bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Existential Therapy for Children: Impact of a Philosophy for Children Intervention on Positive and Negative Indicators of Mental Health in Elementary School Children
Authors: Malboeuf-Hurtubise Catherine , Di Tomaso Carina , Lefrançois David , Mageau Geneviève A. , Taylor Geneviève , Éthier Marc-André , Gagnon Mathieu , Léger-Goodes Terra
Published: November 2021

Background: Philosophy for children (P4C) was initially developed in the 1970s and served as an educational program to promote critical thinking, caring, creative reasoning and inquiry in the educational environment. Quasi-experimental research on P4C, a school-based approach that aims to develop children’s capacity to think by and for themselves, has suggested it could be an interesting intervention to foster greater basic psychological need satisfaction in children in school settings. Objective: The goal of the present study was to evaluate the impact of P4C on basic psychological need satisfaction and mental health in elementary school students. Method: Students from grades one to three (N = 57) took part in this study and completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. A randomized cluster trial with a wait-list control group was implemented to compare the effects of P4C on students’ mental health. Results: Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) revealed a significant effect of group condition on levels of autonomy and anxiety, after controlling for baseline levels. Participants in the experimental group showed higher scores in autonomy, when compared to participants in the control group, and participants in the experimental group showed lower anxiety scores, when compared to participants in the control group. Conclusion: Overall, results from this study show that P4C may be a promising intervention to foster greater autonomy in elementary school children, while also improving mental health.
The Six-Item Version of the Internet Addiction Test: Its Development, Psychometric Properties, and Measurement Invariance among Women with Eating Disorders and Healthy School and University Students
Authors: Ali Amira Mohammed , Hendawy Amin Omar , Almarwani Abdulaziz Mofdy , Alzahrani Naif , Ibrahim Nashwa , Alkhamees Abdulmajeed A. , Kunugi Hiroshi
Published: November 2021

Internet addiction (IA) is widespread, comorbid with other conditions, and commonly undetected, which may impede recovery. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) is widely used to evaluate IA among healthy respondents, with less agreement on its dimensional structure. This study investigated the factor structure, invariance, predictive validity, criterion validity, and reliability of the IAT among Spanish women with eating disorders (EDs, N = 123), Chinese school children (N = 1072), and Malay/Chinese university students (N = 1119). In school children, four factors with eigen values > 1 explained 50.2% of the variance, with several items cross-loading on more than two factors and three items failing to load on any factor. Among 19 tested models, CFA revealed excellent fit of a unidimensional six-item IAT among ED women and university students (χ2(7) = 8.695, 35.038; p = 0.275, 0.001; CFI = 0.998, 981; TLI = 0.996, 0.960; RMSEA = 0.045, 0.060; SRMR = 0.0096, 0.0241). It was perfectly invariant across genders, academic grades, majors, internet use activities, nationalities (Malay vs. Chinese), and Malay/Chinese female university students vs. Spanish women with anorexia nervosa, albeit it was variant at the scalar level in tests involving other EDs, signifying increased tendency for IA in pathological overeating. The six-item IAT correlated with the effects of internet use on academic performance at a greater level than the original IAT (r = −0.106, p < 0.01 vs. r = −0.78, p < 0.05), indicating superior criterion validity. The six-item IAT is a robust and brief measure of IA in healthy and diseased individuals from different cultures.
Factors Influencing Oral Health Behaviours, Access and Provision of Dental Care for Autistic Children and Adolescents in Countries with a Very High Human Development Index: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Systematic Review
Authors: Erwin Jo , Paisi Martha , Witton Robert , Neill Sarah , Burns Lorna , Vassallo Isaac , Nelder Abigail , Facenfield Jemma , Devalia Urshla , Vassallo Tara
Published: November 2021

Autistic children and adolescents are at high risk of dental disease and experience oral health inequalities. They consistently show high levels of unmet needs in relation to their oral health and access to dental care. There are no systematic reviews that bring together the evidence on the factors that influence oral hygiene behaviours, and access to and provision of dental care for autistic children and adolescents. A systematic search will be carried out in eight international databases and in grey literature of qualitative, quantitative and mixed method research studies from countries with a High Development Index which relate to oral health behaviours, and access to and provision of dental care. Only studies where participants are autistic children and adolescents aged 19 years or under, parents/guardians/caregivers, support staff, or oral health care providers will be included. Quantitative and qualitative data will be synthesized together through data transformation using a convergent integrated approach. Thematic synthesis will be used to carry out an inductive analysis of the data. The findings from the systematic review which this protocol generates will be used in the development of an appropriate local clinic care pathway for autistic children/adolescents and to inform national policies and practices. Prospero registration: CRD 42021248764.
Development and Validation of a Machine Learning Model Predicting Arteriovenous Fistula Failure in a Large Network of Dialysis Clinics
Authors: Peralta Ricardo , Garbelli Mario , Bellocchio Francesco , Ponce Pedro , Stuard Stefano , Lodigiani Maddalena , Fazendeiro Matos João , Ribeiro Raquel , Nikam Milind , Botler Max , Schumacher Erik , Brancaccio Diego , Neri Luca
Published: November 2021

