| 1. |
- Jacome, Cristina, et al.
(författare)
-
Monitoring Adherence to Asthma Inhalers Using the InspirerMundi App : Analysis of Real-World, Medium-Term Feasibility Studies
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Medical Technology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2673-3129. ; 3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Poor medication adherence is a major challenge in asthma and objective assessment of inhaler adherence is needed. InspirerMundi app aims to monitor inhaler adherence while turning it into a positive experience through gamification and social support.Objective: We assessed the medium-term feasibility of the InspirerMundi app to monitor inhaler adherence in real-world patients with persistent asthma (treated with daily inhaled medication). In addition, we attempted to identify the characteristics of the patients related to higher app use.Methods: Two real-world multicenter observational studies, with one initial face-to-face visit and a 4-month telephone interview, were conducted in 29 secondary care centers from Portugal. During an initial face-to-face visit, patients were invited to use the app daily to register their asthma medication intakes. A scheduled intake was considered taken when patients took a photo of the medication (inhaler, blister, or others) using the image-based medication detection tool. Medication adherence was calculated as the number of doses taken as a percentage of the number scheduled. Interacting with the app =30 days was used as the cut-off for higher app use.Results: A total of 114 patients {median 20 [percentile 25 to percentile 75 (P25-P75) 16-36] years, 62% adults} were invited, 107 (94%) installed the app and 83 (73%) completed the 4-month interview. Patients interacted with the app for a median of 18 [3-45] days, translated on a median use rate of 15 [3-38]%. Median inhaler adherence assessed through the app was 34 [4-73]% when considering all scheduled inhalations for the study period. Inhaler adherence assessed was not significantly correlated with self-reported estimates. Median adherence for oral and other medication was 41 [6-83]% and 43 [3-73]%, respectively. Patients with higher app use were slightly older (p = 0.012), more frequently taking medication for other health conditions (p = 0.040), and more frequently prescribed long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA, p = 0.024). After 4 months, Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) scores improved (p < 0.001), but no differences between patients interacting with the app for 30 days or less were seen.Conclusions: The InspirerMundi app was feasible to monitor inhaler adherence in patients with persistent asthma. The persistent use of this mHealth technology varies widely. A better understanding of characteristics related to higher app use is still needed before effectiveness studies are undertaken.
|
|
| 2. |
- Neves, Ana Luisa, et al.
(författare)
-
Determinants of the Use of Health and Fitness Mobile Apps by Patients With Asthma : Secondary Analysis of Observational Studies
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Journal of Medical Internet Research. - : JMIR Publications. - 1438-8871. ; 23:9
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Health and fitness apps have potential benefits to improve self-management and disease control among patients with asthma. However, inconsistent use rates have been reported across studies, regions, and health systems. A better understanding of the characteristics of users and nonusers is critical to design solutions that are effectively integrated in patients' daily lives, and to ensure that these equitably reach out to different groups of patients, thus improving rather than entrenching health inequities. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the use of general health and fitness apps by patients with asthma and to identify determinants of usage. Methods: A secondary analysis of the INSPIRERS observational studies was conducted using data from face-to-face visits. Patients with a diagnosis of asthma were included between November 2017 and August 2020. Individual-level data were collected, including age, gender, marital status, educational level, health status, presence of anxiety and depression, postcode, socioeconomic level, digital literacy, use of health services, and use of health and fitness apps. Multivariate logistic regression was used to model the probability of being a health and fitness app user. Statistical analysis was performed in R. Results: A total of 526 patients attended a face-to-face visit in the 49 recruiting centers and 514 had complete data. Most participants were <= 40 years old (66.4%), had at least 10 years of education (57.4%), and were in the 3 higher quintiles of the socioeconomic deprivation index (70.1%). The majority reported an overall good health status (visual analogue scale [VAS] score>70 in 93.1%) and the prevalence of anxiety and depression was 34.3% and 11.9%, respectively. The proportion of participants who reported using health and fitness mobile apps was 41.1% (n=211). Multivariate models revealed that single individuals and those with more than 10 years of education are more likely to use health and fitness mobile apps (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.22, 95%CI 1.05-4.75 and aOR 1.95, 95%CI 1.12-3.45, respectively). Higher digital literacy scores were also associated with higher odds of being a user of health and fitness apps, with participants in the second, third, and fourth quartiles reporting aORs of 6.74 (95%CI 2.90-17.40), 10.30 (95%CI 4.28-27.56), and 11.52 (95%CI 4.78-30.87), respectively. Participants with depression symptoms had lower odds of using health and fitness apps (aOR 0.32, 95%CI 0.12-0.83). Conclusions: A better understanding of the barriers and enhancers of app use among patients with lower education, lower digital literacy, or depressive symptoms is key to design tailored interventions to ensure a sustained and equitable use of these technologies. Future studies should also assess users' general health-seeking behavior and their interest and concerns specifically about digital tools. These factors may impact both initial engagement and sustained use.
|
|
| 3. |
- Abolfathi, Bela, et al.
