Patterns of engagement in digital mental health intervention for LGBTQ+ youth: a latent profile analysis

Engagement is a key metric that researchers can use to assess whether participants received the intended dose of a digital health intervention. However, the prevailing approach has predominantly focused on individual paradata metrics, resulting in a fragmented understanding of overall engagement. To address this limitation, our study utilizes person-centered approaches that allow for the simultaneous capture of multiple engagement metrics within imi–a web application specifically designed to support the mental health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority youth (LGBTQ+ youth). This person-centered approach enabled us to explore the association between engagement patterns and stress appraisal outcomes within the imi intervention arm. Utilizing latent profile analysis, we classified users into two engagement forms: overall engagement (total number of sessions, pages visited, and external links clicked and their cumulative time spent using imi) and content engagement (number of pages viewed across imi's four core guides: gender, stress, queerness, and stigma). We identified two profiles for each form: a “high engagement” profile and an “average engagement” profile, with the majority of participants assigned to the “average engagement” profile. Our analyses revealed a significant association between overall engagement profiles and stress appraisals, with the “high engagement” profile demonstrating higher challenge appraisals and marginal improvements in threat appraisals compared to the “average engagement” profile. However, no such associations were observed for content engagement profiles and stress appraisal outcomes. The two person-centered approaches used were consistent with prior results utilizing a variable-centered approach, indicating a stronger intervention effect among individuals who exhibit higher engagement in digital health interventions. Although both methods yielded comparable findings, the person-centered approach mitigates concerns related to multi-collinearity and adds additional nuance and context to the study of digital engagement

Characterisation of chemical composition and structural features of novel antimicrobial nanoparticles

© 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Three antimicrobial nanoparticle types (AMNP0, AMNP1 and AMNP2) produced using the TesimaTM thermal plasma technology were investigated and their compositions determined using a combination of analytical methods. Scanning electron micrograph provided the morphology of these particles with observed sizes ranging from 10 – 50 nm. Whilst FTIR spectra confirmed the absence of polar bonds and organic impurities, strong Raman active vibrational bands at ca. 1604 and 1311 cm-1 ascribed to C-C vibrational motions were observed. Carbon signals resonated at δC126 ppm in solid state NMR spectra confirmed sp2 hybridised carbons were present in high concentration in two of the nanoparticle types (AMNP1 and AMNP2). X-ray powder diffraction suggested AMNP0 contains single phase WC in a high state of purity and multiple phases of WC/WC1-x were identified in both AMNP1 and AMNP2. Finally, XPS surface analyses revealed and quantified the elemental ratios in these composite formulations.Peer reviewe

Structural correlates of semantic and phonemic fluency ability in first and second languages

Category and letter fluency tasks are commonly used clinically to investigate the semantic and phonological processes central to speech production, but the neural correlates of these processes are difficult to establish with functional neuroimaging because of the relatively unconstrained nature of the tasks. This study investigated whether differential performance on semantic (category) and phonemic (letter) fluency in neurologically normal participants was reflected in regional gray matter density. The participants were 59 highly proficient speakers of 2 languages. Our findings corroborate the importance of the left inferior temporal cortex in semantic relative to phonemic fluency and show this effect to be the same in a first language (L1) and second language (L2). Additionally, we show that the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and head of caudate bilaterally are associated with phonemic more than semantic fluency, and this effect is stronger for L2 than L1 in the caudate nuclei. To further validate these structural results, we reanalyzed previously reported functional data and found that pre-SMA and left caudate activation was higher for phonemic than semantic fluency. On the basis of our findings, we also predict that lesions to the pre-SMA and caudate nuclei may have a greater impact on phonemic than semantic fluency, particularly in L2 speakers

Pt/Ti/Al2O3/Al tunnel junctions showing electroforming-free bipolar resistive switching behavior

We investigated electroforming-free bipolar resistive switching behavior in Pt/Ti/Al2O3/Al tunnel junctions where the Al2O3 tunnel barrier was naturally formed on Al in air. Various compliance current values for the junction's set switching successfully lead to various resistance values in its low resistance state, suggesting the possibility for multi-level-operation. A mechanism for the bipolar switching is qualitatively discussed in terms of the modulation of the tunnel barrier by the reactive Ti layer on top of the barrier

Relationship of Mute Swan Cygnus olor population trends in Great Britain to environmental change

Capsule: The increase in autumn sowing of crops is probably an additional contributory factor to the national ban on lead angling weights in influencing the large increase in British Mute Swan numbers since the 1970s. Aims: The national population of Mute Swans in Great Britain has more than doubled since the 1970s, and previous correlative analyses of national population changes identified a national ban on lead angling weights in 1987 as the main driver of this change. We examine regional variation in Mute Swan population changes to test the contribution of additional environmental covariates to the observed increase. Methods: We explore regional and national variation in Mute Swan population trends to changes in climate, agriculture, water quality and angling to assess whether the same patterns emerge at different scales. Results: Changes in the extent of oilseed rape and wheat, which provide winter food for Mute Swans, showed a consistent positive association with the spatial and temporal pattern of Mute Swan population trends, while a proxy for the expected change in the exposure of swans to lead weights from angling contributed much less. Conclusion: The lead weight ban occurred alongside rapid changes in arable cropping area, with swans probably benefitting from both increased food resources and reduced rates of lead ingestion. Our study highlights the value of exploiting both spatial and temporal variation in abundance when exploring potential drivers of population change. Future changes in agricultural policy and practice in Great Britain may influence Mute Swan populations

Religion and HIV in Tanzania: Influence of Religious Beliefs on HIV stigma, Disclosure, and Treatment Attitudes.

