Common Habit Research Articles

Bacterial diversity in vadose cave pools: evidence for isolated ecosystems

Microbial diversity of cave pools, especially vadose pools, has received relatively little attention. To help fill this gap, this study reports on the bacterial diversity of 17 pools in three New Mexican arid land caves: Carlsbad Cavern, Lechuguilla Cave, and Hell Below Cave. These pools are spread throughout the caves and, with two exceptions, are not connected. The pools share a basic water chemistry, with fresh water of the calcium-magnesium-bicarbonate type. These 17 pools have Chao1 values between 40 and 1738; the Shannon diversity averages 4.6 ± 1.1, ranging from 2.6 to 6.4; and the Simpson averages 0.881 ± 0.099, ranging from 0.622 to 0.981. No two pools had the same communities, even at the phylum level. Nitrospirae, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were found >5% abundance in nine or more cave pools. Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Fibrobacteres, Firmicutes and Plantomycetes were at >5 % in four to six pools. Of the top ten widespread bacterial genera, Nitrospira was found in all pools, with >5 % in eleven pools. Other common genera include Polyclorovans, Propionibacterium, Polaromonas, Haliangium, Bacillus, Subgroup 6 uncultured Acidobacteria, Candidatus Omnitrophica, and uncultured Nitrosomonadaceae. Presence of several potential nitrogen cycling bacteria (e.g., Nitrospira) in the study pools suggests that nitrogen cycling may be an important bacterial role. There is some evidence of human contamination, particularly in the heavily visited Big Room, Carlsbad Cavern, but it is not the dominant control. Rather than a single stable cave pool community, adapted to the cave pool ecosystem, the data show 17 different communities, despite relatively similar conditions. The data support the hypothesis that each pool is a unique, isolated ecosystem, with differences likely caused more by the isolation of each pool than by variable chemistry. Thus, the common habit of grouping samples, while useful for some questions, may not capture the diversity present in cave ecosystems.

Assessment of Oral Health Care Needs among Fishermen Living in North Chennai, India – A Cross Sectional Study

Introduction: Studies conducted among fishermen shows that there was a high prevalence rate in Oral mucosal lesions. However, data on oral health care needs among fisherman is scarce. Hence this was undertaken to obtain a data that can be used to plan programmes for the prevention and treatment of such oral mucosal lesions in the fishermen.
 Materials and Methods: A study was carried out among 71 fishermen after obtaining clearance from the institutional ethical committee and concerned authorities. A self administered questionnaire is distributed among the study group comprising questions relating to personal history and deleterious habits. Clinical examination was carried out using mouth mirror, explorer and under proper illumination. Oral health examination was done using WHO Basic Oral health Assessment proforma, 2013. Data collected and analysed statistically using SPSS software.
 Results: Among the 71 fishermen, 56(78.9%) were males and 15 (21.1 %) were females. In the study population, 44(62%) were tobacco chewers, 39(54.9%) were snuff users, 24(33.8%) were alcohol consumers and 19(26.8%) were smokers. Smokeless tobacco (41.5%) was the most common deleterious habit after which by alcohol consumption (33.8%) and smoking (26.8%).The prevalence of oral mucosal lesions was 20.8%.It was found that statistically significant association existed between the deleterious habits and leukoplakia.
 Conclusion: According to the our study, the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions was 20.8% among the fishermen who had a clear association with deleterious habits such as tobacco chewing, smoking, alcohol consumption and snuff.

