Observation Scale Research Articles

Spatial complexity of burrow attributes and their impact on porosity and permeability distributions in bioturbated reservoirs

Bioturbated carbonate rocks can form high-quality aquifers and reservoirs. Although the controls on the porosity and permeability of these rocks are fairly understood at the well-bore scale, how such characteristics vary spatially across various scales of observation is still a major unsolved problem. This study integrates results of outcrop observations, imaging with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), computer tomographic (CT) scanning, petrographic analysis, and petrophysical measurements to understand how burrow intensity and burrowing style control the spatial variability of porosity and permeability of one stratum accumulated in a carbonate ramp. The CT scan data revealed two burrowing styles, pipe framework (in the upper part of the stratum, surface constrained textural heterogeneity) and bio-retexturing (in the lower part of the stratum, non-surface-constrained textural heterogeneity). The studied stratum is dominated by the micropores (cross-section>10 μm) of the host rock matrix (HRM), which comprise >50 % of the total porosity within the stratum. Porosity in the stratum does not vary substantially in vertical or lateral trends. In contrast, and perhaps most importantly, permeability does vary vertically and laterally depending on the scale of measurement, burrow percentage, and burrowing style. These results suggested that the storage capacity of the studied stratum is independent of bioturbation, whereas the flow capacity is strongly dependent on bioturbation. There is a substantial vertical change in permeability in the stratum in comparison to only small changes in the lateral direction across the layer of interest. The data also suggested that the subtle lateral change in permeability is controlled by bio-retexturing, which resulted in the homogenization of grain-dominated and mud-dominated sediments by bioturbation. Such a process can be destructive for the permeability compared to the pipe-connected burrowing style. We clearly show that the ichnologically-controlled porosity and permeability trends of the studied stratum are relevant at the field scale. Understanding such trends in the context of paleoenvironmental conditions provides insight into the fluid flow quality of bioturbated carbonates, which constitute a large proportion of water aquifers and hydrocarbon reservoirs globally.

The effect of turbulence in brain dynamics information transfer measured with magnetoencephalography

Fast, efficient information transfer is essential for the brain to ensure survival. As recently shown in functional magnetic resonance imaging with high spatial resolution, turbulence appears to offer a fundamental way to facilitate energy and information transfer across spatiotemporal scales in brain dynamics. However, given that this imaging modality is comparably slow and not directly linked with neuronal activity, here we investigated the existence of turbulence in fast whole-brain neural dynamics measured with magnetoencephalography (MEG). The coarse spatial observations in MEG necessitated that we created and validated a empirical measure of turbulence. We found that the measure of edge-centric metastability perfectly detected turbulence in a ring of non-local coupled oscillators where the ground-truth was analytically known, even at a coarse spatial scale of observations. This allowed us to use this measure in the spatially coarse, empirical large-scale MEG data from 89 human participants. We demonstrated turbulence in fast neuronal dynamics and used this to quantify information transfer in the brain. The results demonstrate that the necessary efficiency of brain function is dependent on an underlying turbulent regime.

A closer look into slickensides: Deformation on and under fault surfaces

Accurate descriptions of natural fault surfaces and associated fault rocks are important for understanding fault zone processes and properties. Slickensides--grooved polished surfaces that record displacement and wear along faults-- develop measurable roughness and characteristic microstructures during fault slip. We quantify the roughness of natural slickensides from three different fault surfaces by calculating the surfaces power spectra and height distributions and analyze the microstructures formed below the slickensides. Slickenside surfaces exhibit anisotropic self-affine roughness with corresponding mean Hurst exponents in directions parallel-- 0.53 ± 0.07-- and perpendicular --0.6 ± 0.1-- to slip, consistent with reports from other fault surfaces. Additionally, surfaces exhibit non-Gaussian height distributions, with their skewness and kurtosis roughness parameters having noticeable dependence on the scale of observation. Below the surface, microstructural analyses reveal that S–C–C′ fabrics develop adjacent to a C-plane-parallel principal slip zone characterized by a sharp decrease in clast size and a thin (≤100 μm) nanoparticulate-rich principal slip surface (PSS). These microstructures are present in most analyzed samples suggesting they commonly form during slickenside development regardless of lithology or tectonic setting. Our results suggests that 1) PSS likely arise by progressive localization along weaker oriented fabrics 2) deformation along PSS's is energetic enough to comminute the rocks into nanometric grains, and 3) fault geometry can be further characterized by studying the height distributions of fault surfaces, which are likely to impact stress distributions and frictional responses along faults.

