Search

Objective: To study the association between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and all-cause mortality in a healthy middle-aged Mediterranean cohort. Methods: We included 15,390 participants –mean age 42.8 years at first HRQoL ascertainment, all university graduates–. HRQoL was assessed with the self-administered Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) twice, with a 4-year gap. We used multivariable-adjusted Cox regression models to address the relation between self-reported health and Physical or Mental Component Summary (PCS-36 or MCS-36) and mortality, and their interaction with prior comorbidities or adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet). Results: Over 8.7 years of median follow-up time, 266 deaths were identified. Hazard ratio (HR) for the excellent vs. poor/fair category in self-reported health was 0.30 (95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.16–0.57) in the model with repeated measurements of HRQoL. Both the PCS-36 (HRquartile4(Q4)vs.Q1 0.57 [95%CI, 0.36–0.90], ptrend

Online assessment is an essential part of online education, and if conducted properly, has been found to effectively gauge student learning. Generally, textbased questions have been the cornerstone of online assessment. Recently, however, the emergence of generative artificial intelligence has added a significant challenge to the integrity of online assessments. In particular, it has been reported that large language models, like ChatGPT-4o, show high performance on textbased questions. In comparison, ChatGPT-4o exhibited significantly reduced performance on figure-based questions in our study. In an effort to counter the recent encroachment of ChatGPT-4o into online assessment, we propose a step-by-step instructional guide for a method in creating figure-based multiple-choice questions that are resistant to ChatGPT-4o. This involves generation of a ChatGPT-4o-resistant figure, writing the question text based on it, and evaluating the final question on ChatGPT-4o. If successfully created, ChatGPT-4o response could be subject to random guessing. Our results showcase four representative examples for introductory biology courses and illustrate a systematic approach to compose questions based on qualitative analysis of ChatGPT-4o responses. In combination with other assessment methods, our method aims to serve as a tool to alleviate the current challenge that educators face for online assessments.

Educating students to apply probability literacy and reasoning in out-of-school contexts requires the previous preparation of teachers, which should include the assessment of their mathematical and didactic knowledge. Consequently, we investigated three research questions concerning the probabilistic reasoning and literacy of 66 prospective secondary school teachers when solving probability questions related to a report taken from the media news, their ability to identify the fundamental stochastic ideas needed to solve the task, and their capacity to predict their students' potential difficulties. The participants needed to compute the probability of a complementary event, several conditional probabilities, and perform critical reading of the information in the report. Despite the participants' good mathematical knowledge, a high percentage showed reasoning biases, such as the fallacy of the transposed conditional, confusion between conditioning and causation, and few identified the information missing to solve a question. There was a poor capacity to determine the stochastic ideas needed to solve the questions, beyond probability, sample space, conditional probability, and sampling. The participants quoted a few potential errors of their students, mainly conceptual mistakes with scarce recognition of interpretation errors. These results reveal the need to reinforce teachers' probabilistic literacy, reasoning, and related didactic knowledge.

This study employs a cost-efficient method to create a pliable BC/rGO-NiCo-LDH electrode film on a bacterial cellulose base. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) analyses verified the incorporation of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and nickel–cobalt layered double hydroxide (NiCo-LDH) into the bacterial cellulose structure. The BC/rGO-NiCo-LDH composite material exhibited high-temperature stability and achieved a specific capacitance of 311 F g−1 at a scan rate of 0.1 mV/s, surpassing that of earlier cellulose electrodes. The electrode film showed exceptional mechanical capabilities, displaying flexibility and load resistance without any structural damage. The film’s flexibility and lightweight properties were improved due to the low density of 0.656 g cm−3, which is a result of the nanoporous structure and intrinsic low density of rGO and cellulose. A retention ratio of 0.40 for storage modulus at a glass transition temperature of around 90°C demonstrated positive mechanical performance. This cost-effective and uncomplicated synthesis approach produced a BC/rGO-NiCo-LDH electrode with potential. The material possessed favourable mechanical and electrochemical characteristics, making it suitable for wearable electronics.

This paper analyzes the relationship between proportional reasoning and understanding fair games in Costa Rican students. We conducted a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the answers to six items on comparing ratios of increasing difficulty level and another item on prize estimation in a fair game. We describe the strategies employed and the semiotic conflicts detected in 292 Costa Rican students from Grades 6 to 10 (11-16-year-olds), comparing the findings with those established in previous research. The results show an increase in the level of proportional reasoning with the grade, although the age at which the higher levels are reached is lower than that assumed by Noelting. The percentage of students applying correct strategies in the fair game problem also increases with grade, and a relationship between the understanding of fair game and the level of proportional reasoning is observed.

Abstract Background Diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is challenging, especially in the earlier stages of the disease, owing to the clinical overlap with other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). We aimed to identify the transcranial sonography (TCS) parameters that can help us to detect early DLB patients. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we prospectively recruited newly diagnosed DLB patients with less than 3 years from the onset of cognitive symptoms. For comparison purposes, we also included AD and PD patients, with a disease duration of less than 3 years, and a control group. TCS was performed to assess the substantia nigra (SN) echogenicity, the width of the third ventricle, and the frontal horns of the lateral ventricles. Subsequently, TCS images were analyzed with the medical image viewer Horos in order to quantify the intensity of the echogenicity of the SN. Univariate analysis and a logistic regression model were used to identify which variables can predict the diagnosis of DLB. Results One hundred and seven participants were included (23 DLB, 26 AD, 27 PD and 31 controls). The median age of DLB patients was 75(72–77) years, with a disease duration of 2 years. DLB and PD patients showed higher SN hyperechogenicity rates (72.73% and 81.82%, respectively) and a greater area of the SN compared to AD patients and controls (p

