Individual Habits Research Articles

Sources of persistent organic pollutants and their physiological effects on opportunistic urban gulls

Urbanization is associated with drastic shifts in biodiversity. While some species thrive in urban areas, the impact of inhabiting these human-altered environments on organism physiology remains understudied. We investigated how exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) affects the physiology of yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) inhabiting a densely populated, industrialized city. We analyzed blood samples from 50 gulls (20 immatures and 30 adults) and assessed 27 physiological parameters and biomarkers related to xenobiotic protection, health, and feeding habits in these same individuals. We also tracked the movements of 25 gulls (15 immatures and 10 adults) to identify potential sources of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Both adult and immature gulls primarily inhabited urban areas, followed by marine habitats. Immature gulls spent more time in freshwater, landfills, and agricultural areas. Bioaccumulated ΣPCB (median = 92.7 ng g-1 ww, 1.86–592) and ΣPBDE (median = 1.44 ng g-1 ww, 0.022–9.58) showed no significant differences between age and sex groups. Notably, immature males exhibited the highest correlations with POP concentrations, particularly with the activity of carboxylesterases (CEs), suggesting a higher sensitivity than adults. These findings highlight the potential of plasmatic CEs in immature yellow-legged gulls as effective tracers of POPs exposure and effects, offering insights into the anthropogenic impacts on urban biodiversity.

Metabolic syndrome prediction model using Bayesian optimization and XGBoost based on traditional Chinese medicine features

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has a high prevalence and is prone to many complications. However, current MetS diagnostic methods require blood tests that are not conducive to self-testing, so a user-friendly and accurate method for predicting MetS is needed to facilitate early detection and treatment. In this study, a MetS prediction model based on a simple, small number of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinical indicators and biological indicators combined with machine learning algorithms is investigated. Electronic medical record data from 2040 patients who visited outpatient clinics at Guangdong Chinese medicine hospitals from 2020 to 2021 were used to investigate the fusion of Bayesian optimization (BO) and eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) in order to create a BO-XGBoost model for screening nineteen key features in three categories: individual bio-information, TCM indicators, and TCM habits that influence MetS prediction. Subsequently, the predictive diagnostic model for MetS was developed. The experimental results revealed that the model proposed in this paper achieved values of 93.35 %, 90.67 %, 80.40 %, and 0.920 for the F1, sensitivity, FRS, and AUC metrics, respectively. These values outperformed those of the seven other tested machine learning models. Finally, this study developed an intelligent prediction application for MetS based on the proposed model, which can be utilized by ordinary users to perform self-diagnosis through a web-based questionnaire, thereby accomplishing the objective of early detection and intervention for MetS.

Reorganizing heterogeneous information from host–microbe interaction reveals innate associations among samples

AbstractThe information on host–microbe interactions contained in the operational taxonomic unit (OTU) abundance table can serve as a clue to understanding the biological traits of OTUs and samples. Some studies have inferred the taxonomies or functions of OTUs by constructing co‐occurrence networks, but co‐occurrence networks can only encompass a small fraction of all OTUs due to the high sparsity of the OTU table. There is a lack of studies that intensively explore and use the information on sample‐OTU interactions. This study constructed a sample‐OTU heterogeneous information network and represented the nodes in the network through the heterogeneous graph embedding method to form the OTU space and sample space. Taking advantage of the represented OTU and sample vectors combined with the original OTU abundance information, an Integrated Model of Embedded Taxonomies and Abundance (IMETA) was proposed for predicting sample attributes, such as phenotypes and individual diet habits. Both the OTU space and sample space contain reasonable biological or medical semantic information, and the IMETA using embedded OTU and sample vectors can have stable and good performance in the sample classification tasks. This suggests that the embedding representation based on the sample‐OTU heterogeneous information network can provide more useful information for understanding microbiome samples. This study conducted quantified representations of the biological characteristics within the OTUs and samples, which is a good attempt to increase the utilization rate of information in the OTU abundance table, and it promotes a deeper understanding of the underlying knowledge of human microbiome.

