory activity, immunomodulatory activity and hepatoprotective effect. Herein, the research progress on the extraction, purification, structure, activity and derivatization of Chinese date polysaccharides was reviewed. Several common extraction methods of Chinese date polysaccharide were compared, the new extraction methods of Chinese date polysaccharide were discussed, the purification methods of Chinese date polysaccharide were summarized, and the structure and activity of Chinese date polysaccharide were mainly discussed. Suggestions for structural reconstruction were put forward. The results provided a reference for the follow-up research, production and application of Chinese date polysaccharide, and laid a foundation for the development of Chinese date polysaccharide-related foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• During Covid-19 people visited a wide range of nearby places to get away from everyday demands, without needing to travel. • People engaged with a wide range of activities in those places, but many activities were place dependent. • All place visits benefitted hedonic and eudemonic wellbeing, but outdoor activities were more beneficial than indoor activities. • Place and activity choices varied between people. Younger people and those living in urban areas visited less outdoor places. • To support wellbeing for all it is important to identify the variety of nearby places people visit and manage access and provision of such places. Being able to get away from everyday stressors and demands, even if close to home and just for a few minutes, is important for wellbeing. During the Covid-19 lockdown periods, people's ability to get away changed significantly. An increase in visits to nearby natural places is well documented. Little is known about other types of places people visited to get away. An online UK survey was conducted in 2020 (N = 850) investigating what places people visited to get away during the pandemic, what they did in those places, how place and activity choices were related to each other and to demographic variables, and to recalled hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing during those visits. Participants visited a rich array of places and engaged in a variety of activities that supported their hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing needs. Responses were grouped into four types of places (at home outdoors, at home indoors, away from home outdoors, and away from home indoors) and seven activity types (cognitive, walks, nature engagement, social activities, technology use, relaxing, and exercise). Place and activity choices were strongly linked. Visiting outdoor places was most beneficial for wellbeing (and most common), especially when it involved mindful engagement with nature (bird watching, gardening) or exercise. Staying indoors, engaging with technologies (computers, television) was least beneficial and more common among those with no degree or job, living in urban areas, and identifying as male. The findings demonstrate the importance of understanding place-activity interactions to support the wellbeing benefits derived from visits to places to get away. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is reported that natural glucan has many physiological and biological activities based on its special chemical structure. However, the structure-activity relationship of natural glucan is still unclear. This review discussed the extraction, activities and chemical properties of natural glucans. Natural glucan has many powerful biological activities. Natural glucan is considered as a new type of natural medicine, which has significant pharmacological effects compared with common drugs. The market demand and the lack of research and development at home and abroad provide a good opportunity for the deep development and utilization of glucan. With the improvement of preparation technology and the innovation of separation and purification technology, glucan will be more and more widely used in the field of food industry. • The natural glucan has many biological activities. • This review discussed the extraction methods and activities of natural glucans. • Glucan will be more and more widely used in the field of food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La nouvelle pandémie de coronavirus (COVID-19) est la principale crise sanitaire mondiale de notre époque et la plus grande menace à laquelle nous avons été confrontés au cours de ce siècle. Selon l'agence nationale de la sécurité sanitaire (ANSS), qui est l'organe national chargé de la gestion des épidémies et des pandémies, 1927 cas de COVID 19 ont été confirmés, 11 décès avec plus de 4000 sujets contacts. L'objectif de cette étude était d'évaluer l'impact de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur les activités du service de cardiologie de l'hôpital national Ignace Deen du CHU de Conakry. Il s'agissait d'une étude rétrospective descriptive allant de janvier 2020 à avril 2020, portant sur les activités de consultation et d'hospitalisation dans le service de cardiologie de l'hôpital national Ignace Deen du CHU de Conakry. L'étude a consisté à évaluer l'impact de la pandémie sur l'utilisation du service par les patients durant les premières semaines de la pandémie. Nous avons recensé la fréquence des consultations et des hospitalisations du mois de mars au mois d'avril 2020, que nous avons comparé à la fréquence des consultations et des hospitalisation des mois de janvier et février 2020. Durant cette étude allant de mars à avril 2020, nous avons recensé 130 patients en consultation contre 450 patients pour les deux mois précédant la déclaration officielle de la pandémie en Guinée, soit une baisse de 71,1 % (320 patients). La même remarque a été faite en hospitalisation avec une baisse de 75 % (35 patients contre 140 pour les deux mois précédents la pandémie). En ce début de pandémie de COVID-19 en Guinée, force est de constater une baisse rapide et significative de l'utilisation effective du service de cardiologie. The new coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is the main global health crisis of our time and the greatest threat we have faced in this century. According to the National Health Security Agency (ANSS), which is the national body responsible for managing epidemics and pandemics, 1927 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, 11 deaths with more than 4000 contact subjects. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the activities of the cardiology department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital at the Conakry University Hospital. This was a descriptive retrospective study from January 2020 to April 2020, focusing on consultation and hospitalisation activities in the cardiology department of Ignace Deen National Hospital at Conakry University Hospital. The study consisted of assessing the impact of the pandemic on patient use of the service during the first weeks of the pandemic. We recorded the frequency of consultations and hospitalisations from March to April 2020, which we compared to the frequency of consultations and hospitalisations in January and February 2020. During this study from March to April 2020, we identified 130 patients in consultation against 450 patients for the two months preceding the official declaration of the pandemic in Guinea, a drop of 71.1% (320 patients). The same remark was made in hospitalisation with a drop of 75% (35 patients against 140 for the two months preceding the pandemic). At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Guinea, it is clear that there has been a rapid and significant drop in the effective use of the cardiology service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium is an essential trace element for life. It plays an irreplaceable role in delaying human aging, improving immunity, preventing cardiovascular diseases and treating Keshan disease. There are inorganic selenium and organic selenium in nature. Selenopolysaccharide plays an important role in the selection of selenium supplements, but the selenium content of selenopolysaccharide is generally low, so there are some regional limitations in obtaining selenopolysaccharide. In order to improve