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Estimating the fruit size is an important factor because it directly influences size-specific yield estimation, which would be useful for pricing in the market. In this paper, it was considered a method of constructing models for estimating the proportion of fruit size grades of citrus using polynomial regression. In order to construct models, curvilinear regressions were performed, utilizing the fruit diameters of a kind of citrus (Citrus junos Sieb. ex Tanaka) in the harvest. The constructed models were validated by comparison with another model, which was constructed using a combination of four datasets obtained from three orchards differing in the number of fruit sets. The estimation model's accuracy (EMA, defined as the sum of the absolute difference between the actual and estimated proportions of each grade) was used for the evaluation of constructed models. The EMAs of 14 models applied to 28 validation data were ranging from 2.0% to 6.1%. In all validations, the proportions of fruit size grade were insignificant at a 5% level by Pearson's chi-square test. Additionally, a comparison of EMAs differing in the number of trees by the constructed models showed that most were within EMA ≤ 10.0% in the case calculated by 10 trees. Validation of five farmers' orchards indicated that the EMA of two was within 10.0%, and the EMA of three was at 11.3 to 12.5%. These results revealed that the constructed models could be applied to orchards for differing numbers of fruit sets. The acceptable accuracy was derived by at least over 10 trees investigated at one time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented level of worldwide testing for epidemiologic and diagnostic purposes, and due to the extreme need for tests, the gold-standard Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing capacity has been unable to meet the overall worldwide testing demand. Consequently, although the current literature has shown the sensitivity of rapid antigen tests (RATs) to be inferior to RT-PCR, RATs have been implemented on a large scale without solid data on performance. Objective: This study will compare analytical and clinical sensitivities and specificities of 50 lateral flow-- or laboratory-based RATs and 3 strand invasion--based amplification (SIBA)-RT-PCR tests from 30 manufacturers to RT-PCR testing of samples obtained from the deep oropharynx. In addition, the study will compare sensitivities and specificities of the included RATs as well as RT-PCR on clinical samples obtained from the deep oropharynx, the anterior nasal cavity, saliva, the deep nasopharynx, and expired air to RT-PCR on deep oropharyngeal samples. Methods: In the prospective part of the study, 200 individuals found SARS-CoV-2 positive and 200 individuals found SARS-CoV-2 negative by routine RT-PCR testing will be retested with each RAT, applying RT-PCR as the reference method. In the retrospective part of the study, 304 deep oropharyngeal cavity swabs divided into 4 groups based on RT-PCR quantification cycle (Cq) levels will be tested with each RAT. Results: The results will be reported in several papers with different aims. The first paper will report retrospective (analytical sensitivity, overall and stratified into different Cq range groups) and prospective (clinical sensitivity) data for RATs, with RT-PCR as the reference method. The second paper will report results for RAT based on anatomical sampling location. The third paper will compare different anatomical sampling locations by RT-PCR testing. The fourth paper will focus on RATs that rely on central laboratory testing. Tests from 4 different manufacturers will be compared for analytical performance data on retrospective deep oropharyngeal swab samples. The fifth paper will report the results of 4 RATs applied both as professional use and as self-tests. The last paper will report the results from 2 breath tests in the study. A comparison of sensitivity and specificity between RATs will be conducted using the McNemar test for paired samples and the chi-squared test for unpaired samples. Comparison of the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) between RATs will be performed by the bootstrap test, and 95% CIs for sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV will be calculated as bootstrap CIs. Conclusions: The study will compare the sensitivities of a large number of RATs for SARS-CoV-2 to with those of RT-PCR and will address whether lateral flow--based RATs differ significantly from laboratory-based RATs. The anatomical test locations for both RATs and RT-PCR will also be compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of catastrophic household health expenditure in Nigeria, with particular focus on Out-of-Pocket (OOP) health expenditure. Payments for healthcare through OOP are the major means of channeling funds to healthcare providers in many developing countries including Nigeria. It has great consequence on household well-being, especially when it is difficult for household to meet up with spending on other necessity goods. Design/methodology/approach: The demand for health theory provided the theoretical framework. The study used data from 2018/2019 Nigeria Living Standard Survey (NLSS) with catastrophic thresholds of 10 and 25%. A logistic regression model was used, while Pearson chi-squared test was used for models' goodness of fit. Findings: Based on the obtained result using Pearson chi-squared, at 10% threshold of total non-food expenditure, the likelihood of experiencing catastrophic health expenditure increased with secondary education, for those without health insurance and for severely ill or injured by 1.48, 2.57 and 8.70, respectively. It fell for those who consulted patent medicine vendors/chemists for illness or injury by 0.63 compared to orthodox practitioners. Enhancement of post-secondary education and widening the coverage of the available social health insurance would minimise the financial burden on many households. Originality/value: This paper fulfills the need to examine the determinants of catastrophic household health expenditure on two catastrophic thresholds and two forms of household expenditure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high-production-volume chemical associated with a wide range of health outcomes in animal and human studies. BPA is used as a developer in thermal paper products, including cash register receipt paper; however, little is known about exposure of cashiers to BPA and alternative compounds in receipt paper. OBJECTIVE: We determined whether handling receipt paper results in measurable absorption of BPA or the BPA alternatives bisphenol S (BPS) and 4-hydroxyphenyl 4-isoprooxyphenylsulfone (BPSIP). METHODS: Cashiers (n = 77) and non-cashiers (n = 25) were recruited from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region of North Carolina during 2011-2013. Receipts were analyzed for the presence of BPA or alternatives considered for use in thermal paper. In cashiers, total urine and serum BPA, BPS, and BPSIP levels in post-shift samples (collected ≤ 2 hr after completing a shift) were compared with pre-shift samples. Levels of these compounds in urine from cashiers were compared to levels in urine from non-cashiers. RESULTS: Each receipt contained 1-2% by weight of the paper of BPA, BPS, or BPSIP. The post-shift geometric mean total urinary BPS concentration was significantly higher than the pre-shift mean in 33 cashiers who handled receipts containing BPS. The mean urine BPA concentrations in 31 cashiers who handled BPA receipts were as likely to decrease as to increase after a shift, but the mean post-shift concentrations were significantly higher than those in non-cashiers. BPSIP was detected more frequently in the urine of cashiers handling BPSIP receipts than in the urine of noncashiers. Only a few cashiers had detectable levels of total BPA or BPS in serum, whereas BPSIP tended to be detected more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: Thermal receipt paper is a potential source of occupational exposure to BPA, BPS, and BPSIP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Innovative interventions are needed to address the growing burden of breast cancer globally, especially among vulnerable patient populations. Given the success of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in addressing communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases, this scoping review will investigate the roles and impacts of CHWs in breast cancer screening programs. This paper also seeks to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of these programs, with particular attention paid to differences between CHW-led interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs).Methods: A scoping review was performed using six databases with dates ranging from 1978 to 2019. Comprehensive definitions and search terms were established for 'Community Health Workers' and 'breast cancer screening', and studies were extracted using the World Bank definition of LMIC. Screening and data extraction were protocolized using multiple independent reviewers. Chi-square test of independence was used for statistical analysis of the incidence of themes in HICs and LMICs.Results: Of the 1,551 papers screened, 33 were included based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Study locations included the United States (n=27), Bangladesh (n=1), Peru (n=1), Malawi (n=2), Rwanda (n=1), and South Africa (n=1). Three primary roles for CHWs in breast cancer screening were identified: education (n=30), direct assistance or performance of breast cancer screening (n=7), and navigational services (n=6). In these roles, CHWs improved rates of breast cancer screening (n=23) and overall community member knowledge (n=21). Two studies performed cost-analyses of CHW-led interventions.Conclusion: This review extends our understanding of CHW effectiveness to breast cancer screening. It illustrates how CHW involvement in screening programs can have a significant impact in LMICs and HICs, and highlights the three CHW roles of education, direct performance of screening, and navigational services that emerge as useful pillars around which governments and NGOs can design effective programs in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: A greater understanding of Over the Counter (OTC) and Prescription Only Medication (POM) misuse amongst adults accessing substance misuse services (SMS) during COVID-19 is required to identify how SMS can better meet the needs of the people who require treatment. AIM: