Search

BackgroundDigital technologies have afforded people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) access to telehealth consultations, diagnostic tools, and monitoring. Although health care professionals remain the most trusted source of information, the internet has emerged as a valuable resource for providing MS-related information, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, people living with MS are increasingly seeking educational content for a range of topics related to the self-management of MS; however, web-based information seeking remains largely underevaluated. To address this gap and ensure that web-based health-related information is accessible and engaging, this study used qualitative methods to analyze the reflections from participants of web-based educational programs for people living with MS. ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the motivations, behaviors, and expectations of web-based health information seeking for people living with MS. MethodsWe conducted semistructured interviews for 38 people living with MS 1 month after they completed the novel MS Online Course, which provided information on modifiable lifestyle-related risk factors for people living with MS. Of the 38 participants, 22 (58%) completed the intervention course and 16 (42%) completed the standard care course. Inductive thematic analysis was used within a qualitative paradigm, and 2 authors coded each interview separately and arrived at themes with consensus. ResultsWe identified 2 themes: motivation to learn and MS information on the web. The diagnosis of MS was described as a pivotal moment for precipitating web-based information seeking. People living with MS sought lifestyle-related information to facilitate self-management and increase control of their MS. Although social media sites and MS websites were considered useful for providing both support and information, discretion was needed to critically appraise information. Recognizable institutions were frequently accessed because of their trustworthiness. ConclusionsThis study provided novel insights into the motivations of people living with MS for seeking web-based health information. Furthermore, their preferences for the content and format of the web-based information accessed and their experiences and reactions to this information were explored. These findings may guide educators, researchers, and clinicians involved in MS care to optimize the engagement and processing of web-based health information seeking by people living with MS.

La fertilización foliar permite complementar la nutrición de los cultivos bajo condiciones limitantes del suelo y clima. El objetivo de la investigación fue evaluar la efectividad de la nutrición foliar complementaria en el rendimiento, sanidad y rentabilidad del cacao nacional bajo condiciones de secano. Los tratamientos evaluados fueron fertilización foliar con NPK (T1), macro y micronutrientes + tierra de diatomeas (T2), macro y micronutrientes + fitorreguladores + tierra de diatomeas (T3), macro y micronutrientes + fitorreguladores + aminoácidos + tierra de diatomeas (T4), fertilización edáfica NPK (T5) y tratamiento control (T6). Se utilizó un diseño de bloques completos al azar, con cuatro replicas y 24 unidades experimentales. Las principales variables registradas fueron incidencia de mazorcas enfermas (IME), rendimiento de grano seco (RGS) y beneficio económico neto (BEN). Los datos se analizaron con ANOVA y prueba de medias de Tukey (α = 0,05). Los resultados indicaron diferencias estadísticas significativas (p

La macropropagación de plátano en cámara térmica es un método alternativo, económico y eficiente en la producción de plántulas de calidad. El objetivo de la investigación fue evaluar el efecto de varios tipos de sustratos y diferentes tamaños de brotes en la producción y calidad de plántulas de plátano propagadas en cámara térmica. Se desarrollaron dos experimentos separados. En el primero, se probó el efecto de cuatro sustratos sobre la producción de yemas de plátano en cámara térmica, usando bovinaza compostada (BC), bovinaza compostada + cascarilla de maní (BC + CM), bovinaza compostada + cascarilla de arroz (BC + CA) y bovinaza compostada + aserrín blanco (BC + AB), y se registró la tasa de multiplicación. En el segundo, se evaluó el efecto de tres tamaños de brotes sobre el crecimiento y calidad de plántulas en fase de vivero, usando brotes tipo A (entre 6-10 cm), tipo B (entre 11-15 cm) y tipo C (entre 16-20 cm), y se midieron variables de crecimiento y calidad de plántulas. En ambos experimentos, se utilizó un diseño completamente aleatorizado. Se realizó análisis de varianza y comparación de medias (Tukey, p ≤ 0,05). La mayor tasa de multiplicación de plántulas se produjo con el sustrato BC + CA. El mayor crecimiento e índice de calidad de Dickson en plántulas durante la aclimatación se produjo en brotes tipo C. El tipo de sustrato y tamaño de brote fueron determinantes en la producción y calidad de plántulas de plátano macropropagadas.

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo dilucidar los factores relacionados al transporte que tienen influencia sobre el pH y la temperatura del músculo post mortem, en la canal de los animales faenados en el camal frigorífico Nobol (GAI) de la provincia del Guayas, Ecuador. Se muestrearon 605 bovinos; las variables independientes como mezcla de categorías, tipos de categorías, sexo, tiempo de viaje y tipo de cama usado para el transporte fueron evaluados como posibles causas de variaciones del pH y temperatura. Se identificó que la temperatura de los bovinos sometidos a más de 3 horas de viaje y camas a base de residuo de caña generan una elevación de la temperatura corporal, afectando en la calidad de la carne y produciendo carnes de tipo pálidas, blandas y exudativas (PSE); corroborando que los factores relacionados al transporte son precursores de estrés en los semovientes. Palabras clave: vacas; camal; PSE; DFD; movilidad

