bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Smartwatch Step-Counting App for Older Adults: Development and Evaluation Study
Authors: Boateng George , Petersen Curtis L , Kotz David , Fortuna Karen L , Masutani Rebecca , Batsis John A
Published: February 2022

Background

Older adults who engage in physical activity can reduce their risk of mobility impairment and disability. Short amounts of walking can improve quality of life, physical function, and cardiovascular health. Various programs have been implemented to encourage older adults to engage in physical activity, but sustaining their motivation continues to be a challenge. Ubiquitous devices, such as mobile phones and smartwatches, coupled with machine-learning algorithms, can potentially encourage older adults to be more physically active. Current algorithms that are deployed in consumer devices (eg, Fitbit) are proprietary, often are not tailored to the movements of older adults, and have been shown to be inaccurate in clinical settings. Step-counting algorithms have been developed for smartwatches, but only using data from younger adults and, often, were only validated in controlled laboratory settings.

Objective

We sought to develop and validate a smartwatch step-counting app for older adults and evaluate the algorithm in free-living settings over a long period of time.

Methods

We developed and evaluated a step-counting app for older adults on an open-source wrist-worn device (Amulet). The app includes algorithms to infer the level of physical activity and to count steps. We validated the step-counting algorithm in the lab (counting steps from a video recording, n=20) and in free-living conditions—one 2-day field study (n=6) and two 12-week field studies (using the Fitbit as ground truth, n=16). During app system development, we evaluated 4 walking patterns: normal, fast, up and down a staircase, and intermittent speed. For the field studies, we evaluated 5 different cut-off values for the algorithm, using correlation and error rate as the evaluation metrics.

Results

The step-counting algorithm performed well. In the lab study, for normal walking (R2=0.5), there was a stronger correlation between the Amulet steps and the video-validated steps; for all activities, the Amulet’s count was on average 3.2 (2.1%) steps lower (SD 25.9) than the video-validated count. For the 2-day field study, the best parameter settings led to an association between Amulet and Fitbit (R2=0.989) and 3.1% (SD 25.1) steps lower than Fitbit, respectively. For the 12-week field study, the best parameter setting led to an R2 value of 0.669.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate the importance of an iterative process in algorithm development before field-based deployment. This work highlights various challenges and insights involved in developing and validating monitoring systems in real-world settings. Nonetheless, our step-counting app for older adults had good performance relative to the ground truth (a commercial Fitbit step counter). Our app could potentially be used to help improve physical activity among older adults.
The Experiences of Patients With Adjuvant and Metastatic Melanoma Using Disease-Specific Social Media Communities in the Advent of Novel Therapies (Excite Project): Social Media Listening Study
Authors: Faust Guy , Booth Alison , Merinopoulou Evie , Halhol Sonia , Tosar Heena , Nawaz Amir , Szlachetka Magdalena , Chiu Gavin
Published: February 2022

Background

Immunotherapy and targeted therapy treatments are novel treatments available for patients with metastatic and adjuvant melanoma. As recently approved treatments, information surrounding the patients’ and caregivers’ experience with these therapies, perceptions of treatments, and the effect the treatments have on their day-to-day life are lacking. Such insights would be valuable for any future decision-making with regard to treatment options.

Objective

This study aims to use health-related social media data to understand the experience of patients with adjuvant and metastatic melanoma who are receiving either immunotherapy or targeted therapies. This study also included caregivers’ perspectives.

Methods

Publicly available social media forum posts by patients with self-reported adjuvant or metastatic melanoma (and their caregivers) between January 2014 to October 2019 were programmatically extracted, deidentified, cleaned, and analyzed using a combination of natural language processing and qualitative data analyses. This study identified spontaneously reported symptoms and their impacts, symptom duration, and the impact of treatment for both treatment groups.

Results

Overall, 1037 users (9023 posts) and 114 users (442 posts) were included in the metastatic group and adjuvant group, respectively. The most identified symptoms in both groups were fatigue, pain, or exanthema (identified in 5%-43% of patients dependent on the treatment group). Symptom impacts reported by both groups were physical impacts, impacts on family, and impacts on work. Positive treatment impacts were reported in both groups and covered the areas of work, social and family life, and general health and quality of life.

Conclusions

This study explored health-related social media to better understand the experience and perspectives of patients with melanoma receiving immunotherapy or targeted therapy treatments as well as the experience of their caregivers. This exploratory work uncovered the most discussed concerns among patients and caregivers on the forums including symptoms and their impacts, thus contributing to a deeper understanding of the patient/caregiver experience.
Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities: Scoping Review
Authors: Parniak Simone , DePaul Vincent G , Frymire Clare , DePaul Samuel , Donnelly Catherine
Published: February 2022

Background

As Canada’s population ages, there is a need to explore community-based solutions to support older adults. Naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs), defined in 1986 as buildings or areas not specifically designed for, but which attract, older adults and associated NORC supportive service programs (NORC-SSPs) have been described as potential resources to support aging in place. Though the body of literature on NORCs has been growing since the 1980s, no synthesis of this work has been conducted to date.

Objective

The goal of this scoping review is to highlight the current state of NORC literature to inform future research and offer a summarized description of NORCs and how they have supported, and can support, older adults to age in place.

Methods

Using a published framework, a scoping review was conducted by searching 13 databases from earliest date of coverage to January 2022. We included English peer- and non–peer-reviewed scholarly journal publications that described, critiqued, reflected on, or researched NORCs. Aging-in-place literature with little to no mention of NORCs was excluded, as were studies that recruited participants from NORCs but did not connect findings to the setting. A qualitative content analysis of the literature was conducted, guided by a conceptual framework, to examine the promise of NORC programs to promote aging in place.

Results

From 787 publications, we included 64 (8.1%) articles. All publications were North American, and nearly half used a descriptive research approach (31/64, 48%). A little more than half provided a specific definition of a NORC (33/64, 52%); of these, 13 (39%) used the 1986 definition; yet, there were discrepancies in the defined proportions of older adults that constitute a NORC (eg, 40% or 50%). Of the 64 articles, 6 (9%) described processes for identifying NORCs and 39 (61%) specifically described NORC-SSPs and included both external partnerships with organizations for service delivery (33/39, 85%) and internal resources such as staff, volunteers, or neighbors. Identified key components of a NORC-SSP included activities fostering social relationships (25/64, 39%) and access to resources and services (26/64, 41%). Sustainability and funding of NORC-SSPs were described (27/64, 42%), particularly as challenges to success. Initial outcomes, including self-efficacy (6/64, 9%) and increased access to social and health supports (14/64, 22%) were cited; however, long-term outcomes were lacking.

Conclusions

This review synthesizes the NORC literature to date and demonstrates that NORC-SSPs have potential as an alternative model of supporting aging in place. Longitudinal research exploring the impacts of both NORCs and NORC-SSPs on older adult health and well-being is recommended. Future research should also explore ways to improve the sustainability of NORC-SSPs.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Among Lebanese Obstetricians and Gynecologists With Respect to COVID-19 and Pregnancy
Authors: Youssef Dalal
Published: February 2022

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously disrupted the daily life of the general population, particularly the life of pregnant women. Since obstetricians and gynecologists (OBGYNs) are often the primary health care providers during pregnancy, they play a critical role in preventing and managing COVID-19 in their patients.

Objective

This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of OBGYNs with respect to COVID-19 and to identify existing gaps that need to be addressed to improve patient and occupational safety.

Methods

A cross-sectional study using a web-based survey was conducted among Lebanese OBGYNs during the rapid growth of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon between October 20 and November 20, 2020. The analysis was performed using the SPSS software. Knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were computed. A good level of knowledge was considered when 80% of answers from the respondents were correct.

Results

A total of 279 OBGYNs participated in the survey, of whom 57% were men. The majority of OBGYNs (64.2%) were more than 45 years of age and married (79.9%) and had extensive work experience (70.3%). Only 28.3% were reluctant to provide medical care for patients with COVID-19. Most of them were afraid of contracting COVID-19 or transmitting COVID-19 contracted through occupational exposure to their family members and 42.3% felt overwhelmed. Of the OBGYNs, 62.7% considered the policies implemented by the Ministry of Public Health to be sufficient. The majority of OBGYNs had a good level of knowledge in different basic and specific domains related to COVID-19 and pregnancy. Furthermore, the practice score was good in all relevant aspects (personal, clinic, and patient).

Conclusions

The high knowledge and practice scores among Lebanese OBGYNs indicate a strong commitment from these physicians to fulfill their responsibilities toward themselves and their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evaluation of a Malaria Surveillance System in Hodeidah City, Yemen, 2021
Authors: Abduljalil Maeen , Al-Sada Methaq , Badi Moamer hossam , Ghalab Yaser  Ahmed
Published: February 2022

Background

Despite continuing control and elimination efforts, malaria continues to represent a major public health problem. Evaluation of the Malaria Surveillance System (MSS) is critical to obtain credible data that can be used for providing information. Hodeidah City, Yemen, is a worthy region to conduct an evaluation of the MSS because it has the greatest malaria burden.

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of the MSS and assess its performance in terms of qualitative and quantitative attributes.

Methods

The updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guideline was used to evaluate the MSS in Hodeidah City. After desk reviews and in-depth interviews were conducted, self-administered questionnaires with 5-point Likert scale and yes/no questions were used to collect data from stakeholders at four levels. The indicator’s score percent was interpreted according to the following criteria: excellent, ≥90%; good, 80% to <90%; average, 60% to <80%; poor, 40% to <60%; and very poor, <40%. EPI info version 7.2 was used to enter and analyze the data.

Results

Thirty-one stakeholders participated; 55% of the respondents were men. The system was found to be useful (88%) to portray the trend of malaria and to guide policy and intervention, with excellent scores (100%) for timeliness and completeness. The overall simplicity, representativeness, acceptability, and stability scores were 78%, 66%, 62%, and 61%, respectively, representing an average rank. However, flexibility scored 40% and sensitivity only scored 5.5%. The overall performance scores for the MSS were average (68%), good (82%), and average (73%) in central, governorate, and district and health facilities, respectively.

