Frequent Answers Research Articles

Question-conditioned debiasing with focal visual context fusion for visual question answering

Existing Visual Question Answering models suffer from the language prior, where the answers provided by the models overly rely on the correlations between questions and answers, ignoring the exact visual information, resulting in a significant drop in the out-of-distribution datasets. To eliminate such language bias, prevalent approaches mainly focus on weakening the language prior with one auxiliary question-only branch while focusing on the statistical question type–answer pairs’ distribution prior rather than that of question–answer pairs. Besides, most models provide the answer with improper visual groundings. This paper proposes a model-agnostic framework to address the above drawbacks by question-conditioned debiasing with focal visual context fusion. To begin with, instead of the question type-conditioned correlations, we overcome the language distribution shortcut from the aspect of question-conditioned correlations by removing the shortcut between questions and the most occurring answer. Additionally, we utilize the deviation of the predicted answer distribution and ground truth as the pseudo target to avoid the model falling into other frequent answers’ distribution bias. Further, we stress the imbalance of the number of images and questions that post higher requirements of a proper visual context. We improve the correct visual utilization ability based on contrastive sampling and design a focal visual context fusion module that incorporates the critical object word extracted from the question after the Part-Of-Speech tagging into the visual features to augment the salient visual information without human annotations. Extensive experiments on the three public benchmark datasets, i.e., VQA v2, VQA-CP v2, and VQA-CP v1, demonstrate the effectiveness of our model.

Improving visual question answering for remote sensing via alternate-guided attention and combined loss

Visual question answering (VQA) for remote sensing (RS) images offers a typical multi-modal task advanced by natural language processing and computer vision technologies. Still, it remains a problem subjected to two aspects of factors. First, the RS image contains a wealth of visual elements but is rarely involved in the question; therefore, the regions humans choose to look at to answer questions differ from current attention approaches. Second, the class-imbalance problem in the existing RSVQA dataset leads the prediction to drift towards frequent answers. To address these issues, we aim to explore the intrinsic relationship between RS visual elements and text generations with imbalance compensation. Here, we propose a new method called Union Context-wise and Alternate-Guided Attention Network (UCAGAN). Our method uses a cross-modal alternative-guided attention module to map visual and textual features. Moreover, we introduce an improved multi-category loss function to compensate for the model bias caused by sample imbalance. We carried out thorough experimentation on a diverse range of datasets, demonstrating that our approach is effective and efficient, achieving state-of-the-art performance. Our work provides results that are not only correctable but also explainable, ultimately leading to the development of reliable VQA models for RS images.

Assessment of students’ perception of research in an honors thesis preparation course

Identifying student’s perception of research activity can provide important practical implications to effectively recommend and facilitate research opportunities for students. Through two surveys applied at the beginning and end of an undergraduate honors orientation class we conducted a qualitative and quantitative study to assess the students’ knowledge and perception of research. The survey questions were repeated in two different semesters, and students were taught research related content. Even though 48% of the students did not have any research experience and a minority (12%) had more than a year of research experience, a large portion of the students could explain many research related words, such as plagiarism, citations, google scholar, and primary source, but a few words could not be recognized by the students, such as predatory journal, preprint, ORCID and publons. The most frequent answers provided by students when asked about their perception of researcher skills included the word motivation, followed by creativity and communication. Students’ confidence in their knowledge and research-related skills increased over the semester consistent with other studies that show the value of a structured introduction to research for building student confidence.

Application of Social Media in Chemical Safety Training: A Case Study of Training GHS Standards to Students and Laboratory Staff at a University