Background: Vascular access surveillance of dialysis patients is a challenging task for clinicians. We derived and validated an arteriovenous fistula failure model (AVF-FM) based on machine learning. Methods: The AVF-FM is an XG-Boost algorithm aimed at predicting AVF failure within three months among in-centre dialysis patients. The model was trained in the derivation set (70% of initial cohort) by exploiting the information routinely collected in the Nephrocare European Clinical Database (EuCliD®). Model performance was tested by concordance statistic and calibration charts in the remaining 30% of records. Features importance was computed using the SHAP method. Results: We included 13,369 patients, overall. The Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC-ROC) of AVF-FM was 0.80 (95% CI 0.79–0.81). Model calibration showed excellent representation of observed failure risk. Variables associated with the greatest impact on risk estimates were previous history of AVF complications, followed by access recirculation and other functional parameters including metrics describing temporal pattern of dialysis dose, blood flow, dynamic venous and arterial pressures. Conclusions: The AVF-FM achieved good discrimination and calibration properties by combining routinely collected clinical and sensor data that require no additional effort by healthcare staff. Therefore, it can potentially enable risk-based personalization of AVF surveillance strategies.
Assessment of Implicit Interests through an Unobtrusive Computer Task. Their Relations with Career Decision, Anxiety, and Personality Traits
Authors: Castelló Antoni , Cladellas Ramon
Published: November 2021

Adolescence is a period where youngsters still do not know much about themselves. That makes some decisions, like those concerning vocational elections, a complicated issue that has important consequences for their life. The main goal of this piece of research is to measure implicit interests using a situated, unobtrusive computer tool (PrUnAs: Preferences Unobtrusive Assessment) as well as its connection with anxiety and personality traits: neuroticism, extraversion, self-efficacy, optimism, consciousness, and openness. Sample: 304 16-year-old adolescents enrolled in the last course of compulsory education. Instruments: Computer programs were used to measure implicit interests, career preferences, and to self-descript personality traits; finally, the paper-and-pencil test Stai was applied to measure anxiety. Results: Concordance between implicit interests and explicit choices was less than 50%. The software developed for assessing implicit interests not only proved to be an efficient tool to make them arise but also a good predictor of anxiety. Conclusions: Implicit interests and explicit elections are not the same. The approach from implicit preferences is an important shift in the approximation to vocational guiding and to reduce youngsters’ indecision level. Beyond vocational choice, this information may improve the short- and long-term quality of life and mental health.
SH-29 and SK-119 Attenuates Air-Pollution Induced Damage by Activating Nrf2 in HaCaT Cells
Authors: Kahremany Shirin , Hofmann Lukas , Eretz-Kdosha Noy , Silberstein Eldad , Gruzman Arie , Cohen Guy
Published: November 2021

Air pollution has been repeatedly linked to numerous health-related disorders, including skin sensitization, oxidative imbalance, premature extrinsic aging, skin inflammation, and increased cancer prevalence. Nrf2 is a key player in the endogenous protective mechanism of the skin. We hypothesized that pharmacological activation of Nrf2 might reduce the deleterious action of diesel particulate matter (DPM), evaluated in HaCaT cells. SK-119, a recently synthesized pharmacological agent as well as 2,2′-((1E,1′E)-(1,4-phenylenebis(azaneylylidene))bis(methaneylylidene))bis(benzene-1,3,5-triol) (SH-29) were first evaluated in silico, suggesting a potent Nrf2 activation capacity that was validated in vitro. In addition, both compounds were able to attenuate key pathways underlying DPM damage, including cytosolic and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, tested by DC-FDA and MitoSOX fluorescent dye, respectively. This effect was independent of the low direct scavenging ability of the compounds. In addition, both SK-119 and SH-29 were able to reduce DPM-induced IL-8 hypersecretion in pharmacologically relevant concentrations. Lastly, the safety of both compounds was evaluated and demonstrated in the ex vivo human skin organ culture model. Collectively, these results suggest that Nrf2 activation by SK-119 and SH-29 can revert the deleterious action of air pollution.
Psychological Inflexibility in People with Chronic Psychosis: The Mediating Role of Self-Stigma and Social Functioning
Authors: González-Menéndez Ana , Arboleya Faedo Tatiana , González-Pando David , Ordoñez-Camblor Nuria , García-Vega Elena , Paino Mercedes
Published: November 2021

