Development of high-yielding white maize hybrids with better chapatti-making quality compared to traditionally used local landraces.

Introduction: The present research focuses on the chapatti making quality of high-yielding white maize hybrids compared to available low-yielding local yellow and white landraces in India. Materials and methods: In this study, the top nine superior hybrids were selected for testing the physical properties of the maize kernels, proximate composition of flours and chapattis, physical parameters of chapatti, textural properties, sensory evaluation of chapattis and pasting properties of maize flour. Results and discussion: The results revealed the superiority of white maize hybrids (WMH), viz., WHM 1, WHM 2, and WHM 8 over the local yellow and white landraces for most of the parameters studied. In sensory analysis, though, the yellow landrace was considered superior by the panellists in terms of colour but the white maize hybrids outperformed in overall sensory analysis and were more acceptable than the yellow and white maize landraces. These high yielding white maize hybrids with good consumer acceptance may cater for the needs of rural and tribal populations in India who prefer white maize as a staple food.

The Benefits and Harms of Lung Cancer Screening in Individuals With Comorbidities.

Introduction: Individuals with a history of smoking and a high risk of lung cancer often have a high prevalence of smoking-related comorbidities. The presence of these comorbidities might alter the benefit-to-harm ratio of lung cancer screening by influencing the risk of complications, quality of life, and competing risks of death. Nevertheless, individuals with chronic diseases are underrepresented in screening clinical trials. In this study, we use microsimulation modeling to determine the impact of chronic diseases on lung cancer benefits and harms. Methods: We extended a validated lung cancer screening microsimulation model that comprehensively recapitulates an individual's lung cancer development, progression, detection, follow-up, treatment, and survival. We parameterized the model to reflect the impact of chronic diseases on complications from invasive testing, quality of life, and mortality in individuals in five-year age categories between the ages of 50 and 80 years. Outcomes included life-years (LY) gained per 100,000 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, and history of stroke compared with screening-eligible individuals without comorbidities. Results: Among individuals between the ages of 50 and 54 years, we found that the presence of a comorbidity altered the LY gained from screening per 100,000 individuals depending on the comorbidity: 4296 LY with no comorbidities; 3462 LY, 3260 LY, 3031 LY, and 3257 LY with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and stroke, respectively. We observed greater reductions in LY gained in individuals with two comorbidities; we observed similar patterns for individuals between the ages of 55 and 59 years, 60 and 64 years, 65 and 69 years, 70 and 74 years, and 75 and 80 years. Conclusions: Comorbidities reduce LY gained from screening per 100,000 compared with no comorbidities, and our results can be used by clinicians when discussing the benefits and harms of screening in their patients with comorbidities.

The relationships between Physical activity and asthma control and Body Mass Index (BMI) in patients with asthma.

OBJECTIVE: Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions in developed countries. We examined whether physical activity (PA) is related to asthma control and body mass index (BMI) in asthma patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional data collected on PA (ActiGraph GT3X-BT), asthma control (the Asthma Control Questionnaire; ACQ), and BMI were examined in 206 adults (mean[sd] age 47.2[13.8] years; 49.5% had an obese BMI) with clinically diagnosed asthma. Relationships between PA and continuous BMI and asthma control were assessed using linear regression. Differences in PA across obesity (non-obese: <30 Kg/m2/obese: ≥30 Kg/m2) and asthma control categories (controlled: ≤0.75/uncontrolled: >0.75 ACQ score) were also examined. RESULTS: Median (p25, p75) steps counts and peak cadence were 6035 (4248, 8461) steps/day and 123 (115, 133) steps in a minute, respectively. There were nearly 2000 fewer steps/day among those with uncontrolled asthma versus controlled and among those with obese BMI versus nonobese, respectively (both p < 0.05). In regression models adjusted for relevant covariates each 1-unit increase in ACQ score was associated with -686 [95%CI -997, -13] (p ≤ 0.05) average steps/day. The statistical significance of these findings was attenuated (p ≥ 0.05) when BMI was added to the model. However, the point estimate was not reduced (-766 [95%CI -1060, 34]. CONCLUSIONS: Overall step counts were low in this population despite peak cadence values suggesting that most participants could perform moderate intensity activity. Increasing step counts should be considered an important lifestyle intervention goal in obese and non-obese asthma patients with low PA levels.

