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Ultrasonics Jun 2024Standard structural health monitoring techniques face well-known difficulties for comprehensive defect diagnosis in real-world structures that have structural, material,...
Standard structural health monitoring techniques face well-known difficulties for comprehensive defect diagnosis in real-world structures that have structural, material, or geometric complexity. This motivates the exploration of machine-learning-based structural health monitoring methods in complex structures. However, creating sufficient training data sets with various defects is an ongoing challenge for data-driven machine (deep) learning algorithms. The ability to transfer the knowledge of a trained neural network from one component to another or to other sections of the same component would drastically reduce the required training data set. Also, it would facilitate computationally inexpensive machine learning based inspection systems. In this work, a machine-learning-based multi-level damage characterization is demonstrated with the ability to transfer trained knowledge within the sparse sensor network. A novel network spatial assistance and an adaptive convolution technique are proposed for efficient knowledge transfer within the deep learning algorithm. Proposed structural health monitoring method is experimentally evaluated on an aluminum plate with artificially induced defects. It was observed that the method improves the performance of knowledge transferred damage characterization by 50 % during localization and 24 % during severity assessment. Further, experiments using time windows with and without multiple edge reflections are studied. Results reveal that multiply scattered waves contain rich and deterministic defect signatures that can be mined using deep learning neural networks, improving the accuracy of both identification and quantification. In the case of a fixed sensor network, using multiply scattered waves shows 100 % prediction accuracy at all levels of damage characterization.
PubMed: 38945018
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2024.107390 -
Comprehensive Psychiatry Jun 2024Several studies have explored the relationship between personality and work addiction, suggesting that individuals with certain mental disorders, including personality...
BACKGROUND
Several studies have explored the relationship between personality and work addiction, suggesting that individuals with certain mental disorders, including personality disorders such as obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), may be more prone to work addiction. However, the characterization of personality organization (PO) among workaholics and its contribution to the persistence of work addiction remains unclear.
METHODS
In this longitudinal study of a representative sample of young adults (N = 1748), we applied the Bergen Work Addiction Scale and the Inventory of Personality Organization.
RESULTS
We found significant correlations between work addiction and identity diffusion, primitive psychological defenses, reality testing, and overall personality disorganization across three waves. A latent class growth analysis revealed three profiles: no work addiction, increasing work addiction, and constant moderate work addiction. Multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that higher levels of personality disorganization in wave 1 and increases in personality disorganization between waves 1 and 3 were associated with higher odds of belonging to the increasing work addiction group. Similarly, higher overall personality disorganization in wave 1 was associated with higher odds of belonging to the constant moderate work addiction group.
CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that individuals with chronic work addiction have lower levels of PO, and PO declines as work addiction persists. Screenings for work addiction are recommended to prevent potential mental health issues. Future research should explore the influence of workplace characteristics and work motivations on the association between work addiction and personality disorders.
PubMed: 38943714
DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152513 -
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision... Jun 2024This paper outlines the design, implementation, and usability study results of the patient empowerment process for chronic disease management, using Patient Reported...
INTRODUCTION
This paper outlines the design, implementation, and usability study results of the patient empowerment process for chronic disease management, using Patient Reported Outcome Measurements and Shared Decision-Making Processes.
BACKGROUND
The ADLIFE project aims to develop innovative, digital health solutions to support personalized, integrated care for patients with severe long-term conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and/or Chronic Heart Failure. Successful long-term management of patients with chronic conditions requires active patient self-management and a proactive involvement of patients in their healthcare and treatment. This calls for a patient-provider partnership within an integrated system of collaborative care, supporting self-management, shared-decision making, collection of patient reported outcome measures, education, and follow-up.
METHODS
ADLIFE follows an outcome-based and patient-centered approach where PROMs represent an especially valuable tool to evaluate the outcomes of the care delivered. We have selected 11 standardized PROMs for evaluating the most recent patients' clinical context, enabling the decision-making process, and personalized care planning. The ADLIFE project implements the "SHARE approach' for enabling shared decision-making via two digital platforms for healthcare professionals and patients. We have successfully integrated PROMs and shared decision-making processes into our digital toolbox, based on an international interoperability standard, namely HL7 FHIR. A usability study was conducted with 3 clinical sites with 20 users in total to gather feedback and to subsequently prioritize updates to the ADLIFE toolbox.
