-
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation Jun 2021Purpose The present study aimed to understand the roles, effective strategies and facilitators, and challenges of employment support specialists (ESS) in assisting young...
Purpose The present study aimed to understand the roles, effective strategies and facilitators, and challenges of employment support specialists (ESS) in assisting young people with mental health conditions (MHCs) gain and sustain employment in Singapore. Methods An interpretative qualitative design using an inductive approach was adopted for this study. Using a semi-structured interview guide, in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty ESS employed with mental health service providers or other community-based centers. Verbatim transcripts of the interviews were thematically analyzed using inductive methods. ESS were broadly classified as "any professionals providing employment-related support to people with MHCs". Results Majority of the ESS were employed at a tertiary psychiatric institute. Participants included vocational and occupational specialists, case managers and other clinical professionals. Three key themes emerged from the data: (i) descriptions of roles undertaken by the ESS depicting a wide range of services and requisite skillsets; (ii) facilitators that benefit young people with MHCs' in terms of job placement, for example, ESS' attitudes and attributes, and their clients' disposition; and (iii) challenges that deter effective job placements, such as factors pertaining to the ESS themselves, their clients, and clients' employers. Under this theme, ESS also proposed ways to improve employment opportunities of people with MHCs. Conclusions This study provided insight into a range of tasks performed and challenges faced by ESS in Singapore while assisting their clients. There is a need to address ESS' challenges and expectations in order to enhance their efficiency and aid reintegration of young people with MHCs into the workforce and the society.
Topics: Adolescent; Employment; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Specialization
PubMed: 33090356
DOI: 10.1007/s10926-020-09930-x -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024For higher vocational students, the college stage is an important period in their career development, and the college experience plays an important role in the...
For higher vocational students, the college stage is an important period in their career development, and the college experience plays an important role in the relationship between their proactive personality and career adaptability, which in turn has a significant impact on their future career development. From the perspective of social cognitive career theory and taking 476 vocational students as samples, this paper explores the mediating role of college experience between proactive personality and career adaptability of vocational college students. The college experience scale is revised for higher vocational students, and it is verified to have good reliability and validity. SPSS and Amos were used to conduct correlation analysis,and the PROCESS macro was used for mediating effect analysis. The results show that the college experience of vocational students plays a partial mediating role in the effect of proactive personality on career adaptability. This work innovatively uses social cognitive career theory to explore the role of college experience in the relationship between proactive personality and career adaptability among vocational students. The theoretical models are established and empirical verification is conducted, confirming that higher vocational students' college experience can affect their career adaptability. These results provide empirical evidence for vocational colleges to improve the career guidance of college students, and intervention measures are proposed to enhance students' career adaptability during school years, thus promoting their sustainable development.
PubMed: 38784628
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1333677 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2023COVID-19 accelerated the growth of the digital economy and digital transformation across the globe. Meanwhile, it also created a higher demand for productivity in the...
COVID-19 accelerated the growth of the digital economy and digital transformation across the globe. Meanwhile, it also created a higher demand for productivity in the real economy. Hence, the correlation between the digital economy and green productivity is worth studying as COVID-19 prevention becomes the norm. The digital economy overcomes the limitations imposed by traditional factors of production on economic growth and empowers innovative R&D and resource allocation in all aspects. This study delved into the digital economy by focusing on its green value at different levels of development. The study gathered the green-productivity indices and the principal components of the digital economy for each prefecture-level city in China from 2011 to 2019 and meticulously portrayed their trends in spatial and temporal figures. Meanwhile, regression models were used to verify the mechanism through which digital-economy development influences the changes in green productivity. The results showed that: (1) a higher level of digital economy helps to increase urban green total-factor productivity (GTFP) and that the conclusions of this paper still held after potential endogeneity problems were solved through the instrumental-variables approach; (2) the digital economy will drive an increase in urban GTFP by upgrading firms' production technologies and that digital-economy development encourages green patent applications from firms; and (3) as the digital economy develops, it will also drive urban GTFP increases by removing polluting enterprises from the market and that the higher the level of digital-economy development, the greater the number and probability of polluting enterprises exiting the market. In view of this study's results, the government should increase the importance of the digital economy, strengthen the role of the digital economy in promoting urban green development, and provide more guidance on regional green development with the help of the digital economy.
