Probability distribution of long-run indiscriminate felling of trees in Adamawa state, north eastern Nigeria

The study was undertaken to determine the probability distribution of Long-run indiscriminate felling of trees in northern senatorial district of Adamawa State. Specifically, the study focused on examining the future direction of indiscriminate felling of trees as well as its equilibrium distribution. A multi-stage and simple random sampling technique was employed in soliciting respondents for the study. Three out of the five local Government areas that made up the senatorial district were sampled in the first instance; the second stage was the sampling of sixty respondents using a simple random sampling from each of the three local government areas making a total of one hundred and eighty respondents. Structured questionnaires were administered on the one hundred and eightyrespondents. Results revealed that there is a dismal reduction in the numbers of trees on various farms. This was indicated by majority, 64% of the farmers in Madagali, 58% of the famer in Maiha and 86% of the farmers in Mubi North Local Government Areas. Conclusively, the study is a wake-up call for all the authorities concern to swing into action before the study area is declared “desert” because by all indication there is desert encroachment. Massive tree planting is encouraged and there should also be strict law against the act of felling of trees

ALS patients in otorhinolaryngology : A retrospective study

Objectives Given its rarity and the lack of clear clinical markers, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remains a diagnostic challenge. Because bulbar-onset ALS (buALS) presents with impaired speech or swallowing, patients are often primarily referred to an otolaryngologist (ORL) or phoniatrician. The objectives of this retrospective cohort study were to analyze the role of ORLs and phoniatricians in ALS diagnostics and treatment and the potential diagnostic delay related to initial visit to aforementioned specialists. Methods We reviewed data for all 327 patients treated for ALS through the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) between 2010 and 2014, focusing specifically on 110 (34%) patients presenting with bulbar nerve onset (buALS). Their presenting symptoms, referral to specialized care, and delay in referral to a neurology clinic were assessed. Indications and findings from swallowing studies were reviewed as well as the incidence of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) and tracheostomy. Results Among the 110 patients with buALS, 64 (58%) were primarily referred to a neurologist, 28 (25%) to an ORL, and five (5%) to a phoniatrician. The most common presenting symptom was dysarthria in 89 patients, (81%), followed by dysphagia in 26 (24%). In most cases, an ORL or phoniatrician suspected a neuromuscular disease; however, in eight (24%) cases, the neurological etiology of symptoms was missed. Overall, 49 (45%) patients underwent a swallowing study and 86 (78%) patients underwent PEG placement. Conclusions Among buALS patients, 30% initially consulted an ORL or phoniatrician and 45% underwent a swallowing study. Based on our results, swallowing studies rarely lead to immediate PEG placement. An initial visit to other specialists had no impact on diagnostic delays or survival.Peer reviewe

Vaikuttajatoimiston kumppanuus vaikuttajamarkkinoinnin prosessissa

Tiivistelmä. Tämän pro gradu -tutkielman tavoitteena on ymmärtää miten kuluttajayritykset toteuttavat vaikuttajamarkkinointia. Lisäksi tavoitteena on esittää kuvaus vaikuttajamarkkinoinnin prosessista ja selvittää syvemmin vaikuttajatoimiston roolia tässä prosessissa. Perinteiset yrityslähtöiset markkinointiviestit eivät nykypäivänä välttämättä tavoita kuluttajaa, minkä vuoksi vaikuttajamarkkinoinnista on tullut tärkeä keino viestiä kuluttajille. Vaikuttajien tunnistaminen on saanut osakseen paljon kiinnostusta, mutta vaikuttajamarkkinoinnin kokonaisvaltaisen prosessin tarkastelu on jäänyt vähemmälle. Tässä tutkimuksessa pyritäänkin muodostamaan käsitys vaikuttajamarkkinoinnin prosessista. Tutkimus tehtiin toimeksiantona Kaleva Medialle ja se toteutettiin laadullisena tutkimuksena. Aineiston keruumenetelmänä käytettiin puolistrukturoituja teemahaastatteluja ja haastattelut kohdistettiin markkinoinnin ja viestinnän ammattilaisille. Aineisto analysoitiin teoriaohjaavan analyysin avulla ja tutkimuksessa hyödynnettiin abduktiivisen päättelyn logiikkaa. Tutkimustuloksena syntyi kuvaus vaikuttajamarkkinoinnin prosessista, joka sisältää viisi vaihetta. Vaikuttajamarkkinoinnin prosessin vaiheet toistuivat samoina riippumatta siitä, toteutetaanko vaikuttajamarkkinointia itsenäisesti vai vaikuttajatoimistokumppanin avulla. Tästä tutkimuksesta selvisi, mitkä prosessin vaiheet ovat haastavia toteuttaa ja missä vaikuttajatoimiston apu on hyödyllistä. Tutkimustuloksista voivat hyötyä niin vaikuttajatoimistot kuin yritykset, jotka suunnittelevat kumppanuutta vaikuttajatoimiston kanssa. Lisäksi vaikuttajamarkkinointia itsenäisesti toteuttavat yritykset voivat hyötyä tämän tutkimuksen tuloksista. Tutkimustulokset eivät ole sellaisenaan yleistettävissä, mutta niitä voidaan hyödyntää vaikuttajamarkkinoinnin suunnittelussa ja toteutuksessa erilaisissa konteksteissa

