Mobile Phone Research Articles

Introducing online narrated video animations to facilitate patients' understanding of cardiac procedures in a high-volume tertiary centre

Abstract Introduction Discussions about the benefits and risks of invasive procedures, including their alternatives, are an integral part of certain patient consultations in Cardiology. However, patients absorb only a fraction of the information shared during a single encounter, often due to time constraints, leading to an incomplete understanding. Video animation tools were designed to better facilitate communication and consolidate patient (and family members) understanding in advance of their procedure. Purpose We are a high-volume tertiary cardiac centre, and we aimed to assess real-world patient feedback having introduced an online cardiac video animation tool into our organisation. Methods In July 2022, we obtained unlimited patient access to a digital tool that offers short, multi-language narrated video animations covering the breadth of cardiac procedures (cardiac intervention, electrophysiology, structural and cardiac surgery). It is accessible on any device, including a desktop, laptop, or mobile phone. Specifically, we purchased password protected access to 31 video animations in three local languages. Web-links and QR codes for each video animation were designed. These were shared with patients and family members during different stages of the patients’ journey through the hospital. We sampled qualitative feedback from a cohort of patients attending pre-assessment clinic, measured on our electronic patient record via a 3-point Likert scale. Results As illustrated in Figure 1, we adapted our patient pathway to integrate use of this resource in the patient journey by 1) notifying patients during their out-patient cardiologist consultation; 2) emailing video links integrated within an e-consent process; 3) introducing video links as QR codes in patient letters; 4) reminding patients during their nurse-led pre-assessment clinic; 5) via hospital poster advertisements; 6) and on the front page of the hospital website. Since its introduction 18 months ago, 20,607 animation views have occurred, with 90% watched to completion. The three most popular animations were "angiogram/angioplasty" (4135), atrial fibrillation ablation (1415), and TAVI (1243). From July 2022 to December 2023, 1,878 patients have attended our nurse led pre-assessment clinic, and we sampled qualitative feedback from about 20% (342 patients). As demonstrated in Figure 2, 84% of patients felt the procedural video animations were quite helpful/very helpful. The remaining 16% found it "not helpful", with anecdotal reasons being "inability to access the technology", "feeling already adequately informed", or "not wanting to know". Conclusion In our high-volume tertiary centre, online narrated video animations discussing cardiac procedures were successfully implemented into our patient pathway and deemed helpful by the majority of our patients.Fig1.Process map of the patient journeyFig2.Patients’ feedback regarding video

Analysis of traffic injury trends, and strategies for road safety promotion in Lithuania

Abstract Every year, about 1.3 million people die on the world’s roads. The aim of the study was to analyze the mortality trends from traffic injuries, and to discuss strategies for the prevention of road traffic injuries and road safety promotion in Lithuania. A longitudinal study was conducted, and regression analysis was applied. The study showed that, when analyzing the changes in mortality from the main causes of death over 2009-2019, the greatest progress in mortality reduction was observed in the category of deaths from external causes; whereas, the number of deaths from diseases of the circulatory system did not change, and the number of deaths from malignant tumors increased slightly. In Lithuania, the death rate from traffic injuries per 100,000 inhabitants decreased significantly over a 50-year period (1971-2020) (in the whole population, and in the subgroups of men and women). In Lithuania, during the fifty-year period (1971-2020), pedestrian mortality rates decreased significantly in the whole population, and children and adolescents (0-14, 15-19, and 0-19 years). Over 1998-2020, road traffic injury deaths decreased significantly in children age groups 0-14, 15-19, and 0-19. After exploring the preventive strategies used for road safety promotion, it was revealed that the most effective results were achieved, when education, safe environment creation, and legislation with enforcement were used. It was important to create a safe engineering environment, to separate pedestrian and bicycle paths from high-speed traffic on roads, to improve the visibility of road users, to apply measures that reduce driver’s fatigue, and to combat the usage of mobile phones while driving. Preventive activities were aimed at alcohol control, speed limitation, education of safe behavior of drivers, promotion of safe cars operation. The usage of safety belts and safety seats, helmets for motorcyclists and cyclists were increased through legislative and educational measures.

