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American Journal of Preventive Medicine Dec 2023Community Resource Referral Systems delivered electronically through healthcare information technology systems (e.g., electronic medical records) have become more common... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Community Resource Referral Systems delivered electronically through healthcare information technology systems (e.g., electronic medical records) have become more common in efforts to address patients' unmet health-related social needs. Community Resource Referral System connects patients with social supports such as food assistance, utility support, transportation, and housing. This systematic review identifies barriers and facilitators that influence the Community Resource Referral System's implementation in the U.S. by identifying and synthesizing peer-reviewed literature over a 15-year period.
METHODS
This systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. A search was conducted on five scientific databases to capture the literature published between January 2005 and December 2020. Data analysis was conducted from August 2021 to July 2022.
RESULTS
This review includes 41 articles of the 2,473 initial search results. Included literature revealed that Community Resource Referral Systems functioned to address a variety of health-related social needs and were delivered in different ways. Integrating the Community Resource Referral Systems into clinic workflows, maintenance of community-based organization inventories, and strong partnerships between clinics and community-based organizations facilitated implementation. The sensitivity of health-related social needs, technical challenges, and associated costs presented as barriers. Overall, electronic medical records-integration and automation of the referral process was reported as advantageous for the stakeholders.
DISCUSSION
This review provides information and guidance for healthcare administrators, clinicians, and researchers designing or implementing electronic Community Resource Referral Systems in the U.S. Future studies would benefit from stronger implementation science methodological approaches. Sustainable funding mechanisms for community-based organizations, clear stipulations regarding how healthcare funds can be spent on health-related social needs, and innovative governance structures that facilitate collaboration between clinics and community-based organizations are needed to promote the growth and sustainability of Community Resource Referral Systems in the U.S.
Topics: Humans; Community Resources; Ambulatory Care Facilities; Automation; Data Analysis; Electronics
PubMed: 37286015
DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2023.06.001 -
Neuron Jul 2023Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a spatially dynamic pathology that implicates a growing volume of multiscale data spanning genetic, cellular, tissue, and organ levels of the... (Review)
Review
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a spatially dynamic pathology that implicates a growing volume of multiscale data spanning genetic, cellular, tissue, and organ levels of the organization. These data and bioinformatics analyses provide clear evidence for the interactions within and between these levels. The resulting heterarchy precludes a linear neuron-centric approach and necessitates that the numerous interactions are measured in a way that predicts their impact on the emergent dynamics of the disease. This level of complexity confounds intuition, and we propose a new methodology that uses non-linear dynamical systems modeling to augment intuition and that links with a community-wide participatory platform to co-create and test system-level hypotheses and interventions. In addition to enabling the integration of multiscale knowledge, key benefits include a more rapid innovation cycle and a rational process for prioritization of data campaigns. We argue that such an approach is essential to support the discovery of multilevel-coordinated polypharmaceutical interventions.
Topics: Humans; Alzheimer Disease; Computational Biology; Nonlinear Dynamics; Systems Analysis
PubMed: 37172582
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.04.018 -
Journal of Experimental Psychology.... Sep 2023Rational numbers are represented by multiple notations: fractions, decimals, and percentages. Whereas previous studies have investigated affordances of these notations...
Rational numbers are represented by multiple notations: fractions, decimals, and percentages. Whereas previous studies have investigated affordances of these notations for representing different types of information (DeWolf et al., 2015; Tian et al., 2020), the present study investigated their affordances for solving different types of arithmetic problems. We hypothesized that decimals afford addition better than fractions do and that fractions afford multiplication better than decimals do. This hypothesis was tested in two experiments with university students (s = 77 and 80). When solving fraction and decimal arithmetic problems, participants converted addition problems from fraction to decimal form more than vice versa, and converted multiplication problems from decimal to fraction form more than vice versa, thus revealing preferences favoring decimals for addition and fractions for multiplication. Accuracies paralleled these revealed preferences: Addition accuracy was higher with decimals than fractions, whereas multiplication accuracy was higher with fractions than decimals. Variations in notation preferences as a function of the types of operands involved (e.g., equal vs. unequal denominator fractions) were more consistent with an explanation based on adaptive strategy choice (Siegler, 1996) than with one based on semantic interpretations associated with each notation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Humans; Mathematics; Language; Semantics; Databases, Factual
PubMed: 36006715
DOI: 10.1037/xlm0001161 -
Research in Developmental Disabilities Aug 2023Studies focusing on math abilities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are limited and often provide inconsistent results. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Studies focusing on math abilities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are limited and often provide inconsistent results.
AIM
This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate math abilities in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to typically developing (TD) participants.
