JURNAL AGROTEKNOLOGI
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Methodological and ethical considerations when conducting qualitative interview research with healthcare professionals: reflections and recommendations as a result of a pandemic
No full textThe impacts of healthcare professionals (HCPs) being research participants are often neglected. As professionals, they tend to be perceived as ‘immune’ to many negative effects of sharing their experiences. However, in the context of an ongoing global pandemic such as COVID-19, these assumptions can be clearly challenged. This article draws on researchers’ experiences of conducting single and longitudinal qualitative interviews with HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe during 2020. Reflecting on the methodological and ethical implications of doing such research during a pandemic allows researchers to surface assumptions about and question categories of ‘vulnerability’ and ‘sensitivity’. We explore these categories in relation to three issues we have identified: (i) Blurred boundaries in researcher-participant relationships; (ii) Interviews as spaces to process experiences; and (iii) Motivations to conduct and participate in research. We demonstrate that qualitative interviews during a pandemic are embedded in sense-making processes for both the interviewer and participant, and as such may play an important role in coping and resilience. We therefore argue for ethically active research that critically engages with the concepts of ‘vulnerability’ and ‘sensitivity’, and underpinning assumptions, in context over time throughout the research process for current and future research with HCPs and other groups beyond pandemic situations. We thus aim to prepare researchers for managing these potential facets during the research process. We conclude with practical implications for managing emerging ethical tensions, methodological challenges and the wide-ranging possibilities and responsibilities for research with HCPs, urging researchers to consider the issues in advance
How are progression decisions made following external randomised pilot trials? A qualitative interview study and framework analysis
No full textBackground
External randomised pilot trials help researchers decide whether, and how, to do a future definitive randomised trial. The progression criteria are often prespecified to inform the interpretation of pilot trial findings and subsequent progression decision-making. We aimed to explore and understand the perspectives and experiences of key stakeholders when making progression decisions following external pilot trials.
Methods
Thirty-five remote semi-structured interviews with external randomised pilot trial team members including chief investigators, trial managers, statisticians and patient and public involvement (PPI) representatives. Questions focussed on experiences and perceptions of pilot trial progression decisions and whether and how progression criteria informed this decision. Data were analysed using the framework method approach to thematic analysis. Strategies to ensure trustworthiness and rigour were used.
Results
Interviews were conducted between December 2020 and July 2021. Six descriptive themes were developed to capture the experiences and perspectives of participants. These were (1) divided opinions on the value and development of progression criteria, (2) (avoiding) the potential for personal interest to influence progression criteria and progression decision-making, (3) stakeholder engagement in setting progression criteria and making progression decisions, (4) lessons learned from doing the pilot trial and their impact on progression criteria applicability, (5) other factors that inform the progression decision and (6) progression of external randomised pilot trials—funding considerations and constraints. These themes were underpinned by an overarching interpretative theme ‘a one-size approach to progression does not fit all’ to describe the highly nuanced and complex decision-making process that occurs following external randomised pilot trials. The progression criteria are rarely the only consideration informing the decision to progress to future research; unanticipated events, signals of efficacy and continuity of the research team are other factors that researchers consider.
Conclusions
One size does not fit all when it comes to the progression criteria and pilot trial progression. The progression criteria are only one of many considerations researchers have when deciding whether a pilot trial is feasible. External pilot trial progression is not guaranteed even when a pilot trial is considered feasible (based on the progression criteria and/or other considerations), indicating inefficiency and potential research waste.
