Gay Dating App Users Support and Utilize Sexual Health Features on Apps

Men who have sex with men (MSM) frequently meet sex partners through dating apps. Research has demonstrated an association between app use and greater number of sex partners and STIs, but dating apps also pose an opportunity for intervention. By advocating for sexual health features on dating apps, Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) aims to increase communication about sexual health among app users. In partnership with Emory University, BHOC added questions to an annual survey of MSM. The questions assessed awareness and uptake of profile fields and sexual health features on the dating apps. Among survey participants, 67% (6737/10,129) reported using dating apps to meet a partner in the past year. Among this group, 77% (4993/6525) reported awareness of sexual health features. 61% of app users (2866/4721) who were aware of them reported using one or more sexual health features. BHOC continues to advocate for increased uptake of these features.

Practical health indicator construction methodology for bearing ensemble remaining useful life prediction with ISOMAP-DE and ELM-WPHM

To improve the accuracy of our previous bearing ensemble Remaining Useful Life (RUL) prediction model using the Genetic Algorithm (GA), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and the Weibull Proportional Hazard Model (WPHM) (see reference [1]), we proposed a more practical Health Indicator (HI) construction methodology for bearing ensemble RUL prediction. A weighted coefficient determination method for four prognostic metrics-monotonicity, robustness, trendability, and consistency-was proposed to select sensitive health features accurately using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The selected sensitive health features were fused through isometric feature mapping (ISOMAP), and Differential Evolution (DE) was employed to replace GA for computing the optimal weight coefficients of each input fused feature. One-dimensional HI was constructed by multiplying each input fused feature with the corresponding optimal weight coefficient, and RUL prediction was implemented through an extreme learning machine (ELM) and WPHM. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method were validated by a bearing experiment. The results show that HI construction with ISOMAP-DE has achieved the best performance, and the proposed ELM-WPHM model is compared with BP-WPHM, SVM-WPHM, LSTM-WPHM, and DLSTM-WPHM in terms of RMSE criteria. The minimum error and training time appear in ELM-WPHM, indicating the superiority of the proposed bearing ensemble RUL prediction model.

Responses to reduced nicotine cigarette marketing features: a systematic review

ObjectiveTo systematically review the literature regarding responses to commercial and public health marketing features for reduced nicotine cigarettes (RNCs) to anticipate potential industry and regulatory actions should an RNC product standard be issued.Data sourcesWe searched PubMed for English-language articles using several keywords for reduced nicotine products, cigarettes and marketing features published through 2020.Study selectionOf 4092 records, 26 studies were retained for review that met criteria focusing on responses to RNC marketing features.Data extractionSearch terms created by the research team were used for review and included independent extraction and coding by two reviewers. Coding was categorised using study design terminology, commercial and public health features in tobacco regulatory science, and their association with individual responses outlined by several message processing outcomes.Data synthesisMost studies focused on current cigarette smokers and were cross-sectional. Reactions to RNCs and attitudes and beliefs were the most common outcomes measured. For commercial features, articles generally studied RNC advertisements, products and/or descriptors. For public health features, articles studied counter-messaging (eg, warning labels) or general descriptors about nicotine or a reduced nicotine product standard. Commercial features were generally associated with favourable responses. Public health features offset favourable responses across most outcomes, though their efficacy was mixed. Contrasts in results by smoking status are discussed.ConclusionsCommercial marketing of RNCs is appealing and may need stronger regulations or communication campaigns to accurately convey risks. Opportunities exist for future research within tobacco regulatory science.