Distribution pattern of the Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in White Bear Lake, Minnesota: a spatial scale analysis

Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) were introduced into the US in the 1980s and have since spread throughout the country with concomitant impacts on aquatic ecosystems. We placed 20 m transects in a variety of sediment types and collected data on sediment size, mussel coverage (the percent of the bottom covered by mussels), and the presence of macrophytes within 0.25 m2 quadrats in White Bear Lake, MN. To assess the degree of Zebra Mussel aggregation, we calculated Morisita’s index of dispersion (Iδ) at four levels of spatial scale − 0.25 m2, 1 m2, 4 m2, and 40 m2. Understanding the pattern of aggregation in Zebra Mussels is crucial in detecting early invasions, monitoring populations, and attempting to eradicate them. There was greater Zebra Mussel coverage within quadrats with coarser substrates (gravel/cobble and mixed sediment – including rock and boulders) compared to those with finer substrates (silt and sand). Macrophyte coverage did not significantly influence Zebra Mussel coverage on the lake bed sediments. Spatial scale had a large impact on the measure of mussel aggregation. Zebra Mussels in sand and silt had the highest degree of aggregation and high levels of macrophytes resulted in greater degrees of aggregation on the lake bed sediments. Zebra mussel coverage measured at larger spatial scales generally resulted in lower aggregation values, across both sediment types and levels of macrophyte coverage. The appropriate selection of spatial scale for sampling or observation is critical when upscaling local density to lake populations.

Long‐term coastal macrobenthic Community Trajectory Analysis reveals habitat‐dependent stability patterns

Long‐term monitoring programs are fundamental to detect changes in ecosystem health and understand ecological processes. In the current context of increasing anthropogenic threats on marine ecosystems, understanding the dynamics and response of communities becomes essential. We used data collected over 14 years in the REBENT benthic coastal invertebrates monitoring program, at a regional scale in the North‐East Atlantic, covering a total of 26 sites and 979 taxa. Four distinct habitats were studied: two biogenic habitats associated with foundation species in the intertidal and subtidal zones and two bare sedimentary habitats in the same respective tidal zones. We used community trajectory analysis (CTA), a statistical approach that allows for quantitative measures and comparisons of temporal trajectories of ecosystems. We compared observed community trajectories to trajectories simulated under a non‐directional null model in order to better understand the dynamics of the communities, their potential drivers, and the role of the studied habitats in these dynamics. Despite strong differences in the community compositions between sites and habitats, the communities followed non‐directional dynamics during the 14 years monitored, which suggested stability at the regional scale. However, the shape, size, and direction of the trajectories of benthic communities were more similar within than among habitats, also suggesting the influence of the nature of the habitat on community dynamics. Results showed a higher variability in community composition the first years of the monitoring in the intertidal bare habitat and confirmed the role of biogenic habitats in maintaining temporal stability. They also highlighted the need to apprehend the role of transient and rare species and the scale of observation in temporal beta diversity analyses. Finally, our study confirmed the usefulness of CTA to link observed trajectory patterns to fundamental ecological processes.