METHODS AND PROCEDURES
According with PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search strategy was adopted. First, 4405 records were identified through database searching; then, the title-abstract screening led to the identification of 58 potentially relevant studies and, finally, after the full-text screening, 13 studies were included.
OUTCOMES AND RESULTS
Results shows that the group with ASD (n = 533) performed lower than the TD group (n = 525) with a small-to-medium effect (g=0.49). The effect size was not moderated by task-related characteristics. Instead, sample-related characteristics, specifically age, verbal intellectual functioning, and working memory, were significant moderators.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
This meta-analysis shows that people with ASD have poorer math skills than their TD peers, suggesting the importance of investigating math abilities in autism, taking into account the role of moderating variables.
Topics: Humans; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Cognition; Memory, Short-Term; Autistic Disorder; Mathematics
PubMed: 37329855
DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104559 -
Journal of Natural Products Sep 2023This review provides a critical analysis of shielding effects induced by an aromatic (indole) ring of small molecules mainly including three members of naturally... (Review)
Review
This review provides a critical analysis of shielding effects induced by an aromatic (indole) ring of small molecules mainly including three members of naturally occurring secondary metabolites asterric acid analogs, diketopiperazines (DKPs) possessing an aromatic or an indole ring, and rubrolides. Empirical rules about the shielding effects induced by an aromatic (indole) ring are classified, based on which some H NMR chemical shift values in the A-ring and structures of asterric acid analogs are revised, and the relative configurations of some DKPs possessing an indole ring are also assigned or revised. The empirical rules could provide an efficient and convenient method for NMR data analysis and configuration determination for the three members of small molecules mentioned above.
Topics: Phenyl Ethers; Data Analysis; Diketopiperazines; Indoles
PubMed: 37646572
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.3c00434 -
International Journal of Environmental... Sep 2023The effectiveness of psychotherapeutic care, as well as the implementation of adequate improvements, are in question. A qualitative interview study was carried out in a...
The effectiveness of psychotherapeutic care, as well as the implementation of adequate improvements, are in question. A qualitative interview study was carried out in a cyclical research design with a comparative analysis on the basis of thematic coding using Grounded Theory Methodology. An overview of the design, sampling procedure, and data analysis is given. A variety of critical perspectives emerged concerning the state of psychotherapeutic care in Austria. Two perspectives are presented in this paper as interim results: a health care administration perspective states a general lack of knowledge and a possible unmet need, problematizes the underutilized benefit of psychotherapists and describes a shift in regard to the issue of effectiveness of care to the topic of access to psychotherapeutic care and to a problem with the care and work ethics of professionals. In this perspective, one solution may be to implement intermediary organizations, clearinghouses with multi-professional teams, comprehensive documentation and an indication-oriented approach. The health insurance perspective also claims the organization-specific action problem and the lack of rules for clearing in such intermediary organizations, as well as the relevance of regulated, limited access to psychotherapy.
Topics: Psychotherapy; Austria; Data Analysis; Documentation; Insurance, Health
PubMed: 37754598
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20186739 -
Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics : the... Sep 2023To understand and compare the optics of two multiple segment (MS) spectacle lenses (Hoya MiyoSmart and Essilor Stellest) designed to inhibit myopia progression in...
PURPOSE
To understand and compare the optics of two multiple segment (MS) spectacle lenses (Hoya MiyoSmart and Essilor Stellest) designed to inhibit myopia progression in children.
METHODS
The optics of the two designs are presented, together with geometrical optics-based calculations to understand the impact of the lenses on the optics of the eye. Lenses were evaluated with three techniques: surface images, Twyman-Green interferometry and focimetry. The carrier lens powers and the spatial distribution, powers and forms of the lenslets were measured.
RESULTS
MS lenses as manufactured were found to match most of the design specifications provided by their manufacturers, although some apparent small discrepancies were found. The focimeter-measured power of the lenslets was approximately +3.50 D for the MiyoSmart and +4.00 D for the highly aspheric lenslets of the Stellest design. For both lens designs, image contrast would be expected to become modestly reduced in the focal planes of the distance-correcting carrier lenses. Images become much more degraded in the combined carrier-lenslet focal plane, due to the generation of multiple laterally displaced images formed by adjacent lenslets within the effective pupil. The exact effects observed depended on the effective pupil size and its location with respect to the lenslets, as well as the power and arrangement of the lenslets.
CONCLUSION
Wearing either of these lenses will produce broadly similar effects on retinal imagery.
