Good Ranking Research Articles

Evaluation of the smartphone-based dietary assessment tool 'Traqq' for assessing habitual dietary intake by random 2-hour recalls in adults: comparison with a Food Frequency Questionnaire and blood concentration biomarkers.

Current dietary assessment methods are affected by memory-related bias and heavily burden respondents. To reduce respondent burden and associated measurement error, we recently developed an innovative smartphone-based 2-hour recall (2hR) method. Evaluation of the use of random 2hRs, administered via the smartphone-based dietary assessment tool 'Traqq', for assessing habitual intake against a validated FFQ and blood concentration markers. Dietary intake was assessed in 215 Dutch adults by repeated 2hRs on randomly selected days and times (i.e., equivalent to three full days of 2hRs) over a four-week period. At the end of the study period, participants completed a validated semi-quantitative FFQ. Sixty-five random participants also provided two fasting blood samples, to assess plasma carotenoid and plasma n-3 PUFA concentrations. Intake estimates of energy (2,132±665 kcal vs. 2,017±572 kcal) were slightly higher with 2hRs than FFQ, while the percentage energy intake from macronutrients where similar (i.e., protein: 37±14 en% vs. 37±13 en%; fat: 35±6 en% vs. 44±7 en%; carbohydrates: 44±7 en% vs. 44±6 en%). For food groups, a larger variation in intake estimates was found ranging from -65% (legumes) to 62% (pastry, cake and biscuits). Spearman correlations between 2hRs and FFQ ranged from 0.33 to 0.69 for energy and macronutrients, from 0.32 to 0.58 for micronutrients, and from 0.27 to 0.67 for food groups. For all nutrients and food groups, ≥70% of the participants were classified in the same/adjacent quartile. Spearman correlations between 2hRs and plasma carotenoids and n-3 PUFA ranged between 0.34 and 0.57 and cross-classification ranged between 61% to 83% in the same/adjacent quartile. Comparing 2hRs with FFQ and blood concentration markers showed good ranking ability for energy, most nutrients, and most frequently consumed foods. More variation was seen for episodically consumed foods and nutrients.

Quantifying Climate Change Variability for the Better Management of Water Resources: The Case of Kobo Valley, Danakil Basin, Ethiopia

Alterations in the hydrological cycle due to climate change are one of the key threats to the future accessibility of natural resources. This study used 12 GCM climate models from CMIP6 to evaluate future climate change scenarios by applying model performance measures and trend analysis in Kobo Valley, Ethiopia. The models were ranked based on their ability to analyze the historical datasets. The result of this study showed that the outputs of the FIO-ESM-2-0 CIMP6 model had a good overall ranking for both precipitation and temperature. After bias correction of the model-based projections with the observed data, the average annual precipitation in the average scenario (SSP2-4.5) decreased by 4.4% and 13% in 2054 and 2084, respectively. Similarly, in the worst-case scenario (SSP5-8.5), by the end of 2054 and 2084, decreases of 4% and 12.8%, respectively, were predicted. The average annual maximum temperature under the SSP2-4.5 scenario increased by 1.5 °C in 2054 and by 2.1 °C in 2084. The average annual maximum temperature under the worst-case (SSP5-8.5) scenario increased by 1.7 °C in 2054 and by 3.2 °C in 2084. In the middle scenario (SSP4.5), the average annual minimum temperature increased by 2.2 °C in 2054 and by 3 °C in 2084. The average annual minimum temperature under the worst-case (SSP5-8.5) scenario increased by 2.6 °C in 2054 and by 4.3 °C in 2084. The seasonal variability in precipitation in the studied valley will decrease in the winter and increase in the summer. A decrease in precipitation combined with an increase in temperature will strengthen the risk of drought events in the future.

