bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toxicity of Imidacloprid Against Melipona scutellaris (Latreille, 1811): Preliminary Risk Analysis
Authors: Costa Joyce O. , Brigante Janete , Vieira Eny M.
Published: May 2024

The study aimed to evaluate the oral toxicity of the pesticide Imidacloprid Nortox 400 SC® on native bees (Melipona scutellaris) and assess the potential risk associated with visiting crops treated with this product. Biotest was conducted using eight concentrations with triplicates. The lethal concentration (LC50) was determined through oral exposure, and the oral lethal dose (LD50) was estimated based on dietary consumption values. The hazard quotient (HQ) was then calculated using the LD50 value. The LD50 value for imidacloprid Nortox 400 SC® at 6h was 0.025 μg a.i. bee-1. Regarding the environmental risk to the species, the acute oral risk quotient exceeded the trigger value by 200 to 480 times across all evaluated crops. Additionally, the risk of product drift exceeded the trigger value within 50 meters of harvest. These results suggest that, during phase 1, it was not possible to dismiss the possibility of foliar spraying affecting M. scutellaris bees.
Effects of Eight Years of Collecting on the Persistence of Liometopum apiculatum Ant Nests in Rangelands of Charcas, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
Authors: Zavala-Sánchez Julio César , Reyes-Agüero Juan Antonio , Lara-Juárez Priscila , Castillo Lara Pedro , Grajales-Lagunes Alicia , Aguirre-Rivera Rogelio
Published: May 2024

In Mexico, the pupae of the reproductive castes of the ant Liometopum apiculatum, escamoles, are highly valued in traditional and gourmet cuisine in the country’s central region. Escamoles are collected during the dry season of the year. The recommended collecting process is to open the ant nest by removing soil until the rearing chamber and the trabeculae with attached escamoles are found. A well-managed ant nest can be collected repeatedly for approximately 12 to 40 years. In Charcas municipality, San Luis Potosí, Mexico, 400 ant nests were located and checked under two land tenure conditions: the Laguna Seca private ranch and the Pocitos communal ejido. The exploitation of escamoles on both tenures was characterized by recording the number of dead and live ant nests. This work evaluated the condition of the ant nests registered in 2012 after eight years. The hypothesis was that ant nests’ survival would be greater in the private than in the communal land. The percentage of living ant nests on the ejido decreased by 35.67%. In contrast, on the ranch, it was 26.88%. The percentage of relocated ant nests was lower on the ejido, 37.43%, compared to the ranch, which was 48.1%. The number of dead ant nests on the ejido increased to 33.51% and on the ranch 15.0%. As predicted by the hypothesis, ant nest survival was higher on the private ranch than on the communal ejido lands because of stronger control of the extraction process.
Few-cycle pulse retrieval using amplitude swing technique
Authors: López-Ripa Miguel , Pérez-Benito Óscar , Alonso Benjamín , Weigand Rosa , Sola Íñigo
Published: May 2024

Ultrashort pulses have garnered significant attention across various scientific disciplines and applications. In this paper, we demonstrate that the recently introduced amplitude swing technique is a robust method for characterizing pulses in the few-cycle temporal domain by analyzing compressed and chirped pulses from a Ti:Sapphire laser oscillator. The duration of the measured pulse for the case of best compression was 5.98 fs (Fourier limit 5.50 fs) corresponding to 2.2 cycles, while the chirped pulses were up to 15 times temporally stretched. The results obtained have been validated using the d-scan technique, showing excellent agreement in all situations. Therefore, the capability of the amplitude swing technique to measure ultra-broadband pulses in the few-cycle regime is demonstrated, as well as very far from optimum compression, while only being limited by the transparency and birefringence of its elements.
Silicon FMCW LiDAR chip integrated with SLG beam scanner and k-clock interferometer for operation with wavelength-swept laser source
Authors: Yamazaki Shumpei , Tamanuki Takemasa , Ito Hiroyuki , Kubota Riku , Baba Toshihiko
Published: May 2024

We fabricated a frequency-modulated continuous-wave light detection and ranging (FMCW LiDAR) chip that integrates a slow-light grating (SLG) beam scanner and an optical interferometer for k-clock generation using silicon photonics. Beam scanning and FMCW light generation were performed simultaneously through a wavelength sweep, while the sweep nonlinearity was compensated by resampling the ranging signal using the k-clock. The interferometer incorporated a 24-cm-long Si waveguide delay line, facilitating ranging up to 7.1 m and the capture of point cloud images. The possibility of ranging longer distances by lengthening the waveguide and increasing the interpolation is discussed.
Enhanced trapping properties of coupled plasmonic tweezers via plasmon-exciton interaction
Authors: Jia Pengxue , Shi Hongyan , Xue Lulu , Liu Ran , Yan Xiaoya , Sun Xiudong
Published: May 2024