Topics: Child; Humans; Eyeglasses; Myopia; Pupil; Optics and Photonics; Mathematics; Refraction, Ocular
PubMed: 37378657
DOI: 10.1111/opo.13191 -
Journal of Biomedical Optics Jan 2024Quantitative photoacoustic tomography (QPAT) exploits the photoacoustic effect with the aim of estimating images of clinically relevant quantities related to the... (Review)
Review
SIGNIFICANCE
Quantitative photoacoustic tomography (QPAT) exploits the photoacoustic effect with the aim of estimating images of clinically relevant quantities related to the tissue's optical absorption. The technique has two aspects: an acoustic part, where the initial acoustic pressure distribution is estimated from measured photoacoustic time-series, and an optical part, where the distributions of the optical parameters are estimated from the initial pressure.
AIM
Our study is focused on the optical part. In particular, computational modeling of light propagation (forward problem) and numerical solution methodologies of the image reconstruction (inverse problem) are discussed.
APPROACH
The commonly used mathematical models of how light and sound propagate in biological tissue are reviewed. A short overview of how the acoustic inverse problem is usually treated is given. The optical inverse problem and methods for its solution are reviewed. In addition, some limitations of real-life measurements and their effect on the inverse problems are discussed.
RESULTS
An overview of QPAT with a focus on the optical part was given. Computational modeling and inverse problems of QPAT were addressed, and some key challenges were discussed. Furthermore, the developments for tackling these problems were reviewed. Although modeling of light transport is well-understood and there is a well-developed framework of inverse mathematics for approaching the inverse problem of QPAT, there are still challenges in taking these methodologies to practice.
CONCLUSIONS
Modeling and inverse problems of QPAT together were discussed. The scope was limited to the optical part, and the acoustic aspects were discussed only to the extent that they relate to the optical aspect.
Topics: Algorithms; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Models, Theoretical; Mathematics
PubMed: 38125717
DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.29.S1.S11509 -
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology Nov 2023Schoolchildren with better executive functioning skills achieve better mathematics results. It is less clear how inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory...
Schoolchildren with better executive functioning skills achieve better mathematics results. It is less clear how inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory combine to predict mathematics achievement and difficulty throughout primary and secondary school. This study aimed to find the best combination of executive function measures for predicting mathematical achievement in Grades 2, 6, and 10 and to test whether this combination predicts the probability of having mathematical difficulties across school grades even when fluid intelligence and processing speed were included in the models. A total of 426 students-141 2nd graders (72 girls), 143 6th graders (72 girls), and 142 10th graders (79 girls)-were cross-sectionally assessed with 12 executive tasks, one standardized mathematical task, and a standardized test of intelligence. Bayesian regression analyses found various combinations of executive predictors of mathematical achievement for each school grade spanning Grade 2 to measures of cognitive inhibition (negative priming) and cognitive flexibility (verbal fluency); Grade 6 to measures of inhibition: resistance to distractor interference (receptive attention), cognitive flexibility (local-global), and working memory (counting span); and Grade 10 to measures of inhibition: resistance to distractor interference (receptive attention) and prepotent response inhibition (stop signal) and working memory (reading span). Logistic regression showed that the executive models derived from the Bayesian analyses had a similar ability to classify students with mathematical difficulty and their peers with typical achievement to broader cognitive models that included fluid intelligence and processing speed. Measures of processing speed, cognitive flexibility (local-global), and prepotent response inhibition (stop signal) were the main risk factors in Grades 2, 6, and 10, respectively. Cognitive flexibility (verbal fluency) in Grade 2 and fluid intelligence, which was more stable in all three grades, acted as protective factors against mathematical difficulty. These findings inform practical considerations for establishing preventive and intervention proposals.
Topics: Female; Humans; Child; Executive Function; Bayes Theorem; Memory, Short-Term; Mathematics; Schools
PubMed: 37307647
DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105715 -
Nature Communications Sep 2023Flow cytometry (FCM) can investigate dozens of parameters from millions of cells and hundreds of specimens in a short time and at a reasonable cost, but the amount of...
Flow cytometry (FCM) can investigate dozens of parameters from millions of cells and hundreds of specimens in a short time and at a reasonable cost, but the amount of data that is generated is considerable. Computational approaches are useful to identify novel subpopulations and molecular biomarkers, but generally require deep expertize in bioinformatics and the use of different platforms. To overcome these limitations, we introduce CRUSTY, an interactive, user-friendly webtool incorporating the most popular algorithms for FCM data analysis, and capable of visualizing graphical and tabular results and automatically generating publication-quality figures within minutes. CRUSTY also hosts an interactive interface for the exploration of results in real time. Thus, CRUSTY enables a large number of users to mine complex datasets and reduce the time required for data exploration and interpretation. CRUSTY is accessible at https://crusty.humanitas.it/ .
Topics: Flow Cytometry; Algorithms; Computational Biology; Data Analysis
PubMed: 37666818
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40790-0