bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of New Enterococcus faecalis Peptide Deformylase Inhibitors
Authors: Merzoug Amina , Chikhi Abdelouahab , Bensegueni Abderrahmane , Boucherit Hanane , Hadef Sawsen
Published: November 2019

Aim and Objective:

The antibacterial therapy resistance poses an urgent threat to the public’s
health. Peptide deformylase is a favorable target to identify new antibiotics with novel mechanism
of action.

Materials and Methods:

In order to discovery new potent inhibitors of this enzyme, the virtual
screening method of Zinc database using the binding site of Enterococcus faecalis peptide deformylase
combined with microbiological assay were realized.

Results:

The strategy undertaken in this study allowed us to identify new products with growth inhibition
activity. The best result was obtained for the chemicals 4-(1,3-dioxo-1Hbenzo[de]isoquinolin-
2(3H)-yl)-N-hydroxybutanamide and N-hydroxy-2-(3-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,4-benzothiazin-2-yl)
acetamide, they showed good affinities and great antibacterial activities compared to the other studied
products.

Conclusion:

The two most promising compounds can serve as potential antibacterial agents.
Comparing Intradermal Sterile Water with Intravenous Morphine in Reducing Pain in Patients with Renal Colic: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Mozafari Javad , Verki Mohammadreza Maleki , Tirandaz Fatemeh , Mahjouri Reza
Published: November 2019

Objective:

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of intradermal administration of sterile water compared to intravenous morphine on patients with renal colic.

Methods:

This double-blind, randomized clinical trial study was conducted in 2017 to compare the therapeutic effects of intradermal sterile water with those of intravenous morphine on patients with renal colic presenting to the emergency departments (ED) of Imam Khomeini and Golestan Hospitals in Ahvaz, Iran. The first group received 0.5 ml of intradermal sterile water, and the second group 0.1mg/kg of intravenous morphine plus 0.5 ml of intradermal sterile water in the most painful area or the center of the painful area in the flank. The pain severity was measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS), and the medication side-effects were recorded at the beginning of the study and minutes 15, 30,45 and 60.

Result:

A total of 94 patients were studied in two groups. The mean severity of pain was 2.97 ± 1.51 in the sterile water group and 2.34 ± 1.89 in the morphine group at minute 30 (P=0.042), 2.58 ± 1.43 in the sterile water group and 1 ± 1.23 in the morphine group at minute 45 (p<0.001), and 1.89 ± 1.7 in the sterile water group and 0.52 ± 0.79 in the morphine group at minute 60 (p<0.001).

Conclusion:

Morphine reduces pain faster and more effectively than intradermal sterile water; nevertheless, treatment with intradermal sterile water can be used as an appropriate surrogate or adjunct therapy for pain control, particularly in special patients or in case of medication scarcity.
Highly Concentrated Multifunctional Silver Nanoparticle Fabrication through Green Reduction of Silver Ions in Terms of Mechanics and Therapeutic Potentials
Authors: Ebrahimzadeh Mohammad A. , Biparva Pourya , Mohammadi Hamidreza , Tavakoli Shirin , Rafiei Alireza , Kardan Mostafa , Badali Hamid , Eslami Shahram
Published: November 2019

Background:

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is limited to produce AgNPs with only relatively low concentrations, and is unsuitable for large-scale productions. The use of Myrtus communis (MC) leaf methanolic extract (rich in hydrolyzable tannins) has been recommended to resolve the issues related to the aggregation of nanoparticles at high concentrations of silver ions with added facet of antioxidant properties.

Methods:

The produced highly concentrated MC-AgNPs were characterized by using imaging and spectroscopic methods. Subsequently, antioxidant, anticancer and antifungal activities of the nanoparticles were evaluated.

Results:

The thermogravimetric analysis and energy dispersive spectroscopy quantitative results suggested that the nanoparticles are biphasic in nature (bio-molecule + Ag0) and layered in structure, suggesting the formation of nanoparticles through a different mechanism than those described in the literature. MC-AgNPs showed greater scavenging activity of nitric oxide and iron (II) chelating ability than the extract. It also showed good reducing power compared to the standard antioxidant. Remarkable anticancer activity of MC-AgNPs (IC50 = 5.99µg/mL) was found against HCT-116 (human colon carcinoma) cell lines after 24h exposure with a therapeutic index value 2-fold higher than the therapeutic index of standard doxorubicin. Furthermore, distinct antifungal activity (MIC = 4µg/mL) was found against Candida krusei.

Conclusion:

The current method outperforms the existing methods because it produces a large amount of multifunctional nanoscale hybrid materials more efficiently using natural sources; thus, it may be used for diverse biomedical applications.
The Antitumor Activity of a Novel Fluorobenzamidine against Dimethylhydrazine- Induced Colorectal Cancer in Rats
Authors: Abdel-Rasol Mohammed , El-Beih Nadia M. , Yahya Shaymaa M.M. , Ismail Mohamed A. , El-Sayed Wael M.
Published: November 2019

Background:

Colorectal cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide. The incidence of deaths is expected to be 11.4 million in 2030.

Objective:

We aimed to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant and antitumor activities of a novel Bithiophene- Fluorobenzamidine (BFB) against DMH-induced colorectal cancer in rats.