Unveiling the clinical profiles of heart failure across diverse stages and phenotypes: insights from the national echocardiographic society registry

Abstract Background The modern comprehension of heart failure (HF), based on a staging paradigm, demands systematic screening to promptly identify individuals at risk, those in the pre-HF stage, and symptomatic HF patients across various phenotypes (HFpEF, HFmrEF, and HFrEF). The discernment of clinical profiles within these categories holds significant potential for improving screening and ensuring timely therapeutic interventions. Material and Methods Our national echocardiographic society executed a multicenter HF screening program. General practitioners in 13 primary care centers utilized the original mobile app to determine referrals for transthoracic echocardiography and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) testing in patients without a prior HF diagnosis. The 2021 ESC guidelines' algorithms were employed for HF diagnosis (HFpEF, HFmrEF, HFrEF). This study identifies two pre-heart failure (pre-HF) stages: "heart stress" (elevated NT-proBNP in asymptomatic individuals with risk factors, regardless of structural heart disease or cardiac dysfunction) and individuals "at risk for HF" (normal NTproBNP and at least one HF risk factor). Ultimately, all patients were categorized into six groups: (I) no HF, no risk; (II) at risk for HF; (III) heart stress; (IV) HFpEF; (V) HFmrEF; and (VI) HFrEF. Subsequently, the eleven clinical variables were compared among groups (II) to (VI) using chi-square test. Results Among 930 screened outpatients (mean age 66±11 years, 61% female), diagnosis of HF was established in 34.2% (Figure, pie). Heart stress was found in 22.3% patients, and 38.1% were at risk for HF, while 5.5 % had neither HF nor risk factors. Group comparison revealed that older individuals were more frequent in the HFpEF group, females predominated in the heart-stress and HFpEF groups, and males in the HFrEF group (Figure, table). Obesity was the most frequent among those at risk and HFmrEF. Atrial fibrillation and pathological ECG increased gradually from those at risk to HFrEF. Previous MI was the most common in heart stress and HFmrEF groups, while arterial hypertension >10 years prevailed in HFpEF and HFmrEF patients. Diabetes mellitus > 5 years was present in 24-28% across groups. CKD or eGFR≤60 ml/min/1.73m² increased gradually towards HFmrEF. The family history of CMP or SCD was positive in 17-24%, with no significant differences observed across groups. Additionally, a small number of patients had a history of previous cardiotoxic cancer treatment, and no significant differences were found between groups. Conclusions The mobile phone application used in primary care successfully identified a significant number of pre-heart failure patients requiring further evaluation. Different HF stages and phenotypes exhibit distinct clinical profiles, aiding in the screening process and contributing to a deeper understanding of the heart's pathophysiological adaptation to diverse risk factors during HF development.

A comparative analysis of conventional echocardiographic findings among different heart failure stages and phenotypes: insights from the national echocardiographic society registry

