Online Science Instruction Can Promote Adolescents' Autonomy Need Satisfaction: a Latent Growth Curve Analysis.

This research examined the differential motivational effects of a pre-college science enrichment program delivered in both online and in-person learning formats. Using self-determination theory as a guiding framework, we hypothesized that (a) students would exhibit growth in their perceived satisfaction of needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, (b) online learning would be associated with greater growth in autonomy, and (c) in-person learning would be associated with greater growth in both competence and relatedness. Using a sample of 598 adolescent participants, results of latent growth curve modeling indicated that satisfaction of the three needs grew unconditionally over the course of the program. However, format type was unrelated to growth in need satisfaction. Rather, this effect was found to be conditional upon the type of science project undertaken by students: astrophysics students exhibited significantly greater autonomy growth when receiving online instruction than did biochemistry students. Our findings suggest that online science learning can be just as effective in motivating students as in-person learning provided that the learning tasks are conducive to remote instruction.

Stability and Change in Adolescents' Sense of Agency: Contributions of Sex, Multiple Risk, Pandemic Stress, and Attachment to Parents.

Although literature states that individual, relational, and contextual factors contribute to adolescents' sense of agency, more research is needed to clarify and understand how adolescents develop this belief over time. The current study examined the stability/change trajectories of the sense of agency during adolescence, specifically across high school, analyzing whether attachment to parents over time, adolescents' sex, cumulative risk in baseline, and pandemic-related stress explained these trajectories. The sample included 467 Portuguese adolescents (40.7% were males; Mage = 15.58 years, SD = 0.80), evaluated three times across 18 months. This work yielded three significant findings. First, adolescents' sense of agency significantly increased over time, with significant between-subject variance at the initial levels but not at the growth rate. Second, attachment to parents consistently links to adolescents' sense of agency across time, despite the differential contributions from attachment to mothers and fathers. Third, boys reported greater growth in the sense of agency than girls. Adolescents' cumulative risk at T1 predicted lower initial levels of sense of agency, whereas higher pandemic-related stress predicted less growth of the sense of agency. These findings emphasize the contributions of individual and family characteristics and the role of the broader social context in shaping the development of adolescents' sense of agency. The findings underline the need to consider further the differential influences of adolescents' relationships with mothers and fathers to understand changes in adolescents' sense of agency.

Fear and the COVID-19 rally round the flag: a panel study on political trust

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic boosted political trust in many countries. This article tests the relevance of fear of infection as the micro-level mechanism behind this rally round the flag. This study employs three-wave panel data in the Netherlands, collected days before the first lockdown (early March 2020), during that lockdown (April/May 2020), and after that lockdown (October 2020). Growth curve models isolate the rally effect and its determinants. The article reaches three main conclusions. First, fear of infection is a constituting element of the rally effect: the rise in political trust is more pronounced among people who fear infection. Second, the rise occurs in response to the direct, external threat (health concerns), not in response to the secondary threats (social isolation, economic stagnation). Third, adherents of the radical right are particularly sensitive to the external threat, but only in the short run. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Effects of confinement due to COVID-19 in the child population of Alava on vitamin D status, weight and body composition

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic brought with it a state of alarm as of March 14, 2020, which implied a restriction on the mobility of the general population and home confinement. One of the main concerns raised by isolation was the substantial reduction in energy expenditure due to children spending more time sitting or participating in activities that involve very low rates of energy expenditure, such as watching television, managing the different networks social One of the nutrients that could be affected due to these changes in lifestyle is vitamin D The longitudinal observational study of a single cohort was carried out in boys and girls from Alava aged between 3-16 years, whose follow-up is carried out in the outpatient clinics of the University Hospital of Alava. For this study, data from a period prior to the lockdown (November 2019-February 2020) was compared with data from the period after the lockdown (May 2020- June 2020). Once the favorable opinion was obtained and after consulting the database of the Pediatric consultation of the University Hospital of Alava, it was observed that 230 girls and boys met the parameters for inclusion in the study. After eliminating those who did not have a previous or subsequent analysis of vitamin D, the sample size was reduced to 76 Results: - An increase in size: they are in the growth phase. - An increase in weight - An increase in the body mass index: In this case, this index also increased from 19.5to19.9 - A drop in physical activity - An increase in the number of hours that participants spent on electronic devices. - An increase in the percentage of girls and boys who help in the kitchen: After confinement, the percentage increased to 70%. - An increase in the weekly consumption of snacks(p<0.005). - There were no changes in the number of daily meals, servings of fruit, vegetables, dairy products, fish, red meat, eggs or sugary drinks- There were no differences in the number of hours the participants slept before and during the lockdown. - An increase in glucoset (p<0.005) although both parameters are within normal values. - An increase in vitamin D: 22.35 ng/dL on average, which rose to 25.57 ng/dL.This difference is significant (p<0.005), although both parameters are within normal levels.This increase may be due to the fact that after confinement the population wanted to go out and took more time in the street.In addition, shops and interior sites were closed.