PRESCHOOL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ EVALUATIONS ABOUT THE PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED IN THE EDUCATION PROCESS AND THEIR SOURCES

The aim of this research is to reveal the evaluations of preschool teachers’ about the problems experienced in the education process and the sources of the problems. The study was carried out based on the basic qualitative research design. The research participants consist of 19 preschool teachers working in public and private schools providing preschool education in Eskişehir city center. The primary data of the research were obtained through semi-structured interviews with teachers. In addition, the parent demographic information collection forms and the researcher diaries were used. Descriptive analysis and content analysis were used in the analysis of the data. According to the main findings obtained within the scope of the research, the most frequent and common problems experienced by students in the education process are related to attention and maintaining attention, and exhibiting behaviors in accordance with the rules in the classroom. In addition, the problems experienced are observed much more intensely in male students compared to female students. When teachers compare their students from past years with their current students, they are of the opinion that there is a significant increase in the problems experienced in the education process compared to years. Problems experienced in the preschool education process occur more frequently and are more common in public schools compared to private preschool education institutions. The most important sources of problems behind the troubles that arise in the education process; students’ parents, common technology usage habits of students, quality of teachers, quality of educational environments, preschool education program, student characteristics and changing daily life habits of students.

Linguistic changes in the transition from summaries to abstracts: The case of the Journal of Experimental Medicine

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Alternatives of IoT Irrigation Systems for the Gardens of Arequipa

Due to the problem of drinking water scarcity in different cities around the world, there are innovative proposals to automate garden irrigation in homes, to reduce drinking water consumption. For this research, a sample of 68 inhabitants of the Region of Arequipa - Peru has been surveyed to know the common habits in the irrigation of the gardens. From this data, two systems have been implemented in two average gardens using the Arduino UNO board (integrating with the Ethernet Shield) and the NodeMCU, each proposal integrates soil moisture sensors, water flow sensor, and actuators, such as the solenoid valve and the relay, besides centralizing the information through an IoT System (Home Assistant or Adafruit IO). This has managed to establish a comparison of both, generating a discussion according to the advantages and disadvantages addressed by each proposal and obtaining a saving of potable water in the irrigation of plants.

Raising a Child in the Era of Smartphones

In light of an increasing technological dependence for millenials, and the fact that members of this generation are starting to become parents, this paper examines a crucial area of technology use: how smartphone use impacts a parent's relationship with their child. Rather than looking at the issue of technology and parenting in the purely psychological context of affects on a child's brain development, as is most often the case, this paper takes a sociological perspective to focus on the bond between parent and child. This issue is only very recently starting to become of interest to researchers, so this paper consolidates existing work in the field to bring attention to the ways in which a parent's dependence on, and distraction with, their smartphone, is changing how they interact with their child. For future and current parents to learn to juggle technology use and sustainable practices of caring for their child, it is important that they are cognizant of the patterns of disengagement and dissatisfaction that are produced by the common habits of smartphone use.

Modified RURS Elbow Guard: An Alternative Approach for Thumb Sucking

Digit sucking or thumb sucking is one of the most common habits usually seen in children. These habits habitually lapse in mid-childhood. The continued persistence of these habits will bring about harmful unbalanced pressures to alveolar ridges, changes in the position of teeth, and occlusion which may result in abnormality if they are continued for a long time. This case report presents a case of a 5-year-old male child patient with a habit of thumb sucking that was successfully ceased by a modified RURS elbow guard appliance.How to cite this article: Anand S, Jyoti D, Shukla JN, et al. Modified RURS Elbow Guard: An Alternative Approach for Thumb Sucking. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2021;14(4):590–592.

CORR Insights®: Whole Exome Sequencing in Individuals with Idiopathic Clubfoot Reveals a Recurrent Filamin B (FLNB) Deletion.