Conclusions

Although the MSS was found to be useful and stable, and the data quality and timeliness were deemed excellent, flexibility and sensitivity were considered to be poor. To ensure sustainability of the MSS, there is a need for gradual replacement of donors’ funds with governmental funds. Furthermore, enhancing laboratory diagnosis and proper training of health workers should be adopted for improving flexibility and sensitivity.
Mixed Outbreak of Falciparum and Vivax Malaria and Dengue Fever Among the Egyptian Five-a-Side Ball Team Returning From Nigeria After Participation in the African Cup of Nations (Egypt, July 2021)
Authors: Gouda Mohamed , Afifi Salma , Zamy Sahar , Abu El Sood Hanaa , Eid Alaa
Published: February 2022

Background

On July 28, 2021, the Port Saeed health directorate was reported of a team member of the Egyptian five-a-side ball team who was admitted to the Port Saeed Fever Hospital on the same day with acute onset of high fever, headache, malaise, and delirium. The patient has recently returned from Nigeria with his teammates after participation in the African Cup of Nations. On asking the patient about other cases among his teammates, he informed of 1 who started to feel sick in Nigeria and was quarantined in the Abasia Fever Hospital in Cairo and another 2 who were currently at their homes in Port Saeed.

Objective

This study aims to confirm an outbreak, identify possible causes, and implement necessary control measures.

Methods

All 26 team members were contacted in their governorates. Active case finding among them and their contacts was performed using sensitive case definition. A case was defined as anyone from the Egyptian five-a-side ball team returning from Nigeria or their contacts who complained of sudden onset of fever, malaise, or respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms. Symptomatic patients were swabbed for SARS-CoV-2 by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Blood samples were collected for malaria film and immunoglobulin M (IgM) for dengue testing.

Results

Of 26 team members, 7 (27%) complained of symptoms, with an attack rate of 26.9%. Their mean age was 37.1 (8.6) years, and all of them were males. Of the 7 cases, 6 (86%) were from Port Saeed, their clinical symptoms ranged from fever (n=3, 43%) malaise (n=7, 100%), headache (n=4, 57%), nausea (n=3, 43%), and delirium (n=1, 14%). Laboratory testing confirmed 4 (57%) cases with malaria falciparum, including 1 (14%) positive for COVID-19. In addition, the blood film of 2 (28%) patients showed malaria falciparam and vivax, and 1 (14%) patient was positive for SARS-CoV-2 and dengue. All patients recovered and were discharged from the hospitals. Patients did not receive malaria prophylaxis before traveling, and they were sleeping in tents near a forest, where they exposed to mosquito bites. A vector survey was performed, and mosquito spraying and larvae destruction near the residential areas of all team members were implemented.

Conclusions

An outbreak of malaria and dengue occurred among the Egyptian five-a-side ball team that recently returned from Nigeria. The outbreak was caused by defective malaria-preventive measures with no prophylaxis. Outbreak was controlled through early patient detection, isolation, and treatment. In addition to entomological and environmental preventive measures, it is necessary to ensure that all sports teams traveling to malaria- and dengue-endemic areas receive prophylaxis and apply protective measures against mosquito bites.
Persuasive Design Solutions for a Sustainable Workforce: Review of Persuasive Apps for Real-Time Capability Support for Rural Health Care Professionals (Preprint)
Authors: Pit Sabrina Winona , Tan Aaron J H , Ramsden Robyn , Payne Kristy , Freihaut Winona , Hayes Oliver , Eames Benjamin , Edwards Mike , Colbran Richard
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUND

There is a need to further investigate how persuasive design principles can change rural health professionals’ behaviors to look after their own health workforce capability. Several theories are used when developing apps to persuade people to change behavior, including the Persuasive System Design Model, consisting of primary task, dialogue, system credibility, and social support categories, and Cialdini’s principles of persuasion. These have not been analyzed yet in the field of health workforce capability.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to determine the persuasive design techniques used in capability building–related apps and to provide recommendations for designing a health workforce app to increase their persuasiveness.

METHODS

A Python script was used to extract a total of 3060 apps from Google Play. Keywords centered around health workforce capability elements. App inclusion criteria were as follows: been updated since 2019, rated by users on average 4 and above, and more than 100,000 downloads. Next, 2 experts reviewed whether 32 persuasive strategies were used in the selected apps, and these were further analyzed by capability categories: competencies and skills, health and personal qualities, values and attitudes, and work organization.

RESULTS

In all, 53 mobile apps were systematically reviewed to identify the persuasive design techniques. The most common were surface credibility (n=48, 90.6%) and liking (n=48), followed by trustworthiness (n=43, 81.1%), reminders (n=38, 71.7%), and suggestion (n=30, 56.6%). The techniques in the social support domain were the least used across the different apps analyzed for health workforce capability, whereas those in the primary task support domain were used most frequently. The recommendations reflect learnings from our analysis. These findings provided insight into mobile app design principles relevant to apps used in improving health workforce capability.

CONCLUSIONS

Our review showed that there are many persuasive design techniques that can assist in building health workforce capability. Additionally, several apps are available in the market that can assist in improving health workforce capability. There is, however, a specific lack of digital, real-time support to improve health workforce capability. Social support strategies through using social support persuasive design techniques will need to be integrated more prominently into a health workforce capability app. An app to measure and monitor health workforce capability scores can be used in conjunction with direct real-world person and real-time support to discuss and identify solutions to improve health workforce capability for rural and remote health professionals who are at high risk of burnout or leaving the rural health workforce.

