bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Servicios de microblogs en la enseñanza secundaria
Authors: Fandos Igado Manuel , Silvestre Puig Raimon
Published: May 2020

La aceleración de los cambios en la sociedad de la información y el conocimiento requiere una reflexión constante de los métodos educativos. El estudio de los servicios de microblogging pretende fundamentar una opinión de su utilidad desde un punto de vista educativo en las últimas etapas de la educación secundaria.Las aplicaciones de los microblogs en la enseñanza son diversas, comparten funcionalidades con herramientas ya existentes y a su vez muestran un perfil propio con el que desarrollar propuestas educativas diferenciadas.El estudio de experiencias previas en el uso de microblogs en la educación así como una aproximación a las herramientas de microblogging más destacadas, nos revela funcionalidades propias de la aplicación en los contextos educativos, tanto como soporte a la educación presencial como en los entornos virtuales o mixtos.Microblogging services in secondary educationAbstractQuick changes in our information and knowledge society demand a constant reflection on teaching methods. The study of microblogging services aims to discuss their use in the final years of secondary education from an educational point of view.Microblogs are applied in education in various ways. They share functions with already existing tools, but at the same time show their own profile which allows the development of different educational proposals.The study of previous experiments with the use of microblogs in educational settings, as well as an approach to the most distinguished microblogging tools, will reveal the functions of the application in educational contexts, both as a means of support for classroom education as well as in virtual or blended environments
La utilización de la rúbrica en el diseño de materiales para la e-formación
Authors: Cabero Almenara Julio , Rodríguez-Gallego Margarita
Published: May 2020

En esta investigación, 35 profesores de distintas Universidades españolas, han creado un entorno formativo telemático, destinado a la formación del profesorado universitario en la adquisición de diferentes capacidades y competencias para la utilización e inserción de las TIC en su actividad profesional. Se han generado bloques de contenido, e-actividades de diferente tipología, se ha creado una rúbrica de evaluación y se ha procedido a su validación a través de un grupo de expertos.
Uso de edmodo en proyectos colaborativos internacionales en educación primaria
Authors: Sáez López José Manuel , Lorraine-Leo Jackson , Miyata Yoshiro
Published: May 2020

El estudio valora las actitudes y el uso que hacen los docentes de primaria de la aplicación Edmodo. La muestra de 51 maestros de 6 países aporta información en un cuestionario mixto. Se lleva a cabo un análisis de los mensajes de los 5 grupos estudiados. Se concluye que la utilización de Edmodo que hacen los docentes es muy positiva debido a numerosas ventajas colaborativas centradas en una comunicación y trabajo en proyectos.
Análisis del uso de Facebook en el ámbito universitario desde la perspectiva del Aprendizaje colaborativo a través de la computadora
Authors: Álvarez Guadalupe , López Marta
Published: May 2020

El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar, desde la perspectiva del Aprendizaje colaborativo a través de la computadora, el uso de Facebook en un taller de lectoescritura de de la Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Esto nos ha permitido extraer algunas observaciones y sugerencias respecto del uso de las redes sociales en la educación universitaria.
Aplicación del m-learning en el aula de primaria: Experiencia práctica y propuesta de formación para docentes
Authors: Madrid Vivar Dolores , Mayorga Fernández MªJosé , Núñez Avilés Fabián
Published: May 2020

Este artículo presenta una experiencia realizada con telefonía móvil. La experiencia ha sido llevada a cabo con alumnado de tercer ciclo de primaria. Después de los resultados obtenidos, consideramos imprescindible hacer una propuesta de formación para el profesorado. En concreto, hemos diseñado un taller cuyo objetivo es utilizar las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación para aumentar la motivación del alumnado y mejorar, en consecuencia, el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje.
Cultivando el PLE: una estrategia para la integración de aprendizajes en la universidad
Authors: Marín Victoria I. , Lizana Alexandra , Salinas Jesús
Published: May 2020

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados finales de un estudio que tiene por objetivo el desarrollo del entorno personal de aprendizaje (PLE) de los alumnos, al mismo tiempo que se mejora el aprendizaje de estos. Para ello, se incorpora una estrategia metodológica de integración de entornos de aprendizaje formales e informales. Los participantes de este estudio son alumnos del Grado en Pedagogía de la Universidad de las Islas Baleares (España). Se han valorado los resultados a través de un cuestionario final y entrevistas al alumnado, así como a través del análisis de los mapas del PLE elaborados por ellos. Los resultados se orientan hacia una valoración positiva de la estrategia y al crecimiento incipiente del PLE.
Componentes básicos para el análisis de los PLE de los futuros profesionales españoles: en los albores del Proyecto CAPPLE
Authors: Prendes Espinosa Mª Paz , Castañeda Quintero Linda , Ovelar Beltrán Ramón , Carrera Farran Xavier
Published: May 2020

