ALBERT

Description: Several studies have highlighted the relationship between parenting styles and depression in children. The aim of this study is to ascertain whether there are differences in the parenting practices received by two groups of children who obtain low-risk and high-risk scores respectively in relation to depression and determine which parenting variables are linked with the presence or absence of this kind of internalizing problem. From a sample of 550 subjects, obtained by probabilistic cluster sampling, we selected 140 children between 3 and 12 years of age who met a set of specific criteria as having high risk scores (70 children) for depression according to the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) or having low scores in this variable (70 children). Then, the Parent–Child Relationship Inventory (PCRI) was applied to both parents. We carried out a binomial logistic regression analysis which resulted in a prediction model for 89.3% of the sample, based on the following parenting variables: limit setting and involvement from the mothers, and parental support, autonomy, satisfaction with parenting, and communication from the fathers. Finally, the usefulness of our results to plan intervention strategies within families of children with depression is discussed.

Description: The technological characteristics of today’s society have favored the inclusion of information and communication technology (ICT) and the emergence of new training methodologies in educational spaces. This study addresses flipped learning as an innovative approach in the teaching and learning processes of physical education at two educational stages, primary and secondary education. The objective of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of flipped learning with respect to traditional methodology. A descriptive and correlational experimental research design was used through a quantitative perspective. Two study groups were established, one control (traditional methodology) and one experimental (flipped learning) in each educational stage. A total of 119 students from an educational center in Ceuta (Spain) participated. These participants were chosen intentionally. The data were collected through a questionnaire. The results show that the experimental group obtained better evaluations in the academic indicators, highlighting the motivation, autonomy, and interactions between the different agents. Regarding the effectiveness of flipped learning according to the educational stage, its potential was demonstrated in both stages, highlighting a significant improvement in autonomy in secondary education.

Description: Cyclic imines (CIs) are being considered as emerging toxins in the European Union, and a scientific opinion has been published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in which an assessment of the risks to human health related to their consumption has been carried out. Recommendations on the EFSA opinion include the search for data occurrence of CIs in shellfish and using confirmatory methods by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), which need to be developed and optimized. The aim of this work is the application of LC-MS/MS to the analysis of gymnodimines (GYMs), spirolides (SPXs), pinnatoxins (PnTXs), and pteriatoxins (PtTXs) in mussels from Galician Rias, northwest Spain, the main production area in Europe, and therefore a representative emplacement for their evaluation. Conditions were adjusted using commercially available certified reference standards of GYM-A, SPX-1, and PnTX-G and evaluated through quality control studies. The EU-Harmonised Standard Operating Procedure for determination of lipophilic marine biotoxins in molluscs by LC-MS/MS was followed, and the results obtained from the analysis of eighteen samples from three different locations that showed the presence of PnTXs and SPXs are presented and discussed. Concentrations of PnTX-G and SPX-1 ranged from 1.8 to 3.1 µg/kg and 1.2 to 6.9 µg/kg, respectively, and PnTX-A was detected in the group of samples with higher levels of PnTX-G after a solid phase extraction (SPE) step used for the concentration of extracts.

Description: This study aimed to explore whether different multidisciplinary team (MDT) organizations have different effects on the survival of breast cancer patients. A total of 16354 patients undergoing breast cancer surgery during the period 2006–2016 at the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center were retrospectively extracted. Patients treated by MDT were divided into a well-organized group and a disorganized group based on their organized MDT, professional attendance, style of data and information delivery, and the length of discussion time for each patient. Other patients, who were not treated by MDT, were placed in a non-MDT group as a comparator group. Each MDT patient was matched with a non-MDT patient, using propensity score matching to reduce selection bias. The Cox regression model was used to examine the difference in effects between groups. We found that the five-year survival rate of the well-organized MDT group was 15.6% higher than the non-MDT group. However, five-year survival rate of the disorganized MDT group was 19.9% lower than that of the non-MDT group. Patients in the well-organized MDT group had a longer survival time than patients in the non-MDT group (HR = 0.4), while the disorganized MDT group had a worse survival rate than the non-MDT group (HR = 2.8) based on the Cox model result. However, our findings indicate that a well-organized MDT may improve the survival rate of patients with breast cancer in China.

Description: Background: A depressive state is a negative emotional state characterized by abnormal dejection and unpleasant mood. Long-term depressive symptoms can result in psychological disorders such as depression. However, little is known about the depression status and risk factors of the Tibetan people on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Objective: This study explores the depression status of the Tibetan people to better promote ethnic minorities’ physical and mental health. Participants and Setting: The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was administered to 24,141 Tibetan people from Yushu Prefecture; the average age was 34.33 years (SD = 9.18, range = 18–94 years). Materials and Methods: Participants completed questionnaires collecting demographic information and evaluating symptoms of depression. Results: The depression prevalence was higher at high altitudes, and there may be a significant positive correlation between depression rates and altitude. Significant differences were found for each demographic variable. Participants with depressive symptoms (scores ≥8) accounted for 52.3% of the total sample, and participants with depression (scores ≥14) accounted for 28.6%. The binary logistic regression results showed that alcohol drinkers, unmarried participants, participants with high self-assessed socioeconomic status, participants with a high income level, and those with a middle-school education were more likely to be depressed. Conclusions: The results provide the first evidence that the prevalence of depression in Tibetans of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is higher than that in the general Chinese population and that reported in Western studies, a finding that may be related to cultural differences and chronic hypoxia caused by the high altitude. This paper offers insight into the mental health status of people living in plateau areas and provides a basis for formulating pertinent mental health policy.