Insufficient knowledge of chemical hazards can cause unsafe behaviors, diseases, and accidents in the laboratory, hence educational interventions are significant. Due to its unique qualities, distance learning via educational applications has grown dramatically. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a safety training intervention via social media applications on the safety knowledge of staff and students at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. A total of 166 staff and students at the laboratories of schools and research centers affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences were randomized to an experimental group and a control group. A training package was prepared including text, GIF, and video messages on the Globally Harmonized System of classification and labeling of Chemicals (GHS), and the experimental group received a one month training via a common messenger platform in Iran (Telegram). Participants’ chemical safety knowledge was assessed before and after the intervention. A validated questionnaire including 24 multiple-choice items in text format and 13 multiple-choice items in image format as well as demographic items was employed to collect data. Shapiro-Wilk, independent t test, and analysis of covariance were used to analyze the data. In the textual section of the questionnaire, the most frequently answered item concerned the “reason for choosing a respirator”, and the least frequently answered ones were “meaning of warning” and “meaning of hazard”. Environmental hazard and oxidation risk received the most frequent correct answers in the visual section. After the intervention, the control and experimental groups’ knowledge scores were 64.7 ± 10.1 and 79.2 ± 8.4, respectively. According to the covariance test, the training intervention improved participants’ knowledge significantly (p < 0.001). Training interventions through social media can improve GHS knowledge. Moreover, visual messages are easier to understand and transfer than textual ones.

Hábitos de prescrição de antibióticos de dentistas brasileiros durante tratamentos periodontais

Abstract Introduction Periodontal treatment involves procedures aimed to reduce bacterial load, involving or not the use of local or systemic antibiotics. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess Brazilian dentists’ knowledge about antibiotics prescription during periodontal treatment. Material and method An online questionnaire was available asking for systemic application of local or systemic antibiotics prescription (frequency, and sequence with mechanical periodontal treatment) and in relation to different periodontal diseases. The use of microbial diagnostic services and volunteers’ demographic data were also elucidated. Data were statistically analyzed (Binomial Test, p&lt;0.05). Result Three hundred and ninety-three volunteers answered the questionnaire. Twenty-three percent males and 76.2% females. Average age was 27.7 years. Minority (19.2%) of the volunteers reported to indicate systemic antibiotics to treat gingivitis or periodontitis stages I and II (old slight and moderate chronic periodontitis). Majority of the professionals indicate it to treat periodontal abscess, necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis or periodontitis, periodontitis in severe immunodeficiencies, old aggressive periodontitis, and periodontitis stages III and IV (old severe chronic periodontitis). Rarely (2.5%) the prescription was without the combination with mechanical therapy. Microbiological tests as an auxiliary diagnostic method are rarely (3.1%) requested due to lack of information or cost. Most frequent answers about the number of times professionals reported prescribing systemic antibiotics as part of periodontal treatment per trimester was “at least once”, followed by “2 times”. Conclusion It can be concluded that Brazilian dentists have knowledge about the correct prescription of antibiotics in periodontal therapy.

An Overview of the Methodologies and the Quality of Studies on Pharmacotherapy for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia.

It is often unclear whether systematic reviews and primary studies are de-signed to elucidate the efficacy or effectiveness of interventions. This may compromise the use of the information in clinical or policy decisions. This overview aimed to evaluate the methodological profiles of studies on fibromyalgia pharmacotherapy in terms of the quality and nature of the interventions (efficacy versus effective-ness). The protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Re-views database. Seven databases were searched for relevant publications. Systematic reviews inves-tigating the effectiveness or efficacy of fibromyalgia pharmacotherapy were included. Methodolog-ical quality was investigated using A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AM-STAR), and efficacy andeffectiveness were evaluated using Rating of Included Trials on the Effica-cy-effectiveness Spectrum (RITES). In this overview, 4,107 studies were initially identified. 8 systematic reviews and 34 prima-ry studies remained after overlaps were removed. Of the eight systematic reviews, 4.76% (n=3) and 7.93% (n=5) were of moderate and high quality, respectively. An analysis of systematic reviews clearly showed the criteria "participants characteristics" and "trial setting" with the most frequent answers as scales 1 and 2 (strong emphasis on efficacy or rather strong emphasis on efficacy), re-spectively. RITES analysis revealed that the most frequent response was "strong emphasis on effi-cacy" in 68% (92/136) of primary studies. This analysis showed, in both systematic reviews and primary studies, a predominantly strong emphasis on efficacy, suggesting the need for methodological quality improvement in future studies, especially those designed to provide evidence related to effectiveness. The protocol for this overview has been registered in the International Prospective Register of Sys-tematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42018095943).

