bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modelos altura-diámetro con efectos mixtos para Lysiloma latisiliquum (L) Benth. en Quintana Roo, México
Authors: Hernández-Ramos Jonathan , Valdez-Hernández Juan Ignacio , García-Cuevas Xavier , Quiñonez-Barraza Gerónimo , Reyes-Hernández Valentín José , Hernández-Ramos Adrián
Published: September 2020

El objetivo fue determinar el modelo alométrico con efectos mixtos que mejor describe la relación altura total-diámetro normal (A-d) para árboles de Lysiloma latisiliquum en Quintana Roo, México. Con 2214 pares de datos A-d obtenidos del Inventario Nacional Forestal y de Suelos (2004-2009), se calculó el índice de esbeltez (IE: A/d) y se ajustaron seis modelos locales; posterior a la elección del mejor modelo se incluyeron bajo el enfoque de modelos de efectos mixtos las covariables de conglomerado, diámetro de copa (dc), altura de fuste limpio (Af), municipio (M), tipo vegetación primaria (Vp) y altitud, para mejorar el ajuste. El IE disminuye a medida que aumentan las dimensiones del arbolado. El modelo de Hossfeld (1822) con la inclusión de la covariable de conglomerado en el parámetro  resulto ser el mejor para describir la relación A-d, ya que explica más de 70% de la variabilidad muestral y tiene un sesgo de 0.00013 m. Además, al contrastar las estimaciones con datos de una muestra independiente, no se observaron diferencias significativas a un nivel de 99% de confiabilidad. La inserción de las diferentes condiciones ambientales y de crecimiento, modifican la relación alométrica A-d en Lysiloma latisiliquum en los bosques tropicales de Quintana Roo, México y los modelos mixtos mostraron ser una opción de mejora estadística y precisión en la estimación.
Propagación de Forestiera phillyreoides: una especie potencial para la restauración en el Centro-Norte de México
Authors: Martínez-Calderón Víctor Manuel , Sosa-Ramírez Joaquín , Torres-González Jorge Alejandro , Mendieta-Vázquez Araceli Guadalupe , Sandoval-Ortega Manuel Higinio
Published: September 2020

Forestiera phillyreoides es una especie de amplia distribución en zonas semiáridas y subtropicales del país. A pesar de ser una especie común, no se cuenta con información sobre su propagación. Por lo anterior el objetivo fue generar información sobre su fructificación, su germinación bajo distintos tratamientos pregerminativos y el crecimiento de las plántulas en vivero. Se realizó una revisión de herbario y salidas a campo para conocer la fructificación. Se evaluaron ocho tratamientos pregerminativos: control, inmersión en agua 24 h, inmersión en ácido sulfúrico (3 min, 6 min, 9 min y 12 min), remoción manual de endocarpio más inmersión 24 h e inmersión 24 h en 500 ppm de GA3. Se cultivaron plántulas por siete meses, al finalizar el periodo se midió la altura, el diámetro y calculó la relación peso seco aéreo/peso seco radicular (PSA/PSR), índice de robustez e índice de calidad de Dickson. La fructificación se presenta durante los meses de marzo a junio. El tratamiento de remoción de endocarpio presentó el mayor porcentaje de germinación (95 ± 4.08), se presentó una respuesta positiva a los tratamientos con ácido sulfúrico, el tratamiento con GA3 presentó efectos negativos sobre la germinación. Las plántulas alcanzaron una altura de 31.65 cm ± 5.01 cm y un diámetro de 5.13 mm ± 0.34 mm, los valores de PSA/PSR (1.02 ± 0.17) indican resistencia a sequías. Los tratamientos que remueven o degradan el endocarpio son los más adecuados para lograr una mejor germinación. A los siete meses alcanzó los parámetros necesarios para el uso en reforestación. La información generada brinda las bases para la propagación de F. phillyreoides.
The Needs of Older Adults With Disabilities With Regard to Adaptation to Aging and Home Care: Questionnaire Study
Authors: Li Laiyou , Sun Ning , Yu Libo , Dong Xiaoxin , Zhao Jing , Ying Yuchen
Published: September 2020

Background

The home environment is an important means of support in home-based care services for older people. A home environment that facilitates healthy aging can help older adults maximize their self-care abilities and integrate and utilize care resources. However, some home environments fail to meet the needs of older adults with disabilities.

Objective

This paper aimed to study the needs of older adults with disabilities with respect to adaptation to aging, and to analyze the associations of individual factors and dysfunction with those needs.

Methods

A questionnaire survey was administered to 400 older adults with disabilities from 10 communities in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, China. The survey was conducted from August 2018 to February 2019.

