Nevin Manimala

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0262771. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262771. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Nutrient use efficiency is crucial for increasing crop yield and quality while reducing fertilizer inputs and minimizing environmental damage. The experiments were carried out in silty clay loam soil of Lalitpur, Nepal, to examine how different amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) influenced crop performance and nutrient efficiency indices in wheat during 2019/20 and 2020/21. The field experiment comprised three factorial randomized complete block designs that were replicated three times. N levels (100, 125, 150 N kg ha-1), P levels (25, 50, 75 P2O5 kg ha-1), and K levels (25, 50, 75 K2O kg ha-1) were three factors evaluated, with a total of 27 treatment combinations. Grain yields were significantly increased by N and K levels and were optimum @ 125 kg N ha-1 and @ 50 kg K2O ha-1 with grain yields of 6.33 t ha-1 and 6.30 t ha-1, respectively. Nutrient levels influenced statistically partial factor productivity, internal efficiency, partial nutrient budget, recovery efficiency, agronomic efficiency, and physiological efficiency of NPK for wheat. Nutrient efficiency was found to be higher at lower doses of their respective nutrients. Higher P and K fertilizer rates enhanced wheat N efficiencies, and the case was relevant for P and K efficiencies as well. Wheat was more responsive to N and K fertilizer, and a lower rate of P application reduced N and K fertilizer efficiency. This study recommends to use N @ 125 kg ha-1, P2O5 @ 25 kg ha-1 and K2O @ 50 kg ha-1 as an optimum rate for efficient nutrient management in wheat in mid-hills of Nepal.

PMID:35085333 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0262771

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0262833. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262833. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: According to the literature, pigmentary disorders have a significantly negative impact on a person’s health-related quality of life. Moreover, among pigmentary disorders, incidence of melasma ranks high. The Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI) is the scale that is generally used to evaluate a melasma-affected area and its severity. However, the relationship between the MASI and Melasma Quality of Life (MELASQoL) scores, as well as the impact of melasma on patients’ quality of life, remain unclear.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the influence of melasma on patients’ lives, analyze the relationship between the MASI and MELASQoL scores, and identify the factors that may be influencing the quality of life of patients with melasma.

METHODS: Two reviewers independently searched four databases (PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) for literature on quality of life of patients with melasma. In addition to an epidemiological study, a cross-sectional study, and validation studies, gray literature was also included. StataSE version 16 software was used for the meta-analysis. The score of each item on the MELASQoL scale was determined using a random-effects model.

RESULTS: Fourteen studies with a total of 1398 melasma patients were included in the systematic review, four of which were eligible for meta-analysis. The relationship between the MELASQoL and MASI scores was found to be mixed. Five studies concluded that the MASI and MELASQoL scores were statistically correlated, while seven studies found no statistical correlation between the two. It is obvious that melasma causes emotional distress and has a negative impact on patients’ social lives. Patients were most bothered by the appearance of their skin condition. However, the MELASQoL score had no definite correlation with patient characteristics such as age, education levels, and history.

CONCLUSION: Melasma has a significant negative impact on patients’ quality of life. Thus, evaluating the quality of life of patients with melasma should not be ignored. Additionally, utilization of the MELASQoL scale should be considered in the care plan. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the relationship between melasma and quality of life.

PMID:35085327 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0262833

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0262815. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262815. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Operative parameters of La Fuenfría Hospital such as: hospitalized patients; daily admissions and discharges were studies for the hospital as a whole, and for each hospital’s service unit (henceforth called ‘services’). Conventional statistical analyzes and fractal dimension analyzes were performed on daily In-Patient series. The sequence of daily admissions and patients staying on each service were found to be a kind of random series known as random walks (Rw), sequences where what happens next, depends on what happens now plus a random variable. Rw analyzed with parametric or nonparametric statistics may simulate cycles and drifts which resemble seasonal variations or fake trends which reduce the Hospital’s efficiency. Globally, inpatients Rw s in LFH, were found to be determined by the time elapsed between daily discharges and admissions. The factors determining LFH R were found to be the difference between daily admissions and discharges. The discharges are replaced by admissions with some random delay and the random difference determines LFH Rw s. These findings show that if the daily difference between admissions and discharges is minimized, the number of inpatients would fluctuate less and the number of unoccupied beds would be reduced, thus optimizing the Hospital service.

PMID:35085317 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0262815

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0262683. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262683. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Road traffic accidents are a major global concern that affects all people regardless of their age, sex, wealth, and ethnicity. Injuries and deaths due to motorcycles are increasing, especially in developing countries. Wearing helmet is effective in reducing deaths and injuries caused by motorcycle accidents.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the magnitude of helmet wearing behavior and its determinants among motorcycle riders in Sawula and Bulky towns, Gofa zone, Southern Ethiopia.

METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April, 15 to May 25, 2020, among 422 motorcycle drivers in Sawula and Bulky towns, where people often drive motorcycles. A stratified sampling technique was used to recruit sampled drivers in a face-to-face interview. Data were entered into EPI-data version 3.1 software and exported to SPSS version 23 software to manage analysis. Descriptive analyses such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were performed as necessary. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify the predictors of helmet wearing behavior. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to determine the magnitude and strength of the association.

RESULTS: A total of 403 motorcycle drivers participated in the study which gave a 95.5% response rate. Among 403 motorcycle riders, only 12.4% (95% CI, 9.2 to 15.6%) wore helmets while driving motorcycles. Having license [AOR 3.51(95% C.I 1.56-7.89)], driving distance >10Km [AOR 2.53(95% C.I 1.08-5.91)], History of exposure to accident [AOR 2.71(95% C.I 1.32-5.55)], driving experience of ≥10 years [AOR 2.98 (95% C.I 1.25-7.09)] and high perceived susceptibility to accident [AOR 3.10(95% C.I 1.29-7.46)] had statistically significant association with helmet wearing compared to their counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS: This study found that helmet-wearing behavior was very low. Having a license, driving distance, exposure to accidents, driving experience, and accident risk perception were determinants of helmet wearing behavior. These determinants imply the need for interventions that focus on behavioral change communications such as awareness creation campaigns and mandatory helmet wearing laws.

PMID:35085315 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0262683

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0262589. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262589. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Although Opisthorchis viverrini (OV), lifestyle, and diet co-factors have a relatively high prevalence in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) population, cumulative (0-74) incidence rates of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) do not reach 5% in this region. Other co-factors must influence, but in this study, we only highlighted positive factors for guiding joint planning to address public health problems at the regional level. Therefore, we aimed to study prevalence and factors associated with CCA incidence focusing only on protective factors. A cross-sectional analytic study was carried out from June to October 2017. Participants with informed consent completed the questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze general information. Primary variables were classified into high and low levels by mean. Logistic regression was employed to investigate the correlation between interesting variables and the overall risk level of CCA. The overall prevalence of CCA protective factors of the whole region was knowledge (61.39%), health beliefs (42.32%), prevention behavior (31.93%), and community participation (14.53%). When considering the proportions at a high level, they were 49.53%, 53.72%, 35.37%, and 49.67%, respectively. Significant factors associated with CCA prevention were females with secondary or vocational education, a high level of perceived seriousness and benefits, and community participation. These findings are likely to be helpful for both the public and administrators. First, it can be information for people to be aware of CCA risk. Second, policy-driven authorities at the local or regional level should apply the critical issues from this study for joint planning to sustainably solve regional public health problems.

PMID:35085313 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0262589

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0262539. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262539. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

In recent years, online lending has created many risks while providing lending convenience to Chinese individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises. The timely assessment and prediction of the status of industry indicators is an important prerequisite for effectively preventing the spread of risks in China’s new financial formats. The role of investor sentiment should not be underestimated. We first use the BERT model to divide investor sentiment in the review information of China’s online lending third-party information website into three categories and analyze the relationship between investor sentiment and quantitative indicators of online lending product transactions. The results show that the percentage of positive comments has a positive relationship to the borrowing interest rate of P2P platforms that investors are willing to participate in for bidding projects. The percentage of negative comments has an inverse relationship to the borrowing period. Second, after introducing investor sentiment into the long short-term memory (LSTM) model, the average RMSE of the three forecast periods for borrowing interest rates is 0.373, and that of the borrowing period is 0.262, which are better than the values of other control models. Corresponding suggestions for the risk prevention of China’s new financial formats are made.

PMID:35085306 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0262539

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0262718. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262718. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

The attentional blink (AB) phenomenon reveals a bottleneck of human information processing: the second of two targets is often missed when they are presented in rapid succession among distractors. In our previous work, we showed that the size of the AB can be changed by applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) (London & Slagter, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 33, 756-68, 2021). Although AB size at the group level remained unchanged, the effects of anodal and cathodal tDCS were negatively correlated: if a given individual’s AB size decreased from baseline during anodal tDCS, their AB size would increase during cathodal tDCS, and vice versa. Here, we attempted to replicate this finding. We found no group effects of tDCS, as in the original study, but we no longer found a significant negative correlation. We present a series of statistical measures of replication success, all of which confirm that both studies are not in agreement. First, the correlation here is significantly smaller than a conservative estimate of the original correlation. Second, the difference between the correlations is greater than expected due to sampling error, and our data are more consistent with a zero-effect than with the original estimate. Finally, the overall effect when combining both studies is small and not significant. Our findings thus indicate that the effects of lDPLFC-tDCS on the AB are less substantial than observed in our initial study. Although this should be quite a common scenario, null findings can be difficult to interpret and are still under-represented in the brain stimulation and cognitive neuroscience literatures. An important auxiliary goal of this paper is therefore to provide a tutorial for other researchers, to maximize the evidential value from null findings.