Abstract Background The contemporary conceptualization of heart failure (HF) encompasses four developmental stages (at risk for HF, pre-HF, symptomatic HF, and advanced HF) and three distinct HF phenotypes categorized by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (HFpEF, HFmrEF, HFrEF). However, there is a need for a more comprehensive understanding of echocardiographic similarities and differences among pre-HF stages and various HF phenotypes. Material and Methods Our national echocardiographic society conducted a multicenter HF screening initiative. General practitioners in 13 primary care centers utilized the original mobile phone app to determine referrals for transthoracic echocardiography and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) testing in individuals without a prior HF diagnosis. The 2021 ESC guidelines' algorithms were used to diagnose HF phenotypes and 2016 EACVI/ASA recommendation² to assess diastolic function. This study defined "heart stress" (elevated NT-proBNP in asymptomatic individuals with risk factors, regardless of structural heart disease or cardiac dysfunction) and "patients at risk for HF" (normal NTproBNP and at least one HF risk factor). All patients were categorized into six groups: (I) no HF, no risk, (II) at risk for HF, (III) heart stress, (IV) HFpEF, (V) HFmrEF, and (VI) HFrEF. Echocardiographic findings were compared among groups (II) to (VI), using ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-squared test, when needed. Results In a cohort of 930 outpatients (mean age 66±11 years, 61% female), 34.2% were diagnosed with HF, 22.3% experienced heart stress, 37.8% were at risk for HF, and 12.8% had neither HF nor risk factors (Figure). While NT pro BNP showed progressive increase, LVEF showed a progressive decline across the groups, reaching its lowest in HFrEF patients (Table). Simultaneously, left ventricular mass index (LVMi), left atrial volume index (LAVi), and maximal velocity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR Vmax) significantly increased in a stepwise manner. Variations in predominant LV geometry were significant across groups (p<0.001): normal LV geometry in those without HF (60.8%), concentric LV remodeling in at-risk patients (38.6%), normal LV geometry in heart stress (49%), concentric LV hypertrophy (LVH) in HFpEF (27.7%), eccentric LVH in HFmrEF (42.3%), and both concentric and eccentric LVH in HFrEF (43.3% each). Diastolic dysfunction increased prevalence across the groups (12.9% vs 24.7% vs 37.6% vs 19.6% vs 51.1%, p<0.001). Remarkably, HFmrEF group had the highest proportion of undetermined diastolic function (14.7% vs 23.1% vs 27.9% vs 50% vs 26.7%, p<0.001). Conclusions The mobile phone app used in primary care setting allowed identification of significant number of individuals in the pre-HF stages, warranting further investigation. Distinct echocardiographic differences in pre-HF stages and HF phenotypes provide valuable insights for early detection and tailored treatments.

A Novel Device for Vergence Exercises: Testing Automatic Dual Rotational Risley Prisms on Asymptomatic Adults and Patients with Convergence Insufficiency.

This study investigated the effects of automatic dual rotational Risley prisms (ADRRPs), a mobile phone application-operated device, on vergence abilities in young adults. Fifty-six participants aged 20-24 performed vergence exercises. The test group used prisms with power changes from 30Δ base-out to 10Δ base-in, while the control group used plano lenses for 10min. Ophthalmic examinations included lateral heterophoria, near point of convergence (NPC), vergence facility (VF), negative fusional vergence (NFV), and positive fusional vergence (PFV), all measured before and after the vergence exercises. Pre- and post-test results were analyzed using a paired sample ttest. Additionally, three cases with convergence insufficiency (CI) performed similar exercises for 12weeks. Participants were divided into the test group (n = 39; age 21.82 ± 1.10years) and control group (n = 17; age 20.53 ± 0.51years). In the test group, NPC improved from 6.11 ± 2.52cm to 5.77 ± 2.30cm (p = 0.023). VF increased from 13.75 ± 4.10cpm to 16.50 ± 4.42cpm (p = 0.007). PFV at 6m and 0.4m increased from 19.49 ± 6.77∆ to 22.19 ± 6.64∆ (p < 0.001) and 20.51 ± 7.05∆ to 22.69 ± 6.44∆ (p = 0.012), respectively. After 12weeks, convergence insufficiency symptom survey scores for cases with CI decreased significantly, with NPC improving from 7.0 to 0cm, 6.0 to 5.8cm, and 6.0 to 4.7cm. PFV increased from 10 to 25∆, 20 to 30∆, and 25 to 50∆. This preliminary study showed the effect of ADRRPs on improving vergence abilities. Further studies are needed to investigate the long-term sustainability and effects in a larger population of individuals with CI of this approach.

