bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy delivered over the Internet for depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Sztein Dina M , Koransky Charles E , Fegan Leah , Himelhoch Seth
Published: December 2017

Introduction

Cognitive behavioural therapy has been shown to improve depressive symptoms in adults with mild to moderate depression. To overcome many of the barriers associated with delivering this treatment, attempts have been made to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy via the Internet. The objective of this meta-analysis is to assess whether Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy delivered to adults with depressive symptoms leads to a reduction in these symptoms as compared to those who receive no therapy.

Methods

In September 2015, the Cochrane, PubMed and PsycInfo databases were searched; studies were also found through bibliography searches. Studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials published in English between 2005–2015 conducted with adults >18 years of age experiencing mild to moderate depression where study subjects received Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy, and the control group was placed on a wait-list. The search yielded 257 articles; 14 of these were included in the meta-analysis.

Results

Internet delivered cognitive behavioural therapy had a medium effect on reducing depressive symptoms at the end of the study period (standardized mean difference: 0.74, confidence interval: 0.62–0.86, p < 0.001). Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy also has a large sustained effect in maintaining reduction of depressive symptoms in follow-up measures done 3–6 months after the conclusion of the therapy (standardized mean difference: 0.83, confidence interval: 0.69–0.99, p < 0.001). There was no publication bias and low heterogeneity.

Discussion

Cognitive behavioural therapy delivered over the Internet leads to immediate and sustained reduction in depressive symptoms; thus, it may be a good treatment modality for individuals unable or unwilling to access traditional face-to-face therapy.
Outcomes following telestroke-assisted thrombolysis for stroke in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Porter Joan , Hall Ruth E , Kapral Moira K , Fang Jiming , Khan Ferhana , Silver Frank L
Published: December 2017

Introduction

Since 2002, the Ontario Telestroke Program has provided hospitals in under-served regions of the province the opportunity to offer intravenous thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) to eligible patients. The purpose of this study was to determine whether telestroke-assisted IV tPA patients had similar risks of 7- and 90-day mortality, symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (sICH), and poor functional outcome compared to patients who received IV tPA with on-site expertise.

Methods

Data from two audits of patients with acute ischaemic stroke hospitalized in Ontario, Canada in 2010 and 2012 were analysed. We modelled the risk of all-cause death within 7 and 90 days of receiving IV tPA using proportional hazards adjusting for hospital type, patient characteristics, and whether IV tPA was administered as part of a telestroke consultation. Outcomes of sICH and modified Rankin Scale ≥ 3 at discharge were modelled using generalized estimating equations adjusting for the same variables used in the mortality model.

Results

There was no difference in 7- or 90-day mortality among those who received IV tPA with telestroke ( n = 214) compared to those without ( n = 1885) (7-day adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.29 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68, 2.44); 90-day aHR 1.01 (95% CI 0.67, 1.50)). Complications were similar between groups, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for sICH of 0.71 (95% CI 0.29, 1.71) and an aOR of 0.75 (95% CI 0.46, 1.23) for poor functional ability at discharge.

Discussion

Patients receiving IV tPA supported by telestroke had similar outcomes to those managed with on-site expertise.
Textual enhancement, grammar learning, reading comprehension, and tag questions
Authors: Meguro Yoichi
Published: December 2017

The present study investigates whether textual enhancement had any effects on grammar learning (tag questions) and reading comprehension, and whether the types of tag question contributed to the benefits of textual enhancement. The study employed a pretest–posttest design with three treatment sessions. The target forms were English tag questions, which were grouped into three types: auxiliary (AUX), do-support (DO), and modal (MODAL). Participants were 69 Japanese high school students, who were assigned into three experimental groups ( n = 52) and a control group ( n = 17). The control group received unenhanced passages, whereas three experimental groups received passages, each of which included one of the target forms visually manipulated. To examine the effects of textual enhancement, the participants performed a multiple-choice grammar task consisting of 18 items. Reading comprehension was assessed using a 10-item multiple-choice test based on information from the passage. The results showed (1) that the effectiveness of textual enhancement on learning the target forms appeared in one enhanced group (Group 3) but it did not appear in the other two groups; (2) that textual enhancement did not detract from reading comprehension; and (3) that enhancing specific types of the target forms seemed to facilitate Group 3’s learning, but did not have any effects for the other groups.
Towards critical cultural and linguistic awareness in language classrooms in Norway: Fostering respect for diversity through identity texts
Authors: Krulatz Anna , Steen-Olsen Tove , Torgersen Eivind
Published: December 2017

