Overall Frequency Of Use Research Articles

A Correlation Study of Individual Differences Factors and Oral Chinese Learning Strategies: A Survey Based on Sri Lankan Learners

Individual differences of learners will affect foreign language learners’ use of learning strategies. This study focuses on Chinese learners in Sri Lanka, and analyzes the correlation between their age, gender, length of time and oral language learning strategies. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the use of learning strategies among learners of different genders; with the increase of age, the frequency of overall use of strategies showed a downward trend; the frequency of use of cognitive strategies, compensation strategies and affective strategies increased with learning length while increasing, the frequency of use of meta-cognitive strategies, memory strategies and social strategies decreased with the increase of learning length.

Quantitative Assessment of High School Students' Poly-drug Use: Related Social Aspects and School Dropout.

Poly-drug use has increased in recent decades, especially in young drugusing groups. Classic epidemiological indicators of drug use, such as prevalence and incidence of users of specific substances, are not adequate as measures of the possible harms of poly-drug use. We applied poly-drug use indicators, based on substance-specific harm scores reported by van Amsterdam and Nutt in 2015, to data from high school student surveys, showing their usefulness in identifying high-risk drug consumption. Analysing the 'correlation' between high-risk drug use of high school students and school dropout allows the evaluation of adopted prevention policies and may suggest more suitable approaches. Each drug user is characterized by two specific scores: overall frequency of use of substances during the period of interest (FUS) and poly-drug use score (PDS). The poly-drug use score is a weighted average of the harm scores of the individual substances used multiplied by their respective frequencies of use. The PDS increases with the frequency of use, with the number of substances used, and with the specific harm scores of each substance. This indicator consists of two components, one representing the health harm score toward self and the other the social harm score toward others. The indicators have been applied to sample data involving youth population, specifically the ESPAD®Italia survey data on high school students conducted annually in Italy. The trends of poly-drug use at different ages of students, 15-19 years, over time, and gender have been studied. The results have been linked to educational outcomes, early school leaving and social aspects, making it possible to assess present prevention interventions and suggest appropriate planning of future prevention interventions. Poly-drug use indicators allow a comprehensive quantitative evaluation of the risks of drug use. The analysis of the links between heavy use of drugs, school performance and dropout, and the social variables that influence them, shown in this work, suggests how best to plan secondary or indicated prevention interventions at school. The problem of including "new" NPS in analyses is also briefly discussed.

Factors and Reasons Influencing Thai EFL University Students' Use of Language Learning Strategies

The present study has the following goals: 1) To consider the variety of language learning strategies and their relative frequencies as chosen by English majors studying at public universities in the northeast of Thailand; 2) to understand what may be the underlying factors that guide these choices as reported by the participants; and 3) to answer why those strategies and their frequencies. The participants were 579 students at 6 public universities in the northeast of Thailand, all of whom majored in English. The tools to gather the data were a background information questionnaire, LLS questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. A selective sample of 30 participants took part in the guided lightly-structured interviews. The tools used for a quantitative analysis were obvious descriptive data and factor analysis. Further analysis of the qualitative results were done using content and thematic analyses. The quantitative results tell us that their overall use of language learning strategies were at a predictable moderate frequency of overall use and only small variations at category levels. At the individual level, high frequencies were reported for 6 strategies, moderate usage for 37 strategies and infrequent to zero usage were shown for 2 strategies. Four underlying factors where derived from a factor analysis. The qualitative results revealed that 16 reasons can be ascertained for the frequent use of certain strategies, and 3 reasons for infrequently used strategies.