Feasibility of hybrid telerehabilitation and telecare in heart failure patients with implanted left ventricular assist device LVAD

Abstract Background Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is increasingly used as a treatment option for patients with advanced heart failure (HF). There is a need to provide patients with LVAD with long-term care, preferably at home. The implementation of home-based telerehabilitation (HTR) and telecare offers new opportunities in this field. Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess feasibility and safety of HTR and telecare in HF patients with implanted LVAD and evaluate patients’ acceptance of and adherene to HTR. Methods The study enrolled 30 HF patients with recent implanted LVAD (21 Heart Mate III, 9 Heart Ware) (29 males, 19–67, mean 59 years) who underwent a 12-week telecare and HTR program based on walking, respiratory and resistance training, five times weekly. HTR was telemonitored with a device adjusted to register electrocardiogram (ECG) recording and to transmit data via mobile phone network to the monitoring center. The moments of automatic ECG registration were pre-set and coordinated with exercise. The influence on physical capacity was assessed by comparing changes in peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak; [ml/kg/min]) and workload duration (t; [sec]) in cardiopulmonary exercise test. Results HTR resulted in a significant physical capacity improvement pVO2 12.5±2.9 vs 15.1±3.0 (p&amp;lt;0.001), and workload duration t 628±204 vs 728±222 (p&amp;lt;0.001) in cardiopulmonary exercise test. There were neither deaths nor adverse events during HTR. Patients accepted HTR, including the need for interactive everyday collaboration with the medical team from monitoring center. All patients completed HTR. Conclusions HTR is a feasible, safe form of rehabilitation, well accepted by patients. The adherence to HTCR was high.

Urban Exposome and Health

Abstract Background The environment in which we live is thought to explain 70% of the non-communicable disease burden. The aim of EXPANSE project (funded from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 874627) is to evaluate the optimal strategies for maintaining health in the context of contemporary urban environments. As a component of the project, Urban Labs allow deep phenotyping of the urban exposome and assessing its use and perception. The Urban Labs aim to improve exposure assessment, identify mediating and modifying lifestyle factors, and link the urban exposome to intermediate endpoints relevant for cardiometabolic and pulmonary health. Methods By monitoring the activities of 4,000 individuals in five distinct urban areas, Urban Labs provide a comprehensive understanding of the urban exposome, which can be compared with residential address-based model estimates. The participants complete a baseline questionnaire, repeated bi-monthly questionnaires and exposure-specific questionnaires over a period of 2 years using mobile phone application (ExpanSeeker). Two-week personalized measurements including spatial-temporal activity patterns, sensor-based environmental and behavioral measurements, and minimally invasive biological sample collection are performed covering different seasons. Results The Baseline Questionnaire (BQ) and two-weeks measurement campaigns (MC) were completed in European cities as follows: Athens BQ = 379, MC = 232; Barcelona BQ = 1040, MC = 303; Basel BQ = 731, MC = 655; Lodz BQ = 634, MC = 100; The Netherlands (multicity) BQ = 1033, MC = 326. Data collection process is ongoing. Conclusions The collection of novel data on individuals activities and perceptions within temporal and geographical contexts in Urban Labs will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how the urban dwellers are exposed to and interact with their environment, thereby supporting healthier urban engineering and policy making. Key messages • Urban Labs will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of the urban environment on individual’s behavior, their exposome, enabling more accurate prediction of non-communicable risk. • Urban Labs will provide a base to support healthier urban engineering and policy making.

Prevention of dementia using mobile phone applications (PRODEMOS): a multinational randomised controlled effectiveness-implementation trial