Adaptation and validation of the short five-factor mindfulness questionnaire (POM-15)

Introduction. Mindfulness, that is, holistic awareness and attentive presence, is becoming widespread in everyday life and clinical practice. The mindfulness approach is helpful in managing stress, somatic complaints, anxiety, depression, burnout, and traumatic experiences as well as in preventing PTSD, therefore the development and adaptation of tools to measure and assess mindfulness approach effectiveness is apparently relevant. Aim: to make known the results of the adaptation of the Ukrainian version of the short Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ - 15), developed by R. Baer et al. (called in Ukrainian PОМ-15). Methods. The adaptation of POM-15 was conducted as part of the adaptation of the full version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) - POM-39, whose five-factor scales were formed from the original long version of the POM-39 questionnaire and included observation, description, conscious action, non-judgment, and non-reactivity scales. Results. All PОМ-15 scales showed good internal consistency (with Cronbach's alpha coefficients being from 0.71 to 0.94) while the POM-15 construct reliability and the ability to differentiate the dynamics of changes as a result of therapy and training were confirmed. Conclusions. A small number of questions and short time needed to answer them as well as the ease of processing the results and their reliability make POM-15 convenient and effective in both clinical and non-clinical practice.

Influence of a New Media Data Interaction System on the Course Teaching Effect

The new media data interaction system is the product of the joint development of information technology, computer technology, and education reform, which has a certain impact on the traditional teaching model. To continuously improve the course teaching effect, the influence of the new system on the course teaching effect was investigated. Experimental and control classes were set and the number of each class and teaching time were confirmed. The experimental class adopted the new media data interaction system to assist the course teaching and made courseware of such a system through different methods, such as literature data, questionnaires, and experiment methods. Moreover, a pretest questionnaire and an in-class observation scale were designed and the experimental data were analyzed through t-test and statistical analysis. Results indicate there is no significant difference in student ability and academic performance between the experimental and control classes before participating in the study. After the participation, the mean scores of the in-class scale in the learning interest, learning attitude, and communication ability of the experimental class are 13.42, 13.26, and 16.37, respectively, which are significantly different from those of the conventional class (p<0.05). Thus, the new media data interaction system can improve the course teaching effect.

Physicians’ and nurses’ experience of using the Abbey Pain Scale (APS) in people with advanced cancer: a qualitative content analysis

BackgroundThe Abbey Pain Scale (APS), an observational scale used to assess pain in people with end-stage dementia, is also widely used in Sweden to assess pain in patients with advanced cancer. It is unclear whether the APS is appropriate in this context. This study aims to explore physicians’ and nurses’ experiences of using a Swedish translation of the APS (the APS-SE) in people with advanced cancer.MethodsConventional qualitative content analysis was used to analyse interviews with physicians (n = 6) and nurses (n = 6) working in oncology and specialised palliative care about their experiences of using the APS-SE.ResultsThree categories were created: fills a need, not always on target, and does not fully suit the clinical situation. Participants reported that although the APS-SE provides support in a challenging situation, it sometimes misses the mark: it does not distinguish well between pain and other types of suffering and its pain score tends not to reflect professionals’ intuitive perceptions of patients’ suffering. Some parts of the APS-SE were not considered useful, and others were perceived as ethically questionable.ConclusionHealth professionals greatly need an observational pain assessment tool for people with advanced cancer. The APS-SE is helpful in this context, but participants did not perceive it as ideal. Its problems seem inherent to the original APS rather than related to its translation from English to Swedish. Further research is needed to provide a more suitable pain assessment tool for patients with advanced cancer.

Pandemic impact on the co-movement and hedging effectiveness of the global futures markets

ABSTRACT This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 on five of the world's most liquid futures markets. The results of our wavelet coherence analysis for spot futures reveal two important findings. First, spot futures coherence movements during the pandemic period are influential at both low and high frequency scales. Second, the spectrogram shows mixed causality directions at all scales of observation in the period before and during the pandemic. In terms of hedging effectiveness, OLS and VECM show improvements in hedging effectiveness. Nevertheless, multiscale analysis with wavelet methods shows that hedging effectiveness depends on the hedge period due to the instability of the spot-futures association during the pandemic period. Our results refute the conventional wisdom among finance scholars that a stronger link between spot and futures markets during the crisis improves hedging effectiveness. We would emphasise that investment baskets and hedge pairs should be reviewed frequently to optimise results.