Methods:

The antiproliferative activity of BFB against HCT-116 colon cancer cells and apoptotic genes was assessed. In vivo study was also conducted in which 80 adult male rats were divided into 5 groups; control, BFB, and the other 3 groups were injected with DMH (20mg/kg, s.c., for 9 weeks). Group 4 was injected with 5 doses of cisplatin (2.5mg/kg, i.p over 21 weeks) and group 5 was injected with 3 doses/week of BFB (2.5mg/kg, i.p, for 21 weeks).

Results:

BFB exhibited weak to moderate in vitro antioxidant activity. It had a strong antiproliferative activity with IC50 ~0.3µg/ml. BFB induced extrinsic apoptosis through the upregulation of FasL, TRAL, p53 and caspase-8, and intrinsic apoptosis through the downregulation of Bcl-2 and survivin. BFB decreased the tumor incidence, multiplicity and size and improved the decreased body weight. BFB also ameliorated the functions of kidney and liver and antioxidants deteriorated by DMH. BFB significantly improved the pathological changes caused by DMH in colon tissues.

Conclusion:

BFB showed a very promising antitumor activity against colorectal cancer induced by DMH in rats without causing hepato- or nephrotoxicity.
Combined Ischemic Preconditioning and Resveratrol Improved Bloodbrain Barrier Breakdown via Hippo/YAP/TAZ Signaling Pathway
Authors: Hong Ganji , Yan Ying , Zhong Yali , Chen Jianer , Tong Fei , Ma Qilin
Published: November 2019

Background:

Transient Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) is the main reason for brain injury and
results in disruption of the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB). It had been reported that BBB injury is one of
the main risk factors for early death in patients with cerebral ischemia. Numerous investigations focus
on the study of BBB injury which have been carried out.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to investigate the treatment function of the activation of the
Hippo/Yes-Associated Protein (YAP) signaling pathway by combined Ischemic Preconditioning (IPC)
and resveratrol (RES) before brain Ischemia/Reperfusion (BI/R) improves Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB)
disruption in rats.

Methods:

Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were pretreated with 20 mg/kg RES and IPC and then subjected
to 2 h of ischemia and 22 h of reperfusion. The cerebral tissues were collected; the cerebral infarct
volume was determined; the Evans Blue (EB) level, the brain Water Content (BWC), and apoptosis
were assessed; and the expressions of YAP and TAZ were investigated in cerebral tissues.

Results:

Both IPC and RES preconditioning reduced the cerebral infarct size, improved BBB permeability,
lessened apoptosis, and upregulated expressions of YAP and transcriptional co-activator with
PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) compared to the Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) group, while combined IPC
and RES significantly enhanced this action.

Conclusion:

combined ischemic preconditioning and resveratrol improved blood-brain barrier breakdown
via Hippo/YAP/TAZ signaling pathway.
The Potential of Serratiopetidase and Lumbrokinase for the Degradation of Prion Peptide 106-126 - an In Vitro and In Silico Perspective
Authors: Metkar Sanjay Kisan , Ghosh Suparna , Girigoswami Agnishwar , Girigoswami Koyeli
Published: November 2019

Background:

PrPC is a host-encoded prion protein, which gets post translationally modified
into a transmissible, β-sheet rich disease associated protein called PrPSc, responsible for the Prion disease
including mad cow disease in cattle and CJD in humans. The PrP 106-126 region in PrPSc peptide
initiates the conformational change in that protein leading to fibrillation. Any agent that can destabilize
or disintegrate such proteins can be served as a potential drug candidate for Prion diseases.

Methods:

In the present study, an enzyme Lumbrokinase (LK) was isolated from earthworm and its
activity was exploited towards PrP 106-126 amyloids in vitro along with another enzyme Serratiopeptidase
(SP) taking Nattokinase (NK) as a standard.

Results:

The results showed that PrP 106-126 amyloid formation was inhibited by both LK and SP, as
evidenced from Thioflavin T fluorescence assay. Further, the size of fibrils as estimated by dynamic
light scattering, was also found to be lower at different time intervals after incubation of the prion amyloids
with LK and SP. Additionally, the molecular dynamics simulation revealed the thermodynamically
favorable interaction of PrP 106-126 with LK as well as with SP with high affinity.

Conclusion:

Finally, the toxicity of the disintegrated amyloids was assessed using PC12 cell lines
which showed higher cell viability in case of LK and SP treated amyloids compared to only PrP 106-
126 amyloid treatment. Altogether, the study concluded that the serine proteases like LK and SP have
the potential to disintegrate PrP 106-126 amyloids with improved cell viability. The in vivo studies are
needed to be executed in future.
Numerical Analysis of the Dynamic Responses of Multistory Structures Equipped with Tuned Liquid Dampers Considering Fluid-Structure Interactions
Authors: Tuong Bui Pham Duc , Huynh Phan Duc , Bui Tan-Trung , Sarhosis Vasilis
Published: November 2019

Aims:

The paper analyzes the effectiveness of tuned liquid damper in controlling the vibration of high rise building. The new contribution is considering the fluid-structure interaction of a water tank as a Tuned Liquid Dampers (TLD).