Topics: Humans; Cities; COVID-19; Economic Development; Resource Allocation; China; Efficiency
PubMed: 36674198
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021442 -
BMC Public Health Sep 2023People living with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) often experience work participation problems. Good work-focused healthcare, defined as the received advice, treatment,...
BACKGROUND
People living with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) often experience work participation problems. Good work-focused healthcare, defined as the received advice, treatment, and guidance focusing on work participation, can support the patient and work place. However, experiences with work-focused healthcare are generally not always positive which is a barrier for work participation. Therefore, the objective of this study is to gain insight into the work-focused healthcare journey from the perspective of patients with work participation problems due to CVD, to understand their experiences and needs, and to derive opportunities for improving work-focused healthcare service at a system level.
METHODS
Semi-structured interviews, preceded by preparatory assignments, were conducted with 17 patients who experience(d) work participation problems due to CVD. The patient experience journey map (PEJM) approach was used to visualize the patients' work-focused healthcare journey, including experiences and needs over time and place, from which opportunities to improve work-focused healthcare from the patient's perspective were derived.
RESULTS
An aggregated PEJM consisting of six phases was composed and graphically mapped. The first phase, working, represents a period in which CVD health problems and subsequent functional limitations occur. The next two phases, short- and long-term sick leave, represent a period of full sick leave. The last three phases, start-, partial-, and full vocational reintegration, focus on the process of return to work that takes place ranging from a few months up to several years after sick-listing. For each phase the touchpoints, timespan, stakeholders, activities, experiences and needs from the perspective of the patients were identified. Finally, for better work-focused healthcare nine opportunities for improvement were derived from the PEJM, e.g. emphasize the need for work adjustment prior to the medical intervention, provide more personalized advice on handling work limitations, and putting more compelling pressure on the employer to create suitable work positions for their employees.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION
This paper contributes insights to provide a more patient-centered work-focused healthcare trajectory for patients employed in paid jobs when living with CVD. The PEJM provides an understanding of the patients' perspectives throughout their work-focused healthcare journey and highlights opportunities for improvement towards a better suited and seamless patient journey, Although this research was conducted within the Dutch healthcare system, it can be assumed that the findings on integrated work-focused healthcare are largly transferable to other healthcare systems.
Topics: Humans; Cardiovascular Diseases; Health Facilities; Ethnicity; Delivery of Health Care; Patient Outcome Assessment
PubMed: 37697261
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16486-x -
Turkish Journal of Pharmaceutical... Nov 2023Chemical neurotransmission, managed by neurotransmitters, has a crucial role in brain processes such as fear, memory, learning, and pain, or neuropathology such as...
OBJECTIVES
Chemical neurotransmission, managed by neurotransmitters, has a crucial role in brain processes such as fear, memory, learning, and pain, or neuropathology such as schizophrenia, epilepsy, anxiety/depression, and Parkinson's disease. The measurement of these compounds is used to elucidate the disease mechanisms and evaluate the outcomes of therapeutic interventions. However, this can be quite difficult because of various matrix effects and the problems of chromatographic separation of analysts. In the current study; for the first time, an optimized and fully validated high-performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection (HPLC-EC) method according to Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency Bioanalytical Validation Guidance was developed for the simultaneous analysis of nine neurotransmitter compounds, namely dopamine, homovanilic acid, vanilmandelic acid, serotonin (SER), 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol, norepinephrine, 3,4 dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, and 3-methoxytyramine and simultaneously determined in rat brain samples.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Separation was achieved with 150 mm x 4.6 mm, 2.6 μm Kinetex F5 (Phenomenex, USA) column isocratically, and analysis was carried out by HPLC equipped with a DECADE II EC detector.