A longitudinal study on college students' depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: The trajectories, antecedents, and outcomes.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is not only an immediate hazard but also a long-term risk to the development of depressive symptoms. However, it remains unclear how people's depressive symptoms change with the process of COVID-19. Further, there is also a paucity of research on the underlying antecedents and outcomes of depressive symptoms during this global health crisis. In this study, a longitudinal study was conducted in China and the data of 559 participants were collected from the outbreak period to the normalization period of the pandemic through self-report questionnaires. Depressive symptoms were longitudinally analyzed using Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Core variables involving society, family, individual cognition, and behaviors were studied as determinants or consequences. Latent growth curve model analyses indicated that college students had mild depressive symptoms at the initial stage of COVID-19 with a subsequent decreasing linear slope. Depressive symptoms were significantly predicted by college students' risk perception of COVID-19, social support, family functioning, and smartphone addiction tendency. Further, their depressive symptoms predicted the changes in smartphone addiction tendency and levels of hope. In conclusion, current findings can provide implications for future prevention and intervention of mental disorders to assist college students through such challenging times.

Pre-existing Population Immunity and SARS-CoV-2 Variant Dynamics in the United States: An Ecological Study

Background. The relative advantage of each new variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) depends on its inherent transmissibility and capacity to evade pre-existing immunity. Delta and Omicron are variants of concern that have immune-evasive properties and rapidly displaced variants that preceded their emergence. In the United States, SARS-CoV-2 immunity varies considerably by state, which provides a natural experiment to evaluate the effect of population-level immunity on takeover dynamics of new variants. We hypothesized that if immune evasion was a major driver of fitness compared with previously prevalent variants, Delta and Omicron would become the dominant variants faster in states with higher immunity. Methods. We evaluated changes in variant proportion per week from the first detection of Delta or Omicron in a state until they consistently represented >90% of all sequenced genomes. We used logistic growth curves to characterize the dynamics of variant takeover, evaluating three outcomes: 1) takeover rate, defined as the maximum slope of the logistic curve;2) takeover date, i.e., the estimated date at which variant proportion reached 50% in a state;and 3) time from emergence to dominance, the time taken for variant proportion to increase from 10% to 50%. Next, we estimated the relative proportion of each state that was immune from a combination of infection and full vaccination (for Delta) or boosting (for Omicron) prior to variant takeover. For each outcome, we fit linear regression models to estimate the relationship between population immunity and Delta or Omicron takeover. Results. We found no statistically significant association between takeover rate of Delta or Omicron and immunity (Fig. 1A, B). In contrast, we observed a later takeover date (p< 0.001) and slower time from emergence to dominance (p=0.046) for Omicron in more immune states (Fig. 1D, F). There was a similar but not statistically significant trend for Delta in delayed takeover date (Fig. 1C). genomes in different states with 95% confidence intervals. States are identified by standard two-letter abbreviations;states in the same census geographic region are plotted with the same color. Left panel: Delta, Right panel: Omicron. Immunity is estimated by the combined proportion of the state's population with SARS-CoV-2 infection prior to detection of the new variant in the state and either fully vaccinated (for Delta) or boosted (for Omicron) two weeks prior to takeover. Pearson correlation coefficient (R) and p-value test results are shown for each plot.

Students' learning growth in mental addition and subtraction: Results from a learning progress monitoring approach.