Psychosis is associated with self-stigmatization and loss of social functioning that increase the severity of the disorder. Psychological inflexibility (PI)—an individual’s tendency to suppress undesirable private events—plays a fundamental role in the emergence and worst prognosis of psychosis. The main objective of this study was to analyze whether self-stigma and social functioning mediate the association of PI with the severity of psychosis in adults with chronic schizophrenia. The study was carried out with a sample of 103 outpatients. The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale, and the Social Functioning Scale were used for clinical assessments. Data analyses were performed by using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. Results showed that the link between PI and the severity of psychosis is not direct, but is better explained by mediation of the self-stigma and social functioning of those assessed. PI also predicts worse social functioning without the need to take self-stigma into account. Moreover, self-stigma alone does not predict the severity of psychotic symptoms; this relationship has to be mediated by social functioning. These findings suggest that interventions designed to increase psychological flexibility, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), may offer an alternative to attenuate the negative impact of self-stigma and to improve the social functioning.
Associations of Dietary Patterns and Risk of Hypertension in Southwest China: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Zhang Yixia , Wang Yanhuan , Chen Yun , Zhou Jie , Xu Lina , Xu Kelin , Wang Na , Fu Chaowei , Liu Tao
Published: November 2021

Empirical data on the association between diet and incident hypertension in Southwest China is lacking. We examined the associations between various dietary patterns and the risk of incident hypertension in this prospective population cohort of Southwest China. A total of 5442 eligible adults were included from Guizhou Province, China, since 2010. Dietary information was obtained using face-to-face interviews with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were characterized using factor analysis. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated for the associations between various dietary patterns and incident hypertension risk using a Cox proportional hazard model. Until 2020, a total of 1177 new hypertension cases were identified during an average follow-up of 6.97 years. In the multivariable-adjusted analysis, a low intake of the junk food pattern was significantly associated with the reducing risk of incident hypertension (HR: 0.772, 95% CI: 0.671, 0.887) and a high intake of the vegetable–grain pattern statistically lowered the risk of incident hypertension (HR: 0.774, 95% CI: 0.669, 0.894) compared with the medium intake of such patterns. Higher adherence to the vegetable–grain pattern and lower adherence to the junk food pattern significantly lowered the hypertension incidence among the population in Southwest China. Those findings suggested healthy diet guidelines should be developed for the prevention of hypertension.
COVID-19 Impact in the Italian Reception System for Migrants during the Nationwide Lockdown: A National Observational Study
Authors: Sisti Leuconoe Grazia , Di Napoli Anteo , Petrelli Alessio , Rossi Alessandra , Diodati Alessandra , Menghini Martina , Mirisola Concetta , Costanzo Gianfranco
Published: November 2021

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, attention was raised to protect vulnerable populations, including migrants and refugees (M&R), with the claim to leave no one behind in the pandemic response. In particular, concern was expressed in M&R’s reception centres since several COVID-19 outbreaks had been observed in Europe. Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 in the Italian reception system in the first pandemic wave in terms of incidence and health outcomes. A national survey focusing on the lockdown period of early 2020 was performed among reception centre managers. The survey achieved reaching around 70% of reception facilities and hosts. A national cumulative incidence of 400 positive cases per 100,000 and a north–south geographical gradient were observed. Sixty-eight facilities out of the 5038 participating in the survey reported confirmed cases and few COVID-19 clusters were detected especially in accommodations with the highest facility saturation index. Positive migrants were hospitalised in 25.9% of cases and no COVID-19 related deaths were observed. The study highlighted a cumulative incidence of cases and a geographical distribution similar to that of the general resident population, showing a global COVID-19 resilience in the Italian reception system in the period of observation, well beyond the expectations.
Theoretical Foundations to the Impact of Dog-Related Activities on Human Hedonic Well-Being, Life Satisfaction and Eudaimonic Well-Being
Authors: Barcelos Ana Maria , Kargas Niko , Maltby John , Hall Sophie , Assheton Phil , Mills Daniel S.
Published: November 2021

Cross-sectional comparisons of well-being between dog owners and non-owners commonly generate inconsistent results. Focusing on the uniqueness of the relationship might help address this issue and provide a stronger foundation for dog-related psychotherapeutic interventions. This study aims to evaluate the impact of dog-related activities (e.g., exercising the dog) on owner hedonic well-being, life satisfaction and eudaimonic well-being. It was also hypothesised that psychological closeness to the dog would affect these well-being outcomes. For this study, 1030 dog owners aged over 18 years old answered an online questionnaire about the impact of 15 groups of dog-related activities on their well-being. Ordinal regressions were used to estimate the mean response (and its uncertainty) for each outcome, while conditioning for psychological closeness to the dog and controlling for several key covariates. Tactile interactions and dog playing were significantly more beneficial than other activities for hedonic well-being, and dog training and dog presence for eudaimonic well-being. In contrast, dog health issues and behavioural problems were linked to decrements in these well-being outcomes. Higher psychological closeness to the dog predicted greater improvement in well-being in positive dog-related activities. Our quantitative study validates the general findings of previous qualitative work and lays the groundwork for future longitudinal studies.
Visual Size Matters: The Effect of Product Depiction Size on Calorie Estimates
Authors: Tal Aner , Gvili Yaniv , Amar Moty
Published: November 2021