Outcomes of home-based primary care for homebound older adults: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Homebound older adults are medically complex and often have difficulty accessing outpatient medical care. Home-based primary care (HBPC) may improve care and outcomes for this population but data from randomized trials of HBPC in the United States are limited. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial of HBPC versus office-based primary care for adults ages ≥65 years who reported ≥1 hospitalization in the prior 12 months and met the Medicare definition of homebound. HBPC was provided by teams consisting of a physician, nurse practitioner, nurse, and social worker. Data were collected at baseline, 6- and 12-months. Outcomes were quality of life, symptoms, satisfaction with care, hospitalizations, and emergency department (ED) visits. Recruitment was terminated early because more deaths were observed for intervention patients. RESULTS: The study enrolled 229 patients, 65.4% of planned recruitment. The mean age was 82 (9.0) years and 72.3% had dementia. Of those assigned to HBPC, 34.2% never received it. Intervention patients had greater satisfaction with care than controls (2.26, 95% CI 1.46-3.06, p < 0.0001; effect size 0.74) and lower hospitalization rates (-17.9%, 95% CI -31.0% to -1.0%; p = 0.001; number needed to treat 6, 95% CI 3-100). There were no significant differences in quality of life (1.25, 95% CI -0.39-2.89, p = 0.13), symptom burden (-1.92, 95% CI -5.22-1.37, p = 0.25) or ED visits (1.2%, 95% CI -10.5%-12.4%; p = 0.87). There were 24 (21.1%) deaths among intervention patients and 12 (10.7%) among controls (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: HBPC was associated with greater satisfaction with care and lower hospitalization rates but also more deaths compared to office-based primary care. Additional research is needed to understand the nature of the higher death rate for HBPC patients, as well as to determine the effects of HBPC on quality of life and symptom burden given the trial's early termination.

Cognition, symptom perception, and medication non-adherence in older adults with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment (CI) is highly prevalent in elderly asthmatics and is associated with worse asthma self-management (SM) and outcomes. CI may also explain why older adults may under-perceive asthma symptoms. We hypothesized that CI would be associated with low medication adherence and asthma symptom under-perception (ASP). We also hypothesized that ASP would mediate the relationship between CI and medication adherence. METHODS: Participants of this longitudinal cohort study were asthmatics (N = 334) ≥60 years (51% Hispanic, 25% Black). Cognitive measures assessed general cognition, attention, processing speed, executive functioning, memory, and language. Measures of SM were self-reported and electronically measured adherence to controller medications. ASP was assessed for 6 weeks by participants entering estimates of peak expiratory flow (PEF) into a programmable peak flow meter, followed by PEF blows. Participants were blinded to actual PEF values. Percentage of time that participants were in the over-perception zone was calculated as an average. RESULTS: In regression analyses, those with impairments in memory and general cognition had lower odds ratios (OR) for self-reported non-adherence (OR: 0.96, 95% CI 0.93 - 0.98 & OR: 0.90, 95% CI 0.83 - 0.96, respectively). CI was not associated with electronically measured non-adherence or ASP. In structural equation modeling, while CI was associated with adherence (ß = 0.04, SE = 0.021, p = 0.04), ASP did not mediate this relationship. CONCLUSIONS: While results confirmed the importance of cognition in asthma SM, these findings were not linked to ASP. Future analyses are needed to understand the role of confounding factors.

Depressive Symptoms and Overperception of Airflow Obstruction in Older Adults With Asthma.

