Two-week Period Research Articles

An experimental study of simulated grant peer review: Gender differences and psychometric characteristics of proposal scores.

Peer review is a decisive factor in selecting research grant proposals for funding. The usefulness of peer review depends in part on the agreement of multiple reviewers' judgments of the same proposal, and on each reviewer's consistency in judging proposals. Peer reviewers are also instructed to disregard characteristics that are not among the evaluation criteria. However, for example, the gender identity-of the investigator or reviewer-may be associated with differing evaluations. This experiment sought to characterize the psychometric properties of peer review among 605 experienced peer reviewers and to examine possible differences in peer review judgments based on peer reviewer and investigator gender. Participants evaluated National Institutes of Health-style primary reviewers' overall impact statements that summarized the study's purpose, its overall evaluation, and its strengths and weaknesses in five criterion areas: significance, approach, investigator, innovation, and environment. Evaluations were generally consistent between reviewers and within reviewers over a two-week period. However, there was less consistency in judging proposals with weaknesses. Regarding gender differences, women reviewers tended to provide more positive evaluations, and women investigators received better overall evaluations. Unsuccessful grant applicants use reviewer feedback to improve their proposals, which could be made more challenging with inconsistent reviews. Peer reviewer training and calibration could increase reviewer consistency, which is especially relevant for proposals with weaknesses according to this study's results. Evidence of systematic differences in proposal scores based on investigator and reviewer gender may also indicate the usefulness of calibration and training. For example, peer reviewers could score practice proposals and discuss differences prior to independently scoring assigned proposals.

Momentary Associations Across Specific Affective States and Dysregulated Eating Experiences Among Children and Adolescents With Loss of Control Eating Symptoms.

Dysregulated eating is common among youth and is associated with trait-level negative affect and emotion regulation difficulties. Despite the transient nature of affect, momentary associations among affect and eating behavior are unclear, which limits development of more impactful treatment tools, such as "just-in-time" intervention approaches (JITAI). The current study (N = 62) drew from two ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies involving children and adolescents who endorsed loss of control (LOC) eating symptoms during a two-week assessment period. Intensive time series network analysis tested concurrent and prospective relationships across six specific affective states (i.e., upset, guilty, scared, tired, excited, attentive) and four eating-related experiences (e.g., LOC, overeating, hunger, craving) in real time. Additionally, we repeated these models within demographic subgroups of the sample based on age, race, and sex. In the full-sample models, contemporaneously assessed guilt was associated with craving and LOC eating, and tiredness was associated with LOC eating. In the prospective analysis, tiredness was negatively predicted by LOC eating and positively predicted by overeating at the previous timepoint, and attentiveness positively predicted craving. Differences in affect-eating relationships were identified across teens and preteens as well as male and female participants. These results suggest that specific affective states are associated with dysregulated eating-related experiences in real time among youth, and associations may differ depending on demographic characteristics. Findings may be used to inform the development and tailoring of momentary interventions.

EXPRESS: How stable are taste-shape crossmodal correspondences over time?

The present research investigates the stability of taste-shape crossmodal correspondences (that is, how people non-randomly associate tastes and visual shapes, such as sweetness matched to roundness) over time, exploring the temporal dimension of crossmodal interactions. While previous research has established the existence of various taste-shape crossmodal correspondences, this study addresses their consistency over time through a test-retest paradigm. Drawing parallels with the concept of synesthesia, in which stability is used as a criterion, the research focuses on taste-shape associations, a domain not previously explored for temporal stability. Participants rated the perceived curvature and symmetry that they associated with taste words (sweet, umami, sour, salty, and bitter) and their liking of tastes and shapes. The same participants performed this task three times over a two-week period. The results consistently replicated previous findings, revealing that sweet tastes were perceived as significantly more curved and symmetrical than other tastes, and umami was rated as more curved and symmetrical than sour, salty, and bitter tastes. Notably, the study found moderate-to-substantial test-retest reliability for the majority of the taste-shape correspondences, indicating robust stability over time. Analyses suggested that differences in assessments between test and retest sessions were primarily due to random error, with no systematic biases. However, a small subset of participants showed significant differences from other participants in their associations, particularly for umami-related correspondences. This research contributes to our understanding of taste-shape correspondences by demonstrating their temporal stability, offering insights into the dynamics of taste, curvature, symmetry, and liking. We posit that consistency might be used as a criterion supporting the existence of a given crossmodal correspondence. The findings have implications for product design and marketing, emphasizing the importance of considering temporal aspects when capitalizing on crossmodal correspondences in creating product expectations and experiences.