(författare)
-
The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey : First Spectroscopic Data from the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the Second Phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 235:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since 2014 July. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the 14th from SDSS overall (making this Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes the data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (2014-2016 July) public. Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey; the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data-driven machine-learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from the SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS web site (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020 and will be followed by SDSS-V.
|
|
| 4. |
- Aguado, D. S., et al.
(författare)
-
The Fifteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys : First Release of MaNGA-derived Quantities, Data Visualization Tools, and Stellar Library
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 240:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Twenty years have passed since first light for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Here, we release data taken by the fourth phase of SDSS (SDSS-IV) across its first three years of operation (2014 July-2017 July). This is the third data release for SDSS-IV, and the 15th from SDSS (Data Release Fifteen; DR15). New data come from MaNGA-we release 4824 data cubes, as well as the first stellar spectra in the MaNGA Stellar Library (MaStar), the first set of survey-supported analysis products (e.g., stellar and gas kinematics, emission-line and other maps) from the MaNGA Data Analysis Pipeline, and a new data visualization and access tool we call "Marvin." The next data release, DR16, will include new data from both APOGEE-2 and eBOSS; those surveys release no new data here, but we document updates and corrections to their data processing pipelines. The release is cumulative; it also includes the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since first light. In this paper, we describe the location and format of the data and tools and cite technical references describing how it was obtained and processed. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has also been updated, providing links to data downloads, tutorials, and examples of data use. Although SDSS-IV will continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V (2020-2025), we end this paper by describing plans to ensure the sustainability of the SDSS data archive for many years beyond the collection of data.
|
|
| 5. |
- Blanton, Michael R., et al.
(författare)
-
Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV : Mapping the Milky Way, Nearby Galaxies, and the Distant Universe
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Astronomical Journal. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 0004-6256 .- 1538-3881. ; 154:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We describe the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV), a project encompassing three major spectroscopic programs. The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 (APOGEE-2) is observing hundreds of thousands of Milky Way stars at high resolution and. high signal-to-noise ratios in the near-infrared. The Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey is obtaining spatially resolved spectroscopy for thousands of nearby galaxies (median z similar to 0.03). The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) is mapping the galaxy, quasar, and neutral gas distributions between z similar to 0.6 and 3.5 to constrain cosmology using baryon acoustic oscillations, redshift space distortions, and the shape of the power spectrum. Within eBOSS, we are conducting two major subprograms: the SPectroscopic IDentification of eROSITA Sources (SPIDERS), investigating X-ray AGNs. and galaxies in X-ray clusters, and the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS), obtaining spectra of variable sources. All programs use the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at the. Apache Point Observatory; observations there began in Summer 2014. APOGEE-2 also operates a second near-infrared spectrograph at the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, with observations beginning in early 2017. Observations at both facilities are scheduled to continue through 2020. In keeping with previous SDSS policy, SDSS-IV provides regularly scheduled public data releases; the first one, Data Release 13, was made available in 2016 July.
|
|
| 6. |
- Saldana-Lopez, Alberto, et al.