the biological activity of selenium polysaccharides, organic selenium polysaccharides with high selenium content have become one of the hot spots of research and development. Selenium polysaccharide has a variety of biological activities, such as anti-tumor, anti-virus, improving immunity and so on. The research status of selenium polysaccharide at home and abroad in recent years was reviewed, including the source, preparation and biological activity of selenium polysaccharide. The future development and utilization of selenium polysaccharides in the field of health care or medicine is of great significance. • Selenopolysaccharide has many activities, such as anti-tumor, anti-virus, and improving immunity. • The source, extraction/synthesis and biological activities of selenopolysaccharide were reviewed. • Selenopolysaccharide in the field of health care or medicine has great significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerometers provide a new method to objectively measure recovery of movement and physical activity in patients following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) and may overcome common limitations associated with patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). The aim of this study was to assess changes in upper limb movement using accelerometers following RTSA and investigate their association with other clinical outcome measures. Thirty-six patients who underwent RTSA wore accelerometers on both wrists and arms for 3 days at 3, 6, and 12 months postsurgery. PROMs (Constant score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form, visual analog scale for pain, Single Assessment Numerical Evaluation, Shoulder Activity Level) and isometric shoulder strength were also assessed. Accelerometer outcomes were calculated to quantify counts of forearm and arm activity and the contribution of both arms to activity (limb symmetry and magnitude ratio). Changes and differences in all clinical measures and objective movement measures were evaluated with within-subjects analysis of variance. Correlations between limb activity and other clinical measures were investigated using Spearman correlation coefficients. Objective movement of the operated arm increased from 3-6 months postsurgery (P =.004), but not from 6-12 months (P =.240). Limb asymmetries were observed at 3 and 6 months and improved by 12 months postsurgery. No associations were demonstrated between PROMs and objective upper limb movement at 12 months postsurgery. Despite early recovery of function and pain relief assessed by PROMs, objective movement using accelerometers showed delayed recovery of the operated arm postoperatively, before normalizing by 12 months postsurgery. Accelerometers provide a unique insight into functional recovery following RTSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot water extraction was applied to extract red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) polysaccharides (RCP) and the extraction conditions were optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM). An RCP yield of 12.72 ± 0.14% was achieved under the optimum extraction conditions: extracting time of 95 min, extracting temperature of 93 °C, and solvent-material ratio of 21 mL/g. A component named RCP-1.1 with the molecular weight of 7528.81 kDa was purified from RCP. RCP-1.1 was composed of glucose, galacturonic acid, arabinose, and galactose, with molar percentages of 52.54, 1.04, 16.31, and 30.11%, respectively. At the determination concentration of 10 mg/mL, the α-glucosidase inhibition ability of RCP-1.1 reached 86.72% of that of acarbose. The scavenging rates of RCP-1.1 (3.0 mg/mL) for DPPH and ABTS radicals reached 91.82% and 98.95% of that of ascorbic acid (3.0 mg/mL), respectively. Based on these results, RCP-1.1 possesses the potential to be used as a natural hypoglycemic agent or an antioxidant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine associations between sport participation, and objectively assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior in youth during the transition from middle school to high school. Longitudinal study with 2-year follow-up. Sport participation and accelerometer-measured physical activity and sedentary behavior were assessed in 306 children (122 males, 184 females) when they were in 7th and 9th grades (mean age of 12.5 ± 0.5 years). Sport participation and physical activity declined from 7th to 9th grade, but total physical activity (d = 0.38, p < 0.0001) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (d = 0.26, p = 0.0004) remained higher in sport participants compared to non-participants. In 9th grade, the full sample of sport participants compared to non-participants had higher levels of total physical activity (20.7 min/h vs. 18.5 min/h) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (1.8 min/h vs. 1.6 min/h). Sex-specific analysis revealed similar patterns in both females and males. Sedentary behavior remained lower (d = -0.37, p = <0.0001) in the full sample of sport participants compared to non-participants (39.8 min/h vs. 41.7 min/h) in 9th grade. Similar patterns were observed in both females and males. Children's participation in sport is associated with greater levels of physical activity and lower levels of sedentary behavior during the transition from middle school to high school. Promoting children's participation in sports could be an effective public health strategy to help children meet the current physical activity guideline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a framework to redesign a course as an integrated course through experiential learning. Initially the courses were designed for class room lecturing and evaluated through written examinations. It is observed that engineering students learn better by experiential learning. The learning is enhanced with more of hands-on experience along with class room learning. Towards this, the ECE curriculum is reframed to promote integrated courses by including hands on experience along with traditional class room teaching. In this regard the courses, Multimedia Signal Processing (MSP) for post graduates and Information Theory Coding (ITC) for under graduates were redesigned as integrated courses. The implementation activity was structured to explore the concepts and apply to arrive at better engineering solutions. This transformation in course design helped students to understand theoretical concepts beyond the class room teaching and it supported them in defining the areas of their projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we share our experience with curriculum delivery through industry institute collaborative domain specific theme based projects. We had floated the theme based projects and industry floated projects during their 5th and 6th semester respectively. The theme based projects facilitate the students to think beyond the curriculum, and the industry projects help them to mould themselves to the industry expectations. The theme decided for 5th semester 2017-18 batch students (first batch of KLE technological university) was to enhance their coding skills with focus on optimization. During their 6th semester they had to choose the projects from the pool of around 13 industry projects. Along with technical skills, the presentations skills are also mandatory to mark their feet in the competitive world, students were guided to use open source English grammar checking and plagiarism checking tools to prepare their project reports towards enhancing their technical writing skills. It was challenging to meet the expectations of the industry and to speak the same language to solve the given problem within a short span of a semester. Towards this, the competent students are allowed to continue with their 6th semester projects as Institute Research Project (IRP) with exemption of two electives in their forth coming semesters. The vision of IRP is to mould the students to industry expectations and foster their technical skills towards the development of the product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pleasant outdoor thermal environment could substantially enrich residents' enjoyment for outdoor activities. However, previous studies on outdoor