Dynamic texture perception in plant-based yogurt alternatives: Identifying temporal drivers of liking by TDS

As texture properties in novel food categories have a crucial role in consumer acceptance, mouthfeel profile of different plant-based yogurt-like semi-solid products were studied and compared to dairy yogurts. Mouthfeel properties of five plant-based yogurt-like products and two dairy yogurts were analyzed using temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) with consumers (n = 87). The attributes evaluated were thick, thin, creamy, watery, sticky, and foamy. Following TDS, overall liking and mouthfeel liking were evaluated using a 7-point hedonic scale. Temporal drivers of mouthfeel liking were studied using correspondence analysis and penalty-lift analysis with different time points during mastication. For penalty-lift analysis TDS data was analyzed as check-all-that-apply (CATA) data. Results from the present work show that mouthfeel perception in non-dairy yogurt alternatives is a dynamic process. Attributes typically used to describe dairy yogurts are also relevant for describing non-dairy yogurt alternatives. Yogurt alternatives and dairy yogurts can be similar and equally liked by their mouthfeel profile. Temporal drivers of liking in plant-based products are thickness and creaminess and temporal drivers of disliking are thinness and wateriness. In this study, the first dominant attributes were found to have a stronger impact on mouthfeel liking than the dominant attributes perceived later during mastication

Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of Genetic Counseling and a Distance, Computer-Based, Lifestyle Intervention Program for Adult Offspring of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Background, Study Protocol, and Baseline Patient Characteristics

Relatives of type 2 diabetic patients are at a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and should be regarded as target of intervention for diabetes prevention. However, it is usually hard to motivate them to implement preventive lifestyle changes, because of lack of opportunity to take advises from medical professionals, inadequate risk perception, and low priority for preventive behavior. Prevention strategy for them therefore should be highly acceptable and suited for them. The parallel, three-group trial is now being conducted to investigate the effects of genetic counseling and/or a computerized behavioral program on the prevention of type 2 diabetes in that population. The preventive strategies used in this study could provide a novel solution to the numbers of genetically high-risk individuals, if found to be effective. The objective of this paper is to describe the background, protocol, and baseline patient characteristics of the trial

Physicochemical Properties and Mouthfeel in Commercial Plant-Based Yogurts

There is a growing need for plant-based yogurts that meet consumer demands in terms of texture. However, more research is needed to understand the relationship between physicochemical and mouthfeel properties in plant-based yogurts. The purpose of the study was to determine the physicochemical properties of five commercial plant-based yogurt alternatives with different chemical compositions, making comparisons to dairy yogurts and mouthfeel sensations such as thick, creamy, thin, and watery. The physicochemical parameters studied included large and small deformation rheology, particle size, soluble solids, acidity, and chemical composition. Significant differences in flow behavior and small deformation rheology were found between dairy and plant-based yogurts. Among plant-based yogurts, mouthfeel sensations such as thick, creamy, thin, and watery were strongly associated with steady shear rates and apparent viscosity. The results highlight the importance of large deformation rheology in advancing the use of plant-based ingredients in the development of yogurt alternatives. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that dairy and plant-based yogurts with a similar mouthfeel profile may have different viscoelastic properties, which indicates that instrumental and sensory methods should not be considered substitutes but complementary methods when developing plant-based yogurts in a cost-effective and timely manner

Neonatal Intestinal Failure Is Independently Associated With Impaired Cognitive Development Later in Childhood