To use a questionnaire to explore OTC/POM misuse during COVID-19 in adults accessing community SMS in England. METHODS: In 2020 to 2021 anonymous self-administered online/paper questionnaires which collated quantitative and qualitative data were completed. They were piloted for suitability and ethical approval was obtained. Thematic analysis was conducted for qualitative data and chi-square tests used to assess the relationship between quantitative variables. RESULTS: Participants were Caucasian (94.6% British), majority male (58.9%), aged 18 to 61 years. Most were prescribed medication for problematic substance use, with a 92.5% self-reported adherence rate. The misuse of benzodiazepines (22.2%) codeine products (30.8%) and pregabalin (14.5%) predominated and 37.5% misused 2 or more medicines. Administration was usually oral and concomitant use of other substances was common: alcohol 44.6% (52% daily), tobacco/vaping 73.2% and illicit substances 58.9%. There were statistically significant associations identified, including between changes during COVID-19 to OTC/POM misuse and illicit use. Only 56 questionnaires were included in the analysis: we believe this low number was because of infection control measures, limited footfall in services, pressures on staff limiting their capacity to distribute the paper questionnaires and reliance upon telephone consultations limiting online distribution. Increasing OTC/POM misuse and obtaining illicit supplies were reported when access to usual supplies were restricted; however, changes to doses/dispensing arrangement liberalisation in response to COVID-19 were positively viewed. CONCLUSION: OTC/POM misuse, including polypharmacy and concomitant use of other substances occurred during COVID-19: SMS need to be vigilant for these issues and mitigate the associated risks for example with harm reduction interventions. Further qualitative research is required to explore the issues identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Quality of life (QoL) is a major concern in breast cancer (BC) patients. Despite efforts, no study has comprehensively addressed determinants of QoL in patients with BC. This study aimed to synthesize evidence on QoL correlations using the meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) approach. Methods. Our search in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane databases resulted in 5,238 initial relevant papers, 73 of which were eligible for final analysis with a total of 44,121 patients. We used a two-stage procedure of correlation-based MASEM to examine the relationship between QoL and body mass index (BMI), physical activity (PA), sleep, depression, fatigue, and stress. Results. Final MASEM model suggested that PA (path coefficient = 0.33, 95% CI = −0.0444; 0.6334), fatigue (path coefficient = −0.23, 95% CI = −0.6825; 0.0361), and stress (path coefficient = −0.22, 95% CI = −0.5143; 0.6875) were the most important factors related to QoL in patients with breast cancer. Final model identified variables responsible for 68% of the variation in QoL in BC. Conclusion. QoL is an important outcome in the treatment course of BC. Large-scale and meta-analysis studies could help patients to have a life with improved quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The largest source of information in healthcare during the present epidemic is radiological imaging, which is also one of the most difficult sources to interpret. Clinicians today are forced to rely heavily on therapeutic image analysis that has been filtered and sometimes performed by worn-out radiologists. Transmission of these medical data increases in frequency due to patient overflow, and protecting confidentiality, along with integrity and availability, emerges as one of the most crucial components of security. Medical images generally contain sensitive information about patients and are therefore vulnerable to various security threats during transmission over public networks. These images must be protected before being transmitted over this network to the public. In this paper, an efficient SCAN and chaotic-map-based image encryption model is proposed. This paper describes pixel value and pixel position manipulation based on SCAN and chaotic theory. The SCAN method involves translating an image's pixel value to a different pixel value and rearranging pixels in a predetermined order. A chaotic map is used to shift the positions of the pixels within the block. Decryption follows the reverse process of encryption. The effectiveness of the suggested strategy is evaluated by computing the histogram chi-square test, MSE, PSNR, NPCR, UACI, SSIM, and UQI. The efficiency of the suggested strategy is demonstrated by comparison analysis. The results of analysis and testing show that the proposed program can achieve the concept of partial encryption. In addition, simulation experiments demonstrate that our approach has both a faster encryption speed and higher security when compared to existing techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the asymptotic analysis of sojourn times of random fields with continuous sample paths. Under a very general framework we show that there is an interesting relationship between tail asymptotics of sojourn times and that of supremum. Moreover, we establish the uniform double-sum method to derive the tail asymptotics of sojourn times. In the literature, based on the pioneering research of S. Berman the sojourn times have been utilised to derive the tail asymptotics of supremum of Gaussian processes. In this paper we show that the opposite direction is even more fruitful, namely knowing the asymptotics of supremum of random processes and fields (in particular Gaussian) it is possible to establish the asymptotics of their sojourn times. We illustrate our findings considering i) two dimensional Gaussian random fields, ii) chi-process generated by stationary Gaussian processes and iii) stationary Gaussian queueing processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are invalid and redundant features in the texture feature extraction method of cashmere and wool fibers, which leads to the low recognition accuracy. In this paper, a novel texture feature selection method based on local binary pattern, the gray level co-occurrence matrix algorithm and chi-square test was proposed to sufficiently extract the effective features of these two fibers. Firstly, the collected images of cashmere and wool fibers are processed to obtain the clear texture images with background removed by pre-processing algorithm and local binary pattern. Then, the texture features are calculated by the gray level co-occurrence matrix, and the optimal 5-dimensional features are extracted by chi-square test to represent the texture information of cashmere and wool. Finally, the two fibers are automatically classified and recognized based on the support vector machine. The experimental results show that the proposed method obtained a high recognition accuracy with the percent of 94.39. It verifies that the method based on texture feature selection is effective to identify cashmere and wool fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In the last two years, breastfeeding rates have experienced a notable decline worldwide. Only 46% of women breastfeed their children, the figure being much lower in primiparous women. Breastfed milk is the ideal food for babies; its benefits for the health of mothers and babies are scientifically proven. Several studies show that babies who are not breastfed have a higher risk of getting sick. This fact gives rise to an important public health problem. The aim of this paper is to describe the association between presence of the caregiver in health education and increasing rates of breastfeeding. Methods We conducted an observational study (cohort) in a population of primiparous pregnant women (n=88), and their main caregivers belonging to a region of central Spain. The development, content and implementation of the intervention consisted of: 1) obtaining the blood levels of pregnant women (prolactin, folic acid, vitamin B12 and transferrin) before health education (13-26 weeks of pregnancy), 2) carry out health education with two groups: A (44 pregnant women with caregivers) and B (44 without caregivers), 3) obtain the same blood levels as in the first intervention, 15 days after delivery, and finally the evaluation of the intervention with breastfeeding rates. Results The levels of prolactin (288.57±107.46 nanogrammespermillilitre (ng/ml)), folic acid (16.93±4.09ng/ml), vitamin B12 (505.05±213.97 picogrammes (pg)/ml) and transferrin (296.82±67.61 milligrammesperdecilitre (mg/dl)) were higher in pregnant women who attended the health education program with a caregiver than in pregnant women who attended alone: prolactin (103.61±45.48 ng/ml), folic acid (7.16±5.88 ng/ml), vitamin B12 (160.59±36.92 pg/ml) and transferrin (223.86±44.14 mg/dl). Of the sample size of 44 primiparous people who attended the talks with caregivers, 35 (79.54%) breastfed their babies, while the other 44 primiparous women who attended alone, only seven (15.91%) established breastfeeding successfully. Conclusions The implications for public health research are that the presence of a caregiver in health education programs modifies levels of prolactin, folic acid, vitamin B12, and transferrin, as well as increasing breastfeeding rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the shortcomings of single network classification model, this paper applies CNN-LSTM (convolutional neural networks-long short-term memory) combined network in the field of music emotion classification and proposes a multifeature combined network classifier based on CNN-LSTM which combines 2D (two-dimensional) feature input through CNN-LSTM and 1D (single-dimensional) feature input through DNN (deep neural networks) to make up for the deficiencies of original single feature models. The model uses multiple convolution kernels in CNN for 2D feature extraction, BiLSTM (bidirectional LSTM) for serialization processing and is used, respectively, for audio and lyrics single-modal emotion classification output. In the audio feature extraction, music audio is finely divided and the human voice is separated to obtain pure background sound clips; the spectrogram and LLDs (Low Level Descriptors) are extracted therefrom. In the lyrics feature extraction, the chi-squared test vector and word embedding extracted by Word2vec are, respectively, used as the feature representation of the lyrics. Combining the two types of heterogeneous features selected by audio and lyrics through the classification model can improve the classification performance. In order to fuse the emotional information of the two modals of music audio and lyrics, this paper proposes a multimodal ensemble learning method based on stacking, which is different from existing feature-level and decision-level fusion methods, the method avoids information loss caused by direct dimensionality reduction, and the original features are converted into label results for fusion, effectively solving the problem of feature heterogeneity. Experiments on million song dataset show that the audio classification accuracy of the multifeature combined network classifier in this paper reaches 68%, and the lyrics classification accuracy reaches 74%. The average classification accuracy of the multimodal reaches 78%, which is significantly improved compared with the single-modal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing importance of international construction activity forces companies to find out what competitive advantages to provide and barriers to overcome to achieve success, considering the particular characteristics of their origin and destination countries. Seventy six articles regarding success in the international construction market in the period 2008-2017 are reviewed to identify the barriers and the competitive advantages that most affect the international success of contractors. The Chi-Square (χ²) statistical test is used to verify the influence of the origin and destination countries on these variables. The literature identifies the provision of trained human resources as the most important competitive advantage and cultural differences and political risks as the main barriers. The Chi-Square (χ²) test indicates a dependency relationship between the origin country and the competitive advantage "managerial ability" to achieve international success, and between the external barriers "link between countries", "political environment" and "economic environment" with the target market. Results of this paper provide valuable information for any construction company seeking international success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to effectively detect interest flooding attack (IFA) in Named Data Networking (NDN), this paper proposes a detection method of interest flooding attack based on chi-square test and similarity test. Firstly, it determines the detection window size based on the distribution of information name prefixes (that is information entropy) in the current network traffic. The attackers may append arbitrary random suffix to a certain prefix in the network traffic, and then send a large number of interest packets that cannot get the response. Targeted at this problem, the sensitivity of chi-square test is used to detect the change of prefix of interest packets. Interest packets initiated by IFA attackers are usually attached to a real prefix, but with a randomly generated suffix attached. Taking into account of this problem, the similarity of interest packet prefixes is further detected. Finally, the detection results of the two aspects are combined to determine whether interest flooding attack has occurred or not. In addition, according to the symmetric routing characteristic of Pending Interest Table (PIT), we also send the forged interest packet back to the attacker, and then restrict the corresponding port of the attacker, so as to effectively suppress the IFA attack. The experimental results show that the method we proposed can not only detect IFA in NDN at the beginning of the attack, but also is more accurate and effective than other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is a study of risk assessment posed by trees in selected urban woodlands (urban forests) of Warsaw. Two groups of trees were analysed and compared: exhibiting signs of maturity and ageing (hollow-bearing trees with open or hidden cavities and/or caries) and with no signs of decay. 373 individual trees growing near routes frequently or continuously used for recreational purposes were examined using Roloff's vitality classification, and tree risk assessment method, complemented by instrumental studies: a resistance resistograph, pulling tests, and sonic tomography (SoT). The collected data was analysed using the Chi-square test. The results indicate that it is not possible to conclude unequivocally that the presence of hollows in aged trees significantly increases the risk of falling. According to the safety factor results from the SoT and pulling tests, no correlation was demonstrated between the presence of hollow trees and an increase in risk class. The highest proportion of hollow trees (89.42%) was in the low risk group for trunk fracture and uprooting. The results also indicate the coherence of the diagnostic methods to be necessary for providing sufficient information to assess the statics and, ultimately, as our study showed, the protection of hollow trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB) represents one of the best instruments for radiologists to obtain a histological diagnosis of suspicious lesions on imaging. The advent of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT)-guided VABB has increased the accuracy of diagnosis in the most complex lesions, particularly those without ultrasound correlation or those visible only on DBT. In this paper, we retrospectively analyzed our experience with VABB. Starting from a review of the literature, we evaluated the challenges arising from clinical practice to provide useful indications for the implementation of this technique. We identified 37 breast cancers at an early stage with a low complication rate and high histopathological concordance between VABB and surgery. Compared to the literature, our results confirmed the fundamental role of DBT-VABB in achieving a timely diagnosis for nonpalpable lesions, offering a safe and minimally invasive approach when the technique is executed correctly. Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB) guided by digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) represents one of the best instruments to obtain a histological diagnosis of suspicious lesions with no ultrasound correlation or those which are visible only on DBT. After a review of the literature, we retrospectively analyzed the DBT-guided VABBs performed from 2019 to 2022 at our department. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation and χ2 test were used to compare distributions of age, breast density (BD) and early performance measures including histopathology. We used kappa statistics to evaluate the agreement between histological assessment and diagnosis. Finally, we compared our experience to the literature to provide indications for clinical practice. We included 85 women aged 41–84 years old. We identified 37 breast cancers (BC), 26 stage 0 and 11 stage IA. 67.5% of BC was diagnosed in women with high BD. The agreement between VABB and surgery was 0.92 (k value, 95% CI: 0.76–1.08). We found a statistically significant inverse correlation between age and BD. The post-procedural clip was correctly positioned in 88.2%. The post-procedural hematoma rate was 14.1%. No infection or hemorrhage were recorded. When executed correctly, DBT-guided VABB represents a safe and minimally invasive technique with high histopathological concordance, for detecting nonpalpable lesions without ultrasound correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children of parents with mental illness are at higher risk of developing cognitive, mental health or physical health difficulties. Previous studies have described several barriers for reaching parents with mental health problems (MHPs) and their utilization of psychosocial services. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled study in 24 pediatric and gynecologic practices to evaluate KID-PROTEKT, a psychosocial healthcare intervention that comprises a psychosocial assessment to identify families with psychosocial needs and refer them to support services. In this paper, we analyzed whether psychosocially distressed parents with additional MHPs (identified by the PHQ-9 and GAD-7) had higher support needs, could be referred to support and utilized it in comparison to parents with psychosocial burden only. In total, 178 pregnant women and mothers with psychosocial burden were included, of whom 55 had MHPs. Participants with MHPs were distressed in their relationships more often and medical staff rated their level of support needs higher compared to parents without MHPs. There were no significant differences between the groups regarding whether they were referred to support services or utilized the recommended services. All participants were most frequently referred to family or parent counseling/care or childcare assistance. The results indicate that despite existing barriers, parents with MHPs could be reached and identified by the KID-PROTEKT psychosocial assessment. A psychosocial intervention like KID-PROTEKT can help to provide support for mentally ill parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To assess quality of life and unmet needs after stroke, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have gained increasing attention. However, patients' perspectives on assessing PROMs remain unclear, potentially hindering implementation into clinical practice. Therefore, this study explored patients' preferences on assessing PROMs after ischemic stroke. Methods: A paper-based questionnaire was sent to stroke survivors treated at the Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig, Germany. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL, EQ-5D-5L) and preferences regarding different aspects of data collection to assess PROMs were investigated and linked to socio-demographic and medical characteristics. Results: 158 persons were contacted and 80 replies were subsequently analyzed. Mean age was 70.16 years and mean HRQoL was 68.79 (visual analogue scale with a theoretical maximum of 100). Participants showed positive attitudes towards PROMs as they saw potential to improve care of other patients (n = 66/79; 83.54%) or to improve their own situation (n = 53/74; 71.62%). Participants preferred an annual interview after stroke (n = 39/80; 48.75%) and would preferably spend 15–30 min (n = 41/79; 51.90%) to answer a written survey (n = 69/80; 86.25%). The initially treating clinic was preferred as initiator of such surveys (n = 43/79; 54.43%). Stratification revealed that participants with more than 1 h of daily digital media usage preferred email as way of communication. Conclusions: For the first time, this study showed individual preferences on assessing PROMs after ischemic stroke, focusing on the way, time interval, duration, and initiation site of surveys. These insights might help to successfully implement PROMs after stroke and subsequently detect unmet needs and deficits in stroke care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Premature termination of treatment is a serious problem in the treatment of eating disorders. Prior research attempting to differentiate patients who are able to complete treatment from those who terminate early has yielded mixed results. One proposed explanation for this is a failure to examine the time course of treatment termination. This study was designed to explore associations between baseline patient characteristics and timing of treatment termination. Methods: Participants were 124 eating disorder patients admitted voluntarily to the inpatient program at Toronto General Hospital between 2009 and 2015. At admission, all patients completed measures of eating disorder symptoms, eating disorder cognitions, depressive symptoms and emotional dysregulation. Body weight was measured weekly. Data analyses were completed using one-way ANOVAs and Chi Square tests. Results: Results showed significant associations between timing of treatment termination and eating disorder diagnosis, severity of eating disorder cognitions and severity of depressive symptoms. Post-hoc analyses revealed that patients who left treatment early had more severe depressive symptoms, eating disorder cognitions related to eating and difficulties engaging in goal directed behaviors when emotionally dysregulated. Conclusions: Patients who terminated inpatient treatment early in their admissions differ from patients who terminated later and those who completed treatment. These differences have potential clinical implications for the clinical management of patients with severe eating disorders requiring inpatient admission. Trial registration This paper is not associated with a clinical trial. Plain English Summary: Patients being unable to complete inpatient treatment is serious problem in the treatment of eating disorders. Prior research attempting to identify differences between patients who can complete treatment and those who cannot has had mixed results. This study was designed to explore whether patients who leave treatment at different times differ from each other. To do this we compared eating disorder symptoms, eating disorder thoughts, depressive symptoms and emotional regulation symptoms of patients who left treatment early (0–4 weeks), later (after 4 weeks but before completion) and those who completed treatment. Results showed that patients who left treatment early reported the most severe eating disorder beliefs and depressive symptoms. They also had the most difficulties engaging in goal directed behaviours when experiencing intense emotions. They were not found to have differences in body weights or rates of eating disorder behaviors (i.e. self-induced vomiting). These results suggest that patients who leave treatment early are the most unwell and may benefit from learning emotional regulation skills prior to, or early in, treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the study was to have youth participate in the design and implementation of a research project set within a child rights framework to better understand high schoolers' perceptions of safety in their school and community. Results: Between June 2020 and March 2021, a team of East Harlem, New York high school students, participated as co-researchers to modify the United Nations Children's Fund Child Friendly Cities Initiative Survey to suit their needs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the final survey was conducted through an online remote classes system during advisory school classes, accompanied by brief focused group discussions. The novel process of conducting an interactive qualitative and quantitative virtual survey during a pandemic via youth participatory action research is outlined in this paper. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that youth participatory action research can be utilized as part of a child rights framework approach to assess the views of youth regarding community safety and violence prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on research in expert elicitation as a part of the early stage health technology assessment (eHTA). The current state of affairs is analysed and two elicitation approaches are compared—the four fixed intervals method and the histogram method—as applied to an example of early assessment of clinical effectiveness of artificial thymus for patients with DiGeorge syndrome. A survey was carried out consisting of four questions concerning the topic, with the aim to apply the elicitation methods. Eight experts answered the questions using both elicitation methods. Based on their answers, the methods were compared visually and by means of statistical tests. In order to compare the perception of the two elicitation methods, the survey also included questions regarding the experts' subjective preferences. The results of the comparison of the two elicitation approaches did not clearly confirm which method was more beneficial and better; however, it was possible to indicate which of the two methods is better suited for different types of experts. Before selecting an elicitation method as a part of eHTA, it is advisable to effectively consider the technology to be assessed and the type of experts to be invited to share their opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The transition from hospital to community settings for most mental health service users is often hindered by challenges that affect community adjustment and continuity of care. The first few weeks and days after discharge from mental health inpatient units represent a critical phase for many service users. This paper aims to evaluate the changes in the resilience, personal recovery, and quality of life status of individuals with mental health challenges recently discharged from acute mental health care into the community. Methods: Data for this study were collected as part of a pragmatic stepped-wedge cluster-randomized, longitudinal approach in Alberta. A paired sample t-test and Chi-squared/Fisher test were deployed to assess changes from baseline to six weeks in the recovery assessment scale (RAS), brief resilience scale (BRS), and EuroQol-5d (EQ-5D), using an online questionnaire. Results: A total of 306 service users were recruited and 88 completed both baseline and six weeks, giving a response rate of 28.8%. There was no statistically significant change in the level of resilience, recovery and quality of life as measured with the brief resilience scale, recovery assessment scale and EQ-5D from baseline to six weeks (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The study showed that there was neither an improvement nor deterioration in resilience, recovery, or quality of life status of service users six weeks post-discharge from inpatient mental health care. The lack of further progress calls into question whether the support available in the community when patient's leave inpatient care is adequate to promote full recovery. The results justify investigations into the effectiveness of innovative and cost-effective programs such as peer and text-based supportive interventions for service users discharged from inpatient psychiatric care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma and obesity are two of the most common chronic conditions in children and adolescents. There is increasing evidence that sphingolipid metabolism is altered in childhood asthma and is linked to airway hyperreactivity. Dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism is also reported in obesity. However, the functional link between sphingolipid metabolism, asthma, and obesity is not completely understood. This paper describes the protocol of an ongoing study on sphingolipids that aims to examine the pathophysiology of sphingolipids in childhood asthma and obesity. In addition, this study aims to explore the novel biomarkers through a comprehensive multi-omics approach including genomics, genome-wide DNA methylation, RNA-Seq, microRNA (miRNA) profiling, lipidomics, metabolomics, and cytokine profiling. This is a cross-sectional study aiming to recruit 440 children from different groups: children with asthma and normal weight (n = 100), asthma with overweight or obesity (n = 100), overweight or obesity (n = 100), normal weight (n = 70), and siblings of asthmatic children with normal weight, overweight, or obesity (n = 70). These participants will be recruited from the pediatric pulmonology, pediatric endocrinology, and general pediatric outpatient clinics at Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar. Information will be obtained from self-reported questionnaires on asthma, quality of life, food frequency (FFQ), and a 3-day food diary that are completed by the children and their parents. Clinical measurements will include anthropometry, blood pressure, biochemistry, bioelectrical impedance, and pulmonary function tests. Blood samples will be obtained for sphingolipid analysis, serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) assay, whole-genome sequencing (WGS), genome-wide DNA methylation study, RNA-Seq, miRNA profiling, metabolomics, lipidomics, and cytokine analysis. Group comparisons of continuous outcome variables will be carried out by a one-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal–Wallis test using an appropriate pairwise multiple comparison test. The chi-squared test or a Fisher's exact test will be used to test the associations between categorical variables. Finally, multivariate analysis will be carried out to integrate the clinical data with multi-omics data. This study will help us to understand the role of dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism in obesity and asthma. In addition, the multi-omics data from the study will help to identify novel genetic and epigenetic signatures, inflammatory markers, and mechanistic pathways that link asthma and obesity in children. Furthermore, the integration of clinical and multi-omics data will help us to uncover the potential interactions between these diseases and to offer a new paradigm for the treatment of pediatric obesity-associated asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this paper is to present the research results on the perception of the professional self-image by Polish nurses and midwives as well as the psychometric adaptation of the Belimage scale. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to November 2018. The study group consisted of 670 clinical practice nurses and midwives. A diagnostic survey method was applied using the Belimage questionnaire after it obtained acceptable psychometric properties through an adaptation procedure. Results: In the group of respondents, the professional image of nurses and midwives is dominated by instrumental skills, documentation and organization of care, and communication skills. There is a statistically significant difference in the image of these two professions in terms of the ability to think and act creatively and critically, as well as innovation and evidence-based practice. The respondents' opinion regarding the perception of their image by themselves and society is statistically significant in each of the analyzed areas. In the professional image created by the public, nurses and midwives recognize that being a nurse/midwife is a vocation—277 (41.3%). However, in terms of their self-image, most nurses and midwives consider their work to be hard—442 (66%) and poorly paid—445 (66.4%). In the psychometric validation process, the Belimage questionnaire retained the original item structure, and the reliability of the subscales assessed with the Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranged from 0.845 to 0.730. Conclusions: The professional image of nurses and midwives varies depending on the profession and the perspective of the assessment in relation to themselves and society. The study showed a particularly unfavorable social image of nurses and midwives, which significantly influences the outlook of nurses and midwives themselves on this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China has made intensive efforts to eliminate extreme poverty by 2020. This paper aims to evaluate the changes in health service needs, utilization, and medical expenses for poor people during the poverty alleviation period. Methods: The study used data from national health services surveys in 2013 and 2018. The poor people were identified and certified by the local government. Health service needs, utilization, medical expenses, and reimbursement rates were analyzed and compared between 2013 and 2018, between the poor and the non-poor groups. Results: People living in poverty were usually elderly, illiterate, and unemployed. The poor people had a significantly higher two-week morbidity rate and a higher prevalence of chorionic non-communicable diseases than the non-poor group. For both the poor and non-poor, health service needs increased between 2013 and 2018. Accordingly, the poor people had more use of outpatient and inpatient services. The annual inpatient admission rates were 20.8% and 13.1% for the poor and non-poor, respectively, in 2018. The average medical expenses per inpatient admission were much lower for the poor than for the non-poor. Out-of-pocket (OOP) payment share decreased from 41.9% to 2013 to 31.9% in 2018 for the poor, while for the non-poor, the OOP rate was much higher (45.4%) and had no significant changes between the two surveys. The reduction in the OOP share occurred mostly in rural areas. Conclusions: Poverty alleviation in China may have positive effect in improving poor people's access to health services, and reducing their financial burden due to illness and health service utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of modern data collection techniques, researchers often encounter high-dimensional data across various research fields. An important problem is to determine whether several groups of these high-dimensional data originate from the same population. To address this, this paper presents a novel k-sample test for equal distributions for high-dimensional data, utilizing the Maximum Mean Discrepancy (MMD). The test statistic is constructed using a V-statistic-based estimator of the squared MMD derived for several samples. The asymptotic null and alternative distributions of the test statistic are derived. To approximate the null distribution accurately, three simple methods are described. To evaluate the performance of the proposed test, two simulation studies and a real data example are presented, demonstrating the effectiveness and reliability of the test in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Measurable residual disease monitoring is an important prognostic tool in haematological malignancies commonly performed by two modalities: flow cytometry and molecular methods. In this paper, we studied consecutive adult participants requiring flow cytometric measurable residual disease monitoring. This is one of the largest prospective Australian studies to date, providing a unique insight into the Australian context. We described five distinctive patterns associated with disease relapse and survival and also investigated correlation with molecular methods. Our results provide additional evidence that the correlation between molecular and flow cytometric methods is moderate in B-lymphoblastic leukaemia and poor in acute myeloid leukaemia. There was a strong association between flow cytometry results and relapse in acute myeloid leukaemia but less so for B-lymphoblastic leukaemia. Our novel data indicate that the pattern of change in measurable residual disease over time was associated with the risk of relapse, particularly in acute myeloid leukaemia and highlight the divergent ways measurable residual disease testing can be employed across different leukaemias. Measurable residual disease (MRD) detected by flow cytometry (FC) is well established in paediatric B- lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) and adult chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), but its utility in adult B-ALL and adult acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is less clear. In this prospective MRD study, one of the largest in Australia to date, we examined consecutive bone marrow aspirates from adult participants with B-ALL (n = 47) and AML (n = 87) sent for FC-MRD testing at a quaternary referral hospital in Sydney. FC-MRD results were correlated to corresponding Mol-MRD testing where available and clinical outcomes at three-month intervals over 1 year. B-ALL showed a moderate positive correlation (rs = 0.401, p < 0.001), while there was no correlation between FC-MRD and Mol-MRD for AML (rs = 0.13, p = 0.237). Five FC-MRD patterns were identified which had significant associations with relapse (X2(4) = 31.17(4), p > 0.001) and survival (X2(4) = 13.67, p = 0.008) in AML, but not in B-ALL. The three-month MRD results were also strongly associated with survival in AML, while the association in B-ALL was less evident. There was a moderate correlation between FC-MRD and Mol-MRD in B-ALL but not AML. The association of FC-MRD with relapse and survival was stronger in AML than in B-ALL. Overall, these findings suggest divergent utilities of FC-MRD in AML and B-ALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anadolu University Journal of Education Faculty (AUJEF) is the property of Anadolu Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nowadays, Augmented Reality flourishes in educational settings. Yet, little is known about teachers' and children's views of Augmented Reality applications in Preschool. This paper explores 71 preschoolers' opinions of Augmented Reality teaching integrated into a traditional learning activity. Additionally, five educators' views of Augmented Reality applications in Preschool are captured. Mixed methods with questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used. The questionnaires record children's preferences regarding their favorite learning activity between traditional and the Augmented Reality one. Additionally, they explore the activity preschoolers would like to repeat and found most enjoyable: playful. Regarding quantitative data analysis, independent/paired samples t-tests and chi-square test along with bootstrapping with 1000 samples were used. As for the qualitative data collection, educators' semi-structured interviews focused on three axes: (a) children's motivation and engagement in Augmented Reality activities, (b) Augmented Reality's potential to promote skills, and (c) Augmented Reality as a teaching tool in preschool. The emerging results are: Preschoolers prefer more Augmented Reality activities than traditional ones. There are no statistically significant gender differences in preferences for Augmented Reality activities. Educators regard Augmented Reality technology as an innovative, beneficial teaching approach in preschool. However, they express concern regarding the promotion of collaboration among preschoolers via Augmented Reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Advancement in biomedical science has led to the discovery of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) as new strategies for prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This current study was a quantitative analysis that sought to evaluate the awareness and willingness to use PrEP and PEP by sexually active adults in Ghana. Material and methods: The study respondents consisted of 365 sexually active adults in Ghana. A questionnaire was designed and administered to participants online using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) approach. A Χ² test and logistic regression were employed for the analysis. Results: The study revealed a generally low awareness of PrEP and PEP. Only 25.2% of the respondents were aware of PrEP, while 20.3% were aware of PEP. Despite the low awareness rate, majority of respondents (69.3%) were willing to use PrEP and PEP for prevention of HIV. On the other hand, 30.7% of the respondents indicated their unwillingness to use PrEP and PEP citing the fear of undesirable side effects of the medications as the main reason for their decision. Conclusions: This paper calls on policy-makers to intensify advocacy for the usefulness of PrEP and PEP. The Ghana Health Service and Ghana AIDS Commission should also ensure that PrEP and PEP services are increased and include all sexually active persons in Ghana. This will ensure a great success in mitigating HIV infections in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Time from identification as people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to a confirmatory test followed by antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation is critical to any HIV prevention and control program. Gaps persist in identifying and linking PLWHA with health system, making it necessary to