thermal comfort in humid subtropical regions have given limited attention to urban parks. This study aimed to explore the relationship between outdoor thermal comfort and spatial behaviors in urban parks located in humid subtropical regions. Physical measurements, questionnaire surveys, and behavioral observations were conducted to establish the thermal benchmarks in Xiamen, China, including neutral Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET), neutral PET range, comfortable PET, and thermal acceptability range. The thermal discomfort factors and preferences for thermal environmental parameters were also identified. The results showed that the neutral PET in Xiamen's urban parks was 19.3 °C in spring and 24.7 °C in summer. In spring, the neutral PET range was found to be between 17.3 and 21.2 °C, whereas in summer, it expanded to 20.9 and 28.4 °C. Comfortable PET was 19.4 °C in spring, but no specific value was determined during the summer testing. In summer, the 90% thermal acceptability range of the residents was below 32.8 °C. Residents were observed to adapt to outdoor thermal conditions by adjusting their activities, such as the change in outdoor time, location, activity level, and clothing. To improve outdoor thermal comfort, it is important to consider the period of thermal discomfort and implement cooling shading measures during the summer, such as mist-spraying facilities or removable sunshade devices. This quantitative assessment of outdoor thermal comfort in urban parks could offer valuable insights for designing urban parks in humid subtropical regions. • Residents adapted to outdoor thermal comfort by adjusting behaviors. • Thermal comfort in urban parks of a humid subtropical climate was evaluated. • Thermal neutrality and acceptable thermal limits in terms of PET were determined. • The neutral PET in Xiamen's urban parks was 19.3 °C in spring and 24.7 °C in summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The proposed model brings thus the following practical and scientific contributions. • A new approach that allows modeling trip chain and activity-based demand within e online Dynamic OD Estimation framework. • Differently from other models in the literature, which have been proposed for the offline DODE, it does not require a heavy simulation in order to be implemented. Moreover, static assignment matrices can be used within the proposed method. • The proposed approach increases the observability of the demand since correlations between different OD pairs in time and space is explicitly considered. • The proposed approach helps to have results that are more consistent over the 24 h periods. Time-dependent Origin–Destination (OD) demand flows are fundamental inputs for Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA) systems and real-time traffic management. This work introduces a novel state-space framework to estimate these demand flows in an online context. Specifically, we propose to explicitly include trip-chaining behavior within the state-space formulation, which is solved using the well-established Kalman Filtering technique. While existing works already consider structural information and recursive behavior within the online demand estimation problem, this information has been always considered at the OD level. In this study, we introduce this structural information by explicitly representing trip-chaining within the estimation framework. The advantage is twofold. First, all trips belonging to the same tour can be jointly calibrated. Second, given the estimation during a certain time interval, a prediction of the structural deviation over the whole day can be obtained without the need to run additional simulations. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is demonstrated first on a toy network and then on a large real-world network. Results show that the model improves the prediction performance with respect to a conventional Kalman Filtering approach. We also show that, on the basis of the estimation of the morning commute, the model can be used to predict the evening commute without need of running additional simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are over five million people in the United States living with dementia. Most live at home and are cared for by family. These family caregivers often assume care responsibilities without education about the disease, skills training, or support, and in turn become at risk for depression, burden, and adverse health outcomes when compared to non-dementia caregivers. Despite over 200 caregiver interventions with proven benefits, many caregivers lack access to these programs. One approach to enhance access is to embed evidence-based caregiver support programs in existing community-based services for people with dementia such as adult day services (ADS). Here we describe the protocol for an embedded pragmatic trial designed to augment standard ADS known as ADS Plus. ADS Plus provides family caregivers with support via education, referrals, and problem-solving techniques over 12 months, and is delivered on-site by existing ADS staff. Embedding a program in ADS requires an understanding of outcomes and implementation processes in that specific context. Thus, we deploy a hybrid design involving a cluster randomized two-group trial to evaluate treatment effects on caregiver wellbeing, ADS utilization, as well as nursing home placement. We describe implementation practices in 30 to 50 geographically and racially/ethnically diverse participating sites. Clinical trial registration #: NCT02927821 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A native polysaccharide (RCPI) with sugar content of 79.94 ± 0.57% was isolated from raspberry fruits. A degraded polysaccharide (DRCPI) with sugar content of 83.82 ± 0.71% was obtained from the crude polysaccharides after degradation by Fe2+-H 2 O 2 treatment. The molecular weights of RCPI and DRCPI were determined to be 411,000 and 8010 Da, respectively. GC analysis revealed that both RCPI and DRCPI were composed of the same monosaccharides (rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose, galactose, and galacturonic acid) in different molar ratios. IR and NMR spectroscopy confirmed that RCPI and DRCPI possessed similar structural characteristics, although DRCPI displayed higher antioxidant activities and greater thermal stability. Furthermore, DRCPI exhibited excellent rheological properties. These data provide evidence to support the application of raspberry-derived polysaccharides in functional foods. • Two novel polysaccharides (RCPI and DRCPI) from raspberry fruits were obtained. • RCPI (native) and DRCPI (degraded by Fe2+-H 2 O 2) had similar structural characteristics. • DRCPI presented stronger antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory capacities than RCPI. • DRCPI possessed more excellent viscoelastic behavior and greater thermal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β -Glucans are polysaccharides constructed of glucose monomers linked by β -glucosidic bonds, which mainly exist in cereals (barley and oat), yeast and mushrooms. Some physiological functionalities of β -glucans have been confirmed, consequently, their development and utilization in the biomedical, pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries have received increasing interest. Foods and dietary supplements containing β -glucans are very popular. This review summarizes recent findings regarding the physiological functionalities of β -glucans and details the action mechanisms of β -glucans upon the present knowledge. The prospects for future research on these topics are also discussed. β -Glucans are effective in many aspects of human health, including cancer prevention, reducing glycemia and serum cholesterol, anti-inflammation, as well as improving immunity. The modification of β -glucans contributes to better solubility, viscosity and gelation, which can change the bioactivities of β -glucans. The action mechanisms of β -glucans and their derivatives are considered to be mainly mediated by some cytokines and hormones in subjects. Human health is supported by various mechanism researches. Although certain action mechanisms remain unclear, the clarification of how