Background:

Currently, buildings are being built higher and higher, which requires TLDs to be larger as well. Therefore, the fluid pressure acting on the tank wall is more significant. In previous studies of liquid sloshing in TLDs, researchers simply ignored the effect of liquid pressure acting on the tank walls by making the assumption that the tanks are rigid. Currently, the failure of a tank because of FSI occurs regularly, so this phenomenon cannot be ignored when designing the tanks in general and TLDs in particular.

Objective:

To investigate the thickness of the tank wall affect to the TLD mechanism.

Method:

Numerical method was used for this research.

Results:

A TLD could be easy to design; however one could not bypass the fluid-structure interaction by assuming the tank wall is rigid.

Conclusion:

This kind of damper is very good to mitigate the dynamic response of structrure.
Detection of Ventricular Arrhythmias using HRV Analysis and Quadratic Features
Authors: Gautam Desh D. , Giri Vinod K. , Upadhyay Krishn G.
Published: November 2019

Background :

Ventricular Arrhythmias, one of the fatal heart diseases, requires timely
recognition. The nonlinear and random nature of heart rate makes the diagnosis challenging.

Introduction:

The research work in this paper is divided into three phases. In the first phase, classification
of some of the ventricular arrhythmias is done in four classes as Premature Ventricular Contraction
(PVC), Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB) and Right Bundle Branch Block (RBBB) with
some Normal (N) samples and the analysis of classifying algorithms to improve the classifiers accuracy.
A Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest, Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and K
Nearest Neighbor (KNN) algorithms were used to train and test the classifier, with the help of online
available MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database. Then, in the second phase, the variance analysis of the
data is carried out using Principle Component Analysis (PCA) to improve the classifier performance.
In the last phase, the whole process is repeated after including Quadratic features with the
best performing classifier only.

Methods:

Signal processing, generation of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) signals from the available
Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals and training, testing of ANN classifier was done in MATLAB
environment, and the training and testing of SVM, and Random Forest classifier was done in R project
software.

Results:

Random Forest shows the best result among all classifiers with 86.11% accuracy, 87.1% after
applying PCA with top 16 features, and 91.4% after including quadratic features with top 28 features.

Conclusion:

The present study envisages helping ECG and HRV data analyses while selecting the
AI techniques for classification purposes according to data.
A konszolidáció folyamata az IFRS konszolidált beszámolót készítő vállalkozások esetében
Authors: Dékán Tamásné Orbán Ildikó
Published: November 2019

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Do Changes in the Economic Role of States through Privatization matter?: The Brazilian Case
Authors: Török László
Published: November 2019

In market economies, the subject of scientific research is the extent to which the state can contribute to the sustainability of development. However, the question is to know where the boundaries of the market and the role of the state lie. The study briefly introduces different views of the state's economic role and how states have changed the proportion of their entrepreneurial assets. Among these, it highlights privatization, which is one of the significant segments of today's economic policy practice at both micro and macroeconomic levels. It then describes Brazil's economic circumstances that led to the formulation of a proper size privatization program. Finally, the socio-economic factors that, according to the author, make the realization of Brazilian privatization plans uncertain presented.
Akkumulátoros autó életciklusának ökomérlege
Authors: Anisits Ferenc
Published: November 2019

A mobil hajtástechnológiák ökonómiai és ökológiai értékelése a teljes energiaátalakító lánc vizsgálatán alapul. Az autó életciklusának ökomérlege ezzel szemben kiegészül a gyártásban és a hulladékkezelésben keletkező károsanyagok kibocsájtásának számbavételével. A következő értekezés a téma megértését szándékozik elősegíteni és az összehasonlító értékelésnél használt fogalmakat az olvasóval megismertetni. A tárgyalt összefüggések ismeretében lehetővé válik, hogy az akkumulátoros autó környezetvédelmi hozzájárulásáról objektív és valós helyzetképet lehessen alkotni. A vázolt összefüggések segítséget nyújtanak a problématerületek felismeréséhez és az e-mobilitási stratégia céljainak és feladatainak levezetéséhez.
Artificial Intelligence Possibilities in Vehicle Industry
Authors: Menyhárt József
Published: November 2019

There have been several attempts during the last decades to extend the ranges of application of artificial intelligence. The aim of the development for AI is to replace human intelligence and experience. The ultimate aim for machines and vehicles is to run much more efficiently and with higher reliability than ever before. The Artificial Techniques (AI) used a wide range of expert systems to optimize problems. Hybrid intelligent management systems have become increasingly influential in artificial intelligence during the last decades. As a result, maintenance and fleet management systems have undergone significant development. By choosing adequate maintenance or operating strategy and taking user behaviour into consideration, these systems can not only increase the reliability and efficiency of vehicles but can also result in financial savings. The paper tries to discusses the applications of AI techniques in predictive maintenance and vehicle industry.
Alumíniumolvasztási maradék salakok sótartalmának hatékony eltávolítása
Authors: Illés István , Zakiyya Hanna , Kékesi Tamás
Published: November 2019