This article reports the results of a school-based curriculum development project that aimed to support language teachers working with culturally and linguistically diverse student populations in Norway to develop teaching strategies that foster intercultural citizenship and multilingual competence. Three university researchers collaborated with two schools to increase mutual respect and tolerance for cultural and linguistic diversity in language classrooms, to increase awareness of the positive impact of home language maintenance on academic performance, and to improve the engagement of multilingual literacy and student identity in the classroom. Data were collected during teacher workshops and while following the delivery of the project, and consist of lesson planning materials, texts produced by students, and a follow-up teacher survey. The article presents examples of activities and materials the teachers at the cooperating schools designed and implemented, samples of student work, as well as teacher reflections on the extent to which the project promoted multiliteracy and intercultural citizenship. The findings suggest that while the project helped strengthen awareness of cultural and linguistic diversity at the schools, understanding of the relevance of the home language to literacy development and academic success and multiliteracy were not adequately supported. Implications for future work to promote language classrooms that foster linguistic and cultural diversity and multiliteracy are discussed.
Stroll into students’ learning: Acts to unload teachers’ values through the practices of lesson study for learning community in Vietnam
Authors: Tsukui Atsushi , Saito Eisuke
Published: December 2017

In studies on teacher professional development, the embodiment of teachers’ values in professional practice has emerged as an important area of focus. Employing the sociocultural approach, this study discusses the link between teachers’ acts and underlying values based on a Vietnamese teacher’s detailed field notes on cases of school reform through the introduction of Japanese lesson study for learning community. Drawing on the concepts of inspection and stroll, the study describes the discrepancy between conventional observational acts and emerging ones. Inspection refers to the actions and values held by teachers that underline compliance with the prescribed curriculum and educational bureaucratic procedures, while stroll refers to a disposition that entails actions and values appreciating each pupil’s existence and learning as it is, without rigid bureaucratic perspectives. The finding was that the teacher’s act of stroll embeds new underlying values in her/his professional work; similarly, how she/he performs a stroll could inform her/his professional knowledge and identity. Lesson study can offer the teacher the experience of seeing self that generates the possible momentum of these parallel shifts.
Disposable labour, passive victim, active threat: Migrant/non-migrant othering in three British television documentaries
Authors: Vickers Tom , Rutter Annie
Published: December 2017

This article analyses discourses about migration within three documentaries that were broadcast on terrestrial British television in January 2014: The Truth about Immigration in the UK and The Hidden World of Britain’s Immigrants, both broadcast on BBC Two, and Episode 2 of Benefits Street, broadcast on Channel 4. The methodology involved a detailed analysis of the documentaries, situated within a Marxist analysis of British capitalism, the capitalist crisis, and the economic and political position of migrants. Amidst the contradictions and complexities that were identified within these documentaries, representations of ‘migrants’ can be grouped into three categories: disposable labour, passive victim, and active threat. We argue these discursive roles reflect and reinforce capitalist exploitation, by constructing ‘migrants’ as a mutable ‘other’ to divide the working class.
A virtual gender asylum? The social media profile picture, young Chinese women’s self-empowerment, and the emergence of a Chinese digital feminism
Authors: Chang Jiang , Ren Hailong , Yang Qiguang
Published: December 2017

This article applies the framework of critical discourse analysis to the in-depth interviews of 73 young Chinese women residing in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. It examines their discursive practices of choosing and editing their profile pictures on social media, which is in turn placed in the unique sociocultural context of contemporary China for interpretation. This article argues that Chinese women’s self-empowerment through using social media is derived not from a straightforward struggle against the patriarchy or for woman power, but from a gentle, rational yet resolute stance that incorporates a new female identity into the ‘harmonious society’ enshrined in Confucian ideals, thus creating a new digital feminism with Chinese characteristics.
The myth of declining violence: Liberal evolutionism and violent complexity
Authors: Lewis Jeff , Lewis Belinda
Published: December 2017

The publication of Steven Pinker’s Better Angels of Our Nature popularized an emerging orthodoxy in political and social science – that is, that violence and warfare have been declining over the past century, particularly since the end of the Second World War. Invoking the scientific and political neutrality of their data and evidence, Pinker and other ‘declinists’ insist that powerful, liberal democratic states have subdued humans’ evolutionary disposition to violence. This article analyses the heuristic validity and political framework of these claims. The article examines, in particular, the declinists’ interpretation and use of demographic, archaeological, anthropological and historical evidence. The article argues that the declinists’ arguments are embedded in a utopian liberalism that has its own deep roots in the ‘cultural volition’ and history of human violence. The article concludes that the declinists have either misunderstood or misrepresented the evidence in order to promote their own neoliberal political interests and ideologies.
The animal challenge to sociology
Authors: Carter Bob , Charles Nickie
Published: December 2017