The purpose of this study was to measure and describe students' learning development in mental computation of mixed addition and subtraction tasks up to 100. We used a learning progress monitoring (LPM) approach with multiple repeated measurements to examine the learning curves of second-and third-grade primary school students in mental computation over a period of 17 biweekly measurement intervals in the school year 2020/2021. Moreover, we investigated how homogeneous students' learning curves were and how sociodemographic variables (gender, grade level, the assignment of special educational needs) affected students' learning growth. Therefore, 348 German students from six schools and 20 classes (10.9% students with special educational needs) worked on systematically, but randomly mixed addition and subtraction tasks at regular intervals with an online LPM tool. We collected learning progress data for 12 measurement intervals during the survey period that was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Technical results show that the employed LPM tool for mental computation met the criteria of LPM research stages 1 and 2. Focusing on the learning curves, results from latent growth curve modeling showed significant differences in the intercept and in the slope based on the background variables. The results illustrate that one-size-fits-all instruction is not appropriate, thus highlighting the value of LPM or other means that allow individualized, adaptive teaching. The study provides a first quantitative overview over the learning curves for mental computation in second and third grade. Furthermore, it offers a validated tool for the empirical analysis of learning curves regarding mental computation and strong reference data against which individual learning growth can be compared to identify students with unfavorable learning curves and provide targeted support as part of an adaptive, evidence-based teaching approach. Implications for further research and school practice are discussed.

A conditional time-varying multivariate latent growth curve model for the relationships between academics' servant leadership behavior, affective commitment, and job performance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In our study, we investigated the change patterns in academics' servant leadership behavior and affective commitment during and after the first Covid-19 lockdown (April 2020-August 2020) in Malaysia. Furthermore, we evaluated the influence of academics' servant leadership behavior on job performance through affective commitment. We applied additional analyses to determine the degree to which the two former constructs are influenced by age and academic rank. To do so, we leveraged multivariate latent growth curve (LGC) modeling in analyzing the longitudinal data collected from 220 academics at three time points over a course of four months during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our results showed that, while servant leadership and affective commitment were stable over time, servant leadership was a driver of affective commitment and job performance. We also observed that affective commitment significantly mediated the relationship between academics' servant leadership behavior and job performance. Moreover, we found interindividual differences in servant leadership and affective commitment in terms of age and academic rank at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown. Our multi-disciplinary research is among the limited number of studies applying a rigorous, longitudinal approach to examine behaviors (i.e., servant leadership and job performance) and attitudes (i.e., affective commitment) during the Covid-19 pandemic in higher education research.

Analysis of COVID-19: An infectious disease spread

This study utilizes the Logistic Growth Curve (LGC) based forecast model to assess the effectiveness of Stay At Home (SAH) Order on COVID-19 pandemic spread in California while making comparisons and visualizations for multiple countries. In comparing results, previous work relied on confirmed or death cases which not scientifically valid due to the differences of population sizes of each country. We presented several methods being used in the past and how we utilize percentages, normalization and derivatives to help our evaluation and comparisons of several countries using our model. Our approach compared the spread of the virus considering the growth rate and developed a quantitative measure that can help compare quantitatively between multiple states or countries. In our analysis, we showed evidence to suggest that the forecast results correspond to the progress and effectiveness of the SAH Order in flattening the curve, which is useful in controlling the spike in the number of active COVID-19 patients. © 2022, Innovative Information Science and Technology Research Group. All rights reserved.

Poverty, parental work intensity and child emotional and conduct problems.

Poverty is known to be associated with poorer child mental wellbeing. Relatedly, the security and quality of employment are reported to affect adult wellbeing. Less is known about how both poverty and parental employment affect children's mental wellbeing. This paper uses nine waves (2005/06-2017/18) of the Growing Up in Scotland (GUS) study to examine how the longitudinal trajectories of poverty and work intensity are associated with the longitudinal trajectories of mental wellbeing in a nationally representative sample of 3994 children (ages 0 to 12). This analysis was conducted via a bivariate multilevel non-linear growth curve model for the widely used Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) subscales of conduct problems and emotional symptoms. Results show that unstable work intensity and poverty trajectories arising from the 2008 financial crisis are associated with substantial changes in the trajectories of conduct and emotional problems, but with key differences between the individual outcomes: increasing work intensity is associated with around a fifth of a standard deviation increase in conduct problems; decreasing work intensity over time is associated with around a fifth of a standard deviation increase in emotional problems; material deprivation is associated with an increase in both conduct and emotional problems, at around a tenth of a standard deviation; and longitudinal income poverty trajectories are associated with up to around a fifth of a standard deviation increase in conduct problems, but not emotional symptoms. These findings are discussed with the purpose of informing policies to tackle the effects of unstable and/or changing socioeconomic circumstances on children's mental health wellbeing in the context of an economic crisis, as well as its implications for the contemporary socioeconomic landscape and the devastating effects expected of the COVID-19 crisis.

