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Perspectives on Psychological Science :... Sep 2023Inequalities and injustices are thorny issues in liberal societies, manifesting in forms such as the gender-pay gap; sentencing discrepancies among Black, Hispanic, and...
Inequalities and injustices are thorny issues in liberal societies, manifesting in forms such as the gender-pay gap; sentencing discrepancies among Black, Hispanic, and White defendants; and unequal medical-resource distribution across ethnicities. One cause of these inequalities is -unconsciously formed associations between social groups and attributions such as "nurturing," "lazy," or "uneducated." One strategy to counteract implicit and explicit human biases is delegating crucial decisions, such as how to allocate benefits, resources, or opportunities, to algorithms. Algorithms, however, are not necessarily impartial and objective. Although they can detect and mitigate human biases, they can also perpetuate and even amplify existing inequalities and injustices. We explore how a philosophical thought experiment, Rawls's "veil of ignorance," and a psychological phenomenon, deliberate ignorance, can help shield individuals, institutions, and algorithms from biases. We discuss the benefits and drawbacks of methods for shielding human and artificial decision makers from potentially biasing information. We then broaden our discussion beyond the issues of bias and fairness and turn to a research agenda aimed at improving human judgment accuracy with the assistance of algorithms that conceal information that has the potential to undermine performance. Finally, we propose interdisciplinary research questions.
PubMed: 37669014
DOI: 10.1177/17456916231188052 -
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2023Lightweight, flexible, and electrically conductive thin films with high electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness and excellent thermal management...
Lightweight, flexible, and electrically conductive thin films with high electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness and excellent thermal management capability are ideal for portable and flexible electronic devices. Herein, the asymmetric and multilayered structure Ag-MXene/ANFs composite papers (AMAGM) were fabricated based on Ag-MXene hybrids and aramid nanofibers (ANFs) via a self-reduction and alternating vacuum-assisted filtration process. The resultant AMAGM composite papers exhibit high electrical conductivity of 248,120 S m, excellent mechanical properties with tensile strength of 124.21 MPa and fracture strain of 4.98%, superior EMI shielding effectiveness (62 dB), ultra-high EMI SE/t (11,923 dB cm g) and outstanding EMI SE reliability as high as 96.1% even after 5000 cycles of bending deformation benefiting from the unique structure and the 3D network at a thickness of 34 μm. Asymmetric structures play an important role in regulating reflection and absorption of electromagnetic waves. In addition, the multifunctional nanocomposite papers reveal outstanding thermal management performances such as ultrafast thermal response, high heating temperatures at low operation voltage, and high heating stability. The results indicate that the AMAGM composite papers have excellent potential for high-integration electromagnetic shielding, wearable electronics, artificial intelligence, and high-performance heating devices.
PubMed: 37764637
DOI: 10.3390/nano13182608 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2023An innovative and community-based intervention is implemented in the Guiana Shield to eliminate malaria among people involved in artisanal and small-scale gold mining....
Training-of-trainers program for community health workers involved in an innovative and community-based intervention against malaria among goldminers in the Guiana shield: a quality and effectiveness evaluation.
INTRODUCTION
An innovative and community-based intervention is implemented in the Guiana Shield to eliminate malaria among people involved in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. The intervention consists of the distribution of malaria self-management kits to goldminers and the presumptive treatment for individuals at risk of carrying hypnozoites. The intervention is possible owing to community health workers (CHWs) who are previously trained to master all intervention procedures, including health education activities and goldmining training. This study aimed to evaluate the training program provided to CHWs in terms of quality and effectiveness.
METHODS
A training-of-trainers program for CHWs has been developed based on the CDC framework. A mixed-method case study was implemented in two steps between February and March 2023. The evaluation was based on a knowledge survey, satisfaction test, observations, and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed and triangulated.
RESULTS
A total of 20 CHWs participated in the training and the first-step evaluation. For the second step, four semi-structured interviews were conducted. The Qualitative data showed that group dynamics and adaptations were central elements of a high-quality training program. Quantitative analysis found that CHWs' satisfaction was elevated (> 4/5 overall), especially regarding format and learning results. Improvements in knowledge level demonstrated good effectiveness (pre-training vs. post-training, < 0.05). Nevertheless, some difficulties persisted regarding tasks of the intervention procedure, such as informed consent and smartphone application procedures (with an inaccuracy rate of 29.2% and 16.7%, respectively). Further on-the-job training permitted to address these issues. The project team's previous experience and the Guiana Shield countries' commitment to the WHO-E-2025-initiative were identified as levers for the quality of the training, while the complexity of the project context was a challenge.
DISCUSSION
High-quality, effective, and appropriate training programs are required for effective and sustainable interventions involving CHW profiles. Training design is a crucial point to address to accomplish quality and effectiveness. The training-of-trainers model has been shown to allow a high level of satisfaction, good learning results, and satisfactory implementation in the field. Initial and continuing training is an indispensable continuum to sustain good practices in the field and CHWs' motivation. Training evaluation permits standardizing methods and facilitates transferability.
