Effects on cardiovascular disease risk of a web-based health risk assessment with tailored health advice: A follow-up study

Introduction: A large proportion of the cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden can potentially be prevented by primary prevention programs addressing major causal risk factors. A Web- based health risk assessment (HRA) with tailored feedback for individual health promotion is a promising strategy. We evaluated the effect on CVD risk of such a program among employees of a Dutch worksite. Methods: We conducted a prospective follow-up study among 368 employees who voluntarily participated in a Web-based HRA program at a single Dutch worksite in 2008. The program included a multicomponent HRA through a Web-based electronic questionnaire, biometrics, and laboratory evaluation. The results were combined with health behavior change theory to generate tailored motivational and educational health advice. On request, a health counseling session with the program physician was available. Follow-up data on CVD risk were collected 1 year after initial participation. The primary outcome was a change in Framingham CVD risk at 6 months relative to baseline. We checked for a possible background effect of an increased health consciousness as a consequence of program introduction at the worksite by comparing baseline measurements of early program participants with baseline measurements of participants who completed the program 6 months later. Results: A total of 176 employees completed follow-up measurements after a mean of 7 months. There was a graded relation between CVD risk changes and baseline risk, with a relative reduction of 17.9% (P = 0.001) in the high-risk category (baseline CVD risk ≥20%). Changes were not explained by additional health counseling, medication, or an increase in health consciousness within the company. Conclusions: Voluntary participation in a Web-based HRA with tailored feedback at the worksite reduced CVD risk by nearly 18% among participants at high CVD risk and by nearly 5% among all participants. Web-based HRA could improve CVD risk in similar populations. Future research should focus on the persistence of the effects underlying the CVD risk reduction

Validation of a model to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on the burden of CVD: the rotterdam ischemic heart disease and stroke computer simulation (RISC) model.

BACKGROUND: We developed a Monte Carlo Markov model designed to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on the burden of CVD. Internal, predictive, and external validity of the model have not yet been established. METHODS: The Rotterdam Ischemic Heart Disease and Stroke Computer Simulation (RISC) model was developed using data covering 5 years of follow-up from the Rotterdam Study. To prove 1) internal and 2) predictive validity, the incidences of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, CVD death, and non-CVD death simulated by the model over a 13-year period were compared with those recorded for 3,478 participants in the Rotterdam Study with at least 13 years of follow-up. 3) External validity was verified using 10 years of follow-up data from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk study of 25,492 participants, for whom CVD and non-CVD mortality was compared. RESULTS: At year 5, the observed incidences (with simulated incidences in brackets) of CHD, stroke, and CVD and non-CVD mortality for the 3,478 Rotterdam Study participants were 5.30% (4.68%), 3.60% (3.23%), 4.70% (4.80%), and 7.50% (7.96%), respectively. At year 13, these percentages were 10.60% (10.91%), 9.90% (9.13%), 14.20% (15.12%), and 24.30% (23.42%). After recalibrating the model for the EPIC-Norfolk population, the 10-year observed (simulated) incidences of CVD and non-CVD mortality were 3.70% (4.95%) and 6.50% (6.29%). All observed incidences fell well within the 95% credibility intervals of the simulated incidences. CONCLUSIONS: We have confirmed the internal, predictive, and external validity of the RISC model. These findings provide a basis for analyzing the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease risk factors on the burden of CVD with the RISC model.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

The use of personalized behavioral feedback for online gamblers: an empirical study

Over the last few years, online gambling has become a more common leisure time activity. However, for a small minority, the activity can become problematic. Consequently, the gambling industry has started to acknowledge their role in player protection and harm minimization and some gambling companies have introduced responsible gambling tools as a way of helping players stay in control. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of mentor (a responsible gambling tool that provides personalized feedback to players) among 1,015 online gamblers at a European online gambling site, and compared their behavior with matched controls (n = 15,216) on the basis of age, gender, playing duration, and theoretical loss (i.e., the amount of money wagered multiplied by the payout percentage of a specific game played). The results showed that online gamblers receiving personalized feedback spent significantly less time and money gambling compared to controls that did not receive personalized feedback. The results suggest that responsible gambling tools providing personalized feedback may help the clientele of gambling companies gamble more responsibly, and may be of help those who gamble excessively to stay within their personal time and money spending limits

Validation of a model to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on the burden of CVD: The rotterdam ischemic heart disease and stroke computer simulation (RISC) model