continue looking for strategies to close this breach. Material and methods: AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has been working on linking recently diagnosed HIV patients in Peru, and this paper summarized the experiences and results obtained from our linkage to care program between 2016 and 2019. Methods utilized for linkage to care include telephone communication, accompaniment to health service, social support, multidisciplinary team assessment, and initiation of ART when indicated. Results: During 2014-2019 we identified 9,991 PLWHA, in which 8,491 (84.98%) had an initial contact (initial linkage to care), and 6,899 (69.05%) received highly active antiretroviral therapy (effective link to care). We observed a consecutive increase in attention, as in the number of effective linkages, growing from 566 (80.17%) in 2016 to 3,237 (85.39%) in 2019. Among genders, males had the higher ratios of effective linkage to care (85.69%), while transgender women had the lower (79.14%). Conclusions: We observed that linkage to care is a strategy that provides more opportunities for treatment of PLWHA, and it is helpful in low-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses scientific arguments and counterarguments about companies’ innovative activity, size, and geographic location of the sales market. The study’s foremost purpose is to empirically check if theoretical statements about a company’s size, export, and innovative activity are associated. Therefore, the questions discussed in this paper are a) Does an enterprise-size matter an enterprise innovation activity? b) Is there is a difference in innovation activity by Classification of Economic Activities (NACE groups)? c) Does the geographic location of the sales market matter the company's innovation activity? The research questions are discussed based on Armenian firm-level data. The findings could be applied mainly to the microeconomic environment of Armenia. The study involved R programming language Wilcoxon test, ANOVA, Tukey test, and Chi-square test are applied. The obtained results showed that the enterprise’s size does not matter an enterprise’s innovative activity. Even though larger companies have more resources to innovate, smaller companies are more flexible and agile. Therefore, the enterprise size is not a limiting factor. The results showed that the companies in some fields of the economy are more prone to innovate than others. In Armenia, most innovative enterprises operate in the group MProfessional, scientific and technical activities and the group C-Manufacturing. The research empirically confirms that when considering a company’s innovative activity, the sphere of the economy in which it operates has statistically significant importance in contrast with the company’s size. The findings by the Chi-Square test showed that a significantly higher number of EU exporting companies had made innovations. In contrast, companies selling their products/services in the local market have made significantly fewer innovations than expected if there would be no association between innovations and the geographic location of the sales market. Therefore, the exporting companies are more innovative than those that sell their products in the local market. Besides, the most innovative firms are EU exporting enterprises. In empiric studies, export is used as a proxy of international competitiveness due to its ability to show a country’s capacity in producing and selling in the international market. Therefore, the analysis of Armenian firm-level data showed the association between innovation and international competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Projective methods are qualitative tools used to study food consumer behavior. In recent years, there has been an increase in studies that use these tools to analyze consumer behavior, particularly with the word association (WA) technique. However, one of the challenges in using these methods is the stability and validity of the data. This research aimed to obtain preliminary information on the stability and validity of the associations generated by consumers with the WA technique, using the structural approach of social representations. For this, two studies were carried out; for the first study, a face-to-face survey was carried out in which 89 consumers participated, who wrote the first words that came to mind with the stimulus "Aculco" on a ballot paper. For the second study, 122 consumers completed the same task as in the first study; however, the participants were recruited from an online survey. A random sample (n = 50) of both studies was selected to explore the stability and validity of the results. In the three study samples, the words were grouped into categories and analyzed through the structural approach of social representations. The frequency of mention of the identified categories was compared with the chi-square test and the average position (AP) and the Cognitive Salience Index (CSI) were calculated. Prototype maps were built to study the structure of the categories according to the central core and peripheral areas. Cluster analysis was performed to corroborate the structure of the representations. Finally, multiple factor analysis (MFA) was performed to determine the similarity of the results obtained from the three samples using the RV coefficient. No statistical differences (p > 0.05) were identified in most of the representations (n = 11) generated from the WA task. Furthermore, the representation "Cheese and dairy products" was positioned in the central core of the three maps. The APs and the CSIs of each representation were similar in the three study samples. The RV coefficient (≥0.80) indicated similarity in the representations obtained. Results of this research can be useful for future studies that attempt to compare the stability and validity of the information based on qualitative and more flexible methodologies. Some methodological implications related to the validity and stability of projective methods are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WWDISA is an optional module of the DISA Laboratory Information system (LIS) that offers a web portal that allows access to test results over the internet for patient clinical management. This study aims to assess the applicability of using the WWDISA web application, and the lessons learned from its implementation in six health facilities in Mabote district, Inhambane province. Data from 2463 and 665 samples for HIV-viral load (HIVVL) tests, extracted from paper-based and WWDISA systems, respectively, were included, from January to December 2020. Data were simultaneously collected on a quarterly basis from both systems to allow comparison. The WWDISA turnaround time (TAT) from sample collection to results becoming available was found to be 10 (IQR: 8–12) days and significantly lower than the health unit manual logbook (p value < 0.001). Regarding the system efficiency, it was found that among 1978 search results, only 642 (32.5%) were found, and the main challenges according to the users were lack of connectivity (77%) and the website going down (62%). The WWDISA module has been shown to be effective in reducing the TAT, although a stable internet connection and accurate data entry are essential to make the system functional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The paper version of the training assessment was time-consuming and labor-consuming. It is an inevitable trend to change the appraisal method utilizing information technology. This study aimed to realize convenient and rapid management of the whole process of clinical nursing operation technology through information-based training and assessment platform. Methods: Combined with the operation mode of clinical nursing operation skills and set the basic functions of the information platform of clinical nursing operation training and assessment, the information-based training and evaluation platform for clinical nursing operation skills was established. The platform was officially operated in a tertiary level A general hospital in Shandong Province in 2018. Results: The information-based training and assessment platform is composed of Management Center (Computer Terminal) and a client terminal (APP terminal). The computer terminal contains 11 modules, and the APP terminal contains 8 modules. By December 2020, a total of 12,619 nurses had completed the training in nursing operation skills, and a total of 11,986 nurses had completed the examination. The examination results of nursing operation skills of the same nurses in 2018 were significantly higher than those in 2017(P < 0.05), and the error rate was significantly lower (P < 0.05). From 2016 to 2020, the scores of nasal feeding, CPR, and respiratory airbag of N1 level nurses significantly increased after using the information-based training and Assessment Platform (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the information terminal training assessment can realize the management of the whole process of clinical nursing operation technology training and assessment, which is better than the traditional method, and is a very practical and convenient clinical training and assessment method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interest in collecting Patient Reported Outcomes using electronic methods such as mobile phones has increased in recent years. However there is debate about the level of measurement equivalence between the traditional paper and newer electronic modes. Information about the acceptability of the electronic versions to respondents is also required. The aim of this study is to compare the equivalence of delivering a widely used generic measure of health status (EQ-5D-5L) across two administration modes (paper and mobile phone).Methods: Respondents from a research cohort of people in South Yorkshire were identified, and randomly allocated to one of two administration modes (paper vs. mobile phone) based on stratifications for age and gender (and across a range of self-reported health conditions). A parallel group design was used where each respondent only completed EQ-5D-5L using one of the modes. In total, 70 respondents completed the measure in the mobile phone arm, and 66 completed the standard paper version. Follow up usability questions were also included to assess the acceptability of the mobile version of EQ-5D-5L. Measurement equivalence was compared at the dimension, utility score and visual analogue scale level using chi square analysis and ANOVA, and by comparing mean differences to an estimated minimally