Self-Esteem And Its Impact On Academic Performance Among Undergraduate Nursing Students Of Khyber Pukhtankhwa Pakistan; A Correlational Study

Self-esteem is defined as self-value and the combination of skills and emotional states that describe how highly people respect themselves or think about themselves. Objective: To identify the correlation between self-esteem and academic performance. Methods: The study design was correlational descriptive, which was conducted from August 2022 to September 2022, with a sample size of 185 nursing students and a non-probability sampling technique. The self-esteem of the participants was assessed through a valid and reliable scale. Results: Among the study participants, the majority of the students were male (64.5%). In the collected data, the majority of students’ self-esteem was average (91.90%), while the academic performance of the participants was average (61.1%). The most frequent answers to the scale questions were "agree" and "strongly agree. The overall self-esteem of male participants was higher compared to female participants, while the 4th year students’ self-esteem was higher compared to other years' students. In the academic performance, the performance was best and average. The academic performance of males were higher than female participants. The findings show that there is no correlation between self-esteem and academic performance and also no correlation with selected demographic variables. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that students with higher self-esteem are more confident, have a lower stress level, and are energetic, good problem solvers. Senior students’ self-esteem has higher self-esteem compared to other class students

The Effect of Principal’s Managerial Competence and Teacher Work Culture on Teacher Competence at Junior High Schools in Cilacap

This study aimed to determine: 1) the effect of the principal's managerial ability on teacher competence; 2) The influence of teacher work culture on teacher competence; 3) The influence of the principal's managerial ability and teacher's work culture on teacher competence. This research was descriptive with a quantitative approach. The data were collected by distributing questionnaires to 71 respondents—statistical data processing using SPSS 17.0. The study results that: 1) The managerial ability of principals at Junior High Schools in Central Cilacap Subdistrict was generally in the answer always with quite high criteria. The hypothesis test results indicate that the principal's managerial ability positively affects teacher competence. It means that the higher the managerial ability of the principal, the greater the teacher’s competence; 2) The work culture of teachers in junior high schools in the Central Cilacap sub-district, in general, is in the frequent answers with quite high criteria. The hypothesis test results show that the teacher's work culture positively affects teacher competence. One means that the higher the teacher's work culture, the higher the teacher's competence; 3) The competence of teachers in junior high schools in Central Cilacap Subistrict is generally in the answer always with quite high criteria. The results of hypothesis testing indicate that the principal's managerial ability and teacher work culture positively affect teacher competence. It means that the higher the principal's managerial ability and the higher the teacher's work culture, the higher its competence.

On the role of question encoder sequence model in robust visual question answering

Generalizing beyond the experiences has a significant role in developing robust and practical machine learning systems. It has been shown that current Visual Question Answering (VQA) models are over-dependent on the language-priors (spurious correlations between question-types and their most frequent answers) from the train set and pose poor performance on Out-of-Distribution (OOD) test sets. This conduct negatively affects the robustness of VQA models and restricts them from being utilized in real-world situations. This paper shows that the sequence model architecture used in the question-encoder has a significant role in the OOD performance of VQA models. To demonstrate this, we performed a detailed analysis of various existing RNN-based and Transformer-based question-encoders, and along, we proposed a novel Graph attention network (GAT)-based question-encoder. Our study found that a better choice of sequence model in the question-encoder reduces the over-fit to language biases and improves OOD performance in VQA even without using any additional relatively complex bias-mitigation approaches.

Assessment of Knowledge about Traditional Medicine Reveals Overuse as a Potential Risk for Aggravating COVID-19 and Underlying Diseases in Geriatrics and Women's Health in the Saudi Population.