The developmental trajectory of contrast markers in children’s writing across four grade levels

The use of contrast markers (CMs), one important type of connective creating semantic links both within and beyond the sentence (Robertson, 1968), is an explicit way of text cohesion (Halliday and Hasan, 1976) which develops gradually in childhood as logical reasoning advances (Piaget, 1928). This paper investigates the developmental trajectory of CMs in English across four grade levels to understand a particular aspect of language acquisition, that is ‘expressing various types of contrast’. We aim to reveal how frequently and diversely CMs are employed by children and report the differences between the overall use and that of the most frequent CMs across grade levels and types of texts. Through a frequency-based quantitative approach and contextual analyses, a set of 65 CMs constructed drawing on several existing taxonomies were searched in the Growth in Grammar (GiG) Corpus (Durrant and Brenchley, 2018), a corpus of school writing produced by children at schools in England from Year 2 to Year 11. The results show that the variety and the number of CMs increase across grade levels signalling a significant change as they get older. We also found that the frequencies of CMs differed significantly both across grade levels and genres of writing (literary vs non-literary texts) in the corpus. In addition, it is noteworthy to evidence that the frequency of overall use of CMs significantly varied between Y2-Y6; Y6-Y9 and Y6-Y11, suggesting that Y6 (ages 10–11) stands in the middle of the V-shaped developmental curve. The findings also indicated that there are significant differences in the most frequent CMs (i.e., but, yet, and although) for each grade level.

Long-term annual and spatial variation of polygyny in the white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus).

Mating strategies are key components in the fitness of organisms, and notably in birds the occurrence of monogamy versus polygyny has attracted wide interest. We address this by a very comprehensive dataset (2899 breeding events spanning the years 1978–2019) of the white‐throated dipper Cinclus cinclus. Though the mating system of this species has been regarded as generally monogamous, we find that 7% of all breeding events were performed by polygynous males (approximately 15% of all pairs). The fraction of polygyny has been stable over the entire study period irrespective of population size. The assumption that polygyny is most common at low population density was not supported. Surprisingly, there was no difference between polygynous and monogamous males with regard to the quality of the territories they inhabited, ranked according to their overall frequency of use. The most common age group, first‐year breeders, dominated among monogamous males, while among polygynous males second‐year breeders were most common, followed by third and first‐year breeders. The primary females were in general older than females mated to monogamous males, also when controlled for their general frequency in the population. The majority of the two females mated to a polygynous male, bred in the vicinity of each other. The probability for a male to be involved in polygyny more than once, was significantly higher than by chance, suggesting phenotypic quality differences among males.

My social network: Group differences in frequency of use, active use, and interactive use on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

The goal of this study is to understand the differences in scope and patterns of frequency of use and interactive and active consumption on three leading social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter [1]. A representative sample of 501 participants completed an online survey. Of all participants, 95% had a Facebook account, 70% had an Instagram account, and 26% had a Twitter account at the time of the survey. The study found that gender, age, status, and education can predict the frequency of overall use, active use, and interactive use of social media. The findings are explained by the symbolic interactionism approach: Although it might seem that traditional role norms would be maintained on social media, social platforms appear to offer members of disadvantaged social groups, such as women, singles, younger adults, and less educated individuals an opportunity to affiliate with a large group that shares their cultural codes.

Lien entre usage des réseaux sociaux et image corporelle chez les adolescents : une revue systématique de la littérature

