1,721,045 research outputs found
Smartphone-based point-of-care anemia screening in rural Bihar in India
No full textAbstract Background The high prevalence of anemia in resource-constrained settings calls for easy-to-use, inexpensive screening tools. The Sanguina Smartphone App, an innovative tool for non-invasive hemoglobin estimation via color-sensitive, algorithm-based analysis of fingernail bed images, was validated in the United States. This study evaluates the performance of the App in a population with different socio-economic, ethnic, demographic and cultural composition in rural Bihar, India. Methods For 272 mainly adult patients of a private health centre, hemoglobin measurement with the App is compared with the gold standard laboratory blood analysis. For a second sample of 179 children attending pre-schools, hemoglobin measurement with the App is compared to the results of the HemoCue Hb 301, a point-of-care device using a small blood sample, serving as the reference standard for field-based settings. Results The App reaches ±4.43 g/dl accuracy and 0.38 g/dl bias of comparator values in the clinic-based sample, and ±3.54 g/dl and 1.30 g/dl, respectively in the pre-school sample. After retraining the algorithm with the collected data, the validity of the upgraded version is retested showing an improved performance (accuracy of ±2.25 g/dl, bias of 0.25 g/dl), corresponding to the results of the original validation study from the United States. Conclusions The initial version of the App does not achieve the accuracy needed for diagnosis or screening. After retraining the algorithm, it achieves an accuracy sufficient for screening. The improved version with the potential for further adaptions is a promising easy-to-use, inexpensive screening tool for anemia in resource-constrained point-of-care settings.Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst https://doi.org/10.13039/501100001655Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft https://doi.org/10.13039/501100001659Open-Access-Publikationsfonds 202
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Drivers and Cost Implications of Overnutrition in Kenya
No full textKenya's population is experiencing a rising prevalence of overweight and obesity. This trend poses a significant concern, as overweight and obesity are major risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), leading to increased human suffering, raised mortality, and substantial private and social costs. This issue coexists with ongoing challenges of undernutrition and infectious diseases, further straining the country's underfunded health system. The increase in overweight and obesity is driven by economic change, urbanization, and technological advancements, which have led to shifts in lifestyles and eating habits, including higher consumption of processed foods and reduced physical activity.
This study first examines how socio-economic differences in food choice motives affect diet diversity and weight outcomes. The findings show notable differences in food choice motives by socio-economic group. High income is associated with higher prioritization of health, mood, sensory appeal, and weight, while higher education is linked to increased health and sensory motivations and reduced familiarity concerns. Results from mediation analysis show that sensory motives account for 29% of the income-BMI relationship and 30% of the education-BMI link. Familiarity concerns negatively mediate the education-BMI association by -4%. Health and sensory motives also positively mediate the education-diet diversity association by contributing 11% and 4%, respectively.
Secondly, the study evaluates the impact of various types of physical activity (PA)—work, leisure, and transport—along with sedentary time on BMI and NCD outcomes, using 2015 and 2022 data with panel fixed effects, probit, and entropy balancing methods. Findings indicate a decline in overall physical activity (measured in metabolic equivalents, or METs), alongside increases in sedentary time, BMI, and the incidence of NCDs. Work-related PA was the largest contributor to total PA, followed by transport and leisure. An additional MET-hour per week of vigorous work, leisure, and transport PA was linked to reductions in BMI by 0.03%, 0.16%, and 0.05%, respectively. Similarly, increases in vigorous work, moderate work, and leisure PA decreased the probability of having an NCD by 0.15%, 0.11%, and 0.53%, respectively. In comparison, sedentary time was associated with a 0.18% increase in NCD risk.
Finally, the study investigates the health costs of Kenya's current food system, focusing on the impact of unhealthy diets using 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey data and two-part and instrumental variable methods. Results show that overweight and obesity increase the likelihood of outpatient and inpatient medical expenditures by 3.3 and 1.4 times, respectively. Overweight and obesity raised outpatient monthly expenditures by KES 445.0 (.61) and annual inpatient costs by KES 16,942.8 (7.33). An increase of one BMI unit raises marginal outpatient monthly healthcare spending by KES 277.8 (.25) and annual inpatient spending by KES 5,119.0 (.49). The social costs of overweight and obesity among adult women in 2022 amounted to .11 billion, or KES 10,557.2 (.57) per woman.