B-341 Comparative Study of Free Light Chains in the Framework of the Project Prevalence of Monoclonal Gammopathies in Adult Uruguayan Population

Abstract Background Within the framework of a study to evaluate the Prevalence of Monoclonal Gammopathies in the Adult population of Uruguay through detection monoclonal bands by capillary electrophoresis and free light chains in serum, the aim is evaluating the comparison of quantification of FLC (Free Light Chains) in this group of patients with 2 assays: Freelite Biding Site® versus Sebia® FLC Elisa. Methods Study period: September 2021 to November 2022. Prospective, single-cohort, descriptive study. Approved by the Hospital de Clinicas Ethics committee, Montevideo, Uruguay.A total of 3905 patients were included (≥40 years, without previously known plasma cell disorder).Serum samples were collected from three health centers, and processed in Clinical Chemistry Laboratory at Hospital de Clinicas, following an algorithm designed to perform electrophoretic proteinogram (by capillary electrophoresis); suspicious samples with monoclonal bands were confirmed by immunotyping, and in some cases by immunofixation (difficult interpretation), and quantification FLC by 2 different assays (Sebia FLC: manual sandwich ELISA technique- BIO-TEK wash/reader; Freelite The Binding Site immunoturbidimetric assay : Spa Plus and Optilite instruments. Comparative analysis of FLC is a transversal and descriptive study.For statistical analysis: Spearman test, Passing and Bablok and Bland-Altman plot. Results κFLC, λFLC and ratio κ/ λ were measured in 93 of the 104 positive serum samples for Monoclonal Gammopathies (new diagnoses, prevalence 2.7%), using two groups Sebia FLC and Spa Plus Freelite, and Sebia FLC and Optilite Freelite. During the project, the Spa Plus (n=48) FLC was replaced with Optilite (n=45), since the comparative group was not analytically homogeneous, so the comparison was carried out in two groups. Spearman rank correlation coefficients between first group (N:48) for κFLC, λFLC and ratio κ/ λ were r=0.596, 0,549, 0.709, respectively (p<0.0001); for the second group (N:45) Spearman rank correlation coefficients were r=0.778, 0.714, 0.878, respectively (p<0.0001). The first group showed good Spearman rank correlation for ratio, although less better correlation for kappa and lambda isolated. Bland Altman showed high media differences in assays for values for Sebia. For the second group, there was a better Spearman Correlation for ratio and in kappa and lambda isolated too. Bland-Altman plot revealed, in the second group analysis, that Freelite provides higher values than Sebia in Kappa and ratio, but not in Lambda. Passing Bablock showed differences systematic and proportional in different group of comparatives. Conclusions There is a good agreement; despite this, within high FLC concentrations, there are particularly significant differences between both assays, in both groups. We found in same cases FLC quantifications with Freelite ratios lower than those reported by the Elisa Sebia assay, which in these patients could change the diagnosis and therefore the opportunity for treatment or the time between follow-ups. In other cases, greater amount of ratio FLC assayed by Freelite, which may represent loss of linearity in subsequent dilutions. Falsely high results may occur due to polymerization of light chains.Our results suggest that Sebia FLC is a valid assay alternative, but needs more studies to demonstrate these findings; the prospective follow up of this group promises more.

When latent features meet side information: A preference relation based graph neural network for collaborative filtering

As recommender systems shift from rating-based to interaction-based models, graph neural network-based collaborative filtering models are gaining popularity due to their powerful representation of user-item interactions. However, these models may not produce good item ranking since they focus on explicit preference predictions. Further, these models do not consider side information since they only capture latent feature information of user-item interactions. This study proposes an approach to overcome these two issues by employing preference relation in the graph neural network model for collaborative filtering. Using preference relation ensures the model will generate a good ranking of items. The item side information is integrated into the model through a trainable matrix, which is crucial when the data is highly sparse. The main advantage of this approach is that the model can be generalized to any recommendation scenario where a graph neural network is used for collaborative filtering. Experimental results obtained using the recent RS datasets show that the proposed model outperformed the related baselines.

A Critical Appraisal of Reporting in Randomized Controlled Trials Investigating Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: A Meta-Research Study.