ObjectivesThis study aimed to update the scientific knowledge concerning the relationship between the use of social networking sites and body image among adolescents. MethodsA preregistered systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines and allowed to include 30 peer-reviewed articles for qualitative analysis, consisting of 26 unique samples (n=31,331; Mage=14.89; SDage=1.07). The search was conducted on Pubmed, PsychInfo and Scopus focusing on studies that included any social network site use and body image measures while being based on general population adolescent samples. Social networking site use referred: 1) to any online activities such as browsing, posting, editing selfies, liking, commenting; 2) to any exposure to appearance-related content; or 3) to a measure of frequency use. The scope of social networking sites considered in the present review was extended to online video-sharing platforms and online dating applications due to their relationship with appearance. Body image as considered through MeSH terms referred to a wide range of possible outcomes including body and facial dissatisfaction, dysmorphophobia, body surveillance, self-objectification, body shame, weight concerns, self-monitoring. Any mental health outcome was extracted when available although its absence was not an exclusion criterion.. ResultsAmong the 30 studies included in the review, 22 were cross-sectional, seven were longitudinal and one had an experimental design. Overall, among studies based on unique samples, 18 studies included both males and females (n=28,081; Mage 14.84; SDage=1.06), seven were based exclusively on female samples (n=2,507; Mage 14.87; SDage=1.19), while one study recruited only male adolescents (n=743; Mage 15.90; SDage=0.54). Only six studies were based on representative samples. These studies reported a robust association between frequency of social networking site use and negative body image among both females and males. In addition, exposure to appearance-related content was also deleterious to body image. The association between the use of social media and negative body image may involve negative mental health outcomes, such as depressive symptoms, low body esteem and problematic use of social media. Measuring specific activities on social network sites or exposure to appearance-related content (e.g. selfies editing; selfies posting) may be more accurate than using a frequency of overall use (e.g. during the past month) when predicting body image. Studies addressing underlying processes supported that the relationship between use of social media and body image may not be direct but rather involve intermediary steps on both cognitive and social levels, namely internalization of the thin ideal, self-objectification, peer appearance-related feedback, ascendant social comparison with peers and celebrities. Also, it remains unclear whether mental health mediates this relationship. ConclusionsThe association between the use of social networking sites and negative body image is robustly supported in the literature. However, studies measuring frequency of overall use may instead be predicting negative body image with a nested measure of the use of social network sites, namely specific activities involving appearance-related content. Due to the observed discrepancies between self-reported frequency of social networking site use and actual use in methodological literature, future research may rather measure behaviors commonly encountered on a given platform. Furthermore, there is a need to distinguish specific site categories such as highly visual social media when focusing on body image outcomes. . Focusing on specific social media platforms may in turn lead to more targeted prevention regarding a safe utilization of social networking sites among adolescents. Despite the growing body of research concerning the association between social media and body image, the current review underlines that additional longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to investigate potential bidirectional effects, as well as studies based on representative samples to improve generalization to adolescent populations.

Social Networks of Lexical Innovation. Investigating the Social Dynamics of Diffusion of Neologisms on Twitter.

Societies continually evolve and speakers use new words to talk about innovative products and practices. While most lexical innovations soon fall into disuse, others spread successfully and become part of the lexicon. In this paper, I conduct a longitudinal study of the spread of 99 English neologisms on Twitter to study their degrees and pathways of diffusion. Previous work on lexical innovation has almost exclusively relied on usage frequency for investigating the spread of new words. To get a more differentiated picture of diffusion, I use frequency-based measures to study temporal aspects of diffusion and I use network analyses for a more detailed and accurate investigation of the sociolinguistic dynamics of diffusion. The results show that frequency measures manage to capture diffusion with varying success. Frequency counts can serve as an approximate indicator for overall degrees of diffusion, yet they miss important information about the temporal usage profiles of lexical innovations. The results indicate that neologisms with similar total frequency can exhibit significantly different degrees of diffusion. Analysing differences in their temporal dynamics of use with regard to their age, trends in usage intensity, and volatility contributes to a more accurate account of their diffusion. The results obtained from the social network analysis reveal substantial differences in the social pathways of diffusion. Social diffusion significantly correlates with the frequency and temporal usage profiles of neologisms. However, the network visualisations and metrics identify neologisms whose degrees of social diffusion are more limited than suggested by their overall frequency of use. These include, among others, highly volatile neologisms (e.g., poppygate) and political terms (e.g., alt-left), whose use almost exclusively goes back to single communities of closely-connected, like-minded individuals. I argue that the inclusion of temporal and social information is of particular importance for the study of lexical innovation since neologisms exhibit high degrees of temporal volatility and social indexicality. More generally, the present approach demonstrates the potential of social network analysis for sociolinguistic research on linguistic innovation, variation, and change.