The devastating COVID-19 pandemic has created several gaps in the management of viral infections, leaving biocontainment and supportive measures as the only resorts for control. As such, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of dietary supplementations and herbal medicine for COVID-19. However, serious concerns regarding the efficacy, safety, and recommended doses of these medicines have been raised. In this study, we aimed to assess the population knowledge about alternative medicine administration for COVID-19 and the associated factors. Using a self-administered cross-sectional survey, we analyzed a total of 2042 valid responses. Most of the included participants were females (69.7%), with an overall mean age of 20.8 ± 11.8 years. Most respondents (62.8%) obtained their knowledge from social media while only 16.6% received knowledge from the health care workers. Half of the participants (50.6%) correctly identified all COVID-19 symptoms, where fever (18.5%) and loss of smell and taste (17.1%) were the most frequent answers. On the use of traditional medicines and supplements for COVID-19, 57.8% did not answer, 23.7% admitted regular use, and 18.5% used sometimes. Family members or friends suggested the use of traditional medicines and dietary supplements to 28.0% of the participants while only 14.7% were advised by a nutritionist, physician, pharmacist, nurse, or a health worker. Moreover, seniors and illiterate portions of society had lower knowledge scores and increased utilization of alternative medicine. Marital status, income, and previous COVID-19 were all significant predictors of the awareness and knowledge score. Thus, this study has identified overuse of unregulated medicinal products in the region, which potentially aggravates COVID-19 or other underlying risks of the disease, making clinical management challenging, particularly in geriatrics and women’s health. Regulation of medicinal products and establishment of educational campaigns about the disease have become imperative.

Exploring Siri’s Content Diversity Using a Crowdsourced Audit

This study aims to describe the content diversity of Siri’s search results in the polarized context of US politics. To do so, a crowdsourced audit was conducted. A diverse sample of 170 US-based Siri users between the ages of 18-64 performed five identical queries about politically controversial issues. The data were analyzed using the concept of algorithmic bias. The results suggest that Siri’s search algorithm produces a long tail distribution of search results: Forty-two percent of the participants received the six most frequent answers, while 22% of the users received unique answers. These statistics indicate that Siri’s search algorithm causes moderate concentration and low fragmentation. The age and, surprisingly, the political orientation of users, do not seem to be driving either concentration or fragmentation. However, the users' gender and location appear to cause low concentration.

Loss Re-Scaling VQA: Revisiting the Language Prior Problem From a Class-Imbalance View.

Recent studies have pointed out that many well-developed Visual Question Answering (VQA) models are heavily affected by the language prior problem. It refers to making predictions based on the co-occurrence pattern between textual questions and answers instead of reasoning upon visual contents. To tackle this problem, most existing methods focus on strengthening the visual feature learning capability to reduce this text shortcut influence on model decisions. However, few efforts have been devoted to analyzing its inherent cause and providing an explicit interpretation. It thus lacks a good guidance for the research community to move forward in a purposeful way, resulting in model construction perplexity towards overcoming this non-trivial problem. In this paper, we propose to interpret the language prior problem in VQA from a class-imbalance view. Concretely, we design a novel interpretation scheme whereby the loss of mis-predicted frequent and sparse answers from the same question type is distinctly exhibited during the late training phase. It explicitly reveals why the VQA model tends to produce a frequent yet obviously wrong answer, to a given question whose right answer is sparse in the training set. Based upon this observation, we further propose a novel loss re-scaling approach to assign different weights to each answer according to the training data statistics for estimating the final loss. We apply our approach into six strong baselines and the experimental results on two VQA-CP benchmark datasets evidently demonstrate its effectiveness. In addition, we also justify the validity of the class imbalance interpretation scheme on other computer vision tasks, such as face recognition and image classification.

Widespread Supplement Intake and Use of Poor Quality Information in Elite Adolescent Swiss Athletes.

Compared with adult athletes, rather little is known about supplementation behavior in adolescent athletes. This study's aim was to determine elite adolescent athletes' supplement use and sources of information relating thereto. A total of 430 (87%) of 496 questioned athletes returned the anonymized questionnaire. Thereof, 84% consumed at least one weekly supplement and 97% indicated some supplement intake during the previous 4weeks. On average, 13.3 supplement servings were consumed per week. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile was 4.5, 10.5, and 20.0 servings per week, with a maximum of 67. The most prevalent supplements in use were multimineral products (41% of all athletes), multivitamins (34%), Vitamin C (34%), and Vitamin D (33%). Male athletes consumed significantly more Vitamin C and D, sports drinks, protein powder, and recovery products compared with female athletes; whereas, women consumed more iron supplements. The three most important motives for supplement use were recovery support (40%), health maintenance (39%), and performance enhancement (30%). The most frequent answers to the question "who recommended that you use supplements" were family/friends (36%), a physician (27%), and a trainer/coach (25%). The main three information sources about the supplements in use were the persons who recommended the supplementation (56%), the internet (25%), and information provided by supplement suppliers (11%). A positive doping attitude was associated with the consumption of performance enhancing supplements (p = .017). In conclusion, this study among elite adolescent Swiss athletes indicates a widespread and large-scale use of dietary supplements, which was associated with a low level of information quality.