Consumers’ calorie estimates are often biased and inaccurate. Even the presence of relevant nutritional information may not suffice to prevent consumer biases in calorie estimation. The current work demonstrates across two studies that visual cues given by larger product depictions lead to increased calorie estimates. Further, it demonstrates that these effects occur even when consumers are given, and notice, information about product quantity. The findings thus shed light on a novel biasing effect on consumer calorie evaluation, and, more generally, the findings provide evidence for the importance of visual inputs over textual ones in consumers’ nutritional assessment of food products. In this, the current research provides insights relevant to helping nutritional literacy via awareness of biasing influences on caloric assessment. In the same manner, the research also provides insights that may assist the regulator protecting consumers by highlighting factors biasing nutritional assessment.
Self-Care by Muslim Women during Ramadan Fasting to Protect Nutritional and Cardiovascular Health
Authors: López-Bueno Marta , Fernández-Aparicio Ángel , González-Jiménez Emilio , Montero-Alonso Miguel Ángel , Schmidt-RioValle Jacqueline
Published: November 2021

The practice of Ramadan involves a series of changes in lifestyle, mainly in eating habits. The research aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of overweight-obesity, the degree of compliance with dietary recommendations and the effects of religious fasting on cardiovascular health among a population of Muslim women living in Melilla, a Spanish city in North Africa. A follow-up cohort study was conducted on 62 healthy adult women (33.6 ± 12.7 years). Anthropometric and body composition parameters were obtained using bioimpedance and dietary records. All of the participants were overweight or obese, especially due to the non-compliance with dietary recommendations; however, more than 60% considered their weight was appropriate or even low. By the end of Ramadan, the women’s body mass index and fat component values had fallen significantly (p < 0.001), but this loss was later recovered. Dietary records revealed an excessive consumption of lipids and sodium, and the presence of a high waist-to-hip ratio. All of these factors are related to cardiovascular risk. In conclusion, promoting nutritional health and encouraging year-round self-care among adult Muslim women is necessary in order to ensure healthy fasting during Ramadan.
Does the “Blue Sky Defense War Policy” Paint the Sky Blue?—A Case Study of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region, China
Authors: Yang Xuan , Wang Yue , Chen Di , Tan Xue , Tian Xue , Shi Lei
Published: November 2021

Improving air quality is an urgent task for the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region in China. In 2018, utilizing 365 days’ daily concentration data of six air pollutants (including PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO and O3) at 947 air quality grid monitoring points of 13 cities in the BTH region and controlling the meteorological factors, this paper takes the implementation of the Blue Sky Defense War (BSDW) policy as a quasi-natural experiment to examine the emission reduction effect of the policy in the BTH region by applying the difference-in-difference method. Results show that the policy leads to the significant reduction of the daily average concentration of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, O3 by −1.951 μg/m3, −3.872 μg/m3, −1.902 μg/m3, −7.882 μg/m3 and CO by −0.014 mg/m3, respectively. The results of the robustness test support the aforementioned conclusions. However, this paper finds that the concentration of NO2 increases significantly (1.865 μg/m3). In winter heating seasons, the concentration of SO2, CO and O3 decrease but PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 increase significantly. Besides, resource intensive cities, non-key environmental protection cities and cities in the north of the region have great potential for air pollutant emission reduction. Finally, policy suggestions are recommended; these include setting specific goals at the city level, incorporating more cities into the list of key environmental protection cities, refining the concrete indicators of domestic solid fuel, and encouraging and enforcing clean heating diffusion.
Characterization of Chemical and Bacterial Concentrations in Floor Dust Samples in Southeast Texas Households
Authors: Davis Felica R. , Ali Hanan H. , Rosenzweig Jason A. , Vrinceanu Daniel , Maruthi Sridhar Balaji Bhaskar
Published: November 2021

Indoor dust can be a major source of heavy metals, nutrients, and bacterial contamination in residential environments and may cause serious health problems. The goal of this research is to characterize chemical and bacterial contaminants of indoor, settled house dust in the Houston Metropolitan region. To achieve this, a total of 31 indoor dust samples were collected, along with household survey data, which were subsequently analyzed for elemental and bacterial concentrations. Microscopic and geospatial analysis was conducted to characterize and map potential hotspots of contamination. Interestingly Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations of all 31 indoor dust samples were significantly enriched and exceeded soil background concentrations. Furthermore, As, Cd, Pb, and Zn concentrations in the dust samples were significantly correlated to the enteric bacterial load concentrations. Human health assessment revealed that cancer risk values via ingestion for Cd, Cr, and Ni were greater than the acceptable range. Of our 31 dust sample isolates, three Gram-negative and 16 Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria were identified, capable of causing a wide range of diseases. Our results demonstrate that both chemical and bacterial characterization of indoor dust coupled with spatial mapping is essential to assess and monitor human and ecological health risks.
Support of the Implementation of a Whistleblowing System for Smoke-Free Environments: A Mixed Methods Approach
Authors: Asyary Al , Veruswati Meita , Sagala La Ode Hasnuddin S. , Saktiansyah La Ode Ahmad , Susanna Dewi , Moshammer Hanns
Published: November 2021