Background: We developed a Monte Carlo Markov model designed to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on the burden of CVD. Internal, predictive, and external validity of the model have not yet been established.Methods: The Rotterdam Ischemic Heart Disease and Stroke Computer Simulation (RISC) model was developed using data covering 5 years of follow-up from the Rotterdam Study. To prove 1) internal and 2) predictive validity, the incidences of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, CVD death, and non-CVD death simulated by the model over a 13-year period were compared with those recorded for 3,478 participants in the Rotterdam Study with at least 13 years of follow-up. 3) External validity was verified using 10 years of follow-up data from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk study of 25,492 participants, for whom CVD and non-CVD mortality was compared.Results: At year 5, the observed incidences (with simulated incidences in brackets) of CHD, stroke, and CVD and non-CVD mortality for the 3,478 Rotterdam Study participants were 5.30% (4.68%), 3.60% (3.23%), 4.70% (4.80%), and 7.50% (7.96%), respectively. At year 13, these percentages were 10.60% (10.91%), 9.90% (9.13%), 14.20% (15.12%), and 24.30% (23.42%). After recalibrating the model for the EPIC-Norfolk population, the 10-year observed (simulated) incidences of CVD and non-CVD mortality were 3.70% (4.95%) and 6.50% (6.29%). All observed incidences fell well within the 95% credibility intervals of the simulated incidences.Conclusions: We have confirmed the internal, predictive, and external validity of the RISC model. These findings provide a basis for analyzing the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease risk factors on the burden of CVD with the RISC model

Effect of cultivar and formaldehyde treatment of barley grain on rumen fermentation characteristics using in vitro gas production

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of cultivar and formaldehyde treatment of barley grains on rumen fermentation characteristics using the in vitro gas production technique. Amount of gas produced (mL/g organic matter (OM)) during fermentation was determined after 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h of incubation in buffered rumen fluid. The gas production kinetics were described using the equation: y = A {1 – exp [- b (t-T) – c (√t - √T)]} where b and c are the initial gas production rate constant (h-1) and later gas production rate constant (h-1/2), respectively. Cultivar and formaldehyde treatment had significant effects on gas production kinetics. Total gas production (A) ranged from 389.9 to 410.8 (mL/g OM) with the cultivar, Esterel, producing the largest volume of gas of the cultivars. Due to low gas production rates at 3, 6 and 12 h of incubation the cultivars, Viva and Cecilla, took the longest to produce 50% of their total volume of gas. Formaldehyde treatment reduced the rate (μ) of gas production at 3, 6 and 12 h of incubation, and the total volume of gas (A), but increased the time (h) to produce 50% of A and reduced the time (h) to produce 95% of A. The reduction in gas production ranged from 33.3 to 51 mL/g OM with 6 h incubation showing the highest decrease in gas production. It is concluded that formaldehyde treatment may provide an opportunity to manipulate the site of digestion of barley grain in the digestive tract of ruminants. Through the selection of suitable cultivars and through formaldehyde treatment the nutritional and health problems associated with the fermentation of barley grain in the rumen could be reduced. Keywords: Barley cultivars; formaldehyde treatment; gas production kinetics South African Journal of Animal Sciences Vol. 35 (3) 2005: pp.206-21

A Comparative Analysis of Black-Box and Glass-Box Models for Poplar Plantation Mapping with Remote Sensing Data

Poplar trees are essential for industrial afforestation applications due to their globally recognized plantation practices, reputation, ability to produce a large quantity of raw material in a short time, diverse applications in wood production, suitability for hybridisation and breeding implementations, and the availability of various species and clones adapted to the soil and climate conditions. Accurate identification and mapping of poplar afforestation areas are therefore crucial for planners and decision-makers to manage inventory records and maximize economic value. In this study, the poplar tree mapping and feature selection performances of the glass-box Explainable Boosting Machine (EBM) algorithm were investigated using satellite images having different resolutions (i.e., Sentinel-2 and PlanetScope) and texture features. A robust black-box algorithm, XGBoost, was utilized as a benchmark algorithm to compare the performance of EBM. The results showed that the EBM algorithm outperformed the standard XGBoost algorithm by up to 2% in classifying poplar trees when both spectral bands and calculated texture features were used, for both satellite images. Additionally, using the high spatial resolution PlanetScope imagery resulted in a significant decrease in the classification accuracy of popular areas (about %10) compared to Sentinel-2 imagery. The study also assessed the most important features influencing the classification process. For this, while 15 features were selected employing the visual charts provided by EBM for interpreting the decision-making process, the SHAP technique was applied to examine the most prominent features in the XGBoost model structure. In this scenario, EBM and XGBoost presented greater performances for both satellite data compared. These findings emphasize EBM's consistent superiority, indicating that its enhanced interpretability can facilitate more precise feature selection and model refinement, particularly for Sentinel-2 imagery

Efficient Detection of Floating Algal Blooms Using Sentinel-2 Imagery: The Introduction of the SFABI Index