El proyecto de investigación CAPPLE pretende realizar la descripción y el análisis prospectivo, tanto en términos técnicos como en términos funcionales, de los entornos personales de aprendizaje (PLEs) de los futuros profesionales españoles de todas las áreas de conocimiento (estudiantes de último año de carrera universitaria) de toda España. En este documento presentamos los rasgos generales del proyecto –objetivos y enfoque metodológico-, así como la primera fase del desarrollo en la que se ha definido el modelo de análisis que fundamenta la construcción del instrumento de recogida de datos y se han realizado algunas de las primeras pruebas de validación del cuestionario.
Tendencias en estudios sobre Entornos Personales de Aprendizaje (Personal Learning Environments -PLE-)
Authors: Gallego-Arrufat Maria-Jesus , Chaves-Barboza Eduardo
Published: May 2020

Se presenta una revisión de investigaciones publicadas en los últimos años sobre Entornos Personales de Aprendizaje (Personal Learning Environments -PLE-); entre los documentos analizados se incluyen artículos, capítulos de libros y actas de congresos. Como resultado de la revisión se proponen tres tópicos relacionados con la investigación sobre PLE. En primer lugar, se muestra cómo algunos estudios empíricos se agrupan en torno al discurso teórico y pedagógico de PLE, que suele justificar estas investigaciones. En segundo lugar, alrededor del concepto de PLE se ofrecen tres líneas de significación que son útiles para categorizar investigaciones empíricas. Finalmente, se analiza la forma en que se han orientado las investigaciones empíricas hacia algunos objetos de investigación y se utilizan algunos elementos del PLE para clasificar publicaciones.
The influence mechanism of bioclogging on pollution removal efficiency of vertical flow constructed wetland
Authors: Zhu Yixuan , Ye Ping , Xu Shirong , Zhou Yongchao , Zhang Yan , Zhang Yiping , Zhang Tuqiao
Published: May 2020

The effect of change of hydraulic characteristic and microbial community on pollution removal efficiency of the infiltration systems in the bioclogging development process remain poorly understood. In this study, therefore, the pollutant removal as a response to hydraulic conductivity reduction and the change of diversity and structure of microbial communities in vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) was investigated. The results indicated that the richness and diversity of the bacterial communities in the columns at different depths were decreased, and the microbial communities of the genus level were changed in the process of bioclogging. However, the variation of microbial communities has a low impact on the purification performance of VFCWs because the abundance of function groups, respiratory activity, and degradation potentiality of microorganisms remain steady or even get improved in the columns after bioclogging. On the contrary, the hydraulic efficiency of VFCWs decreased greatly by 16.9%, 9.9%, and 57.1% for VFCWs filled with zeolite (Column I), gravel (Column II), and ceramsite (Column III), respectively. The existence of short-circuiting and dead zones in the filter media cause the poor pollution removal efficiency of VFCWs due to the short contact time and decrease of oxygenation renewal, as well as low activity in the dead zone.
Datura metel: A Review on Chemical Constituents, Traditional Uses and Pharmacological Activities
Authors: Alam Waqas , Khan Haroon , Khan Sajjad Ali , Nazir Sana , Akkol Esra Küpeli
Published: May 2020

Datura metel (Solanaceae) which is commonly known as thorn’s apple, Indian apple or devil’s trumpet
isan annual herb of temperate zones which is distributed all over the world. D. metel belongs to the family solanaceae.
From a longer period of time (37 A.D), species of this family had therapeutic uses. This article is based
on the review of different scientific backgrounds and studies regarding the traditional uses, phytochemistry, biochemical
constituents and pharmacological uses of D. metel. This review is based on the facts of the available
literature review. Different researchers conducted researches and studies on D. metel and confirmed the presence
of enormous chemical compounds like flavonoids, tropane alkaloids, tannins, saponins and withanolides. D. metel
has been found to be pharmacologically important species because of its different pharmacological and traditional
uses, such as hepatoprotective, antiviral effect, antibacterial effect, anti-asthmatic, analgesic, antipyretic and
nephroprotective effect, anticancer and antifungal effect. However, further in vivo and in vitro advanced studies
are required to carried out for the exact pharmacological mechanisms and for basis of clinical utility.
Nitric Oxide Donors as Potential Drugs for the Treatment of Vascular Diseases Due to Endothelium Dysfunction
Authors: Paulo Michele , Costa Daniela E. F. R. , Bonaventura Daniella , Lunardi Claure N. , Bendhack Lusiane M.
Published: May 2020