Nagy mennyiségű és nagy sótartalmú végsalak származik az alumíniumötvözetek hulladék alapú gyártásánál keletkező primer olvasztási salakok meleg (termo-mechanikus) feldolgozásából. Az oxidos mátrix mellett ebben viszonylag kevés (5 ~ 10 %) fém és jelentős mennyiségű kloridos alkotók (30 ~ 40 % NaCl és KCl), valamint egyéb vegyületeket fordulnak elő. A vízben oldható, illetve azzal reagáló anyagok miatt, ez a Magyarországon is évi több ezer tonnás nagyságrendben keletkező ipari maradványanyag veszélyesnek minősül és valós környezetvédelmi terhet jelent. A gazdaságos technológiát célzó laboratóriumi kísérletek szerint, a kloridos alkotók kioldása néhány percen belül megtörténik legalább 1:1 cm3/g (víz térfogat:minta tömeg) folyadékarányt biztosítva a szedimentációt megakadályozó intenzitású vízszintes rázás mellett. Ugyanakkor, az edény telítettségi szintjének is van kimutatható hatása. A viszonylag kis költségű megvalósítás a só visszajáratását és a kezelt végmaradvány egyéb célú felhasználását is lehetővé tenné.
Debreceni útszakaszok zajtérképes vizsgálata
Authors: Gombásné Kovács Mónika , Kocsis Dénes
Published: November 2019

A kutatás során Debrecen városában és környezetében található 13 számozott úthoz kapcsolódó zajterhelés számításokat és az útszakaszok környezetének zajtérképes vizsgálatát végeztük el. Az első vizsgált év 1995, az utolsó 2017 volt. Az időintervallumban évenkénti állapotok kerültek meghatározásra az adott évre jellemző átlagos napi forgalmi adatok alapján. Az egyes szelvényenként számított közúti zaj értékeken túl minden vizsgálati évhez zajtérkép készült. Az eredmények kiértékeléséhez kiemelt időszakok különbségtérképét is elkészítettük. Jellemzően közúti forrásból származó zajterhelés növekedést azonosítottunk az 1995-ös és a 2017-es év összevetéséből a vizsgált terület jelentős részén (új útvonalak környezetében, Debrecen déli és keleti részein). Debrecen belvárosára és a 4-es főút környezetére közel stagnáló zajterhelést állapítottunk meg, továbbá helyenként a közúthálózat-fejlesztés következtében zajcsökkenés jelentkezett (Debrecen-Józsa és Hajdúböszörmény között, 33- as Debrecen és Látókép közöti szakaszán, valamint a 4808 és a 4814 utak mentén).
Drónok alkalmazási lehetőségeinek vizsgálata EHS feladatok megoldásában
Authors: Zákányi Balázs Zsolt , Horváth Gábor Károly , Zákányiné Mészáros Renáta
Published: November 2019

Absztrakt. Drónok vagy pilóta nélküli repülő szerkezetek (UAVs  Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) vagy pilóta nélküli repülő rendszerek (UAS  Unmanned Aerial Systems) azon repülő szerkezetek, amelyek fedélzetén nincsen pilóta és utas. Ezeket az eszközöket elsősorban a hadseregben alkalmazták, mára azonban jelentősen megnőtt az alkalmazásuk többek között az ipari felhasználásba, a szolgáltatásokban, a katasztrófavédelemben, és a civil szektorban is. Bemutatjuk röviden a drónok legfontosabb osztályozási szempontjait. Emellett jelen tanulmányunkban összegyűjtöttük azokat a felhasználási lehetőségeket, amiket az ipar és az EHS szektor használ vagy a jövőben alkalmazni tud. Megemlítjük a drónokra szerelt és szerelhető legfontosabb kiegészítőket, amiket a speciális feladataik során alkalmazni tudnak a felhasználók.
Anyagáramok és anyagállományok egy debreceni szolgáltató vállalatnál
Authors: Harazin Piroska , Dezső Gréta Judit , Karcagi-Kováts Andrea
Published: November 2019

Az elmúlt 25 évben, egy sor kutatóintézet számos neves tudósa kidolgozott egy új kutatási irányzatot, egy új módszertani családot, az anyagáram elemzést (MFA – Material Flow Analysis). Az MFA jelentőségét az emberiség által létrehozott, gerjesztett anyagáramok mértéke adja. Az MFA növekvő sikerének alapjait egy gyökeresen új, interdiszciplináris, a természet- és társadalomtudományok (ökológia, termodinamika és közgazdaságtan) együttműködését igénylő látásmód adja, azaz nem csak a termelés anyaghatékonyságának és a gerjesztett környezetterhelés vizsgálatának hatásos eszköze, hanem segítséget nyújt a szükséges technológiai innováció irányainak feltárásához, valamint a vizsgált rendszer stratégiai anyagigényei ellátásbiztonságának az elemzéséhez is. Cikkünkben vállalati szintű elemzést végzünk, egy debreceni szolgáltató vállalat 2018-as évre vonatkozó input és outputoldali anyagáramait és anyagállományait elemezzük az MFA módszerével. Az MFA indikátorok naturális dimenzióban ragadják meg a környezetterhelést, azaz tömegben, energiában vagy földterületben mérnek, ennek megfelelően kilogrammban, vagy tonnában mérve mutatjuk be a cég kiinduló anyagállományait és az abban bekövetkezett változásokat, illetve az anyaginputokat.
A műtrágyafelhasználás piactérképének elemzése
Authors: Novák Norbert
Published: November 2019

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Egy adatsor statisztikai és analitikus elemzése
Authors: Kézi Csaba
Published: November 2019