Topics: Humans; Community Health Workers; Health Education; Learning; Data Accuracy; Malaria
PubMed: 38259795
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1306432 -
Journal of Applied Clinical Medical... Mar 2024Electron beams are often used to treat superficial lesions of the lip, cheek, nose, and ear. Lead is frequently used to block distal structures. It is customary to place...
Electron beams are often used to treat superficial lesions of the lip, cheek, nose, and ear. Lead is frequently used to block distal structures. It is customary to place an internal bolus of low atomic number in between the tissue and the lead to reduce electron backscatter from the lead. Space for the lead and the internal bolus is quite limited. A previous method for estimating the thickness of the lead plus internal bolus is not self-consistent and leads to a larger than necessary thickness. A new method is described here to provide a quick, accurate, and self-consistent estimate of the minimum necessary thickness of the internal bolus and the lead for incident electron beam energies of 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10 MeV as a function of the thickness of the overlying tissue. This method limits the dose enhancement at the tissue/bolus interface due to the underlying lead to 10%. Measurements made with gafchromic film validate this methodology.
Topics: Humans; Radiotherapy Dosage; Electrons
PubMed: 37922411
DOI: 10.1002/acm2.14196 -
Journal of Voice : Official Journal of... Nov 2023The global health pandemic caused by the SARS-coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) has led to the adoption of facemasks as a necessary safety precaution. Depending on the level of...
AIM
The global health pandemic caused by the SARS-coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) has led to the adoption of facemasks as a necessary safety precaution. Depending on the level of risk for exposure to the virus, the facemasks that are used can vary. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of different types of facemasks, typically used by healthcare professionals and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, on measures of voice.
METHODS
Nineteen adults (ten females, nine males) with a normal voice quality completed sustained vowel tasks. All tasks were performed for each of the six mask conditions: no mask, cloth mask, surgical mask, KN95 mask and, surgical mask over a KN95 mask with and without a face shield. Intensity measurements were obtained at a 1ft and 6ft distance from the speaker with sound level meters. Tasks were recorded with a 1ft mouth-to-microphone distance. Acoustic variables of interest were fundamental frequency (F0), and formant frequencies (F1, F2) for /a/ and /i/ and smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPs) for /a/.
RESULTS
Data were analyzed to compare differences between sex and mask types. There was statistical significance between males and females for intensity measures and all acoustic variables except F2 for /a/ and F1 for /i/. Few pairwise comparisons between masks reached significance even though main effects for mask type were observed. These are further discussed in the article.
CONCLUSION
The masks tested in this study did not have a significant impact on intensity, fundamental frequency, CPPs, first or second formant frequency compared to voice output without a mask. Use of a face shield seemed to affect intensity and CPPs to some extent. Implications of these findings are discussed further in the article.
Topics: Adult; Male; Female; Humans; COVID-19; Pandemics; Speech Acoustics; Masks; Acoustics
PubMed: 34261582
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2021.06.015 -
Journal of Medical Imaging and... Sep 2023Lead contact shielding has been a crucial component of patient radiation protection since it was first introduced in the early 1900s. Concerns surrounding the hereditary...
INTRODUCTION
Lead contact shielding has been a crucial component of patient radiation protection since it was first introduced in the early 1900s. Concerns surrounding the hereditary effects of ionising radiation were a driver for using lead shielding. Recently the American Association of Physics in Medicine (AAPM) and the British Institute of Radiology (BIR) have published position papers that suggest that lead contact shielding is no longer needed due to reduced radiation doses for x-ray examinations. This work examines radiographers' opinions on these position papers.
METHODS
An online survey with quantitative and qualitative elements was designed to explore knowledge and attitudes toward the BIR and AAPM position papers. The population for this survey was all qualified radiographers.
RESULTS
The majority (59%) of participants are aware of the AAPM guidance, and 76% are aware of the BIR guidance. Given the changes in the gonad tissue weighting factor, 66% believed additional emphasis should be placed on protecting organs and tissues with higher tissue weighting factors. The vast majority (87%) believed lead shielding is not the primary dose reduction strategy, with 82% agreeing that lead shielding may interfere with the AEC.
CONCLUSION
This study identifies a perception that lead protection may still play a role in patient protection, particularly for children and pregnant patients. However, it is not considered the primary mechanism of protection. More specific guidance and information are needed to incorporate the guidance for radiographers into working practice, improving patient care.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Lead shielding remains a tool for radiation protection in particular examinations, however, its role has diminished in clinical practice.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Additional research is required into the number of repeat x-rays associated with the use of lead shielding and the actual dose saving for shielding outside the field of view. Additional education and specific clarification on when to use and not use lead contact shielding is required.