Enforcement of a smoke-free policy is of vital concern in support of the health of smokers and bystanders. Indonesia has issued a smoke-free law, but implementation and enforcement lie with the regional and municipal governments. In a survey of 225 respondents recruited via schools, knowledge about the health effects of smoking and the smoke-free regulation, as well as attitudes towards and commitment and support of the enforcement of the smoke-free regulation in the Kendari City through an electronic whistleblowing system was examined. Furthermore, the participants were asked about the smoking status and smoking behavior. About half of the respondents were students (teenagers), the other half—their parents. Male respondents were strongly overrepresented (85%). Only 18% of the respondents declared to be smokers, mostly adults and males. Both the smokers and the non-smokers supported the smoke-free law and its enforcement through a whistleblowing system. Representatives of the local government were interviewed and participated in focus group discussions. In general, they also exhibited strong support of an electronic enforcement tool. However, issues of efficiency, costs, and responsibility must still be resolved. Nevertheless, an electronic whistleblowing system has the potential to further the health and livelihoods in a community like the Kendari City.
Selected Metal Concentration in Maternal and Cord Blood
Authors: Kot Karolina , Łanocha-Arendarczyk Natalia , Kupnicka Patrycja , Szymański Sławomir , Malinowski Witold , Kalisińska Elżbieta , Chlubek Dariusz , Kosik-Bogacka Danuta
Published: November 2021

Essential and non-essential elements deficiencies may lead to various birth complications. The aim of this paper was to determine calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), lead (Pb), strontium (Sr), and zinc (Zn) concentrations in maternal blood and cord blood. Whole blood and cord blood samples collected from pregnant women (n = 136) were analyzed for the concentration of the elements by spectrophotometric atomic absorption in inductively coupled argon plasma (ICP-OES). The results showed that Ca, Pb, and Sr concentrations were similar in maternal and cord blood, while Fe and K levels were higher in cord blood than in maternal blood. The cord blood Cu, Na, and Zn concentrations were lower than those in maternal blood, suggesting transplacental transfer of these elements were limited. Moreover, checking the influence of studied elements on the anthropometric parameters of the newborns, we found that the highest number of associations was between Cu in cord blood. Due to the fact that the pregnant women were healthy, and the newborns were without any disorders, we suggest that the values obtained in our study are normal values of studied elements in whole blood and cord blood in patients from Poland.
The Effect of Functional Biomechanics Garment for Walking
Authors: Miyashita Toshinori , Katayama Sho , Yamamoto Ayane , Sakamoto Kodai , Kitano Masashi , Takasaki Raita , Kudo Shintarou
Published: November 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a functional biomechanics garment (FBG) with a lower extremity assist function. 32 healthy male participants were included in this study. Participants were divided into an FBG with taping function group (FBG group) and a compression garment group (CG group). Cadence (steps/min), step length (m), and usual walking speed (m/s) were measured as spatio-temporal data. Kinetics, kinematics data, and dynamic joint stiffness (DJS) of the lower extremity were calculated using a three-dimensional gait analysis system. The FBG group showed significantly faster walking speed (FBG, 1.54 ± 0.12 m/s; CG, 1.42 ± 0.15 m/s, p < 0.05) and reduced hip DJS in terminal stance (FBG, 0.033 ± 0.014 Nm/kg/degree; CG: 0.049 ± 0.016 Nm/kg/degree, p < 0.05) compared to the CG group. The FBG decreased hip DJS in the terminal stance and affected walking speed. The passive elastic moment generated by the high elasticity part of the hip joint front in the FBG supported the internal hip flexion moment. Therefore, our FBG has a biomechanical effect. The FBG may be useful as a tool to promote health activities.
Influence Mechanism on Supplier Emission Reduction Based on a Two-Level Supply Chain
Authors: Ma Lina , Zhang Xinran , Du Yushen
Published: November 2021

The purpose of this paper is to investigate environmental performance of a supply chain which consists of an upstream supplier and a downstream firm. A mathematical model considering both downstream firm’s monitoring and governmental intervention is developed. Afterwards, a numerical example is presented to show the equilibriums of these models and the optimal choices of firms and government. The results show that when customers’ environmental awareness increases, both total environmental impact and social welfare decrease. The downstream firm’s monitoring will certainly reduce the total environmental impact. In most cases, it does not matter whether the downstream firm chooses to monitor the supplier or not, the total environmental impact and social welfare would not be affected when the government chooses subsidy. If a subsidy is present, firms and environment will be better than those without subsidy. Hence, the government is more likely to choose to provide subsidy and the downstream firm will not monitor the supplier’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction effort. In a few cases when environmental impact is too large, taxation may be the optimal choice for the government and the downstream firm will choose to monitor the supplier’s GHG emissions reduction investment.
A Narrative Literature Review of Bias in Collecting Patient Reported Outcomes Measures (PROMs)
Authors: Zini Michela Luciana Luisa , Banfi Giuseppe
Published: November 2021