Endothelial dysfunction and consequent vasoconstriction are a common condition in patients with hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Endothelial cells produce and release vasodilator substances that play a pivotal role in normal vascular tone. The mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction are multifactorial. However, enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and consequent vasoconstriction instead of endothelium-derived relaxant generation and consequent vasodilatation contribute to this dysfunction considerably. The main targets of the drugs that are currently used to treat vascular diseases concerning enzyme activities and protein functions that are impaired by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) uncoupling and ROS production. Nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability can decrease due to deficient NO production by eNOS and/or NO release to vascular smooth muscle cells, which impairs endothelial function. Considering the NO cellular mechanisms, tackling the issue of eNOS uncoupling could avoid endothelial dysfunction: provision of the enzyme cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) should elicit NO release from NO donors, to activate soluble guanylyl cyclase. This should increase cyclic guanosine-monophosphate (cGMP) generation and inhibit phosphodiesterases (especially PDE5) that selectively degrade cGMP. Consequently, protein kinase-G should be activated, and K+ channels should be phosphorylated and activated, which is crucial for cell membrane hyperpolarization and vasodilation and/or inhibition of ROS production. The present review summarizes the current concepts about the vascular cellular mechanisms that underlie endothelial dysfunction and which could be the target of drugs for the treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease.
Water Boundary Line Detection for Unmanned Surface Vehicles
Authors: Liu Yuejun , Ma Liyong , Xie Wei , Zhang Xiaolei , Zhang Yong
Published: May 2020

Background:

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) can undertake risks or special tasks in
marine independently and will be widely used in the future. In the autonomous navigation of USV
equipped with vision camera, the water boundary line needs to be detected in real time and it is one
of these key intelligent environment perception methods for USV.

Methods:

An efficient water boundary line detection method based on Gray Level Co-occurrence
Matrix (GLCM) texture entropy is proposed. In image preprocessing, the high-brightness areas are
eliminated to avoid the effects of water boundary line detection.

Results:

GLCM entropy is employed to segment water, land and air for water line regression. The
proposed method is efficient for the images with high-brightness areas.

Conclusion:

The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is not only more accurate
than the existing water boundary line detection method, but also has good real-time performance
and is suitable for the application in USV.
Visual Fixations and Motion Sensitivity: Protocol for an Exploratory Study
Authors: Chaudhary Shikha , Saywell Nicola , Kumar Arun , Taylor Denise
Published: May 2020

Background

Motion sensitivity after vestibular disorders is associated with symptoms of nausea, dizziness, and imbalance in busy environments. Dizziness and imbalance are reported in places such as supermarkets and shopping malls which have unstable visual backgrounds; however, the mechanism of motion sensitivity is poorly understood.

Objective

The main aim of this exploratory observational study is to investigate visual fixations and postural sway in response to increasingly complex visual environments in healthy adults and adults with motion sensitivity.

Methods

A total of 20 healthy adults and 20 adults with motion sensitivity will be recruited for this study. Visual fixations, postural sway, and body kinematics will be measured with a mobile eye tracker device, force plate, and 3D motion capture system, respectively. Participants will be exposed to experimental tasks requiring visual fixation on letters, projected on a range of backgrounds on a large screen during quiet stance. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) will be calculated for each of the variables. One-way independent-measures analyses of variance will be performed to investigate the differences between groups for all variables.

Results

Data collection was started in May 2019 and was completed by February 2020. It was approved by Health and Disability Ethics Committees, Ministry of Health, New Zealand on November 2, 2018 (Ethics ref: 18/CEN/193). We are currently processing the data and will begin data analysis in July 2020. We expect the results to be available for publication by the end of 2020. The trial was funded by the Neurology Special Interest Group, Physiotherapy New Zealand, and the Eisdell Moore Centre in November 2018.

Conclusions

This study will provide a detailed investigation of visual fixations in response to increasingly complex visual environments. Investigating characteristics of visual fixations in healthy adults and those with motion sensitivity will provide insight into this disabling condition and may inform the development of new intervention strategies which explicitly cater to the needs of this population.

Trial Registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12619000254190; https://tinyurl.com/yxbn7nks

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/16805
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Delivered via a Mobile Phone Messaging Robot to Decrease Postoperative Opioid Use in Patients With Orthopedic Trauma: Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Anthony Chris A , Rojas Edward Octavio , Keffala Valerie , Glass Natalie Ann , Shah Apurva S , Miller Benjamin J , Hogue Matthew , Willey Michael C , Karam Matthew , Marsh John Lawrence
Published: May 2020

Background

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a pragmatic approach to help individuals decrease avoidable pain.

Objective

This study aims to evaluate the effects of ACT delivered via an automated mobile messaging robot on postoperative opioid use and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with orthopedic trauma who underwent operative intervention for their injuries.