Description of Culture Shock among Papuan Students and Implications for Guidance and Counseling Services

Feelings of anxiety and restlessness in students result in an inability to adapt, resulting in culture shock. The inability to adapt affects a person's psychology in problem solving, learning and the individual's habits. This research aims to describe culture shock in the affective, behavioral and cognitive dimensions. This research method uses descriptive quantitative with numbers subject 25 active students from Papua at Padang State University. The results of the research show that the culture shock picture of students from Papua at UNP is in the medium category with an overall percentage of 96%. Based on the research results, the implications that can be provided are, orientation services, information services, individual counseling services, group counseling services using relevant counseling approaches.

Dietary patterns among adults in three low-income urban communities in Accra, Ghana

Objective Dietary patterns describe the dietary behaviour and habits of individuals. Unhealthy dietary patterns provide individuals with limited nutrients while increasing the risk of nutrition-related diseases. Unhealthy dietary patterns are high in urban areas, especially among low-income urban residents. This study examined dietary patterns in three low-income urban communities in Accra, Ghana, between 2011 and 2013. Methods This study used Wave 2 and 3 data from the Urban Health and Poverty Survey (EDULINK 2011 and 2013). The sample size was 960 in 2011 and 782 in 2013. Dietary pattern was examined using factor analysis and the NOVA food classification system. Summary statistics were computed for sociodemographic characteristics and diet frequency and pattern. Differences in dietary behaviours between 2011 and 2013 were also estimated. Three logistic regression models were computed to determine the predictors of dietary patterns. Results The frequency of consumption of animal-source foods (ASF) and fruits was higher in 2013 compared with 2011. The intake of processed culinary ingredients (NOVA Group 2), processed foods (NOVA Group 3) and ultra-processed foods (NOVA Group 4) was higher in 2013 versus 2011. In 2013, 29% consumed ultra-processed foods compared to 21% in 2011. Three dietary patterns (rice-based, snack-based, and staple and stew/soup) were identified. About two out of every five participants consumed the food items in the rice (43%) and staple and sauce patterns (40%). The proportion of participants who consumed the food items in the snack pattern was 35% in 2011 but 41% in 2013. Respondents aged 25–34 and those with higher education often consumed the snack-based and rice-based dietary patterns. In 2013, participants in Ussher Town had a higher probability of consuming food items in the snack pattern than those living in Agbogbloshie. Conclusions This study found that between 2011 and 2013, more participants consumed ASFs, fruits, and processed foods. A complex interplay of personal and socio-cultural factors influenced dietary intake. The findings of this study mirror global changes in diet and food systems, with important implications for the primary and secondary prevention of NCDs. Health promotion programs at the community level are needed to address the increasing levels of processed food consumption.

Development of prediction models for thermostat override behavior in direct load control events

Direct load control (DLC) is a prominent solution for demand-side energy management, where utility providers adjust consumers' temperature setpoints through smart thermostats. However, occupant overrides can have a detrimental impact on the overall efficacy of DLC. This study focuses on understanding override mechanisms and occupant responses during DLC. Real-world data from the Ecobee Donate Your Data (DYD) program is used to analyze user interactions with smart thermostats. Through a comprehensive analysis of four types of variables, a decision tree algorithm was found capable of accurately classifying smart thermostat users in terms of their level of compliance with the DLC program. This classification was based on general information accessible through smart thermostats enabling the evaluation of users' potential engagement in DLC without prior DLC experience. Additionally, a clustering algorithm was used to identify three distinct types of DLC participants characterized by their individual thermal comfort preferences and general habits. A predictive model for thermostat override behavior is developed based on the clustering results. These findings contribute to designing targeted and less disruptive DLC strategies that better align with participants' needs and enhance overall DLC effectiveness.

Robust Hand Gesture Recognition Using a Deformable Dual-Stream Fusion Network Based on CNN-TCN for FMCW Radar.