β-glucans exhibit biological effects is beneficial for our understanding of complicated biochemical reaction in living organisms. • The origins, extraction, characteristics and modification of β -glucans were reviewed. • The physiological functionalities and mechanisms of β -glucans were presented. • Possible links among different bioactive mechanisms of β -glucans were detailed. • β -glucans' enormous development potentials and prospects were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The cushaw polysaccharide was obtained by hot water extraction. Two sulfated cushaw polysaccharides (SP1 and SP2) with different degrees of substitution and two phosphorylated cushaw polysaccharides (PP1 and PP2) with different degrees of substitution were prepared, respectively. Their structures were characterized by IR, 13C NMR and 31P NMR spectra, respectively. It indicated that the introduction of phosphate groups helped remove hydroxyl radicals. All the derivatives enhanced the scavenging of superoxide anions. It would provide a good basis for studying the antioxidant activity of cushaw polysaccharide and their derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burdock has previously been reported to have anti-diabetic effect. Gut microbiota is an important indicator of diabetes. This study investigated the effect of burdock root powder on the diversity and composition of gut microbiota in hyperglycemic rats. Moreover, the nutritional content, biological activities and beneficial metabolites production of burdock powder during in vitro digestion are determined to supplement its anti-diabetic effect. Our results showed that burdock powder improved intestinal flora diversity in diabetic rats significantly (p < 0.05). Abundance of Lactobacillales , Firmicutes , Peptostreptococcales-Tissierellales , Peptostreptococcaceae, Enterococcaceae and Romboutsia was increased. The abundance of Erysipelotrichales and Turicibacter decreased. Inhibitory activities of α-glucosidase and α-amylase of burdock reached the highest at intestinal and gastric digestion stages (p < 0.05), respectively. Burdock can regulate the intestinal flora of hyperglycemic rats, prompting the production of acetic acid and butyric acid in their feces. [Display omitted] • Burdock can improve gut microbiota diversity and variety in hyperglycemic rats. • Polyphenol, polysaccharides and flavonoid in burdock are reduced during digestion. • Burdock prompts the feces of hyperglycemic rats to produce more SCFAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To describe: 1) settings, activities and types of injuries for an 'initial' (sentinel) injury and subsequent injuries over 24 months, and 2) concordance between sentinel and subsequent injury events.Methods: Participants (n = 2856) were recruited to the Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study (POIS) following their sentinel injury event, an injury event resulting in an Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) entitlement claim. Subsequent injuries were those from additional ACC claims in the following 24 months. Injury settings, activities and types were from electronic ACC claims data. The risks of having a subsequent injury of the same type as the sentinel injury were estimated.Results: Overall, 1653 (58%) participants had 3444 subsequent injury events in 24 months, resulting in 4470 injury diagnoses. Twenty one percent had at least one subsequent injury event of the same type as their sentinel injury; 33% with a spine sprain/strain had at least one subsequent spine sprain/strain. Many participants had at least one subsequent injury event at same setting (26%) as their sentinel injury; of note, 36% of participants whose sentinel injury occurred at home had at least one subsequent injury at home. Seventeen percent of participants had at least one subsequent injury involving the same activity as their sentinel injury; 28% of those whose sentinel injury was a result of contact in sport had at least one subsequent injury also involving sport.Conclusions: Subsequent injuries among people presenting to healthcare providers are common. Greater emphasis should be placed on maximising such healthcare provider contact as an injury prevention opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objectives The present study set out to investigate relations of the number of chronic diseases (as a global indicator of individuals' multimorbidity) to cognitive status and cognitive decline over six years as measured by changes in Trail Making Test (TMT) completion time in old adults and whether those relations differed by key life course markers of cognitive reserve (education, occupation, and cognitively stimulating leisure activities). Method We analyzed data from 897 participants tested on TMT parts A and B in two waves six years apart. Mean age in the first wave was 74.33 years. Participants reported information on chronic diseases, education, occupation, and cognitively stimulating leisure activities. Results Latent change score modeling testing for moderation effects revealed that a larger number of chronic diseases significantly predicted stronger increase in TMT completion time (i.e., steeper cognitive performance decline). Notably, the detrimental relation of the number of chronic diseases to stronger increase in TMT completion time (i.e., cognitive performance decline) was significantly stronger in individuals with less engagement in cognitively stimulating leisure activities in midlife. Discussion Present data suggest that disease-related cognitive decline may be steeper in individuals who have accumulated less cognitive reserve in midlife. However, greater midlife activity engagement seemed to be associated with steeper cognitive decline in any case. Implications for current cognitive reserve and neuropsychological aging research are discussed. Highlights • A larger number of chronic diseases predicted steeper cognitive decline. • This association was stronger in individuals with less cognitive reserve. • Midlife leisure activities seem most important in this context. • Yet, midlife activity was associated with steeper cognitive decline in any case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The vapor pressure and the activity coefficients of minor elements at infinite dilution in liquid Ni-Cr-Fe-Nb alloys are a necessary and important basic property that is required to analyze the behavior of trace elements during metallurgical production process. The carrier gas method has been applied in this study of the dissolution equilibrium of Bi vapor pressures over liquid Ni-Cr-Fe-Nb alloys from 1723 K to 1823K and then the activities as well as the activity coefficients of Bi in liquid Ni-Cr-Fe-Nb alloys were calculated from the results. It is found that Bi shows strong negative deviation from Henry's Law, and the relationship between the standard free energy of dissolution reaction Bi(g) = [Bi] Ni-Cr-Fe-Nb and temperature is Δ G 0 = A + B T , where A is −163058 J/mol and B is 52.6 J/(mol⋅K). At 1773 K and 1873K, the activity coefficients γ of bismuth at infinite dilution is 0.442 and 0.253, respectively. Under the condition of conventional vacuum melting, the volatile lower limit of Bi can be up to 0.22 ppm, which was calculated by using thermodynamic data mentioned above. Highlights • The limit of Bi content in liquid Ni-Cr-Fe-Nb alloy at different temperatures and pressures was analyzed. • It is found that Bi shows strong negative deviation from Henry's Law in the liquid Ni-Cr-Fe-Nb alloys. • Derived properties considered include vapor pressure, Gibbs free energy and activity. • High temperature and high vacuum are favorable for the volatilization of Bi in Ni-Cr-Fe-Nb alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Reviewing the structural characteristics of hydrocalumite LDHs. • Reviewing the methods of synthesis and intercalation of hydrocalumite LDHs. • Reviewing the catalytic applications of uncalcined hydrocalumite LDHs, pristine or intercalated. Abstract The activities of the research group in the synthesis, characterization and, especially catalytic applications of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) of the hydrocalumite type are reviewed placing the work in literature