important difference value.Results: Response rates were higher in the mobile arm. The mean EQ-5D-5L utility and VAS scores, and the frequency of respondents endorsing individual EQ-5D-5L dimension response levels did not significantly differ across the administration modes. The majority of the mobile arm agreed that the mobile version of EQ-5D-5L was easy to complete, and that the phone was easy to use, and that they would complete mobile health measures again.Conclusions: Completing health status measures such as EQ-5D using mobile phones produces equivalent results to more traditional methods, but with added benefits (for example lessening the burden of data entry). Respondents are positive towards completing questionnaires using these methods. The results provide evidence that electronic measures are valid for use to collect data in a range of settings including clinical trials, routine care, and in health diary settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This research paper investigates whether robotic total knee replacement (TKR) reduces bone resection compared to conventional TKR. While TKR is a successful procedure, revision surgery remains a challenge with up to 8.3% of all knee replacement procedures requiring revisions. Materials and methods: The study retrospectively analyzed the tibial polyethylene inserts used and bone cuts made in 157 primary TKRs performed by a single surgeon. The results show that 93.3% of robotic TKRs used the base size tibial polyethylene of 9 mm, and the average distal femoral cut was 7.4 mm and the average tibial cut was 6.4 mm, with the minimum being 3 mm. Conclusion: The study suggests that robotic TKR reduces bone resection compared to conventional TKR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colonoscopy is an essential method for diagnosing and treating colorectal cancer, relying on effective bowel preparation to thoroughly examine the large intestinal mucosa. Traditional education involves printed instructions and verbal explanations but does not guarantee clear patient understanding. Poor bowel preparation can obscure mucosal visibility, delaying cancer diagnosis and treatment. A mobile medical model using Android devices for bowel preparation education was tested in a single-blind, randomized trial. This trial enrolled outpatients undergoing colonoscopy at the Endoscopy Center for Diagnostic and Treatment between 27 October 2021 and 31 December 2022. This study introduced the ColonClean app alongside traditional methods. After examination, endoscopists rated the preparation quality using the Aronchick scale. A data analysis was conducted using SPSS 25.0 to determine if there was a significant improvement in bowel preparation quality between the control group (traditional method) and the experimental group (traditional method plus the ColonClean app). Forty patients were recruited in each group. In the experimental group, all ratings were "fair", with 75% receiving an "excellent" or "good" rating, showing statistical significance (p = 0.016). The ColonClean app improves bowel preparation quality more effectively than traditional care instructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Abdominal surgery is considered a high-risk procedure for the development of surgical site infection (SSI). Few studies have evaluated the relative importance of surgical site infection risk factors in terms of consistency in abdominal surgery. Therefore, this comprehensive review article mapped and summarized the evidence aimed to determine the relative importance of the risk factors and incidence of SSIs in abdominal surgery. Methods: A literature review was conducted using electronic databases and search engines such as Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science up to March 16, 2023. There was no language restriction for the papers to be included in the study. The relative consistency of the risk factors was measured and evaluated using the methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Original peer-reviewed cohort and case-control studies were included if all types of SSIs were included. Meta-analysis was performed to determine the pooled estimates of SSI incidences. Results: Of 14,237 identified records, 107 articles were included in the review. The pooled incidence of SSI was 10.6% (95% CI: 9.02-12.55%, χ²=12986.44, P<0.001). Operative time and higher wound class were both significant consistent risk factors for SSI incidence. Patients' educational status, malnutrition, functional status, and history of neurological/psychiatric disorders were all candidates for consistent risk factors, with insufficient evidence. Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicated that SSI in abdominal surgery was a multifactorial phenomenon with a considerable risk and had different risk factors with various relative importance. Determining the relative importance of the risk factors for the prevention and control of SSI is strongly recommended. This manuscript has been released as a preprint at the research square: (https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3219597/v1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) has become widely available in recent years. While initially used to screen for trisomies 21, 18, and 13, the test has expanded to include a range of other conditions and will likely expand further. This paper addresses the ethical issues that arise from one particularly controversial potential use of NIPT: screening for adult‐onset conditions (AOCs). We report data from our quantitative survey of Australian NIPT users' views on the ethical issues raised by NIPT for AOCs. The survey ascertained support for NIPT for several traits and conditions including AOCs. Participants were then asked about their level of concern around implications of screening for AOCs for the future child and parent(s). Descriptive and comparative data analyses were conducted. In total, 109 respondents were included in data analysis. The majority of respondents expressed support for NIPT screening for preventable (70.9%) and nonpreventable AOCs (80.8%). Most respondents indicated concern around potential harmful impacts associated with NIPT for AOCs, including the psychological impact on the future child and on the parent(s). Despite this, the majority of participants thought that continuation of a pregnancy known to be predisposed to an AOC is ethically acceptable. The implications of these data are critically discussed and used to inform the normative claim that prospective parents should be given access to NIPT for AOCs. The study contributes to a body of research debating the ethical acceptability and regulation of various applications of NIPT as screening panels expand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Public Health is the property of Turkish Journal of Public Health and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper proposes a lossless encryption–compression algorithm for large-scale remote sensing images. Firstly, the red, green and blue components of color image are compressed by a lossless predictive encoding. Then, the lifting wavelet transform (LWT) is used to decompose the encoding results. And a new Rubik's cube transformation is introduced to scramble the decomposed coefficients, which uses the chaotic sequence generated by 2D Cubic–Chebyshev map (2D-CCM). The initial values of 2D-CCM are obtained from the chi-square test values of the three components, which leads to the algorithm related to the plaintext image. After that, the scrambling coefficients are thresholding, and the position sequences generated in the process are encrypted and compressed by the proposed encrypted run-length encoding (E-RLE). The processed coefficients are further compressed by Huffman encoding. At the end, the final results are obtained by a novel helix diffusion which is related to the chaotic sequence. Experimental results show that, this algorithm achieves higher lossless compression ratio with lower time complexity, and the encryption scheme has higher security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to provide a group music therapy intervention for elementary and middle school students with mood disorders through music therapy. To explore the improvement of group music therapy on the dysphoria and state of adolescent patients with mood disorders and to explore the relationship with self-identity. A music activity-based mental health education curriculum was designed based on the results of the current survey, while two homogenous classes were selected as the experimental and control classes; subsequently, the experimental teaching of the music activity-based mental health education curriculum was conducted in the experimental class, and the regular school mental health education curriculum was conducted in the control class, and the pre- and postexperimental scale tests were used to analyze that the curriculum of this study had a positive effect of this study's curriculum on elementary school students' positive emotions analyzed through pre- and postexperimental scale tests. The music activity-based mental health education program had a significant positive effect on the overall level of positive emotions of elementary school students, especially in the positive emotion index, happiness index, mental toughness, goal focus, and interpersonal assistance factor. The positive psychology-oriented music activity-based mental health education curriculum is well suited for elementary and middle school students, especially for upper elementary and middle school students. The music activity-based mental health education curriculum realizes the value of applying positive psychology to mental health education efforts at the elementary school level and flexibly uses a variety of related theories to promote positive emotional experiences for elementary and middle school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reveals the scientific productivity pattern of authors in the field of Astronomy & Astrophysics research in India and applicability of Lotka's law in the literature of Astronomy & Astrophysics for the given data set. Data was retrieved from WoS database for this study, a total of 6,363 papers has been published by 2,719 authors during 2013-2017 in straight count of the authorship. Examining the Lotka's Inverse square (n=2) method as well as general power method (n≠2), (calculating the value of 'n' with observed data) was used to test the applicability of Lotka's law. Goodness of fit test - Chi-Square test and Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test