OBJECTIVE: Older adults are at increased risk for depression and poor asthma outcomes. We examined whether depressive symptoms are associated with overperception of airflow obstruction and a pattern of worse asthma control, but not pulmonary function. METHODS: We recruited a cohort of adults with asthma 60 years and older in East Harlem and the Bronx, New York. Baseline measures included the Geriatric Depression Scale, Asthma Control Questionnaire, and Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire. Spirometry was conducted at baseline to assess pulmonary function. Perception of airflow obstruction was assessed for 6 weeks following baseline by participants entering estimates of peak expiratory flow (PEF) into a programmable peak flow meter followed by PEF blows. Participants were blinded to actual PEF values. The percentage of time that participants were in the overperception zone was calculated as an average. RESULTS: Among the 334 participants (51% Hispanic, 25% Black), depressive symptoms were associated with overperception of airflow obstruction (ß = 0.14, p = .029), worse self-reported asthma control (ß = 0.17, p = .003), and lower asthma-related quality of life (ß = -0.33, p < .001), but not with lung function (ß = -0.01, p = .82). Overperception was also associated with worse self-reported asthma control (ß = 0.14, p = .021), but not lung function (ß = -0.05, p = .41). CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms were associated with greater perceived impairment from asthma, but not pulmonary function. Overperception of asthma symptoms may play a key role in the relationship between depression and asthma outcomes in older adults.

Patient characteristics associated with improvements in asthma control and reduction in emergency department visits for older adults with asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To identify patient characteristics associated with improvements in asthma control among older adults with asthma. METHODS: Secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of an asthma self-management support intervention for adults ages 60 and older with moderate-severe persistent asthma (n = 391). We tested the association of baseline patient characteristics with reduced emergency department (ED) visits and improvement in asthma control equal to or exceeding the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in asthma control test (ACT) scores (3.0) 12 months. RESULTS: At baseline, the mean age was 68 years, 15.0% were male, 30.3% were black, and 56.5% were Hispanic. Patients with a history of ED visits in the 12 months preceding study enrollment were significantly more likely to experience an ED visit during the study period (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 6.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.18-21.9, p < .0001). Similarly, those with poorer asthma control (baseline ACT scores <13) had greater odds of achieving improved asthma control (AOR 13.7, 95% CI 5.32-35.1, p < .0001). No other variables had statistically significant associations with the outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Low scores on the asthma control test and prior ED visits for asthma are strong correlates of later clinically meaningful changes in asthma control among older adults. Health systems preparing for population management of patients with asthma ought to consider incorporating serial collection of data on the ACT into the monitoring and management of older asthmatics, a high-risk patient population.