Trait anxiety affects attentional bias to emotional stimuli across time: A growth curve analysis.

Many studies have illustrated the close relationship between anxiety disorders and attentional functioning, but the relationship between trait anxiety and attentional bias remains controversial. This study examines the effect of trait anxiety on the time course of attention to emotional stimuli using materials from the International Affective Picture System. Participants with high vs. low trait anxiety (HTA vs. LTA) viewed four categories of pictures simultaneously: dysphoric, threatening, positive, and neutral. Their eye-movements for each emotional stimulus were recorded for static and dynamic analysis. Data were analyzed using a mixed linear model and growth curve analysis. Specifically, the HTA group showed a greater tendency to avoid threatening stimuli and more pupil diameter variation in the early period of stimulus presentation (0-7.9 s). The HTA group also showed a stronger attentional bias toward positive and dysphoric stimuli in the middle and late period of stimulus presentation (7.9-30 s). These results suggest that trait anxiety has a significant temporal effect on attention to emotional stimuli, and that this effect mainly manifests after 7 s. In finding stronger attentional avoidance of threatening stimuli and more changes in neural activity, as well as a stronger attentional bias toward positive stimuli, this study provides novel insights on the relationship between trait anxiety and selective attention.

Stay positive: studying the change patterns in academics' job and life satisfaction during the Covid-19 pandemic through growth curve modeling

Purpose During the Covid-19 outbreak, universities around the globe were closed or went online due to lockdowns implemented to curb the pandemic's spread. This study aims to examine the changes in Malaysian academics' job and life satisfaction during a testing four-month period, from the beginning of the first Covid-19 lockdown until two months after it ended. It also assesses the impact of affective states and age group on these two constructs. Design/methodology/approach In this longitudinal study, the authors collected data from 220 academics in Malaysia at three time points in 2020, namely the beginning of the lockdown (April), the end of the lockdown (June) and two months after the lockdown (August). The authors applied multivariate latent growth curve (LGC) modeling to study changes in job satisfaction and life satisfaction. In addition, we added age group, as a time-invariant covariate, as well as positive and negative affect, as two time-varying covariates, to our LGC model. The authors estimated the LGC model using the EQS 6.4 statistical package. Findings The results show that both job and life satisfaction were stable over time, although their means were below the average. Positive affect was a significant predictor of both types of satisfaction, and age group was a significant predictor of job satisfaction. Practical implications The main implication the authors draw from this study is connected to job and life satisfaction's mean values being below average. In line with the affective events theory (AET), the authors recommend paying particular attention to work environment features, such as providing sufficient infrastructure for employees working from home and keeping social relations intact. Especially young academics should receive sufficient support. Originality/value The study is one of a limited number that examined longitudinal effects during the Covid-19 pandemic in the domains of human resource management and organizational behavior. Hence, this study expands our knowledge of employees' affect and attitudes during an unprecedented global health crisis, particularly in the under-researched area of the Malaysian higher education sector.

A technology-based intervention using computers and mobile devices: To improve symptom experience of Asian American breast cancer survivors

Purpose: Especially with the COVID19 pandemic, the necessity of technology-based interventions using computers and mobile devices has increased in cancer survivorship management including symptom management. However, little is known about the effectiveness of a technology-based intervention in improving symptom experience of racial/ethnic minorities including Asian American breast cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of a technologybased intervention in improving symptom experience of Asian American breast cancer survivors. Methods: This study was conducted as a part of an ongoing randomized clinical trial among 199 Asian American breast cancer survivors. The technology-based intervention included three subethnic specific social media sites, interactive online educational sessions, and online resources. Both groups (intervention and control groups) used the American Cancer Society's website on breast cancer, and only the intervention group used the technology-based intervention. Only the data collected using the questionnaire on background characteristics and health/disease status and the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form (MSAS) were analyzed for this study. The data were analyzed using separate intent-to-treat growth curve models. Results: While both groups reported decreases in symptom scores from the pre-test to post 3- months (p<.01), the intervention group had larger decreases in symptom scores compared with the control group (p<.01). There existed significant group∗time interactive effects on the Global Distress Index (β = - 0.234), the Physical Symptom Distress scores (β = -0.266), the psychological symptom distress scores (β = - 0.212c), the total number of symptoms (β = -0.261), and the total symptom distress scores ( β = -0.261). Conclusions: The findings of this study clearly indicated symptom improvement among Asian American breast cancer survivors by a technology-based intervention using computers and mobile devices. Further studies with diverse racial/ethnic minorities are warranted to confirm the effectiveness of technology-based interventions in improving symptom experience of cancer survivors across different types of cancer.

