Maintenance of Maternal Breastfeeding up to 6 Months: Predictive Models

Background: There is evidence of the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) but maintaining EBF for the minimum recommended time of 6 months is challenging. Aims: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of breastfeeding types in a Spanish setting, explore the influencing factors, and analyze the relationships between the reasons for EBF cessation and the EBF durations achieved. Method: This longitudinal descriptive study included 236 healthy children with standard weight followed up by the public health system. A baseline survey and three telephone interviews (1, 3, and 6 months) were conducted. Results: The prevalence of EBF at 6 months was 19.49%. The mean age of the mothers was 32.3 (±5.3). The variables influencing EBF maintenance were the prior decision to practice EBF (p = 0.03), the belief that EBF is sufficient (p = 0.00), not offering water or fluid to the child (p = 0.04), delaying pacifier use (p < 0.001), a longer gestation time (p = 0.05), and previous experience with practicing EBF for more than 6 months (p = 0.00). The reason for the earliest EBF cessation (mean 52.63 ± 56.98 days) was the mother’s lack of self-efficacy (p = 0.05). Conclusion: Knowing the reasons for EBF cessation among mothers is important for helping mothers and preventing early weaning. A safe environment and support can prevent early weaning.

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Village Stay Reservation and Management System for Tourism Industry in Malaysia

Journal of Computing Research and Innovation ◽

10.24191/jcrinn.v5i3.146 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 54-65

Author(s):

Abidah MatTaib ◽

Nur Athirah Zainuddin ◽

Noorazalia Izha Haron ◽

Nurul Hidayah Mohd Zukri

Keyword(s):

Management System ◽

User Acceptance ◽

Tourism Industry ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Acceptance Test ◽

Perceived Ease Of Use ◽

Tourist Attractions ◽

The Public ◽

System A ◽

The Mean

Tourism industry in Malaysia is being developed to be better thus, making Malaysia as one of the most attractive countries to visit. Many Village Stays in Malaysia are owned and managed by inexperienced personnel and have inefficient system. This makes local products and nearby tourist attractions not able to be advertised properly or are not made known to the public. So, the objectives of this project are to develop Village Stay Reservation and Management System that caters for the information of the local tourist attraction products and to evaluate Village Stay Reservation and Management System in terms of perceived ease of use. In order to achieve the objectives, this project develops the system using PHP programming language and tests the system of its functionality, usability and user acceptance. There are fifteen respondents who tested the system. A set of questionnaires was used to collect the data. The mean for user acceptance test is 3.77 while for user reaction in usability testing is 3.74. The respondents are satisfied with the system in terms of its functionality. In conclusion, this research has achieved the objectives. It is shown that the users can deal more effectively and efficiently when using this system. This system will reduce the workload of staffs when using an online system to monitor the reservation as well as attending to other chores.

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The SORS Decision-Making Support System: A statistical tool for better policy making in the Republic of Serbia

Statistical Journal of the IAOS ◽

10.3233/sji-200703 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Miladin Kovačević ◽

Katarina Stančić

Keyword(s):

Policy Making ◽

Modern Society ◽

Monitoring And Evaluation ◽

Public Debate ◽

Statistical Tool ◽

The Public ◽

System A ◽

The Republic ◽

Trusted Data

Modern society is witnessing a data revolution which necessarily entails changes to the overall behavior of citizens, governments and companies. This is a big challenge and an opportunity for National Statistics Offices (NSOs). Especially after the outbreak of COVID-19, when the public debate about the number of mortalities and tested and infected persons escalated, trusted data is required more than ever. Which data can modern society trust? Are modern societies being subjected to opinion rather than fact? This paper introduces a new statistical tool to facilitate policy-making based on trusted statistics. Using economic indicators to illustrate implementation, the new statistical tool is shown to be a flexible instrument for analysis, monitoring and evaluation of the economic situation in the Republic of Serbia. By taking a role in public policy management, the tool can be used to transform the NSO’s role in the statistical system into an active participant in public debate in contrast to the previous traditional, usually passive role of collecting, processing and publishing data. The tool supports the integration of statistics into public policies and connects the knowledge and expertise of official statisticians on one side with political decision makers on the other.