PMID:35085301 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0262718

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0262256. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262256. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Induction of labor is a medical iatrogenic stimulation of uterine contraction before the spontaneous onset of labor to achieve vaginal delivery. It is an increasingly being done obstetric procedure throughout the world and associated with poorer outcomes when compared with spontaneous labor. The published evidence is limited in Ethiopia including the study area. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the magnitude of failed induction and associated factors among pregnant women who were admitted to the labor ward of Adama hospital medical college.

METHODS: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 293 women who were eligible for induction using systematic random sampling. The data were collected from 1st January to 30th April 2020 by face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire and extraction from a maternal chart. Then data was entered into Epi-data version 4.6 and analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solution version 23. Descriptive statistics were performed to describe the study population. Logistic regression (bivariate and multivariable) analysis was conducted to identify associated factors. The association was expressed in odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and P-value <0.05 was used as cut-off points to declare significance in the final model.

RESULTS: This study showed that the prevalence of failed induction was 20.5% (95% CI: (15.7-25.3%)). The odds of failed induction in unfavorable bishop score were 4.05 higher than the odds in favorable bishop [AOR = 4.05 95%CI (1.19-13.77)]. The odds of failed induction in an intact membrane were 2.05 higher than the ruptured membrane. [AOR = 2.05, 95%CI (1.06-3.98)]. The odds of failed induction in primigravida were 2.33 higher than the odds in the multiparous women [AOR = 2.33, 95%CI (1.26-4.29)].

CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that the magnitude of failed induction was higher when compared to other similar findings. Bishop scores, membrane status, and parity were significantly associated factors with failed induction. Preparation of the cervix before commencing induction is recommended to improve induction success.

PMID:35085270 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0262256

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0261701. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261701. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Understanding what factors influence postpartum contraceptive use among young people (ages 15-24 years) is important since this group often has closely spaced and unintended births. Using secondary data gathered for an evaluation of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded initiative designed to increase modern contraceptive use in select urban areas of Nigeria, we determine the direct and indirect effects of community beliefs and attitudes on adolescent and youth postpartum contraceptive method choice. Our statistical methods control for the endogenous timing of the initiation of sexual activity and the timing and number of births to each respondent by simultaneous estimation of equations for these choices with the choice of postpartum contraceptive method. We find that community beliefs and attitudes have important effects on our primary outcome of postpartum contraceptive use and we quantify the size of both direct and indirect effects on postpartum contraceptive method choice using simulations. The findings from this study can be used to inform programs seeking to increase young women’s postpartum contraceptive use for healthy spacing and timing of births.

PMID:35085264 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0261701

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0259722. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259722. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Undernutrition among children is one of the leading major public health problems and about 49.5 million children were wasted worldwide. Asia and African countries contributed 69% and 27.2% of wasting respectively. In Ethiopia, 7% of children were wasted and 1% was severely wasted. Although Ethiopia has achieved remarkable progress in reducing under-five mortality and designed multi-dimensional approaches to address malnutrition, the data on acute malnutrition among children in the study setting is limited. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the prevalence of acute malnutrition and associated factors among 6-59-month-old children.

METHODS: Community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted at Gurage Zone, Southern Ethiopia. A total of 293 study participants were selected using a systematic sampling technique. Data were collected using structured and pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaires by face-to-face interview. Data entry and analysis were made using Epi Data version 4.6 and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 24 respectively. Descriptive statistical analysis and some of the statistical tests like the odds ratio were carried out. Both Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis with 95% confidence interval was carried out to identify associated factors and variables with P value < 0.05 were taken as statistically significant.

RESULTS: The prevalence of wasting among children aged from 6-59 months in this study was 14.7% (95% CI: 10.9, 18.8). After controlling for all possible confounding factors, the result revealed that age of children between 6-11 months [AOR = 2.78(95% CI: 1.67, 6.19)], caregivers who were unable to read and write [AOR = 2.23 (95% CI: 1.04, 5.34)], presence of diarrheal disease in the past two weeks [AOR = 1.68 (95% CI: 1.23, 5.89)] and mothers who had a history of poor handwashing practice before food preparation and child feeding [AOR = 2.64(95% CI: 1.52, 4.88)] were found to be significantly associated with wasting.

CONCLUSIONS: The study findings indicate that respondents’ wasting was mainly affected by age of the child, educational status of caregivers, presence of diarrheal disease and hand washing practice of the mother. Providing acceptable, quality and honorable care for all children is very crucial to prevent child wasting and proper handwashing during breastfeeding and food handling is recommended and interventions aimed at improving maternal health and access to health care services for children are urgently needed.

PMID:35085254 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0259722