Results

A total of 370 participants completed the survey. The proportion of participants with mild dysfunction was the highest (128/370, 34.59%), followed by those with extremely mild (107/370, 28.92%), moderate (72/370, 19.46%), and severe (63/370, 17.03%) dysfunction. The care needs of older adults with extremely mild and mild dysfunction pertained primarily to resting, a supportive environment, and transformation of indoor activity spaces. The care needs of older adults with moderate dysfunction pertained mainly to resting and renovation of bathing and toilet spaces. Factors influencing the needs of older adults with disabilities were dysfunction (P=.007), age (P=.006), monthly income (P=.005), and living conditions (P=.04).

Conclusions

The needs of older adults with disabilities varied by the degree of dysfunction, and many factors influenced these needs in the community. These findings may provide a scientific basis for developing community-specific aging-related adaptation services for older adults with disabilities in the future.
Development of an Intervention Targeting Multiple Health Behaviors Among High School Students: Participatory Design Study Using Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing
Authors: Müssener Ulrika , Thomas Kristin , Linderoth Catharina , Löf Marie , Åsberg Katarina , Henriksson Pontus , Bendtsen Marcus
Published: September 2020

Background

Mobile electronic platforms provide exciting possibilities for health behavior promotion. For instance, they can promote smoking cessation, moderate alcohol consumption, healthy eating, and physical activity. Young adults in Sweden are proficient in the use of technology, having been exposed to computers, smartphones, and the internet from an early age. However, with the high availability of mobile health (mHealth) interventions of varying quality, it is critical to optimize the usability of mHealth interventions to ensure long-term use of these health promotion interventions.

Objective

This study aims to investigate the usability of an mHealth intervention (LIFE4YOUth) targeting health behaviors among high school students through heuristic evaluation and usability testing.

Methods

A preliminary version of the LIFE4YOUth mHealth intervention, which was aimed at promoting healthy eating, physical activity, smoking cessation, and nonrisky drinking among high school students, was developed in early 2019. We completed a total of 15 heuristic evaluations and 5 usability tests to evaluate the usability of the mHealth intervention prototype to improve its functioning, content, and design.

Results

Heuristic evaluation from a total of 15 experts (10 employees and 5 university students, both women and men, aged 18-25 years) revealed that the major usability problems and the worst ratings, a total of 17 problems termed usability catastrophes, concerned shortcomings in displaying easy-to-understand information to the users or technical errors. The results of the usability testing including 5 high school students (both girls and boys, aged 15-18 years) showed that the design, quality, and quantity of content in the intervention may impact the users’ level of engagement. Poor functionality was considered a major barrier to usability. Of the 5 participants, one rated the LIFE4YOUth intervention as poor, 2 rated as average, and 2 assessed it as good, according to the System Usability Scale.

Conclusions

High school students have high expectations of digital products. If an mHealth intervention does not offer optimal functions, they may cease to use it. Optimizing the usability of mHealth interventions is a critical step in the development process. Heuristic evaluation and usability testing in this study provided valuable knowledge about the prototype from a user’s perspective. The findings may lead to the development of similar interventions targeting the high school population.
Feasibility and Acceptability of a Counseling- and mHealth-Based Physical Activity Intervention for Pregnant Women With Diabetes: The Fit for Two Pilot Study
Authors: Larsen Britta , Micucci Stephanie , Hartman Sheri J , Ramos Gladys
Published: September 2020

Background

Diabetes during pregnancy poses serious health risks to both mother and child. Regular physical activity can reduce these risks, yet few clinic-based interventions of physical activity for pregnant women with diabetes have been attempted.

Objective

The purpose of this single-arm pilot trial is to assess the feasibility and acceptability, and explore the potential efficacy of a counseling- and mobile health–based physical activity intervention for pregnant women with diabetes.

Methods

Participants (N=17) who had type 2 or gestational diabetes, could read and speak in English or Spanish, and were between 10 and 27 weeks of gestation were recruited from the University of California San Diego Diabetes and Pregnancy Program. Participants engaged in a one-on-one counseling and goal-setting session immediately following a clinic visit with their physician. They were given a Fitbit and shown how to use the Fitbit app, including entering personalized step goals, and were encouraged to build up to 10,000 daily steps. Daily steps were recorded for 12 weeks, until they were 36 weeks’ gestation, or until 1 week before they gave birth, whichever came first. Feasibility was measured by recruitment, retention, and adherence, and acceptability was measured using consumer satisfaction questionnaires and follow-up interviews. Potential efficacy was explored by examining changes in daily steps over time.

Results

The participants were primarily Hispanic (13/17, 76%), had public insurance (15/17, 88%), and had type 2 diabetes (12/17, 71%). Of the 17 patients who began the intervention, 76% (13/17) completed a follow-up visit, and 71% (12/17) continued wearing the Fitbit regularly after 8 weeks in the intervention. Adherence in wearing the Fitbit was relatively high, with a median wear adherence of 90% of days. The intervention was generally well accepted, with 85% (11/13) indicating that they were motivated to exercise more following the counseling session, 85% (11/13) indicating that the Fitbit helped increase their activity, and 92% (12/13) recommending the program overall. Mean daily steps increased from baseline (mean 6122, SD 2439) to week 3 (mean 6269, SD 2166) and then decreased through week 12 (mean 4191, SD 2228).

Conclusions

High acceptability, retention, and adherence suggest that this may be a promising approach to delivering a simple, low-burden intervention in a clinical setting to a high-risk, underserved population. A randomized controlled trial is needed to determine whether this approach is effective in slowing the reduction in activity typically seen throughout pregnancy.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03302377; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03302377
Rapid Serological Assays and SARS-CoV-2 Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2: Comparative Study
Authors: Paradiso Angelo Virgilio , De Summa Simona , Loconsole Daniela , Procacci Vito , Sallustio Anna , Centrone Francesca , Silvestris Nicola , Cafagna Vito , De Palma Giuseppe , Tufaro Antonio , Garrisi Vito Michele , Chironna Maria
Published: September 2020

Background

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing for the identification of viral nucleic acid is the current standard for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but technical issues limit its utilization for large-scale screening. Serological immunoglobulin M (IgM)/IgG testing has been proposed as a useful tool for detecting SARS-CoV-2 exposure.

Objective

The objective of our study was to compare the results of the rapid serological VivaDiag test for SARS-CoV-2–related IgM/IgG detection with those of the standard RT-PCR laboratory test for identifying SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid.

Methods

We simultaneously performed both serological and molecular tests with a consecutive series of 191 symptomatic patients. The results provided by a new rapid serological colorimetric test for analyzing IgM/IgG expression were compared with those of RT-PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

Results

Of the 191 subjects, 70 (36.6%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 based on RT-PCR results, while 34 (17.3%) tested positive based on serological IgM/IgG expression. Additionally, 13 (6.8%) subjects tested positive based on serological test results, but also tested negative based on RT-PCR results. The rapid serological test had a sensitivity of 30% and a specificity of 89% compared to the standard RT-PCR assay. Interestingly, the performance of both assays improved 8 days after symptom appearance. After 10 days had passed since symptom appearance, the predictive value of the rapid serological test was higher than that of the standard molecular assay (proportion of positive results: 40% vs 20%). Multivariate analysis showed that age >58 years (P<.01) and period of >15 days after symptom onset (P<.02) were significant and independent factors associated with serological test positivity.

Conclusions

The rapid serological test analyzed in this study seems limited in terms of usefulness when diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, it may be useful for providing relevant information on people’s immunoreaction to COVID-19 exposure.
Agreement Between Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters Measured by a Markerless Motion Capture System and Two Reference Systems—a Treadmill-Based Photoelectric Cell and High-Speed Video Analyses: Comparative Study
Authors: García-Pinillos Felipe , Jaén-Carrillo Diego , Soto Hermoso Victor , Latorre Román Pedro , Delgado Pedro , Martinez Cristian , Carton Antonio , Roche Seruendo Luis
Published: September 2020

Background

Markerless systems to capture body motion require no markers to be attached to the body, thereby improving clinical feasibility and testing time. However, the lack of markers might affect the accuracy of measurements.

Objective

This study aimed to determine the absolute reliability and concurrent validity of the Kinect system with MotionMetrix software for spatiotemporal variables during running at a comfortable velocity, by comparing data between the combination system and two widely used systems—OptoGait and high-speed video analysis at 1000 Hz.

Methods

In total, 25 runners followed a running protocol on a treadmill at a speed of 12 km/h. The Kinect+MotionMetrix combination measured spatiotemporal parameters during running (ie, contact time, flight time, step frequency, and step length), which were compared to those obtained from two reference systems.

Results

Regardless of the system, flight time had the highest coefficients of variation (OptoGait: 16.4%; video analysis: 17.3%; Kinect+MotionMetrix: 23.2%). The rest of the coefficients of variation reported were lower than 8.1%. Correlation analysis showed very high correlations (r>0.8; P<.001) and almost perfect associations (intraclass correlation coefficient>0.81) between systems for all the spatiotemporal parameters except contact time, which had lower values. Bland-Altman plots revealed smaller systematic biases and random errors for step frequency and step length and larger systematic biases and random errors for temporal parameters with the Kinect+MotionMetrix system as compared to OptoGait (difference: contact time +3.0%, flight time −7.9%) and high-speed video analysis at 1000 Hz (difference: contact time +4.2%, flight time −11.3%). Accordingly, heteroscedasticity was found between systems for temporal parameters (r2>0.1).