Background/Objectives: In osteopathy, it becomes necessary to produce high-quality evidence to demonstrate its effectiveness. The aim of this meta-research study is to assess the reporting quality of RCTs published in the osteopathic field. Methods: The protocol was preliminarily registered on the "Open Science Framework (OSF)" website. For reporting, we considered the PRISMA 2020 checklist. We included all the RCTs, published between 2011 and 2023, investigating the effectiveness of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) in any possible condition. The search process was conducted on four major biomedical databases including PubMed, Central, Scopus and Embase. A data extraction form was implemented to collect all relevant information. The completeness of reporting was calculated as the percentage of adherence to the CONSORT checklist; the Cochrane ROB 2 tool was considered to assess the risk of bias (RoB) in the following five major domains: randomization (D1), interventions (D2), missing data (D3), outcome measurement (D4), selective reporting (D5). Results: A total of 131 studies were included and the overall adherence was 57%, with the worst section being "other information" (42%). Studies with a lower RoB showed higher adherence to the CONSORT. The "results" section presented the highest differences as follows: D1 (-36.7%), D2 (-27.2%), D3 (-21.5%) and D5 (-25.5%). Significant correlations were also found between the preliminary protocol registration, higher journal quartile, publication in hybrid journals and the completeness of reporting (β: 19.22, CI: 14.45-24.00, p < 0.001; β: 5.41; CI: 2.80-8.02, p ≤ 0.001; β: 5.64, CI: 1.06-10.23, p = 0.016, respectively). Conclusions: The adherence to the CONSORT checklist in osteopathic RCTs is lacking. An association was found between a lower completeness of reporting and a higher RoB, a good journal ranking, publication in hybrid journals and a prospective protocol registration. Journals and authors should adopt all the strategies to adhere to reporting guidelines to guarantee generalization of the results arising from RCTs.

Data management in Nepalese medical sector: An empirical study

This study attempted to examine the influence of data management in the Nepalese medical sector and the impact of big data in health care. Many nations have strict policies and guidelines of data management of medical services. Countries with good ranking in health sector are the instances of this. Contemporary medical literatures have answered many issues, but the level of intensity or impact of unmanaged data in the medical sector and mechanisms to utilize EDI in the data management of the Nepalese medical sector are yet to be answered which is the quest of this article.

SISTEM INFORMASI PERANGKINGAN KINERJA SALES PADA PT CAHAYA MOTOR SURABAYA MENGGUNAKAN METODE AHP

In today's modern era, giving awards to sales who have high performance is needed so that sales performance is always good and optimal. At PT Cahaya Motor Surabaya, the ranking system has obstacles, namely the assessment is carried out by the slim leader and the system cannot be seen by all users. For this reason, an information system is needed that can facilitate leaders in ranking sales. One of them is a ranking information system that uses the AHP or Analytical Hierarchy Process method and is website-based. By doing this research, it is hoped that a good ranking monitoring information system will be formed so that the Chairperson can give awards to sales who have the highest prospects easily.

Enhancing Website Visibility: Implementing SEO Techniques for Improved Search Engine Ranking

Abstract: The Internet is a very important tool in today's technological age for a variety of purposes, especially when it comes to business promotion. Building a website that offers its users useful content is a crucial step in any online business promotion campaign. But simply having a website is not enough to increase traffic; you also need to ensure that it appears high on search engine results pages (SERPs). A very successful way to accomplish this is by using search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. These approaches use strategies including content refinement, link building, and keyword research to increase a website's exposure on search engine results pages. However, it's critical to recognize that SEO is a continuous process rather than a onetime event. Maintaining good search engine rankings and sustaining the profitability of your online business requires consistent attention and work. By optimizing your website carefully, you may increase its visibility in search results, draw in more visitors, and eventually promote business growth. Thus, it's critical to stick to your SEO tactics to maintain good search engine results and guarantee ongoing success for your online business.