context. In the project, CaFe- and CaAl-LDHs and their intercalated varieties were synthesized with wet chemical, mechanochemical and ultrasonically-assisted mechanochemical methods, and their structural characterization was performed with state-of-the-art methods. Metal ion [Mn(II), Cu(II), Fe(III) or Ni(II)]-amino acid (l -tyrosine, l -histidine or l -cysteine)−CaAl-LDH composites were also prepared and characterized. The as-prepared LDHs and composites were applied in a wide range of reactions like epoxidation/oxidation of olefins with or without additional functionality, the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation, cross-aldol dimerization–condensation or the Ullmann-type coupling reactions. The activities, selectivities and recycling abilities of the catalysts were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the degradation of polysaccharides from blackcurrant (BCP) was investigated. Two low-molecular-weight polysaccharides (DBCP-1, DBCP-2) were obtained using Fe 2+ with different concentrations of H 2 O 2 solution. IR spectra showed DBCPs had obvious characteristic peaks of polysaccharides. GC analysis confirmed DBCPs were composed of the same monosaccharide units as BCP but with different molar ratios. NMR analysis indicated DBCPs and BCP had similar glycosidic linkage patterns. The surface area of fragmented structure in DBCPs was reduced compared to BCP, and they had no triple helix structure. The results of bioactivity assays indicated that DBCPs exhibited higher antioxidant, α- amylase and α -glucosidase inhibitory activities than BCP, and the degraded polysaccharides with the lower molecular weight possessed higher bioactivities. These results suggested that Fe 2+ -H 2 O 2 degradation did not change the main structure of polysaccharide and the degree of degradation could play a key role in the bioactivities of the polysaccharides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy demand modelling has been widely applied in various contexts, including power plant generation, building energy simulation and demand-side management. However, it is still an ongoing research topic in terms of the choice of modelling method, feature engineering for data-driven methods, the application contexts and the type of data used. In the residential sector, survey-based and meter-based approaches are categorised according to the type of input data used, i.e. the activity records from the time use survey and energy consumption from meters respectively. These two paradigms are not necessarily easy to combine, which warrants the questions of when one may be preferred over the other and whether they need to be combined despite the significant data requirements. Other details also have a huge impact on the data structure and performance of the energy demand model, including the choice of influential factors, the historical time window of factors selected, the split between training and test data, and the choice of machine learning (ML) algorithm. There is a lack of comparative research to guide researchers and practitioners in developing energy demand modelling capability, specifically as it pertains to these issues. This study analyses three groups of test scenarios in a multi-household residential context based in the UK. Six ML algorithms (LightGBM, Random forest, ANN, SVM, KNN and LSTM), with eight sets of various influential features, at four different historical time window widths and two train-test splits were compared. An appropriate methodology was designed to capture the temporal impact of activities on energy demand and represent the overlap and interaction of activities. The results show that the combination of meter-based and survey-based energy demand models performs better in terms of modelling accuracy and robustness against sudden load variation. Particularly, integrating energy tariffs, household and individual attributes, appliance usage and general activity features can improve the energy demand model. Among the ML algorithms, LightGBM and ANN perform better than other algorithms while LSTM and SVM may not be suitable in this multi-household short monitoring context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatigue is one of the most persistent symptoms after acquired brain injury, but few studies have investigated the impact of daily activities (e.g., academic, social) on fatigue in children with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The primary aim of this study was to compare subjective parent- and self-reports of fatigue across daily activities between children with TBI and typically developing (TD) children. Cross sectional survey completed at two time points (i.e., after a school day; after a weekend day) within 30 days self-administered, electronic survey in home/preferred setting. 30 participants (15 children with TBI and 15 TD children) ages 8-14 years old. Participants in the TBI group experienced moderate-severe TBIs at 4.69 years (SD = 1.53) and were 5.37 years (SD = 1.53) post-injury at the time of survey participation. Not applicable. demographics and injury questionnaire; Pediatric Quality of Life Multi-Dimensional Fatigue Scale (PedsQL MFS). Participants in the TBI group were parent- and self-reported to have significantly greater levels of fatigue in all domains (i.e., sleep/rest, physical, cognitive, total) compared to TD participants (p <.001), after both a school day and a weekend day. Yet, all participants (i.e., TD and TBI groups) were parent- and self-reported to have similar levels of fatigue in all domains (p >.05) after a school day compared to after a weekend day. The findings of this study support the chronic nature of fatigue after childhood TBI. Comparing fatigue between children with TBI and TD children and across daily activities highlights opportunities for rehabilitation professionals to refine their supports and services o improve the academic and social participation of children with TBI. Jessica Salley Riccardi has no financial or non-financial relationships to disclose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inertial sensor systems are increasingly used in the assessment of persons with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and total knee replacement (TKR). This systematic review aims to (1) investigate the application of inertial sensor systems and kinematics derived from these systems, and (2) assess if current assessment protocols consist of tasks which are, according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) for KOA, relevant for persons with KOA and TKR. A search was conducted in six electronic databases (ACM, CINAHL, EMBASE, IEEE, PubMed, Web of Science) to include papers assessing the knee and one or more adjacent joints by means of inertial sensors in healthy persons or persons with KOA or TKR. Two reviewers checked the methodological quality. Twenty-three papers were included: 18 in healthy persons and five in persons with KOA or TKR. In healthy persons, 11 tasks were related to metrics of the ICF-function and ICF-activity level. In persons with KOA, only walking was assessed. Apart from walking, four additional tasks were related to the ICF-function and ICF-activity level in persons with TKR. In healthy persons, joints located proximally and distally to the knee were assessed, while in persons with KOA and TKR, only the knee and ankle were assessed. This is a shortcoming since hip and trunk motion potentially contain clinically relevant information, in terms of identifying (mal)adaptive compensatory movement strategies. Additionally, physically more demanding tasks should be evaluated as these might be superior in detecting compensatory movement strategies. Former considerations warrant attention in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focused on the synthesis of chitosan–silver nanocomposite films (CSNFs) due to their potential application in various domains including wound dressing, packaging and water purification. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were generated in-situ by using UV-irradiation and chitosan (CS) as both reductant and stabilizer. FTIR spectra revealed that the primary amine and amide groups of chitosan have specific interactions with nanoparticles surface. The diameter of AgNPs ranged from 170 to 200 nm as determined by DLS and TEM observation.Furthermore, CSNFs were tested for their biological activities and results showed higher antioxidant and antibacterial activities than chitosan film, which increased with AgNPs amount, suggesting that surface structures of chitosan strongly influence the adsorption of AgNPs and the antimicrobial activities. These observations indicate that nanocomposite films have potential applications as anti-infectious wound dressing. Many studies reported the toxicity of AgNPs and their health and environmental risks. For that purpose, cytotoxicity of CS–AgNPs was performed by MTT assay on Chinese hamster ovary R(CHO-K1) cell lines. Results showed that CS–AgNPs have no-cytotoxicity effect, which suggests the possibility of CS–AgNPs uses in foods and biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to explore the personnel's experiences with the implementation of an activity program for male residents in municipal care services. The design was inspired by a grounded theory approach. The data were collected by means of two focus group interviews with 11 participants in total. The findings showed that the personnel experienced that continuity was a prerequisite to being and remaining motivated when taking part in the activity program. Therefore, a lack of continuity was an obstacle. The categories ‘to be prepared’, ‘to be responsible for a sense of fellowship’, and ‘to gain new perspectives’ illuminate the personnel's experiences. Different conditions had an impact on how the personnel experienced the implementation of the activity program and whether they stayed motivated for being a part of the program in the future. More attention should be given to ward routines that, with only minor changes, may strengthen the activity leader role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study aims to (1) describe the activities, function, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of a large sample of older adults (age ≥ 65) with cancer, (2) identify the associations with demographics, cancer type, comorbid conditions, and ability to participate in activities and functional status. Materials and Methods The Health Registry/Cancer Survivorship Cohort is an institutional database designed to aid cancer survivorship research. The registry includes three measures of patient-reported HRQOL: FACT-G and PROMIS® Global measures for physical and mental health. Other measures included in the registry are cancer type, date from diagnosis, number of comorbid conditions and specific conditions and their limitations in daily activity, and self-reported daily activity/function. Results Our sample consists of 768 older adults with cancer, mean age 72 years, 60% female, and 90% White. Mean scores for HRQOL: FACT-G (85, range: 25–108), PROMIS-physical (48, range: 16–67) and, PROMIS-mental (51, range: 21–67). In multivariable models, Black race, one or more comorbid conditions, and Gastrointestinal cancer ( p < .05), and patient- reported decreased levels of activities/function were all independently associated with poor HRQOL ( p < .0001). Conclusions Older Black adults with cancer, those that have high comorbidity burden, with gastrointestinal cancers and those that report decreased ability to participate in daily activities/function reported poorer HRQOL. As geriatric oncology moves towards trying to identify who may need supportive services, this study demonstrated that a one question patient-reported level of activities and functional ability were independently associated with physical, mental, and cancer-specific HRQOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Midwifery education plays an important role in educating graduates about engaging in continuous professional development (CPD) but there is a lack of empirical research analysing student midwives' awareness of CPD beyond graduation. We aimed to explore student midwives' awareness of the need to become lifelong learners and to map their knowledge of CPD activities available after graduation. Therefore, forty-seven reflective documents, written in the last week of student midwives' training programme, were analysed in a thematic way. Content analysis confirmed student midwives' awareness of the importance of CPD before graduation. They mentioned different reasons for future involvement in CPD and described both, formal and informal CPD-activities. Respondents were especially aware of the importance of knowledge, to a lesser degree of skills-training and still less of the potential value of the Internet for individual and collective learning. Respondents perceived a need for a mandatory preceptorship. Supporting learning guides were highly valued and the importance of reflection on CPD was well-established. This could have resulted from an integrated reflective learning strategy during education. Conclusion Undergraduate midwives are aware of the importance of CPD and the interplay of formal and informal learning activities. Virtual learning requires special attention to overcome CPD challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which product returns motivate manufacturing firms to adopt closed-loop supply chain activities that influence the effectiveness of reverse supply chains. The hypotheses have been tested using data from a sample of 150 environmental management system ISO 14001 certified manufacturing firms in Malaysia through the census sampling approach. The results of the empirical test using LISREL Version 8.70 for the structural equation modeling support the fundamental explanation of the influence of the institutional forces towards the adoption of closed-loop supply chain activities and the effectiveness that can be reaped by the manufacturing firms from their adoption. These findings extend the prior research through the verification from the empirical survey on the importance of product returns in the adoption of closed-loop supply chain activities, which eventually impacts the firm’s effectiveness in the reverse supply chain. The findings also help managers to understand the factors that can improve the outcome of the adoption of closed-loop supply chain activities by intensifying the extent of involvement in product returns, which provides a valuable insight about a significant predictor of firm performance in reverse flow chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifting from product-oriented business models to product-service systems (PSS) requires changes and implementation of new ideas related to many business dimensions, such as cultural, procedural, financial, and technological. Searching for new solutions requires creativity. Therefore, the application of a design thinking (DT) approach might help companies in finding innovative value propositions for PSS. DT has the potential to support PSS design processes, even though some practitioners may see DT as a substitute to formalized PSS design processes. In order to understand if and how DT can be used in combination with PSS design process models, this work proposes to identify what are the commonalities and particularities of them. The descriptions of DT methodologies and PSS design process models were treated as a structured content corpus, which was divided in comparable activities based on corpus linguistics and frame semantics. The main findings show that DT is effectively a support and not a replacement to the PSS design process, representing greater integration opportunities with the front-end of innovation (FEI). The detailing and implementation phases of PSS design process have no intersections with DT methodologies, even though DT can be employed whenever creativity is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19–related policies introduced extraordinary social disruption in nursing homes. In response, nursing facilities implemented strategies to alleviate their residents' loneliness. This study sought to describe interventions nursing homes used, document the perceived effectiveness of efforts, and determine barriers to implementing strategies to mitigate social isolation and loneliness. National survey of nursing homes sampled in strata defined by facility size (beds: 30-99, 100+) and