GATA: Test–retest reliability of measurement outcomes

Social researchers have long sought to overcome the vulnerability of the self-report method to a variety of effects based on respondents’ inability or unwillingness to answer correctly. One obvious strategy for solving this problem is to try to extract information in such a way that the respondent’s attitude towards the object under study can be assessed by his or her actions “indirectly” related to that object, without relying on the respondent’s “direct” answers as to what he or she thinks that attitude is. One of the many tools that claim to be able to probe the respondent’s consciousness in this way is the Graphical Associative Test of Attitudes (GATA). This paper presents a summary of the test-retest reliability of GATA. 18 repeat tests two (12 tests) and four (6 tests) weeks after the initial meas¬urement showed that GATA can potentially produce reliable results. At the same time, this ability is not completely stable, it depends on the subject being assessed and the time between the tests being compared. While the reliability of GATA over a two-week period is often satisfactory (Spearman ρ > 0.700 in 4 out of 12 tests) and comparable to that of the self-report method, over a four-week period, only one out of six GATA evaluations maintains such a high level of reliability. Possible dimensions of future research aimed at improving the reliability of GATA output are discussed in the paper.

Impact of videos and traditional teaching methods on fifth grade students’ achievement in fractions

Mathematics teachers employ a diverse range of tools, resources, and materials to enhance the teaching and learning processes through various instructional strategies. In this quantitative study, the effectiveness of utilizing videos and traditional lecturing as distinct strategies for teaching fifth-grade students in fractions addition and subtraction was investigated. The researchers employed a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test single group design, conducting the study in four schools with different curricula in Abu Dhabi over a two-week period. The same group of students underwent both pre- and post-tests after being exposed to lessons on fractions addition and subtraction through videos and lectures. The results indicated that using videos to teach fractions had a more positive impact on students’ performance across different schools compared to traditional lecturing. This bears significant implications for enhancing students’ proficiency in fractions through improved teaching strategies.

Esculetin improves inflammation of the kidney via gene expression against doxorubicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats: In vivo and in silico studies

Examining the preventive potential and underlying mechanisms of Esculetin (E) in mitigating kidney damage induced by doxorubicin (DOX) in rats, this study also assessed the nephrotoxic effects when DOX was administered in combination with E. The experimental protocol involved a two-week treatment period with cumulative DOX doses (5 mg/kg), daily administration of E (50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg), and the combined treatment of DOX with E50 and E100. The study delved into the gene expression levels of key regulatory factors associated with inflammation and apoptosis. Molecular analyses revealed that E effectively ameliorated the dysregulations induced by DOX at gene levels in the kidneys. Notably, the concurrent administration of E was observed to counteract the alterations in gene expressions induced by DOX significantly. E treatment decreased serum creatinine, albumin, and urea nitrogen levels in DOX-induced kidney damage. Furthermore, the docking analysis revealed that pi–cation, pi–pi stacking, and hydrogen bond interactions were the predominant molecular interactions within the binding pockets of these genes. This suggests that the nephroprotection provided by E involves the remodeling of inflammation and apoptosis pathways affected by DOX.