Comparison of Inclusion of Skimmed Milk and Edible Insects on the Nutritional, Sensory and Microbial Qualities of Enriched High Energy Rice Biscuits

Aims: The growing world population, carbon foot prints of rearing conventional protein sources, issues of protein malnutrition (particularly in developing nations) and the urgent needs of protein-rich food relief materials in crisis situations may necessitate the utilisation of underutilised sustainable, nutritious protein sources. The study was conducted to investigate the possibility of using indigenous food crops and substituting milk powder with edible insects’ powder as a sustainable alternative protein source in high energy rice biscuits.&#x0D; Study Design: Biscuits were produced following the standard USAID recipe for HEB and comparisons were made with the insect biscuits and STD.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, between January 2018 and August 2018.&#x0D; Methodology: The high energy biscuits was evaluated for proximate composition, total sugars using Anthrone reagent, micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), physical properties such as spread ratio, weight, width etc. Microbial and sensory quality of the biscuits were also determined using standard methods.&#x0D; Results: From the findings of the study, rice biscuits with silkworm pupae had outstanding protein (12.76 g/100 g), fat (15.78 g/100 g) and energy (451.38 Kcal/100 g) contents while biscuit with migratory locust powder had slightly higher total ash and CHO. The spread ratios of the biscuits were within acceptable range. In terms of mineral composition, all the insect biscuits were significantly superior to the milk biscuit except for calcium. However, all the rice HEB exceeded the minimum USAID specifications for nutritive elements. The insect biscuits had more than quadruple the recommended pro-vitamin A content (1200. 67 and 2390.05 μg/100 g) and impressive amounts of vitamin C (94.19 and 52.39 mg/100 g). The microbial assessment revealed HEB with remarkable quality signifying wholesome raw materials and hygienic sample preparation. All samples received good sensorial ranking, but HEB with migratory locust was preferred.&#x0D; Conclusion: The results demonstrated that edible insects could serve as alternative protein source in the production of a nutritious high energy biscuit with good organoleptic and microbiological qualities.

Development and Validation of a Food Frequency Questionnaire for Evaluating the Nutritional Status of Patients with Serious Mental Illnesses (DIETQ-SMI) in Bahrain.

General food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) have not been tailored for or validated in individuals with psychiatric disorders. Given the unique eating behaviors of patients with serious mental illnesses (SMIs), custom-made tools are needed. Therefore, we developed and validated an FFQ customized to individuals with SMIs. A total of 150 adults with SMIs (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression) were recruited from Bahrain. The participants completed the 50-item Dietary Intake Evaluation Questionnaire for Serious Mental Illness (DIETQ-SMI) FFQ and a 3-day food record (FR). The validity of the FFQ was assessed by comparing nutrient intake to FR intake using correlation and reliability statistics. The DIETQ-SMI demonstrated a good ranking validity compared to the FR based on correlation coefficients (rho 0.33 to 0.92) for energy and macro- and micronutrients. The FFQ had high internal consistency (McDonald's omega = 0.84; Cronbach's alpha = 0.91) and test-retest reliability (ICC > 0.90). The FFQ tended to estimate higher absolute intakes than the FR but adequately ranked the intakes. The FFQ value was correlated with the FR for all the items (p < 0.001). The DIETQ-SMI is a valid and reliable FFQ for ranking dietary intake in individuals with an SMI. It can help assess nutritional status and, subsequently, guide interventions in high-risk psychiatric populations.

Government Capacity: Evidence from Nepal

Autonomous local governments are essential for maintaining stable economic and social development mechanisms and democratic regimes. The prime objective of the article is to examine the impact of pressure-capacity variables on local governance. Two sources of data, such as NPHC 2021 and LISA are used. Overall local government of Nepal has still weak performance as only 38 percent of total municipals have secured good ranking status. Based on PCP framework, total score of 10 composite indicators generated by LISA and some population management related characteristics (e.g., sex ratio, population density, literacy, household size, and two food coping strategy related variables) have been examined using multiple regression to understand interrelationship response and explanatory variables. The statistical analysis shows that there is a string relationship between pressure and capacity variables. Individually, three population related variables such as sex ratio, literacy and household size are positively correlated with total score of 10 indicators with low coefficient of determination. In addition to strengthening existing gender status, educational level and population growth, more socioeconomic and environment related variables as explanatory variables are necessary to link government capacity and its performance in Nepal.