Abstract Background The expected increase of dementia prevalence in the coming decades will mainly be within low-and middle-income countries and those with low socioeconomic status (SES) in high income countries. Forty percent of dementia is associated with modifiable, lifestyle-related cardiovascular risk factors. Mobile health interventions with remote coaching can help reach underserved high-risk populations globally. Methods This open label, blinded endpoint, hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomised controlled trial (RCT) investigated whether a coach-supported mHealth intervention can reduce dementia risk in persons aged 55-75 years of low SES in UK or from the general population in China with at least two dementia risk factors. The primary effectiveness outcome was change in CAIDE dementia risk score (including age, education, sex, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, BMI, physical exercise) after 12-18 months of intervention. Main implementation outcomes were coverage, acceptability, appropriateness, adoption, feasibility, sustainability, fidelity, and costs using a mixed methods approach. Findings Between 15th January 2021 and 18th April 2023, 1,488 persons were included and randomised (734 intervention, 754 control), with 1,229 (82·6%) available for analysis of the primary effectiveness outcome. After a mean follow-up of 16 months, the mean CAIDE score improved by 0·16 points in the intervention group vs. 0·01 in the control group (Mean Difference (MD) 0·16, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0·03-0·29). The effect was larger in those who adhered to the intervention (MD 0·27, 95%CI 0·12-0·44) and those planning to change lifestyle (MD 0·33, 95%CI 0·10-0·57). Ten percent of those invited participated; of these, 81% adopted the intervention and 50% continued active participation throughout the study. For the individual components of the CAIDE score, there were no statistically significant differences for systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and BMI, but in the intervention group physical inactivity was reduced more than in the control group (MD 6·7%, 95%CI 2·1 to 11·2) and more participants quit smoking (MD -3·1%, 95%CI -4·8 to -1·5). Interpretation A coach-supported mHealth intervention to improve lifestyle is modestly effective in reducing dementia risk factors in those with low SES in the UK and any SES in China. Implementation is challenging in these populations, but those reached actively participated. Whether this will result in less cognitive decline and dementia requires a larger RCT with long follow-up.

Factor structure and validation of the electronic form of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire in patients with COVID-19

Background and Objectives: Background and Aim: Validity Scale Validation can help identify coronavirus disease patients; therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the validation of the electronic form of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire in patients with COVID-19. Methods: This study is instrumental psychometrics that the statistical population includes all patients in 19 cases in Tehran. The number of samples was determined based on psychometric criteria to be 100 for the predictive validity section and 251 for the convergence validity section. Samples were selected by cluster sampling. Research data were collected electronically through two questionnaires of happiness (Oxford) and happiness of positive psychological characteristics by sending the questionnaire link to the participants' mobile phones. To evaluate the validity of the scale, content validity, convergence, and factor analysis methods were used. The reliability of the scale was assessed by internal consistency methods and class reliability. Results: The results of exploratory factor analysis showed that the researcher-made questionnaire consists of three factors and has good validity and reliability. The second-order confirmatory factor analysis also confirmed the three-factor model. This questionnaire was administered along with the short form of the Oxford Happiness Scale, which had 13 items of good reliability and validity. Conclusion: The Oxford Happiness Scale in COVID-19 patients can be used to assess happiness in COVID-19 patients.

The power of artificial intelligence for managing pandemics: A primer for public health professionals.

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications are complex and rapidly evolving, and thus often poorly understood, but have potentially profound implications for public health. We offer a primer for public health professionals that explains some of the key concepts involved and examines how these applications might be used in the response to a future pandemic. They include early outbreak detection, predictive modelling, healthcare management, risk communication, and health surveillance. Artificial intelligence applications, especially predictive algorithms, have the ability to anticipate outbreaks by integrating diverse datasets such as social media, meteorological data, and mobile phone movement data. Artificial intelligence-powered tools can also optimise healthcare delivery by managing the allocation of resources and reducing healthcare workers' exposure to risks. In resource distribution, they can anticipate demand and optimise logistics, while AI-driven robots can minimise physical contact in healthcare settings. Artificial intelligence also shows promise in supporting public health decision-making by simulating the social and economic impacts of different policy interventions. These simulations help policymakers evaluate complex scenarios such as lockdowns and resource allocation. Additionally, it can enhance public health messaging, with AI-generated health communications shown to be more effective than human-generated messages in some cases. However, there are risks, such as privacy concerns, biases in models, and the potential for 'false confirmations', where AI reinforces incorrect decisions. Despite these challenges, we argue that AI will become increasingly important in public health crises, but only if integrated thoughtfully into existing systems and processes.