Where Are We Now? Although only 20% of patients with clubfoot have a known associated genetic syndrome, there is strong evidence suggesting a genetic basis for isolated clubfoot [7]. Approximately 25% of patients with clubfoot have a family member with clubfoot as well [4]. Data from twin studies shows a higher concordance in identical (33%) than fraternal (3%) twins, and more recent data estimate heritability of isolated clubfoot at around 30% [3]. It seems likely that as we continue to investigate this topic, the proportion of patients who have an identifiable genetic cause for having clubfoot—now only about one in five [7]—will increase. Therapeutic opportunities are likely to increase correspondingly. In the current study, Quiggle et al. [6] determine whether there are any shared rare gene variants in unrelated patients with isolated clubfoot, as well as other rare variants of the already identified Filamin B (FLNB) gene in those patients. The authors analyzed whole-exome sequence data obtained from a discovery cohort of 183 unrelated probands with clubfoot and 2492 controls. They filtered their data to identify a candidate deletion that was further genotyped in a replication cohort of unrelated patients with clubfoot. The authors did not find any recurrent variants for any of the known genes causing clubfoot, but they did observe recurrent three-base pair in-frame codon deletion of FLNB in patients with isolated clubfoot. These results are important because identifying individuals in multigenerational families that carry genetic alterations related to nonsyndromic clubfoot, one of the most common congenital musculoskeletal birth defects, could help us determine which patients are at greater risk for recurrence following treatment. Perhaps we can soon anticipate its appearance in siblings or children of people who had clubfoot when they were younger. Where Do We Need To Go? We could build off the results of this study by working toward identifying the genetics of the early limb developmental pathway in clubfoot. This would expand our knowledge on the heritability of isolated clubfoot and help us provide accurate genetic counseling for at-risk families [2]. Additionally, establishing a genetic classification could lead to tailored treatment strategies, which could help researchers potentially identify those patients who are resistant to current treatment modalities. Still, more research is needed to determine the mechanism by which FLNB pathogenic variants may contribute to clubfoot, and in turn, which promoters could potentially trigger those gene alterations. There are already studies that linked DNA oxidative damage in N-acetylation genes to tobacco smoking, although this may not be the case of FLNB, as smoking is a common habit. We could, however, investigate whether FLNB acts as a promoter in patients with clubfoot. How Do We Get There? Animal models, which could serve as analogs to determine the mechanisms by which these genetic abnormalities cause clubfoot, should be on the horizon. Such studies could help us better understand the pathogenesis of early idiopathic clubfoot. Collaborative, multicenter studies with increased sample sizes and harmonizing phenotypes could also potentially determine whether FNLB variants contribute to the development of clubfoot. Determining the inheritance pattern of the disorder [1] could potentially lead to the development of a combined gene alteration/malformation classification. Although certainly a challenging endeavor, this approach could be the final step in the evolution of knowledge in this field.

The Discursive Constitution of Mafia Journalism as a Network Beat

ABSTRACT The article is an exploratory investigation of Italian journalists who cover issues that deal with organized crime of mafia type. It investigates their accounts of practices, organizations, and relationships with sources. Utilizing an institutional discursive approach it presents an investigation and interpretation of mafia journalism as a discursive newsbeat. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 journalists working for Italy-based regional and national news outlets. Through the journalists’ accounts, the article discusses a working definition of mafia journalism. The article explains that being a mafia journalist is a social dimension balanced between journalists’ discursive conceptions of their work and practices targeted on mafia journalism. The use of the term network beat is justified by the common habits and professional practices mafia journalists have, their relationships, and often their mutual help.

Faecal miRNA profiles associated with age, sex, BMI, and lifestyle habits in healthy individuals

For their stability and detectability faecal microRNAs represent promising molecules with potential clinical interest as non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. However, there is no evidence on how stool miRNA profiles change according to an individual’s age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) or how lifestyle habits influence the expression levels of these molecules. We explored the relationship between the stool miRNA levels and common traits (sex, age, BMI, and menopausal status) or lifestyle habits (physical activity, smoking status, coffee, and alcohol consumption) as derived by a self-reported questionnaire, using small RNA-sequencing data of samples from 335 healthy subjects. We detected 151 differentially expressed miRNAs associated with one variable and 52 associated with at least two. Differences in miR-638 levels were associated with age, sex, BMI, and smoking status. The highest number of differentially expressed miRNAs was associated with BMI (n = 92) and smoking status (n = 84), with several miRNAs shared between them. Functional enrichment analyses revealed the involvement of the miRNA target genes in pathways coherent with the analysed variables. Our findings suggest that miRNA profiles in stool may reflect common traits and lifestyle habits and should be considered in relation to disease and association studies based on faecal miRNA expression.