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The Problems and Needs of Patients Diagnosed with Cancer and Their Caregivers

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18010087 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 87

Author(s):

Anna Lewandowska ◽

Grzegorz Rudzki ◽

Tomasz Lewandowski ◽

Sławomir Rudzki

Keyword(s):

Cancer Patients ◽

Medical Information ◽

Unmet Needs ◽

Public Healthcare ◽

Literature Analysis ◽

The Public ◽

The Mean ◽

High Level ◽

Patients Experience

(1) Background: As the literature analysis shows, cancer patients experience a variety of different needs. Each patient reacts differently to the hardships of the illness. Assessment of needs allows providing more effective support, relevant to every person’s individual experience, and is necessary for setting priorities for resource allocation, for planning and conducting holistic care, i.e., care designed to improve a patient’s quality of life in a significant way. (2) Patients and Methods: A population survey was conducted between 2018 and 2020. Cancer patients, as well as their caregivers, received an invitation to take part in the research, so their problems and needs could be assessed. (3) Results: The study involved 800 patients, 78% women and 22% men. 66% of the subjects were village residents, while 34%—city residents. The mean age of patients was 62 years, SD = 11.8. The patients received proper treatment within the public healthcare. The surveyed group of caregivers was 88% women and 12% men, 36% village residents and 64% city residents. Subjects were averagely 57 years old, SD 7.8. At the time of diagnosis, the subjects most often felt anxiety, despair, depression, feelings of helplessness (46%, 95% CI: 40–48). During illness and treatment, the subjects most often felt fatigued (79%, 95% CI: 70–80). Analysis of needs showed that 93% (95% CI: 89–97) of patients experienced a certain level of need for help in one or more aspects. (4) Conclusions: Patients diagnosed with cancer have a high level of unmet needs, especially in terms of psychological support and medical information. Their caregivers also experience needs and concerns regarding the disease. Caregivers should be made aware of the health consequences of cancer and consider appropriate supportive care for their loved ones.

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Kidney function decline is associated with an accelerated increase in plasma homocysteine in older adults: a longitudinal study

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114521001690 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-21

Author(s):

Hui Zhang ◽

Yi Li ◽

Meng Hao ◽

Xiaoyan Jiang ◽

Jiucun Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Kidney Function ◽

Repeated Measurements ◽

Baseline Survey ◽

Mixed Effect ◽

Pronounced Increase ◽

Crude Model ◽

The Mean ◽

Kidney Function Decline ◽

Over Time

Abstract Background: Few studies have been conducted to investigate the association of kidney function decline with the trajectories of homocysteine (Hcy) over time, using repeated measurements. We aimed to investigate the association of kidney function with changes in plasma Hcy levels over time. Methods: Data were collected from the Rugao Longevity and Ageing Study. In detail, plasma Hcy and creatinine levels were measured in both waves (waves 2, 3 and 4) during the 3.5-year follow-up (N = 1135). Wave 2 was regarded as the baseline survey. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated based on creatinine. Subjects were categorized into four groups according to quartiles of eGFR at baseline. Linear mixed-effect models were used to investigate the association of eGFR with subsequent plasma Hcy levels. Results: The mean eGFR at baseline was 90.84 (11.42) mL/min/1.73 m2. The mean plasma Hcy level was 14.09 (6.82) at baseline and increased to 16.28 (8.27) and 17.36 (10.39) μmol/L during follow-ups. In the crude model, the interaction between time and eGFR at baseline was significant (β = −0.02, 95% CI: −0.02 to −0.01, p = 0.002). After adjusting for confounding factors, a significant relationship remained (β = −0.02, 95% CI: −0.02 to −0.01, p = 0.003), suggesting that kidney function decline at baseline was associated with a faster increase in Hcy levels. Conclusion: Kidney function decline is associated with a more pronounced increase in plasma Hcy levels. Further studies with longer follow-up periods and larger sample sizes are needed to validate our findings.

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Introduction and feeding practices of solid food in preterm infants born in Salzburg!