Topics: Female; Pregnancy; Child; Humans; Radiography; Radiology; X-Rays; Radiation, Ionizing; Attitude
PubMed: 37517982
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmir.2023.07.006 -
Scientific Reports Sep 2023In the preparation of the slurry in the slurry shield (SSS) and subsequent reduction of the waste slurry produced by the slurry shield (WSSS), the additives in SSS...
In the preparation of the slurry in the slurry shield (SSS) and subsequent reduction of the waste slurry produced by the slurry shield (WSSS), the additives in SSS improve the quality of filtration cake on the excavation surface, but they may also remain in WSSS, which have a negative impact on the reduction efficiency of WSSS. Therefore, it is valuable to establish the relationship between SSS and WSSS with additives as a link. Given this, this paper prepared WSSS with different dosages of additives and studied the influence of residual additives on the reduction. The residual additives made the reduction efficiency of WSSS worse, and the specific resistance to filtration increased by one to two orders of magnitude. The residual additives change the content of bound water or reduce the available sites of the soil particles that can be adsorbed by flocculants, leading to worse reduction results. To reduce the difficulty of reduction, combining polymer and bentonite as additives are recommended to prepare SSS. Polyaluminium chloride (PAC) acts by reducing bound water content through the interaction with residual bentonite, simultaneously augmenting PAM flocculation, which is recommended for reducing WSSS. This paper provides a reference for selecting materials used to prepare SSS and the subsequent reduction of WSSS.
PubMed: 37749126
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42939-9 -
Biofilm Dec 2023Bacterial infections of the lung frequently occur as a secondary infection to many respiratory viral infections and conditions, including influenza, COVID-19, chronic...
Bacterial infections of the lung frequently occur as a secondary infection to many respiratory viral infections and conditions, including influenza, COVID-19, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis (CF). Currently, clinical standard treats bacterial infections of the lung with antibiotic drugs. However, the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics can disrupt host microbiomes, lead to patient discomfort, and current clinical settings face the constantly increasing threat of drug-resistant bacteria. Biofilms further obstruct effective treatment due to their protective matrix layer, which shields bacteria from both the host immune system and antimicrobial drugs and subsequently promotes drug resistance. Alternative antimicrobial agents, including bacteriophages and antimicrobial peptides, have been utilized to treat drug-resistant bacteria. However, these antimicrobial agents have significant limitations pertaining to their ability to arrive at infection sites without compromised function and ability to persist over an extended period to fully treat infections. Enhanced delivery strategies present great promise in addressing these issues by using micro/nanoparticle carriers that shield antimicrobial agents in transit and result in sustained release, enhancing subsequent therapeutic effect and can even be modulated to be multi-functional to further improve recovery following bacterial infection.
PubMed: 36909663
DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2023.100111 -
ACS Omega Feb 2024At present, light transmission, energy saving, environmental protection, and UV-shielding materials are very important for optimizing indoor living environment. Here, a...
At present, light transmission, energy saving, environmental protection, and UV-shielding materials are very important for optimizing indoor living environment. Here, a fluorescent transparent wood (FTW) with UV-shielding function was prepared by encapsulating a carbon quantum dot and epoxy resin into a delignification wood template. FTW exhibits excellent optical transmittance (about 91%), water absorption stability (weight gain rate less than 9%), longitudinal tensile strength (139 MPa), and UV-shielding properties. Due to the photoluminescence characteristics of the carbon quantum dot and the natural cellulose skeleton of wood, FTW can show uniform luminescence under ultraviolet lamps. At the same time, it has remarkable UV-shielding performance. This kind of photoluminescent transparent wood with a UV-shielding function also has the potential to be applied to fields such as electromagnetic shielding and harmful gas detection.
PubMed: 38405486
DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08337 -
Polymers Jan 2024Space exploration requires the use of suitable materials to protect astronauts and structures from the hazardous effects of radiation, in particular, ionizing radiation,... (Review)
Review
Space exploration requires the use of suitable materials to protect astronauts and structures from the hazardous effects of radiation, in particular, ionizing radiation, which is ubiquitous in the hostile space environment. In this scenario, polymer-based materials and composites play a crucial role in achieving effective radiation shielding while providing low-weight and tailored mechanical properties to spacecraft components. This work provides an overview of the latest developments and challenges in polymer-based materials designed for radiation-shielding applications in space. Recent advances in terms of both experimental and numerical studies are discussed. Different approaches to enhancing the radiation-shielding performance are reported, such as integrating various types of nanofillers within polymer matrices and optimizing the materials design. Furthermore, this review explores the challenges in developing multifunctional materials that are able to provide radiation protection. By summarizing the state-of-the-art research and identifying emerging trends, this review aims to contribute to the ongoing efforts to identify polymer materials and composites that are most useful to protect human health and spacecraft performance in the harsh radiation conditions that are typically found during missions in space.
PubMed: 38337271
DOI: 10.3390/polym16030382