Trial registration
Open Science Framework osf.io/5N2K
Filtered matchings and simplicial complexes
No full textTo any finite simplicial complex X, we associate a natural filtration starting from Chari and Joswig’s discrete Morse complex and abutting to the matching complex of X. This construction leads to the definition of several homology theories, which we compute in a number of examples. We also completely determine the graded object associated to this filtration in terms of the homology of simpler complexes. This last result provides some connections to the number of vertex-disjoint cycles of a graph
Complex pathways towards emergent pastoral settlements – new research on the Bronze Age Xindian culture of Northwest China
No full textThe Xindian culture of northwest China has been seen as a prototypical example of a transition toward pastoralism, resulting in part from environmental changes that started around 4000 years ago. To date, there has been little available residential data to document how and whether subsistence strategies and community organization in northwest China changed following or in association with documented environmental changes. The Tao River Archaeology Project is a collaborative effort aimed at gathering robust archaeological information to solidify our baseline understanding of economic, technological, and social practices in the third through early first millennia BC. Here we present data from two Xindian culture residential sites, and propose that rather than a total transition to nomadic pastoralism—as it is often reconstructed—the Xindian culture reflects a prolonged period of complex transition in cultural traditions and subsistence practices. In fact, communities maintained elements of earlier cultivation and animal-foddering systems, selectively incorporating new plants and animals into their repertoire. These locally-specific strategies were employed to negotiate ever-changing environmental and social conditions in the region of developing ‘proto-Silk Road’ interregional interactions
KOMPOSISI KIMIA DAN STABILITAS PUREE BUAH MERAH (Pandanus conoideus Lamk.) SELAMA PENYIMPANAN
Full text linkRed fruit (Pandanus conoideus Lamk.) is an endemic plant of Papua containing active components (carotenoids and tocopherols) as antioxidants and potential as a functional food. Until now, red fruit is only used for produce oil, while the information on the flesh of the fruit for raw materials of various food products is still limited, such as the chemical content, active components, and stability. The objectives of this study were to determine the nutritional composition and active components of red fruit puree and evaluate the stability of red fruit puree during storage. The puree of the red fruit was packed in a glass bottle and stored at room temperature (30±2°C) for 60 days to tested their quality stabilities. Parameters of color, aroma, taste, emulsion stability, viscosity, total dissolved solids, and acidity were observed on days 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 60 during storage. While total carotenoids were observed on days 0, 20, 40, and 60. The results showed that the nutritional content of red fruit puree in 100 g of dry weight included water content of 55.8%, ash content of 2.22%, fat content of 67.39%, protein content of 7.84%, and carbohydrate content of 22.56 %. Whereas, the active compounds, namely total carotenoids of 2003 ppm, β-carotenoids of 19 ppm, total tocopherol of 502 ppm, and ï¡-tocopherol of 371 ppm. During 60 days of storage, the color, aroma, taste, emulsion stability, total dissolved solids, and pH of red fruit puree were relatively stable. However, the viscosity was stable until day 40 and total carotenoids tended to decrease. This puree contains high carotenoids and tocopherols, so it has the potential as a functional food that is good for health.
Keywords: carotenoid, emulsion, functional food, tocophero
INVESTIGASI LISTRIK MIKROHIDRO DI PERKEBUNAN GUNUNG PASANG KECAMATAN PANTI, JEMBER
Full text linkGunung Pasang plantation has a micro-hydro power plant which is used for electricity needs of the factory and the surrounding residents. The micro-hydro power plant is not equipped with an electronic load controller system. The micro-hydro electric voltage can change at any time if there are some changes in consumer load. Micro-hydro electricity investigation is needed to determine the feasibility of the micro-hydro electricity. The investigation was carried out by recording the micro-hydro electricity data which is produced in Gunung Pasang Plantation. Data recording is done by installing a power logger while the micro-hydro turbine operates. The results of the investigation showed that the electric voltage which is generated by Gunung Pasang micro-hydro was fluctuating from less than 100 volts to more than 245 volts with a voltage value that deviated a lot from the 1995 SPLN rule. The average daily voltage which was generated was around 150.34 to 172.18 volts with a standard deviation of 22.11 to 30.67 volts. Micro-hydro operators tried to regulate the work of micro-hydro turbines at all times so the generated voltage could reach the stability. This unstable electrical condition was actually not feasible and had possibility to cause damage to consumer’s electrical equipment. It was necessary to have an electronic load controller system so the outcome of the micro-hydro voltage could be stable and safe.
Keywords: investigation, micro-hydro, voltag
Community knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding epilepsy in Mahenge, Tanzania: A socio-anthropological study in an onchocerciasis-endemic area with a high prevalence of epilepsy
No full textBackground
Throughout Africa, epilepsy is a highly stigmatized condition. It is often considered to be contagious. This study aimed to assess community knowledge, attitude, and practices toward epilepsy in four villages namely Mdindo, Msogezi, Mzelezi, and Sali within Mahenge division, in Morogoro region, Tanzania. These villages are located in an onchocerciasis–endemic area with a high prevalence of epilepsy.
Methods
A qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted between June and July 2019 within the framework of a multi-disciplinary research project investigating the association between onchocerciasis and epilepsy. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were held with persons with epilepsy (PWE) and their caretakers, community resource persons, and program coordinators of the neglected tropical diseases program.
Results
The main symptoms of epilepsy were well described by all participants in all villages. PWE and caretakers in all villages considered epilepsy to be a major health problem and some participants ranked it second in importance after malaria. The reported perceived causes of epilepsy included febrile seizures during childhood (locally known as degedege), heredity, evil spirits, and inhaling flatus or touching secretions from PWE, especially during seizures. Knowledge about the association between epilepsy and onchocerciasis was low. People with epilepsy are disregarded, stigmatized, and marginalized from various opportunities such as conjugal rights, schooling, leadership roles, and property inheritance. Traditional healers are often the first contact when seeking care after a person develops epilepsy.