BMC Pediatrics ◽

10.1186/s12887-021-02505-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Edda Hofstätter ◽

Verena Köttstorfer ◽

Patricia Stroicz ◽

Sebastian Schütz ◽

Lorenz Auer-Hackenberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Celiac Disease ◽

Preterm Infants ◽

Complementary Feeding ◽

Study Group ◽

Early Weaning ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Term Infants ◽

The Mean ◽

The Difference

Abstract Background It is shown that meeting the increased nutritional demand of preterm infants from birth is not only important for survival but essentially contributes to the infants` overall development and long-term health. While there are established guidelines for weaning term infants, evidence regarding preterm infants is scarce and less precise. The aim of this study was to identify the current practices on introducing solids to preterm infants amongst caregivers in Salzburg and determine potential reasons for early weaning. Methods Altogether 68 infants born between 24 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks were recruited and detailed structured interviews with the caregivers were conducted at 17 weeks corrected age. Weight, height and head circumference were collected. Results 52% of the study group received solids before the recommended 17 weeks corrected age. For this group the mean age being 13.77 ± 1.11 weeks corrected age. Premature introduction of solids significantly correlates with exclusively and early formula-feeding. 34% were weaned due to recommendation by their paediatrician. 23% of the preterm infants even received solids before 12 weeks corrected age, putting them at risks for developing obesity, celiac disease and diabetes. Conclusions This study shows the necessity for clear guidelines regarding the introduction of complementary feeding in preterm infants as well as the importance of their implementation. Caregivers should receive information on this topic early enough and they should fully understand the difference between chronological and corrected age.

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Impact of Visual Design Elements and Principles in Human Electroencephalogram Brain Activity Assessed with Spectral Methods and Convolutional Neural Networks

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21144695 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (14) ◽

pp. 4695

Author(s):

Francisco E. Cabrera ◽

Pablo Sánchez-Núñez ◽

Gustavo Vaccaro ◽

José Ignacio Peláez ◽

Javier Escudero

Keyword(s):

Brain Activity ◽

Music Videos ◽

Visual Design ◽

Music Video ◽

Eeg Signal ◽

Design Elements ◽

The Public ◽

Learning Classifier ◽

The Mean ◽

Human Electroencephalogram

The visual design elements and principles (VDEPs) can trigger behavioural changes and emotions in the viewer, but their effects on brain activity are not clearly understood. In this paper, we explore the relationships between brain activity and colour (cold/warm), light (dark/bright), movement (fast/slow), and balance (symmetrical/asymmetrical) VDEPs. We used the public DEAP dataset with the electroencephalogram signals of 32 participants recorded while watching music videos. The characteristic VDEPs for each second of the videos were manually tagged for by a team of two visual communication experts. Results show that variations in the light/value, rhythm/movement, and balance in the music video sequences produce a statistically significant effect over the mean absolute power of the Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma EEG bands (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we trained a Convolutional Neural Network that successfully predicts the VDEP of a video fragment solely by the EEG signal of the viewer with an accuracy ranging from 0.7447 for Colour VDEP to 0.9685 for Movement VDEP. Our work shows evidence that VDEPs affect brain activity in a variety of distinguishable ways and that a deep learning classifier can infer visual VDEP properties of the videos from EEG activity.

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Party Responsiveness to Public Opinion in Young Democracies

Political Studies ◽

10.1177/0032321721993635 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003232172199363

Author(s):

Raimondas Ibenskas ◽

Jonathan Polk

Keyword(s):

Public Opinion ◽

Political Parties ◽

Strong Support ◽

Policy Positions ◽

The Public ◽

National Surveys ◽

The Mean ◽

Established Democracies ◽

Expert Surveys ◽

Cross National

Are political parties in young democracies responsive to the policy preferences of the public? Compared to extensive scholarship on party responsiveness in established democracies, research on party responsiveness in young democracies is limited. We argue that weaker programmatic party–voter linkages in post-communist democracies create incentives for parties to respond to their supporters rather than the more general electorate. Such responsiveness occurs in two ways. First, parties follow shifts in the mean position of their supporters. Second, drawing on the research on party–voter congruence, we argue that parties adjust their policy positions to eliminate previous incongruence between themselves and their supporters. Analyses based on a comprehensive dataset that uses expert surveys, parties’ manifestoes and election surveys to measure parties’ positions, and several cross-national and national surveys to measure voters’ preferences provide strong support for this argument.