Physicochemical Properties, Drug Release and In Situ Depot-Forming Behaviors of Alginate Hydrogel Containing Poorly Water-Soluble Aripiprazole

The objective of this study was to investigate the physicochemical properties, drug release and in situ depot-forming behavior of alginate hydrogel containing poorly water-soluble aripiprazole (ARP) for achieving free-flowing injectability, clinically accessible gelation time and sustained drug release. The balanced ratio of pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) and glucono-delta-lactone (GDL) was crucial to modulate gelation time of the alginate solution in the presence of calcium carbonate. Our results demonstrated that the sol state alginate hydrogel before gelation was free-flowing, stable and readily injectable using a small 23 G needle. In addition, the ratio (w/w) of PLP and GDL altered the gelation time, which was longer as the PLP content increased but shorter as the GDL content increased. The alginate hydrogel with a ratio of PLP to GDL of 15:9 had the optimal physicochemical properties in terms of a clinically acceptable gelation time (9.1 min), in situ-depot formation with muscle-mimicking stiffness (3.55 kPa) and sustained release over a two-week period. The alginate hydrogel, which is tunable by varying the ratio of PLP and GDL, could provide a controllable pharmaceutical preparation to meet the need for long-acting performance of antipsychotic drugs like ARP.

Adolescents’ Digital Technology Use, Emotional Dysregulation, and Self-Esteem: No Evidence of Same-Day Linkages

Concerns regarding the potential negative impacts of digital technology use on youth mental health and well-being are high. However, most studies have several methodological limitations: relying on cross-sectional designs and retrospective reports, assessing technology use as an omnibus construct, and focusing on between- instead of within-person comparisons. This study addresses these limitations by prospectively following young adolescents (n = 388) over a 14-day ecological momentary assessment study to test whether adolescents’ digital technology use is linked with self-reported emotional dysregulation and self-esteem and whether these relationships are stronger for adolescent girls than boys. We found no evidence that adolescents experienced higher emotional dysregulation (b = − .02; p = .07) and lower self-esteem (b = .004; p = .32) than they normally do on days where they use more technology than they normally do (within-person). Adolescents with higher average daily technology use over the study period did not experience lower levels of self-esteem (between-person, b = − .02; p = .13). Adolescents with higher average daily technology use across the two-week period did report higher levels of emotional dysregulation (p = .01), albeit the between-person relation was small (b = .08). There was no evidence that gender moderated the associations, both between and within adolescents (bs = − .02–.13, p = .06 − .55). Our findings contribute to the growing counter-narrative that technology use does not have as large of an impact on adolescents’ mental health and well-being as the public is concerned about.

Assessing the Effect of Water on Submerged and Floating Plastic Detection Using Remote Sensing and K-Means Clustering

Marine and freshwater plastic pollution is a worldwide problem affecting ecosystems and human health. Although remote sensing has been used to map large floating plastic rafts, there are research gaps in detecting submerged plastic due to the limited amount of in situ data. This study is the first to collect in situ data on submerged and floating plastics in a freshwater environment and analyse the effect of water submersion on the strength of the plastic signal. A large 10 × 10 m artificial polymer tarpaulin was deployed in a freshwater lake for a two-week period and was captured by a multi-sensor and multi-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and satellite. Spectral analysis was conducted to assess the attenuation of individual wavelengths of the submerged tarpaulin in UAV hyperspectral and Sentinel-2 multispectral data. A K-Means unsupervised clustering algorithm was used to classify the images into two clusters: plastic and water. Additionally, we estimated the optimal number of clusters present in the hyperspectral dataset and found that classifying the image into four classes (water, submerged plastic, near surface plastic and buoys) significantly improved the accuracy of the K-Means predictions. The submerged plastic tarpaulin was detectable to ~0.5 m below the water surface in near infrared (NIR) (~810 nm) and red edge (~730 nm) wavelengths. However, the red spectrum (~669 nm) performed the best with ~84% true plastic positives, classifying plastic pixels correctly even to ~1 m depth. These individual bands outperformed the dedicated Plastic Index (PI) derived from the UAV dataset. Additionally, this study showed that in neither Sentinel-2 bands, nor the derived indices (PI or Floating Debris Index (FDI), it is currently possible to determine if and how much of the tarpaulin was under the water surface, using a plastic tarpaulin object of 10 × 10 m. Overall, this paper showed that spatial resolution was more important than spectral resolution in detecting submerged tarpaulin. These findings directly contributed to Sustainable Development Goal 14.1 on mapping large marine plastic patches of 10 × 10 m and could be used to better define systems for monitoring submerged and floating plastic pollution.