An Optimistic Security Model for Improving Cyber Security Using Adaptive Algorithms to Prevent SQL Injection Attacks

Throughout today's economic and social life, the use of web-based services (such as e-commerce, online banking, and web-based communications, to name a few) has become a common habit. Countless applications operate worldwide on millions of servers, and their numbers are steadily increasing. It has become a focus of attackers and hackers for the attacks because of the huge growth of internet usage. It is necessary for all companies to develop and protect their applications in order to maintain their credibility and keep their products relevant for users. Web applications have brought in new classes of computer security vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection (SQLIA), and it has exceeded previously prominent vulnerability classes in recent years. SQL injection is the instance of the broader class of vulnerabilities that are based on input validation. The primary purpose of this research is to study the vulnerabilities of SQL injection and to propose an optimistic security model for secure data transmission. In this work, the authors proposed an adaptive algorithm to prevent SQL injections.

HABIT REVERSAL USED TO TREAT ONYCHOPHAGIA: A CASE REPORT

Chronic nail biting (onychophagia) is a common habit which negatively impacts on the quality of life of those affected, has a negative social impact, and is accompanied with disabling inflammatory processes like gingivitis and paronychia. Habit reversal is a behaviour treatment procedure used to help patients get rid of the habit. The presented case report describes how a six-month period of habit reversal prescribed by the dermatologist was used to treat a 42-year male suffering from life-long onychophagia. During the treatment period, the patient experienced both an improved growth of nails and an improvement in quality of life, but never got fully cured from the habit. Finally, suggestions for an improved treatment success by prescribing habit reversal in specialized onychophagia clinics run by a multidisciplinary team (consisting of e.g., dermatologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists) who ensure regular follow-ups and patient compliance is provided.

Bombast Bombardment and Dense Syntax versus Effective Communication and Language Teaching in ESL Settings: Nigerian English Examples

Influenced by certain factors and motives, some educated Nigerian English speakers use high-sounding expressions, as well as dense, windy, and complex syntactic structures. This paper examines this linguistic habit in Nigerian English to show how entrenched it has become; explain the sociolinguistic, historical, and idiosyncratic factors that influence it; show its effect on its audience and readers; and determine its implications for teaching and learning English in English as a second language (ESL) settings. The paper adopted the qualitative research method, and data were extracted from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data were extracted from well-known Nigerian ‘bombast bombardiers’ (users of bombast). Secondary data were gleaned from historical events and published and creative works. The study established that the use of ‘language explosives’ (high-sounding lexical items) is a common linguistic habit in ESL. Some educated Nigerians, for instance, use the habit to show off learning and their mastery of the language, estrange others in communication, create humor, and gain popularity. Although the paper avers that the habit in its unguided form hampers effective communication, it submits that it possesses certain socio-political and pedagogical utilities in ESL settings.

Особливості поширеності тютюнопаління серед підлітків України

В Європейському регіоні 40 % усіх захворювань і смертей обумовлено впливом трьох основних факторів ризику: палінням, вживанням алкоголю і дорожньо-транспортними пригодами (які часто пов’язані з вживанням алкоголю). Серед усіх регіонів Всесвітньої організації охорони здоров’я Європейський регіон займає лідируючі позиції за рівнем поширеності паління серед як дорослого населення (28,0 %), так і підлітків (19,0 %). У період з 1999 по 2014 рік в Україні проводилися три серії міжнародних експериментів (ESPAD, GYTS, HBSC), які містили питання і щодо тютюнопалiння. За результатами Глобального опитування підлітків 2010–2011 рр. Україна входила до трійки лідерів (після Чехії та Італії). Виявлено наступні негативні тенденції поширеності тютюнопалiння серед школярів: 28,8 % підлітків почали палити у віці до 10 років; 3,7 % школярів, які палять (переважно хлопчики), вранці відчувають потребу в сигареті; поряд з сигаретами стають все більш популярними інші види тютюнової продукції (сигари, сигаріли, міні-сигари) (7,2 %); 55,3 % підлітків, які не палять, готові почати палити в наступному році; у 9,2 % є речі з зображенням логотипу будь-якого тютюнового бренду. За даними НДІ соціальної і судової психіатрії та наркології МОЗ України, 22 % школярів і студентів вживають спиртні напої практично щодня або кілька разів на тиждень. Висока поширеність тютюнопаління та вживання алкоголю серед підлітків України вимагають розробки і впровадження нових ефективних профілактичних заходів, спрямованих на формування здоров’язберігаючої поведінки молоді. Профілактичні заходи важливо починати заздалегідь, до початку проявів ризикової поведінки.