In this article, we ask why is it that sociology has been slow to take up the animal challenge, and ask what would happen if it did. We argue that sociology’s fraught relationship with biology, its assumptions about human exceptionalism and its emergence in the context of industrialization and urbanization are key to understanding its lack of attention to animals and contribute to a limited conceptualization of society. This can be remedied by viewing non-human animals as involuntarily embedded in social relationships, a move which involves a redefinition of the social and of what it means to be human; a revision of notions of agency, subjectivity and reflexivity; and a rejection of the speciesism and anthropocentrism on which sociology is based. Finally, the article contends that a full understanding of society is not possible if we continue to direct the sociology gaze only at humans.
Making sense of the postsecular
Authors: Parmaksız Umut
Published: December 2017

This article critically examines the postsecular literature with the aim of dispelling the scepticism about the concept’s theoretical import, critical power and analytical utility. It first presents an overview of the literature identifying two major fields, social theology and politics, within which three major critical leitmotifs are developed: (1) disenchantment and the loss of community; (2) the impossibility of absolute secularity; and (3) the exclusion of religion from the public sphere. In the second section, the shortcomings of problematizations (1) and (2) are highlighted, originating from social theology, and it is argued that they have limited critical potential as they intend to renaturalize the religious. Instead, it is asserted that the concept has critical power when used within the context of a postreligious denaturalization of the secular. In the last section, the focus shifts to the analytical utility of the concept, and the article examines ‘postsecular society’ and ‘postsecularization’ in the light of the previous discussion.
Cryptomarkets as a libertarian counter-conduct of resistance
Authors: Sotirakopoulos Nikos
Published: December 2017

Cryptomarkets function as self-regulating forms of governance, close to what Hayek would describe as a spontaneous order. At the same time, in cases like the online market Silk Road, they construct an identity that portrays their illegal activities as operating within a framework of individual rights and voluntary transactions. As has already been examined in the wider literature, the political and economic philosophy of libertarianism has been mobilized by participants in such markets in order to provide a moral theoretical background to their activities. This article examines: (1) why libertarianism indeed provides a suitable narrative for such activities and how the theoretical work of Foucault on power and resistance (and, more specifically, his notion of ‘counter-conduct’) can help us understand the contentious relationship between the state and cryptomarkets; and (2) how libertarian practices such as the ones taking place in cryptomarkets are at odds with neoliberal governmentality.
British conservatism after the vote for Brexit: The ideological legacy of David Cameron
Authors: Hayton Richard
Published: December 2017

Following the referendum on membership of the European Union (EU), this article assesses the ideological legacy of David Cameron on Conservative politics in Britain. It focuses on three areas of ideological tension in contemporary conservatism, namely, European integration, the divide between social liberals and traditionalists, and the future of the Union post-Brexit. Applying the concept of heresthetics to offer a theoretically informed account, it argues that while Cameron enjoyed some successes in ‘the art of political manipulation’ with electoral benefits, his desire to modernize conservatism was ultimately undone by his failure to restructure the key issue dimensions animating his party’s ideology. Ultimately, this failure undid his premiership, leading to his downfall.
Overlapping regionalism in Europe: Patterns and effects
Authors: Panke Diana , Stapel Sören
Published: December 2017

European states have not only joined several regional organizations (ROs) over time, but ROs’ policy competencies have also broadened in scope. As a result, states are exposed to overlapping regionalism, defined as the extent to which ROs share member states and policy competencies at the same time. First, this article identifies patterns of overlapping regionalism in Europe. In second step, it sheds light on consequences from overlapping regionalism for RO effectiveness, more particularly non-compliance. We argue that an increase in the extent to which a member state is exposed to overlapping regionalism increases its probability for violations of RO norms and rules, which reduces RO effectiveness. When states have joined more ROs with similar policy competencies, the number of rules and norms that need to be complied with is higher. Non-compliance also becomes more likely when these rules and norms are not identical or even incompatible.
Organisational factors and occupational balance in working parents in Sweden
Authors: Borgh Madeleine , Eek Frida , Wagman Petra , Håkansson Carita
Published: December 2017