Methods

Adult patients presenting to a level 1 trauma center who underwent operative fixation of a traumatic upper or lower extremity fracture and who used mobile phone text messaging were eligible for the study. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group, who received twice-daily mobile phone messages communicating an ACT-based intervention for the first 2 weeks after surgery, or the control group, who received no messages. Baseline PROs were completed. Two weeks after the operative intervention, follow-up was performed in the form of an opioid medication pill count and postoperative administration of PROs. The mean number of opioid tablets used by patients was calculated and compared between groups. The mean PRO scores were also compared between the groups.

Results

A total of 82 subjects were enrolled in the study. Of the 82 participants, 76 (38 ACT and 38 controls) completed the study. No differences between groups in demographic factors were identified. The intervention group used an average of 26.1 (SD 21.4) opioid tablets, whereas the control group used 41.1 (SD 22.0) tablets, resulting in 36.5% ([41.1-26.1]/41.1) less tablets used by subjects receiving the mobile phone–based ACT intervention (P=.004). The intervention group subjects reported a lower postoperative Patient-Reported Outcome Measure Information System Pain Intensity score (mean 45.9, SD 7.2) than control group subjects (mean 49.7, SD 8.8; P=.04).

Conclusions

In this study, the delivery of an ACT-based intervention via an automated mobile messaging robot in the acute postoperative period decreased opioid use in selected patients with orthopedic trauma. Participants receiving the ACT-based intervention also reported lower pain intensity after 2 weeks, although this may not represent a clinically important difference.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03991546; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03991546
No Place Like Home: Cross-National Data Analysis of the Efficacy of Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Delen Dursun , Eryarsoy Enes , Davazdahemami Behrooz
Published: May 2020

Background

In the absence of a cure in the time of a pandemic, social distancing measures seem to be the most effective intervention to slow the spread of disease. Various simulation-based studies have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of these measures. While those studies unanimously confirm the mitigating effect of social distancing on disease spread, the reported effectiveness varies from 10% to more than 90% reduction in the number of infections. This level of uncertainty is mostly due to the complex dynamics of epidemics and their time-variant parameters. However, real transactional data can reduce uncertainty and provide a less noisy picture of the effectiveness of social distancing.

Objective

The aim of this paper was to integrate multiple transactional data sets (GPS mobility data from Google and Apple as well as disease statistics from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) to study the role of social distancing policies in 26 countries and analyze the transmission rate of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic over the course of 5 weeks.

Methods

Relying on the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model and official COVID-19 reports, we first calculated the weekly transmission rate (β) of COVID-19 in 26 countries for 5 consecutive weeks. Then, we integrated these data with the Google and Apple mobility data sets for the same time frame and used a machine learning approach to investigate the relationship between the mobility factors and β values.

Results

Gradient boosted trees regression analysis showed that changes in mobility patterns resulting from social distancing policies explain approximately 47% of the variation in the disease transmission rates.

Conclusions

Consistent with simulation-based studies, real cross-national transactional data confirms the effectiveness of social distancing interventions in slowing the spread of COVID-19. In addition to providing less noisy and more generalizable support for the idea of social distancing, we provide specific insights for public health policy makers regarding locations that should be given higher priority for enforcing social distancing measures.
How Caregivers of People With Dementia Search for Dementia-Specific Information on the Internet: Survey Study (Preprint)
Authors: Efthymiou Areti , Papastavrou Evridiki , Middleton Nicos , Markatou Artemis , Sakka Paraskevi
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

During the last decade, more research has focused on web-based interventions delivered to support caregivers of people with dementia. However, little information is available in relation to internet use among caregivers in general, especially those caring for people with dementia.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the dementia-related internet use and factors that may be associated with its use among caregivers of people with dementia in Greece.

METHODS

Secondary data from the Greek Dementia Survey of the Athens Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders were collected from April to June 2017. A total of 580 caregivers of people with dementia participated in the study.

RESULTS

The majority of the caregivers reported that they had used the internet in the previous 3 months (84.1%, 488/580). Nearly half of the caregivers (47.5%, 276/580) reported that they had received dementia services online. Bivariate analysis showed that a dementia-specific search of information was associated with age, education, kinship, and years of care. Age (odds ratio [OR] 2.362, 95% CI 1.05-5.33) and education (OR 2.228, 95% CI 1.01-4.94) were confirmed as predictors, with younger caregivers and those with higher educational attainment being more likely to search for dementia-specific information. Use of the internet to search for dementia information was only related to hours of care. The internet use by caregivers within the previous 3 months was associated with variables such as age, education, occupation, kinship, years of care, and self-reported impact on physical and social health.