CLINICALTRIAL
Noncommunicable Diseases Household Survey Data Analysis, Sana’a City, Yemen, 2017 (Preprint)
Authors: Alkholidy Ghamdan Gamal , Anam Labiba Saeed , Al Serouri Abdulwahed , Li Chaoyang
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUND

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people each year, accounting for 71% of all deaths globally. The burden of NCDs is rising faster in developing countries of the Middle East than in other regions. The morbidity and mortality of NCDs are still not well-studied in Yemen.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of NCDs in Sana’a City, Yemen, for 2017.

METHODS

Raw data of a house-to-house survey that was conducted by the Ministry of Public Health and Population in 2017 were analyzed. Data were collected from household heads who were asked if any household member had one of the following five NCDs: hypertension (HTN), diabetes (DM), bronchial asthma (BA), mental disorders (MD), and epilepsy. Data were entered and analyzed using Epi info 7.2. For calculations of prevalence, 2017 projections from the 2004 census were used.

RESULTS

A total of 241,310 households were surveyed (1,592,646 household members), 59,061 (24.48%) of which included 70,178 members who had at least one NCD. The overall prevalence of NCDs was 4.4%. The disease-specific prevalence was as follows: HTN, 2.3%; DM, 2.2%; BA, 0.4%; MD, 0.27; and epilepsy, 0.19%. The overall NCD prevalence was significantly higher among females than males (5.1% vs 3.8%; odds ratio [OR] 1.35, 95% CI 1.33-1.35), which was also the case for the prevalence of HTN (3.1% vs 1.6%; OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.90-1.98), DM (2.3% vs 2.1%; OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.09-1.13), and BA (0.5% vs 0.3%; OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.49-1.65). In contrast, the prevalence of MD was significantly higher among males than females (0.35% vs 0.16%; OR 2.2, 95% CI 2.06-2.31). The prevalence of NCDs progressively increased with age. Nearly 18% of patients had more than one NCD; 35.2% of the patients with HTN also had DM.

CONCLUSIONS

One-quarter of the surveyed households had at least one member with one or more of the five NCDs and the overall prevalence of NCDs was 4.4%. These data reflect only the tip of the iceberg as the findings are based on self-reported diagnosed cases rather than standardized measures. More attention to NCDs, strengthened health care provision, the ability to obtain high-reliability data, an NCDs stepwise survey, and establishing an NCDs surveillance system are recommended.
The Impact of Comorbidities on COVID-19 Severity and Mortality in Egypt (Preprint)
Authors: Elghazaly Shereen , Abu El Sood Hanaa , Samy Sahar , AbdelFatah Mohamad , Hassany Mohamed , Khader Yousef , Afifi Salma , Eid Alaa
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUND

Older persons and people of any age with certain underlying comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and cancer are at a higher risk of severe disease course and death if they become infected with COVID-19. Identifying at-risk groups and risk factors for COVID-19 severity and mortality is important for guiding the efficient and appropriate prevention and management of patients with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed at describing the demographics and epidemiologic characteristics of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Egypt and determining the impact of different comorbidities on patients’ outcomes.

METHODS

The data of all confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to 408 governmental hospitals all over Egypt from February to May 2020 were collected retrospectively from the National Egyptian Disease Surveillance System. The cases were confirmed using RT-PCR.

RESULTS

Overall, 28,415 patients (55% male and 45% female) were identified. Their median age was 44 years. Of those, 743 (2.6%) were admitted to ICU, 408 (1.4%) required ventilator, and 1045 (3.7%) died. Of the 21,617 (76.1%) patients with completed data, 4687 (21.7%) had comorbidities. Overall, 11.8% had diabetes, 5.3% cardiovascular disease, and 4.3% chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Those who had 1 comorbidity were more likely to die (odds ratio 2.83), were admitted to ICU (odds ratio 6.36), and needed a ventilator (odds ratio 5.95) compared to patients with no comorbidities. Having multiple comorbidities increased the risk of mortality (odds ratio 3.53), ICU admission (odds ratio 8.62), and requiring a ventilator (odds ratio 9.06).

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 patients with comorbidities had a higher risk of disease severity and mortality. Multiple comorbidities further increase the risk to a higher extent. All necessary precautions should be taken for patients with comorbidities to avoid COVID-19 infection in order to prevent the worst prognosis.
Mixed Outbreak of Falciparum and Vivax Malaria and Dengue Fever Among the Egyptian Five-a-Side Ball Team Returning From Nigeria After Participation in the African Cup of Nations (Egypt, July 2021) (Preprint)
Authors: Gouda Mohamed , Afifi Salma , Zamy Sahar , Abu El Sood Hanaa , Eid Alaa
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUND

On July 28, 2021, the Port Saeed health directorate was reported of a team member of the Egyptian five-a-side ball team who was admitted to the Port Saeed Fever Hospital on the same day with acute onset of high fever, headache, malaise, and delirium. The patient has recently returned from Nigeria with his teammates after participation in the African Cup of Nations. On asking the patient about other cases among his teammates, he informed of 1 who started to feel sick in Nigeria and was quarantined in the Abasia Fever Hospital in Cairo and another 2 who were currently at their homes in Port Saeed.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to confirm an outbreak, identify possible causes, and implement necessary control measures.