Excited plasmonic nanoantennas enable the manipulation of photons coupled with quantum emitters or the trapping of particles as plasmonic tweezers, leveraging the strong evanescent gradient fields at the nanoscale. However, the ohmic loss of metals presents a significant challenge for the stable and high-precision manipulation of nanoparticles without causing damage. In this study, we investigated the enhanced trapping properties induced by plasmon-exciton interaction for coupled plasmonic tweezers. Through the coupling between plasmons and excitons, dynamic particle trapping is achievable under low excitation power conditions of 0.45 mW, with the trapping stiffness increasing by nearly 20 times. Furthermore, the trapping stiffness can be fine-tuned by modulating the quantity of excitons to regulate the coupling strength. Coupled plasmonic tweezers offer an effective strategy to mitigate the influence of ohmic loss on trapping performance, by manipulating particles with minimal laser power. These findings provide insights into enhancing trapping performance through plasmon-exciton coupling, with potential applications in biomedicine and quantum information science.
Enhancement of cascaded frequency upconversion by ultrafast temporal correlation of twin beams
Authors: Eto Yujiro
Published: May 2024

We experimentally and numerically study the effect of ultrafast
temporal correlations in two-stage frequency upconversion pumping by
using intense twin beams. Enhancement in the upconversion efficiency
of each stage due to ultrafast temporal correlation is evaluated by
varying the time delay between pumping beams. It is found that the
temporal correlation of the twin beams is transferred to the first
upconverted beam, thereby also enhancing the efficiency of the second
sum-frequency generation (SFG). This result suggests that temporal
correlations play an important role in enhancing the efficiency of
light sources that incorporate a parametric downconversion
process.
Suppression of frequency-mixing effect for pm-level heterodyne interferometers based on “zero coupling” optical path length control
Authors: Cao Bin , Jia Fu-Ling , Yang Ming-Lin , Liao Fang-Jie , Wu Kai-Hang , Huang Xiang-Qing , Ming Min , Zhang Jing-Yi , Wen Shi-Zhe , Duan Hui-Zong , Yeh Hsien-Chi
Published: May 2024

Optical path length (OPL) noise resulting from stray light significantly constrains interferometry displacement measurements in the low-frequency band. This paper presents an analytical model considering the presence of stray light in heterodyne laser interferometers. Due to the cyclic nonlinear coupling effect, there will be some special OPLs of stray light, minimizing the frequency-mixing impact to zero. Consequently, we propose a noise suppression scheme that locks the OPL of stray light at the zero coupling point. Therefore, we significantly enhanced the interference displacement measurement noise within the low-frequency band. Experimental results show that the interferometer achieves a displacement noise level lower than 6 pm/Hz1/2 covering 1 mHz.
Low-loss silicon waveguide and an ultrahigh-Q silicon microring resonator in the 2 µm wave band
Authors: Wei Jincheng , Zhu Chunfan , Yu Ying , Wang Ruijun , Yu Siyuan
Published: May 2024

Silicon photonic-integrated circuits (PICs) operating in the 2 µm wave band are of great interest for spectroscopic sensing, nonlinear optics, and optical communication applications. However, the performance of silicon PICs in this wave band lags far behind the conventional optical communication band (1310/1550 nm). Here we report the realization of a low-loss waveguide and an ultrahigh-Q microring resonator in the 2 µm wave band on a standard 200 mm silicon photonic platform. The single-mode strip waveguide fabricated on a 220 nm-thick silicon device layer has a record-low propagation loss ∼0.2 dB/cm. Based on the low-loss waveguide, we demonstrate an ultrahigh-Q microring resonator with a measured loaded Q-factor as high as 1.1 × 106 and intrinsic Q-factor of 2 × 106, one order of magnitude higher than prior silicon resonators operating in the same wave band. The extinction ratio of the resonator is higher than 22 dB. These high-performance silicon photonic components pave the way for on-chip sensing applications and nonlinear optics in the 2 µm wave band.
Space radiation testing and thermal cycling of functionally coated Alexandrite laser crystals
Authors: Kalms R. , Unland S. , Weßels P. , Mädebach H. , Hunnekuhl M. , Neumann J. , Lorrai M. , Hmidat M. , Lorrai P. G. , Butkus J. , Lukoševičius L. , Kracht D.
Published: May 2024

We present a space environmental test campaign of functionally coated, high-quality Alexandrite laser crystals developed in the course of the Horizon 2020 project GALACTIC. The campaign comprises gamma and proton irradiation as well as thermal cycling tests. As the result of a detailed qualification procedure consisting of transmittance measurements, LIDT, tape-lift, and functional laser tests in a diode-pumped configuration before and after environmental testing, their suitability for space applications could be demonstrated.
Shorts pulse generation by optical cavitation using absorbent and non-absorbent solutions
Authors: Ortega Jose , Moran Rafael Zaca , Guzmán-Barraza Arturo , Zaca-Moran Placido , Toto-Arellano Noel-Ivan
Published: May 2024