Infantile hemangioma referral delays persist despite 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guideline: Experience at a single quaternary pediatric institution

Infantile hemangiomas (IH) are vascular tumors that often require timely treatment to reduce morbidity.1,2 The 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) for the Management of IH recommend referral to dermatology prior to 4 weeks of age, enabling timely treatment initiation.1 This study examines adherence to national guidelines and aims to identify barriers to appropriate referral timing & treatment. This retrospective cohort study examined IH patients, ages 0 to 24 months, referred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) Dermatology from 1/1/2019 to 12/31/2020, following release of AAP CPG. Patients were categorized into age appropriate (≤4wks) or late (>4wks) referral groups. Associations of referral age w/ demographics/treatments were examined. Among 791 patients identified, 46 (6%) were appropriately referred at ≤4 weeks of age, 680 (86%) were referred late at >4 weeks of age, and 65 (8%) had missing referral dates. For the group of 343 patients who were referred and treated w/ propranolol, mean age at referral, initial dermatology visit, and propranolol initiation was 3.2, 3.8, & 4.2 months, respectively. No statistical differences (p≤0.05) were detected in gender, race, insurance, language, or rates of propranolol/timolol treatment between referral groups. Despite AAP recommendations, the vast majority of infants with IH are referred to PCH Dermatology after 4 weeks of age. Late referral has led to treatment initiation after the rapid growth phase in most patients, which is problematic for those w/ high-risk hemangiomas. Patient demographics were not correlated w/ referral category suggesting that other factors, such as primary care provider referral practices and the COVID-19 pandemic, may have contributed to delayed referrals. Based on mean age at referral and treatment initiation, patients may have already experienced complications from their hemangiomas, which could result in increased healthcare utilization, costs, & morbidity. References: 1) Krowchuk DP et al. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Infantile Hemangiomas: American Academy of Pediatrics. Pediatrics, Jan 2019;143(1). 2) Tollefson MM and IJ Frieden. Early growth of infantile hemangiomas: what parents;photographs tell us. Pediatrics, Aug 2012;130(2): e314-20.

LONGITUDINAL AND TIME-SERIES EXAMINATION OF ALCOHOL OUTCOMES, RISKY BEHAVIORS, AND PTSD SYMPTOMS IN VETERANS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COVID19 PANDEMIC

Stressors and trauma exposures are risk factors for increased alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD), particularly among those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The COVID- 19 pandemic represents a prolonged, collective stressor;research is needed to determine its impact on alcohol use outcomes and PTSD and their functional relationship (i.e., PTSD symptoms predicting alcohol use outcomes [self-medication pathway], or alcohol use outcomes predicting later PTSD [susceptibility pathway]). Further, research on the interplay of alcohol use and the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors during the pandemic is needed. We will present on results of a two-part study for which data collection is ongoing. The first aim leverages an existing registry cohort of veterans with data prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, including alcohol consumption, PTSD, and chronic health conditions. We will examine longitudinal data (current n = 33) collected at three time points with latent growth curve modeling to assess trajectories of change in alcohol use outcomes during the pandemic, controlling for pre-COVID alcohol consumption and PTSD symptoms. Results are forthcoming pending completion of all planned longitudinal data collection. The second aim implements ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data collection (current n = 26) including alcohol use, problems, and PTSD symptoms assessed three times per day for 28 days. Linear and nonlinear multilevel models will examine the bidirectional prospective relationships between momentary PTSD symptom severity and binge drinking occasions and momentary manifestations of alcohol use problems. Based on an earlier data freeze, preliminary results suggest that PTSD symptom severity had a limited association with later alcohol problems or binge drinking (although a same-day association was found for alcohol problems;B = .004, SE = .001, p = .008). Momentary alcohol use problems and binge drinking occasions showed trend-level associations with subsequent momentary PTSD symptom severity (and a same-day association was found for alcohol use problems on PTSD symptom severity;B = 2.41, SE = .62, p = .001). Preliminary findings show potentially stronger support for the susceptibility pathway model over the self-medication pathway model of PTSD and alcohol phenotypes co-occurrence. Secondary analyses of the whole sample will examine the association of risky behaviors with alcohol phenotypes. The impact of COVID-19 stressors and physical health covariates on alcohol and PTSD outcomes will also be examined.