METHODS

All 26 team members were contacted in their governorates. Active case finding among them and their contacts was performed using sensitive case definition. A case was defined as anyone from the Egyptian five-a-side ball team returning from Nigeria or their contacts who complained of sudden onset of fever, malaise, or respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms. Symptomatic patients were swabbed for SARS-CoV-2 by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Blood samples were collected for malaria film and immunoglobulin M (IgM) for dengue testing.

RESULTS

Of 26 team members, 7 (27%) complained of symptoms, with an attack rate of 26.9%. Their mean age was 37.1 (8.6) years, and all of them were males. Of the 7 cases, 6 (86%) were from Port Saeed, their clinical symptoms ranged from fever (n=3, 43%) malaise (n=7, 100%), headache (n=4, 57%), nausea (n=3, 43%), and delirium (n=1, 14%). Laboratory testing confirmed 4 (57%) cases with malaria falciparum, including 1 (14%) positive for COVID-19. In addition, the blood film of 2 (28%) patients showed malaria falciparam and vivax, and 1 (14%) patient was positive for SARS-CoV-2 and dengue. All patients recovered and were discharged from the hospitals. Patients did not receive malaria prophylaxis before traveling, and they were sleeping in tents near a forest, where they exposed to mosquito bites. A vector survey was performed, and mosquito spraying and larvae destruction near the residential areas of all team members were implemented.

CONCLUSIONS

An outbreak of malaria and dengue occurred among the Egyptian five-a-side ball team that recently returned from Nigeria. The outbreak was caused by defective malaria-preventive measures with no prophylaxis. Outbreak was controlled through early patient detection, isolation, and treatment. In addition to entomological and environmental preventive measures, it is necessary to ensure that all sports teams traveling to malaria- and dengue-endemic areas receive prophylaxis and apply protective measures against mosquito bites.
Impact of Multiple Hygienic Interventions on Caregivers’ Behaviors in a Conflict Setting, Yemen: Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)
Authors: Al-Taj Mansour , Al Serouri Abdulawed
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUND

Several household hygiene programs have been implemented by the Ministry of Public Health and Population and international nongovernment organizations to reduce the risk factors related to child morbidity and mortality in Yemen. However, no research has been conducted to assess the impact of such interventions on caregivers’ hygiene behavior. We therefore carried out a cluster-randomized controlled trial to assess whether such interventions could improve caregivers’ hygiene behavior.

OBJECTIVE

The study aims to identify the impact of hygiene promotion interventions on mothers’ practices related to water, sanitation, and hygiene.

METHODS

A 6-month cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in Hufash District of Al-Mahweet Province in Yemen from May to October 2015. In total, 20 villages were randomly selected and assigned to an intervention arm that received hygiene promotional interventions and a control arm. In total, 358 households were interviewed at baseline and the endpoint. A logistic regression model was fitted to data, and the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was used to estimate the effect size of the intervention.

RESULTS

The intervention made significant improvements in caregivers’ handwashing after using a latrine (AOR 2.6, 95% CI 1.75-3.90) and before feeding the baby (AOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.14-2.92), safe disposal of child feces (AOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.35-2.53), covering of remaining food (AOR 1.1, 95% CI 1.08-1.19), cleaning of cooking utensils (AOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.08-1.51), and cleanness of drinking water storage containers (AOR 1.3, 95% CI 1.17-1.46). However, the intervention had no effect on caregivers’ handwashing practices after cleaning child feces, before preparing food, and before eating a meal, as well as no improvement in cleanness of the floor of the kitchen.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from this trial reveal the important role that hygiene promotion can play in improving caregivers’ behaviors that could lead to better child health in high-risk communities where access to primary health care is limited.

CLINICALTRIAL

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03810430; https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT03810430
Traffic Sign Classification Using CNN
Authors: Bailke Preeti
Published: February 2022

Abstract: Traffic signs displayed on the roads play an important role in our lives while driving. They supply critical information, for the road users. This successively requires them to regulate their driving behaviour and ensure that they strictly follow the road regulations currently enforced without causing any trouble to other drivers and pedestrians. Traffic Sign Classification is employed to detect and classify traffic signs to inform and warn a driver beforehand to avoid violation of rules. There are certain disadvantages of the existing systems, used for classification, like incorrect predictions, hardware cost and maintenance, which are to a great extent resolved by the proposed system. The proposed approach implements a traffic signs classification algorithm employing a convolutional neural network. Also, it consists of the feature of web cam detection of the traffic sign. This will help the driver to observe the sign close to his / her eyes on the display screen and thus save his/her time in manually checking the traffic sign eachtime. Keywords: Convolutional Neural Network, Traffic Sign Classification, Real time Traffic Sign Recognition.
“Pensamos lo educativo en un sentido cultural amplio”. Entrevista a Valeria Dotro
Authors: Lanati Vanina
Published: February 2022

Valeria Dotro es la responsable de contenidos de Paka Paka, el primer canal de televisión público dedicado a los niños, dependiente del Ministerio de Educación de la Nación, en Argentina. Ha dedicado sus investigaciones y artículos a temas relacionados con la infancia y los medios de comunicación audiovisual.
Una mirada introspectiva al periodismo que hago. El auge de las columnas de opinión, estimuladas por los sitios de Internet y las redes sociales
Authors: Linn Tomás
Published: February 2022