ANALISIS KEMAMPUAN GURU DALAM PENGGUNAAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN DIGITAL PADA MASA ADAPTASI KEBIASAAN BARU DI SDN 105377 NAGA KISAR KEC. PANTAI CERMIN T.A 2020/2021

The purpose of the research is to determine the ability of elementary school teachers using digital learning media during the new habit adaptation at State Elementary School 105377, Naga Kisar Pantai Cermin in 2020/2021 academic year. This study is descriptive quantitative research. The sample in this study was 8 teachers. The data collection technique used in this research is questionnaires. The results showed that the teacher's ability using digital learning media at State Elementary School 105377 Naga &#x0D; Kisar was moderate with an average score 3.11. With the percentage of alternative answers for each sub-indicator, the sub-indicator of teachers knowing and being able to use digital learning media, the answers are always 67.18% included in good category, frequent answers 20.31% included in low category, 12.5% answers sometimes, included in very low category. The sub-indicators of digital learning media can build cooperation and confidence of children, 50% of the answers are always included in medium category, 20.83% of the answers are often, low category, the 29.16% answers are sometimes included in low category. The sub-indicators of digital learning media are able to arouse children's enthusiasm and motivation in learning, 7.5% answers are always included in low category, 22.5% answers are often included in low category, sometimes 70% included in good category. Based on the analysis of questionnaire for each sub-indicator, it can be concluded that teacher's ability to use digital learning media at State Elementary School 105377 Naga Kisar is in medium category.

The analysis of the notions of Russian school principals about digital transformation

Introduction. The challenge of the pandemic forced educational organisations in Russia to resort to massive transition to distance learning and accelerated digital transformation of schools. It has become more obvious than ever that the digital transformation of a school is not limited to a simple technical update of its information resources but implies a fundamental rethinking of the school activities based on the capabilities of digital technologies.The aim of the study was to investigate the experience of digital transformation and the Russian school principals’ notions about it as a systemic process. The subject of the study is the notion about the systemic impact of digital transformation processes on schools; the experience of complexity in the introduction of information technologies in the educational process and school management, the assessment of the progress of digitalisation; the notions about the factors of successful digital transformation, which require a critical understanding of the experience of implementing information technologies in the school, highlighting key success factors.Methodology and research methods. The authors analysed 7189 questionnaires using computer methods for processing the natural language. The questionnaires were completed in general education organisations of 66 regions from all federal districts of Russia. The respondents’ answers were categorised in accordance with the European Framework for Technologically Competent Educational Organisations (DigCompOrg).Results. The research findings demonstrated the significant imbalance in the frequency of responses: the most frequent answers belong to the “Infrastructure” category, while the least frequent ones belong to the categories of pedagogical aspects of digital transformation affecting changes in the educational content and methods for assessing educational outcomes. It is concluded that the respondents’ replies reflect the institutional position of school principals in the current educational system: a head of a government-funded school positions herself/himself as an administrative executor and a representative of the founder, rather than a leader of the teaching team. Consequently, the provision of educational achievements and students’ personal development are largely not perceived by principles of Russian schools as a priority management task.Scientific novelty of the present research lies in the attempt to answer the question of how systematically the digital transformation of the principle is perceived, to apply DigCompOrg to the assessment of these categories by the European Framework of technologically competent educational organisations, as well as to use natural language processing methods to process text answers to open-ended questions of the questionnaire, which made it possible to obtain results on a large sample with wide geographical coverage.Practical significance. The research findings can be used in the development and implementation of advanced training programmes for school and college administrations in accordance with the ongoing digitalisation of Russian educational system.