There is a growing interest in the collection and use of patient reported outcomes because they not only provide clinicians with crucial information, but can also be used for economic evaluation and enable public health decisions. During the collection phase of PROMs, there are several factors that can potentially bias the analysis of PROM data. It is crucial that the collected data are reliable and comparable. The aim of this paper was to analyze the type of bias that have already been taken into consideration in the literature. A literature review was conducted by the authors searching on PubMed database, after the selection process, 24 studies were included in this review, mostly regarding orthopedics. Seven types of bias were identified: Non-response bias, collection method related bias, fatigue bias, timing bias, language bias, proxy response bias, and recall bias. Regarding fatigue bias and timing bias, only one study was found; for non-response bias, collection mode related bias, and recall bias, no agreement was found between studies. For these reasons, further research on this subject is needed in order to assess each bias type in relation to each medical specialty, and therefore find correction methods for reliable and comparable data for analysis.
The Impact of Clinical, Biochemical, and Echocardiographic Parameters on the Quality of Life in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction
Authors: Kałużna-Oleksy Marta , Sawczak Filip , Kukfisz Agata , Krysztofiak Helena , Szczechla Magdalena , Wleklik Marta , Przytarska Katarzyna , Dudek Magdalena , Nowak Alicja , Straburzyńska-Migaj Ewa , Uchmanowicz Bartosz
Published: November 2021

Despite significant advances in HF diagnosis and treatment over the recent decades, patients still characterize poor long-term prognosis with many recurrent hospitalizations and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We aimed to check the potential relationship between clinical, biochemical, or echocardiographic parameters and HRQoL in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). We included 152 adult patients hospitalized due to chronic HFrEF. We used the WHOQoL-BREF questionnaire to assess HRQoL and GNRI to evaluate nutritional status. We also analyzed several biochemical parameters and left ventricle ejection fraction. Forty (26.3%) patients were hospitalized due to HF exacerbation and 112 (73.7%) due to planned HF evaluation. The median age was 57 (48–62) years. Patients with low somatic HRQoL score had lower transferrin saturation (23.7 ± 11.1 vs. 29.7 ± 12.5%; p = 0.01), LDL (2.40 (1.80–2.92) vs. 2.99 (2.38–3.60) mmol/L; p = 0.001), triglycerides (1.18 (0.91–1.57) vs. 1.48 (1.27–2.13) mmol/L; p = 0.006) and LVEF (20 (15–25) vs. 25 (20–30)%; p = 0.003). TIBC (64.9 (58.5–68.2) vs. 57.7 (52.7–68.6); p = 0.02) was significantly higher in this group. We observed no associations between HRQoL and age or gender. The somatic domain of WHOQoL-BREF in patients with HFrEF correlated with the clinical status as well as biochemical and echocardiographic parameters. Assessment of HRQoL in HFrEF seems important in everyday practice and can identify patients requiring a special intervention
Driving Behavior Based Relative Risk Evaluation Using a Nonparametric Optimization Method
Authors: Bao Qiong , Tang Hanrun , Shen Yongjun
Published: November 2021

Evaluating risks when driving is a valuable method by which to make people better understand their driving behavior, and also provides the basis for improving driving performance. In many existing risk evaluation studies, however, most of the time only the occurrence frequency of risky driving events is considered in the time dimension and fixed weights allocation is adopted when constructing a risk evaluation model. In this study, we develop a driving behavior-based relative risk evaluation model using a nonparametric optimization method, in which both the frequency and the severity level of different risky driving behaviors are taken into account, and the concept of relative risk instead of absolute risk is proposed. In the case study, based on the data from a naturalistic driving experiment, various risky driving behaviors are identified, and the proposed model is applied to assess the overall risk related to the distance travelled by an individual driver during a specific driving segment, relative to other drivers on other segments, and it is further compared with an absolute risk evaluation. The results show that the proposed model is superior in avoiding the absolute risk quantification of all kinds of risky driving behaviors, and meanwhile, a prior knowledge on the contribution of different risky driving behaviors to the overall risk is not required. Such a model has a wide range of application scenarios, and is valuable for feedback research relating to safe driving, for a personalized insurance assessment based on drivers’ behavior, and for the safety evaluation of professional drivers such as ride-hailing drivers.
Research on Environmental Regulation and Green Total Factor Productivity in Yangtze River Delta: From the Perspective of Financial Development
Authors: Li Jia , Tang Decai , Tenkorang Acheampong Paul , Shi Zhuoran
Published: November 2021