Water Quality and Mortality from Coronary Artery Disease in Sardinia: A Geospatial Analysis.

The role of water hardness on human health is still debated, ranging from beneficial to harmful. Before the rise of drinking bottled water, it was a common habit to obtain supplies of drinking water directly from spring-fed public fountains. According to the geographic location, spring waters are characterized by a variable content of mineral components. In this ecological study, for the first time in Sardinia, Italy, the spatial association between spring water quality/composition and standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for coronary artery disease (CAD) in the decade from 1981 to 1991 was investigated using data retrieved from published databases. In a total of 377 municipalities, 9918 deaths due to CAD, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), ICD-9 code 410, and ischemic heart disease (IHD), ICD-9 code 411–414, were retrieved. A conditional autoregressive model with spatially structured random effects for each municipality was used. The average SMR for CAD in municipalities with a predominantly “soft” (<30 mg/L) or “hard” (≥30 mg/L) water was, respectively, 121.4 ± 59.1 vs. 104.7 ± 38.2 (p = 0.025). More specifically, an inverse association was found between elevated calcium content in spring water and cardiovascular mortality (AMI: r = −0.123, p = 0.032; IHD: r = −0.146, p = 0.009) and borderline significance for magnesium (AMI: r = −0.131, p = 0.054; IHD: r = −0.138, p = 0.074) and bicarbonate (IHD: r = −0.126, p = 0.058), whereas weak positive correlations were detected for sodium and chloride. The lowest CAD mortality was observed in geographic areas (North-West: SMR 0.92; South-East: SMR 0.88), where calcium- and bicarbonate-rich mineral waters were consumed. Our results, within the limitation of an ecological study, confirm the beneficial role of waters with high content in calcium and bicarbonate against coronary artery disease.

Exceptional preservation of reidite in the Rochechouart impact structure, France: New insights into shock deformation and phase transition of zircon

AbstractReidite, the high‐pressure zircon (ZrSiO4) polymorph, is a diagnostic indicator of impact events. Natural records of reidite are, however, scarce, occurring mainly as micrometer‐sized lamellae, granules, and dendrites. Here, we present a unique sequence of shocked zircon grains found within a clast from the Chassenon suevitic breccia (shock stage III) from the ˜200 Ma, 20–50 km wide Rochechouart impact structure in France. Our study comprises detailed characterization with scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron backscatter diffraction with the goal of investigating the stability and response of ZrSiO4under extremeP–Tconditions. The shocked zircon grains have preserved various amounts of reidite ranging from 4% up to complete conversion. The grains contain various variants of reidite, including the common habits: lamellae and granular reidite. In addition, three novel variants have been identified: blade, wedge, and massive domains. Several of these crosscut and offset each other, revealing that reidite can form at multiple stages during an impact event. Our data provide evidence that reidite can be preserved in impactites to a much greater extent than previously documented. We have further characterized reversion products of reidite in the form of fully recrystallized granular zircon grains and minute domains of granular zircon in reidite‐bearing grains that occur in close relationship to reidite. Neoblasts in these grains have a distinct crystallography that is the result of systematic inheritance of reidite. We interpret that the fully granular grains have formed from prolonged exposure of temperatures in excess of 1200 °C. Reidite‐bearing grains with granular domains might signify swift quenching from temperatures close to 1200 °C. Grains subjected to these specific conditions therefore underwent partial zircon‐to‐reidite reversion, instead of full grain recrystallization. Based on our ZrSiO4microstructural constraints, we decipher the grains evolution at specificP–Tconditions related to different impact stages, offering further understanding of the behavior of ZrSiO4during shock.