Background: Parents with small children constitute a vulnerable group as they have an increased risk of sick leave due to stress-related disorders compared to adults without children. It has been shown that mothers and fathers to small children together spend more time in paid work than any other group, which could create negative stress and an experience of low occupational balance. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine associations between organisational factors and occupational balance among parents with small children in Sweden. Methods: Data were collected by a survey including questions about occupational balance, organisational factors and age, sex, employment rate, work position, monthly household income, number of children at home, separation/divorce last five years and overtime. The total number of parents included in this study was 718 (490 mothers and 228 fathers). Logistic regression models were applied to examine the odds ratios for occupational balance in relation to organisational factors. Results: Parents who experienced positive attitudes towards parenthood and parental leave among colleagues and managers were more likely to experience high occupational balance than parents who experienced negative or neutral attitudes. Having a clear structure for handover when absent from work was also strongly associated with high occupational balance. Conclusions: The result of the present study indicates that some organisational factors could be important for the occupational balance of parents with small children.
Reasons for using workplace wellness services: Cross-sectional study among 6000 employees
Authors: Persson Roger , Cleal Bryan , Jakobsen Mette Øllgaard , Villadsen Ebbe , Andersen Lars Louis
Published: December 2017

Aims: While workplace wellness services are proactively established to improve well-being and reduce sickness absence, knowledge of reasons for using these services remains sparse. This study investigates which factors determine use of an in-house wellness service at a large organization (the Danish Police) with several departments in different geographical locations. Methods: All potential users of the Wellness service ( n = 15,284) were invited to respond to a cross-sectional questionnaire. Of 6060 eligible respondents, 58% had used the service at least once (any use) and 17% had used the service at least three times (frequent users). Two items assessed the frequency of statements of justifications for using or not using the Wellness service. Associations between 32 demographic and psychosocial variables and use of the Wellness service were evaluated with unadjusted bivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: The two primary justifications for using the Wellness service were: to get a blood pressure assessment (37%) and to rehabilitate injury (26%). The two most common justifications for not using the Wellness service were: no perceived need (44%) and already physically active (34%). Of the 32 demographical and psychosocial variables included, 28 were associated with any use and 24 with frequent use. Conclusions: Use of the Wellness service appears to be driven by a complex configuration of factors that resist easy translation into practical advice. Non-participation was accounted for in terms of both positive and negative barriers. Use of the service for purposes of primary prevention and health promotion was, relatively speaking, lagging behind.
Increased risk of herpes zoster in patients with coeliac disease – nationwide cohort study
Authors: Ludvigsson Jonas F. , Choung Rok Seon , Marietta Eric V. , Murray Joseph A. , Emilsson Louise
Published: December 2017

Background and aims: Clinical experience suggests that patients with coeliac disease (CD) are more prone to develop herpes zoster (HZ), but robust studies are lacking. Methods: We identified 29,064 patients with CD 1969−2008 using biopsy report data from Sweden’s 28 pathology departments. CD was equalled to villous atrophy (Marsh histopathology grade III). Each patient was matched on age, sex, calendar year and county of residence to up to five reference individuals ( n=144,342) from the general population. We then used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for future HZ (defined as having a hospital-based inpatient or outpatient record of this diagnosis in the Swedish Patient Register). Results: During follow-up, 154 (0.53%) individuals with CD and 499 (0.35%) reference individuals developed HZ. Among individuals aged ≥60 years, 1.06% of CD individuals and 0.85% of reference individuals had a lifetime record of HZ. Overall, CD was associated with a 1.62-fold increased risk of HZ (95% CI=1.35−1.95), and was seen also when we considered comorbidity with lymphoproliferative disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, type 1 diabetes, thyroid disease, rheumatoid disease and excluded individuals with a record of dermatitis herpetiformis. The increased risk remained significant after more than five years of follow-up (1.46; 1.16−1.84) Conclusions: CD is associated with HZ, the increased relative risk persists over time from celiac diagnosis but the absolute risk is small.
Cancer beliefs in cancer survivors, cancer relatives and persons with no cancer experience
Authors: Pedersen Anette Fischer , Vedsted Peter
Published: December 2017