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URINARY CATECHOLAMINE EXCRETION BY HEALTHY CHILDREN

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.39.2.252 ◽

1967 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 252-257

Author(s):

Mary L. Voorhess

Keyword(s):

Urinary Excretion ◽

Surface Area ◽

Body Surface Area ◽

Body Surface ◽

Age Groups ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Urinary Catecholamine ◽

Catecholamine Excretion ◽

Daily Output ◽

The Mean

There is increase in the daily urinary excretion of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandelic acid (VMA) with age. The mean output in micrograms per 24 hours for various age groups is as follows: birth to 1 year-DA 60.9 (± 24.3), NE 10.6 (± 3.4), E 1.3 (± 1.2), VMA 569 (± 309); 1 through 5 years—DA 124.1 (± 40.7), NE (18.8 ± 7.0), E 3.2 (± 2.7), VMA 1348 (± 433); 6 through 15 years—DA 169.3 (± 72.6), NE 37.4 (± 16.6), E 4.8 (± 2.4), VMA 2373 (± 698); over 15 years—DA 249.1 (± 74.9), NE 50.7 (± 15.7), E 7.1 (± 3.3), VMA 3192 (± 699). The studies suggest that the daily output of these compounds in the various age groups is similar when related to body surface area after infancy.

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Medical personnel: state, training and movement

10.12731/978-5-98277-341-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sergej Makarov ◽

Keyword(s):

Federal District ◽

Medical Personnel ◽

Educational Organizations ◽

Sociological Study ◽

The Public ◽

System A ◽

Current State ◽

Regional Health Care ◽

Irkutsk Region ◽

Scientific Analysis

The monograph presents a scientific analysis of the medical personnel of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation on the example of the Irkutsk region. The analysis covers various aspects characterizing the current state and development of human resources in the public sector of the regional health care system. A comparative analysis of the training of doctors and paramedical workers is presented in relation to educational organizations that train doctors and paramedical workers on the scale of the Siberian Federal District. On the territory of the Irkutsk region the movement of medical personnel, their turnover, as well as educational and professional trajectories of medical personnel in the region are analyzed in depth. The data on the movement of medical personnel are supplemented by the results of a sociological study of its causes.

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Changes in ocular pulse amplitude and choroidal thickness in childhood obesity patients with and without insulin resistance

European Journal of Ophthalmology ◽

10.1177/11206721211039337 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 112067212110393

Author(s):

Gözde Aksoy Aydemir ◽

Emre Aydemir ◽

Abdulvahit Asik ◽

Semih Bolu

Keyword(s):

Insulin Resistance ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Choroidal Thickness ◽

Pulse Amplitude ◽

Enhanced Depth Imaging ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Ocular Pulse Amplitude ◽

The Mean ◽

Ocular Pulse

Purpose: To compare choroidal thickness (CT) and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) in childhood obesity with insulin resistance (IR) and without IR. Methods: Seventy-three childhood obesity and 62 healthy children, who were both age-matched and gender-matched, comprised the study population in this prospective study. Obesity was determined as having a body mass index (BMI) – standard deviation (SD) score that was > 2 SD. Intraocular pressure (IOP) and OPA were measured using a dynamic contour tonometer. The CT measurements were performed using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography at three locations, comprising at the fovea, at a position 500 µm nasal, and also at a position 500 µm temporal to the fovea. Results: Mean BMI value was 28.72 ± 4.85 in the patients with childhood obesity and 21.47 ± 1.14 in the control group. The mean IOP and OPA values were determined 15.90 ± 2.30 and 14.10 ± 2.16 mm Hg, 1.50 ± 0.28 and 1.74 ± 0.32 mm Hg in the patients with childhood obesity and the control group, respectively ( p < 0.001, p < 0.001). The mean subfoveal CT value was 350.50 ± 81.51 μm in the eyes with childhood obesity and 390.02 ± 71.50 μm in those of the control group ( p = 0.003). When the patient groups with and without IR were compared, no significant difference was found between CT, OPA and IOP values ( p > 0.005). Conclusions: Our results showed that both OPA and CT values were significantly decreased in childhood obesity patients. We suggest further studies to verify longitudinal changes in OPA and CT, as also the evaluation of these parameters in other populations.

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