Mental Disorders, Musculoskeletal Disorders and Income-Driven Patterns: Evidence from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: The aim of the present study was to use the extensive Global Burden ofDiseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) database from 1990-2017 to evaluate the levels andtemporal correlation trends between disability adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed tomusculoskeletal (MSK) disorders, all mental disorders collectively and by mental disorder subcategory. Methods: We utilized results of the GBD 2017 to describe the correlation patterns betweenDALYs due to MSK disorders, mental disorders and other diseases among 195 countries. Mixedmodel analysis was also applied. Results: A consistent relation was reported between age-adjustedDALYs attributed to MSK and mental disorders (in total) among the 195 countries, in both sexes,for 1990 to 2017 (1990 Rho = 0.487; 2017 Rho =0.439 p < 0.05). Distinct regional and gender correlationpatterns between age-adjusted DALYs due to MSK and mental disorders were reported. Nocorrelation was reported between DALYs due to MSK and all mental disorders collectively, amongLow- or Middle-income countries. However, in High-income countries (HICs), the correlation wasstrong and consistent between 1990 and 2017 (1990 Rho = 0.735; 2017 Rho = 0.727, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The reported correlation patterns call for targeted preventive strategies andintervention policies for mental and MSK disorders internationally. Special attention is neededamong HICs

From childhood financial hardship to late-life depression: socioeconomic pathways

Objective: Childhood financial hardship is associated with depression throughout the life course, including older adulthood. However, it is still unclear the extent to which occupation, education level and household income are mediators of this association. We aimed to examine the association between childhood financial hardship and late-life depression, and potential socioeconomic mediators using community-based data. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 3623 non-institutionalized older Spanish adults aged 50+ was used. The associations between childhood financial hardship and depression, socioeconomic mediator variables and confounding variables such as chronic physical conditions, number of close people, and loneliness, were assessed through logistic regression models. Mediation analyses of socioeconomic variables were carried out. Results: Older Spanish adults who experienced a poor childhood financial situation were nine times more likely to obtain a lower level of education than those with a good childhood financial situation, and about three times more likely to suffer from depression. Participants' education level mediated about 35-40% of the association between childhood financial hardship and late-life depression whereas we found no significant mediation effect of household income and occupation skill. Conclusion: Improving access to the educational system during the life course might result in a reduction in the prevalence of depression in the general population of older adults and particularly among individuals with low socioeconomic status

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Potential Moderators Associated with All-Cause Mortality in a Representative Sample of Spanish Older Adults

This study sought to determine the association between levels of fruit and vegetable consumption and time to death, and to explore potential moderators. We analyzed a nationally-representative sample of 1699 older adults aged 65+ who were followed up for a period of 6 years. Participants were classified into low (≤3 servings day), medium (4), or high (≥5) consumption using tertiles. Unadjusted and adjusted cox proportional hazard regression models (by age, gender, cohabiting, education, multimorbidity, smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and obesity) were calculated. The majority of participants (65.7%) did not meet the recommendation of five servings per day. High fruit and vegetable intake increased by 27% the probability of surviving among older adults with two chronic conditions, compared to those who consumed ≤3 servings per day (HR = 0.38, 95%CI = 0.21-0.69). However, this beneficial effect was not found for people with none, one chronic condition or three or more, indicating that this protective effect might not be sufficient for more severe cases of multimorbidity. Given a common co-occurrence of two non-communicable diseases in the elderly and the low frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption in this population, interventions to promote consuming five or more servings per day could have a significant positive impact on reducing mortality

Measurement Invariance of the Self-Description Questionnaire II in a Chinese sample

Studies on the construct validity of the Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQII) have not compared the factor structure between the English and Chinese versions of the SDQII. By using rigorous multiple group comparison procedures based upon confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of measurement invariance, the present study examined the responses of Australian high school students (N = 302) and Chinese high school students (N = 322) using the English and Chinese versions of the SDQII, respectively. CFA provided strong evidence that the factor structure (factor loading and item intercept) of the Chinese version of the SDQII in comparison to responses to the English version of the SDQII is invariant, therefore it allows researchers to confidently utilize both the English and Chinese versions of the SDQII with Chinese and Australian samples separately and cross-culturally