RESULTS
The method exhibited good selectivity, and the correlation coefficient values for each analyte's calibration curves were > 0.99. The detection and quantification limits ranged from 0.01 to 0.03 ng/mL and 3.04 to 9.13 ng/mL, respectively. The stability of the analyses and method robustness were also examined in detail in the study, and the obtained results are presented statistically.
CONCLUSION
The developed and fully validated method has been successfully applied to actual rat brain samples, and important results have been obtained. In the rat brain sample analysis, the lowest number of SER and the highest amount of noradrenaline were found.
PubMed: 37933822
DOI: 10.4274/tjps.galenos.2022.06606 -
Anatolian Journal of Cardiology Oct 2020Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by 'Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2' (SARS-CoV-2) infection emerged in Wuhan, a city of China, and spread to... (Review)
Review
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by 'Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2' (SARS-CoV-2) infection emerged in Wuhan, a city of China, and spread to the entire planet in early 2020. The virus enters the respiratory tract cells and other tissues via ACE2 receptors. Approximately 20% of infected subjects develop severe or critical disease. A cytokine storm leads to over inflammation and thrombotic events. The most common clinical presentation in COVID-19 is pneumonia, typically characterized by bilateral, peripheral, and patchy infiltrations in the lungs. However multi-systemic involvement including peripheral thromboembolic skin lesions, central nervous, gastrointestinal, circulatory, and urinary systems are reported. The disease has a higher mortality compared to other viral agents causing pneumonia and unfortunately, no approved specific therapy, nor vaccine has yet been discovered. Several clinical trials are ongoing with hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, favipiravir, and low molecular weight heparins. This comprehensive review aimed to summarize coagulation abnormalities reported in COVID-19, discuss the thrombosis, and inflammation-driven background of the disease, emphasize the impact of thrombotic and inflammatory processes on the progression and prognosis of COVID-19, and to provide evidence-based therapeutic guidance, especially from antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory perspectives.
Topics: Betacoronavirus; Blood Coagulation Disorders; COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections; Cytokines; Hemostatic Disorders; Humans; Immunomodulation; Inflammation; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; Prognosis; SARS-CoV-2; Thrombosis
PubMed: 33001051
DOI: 10.14744/AnatolJCardiol.2020.56727 -
Journal of Career Development Aug 2023Veterans living with mental health conditions have ambitious career goals and want support to find employment that meets their interests and preferences. Despite calls...
Veterans living with mental health conditions have ambitious career goals and want support to find employment that meets their interests and preferences. Despite calls from researchers to "invest" and "commit" to career development research and practice for individuals living with psychiatric conditions, we still do not have empirically tested models for facilitating career development among individuals with mental health conditions, especially veterans. This qualitative study investigates the career development needs and recommended intervention strategies of veterans living with mental health conditions. Vocational counselors from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and veterans receiving vocational rehabilitation services ( = 13) participated in semi-structured focus groups. Findings illuminate the tasks, barriers, interventions, implementation strategies, and transitional work context that hinder and support career development of veterans with mental health conditions. Findings offer theoretical and applied guidance to researchers and counselors regarding career development of veterans living with mental health conditions.
PubMed: 37463233
DOI: 10.1177/08948453221137344 -
RSC Advances Mar 2024Nanoparticle (NP) drug delivery systems have shown promise in tumor therapy. However, limitations such as susceptibility to immune clearance and poor targeting in a... (Review)
Review
Nanoparticle (NP) drug delivery systems have shown promise in tumor therapy. However, limitations such as susceptibility to immune clearance and poor targeting in a complex intercellular environment still exist. Recently, cancer cell membrane-encapsulated nanoparticles (CCM-NPs) constructed using biomimetic nanotechnology have been developed to overcome these problems. Proteins on the membrane surface of cancer cells can provide a wide range of activities for CCM-NPs, including immune escape and homologous cell recognition properties. Meanwhile, the surface of the cancer cell membrane exhibits obvious antigen enrichment, so that CCM-NPs can transmit tumor-specific antigen, activate a downstream immune response, and produce an effective anti-tumor effect. In this review, we first provided an overview of the functions of cancer cell membranes and summarized the preparation techniques and characterization methods of CCM-NPs. Then, we focused on the application of CCM-NPs in tumor therapy. In addition, we summarized the functional modifications of cancer cell membranes and compiled the patent applications related to CCM-NPs in recent years. Finally, we proposed the future challenges and directions of this technology in order to provide guidance for researchers in this field.