Algal blooms are among the most serious challenges affecting inland waters, disrupting ecosystems, degrading water quality, and posing risks to human activities. Developing reliable monitoring and mapping methods is crucial for mitigating their harmful impact. This study introduces the Sentinel-2 Floating Algal Bloom Index (SFABI), designed for detecting and mapping algal blooms at varying densities. Lake Burdur was selected as the study area for this research. Sentinel-2 images from three different dates were used as the primary data source. As a pre-processing step, Sentinel-2 Level-1C images were converted to bottom-of-atmosphere reflectance values by applying the iCOR atmospheric correction technique. Subsequently, statistical analysis was conducted to compare the spectral separability of the bands based on the sample pixels. The pixels were categorized into three classes: low-and high-density algal blooms, and water. Based on the results, the proposed index was developed based on the vegetation red-edge (B06 and B07) and near-infrared (B08) with the highest average M-statistic values and the visible-region (B02 and B03) and short-wave infrared (B12) with one the lowest M-statistic values. Furthermore, three thresholding techniques were utilized and evaluated to automatically create thematic maps representing water and algae from the grey-level index maps. The accuracy of each SAFABI map, classified using a specific single threshold value, was evaluated based on the F-score metric. To ensure an objective evaluation, two additional spectral indices specifically designed for detecting algal blooms, namely, the Floating Algae Index (FAI) and the Adjusted Floating Algae Index (AFAI), were also applied, and their classified maps were thoroughly analysed and compared. The results showed that the SFABI achieved an F-Score of over 97% across all three datasets, significantly surpassing the performance of other indices, which remained under 70%. Additionally, the SFABI index achieved F-Score values of about 90% in detecting low-density algal blooms. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed index in identifying low-density blooms, which are often overlooked in algal bloom analyses, even when using a single threshold value

The investigation of water quality in rivers by using mathematical modelling

8th International Scientific Conference on Modern Management of Mine Producing, Geology and Environmental Protection, SGEM 2008 -- 16 June 2008 through 20 June 2008 -- Albena -- 101476A finite difference method for solving the initial boundary value problem for one dimensional nonlinear system equations for investigating the quality of water on the model of shallow water flow over on isolated ringe in a class of discontinuous functions is suggested. In order to develop the numerical algorithm the special auxiliary problem having some advantages over the main problem is introduced. The solution obtained from the auxiliary problem represents all physical nature of the investigated problem with a high accuracy

Transformer-Based Sunflower (<em>Helianthus annuus</em> L.) Recognition from Multi-Temporal UAV Orthomosaics

The first appearance of inflorescence in sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) signifies the transition of the sunflower from the vegetative stage to the reproductive (R). At this growth period, accurate and automated detection of sunflower inflorescences is of utmost significance for sunflower yield estimation. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become essential in agricultural product detection due to their high spatial and temporal resolution data collection ability. With the rapid enhancements in deep learning, transformer architectures have emerged as a revolutionary paradigm, showing remarkable success in precision agriculture applications, including crop recognition and mapping. The main goal of this study is to investigate the potential of the DETection TRansformer (DETR) model in identifying sunflowers at the reproductive stage using multi-temporal UAV orthomosaics. To this end, orthomosaics were produced using high-resolution aerial photos collected with a DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2 UAV in a sunflower field located in Akyazı district of Sakarya province, during two reproductive periods of sunflower (R5.1 and R5.9). Utilizing the orthomosaics, two sunflower detection datasets were constructed to train and evaluate the model. The results revealed that the DETR performed better on the R5.9 growth stage (AP0.50 = 92.40%, AR100 = 68.00%) than the R5.1 (AP0.50 = 83.70%, AR100 = 53.90%). Furthermore, given increasing IoU thresholds, DETR demonstrated 16.4% and 29.8% improvements in AP and AP0.75, respectively, at the R5.9 stage. The results highlighted that DETR could be a powerful tool for identifying sunflowers, especially at advanced growth stages, likely due to more distinct and developed features of inflorescences

OBSERVATIONS ON THE OLEANDER SCALE, ASPIDIOTUS NERII BOUCHÉ (HEMIPTERA: DIASPIDIDAE) AND ITS NATURAL ENEMIES ON BLUELEAF WATTLE IN ADANA PROVINCE, TURKEY

OBSERVATIONS ON THE OLEANDER SCALE, ASPIDIOTUS NERII BOUCHÉ (HEMIPTERA: DIASPIDIDAE) AND ITS NATURAL ENEMIES ON BLUELEAF WATTLE IN ADANA PROVINCE, TURKEY. The biology of Aspidiotus nerii Bouché and the overall efficiency of its natural enemies (the aphelinid parasitoid Aphytus melinus DeBach and the coccinellid predators Chilocorus bipustulatus (L.) and Rhyzobius lophantae (Blaisdell)) were studied. Forty leaves were collected at weekly intervals from 5 blueleaf wattle trees (Acacia saligna) from four compass bearings; all live and dead A. nerii and the number and stage of all parasitised scales were counted. There were two population peaks of A. nerii per year, in May/June and July/August. The number of parasitoids, however, fluctuated considerably, especially during the autumn and winter. The scale stage parasitised was primarily the adult female, followed by the pupae and then a few 2nd- instar nymphs. First-instar nymphs were never attacked by parasitoids but predators fed on all stages. Key words: Acacia cyanophylla, damage, aspect, population density, mortality, shelter, wind breaks