Hand Gesture Recognition (HGR) using Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radars is difficult because of the inherent variability and ambiguity caused by individual habits and environmental differences. This paper proposes a deformable dual-stream fusion network based on CNN-TCN (DDF-CT) to solve this problem. First, we extract range, Doppler, and angle information from radar signals with the Fast Fourier Transform to produce range-time (RT) and range-angle (RA) maps. Then, we reduce the noise of the feature map. Subsequently, the RAM sequence (RAMS) is generated by temporally organizing the RAMs, which captures a target's range and velocity characteristics at each time point while preserving the temporal feature information. To improve the accuracy and consistency of gesture recognition, DDF-CT incorporates deformable convolution and inter-frame attention mechanisms, which enhance the extraction of spatial features and the learning of temporal relationships. The experimental results show that our method achieves an accuracy of 98.61%, and even when tested in a novel environment, it still achieves an accuracy of 97.22%. Due to its robust performance, our method is significantly superior to other existing HGR approaches.

Changes in Lifestyle Habits in Individuals with Diabetes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The ELSA-Brasil Cohort Study

The COVID-19 pandemic and society’s response to it may have constrained the ability of those with diabetes to achieve a healthy lifestyle. We conducted a longitudinal study to assess the frequency and magnitude of sedentary habits, physical activity, sleep, alcohol consumption, weight, and smoking from July 2020 to February 2021 and compared these levels to those before the pandemic (2017–2019) in 1082 participants of the ELSA-Brasil study with known diabetes. Our results showed that inappropriate sleep duration was common (649, 68.9%) before the pandemic. Many (447, 31.1%) with this problem achieved an adequate sleep duration during the pandemic. Significant increases occurred in time in front of screens (1.3; 95%CI 0.66–2.11 h/day) and time sitting or reclining (1.4, 95%CI 0.8–2.3 h/day). Physical activity decreased (270, 95%CI 243–298 MET-min/wk). Alcohol consumption decreased without statistical significance (−19.6, 95%CI −51.1–11.9 g/w). In general, changes were similar between diabetics and non-diabetics, except that screen time in-creased less (−0.18, −0.35–−0.01 h/day) for those with diabetes. Sleep duration improved, but the frequency of sedentary habits increased, and physical activity decreased during the pandemic. Understanding changes brought on by the pandemic is essential to facilitate the implementation of quality health care for those with diabetes in moments of social stress.

Comparison of The Nutritional Habits of Individuals With and Without a COVID-19 Diagnosis: An Online Cross-Sectional Study From Türkiye

Objective: Türkiye, which is located in the European Region of the World Health Organization (WHO) has been also affected by the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study was conducted between January and April 2021, in which the number of daily COVID-19 cases increased from an average of 8,500 to 50,000. This cross-sectional online study aimed to compare the dietary habits of individuals with and without a COVID-19 diagnosis. 
 Material and Method: The study included a total of 1,448 individuals aged 18-64 years. Study data were collected through the Google platform using a questionnaire that included sociodemographic characteristics, COVID-19 status, anthropometric measurements, physical activity status, and nutritional characteristics. 
 Results: Those with COVID-19 had higher Body Mass Index (BMI) than those without COVID-19. The rates of those who had regular physical activity, considered nutrition important for protection from COVID-19, and ordered food online were lower among those participants with COVID-19 than those without COVID-19. The rates of those who lost appetite and weight, used nutritional supplements, increased their nutritional budget during the pandemic, and shopped for food from online marketplaces were higher too among those with COVID-19. Those with COVID-19 were found to consume red meat, fruit, and herbal tea more frequently and soft drinks less frequently than those without COVID-19. 
 Conclusion: In line with these results, it may be considered that those with COVID-19 try to comply with healthy nutrition recommendations. Our results can be used to prepare appropriate nutritional guidelines for pandemic and quarantine periods.

Who wants to change their transport habits to help reduce air pollution? A nationwide study in the caribbean