Religion shapes everyday beliefs and activities, but few studies have examined its associations with attitudes about HIV. This exploratory study in Tanzania probed associations between religious beliefs and HIV stigma, disclosure, and attitudes toward antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. A self-administered survey was distributed to a convenience sample of parishioners (n = 438) attending Catholic, Lutheran, and Pentecostal churches in both urban and rural areas. The survey included questions about religious beliefs, opinions about HIV, and knowledge and attitudes about ARVs. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess how religion was associated with perceptions about HIV, HIV treatment, and people living with HIV/AIDS. Results indicate that shame-related HIV stigma is strongly associated with religious beliefs such as the belief that HIV is a punishment from God (p < 0.01) or that people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have not followed the Word of God (p < 0.001). Most participants (84.2%) said that they would disclose their HIV status to their pastor or congregation if they became infected. Although the majority of respondents (80.8%) believed that prayer could cure HIV, almost all (93.7%) said that they would begin ARV treatment if they became HIV-infected. The multivariate analysis found that respondents' hypothetical willingness to begin ARV treatme was not significantly associated with the belief that prayer could cure HIV or with other religious factors. Refusal of ARV treatment was instead correlated with lack of secondary schooling and lack of knowledge about ARVs. The decision to start ARVs hinged primarily on education-level and knowledge about ARVs rather than on religious factors. Research results highlight the influence of religious beliefs on HIV-related stigma and willingness to disclose, and should help to inform HIV-education outreach for religious groups

Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Presenting as Acute Lower Limb Ischemia

An ischemic foot can be developed by acute arterial occlusion. Given proper treatment within critical time, the patient can avoid foot amputation and death. Early proper diagnosis and treatment by family physician at the initial clinical interviewing is important in saving the affected leg and the life. Thrombosis and embolism are the common causes of acute arterial occlusion. Thrombosis mostly arises from underlying cardiac disease such as arrhythmia, coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease while arterial occlusion by embolism can be shown on a narrowed artery related with systemic atherosclerosis. Because the treatment options depend on the underlying cause of the acute ischemic foot, it is important to identify the cause of acute ischemic foot. At this paper, we reported a case that the cause of acute ischemic foot of the patient proved paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after some diagnostic tests

Prior Mating Experience Modulates the Dispersal of Drosophila in Males More Than in Females

Cues from both an animal’s internal physiological state and its local environment may influence its decision to disperse. However, identifying and quantifying the causative factors underlying the initiation of dispersal is difficult in uncontrolled natural settings. In this study, we automatically monitored the movement of fruit flies and examined the influence of food availability, sex, and reproductive status on their dispersal between laboratory environments. In general, flies with mating experience behave as if they are hungrier than virgin flies, leaving at a greater rate when food is unavailable and staying longer when it is available. Males dispersed at a higher rate and were more active than females when food was unavailable, but tended to stay longer in environments containing food than did females. We found no significant relationship between weight and activity, suggesting the behavioral differences between males and females are caused by an intrinsic factor relating to the sex of a fly and not simply its body size. Finally, we observed a significant difference between the dispersal of the natural isolate used throughout this study and the widely-used laboratory strain, Canton-S, and show that the difference cannot be explained by allelic differences in the foraging gene

The neural basis of video gaming

Video game playing is a frequent recreational activity. Previous studies have reported an involvement of dopamine-related ventral striatum. However, structural brain correlates of video game playing have not been investigated. On magnetic resonance imaging scans of 154 14-year-olds, we computed voxel-based morphometry to explore differences between frequent and infrequent video game players. Moreover, we assessed the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task during functional magnetic resonance imaging and the Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT). We found higher left striatal grey matter volume when comparing frequent against infrequent video game players that was negatively correlated with deliberation time in CGT. Within the same region, we found an activity difference in MID task: frequent compared with infrequent video game players showed enhanced activity during feedback of loss compared with no loss. This activity was likewise negatively correlated with deliberation time. The association of video game playing with higher left ventral striatum volume could reflect altered reward processing and represent adaptive neural plasticity

A survey on worries of pregnant women - testing the German version of the Cambridge Worry Scale

Background: Pregnancy is a transition period in a woman's life characterized by increased worries and anxiety. The Cambridge Worry Scale (CWS) was developed to assess the content and extent of maternal worries in pregnancy. It has been increasingly used in studies over recent years. However, a German version has not yet been developed and validated. The aim of this study was (1) to assess the extent and content of worries in pregnancy on a sample of women in Germany using a translated and adapted version of the Cambridge Worry Scale, and (2) to evaluate the psychometric properties of the German version. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study and enrolled 344 pregnant women in the federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Women filled out structured questionnaires that contained the CWS, the Spielberger-State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory (STAI), as well as questions on their obstetric history. Antenatal records were also analyzed. Results: The CWS was well understood and easy to fill in. The major worries referred to the process of giving birth (CWS mean value 2.26) and the possibility that something might be wrong with the baby (1.99), followed by coping with the new baby (1.57), going to hospital (1.29) and the possibility of going into labour too early (1.28). The internal consistency of the scale (0.80) was satisfactory, and we found a four-factor structure, similar to previous studies. Tests of convergent validity showed that the German CWS represents a different construct compared with state and trait anxiety but has the desired overlap. Conclusions: The German CWS has satisfactory psychometric properties. It represents a valuable tool for use in scientific studies and is likely to be useful also to clinicians