Conclusions

The results indicate that the Kinect+MotionMetrix combination slightly overestimates contact time and strongly underestimates flight time as compared to the OptoGait system and high-speed video analysis at 1000 Hz. However, it is a valid tool for measuring step frequency and step length when compared to reference systems. Future studies should determine the reliability of this system for determining temporal parameters.
Using WeChat, a Chinese Social Media App, for Early Detection of the COVID-19 Outbreak in December 2019: Retrospective Study
Authors: Wang Wenjun , Wang Yikai , Zhang Xin , Jia Xiaoli , Li Yaping , Dang Shuangsuo
Published: September 2020

Background

A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was identified in December 2019, when the first cases were reported in Wuhan, China. The once-localized outbreak has since been declared a pandemic. As of April 24, 2020, there have been 2.7 million confirmed cases and nearly 200,000 deaths. Early warning systems using new technologies should be established to prevent or mitigate such events in the future.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the possibility of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in 2019 using social media.

Methods

WeChat Index is a data service that shows how frequently a specific keyword appears in posts, subscriptions, and search over the last 90 days on WeChat, the most popular Chinese social media app. We plotted daily WeChat Index results for keywords related to SARS-CoV-2 from November 17, 2019, to February 14, 2020.

Results

WeChat Index hits for “Feidian” (which means severe acute respiratory syndrome in Chinese) stayed at low levels until 16 days ahead of the local authority’s outbreak announcement on December 31, 2019, when the index increased significantly. The WeChat Index values persisted at relatively high levels from December 15 to 29, 2019, and rose rapidly on December 30, 2019, the day before the announcement. The WeChat Index hits also spiked for the keywords “SARS,” “coronavirus,” “novel coronavirus,” “shortness of breath,” “dyspnea,” and “diarrhea,” but these terms were not as meaningful for the early detection of the outbreak as the term “Feidian”.

Conclusions

By using retrospective infoveillance data from the WeChat Index, the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in December 2019 could have been detected about two weeks before the outbreak announcement. WeChat may offer a new approach for the early detection of disease outbreaks.
Mobile Health App for Prostate Cancer Patients on Androgen Deprivation Therapy: Qualitative Usability Study
Authors: Nabi Junaid , Cone Eugene B , Vasavada Anjali , Sun Maxine , Kilbridge Kerry L , Kibel Adam S , Berry Donna L , Trinh Quoc-Dien
Published: September 2020

Background

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) increases the risk of metabolic adverse effects among patients with prostate cancer. The transformative impact of mobile health (mHealth) apps may benefit men managing activity and nutrition at home.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the usability and patient experience of a newly developed mHealth app among prostate cancer patients on ADT and physicians’ beliefs about the potential benefits of using this app.

Methods

This study took place over 2 months, beginning in March 2019. A sample of 5 patients (age 45-75 years) initiating ADT participated in a semistructured focus group discussion with a facilitator. The study participants also included 5 specialist physicians who provided in-depth interviews. An institutional review board–approved script was used to guide both the focus group and physician interviews. Usability was tested through specific scenarios presented to the patients, including downloading the mHealth app, entering information on physical activity and meals, and navigating the app. The focus group and interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Content analysis was used to analyze the transcripts iteratively and exhaustively. Thematic discrepancies between reviewers were resolved through consensus.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 62 years. This group included 4 White and 1 Latin American patients. The physician specialists included 2 urologists, 2 medical oncologists, and 1 radiation oncologist. Analyses revealed that the patients appreciated the holistic care enabled by the app. Difficulties were observed with registration of the app among 60% (3/5) of the patients; however, all the patients were able to input information about their physical activity and navigate the options within the app. Most patients (4/5, 80%) were able to input data on their recent meal. Among the health care physicians, the dominant themes reflected in the interviews included undermining of patients ability to use technology, patients’ fear of technology, and concern for the ability of older patients to access technology.

Conclusions

The patients reported an overall positive experience of using an mHealth app to record and track diet and exercise. Usability was observed to be an important factor for adoption and was determined by ease of registration and use, intuitive appearance of the app, and focus on holistic cancer care. The physicians believed that the app was easy to use but raised concerns about usability among older men who may not typically use smartphone apps.
Building a Pharmacogenomics Knowledge Model Toward Precision Medicine: Case Study in Melanoma
Authors: Kang Hongyu , Li Jiao , Wu Meng , Shen Liu , Hou Li
Published: September 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.
Identification of Risk Factors and Symptoms of COVID-19: Analysis of Biomedical Literature and Social Media Data
Authors: Jeon Jouhyun , Baruah Gaurav , Sarabadani Sarah , Palanica Adam
Published: September 2020

Background

In December 2019, the COVID-19 outbreak started in China and rapidly spread around the world. Lack of a vaccine or optimized intervention raised the importance of characterizing risk factors and symptoms for the early identification and successful treatment of patients with COVID-19.

Objective

This study aims to investigate and analyze biomedical literature and public social media data to understand the association of risk factors and symptoms with the various outcomes observed in patients with COVID-19.

Methods

Through semantic analysis, we collected 45 retrospective cohort studies, which evaluated 303 clinical and demographic variables across 13 different outcomes of patients with COVID-19, and 84,140 Twitter posts from 1036 COVID-19–positive users. Machine learning tools to extract biomedical information were introduced to identify mentions of uncommon or novel symptoms in tweets. We then examined and compared two data sets to expand our landscape of risk factors and symptoms related to COVID-19.