En este artículo, el periodista y profesor universitario reflexiona sobre su práctica profesional, a la luz de las nuevas tecnologías de comunicación.
Fotografía de Christian Rodríguez
Authors: Rodríguez Christian
Published: February 2022

“En este proyecto estoy trabajando con las dos compañías más grandes de Vietnam. En el parque Lenin, donde se encuentra la Federación de Circo de Vietnam, son varias las protagonistas. En el edificio del circo, familias y artistas comparten habitación. En la que llamo 'el cuartito rosa', las paredes son de este color y todas sus habitantes son mujeres. En la antigua Saigón, hoy ciudad de Ho Chi Min, se encuentra el Grupo de Circo de Ho Chi Min. En su mayoría los artistas viven en un teatro abandonado. Debido a la exigencia física, con poco más de 30 años ya se retiran de la actividad diaria. Una característica de la sociedad vietnamita es casarse a temprana edad. Si bien ninguno de estos artistas está casado, es probable que pronto lo estén.”
La representación de la violencia en tres películas de Adrián Caetano
Authors: Dillon Alfredo
Published: February 2022

El objetivo de este trabajo es dar cuenta de los modos de representación de la violencia en el cine de Adrián Caetano, director nacido en Uruguay y uno de los representantes más emblemáticos del denominado Nuevo Cine Argentino. Para eso, nos proponemos trazar una lectura crítica de tres de sus películas más importantes: Bolivia (2001), Un oso rojo (2002) y Crónica de una fuga (2006). En dichas obras, el fenómeno de la violencia constituye el núcleo de la trama y permea las formas narrativas, aunque de maneras diferentes en cada largometraje. En el cine de Caetano la comunidad siempre está amenazada por el fantasma de la disolución; en medio de ese peligro prolifera la violencia, entendida como una fuerza capaz de restituir las fronteras sociales que la crisis ha vuelto endebles.
La visualidad como objeto: El giro pictórico y los estudios de la cultura visual
Authors: Dotta Ambrosini Javier
Published: February 2022

Durante las últimas décadas, una nueva corriente de investigación ha hecho camino entre disciplinas que han tenido a la mirada y a la visualización como protagonistas de la reflexión intelectual. Entre la historia del arte y la comunicación, los estudios de la cultura visual inauguran un espacio de debate formal en torno a la recepción y al uso de las imágenes visuales que ha sido explicado bajo la denominación de giro pictórico, una idea que sintetiza los fundamentos de este campo. El siguiente artículo presenta esta corriente y hace un análisis crítico de ella, de su contexto, de sus conceptos fundamentales, así como ofrece una selección de los principales canales de difusión de sus autores a través de los cuales se puede profundizar en la materia que han fundado.
Periodismo de datos: informar en la era digital. Entrevista a Florencia Coelho
Authors: Abad Jimena
Published: February 2022

Florencia Coelho, una de las líderes del equipo de La Nación Data —el equipo de datos del diario La Nación— visitó la Universidad Católica y dialogó con dixit sobre el trabajo que realizan en el periódico argentino, las dificultades que tienen y los desafíos a los que se enfrentan. Destacó el rol de las universidades en la formación de profesionales que sean factores de cambio en la crisis que viven el periodismo y los medios.
Ilustración de David de la Mano
Authors: De la Mano David
Published: February 2022

Salamanca, España. daviddelamano@gmail.com
El Carlitos. Guion de cortometraje de ficción
Authors: Espasandín Natalia , González Urtiaga Juan
Published: February 2022

Adaptación del cuento original ¿Me permite una palabra?, de Juan González Urtiaga.
La distopía ya está aquí: Vigilancia estatal, de Orwell a Snowden y El Guardián
Authors: Osaba Julio
Published: February 2022

El punto de partida de este trabajo es una cita a la novela 1984 de George Orwell, de la cual se toman dos temas transversales: los fines de vigilancia del Estado moderno y el desarrollo de las tecnologías de la comunicación usadas por el Estado en ese cometido primordial de vigilancia. Con una metodología comparativa en los temas mencionados y teniendo en cuenta las continuidades y los cambios, se analizan, a modo de ejemplo, las revelaciones de Edward J. Snowden, en el transcurso del año 2013, sobre los procedimientos de vigilancia electrónica a escala global que lleva adelante la NSA (Agencia de Seguridad Nacional del gobierno de los Estados Unidos, por su sigla en inglés). Luego se procede a incluir estos temas en clave uruguaya a partir de la discusión pública que generó la compra por parte del Ministerio del Interior del software denominado El Guardián. Para finalizar se plantean algunas implicaciones para la democracia a partir de las asimetrías entre el Estado y las grandes corporaciones recolectoras de datos, por un lado, y, por el otro, el ciudadano común.
O PROGRAMA CIÊNCIA SEM FRONTEIRAS CONTRIBUI NA FORMAÇÃO DOS ESTUDANTES? UMA ANÁLISE A PARTIR DO ENADE 2013
Authors: Conceição Otávio Canozzi , Franca Marco Túlio Aniceto , Jacinto Paulo De Andrade
Published: February 2022

