Materializing digital collecting: an extended view of digital materiality

If digital objects are abundant and ubiquitous, why should consumers pay for, much less collect them? The qualities of digital code present numerous challenges for collecting, yet digital collecting can and does occur. We explore the role of companies in constructing digital consumption objects that encourage and support collecting behaviours, identifying material configuration techniques that materialise these objects as elusive and authentic. Such techniques, we argue, may facilitate those pleasures of collecting otherwise absent in the digital realm. We extend theories of collecting by highlighting the role of objects and the companies that construct them in materialising digital collecting. More broadly, we extend theories of digital materiality by highlighting processes of digital material configuration that occur in the pre-objectification phase of materialisation, acknowledging the role of marketing and design in shaping the qualities exhibited by digital consumption objects and consequently related consumption behaviours and experiences

Association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been associated with exposures in the workplace. We aimed to assess the association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study. Methods We analysed cross-sectional data from 28 823 adults (≥40 years) in 34 countries. We considered 11 occupations and grouped them by likelihood of exposure to organic dusts, inorganic dusts and fumes. The association of chronic cough, chronic phlegm, wheeze, dyspnoea, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/FVC with occupation was assessed, per study site, using multivariable regression. These estimates were then meta-analysed. Sensitivity analyses explored differences between sexes and gross national income. Results Overall, working in settings with potentially high exposure to dusts or fumes was associated with respiratory symptoms but not lung function differences. The most common occupation was farming. Compared to people not working in any of the 11 considered occupations, those who were farmers for ≥20 years were more likely to have chronic cough (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.19–1.94), wheeze (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.16–1.63) and dyspnoea (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.53–2.20), but not lower FVC (β=0.02 L, 95% CI −0.02–0.06 L) or lower FEV1/FVC (β=0.04%, 95% CI −0.49–0.58%). Some findings differed by sex and gross national income. Conclusion At a population level, the occupational exposures considered in this study do not appear to be major determinants of differences in lung function, although they are associated with more respiratory symptoms. Because not all work settings were included in this study, respiratory surveillance should still be encouraged among high-risk dusty and fume job workers, especially in low- and middle-income countries.publishedVersio

Cohort Profile: Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study

The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study was established to assess the prevalence of chronic airflow obstruction, a key characteristic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and its risk factors in adults (≥40 years) from general populations across the world. The baseline study was conducted between 2003 and 2016, in 41 sites across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, the Caribbean and Oceania, and collected high-quality pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry from 28 828 participants. The follow-up study was conducted between 2019 and 2021, in 18 sites across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. At baseline, there were in these sites 12 502 participants with high-quality spirometry. A total of 6452 were followed up, with 5936 completing the study core questionnaire. Of these, 4044 also provided high-quality pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry. On both occasions, the core questionnaire covered information on respiratory symptoms, doctor diagnoses, health care use, medication use and ealth status, as well as potential risk factors. Information on occupation, environmental exposures and diet was also collected

Analysis of climatic changes based on indicators of temperature extremes in the Balkan and in the Mediterranean region

Realization of this study is based on research and processing of climatic temperature indicators reflected in materials science in 2008. After receiving the data, processing is done on the basis of deductive logic, based on environmental arguments which are changing due to climate change impacts. Space climate change affects countries and regions around the globe. This overview on the ends of the temperature indicator for Balkan and Mediterranean countries, gives us an opportunity to pass on to deeper studies, because the impact of climate change on physical and biological environment has no borders. The risk of global climate change is becoming increasingly apparent, there is a true need to focus on efforts to limit greenhouse gases and to minimize this issue the impacts on climate change. Lower extremity temperatures ranging up to - 32 0C station Rozaje, Montenegro and high ends of the temperature station Kebili +50 oC

Parp inhibitors as maintenance treatment in platinum sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. an updated meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials according to brca mutational status

Objective: This meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness of PARP inhibitors (PARPis) as maintenance treatment in platinum sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC), stratifying results based on BRCA mutational status into five different categories: whole population, germ-line BRCA mutated patients, somatic BRCA mutated patients, HRD patients and wild type population. Methods: PubMed, Medline, Scopus, EMBASE and clinicaltrials.gov, as well as meeting proceedings were searched for eligible studies that described RCTs testing the efficacy of PARPis as maintenance treatment in platinum sensitive ROC. Data were extracted independently and analysed using RevMan statistical software version 5.3. Primary end-point was progression free survival (PFS). Results: The analysis confirmed the positive effect of PARPis in patients with platinum sensitive ROC in case of germinal or somatic BRCA mutations. Specifically, HR for PFS was 0.26, 95% CI 0.21–0.31, p < 0.00001 for the mutation of BRCA gene and 0.24, 95%, CI 0.12–0.48, p < 0.0001 for the somatic alteration. In addition, in the HRD population, studies that analysed the efficacy of PARPis reported a PFS improvement with HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.26–0.43, p < 0.00001. Finally, our analysis confirms the role of these drugs in prolonging PFS in the whole population with HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.32–0.42, p < 0.00001, although to a lesser extent, with a significant improvement even in wild type cancers with HR 0.49, 95%, CI 0.41–0.59, p < 0.00001). Conclusions: PARPis are effective regardless of BRCA mutational status. Future investigations are necessary to explore the use of different PARPis as monotherapy, comparing them among each other in terms of efficacy and toxicity, and exploring their potential re-use

An Importance-Performance Matrix Analysis of the Factors Influencing US Tourists to Use Airbnb

After 10 years of Airbnb and its significant growth, this research is conducted to identify which factors really matter to Airbnb users today. It provides an integrated approach, since it aggregates factors that other studies have considered separately. With a sample of 101 US respondents, the partial least squares structural equation modelling results evidence that the only factors that influence future intentions to use Airbnb are its unique and varied accommodations and satisfaction. Enjoyment was also found to have a positive effect on Satisfaction. The study further investigates these factors with an Importance Performance map, providing guidance for the prioritization of managerial activities of high importance for futures intentions to use Airbnb.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio