1. |
- Neves, Ana Luisa, et al.
(author)
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Determinants of the Use of Health and Fitness Mobile Apps by Patients With Asthma : Secondary Analysis of Observational Studies
- 2021
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In: Journal of Medical Internet Research. - : JMIR Publications. - 1438-8871. ; 23:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)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.
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2. |
- Attermeyer, Katrin, et al.
(author)
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Carbon dioxide fluxes increase from day to night across European streams
- 2021
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In: Communications Earth & Environment. - : Springer Nature. - 2662-4435. ; 2:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Globally, inland waters emit over 2 Pg of carbon per year as carbon dioxide, of which the majority originates from streams and rivers. Despite the global significance of fluvial carbon dioxide emissions, little is known about their diel dynamics. Here we present a large-scale assessment of day- and night-time carbon dioxide fluxes at the water-air interface across 34 European streams. We directly measured fluxes four times between October 2016 and July 2017 using drifting chambers. Median fluxes are 1.4 and 2.1mmolm(-2) h(-1) at midday and midnight, respectively, with night fluxes exceeding those during the day by 39%. We attribute diel carbon dioxide flux variability mainly to changes in the water partial pressure of carbon dioxide. However, no consistent drivers could be identified across sites. Our findings highlight widespread day-night changes in fluvial carbon dioxide fluxes and suggest that the time of day greatly influences measured carbon dioxide fluxes across European streams. Diel patterns can greatly impact total stream carbon dioxide emissions, with 39% greater carbon dioxide flux during the night-time relative to the day-time, according to a study of 34 streams across Europe.
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3. |
- dos Santos Paes, Luiz Eduardo, et al.
(author)
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Understanding the behavior of laser surface remelting after directed energy deposition additive manufacturing through comparing the use of iron and Inconel powders
- 2021
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In: Journal of Manufacturing Processes. - : Elsevier BV. - 1526-6125. ; 70, s. 494-507
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Laser directed energy deposition with powder (pDED-L) is one of the most popular techniques for additive manufacturing. However, for some applications, the resulting surface finish requires post-processing machining. Laser remelting processing has been cited as a means of decreasing machining needs in other applications. The objective of this study was to assess the performance and gain a better physical understanding of the laser remelting process as an alternative to the conventional post-processing techniques applied after pDED-L. pDED-L and remelting were performed using a 10 kW fiber laser source and iron and Inconel 625 powders as feedstock to compare the surface roughness and waviness under different processing conditions (three heat input levels). Through 2D and 3D surface measurements, as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface features were qualified and quantified. SEM and optical microscopy (OM) were also employed for metallurgical characterization of the roughness. The surface micro-notch effect was assessed through the stress concentration factor (kt). The results indicated attenuation of the average roughness (Ra) by around 30% for iron and 70% for Inconel when laser remelting was employed. In addition, kt presented a 31% reduction for iron and 29% reduction for Inconel. The performance varied according to the type of material used and was mainly related to differences in thermal diffusivity and electrical resistivity. It was concluded that laser remelting is a promising technology for coupling with pDED-L aimed at producing 3D metal components with superior quality while allowing a faster production rate in comparison to current practices.
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4. |
- Monteiro, Margarida, et al.
(author)
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X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy for Studying Passivation Architectures of Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 Cells
- 2021
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In: 2021 IEEE 48th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC). - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 9781665419222 ; , s. 890-892
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Optoelectronic devices are susceptible to interface recombination, which can have a detrimental impact on their performance. Therefore, there is an urgent need for tailored passivation strategies to reach a technological boost. In this contribution, two architectures based on passivated Cu(In, Ga)Se-2 solar cells are analyzed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS): one based on rear passivation with gold nanoparticle aggregates, and the other with Al2O3 as a front passivation layer. It is demonstrated that XPS can assist in the understanding of passivated devices from a chemical point of view, comprehend their limitations and push forward the development of future devices.
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5. |
- Wilk, Julie, 1962-, et al.
(author)
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Citizen Sensing Stakeholder Interaction Manual
- 2021
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Reports (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- This stakeholder interaction manual was prepared in the ERA4CS project: Citizen Sensing - Urban climate resilience through a Participatory Risk Management System(PRMS). The Participatory Risk Management System includes an app by which end-users upload reports (weather observations, eventual impacts, level of personal comfort accompanied by comments and/or images) and a spatial-temporal visualization platform (the CitizenSensing web-portal) that allows users to view, explore and analyze the reports (see Navarra et al. 2020). The aim of the manual is to guide stakeholder interactions within the project to assess and gain deeper insight into the perceptions, priorities and reflections of stakeholders2 that were involved in the co-design process and organize the end-user3 campaigns.The “Getting Started” section contains general information about participants, workshops, aims, outcomes, preparations, equipment, opening and closing workshops and communication. The following sections contain participatory exercises that could be performed with stakeholders and/or end-users to inform and guide the co-design process of CitizenSensing researchers and municipal through the set-up, testing and assessment of the PRMS. The exercises are organized under a number of workshops4. These would be performed with several participants, but the same exercises could be performed at or smaller meetings with a few people or individuals.The workshop sections contain a number of interactive exercises that cover a number of themes: Climate-related issues and project pre-conditions (Workshop 1A)Risks, sensitive groups and locations and climate-related variables (Workshop 1B)Sensor networks, databases and municipal tasks (Workshop 2A)App requirements, critical levels and recommendations (Workshop 2B)Assessing possibilities for measurement/observation campaigns (Workshop 3)Designing the end-user campaigns (Workshop 4)Preparing the end-user campaigns (Workshop 5)Initiating the end-user campaigns (Workshop 6)Concluding the end-user campaigns (Workshop 7).Assessing stakeholder perspectives: Workshop (Workshop 8)Assessing stakeholder perspectives: InterviewsAppendices I and II contain pre-campaign and post-campaign surveys to be conducted at Workshops 4 and 5. Appendix III contains an interview guide that could be used in Workshops 8 or 9. Appendix IV contains a guide to exploring the web-portal that could be used in Workshops 8 or 9.
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