The Effects of Virtual Reality Based Rehabilitation on Upper Extremity Function in a Child with Cerebral Palsy: A Case Report

Aim This case report was designed to assess the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation on improving upper extremity function for a child with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Methods In addition to conventional therapies completed three times per week, the participant engaged in virtual reality rehabilitation with the Neofect Smart Kids five to seven days per week for six weeks totaling just over twelve hours of intervention time. Outcome measures were administered pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 6-weeks post-intervention. Results Varying levels of improvement in motor function, quality of movement, and functional use were observed during intervention evidenced by improved scores on the following standardized assessments: Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Second Edition; the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test; and the Pediatric Evaluation and Disability Inventory—Computer Adaptive Test. The participant maintained improvements in motor skills at 6-weeks post intervention, however, the quality of his movements and overall frequency of use with his affected upper extremity decreased in the 6-weeks following termination of intervention. Conclusions Even though the results are not generalizable, the VR intervention for this child allowed for greater movement repetition and improved functional upper extremity use.

Mapping changes in the obesity stigma discourse through Obesity Canada: a content analysis.

BackgroundStigmatization of persons living with obesity is an important public health issue. In 2015, Obesity Canada adopted person-first language in all internal documentation produced by the organization, and, from 2017, required all authors to use person-first language in abstract submissions to Obesity Canada hosted conferences. The impact of this intentional shift in strategic focus is not known. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a content analysis of proceedings at conferences hosted by Obesity Canada to identify whether or how constructs related to weight bias and obesity stigma have changed over time.MethodsOf 1790 abstracts accepted to conferences between 2008–2019, we excluded 353 abstracts that featured animal or cellular models, leaving 1437 abstracts that were reviewed for the presence of five constructs of interest and if they changed over time: 1) use of person-first versus use of disease-first terminology, 2) incorporation of lived experience of obesity, 3) weight bias and stigma, 4) aggressive or alarmist framing and 5) obesity framed as a modifiable risk factor versus as a disease. We calculated and analyzed through linear regression: 1) the overall frequency of use of each construct over time as a proportion of the total number of abstracts reviewed, and 2) the ratio of abstracts where the construct appeared at least once based on the total number of abstracts.ResultsWe found a significant positive correlation between use of person-first language in abstracts and time (R2 = 0.51, p < 0.01 for frequency, R2 = 0.65, p < 0.05 for ratio) and a corresponding negative correlation for the use of disease-first terminology (R2 = 0.48, p = 0.01 for frequency, R2 = 0.75, p < 0.001 for ratio). There was a significant positive correlation between mentions of weight bias and time (R2 = 0.53 and 0.57, p < 0.01 for frequency and ratio respectively).ConclusionUse of person-first language and attention to weight bias increased, while disease-first terminology decreased in accepted abstracts over the past 11 years since Obesity Canada began hosting conferences and particularly since more explicit actions for expectations to use person-first language were put in place in 2015 and 2017.

Home Monitoring of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Utility of the ForeseeHome Device for Detection of Neovascularization