This work presents a method for light pulse generation using microbubbles generated by cavitation in absorbent and non-absorbent solutions. The device was made by photodepositing silver and copper nanoparticles onto a multimode optical fiber. Immersing the fiber tip in ethanol or Hibiscus flower mixed in ethanol produced pulses ranging from 1 to 3 kHz and 1 to 2.8 kHz, respectively, with widths of 15-19 µs and 22-26 µs. For both cases, the output pulse wavelength is 443 nm. This setup offers adjustable pulse emission for potential applications in quantum telecommunications, ophthalmic surgery, ultrasound imaging, metrology, and sensors.
Where’s Whaledo: A software toolkit for array localization of animal vocalizations
Authors: Snyder Eric R. , Solsona-Berga Alba , Baumann-Pickering Simone , Frasier Kait E. , Wiggins Sean M. , Hildebrand John A.
Published: May 2024

Where’s Whaledo is a software toolkit that uses a combination of automated processes and user interfaces to greatly accelerate the process of reconstructing animal tracks from arrays of passive acoustic recording devices. Passive acoustic localization is a non-invasive yet powerful way to contribute to species conservation. By tracking animals through their acoustic signals, important information on diving patterns, movement behavior, habitat use, and feeding dynamics can be obtained. This method is useful for helping to understand habitat use, observe behavioral responses to noise, and develop potential mitigation strategies. Animal tracking using passive acoustic localization requires an acoustic array to detect signals of interest, associate detections on various receivers, and estimate the most likely source location by using the time difference of arrival (TDOA) of sounds on multiple receivers. Where’s Whaledo combines data from two small-aperture volumetric arrays and a variable number of individual receivers. In a case study conducted in the Tanner Basin off Southern California, we demonstrate the effectiveness of Where’s Whaledo in localizing groups of Ziphius cavirostris. We reconstruct the tracks of six individual animals vocalizing concurrently and identify Ziphius cavirostris tracks despite being obscured by a large pod of vocalizing dolphins.
Versatile multiple object tracking in sparse 2D/3D videos via deformable image registration
Authors: Ryu James , Nejatbakhsh Amin , Torkashvand Mahdi , Gangadharan Sahana , Seyedolmohadesin Maedeh , Kim Jinmahn , Paninski Liam , Venkatachalam Vivek
Published: May 2024

Tracking body parts in behaving animals, extracting fluorescence signals from cells embedded in deforming tissue, and analyzing cell migration patterns during development all require tracking objects with partially correlated motion. As dataset sizes increase, manual tracking of objects becomes prohibitively inefficient and slow, necessitating automated and semi-automated computational tools. Unfortunately, existing methods for multiple object tracking (MOT) are either developed for specific datasets and hence do not generalize well to other datasets, or require large amounts of training data that are not readily available. This is further exacerbated when tracking fluorescent sources in moving and deforming tissues, where the lack of unique features and sparsely populated images create a challenging environment, especially for modern deep learning techniques. By leveraging technology recently developed for spatial transformer networks, we propose ZephIR, an image registration framework for semi-supervised MOT in 2D and 3D videos. ZephIR can generalize to a wide range of biological systems by incorporating adjustable parameters that encode spatial (sparsity, texture, rigidity) and temporal priors of a given data class. We demonstrate the accuracy and versatility of our approach in a variety of applications, including tracking the body parts of a behaving mouse and neurons in the brain of a freely movingC. elegans. We provide an open-source package along with a web-based graphical user interface that allows users to provide small numbers of annotations to interactively improve tracking results.
Krisp: A Python package to aid in the design of CRISPR and amplification-based diagnostic assays from whole genome sequencing data
Authors: Foster Zachary S. L. , Tupper Andrew S. , Press Caroline M. , Grünwald Niklaus J.
Published: May 2024

Recent pandemics like COVID-19 highlighted the importance of rapidly developing diagnostics to detect evolving pathogens. CRISPR-Cas technology has recently been used to develop diagnostic assays for sequence-specific recognition of DNA or RNA. These assays have similar sensitivity to the gold standard qPCR but can be deployed as easy to use and inexpensive test strips. However, the discovery of diagnostic regions of a genome flanked by conserved regions where primers can be designed requires extensive bioinformatic analyses of genome sequences. We developed the Python package krisp to aid in the discovery of primers and diagnostic sequences that differentiate groups of samples from each other, using either unaligned genome sequences or a variant call format (VCF) file as input. Krisp has been optimized to handle large datasets by using efficient algorithms that run in near linear time, use minimal RAM, and leverage parallel processing when available. The validity of krisp results has been demonstrated in the laboratory with the successful design of a CRISPR diagnostic assay to distinguish the sudden oak death pathogen Phytophthora ramorum from closely related Phytophthora species. Krisp is released open source under a permissive license with all the documentation needed to quickly design CRISPR-Cas diagnostic assays.
An app-based ecological momentary assessment of undergraduate student mental Health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada (Smart Healthy Campus Version 2.0): Longitudinal study
Authors: Brogly Chris , Lizotte Daniel J. , Mitchell Marc , Speechley Mark , MacDougall Arlene , Huner Erin , Anderson Kelly K. , Bauer Michael A.
Published: May 2024