was also used to measure the viability of Lotka's law in the field of Astronomy & Astrophysics research in India. The productivity distribution didn't fit when Lotka's law was applied in generalized form as well as in its original form on the data set. This confirms that Lotka's law doesn't fit to the literature of Astronomy & Astrophysics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper investigates if relocation of goods at supermarkets, practised to boost sales, bothers customers and improves financial results of the stores. To explore this, a questionnaire-based poll was run, using questions, such as "Do you mind if commodity is not permanently in the same place?", or "While searching, do you buy anything you did not indend to buy?". Various relations are also observed. For instance, are opinions on product relocation related in any way to age of customers? The study suggests most customers are not satisfied with changes in product location, yet the practices lead to higher sales. It turns out the business principle - only satisfied customers spend more - may not be so true. In the study, some new questions also arose and were evaluated, such as the question "Which management activities have a positive effect on customers?". Methodology/Approach: The paper relies on statistical testing, specifically on the chi-square test of independence and a test of differences in the relative frequency of occurrence of diverse phenomena. Real, empirical data are utilized. Findings: The analysis showed that most customers dislike looking for goods, and many of them buy items that they did not intend to purchase. Thus, a paradox occurs when entrepreneurs dissatisfy customers, yet they register higher profits. Research Limitation/Implication: The results concern a specific scientific field - microeconomic behavioural patterns at supermarkets. Originality/Value of paper: The research presented in this paper is focused on the Czech Republic where it has not been undertaken to date. Work of this kind is not cited in the scientific literature, however. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Propylthiouracil (PROP) (a medicated tool) and hormonal fingerprint (second to fourth digits [2D:4D]) ratio can be used for detection of caries which is most prevalent oral health disease.Aim: This study aims to determine the role of genetic taste sensitivity and hormonal fingerprint (2D:4D ratio) on caries risk susceptibility.Materials and Methods: The present study was an observational and cross-sectional study. It was conducted on 570 children aged 6-12 years. PROP sensitivity test was done by PROP impregnated filter paper strips and subjects were divided accordingly into supertasters, medium-tasters, and nontasters. 2D:4D ratio was obtained by measuring length ratio of index to ring finger using Vernier caliper. Dietary preferences of the subjects were recorded. The evaluation of decayed, missing, and filled teeth/deft indices was done.Statistical Analysis: Intergroup comparisons were performed using One-way ANOVA test, independent t-test and Chi-square test at 5% significance level.Results: Positive correlation between nontasters, low digit ratio, sweet likers, and high caries index was found with a high significant difference.Conclusion: Genetic taste sensitivity and hormonal fingerprint (biological marker) can be used for detection of caries as the present research confirmed impact of hormones on taste perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Multi-modal neuroimaging metrics in combination with advanced machine learning techniques have attracted more and more attention for an effective multi-class identification of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and health controls (HC) recently. Methods: In this paper, a total of 180 subjects consisting of 44 AD, 66 MCI and 58 HC subjects were enrolled, and the multi-modalities of the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and the structural MRI (sMRI) for all participants were obtained. Then, four kinds of metrics including the Hurst exponent (HE) metric and bilateral hippocampus seed independently based connectivity metrics generated from fMRI data, and the gray matter volume (GMV) metric obtained from sMRI data, were calculated and extracted in each region of interest (ROI) based on a newly proposed automated anatomical Labeling (AAL3) atlas after data pre-processing. Next, these metrics were selected with a minimal redundancy maximal relevance (MRMR) method and a sequential feature collection (SFC) algorithm, and only a subset of optimal features were retained after this step. Finally, the support vector machine (SVM) based classification methods and artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm were utilized to identify the multi-class of AD, MCI and HC subjects in single modal and multi-modal metrics respectively, and a nested ten-fold cross-validation was utilized to estimate the final classification performance. Results: The results of the SVM and ANN based methods indicated the best accuracies of 80.36 and 74.40%, respectively, by utilizing all the multi-modal metrics, and the optimal accuracies for AD, MCI and HC were 79.55, 78.79 and 82.76%, respectively, in the SVM based method. In contrast, when using single modal metric, the SVM based method obtained a best accuracy of 72.62% with the HE metric, and the accuracies for AD, MCI and HC subjects were just 56.82, 80.30 and 75.86%, respectively. Moreover, the overlapping abnormal brain regions detected by multi-modal metrics were mainly located at posterior cingulate gyrus, superior frontal gyrus and cuneus. Conclusion: Taken together, the SVM based method with multi-modal metrics could provide effective diagnostic information for identifying AD, MCI and HC subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cigarette smoking is a serious global health issue. Limited studies previously analyzed health literacy components in patients undergoing smoking cessation interventions. This study focuses on individuals enrolled in smoking cessation services and investigates the distribution of health literacy in three domains (health care, disease prevention, and health promotion) and four abilities (access, understand, appraise, and apply health information). The study also explores the correlation between background factors (age, BMI, etc.) and health literacy, as well as the differences in health literacy levels among different background variables (gender, etc.). Methods: 228 individuals completed the health literacy questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analysis, Pearson Correlation, and a Chi-Squared Test were employed to investigate the various health literacy levels and background variables. Results: 68% had excellent or sufficient health literacy. A total of 32% were considered problematic or to have inadequate health literacy. Of the three domains of health literacy, participants performed better in the healthcare domain. More than one-third were problematic in accessing and appraising information. Conclusions: this paper, being the pilot study in providing an analysis of health literacy components in individuals undergoing smoking cessation, could serve as a useful reference for devising interventions for different population groups in trying to maximize successful cessation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: This paper aims to assess the existence of significant differences between two dietary regimes (omnivorous vs. semi-vegetarian) with reference to some oxidative stress markers (SOD, GPx, TRxR, GR, AGEs, and AOPPs) using non-parametric combination methodology based on a permutation test. (2) Methods: At the endocrinology unit of Messina University Hospital, two hundred subjects were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their dietary habits. None were under any pharmacological treatment. Using the NPC test, all comparisons were performed stratifying patients according to gender, age (≤40 or >40 years), BMI (normal weight vs. overweight), physical activity (sedentary vs. active lifestyle), TSH, FT4 levels in quartiles, and diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. We evaluated differences in oxidative stress parameters in relation to two examined dietary regimes (omnivorous vs. semi-vegetarian). (3) Results: The antioxidant parameters GPx and TRxR were significantly lower in subjects with an omnivorous diet than in semi-vegetarians, particularly in females, both age groups, subjects with normal weight, those not affected by Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and both the sedentary and active lifestyle groups. Finally, the AGE and AOPP markers were significantly lower in semi-vegetarians. (4) Conclusion: Thanks to the NPC methodology, we can state that dietary patterns exert a significant influence on some oxidative stress parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Despite the growing prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) and the need to plan for future health service provision, little is known in the Irish context about PD patients' experiences of service access/use. Methods. A cross-sectional survey, with multiple formats, i.e., online, pen-and-paper, and telephone. Data were collected from May 2020 to July 2021 using a multipronged recruitment strategy. The survey was completed by people with PD alone or with the support of a carer/support person. Results. A total of 1402 responses were included. Over half (53%) were male. Approx. 10% were diagnosed with young-onset PD. A minority (6%) reported attending only their GP to manage their PD, with the rest attending a generic or specialist outpatient clinic. Almost 1-in-5 reported it took more than 12 months to obtain the diagnosis. Most were diagnosed by neurologists (84%), followed by GPs (8%) and geriatricians (7%); 1% indicated "other." Of those diagnosed privately, 37% of these patients subsequently switched to the public system for ongoing management. The majority (97%) reported currently taking PD medications, but just 52% believed these were working effectively. Access to the range of health and social care professionals, including PD nurse specialists and clinical therapies is universally poor. Conclusions. A number of significant gaps in PD care are discussed, which require urgent attention. A reconfigured model of PD care is necessary to accommodate the growing need for specialist, integrated care at the population level. Specifically, more PD nurse specialists are needed within the public health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]