29 research outputs found
Smoking E-CigaRette and HEat-noT-burn Products: the SECRHET study, a large observational survey among young people in Italy
Aim: Electronic cigarettes (eCig) and heated tobacco products (HTP), that heat a solution (e-liquid) to create vapour and tobacco at a temperature below the point of combustion, respectively, are emerging forms of smoking device widely diffused. The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge, attitudes and behaviour toward HTP among young people in Italy.
Methods: The Smoking E-CigaRette and HEat-noT-burn products (SECRHET) study was an online survey carried out in April 2019 using the platform Skuola.net, a platform where 2.5 million students are registered. Questions were related to knowledge about new generation smoking products, such as âDo you know what happens to tobacco when you use a heat-not-burn product?â, âDo you think electronic cigarettes create addiction?â, âAre products that use heated tobacco harmful to health?â, âAre electronic cigarettes harmful to health?â, âHave you ever heard of products that use heated tobacco?â, âIs nicotine present in products that use heated tobacco?â
Results: A total of 13882 people completed the questionnaire, of which 8056 (58%) were females. Regarding smoking habits, 3393 (24.4%) declared to be current cigarette smokers, while 802 (5.8%) and 3173 (22.9%) were current and former e-cigarette smokers, respectively. Moreover, 715 (5.2%) and 1148 (8.3%) declared to be current and former heat-not-burn cigarette smokers. The variables associated to both eCig and HTP use were current smoking, age over 18 years, male gender, and residence in Central and Southern Regions. Concerning knowledge issues, almost half of respondents believe that electronic cigarettes are addictive and are harmful to health. Moreover, most of respondents do not know what happens to tobacco when using a heated tobacco device and if heated tobacco products are harmful to health.
Conclusion: The prevalence of eCig and HTP use is higher among young people in Italy compared to adults and older people, and requires adequate public health interventions.
Conflicts of interest: None declared.
Funding: This research received no external funding.
Acknowledgments: The authors are grateful to the personnel of skuola.net
Smoking E-CigaRette and HEat-noT-burn Products: the SECRHET study, a large observational survey among young people in Italy
Aim: Electronic cigarettes (eCig) and heated tobacco products (HTP), that heat a solution (e-liquid) to create vapour and tobacco at a temperature below the point of combustion, respectively, are emerging forms of smoking device widely diffused. The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge, attitudes and behaviour toward HTP among young people in Italy.
Methods: The Smoking E-CigaRette and HEat-noT-burn products (SECRHET) study was an online survey carried out in April 2019 using the platform Skuola.net, a platform where 2.5 million students are registered. Questions were related to knowledge about new generation smoking products, such as âDo you know what happens to tobacco when you use a heat-not-burn product?â, âDo you think electronic cigarettes create addiction?â, âAre products that use heated tobacco harmful to health?â, âAre electronic cigarettes harmful to health?â, âHave you ever heard of products that use heated tobacco?â, âIs nicotine present in products that use heated tobacco?â
Results: A total of 13882 people completed the questionnaire, of which 8056 (58%) were females. Regarding smoking habits, 3393 (24.4%) declared to be current cigarette smokers, while 802 (5.8%) and 3173 (22.9%) were current and former e-cigarette smokers, respectively. Moreover, 715 (5.2%) and 1148 (8.3%) declared to be current and former heat-not-burn cigarette smokers. The variables associated to both eCig and HTP use were current smoking, age over 18 years, male gender, and residence in Central and Southern Regions. Concerning knowledge issues, almost half of respondents believe that electronic cigarettes are addictive and are harmful to health. Moreover, most of respondents do not know what happens to tobacco when using a heated tobacco device and if heated tobacco products are harmful to health.
Conclusion: The prevalence of eCig and HTP use is higher among young people in Italy compared to adults and older people, and requires adequate public health interventions.
 
How much do young Italians know about COVID-19 and what are their attitudes toward SARS-CoV-2? Results of a cross-sectional study
Objectives:
At the end of 2019, an outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia, called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. It subsequently spread throughout China and elsewhere, becoming a global health emergency. In February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the disease coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of this study was to investigate the degree of knowledge of young Italians about COVID-19 and their current attitudes toward the SARS-CoV-2 and to determine if there were prejudices emerging toward Chinese.
Methods:
An online survey was conducted on February 3, 4, 5, 2020, with the collaboration of Italian website âSkuola.netâ. Young people had the opportunity to participate by answering an ad hoc questionnaire created to investigate knowledge and attitudes about the new coronavirus, using a link published on the homepage.