This paper presents results from the Smart Healthy Campus 2.0 study/smartphone app, developed and used to collect mental health-related lifestyle data from 86 Canadian undergraduates January–August 2021. Objectives of the study were to 1) address the absence of longitudinal mental health overview and lifestyle-related data from Canadian undergraduate students, and 2) to identify associations between these self-reported mental health overviews (questionnaires) and lifestyle-related measures (from smartphone digital measures). This was a longitudinal repeat measures study conducted over 40 weeks. A 9-item mental health questionnaire was accessible once daily in the app. Two variants of this mental health questionnaire existed; the first was a weekly variant, available each Monday or until a participant responded during the week. The second was a daily variant available after the weekly variant. 6518 digital measure samples and 1722 questionnaire responses were collected. Mixed models were fit for responses to the two questionnaire variants and 12 phone digital measures (e.g. GPS, step counts). The daily questionnaire had positive associations with floors walked, installed apps, and campus proximity, while having negative associations with uptime, and daily calendar events. Daily depression had a positive association with uptime. Daily resilience appeared to have a slight positive association with campus proximity. The weekly questionnaire variant had positive associations with device idling and installed apps, and negative associations with floors walked, calendar events, and campus proximity. Physical activity, weekly, had a negative association with uptime, and a positive association with calendar events and device idling. These lifestyle indicators that associated with student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest directions for new mental health-related interventions (digital or otherwise) and further efforts in mental health surveillance under comparable circumstances.
Employing digital PCR for enhanced detection of perinatal Toxoplasma gondii infection: A cross-sectional surveillance and maternal-infant outcomes study in El Salvador
Authors: Lynn Mary K. , Rodriguez Aquino Marvin Stanley , Cornejo Rivas Pamela Michelle , Miranda Xiomara , Torres-Romero David F. , Cowan Hanson , Meyer Madeleine M. , Castro-Godoy Willber D. , Kanyangarara Mufaro , Self Stella C. W. , Campbell Berry A. , Nolan Melissa S.
Published: May 2024

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasitic infection that can be transmitted in utero, resulting in fetal chorioretinitis and other long-term neurological outcomes. If diagnosed early, pregnancy-safe chemotherapeutics can prevent vertical transmission. Unfortunately, diagnosis of acute, primary infection among pregnant women remains neglected, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries. Clinically actionable diagnosis is complex due to the commonality of infection during childhood and early adulthood which spawn long-last antibody titers and historically unreliable direct molecular diagnostics. The current study employed a cross-sectional T. gondii perinatal surveillance study using digital PCR, a next generation molecular diagnostic platform, and a maternal-fetal outcomes survey to ascertain the risk of vertical toxoplasmosis transmission in the Western Region of El Salvador. Of 198 enrolled mothers at the time of childbirth, 6.6% had evidence of recent T. gondii infection—85% of these cases were identified using digital PCR. Neonates born to these acutely infected mothers were significantly more likely to meconium aspiration syndrome and mothers were more likely to experience labor and delivery complications. Multivariable logistic regression found higher maternal T. gondii infection odds were associated with the presence of pet cats, the definitive T. gondii host. In closing, this study provides evidence of maternal T. gondii infection, vertical transmission and deleterious fetal outcomes in a vulnerable population near the El Salvador-Guatemala border. Further, this is the first published study to show clinical utility potential of digital PCR for accurate diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis cases.
Amphotericin B resistance in Leishmania amazonensis: In vitro and in vivo characterization of a Brazilian clinical isolate
Authors: Ferreira Bianca A. , Coser Elizabeth M. , de la Roca Stephane , Aoki Juliana I. , Branco Nilson , Soares Gustavo H. C. , Lima Mayara I. S. , Coelho Adriano C.
Published: May 2024

In Brazil, Leishmania amazonensis is the etiological agent of cutaneous and diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis. The state of Maranhão in the Northeast of Brazil is prevalent for these clinical forms of the disease and also has high rates of HIV infection. Here, we characterized the drug susceptibility of a L. amazonensis clinical isolate from a 46-year-old man with diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis coinfected with HIV from this endemic area. This patient underwent several therapeutic regimens with meglumine antimoniate, liposomal amphotericin B, and pentamidine, without success. In vitro susceptibility assays against promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes demonstrated that this isolate had low susceptibility to amphotericin B, when compared with the reference strain of this species that is considered susceptible to antileishmanial drugs. Additionally, we investigated whether the low in vitro susceptibility would affect the in vivo response to amphotericin B treatment. The drug was effective in reducing the lesion size and parasite burden in mice infected with the reference strain, whereas those infected with the clinical isolate and a resistant line (generated experimentally by stepwise selection) were refractory to amphotericin B treatment. To evaluate whether the isolate was intrinsically resistant to amphotericin B in animals, infected mice were treated with other drugs that had not been used in the treatment of the patient (miltefosine, paromomycin, and a combination of both). Our findings demonstrated that all drug schemes were able to reduce lesion size and parasite burden in animals infected with the clinical isolate, confirming the amphotericin B-resistance phenotype. These findings indicate that the treatment failure observed in the patient may be associated with amphotericin B resistance, and demonstrate the potential emergence of amphotericin B-resistant L. amazonensis isolates in an area of Brazil endemic for cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Dynamics of emergence and genetic diversity of dengue virus in Reunion Island from 2012 to 2022
Authors: Frumence Etienne , Wilkinson David A. , Klitting Raphaelle , Vincent Muriel , Mnemosyme Nicolas , Grard Gilda , Traversier Nicolas , Li-Pat-Yuen Ghislaine , Heaugwane Diana , Souply Laurent , Giry Claude , Paty Marie-Claire , Collet Louis ,   Local Laboratory Network, Gérardin Patrick , Thouillot Fabian , De Lamballerie Xavier , Jaffar-Bandjee Marie-Christine
Published: May 2024