Diagnosing Product Variability in the Soil Moisture Response to Precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract Previous studies show that some soil moisture products have a good agreement with in situ measurements on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, the soil moisture response to precipitation variability in different products is yet to be assessed. In this study, we focus on the soil moisture response to precipitation variability across weekly to decadal time scales in satellite observations and reanalyses. The response of soil moisture to precipitation variability differs between products, with large uncertainties observed for variations in weekly accumulated precipitation. Using June 2009 as an example, weekly mean anomalous soil moisture varies by up to 25% between products. Across decadal time scales, soil moisture trends vary spatially and across different products. In light of the soil moisture response to precipitation at different time scales, we conclude that remote sensing products developed as part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Water Cycle Multimission Observation Strategy and Soil Moisture Climate Change Initiative (CCI) projects are the most reliable, followed by the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM) dataset. Even products that strongly agree with in situ observations on daily time scales, such as the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), show inconsistent soil moisture responses to decadal precipitation trends. European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECWMF) reanalysis products have a relatively poor agreement with in situ observations compared to satellite observations and land-only reanalysis datasets. Unsurprisingly, products which show a consistent soil moisture response to precipitation variability are those mostly aligned to observations or describe the physical relationship between soil moisture and precipitation well. Significance Statement We focus on soil moisture responses to precipitation across weekly to decadal time scales by using multiple satellite observations and reanalysis products. Several soil moisture products illustrate good consistency with in situ measurements in different biomes on the Tibetan Plateau, while the response to precipitation variability differs between products, with large uncertainties observed for variations in weekly accumulated precipitation. The response of soil moisture to decadal trends in boreal summer precipitation varies spatially and temporally across products. Based on the assessments of the soil moisture response to precipitation variability across different time scales, we conclude that remote sensing products developed as part of the European Space Agency’s Water Cycle Multimission Observation Strategy and Soil Moisture Climate Change Initiative (CCI) projects are the most reliable, followed by the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM) dataset. Reanalysis products from ECWMF show inconsistent soil moisture responses to precipitation. The results highlight the importance of using multiple soil moisture products to understand the surface response to precipitation variability and to inform developments in soil moisture modeling and satellite retrievals.

The mediating effect of environmental reward on activity restriction and depressive mood in cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background: Activity restriction is known as a predictor of depressive mood in cancer survivors. However, there is inconsistent evidence about precisely how this takes place. Environmental reward is a state where a person senses mastery or pleasure because of their activity, and this is known to be a possible mediator of the activity restriction effect on depressive mood. We sought to investigate that the mediating effect environmental reward could have on the relationship between activity restriction and depressive mood when moderated by cancer-related fatigue. Methods: Cancer survivors (n = 94; mean age, 60.07 years) recruited through cancer support groups in Japan participated in this study. They completed a battery of questionnaires, including demographic and clinical information about the respondents, the Activity Restriction Scale for Cancer Patients—Revised, the Environmental Reward Observation Scale, the Cancer Fatigue Scale, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results: Moderated mediation analysis revealed that high levels of activity restriction predict a decrease in environmental reward, and a decrease in environmental reward exacerbates depressive mood. The full mediating effect (when the indirect effect is statistically significant and there is no direct effect from the antecedent to outcome) of environmental reward was observed when cancer-related fatigue was moderated by ±1 SD of the mean score. This implies that, regardless of the level of fatigue cancer survivors experience, it is not the activity restriction per se that predicts depressive mood but rather the inability to experience pleasurable emotions because of the activity restriction that leads to the exacerbation of depressive mood. Conclusion: From these results, environmental reward was found to be a possible mediator of activity restriction on depressive mood, consistent with behavioral models of depression. These results could explain the inconsistent findings about the direct effect of activity restriction on depressive mood and provide theoretical evidence for the effectiveness of psychological treatments for cancer survivors that focus on positive affect, such as behavioral activation interventions.