quality ratings (1, 2-4, 5). US Nursing Home Directors of Nursing/Administrators (n = 1676). The survey was conducted between February and May 2022 (response rate: 30%; n = 504, weighted n = 14,506). Weighted analyses provided nationally representative results. One-third were extremely concerned about their home's ability to meet residents' medical and social needs during COVID-19 before vaccines were available and 13% after vaccines. Nearly all reported trying to mitigate residents' social isolation during the pandemic. Efforts tried, and perceived as most useful, included using technology (tablets, phones, emails), assigning staff as a family contact, and more staff time with residents. Most frequently cited barriers to implementation were related to staffing issues. Despite multiple challenges, nearly all nursing homes tried to implement many different approaches to address residents' social needs, with some (eg, having an assigned family contact, use of tablets and phones) perceived as more useful than others. Staffing issues presented barriers for addressing the social needs of nursing home residents. Many strategies for addressing social isolation placed more demands on a workforce already stretched to the limit. While concerns about resident social isolation reduced after vaccine availability, administrators remained extremely concerned about staff burnout and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing number of studies suggest a relation between young children's math skills and their home numeracy environment (HNE), typically assessed through home numeracy practices and parental number talk. However, studies are characterized by heterogeneity in methods, analytic strategies, and results. Here we tested prevalent models of the HNE via a pre-registered study to reduce analytic flexibility and distinguish between confirmatory and exploratory findings. A wide range of mathematical skills was measured in 128 5-year-old children, while their HNE was assessed via a parental questionnaire evaluating the frequency of home numeracy practices and a direct measure of parental number talk during a free-play session in the lab. Contrary to our hypotheses, we did not find any predicted relation between children's mathematical skills and parental number talk or frequency of informal practices at home. However, as predicted, we confirmed a relation between formal advanced numeracy practices and symbolic mathematical skills. • We conducted a pre-registered study on the home numeracy environment. • Parental number talk was not related to children's math skills. • Informal numeracy practices were not related to children's math skills. • Formal advanced numeracy practices were related to children's symbolic math skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Innovative care environments are developed for people with dementia to encourage person-centered care. This study aims to investigate whether residents of green care farms that provide 24-hour nursing care participate more in (physical) activities and social interaction compared with residents of other nursing homes. Design Longitudinal observation study. Setting Nursing homes in the Netherlands (green care farms, traditional nursing homes, and regular small-scale living facilities). Participants A total of 115 nursing home residents at baseline, 100 at follow-up. Measurements Ecological momentary assessments (n = 16,860) were conducted using the Maastricht Electronic Daily Life Observation Tool. Residents living at green care farms were compared with residents living in traditional nursing homes and regular small-scale living facilities. The following aspects were collected for this study: the activity performed by the participant or occurring in his or her vicinity, the engagement in the activity, the level of physical activity during the activity, the physical environment (location where the activity occurred), and the level of social interaction during the activity. Results In total, 9660 baseline observations and 7200 follow-up observations were conducted. Analyses showed that residents of green care farms significantly more often participated in domestic activities ( P = .004, SE = 1.6) and outdoor/nature-related activities ( P = .003, SE = 0.9), and significantly less often engaged in passive/purposeless activities ( P < .001, SE = 1.7) compared with residents of traditional nursing homes. Furthermore, residents of green care farms had significantly more active engagement ( P = .014, SE = 0.9), more social interaction ( P = .006, SE = 1.1), and came outside significantly more ( P = .010, SE = 1.1) than residents of traditional nursing homes. Residents of green care farms were significantly more physically active ( P = .013, SE = 0.8) than were residents of regular small-scale living facilities. No other significant differences were found. Conclusion Green care farms can be a valuable alternative to traditional nursing homes. They provide an attractive, homelike environment and activities that positively influence engagement and social interaction. Research is needed to study how successful elements of green care farms can be implemented in existing nursing homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comfortable thermal environment is extremely important for the enjoyment of outdoor spaces. The relationship among microclimate, thermal sensation, and human behavior is expected to provide guidelines and implications for outdoor space design and planning practice. Given that, this study aimed at a better understanding of outdoor thermal comfort and activities in the residential community in a humid subtropical area of China. This study counted the number of people staying at the outdoor space, recorded physical measurements, and collected questionnaire surveys to determine the thermal comfort and activities of the outdoor space. Analysis results confirmed that the thermal experience and expectation existed and changed people’s perceptions about the outdoor thermal environment in different seasons. The 90% acceptable physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) range affected by the local climate and thermal adaptation was 18.1–31.1 °C. The residents adapted to the outdoor spaces through adjustment of clothing, activity spaces and activity times in different seasons. These findings shed light on the optimal design of outdoor spaces for increasing the utilization rate. Sunny and shady subspaces should be considered to provide residents with more opportunities to interact with the environment for different seasons, thus improving their thermal comfort and the usage rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The valorization of light cycle oil (LCO) and pyrolysis gasoline (i.e. Pygas) via ring opening reaction (ROR) presents an industrial opportunity for improving the cetane and octane properties of diesel and gasoline fuels, respectively. One major challenge is the design of suitable catalysts that are optimally active, selective and very stable. The paper therefore covered a review of critical studies conducted with the view of achieving these properties. Catalysts based on metals-promoted oxides, carbides, sulfides and modified-zeolites have so far been investigated. The paper therefore discusses the progress made and identified issues for further investigations. Issues such as the role of catalyst compositions, acidity, topology and textural properties on the activity–stability properties were examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work the applicability of activity based kinetics for the absorption of CO 2 into hydroxide and carbonate solutions is discussed. It was found by several authors that reaction rate constants based on concentration strongly depend both on concentration and the counter ion present in solution. In this study experimental kinetics data for LiOH, NaOH and KOH from the literature were reevaluated using activity based kinetics. It is observed that the use of activities instead of concentrations eliminates the effect of both concentration and counter ion on the rate constant and an expression for the activity based second order rate constant is derived. The activities used in this work were calculated