Enhanced watershed status evaluation: Towards an integrated framework to assess fish habitat in forested watersheds using airborne laser scanning data

Sustainable forest management is a key component of modern forestry practices; however, an often-overlooked component is watershed health. To support forest management objectives, practitioners need information on the long-term health of riparian and stream ecosystems. Herein we present a framework to assess the condition of, and risks to, riparian and stream ecosystems within two forested fish-bearing watersheds, the Nahmint river and Artlish river, in British Columbia, Canada using airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. To do so, we first, compare the current British Columbia Tier 1 geographic information system (GIS)-based watershed condition evaluation protocol supplemented with a number of stream and watershed attributes derived from ALS data. Second, we use these ALS derived attributes to develop an enhanced Tier 2 watershed status evaluation framework that can be applied to stream reaches, which is a much finer spatial scale than is considered in current assessment approaches. We found that supplementing the existing watershed condition evaluation protocol with ALS-derived stream location, elevation, and canopy height information consistently increased the risk of a reduction in functioning condition being determined by the Tier 1 watershed assessment protocol. Further, we found that the Nahmint watershed had 28%, 65% and 7% of stream reaches with good, fair, and poor overall rankings of habitat condition, respectively. We conclude that ALS derived steam reach attributes can integrate into existing watershed evaluation protocols and provide detail that is critical to making informed management decisions and mitigating the cumulative effects on for example salmon bearing streams. As ALS data become increasingly available, value-added applications of these data, such as the integrated watershed assessment protocol demonstrated herein, can provide useful information to support forest management.

Being a "Good Parent" to a NICU Infant With a Major Congenital Anomaly.

In the United States, up to one-third of infants with a congenital anomaly require neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization. Parents of these infants may have different decision-making priorities, which may be influenced by the timing of the infant's diagnosis. (1) To compare the ranked importance of decision-making beliefs for parents of infants who received a prenatal versus postnatal congenital diagnosis and (2) explore how parents describe their decision-making beliefs. A cross-sectional, sequential mixed-methods pilot design was applied to collect quantitative data using the Good Parent Ranking Exercise and further explore parents' decision-making beliefs through qualitative interviews. Maximum difference scaling/hierarchical Bayes estimation and content analysis were used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Forty mothers completed the Good Parent Ranking Exercise and 20 mothers completed qualitative interviews. Four of the top 5 ranked parenting beliefs were shared by mothers in the prenatal and postnatal groups. Mothers in the postnatal group ranked "focusing on my child's quality of life" higher. Qualitative interviews revealed that previously identified decision-making beliefs were consistent in this NICU parent population, with 1 additional belief identified. Mixed-methods analysis revealed high concordance between the prenatal and postnatal groups. NICU nurses need to know that decision-making beliefs for parents who receive a prenatal versus postnatal congenital diagnosis, while largely similar, may have differences. Future research should explore decision-making beliefs in demographically diverse parent groups (ie, fathers, partnered vs nonpartnered couples) and effective strategies for promoting NICU parents' decision-making beliefs.

Efforts of Nepal's Least Developed Countries (LDC) Graduation and Its Challenges

The primary objectives of this study are to examine the initiatives undertaken by the government of Nepal for LDC graduation, identify challenges faced during process, and discuss the potential impact of graduation. This study is based on qualitative analysis of secondary data obtained from diverse domestic and international sources. Major sources include literature reviews, government policies, reports, and international declarations. Comprehensive desk review on the issue shows that Nepal has undertaken a strategic plan for LDC graduation, prioritizing investments in human capital, infrastructure, and healthcare, while addressing income disparities. Nepal has already achieved two requirements; HAI and EVI, and Nepal fell significantly short of the LDC graduation threshold of a per capita GNI. The plan includes achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and progressing from a lower-middle income to an upper-middle-income nation by 2030.Despite progress, Nepal faces challenges in achieving graduation, including political instability, governance issues, and environmental vulnerabilities. The country lags in good governance rankings, which could hinder its development efforts. Nepal's commitment to SDGs is seen as a potential driver for LDC graduation, focusing on sustainability, gender equality, clean energy, job creation, and economic development. Nepal aims to become a high-income country by 2043, emphasizing poverty reduction, trade balance improvement, and overall quality of life enhancement. Leaving the LDC category will bring opportunities but also challenges, including the loss of special market access that was provided to the least developed countries like Nepal. Other challenges may involve growing trade and market capacity and strengthening the global competitiveness of internal production. Internally, intersectional variations of inequalities and poverty among and between regions, castes and ethnic groups in Nepal may generate challenges meeting LDC graduations and its sustainability.