An automatic band selection algorithm based on connection centre evolution

ABSTRACT The characteristics of high dimensionality, strong band correlation, and high information redundancy make band selection become a necessary step for efficient processing of hyperspectral images. In this paper, a new band selection method based on connection centre evolution (CCE) is proposed, named -nearest neighbour CCE band selection (NNCCEBS). First, according to CCE, we measure the band similarity under different observation scales by iteratively calculating the connectivity at different scales. Therefore, NNCCEBS can achieve multi-scale band selection, and is able to complete it at one time. Next, to avoid the selected bands being aggregated, an -nearest neighbour similarity matrix is introduced, which only retains the connectivity of -nearest bands for a band. By doing so, the new method is less sensitive to the parameter settings, and can select more accurate band centres. Experiments on real hyperspectral datasets prove the effectiveness of our method.

Arctic-associated increased fluctuations of midlatitude winter temperature in the 1.5° and 2.0° warmer world

In recent decades, the interior regions of Eurasia and North America have experienced several unprecedentedly cold winters despite the global surface air temperature increases. One possible explanation of these increasing extreme cold winters comes from the so-called Warm Arctic Cold Continent (WACC) pattern, reflecting the effects of the amplified Arctic warming in driving the circulation change over surrounding continents. This study analyzed reanalysis data and model experiments forced by different levels of anthropogenic forcing. It is found that WACC exists on synoptic scales in observations, model’s historical and even future runs. In the future, the analysis suggests a continued presence of WACC but with a slightly weakened cold extreme due to the overall warming. Warm Arctic events under the warmer climate will be associated with not only a colder continent in East Asia but also a warmer continent, depending on the teleconnection process that is also complicated by the warmer Arctic. Such an increasingly association suggests a reduction in potential predictability of the midlatitude winter anomalies.

Interventions Relieving Dyspnea in Intubated Patients Show Responsiveness of the Mechanical Ventilation-Respiratory Distress Observation Scale.

Rationale: Breathing difficulties are highly stressful. In critically ill patients, they are associated with an increased risk of posttraumatic manifestations. Dyspnea, the corresponding symptom, cannot be directly assessed in noncommunicative patients. This difficulty can be circumvented using observation scales such as the mechanical ventilation-respiratory distress observation scale (MV-RDOS). Objective: To investigate the performance and responsiveness of the MV-RDOS to infer dyspnea in noncommunicative intubated patients. Methods: Communicative and noncommunicative patients exhibiting breathing difficulties under mechanical ventilation were prospectively included and assessed using a dyspnea visual analog scale, MV-RDOS, EMG activity of alae nasi and parasternal intercostals, and EEG signatures of respiratory-related cortical activation (preinspiratory potentials). Inspiratory-muscle EMG and preinspiratory cortical activities are surrogates of dyspnea. Assessments were conducted at baseline, after adjustment of ventilator settings, and, in some cases, after morphine administration. Measurements and Main Results: Fifty patients (age, 67 [(interquartile interval [IQR]), 61-76] yr; Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, 52 [IQR, 35-62]) were included, 25 of whom were noncommunicative. Relief occurred in 25 (50%) patients after ventilator adjustments and in 21 additional patients after morphine administration. In noncommunicative patients, MV-RDOS score decreased from 5.5 (IQR, 4.2-6.6) at baseline to 4.2 (IQR, 2.1-4.7; P < 0.001) after ventilator adjustments and 2.5 (IQR, 2.1-4.2; P = 0.024) after morphine administration. MV-RDOS and alae nasi/parasternal EMG activities were positively correlated (ρ = 0.41 and 0.37, respectively). MV-RDOS scores were higher in patients with EEG preinspiratory potentials (4.9 [IQR, 4.2-6.3] vs. 4.0 [IQR, 2.1-4.9]; P = 0.002). Conclusions: The MV-RDOS seems able to detect and monitor respiratory symptoms reasonably well in noncommunicative intubated patients. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02801838).