CONCLUSIONS

Caregivers of people with dementia in Greece, as in the other southern European countries, are essential agents of the national health system. The existing short- and long-term respite care services are limited or nonexistent. Currently, caregivers receive mostly support and education from memory clinics and municipality consultation centers, which are mainly based in central cities in Greece. Despite the dementia awareness movement in Greece, there is still space to integrate the role of technology in the support and education of caregivers. Development of training programs for enhancing electronic health literacy skills as well as web-based services provision could support Greek caregivers in their everyday caring tasks.
eHealth Intervention to Improve Health Habits in the Adolescent Population: Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)
Authors: Benavides Carmen , Benítez-Andrades José Alberto , Marqués-Sánchez Pilar , Arias Natalia
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Technology has provided a new way of life for the adolescent population. Indeed, strategies aimed at improving health-related behaviors through digital platforms can offer promising results. However, since it has been shown that peers are capable of modifying behaviors related to food and physical exercise, it is important to study whether digital interventions based on peer influence are capable of improving the weight status of adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an eHealth app in an adolescent population in terms of improvements in their age- and sex-adjusted BMI percentiles. Other goals of the study were to examine the social relationships of adolescents pre- and postintervention, and to identify the group leaders and study their profiles, eating and physical activity habits, and use of the web app.

METHODS

The BMI percentiles were calculated in accordance with the reference guidelines of the World Health Organization. Participants’ diets and levels of physical activity were assessed using the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) questionnaire and the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A), respectively. The variables related to social networks were analyzed using the social network analysis (SNA) methodology. In this respect, peer relationships that were considered reciprocal friendships were used to compute the “degree” measure, which was used as an indicative parameter of centrality.

RESULTS

The sample population comprised 210 individuals in the intervention group (IG) and 91 individuals in the control group (CG). A participation rate of 60.1% (301/501) was obtained. After checking for homogeneity between the IG and the CG, it was found that adolescents in the IG at BMI percentiles both below and above the 50th percentile (P50) modified their BMI to approach this reference value (with a significance of P<.001 among individuals with an initial BMI below the P50 and P=.04 for those with an initial BMI above the P50). The diet was also improved in the IG compared with the CG (P<.001). After verifying that the social network had increased postintervention, it was seen that the group leaders (according to the degree SNA measure) were also leaders in physical activity performed (P=.002) and use of the app.

CONCLUSIONS

The eHealth app was able to modify behaviors related to P50 compliance and exert a positive influence in relation to diet and physical exercise. Digital interventions in the adolescent population, based on the improvement in behaviors related to healthy habits and optimizing the social network, can offer promising results that help in the fight against obesity.
Engaging Unmotivated Smokers to Move Toward Quitting: Design of Motivational Interviewing–Based Chatbot Through Iterative Interactions (Preprint)
Authors: Almusharraf Fahad , Rose Jonathan , Selby Peter
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

At any given time, most smokers in a population are ambivalent with no motivation to quit. Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based technique that aims to elicit change in ambivalent smokers. MI practitioners are scarce and expensive, and smokers are difficult to reach. Smokers are potentially reachable through the web, and if an automated chatbot could emulate an MI conversation, it could form the basis of a low-cost and scalable intervention motivating smokers to quit.

OBJECTIVE

The primary goal of this study is to design, train, and test an automated MI-based chatbot capable of eliciting reflection in a conversation with cigarette smokers. This study describes the process of collecting training data to improve the chatbot’s ability to generate MI-oriented responses, particularly reflections and summary statements. The secondary goal of this study is to observe the effects on participants through voluntary feedback given after completing a conversation with the chatbot.

METHODS

An interdisciplinary collaboration between an MI expert and experts in computer engineering and natural language processing (NLP) co-designed the conversation and algorithms underlying the chatbot. A sample of 121 adult cigarette smokers in 11 successive groups were recruited from a web-based platform for a single-arm prospective iterative design study. The chatbot was designed to stimulate reflections on the pros and cons of smoking using MI’s running head start technique. Participants were also asked to confirm the chatbot’s classification of their free-form responses to measure the classification accuracy of the underlying NLP models. Each group provided responses that were used to train the chatbot for the next group.

RESULTS

A total of 6568 responses from 121 participants in 11 successive groups over 14 weeks were received. From these responses, we were able to isolate 21 unique reasons for and against smoking and the relative frequency of each. The gradual collection of responses as inputs and smoking reasons as labels over the 11 iterations improved the F1 score of the classification within the chatbot from 0.63 in the first group to 0.82 in the final group. The mean time spent by each participant interacting with the chatbot was 21.3 (SD 14.0) min (minimum 6.4 and maximum 89.2). We also found that 34.7% (42/121) of participants enjoyed the interaction with the chatbot, and 8.3% (10/121) of participants noted explicit smoking cessation benefits from the conversation in voluntary feedback that did not solicit this explicitly.