Results

From the biomedical literature, approximately 90% of clinical and demographic variables showed inconsistent associations with COVID-19 outcomes. Consensus analysis identified 72 risk factors that were specifically associated with individual outcomes. From the social media data, 51 symptoms were characterized and analyzed. By comparing social media data with biomedical literature, we identified 25 novel symptoms that were specifically mentioned in tweets but have been not previously well characterized. Furthermore, there were certain combinations of symptoms that were frequently mentioned together in social media.

Conclusions

Identified outcome-specific risk factors, symptoms, and combinations of symptoms may serve as surrogate indicators to identify patients with COVID-19 and predict their clinical outcomes in order to provide appropriate treatments.
A Computer-Interpretable Guideline for COVID-19: Rapid Development and Dissemination
Authors: Nan Shan , Tang Tianhua , Feng Hongshuo , Wang Yijie , Li Mengyang , Lu Xudong , Duan Huilong
Published: September 2020

Background

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that is affecting more than 200 countries worldwide. Efficient diagnosis and treatment are crucial to combat the disease. Computer-interpretable guidelines (CIGs) can aid the broad global adoption of evidence-based diagnosis and treatment knowledge. However, currently, no internationally shareable CIG exists.

Objective

The aim of this study was to establish a rapid CIG development and dissemination approach and apply it to develop a shareable CIG for COVID-19.

Methods

A 6-step rapid CIG development and dissemination approach was designed and applied. Processes, roles, and deliverable artifacts were specified in this approach to eliminate ambiguities during development of the CIG. The Guideline Definition Language (GDL) was used to capture the clinical rules. A CIG for COVID-19 was developed by translating, interpreting, annotating, extracting, and formalizing the Chinese COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment guideline. A prototype application was implemented to validate the CIG.

Results

We used 27 archetypes for the COVID-19 guideline. We developed 18 GDL rules to cover the diagnosis and treatment suggestion algorithms in the narrative guideline. The CIG was further translated to object data model and Drools rules to facilitate its use by people who do not employ the non-openEHR archetype. The prototype application validated the correctness of the CIG with a public data set. Both the GDL rules and Drools rules have been disseminated on GitHub.

Conclusions

Our rapid CIG development and dissemination approach accelerated the pace of COVID-19 CIG development. A validated COVID-19 CIG is now available to the public.
Evaluation of the Design and Implementation of a Peer-To-Peer COVID-19 Contact Tracing Mobile App (COCOA) in Japan
Authors: Nakamoto Ichiro , Jiang Ming , Zhang Jilin , Zhuang Weiqing , Guo Yan , Jin Ming-Hui , Huang Yi , Tang Kuotai
Published: September 2020

We evaluate a Bluetooth-based mobile contact-confirming app, COVID-19 Contact-Confirming Application (COCOA), which is being used in Japan to contain the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel virus termed SARS-COV-2. The app prioritizes the protection of users’ privacy from a variety of parties (eg, other users, potential attackers, and public authorities), enhances the capacity to balance the current load of excessive pressure on health care systems (eg, local triage of exposure risk and reduction of in-person hospital visits), increases the speed of responses to the pandemic (eg, automated recording of close contact based on proximity), and reduces operation errors and population mobility. The peer-to-peer framework of COCOA is intended to provide the public with dynamic and credible updates on the COVID-19 pandemic without sacrificing the privacy of their information. However, cautions must be exercised to address critical concerns, such as the rate of participation and delays in data sharing. The results of a simulation imply that the participation rate in Japan needs to be close 90% to effectively control the spread of COVID-19.
Increased Internet Searches for Insomnia as an Indicator of Global Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Multinational Longitudinal Study
Authors: Lin Yu-Hsuan , Chiang Ting-Wei , Lin Yu-Lun
Published: September 2020

Background

Real-time global mental health surveillance is urgently needed for tracking the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective

This study aimed to use Google Trends data to investigate the impact of the pandemic on global mental health by analyzing three keywords indicative of mental distress: “insomnia,” “depression,” and “suicide.”

Methods

We examined increases in search queries for 19 countries. Significant increases were defined as the actual daily search value (from March 20 to April 19, 2020) being higher than the 95% CIs of the forecast from the 3-month baseline via ARIMA (autoregressive integrated moving average) modeling. We examined the correlation between increases in COVID-19–related deaths and the number of days with significant increases in search volumes for insomnia, depression, and suicide across multiple nations.

Results

The countries with the greatest increases in searches for insomnia were Iran, Spain, the United States, and Italy; these countries exhibited a significant increase in insomnia searches on more than 10 of the 31 days observed. The number of COVID-19–related deaths was positively correlated to the number of days with an increase in searches for insomnia in the 19 countries (ρ=0.64, P=.003). By contrast, there was no significant correlation between the number of deaths and increases in searches for depression (ρ=–0.12, P=.63) or suicide (ρ=–0.07, P=.79).