Objective: The impact of pediatric intestinal failure (IF) on neurodevelopment beyond infancy has not been systematically studied. Our aim was to evaluate cognitive and motor impairment and to identify risk factors for adverse outcomes among children with IF. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional single-center study at the Helsinki University Children's Hospital. Patients with IF with >60 days of parental nutrition (PN) dependency aged between 3 and 16 years (n = 40) were invited to participate. The cognitive and motor skills were evaluated using validated tests: Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, 3rd edition, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition, and Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition. Results: All the patients attending the study tests (n = 30, males = 24) were included. Their median age, gestational age, and birth weight was 7.5 (range 3-16) years, 35 (interquartile range [IQR] 28-38) weeks and 2238 (IQR 1040-3288) grams, respectively. Median duration of PN was 13 (IQR 5-37) months and 9 patients were currently on PN. Median intelligence quotient was 78 (IQR 65-91) and 10 (35%) patients had an intelligence quotient under 70 (-2 standard deviation). Significant motor impairment was detected in 10 patients (36%) and milder difficulties in 8 (28%). Adverse cognitive outcome was associated with neonatal short bowel syndrome, number of interventions under general anesthesia, and length of inpatient status, whereas adverse motor outcome was associated with prematurity. Conclusion: Clinically significant cognitive and motor impairments are alarmingly common among neonatal patients with IF. We recommend early neurodevelopmental follow-up for all children with IF.Peer reviewe

Breast Cancer Polygenic Risk Score and Contralateral Breast Cancer Risk

Previous research has shown that polygenic risk scores (PRSs) can be used to stratify women according to their risk of developing primary invasive breast cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the association between a recently validated PRS of 313 germline variants (PRS313) and contralateral breast cancer (CBC) risk. We included 56,068 women of European ancestry diagnosed with first invasive breast cancer from 1990 onward with follow-up from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. Metachronous CBC risk (N = 1,027) according to the distribution of PRS313 was quantified using Cox regression analyses. We assessed PRS313 interaction with age at first diagnosis, family history, morphology, ER status, PR status, and HER2 status, and (neo)adjuvant therapy. In studies of Asian women, with limited follow-up, CBC risk associated with PRS313 was assessed using logistic regression for 340 women with CBC compared with 12,133 women with unilateral breast cancer. Higher PRS313 was associated with increased CBC risk: hazard ratio per standard deviation (SD) = 1.25 (95%CI = 1.18-1.33) for Europeans, and an OR per SD = 1.15 (95%CI = 1.02-1.29) for Asians. The absolute lifetime risks of CBC, accounting for death as competing risk, were 12.4% for European women at the 10th percentile and 20.5% at the 90th percentile of PRS313. We found no evidence of confounding by or interaction with individual characteristics, characteristics of the primary tumor, or treatment. The C-index for the PRS313 alone was 0.563 (95%CI = 0.547-0.586). In conclusion, PRS313 is an independent factor associated with CBC risk and can be incorporated into CBC risk prediction models to help improve stratification and optimize surveillance and treatment strategies.Peer reviewe

Attrition in a Multi-Component Smoking Cessation Study for Females

Limiting attrition (i.e., participant dropout before the conclusion of a study) is a major challenge faced by researchers when implementing clinical trials. Data from a smoking cessation trial for females (N = 246) were analyzed in order to identify baseline smoking-related, demographic and psychological characteristics affecting likelihood of early (i.e., before the quit attempt) and late (i.e., after the quit attempt) dropout. There were a number of significant demographic predictors of attrition. Participants with at least one child living at home were at increased risk of both early and late dropout. Non-Whites were at increased risk of early dropout, while not having a college degree put one at increased risk of late dropout. Age was found to be a protective factor in that the older a participant was, the less likely she was to drop out in the early stages of the trial. With respect to psychological variables, weight concerns increased risk of attrition, as did the experience of guilt. In terms of smoking-related variables, mean cigarettes per day was not a significant predictor of attrition, although length of longest prior quit attempt was a significant predictor of early dropout when age was removed from the regression

Smoking and suicidality among adolescent psychiatric patients

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between smoking and suicidality among adolescent psychiatric patients in Finland. Methods: Data from 157 patients (aged 12-17 years) admitted to inpatient psychiatric hospitalization between April 2001 and July 2002 were collected. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between regular daily smoking and suicidality. The data were adjusted for several sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Results: The results showed over four-fold risk for definite and/or life-threatening suicide attempts among smoking adolescents in inpatient psychiatric facility compared with nonsmoking ones (OR 4.33, 95% CI 1.23-15.20). Also, the smoking adolescents had three times greater risk for occasional (OR 3.32, 95% CI 1.09-10.10) or frequent (OR 3.00, 95% CI 1.08-10.10) self-mutilation. Suicidality was more common among girls than boys and among those adolescents who suffered from depression. Conclusions: Among teens hospitalized for psychiatric illnesses, daily smoking was significantly related to suicide attempts and self-mutilation, even after controlling for several confounding factors, including psychiatric diagnosis. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 2004.Peer reviewe