Quality of Novel Coronavirus Related Health Information over the Internet: An Evaluation Study.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread globally from its epicenter in Hubei, China, and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. The most popular search engine worldwide is Google, and since March 2020, COVID-19 has been a global trending search term. Misinformation related to COVID-19 from these searches is a problem, and hence, it is of high importance to assess the quality of health information over the internet related to COVID-19. The objective of our study is to examine the quality of COVID-19 related health information over the internet using the DISCERN tool. METHODS: The keywords included in assessment of COVID-19 related information using Google's search engine were "Coronavirus," "Coronavirus causes," "Coronavirus diagnosis," "Coronavirus prevention," and "Coronavirus management". The first 20 websites from each search term were gathered to generate a list of 100 URLs. Duplicate sites were excluded from this search, allowing analysis of unique sites only. Additional exclusion criteria included scientific journals, nonoperational links, nonfunctional websites (where the page was not loading, was not found, or was inactive), and websites in languages other than English. This resulted in a unique list of 48 websites. Four independent raters evaluated the websites using a 16-item DISCERN tool to assess the quality of novel coronavirus related information available on the internet. The interrater reliability agreement was calculated using the intracluster correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Results showed variation in how the raters assigned scores to different website categories. The .com websites received the lowest scores. Results showed that .edu and .org website category sites were excellent in communicating coronavirus related health information; however, they received lower scores for treatment effect and treatment choices. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the gaps in the quality of information that is available on the websites related to COVID-19 and study emphasizes the need for verified websites that provide evidence-based health information related to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Gender and the Digital Divide Across Urban Slums of New Delhi, India: Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Disparities in access to specific technologies within gender groups have not been investigated. Slum settings provide an ideal population to investigate the contributing factors to these disparities. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine gender differences in mobile phone ownership, internet access, and knowledge of SMS text messaging among males and females living in urban slum settings. METHODS: A convenience sampling approach was used in sample selection from 675 unnotified slums. A total of 38 slum sites were then selected across four geographic zones. Of these, 10% of the households in each slum site was selected from each zone. One household member was interviewed based on their availability and fulfillment of the eligibility criteria. Eligible individuals included those aged 18 years and above, residing in these slums, and who provided voluntary consent to participate in the study. Individuals with mental or physical challenges were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Our results showed that females were half as likely to own mobile phones compared with males (odds ratio [OR] 0.53, 95% CI 0.37-0.76), less likely to have internet access (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.56-1.11), or know how to send text messages (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.66-1.31). The predictors of mobile phone ownership, internet access, and text messaging between males and females included age, individual education, housing type, and the number of earning members in a household in the adjusted analysis. Among males, the number of earning members was a predictor of both mobile phone ownership and text messaging, whereas household education was a predictor of both internet access and text messaging. Age and individual education only predicted internet access, whereas housing type only predicted text messaging. Among females, household education was a predictor of all the technology outcomes. Age and type of toilet facility only predicted mobile phone ownership; housing type only predicted internet access whereas television ownership with satellite service and smoking behavior only predicted text messaging. CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings showing disparate access to technology within gender groups lend support for further research to examine the causal mechanisms promoting these differences to proffer significant solutions. Specifically, our study findings suggest that improving household education is crucial to address the disparate access and usage of mobile phones, the internet, and text messaging among women in slum settings. This suggestion is due to the consistency in household educational level as a predictor across all these technology indicators. In addition, the mechanisms by which the number of household earning members influences the disparate access to technology among men call for further exploration.

Marijuana use in U.S. teen drivers: a comparison of a road-side survey of reported use and fluid tests for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

BACKGROUND: Although the growth of state-level legalization of marijuana is aimed at increasing availability for adults and the chronically ill, one fear is that this trend may also increase accessibility in younger populations. The objectives of this study are to evaluate marijuana use in teen driver study participants and to compare their survey self-reported use with oral fluid and blood tests for psychoactive metabolites of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). METHODS: The National Roadside Survey (NRS) of 2013-2014 was used to examine marijuana use in drivers aged 16-19 years. Of 11,100 drivers surveyed at 300 U.S. locations in 24 states, 718 were 16-19 years, and 666 (92.8%) provided oral fluid and/or blood. We examined weighted and unweighted data, but present unweighted findings. Kappa statistics, Chi square, and multivariable logistic regressions were used to assess agreement, associations and independent predictors of outcomes. RESULTS: More than one-quarter (203/718) of teen drivers reported either using marijuana in the last year or were THC positive. Overall incidence of a THC positive fluid test was 13.7%. In addition to 175 (27.3%) teen drivers who reported use in the last year, 28 (4.4%) who denied using in the past year, tested positive for THC. Of 45 teen drivers reporting use in the last 24 h, more than two-thirds (71.1%) were THC positive. Disagreement between the oral and blood test for 305 teen drivers who had both tests was 17 (5.6%), with a Kappa of 0.78 (95% CI 0.69-0.88). Of THC-positive drivers, nearly 20% started drinking alcohol by age 14 and more than 70% by age 16. Age, gender- and income-adjusted independent predictors of a positive THC test included survey completion during the school year (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.6-6.2), survey-reported marijuana use in last year (OR 5.3, 95% CI 3.0-9.2), current smoker (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-3.7), and alcohol consumption before age 16 (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.1-3.7). CONCLUSIONS: Although specific THC thresholds for safe driving have not been established, taken in the context of teen crash statistics, THC documented impairments and rapidly relaxing marijuana laws, these findings suggest the need for increased vigilance and stepped-up surveillance in teen drivers.