PubMed: 38567339
DOI: 10.1039/d4ra01026d -
BMC Psychology May 2024During emerging adulthood, vocational indecision (i.e., the inability to make coherent career choices) develops in a heterogeneous fashion, with three distinct patterns:...
BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVE AND HYPOTHESES
During emerging adulthood, vocational indecision (i.e., the inability to make coherent career choices) develops in a heterogeneous fashion, with three distinct patterns: low; decreasing (i.e., developmental or adaptative); high and stable or increasing (i.e., chronic or maladaptive). Among the determinants of vocational indecision that have been identified in past research, academic motivation is a crucial an excellent choice, since it is at school that students' vocational choices are validated or not. According to SDT, this motivation can vary both in quantity and quality, and students tend to experience more positive academic outcomes when their motivational profile is optimal (high quantity, high quality) as opposed to suboptimal (e.g., low quantity, low quality). Thus, the purpose of this longitudinal study was to verify if the patterns found with emerging adulthood students characterized vocational indecision in adolescent students, and if supported, to predict the belonging to the most problematic trajectory by using students' academic motivational profiles. We expected several distinct trajectories of vocational indecision that would differ in shape and magnitude, and several motivational profiles that vary in quality as well as in quantity. We also expected students in high-quality or quantity motivational profiles to be less likely to follow a chronic indecision trajectory.
METHOD AND RESULTS
Using data from 384 students (56% female; Mage = 13.52 years; SD = .52 at Secondary 2) surveyed annually from Secondary 2 to 5, person-centered analyses enabled estimation of motivational profile in Secondary 2 and vocational indecision trajectories during the 4-year period. Results revealed four distinct patterns of vocational indecision during adolescence labelled Low and Stable, Moderate and Stable, Developmental and Chronic Intermittent. Four motivational profiles were also identified in Secondary 2, ranging from poor (Highly Amotivated) to moderate (Autonomous-Introjected) quality of self-determination level. Also, in reference to the most self-determined profile, students in the Mixed profile were at greatest risk of following Chronically-Intermittently Undecided trajectory. Finally, the most self-determined students were at greatest probability of following the Developmentally Undecided trajectory.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the findings suggest that the student motivational functioning in early secondary school years could be used to identify students at risk of experiencing the negative indecision patterns across secondary school. Several theoretical and practical implications are suggested.
Topics: Humans; Motivation; Adolescent; Female; Male; Career Choice; Longitudinal Studies; Students; Young Adult; Adolescent Behavior
PubMed: 38702790
DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-01747-0 -
Journal of Environmental and Public... 2022The development of information technology has a profound impact on the development of education. The integration of information technology into the teaching of...
The development of information technology has a profound impact on the development of education. The integration of information technology into the teaching of professional courses has changed not only teaching methods and means, but more importantly, the teaching philosophy, teaching organization, and teaching evaluation are supported by information technology. Changes and progress have also been made. Piano improvisational accompaniment is an indispensable and important course in the teaching of music majors in colleges and universities. Relying on the information-based teaching environment and means, systematically designing piano impromptu accompaniment teaching for music performance majors to improve the effectiveness of teaching is a new exploration in the education and teaching reform of the current higher vocational music performance talent training courses. This study analyzes and studies the problems existing in the current teaching of piano improvisation accompaniment in colleges and universities and proposes the feasible strategies of piano improvisation accompaniment teaching in a targeted manner, to provide reference and guidance for the majority of educators.
Topics: Educational Status; Humans; Music; Universities
PubMed: 35844941
DOI: 10.1155/2022/5245256