CONCLUSIONS

Recruiting ambivalent smokers through the web is a viable method to train a chatbot to increase accuracy in reflection and summary statements, the building blocks of MI. A new set of 21 smoking reasons (both for and against) has been identified. Initial feedback from smokers on the experience shows promise toward using it in an intervention.
Building a Pharmacogenomics Knowledge Model Toward Precision Medicine: Case Study in Melanoma (Preprint)
Authors: Kang Hongyu , Li Jiao , Wu Meng , Shen Liu , Hou Li
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Many drugs do not work the same way for everyone owing to distinctions in their genes. Pharmacogenomics (PGx) aims to understand how genetic variants influence drug efficacy and toxicity. It is often considered one of the most actionable areas of the personalized medicine paradigm. However, little prior work has included in-depth explorations and descriptions of drug usage, dosage adjustment, and so on.

OBJECTIVE

We present a pharmacogenomics knowledge model to discover the hidden relationships between PGx entities such as drugs, genes, and diseases, especially details in precise medication.

METHODS

PGx open data such as DrugBank and RxNorm were integrated in this study, as well as drug labels published by the US Food and Drug Administration. We annotated 190 drug labels manually for entities and relationships. Based on the annotation results, we trained 3 different natural language processing models to complete entity recognition. Finally, the pharmacogenomics knowledge model was described in detail.

RESULTS

In entity recognition tasks, the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers–conditional random field model achieved better performance with micro-F1 score of 85.12%. The pharmacogenomics knowledge model in our study included 5 semantic types: drug, gene, disease, precise medication (population, daily dose, dose form, frequency, etc), and adverse reaction. Meanwhile, 26 semantic relationships were defined in detail. Taking melanoma caused by a BRAF gene mutation into consideration, the pharmacogenomics knowledge model covered 7 related drugs and 4846 triples were established in this case. All the corpora, relationship definitions, and triples were made publically available.

CONCLUSIONS

We highlighted the pharmacogenomics knowledge model as a scalable framework for clinicians and clinical pharmacists to adjust drug dosage according to patient-specific genetic variation, and for pharmaceutical researchers to develop new drugs. In the future, a series of other antitumor drugs and automatic relation extractions will be taken into consideration to further enhance our framework with more PGx linked data.
Lifestyle intervention using modified BASNEF model in hypertension management (Preprint)
Authors: Villarino Resti Tito , Arcay Christopher , Temblor Maria Concepcion
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Hypertension is a serious health issue and a major cardiovascular disease and stroke risk factor. In hypertensive patients, various health educational models have been used to improve their lifestyle, but the findings are inconsistent.

OBJECTIVE

The study assessed the effects of a lifestyle intervention program using modified Beliefs, Attitude, Subjective Standards, Enabling Factors (BASNEF) model among non-adherent hypertensive respondents in relation to the introduction of a lifestyle intervention program in the management of hypertension.

METHODS

This is a quantitative quasi-experimental research particularly utilizing a repeated-measures design of within-subjects approach on the 50 non-adherent patients diagnosed with essential hypertension at Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines in 2019. The respondents received five sessions of trainings based on modified BASNEF model. The Morisky Medication Adherence instrument was used. The first phase included a demographic questionnaire and the last phase comprised the evaluation of the program.
Frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations for descriptive statistics while t-test, repeated measures, ANOVA, and Pearson product moment correlation for inferential statistics.

RESULTS

The result indicated that the phase 1 mean (146.5) of the systolic readings differ significantly from the phase 4 mean (134.92) of the systolic readings. However, since these two means came from phases that were not consecutive, the result, as a whole, did not show a significant decrease or change when analyzed chronologically from one phase to the next.

CONCLUSIONS

The study has established that BASNEF model approach can be an effective BP management technique.
Care Me Too, a Mobile App for Engaging Chinese Immigrant Caregivers in Self-Care: Qualitative Usability Study (Preprint)
Authors: Liu Mandong , Jiang Tongge , Yu Kexin , Wu Shinyi , Jordan-Marsh Maryalice , Chi Iris
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Caregiving and self-care are challenging for Chinese immigrants in the United States due to limited accessible support and resources. Few interventions exist to assist Chinese immigrant caregivers in better performing self-care. To address this gap in the literature, our team developed the Care Me Too app to engage Chinese immigrant caregivers in self-care and conducted a user experience test to assess its usability and acceptability.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to report the results of the app’s usability and acceptability testing with Chinese immigrant caregivers and to solicit participants’ feedback of the app design and functions.

METHODS

A total of 22 Mandarin-speaking Chinese caregivers participated in the study, which consisted of 2 parts: the in-lab testing and the 1-week at-home testing. In-depth face-to-face interviews and follow-up phone interviews were used to assess user experience of the app’s usability and acceptability and to solicit feedback for app design and functions. Directed content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data.