Lean User Experience (Lean UX) Approach in the Redesign of the SOBAT BPS Application

SOBAT BPS is a service provided by BPS to be used by partners and prospective partners of BPS throughout Indonesia. Alongside the utilization of the SOBAT BPS application, user reviews and assessments become significant elements in measuring the quality and success of this application. Feedback obtained from these assessments indicates that a redesign of the SOBAT BPS application is necessary to provide a better user experience. Prior to redesigning the SOBAT BPS application, a preliminary survey was conducted to understand user perceptions of the current system using heuristic evaluation and the user experience questionnaire (UEQ). Based on the preliminary survey results, there are issues related to the implementation of heuristic principles in the SOBAT BPS application, and only the UEQ stimulation scale received a good ranking. Therefore, the aim of this research is to redesign the SOBAT BPS application using the Lean UX method and to evaluate the redesigned results using heuristic evaluation and UEQ. The evaluation results of the redesigned SOBAT BPS application indicate that the redesign is superior to the current SOBAT BPS application.

A general spammer indicator of rating systems uncovering rating preferences and bias

With the rapid development of e-commerce recently, massive spammers purposely distort the ranking of goods, which affects the market order and the fair competition of businesses seriously. Therefore, identifying such spammers is significant to rational decision making of customers. However, it is difficult to discriminate between normal users and malicious spammers on extremely large rating networks. In this paper, we propose a common indicator based on the historic rating records from spammers and normal users, which is widely applied to many existing methods. It is inspired by the idea that normal users have their preferences and rating bias shown in rating ladder, while spammers do not have such rating ladders in practice. Such an indicator is complement with other existing methods including Deviation-based Ranking (DR), Iterative Group-based Ranking (IGR) and Iterative Balance Ranking (IBR). Experimental study on three real rating networks shows that this indicator can significantly improve the accuracy of DR, IGR and IBR. To deal with malicious spammers, DR, IGR and IBR are improved by at least 9.38%, 2.90% and 2.53%, respectively. To deal with random spammers, DR, IGR and IBR are improved by at least by 5.52%, 17.12% and 32.24%, respectively.

Validation of a hematology analyzer in donkey medicine

Asinina de Miranda is a protected donkey sub-species from the Mirandês plateau in northeastern of Portugal. Donkeys are animals that have substantially lost their place as working animals in modern society, this had led to a decrease in their population numbers. A need to preserve native species has led to the foundation of organizations like Associação para o Estudo e Proteção do Gado Asinino (AEPGA) and the development of studies regarding breed welfare, such as hematology. The IDEXX ProCyte Dx is a veterinary hematology analyzer validated for several species, but not for donkeys. The aim of this study was to validate the ProCyte Dx for Asinina de Miranda donkeys. The validation requires a controlled study of precision, carryover, linearity and comparison between the equipment and the manually obtained values for the leukocyte differential count and hematocrit. Results indicated coefficient of variation was good (below 5 %) for both the intra-assay and the inter-assay precision, except for basophils. Carryover was 0 % for all the parameters except platelets (5.88 %). Linearity showed a very high Pearson correlation coefficient, above 0.99, for erythrocytes, hematocrit, hemoglobin, leucocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, platelets and plateletcrit. Comparison demonstrated excellent agreement for hematocrit (rs=0.96) and good Spearman rank correlation for neutrophils (rs=0.84) and lymphocytes (rs=0.90). Accuracy for total leukocyte count and platelets could not be determined. In conclusion, the ProCyte Dx seems appropriate to be used in Asinina de Miranda hematology.