Egy adott évben egy cég minden hónap elején megváltoztatta az általa forgalmazott notebook eladási árát. Lejegyezték, hogy az egyes hónapokban milyen kereslet és kínálat volt az adott egységár mellett. A kapott adatokat statisztikai és analitikus módon elemezzük.
Klasszikus és alkalmazott matematikai ismeretek a középiskolában
Authors: Kézi Csaba
Published: November 2019

Egy középiskola két különböző, de hasonló képességekkel rendelkező osztályban írattam egy-egy tesztet. Az egyik osztályban alkalmazott matematikai feladatokat, a másik osztályban tisztán matematikai szövegezésű feladatokat kellett megoldani a tanulóknak. Megvizsgáltam, hogy a két feladatsor átlagos pontszáma között volt-e szignifikáns eltérés.
Intelligens ingatlanok integrált védelme, kockázatainak elemzése
Authors: Kovács Bence , Tóth János
Published: November 2019

Egyre nagyobb teret hódítanak az okos technológiákkal párhuzamosan elterjedő intelligens háztartások is. Ez minden előnyeivel együtt magával hordozza az információs technológia veszélyeit is. Ezekkel a veszélyekkel számolni kell. Meg kell határozni a hatásukat és megfelelő védelmi intézkedéseket kell alkalmazni azokkal szemben. A hatékony védelem eléréséhez nyújt iránymutatást ez a publikáció.
Linear elastic finite element investigation of titanium specimen produced by Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Szabó Dániel
Published: November 2019

Nowadays orthopaedic implants are mainly fabricated from solid material (titanium alloy). The mechanical properties of these implants are much stronger than human bone tissue’s properties, and this leads to fixation problems and a short lifetime, but today these problems can be eliminated with the usage of metal additive manufacturing. The mechanical properties of the implants can be influenced on demand with the variation of the material structure using different sizes and types of unit cells for building up its structure.
Refugee Youth and Transition to Further Education, Training, and Employment in Australia: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Ziaian Tahereh , Miller Emily , de Anstiss Helena , Puvimanasinghe Teresa , Dollard Maureen , Esterman Adrian , Barrie Helen , Stewart-Jones Tamara
Published: November 2019

Background

Young people with refugee experiences are widely acknowledged as encountering multiple disadvantages that affect their school completion and retention, university entry, and subsequent employment. This paper discusses the rationale for and protocol of a mixed methods investigation focusing on improving education and employment outcomes among refugee background youth aged 15 to 24 years from three focus regions: the Middle East (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria), South Asia (Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar/Burma, Pakistan) and Africa (Sudan, South Sudan, Liberia, Ethiopia, Somalia, DR Congo).

Objective

The rationale of the project is to identify the facilitators and barriers to successful transition from school to further education and employment; investigate participant awareness of support systems available when faced with education and employment difficulties; redress the disadvantages encountered by refugee background youth; and bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice in relation to social inclusion and participation.

Methods

The study involves collecting survey data from 600 youth followed by individual interviews with a subset of 60 youth, their parents/primary caregivers, and their teachers. A cross-sectional survey will assess facilitators and barriers to successful transition from school to further education and employment. Individual interviews will provide context-rich data on key issues relevant to education and employment outcomes.

Results

The study began in 2016 and is due for completion by the end of 2019. The quantitative survey has been conducted with 635 participants and was closed in March 2019. The qualitative interview stage is ongoing, and the current total in April 2019 is 93 participants including educators, youth, and family members of the youth. Analysis and presentation of results will be available in 2020. Some preliminary findings will be available during the late half of 2019.

Conclusions

This project will contribute new and unique insights to knowledge in relation to key factors influencing education and employment outcomes among refugee youth. This research will enable effective planning for the needs of some of Australia’s most disadvantaged and marginalized young people, leading to a sustainable improvement in the education and employability of young refugees.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/12632
Predictors of Retention in an Adult Text Messaging Smoking Cessation Intervention Program: Cohort Study
Authors: Wiseman Kara P , Coa Kisha I , Prutzman Yvonne M
Published: November 2019

Background

Mobile health tools such as text messaging programs can support smoking cessation. However, high rates of disengagement from these tools decrease their effectiveness.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to identify user characteristics associated with retention in an adult text messaging smoking cessation intervention.

Methods

Adults initiating a quit attempt using the publicly available program SmokefreeTXT between March 6 and June 21, 2016 (n=6215), were included. Data were collected to assess nicotine dependence, frequency of being around other smokers, time of the day for cigarette cravings, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to quit smoking, confidence in quitting, and long-term intention to be smoke free. Multivariable survival analysis modeling for time to opt out was conducted to identify characteristics associated with opting out over the course of the intervention, adjusting for age, sex, and smoking frequency, reset of the quit date by the user, and the number of days enrolled before initiating the quit attempt. Among those who opted out, multivariable multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of opting out early (within 3 days and between 4 and 7 days into the quit attempt) compared to opting out late (more than 7 days into the quit attempt), adjusting for the same confounders.