Conclusions

Our analysis suggests that insomnia could be a part of routine mental health screening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Impact of Nutrition Education on the Nutrition Capacity of Caregivers and Nutrition Outcomes of Indigenous Mbororo Children in the West Region of Cameroon: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Manjong Florence Titu , Verla Vincent Siysi , Egbe Thomas Obinchemti , Nsagha Dickson Shey
Published: September 2020

Background

Inadequate diets and life-threatening infections have profound adverse implications for child growth, development, and survival, particularly among indigenous peoples. Evidence of the effectiveness of community-based nutrition education interventions in improving child feeding and nutrition outcomes among indigenous Mbororo population in Cameroon is scarce.

Objective

This study aims to investigate the impact of culturally tailored community-based nutrition education intervention on caregivers’ knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding complementary feeding and on nutrition outcomes of indigenous Mbororo children (aged 3-59 months) in the Foumban and Galim health districts of the West Region of Cameroon.

Methods

A two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted in the Foumban Health District and Galim Health District. The intervention and control arms will each comprise 5 clusters with 121 child–caregiver pairs. Participants in the intervention arm will be organized into 5 caregivers’ peer-support platforms. A total of 12 educational sessions will be assigned to the intervention group by trained female Mbororo nutrition volunteers (n=6) and community health workers (n=6). The control arm will receive routine facility-based nutrition education. Data will be collected at 3-month and 6-month follow-up. Both descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic models will be used to estimate the effect of culturally tailored community-based nutrition education intervention (independent variable) on outcome variables (caregivers’ knowledge, attitude, and practice), child growth (weight, height/length, weight for age), and morbidity status (diarrhea, cough, and fever) between both arms. Data assessors will be blinded to the group allocation. Ethical approval (reference no. 2019/1002-07/UB/SG/IRB/FHS) was obtained from the Faculty of Health Sciences Institutional Review Board at the University of Buea.

Results

Baseline data were collected in September 2019. In February 2020, 10 Mbororo communities (clusters) with 242 child–caregiver pairs were selected and allocated to the experimental and control arm in a 1:1 ratio. Community nutrition volunteers (n=6) and community health workers (n=6) were selected and trained. Data collection and analysis are ongoing, and results are not available for this manuscript.

Conclusions

The findings of this study will provide evidence on the impact of culturally tailored and health belief model–based nutrition education on behavior change as a complementary strategy for strengthening health facility–based approaches in the reduction of malnutrition burden among the study population

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/23115
Change Your Diet, Cure Your Illness: The Content and Consequences of Chronic Illness Food Blogs
Authors: Gonzales Gabrielle G.
Published: September 2020

This year, the World Health Organization expects chronic disease to account for 75 percent of all deaths worldwide. The internet is an increasingly popular source of health information for those suffering from chronic illness. Online blogs, numbered at 152 million have become one of the most popular forms of web content. Specifically, healthy food blogs have emerged, enabling experts and non-experts alike to dispense health and diet information to large numbers of people. However, blogging in the social sciences remains an understudied phenomenon. This project studies the messaging of 65 popular chronic illness healthy food blogs and the potential consequences of the messages including the role of race, gender, and socioeconomic status. I find that two narratives persist on the blogs—the failure of western medicine to heal illness and the benefits of altering diet. These narratives result in empowerment through individual agency and community building for the bloggers. The messages on the blogs are also endangering in their individualization of health, side-stepping structural explanations for health. This research demonstrates chronic illness food blogs as sites for examining the dual effect of self-empowerment through health knowledge and the impact of surveillance and policing of their own and others’ bodies.
California Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets (2030 and 2050): Trends, Projections and Analysis
Authors: Wambuguh Oscar
Published: September 2020

Fossil fuels are the primary sources of energy powering economic development globally. Increased fossil fuel consumption produces Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) which build in the atmosphere and trap heat irradiated from the Earth. The increased concentration of these gases causes global warming and extensive climate disruptions. This study examined GHG emissions data from 2000-2017 to evaluate whether California will meet GHG emissions reduction target of 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 as mandated by California’s Executive Order B-30-15. California’s ability to reduce GHG emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 (Executive Order S-3-05) was also evaluated. Results indicate that transportation, electric power, industrial and commercial/residential) GHG emissions reductions declined by small magnitudes in the 18-year period (0.17% to 2.49%). In agriculture, refrigerant and recycling/waste agencies, emissions reductions increased in the 18-year period (0.08% to 0.8%). For 2030 and 2050 emissions reductions targets, no emissions category sector will achieve the targeted reduction. The highest emissions reduction amounts discrepancies between observed and expected were in transportation, industrial and commercial/residential sectors (2030); and in transportation, industrial and agricultural facilities (2050). An analysis of current trends and technological developments in each emissions sector is presented to guide and structure future emissions target reductions.
Images of the “Other” in English Textbooks for High School Education
Authors: Theologou Stella , Dimasi Maria
Published: September 2020