(författare)
-
The Low-Redshift Lyman Continuum Survey Unveiling the ISM properties of low-z Lyman-continuum emitters
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 663
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. Combining 66 ultraviolet (UV) spectra and ancillary data from the recent Low-Redshift Lyman Continuum Survey (LzLCS) and 23 LyC observations by earlier studies, we form a statistical sample of star-forming galaxies at z similar to 0.2-0.4 with which we study the role of cold interstellar medium (ISM) gas in the leakage of ionizing radiation. We also aim to establish empirical relations between the H I neutral and low-ionization state (LIS) absorption lines with different galaxy properties.Methods. We first constrain the massive star content (stellar ages and metallicities) and UV attenuation by fitting the stellar continuum with a combination of simple stellar population models. The models, together with accurate LyC flux measurements, allow us to determine the absolute LyC photon escape fraction for each galaxy (f(esc)(abs)). We then measure the equivalent widths and residual fluxes of multiple H I and LIS lines, and the geometrical covering fraction of the UV emission, adopting the picket-fence model.Results. The LyC escape fraction spans a wide range, with a median f(esc)(abs) (0.16, 0.84 quantiles) of 0.04 (0.02, 0.20), and 50 out of the 89 galaxies detected in the LyC (1 sigma upper limits of f(esc)(abs) less than or similar to 0.01 for non-detections, typically). The H I and LIS line equivalent widths scale with the UV luminosity and attenuation, and inversely with the residual flux of these lines. Additionally, Ly alpha equivalent widths scale with both the H I and LIS residual fluxes, but anti-correlate with the corresponding H I or LIS equivalent widths. The H I and LIS residual fluxes are correlated, indicating that the neutral gas is spatially traced by the low-ionization transitions. We find that the observed trends of the absorption lines and the UV attenuation are primarily driven by the geometric covering fraction of the gas. The observed nonuniform gas coverage also demonstrates that LyC photons escape through low-column-density channels in the ISM. The equivalent widths and residual fluxes of both the H I and LIS lines strongly correlate with f(esc)(abs): strong LyC leakers (highest f(esc)(abs)) show weak absorption lines, low UV attenuation, and large Ly alpha equivalent widths. We provide several empirical calibrations to estimate f(esc)(abs) from UV absorption lines. Finally, we show that simultaneous UV absorption line and dust attenuation measurements can, in general, predict the escape fraction of galaxies. We apply our method to available measurements of UV LIS lines of 15 star-forming galaxies at z similar to 4 6 (plus 3 high-z galaxy composites), finding that these high-redshift, UV-bright galaxies (M-UV less than or similar to 21) may have low escape fractions, f(esc)(abs) less than or similar to 0.1.Conclusions. UV absorption lines trace the cold ISM gas of galaxies, which governs the physics of the LyC escape. We show that, with some assumptions, the absolute LyC escape can be statistically predicted using UV absorption lines, and the method can be applied to study galaxies across a wide redshift range, including in the epoch of cosmic reionization.
|
|
| 7. |
- Xu, Xinfeng, et al.
(författare)
-
The Low-redshift Lyman Continuum Survey : Optically Thin and Thick Mg II Lines as Probes of Lyman Continuum Escape
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 943:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Mg II λλ2796, 2803 doublet has been suggested as a useful indirect indicator for the escape of Lyα and Lyman continuum (LyC) photons in local star-forming galaxies. However, studies to date have focused on small samples of galaxies with strong Mg II or strong LyC emission. Here, we present the first study of Mg II to probe a large dynamic range of galaxy properties, using newly obtained high-signal-to-noise, moderate-resolution spectra of Mg II, for a sample of 34 galaxies selected from the Low-redshift Lyman Continuum Survey. We show that the galaxies in our sample have Mg II profiles ranging from strong emission to P-Cygni profiles to pure absorption. We find that there is a significant trend (with a possibility of spurious correlations of ∼2%) that galaxies that are detected as strong LyC emitters (LCEs) show larger equivalent widths of Mg II emission, while non-LCEs tend to show evidence of more scattering and absorption features in Mg II. We then find that Mg II strongly correlates with Lyα in both equivalent width and escape fraction, regardless of whether emission or absorption dominates the Mg II profiles. Furthermore, we show that, for galaxies that are categorized as Mg II emitters, one can use the information of Mg II, metallicity, and dust to estimate the escape fraction of LyC within a factor of ∼3. These findings confirm that Mg II lines can be used as a tool for selecting galaxies as LCEs and thus serve as an indirect indicator for the escape of Lyα and LyC.
|
|
| 8. |
- Xu, Xinfeng, et al.
(författare)
-
Tracing Lyα and LyC Escape in Galaxies with Mg ıı Emission
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 933:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Star-forming galaxies are considered the likeliest source of the H i ionizing Lyman continuum (LyC) photons that reionized the intergalactic medium at high redshifts. However, above z ≳ 6, the neutral intergalactic medium prevents direct observations of LyC. Therefore, recent years have seen the development of indirect indicators for LyC that can be calibrated at lower redshifts and applied in the epoch of reionization. Emission from the Mg ıı λλ2796, 2803 doublet has been proposed as a promising LyC proxy. In this paper, we present new Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph observations for eight LyC emitter candidates, selected to have strong Mg ii emission lines. We securely detect LyC emission in 50% (4/8) of the galaxies with 2σ significance. This high detection rate suggests that strong Mg ii emitters might be more likely to leak LyC than similar galaxies without strong Mg ıı. Using photoionization models, we constrain the escape fraction of Mg ii as ∼15%–60%. We confirm that the escape fraction of Mg ıı correlates tightly with that of Lyα, which we interpret as an indication that the escape fraction of both species is controlled by resonant scattering in the same low column density gas. Furthermore, we show that the combination of the Mg ıı emission and dust attenuation can be used to estimate the escape fraction of LyC statistically. These findings confirm that Mg ıı emission can be adopted to estimate the escape fraction of Lyα and LyC in local star-forming galaxies and may serve as a useful indirect indicator at the epoch of reionization.
|
|