Given its detrimental role in sustainability and community health, air pollution constitutes a global challenge nowadays, and urban transport has been proven to be a key contributor to the problem. At a population level, and especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), measures for reducing contamination usually require deep behavioral changes and “sacrifices” among individuals who may (or may not) be willing to modify their habits. ObjectiveThis research, conducted in the Dominican Republic, aimed to assess the effect of individual factors, transport habits, and pollution-related concerns on the individual's will to act to reduce air pollution. MethodsFor this study, we counted on the participation of a nationwide sample of 1250 adult Dominican citizens (50% females; 50% males) with a mean age of 36.7 years. ResultsOverall, Dominicans tend to self-report a considerably high concern about transport air pollution, especially among women and inhabitants of urban areas. The willingness to act was significantly influenced by demographic factors, travel frequency, and pollution-related concerns. Also, both individual and socially perceived environmental concerns exert a statistical mediation between individual factors and the self-reported predisposition to help reduce pollution through behavioral changes. ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that both individual and social pollution-related concerns influence the personal willingness to act against air pollution, although in different ways. Interestingly, while peoples' own concerns increase their willingness to act, solely perceiving a greater collective concern seems to dispirit individuals’ will to take further action. Accordingly, developing further individual and collective initiatives to increase pollution-related responsiveness could be essential to face this growing problem in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean.

Habits and attitudes toward writing affect the publication output of environmental biology trainees

AbstractPublications are the mainstay of academic success, yet scientific writing requires consistent feedback and practice to build and maintain skills. In this study, we surveyed 342 environmental biology trainees (i.e., graduate students and postdoctoral scholars) about their writing habits. Our objective was to explore whether trainee writing habits align with suggestions from scientific writing guide books and articles, and how individual habits and attitudes may impact writing output. We found that the majority of respondents (>65%) felt negatively about writing and publishing, and few adhered to established advice such as scheduling writing time, setting attainable goals, or joining a writing accountability group. Our results show that trainees who dedicated more hours to writing each week and individually tracked their writing progress had more first‐author publications. In particular, graduate students who regularly scheduled writing time during the week and participated in writing groups also had more first‐author publications. Conversely, trainees who felt negatively about writing, wrote mainly before deadlines, and relied on “check‐ins” with advisors or writing groups to monitor writing progress had fewer first‐author publications. We describe ways that individuals, advisors, and institutions could improve trainee writing habits and assist them in developing more positive attitudes toward writing to ultimately help trainees achieve their writing goals.

Knowing Human Personality Based on Phisis Constitutional Typology According to Kretschmer and Sheldon’s Understanding

Typology is knowledge that seeks to classify or group humans into certain types on the basis of certain factors, such as physical characteristics, psychics, dominant influences, cultural values, and so on. According to KBBI, typology is the science of character about the human part in groups according to their respective traits. Personality psychology is one of the branches of psychology that explains the human personality or all the behaviors and characteristics of individual habits that accumulate in him and it is used to react and can also adapt to all stimuli, both inside and outside of behavior and habits is a functional unity especially for a person. Kretschmer developed a human typology based on the physical constitution and psychic constitution based on the physical constitution, human types are further divided into 4 types, while based on the psychic constitution, humans are divided into two types. Kretschmer's theory is one of the great works of the early 20th century. He was a German mental illness expert. Kretschmer built his topology on the basis of physical and psychological structures. Physical structure is divided into 4, namely the type of picnic, asthenic athletic and dysplastic. Personality is also defined and explained by different psychologists in various ways. William Herbert still has his own ideas about personality. He provides the theory that body type can be related to the personality of the person. more muscular body, more active and aggressive, thin or thin people with thin muscles are usually characterized as quiet or fragile.

Genetics in sports-muscle injuries

The human genome is the complete set of genetic instructions encoded in an individual's DNA. Genetics plays an important role in the development and progression of muscle injuries. Many genes are involved in muscle development, growth, and repair, and variations in these genes can affect an athlete's susceptibility to muscle injury. Several genes have been linked to muscle injury, such as myostatin (MSTN), insulin-like growth factor1 (IGF-1), and several collagen genes (COL). In addition to genes involved in muscle development, growth, and repair, genes involved in inflammation and pain signaling, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), mu opioid receptor (OPRM1), and interleukin (IL) genes, may also play arole in the development and progression of muscle injury. Genetic testing can be ahelpful tool in the prevention of muscle injuries in athletes. Testing for variations in genes associated with muscle development, repair, and growth, as well as collagen formation, can provide valuable information about an athlete's susceptibility to muscle injury. It is important to note that while genetic testing can provide valuable information for injury prevention, it is only one piece of the puzzle. Other factors such as an individual's training history, general health, and lifestyle habits also play arole in injury risk. Therefore, all injury prevention strategies should be individualized and based on acomprehensive assessment of all relevant factors.