with the electrolyte-NRTL model which predicts well the equilibrium partial pressure of CO 2 , the composition of the liquid phase and the apparent Henry’s law constant. The calculated activity coefficients were used to predict the activity based rate constant and CO 2 flux from the concentration based second order kinetic constant at infinite dilution ( k OH − ∞ ). The infinite dilution rate constant, combined with e-NRTL based activities of CO 2 and hydroxyl ion, predicted the CO 2 absorption fluxes within 14% AARD showing that the proposed approach can be used for prediction of activity based rate constants and the CO 2 absorption flux for any system involving the reaction of CO 2 with hydroxyl ion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Younger patients who have undergone reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) are believed to have higher activity levels that place higher stresses across the prosthesis, increasing the risk of failure, but there is little information to support or refute this supposition. The purposes of this study were to define the patient-reported activity levels of patients younger than 65 years and older than 65 years who underwent RTSA and to evaluate any differences between the groups. Methods Forty-six patients who underwent primary RTSA answered a questionnaire regarding their activity levels. Data were categorized and tabulated according to pain, range of motion, strength, and activity level (low, medium, and high demand). Statistical analyses were performed using the Fisher exact test, χ 2 test, and independent t test. Differences with P  < .05 were considered statistically significant. Results Seventeen patients younger than 65 years (mean age, 57.7 years) and 29 patients older than 65 years (mean age, 75.2 years) were included. No significant differences were found for range of motion, strength, or number of activities; 47% of younger patients and 44% of older patients reported high-demand activities ( P  = .64); 24% of younger patients and 37% of older patients reported medium-demand use ( P  = .30). Patients younger than 65 years were more likely to require narcotic pain medication ( P  = .03) and to have disability ( P  = .0001). Conclusion These data provide initial evidence that commonly held concerns about higher activity levels among younger patients placing excessive demands on the RTSA prosthesis may not be as important as currently thought. Rather, patients seem to self-regulate their activities to minimize pain and maximize essential functions after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among over 5 million people in the USA with dementia, neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are almost universal, occurring across disease etiology and stage. If untreated, NPS can lead to significant morbidity and mortality including increased cost, distress, depression, and faster disease progression, as well as heightened burden on families. With few pharmacological solutions, identifying nonpharmacologic strategies is critical. We describe a randomized clinical trial, the Dementia Behavior Study, to test the efficacy of an activity program to reduce significant existing NPS and associated caregiver burden at 3 and 6 months compared to a control group intervention. Occupational therapists deliver 8 in-home sessions over 3 months to assess capabilities and interests of persons with dementia, home environments, and caregiver knowledge, and readiness from which activities are developed and families trained in their use. Families learn to modify activities for future declines and use strategies to address care challenges. The comparison group controls for time and attention and involves 8 in-home sessions delivered by health educators who provide dementia education, home safety recommendations, and advanced care planning. We are randomizing 250 racially diverse families (person with dementia and primary caregiver dyads) recruited from community-based social services, conferences and media announcements. The primary outcome is change in agitation/aggression at 3 and 6 months. Secondary outcomes assess quality of life of persons with dementia, other behaviors, burden and confidence of caregivers, and cost and cost effectiveness. If benefits are supported, this activity intervention will provide a clinically meaningful approach to prevent, reduce, and manage NPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism market segmentation is considered a valuable marketing tool in creating an effective tourism marketing strategy. This study investigated the differences in visitors' lifestyles that would potentially influence their selection of a holiday destination. The study used a set of activities, interests and opinion items to measure psychographic lifestyle typologies of foreign visitors who traveled to Jakarta. Factor analysis of the data identified six lifestyle factors, which were further analyzed using cluster analysis. The cluster analysis revealed four types of foreign visitors: culture interest shopaholic, sporty culture explorer, aspiring vacationer and want-everything vacationer. The four groups were compared through a chi-square test for independence analysis based on the types as well as the visitors' demographic profiles. Significant differences were found between the four groups in terms of age, race, employment status, number of previous trips to Jakarta, and travel companion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of edge loading in hip joint replacement has been associated with many factors such as prosthetic design, component malposition and activities of daily living. The present study aimed to quantify the occurrence of edge loading/contact at the articulating surface and to evaluate the effect of cup angles and edge loading on the contact mechanics of a modular metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) total hip replacement (THR) during different daily activities. A three-dimensional finite element model was developed based on a modular MoP bearing system. Different cup inclination and anteversion angles were modelled and six daily activities were considered. The results showed that edge loading was predicted during normal walking, ascending and descending stairs activities under steep cup inclination conditions (≥55°) while no edge loading was observed during standing up, sitting down and knee bending activities. The duration of edge loading increased with increased cup inclination angles and was affected by the cup anteversion angles. Edge loading caused elevated contact pressure at the articulating surface and substantially increased equivalent plastic strain of the polyethylene liner. The present study suggested that correct positioning the component to avoid edge loading that may occur during daily activities is important for MoP THR in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy services play a key role in increasing energy efficiency in the industry. The key actors in these services are the local and regional energy companies that are increasingly implementing energy services as part of their market offering and developing service portfolios. Although expectations for energy services have been high, progress has so far been limited, and many companies offering energy services, including energy companies, are experiencing difficulties in implementing energy services and providing them to the market. Overall, this research examines what is needed for local and regional energy companies to successfully implement energy services (and consequently provide them to the market). In doing this, a two-stage process is used: first, we identify key activities for the successful implementation of energy services, and second, we aggregate the findings to the business model level. This research demonstrates that to succeed in implementing energy services, an energy company may need to renew parts or all of its existing product-based business model, formulate a new business model, or develop coexisting multiple business models. By discussing two distinct business model innovation processes, this research demonstrates that there can be different paths to success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]