Results

Survival analyses indicated that younger age, female sex, higher levels of nicotine dependence, lower intention to be smoke free, and enrolling in SmokefreeTXT ≤1 week before initiating the quit attempt were associated with an increased risk of opting out. For example, users who smoked within 5 minutes of waking up were 1.17 times more likely to opt out than those who smoked more than 5 minutes after waking up (95% CI 1.01-1.35). Among users who opted out from SmokefreeTXT, logistic regression modeling indicated that compared to users who were never or rarely around other smokers, those who were sometimes around other smokers had 1.96 times more likely to opt out within the first 3 days of the quit attempt (95% CI 1.18-3.25). In addition, compared to users with high levels of long-term quit intention, users with lower levels of intention had 1.80 times the odds of opting out between 4 and 7 days into the quit attempt (95% CI 1.02-3.18). Users who reset their quit date after initiating a quit attempt were less likely to opt out at either time point compared with those who did not reset their quit date.

Conclusions

Several user characteristics are associated with retention in an adult text messaging smoking cessation program. These results provide guidance on potential characteristics that should be addressed in future text messaging smoking cessation programs. Providing additional support to users with these characteristics may increase retention in text messaging programs and ultimately lead to smoking cessation.
Four-Year Trends in Sleep Duration and Quality: A Longitudinal Study Using Data from a Commercially Available Sleep Tracker
Authors: Robbins Rebecca , Affouf Mahmoud , Seixas Azizi , Beaugris Louis , Avirappattu George , Jean-Louis Girardin
Published: November 2019

Background

Population estimates of sleep duration and quality are inconsistent because they rely primarily on self-reported data. Passive and ubiquitous digital tracking and wearable devices may provide more accurate estimates of sleep duration and quality.

Objective

This study aimed to identify trends in sleep duration and quality in New York City based on 2 million nights of data from users of a popular mobile sleep app.

Methods

We examined sleep duration and quality using 2,161,067 nights of data captured from 2015 to 2018 by Sleep Cycle, a popular sleep-tracking app. In this analysis, we explored differences in sleep parameters based on demographic factors, including age and sex. We used graphical matrix representations of data (heat maps) and geospatial analyses to compare sleep duration (in hours) and sleep quality (based on time in bed, deep sleep time, sleep consistency, and number of times fully awake), considering potential effects of day of the week and seasonality.

Results

Women represented 46.43% (1,003,421/2,161,067) of the sample, and men represented 53.57% (1,157,646/2,161,067) of individuals in the sample. The average age of the sample was 31.0 years (SD 10.6). The mean sleep duration of the total sample was 7.11 hours (SD 1.4). Women slept longer on average (mean 7.27 hours, SD 1.4) than men (mean 7 hours, SD 1.3; P<.001). Trend analysis indicated longer sleep duration and higher sleep quality among older individuals than among younger (P<.001). On average, sleep duration was longer on the weekend nights (mean 7.19 hours, SD 1.5) than on weeknights (mean 7.09 hours, SD 1.3; P<.001).

Conclusions

Our study of data from a commercially available sleep tracker showed that women experienced longer sleep duration and higher sleep quality in nearly every age group than men, and a low proportion of young adults obtained the recommended sleep duration. Future research may compare sleep measures obtained via wearable sleep trackers with validated research-grade measures of sleep.
High School Students’ Preferences and Design Recommendations for a Mobile Phone–Based Intervention to Improve Psychological Well-Being: Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)
Authors: Müssener Ulrika , Thomas Kristin , Bendtsen Preben , Bendtsen Marcus
Published: November 2019

BACKGROUND

Young adults’ mental health is characterized by relatively high rates of stress and anxiety and low levels of help-seeking behavior. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions could offer a cost-effective and readily available avenue to provide personalized support to young adults. More research needs to be directed at the development of mHealth interventions targeting youths specifically, as well as at determining how to reach young people and how to effectively intervene to improve psychological well-being.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to gather perceptions from high school students to inform the development of a prototype mHealth intervention aiming to promote psychological well-being.

METHODS

A mixed methods design was used to (1) investigate high school students’ perceptions about stress and its consequences in daily life, as well as their ability to cope with stress, and (2) explore their preferences and design recommendations for an mHealth intervention to improve psychological well-being. Students from two high schools in the southeast of Sweden were invited to take part in the study. Recruitment of high school students was completed over a 6-week period, between October 25 and December 7, 2018. Recruitment entailed inviting students to complete a stress test (ie, screening and feedback) on their mobile phones. After completing the stress test, all participants were invited to complete a follow-up questionnaire and take part in telephone interviews.

RESULTS

A total of 149 high school students completed the stress test, of which 68 completed the questionnaire. There were 67 free-text comments distributed across the items. The majority of participants (55/68, 81%) stated that they coped with stress better or in the same way after engaging in the stress test, due to time management, dialogue with others, and self-refection. A total of 4 out of 68 participants (6%)—3 female students (75%) and 1 male student (25%)—took part in telephone interviews. Three main themes were identified from the interview data: perceptions about stress, design features, and intervention features.