RESULTS

Among the 22 participants, the average age was 60.5 (SD 8.1) years, ranging from 46 to 80 years; 17 (77%) participants were women and 14 (64%) had an associate degree or higher. Participants reported uniformly positive ratings of the usability and acceptability of the app and provided detailed suggestions for app improvement. We generated guidelines for mobile health (mHealth) app designs targeting immigrant caregivers, including weighing flexibility versus majority preferences, increasing text sizes, using colors effectively, providing engaging and playful visual designs and functions, simplifying navigation, simplifying the log-in process, improving access to and the content on the help document, designing functions to cater to the population’s context, and ensuring offline access.

CONCLUSIONS

The main contribution of this study is the improved understanding of Chinese caregivers’ user experiences with a language-appropriate mHealth app for a population that lacks accessible caregiving and self-care resources and support. It is recommended that future researchers and app designers consider the proposed guidelines when developing mHealth apps for their population to enhance user experience and harness mHealth’s value.
The Effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence Conversational Agents in Health Care: Systematic Review (Preprint)
Authors: Milne-Ives Madison , de Cock Caroline , Lim Ernest , Shehadeh Melissa Harper , de Pennington Nick , Mole Guy , Normando Eduardo , Meinert Edward
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

The high demand for health care services and the growing capability of artificial intelligence have led to the development of conversational agents designed to support a variety of health-related activities, including behavior change, treatment support, health monitoring, training, triage, and screening support. Automation of these tasks could free clinicians to focus on more complex work and increase the accessibility to health care services for the public. An overarching assessment of the acceptability, usability, and effectiveness of these agents in health care is needed to collate the evidence so that future development can target areas for improvement and potential for sustainable adoption.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness and usability of conversational agents in health care and identify the elements that users like and dislike to inform future research and development of these agents.

METHODS

PubMed, Medline (Ovid), EMBASE (Excerpta Medica dataBASE), CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Web of Science, and the Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library were systematically searched for articles published since 2008 that evaluated unconstrained natural language processing conversational agents used in health care. EndNote (version X9, Clarivate Analytics) reference management software was used for initial screening, and full-text screening was conducted by 1 reviewer. Data were extracted, and the risk of bias was assessed by one reviewer and validated by another.

RESULTS

A total of 31 studies were selected and included a variety of conversational agents, including 14 chatbots (2 of which were voice chatbots), 6 embodied conversational agents (3 of which were interactive voice response calls, virtual patients, and speech recognition screening systems), 1 contextual question-answering agent, and 1 voice recognition triage system. Overall, the evidence reported was mostly positive or mixed. Usability and satisfaction performed well (27/30 and 26/31), and positive or mixed effectiveness was found in three-quarters of the studies (23/30). However, there were several limitations of the agents highlighted in specific qualitative feedback.

CONCLUSIONS

The studies generally reported positive or mixed evidence for the effectiveness, usability, and satisfactoriness of the conversational agents investigated, but qualitative user perceptions were more mixed. The quality of many of the studies was limited, and improved study design and reporting are necessary to more accurately evaluate the usefulness of the agents in health care and identify key areas for improvement. Further research should also analyze the cost-effectiveness, privacy, and security of the agents.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

RR2-10.2196/16934
Solving Community SARS-CoV-2 Testing With Telehealth: Development and Implementation for Screening, Evaluation and Testing (Preprint)
Authors: Joshi Aditi U , Lewiss Resa E , Aini Maria , Babula Bracken , Henwood Patricia C
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Telehealth has emerged as a crucial component of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic emergency response. Simply stated, telehealth is a tool to provide health care from a distance. Jefferson Health has leveraged its acute care telehealth platform to screen, order testing, and manage patients with COVID-19–related concerns.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to describe the expansion and results of using a telehealth program to increase access to care while minimizing additional potential exposures during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Screening algorithms for patients with SARS-CoV-2–related complaints were created, and 150 new clinicians were trained within 72 hours to address increased patient demand. Simultaneously, Jefferson Health created mobile testing sites throughout eastern Pennsylvania and the southern New Jersey region. Visit volume, the number of SARS-CoV-2 tests ordered, and the number of positive tests were evaluated, and the volume was compared with preceding time periods.

RESULTS

From March 8, 2020, to April 11, 2020, 4663 patients were screened using telehealth, representing a surge in visit volume. There were 1521 patients sent to mobile testing sites, and they received a telephone call from a centralized call center for results. Of the patients who were tested, nearly 20% (n=301) had a positive result.