Background

Dengue is a major public health concern in Reunion Island, marked by recurrent epidemics, including successive outbreaks of dengue virus serotypes 1 and 2 (DENV1 and DENV2) with over 70,000 cases confirmed since 2017.

Methodology/Principal findings

In this study, we used Oxford Nanopore NGS technology for sequencing virologically-confirmed samples and clinical isolates collected between 2012 and 2022 to investigate the molecular epidemiology and evolution of DENV in Reunion Island. Here, we generated and analyzed a total of 499 DENV1, 360 DENV2, and 18 DENV3 sequences. By phylogenetic analysis, we show that different genotypes and variants of DENV have circulated in the past decade that likely originated from Seychelles, Mayotte and Southeast Asia and highly affected areas in Asia and Africa.

Conclusions/Significance

DENV sequences from Reunion Island exhibit a high genetic diversity which suggests regular introductions of new viral lineages from various Indian Ocean islands. The insights from our phylogenetic analysis may inform local health authorities about the endemicity of DENV variants circulating in Reunion Island and may improve dengue management and surveillance. This work emphasizes the importance of strong local coordination and collaboration to inform public health stakeholders in Reunion Island, neighboring areas, and mainland France.
A cross-sectional study on adult lifestyle habits during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Suaifan Ghadeer A. R. Y. , Abu-Odeh Ala’ M. , Shehadeh Mayadah B. , Jbara Fahid Abu , Jbara Ward Abu , Nassar Razan I.
Published: May 2024

COVID-19 has spread and developed into a pandemic disease, forcing countries to impose challenging protocols and lockdowns. This study assessed shopping, food consumption behavior, and feelings in Jordan and several Arab countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional web-based survey among the Middle East population was conducted using an online questionnaire between July and September 2022. Participants were requested to answer a standardized and validated structured questionnaire. Demographic information, shopping behavior information, and mental health data were requested. A total of 542 respondents were included in the study. During COVID-19 quarantine, participants (68.6%) reported decreased shopping frequency and buying more food than usual (37.5%). Cereals and legumes were the primary food types stored by participants (76.9%). Multiple logistic regression revealed the age of the participant as a significant factor affecting storing of food (being ≤ 25 years old (OR = 0.456, p value = 0.038)). 75.7% of female participants eat less frequently in restaurants than usual. In contrast, among males, 48.5% reported that they eat at restaurants less frequently than usual. The country of residency and gender were the significant factors affecting negative feelings and emotions. Participants in countries other than Jordan had a higher negative feeling score (Beta = 0.086, p value = 0.042). Furthermore, females had a higher negative feeling score (Beta = -0.128, p value = 0.003) as the negative feelings score for females was 3.58 (SD = 5.443). On the other hand, it was 2.10 (SD = 5.091) for males. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered Jordanians’ attitudes, shopping, and food consumption habits. Although positive behaviors have improved, such as shopping less frequently, eating home-cooked meals, and dining with family, frequent snacking and food storage have increased. Finally, public awareness of shopping and food consumption habits should be promoted.
Study protocol: The role of milk matrix lipids in programming the immunoreactivity of proteins derived from lactic acid bacteria
Authors: Ogrodowczyk Anna Maria , Romaszko Ewa
Published: May 2024

Food allergy is widely recognized as a significant health issue, having escalated into a global epidemic, subsequently giving rise to the development of numerous additional complications. Currently, the sole efficient method to curb the progression of allergy is through the implementation of an elimination diet. The increasing number of newly identified allergens makes it harder to completely remove or avoid them effectively. The immunoreactivity of proteins of bacterial origin remains an unexplored topic. Despite the substantial consumption of microbial proteins in our diets, the immunologic mechanisms they might induce require thorough validation. This stands as the primary objective of this study. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of bacterial proteins on the intestinal barrier and immune system parameters during hypersensitivity induction in both developing and mature organisms. The secondary objective was to evaluate the role of lipids in the immunoreactivity programming of these bacterial proteins. Notably, in this complex, comprehensively designed in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo trial, the immunoreactivity of various bacterial proteins will be examined. In summary, the proposed study intends to address the knowledge gaps regarding the effects of Lactobacillus microbial proteins on inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, and intestinal barrier integrity in a single study.
Analysis of addiction craving onset through natural language processing of the online forum Reddit
Authors: Kramer Thea , Groh Georg , Stüben Nathalie , Soyka Michael
Published: May 2024

Aims

Alcohol cravings are considered a major factor in relapse among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). This study aims to investigate the frequency and triggers of cravings in the daily lives of people with alcohol-related issues. Large amounts of data are analyzed with Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods to identify possible groupings and patterns.