Demonstration of anti-Stokes cooling in Yb-doped ZBLAN fibers at atmospheric pressure.

For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, optical cooling is demonstrated in a fiber at atmospheric pressure. Using a specialized slow-light fiber Bragg grating temperature sensor, -5.2 mK and -0.65 K were measured in a single-mode (1% YbF3) and multimode (3% YbF3) ZBLAN fiber with respective cooling efficiencies of 2.2% and 0.90%. Fitting a recently reported quantitative model of optical cooling in fibers to the measured temperature change dependence on the pump power per unit length validates the model and allows us to infer the fibers' absorptive loss and quenching lifetime, key parameters that are scarce in literature. These values are necessary for accurate cooling predictions and will aid in the development of fibers for application in optical coolers and radiation-balanced lasers.

Burden of household food insecurity in urban slum settings.

This study examined the burden of food insecurity in India's un-notified slums, using an SDG framework to identify correlates of food insecurity. A convenience sampling approach was employed in selecting 38 slums from 675 un-notified slums across four geographic zones. Ten percent of the households in each slum site were selected from each zone, and one household member was interviewed, based on their availability and fulfilment of the eligibility criteria. Eligible individuals included those aged 18 years and above, who were resident in the selected slums and provided consent. Individuals with mental or physical challenges were excluded. A total sample of 907 study participants were included. Results showed that 43% (n = 393) of the participants were food insecure. More than half were females (73%, n = 285), who had not completed any schooling (51%, n = 202). One-third (n = 128) resided in the Northern Region of Delhi. SDG-related predictors of food insecurity included: household educational level (SDG 4 Quality education) (p = 0.03), coverage of health service needs (SDG 3 Good health and well-being) (p = 0.0002), electricity needs (SDG 7 affordable and clean energy) (p<0.0001), and employment needs (SDG 8 Decent and economic growth) (p = 0.003). Having healthcare needs that were partially or fully met was equally associated with higher food insecurity: this could be attributed to high healthcare costs and the lack of federal subsidies in un-notified slums, collectively contributing to high out-of-pocket health costs. Failure to fully meet employment needs was also significantly associated with higher food insecurity. However, met needs for electricity, finance, women's safety and satisfactory family relationships, were associated with lower food insecurity. Household predictors of food insecurity included: number of household members, and the presence of physically disabled household members. Necessary interventions should include connecting food insecure households to existing social services such as India's Public Distribution System, and multi-sector partnerships to address the existing challenges.

Magnetically retrievable Ce-doped Fe3O4 nanoparticles as scaffolds for the removal of azo dyes.

Considering the significant impact of magnetically retrievable nanostructures, herein, Fe3O4 and Ce-doped Fe3O4 nanoparticles were employed as scaffolds for the removal of the Reactive Black 5 (RB5) azo dye. We synthesized the Ce-doped Fe3O4 nanoparticles via hydrothermal treatment at 120 °C for 10 h with varying cerium concentrations (1.5-3.5%) and characterized them using basic techniques such as FTIR and UV-visible spectroscopy, and XRD analysis. The retention of their magnetic behaviors even after cerium amalgamation was demonstrated and confirmed by the VSM results. FESEM and EDX were used for the morphological and purity analysis of the synthesized nanoabsorbents. XPS was carried out to determine the electronic configuration of the synthesized samples. The porosity of the magnetic nanoparticles was investigated by BET analysis, and subsequently, the most porous sample was further used in the adsorption studies for the cleanup of RB5 from wastewater. The dye adsorption studies were probed via UV-visible spectroscopy, which indicated the removal efficiency of 87%. The prepared Ce-doped Fe3O4 nanoabsorbent showed the high adsorption capacity of 84.58 mg g-1 towards RB5 in 40 min. This is attributed to the electrostatic interactions between the nanoabsorbent and the dye molecules and high porosity of the prepared sample. The adsorption mechanism was also analyzed. The kinetic data well-fitted the pseudo-first-order model, and the adsorption capability at different equilibrium concentrations of the dye solution indicated monolayer formation and chemisorption phenomena. Furthermore, the magnetic absorbent could be rapidly separated from the wastewater using an external magnetic field after adsorption.