Understanding care-seeking and subsequent pregnancy loss in the second trimester of pregnancy − A multicentre audit

ObjectiveThis study aimed to increase understanding of the signs and symptoms that lead pregnant people to seek hospital care in the second trimester of pregnancy. In addition, we aimed to describe management and follow up, to record pregnancy outcomes, and to gather information about symptoms and signs related to second trimester pregnancy loss. MethodsThis prospective audit in seven geographically dispersed sites across the UK collected data over two weeks (7th March–20th March 2022 inclusive) on all unscheduled secondary care attendances between 14 and 21 completed weeks’ gestation. Data on the number of patients booked at each unit within this 8-week second trimester gestational age range were collected. Descriptive analyses identified common patterns and associations with second trimester pregnancy loss. ResultsOf 8,585 patients in the second trimester of their pregnancy, 283 presented acutely at least once over the two-week period (3.3 %) Of these, 19 patients experienced a second trimester pregnancy loss (7 % of those presenting in the second trimester). There were a broad range of presentations and diagnoses and a lack of standardisation of investigation and management of patients. Logistic regression identified associations between previous first trimester miscarriage (OR 2.95 95 % CI 1.15, 7.60), previous first trimester termination of pregnancy (OR 7.00 95 % CI 2.45, 19.98), and presentation with increased vaginal discharge (OR 3.82 CI 1.24, 11.7) with second trimester pregnancy loss. ConclusionsThis study has identified that a significant number of pregnant people attend hospital and reattend in the second trimester of pregnancy, with a worrying lack of standardisation of both investigation and management, and a broad range of presenting symptoms and diagnoses. Patients who present in the second trimester have a high rate of second trimester pregnancy loss and the preliminary associations identified would benefit from further research in a larger scale study.

Optimizing selenium-enriched yeast supplementation in laying hens: Enhancing egg quality, selenium concentration in eggs, antioxidant defense, and liver health

This study evaluated the effects of selenium-enriched yeast (SY) supplementation at various levels on health and production parameters in laying hens, including egg production, egg quality, selenium (Se) concentrations in eggs, liver health, serum biochemical markers, antioxidant function, and immune responses. A total of 360 Hy-Line Brown hens (28 weeks old) were randomly assigned to four dietary groups with six replicates of 15 birds each, monitored over a 12-week feeding trial after a two-week acclimatization period. The dietary groups included a control (basal diet without selenium) and three SY-supplemented groups with Se levels of 0.3 mg/kg (SY03), 1.5 mg/kg (SY15), and 6.0 mg/kg (SY60). The results showed no significant effects of dietary SY on laying performance or feed efficiency (P > 0.05). However, the SY15 group showed significant improvements in egg quality, particularly in albumen height, Haugh Unit and yolk color (P < 0.05). Selenium concentrations in eggs, albumen, and yolk increased dose-dependently, with significant differences in the SY-supplemented groups (P < 0.001). Increased activities of liver enzymes including alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and aspartate transaminase, alongside elevated levels of uric acid were notable in the SY60 group (P < 0.05). In addition, histological analysis revealed significant hepatocyte degeneration and a higher liver organ index (P < 0.05), in the SY60 group. All of which suggests potential liver toxicity at higher selenium levels. Antioxidant capacity of the birds were significantly enhanced due to dietary supplementation of SY as indicated by increased serum levels of total antioxidant capacity, and activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase (P < 0.05). Analysis of hepatic genes expression revealed that SY15 supplementation significantly upregulated key antioxidant-related genes (Nrf2, HO-1, CAT, and NQO1) and downregulated Keap1 expression (P < 0.05), suggesting strong activation of the antioxidant defense system. In conclusion, SY supplementation at 1.5 mg/kg improved egg quality, increased Se concentrations in eggs, and enhanced antioxidant capacity without affecting laying performance or liver health. This makes it a balanced approach to improving egg quality and poultry health. However, higher supplementation levels (6.0 mg/kg) resulted in liver damage, underscoring the importance of careful dosage consideration.