Smartphone-driven centrifugal microfluidics for diagnostics in resource limited settings

The broad availability of smartphones has provided new opportunities to develop less expensive, portable, and integrated point-of-care (POC) platforms. Here, a platform that consists of three main components is introduced: a portable housing, a centrifugal microfluidic disc, and a mobile phone. The mobile phone supplies the electrical power and serves as an analysing system. The low-cost housing made from cardboard serves as a platform to conduct tests. The electrical energy stored in mobile phones was demonstrated to be adequate for spinning a centrifugal disc up to 3000 revolutions per minute (RPM), a rotation speed suitable for majority of centrifugal microfluidics-based assays. For controlling the rotational speed, a combination of magnetic and acoustic tachometry using embedded sensors of the mobile phone was used. Experimentally, the smartphone-based tachometry was proven to be comparable with a standard laser-based tachometer. As a proof of concept, two applications were demonstrated using the portable platform: a colorimetric sandwich immunoassay to detect interleukin-2 (IL-2) having a limit of detection (LOD) of 65.17 ng/mL and a fully automated measurement of hematocrit level integrating blood-plasma separation, imaging, and image analysis that takes less than 5 mins to complete. The low-cost platform weighing less than 150 g and operated by a mobile phone has the potential to meet the REASSURED criteria for advanced diagnostics in resource limited settings.

An Intelligent Scheduling Approach on Mobile OS for Optimizing UI Smoothness and Power

Mobile devices need to respond quickly to diverse user inputs. The existing approaches often heuristically raise the CPU/GPU frequency according to the empirical rules when facing burst inputs and various changes. Although doing so can be effective sometimes, the existing approaches still need improvements. For instance, raising processors’ frequency can lead to high power consumption when the frequency is over-provisioned or fails to meet user demands when the frequency is under-provisioned. To this end, we propose MobiRL, a reinforcement learning-based scheduler for intelligent adjusting CPU/GPU frequency to satisfy user demands accurately on mobile systems. MobiRL monitors the mobile system status and autonomously learns to optimize UI smoothness and power consumption by conducting CPU/GPU frequency-adjusting actions. The experimental results on the latest delivered smartphones show that MobiRL outperforms the widely used commercial scheduler on real devices – reducing the frame drop rate by 4.1% and reducing power consumption by 42.8%, respectively. Moreover, compared with a study using Q-Learning for CPU frequency scheduling, MobiRL achieves up to 2.5% lower frame drop rate and reduces power consumption by 32.6%, respectively. Our approach has been deployed in mobile phone products.

Prevalence and Factors of Pregnancy Termination Among Reproductive-Aged Women: Evidence from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey

Background: Pregnancy termination (PT) is a major public health concern in low-and middle-income countries like Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors of PT using the nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey data 2017–2018. Materials and Methods: A weighted population-based sample of 8759 ever-married reproductive-aged women (15–49 years) was included in the study. The outcome variable was PT in any of the following forms: miscarriage, induced abortion, and stillbirth. A univariate analysis for mean, frequency, and percentage and multiple logistical regression were used to determine the factors associated with PT. Results: Around 18% of the women were found to have PT. The mean age of the women in the study was 25.79 years; 65.1% lived in the rural areas, and the majority of them were Muslims. Advanced age of the women (AOR:3.49, p = 0.004), residence in the countryside (AOR:0.81, p = 0.002), higher education (AOR:0.72, p = 0.027), not being a Muslim (AOR:0.74, p = 0.010), higher socio-economic status (AOR:1.28, p = 0.027), having a job (AOR:1.15, p = 0.041), being married at the age of &gt;22 years (AOR:0.71, p = 0.036), and using a mobile phone (AOR:1.22, p = 0.002) were significant factors of PT. This study did not find any association between PT and contraceptive use. Conclusions: Age, living region, education, religion, wealth index, working status, marital age, and mobile phone use are the determinants of PT. Interventions including these factors need to be made to reduce PT in Bangladeshi women. These findings could be helpful in undertaking further epidemiological studies to understand the actual causes of PT in various rural and urban settings among different socio-demographic groups in Bangladesh.