CONCLUSIONS

Our model demonstrates how using telehealth for a referral to central testing sites can increase access to community-based care, decrease clinician exposure, and minimize the demand for personal protective equipment. The scaling of this innovation may allow health care systems to focus on preparing for and delivering hospital-based care needs.
Effects of Smartphone-Based Stress Management on Improving Work Engagement Among Nurses in Vietnam: Secondary Analysis of a Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)
Authors: Sasaki Natsu , Imamura Kotaro , Tran Thuy Thi Thu , Nguyen Huong Thanh , Kuribayashi Kazuto , Sakuraya Asuka , Bui Thu Minh , Nguyen Quynh Thuy , Nguyen Nga Thi , Nguyen Giang Thi Huong , Zhang Melvyn Weibin , Minas Harry , Sekiya Yuki , Watanabe Kazuhiro , Tsutsumi Akizumi , Shimazu Akihito , Kawakami Norito
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Work engagement is important for employee well-being and work performance. However, no intervention study has investigated the effect of an eMental Health intervention on work engagement among workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to examine the effects of a newly developed smartphone-based stress management program (ABC Stress Management) on improving work engagement among hospital nurses in Vietnam, an LMIC.

METHODS

Full-time registered nurses (n=949) were randomly assigned to one of 2 intervention groups or a control group. The intervention groups were a 6-week, 6-lesson program offering basic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-based stress management skills), provided in either free-choice (program A) or fixed order (program B). Work engagement was assessed at baseline and 3-month and 7-month follow-ups in each of the 3 groups.

RESULTS

The scores of work engagement in both intervention groups improved from baseline to 3-month follow-up, and then decreased at the 7-month follow-up, while the score steadily increased from baseline to 7-month follow-up in the control group. Program B showed a significant intervention effect on improving work engagement at the 3-month follow-up (P=.049) with a small effect size (Cohen d= 0.16; 95% CI 0.001 to 0.43]). Program A showed nonsignificant trend (d=0.13; 95% CI –0.014 to 0.41; P=.07) toward improved engagement at 3 months. Neither program achieved effectiveness at the 7-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrated that a fixed order (program B) delivery of a smartphone-based stress management program was effective in improving work engagement in nurses in Vietnam. However, the effect was small and only temporary. Further improvement of this program is required to achieve a greater effect size and more sustained, longer lasting impact on work engagement.

CLINICALTRIAL

University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000033139; tinyurl.com/55gxo253

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025138
A Charismatic Relationship: How a Kyai’s Charismatic Leadership and Society’s Compliance are Constructed?
Authors: Karim Abdul , Purnomo Halim , Fikriyah Fikriyah , Kardiyati Endah Nurhawaeny
Published: May 2020

Main Objectives: This study emphasizes the authority of a Kyai lies in the integration between the charismatic leadership and society’s compliance. The background problem of this study is whether charisma is fundamentally a result of the attributes of a leader, the situational circumstance, or a process of interaction between the leader and society? The novelty of this research is the concept of how a leader becomes charismatic and subordinates other people’s perceptions & compliance. The research method for this study is a quantitative method, with two variables and it is strengthened by a qualitative method with one variable. Qualitatively, the data about the charisma of leaders are collected through interviews, and it was then analyzed by screening, display, and interpretation. Quantitatively, the data about perception & the impact of a leader’s charisma are collected by use of a questionnaire, after the data passed the tests of validity, normality, linearity, percentage formula, average formula and then analyzed as well as hypothesis testing by a simple regression formula to determine the level of influence. The findings of this study are: (1) the seven efforts of a charismatic leader namely glory, blessings, confidence, obedience to the God, efficacy, having influence, and the ability to predict the future, (2) the society’s perception of the charisma of leaders is average and tends to be poor and (3) the impact of the leader’s charisma on society is only 19.9%, which shows it has a poor influence. Conclusion: The data agreed with the meaning of the term charismatic relationship. The implication of the results of this study is that society’s compliance with its leaders’ wishes is very dependent on the perception or relationship between them.
Transnationalism in Maxine Hong Kingston’s China Men and Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club
Authors: Wang Xiaotao
Published: May 2020

Chinese American literature is commonly interpreted as the narrative of the living experiences of Chinese Americans. Under the past nation-state research paradigm, Chinese American literature critics both in China and America are preoccupied with the “assimilation” of immigrants and their descendants in Chinese American literature texts, they argue that Chinese culture is the barrier for the immigrants to be fully assimilated into the mainstream society. But putting Chinese American literature under the context of globalization, these arguments seem inaccurate and out of date. This article examines the transnational practices and emotional attachments in Maxine Hong Kingston’s China Men and Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club to show that the identity in these two works are neither American nor Chinese, but transnational. Thus, Chinese American literature is not the writing of Chinese Americans’ Americanness, but a celebration of their transnationalism.