Results:
A total of 5234 responses were received, of which 3262 were females and 1972 were males. Most of the participants showed generally moderate knowledge about COVID-19. Male students, middle school students, and those who do not attend school, should increase awareness of the disease; less than half of responders say that their attitudes toward the Chinese population has worsened in the last period
Deep Learning for Space Weather Prediction: Bridging the Gap between Heliophysics Data and Theory
Traditionally, data analysis and theory have been viewed as separate
disciplines, each feeding into fundamentally different types of models. Modern
deep learning technology is beginning to unify these two disciplines and will
produce a new class of predictively powerful space weather models that combine
the physical insights gained by data and theory. We call on NASA to invest in
the research and infrastructure necessary for the heliophysics' community to
take advantage of these advances.Comment: Heliophysics 2050 White Pape
HAPPY MAMA Project (Part 2)-Maternal Distress and Self-Efficacy. A Pilot Randomized Controlled Field Trial
Introduction: The aim of the pilot randomized controlled field trial is to assess if a mid- wifery intervention is able to increase the maternal self-efficacy and reduce the stress level during the first six months after birth. Methods: The study was conducted in two different hospitals in Rome, Italy, involving women delivering at or beyond term, aged >18 years old and with normal APGAR scores of the infant. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: âIndividual Intervention Groupâ (they received home midwifery assistance for one month after birth, I) and the âControl Groupâ (C). A self-administered questionnaire was administered four times: at the baseline about one week after the hospital delivery (T0), after the intervention about one month after the delivery (T1), and at three months (T2) and at six months after birth (T3). The questionnaire included different validated scales needed to assess maternal perceived self-efficacy (KPCS), parental stress scale stress (PSS) and maternal depressive risk symptoms (EPDS). Results: The study population counted 51 mothers: 28 women in the âCâ group and 23 women in the âIâ group. The PSS score was statistically higher in the âCâ than âIâ group at T1 (p = 0.024); whereas the KPCS score was statisti- cally higher in the âIâ (p = 0.039) group; EPDS score did not show significant difference between the two groups in the follow-up period. An inverse significant correlation between KPCS and PSS was found during the study window time (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: These results potentially give the opportunity to explore this area of focus further, in order to better address maternal individual needs for the successful transition to motherhood. More research in this area is required
MMS Measurements of the Vlasov Equation: Probing the Electron Pressure Divergence Within Thin Current Sheets
We investigate the kinetic structure of electronâscale current sheets found in the vicinity of the magnetopause and embedded in the magnetosheath within the reconnection exhaust. A new technique for computing terms of the Vlasov equation using Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) measurements is presented and applied to study phase space density gradients and the kinetic origins of the electron pressure divergence found within these current sheets. Crescentâshaped structures in ââ„2fe give rise to bipolar and quadrupolar signatures in v·âfe measured near the maximum â·Pe inside the current layers. The current density perpendicular to the magnetic field is strong (Jâ„âŒ2 ÎŒA/m2), and the thickness of the current layers ranges from 3 to 5 electron inertial lengths. The electron flows supporting the current layers mainly result from the combination of EĂB and diamagnetic drifts. We find nonzero J·EâČ within the current sheets even though they are observed apart from typical diffusion region signatures.publishedVersio
Wave-particle energy exchange directly observed in a kinetic Alfvén-branch wave
AlfvĂ©n waves are fundamental plasma wave modes that permeate the universe. At small kinetic scales, they provide a critical mechanism for the transfer of energy between electromagnetic fields and charged particles. These waves are important not only in planetary magnetospheres, heliospheres and astrophysical systems but also in laboratory plasma experiments and fusion reactors. Through measurement of charged particles and electromagnetic fields with NASAâs Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we utilize Earthâs magnetosphere as a plasma physics laboratory. Here we confirm the conservative energy exchange between the electromagnetic field fluctuations and the charged particles that comprise an undamped kinetic AlfvĂ©n wave. Electrons confined between adjacent wave peaks may have contributed to saturation of damping effects via nonlinear particle trapping. The investigation of these detailed wave dynamics has been unexplored territory in experimental plasma physics and is only recently enabled by high-resolution MMS observations
Wave-Particle Energy Exchange Directly Observed in a Kinetic Alfven-Branch Wave
Alfven waves are fundamental plasma wave modes that permeate the universe. At small kinetic scales they provide a critical mechanism for the transfer of energy between electromagnetic fields and charged particles. These waves are important not only in planetary magnetospheres, heliospheres, and astrophysical systems, but also in laboratory plasma experiments and fusion reactors. Through measurement of charged particles and electromagnetic fields with NASAs Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we utilize Earths magnetosphere as a plasma physics laboratory. Here we confirm the conservative energy exchange between the electromagnetic field fluctuations and the charged particles that comprise an undamped kinetic Alfven wave. Electrons confined between adjacent wave peaks may have contributed to saturation of damping effects via non-linear particle trapping. The investigation of these detailed wave dynamics has been unexplored territory in experimental plasma physics and is only recently enabled by high-resolution MMS observations
Energy Partitioning Constraints at Kinetic Scales in Low- Turbulence
Turbulence is a fundamental physical process through which energy injected into a system at large scales cascades to smaller scales. In collisionless plasmas, turbulence provides a critical mechanism for dissipating electromagnetic energy. Here we present observations of plasma fluctuations in low- turbulence using data from NASAs Magnetospheric Multiscale mission in Earths magnetosheath. We provide constraints on the partitioning of turbulent energy density in the fluid, ion-kinetic, and electron-kinetic ranges. Magnetic field fluctuations dominated the energy density spectrum throughout the fluid and ion-kinetic ranges, consistent with previous observations of turbulence in similar plasma regimes. However, at scales shorter than the electron inertial length, fluctuation power in electron kinetic energy significantly exceeded that of the magnetic field, resulting in an electron-motion-regulated cascade at small scales. This dominance should be highly relevant for the study of turbulence in highly magnetized laboratory and astrophysical plasmas
Tai Chi and Workplace Wellness for Health Care Workers: A Systematic Review
Several studies show the positive effects of new non-medical therapies known as complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs). In this context, the discipline of tai chi is obtaining a wider consensus because of its many beneficial effects both on the human body and mind. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the scientific literature concerning the relationship between tai chi practice and wellness of health care workers (HCW) in their professional setting. The research was performed in September 2019, investigating the databases Cinahl, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. Full-text articles, written in English language and published after 1995, were taken into account. No restrictions regarding the study design were applied. A quality assessment was developed using AMSTAR, Jadad, NewcastleâOttawa Scale, INSA, and CASE REPORT scale. Six papers were finally included: Three clinical trials, one observational study, one systematic review, and one case report. The methodological quality of the included studies was judged as medium level. In conclusion, this systematic review suggests the potential impact of interventions such as tai chi as tools for reducing work-related stress among healthcare professionals. Further research will be needed in order to gain robust evidence of its efficacy. Keywords: tai chi; workplace wellness; workplace wellbeing; nursing; health professional; stres