An Extended Method Based on the Geometric Position of Salient Image Features: Solving the Dataset Imbalance Problem in Greenhouse Tomato Growing Scenarios

Machine vision has significant advantages in a wide range of agricultural applications; however, acquiring a large number of high-quality image resources is often challenging in actual agricultural production due to environmental and equipment conditions. Therefore, crop image augmentation techniques are particularly important in crop growth analysis. In this paper, greenhouse tomato plants were used as research subjects to collect images of their different fertility stages with flowers and fruits. Due to the different durations of each fertility period, there is a significant difference in the number of images collected. For this reason, this paper proposes a method for balanced amplification of significant feature information in images based on geometric position. Through the geometric position information of the target in the image, different segmentation strategies are used to process the image and supervised and unsupervised methods are applied to perform balanced augmentation of the image, which is combined with the YOLOv7 algorithm to verify the augmentation effect. In terms of the image dataset, the mixed image dataset (Mix) is supplemented with mobile phone images on top of in situ monitoring images, with precision increased from 70.33% to 82.81% and recall increased from 69.15% to 81.25%. In terms of image augmentation, after supervised balanced amplification, the detection accuracy is improved from 70.33% to 77.29%, which is suitable for supervised balanced amplification. For the mobile phone dataset (MP), after amplification, it was found that better results could be achieved without any amplification method. The detection accuracy of the mixed dataset with different data sources matching the appropriate amplification method increased slightly from 82.81% to 83.59%, and accurate detection could be achieved when the target was shaded by the plant, and in different environments and light conditions.

Clean energy transition in rural Bangladesh: Challenges in adoption and impact

ABSTRACT At the household level, the solar photovoltaic (PV) system is an off-grid clean energy source with significant poverty reduction potential, thereby contributing to the attainment of several sustainable development goals. Nevertheless, there has been limited adoption of renewable or clean energy technologies in Bangladesh. At present, renewable energy sources account for only 3% of the country’s electricity generation. This study thus investigates the drivers of solar PV adoption and the impact of this on household income and poverty in Bangladesh. We present an econometric analysis of data from the International Food Policy Research Institute’s Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey, 2020. Our findings indicate that only 5.51% of the sample households adopted solar PV, with the likelihood of adoption 3.8% higher in households with a mobile phone, 1.7% higher in households with internet access, and 2.8% higher among homeowners. However, the government’s programs to expand the electricity grid made the delivery of solar PV by partner organizations less competitive. Our analysis reveals that the adoption of solar PV has a positive effect on household income of between 9.31% and 13.50%. The poverty gap is likely to decrease by around 20% to 26% due to adoption. These findings are pertinent to ongoing policy development efforts targeted at increasing the adoption of renewable energy to meet the sustainable development goals. Solar PV information could be potentially disseminated through mass media and modern communication technologies that require internet access. Furthermore, increasing the installation of solar PV systems in rented houses may promote the adoption of solar PV. It is imperative to implement policies that provide incentives for the installation and utilization of solar PV.

Tackling nomophobia: the influence of support systems and organizational practices

ABSTRACT This study investigates the growing issue of nomophobia, characterized by the anxiety of being without a mobile phone, in the workplace. Utilizing the broaden-and-build theory, this research examines the impact of supportive leadership, co-worker support, Human Resource Management (HRM) practices, and affective commitment on reducing nomophobia among employees. Data were collected from 393 employees across various educational organizations. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings reveal that supportive leadership significantly reduces nomophobia by enhancing HRM practices and affective commitment. However, contrary to expectations, co-worker support was found to increase nomophobia, suggesting that informal communication and social interactions via mobile devices might exacerbate smartphone dependency. HRM practices emerged as a critical factor in mitigating nomophobia, more so than affective commitment. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the complex dynamics of workplace relationships and offering practical insights for organizations aiming to reduce nomophobia and improve employee well-being.

