Patterns of Change in Dietary Habits and Physical Activity during Lockdown in Spain Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Lockdown due to COVID-19 influenced food habits and lifestyles with potential negative health impact. This study aims to identify patterns of change in eating habits and physical activity during COVID-19 lockdown in Spain and to identify associations with sociodemographic factors and usual habits. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1155 adults recruited online to answer a 10-section questionnaire. The protocol assessed usual diet by means of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, usual physical activity (PA) and supplement use, dietary changes, sedentary time, PA, exposure to sunlight, sleep quality, and smoking during confinement. Patterns of dietary change were identified by factor analysis. Factor scores were included in cluster analysis together with change in PA. Results: Six patterns of dietary change were identified that together with PA changes during lockdown defined three clusters of lifestyle change: a cluster less active, a more active cluster, and a third cluster as active as usual. People who were usually less active were more likely to be classified in the cluster that increased physical activity in confinement. Scores of the Healthy Mediterranean-Style dietary pattern were higher in this group. Conclusions: Different patterns of change in lifestyles in confinement suggest the need to tailor support and advice to different population groups.

Use of Kemeny median in the algorithm of forming recommendation

The relevant nowadays question of development of the algorithmic support of recommender systems is considered. The article is devoted to the solution of the problem of forming recommendations to new users, which is based on the ideas of transition from the matrix "user-object" to the ranking of objects and the formation of recommendations to the user of the active cluster based on the construction of the resulting ranking, which is a Kemeny median on a set of rankings. The choice of Kemeny median as the resulting ranking and the choice of algorithm for its construction are justified. To reduce the complexity of calculations, it is suggested to perform aggregation of information and to use it in forming of ranking recommendations, which are based on a set of "generalized experts" for this cluster. The efficiency of the developed algorithmic support was studied and the results and recommendations were given.

Baseline tear fluid CGRP is elevated in active cluster headache patients as long as they have not taken attack abortive medication

Background Calcitonin gene-related peptide plays a key role in cluster headache pathophysiology. It is released from the trigeminal nerve, which also innervates the eye. In this study, we tested if tear fluid calcitonin gene-related peptide measurement detects elevated calcitonin gene-related peptide levels in cluster headache patients compared to controls. Methods Calcitonin gene-related peptide concentration in tear fluid and plasma of 16 active episodic and 11 chronic cluster headache patients (all outside acute attacks) and 60 controls were assessed using ELISA. Results Cluster headache patients without use of attack abortive medication in the last 48 h showed significantly elevated tear fluid calcitonin gene-related peptide levels (1.78 ± 1.57 ng/ml, n = 17) compared to healthy controls (0.79 ± 0.74 ng/ml, p = 0.003) and compared to cluster headache patients who had used attack abortive medication in the last 48 h (0.84 ± 1.40 ng/ml, n = 10, p = 0.022). High calcitonin gene-related peptide levels in cluster headache patients were independent of the occurrence of a cluster headache attack in the last 48 hours (no attack: 1.95 ± 1.65 ng/ml, n = 8; attack: 1.63 ± 1.59 ng/ml, n = 9, p = 0.82) as long as no acute medication was used. No significant difference in tear fluid calcitonin gene-related peptide levels between episodic (1.48 ± 1.34 ng/ml) and chronic cluster headache patients (2.21 ± 1.88 ng/ml, p = 0.364) was detected. In contrast to these results in tear fluid, there were no significant group differences in plasma calcitonin gene-related peptide levels. Conclusion This study shows that active cluster headache patients have increased calcitonin gene-related peptide levels in tear fluid compared to healthy subjects, which are reduced to control levels after intake of attack abortive medication. Calcitonin gene-related peptide measurement in tear fluid is non-invasive, and has the advantage of allowing direct access to calcitonin gene-related peptide released from the trigeminal nerve.