O trabalho objetiva mensurar o efeito do programa Ciência sem Fronteiras(CSF) no desempenho estudantil, apresentando estimativas do seu impacto na notados ex-bolsistas do programa a partir de microdados do Exame Nacional de Desempenho de Estudantes (Enade) de 2013. A metodologia empregada foi o propensity scorematching (PSM) com o propósito de comparar os alunos do CSF com dois grupos decontrole: a) estudantes que participaram de nenhum programa de intercâmbio; b) estudantes que fizeram intercâmbio, por meio de outros programas, durante a graduação. Os resultados revelam que o CSF tem um impacto positivo e significativo emduas medidas de desempenho dos alunos: nota geral e formação geral para diferentestipos de pareamento independente do grupo de comparação. Entretanto, os resultadosmostram-se pequenos diante dos custos do programa.
FATORES DE MODERNIZAÇÃO AGROPECUÁRIA NOS MUNICÍPIOS BRASILEIROS EM 2006
Authors: Silva Rodrigo Peixoto da , Vian Carlos Eduardo De Freitas
Published: February 2022

Este trabalho identifica os aspectos relevantes da modernização agropecuária com base nas características de 4.535 municípios brasileiros no ano de 2006.Para isso, ajusta-se um modelo de análise fatorial considerando 30 variáveis para captara adoção de “boas práticas” agropecuárias e o uso de insumos modernos. O processode modernização é sintetizado em quatro fatores: uso intensivo da terra; capitalizaçãoe tecnificação da criação animal; tecnificação agrícola; e relação capital-trabalho. Osresultados apontam para a concentração regional do fator uso intensivo da terra noSudeste, no estado do Paraná e na faixa litorânea do país, do fator tecnificação agrícolana região Sul e em partes do Sudeste e do fator relação capital-trabalho nas regiõesCentro-Oeste e Sudeste. A capitalização e tecnificação da criação animal, por sua vez,é um aspecto que demonstra distribuição regional mais uniforme. A região nordesteé um caso preocupante com relação à modernização, uma vez que apresenta indicadores pífios em quase todos os aspectos identificados e que as políticas públicas adotadas no início dos anos 2000 se mostraram insuficientes para mitigar esse problema.
OS EFEITOS DOS CICLOS DO AÇÚCAR E DO OURO SOBRE A DESIGUALDADE SALARIAL E DISCRIMINAÇÃO NO MERCADO DE TRABALHO NO BRASIL
Authors: Silva Gabriela Lourdes Machado , Mueller Bernardo
Published: February 2022

Este trabalho usa dados da influência dos ciclos do açúcar e do ouro nosmunicípios brasileiros para encontrar evidências de origens coloniais da desigualdadesalarial e discriminação racial no mercado de trabalho no Brasil. Para isso, aplicamse três testes empíricos diferentes: o primeiro replica o modelo de Naritomi, Soarese Assunção (2012), usando como variável dependente a desigualdade salarial entrehomens negros e brancos no Brasil, a fim de mostrar a persistência dos efeitos de instituições coloniais extrativas; o segundo faz uma estimação minceriana de determinaçãosalarial que inclui as variáveis coloniais; e o terceiro realiza uma decomposição BlinderOaxaca para determinar as proporções da diferença salarial por região de influênciacolonial. Concluiu-se que, embora a discriminação tenha múltiplas causas complexas,os resultados mostram que, pelo menos em parte, há origens históricas.
Life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding from splenic artery pseudoaneurysm due to gastric ulcer penetration treated by surgical hemostasis with resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta: a case report
Authors: Nakata Tomonori , Okishio Yuko , Ueda Kentaro , Nasu Toru , Kawashima Shuji , Kunitatsu Kosei , Kato Seiya
Published: February 2022

We report the case of a patient for whom surgical hemostasis of
gastrointestinal bleeding from a splenic artery pseudoaneurysm that
developed due to gastric ulcer penetration was achieved with
resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta.
Porocarcinoma of the Left Arm: A Report of a Rare Skin Cancer Case and Literature Review
Authors: Signorelli Carlo , Zanella-Cavallero Luca , Ranucci Valentina , Pellicciotti Antonio , Ruggeri Enzo
Published: February 2022

Porocarcinoma is a rare type of skin cancer that develops from the
intraepidermal ductal part of eccrine sweat glands. It can arise de novo
or from poroma ground with high potential for locoregional metastatic
spread, morbidity, and mortality. It mostly occurs in elderly patients.
Safety and efficacy of alendronate to treat osteopenia in children during therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A retrospective cohort study of sequential outcomes.
Authors: Barr Ronald , MacDonald Paula , Cranston Amy , Virdee Misha , Farncombe Troy , Athale Uma
Published: February 2022