RESULTS
User satisfaction is measured in the QUIS7 questionnaire on a 9-point scale in the following aspects: overall reaction, screen, terminology and tool feedback, learning, multimedia, training material and system capabilities. With all the average scores above 6 in all categories, most respondents have a positive reaction to the ADLIFE PEP platform and find it easy to use. We have identified shortcomings and have prioritized updates to the platform before clinical pilot studies are initiated.
CONCLUSIONS
Having finalized design, implementation, and pre-deployment usability studies, and updated the tool based on further feedback, our patient empowerment mechanisms enabled via PROMs and shared decision-making processes are ready to be piloted in clinal settings. Clinical studies will be conducted based at six healthcare settings across Spain, UK, Germany, Denmark, and Israel.
Topics: Humans; Decision Making, Shared; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; Patient Participation; Chronic Disease; Empowerment
PubMed: 38943152
DOI: 10.1186/s12911-024-02588-y -
BMC Nursing Jun 2024Childbirth reserves respect, as emphasized by the World Health Organization in 2018, and the focus towards the need for positive, dignified delivery experiences has...
BACKGROUND
Childbirth reserves respect, as emphasized by the World Health Organization in 2018, and the focus towards the need for positive, dignified delivery experiences has become an integral aspect of Respectful Maternity Care (RMC). It is a known fact that RMC is pivotal for favourable birth outcomes and contributes to the satisfaction of maternity care. The absence of RMC negatively affects women's and newborns' rights. The study aimed to explore healthcare providers' perspectives on sustaining RMC actions that mothers previously reported.
METHODOLOGY
This study was conducted in five hospitals in the Eastern province of Rwanda, involving 5 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with midwives and nurses. For interviews, we purposively selected 5-unit managers and five physicians. Additionally, 40 midwives and nurses were recruited for the FGDs. The research utilized the Dream phase of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) for interviews and Focus Groups. Data collection aimed to gain insights into Healthcare Providers' perceptions of how RMC is provided and how to establish and sustain RMC in Rwandan health facilities. Nvivo 12 was employed for organizing codes and creating a codebook, and thematic analysis was applied.
RESULTS
Four themes with sub-themes emerged. Namely, 1) Women-centered care, with Compassionate care, Privacy and confidentiality maintenance, Information provision and Liberty in decision making, Effective communication, Family involvement, Cleanliness, and Equality care. 2) Professionalism compliance with Motivated staff, Teamwork, Continuous development, Quality work provision, and Community trust. 3) RMC encounters 4) RMC sustenance.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The continuous pursuit of high RMC standards in Rwanda involves improving childbirth experiences through utilizing existing resources, ongoing improvement, and sustaining achievements. Key recommended actions in this study for sustaining RMC encompass promoting women-centred care, enhancing healthcare provider attitudes, ensuring professionalism, building community trust, maintaining conducive health facility environments, and involving leadership.
PubMed: 38943122
DOI: 10.1186/s12912-024-02017-5 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Humans can use prior information to optimize their haptic exploratory behavior. Here, we investigated the usage of visual priors, which mechanisms enable their usage,...
Humans can use prior information to optimize their haptic exploratory behavior. Here, we investigated the usage of visual priors, which mechanisms enable their usage, and how the usage is affected by information quality. Participants explored different grating textures and discriminated their spatial frequency. Visual priors on texture orientation were given each trial, with qualities randomly varying from high to no informational value. Adjustments of initial exploratory movement direction orthogonal to the textures' orientation served as an indicator of prior usage. Participants indeed used visual priors; the more so the higher the priors' quality (Experiment 1). Higher task demands did not increase the direct usage of visual priors (Experiment 2), but possibly fostered the establishment of adjustment behavior. In Experiment 3, we decreased the proportion of high-quality priors presented during the session, hereby reducing the contingency between high-quality priors and haptic information. In consequence, even priors of high quality ceased to evoke movement adjustments. We conclude that the establishment of adjustment behavior results from a rather implicit contingency learning. Overall, it became evident that humans can autonomously learn to use rather abstract visual priors to optimize haptic exploration, with the learning process and direct usage substantially depending on the priors' quality.