Mental Disorders, Musculoskeletal Disorders and Income-Driven Patterns: Evidence from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: The aim of the present study was to use the extensive Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) database from 1990&ndash;2017 to evaluate the levels and temporal correlation trends between disability adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed to musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders, all mental disorders collectively and by mental disorder sub-category. Methods: We utilized results of the GBD 2017 to describe the correlation patterns between DALYs due to MSK disorders, mental disorders and other diseases among 195 countries. Mixed model analysis was also applied. Results: A consistent relation was reported between age-adjusted DALYs attributed to MSK and mental disorders (in total) among the 195 countries, in both sexes, for 1990 to 2017 (1990 Rho = 0.487; 2017 Rho = 0.439 p &lt; 0.05). Distinct regional and gender correlation patterns between age-adjusted DALYs due to MSK and mental disorders were reported. No correlation was reported between DALYs due to MSK and all mental disorders collectively, among Low- or Middle-income countries. However, in High-income countries (HICs), the correlation was strong and consistent between 1990 and 2017 (1990 Rho = 0.735; 2017 Rho = 0.727, p &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: The reported correlation patterns call for targeted preventive strategies and intervention policies for mental and MSK disorders internationally. Special attention is needed among HICs

Precision Face Milling of Maraging Steel 350: An Experimental Investigation and Optimization Using Different Machine Learning Techniques

Maraging steel, characterized by its superior strength-to-weight ratio, wear resistance, and pressure tolerance, is a material of choice in critical applications, including aerospace and automotive components. However, the machining of this material presents significant challenges due to its inherent properties. This study comprehensively examines the impacts of face milling variables on maraging steel’s surface quality, cutting temperature, energy consumption, and material removal rate (MRR). An experimental analysis was conducted, and the gathered data were utilized for training and testing five machine learning (ML) models: support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), artificial neural network (ANN), random forest, and XGBoost. Each model aimed to predict the outcomes of different machining parameters efficiently. XGBoost emerged as the most effective, delivering an impressive 98% prediction accuracy across small datasets. The study extended into applying a genetic algorithm (GA) for optimizing XGBoost’s hyperparameters, further enhancing the model’s predictive accuracy. The GA was instrumental in multi-objective optimization, considering various responses, including surface roughness and energy consumption. The optimization process evaluated different weighting methods, including equal weights and weights derived from the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) based on expert insights. The findings indicate that the refined XGBoost model, augmented by GA-optimized hyperparameters, provides highly accurate predictions for machining parameters. This outcome holds significant implications for industries engaged in the machining of maraging steel, offering a pathway to optimized operational efficiency, reduced costs, and enhanced product quality amid the material’s machining challenges

Domain specificity between peer support and self-concept

Peer support interventions have mostly neglected the domain specificity of intervention effects. In two studies, the present investigation examined the domain specificity of peer support interventions targeting specific domains of self-concept. In Study 1, participants (n = 50) who had received an academically oriented peer support intervention on verbal subject matter improved significantly in verbal self-concept—but not other areas of self-concept—as compared with a control group that had not participated in the intervention. In Study 2, participants (n = 53) who had received a socially oriented peer support intervention that focused on interpersonal skills and communication improved significantly in same-sex relations self-concept—but not in other areas of self-concept—as compared with the control group. Hence, there is a compelling need for reconceptualizing peer support into academic and social domains in terms of domain specificity

Juxtaposing math self-efficacy and self-concept as predictors of long-term achievement outcomes

In this study, we tested the hypothesis that self-efficacy and self-concept reflect different underlying processes and both are critical to understanding long-term achievement outcomes. Although both types of self-belief are well established in educational psychology, research comparing and contrasting their relationship with achievement has been surprisingly sparse. This is particularly the case when considering critical developmental periods and high-stakes achievement outcomes. In the current research, we use the longitudinal study of Australian youth which uses the 2003 Australian Programme of International Student Assessment cohort (N = 10,370; M [age] = 15) as the first time wave and follows participants over eight years. Using latent path modelling and controlling for a wide range of background covariates, we found: (a) strong relations between achievement, self-efficacy and self-concept in mathematics at age 15; (b) both self-concept and self-efficacy were independent and similarly strong predictors of tertiary entrance ranks at the end of high school; (c) math self-efficacy was a significant predictor of university entry but math self-concept was not; and (d) math self-concept was a significant predictor of undertaking post-school studies in science, technology, engineering or math, but math self-efficacy was not