Trajectories of Compliance With COVID-19 Related Guidelines: Longitudinal Analyses of 50,000 UK Adults.

BACKGROUND: Governments have implemented a range of measures focused on changing citizens' behaviors to lower the transmission of COVID-19. While international data shows that compliance did decline from the start of the pandemic, average trends could mask considerable heterogeneity in compliance behaviors. PURPOSE: To explore trajectories of compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. METHODS: We used longitudinal data on self-reported compliance from 50,851 adults in the COVID-19 Social Study collected across two waves of the pandemic in the UK (April 01, 2020-February 22, 2021). We modeled typical compliance trajectories using latent class growth analysis (LCGA) and used multinomial logistic regression to examine whether individual personality and demographic characteristics were related to compliance trajectories. RESULTS: We selected a four-class LCGA solution. Most individuals maintained high levels of compliance and reported similar levels of compliance across the first and second waves. Approximately 15% of participants had decreasing levels of compliance across the pandemic, reporting noticeably lower levels of compliance in the second wave. Individuals with declining compliance levels were younger on average, in better physical health, had lower empathy and conscientiousness and greater general willingness to take risks. CONCLUSIONS: While a minority, not all individuals have maintained high compliance across the pandemic. Decreasing compliance is related to several psychological traits. The results suggest that targeting of behavior change messages later in the pandemic may be needed to increase compliance.

TRAINING FOR THE MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH CLEFT USING INSTRUCTIONAL MANUALS

Background/Purpose: Infants with cleft lip and/or palate require special care from birth in order to adapt to the cleft and overcome insufficient suction, difficulties in breastfeeding, insufficient food intake, and malnutrition. Early nutritional intervention, as well as nutritional care and guidance, are extremely important for them to achieve their potential in terms of growth, development, and preparation for surgery. Mothers should receive training and have access to appropriate feeding assistance to optimize their children's nutrition, health, and survival rate. The purpose is to provide feeding assistance by training mothers, using the manuals prepared by our specialized multidisciplinary team. Methods/Description: Planning, preparation and dissemination of instruction/educational manuals that are accessible and easy to understand, by the team of otolaryngologists, pediatricians, nurses, nutritionists, speech-language therapist, dental professionals, and lactation specialists who prepared straightforward and fun manuals that have been used since May 2021, in treatment centers all over Brazil. Results: Breastfeeding Manual: the importance of breast milk;breast physiology, latching;various breastfeeding positions;expressing breast milk manually or using a pump;best nipple for each cleft, breastfeeding position;burping (eructation);types of milk formulas and dilution, hygiene, and preparation techniques. Manual on Introducing Food and Feeding in the Post-Surgical Feeding and Foods: introducing additional foods, food quality and quantity;techniques to offer food;child positioning;food consistency;care after lip surgery (cheiloplasty) and after palate surgery (palatoplasty), such as: raising the crib;using bracelets to prevent the child from touching his/ her mouth and thus hindering the healing process;when to change the food consistency;weaning from the bottle and pacifier, and the use of glasses and spoons;recipes. Manual Guide to Anthropometric Measurements: teaching mothers to check their children's weight, height, head, thoracic, and brachial circumference and to send this information to nutritionists/pediatricians, for monitoring and interventions, as needed. Conclusions: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to provide training to the parents of patients with cleft has become increasingly evident, so as to provide nutritional care at home needed for the appropriate growth and development of infants, even with less frequent in-person appointments. Considering that cleft babies begin to be submitted to surgical procedures at 3 months old, nutritional care must include growth, development, and preparation for these surgeries. Providing support for the mothers is essential for them to overcome challenges and to adopt best practices in feeding their children. Training them to do that is certainly the best way. This work was supported by Smile Train, Inc.

