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AbstractThis paper presents the results of a systematic literature review concerning the actual and future uses of chatbots (artificial conversation agents) in youth bullying cases. The study found that while artificial intelligence is highly regarded as an interesting tool by researchers, the technology is not yet good enough to intervene in crisis cases. Indeed, the studies show that chatbots are still inaccurate regarding emotion detection, their language is not adapted to children’s way of speaking and writing, and they are too predictable. Despite those limitations, the most promising use of chatbots regarding bullying is as a way to raise awareness about it among children and teenagers. Chatbots could then become a tool in preventing bullying cases. This paper also presents a review of researchers’ rhetoric about chatbots, the reasons why youths want to interact with chatbots, and how the use of chatbots in intervention is going to affect the service providers’ work.

Background:. Percutaneous intrafocal pinning is one of the many surgical options for extraarticular distal radius fracture with minimal comminution. This study aims to describe the role and indications of intrafocal pinning. Methods:. This monocentric, retrospective study included 49 patients who underwent intrafocal pinning for distal radius fractures in 2013 in our French hand surgery department. All the patients underwent posteroanterior and lateral x-ray on days 2 and 45 to measure radial inclination, distal radioulnar index, and volar tilt. Results:. The mean age of the patients was 45.4 years, with women representing approximately 61.2% of the sample (n = 30). The patients were divided into three groups: group A (17–50 y), 26 patients; group B (50–70 y), 15 patients; and group C (>70 y), eight patients. We documented on x-ray images, 21 secondary displacements, including seven in group C. There were three displacements (all in group C) and one surgical revision within 15 days for a previous displacement. The distal radioulnar index increased in all three groups. Conclusions:. The percutaneous intrafocal pinning fixation technique exposes a high risk of complications, especially for those older than 50 years, for whom this technique should be avoided. Overall, due to the frequency of secondary displacements encountered, our first-line treatment favors plate osteosynthesis for all patients. Pinning fixation should only be considered with caution in younger patients if plate osteosynthesis is not possible, but it requires a strict 6-week immobilization. The fracture morphology must also be considered.

Objectives: Professional foster families for dependent older adults could be an alternative to nursing homes. Engagement in the family life and close contact with a single reference person could enhance their quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to compare the Health-Related Quality of Life (HrQOL) and subjective QOL among older adults living in foster families versus those in nursing homes. Design: Cross-sectional analysis from twin studies conducted in foster families (the KASAF study) and nursing homes (the KASEHPAD study). Setting and participants: Older adults (aged 60 years or older) in French Caribbean Islands living in foster families or nursing homes. Measurements: HrQOL was measured using the EuroQol-five dimensions (EQ5D-3L) and QOL was assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (QOL-VAS). For older adults unable to complete these scales, proxy EQ-5D-3L assessments were conducted by paramedical staff or foster caregivers. Results: A total of 439 older adults, with 107 in foster families and 332 in nursing homes were included. Participants living in foster families were less often male, had less often hypertension, were more dependent or physical impaired and had lower score of cognition. In multivariate analyses, factors associated with low self-reported HRQoL (n = 240) were Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score (β: −0.011; p = 0.003) and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) score (β: 0.014; p

Environmental pollutants capable of interfering with the thyroid hormone (TH) system increasingly raise concern for both human and environmental health. Recently, resorcinol has received attention as a compound of concern due to its endocrine disrupting properties. It is a known inhibitor of thyroperoxidase (TPO), an enzyme required in TH synthesis, and therapeutic use of resorcinol exposure has led to hypothyroidism in humans. There is limited evidence concerning ecotoxicologically relevant effects of resorcinol in fish. A set of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) has recently been developed linking thyroid hormone system disruption (THSD) to impaired swim bladder inflation and eye development in fish. In the present study, these AOPs were used to provide the background for testing potential THSD effects of resorcinol in zebrafish eleutheroembryos. We exposed zebrafish eleutheroembryos to resorcinol and assessed TH levels, swim bladder inflation and eye morphology. As a TPO inhibitor, resorcinol is expected to affect TH levels and eye morphology but not swim bladder inflation during embryonic development. Indeed, thyroxine (T4) levels were significantly decreased following resorcinol exposure. In contrast to our hypothesis, swim bladder inflation was impaired at 5 days post fertilization (dpf) and no effects on eye morphology were detected. Therefore, in vitro assays were performed to identify potential additional thyroid hormone system disruption-related mechanisms through which resorcinol may act. Two new mechanisms were identified: TH receptor (TR) antagonism and transthyretin (TTR) binding inhibition. Both of these mechanisms can plausibly be linked to impaired swim bladder inflation and could, therefore, explain the observed effect. Overall, our study contributes to the knowledge of the THSD potential of resorcinol both in vivo in the zebrafish model as well as in vitro.