Aims: Negative cancer beliefs have been associated with late stage at cancer diagnosis. High levels of negative cancer beliefs have been found among individuals with low socioeconomic position and ethnic minority women, but the impact of cancer experience on cancer beliefs is unexamined. The aim of this study was to examine whether cancer beliefs are associated with cancer experience. Methods: This was a cross-sectional population-based study. Telephone interviews of 2992 Danish residents (30+) were carried out using the Awareness and Beliefs about Cancer Measure (ABC). Respondents reported whether they or someone close had been diagnosed with cancer and whether they agreed/disagreed with three positively and three negatively framed cancer beliefs. Results: Respondents with someone close diagnosed was reference group. Compared with these, respondents with no cancer experience (RRadj=0.91, 95% CI=0.84–0.98) or who had had cancer themselves (RRadj=0.87, 0.77–0.98) were less likely to believe that cancer treatment is worse than the cancer itself, and respondents with no cancer experience were less likely to believe that a diagnosis of cancer is a death sentence (RRadj=0.83, 0.70–0.98), but more likely to report that they did not want to know if they had cancer (RRadj=1.31, 1.01–1.71). Conclusions: The results suggest that cancer beliefs are sensitive to cancer experience. This is an important addition to previous results focusing on the association between cancer beliefs and static factors such as socioeconomic position and ethnicity. Since cancer beliefs may determine health-related behaviour, it is important that negative cancer beliefs are addressed and possibly reframed in population-based interventions.
How social policy contributes to the distribution of population health: the case of gender health equity
Authors: Beckfield Jason , Morris Katherine Ann , Bambra Clare
Published: December 2017

Aims: In this study we aimed to analyze gender health equity as a case of how social policy contributes to population health. We analyzed three sets of social-investment policies implemented in Europe and previously hypothesized to reduce gender inequity in labor market outcomes: childcare; active labor market programs; and long-term care. Methods: We use 12 indicators of social-investment policies from the OECD Social Expenditure Database, the OECD Family Database, and the Social Policy Indicators’ Parental Leave Benefit Dataset. We draw outcome data from the 2015 Global Burden of Disease for years lived with disability and all-cause mortality among men and women ages 25–54 for 18 European nations over the 1995–2010 period. We estimate 12 linear regression models each for mortality and morbidity (i.e. years lived with disability), one per social-investment indicator. All models use country fixed-effects and cluster-robust standard errors. Results: For years lived with disability, women benefit more from social investment for most indicators. The only exception is the percentage of young children in publicly funded childcare or schooling, which equally benefits men. For all-cause mortality, men benefit more or equally from social investment for most indicators, while women benefit more from government spending on direct job creation through civil employment. Conclusions: Social policy contributes to the distribution of population health. Social-investment advocates argue such policies in particular enhance economic gender equity. Our results show that these polices have ambiguous effects on gender health equity and even differential improvements among men for some outcomes.
Decrease in musculoskeletal pain after 4 and 12 months of an aerobic exercise intervention: a worksite RCT among cleaners
Authors: Korshøj Mette , Birk Jørgensen Marie , Lidegaard Mark , Mortensen Ole Steen , Krustrup Peter , Holtermann Andreas , Søgaard Karen
Published: December 2017

Background: Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain is high in jobs with high physical work demands. An aerobic exercise intervention targeting cardiovascular health was evaluated for its long term side effects on musculoskeletal pain. Objective: The objective was to investigate if aerobic exercise affects level of musculoskeletal pain from baseline to 4- and 12-months follow-up. Methods: One-hundred-and-sixteen cleaners aged 18–65 years were cluster-randomized. The aerobic exercise group ( n = 57) received worksite aerobic exercise (30 min twice a week) and the reference group ( n = 59) lectures in health promotion. Strata were formed according to closest manager (total 11 strata); clusters were set within strata (total 40 clusters, 20 in each group). Musculoskeletal pain data from eight body regions was collected at baseline and after 4- and 12-months follow-up. The participants stated highest pain in the last month on a scale from 0, stating no pain, up to 10, stating worst possible pain. A repeated-measure 2 × 2 multi-adjusted mixed-models design was applied to compare the between-groups differences in an intention to treat analysis. Participants were entered as a random effect nested in clusters to account for the cluster-based randomization. Results: Clinically significant reductions (>30%, f 2 > 0.25) in the aerobic exercise group, compared to the reference group, in pain intensity in neck, shoulders, arms/wrists were found at 12-months follow-up, and a tendency ( p = 0.07, f 2 = 0.18) to an increase for the knees. At 4-months follow-up the only significant between-group change was an increase in hip pain. Conclusions: This study indicates that aerobic exercise reduces musculoskeletal pain in the upper extremities, but as an unintended side effect may increase pain in the lower extremities. Aerobic exercise interventions among workers standing or walking in the majority of the working hours should tailor exercise to only maintain the positive effect on musculoskeletal pain.
Chair rise capacity and associated factors in older home-care clients
Authors: Tiihonen Miia , Hartikainen Sirpa , Nykänen Irma
Published: December 2017