Inter- and intra-rater reliability of new application software for computerised paediatric version of Wisconsin Gait Scale

The paediatric version of Wisconsin Gait Scale (WGS) is a reliable tool for gait assessment in children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP). We decided to develop a solution which will make it possible to objectify the descriptive paediatric version of the WGS, and which, consequently, will allow researchers/clinicians to more easily perform accurate assessment of gait patterns in patients. The aim of the study was to assess inter- and intra-rater reliability of new application software for computerised paediatric version of the WGS in children with hemiplegic CP. The study involved 31 children with hemiplegic CP. The app was designed using a model based on thematic categories of the paediatric WGS, and utilising auxiliary lines between specific points on the patient’s body, and taking into account angular values, duration and length of the specific gait phases, in order to enable acquisition of quantitative data corresponding to the components of the WGS. The gait of the study participants was recorded, in series of videos. These provided material for three independent raters who reviewed the recordings twice and assessed the participants’ gait using the app. After the evaluation was completed, the data were retrieved from the software. The new application software for the computerised paediatric WGS presents very good inter- and intra-rater reliability. Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was very high in measurement 1 (ICC > 0.9) and 2 (ICC > 0.8), which reflects a very high degree of agreement between the three examiners; there was also high agreement for the specific examiners, between the two measurements (ICC > 0.9). The observational gait scale, objectified through the new software, and enabling computer-aided use of the paediatric WGS, presents practical advantages for examiners since it facilitates decisions taken in the process of WGS-based assessment in children with spastic hemiplegic CP.

A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Perineal Massage on Labour Outcome among Primi mothers at selected Hospital, Erode

Background: Child birth is a painful and stressful event in a woman's life. Pregnant women commonly worry about pain during labour and birth. Labour pain is considered as one of the most intense forms of pain. Psychological challenge such as anxiety can contribute towards women’s perception of pain and may also affect their labor and birth experience. There are modern many non-invasive methods to relieve pain during childbirth. Among these methods is aromatherapy which is the most popular complementary therapy during child birth. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of aromatherapy massage using lavender oil on the level of pain and anxiety during labor among primi gravida women. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of perineal massage on labour outcome among primigravida mothers in both the groups. Design: The research design selected for the present study was true experimental design where posttests only with control group design. Setting: The study was conducted in private maternity hospital, Erode district. Sample: The sample consisted of 30 (15 control and 15 experimental group) primi mothers attending antenatal OPD in private maternity Hospital, Erode District, were selected by simple random technique. Data collection procedure: The data were collected for 4 weeks in the month of June 2021.From both group the personal data were collected and to the experimental group external perineal massage was taught to the primi mother by demonstration. Post test was conducted for both control and experimental group with maternal outcomes observational rating scale while mother was admitted in labour ward with pain and assessed labour outcome. Results: The findings revealed that after the perineal massage the ongoing assessment tool to evaluate maternal outcome was fair and more effective during labour among the primi mothers in experimental group. In both control and experimental group there was no significant association between maternal outcome and demographic variables such as age, education, occupation, income per month, type of family, living area and previous source of information. Conclusion: The perineal massage was more effective in improving maternal outcome during labour among the primi mothers in experimental group.

Investigating bias in impact observation sources and implications for impact-based forecast evaluation

Impact-based forecasts and warnings (IbFWs) are used by meteorological agencies to forecast the likelihood and severity of impacts resulting from hydrometeorological hazards. Despite progress developing IbFW approaches the evaluation of IbFWs performance is challenging, partly due to the lack of impact observations. Impact data may provide the observations required to evaluate IbFWs, and publicly accessible impact data are available from a number of diverse sources. However, differences in the purpose, format, and method of collection across agencies has led to a fragmented and inconsistent picture of impacts to date. Furthermore, impact data can suffer from bias. To understand the implications of using impact data for IbF evaluation, we interrogate a range of publicly available impact data sources including structured databases, disaster reports, and dedicated web and news sites. Bias within publicly available impact data was assessed, and the implication of bias on IbFW evaluation considered. We find that each data source investigated has bias, although the type and magnitude of bias varies depending on the data source. Observed biases affect the coverage, severity, timing, geographic scale, and accuracy of impact observations. Furthermore, inconsistences in hazard terminology, poor adoption of unique event identifiers, and the inability to relate impact observations to specific hazardous events presents challenges when using impact data for IbFW evaluation. Despite these challenges, using a range of data sources together can provide a more holistic observation of the impacts of hydrometeorological events. Consolidating impact observations from a range of sources may produce the data required for IbFW evaluation.