The number of people living with dementia is rising globally as life expectancy increases. Dementia is a multifactorial disease. Due to the ubiquity of radiation exposure in medical and occupational settings, the potential association between radiation and dementia, and its subtypes (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease), is of particular importance. There has also been an increased interest in studying radiation induced dementia risks in connection with the long-term manned space travel proposed by The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Our aim was to systematically review the literature on this topic, and use meta-analysis to generate a summary measure of association, assess publication bias and explore sources of heterogeneity across studies. We identified five types of exposed populations for this review: 1. survivors of atomic bombings in Japan; 2. patients treated with radiation therapy for cancer or other diseases; 3. occupationally exposed workers; 4. those exposed to environmental radiation; and 5. patients exposed to radiation from diagnostic radiation imaging procedures. We included studies that considered incident or mortality outcomes for dementia and its subtypes. Following PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched the published literature indexed in PubMed between 2001 and 2022. We then abstracted the relevant articles, conducted a risk-of-bias assessment, and fit random effects models using the published risk estimates. After we applied our eligibility criteria, 18 studies were identified for review and retained for meta-analysis. For dementia (all subtypes), the summary relative risk was 1.11 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.18; P = 0.001) comparing individuals receiving 100 mSv of radiation to those with no exposure. The corresponding summary relative risk for Parkinson's disease incidence and mortality was 1.12 (95% CI 1.07, 1.17; P

Abstract Cities concentrate problems that affect human well-being and biodiversity. Exploring the link between mental health and biodiversity can inform more holistic public health and urban planning. Here we examined associations between bird and tree species diversity estimates from eBird community science datasets and national forest inventories with self-rated mental health metrics from the Canadian Community Health Survey. We linked data across 36 Canadian Metropolitan Areas from 2007-2022 at a postal code level. After controlling for covariates, we found that bird and tree species diversity were significantly positively related to good self-reported mental health. Living in a postal code with bird diversity one standard deviation higher than the mean increased reporting of good mental health by 6.64%. Postal codes with tree species richness one standard deviation more than the mean increased reporting of good mental health by 5.36%. Our results suggest that supporting healthy urban ecosystems may also benefit human well-being.

In cloudy situations, infrared (IR) and microwave (MW) observations are complementary, with infrared observations being sensitive to small cloud droplets and ice particles and with microwave observations being sensitive to precipitation. This complementarity can lead to fruitful synergies in precipitation science (e.g., Kidd and Levizzani, 2022). However, several sources of errors do exist in the treatment of infrared and microwave data that could prevent such synergy. This paper studies several of these sources to estimate their impact on retrievals. To do so, simulations from the radiative transfer (RT) for TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (RTTOV v13) are used to build simulated observations. Indeed, we make use of a fully simulated framework to explain the impacts of the identified errors. A combination of infrared and microwave frequencies is built within a Bayesian inversion framework. Synergy is studied using different experiments: (i) with several sources of errors eliminated, (ii) with only one source of errors considered at a time and (iii) with all sources of errors together. The derived retrievals of frozen hydrometeors for each experiment are examined in a statistical study of 15 d in summer and 15 d in winter over the Atlantic Ocean. One of the main outcomes of the study is that the combination of infrared and microwave frequencies takes advantage of the strengths of both spectral ranges, leading to more accurate retrievals. Each source of error has more or less impact depending on the type of hydrometeor. Another outcome of the study is that, in all cases explored, even though the radiative transfer and numerical modeling errors may decrease the magnitude of benefits generated by the combination of infrared and microwave frequencies, the compromise remains positive.

Abstract The neuromodulatory subcortical nuclei within the isodendritic core (IdC) are the earliest sites of tauopathy in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). They project broadly throughout the brain’s white matter. We investigated the relationship between IdC microstructure and whole-brain white matter microstructure to better understand early neuropathological changes in AD. Using multiparametric quantitative magnetic resonance imaging we observed two covariance patterns between IdC and white matter microstructure in 133 cognitively unimpaired older adults (age 67.9 ± 5.3 years) with familial risk for AD. IdC integrity related to 1) whole-brain neurite density, and 2) neurite orientation dispersion in white matter tracts known to be affected early in AD. Pattern 2 was associated with CSF concentration of phosphorylated-tau, indicating AD specificity. Apolipoprotein-E4 carriers expressed both patterns more strongly than non-carriers. IdC microstructure variation is reflected in white matter, particularly in AD-affected tracts, highlighting an early mechanism of pathological development.

The performance of locally available agricultural carbon media (barley straw and hemp straw) was compared to woodchips for removing nitrate (NO3-N) and orthophosphate (PO4-P) in up-flow laboratory bioreactors. These media were tested in three replicates to quantify variability. The production of greenhouse gases nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) were quantified. Influent water with NO3-N and PO4-P flowed continuously through bioreactors at a 4-h hydraulic retention time at 20 °C for 16 weeks. Nitrate removal reached up to 37% across all carbon media after the fifth week, with a removal rate of 64 g N m−3 d−1. Nitrate removal was affected by the type of carbon media in the order of barley straw > hemp straw > woodchips (P < 0.05). Most of the PO4-P rates declined rapidly after the first week for all carbon media meaning none were superior. Greenhouse gas production was dominated by CO2 with less CH4 and N2O produced. Production of N2O relative to nitrate removal for the three media remained low at 0.16 to 0.75%. The findings suggest that agricultural residues could perform better than woodchips for NO3-N removal although there was slightly higher N2O and CO2 production for these residues than woodchips. HIGHLIGHTS Barley straw was more effective in reducing nitrate compared to hemp straw and woodchips.; PO4-P removal efficiencies and rates declined rapidly for the three carbon media.; Greenhouse gas production was dominated by CO2 with less CH4 and N2O produced.; Production of N2O relative to nitrate removal for the three media remained low.;

Objective: There is limited clinical evidence to support any specific parenchymal air leak resolution criteria when using digital pleural drainage devices following lung resection. The aim of this study is to determine an optimal air leak resolution criteria, where duration of chest tube drainage is minimized while avoiding complications from premature chest tube removal. Methods: Airflow data averaged at 10-minute intervals was collected prospectively using a digital pleural drainage device (Thopaz; Medela) in 400 patients from 2015 to 2019. All permutations of air leak resolution criteria from