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of older home-care clients to perform the five times chair rise test and associated personal characteristics, nutritional status and functioning. Methods: The study sample included 267 home-care clients aged ≥75 years living in Eastern and Central Finland. The home-care clients were interviewed at home by home-care nurses, nutritionists and pharmacists. The collected data contained sociodemographic factors, functional ability (Barthel Index, IADL), cognitive functioning (MMSE), nutritional status (MNA), depressive symptoms (GDS-15), medical diagnoses and drug use. The primary outcome was the ability to perform the five times chair rise test. Results: Fifty-one per cent ( n=135) of the home-care clients were unable to complete the five times chair rise test. Twenty-three per cent ( n=64) of the home-care clients had good chair rise capacity (≤17 seconds). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, fewer years of education (odds ratio [OR] = 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–1.18), lower ADL (OR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.34–1.78) and low MNA scores (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.04–1.20) and a higher number of co-morbidities (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.02–1.43) were associated with inability to complete the five times chair rise test. Conclusions: Poor functional mobility, which was associated with less education, a high number of co-morbidities and poor nutritional status, was common among older home-care clients. To maintain and to prevent further decline in functional mobility, physical training and nutritional services are needed. (NutOrMed, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02214758)
Epidemiological characteristics associated with uptake of pneumococcal vaccine among older adults living in the community in Singapore: Results from the National Health Surveillance Survey 2013
Authors: Ang Li Wei , Cutter Jeffery , James Lyn , Goh Kee Tai
Published: December 2017

Aims: In Singapore, pneumococcal vaccination is recommended for the elderly (i.e. those ≥65 years of age) and people with chronic medical conditions. We investigated epidemiological characteristics associated with the uptake of pneumococcal vaccine based on a nationally representative cross-sectional sample of community-living adults aged ≥50 years. Methods: The data were obtained from the National Health Surveillance Survey (NHSS) 2013. Associations between pneumococcal vaccination and sociodemographic and health-related variables were analysed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. Results: Among 3672 respondents aged ≥50 years in the NHSS, 7.8% had taken the pneumococcal vaccination. A higher level of education and higher monthly household income were sociodemographic characteristics independently associated with pneumococcal vaccine uptake. Health-related characteristics predictive of pneumococcal vaccine uptake were better self-rated health and having a regular family doctor/general practitioner. Among those who responded to the two questions on vaccinations, 3.9% had been vaccinated against both seasonal influenza and pneumococcal infection, while 11.1% had taken only seasonal influenza vaccination in the past year. Conclusions: There is a need to boost pneumococcal vaccination coverage among community-dwelling older adults. These findings provide insights into reviewing and tailoring public-health strategies and programmes to increase vaccine uptake in at-risk population groups.
A study on the thermal environment of historical villages with ‘comb-like’ layout in southern China
Authors: Tang Li , Zhang Nan
Published: December 2017

Historic settlements adapting to local climate and geographical environment contain rich and precious scientific design concepts, which should be investigated extensively. This paper is a study on the sustainable design and planning experiences of Chinese historic settlements. In this study, the thermal environment of Jin-Jiang-Li village with ‘comb-like’ layout in the southern China was simulated to evaluate the interactions between layout, landscape design, and ambient environment. The study has illustrated that the layout as well as the presence of water and vegetation would have an obvious-reducing effect and could play a very important role in improving the microclimate of historic settlements. The findings of our study have an essential practical significance for creating modern sustainable human environments and adapting to the changing modern climate.
Estimation of radon concentrations and associated radon doses by using active technique in drinking water sources of Abbottabad, KPK, Pakistan
Authors: Khan F. , Wazir Z. , Ali N. , Khattak S. A.
Published: December 2017

In-situ measurement of radon concentration was carried out in three types of drinking water sources (spring, surface and bore/well). Water samples from all three sources were collected from the city of Abbottabad and its surroundings. Radon concentrations were measured through active technique, using the AB-5 series of portable radiation monitor (Pylon). The mean concentrations (ranges) of radon in the phosphate region were 13.4 ± 2.0 (9.1–23.6), 11.2 ± 1.5 (6.2–20.1) and 7.1 ± 0.9 (4.3–14) kBq m−3 in well, spring and surface waters, respectively. Similarly, the mean concentrations (ranges) of radon outside the phosphate region were 7.2 ± 1.0 (3.4–11.5), 5.4 ± 0.7 (2.5–8.9) and 3.1 ± 0.4 (1.7–5.8) kBq m−3 in well, spring and surface waters, respectively. The arithmetic mean values of radon concentration in drinking waters in the phosphate and non-phosphate parts or rocks were 10.76 ± 1.5 and 5.10 ± 0.70 kBq m−3, respectively. Respective doses of radon taken in by the people via water ingestion and inhalation were calculated as 0.029 ± 0.004 and 0.014 ± 0.002 mSv. The mean values of radon concentrations in drinking water samples collected from Abbottabad phosphate and non-phosphate rocks were below the US EPA Maximum Contamination Level (MCL) of 11.1 kBq m−3. The annual mean effective doses of all samples are lower than the reference level of 0.1 mSv a−1 for drinking water as recommended by WHO. Thus, the drinking water of Abbottabad and its surroundings is generally below the recommended levels as regards to radon-related health hazards.
Biodeterioration of buildings and public health implications caused by indoor air pollution
Authors: Ahmed Toqeer , Usman Muhammad , Scholz Miklas
Published: December 2017