The goal of this paper is to analyze the ways in which the “other” is portrayed and formalized in compulsory schooling in an institutionalized manner. The research methodology used is qualitative and quantitative content analysis of the teaching material. Certain attitudes towards “other” cultures among societal groups are often the result of their conception of alterity, of their identity and the relation between them. These representations have become a culture on its own right, giving birth to a categorization of people within the same society and of peoples of the world. This paper will attempt to reveal the way this dichotomy between the “self” and the “other” operates and will analyze the way alterity is managed in the textbooks.
A CASE SERIES OF EUCALYPTUS OIL-INDUCED SEIZURES
Authors: SHANMUGAM SINDHU , I SAHAY MELINA , GRACE RAJAN PEARLSY , DK SRIRAM , GEORGE MELVIN
Published: September 2020

Eucalyptus oil (EO) is an essential oil which has been used as a traditional remedy in upper respiratory tract infection. It contains approximately 90% cineole and is readily available worldwide in over-the-counter cough drops, liniments, toothpaste, mouthwashes, cold preparations, and hair lice remover. EO-induced adverse drug reaction is rare in both adults and children. The signs and symptoms of EO poisoning are CNS depression, hypotension, tachycardia, epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, and contact dermatitis. Symptom onset is usually rapid and resolves within 24 h. We report the case series of four adult patients with EO-induced seizure in India, who inhaled EO for common cold and presented to the critical care with single first attack of generalized tonic-clonic seizures. On further evaluation, none of them had a family background of seizures/febrile seizures. EEG and brain MRI were found to be normal in all patients. All the patients were managed with anti-epileptic drugs and standard supportive care. All medical practitioners should be aware of the toxic effects of EO, a common OTC medication used in Indian households. Warning labels may be attached on EO comprised products.
Deslizamentos de sentido da palavra “mulher” em políticas públicas sobre violência doméstica
Authors: Medeiros Matheus Da Silva , Dos Santos Michelle Gomes
Published: September 2020

Neste artigo, à luz do referencial teórico da Análise do Discurso materialista, objetivamos analisar a cartilha “Mulher, vire a página…”, publicada pelo Ministério Público do Estado de São Paulo, em 2016. A partir da emergência de políticas públicas voltadas para a violência doméstica em nossa sociedade, é relevante pensar sobre como essas políticas públicas produzem sentidos sobre violência de gênero e sobre como elas evidenciam um modo de funcionamento da ordem social. Nossa análise se detém nos deslizamentos da palavra “mulher”, que ora ocupa o espaço de endereçamento, ora ocupa o espaço de discurso sobre. Além disso, mobilizamos o conceito de condições de produção (ORLANDI, 2010) para refletir sobre como formulações anteriores sobre violência doméstica são retomadas no discurso, e o de formações imaginárias, como proposto por Pêcheux (1997a), para pensar sobre a representação do lugar social da mulher na cartilha, partindo de um entendimento de que o gênero está inscrito no jogo das formações imaginárias e das relações de força materializadas na língua. Compreendemos que essas relações de força estão em constante transformação no motor da história, de modo que observamos deslizamentos de sentidos historicamente estabilizados sobre mulheres e violência doméstica.
“Recebi no Zap...Será qui é verdade?”: Discursos sobre o sujeito idoso internauta no Facebook
Authors: Vieira da Silva Francisco
Published: September 2020

O objetivo deste estudo é analisar discursos sobre o sujeito idoso internauta em um grupo do Facebook, de modo a investigar como os posicionamentos discursivos inscritos nesse grupo e envoltos em relações de saber-poder emolduram dizeres sobre o idoso internauta. Para isso, parte-se da perspectiva teórica de Michel Foucault (1995, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011) e de suas contribuições para os estudos do discurso. Do ponto de vista metodológico, o presente estudo caracteriza-se como uma abordagem descritivo-interpretativa de cunho qualitativo. As análises mostram que, a partir das posições enunciativas enfocadas, o sujeito idoso internauta é visto em constante conflito com as tecnologias digitais e as utiliza para a assunção de uma pauta moral-religiosa.
Processos fonológicos por substituição ou transformação na fala de amapaenses: uma abordagem geossociolinguística
Authors: Sanches Romário Duarte , Carvalho Michele Silva de
Published: September 2020