Methods

For the analysis, posts from the online forum “stopdrinking” on the Reddit platform were used as the dataset from April 2017 to April 2022. The posts were filtered for craving content and processed using the word2vec method to map them into a multi-dimensional vector space. Statistical analyses were conducted to calculate the nature and frequency of craving contexts and triggers (location, time, social environment, and emotions) using word similarity scores. Additionally, the themes of the craving-related posts were semantically grouped using a Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic model. The accuracy of the results was evaluated using two manually created test datasets.

Results

Approximately 16% of the forum posts discuss cravings. The number of craving-related posts decreases exponentially with the number of days since the author’s last alcoholic drink. The topic model confirms that the majority of posts involve individual factors and triggers of cravings. The context analysis aligns with previous craving trigger findings related to the social environment, locations and emotions. Strong semantic craving similarities were found for the emotions boredom, stress and the location airport. The results for each method were successfully validated on test datasets.

Conclusions

This exploratory approach is the first to analyze alcohol cravings in the daily lives of over 24,000 individuals, providing a foundation for further AI-based craving analyses. The analysis confirms commonly known craving triggers and even discovers new important craving contexts.
Study on spatial distribution, regional differences and dynamic evolution of rural financial risk in China
Authors: Zhou Wanling , He Zhiliang
Published: May 2024

Based on panel data from 2009 to 2021, covering 30 provinces in China, we have been constructed the Rural Financial Risk Index using the objective entropy weighting method to study rural financial risk in China systematically from the perspective of spatial distribution. Specifically, we discuss the spatial distribution, regional differences and dynamic evolution of rural financial risk across Chinese four different regions divided into the Northeast, East, Central and West. It’s found that Local government debt and Land transfer income are the two primary determinants influencing the level of rural financial risk in China. Furthermore, we conclude the ranking value of rural financial risk across four regions that the central exhibits the highest level, followed by the West, the East, and finally the Northeast, where the reasons for such ranking results as follows. Firstly, although the highest level of risk among provinces in the West is equivalent to that in the Central, there exists a smaller minimum rural financial risk in the former compared to the latter. Then, it should be noted that there’s a low-low agglomeration of rural financial risk in the Northeast, while it demonstrates a high-high agglomeration in the Central according to the Moran Index test analysis. Again, there’s a declining trend in rural financial risk disparity within the region and an upward trend is observed when comparing different regions (except the East vs West), especially increase largely between the Northeast and Central in past two years after analyzing the decomposition of Dagum Gini coefficient. Moreover, we study the absolute differences and dynamic evolution in different four regions through three-dimensional diagram of kernel density estimation, and it’s found that the change of rural financial risk in four regions moved to the right as a whole, while the tail distribution remains inconspicuous. The absolute difference is diminishing in the Northeast, and the two-level differentiation characteristics tend to weaken as a whole in the Central, with a disordered wave peak height observed in both the East and West. Finally, the article presents pertinent policy implications but limitations according to the research findings.
Rapid respiratory microbiological point-of-care-testing and antibiotic prescribing in primary care: Protocol for the RAPID-TEST randomised controlled trial
Authors: Abbs Samantha Elizabeth , Armstrong-Buisseret Lindsay , Eastwood Kathy , Granier Stephen , Lane Athene , Lui Mandy , Metcalfe Chris , Mitchell Paul , Muir Peter , Ridd Matthew , Taylor Jodi , Yardley Lucy , Young Grace , Hay Alastair D.
Published: May 2024

Background

Antibiotics are prescribed for over 50% of respiratory tract infections in primary care, despite good evidence of there being no benefit to the patient, and evidence of over prescribing driving microbial resistance. The high treatment rates are attributed to uncertainty regarding microbiological cause and clinical prognosis. Point-of-care-tests have been proposed as potential antibiotic stewardship tools, with some providing microbiological results in 15 minutes. However, there is little research on their impact on antibiotic use and clinical outcomes in primary care.