Optimization of the iron content of Eremomastrax speciosa drink and evaluation of its antianemic potential

Iron deficiency anemia represents a significant public health challenge, leading many to seek herbal remedies from locally available plants. In Cameroon, E. speciosa leaves are commonly consumed to address this condition. This study aimed to optimize iron extraction from E. speciosa leaves and evaluate its effectiveness against iron deficiency anemia. The leaves were dried at 50 °C, ground, and sieved. An E. speciosa drink was produced by extracting the powdered leaves using a Central Composite Design, focusing on four factors: temperature, time, pH, and solid-to-liquid ratio (w/v). Various volumes (1, 2, or 4 mL/kg) of the extracted drink were administered to anemia-induced rats over a two-week period. The optimization results indicated that the ideal extraction conditions were: temperature of 20 °C, extraction time of 50 min, pH of 11, and a solid-to-liquid ratio of 15 g/L. Administration of 1 mL/kg of the E. speciosa drink successfully restored red blood cell counts and hemoglobin levels to normal after two weeks. In contrast, doses of 2 or 4 mL/kg alleviated anemia within just one week. Overall, the E. speciosa drink produced under these optimal extraction conditions is iron-rich and demonstrates significant potential as an effective treatment for iron deficiency anemia.

Low dose exposure to dioxins alters hepatic energy metabolism and steatotic liver disease development in a sex-specific manner

“Dioxins” are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are continuously present in the environment at appreciable levels and have been associated with increased risk of steatotic liver disease (SLD). However, current understanding of the role of sex and effects of mixtures of dioxins in SLD development is limited. Additionally, there exists debates on the levels of dioxins required to be considered dangerous as emphasis has shifted from high level exposure events to the steady state of lower-level exposures. We therefore investigated sex-dependent effects of low-level exposures to a mixture of dioxins: 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), 2,3,4,7,8-Pentachlorodibenzofuran (PeCDF) and Polychlorinated biphenyl 126 (PCB126), in the context of SLD and associated metabolic dysfunction. Male and female C57BL/6J mice were fed a low-fat diet and weekly administered either vehicle control or TCDD (10 ng/kg), PeCDF (80 ng/kg) and PCB 126 (140 ng/kg) over a two-week period. Female mice generally demonstrated higher hepatic fat content compared to males. However, exposure to dioxins further elevated hepatic cholesterol levels in females, and this was accompanied by increased lipogenic gene expression (Acaca, Fasn) in the liver. In contrast, exposed males but not females displayed higher white adipose tissue weights. Furthermore, TCDD + PeCDF + PCB126 activated the AHR (hepatic Cyp1a1, Cyp1a2 induction); with Cyp1a1 induction observed only in exposed females. Notably, gene expression of hepatic albumin (Alb) was also reduced only in exposed females. Overall, exposure to the low dose dioxin mixture compromised hepatic homeostasis via metabolic perturbations, and hepatic dysregulation was more accelerated in female livers.