Conclusion
Epilepsy is a major health burden and public health concern in the Mahenge area. The negative attitudes toward PWE and misconceptions about the causes of epilepsy contribute to delays in seeking care at health facilities. Findings from this study will be used to optimize the comprehensive community-based epilepsy treatment program that was recently initiated in the area
Seek COVER: using a disease proxy to rapidly develop and validate a personalized risk calculator for COVID-19 outcomes in an international network
No full textBackground
We investigated whether we could use influenza data to develop prediction models for COVID-19 to increase the speed at which prediction models can reliably be developed and validated early in a pandemic. We developed COVID-19 Estimated Risk (COVER) scores that quantify a patient’s risk of hospital admission with pneumonia (COVER-H), hospitalization with pneumonia requiring intensive services or death (COVER-I), or fatality (COVER-F) in the 30-days following COVID-19 diagnosis using historical data from patients with influenza or flu-like symptoms and tested this in COVID-19 patients.
Methods
We analyzed a federated network of electronic medical records and administrative claims data from 14 data sources and 6 countries containing data collected on or before 4/27/2020. We used a 2-step process to develop 3 scores using historical data from patients with influenza or flu-like symptoms any time prior to 2020. The first step was to create a data-driven model using LASSO regularized logistic regression, the covariates of which were used to develop aggregate covariates for the second step where the COVER scores were developed using a smaller set of features. These 3 COVER scores were then externally validated on patients with 1) influenza or flu-like symptoms and 2) confirmed or suspected COVID-19 diagnosis across 5 databases from South Korea, Spain, and the United States. Outcomes included i) hospitalization with pneumonia, ii) hospitalization with pneumonia requiring intensive services or death, and iii) death in the 30 days after index date.
Results
Overall, 44,507 COVID-19 patients were included for model validation. We identified 7 predictors (history of cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, kidney disease) which combined with age and sex discriminated which patients would experience any of our three outcomes. The models achieved good performance in influenza and COVID-19 cohorts. For COVID-19 the AUC ranges were, COVER-H: 0.69–0.81, COVER-I: 0.73–0.91, and COVER-F: 0.72–0.90. Calibration varied across the validations with some of the COVID-19 validations being less well calibrated than the influenza validations.
Conclusions
This research demonstrated the utility of using a proxy disease to develop a prediction model. The 3 COVER models with 9-predictors that were developed using influenza data perform well for COVID-19 patients for predicting hospitalization, intensive services, and fatality. The scores showed good discriminatory performance which transferred well to the COVID-19 population. There was some miscalibration in the COVID-19 validations, which is potentially due to the difference in symptom severity between the two diseases. A possible solution for this is to recalibrate the models in each location before use
Liberating confinement from Lagrangians: 1-form symmetries and lines in 4d N=1 from 6d N=(2,0)
No full textWe study confinement in 4d =1 theories obtained by deforming 4d =2 theories of Class S. We argue that confinement in a vacuum of the =1 theory is encoded in the 1-cycles of the associated =1 curve. This curve is the spectral cover associated to a generalized Hitchin system describing the profiles of two Higgs fields over the Riemann surface upon which the 6d (2,0) theory is compactified. Using our method, we reproduce the expected properties of confinement in various classic examples, such as 4d =1 pure Super-Yang-Mills theory and the Cachazo-Seiberg-Witten setup. More generally, this work can be viewed as providing tools for probing confinement in non-Lagrangian =1 theories, which we illustrate by constructing an infinite class of non-Lagrangian =1 theories that contain confining vacua. The simplest model in this class is an =1 deformation of the =2 theory obtained by gauging SU(3)3 flavor symmetry of the E6 Minahan-Nemeschansky theory
Effects of a group-based weight management programme on anxiety and depression: a randomised controlled trial (RCT)
No full textObjectives
The aim was to investigate the impact of a group-based weight management programme on symptoms of depression and anxiety compared with self-help in a randomised controlled trial (RCT).
Method
People with overweight (Body Mass Index [BMI]≥28kg/m2) were randomly allocated self-help (n = 211) or a group-based weight management programme for 12 weeks (n = 528) or 52 weeks (n = 528) between 18/10/2012 and 10/02/2014. Symptoms were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, at baseline, 3, 12 and 24 months. Linear regression modelling examined changes in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale between trial arms.
Results
At 3 months, there was a -0.6 point difference (95% confidence interval [CI], -1.1, -0.1) in depression score and -0.1 difference (95% CI, -0.7, 0.4) in anxiety score between group-based weight management programme and self-help. At subsequent time points there was no consistent evidence of a difference in depression or anxiety scores between trial arms. There was no evidence that depression or anxiety worsened at any time point.
Conclusions
There was no evidence of harm to depression or anxiety symptoms as a result of attending a group-based weight loss programme. There was a transient reduction in symptoms of depression, but not anxiety, compared to self-help. This effect equates to less than 1 point out of 21 on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and is not clinically significant