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar algunos factores relacionados al transporte de bovinos previo al sacrificio, aportando datos relacionados al bienestar animal de los vacunos de Ecuador, y su impacto económico. Las variables dependientes fueron número de hematomas, decomiso de carne y pérdidas económicas; frente a variables independientes relacionadas a la mezcla de categorías, tipo de categoría, sexo, tipo de cama usada en el transporte y tiempo de viaje, al cual fueron sometidos los animales. Se evidenció que las hembras, específicamente las vacas y vaconas, fueron la categoría más afectada al ser sometidas a las variables de estudio; en contraposición, no se encontró evidencia de que los tiempos prolongados de viaje sean factores predisponentes de lesiones.

BackgroundObtaining patient feedback is an essential mechanism for health care service providers to assess their quality and effectiveness. Unlike assessments of clinical outcomes, feedback from patients offers insights into their lived experiences. The Department of Health and Social Care in England via National Health Service Digital operates a patient feedback web service through which patients can leave feedback of their experiences in structured and free-text report forms. Free-text feedback, compared with structured questionnaires, may be less biased by the feedback collector and, thus, more representative; however, it is harder to analyze in large quantities and challenging to derive meaningful, quantitative outcomes. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to build a novel data analysis and interactive visualization pipeline accessible through an interactive web application to facilitate the interrogation of and provide unique insights into National Health Service patient feedback. MethodsThis study details the development of a text analysis tool that uses contemporary natural language processing and machine learning models to analyze free-text clinical service reviews to develop a robust classification model and interactive visualization web application. The methodology is based on the design science research paradigm and was conducted in three iterations: a sentiment analysis of the patient feedback corpus in the first iteration, topic modeling (unigram and bigram)–based analysis for topic identification in the second iteration, and nested topic modeling in the third iteration that combines sentiment analysis and topic modeling methods. An interactive data visualization web application for use by the general public was then created, presenting the data on a geographic representation of the country, making it easily accessible. ResultsOf the 11,103 possible clinical services that could be reviewed across England, 2030 (18.28%) different services received a combined total of 51,845 reviews between October 1, 2017, and September 30, 2019. Dominant topics were identified for the entire corpus followed by negative- and positive-sentiment topics in turn. Reviews containing high- and low-sentiment topics occurred more frequently than reviews containing less polarized topics. Time-series analysis identified trends in topic and sentiment occurrence frequency across the study period. ConclusionsUsing contemporary natural language processing techniques, unstructured text data were effectively characterized for further analysis and visualization. An efficient pipeline was successfully combined with a web application, making automated analysis and dissemination of large volumes of information accessible. This study represents a significant step in efforts to generate and visualize useful, actionable, and unique information from free-text patient reviews.

This article investigates who wants, or does not want to work in Russian public administration, and why. A majority of Russians believe that public servants are concerned with improving their personal well-being rather than serving the public interest. Understanding working sector choices is thus the first step to attract talent into the civil service. We study public employment intention among a group of students of public administration in two elite Moscow universities who are relatively early undergraduates. Parents working in the civil service are the most important public sector career motivators of students in Russia, more important than positive perceptions of public sector compensation and its impact on society. Our findings imply that early-stage career plans are shaped outside university lecture rooms. We conclude that teaching public administration in Russia will have to focus on drawing a line between behavior that falls below standards of the profession and efforts to contribute to the well-being of citizens.

Low-income, minority seniors face high rates of hypertension that increase cardiovascular risk. Senior centers offer services, including congregate meals, that can be a valuable platform to reach older adults in underserved communities. We implemented two evidence-based interventions not previously tested in this setting: DASH-aligned congregate meals and Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP), to lower blood pressure (BP) at two senior centers serving low-income, racially diverse communities. The study enrolled congregate meal program participants, provided training and support for SMPB, and nutrition and BP education. DASH-aligned meals delivered 40% (lunch) or 70% (breakfast and lunch) of DASH requirements/day. Primary outcomes were change in BP, and BP control, at Month 1. Implementation data collected included client characteristics, menu fidelity, meal attendance, SMBP adherence, meal satisfaction, input from partner organizations and stakeholders, effort, and food costs. We used the RE-AIM framework to analyze implementation. Study Reach included 94 older, racially diverse participants reflecting neighborhood characteristics. Effectiveness: change in systolic BP at Month 1 trended towards significance (−4 mmHg, p = 0.07); change in SMBP reached significance at Month 6 (−6.9 mmHg, p = 0.004). We leveraged existing community-academic partnerships, leading to Adoption at both target sites. The COVID pandemic interrupted Implementation and Maintenance and may have attenuated BP effectiveness. DASH meals served were largely aligned with planned menus. Meal attendance remained consistent; meal satisfaction was high. Food costs increased by 10%. This RE-AIM analysis highlights the acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity of this DASH/SMBP health intervention to lower BP at senior centers. It encourages future research and offers important lessons for organizations delivering services to older adults and addressing cardiovascular risk among vulnerable populations.