Applying and benchmarking a stochastic programming-based bidding strategy for day-ahead hydropower scheduling

Aneo is one of the first Nordic power companies to apply stochastic programming for day-ahead bidding of hydropower. This paper describes our experiences in implementing, testing, and operating a stochastic programming-based bidding method aimed at setting up an automated process for day-ahead bidding. The implementation process has faced challenges such as generating price scenarios for the optimization model, post-processing optimization results to create feasible and understandable bids, and technically integrating these into operational systems. Additionally, comparing the bids from the new stochastic-based method to the existing operator-determined bids has been challenging, which is crucial for building trust in new procedures. Our solution is a rolling horizon comparison, benchmarking the performance of the bidding methods over consecutive two-week periods. Our benchmarking results show that the stochastic method can replicate the current operator-determined bidding strategy. However, additional work is needed before we can fully automate the stochastic bidding setup, particularly in addressing inflow uncertainty and managing special constraints on our watercourses.

Tropical Primary Pyomyositis of The Right Calf Muscle: A Rare and Unexpected Complication of Jump Squat Exercise

Diagnosing pyomyositis in its initial or invasive stages can pose a challenge due to its vague initial symptoms, which may mimic other conditions such as muscle strain, localized myositis, hematoma, deep vein thrombosis, cellulitis, or thrombophlebitis. A high index of suspicion for possible pyomyositis necessitates confirmation through radiographic imaging. A delayed diagnosis directly correlates with the time taken to commence treatment, thereby increasing the risk of patient morbidity and mortality. We present a case of a diabetic male who experienced bilateral calf muscle pain and right calf swelling after participating in jumping squat exercises, eventually developing right calf myositis and abscesses over a two-week period, which were initially overlooked by several general practitioners. This case underscores the crucial role of radiographic imaging in confirming the diagnosis, whether in the Emergency Department or any primary care setting. Prompt diagnosis and intervention, as demonstrated here, are imperative for minimizing the risks associated with this potentially severe disease. Knowledge of this condition and its diagnostic methods is highly advantageous for emergency physicians, primary care providers, and family physicians.

Clay in Art Therapy: A Case Report of a Sexually Abused Child

Contemporary art therapy has focused little on the healing potential of using clay with children that have experienced sexual abuse. In this case report, I provide a brief introduction of a 12-year-old male followed by a discussion of his clay sculptures made in group art therapy sessions over a two-week period during an inpatient psychiatric stay. The tactile and sensorimotor activity of working with clay provided trauma informed benefits such as focusing on the present-moment experience, safely developing somatic awareness, and cultivating self-regulator capacity. Additionally, the client’s life-like clay objects permitted him the opportunity to create personalized imagery that symbolized his unconscious processes and life experiences and was a key step toward successful transference and artistic sublimation.

Chirp: The Impact of Private Online Self-Disclosure on Perceived Social Support

As social media continues to grow as a space for emotional self-disclosure, it is important to understand whether self-disclosure acts as a causal factor impacting positive outcomes for users. Thus we developed Chirp, an anonymous social media sandbox space designed to explore the underlying effects of disclosure within online spaces. Users in Chirp are prompted to self-disclose moods and emotions using emojis. Through a between-subjects study among a cohort of first-year undergraduate student users on Chirp, we evaluate the effect of self-disclosure within semi-private online spaces on social support. While Chirp use does not show a significant increase in measured feelings of social support, user responses suggest that self-disclosure in Chirp may provide more social support than typical social media use or simple mood tracking over a two-week period. Our findings indicate that even in pseudo-anonymous, low-bandwidth communication platforms, self-disclosure may cause increased feelings of social support. This work highlights the impact of communication in semi-private online spaces on perceived social support.