CONCLUSIONS

Stress was described by the students as a condition caused by high demands set by oneself and the social environment that impacted their physical health, personal relationships, school performance, and emotional well-being. Participants claimed that mHealth interventions need to be clearly tailored to a young age group, be evidence based, and offer varied types of support, such as information about stress, exercises to help organize tasks, self-assessment, coping tools, and recommendations of other useful websites, literature, blogs, self-help books, or role models. Mobile phones seemed to be a feasible and acceptable platform for the delivery of an intervention.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Patient Experiences in the United States: 4-Year Content Analysis of Twitter (Preprint)
Authors: Hswen Yulin , Hawkins Jared B , Sewalk Kara , Tuli Gaurav , Williams David R , Viswanath K , Subramanian S V , Brownstein John S
Published: November 2019

BACKGROUND

Racial and ethnic minority groups often face worse patient experiences compared with the general population, which is directly related to poorer health outcomes within these minority populations. Evaluation of patient experience among racial and ethnic minority groups has been difficult due to lack of representation in traditional health care surveys.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess the feasibility of Twitter for identifying racial and ethnic disparities in patient experience across the United States from 2013 to 2016.

METHODS

In total, 851,973 patient experience tweets with geographic location information from the United States were collected from 2013 to 2016. Patient experience tweets included discussions related to care received in a hospital, urgent care, or any other health institution. Ordinary least squares multiple regression was used to model patient experience sentiment and racial and ethnic groups over the 2013 to 2016 period and in relation to the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014.

RESULTS

Racial and ethnic distribution of users on Twitter was highly correlated with population estimates from the United States Census Bureau’s 5-year survey from 2016 (r2=0.99; P<.001). From 2013 to 2016, the average patient experience sentiment was highest for White patients, followed by Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native patients. A reduction in negative patient experience sentiment on Twitter for all racial and ethnic groups was seen from 2013 to 2016. Twitter users who identified as Hispanic/Latino showed the greatest improvement in patient experience, with a 1.5 times greater increase (P<.001) than Twitter users who identified as White. Twitter users who identified as Black had the highest increase in patient experience postimplementation of the ACA (2014-2016) compared with preimplementation of the ACA (2013), and this change was 2.2 times (P<.001) greater than Twitter users who identified as White.

CONCLUSIONS

The ACA mandated the implementation of the measurement of patient experience of care delivery. Considering that quality assessment of care is required, Twitter may offer the ability to monitor patient experiences across diverse racial and ethnic groups and inform the evaluation of health policies like the ACA.
Artificial Intelligence Chatbot for Depression: Descriptive Study of Usage (Preprint)
Authors: Dosovitsky Gilly , Pineda Blanca S , Jacobson Nicholas C , Chang Cyrus , Bunge Eduardo L
Published: November 2019

BACKGROUND

Chatbots could be a scalable solution that provides an interactive means of engaging users in behavioral health interventions driven by artificial intelligence. Although some chatbots have shown promising early efficacy results, there is limited information about how people use these chatbots. Understanding the usage patterns of chatbots for depression represents a crucial step toward improving chatbot design and providing information about the strengths and limitations of the chatbots.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to understand how users engage and are redirected through a chatbot for depression (Tess) to provide design recommendations.

METHODS

Interactions of 354 users with the Tess depression modules were analyzed to understand chatbot usage across and within modules. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze participant flow through each depression module, including characters per message, completion rate, and time spent per module. Slide plots were also used to analyze the flow across and within modules.

RESULTS

Users sent a total of 6220 messages, with a total of 86,298 characters, and, on average, they engaged with Tess depression modules for 46 days. There was large heterogeneity in user engagement across different modules, which appeared to be affected by the length, complexity, content, and style of questions within the modules and the routing between modules.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, participants engaged with Tess; however, there was a heterogeneous usage pattern because of varying module designs. Major implications for future chatbot design and evaluation are discussed in the paper.
Transformation of Swedish CSOs Using the Strengths of Purpose and Empathy
Authors: Hallin Johanna , Mantel Nathalie Ahlstedt
Published: November 2019

Civil society organizations in Sweden are facing new challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing context. Demographical changes, a new political climate and a broad professionalization of the sector demand a transformational shift in business. In the project Tailwind, four leading CSOs in Sweden develop new strategies and policies to navigate the new landscape. The project explores the question of how these organizations will have to transform to be able to thrive in the future. Using positive psychology and appreciative inquiry as a method for this piece of research, key insights found include: the CSOs need to draw on the strengths of the organization when strategically developing the operations, to build their operations on empathic meetings with the target group, and to step up to claim an expert position in the public eye, sharing knowledge and insight with decision-makers about the needs of the target group.
First technological and provenance analysis on obsidian artifacts from Tafí Valley (Tucumán Province, Argentine Republic)
Authors: Montegú Juan Manuel , Franco Salvi Valeria Leticia , Salazar Julián
Published: November 2019

The aim of this paper is to report the first analyses carried out on obsidian artifacts recovered from two archaeological sites of the Tafí valley (Tucumán, Argentina), dating to the first and second millennium C.E. The study addresses the sourcing and use of this raw material in their contexts, as well as the inclusion of the study area within the obsidian distribution circuits in the Northwest of Argentina. The methodology included techno-morphological and morphological-functional analyses as well as chemical provenance studies (XRF). The results enabled us to detect, so far, the use of the Ona-Las Cuevas source, located approximately 240 km far from the sites, and to suggest the implementation of indirect procurement practices within complex distribution circuits. We have also established that the obsidian artifacts would have been used intensively in daily activities which were part of household organization, such as long-distance relationships, hunting and processing food. Based on this information, we discuss the practical uses of obsidian, as well as other possible roles of this raw material in pre-Hispanic contexts which contribute to broaden knowledge about the cultural developments of Tafí valley.
Procurement and circulation of obsidian in the province of La Pampa, Argentina
Authors: Berón Monica Alejandra , Páez Florencia Natalin , Carrera Aizpitarte Manuel
Published: November 2019