PurposeTo evaluate the real-world utility of the ForeseeHome monitoring device (Notal Vision, Ltd., Tel Aviv, Israel) for the detection of conversion from intermediate age-related macular degeneration (iAMD) to neovascular AMD (nAMD) and to compare with results published by the Home Monitoring of the Eye (HOME) study.DesignRetrospective analysis of electronic health records.ParticipantsEyes prescribed use of the ForeseeHome device across 4 retinal practices in the United States.MethodsUsage information was collected from the online ForeseeHome portal for all eyes prescribed the device. For a predetermined subset of eyes, additional clinical information was collected through chart review and analyzed for clinical utility.Main Outcome MeasuresFrequency and length of use, number of eyes that used the device, number of eyes that established a baseline measurement, number of eyes that converted to nAMD, and number of alerts.ResultsSeven hundred seventy-five eyes of 448 patients were prescribed use of the ForeseeHome device. Six hundred forty-nine eyes (83.7%) used the device at least once; among this population, 478 (73.7%) established a baseline measurement. Patients who established a baseline measurement were significantly younger than those who did not (P < 0.001). Among eyes that established a baseline measurement, 126 (26.4%) had an overall inadequate frequency of use (≥2 tests per week), and 250 (52.3%) did not use the device as frequently as instructed by the manufacturer (≥3 tests per week); 24.7% of eyes discontinued use within 1 year. Of the 136 eyes that established a baseline measurement among 211 eyes prescribed the device at 1 clinical site, 52 alerts were recorded; 3 (6.8%) correctly identified conversion to nAMD and 47 (93.2%) represented false-positive alerts.ConclusionsCompared with the prospective HOME study, the utility of the ForeseeHome device in the current analysis of clinical practice application was limited. A meaningful proportion of eyes never used the device or could not establish a baseline measurement. Overall frequency of use was low, and continuous use of the device decreased over time. A need exists for improvement in home monitoring technology for eyes with iAMD at risk of conversion to nAMD.

Adolescent substance use and functional connectivity between the ventral striatum and hippocampus

Neurodevelopmental explanations for adolescent substance use have focused on heightened sensitivity of mesolimbic circuitry, centered on the ventral striatum (VS). Recent evidence suggests that, relative to adults, adolescents show a stronger link between reinforcement learning and episodic memory for rewarding outcomes and greater functional connectivity between the VS and hippocampus, which may reflect a heightened reward modulation of memory. However, a link between VS-hippocampal circuitry and adolescent substance use has yet to be established. Two separate studies were conducted to evaluate whether variation in VS-hippocampal resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) predicts subsequent adolescent substance use exposure. A pilot study (Study 1) was conducted in 19 youth recruited from a high sociodemographic risk population (N = 19; mean age = 13.3 SD = 1.4; 14 females; 47% Black Non-Hispanic, 32% White Non-Hispanic). To replicate results of Study 1, Study 2 utilized data from the National Consortium on Adolescent Neurodevelopment and Alcohol (N = 644; mean age = 16.3 SD = 2.5; 339 females; 11% Black Non-Hispanic, 11% Hispanic/Latino, 66% White Non-Hispanic). Resting-state fMRI data were collected at a baseline time point and lifetime and past year self-reported substance use was collected at a follow up visit. Regression models tested whether baseline VS-hippocampal rs-FC predicted substance use exposure at follow up, as measured by an index score reflecting the number of substance classes (e.g., alcohol, marijuana) tried and overall frequency of use. Across both studies, higher VS-hippocampal rs-FC at baseline predicted greater substance use exposure at follow up (pFWE < 0.05). These data provide the first evidence linking increased VS-hippocampal connectivity with greater adolescent substance use exposure. Results fit with the emerging idea that variation in adolescent substance use may relate to not only individual differences in mesolimbic sensitivity to reward, but also to an individuals’ memory sensitivity to reward as measured by connectivity between canonical memory and reward regions.

P4. Abstract Title: Prevalence of Pulmonary Embolism in Patients Accessing the Emergency Department, Reported by Country of Study: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