Perceived Health Risks Associated with Smartphone Use Among Health College Students at Qassim University in Saudi Arabia

Background Smartphones have evolved into a fusion of traditional personal digital assistants and cellular phones, integrating mobile communication capabilities with features parallel to those of a handheld computer. Objective This study aimed to assess the health risks associated with smartphone use and the prevalence and nature of observed health issues among health college students at Qassim University in Saudi Arabia. Methods Employing a descriptive cross-sectional research design, this study surveyed a convenience sample of 511 health college students at Qassim University. The data collection instrument comprised two sections: Section 1 assessed sociodemographic, academic, and health-related information, while Section 2 evaluated the health risks as perceived by students. Results The majority of the participants were women (71%) and were studying nursing (26%). A significant proportion (39.9%) reported blurred vision, while 38.6% indicated a lack of adequate sleep. Notably, no significant association was observed between the health complaints and sociodemographic information. The analysis also revealed no significant relationship between health complaints and smartphone usage patterns. Conclusion The findings highlight a critical need for further research to investigate the factors contributing to the effect of smartphone use on the physiological well-being of university students. Such research is essential for developing targeted interventions to mitigate the associated health risks.

Financial Analysis of Apple's Product Pricing Strategy

Abstract: Due to the rise of other domestic mobile phone brands, iPhone updates have slowed down and become less attractive to consumers, resulting in excess iPhone inventory. In response to this situation, in early 2024, Apple began to implement a price reduction strategy, and the price of Apple's iPhone dropped significantly. Given this phenomenon, this paper studies the financial status of Apple in the past three years, including profitability, operating ability and debt-paying ability, and puts forward the problems of Apple's declining cash flow ability in recent years, weakening short-term debt-paying ability, and unsalable inventory products. However, gross profit margin increased slightly and net profit margin on sales was also little changed. Finally, the paper analyzes the reasons for the sharp price reduction of the iPhone and puts forward some suggestions for Apple's future development, such as strengthening product innovation, promoting old products, and reducing the backlog of old products.

Impact of non ionising radiation of male fertility

Exposure to non-ionizing radiation has become inevitable because people cannot escape sources of electromagnetic fields, such as Wi-Fi or cell phones. Among the mechanisms mentioned, the energy emitted by this non-ionizing radiation could cause heating which would have harmful effects on the quality of the sperm. The objective of our study was to carry out a systematic review of the literature concerning the impact of exposure to non-ionizing radiation from mobile phones (or other sources) on sperm parameters. We selected 12 studies: the majority of in vivo studies in humans and in vitro studies in animals report a significant impact on sperm count, mobility and vitality. Mobility and vitality seem to be the parameters most regularly impacted by exposure to non-ionizing radiation. Additional studies are necessary to complete this study in order to deepen knowledge with new generations of mobile phones which can raise health concerns.

BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING USING TELEMEDICINE TECHNOLOGIES IN PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE

An urgent task of modern cardiology is to ensure continuous monitoring of cardiovascular patients' condition indicators. Monitoring of patients with heart failure (HF) is especially important due to the instability of the condition, extremely high prevalence of pathology and life-threatening. Currently, active search and development of optimal devices and programs for medical telemonitoring continues. The review presents the results of Russian and foreign studies on the introduction of invasive and non-invasive technologies for blood pressure (BP) monitoring and demonstrates their clinical significance. The comparison of clinical data of several studies using wireless remote monitoring of pulmonary artery pressure with the help of CardioMEMS sensor was carried out. Mobile applications and telephone monitoring are also considered as an alternative to invasive devices, and information about their effectiveness and impact on the quality of life of patients is given. The article also compares the effectiveness of treatment of hypertension and HF using remote monitoring with standard practice and demonstrates the dependence of the risk of hospitalization for HF and the presence of monitoring of the condition.