This paper employs the global Malmquist Luenberger (GML) index and the System Generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation method to investigate the influence of both environmental regulation and financial development on green total factor productivity in 41 cities of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in China from 2003–2019. We select the relevant input-output data to measure the green total factor productivity (GTFP) and its decomposition index including undesirable output. The results show that the GTFP and its decomposition index in the YRD have a slow fluctuating upward trend. The YRD mainly depends on improving the level of technological progress and environmental governance to promote the improvement of regional economic green development level. The empirical research results show that there is an inverted U relationship between environmental regulation and GTFP in the YRD, too strict environmental regulation will inhibit the growth of green total factor productivity. By adding control variables, the inflection point of environmental regulation is 0.5034, which is lower than that without control variables. There is a strong interaction and superposition effect between financial development and environmental regulation, which is closely related to the established financial cooperation mechanism, perfect financial system arrangement and cross-regional financial cooperation platform in the YRD. Government intervention should be reduced, the introduction of foreign capital should be controlled appropriately, foreign capital should be guided to green industries, and the use efficiency of foreign capital should be improved. This paper holds that we should pay attention to the strength of environmental regulation, prevent overcorrection, increase the guidance of credit funds, deepen the reform of the financial system, appropriately intervene in the market by the government, strengthen the guidance of foreign capital, and promote the development and transformation of the green economy in the YRD region with the help of several policies.
Odontogenic Maxillary Sinusitis: The Interface and Collaboration between Rhinologists and Dentists
Authors: Nandakumar Beeshman Saireuben , Niles Naomi Natasha Amalee , Kalish Larry Hilton
Published: November 2021

Odontogenic maxillary sinusitis (OMS) is an inflammatory condition affecting the paranasal sinuses and is commonly encountered by both Otorhinolaryngologists and Dentists. However, there is an ongoing debate regarding the best sequence of management. Clinicians are faced with the dilemma of first addressing either the affected tooth or the affected sinus. This paper provides a review of the current literature on the aetiology, presentation, and management of OMS, as well as our experience in managing this condition. Overall, the causative pathology of the patient’s OMS, their symptoms, and the risk of surgery should drive decision making with regards to sequence of management.
Creation of a functional product based on grain mixture for hardtacks for people with intense loads
Authors: Egorova S.V. , Maryinskaya A.A. , Sergienko I.N.
Published: November 2021

As a rule, grain products contain deficient protein in their composition. In order to achieve the reference protein in plant foods, a blending method can be used. The development of the formulation and technology of high-protein hardtacks based on wheat wholemeal flour using high-protein biomass will become indispensable in the field nutrition of climbers, militaries and athletes during the competition period.
Methodology for the accelerated determination of the shelf life of wheat and rye grain
Authors: Gurieva K.B. , Beletskiy S.L. , Khaba N.A.
Published: November 2021

An overview of methods for determining the shelf life of food products is given. An accelerated method, which includes storing grain at a temperature of 20–40 °C, regularly determining the acid number of fats, while using samples from at least three batches of grain of the same crop, has been developed. Based on the obtained results, the estimated shelf life at any storage temperature is determined by calculation using the “Reserve-forecast” program, taking into account that the maximum permissible value of the acid number of fats is: 25 mg KOH/g of fat — for wheat, 23 mg KOH/g fat — for rye. The proposed methodology makes it possible to shorten the duration and reduce the complexity of determining the grain shelf life.
CHEMICAL CORROSION PROCESSES OCCURRING IN THE MATERIAL OF LARGE-BLOCK POROUS CERAMICS
Authors:   Research Institute of Building Physics of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences, ZHELDAKOV D.Y. , TURSUKOV S.A. ,   Ministry of Construction and Architecture of the Republic of Bashkortostan (Minstroy RB), KHUSAINOV I.R. ,   Ufa State University of Science and Technology (USNTU)
Published: November 2021

Large-block porous ceramics, which enter the market of building materials, have a number of undeniable qualities: low thermal conductivity, low density, high aesthetic qualities. According to its design features, this material is a modern prototype of hollow bricks used in construction since the nineteenth century. Field studies of the work of enclosing structures using hollow bricks have shown that in many cases, the bricks laid in the enclosing structures of buildings 60-80 years ago were significantly destroyed. In this case, the destruction mechanism does not depend on the polythermal load on the material. The hypothesis that the destruction is associated with the chemical destruction of the material was investigated using the developed method for determining the chemical resistance of the material of wall ceramics. The conducted studies confirmed the hypothesis. Studies of the chemical resistance of the material of large-block porous ceramics should be taken into account in the production technology of ceramics.
Educação, Pedagogia decolonial e direitos humanos: reflexões sobre utopia e emancipação em Paulo Freire
Authors: Bittar Eduardo Carlos Bianca
Published: November 2021

Este artigo analisa a importância do conceito de utopia, enquanto atrelado à ideia de esperança, desenvolvido pelo pensamento do educador Paulo Freire. O artigo integra as iniciativas de celebração do centenário de Paulo Freire (1921-2021), procurando ressaltar a originalidade e a especificidade de sua luta em face da opressão social, das injustiças e das violências. Na busca pela autenticidade, a produção do sujeito emancipado não é uma tarefa externa ao próprio sujeito, por isso, a tarefa da educação é a de mobilizar as condições para o exercício de uma consciência emancipada. Esta é vista como condição para o processo de construção da cidadania, da autonomia e da democracia. Isso significa a passagem da ‘inexperiência democrática’ à ‘experiência democrática’, por sujeitos que agem na história, em favor de uma sociedade descolonizada de seu passado opressor e propensa à busca por justiça. O diálogo e a criticidade são os instrumentos de uma educação voltada para a cidadania e para a transformação social. É neste quadro de análise que a pedagogia freireana faz-se uma pedagogia decolonial, o que a conecta com a dimensão das lutas pelos direitos humanos. Nisto, a pedagogia freireana abre um caminho de enorme importância para as tarefas atuais da educação em direitos humanos.
Impact of falling cables on bulkhead beams / Impacto da queda de cabos nas vigas das anteparas
Authors: De Oliveira Victor Casulli , Da Silva Marcelo Araujo , Brasil Reyolando Manoel Lopes Rebello Da Fonseca
Published: November 2021