<h3>Introduction</h3> Pulmonary embolism (PE) has an incidence of 0.75-2.69 cases per 1,000 individuals in Western Europe and North America (NA), with no significant differences between these two regions. In the United States, there is evidence of PE overdiagnosis, with increased incidence of PE over time and minimal changes in the mortality rate. It is possible that this tendency towards overdiagnosis (and over-testing) is different in NA and Europe. Greater tendency toward overtesting would imply a lower prevalence of PE among suspects and a lower diagnostic yield of imaging techniques. <h3>Aim</h3> The aim of the study was to determine whether the prevalence of PE among patients tested for PE in European and North American emergency department (EDs) differed. The secondary objectives were to determine if the rates of diagnostic imaging use and the diagnostic yield from imaging differed between the two continents. <h3>Methods</h3> The protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to September 3, 2017 for all studies which reported on consecutive ED patients tested for PE, without language restrictions. We screened titles and abstracts and then the full texts. Risk of bias was assessed using a modified version "Tool to Assess Risk of Bias in Longitudinal Symptom Research Studies Aimed at the General Population", form the CLARITY group, McMaster University. These steps and data extraction were performed independently by at least two authors. Conflicts were solved through discussion or with the intervention of a third author. For each outcome (PE prevalence, rate of diagnostic imaging, diagnostic yield of CTPA and ventilation-perfusion [VQ] scan), we conducted a meta-analysis of proportions specifying a random-effects model. We reported the pooled estimates as percentages with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A multiple meta-regression was conducted to evaluate if the effect of the region on PE prevalence and diagnostic yield of CTPA was independent of the year of execution of the studies. A sensitivity analysis was conducted only including studies at low risk of bias. <h3>Results</h3> The search identified 3109 records (2562 after duplicates removal). After screening the full text of 107 articles, 44 studies were included in the systematic review. Twenty-three of the 44 included studies were at low risk of bias. The overall prevalence of PE was 20% (95% CI 18%, 22%). The prevalence of PE in NA was 8% (95% CI 6%, 9%), while the prevalence of PE in Europe was 23% (95% CI 21%, 26%). After adjusting for the year of execution of the studies, the OR for PE prevalence in studies conducted in Europe versus NA was 1.16 (95%CI 1.11, 1.22). The overall frequency of use of CTPA was 53% (95% CI 45%, 62%). The frequency of CTPA use was 38% (95% CI 24%, 51%) in NA and 59% (95% CI 51%, 68%) in Europe, respectively. After adjusting for the year of study, the OR for the use of CTPA for studies conducted in Europe versus NA was 1.25 (95%CI 1.06, 1.48). The overall frequency of use of V/Q scan was 35% (95% CI 20%, 51%). The adjusted OR for the use of CTPA for studies conducted in Europe versus NA was 1.17 (95%CI 0.88, 1.52). The overall diagnostic yield was 25% (95% CI 20%, 29%). The diagnostic yield in NA was 13% (95% CI 9%, 17%), while the diagnostic yield in Europe was 29% (95% CI 26%, 32%). The adjusted OR for studies conducted in Europe versus NA was 1.16 (95%CI 1.09, 1.24). The overall diagnostic yield for VQ scan was 13% (95% CI 10%, 16%). The adjusted OR for studies conducted in Europe versus NA was 1.03 (95%CI 0.94, 1.14). The sensitivity analyses conducted including only studies at low risk of bias showed results consistent with the main analyses. We did not detect publication bias. <h3>Conclusion</h3> We found that studies reporting on ED patients tested for PE in NA had a lower prevalence of PE diagnosis compared to those conducted in Europe. There was a lower rate of CTPA use and a lower diagnostic yield from CTPA in NA compared to Europe. Our results support the hypothesis that those tested for PE in North American EDs have a lower risk of PE compared to Europe.

The different traditional pre-slaughter handling methods for dogs at Jos south Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria

The consumption of dog meat has been reported in many countries of the world including Nigeria. Different pre-slaughter handling methods are commonly used prior to dog slaughter in many parts of the country including Plateau State. This study determined the frequency and reasons for the use of the various traditional preslaughter handling methods at the “Angwan Kare” Dog Market Jos. Relevant data were collected from 120 butchers interviewed randomly in groups of 20 for six consecutive days. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 120 butchers were interviewed, 114 (95%) used the strangulation method of preslaughter handling. The suffocation method was used by 2 butchers with 1.7% as the overall use frequency. The stunning method was used by 4 butchers with 3.3% as the overall frequency of use. It is evident from this study that the strangulation method with frequency of 95% is the most used of the pre-slaughter handling methods. Dog butchers should be trained and taught proper pre-slaughter stunning techniques to enhance meat quality and dog welfare through the relief of pain, fear and suffering.Keywords: Dog, Frequency, Handling, Market, Pre-slaughter