Areca catechu-(Betel-nut)-induced whole transcriptome changes in a human monocyte cell line that may have relevance to diabetes and obesity; a pilot study

BackgroundBetel-nut consumption is the fourth most common addictive habit globally and there is good evidence linking the habit to obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the metabolic syndrome. The aim of our pilot study was to identify gene expression relevant to obesity, T2D and the metabolic syndrome using a genome-wide transcriptomic approach in a human monocyte cell line incubated with arecoline and its nitrosated products.ResultsThe THP1 monocyte cell line was incubated separately with arecoline and 3-methylnitrosaminopropionaldehyde (MNPA) in triplicate for 24 h and pooled cDNA indexed paired-end libraries were sequenced (Illumina NextSeq 500). After incubation with arecoline and MNPA, 15 and 39 genes respectively had significant changes in their expression (q < 0.05, log fold change 1.5). Eighteen of those genes have reported associations with T2D and obesity in humans; of these genes there was most marked evidence for CLEC10A, MAPK8IP1, NEGR1, NQ01 and INHBE genes.ConclusionsOur preliminary studies have identified a large number of genes relevant to obesity, T2D and metabolic syndrome whose expression was changed significantly in human TPH1 cells following incubation with betel-nut derived arecoline or with MNPA. These findings require validation by further cell-based work and investigation amongst betel-chewing communities.

(Comparative study) Knowledge and Attitude regarding risks of chewing Khat among Nurses Students at Sabay University College Jazan University 2019

Khat chewing is a common habit among the population in the Jazan regions. Aim of the study: To identify the knowledge and attitude of nursing and non-nursing students as regard risks of chewing Khat and to perform a comparison between attitude and knowledge of nursing and non-nursing students as regard risks of chewing Khat. Study design and setting: Descriptive design was utilized on 323students in the Sabay University College at Jazan University Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Method: Data were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire about knowledge, risks, and attitude of nursing and non-nursing students regarding risks of chewing Khat. Results: Shows that about one-third of students are in (computer science, Accounting, and Nursing) departments with percentages (32.5%, 31.9 % and 35.6%) respectively. And more than half (59.2%) of students in accounting study have a poor knowledge level and more than one-third (38.3 %) of nursing students have a poor knowledge as regarding risks of chewing Khat. Conclusion: The study found that nursing and non-nursing students had a poor knowledge level as well as a negative attitude toward khat chewing. Recommendations: Implementing an educational program for students could increase knowledge, and awareness among university students and reduce the prevalence of the habit and its unfavorable consequences.

Topical Interest and Degree of Involvement of Bilingual Editors in Wikipedia

Language reveals a lot of information about its speakers. Speakers of one language usually share common cultural habits or regional characteristics, and their similarities become more obvious within the context where there are multiple languages in use. We focus on studying bilingual users of Wikipedia, one of the largest multilingual user-generated content platforms. In Wikipedia, we can observe the patterns in the English edition, where users of multiple languages come together to express their thoughts and interests in the common language of English. To understand the specific topics edited by bilingual users, we analyze them in terms of revision counts, topics, and country names. We find that bilingual users are generally interested in more local topics, and their language is highly related with their topics. Also, we observe that the topical diversity decreases with the proportion of English edits, and more concentrates on topics related with countries and cultures.

Modeling of neutron and x-ray scattering by liquids: The risks of using phenomenological models

We review exact formalisms for describing the dynamics of liquids in terms of static parameters. We discuss how these formalisms are prone to suffer from imposing restrictions that appear to adhere to common sense, but which are overly restrictive, resulting in a flawed description of the dynamics. We detail a fail-safe way for modeling the scattering data of liquids that are free from any unwarranted restriction and avoid overparametrizations. We also list some common habits in analyzing the data and discuss how often they do not do justice to the accuracy achieved in scattering experiments, thus frequently leading to overinterpretations in place of a better-grounded model rejection.