Abstract Background Connecting the composition and function of industrial microbiomes is a major aspiration in microbial biotechnology. Here, we address this question in wine fermentation, a model system where the diversity and functioning of fermenting yeast species are determinant of the flavor and quality of the resulting wines. Results First, we surveyed yeast communities associated with grape musts collected across wine appellations, revealing the importance of environmental (i.e., biogeography) and anthropic factors (i.e., farming system) in shaping community composition and structure. Then, we assayed the fermenting yeast communities in synthetic grape must under common winemaking conditions. The dominating yeast species defines the fermentation performance and metabolite profile of the resulting wines, and it is determined by the initial fungal community composition rather than the imposed fermentation conditions. Yeast dominance also had a more pronounced impact on wine meta-transcriptome than fermentation conditions. We unveiled yeast-specific transcriptomic profiles, leveraging different molecular functioning strategies in wine fermentation environments. We further studied the orthologs responsible for metabolite production, revealing modules associated with the dominance of specific yeast species. This emphasizes the unique contributions of yeast species to wine flavor, here summarized in an array of orthologs that defines the individual contribution of yeast species to wine ecosystem functioning. Conclusions Our study bridges the gap between yeast community composition and wine metabolite production, providing insights to harness diverse yeast functionalities with the final aim to producing tailored high-quality wines. Video Abstract

Background: Interventions are needed to increase access to tobacco treatment for people experiencing homelessness. We developed a community pharmacist-linked cessation program for adults experiencing homelessness that included one-time, pharmacist-delivered counseling and furnishing nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for 3 months. Methods: We conducted a single-arm, uncontrolled trial of the pharmacist-linked intervention among adults experiencing homelessness recruited from three homeless shelters in San Francisco, CA. We asked participants to complete questionnaires at baseline and during 12 weekly follow-up visits. We obtained information on cigarette consumption, use of NRT, and quit attempts at each visit, and reported cumulative proportions during the study interval. We used Poisson regression and logistic regression, respectively, to examine factors associated with weekly cigarette consumption and quit attempts. We conducted in-depth interviews with residents to understand barriers to and facilitators of engagement. Results: Among 51 participants, average daily cigarette consumption reduced 55% from 10 cigarettes per day at baseline to 4.5 cigarettes at 13 wk follow-up, and 56.3% had CO-verified abstinence. Use of medications in the past week was associated with a 29% reduction in weekly consumption (IRR 0.71, 95% CI 0.67-0.74), and increased the odds of a quit attempt (adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 2.37, 95% CI 1.13-4.99). While residents benefited from engaging in the pharmacist-linked program to increase quit attempts, they felt that to sustain abstinence, longitudinal tobacco treatment was needed. Conclusions: A pharmacist-linked smoking cessation program at transitional homeless shelters can reduce structural barriers to cessation care and reduce tobacco use among people experiencing homelessness.

Background: Chemsex has been defined as the deliberate use of drugs for prolonged sexual intercourse between gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Drugs associated with chemsex can trigger mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, risk of psychosis and suicidal ideation, social isolation, stigmatization, and even loss of impulse control and lack of coping strategies. Currently, the increase in illicit drugs in a sexual context is considered an outbreak of a public health emergency. Objective: The aim of this study is the construction and validation of the Chem-Sex Inventory (CSI), a new scale to assess the mental health risk of chemsex behaviors. Methods: A cross-sectional design was conducted to study 563 participants. Data were collected through an online questionnaire between January and April 2023, and the construct validity of the CSI was assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The sample was, on average, 36 years old (SD: ±9.2). The majority of gender identity was cisgender (97.7%). A factor structure was found that can be summarized in four dimensions: emotional instability, risk of psychosis, altered body perception, and risk of suicide. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) presents adequate reliability values, with a Cronbach’s alpha above 0.87 for all dimensions and a McDonald’s omega above 0.88 with a good fit of the 42 items. Conclusions: Our study has shown that the Chem-Sex Inventory (CSI) scale has factorial validity and could be used in clinical practice and research to measure the behavioral contribution of the chemsex phenomenon in MSM.

The pattern, and evolution of obvious post-meningitic sequclae were determined in 187 post-neonatal children followed up at two tertiary centres. The pattern of sequelac was classified using previously described schemes, as well as by the sumber of deficits per child. One hundred and eighty-seven children were assessed on discharge, 157 after six wecks of discharge and 134 after three months. The incidence of sequelae was 40/ 187 (21.4 percent) on discharge versus 23/157 (14.7 percent) after six wecks (p = 0.106) and 18/134 (13.4 percent) after three months (p 0.069 of follow up. Two (1.4 percent) of the 147 children who were apparendy normal on discharge had sequelac on follow up, while two (7.4 percent) of the 27 children discharged with major sequclae, died. Among 17 children who were followed up for at least six months, thrce (18 percent) at 26 wks to

Indonesia faces the challenge of a rapidly increasing labor force that is not proportional to the number of jobs available, resulting in unemployment. This study examines the effect of economic growth, inflation, and minimum wage on unemployment in 34 provinces in Indonesia from 2018 to 2022. This research uses secondary data from the Central Bureau of Statistics and Bank Indonesia. The data processing method uses panel data regression with the Fixed Effect model. The results of the analysis show that economic growth and inflation have a negative and significant relationship with unemployment in Indonesia. In contrast, the provincial minimum wage has a positive and significant relationship with unemployment in Indonesia.