Individualized peer support needs assessment for families with eating disorders

BackgroundPeer support among family members is important in cases of mental illness, but there has been limited practice or research on individual peer support specific to families taking care of patients with eating disorders (EDs). To conduct peer support activities, it is necessary to clarify the needs of families.ObjectivesThe objective of this study are to identify the needs for group and individual peer support and the characteristics of family members with EDs who are willing to receive and provide individual peer support.MethodA cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted for family members with EDs recruited via the Internet. The questionnaires included demographic information on respondents and their patients, questions about the need for family peer support, interest in offering peer support, and social resources. All participants were given the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (J-ZBI_8), and the Anorectic Behavior Observation Scale (ABOS).ResultsOut of 314 respondents, 87.3% believed that a group peer support system was necessary, whereas 56.7% believed that an individual peer support system was necessary. As to whether they want to use individual peer support, 70 (22.4%) stated “Extremely YES” and 99 (31.7%) stated “Moderately YES.” Family members who were willing to receive individual peer support used more social resources and had higher scores on the GHQ and J-ZBI_8. Regarding the provision of peer support, 38 (12.2%) responded “very interested and willing to provide it if possible” and 87 (27.9%) responded “interested and willing to study.” Those with a high willingness to provide peer support used more social resources and had lower ABOS scores; however, 38 respondents (45.7%) exceeded the GHQ mental health screening cutoff (3/4).ConclusionFamily members with ED had a strong need for family peer support Those willing to receive individual peer support suffered from poor mental health and high burden of care. Family members willing to provide peer support tended to have patients whose EDs symptoms had already improved, but their own mental health was not necessarily good. Training for potential peer supporters is needed to implement peer support.

Mid-Term Follow-Up Study of Children Undergoing Autologous Skin Transplantation for Burns

Deep partial and full-thickness burns require surgical treatment with autologous skin grafts after necrectomy, which is the generally accepted way to achieve permanent wound coverage. This study sought to examine the grafted and donor areas of children who underwent autologous skin transplantation, using two assessment scales to determine the severity of the scarring and the cosmetic outcome during long-term follow-up. At the Surgical Unit of the Department of Paediatrics of the University of Pécs, between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2019, children who had been admitted consecutively and received autologous skin transplantation were analyzed. Twenty patients met the inclusion criteria in this retrospective cohort study. The authors assessed the results using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) and the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS). There was a significant difference in how parents and examiners perceived the children's scars. In the evaluation of the observer scale, the most critical variables for the area of skin grafted were relief and thickness. Besides color, relief was the worst clinical characteristic on the patient scale. However, when medical professionals evaluated the donor site, significantly better results were obtained compared to the transplanted area (average observer scale score: 1.4 and 2.35, p = 0.001; VSS: 0.85 vs. 2.60, p < 0.001), yet it was similar to the graft site in the parents' opinion (Patient Scale: 2.95 and 4.45, p = 0.181).

Universal Predictions of Modular Invariant Flavor Models near the Self-Dual Point.

We analyze a large set of modular invariant models of lepton masses and mixing angles, pointing out that many of them prefer to live close to the self-dual point τ=i. We show that in the vicinity of this point a universal behavior naturally emerges, independent from details of the theory, such as the finite modular group acting on the lepton multiplets, the weights of the matter multiplets and even the form of the kinetic terms, which are not required to be minimal nor flavor blind. The neutrino mass spectrum is normally ordered and universal relations describe the scaling of the physical observables in terms of the parameter |τ-i|.