Global Media and Cultural Identity: Opportunities and challenges for Morocco in the Digital Era

Anthropologists and media analysts have long recognized the Internet and satellite channels as some of the most powerful tools that add tremendous value to the knowledge and experiences of youth. A common interpretation of this idea is that new media technologies have become an important source for information, news updates, cross-cultural communication, socializing, and entertainment. The effects of these tools on young people have predominantly been studied with respect to academic as well as health features. Drawing on data from a survey capturing the digital behaviors of Moroccan students, this article complements previous studies by examining the impact of Internet and satellite channels on the behaviors of Moroccan students. It explores the implicit and denotative consequences of modern media upon the values, behaviors, and lifestyles of young Moroccans. Further, the paper addresses the effects of the massive dissemination of global cultural products on teenagers’ attitudes towards their cultural values. Additionally, the research assumes that inducing behavioral change is overlooked once media outlets start demonizing the uniqueness of local cultures, thus ignite resistance to unconventional values among youth.

1284Food insecurity and mental health features and behaviours in adults from Portugal

Background COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting population’s health and economies, in which food insecurity appears as important concern, particularly considering its associations with mental health and adverse behaviours. This study explored the relationship between food insecurity and mental health features and behaviours in adults from Portugal. Methods A cross-sectional study using data from an online survey was performed, including Portugal’s residents aged ≥18 years. Data on sociodemographics, behaviours, mental health features and food security status were collected. Food security status was evaluated with the United States Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-item Short Form. Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, as appropriate, were used to explore the relationship between food security status and categorical variables. Results Food insecurity prevalence was 6.8%; showed to be significantly higher among less educated individuals (≤12 years of schooling) (p<0.001), those who were employed and remained since the beginning of the pandemic (p<0.001) and among those reporting need to be careful about expenses (p<0.001). Comparing to individuals who were food secure, food insecure participants were more likely to smoke (p=0.009), to report depressive symptoms (p<0.001) and anxiety (p<0.001), measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Conclusions From the present study, it can be concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic can affect food security in different subpopulations. Key messages The findings of this study have several implications for health policy and reinforce the need for investment in contexts of populations vulnerable to food insecurity

Effect of Inoculated Lactic Acid Fermentation on the Fermentable Saccharides and Polyols, Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity Changes in Wheat Sourdough

Inoculation of sourdough allows the fermentation medium to be dominated by desired microorganisms, which enables determining the kinetics of the conversion of chemical compounds by individual microorganisms. This knowledge may allow the design of functional food products with health features dedicated to consumers with special needs. The aim of the study was to assess the dynamics of transformations of fermentable oligosaccharide, disaccharide, monosaccharide and polyol (FODMAP) compounds from wheat flour as well as their antioxidant activity during inoculated and spontaneous sourdough fermentation. The FODMAP content in grain products was determined by the fructan content with negligible amounts of sugars and polyols. To produce a low-FODMAP cereal product, the fermentation time is essential. The 72 h fermentation time of L. plantarum-inoculated sourdough reduced the FODMAP content by 91%. The sourdough fermentation time of at least 72 h also positively influenced the content of polyphenols and antioxidant activity, regardless of the type of fermentation. The inoculation of both L. plantarum and L. casei contributed to a similar degree to the reduction in FODMAP in sourdough compared to spontaneous fermentation.

Metabolomic Characterization of Commercial, Old, and Red-Fleshed Apple Varieties

In this study, a metabolomic investigation was presented to correlate single polyphenolic compounds in apple pulp with quality characteristics such as antioxidant activity and content of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins in apple skin. Since the concentration of these compounds is influenced by environmental factors, the twenty-two apple cultivars originate from the same site. The polyphenolic compounds were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS). The antioxidant activity, phenolic content, and anthocyanins were evaluated on the sunny and the shady sides of apple skin by spectrometric assays. In old apple varieties, the measured parameters were higher than in the commercial and red-fleshed varieties. By contrast, the profile of flavan-3-ols and anthocyanins was variable amongst commercial and red-fleshed varieties. The partial least square (PLS) method was applied to investigate the association between the skin proprieties and the metabolic profile of the pulp. The highest coefficients of determination in prediction (Q2) were obtained for compounds quantified in old cultivars. These results provided information to define the old apple varieties as a reliable group based on the pathway of the antioxidant compounds and anthocyanins content. Our results show the possibility to find cultivars with promising health features based on their content of polyphenols suitable for commercialization or breeding.