Biodeterioration challenges range from poor indoor air quality and exterior marble defacing to more dangerous building degradation. People often change the look of degraded walls by painting over them, removing carpets as well as replacing damaged wood and papers to improve their aesthetic value. Due to a lack of public awareness and health care infrastructure, the degradation rate is increasing in many countries. There is a need for a review of the international literature supporting practical recommendations. In this critical review paper, the role of microbes in deteriorating buildings, their health impacts in terms of mycotoxins and diverse strategies to handle them are discussed. Moreover, the forthcoming challenges associated with biodegradation and their health impacts have been addressed. Key recommendations have been made: (a) increase of awareness due to community involvement in enhancing moisture control, (b) improvement of cleaning processes and the use of air conditioning systems, (c) regular inspection and maintenance regimes for buildings and (d) cleaning of heating and air conditioning units and associated replacements of filters. The review provides a broad overview of the subject area and should be of interests to generalists working in a wide range of disciplines relevant to indoor air quality.
User values related to mass housing in Bushehr, Iran
Authors: Moghimi Vahid , Bin Mohd Jusan Mahmud , Mahdinejad Jamaleddin
Published: December 2017

Provision of quality housing is tied to meeting end-user values. In the context of housing development in Iran, a lack of understanding of user values in dwelling space design has contributed to the creation of incongruent living environments. This study aims to develop a deeper understanding of user psychological perception on value creators in housing design. An empirical study adopting the means-end chain model utilizing soft laddering techniques was conducted among occupants of mass housing built in Bushehr, Iran. The perception of value creators among southwestern inhabitants of Iran covers a wide range of subjects. It involves the provision of aesthetic environments, utilization of natural attributes and the provision of spacious, effective, well-organized environments that meet occupants' needs for privacy and comfort. Furthermore, accommodating attributes for strengthening the integrity and intimacy of the family was imperative. The provision of healthy environments for pleasure and subsistence include other value creators. Identifying perceptions on value creators among occupants provides valuable insight into the desired quality aspects of housing design. It assists designers to align their thought processes with future would-be users, enhancing the design quality to deliver a congruent living environment for occupants.
The effects of sound loudness on subjective feeling, sympathovagal balance and brain activity
Authors: Dai Changzhi , Lian Zhiwei
Published: December 2017

This study explored the effects of sound loudness on human nervous system from four aspects: regional spontaneous brain activity, cognition performance, sympathovagal balance of the autonomic nervous system and subjective feelings. Functional magnetic resonance imaging and electrocardiogram were measured in 12 volunteered students under three noise conditions. Mental performance, fatigue, noise sensation, annoyance and subjective distraction were also investigated. Earplugs were found invalid to improve annoyance and distraction in a common office condition (45 dB(A)), although noisy feeling was alleviated. Possible under-stimulated effects were observed with enhanced stress according to functional magnetic resonance and heart rate variability results. Annoyance, distraction, heart rate and heart rate variability increased significantly in a louder noise condition (65 dB(A)). Correlation analysis shows that heart rate is significantly correlated with either noise sensation, annoyance or distraction while heart rate variability presents significant correlations only with annoyance. Mental performance of calculation and reaction is moderately correlated with annoyance, while no significant differences of performance were observed between the three noise conditions. Constant office work with noise exposure will cause changes in the limbic gyrus and adherent regions. Parahippocampal gyrus is the only region with significantly different brain activity in three noise conditions.
An empirical study of opinion leader effects on mobile technology implementation by physicians in an American community health system
Authors: Hao Haijing , Padman Rema
Published: December 2017

This study empirically examines the opinion leader effects on a mobile clinical information technology implementation by physicians in an American community health system using a fixed effect regression model. The model result suggests that the opinion leader effects are statistically significant during this information technology implementation process. Quantitatively, if opinion leaders increase their technology usage by 10 percent, the physicians who work closely with those opinion leaders would increase their technology usage by 3.5 percent, after controlling for physician individual-level fixed effects, time effects, working environment, and workload. This empirical result of opinion leader effects provides policy implications such as, if a healthcare system wants to promote a new information technology or a new mobile information technology implementation within their organization, they should leverage this opinion leader effects.
Medical informatics research trend analysis: A text mining approach
Authors: Kim Yong-Mi , Delen Dursun
Published: December 2017