Analysis of Growth Characteristics of Kimchi Cabbage Using Drone-Based Cabbage Surface Model Image

Cultivation soil is the basis for cabbage growth, and it is important to assess not only to provide information on how it affects the growth of vegetable crops but also for cultivation management. Until now, field cabbage surveys have measured size and growth variations in the field, and this method requires a lot of time and effort. Drones and sensors provide opportunities to accurately capture and utilize cabbage growth and variation data. This study aims to determine the growth stages based on drone remote estimation of the cabbage height and evaluate the impact of the soil texture on cabbage height. Time series variation according to the growth of Kimchi cabbage exhibits an S-shaped sigmoid curve. The logistic model of the growth curve indicates the height and growth variation of Kimchi cabbage, and the growth rate and growth acceleration formula of Kimchi cabbage can thus be derived. The curvature of the growth parameter can be used to identify variations in Kimchi cabbage height and its stages of growth. The main research results are as follows. (1) According to the growth curve, Kimchi cabbage growth can be divided into four stages: initial slow growth stage (seedling), growth acceleration stage (transplant and cupping), heading through slow growth, and final maturity. The three boundary points of the Kimchi cabbage growth curve are 0.2113 Gmax, 0.5 Gmax, and 0.7887 Gmax, where Gmax is the maximum height of Kimchi cabbage. The growth rate of cabbage reaches its peak at 0.5 Gmax. The growth acceleration of cabbage forms inflection points at 0.2113 Gmax and 0.7887 Gmax, and shows a variation characteristic. (2) The produced logistic growth model expresses the variation in the cabbage surface model value for each date of cabbage observation under each soil texture condition, with a high degree of accuracy. The accuracy evaluation showed that R2 was at least 0.89, and the normalized root-mean-square error (nRMSE) was 0.09 for clay loam, 0.06 for loam, and 0.07 for sandy loam, indicating a very strong regression relationship. It can be concluded that the logistic model is an important model for the phase division of cabbage growth and height variation based on cabbage growth parameters. The results obtained in this study provide a new method for understanding the characteristics and mechanisms of the growth phase transition of cabbage, and this study will be useful in the future to extract various types of information using drones and sensors from field vegetable crops.

Modeling the Number of COVID-19 Total Cases in Iran Using Gompertz and Logistic Growth Curves

Introduction: The growth curve are time dependece regression models which commonly are useful in describing the rapid growth of total cases or deaths in a pandemic situation. Methods: The Gompertz and logistic functions are useful to describe the growth curve of a population or any time dependence variable such as metabolic rate, growth of tumors and total number of cases or deaths in a pervasive disease. The logistics family of growth curve including logistic, SSlogistic, generalized logistic and power logistic and Gompertz models were considered to describe the growth curve of total_cases_per_million (t_c_p_m) of COVID-19 in Iran during the 19-Feb-2020 to 28-May-2021. The models were fitted to data using nls function in R and the fitting accuracy was evaluated using the numerical and graphical approaches. Results: The logistic family and Gompertz growth curve were applied to fit the total_cases_per_million of COVID-19 in Iran as the response versus the time in days as predictor variable. The training and testing RMSE criterions were considered as the numerical criterions to assess the model accuracy. The growth curve of fitted models was compared with the growth curve of observed data. Results indicated that the logistic and Gompertz models provided a better description of target variable than the alternatives. Conclusion: As results shown, the logistic and Gompertz models provided a better description of response variable than the alternatives. Therefore, the logistic and Gompertz models are able to describe and forecast the COVID-19 variables (including total cases, death, recovered and so on) very well. © 2021 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Work-from-home physical ergonomics and trajectories of perceived work capacity among higher education employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the developmental pathways of work capacity among higher education employees during the enforced remote work caused by COVID-19, and how physical ergonomics at home, and organizational factors predicts different pathways. Material and methods: A longitudinal web-survey was conducted with four measurement points (April 2020, to February 2021). Employees who responded to all surveys were included (n = 678). Of the respondents 71 % were women, 45 % teachers or research staff, 44% supporting staff and 11 % hired students. Perceived work capacity was measured similarly in all four times. Work stress, musculoskeletal pain, functionality of the home for work, and satisfaction with activities and support of the employer were measured at baseline. Latent class growth curve analysis was used to identify individuals into distinct trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the associations between individual, ergonomic, and organizational factors (predictors) at baseline and profile membership (outcome). Results and discussion: The work capacity for 75% of the employees was stable during remote working, 17 % had a favorable trend (very good-stable or increasing) of the work capacity and 8% had non-favorable (poor-stable or decreasing). Non-favorable work capacity was associated with poor physical workstation at home, dissatisfaction with the support from the organization, high work stress and musculoskeletal pain.