Background. Low bone mineral density (osteopenia) is encountered in
children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) before, during and
after treatment. Prior experience with alendronate, an oral
bisphosphonate, demonstrated high tolerability and evident clinical
efficacy. However, concerns have been expressed about the long-term
safety and utility of such agents in children. Procedure. Of 217
children with ALL treated on Dana Farber Cancer Institute protocols 69
received alendronate for a mean of 87 weeks after dual energy X ray
absorptiometry (DXA). DXA was repeated following completion of
alendronate, and again 5-9 years later in a subgroup of 32 children.
Lumbar spine areal bone mineral (LS aBMD) Z scores were obtained and
values corrected for height, age and weight (HAW) were calculated for
subjects 3-18 years of age. Results. Almost 80% (N=172) of the children
remain in continuous complete remission at a mean of 14.5 years from
diagnosis. Of those who receive alendronate, which was almost uniformly
well tolerated, 7/69 (10.3%) relapsed compared to 19/89 (21.3%) who
did not receive the drug. The mean unmodified LS aBMD Z score rose from
-1.78 to -0.47. This gain was statistically significant for both
unmodified (p <0.0001) and HAW corrected Z scores -1.32 to
-0.42; p <0.0001). There was a modest median loss of LS aBMD
(Z score 0.045) subsequently in the subgroup (N=32) of subjects on
long-term follow up. Discussion. Alendronate appears to be well
tolerated and moderately effective in osteopenic children with ALL.
Whether it offers protection against relapse of leukemia needs further
study.
Certain results of conformal and *-conformal Ricci soliton on para-cosymplectic and para-Kenmotsu manifolds
Authors: Sarkar Sumanjit , Dey Santu , Chen Xiaomin
Published: February 2022

The goal of the paper is to deliberate conformal Ricci soliton and
*-conformal Ricci soliton within the framework of paracontact geometry. Here
we prove that if an ?-Einstein para-Kenmotsu manifold admits conformal Ricci
soliton and *-conformal Ricci soliton, then it is Einstein. Further we have
shown that 3-dimensional para-cosymplectic manifold is Ricci flat if the
manifold satisfies conformal Ricci soliton where the soliton vector field is
conformal. We have also constructed some examples of para-Kenmotsu manifold
that admits conformal and *-conformal Ricci soliton and verify our results.
Spectral radius and energy of Sombor matrix of graphs
Authors: Wang Zhao , Mao Yaping , Gutman Ivan , Wu Jichang , Ma Qin
Published: February 2022

Let G be a graph of order n. For i = 1,2,... , n, let di be the degree of
the vertex vi of G. The Sombor matrix Aso of G is defined so that its (i,
j)-entry is equal to ?d2i + d2j if the vertices vi and vj are adjacent, and
0 otherwise. The spectral radius ?1 and the energy Eso of Aso are examined.
In particular, upper bounds on Eso are obtained, as well as
Nordhaus-Gaddum-type results for ?1 and Eso.
Szász type operators involving Charlier polynomials and approximation properties
Authors: Al-Abied A.A.H. , Mursaleen Ayman , Mursaleen M.
Published: February 2022

Our aim is to define modified Sz?sz type operators involving Charlier
polynomials and obtain some approximation properties. We prove some results
on the order of convergence by using the modulus of smoothness and Peetre?s
K-functional. We also establish Voronoskaja type theorem for these
operators. Moreover, we prove a Korovkin type approximation theorem via
q-statistical convergence.
On the preconditioning of three-by-three block saddle point problems
Authors: Aslani Hamed , Salkuyeh Davod , Beik Fatemeh
Published: February 2022

We establish a new iterative method for solving a class of large and sparse
linear systems of equations with three-by-three block coefficient matrices
having saddle point structure. Convergence properties of the proposed method
are studied in details and its induced preconditioner is examined for
accelerating the convergence speed of generalized minimal residual (GMRES)
method. More precisely, we analyze the eigenvalue distribution of the
preconditioned matrix. Numerical experiments are reported to demonstrate the
effectiveness of the proposed preconditioner.
Proximity of upper central incisors to incisive canal among subjects with maxillary dentoalveolar protrusion in various facial growth patterns:
Authors: Al-Rokhami Remsh Khaled , Sakran Karim Ahmed , Alhammadi Maged Sultan , Mashrah Mubarak Ahmed , Cao Baocheng , Alsomairi Majedh Abdo Ali , Al-Worafi Naseem Ali
Published: February 2022

Objective

To investigate the position of the upper central incisor roots (U1) relative to the incisive canal (IC) among subjects with maxillary dentoalveolar protrusion in various facial growth patterns.

Materials and Methods

240 cone beam computed tomography images of skeletal Class I and II maxillary or bimaxillary protrusive subjects with a mean age of 23.74 ± 3.73 years were enrolled according to their facial growth pattern. The IC volume was measured using Mimics 21 software (Materialise, Leuven, Belgium). The U1 inter-root distance, width of IC, and their proximity were estimated using Invivo6 software (Anatomage, San Jose, CA).

Results

The IC volume was slightly greater among the high angle facial group and female patients than the other groups. Overall, the IC width was greater than the U1 inter-root distance in 55.65%, 57.6%, and 65% among the average, low, and high angle facial groups, respectively, and in 56.5% and 62.9% of males and females, respectively. The overall anteroposterior (sagittal) distances between the U1 roots and IC were 4.36 ± 1.18, 4.78 ± 1.17, and 3.83 ± 0.90 mm among the average, low, and high angle facial groups, respectively.

Conclusions

The high angle facial group and female patients showed slightly greater IC dimensions than the other groups. The overall maximum sagittal distances between the U1 and IC were around 5.5, 6, and 4.7 mm among the average, low, and high angle facial groups, respectively. The low angle facial group and male patients tended to have greater sagittal distances. Therefore, the present findings could serve as a guideline when a considerable amount of upper incisor retraction is planned for Class I or II maxillary or bimaxillary dentoalveolar protrusion patients.