In this work, 585.95 meters long falling cable will be considered to compute its impact on a steel beam. The beam is lifted by two cranes and used as a shield to protect structures under the cables, during its installation. Using energy conservation concepts, it is possible to find the impact force on the beam, and, with that, to design the ideal steel cross section to support such impact. A model was also developed using the STRAP software, via Finite Element Method, to perform a more refined analysis and check the design of the metal beam.
Determination of the first natural frequency of vibration of a steel pole, under the effect of geometric nonlinearity, using optimization techniques / Determinação da primeira frequência natural de vibração de um pólo de aço, sob o efeito da não linearidade geométrica, utilizando técnicas de optimização
Authors: Da Silva Marcelo Araujo , Matos Paulo Henrique dos Santos
Published: November 2021

This work aims to find a procedure to obtain an alternative formulation that represents the first mode of vibration of slender steel poles considering the effect of geometric non-linearity, using the Reyleigh-Ritz method, trigonometric formulations with optimization techniques and a finite element mathematical model. The application was on an existing polygonal steel pole. In order to consider the geometric non-linearity in the calculation of the natural frequencies of the respective structure, the concept of initial stiffness, geometric stiffness and effective stiffness, computed by the Rayleigh method for vibration problems in mechanical systems, was used. So, to optimize the computational time to obtain the modal response in dynamic analysis of the described structure, without neglecting the precision of the results of a rigorous analysis with sophisticated methodologies, alternative formulations to those described in NBR 6123 (1988) will bepresented in this work.
CONTROLE INTERNO COMO FERRAMENTA DE GESTÃO NA PREVENÇÃO E REDUÇÃO DE FRAUDES E ERROS NAS ORGANIZAÇÕES EMPRESARIAIS
Authors: Nascimento Luciandra Maria Leal Dos Santos, William J. De J. Muller do , Vasconcelos Diego Vinicio Bernardino de Souza, Oziel Ibernom , Roberto José Carlos Alves , Lopes Meg Rocha da Cunha Serra, Nelânia Ferreira , Nascimento Luciandra Maria Leal Dos Santos, William J. De J. Muller do
Published: November 2021

O presente artigo trata-se de uma revisão bibliográfica, que aborda sobre o controle interno. Que são os sistemas usados por uma organização para gerenciar riscos e diminuir as fraudes. A estrutura desse mecanismo é composta pelos fatores de controle, pelas ferramentas da contabilidade e por procedimentos denominados atividades de controle. Um sistema de controle interno devidamente projetado e funcionando não eliminará o risco de perda, mas o reduzirá. A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo principal descrever e relacionar a importância do controle interno como mecanismo essencial para o controle de fraudes em empresa. Já os objetivos específicos são: apresentar as ferramentas e estratégias utilizadas para o segmento do controle interno organizacional; descrever o papel da contabilidade na gestão do controle interno de uma empresa e relacionar o controle de fraudes em empresas com a eficácia do controle interno. O presente artigo tem intuito de responder a seguinte pergunta problema: de que forma uma organização pode estabelecer a necessidade da implantação de sistemas para o controle interno e qual a segurança que essa implantação possa garantir a redução de riscos e ocorrência de fraudes? Portanto, o presente artigo trata-se de uma revisão de literatura que utiliza os fins exploratórios, com a utilização e análise de artigos científicos e livros que abordam a temática escolhida nessa pesquisa. Sendo esperado com o desenvolvimento da pesquisa que as informações selecionadas possam alcançar os objetivos estabelecidos e responder à pergunta problema escolhida. Além de servir como material de apoio para acadêmicos e recém-formados e profissionais da área
The importance of the brand for the success of a company/ A importância da marca para o sucesso de uma empresa
Authors: Balduino Angelo Ricardo , Araújo Teciene Marques Pereira de , Carvalho Marcony Messias Soares de
Published: November 2021

The objective of this work was to clarify the importance of using marketing strategies to build a brand that, in turn, will lead the company to success. The theoretical foundation is based on the concepts of marketing, integrated marketing communication, brand and branding. The integrated marketing communication contributes to the strengthening of the brand through branding actions, which allow a better strategic positioning in the market. The methodology of this work consists of a bibliographical study, due to the need to relate these three theoretical elements that, in a structured way, bring countless benefits for all organizations. This study has shown that brand management is an important strategic tool for the success of a company and that its rise depends on the message of trust that it expresses to customers.