Effect of yoga on stress, hyperactivity and inattention of government school students in Andhra Pradesh

Introduction: School days are memorable one, where young people will be prepared to face the adult world with education of morals and attitudes. So many students put their wellness to achieve good marks, ranks and degree, hence stressed. Yoga is an exercise that can be performed by balancing the elements of the body. In this study we examined the impact of yoga and meditation on stress, hyperactivity and inattention of engineering college students.&#x0D; Method: A total of 100 students are randomly selected whosr age limit is between 13-15 years. These subjects were divided into two groups, yoga group and control group. The data is collected with the questionnaires and analysed.&#x0D; Results: There were no significant differences in pre test of perceived stress, hyperactivity and inattention between the two groups. The interaction of group and time was not significant in predicting the slope of change in perceived distress. Pairwise t-tests did not show a significant reduction in perceived distress for either group. There was no significant interaction in hyperactivity and significant interaction in inattention of group and time. Pairwise t-tests demonstrated a significant reduction in hyperactivity and inattention for the yoga group but not the control group.&#x0D; Conclusion: Yoga may improve attention and hyperactivity for the students of government school.

Public Open Spaces and Leisure-Time Walking: A Longitudinal Study With Brazilian People in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

To examine whether changes in public open spaces (POS) were associated with leisure-time walking (LTW) between 2014 and 2021. The sample comprised a prospective cohort of individuals living in São Paulo City, Brazil. The baseline sample was collected in 2014/2015 (4042 people aged 12y or older) and the second wave in 2020/2021 (1431 people aged 18y or older, 35.4% of total). Changes in POS scores in 500-m network buffers were based on household address, including positive or negative maintenance and increases or decreases in parks, public squares, and bike paths between 2015 and 2020. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to evaluate LTW in the baseline and second wave. To examine the association of LTW with changes in POS, we used multilevel models in 4 levels: health administration areas, census tracts, individuals, and observations of individuals. The exposure was the POS tertiles, and the outcome was LTW. Changes in LTW prevalence were observed in both periods and according to POS tertiles distributions. When adjusted for time (baseline/second wave), gender, education, and age, the highest POS tertile was significantly associated with a high likelihood for LTW (odds ratio = 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-2.02). The results showed that people in São Paulo who lived within 500-m buffers with the highest access to POS were more likely to practice LTW between 2014/2015 and 2020/2021. These results have important implications for policies that were implemented in 2014, including the New Master Plan to contribute to São Paulo's good ranking among healthy cities.

Differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative dementias with the explainable MRI based machine learning algorithm MUQUBIA

Biomarker-based differential diagnosis of the most common forms of dementia is becoming increasingly important. Machine learning (ML) may be able to address this challenge. The aim of this study was to develop and interpret a ML algorithm capable of differentiating Alzheimer’s dementia, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and cognitively normal control subjects based on sociodemographic, clinical, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) variables. 506 subjects from 5 databases were included. MRI images were processed with FreeSurfer, LPA, and TRACULA to obtain brain volumes and thicknesses, white matter lesions and diffusion metrics. MRI metrics were used in conjunction with clinical and demographic data to perform differential diagnosis based on a Support Vector Machine model called MUQUBIA (Multimodal Quantification of Brain whIte matter biomArkers). Age, gender, Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Dementia Staging Instrument, and 19 imaging features formed the best set of discriminative features. The predictive model performed with an overall Area Under the Curve of 98%, high overall precision (88%), recall (88%), and F1 scores (88%) in the test group, and good Label Ranking Average Precision score (0.95) in a subset of neuropathologically assessed patients. The results of MUQUBIA were explained by the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method. The MUQUBIA algorithm successfully classified various dementias with good performance using cost-effective clinical and MRI information, and with independent validation, has the potential to assist physicians in their clinical diagnosis.