Methods

This is a multi-centre, individually randomised controlled trial with mixed-methods investigation of microbial, behavioural and antibiotic mechanisms on outcomes in patients aged 12 months and over presenting to primary care in the UK with a suspected respiratory tract infection, where the clinician and/or patient thinks antibiotic treatment may be, or is, necessary. Once consented, all participants are asked to provide a combined nose and throat swab sample and randomised to have a rapid microbiological point-of-care-test or no point-of-care-test. For intervention patients, clinicians review the result of the test, before contacting the patient to finalise treatment. Treatment decisions are made as per usual care in control group patients. The primary outcome is whether an antibiotic is prescribed at this point. All swab samples are sent to the central laboratory for further testing. Patients are asked to complete a diary to record the severity and duration of symptoms until resolution or day 28, and questionnaires at 2 months about their beliefs and intention to consult for similar future illnesses. Primary care medical records are also reviewed at 6-months to collect further infection consultations, antibiotic prescribing and hospital admissions. The trial aims to recruit 514 patients to achieve 90% power with 5% significance to detect a 15% absolute reduction in antibiotic prescribing.

Qualitative interviews are being conducted with approximately 20 clinicians and 30 participants to understand any changes in beliefs and behaviour resulting from the point-of-care-test and generate attributes for clinician and patient discrete choice experiments.

Discussion

This trial will provide evidence of efficacy, acceptability and mechanisms of action of a rapid microbiological point-of-care test on antibiotic prescribing and patient symptoms in primary care.

Trial registration

ISRCTN16039192, prospectively registered on 08/11/2022.
Role of food choice motives in the socio-economic disparities in diet diversity and obesity outcomes in Kenya
Authors: Maina Cecilia Chemeli , Kornher Lukas , von Braun Joachim
Published: May 2024

Background

The increased prevalence of overweight and obesity, along with high diet diversity, is observed among higher socio-economic groups in Sub-Saharan Africa. One contributing factor to these observed variations is food choice motives. However, the role of these motives in explaining the observed differences has not been thoroughly explored in this context.

Objective

This study investigates whether there are significant differences in food choice motives among socio-economic groups and whether these variations can partly explain the socio-economic disparities in diet diversity and overweight and obesity outcomes.

Methods

This study utilizes cross-sectional data from four counties in Kenya: Kiambu, Murang’a, Uasin Gishu, and Nakuru. The survey employed a three-stage cluster sample design to gather data using structured questionnaires on food choice motives, diet diversity, and anthropometrics from 381 adults in 2022. The mediating effects of 8 food choice motives (health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, and familiarity) were analyzed using the Karlson-Holm-Breen method.

Results

The results show that individuals with higher household incomes place greater importance on health, mood, sensory, and weight concerns. The probability of an overweight and obesity outcome increases by 19% for a standard deviation change in the asset score, and by 8% for a standard deviation change in the years of schooling. Sensory motives significantly mediated these relationships. Sensory motives explained 29% of the income-BMI association and 30% of the education-BMI relationship. Higher education was also associated with increased diet diversity (β = 0.36, P < 0.001) mediated by higher health and sensory concerns.

Conclusions

The findings suggest significant differences in food choice motives among socio-economic groups, which contribute to outcomes such as overweight and obesity. Therefore, educational and other policies aimed at reducing obesity should also address food choice motives, while considering the disparities among socio-economic segments within populations.
Protocol for a nationwide case-control study of firearm violence prevention tactics and policies in K-12 schools
Authors: Buttar Navjot , Rajan Sonali , Klarevas Louis , Prins Seth J. , Heinze Justin , Cheung Ken , Rudolph Kara E. , Goyal Monika , Zeoli April , Branas Charles C.
Published: May 2024

Background

Most U.S. K-12 schools have adopted safety tactics and policies like arming teachers and installing metal detectors, to address intentional school gun violence. However, there is minimal research on their effectiveness. Furthermore, sociodemographic factors may influence their implementation. Controlled studies are necessary to investigate their impact on gun violence and related disciplinary outcomes.

Objective

The paper outlines the protocol for a case-control study examining gun violence prevention policies in U.S. K-12 schools. The study aims to investigate if there is an association between the total number and type of specific safety tactics and policies and the occurrence of intentional shootings in K-12 public schools, student disciplinary outcomes, and if urbanicity, economic, and racial factors modify these associations.

Methods

We will create a nationally representative dataset for this study and ascertain a full census of case schools (schools that experienced intentional gunfire on the campus during school hours since 2015) through national school shooting databases. Matched control schools will be randomly selected from U.S. Department of Education’s national database of all public schools. We will analyze 27 school safety strategies organized into seven key exposure groupings.

Results

Supported by the National Institutes for Child Health and Development (R01HD108027-01) and having received Institutional Review Board approval, our study is currently in the data collection phase. Our analytical plan will determine the association between the number and type of school safety tactics and policies with the occurrence of intentional shootings and suspensions and expulsions in a national sample of approximately 650 K-12 public schools. Additional analyses will investigate the effect modification of specific covariates.