Exploring the Impact of Ungrading on Student Learning

In most academic disciplines and schooling contexts, grading practices tend to vary by individual instructor preferences and habits. The field of Library and Information Science (LIS) is no different, with grading practices and norms varying even within a particular program. Despite these variations in assessment, a unifying factor across all fields is the understanding of learning itself, and there is a great deal known about how people learn, regardless of discipline/course/program (Bransford et al., 2000). Bringing insights from the Learning Sciences, this study aims to investigate the impact of ungrading on student learning. Specifically, we primarily employ a qualitative approach informed by a sociocultural perspective of learning and human development. Our in-progress research aims to understand how ungrading, which involves eliminating or minimizing grades in the assessment process, affects students' learning and their learning experiences in the context of two IT-focused asynchronous courses in a library and information science program master’s program in the southeast of the United States. To gather insights about students’ learning experiences, data collection methods will include semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation, with a particular focus on how students’ perceptions and experiences of ungrading impact how they learn. Pre- and post-hoc tests will be used to study learning mastery of course content. The findings will offer implications for research and practice related to how to best support LIS student learning, especially within the context of online, asynchronous, higher education courses.

Nonadditive Entropy Application to Detrended Force Sensor Data to Indicate Balance Disorder of Patients with Vestibular System Dysfunction.

The healthy function of the vestibular system (VS) is of vital importance for individuals to carry out their daily activities independently and safely. This study carries out Tsallis entropy (TE)-based analysis on insole force sensor data in order to extract features to differentiate between healthy and VS-diseased individuals. Using a specifically developed algorithm, we detrend the acquired data to examine the fluctuation around the trend curve in order to consider the individual's walking habit and thus increase the accuracy in diagnosis. It is observed that the TE value increases for diseased people as an indicator of the problem of maintaining balance. As one of the main contributions of this study, in contrast to studies in the literature that focus on gait dynamics requiring extensive walking time, we directly process the instantaneous pressure values, enabling a significant reduction in the data acquisition period. The extracted feature set is then inputted into fundamental classification algorithms, with support vector machine (SVM) demonstrating the highest performance, achieving an average accuracy of 95%. This study constitutes a significant step in a larger project aiming to identify the specific VS disease together with its stage. The performance achieved in this study provides a strong motivation to further explore this topic.

The Role of Social Capital in Empowering Women against Welfare: A Case of Home-Based Traders in Penglipuran Village

Emerging from individual habits and a strong foundation of trust, social capital enables the development of mutually beneficial relationships and cooperation among people, and it is widely recognized for its significant influence on both society and its constituents. According to the World Bank, social capital, along with institutional factors, interpersonal connections, and established norms, plays a pivotal role in shaping the quality and quantity of social interactions within communities, acting as a cohesive force that binds community members together. The dimension of social capital grows in that society contains values and norms, patterns of social interaction in managing the daily lives of its members This study uses a quantitative approach with an associative explanatory level. This research was conducted on Home Traders in Penglipuran Tourism Village. The number of samples used in this study were 66 units using probability random sampling technique which was collected through the method of questionnaires, observation, interviews, and in-depth interviews. This study uses a moderated regression analysis technique using Partial Least Square (PLS) as an analytical tool. The results of the study concluded that: 1) Social Capital weakens Empowerment in influencing the Welfare of Home-Based Traders in Penglipuran Village; 2) Social Capital and Women's Empowerment directly affect the Welfare of Penglipuran Village Traders.

Short-Term Standard Diet Consumption Prior to the Oral Fat Tolerance Test Modulates the Postprandial Triglyceride Response.

We hypothesized that the consumption of a 3-day standard diet (SD) prior to the oral fat tolerance test (OFTT), used to evaluate postprandial lipemia, may counteract the undesirable effects of individual dietary habits on the test results. The OFTT was applied to 22 healthy adults (11 females and 11 males), after their habitual diets (HDs) and following the consumption of a 3-day SD (45-60% energy from carbohydrate, 20-35% from fat, and 10-20% from protein). Plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations were measured during fasting and at the fourth hour of the OFTT. A 3-day SD significantly reduced fasting and fourth-hour TG concentrations and delta TG values by 10%, 12.8%, and 22.7%, respectively. Decreases were observed in fasting and fourth-hour TG and delta TG values following the 3-day SD compared to the HD in subjects with fasting TG concentrations between 89 and 180 mg/dL (p = 0.062, p = 0.018, and 0.047, respectively). As a result, the consumption of a 3-day standardized diet prior to the OFTT may be useful to eliminate the false positive or negative effects of individual dietary habits on test results and to correctly identify individuals who should be administered the OFTT.