This dissertation concludes by highlighting potential cost-effective policies to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity, including implementing a 20% sugar-sweetened beverage tax, mandatory kilojoule menu labeling, front-of-pack nutrition labeling, revising public food procurement policies, mass media campaigns for healthier diets, restricting harmful food marketing to children, promoting breastfeeding practices, and community-wide public education campaigns on physical activity
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
Risk factors and interactions with malaria
No full textTyp 2 Diabetes mellitus (DM2) ist ein aufkommendes Gesundheitsproblem in sub-
Sahara Afrika. Bislang sind die Charakteristika dieser Erkrankung,
verhaltensbedingte Risikofaktoren und mögliche Interaktionen mit den
bestehenden Infektionskrankheiten unverstanden. Daher hatte diese Arbeit die
Zielstellungen, i) das Erscheinungsbild des DM2 in Ghana zu beschreiben, ii)
lebensstilbedingte Risikofaktoren für DM2 in Ghana zu untersuchen, besonders
das Ernährungsverhalten, und iii) mögliche Interaktionen zwischen DM2 und
Malaria in Ghana zu analysieren. In Beobachtungsstudien im urbanen und
ländlichen Ghana bestätigten sich die aus anderen Bevölkerungsgruppen
bekannten Zusammenhänge des DM2 mit erhöhtem Alter und veränderten
Blutfettwerten. In diesem westafrikanischen Land mit niedrigem Einkommen
zeigte sich DM2 als Erkrankung, die sowohl Wohlhabende als auch
Geringverdienende betraf. Die Vergesellschaftung mit anderen kardio-
metabolischen Risikofaktoren (Bluthochdruck, Adipositas) wurde in
unterschiedlicher Ausprägung im Vergleich zu nicht-afrikanischen
Bevölkerungsgruppen beobachtet. Hypertonie trat seltener auf, und Adipositas
war vor allem bei Frauen und im urbanen Lebensraum anzutreffen. Die Rolle der
Ernährung für DM2 in sub-Sahara Afrika scheint komplex. Traditionelle,
einseitige Ernährungsmuster waren gekennzeichnet von häufigem Verzehr
stärkehaltiger, energiedichter Lebensmittel, gesättigter Fette sowie seltener
Obstaufnahme. Die Muster schienen Serum-Triglyzeride und HDL-Cholesterol
ungünstig zu beeinflussen. Demgegenüber gibt der inverse Zusammenhang eher
westlich geprägter Ernährungsmuster mit DM2 noch Rätsel auf. Diese Muster
waren einerseits charakterisiert vom Verzehr gesundheitsförderlicher
Lebensmittel, z.B. Obst, Gemüse, Milchprodukte und Geflügel. Andererseits
gingen sie auch mit einer häufigen Aufnahme gesundheitsbedenklicher
Nahrungsmittel einher, z.B. rotes Fleisch, Süßigkeiten und gesüßten Getränken.
Die Vielfältigkeit der Ernährungsmuster trug womöglich zur Senkung des
DM2-Risikos in dieser ghanaischen Bevölkerungsgruppe bei. Die
Wechselbeziehungen zwischen DM2 und Malaria wurden erstmals anhand der
vorliegenden Arbeit evaluiert. Tatsächlich koexistierten bei einem von sechs
Jugendlichen im ländlichen Ghana Infektionskrankheiten, vor allem Malaria, mit
kardio-metabolischen Risikofaktoren, hauptsächlich Bluthochdruck. Im urbanen
Ghana waren DM2-Patienten nahezu doppelt so anfällig für Malariainfektion wie
Nicht-Diabetiker. Umgekehrt gab es in einer Geburtskohorte Anhalt für die
schädlichen Auswirkungen einer Malariainfektion während der fötalen
Entwicklung auf das kardio-metabolische Profil im Jugendalter. Die gewonnenen
Ergebnisse untermauern den Bedarf für spezifische DM2-Präventions- und
-Therapieprogramme in sub-Sahara Afrika, die das Risikofaktorprofil und das
sozioökonomische Gefälle in der Gesellschaft ebenso berücksichtigen wie die
möglichen Interaktionen mit vorherrschenden Infektionskrankheiten.
Gleichzeitig gilt es, die Determinanten der Befolgung bestimmter
Ernährungsweisen zu verstehen, um effiziente Lebensstilmodifikationen
entwickeln zu können. Die vorgelegte Arbeit markiert den Ausgangspunkt für die
epidemiologische und molekularbiologische Aufklärung der Wechselbeziehungen
zwischen DM2 und Malaria in sub-Sahara Afrika.Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) constitutes an emerging health problem in sub-
Saharan Africa. Up to date, the characteristics of DM2, the associated
lifestyle factors, and the potential interactions with the prevailing
infectious diseases are only poorly understood. Therefore, this piece of work
aimed at i) describing the characteristics of DM2 in Ghana, ii) examining the
associated lifestyle factors for DM2 in Ghana, particularly dietary behavior,
and iii) investigating potential interactions between DM2 and Malaria in
Ghana. The established associations of increasing age and impaired blood
lipids with DM2 status were confirmed in the present epidemiological
observational studies from urban and rural Ghana. In this West African low-
income country, DM2 was seen among the affluent and the poor. The co-
occurrence of DM2 with other cardio-metabolic risk factors (hypertension,
adiposity) diverged from those observed in non-African populations.
Hypertension was more frequent, and adiposity predominated among women and
among the urban population. Particularly, the role of dietary behavior for DM2
appears to be complex in sub-Saharan Africa. Traditional dietary patterns of
low diversity were characterized by frequent consumptions of starchy and
energy-dense foods and saturated fats, while fruit intake was low. These
dietary patterns appeared to negatively impact on serum triglycerides and HDL-
cholesterol. In contrast, the inverse associations of westernized dietary
patterns with DM2 remain puzzling. On the one hand, these dietary patterns
were characterized by frequent intakes of health-beneficial foods, such as
fruits, vegetable, dairy products and poultry. On the other hand, the same
patterns were related to high consumptions of supposedly unhealthy foods, such
as red meat, sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages. Presumably, advancements in
dietary diversity contributed to the inverse associations of these westernized
dietary patterns with DM2 among the Ghanaian populations. For the first time,
the interactions of DM2 and malaria have been investigated in the present
piece of work. In one of six adolescents in rural Ghana, infectious diseases
co-existed with cardio-metabolic risk factors, mainly malaria with
hypertension. In urban Ghana, the susceptibility for malaria infection was
doubled among patients with DM2 as compared to non-diabetic individuals. Vice
versa, in utero exposure to malaria infection appears to negatively impact on
the teenage metabolic health in rural Ghana. In conclusion, these findings
undermine the importance of specific DM2 prevention and management in sub-
Saharan Africa, taking into account the peculiar risk factor profile, the
socio-economic gradient in the society, and potential interactions with
prevailing infectious diseases. At the same time, the determinants of
adherence to dietary patterns need to be understood to develop efficient
lifestyle modifications for DM2 prevention. Clearly, the present work marks
the starting point of the epidemiological and the molecular elucidation of the
relationships between DM2 and malaria in sub-Saharan Africa
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