Conclusion

As the first national, controlled study, its results will provide novel and needed data on the effectiveness of school safety tactics and policies in preventing intentional shootings at K-12 public schools.
Testing for extragenital Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis: At-home pharyngeal and rectal self-swabs are non-inferior to those completed in healthcare settings
Authors: Orser Lauren , Tran Vanessa , O’Byrne Patrick , Kroch Abigail , Bonnetsmueller Melissa , Hasso Maan , Musten Alexandra
Published: May 2024

Introduction

The rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia have been increasing in the years preceding the COVID19 pandemic. Because most gonorrhea and chlamydia infections are located in the oropharynx and rectum for men who have sex with men (MSM), and because at-home self-collected swabs for these infections are not licensed by Health Canada or the United States Food and Drug Administration, decreased accessed to in-person care during and since the COVID19 pandemic potentially means missed case findings.

Objectives

To evaluate the performance of at-home self-collected pharyngeal and rectal swabs for gonorrhea and chlamydia nucleic acid amplification testing.

Methodology

All persons who contacted our Sexual Health Clinic and who had a clinical indication to complete oral and/or rectal swabs for gonorrhea and chlamydia were invited to complete at-home swabs in advance of their scheduled appointments. We mailed swabs and instructions to those who consented. Participants brought these swabs to their scheduled in clinic appointments, where we repeated the same swabs. All matching swabs were sent to the laboratory for analysis to determine concordance.

Results

From September 8, 2022 to July 18, 2023, we enrolled 296 eligible participants who provided 1184 swabs. For analysis, cancelled specimens and specimens with invalid results were excluded, leaving 1032 swabs for comparison. We identified 66 STI diagnoses in 47 unique participants. Overall accuracy was high (exceeding 99%), except for rectal chlamydia, which was 96.0%. While the performance of self-swabs for chlamydia was lower compared to gonorrhea, at-home swabs identified six chlamydia infections that were missed by in-clinic collected swabs (two pharyngeal, four rectal). Removing these six cases as “false positives” increased overall accuracy for chlamydia detection to 99.7% (pharyngeal) and 97.8% (rectal).

Conclusion

Self-collected at-home swabs had good performance acceptable for gonorrhea and chlamydia nucleic acid amplification testing.
The Experience of Embodiment Scale: An examination of its psychometric properties in women from the Republic of Cyprus
Authors: Swami Viren , Maïano Christophe , Argyrides Marios , Anastasiades Elly
Published: May 2024

The Experience of Embodiment Scale (EES) is a recently developed instrument that assesses experiences of living in the body. Here, we prepared a novel Greek translation of the EES and examined its psychometric properties. We initially prepared a Greek translation of the EES using a 5-step procedure recommended for test adaptation studies. Next, in a cross-sectional study, we asked a sample of 933 women from Cyprus to complete the Greek EES, alongside additional, previously validated measures assessing body appreciation, psychological well-being (self-esteem, life satisfaction), eating restriction, perfectionism, and internalisation of appearance ideals. Our analyses showed that EES factorial models based on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) roundly had poor fit. Conversely, models based on exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM)–which accounts for the fact that EES items cross-load across factors–had adequate fit to the data. Additionally, we found that both higher-order and bifactor-ESEM models that controlled for the uniqueness of negatively worded items had adequate fit. The bifactor-ESEM model had the best fit of all the models tested, and was invariant across ethnicity (Greeks and Greek-Cypriots) and was unaffected by differential item functioning based on age and body mass index. Additionally, construct validity of the final, optimal model was adequate, especially for its G-factor, as indicated by significant associations with additional constructs in expected directions. These results suggest that a bifactor-ESEM model of the Greek EES has adequate psychometric properties. Our work highlights important psychometric issues relating to the manner in which the EES should (or could) be conceptualised and modelled, which should be considered more fully in future work.
A theory of oral healthcare decision-making in Appalachia
Authors: Wiener R. Constance , Waters Christopher , Bhandari Ruchi
Published: May 2024

Introduction

People make oral healthcare decisions regardless of having partial information, misinformation, sources that deliberately mislead, or information that is culturally influenced. This is particularly true in the Appalachian culture where oral healthcare decision-making practices are not well understood by researchers and dental professionals. Despite efforts to improve dental care utilization, the Appalachia region remains low in oral healthcare utilization. There is a need for a theory to identify concepts in decision-making when seeking oral healthcare. The theory could be useful in creating oral health interventions. The study objective is to develop a theory to identify concepts that influence oral healthcare decision-making in Appalachia (OHDA).

Methods

The researchers used a grounded theory qualitative study design to explain data for a theory of OHDA. Participants from Appalachia, in 20-minute interviews, provided insights into concepts that influence OHDA from August 22, 2017 to May 26, 2022. Notes/memos were written during and after the interviews and coding was conducted after the interviews. Open coding categories emerged through constant comparison of responses.

Results

Five overarching concepts that embody OHDA were discovered: Affect (Level of Pain/Emotion/Stress involvement), Awareness, Trust/belief, Resources, and Risk Perception. All participants discussed the impact of social media toward these concepts.

Conclusion

To influence a person’s OHDA, public health officials and researchers need to address the person’s affect, level of awareness, trust/belief, available resources, and risk perception. Social media is very important in awareness concerning oral health information. These factors are important to consider for similar research in oral healthcare utilization at the population level.