La réhabilitation psychosociale en addictologie

ObjectivesAddictive behaviors constitute complex behaviors that are usually related to social habits, such as substance use, gambling or gaming activities, or sexual or physical activity. They progressively overrun and stifle the routine habits of the concerned individuals, for example within their occupational or family spheres of life, as well as in their hobbies or in their main physiological functions, such as sleep or eating cycles. The rehabilitation approach of care integrates the objective of restoring the altered habits and functional rhythms, to optimize the clinical outcomes and improve quality of life of the concerned persons. MethodsUsing a focused and narrative literature review, we aimed to explain what psychosocial rehabilitation consists in, and why this approach is particularly relevant for the addiction care, although to date it has remained insufficiently developed in the routine practice of many facilities. ResultsThe “rehab” approach, is first based on a structured and comprehensive assessment of the clinical and functional aspects of the patient, which secondarily allows to frame an individualized project of care that is closely built together with the patient. This project of care can integrate classical pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic tools, but it also emphasizes wider approaches for restoring some basic social and physiological functions of the concerned person, such as sleep, eating, social functioning, physical activity, or spiritual needs. Priorities among these different dimensions have to be defined by the concerned person. ConclusionsThe “rehab” approach is particularly relevant in addiction medicine. It represents a more global conception of care that conceives the recovery of social and physiological functioning as a core treatment objective for the concerned persons. The consequences for care organization are that many additional professionals should be integrated into the treatment schemes for addiction, including peer counselors, occupational therapists, physical activity coaches, or dieticians.

Performing meat reduction across scripted social sites: exploring the experiences and challenges of meat reducers in Norway

Current meat consumption trends are associated with extensive resource use, environmental degradation, and detrimental effects on animal and human health, making meat reduction a core sustainability target. The experiences of meat reducers, often conceptualised as flexitarians, have gradually attracted more academic attention. This literature has shown that in many cases meat reducers do not radically reduce their meat intake and have untangled a complex web of factors contributing to meat consumption, reduction and avoidance. This article contributes to a nuanced understanding of the experiences, approaches and challenges faced by meat reducers. The data was collected through in-depth interviews with 26 self-declared meat reducers in Norway. By framing consumption as embedded in social practices, this article highlights how broader cultural, social and material conditions structure eating and hence meat consumption. A central finding is that through processes of socialisation and habituation, performances of eating often conform to the prevailing conventions inscribed in the socio-material environment in which they are embedded. We thus question the popular depictions of individuals as efficient drivers of dietary changes and highlight the many factors involved in reproducing the ‘normalness’ of meat-intense diets, demonstrating how individual intentions, choices and habits are themselves rooted in, and circumscribed by, prevailing conventions, that is, practices.

The Juvenalian Satire of Our Mutual Friend

Abstract: This essay argues that Dickens rejected the Victorian literary consensus that satire, especially in its extravagant Juvenalian form, was unsuited to the novel. In several prefaces, he positions satire’s magnifying aesthetic of “extreme exposition” as an ideal mode for disrupting readers’ preconceptions. In Our Mutual Friend , Dickens forcefully revives Juvenal’s rhetorical overabundance and open scorn for avarice to showcase the voracious inhumanity of capitalism. Drawing upon prevalent ideas about the power of habit, he floods the novel with examples of the near inescapability of individual and institutional bad habit in a materialistic world. A variety of addictions are shown to dominate human character and deaden empathy and will. With satirical excess, Dickens blatantly displays the apocalyptic pull of solipsism and greed in a series of ostentatious Society dinners that echo Juvenal. In opposition to his critics, Dickens felt his audience urgently needed bold truths delivered with Juvenalian force.