Urban–Rural Gradients Predict Educational Gaps: Evidence from a Machine Learning Approach Involving Academic Performance and Impervious Surfaces in Ecuador

Academic performance (AP) is explained by a multitude of factors, principally by those related to socioeconomic, cultural, and educational environments. However, AP is less understood from a spatial perspective. The aim of this study was to investigate a methodology using a machine learning approach to determine which answers from a questionnaire-based survey were relevant for explaining the high AP of secondary school students across urban–rural gradients in Ecuador. We used high school locations to construct individual datasets and stratify them according to the AP scores. Using the Boruta algorithm and backward elimination, we identified the best predictors, classified them using random forest, and mapped the AP classification probabilities. We summarized these results as frequent answers observed for each natural region in Ecuador and used their probability outputs to formulate hypotheses with respect to the urban–rural gradient derived from annual maps of impervious surfaces. Our approach resulted in a cartographic analysis of AP probabilities with overall accuracies around 0.83–0.84% and Kappa values of 0.65–0.67%. High AP was primarily related to answers regarding the academic environment and cognitive skills. These identified answers varied depending on the region, which allowed for different interpretations of the driving factors of AP in Ecuador. A rural-to-urban transition ranging 8–17 years was found to be the timespan correlated with achievement of high AP.

Older Adults and the COVID-19 Pandemic, What About the Oldest Old? The PACOVID Population-Based Survey.

Introduction: The literature draws a mitigated picture of the psychosocial effects of the lockdown in older adults. However, the studies conducted so far are mainly based on web surveys which may involve selection bias. The PACOVID survey relies on a population-based design and addresses the attitudes, psychological and social experiences of the oldest old regarding the pandemic and lockdown and their impact.Material and Methods: Cross-sectional phone survey involving 677 persons. Baseline report on attitudes, psychological, and social experiences of the oldest old, regarding the pandemic and lockdown measures.Results: The mean age was 87.53 (SD 5.19). About 46% were living alone during the lockdown. Concerning difficulties, “none” was the most frequent answer (35.6%). For questions addressing how often they had felt sad, depressed, or lonely (CESD-scale), the most frequent answers were “never/very rarely” (58.7, 76.6, 60.8%) and 27.1% had anxious symptomatology (STAI scale). Most (92.9%) felt socially supported. Engaging in leisure activities was the most frequent coping strategy, and for numerous participants the lockdown did not represent much of a change in terms of daily routine. A very good knowledge and awareness of COVID-19 and the safety measures was observed. Comparisons with measures collected before the pandemic showed low changes in subjective health and the CES-D questions.Discussion: With a methodological design limiting selection bias, our results claim for a weakened psychosocial impact even though the participants are concerned and aware of the pandemic issues. These results highlight the resources and resilience abilities of older persons including in advancing age.

P–502 Reproductive specialists should be offered additional training in providing emotional support to patients

Abstract Study question Should medical professionals working in fertility care have additional training on how to deliver bad news and provide emotional support to patients? Summary answer Medical professionals providing assisted reproduction treatments should be offered more training to better assist the emotional burden that accompanies the treatment as described by patients. What is known already Pursuing fertility treatment provides a large physical and medical burden on patients. Many patients describe going through IVF like having a second full time job, adding stress, anxiety and social pressure to an already difficult time of trying to conceive. As specialists in reproductive treatment the main focus is trying to assist patients in achieving a healthy pregnancy and baby. In recent years it’s become evident that the emotional aspect is equally important and often patients are left feeling that their emotions and concerns are dismissed by the very healthcare professionals that are trying to help them have a baby. Study design, size, duration This qualitative study recruited 100 women who have had received assisted reproductive treatment in the United Kingdom during 2020. An online survey was presented to women who fit the inclusion criteria and and recruitment ended when data saturation was reached. The survey design consisted of open-text qualitative answer format. Participants/materials, setting, methods Inclusion criteria were women aged between 24–45 years old who had an infertility diagnosis and received assisted reproductive treatment. A survey was presented to them to describe any negative communication they had from medical professionals, specifically what was said and how it made them feel. Main results and the role of chance The most frequent answers were “you’re still young” (26%), “just lose some weight” (18%) and “it only takes one” (10%). Additional information included in responses had a message of “don’t worry” (50%) and “just relax” (32%). 20 participants had experienced miscarriage and 8 of them had been told “at least you can get pregnant”. The emotional response that accompanied messages like these from their healthcare professionals included anger, frustration and discouragement from “feeling invalidated”, “my feelings don’t matter” and “feeling like my baby didn’t matter”. Limitations, reasons for caution As the results are based on qualitative data from 100 women, the results can not be readily generated to larger populations. Furthermore, the questionnaire was specifically focused on negative experiences and therefore bias would have occurred. The survey was only advertised on social media. Wider implications of the findings: Women undergoing fertility treatment commonly experience guilt, shame and lack of confidence. Given the question was open ended and similar responses were given, indicates that additional training in emotional support throughout treatment would be recommended and stresses the need to better integrate these aspects of patient care into daily practice. Trial registration number Not applicable