Space-Time Patterns, Change, and Propagation of COVID-19 Risk Relative to the Intervention Scenarios in Bangladesh

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be a significant public health threat worldwide, particularly in densely populated countries such as Bangladesh with inadequate health care facilities. While early detection and isolation were identified as important non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) measures for containing the disease spread, this may not have been pragmatically implementable in developing countries due to social and economic reasons (i.e., poor education, less public awareness, massive unemployment). Hence, to elucidate COVID-19 transmission dynamics with respect to the NPI status—e.g., social distancing—this study conducted spatio-temporal analysis using the prospective scanning statistic at district and sub-district levels in Bangladesh and its capital, Dhaka city, respectively. Dhaka megacity has remained the highest-risk “active” cluster since early April. Lately, the central and south eastern regions in Bangladesh have been exhibiting a high risk of COVID-19 transmission. The detected space-time progression of COVID-19 infection suggests that Bangladesh has experienced a community-level transmission at the early phase (i.e., March, 2020), primarily introduced by Bangladeshi citizens returning from coronavirus epicenters in Europe and the Middle East. Potential linkages exist between the violation of NPIs and the emergence of new higher-risk clusters over the post-incubation periods around Bangladesh. Novel insights into the COVID-19 transmission dynamics derived in this study on Bangladesh provide important policy guidelines for early preparations and pragmatic NPI measures to effectively deal with infectious diseases in resource-scarce countries worldwide.

Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity and Stability in Hydrogen Evolution of Mo6 Iodide Clusters Supported on Graphene Oxide

Catalytic properties of the cluster compound (TBA)2[Mo6Ii8(O2CCH3)a6] (TBA = tetrabutylammonium) and a new hybrid material (TBA)2Mo6Ii8@GO (GO = graphene oxide) in water photoreduction into molecular hydrogen were investigated. New hybrid material (TBA)2Mo6Ii8@GO was prepared by coordinative immobilization of the (TBA)2[Mo6Ii8(O2CCH3)a6] onto GO sheets and characterized by spectroscopic, analytical, and morphological techniques. Liquid and, for the first time, gas phase conditions were chosen for catalytic experiments under UV–Vis irradiation. In liquid water, optimal H2 production yields were obtained after using (TBA)2[Mo6Ii8(O2CCH3)a6] and (TBA)2Mo6Ii8@GO) catalysts after 5 h of irradiation of liquid water. Despite these remarkable catalytic performances, “liquid-phase” catalytic systems have serious drawbacks: the cluster anion evolves to less active cluster species with partial hydrolytic decomposition, and the nanocomposite completely decays in the process. Vapor water photoreduction showed lower catalytic performance but offers more advantages in terms of cluster stability, even after longer radiation exposure times and recyclability of both catalysts. The turnover frequency (TOF) of (TBA)2Mo6Ii8@GO is three times higher than that of the microcrystalline (TBA)2[Mo6Ii8(O2CCH3)a6], in agreement with the better accessibility of catalytic cluster sites for water molecules in the gas phase. This bodes well for the possibility of creating {Mo6I8}4+-based materials as catalysts in hydrogen production technology from water vapor.

LEACH-VD

Wireless sensor networks act as an important role in the wireless communication area because of its properties, its intelligence, cheaper costs, and its smaller size. Multiple nodes are required for coperative communication, the low energy adaptive clustering hierarchy and LEACH-Vector Quantization are used for cluster and active cluster headformation. Further, Dijkstra Algorithm is used to find the shortest path between the active CHs and high-energy utilization, respectively. The main issue of inter-cluster communication is carried out in earlier work using LEACH and LEACH-V protocols. The chapter illustrates the LEACH-Vector Quantization Dijkstra protocol for shortest path active CH communication in a cooperative communication network. In the application point of view, LEACH-VD performs the lowest energy path. LEACH-V provides the intra-cluster communication between the cluster head, and using Dijkstra Algorithm, the minimum distance is calculated connecting the active cluster heads, which creates the shortest path results using an energy-efficient technique.

Mathematical modeling in task of optimal managing by savings in the middle class

Consumption and saving balance issues in the middle class, as the most economically active cluster of society, are the subject of extensive expert discussion and require systematic government regulation. The present paper deals with mathematical model of middle class differentiation by savings which dynamics is described by initial boundary value problem with a parabolic equation. This study aims to investigate a case of savings regulation by changing of non-savers share. The paper presents formulation this problem as an optimal boundary control problem for distributed system of savings. Based on the Lagrange principle, the necessary conditions for the solvability of the problem are derived in the form of an optimization system. The optimal control law establishing the relationship between the non-savers share and the structure of the middle class in terms of savings is obtained. The paper also considers an approach to the numerical implementation of the optimal control model in the Comsol Multiphysics simulation software. An example of model calculating for a region of Russia based on real data is given.