Using Ecological Momentary Analysis to explore stigma experiences in the real world for adults with acquired hearing loss

Objective The aim of this study was to use Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to capture how stigma-induced identity threat is experienced by adults with hearing loss and how they respond to such threats in daily life. Design and study sample Twenty adults with hearing loss from 53 to 88 years (mean age of 69.4 years) completed a range of demographic and stigma questionnaires in the laboratory and, over a two-week period, answered daily EMA surveys. Results A total of 633 EMA surveys were collected. Five participants reported 13 listening events in which they experienced stigma. These events were typically when conversing with family or friends who were aware of the adults’ hearing loss. Conclusions The number of individual stigma experiences captured by EMA were low, when viewed across a large number of social interactions. However, as a group, a quarter of the participants in this study experienced stigma over a two-week period, typically from others close to them. This suggests that stigma experiences may be a regular occurrence for some adults with hearing loss.

Precise Geoid Determination in the Eastern Swiss Alps Using Geodetic Astronomy and GNSS/Leveling Methods.

Astrogeodetic deflections of the vertical (DoVs) are close indicators of the slope of the geoid. Thus, DoVs observed along horizontal profiles may be integrated to create geoid undulation profiles. In this study, we collected DoV data in the Eastern Swiss Alps using a Swiss Digital Zenith Camera, the COmpact DIgital Astrometric Camera (CODIAC), and two total station-based QDaedalus systems. In the mountainous terrain of the Eastern Swiss Alps, the geoid profile was established at 15 benchmarks over a two-week period in June 2021. The elevation along the profile ranges from 1185 to 1800 m, with benchmark spacing ranging from 0.55 km to 2.10 km. The DoV, gravity, GNSS, and levelling measurements were conducted on these 15 benchmarks. The collected gravity data were primarily used for corrections of the DoV-based geoid profiles, accounting for variations in station height and the geoid-quasigeoid separation. The GNSS/levelling and DoV data were both used to compute geoid heights. These geoid heights are compared with the Swiss Geoid Model 2004 (CHGeo2004) and two global gravity field models (EGM2008 and XGM2019e). Our study demonstrates that absolute geoid heights derived from GNSS/leveling data achieve centimeter-level accuracy, underscoring the precision of this method. Comparisons with CHGeo2004 predictions reveal a strong correlation, closely aligning with both GNSS/leveling and DoV-derived results. Additionally, the differential geoid height analysis highlights localized variations in the geoid surface, further validating the robustness of CHGeo2004 in capturing fine-scale geoid heights. These findings confirm the reliability of both absolute and differential geoid height calculations for precise geoid modeling in complex mountainous terrains.

The longitudinal association of hand osteoarthritis with paid and unpaid work restrictions and related societal costs: The Hand Osteoarthritis in Secondary Care cohort

ObjectivesTo investigate the course of restrictions in paid and unpaid work and corresponding societal costs in patients with hand osteoarthritis (OA). MethodsPatients with data of at least baseline and one follow-up moment (year one up to year eight) of the Dutch Hand OSTeoArthritis in Secondary care cohort (HOSTAS) were included. The Health and Labour Questionnaire (HLQ) was used to assess over the last two weeks hand OA-related restrictions for paid and unpaid work. Societal costs of productivity loss were estimated with Dutch government data on 2021. Results351 patients were included (mean age 60 years, 84% women). At baseline, 166/351 (47%) had paid work, decreasing to 54/164 (33%) at year eight. Loss of productive time over the two-week period was reported by 32/166 (19%) patients with paid work at baseline, 17/104 (16%) at year four, among whom 12/104 (11%) patients at both moments. Any restrictions over this two-week period were experienced by 89/166 patients (54%) at baseline and 41/104 (39%) at year four for those with paid work.Regarding unpaid work, 157/351 (45%) reported replacement of tasks by others at baseline and 72/164 (44%) at year eight. 205/351 (59%) reported restrictions at baseline, and 99/164 (60%) at year eight.Mean total societal costs for loss of paid and unpaid work were, per patient, €89/two weeks (95% confidence interval (CI) 52;127) at baseline, and €47/two weeks (26;69) at year eight. ConclusionsThe proportion of patients with paid work decreases during follow-up, but restrictions at paid and unpaid work seem mostly stable.Keywords