Analyzing the production of a non-standard form

Although the Spanish verb andar ‘to walk' has a prescriptively irregular preterit conjugation (e.g., anduve ‘I walked'), adult native speakers may produce an innovative, regularized form (e.g., andé). Nevertheless, researchers have had difficulty documenting this form of variation. The current study presents the first systematic, variationist analysis of andar regularization. We sought to answer three research questions: 1) Do speakers in Bogotá, Colombia produce regularized forms of preterit andar? 2) If so, at what rate do bogotanos produce regularized forms? 3) Do any independent factors predict regularization? We designed a 25-item cloze task in which we manipulated person/number, with 164 bogotanos participating. In addition to providing the first systematic study of andar regularization, we demonstrate that the phenomenon is constrained by independent linguistic and social variables, while appealing to changes in the overall frequency of use of andar diachronically and to the relationship between the frequency of use of each person/number and regularization.

Exploring the Use of Multiple Mental Health Apps Within a Platform: Secondary Analysis of the IntelliCare Field Trial.

BackgroundIntelliCare is a mental health app platform with 14 apps that are elemental, simple and brief to use, and eclectic. Although a variety of apps may improve engagement, leading to better outcomes, they may require navigation aids such as recommender systems that can quickly direct a person to a useful app.ObjectiveAs the first step toward developing navigation and recommender tools, this study explored app-use patterns across the IntelliCare platform and their relationship with depression and anxiety outcomes.MethodsThis is a secondary analysis of the IntelliCare Field Trial, which recruited people with depression or anxiety. Participants of the trial received 8 weeks of coaching, primarily by text, and weekly random recommendations for apps. App-use metrics included frequency and lifetime use. Depression and anxiety, measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, respectively, were assessed at baseline and end of treatment. Cluster analysis was utilized to determine patterns of app use; ordinal logistic regression models and log-rank tests were used to determine if these use metrics alone, or in combination, predicted improvement or remission in depression or anxiety.ResultsThe analysis included 96 people who generally followed recommendations to download and try new apps each week. Apps were clustered into 5 groups: Thinking (apps that targeted or relied on thinking), Calming (relaxation and insomnia), Checklists (apps that used checklists), Activity (behavioral activation and activity), and Other. Both overall frequency of use and lifetime use predicted response for depression and anxiety. The Thinking, Calming, and Checklist clusters were associated with improvement in depression and anxiety, and the Activity cluster was associated with improvement in Anxiety only. However, the use of clusters was less strongly associated with improvement than individual app use.ConclusionsParticipants in the field trial remained engaged with a suite of apps for the full 8 weeks of the trial. App-use patterns did fall into clusters, suggesting that some knowledge about the use of one app may be useful in selecting another app that the person is more likely to use and may help suggest apps based on baseline symptomology and personal preference.

The effects of English-medium instruction on the use of textual and interpersonal pragmatic markers

Abstract This study examines a semi and a full English-medium instruction (EMI) undergraduate program offered at a Catalan university in order to measure its effect on the students’ oral output. Specifically, it tackles the acquisition of pragmatic markers (PMs) by measuring four variables, the overall frequency of use, the variety of types, the use of textual PMs, and the use of interpersonal PMs. Oral data were collected via a monologue and an interaction task. The study is cross-sectional with 39 full-EMI and 33 semi-EMI participants in 2nd and 3rd year of study plus 10 native speakers. PM use was chosen for analysis due to the important role they play in communicative competence. Results show a significant increase in the overall frequency and variety of types of PMs used from year 2 to year 3. The full-EMI group used PMs at a significantly higher frequency and wider variety when compared to the semi-EMI group, neither group reached baseline levels for use of interpersonal PMs, and both groups displayed a higher use of textual PMs compared to the NSs.