The objective of this research is to identify major subject areas of medical informatics and explore the time-variant changes therein. As such it can inform the field about where medical informatics research has been and where it is heading. Furthermore, by identifying subject areas, this study identifies the development trends and the boundaries of medical informatics as an academic field. To conduct the study, first we identified 26,307 articles in PubMed archives which were published in the top medical informatics journals within the timeframe of 2002 to 2013. And then, employing a text mining -based semi-automated analytic approach, we clustered major research topics by analyzing the most frequently appearing subject terms extracted from the abstracts of these articles. The results indicated that some subject areas, such as biomedical, are declining, while other research areas such as health information technology (HIT), Internet-enabled research, and electronic medical/health records (EMR/EHR), are growing. The changes within the research subject areas can largely be attributed to the increasing capabilities and use of HIT. The Internet, for example, has changed the way medical research is conducted in the health care field. While discovering new medical knowledge through clinical and biological experiments is important, the utilization of EMR/EHR enabled the researchers to discover novel medical insight buried deep inside massive data sets, and hence, data analytics research has become a common complement in the medical field, rapidly growing in popularity.
Expertise in French health forums
Authors: Abdaoui Amine , Azé Jérôme , Bringay Sandra , Grabar Natalia , Poncelet Pascal
Published: December 2017

More and more health websites hire medical experts (physicians, medical students, experienced volunteers, etc.) and indicate explicitly their medical role in order to notify that they provide high-quality answers. However, medical experts may participate in forum discussions even when their role is not officially indicated. Detecting posts written by medical experts facilitates the quick access to posts that have more chances of being correct and informative. The main objective of this work is to learn classification models that can be used to detect posts written by medical experts in any health forum discussions. Two French health forums have been used to discover the best features and methods for this text categorization task. The obtained results confirm that models learned on appropriate websites may be used efficiently on other websites (more than 98% of F1-measure has been obtained using a Random Forest classifier). A study of misclassified posts highlights the participation of medical experts in forum discussions even if their role is not explicitly indicated.
The European Union’s Ambient and Assisted Living Joint Programme: An evaluation of its impact on population health and well-being
Authors: Van Grootven Bastiaan , van Achterberg Theo
Published: December 2017

The Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme, instituted in 2008 by the European Union, aimed to create better living conditions for older adults through the funding of information and communications technology projects. This review aimed to uncover what can be learned from the Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme by determining (1) the target populations served, (2) technology-based interventions used and (3) effects on health and well-being outcomes. Information from the Ambient Assisted Living catalogue, project websites and deliverables and from papers in PubMed and EMBASE was reviewed. Overall, 152 projects from the first six rounds of funding were identified. Sensors, computers, phones, tablets and televisions were used for various purposes, that is, monitoring, feedback, coaching, reminders and communication. In total, 12 projects reported evaluating health and well-being outcomes; however, these evaluations demonstrated poor methodological quality. Only three projects reported exact values. For all other projects, published evidence on the effect of these projects on health and well-being outcomes was not available.
Computer-based self-help therapy: A qualitative analysis of attrition
Authors: Hermes Eric DA , Merrel Jeremy , Clayton Ashley , Morris Christa , Rowe Michael
Published: December 2017

The impact of computer-based cognitive-behavioral self-help therapy programs is limited by high attrition. This study explored reactions to computer-based cognitive-behavioral self-help therapy use among individuals not completing a full treatment course. Individuals receiving outpatient substance use disorder treatment at a Veterans Health Administration clinic who enrolled in a study implementing a computer-based cognitive-behavioral self-help therapy for insomnia, but subsequently dropped out prior to completion, were interviewed. Reactions to use and reasons for attrition were explored through thematic analysis of interviews. Among barriers to use, themes of competing demands, personal attributes, the computer-based format of computer-based cognitive-behavioral self-help therapies, and negative experiences with the specific program used were identified. Among facilitators of use, themes of personal support, the computer-based cognitive-behavioral self-help therapy format, and personal attributes were identified. Recommendations for future implementation efforts to include additional person-to-person contact during computer-based cognitive-behavioral self-help therapy participation were made. These themes may be employed to develop strategies for computer-based cognitive-behavioral self-help therapy implementation in order to maximize program engagement and completion.