The goal of this study is to report the progress regarding the procurement and circulation of obsidian by hunter-gatherer populations during the Late Holocene in the province of La Pampa, Argentina. A total of 25 samples were analyzed in two stages; in the first stage neutron activation analysis (INAA) was used, while X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was employed in the second stage. This work adds nine archaeological samples from new sites and one from the Lihué Calel obsidian source. The results allow us to  take into account the sourcing of the obsidian which was found in archeological sites of four areas of study located in the south and east of the province.

Both, the results generated in this new stage, and those previously obtained are integrated and discussed in relation to the information produced by other researchers from the region, which are consistent with the existing ones for La Pampa. They indicate that the obsidian recovered was procured from sources located in the Argentinian and Chilean Andes, as well as the pre-cordillera in the provinces of Neuquén and Mendoza. New data expands the spatial perspective of our interpretations to four new research areas: Curacó basin, Lihué Calel hills, Valles Transversales (Transversal Valleys) and Bajos sin Salida (Endorheic low areas).
The Study of lithic assemblages on deflation surfaces. The case study of Arroyo Verde, Northern Patagonia coast, Argentina
Authors: Carranza Eugenia
Published: November 2019

This paper focuses on surface lithic artefacts from Holocene coastal hunter gatherer occupations of Arroyo Verde archaeological locality (Rio Negro province, Northern Patagonia, Argentina). The study of lithic assemblages collected at a deflation surface surrounded by stabilised sand dunes near the coastline, shows that wind produce significant corrasion (wind abrasion) of artefacts and affects preservation of small and medium size artefacts. The sample is mainly composed of chert knapping debitage with abraded and polished edges and surfaces. The artefact size distribution suggests that a subset of the assemblage exhibits good preservation, possibly due to the recent subaerial exposure. Furthermore, carbonate and mould coatings were recorded over the artefacts surface in contact with the ground, which indicates the presence of humid conditions in the sand dunes deflation area. In order to explore the factors that affected assemblage stability conditions in the locus, a machine learning based decision tree was applied. The model predicts and defines a threshold at which the occurrence of instability conditions may appear. Also, it suggests that relative altitude of artefacts within the deflation hollow is the primary variable explaining the exposure conditions recorded in the artefacts and it points out processes of differential deflation over time. The data presented here illustrates how wind alters local surface materials and emphasizes that a taphonomic perspective is needed to assess the formation processes within northern Patagonia coastal archaeological assemblages.
TOXICITY AND ANTITRYPANOSOMAN ACTIVITY OF HEMI SYNTHESIS PRODUCTS OBTAINED FROM BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS OF MITRACARPUS SCABER HARVESTED SOUTH OF BENIN
Authors: Bouraïma BAMBOLA , Alba HOUNGBEME Gouton , Clément GANDONOU Dossa , Fernand GBAGUIDI Ahokannou , Louis FAGBOHOUN , Bienvenu GLINMA
Published: November 2019

Present work involve study of the toxicity and the antitrypanosomal activity of the hemi syntheses (total of thiosemicarbazones) extracted from the substrates (reagents of thiosemicarbazides) in 1N hydrochloric acid medium from Mitracarpus Scaber harvested in the region of Abomey-calavi. The ethanolic, dichloromethane and hydroethanol extracts (50:50 v/v) yielded the alkaloid extracts with yields of 4.44%, 2.48% and 5.08% respectively leading to three products of hemi-synthesis P1, P2 and P3 whose larval toxicities have respective values LC50: 78.1μg/mL, 95μg/mL, and 48.8 μg/mL whereas the toxicity tests of the alkaloid samples of ethanol, dichloromethane and hydroethanolic E1, E2 and E3 extracted from the evaluation of the same larval toxicity test gave values of 83.41μg/mL 102.51μg/mL and 52.91μg/mL respectively. These results were less toxic than those of semisynthetic products. Acute and sub-acute toxicity in non-pregnant NMRI female mice after oral gavage of P2 product has been shown to be non-toxic. The antitrypanosomal test was carried out according to the Alamar blue method, it revealed that P1 moderately inhibits trypanosome parasites (IC50=18.06 μg/mL) as well as P2 and P3 with a respective IC50 of 17.24 μg/mL and 20, 68 μg/mL while the alkaloid totals had lower antitrypanosomal activity than the hemi-synthesis products.
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Received file

Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 6.0/10
Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 8.5/10
Reviewer(s) detail:
Name: Dr. Gehan Fawzy Abdel Raoof Kandeel
Affiliation: Pharmacognosy Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, 12622,  Giza, Egypt
E-mail: gehankandeel9@yahoo.com
 
Name: Dr. Dalia Kamal Zaffar Ali 
Affiliation: Modern University for technology and information, Egypt
E-mail: dr.moda88@gmail.com
Comments of reviewer(s):