Quantity fluctuations of illicitly used opioids and overdose risk

BackgroundReduced opioid tolerance is believed to be associated with overdose risk, although this relationship has primarily been examined in the context of gaps and frequency of opioid use. We sought to assess how changes in the quantity of opioids used, as opposed to periods of abstinence or overall frequency of use, relate to overdose risk. MethodsAmong repeated visits of participants of a behavioral intervention trial from 2014 to 2016, we used multivariable logistic regression models fit with generalized estimating equations to examine the relationship between the percentage of opioid use days on which individuals used more or less than the quantity they used on average (i.e., quantity volatility) and the occurrence of opioid overdose. ResultsOur sample included 290 four-month reporting periods among 63 participants (67% male). Opioid overdose events were reported by 28 (44%) participants during 48 (17%) reporting periods. Our measure of quantity volatility had a median of 20% (IQR 0.0-50.0). In multivariable analysis, using a quantity different than the quantity used on average on more than 20% of all opioid use days in the reporting period was significantly associated with odds of any opioid overdose (Adjusted OR = 3.55, 95%CI = 1.55-8.13, p = 0.003), controlling for confounders. ConclusionQuantity volatility of illicitly used opioids was positively associated with overdose risk and may contribute to the complex system of overlapping factors that influence overdose risk. Future observational research among opioid users should collect detailed opioid use data, including quantity used over time, to clarify the patterns that most elevate overdose risk.

Online Habits of the 55 plus Generation in a Selected Region of the Czech Republic

Purpose – The Internet is now becoming part of the 55 and up generation. This study assumes that there is an increasing number of elderly people using the Internet. Based on this assumption, this article’s objective is to explore the impact of selected demographic characteristics on Internet usage variables. These variables include the frequency of the Internet use, the Internet access location, the type of information sought, and the overall frequency of use of this media for a particular purpose.Design/Methodology/Approach – The introduction presents the theoretical background of the topic and is followed by a section focusing on the evaluation of primary research data. This data includes the use of a correlation coeffi cient that measures the level of dependence between the variables studied. Another tool used during research is called a decision tree. A decision tree detects the variable with the strongest influence on the Internet use. In this case, the variable was the location used to access the Internet. Findings and implications – When examining the conditionality between demographic variables and the Internet use, we are talking about independence or, more precisely, a slight dependence. This has to do with the fact that seniors of all ages use the Internet regardless of demographic factors. It is more about social influences. Limitations – It is not possible to take the data found in this analysis and apply it to the Czech Republic as a whole. Originality – Based on the research results, we can refute any significant impact of demographic characteristics on the Internet use by seniors. The discourse describes and subsequently compares the views of both foreign and domestic research on the issue.

Frequency patterns of semantic change: corpus-based evidence of a near-critical dynamics in language change.

It is generally believed that when a linguistic item acquires a new meaning, its overall frequency of use rises with time with an S-shaped growth curve. Yet, this claim has only been supported by a limited number of case studies. In this paper, we provide the first corpus-based large-scale confirmation of the S-curve in language change. Moreover, we uncover another generic pattern, a latency phase preceding the S-growth, during which the frequency remains close to constant. We propose a usage-based model which predicts both phases, the latency and the S-growth. The driving mechanism is a random walk in the space of frequency of use. The underlying deterministic dynamics highlights the role of a control parameter which tunes the system at the vicinity of a saddle-node bifurcation. In the neighbourhood of the critical point, the latency phase corresponds to the diffusion time over the critical region, and the S-growth to the fast convergence that follows. The durations of the two phases are computed as specific first-passage times, leading to distributions that fit well the ones extracted from our dataset. We argue that our results are not specific to the studied corpus, but apply to semantic change in general.