O artigo tem por objetivo identificar os processos fonológicos de substituição ou transformação presentes no falar amapaense a partir do banco de dados do projeto Atlas Linguístico do Amapá (ALAP). A descrição foi feita com base nos postulados da Geossociolinguística (RAZKY, 2010), que une os pressupostos metodológicos da Sociolinguística com os da Geolinguística. A metodologia empregada corresponde aos parâmetros adotados pelo projeto ALAP, com a seleção de 10 localidades do estado do Amapá, onde foram entrevistados 40 informantes. Os itens fonéticos analisados nesta pesquisa foram: assobio, passagem, homem, arroz, três, giz, caspa, paz, prateleira, caixa, tesoura, manteiga, ouvido, peixe, elefante, hóspede e muito. Os resultados mostram a presença dos seguintes processos fonológicos: degeneração, desnasalação, ditongação, monotongação, metafonia e nasalação. Os fatores geográficos idade e sexo condicionam a presença de certos processos fonológicos no falar amapaense.
Violência verbal e argumentação em democracias
Authors: Santos Frederico Rios C. dos
Published: September 2020

A argumentação nos espaços públicos de deliberação das sociedades abertas implica a responsabilidade de quem toma a palavra. A inobservância das chamadas “regras do debate” seria, assim, um exemplo do uso público da palavra irresponsável, obstaculizando a crítica. Pergunta-se, com efeito, se, no que diz respeito à votação do impeachment de Dilma Rousseff na Câmara dos Deputados (analisada pela transcrição do departamento de taquigrafia da instituição), essas regras básicas da argumentação teriam sido negligenciadas, tratando especificamente do estilo da abordagem. Indaga-se também como isso pode ter comprometido o debate democrático, tendo como marco teórico autores como Angenot (2008) e Danblon (2004). Além disso, com o auxílio de categorias como as propostas pela teoria das faces de Brown e Levinson (1987), com inspiração em Goffman (1974), a pesquisa apontou no sentido de que, uma vez que os deputados, independentemente de sua orientação cultural e política, tenderam, em sua maioria, a desprezarem regras inerentes ao debate, o Parlamento, entendido como a esfera pública de deliberação, revelou-se próprio das sociedades dogmáticas.
Uso de fontes de pesquisa na escrita de artigos científicos de pesquisadores experientes
Authors: Valentim Danielyson Yure de Queiroz , Paiva Neto José Evaristo de , Bessa José Cezinaldo Rocha
Published: September 2020

Com a acelerada expansão das tecnologias digitais na nossa sociedade e sua presença/inserção no meio educacional e/ou acadêmico-científico, surge, no contexto universitário, uma preocupação quanto à capacidade de localizar, selecionar, avaliar, sintetizar e citar fontes externas na escrita científica, constituindo-se, pois, tal capacidade um elemento-chave do letramento acadêmico (BURTON; CHADWICK, 2000). Compartilhando dessa preocupação, buscamos, no presente trabalho, examinar como pesquisadores experientes mobilizam fontes externas na escrita dos textos científicos que produzem, focalizando, mais especificamente, aspectos como quantidade de fontes citadas, veículo de publicação, língua de publicação e ano de publicação. Fundamentados em trabalhos sobre letramento acadêmico, uso de fontes de pesquisa e práticas citacionais desenvolvidos por estudiosos como Burton e Chadwick (2000), Pecorari (2003, 2006, 2015), McClure e Clink (2009) e Howard, Serviss e Rodrigue (2010), dentre outros, realizamos uma análise descritivo-exploratória de um conjunto de 10 artigos científicos de pesquisadores experientesdo domínio da Linguística coletados em um periódico científico dessa área. Os resultados indicam que a condição de expertise e a familiarização com práticas de letramento corroboram para que pesquisadores experientes revelem uma escrita científica (mais) ajustada, quanto à seleção e uso de fontes de pesquisa, a convenções estabelecidas no universo científico e em sua cultura disciplinar.
Consolidação de uma gramática nacional: a implementação do genitivo “dele” nas Minas setecentistas
Authors: Coelho Shirlene Ferreira , Da Silva José Edilmo Ferreira , Coelho Sueli Maria
Published: September 2020

O Português do Brasil reúne vários estudos (SILVA, 1982, 1984, 1991; CUNHA, 2007) que investigam o uso dos possessivos seu e dele sob uma perspectiva variacionista. Tem-se atribuído esse fenômeno a uma mudança no sistema pronominal, que se desestabilizou com a entrada da forma você em lugar de tu (KATO, 1985; PERINI, 1985; CERQUEIRA, 1996a, 1996b), gerando ambiguidade de interpretação em alguns contextos. A forma genitiva dele surge, então, como variante preferida por ter função desambiguizadora. Nesse contexto, este estudo compara os usos da forma possessiva padrão com a inovadora, para verificar se os reflexos da aludida desestabilização do quadro pronominal já se faziam sentir nas Minas setecentistas. Adotando-se uma metodologia quantitativa e qualitativa de pesquisa, embasada teoricamente nos pressupostos sociolinguísticos labovianos, chega-se à conclusão de que, nas Minas setecentistas, o possessivo de terceira pessoa já era opaco, o que sugere a concorrência entre as formas tu e você nesta região no século XVIII.