High-resolution slow-light fiber Bragg grating temperature sensor with phase-sensitive detection.

This Letter reports a slow-light fiber Bragg grating (FBG) temperature sensor with a record temperature resolution of ∼0.3 m°C/√Hz, a drift of only ∼1 m°C over the typical duration of a measurement (∼30 s), and negligible self-heating. This sensor is particularly useful for applications requiring the detection of very small temperature changes, such as radiation-balanced lasers and the measurement of small absorptive losses using calorimetry. The sensor performance is demonstrated by measuring the heat generated in a pumped Yb-doped fiber. The sensor is also used to measure the slow-light FBG's very weak internal absorption loss (0.02 m-1), which is found to be only ∼2% of the total loss.

Photonics sensing at the thermodynamic limit.

We report a slow-light fiber Bragg grating strain sensor with a resolution limited by the extremely low thermodynamic phase fluctuations of the fiber. This was accomplished by using a short grating (4.5 mm) to enhance the thermal phase noise, an ultra-stable interrogation laser to lower the laser frequency noise, and a slow-light mode with a high group index (∼533) to suppress all other noise sources. We demonstrate that in a similar but longer grating (21 mm), the phase noise is suppressed in inverse proportion to the square root of the length, in accordance with theory, leading to a strain resolution as low as 130 fε/√Hz and a minimum detectable length of ∼3×10-15 m at 1.5 kHz.

High Purcell factor in fiber Bragg gratings utilizing the fundamental slow-light mode.

We demonstrate through numerical simulations that the slow-light resonances that exist in strong, apodized fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) fabricated with femtosecond pulses in deuterium-loaded fibers can exhibit very large intensity enhancements and Purcell factors with the proper optimization of their length. This potential is illustrated with two saturated FBGs that are less than 5 mm long and have been annealed to reduce their internal loss. The first one exhibits the largest measured Purcell factor in an all-fiber device (38.7), and the second one exhibits the largest intensity enhancement (1525). These devices are anticipated to have significant applications in quantum-dot lasers, nonlinear fiber devices, and cavity quantum-electrodynamics experiments.

Slowing down light to 300 km/s in a deuterium-loaded fiber Bragg grating.

We report light propagation with a group velocity of only 300 km/s, a group index of 1010, and a group delay of 42 ns, in a strong apodized fiber Bragg grating 12.5 mm in length. The grating was fabricated in a deuterium-loaded fiber using a femtosecond laser and a phase mask, followed by annealing to reduce residual losses. Data analysis indicates a strong index modulation of 1.98×10(-3) and an ultra-low single-pass power loss of 0.010 dB.

Guidance for performing multivariate data analysis of bioprocessing data: pitfalls and recommendations.

Biotech unit operations are often characterized by a large number of inputs (operational parameters) and outputs (performance parameters) along with complex correlations among them. A typical biotech process starts with the vial of the cell bank, ends with the final product, and has anywhere from 15 to 30 such unit operations in series. Besides the above-mentioned operational parameters, raw material attributes can also impact process performance and product quality as well as interact among each other. Multivariate data analysis (MVDA) offers an effective approach to gather process understanding from such complex datasets. Review of literature suggests that the use of MVDA is rapidly increasing, fuelled by the gradual acceptance of quality by design (QbD) and process analytical technology (PAT) among the regulators and the biotech industry. Implementation of QbD and PAT requires enhanced process and product understanding. In this article, we first discuss the most critical issues that a practitioner needs to be aware of while performing MVDA of bioprocessing data. Next, we present a step by step procedure for performing such analysis. Industrial case studies are used to elucidate the various underlying concepts. With the increasing usage of MVDA, we hope that this article would be a useful resource for present and future practitioners of MVDA.