Description: The study on soil organic matter (SOM) is of great importance to regional cultivated land use and protection. Based on data collected via continuous and high-density soil samples (0–20 cm) and socio-economic data collected from household survey and local bureau of statistics, this study employs geostatistics and economic statistical methods to investigate the spatial-temporal variation of SOM contents during 1980–2010 in the urban fringe of Sujiatun district in Shenyang City, China. We find that: (1) as to temporal variation, SOM contents in the study sites decreased from 30.88 g/kg in 1980 to 22.63 g/kg in 2000. It further declined to 20.07 g/kg in 2010; (2) in terms of spatial variation, the closer to city center, the more decline of SOM contents. Contrarily, SOM contents could even rise in outer suburb area; and (3) SOM content variation may be closely related to human factors such as farmers’ land use target and behaviour including inputs of chemical and organic fertilizers, types of crops and etc. These findings are conductive to grasp the overall trend of SOM variation and the influence of farmers’ land use behaviour on it. Furthermore, they could provide support for policymakers to agricultural planning and land use monitoring, which consequently aids the improvement of soil quality and food production in the urban fringe areas.

Description: Cattle slaughterhouses generate wastewater that is rich in organic contaminant and nutrients, which is considered as high strength wastewater with a high potential for energy recovery. Work was undertaken to evaluate the efficiency of the 12 L laboratory scale conventional and a modified upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors (conventional, R1 and modified, R2), for treatment of cattle slaughterhouse wastewater (CSWW) under mesophilic condition (35 ± 1 °C). Both reactors were acclimated with synthetic wastewater for 30 days, then continuous study with real CSWW proceeds. The reactors were subjected to the same loading condition of OLR, starting from 1.75, 3, 5 10, 14, and 16 g L−1d−1, corresponding to 3.5, 6, 10, 20, 28, and 32 g COD/L at constant hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 24 h. The performance of the R1 reactor drastically dropped at OLR 10 g L−1d−1, and this significantly affected the subsequent stages. The steady-state performance of the R2 reactor under the same loading condition as the R1 reactor revealed a high COD removal efficiency of 94% and biogas and methane productions were 27 L/d and 89%. The SMP was 0.21 LCH4/gCOD added, whereas the NH3-N alkalinity ratio stood at 651 mg/L and 0.2. SEM showed that the R2 reactor was dominated by Methanosarcina bacterial species, while the R1 reactor revealed a disturb sludge with insufficient microbial biomass.

Description: Maladaptive gaming cognitions are important determinants of Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Based on a systematic review, a 4-factor Internet gaming cognition scale (IGCS) was previously developed and cross-cultural validation of IGCS is warranted. The present study assesses the validation of the IGCS and its revised version, the Chinese version of Revised IGCS (C-RIGCS), among adolescents in China. Altogether, 755 students were recruited from junior middle schools in Guangzhou and Chengdu, China. The psychometric properties of the C-RIGCS were assessed by using appropriate statistical methods. The 4-factor model of the original IGCS was not supported by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In the split-half sub-samples, exploratory factor analysis suggested a 3-factor model for C-RIGCS, which was confirmed by CFA. The C-RIGCS and its three subscales showed satisfactory internal reliability, test-retest reliability, content validity, and absence of ceiling and floor effects (except on one case). Besides, the C-RIGCS and its three subscales were significantly correlated with external variables including IGD, gaming time, impulsivity, and self-control, and perceptions that Internet gaming is the primary source of self-esteem and social acceptance. The C-RIGCS proposed a new 3-factor model that showed satisfactory psychometric properties. It can be applied to understand maladaptive gaming cognitions of adolescent IGD.

Description: Given that risk perception has been found to be both a vulnerability and a protective factor with respect to consumption, the objectives of this study were to find out whether there exist specific patterns of risk perception associated with cannabis use and, if so, how they relate to cannabis consumption and to the sources of information on drugs accessed by young people. An ex post facto study was carried out with 1851 young Andalusians aged 18 to 29, using an adaptation of the Andalusian Government “Andalusian Population versus Drugs” survey. For the first objective, a cluster analysis was carried out in which three perceptual style groups were formed: “Strict”, “Permissive-Awareness” and “Lax”. Cannabis use in the “lax” group was found to be 14.31 times more frequent than in the “strict” group and 2.75 times more frequent than in the “permissive-awareness” group. A logistic regression analysis was also performed, which correctly predicted 80.4% of users and non-consumers. Correlation was found between perceptual styles and the sources of information used about drugs. This study identified three different risk perception styles that heavily correlated to cannabis consumption and to the type of sources young Andalusians use to obtain information about drugs, suggesting the need for a change in preventive policy.

Description: Porous graphitic biochar was synthesized by one-step treatment biomass using potassium ferrate (K2FeO4) as activator for both carbonization and graphitization processes. The modified biochar (Fe@BC) was applied for the removal of diclofenac sodium (DCF) in an aqueous solution. The as-prepared material possesses a well-developed micro/mesoporous and graphitic structure, which can strengthen its adsorption capacity towards DCF. The experimental results indicated that the maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) of Fe@BC for DCF obtained from Langmuir isotherm simulation was 123.45 mg·L−1 and it was a remarkable value of DCF adsorption in comparison with that of other biomass-based adsorbents previously reported. Thermodynamic quality and effect of ionic strength studies demonstrated that the adsorption was a endothermic process, and higher environmental temperatures may be more favorable for the uptake of DCF onto Fe@BC surface; however, the presence of NaCl in the solution slightly obstructed DCF adsorption. Adsorption capacity was found to be decreased with the increase of solution pH. Additionally, the possible mechanism of the DCF adsorption process on Fe@BC may involve chemical adsorption with the presence of H-bonding and π–π interaction. With high adsorption capacity and reusability, Fe@BC was found to be a promising absorbent for DCF removal from water as well as for water purification applications.