Percepción y conocimiento popular sobre los cocodrilos en el “Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Manglares de Nichupté”, Quintana Roo, México

The success of crocodile conservation programs highly depends on local people’s views, perceptions, and knowledge regarding these reptiles. The present study assessed these variables across the Nichupté lagoon through semi-structured interviews. Answers were grouped into three categories: thoughts regarding the presence of crocodiles in the area, locals’ perception on crocodiles, and local knowledge on crocodiles. Most of the 221 people interviewed showed no aversion to crocodiles, 93.2% knew about the presence of crocodiles in the lagoon, and 98.1% mentioned that it is essential to conserve these reptiles. On the other hand, 77.5% (men) and 70.5% (women) agreed that “it is fine” to share the lagoon with crocodiles. Concerning people’s perceptions about crocodiles, “Quiet”, “Indispensable” and “Interesting” were the most frequent answers. Regarding the local knowledge, we found a positive, statistically significant correlation between this variable and education, with those having high school degrees mentioning "Habitat" and those with college degrees mentioning "Reptile" more frequently. Conservation policies should be redesigned to include continuous environmental education programs that promote positive attitudes towards crocodile species. They should also include measures to guarantee the dissemination of necessary information to protect human and crocodile lives, is essential to consolidate conservation programs.

Digital application developed to evaluate functional results following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: App for prostate cancer

IntroductionMobile applications (“apps”) developed for smartphones and tablets are increasingly used in healthcare, allowing remote patient support or promoting self-health care. Prostate cancer (PC) screening allows for early-stage PC diagnosis, resulting in high rates of curative procedures such as radical prostatectomy. The main complications following surgery are urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. However, the exact numbers related to these morbidities are often missing due to brief interviews during consultations in the medical office. Therefore, the aim of this study was to create an app to determine whether response rates to pre- and post-surgical PC questionnaires will increase. MethodsThe app was built using the IONIC framework system and provided to patients through a prospective randomized study. We included 100 patients divided into two groups: 1. first group used the app (n = 50); and 2. second group responded via validated printed questionnaires (control group) (n = 50). All patients received discharge counseling to respond to the questionnaires 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the procedure. The app group received verbal guidance on how monitoring would occur, received an SMS containing a username and password providing access to the system and received reminder alerts to respond to the questionnaires. ResultsThe new app is called UroHealth and is available for download in the Apple App Store or at www.urohealth.com.br. When we evaluated the response rates, we found that 42.9% of the patients answered the preoperative questionnaire in the app group, while 16% responded in the control group (p = 0.003). By the end of the follow-up, we found that 24.5% of the patients answered the questionnaire in the app group, while 4% responded in the control group (p = 0.003). ConclusionThis app enabled almost 6 times more patients to answer long-term follow-up questions after surgical procedures, providing high-quality information regarding morbidity related to treatment. Although our initial results indicate that this app may become a useful tool in obtaining more frequent and realistic answers, thus helping to improve surgical techniques, other ways of reaching the patient should be tested to achieve higher response rates.