Topics: Humans; Exploratory Behavior; Male; Female; Adult; Young Adult; Visual Perception; Touch Perception; Learning
PubMed: 38942980
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65958-6 -
American Journal of Veterinary Research Jun 2024Referencing growing concerns over the recruitment and retention of faculty in academic veterinary medicine, the authors hypothesized that among surveyed veterinary...
OBJECTIVE
Referencing growing concerns over the recruitment and retention of faculty in academic veterinary medicine, the authors hypothesized that among surveyed veterinary residents and early-career faculty, work-life balance and workplace climate and culture are stronger motivators than financial considerations, regardless of demographic factors such as gender, race/ethnicity, and area of specialization.
SAMPLE
541 participants were included in data analysis.
METHODS
A mixed methods approach was utilized, incorporating both quantitative data and qualitative, free-text responses to better understand veterinary career choices by contextualizing factors associated with academic medicine.
RESULTS
Factors underpinning career-related decision-making were ranked by level of importance as (1) workplace environment/culture, (2) personal well-being/work-life balance, (3) salary and bonuses, (4) geographic location, (5) facilities and resources, (6) benefits, and (7) schedule flexibility. Desires for workload balance, schedule flexibility, support from leadership, and mentorship and collaboration were among the top themes of qualitative responses for both residents and early career faculty respondents. Factors influencing career decision-making for resident and early-career faculty are varied. Workplace environment, work-life balance, and schedule flexibility are areas that academic institutions can address and continue to improve and that are likely to positively impact entry into academia and the desire to stay.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE
This study sought to understand factors related to career decision-making and interest in academic veterinary medicine among residents and early-career faculty. Understanding these factors can support efforts to recruit and retain faculty in academic veterinary medicine.
PubMed: 38942061
DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.24.03.0082 -
Medicine Jun 2024Schizophrenia (SPR) is the most devastating mental illness that causes severe deterioration in social and occupational functioning, but, the etiology remains unknown....
Schizophrenia (SPR) is the most devastating mental illness that causes severe deterioration in social and occupational functioning, but, the etiology remains unknown. The objective of this study is to explore the genetic underpinnings of novelty seeking behavior in schizophrenic family within the Korean population. By conducting a family-based genome-wide association study, we aim to identify potential genetic markers and variations associated with novelty seeking traits in the context of SPR. We have recruited 27 probands (with SPR) with their parents and siblings whenever possible. DNA was extracted from blood sampling of 58 individuals in 27 families and analyzed in an Illumina core exome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. A family-based association test (qFAM) was used to derive SNP association values across all chromosomes. Although none of the final 800,000 SNPs reached the genome-wide significant threshold of 8.45 × 10-7, the most significant 4 SNPs were within the 10-5 to 10-7. This study identifies genetic associations between novelty seeking behavior and SPR within families. RAPGEF5 emerges as a significant gene, along with other neuropsychiatric-related genes. Noteworthy genes like DRD4 and COMT did not show associations, possibly due to the focus on schizophrenic family. While shedding light on this complex relationship, larger studies are needed for robust conclusions and deeper mechanistic insights.
Topics: Humans; Genome-Wide Association Study; Schizophrenia; Male; Female; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Republic of Korea; Pilot Projects; Exploratory Behavior; Adult; Middle Aged; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Young Adult
PubMed: 38941432
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000038694 -
Medicine Jun 2024To identify the relationship between leadership and work readiness in a cohort of new head nurses in China. This cross-sectional study enrolled 225 newly appointed head...
To identify the relationship between leadership and work readiness in a cohort of new head nurses in China. This cross-sectional study enrolled 225 newly appointed head nurses in public tertiary hospitals in China, which were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using online questionnaires that included a sociodemographic characteristics form, the Nursing Managers Leadership Scale (NMLS), and the New Nurse Leaders' Job Readiness Scale (NNLJRS). IBM SPSS v.25 was used for statistical analysis. The overall mean scores of NMLS (100.50 ± 17.64) and NNLJRS (111.90 ± 15.84) of the 225 new nurse leaders were at moderate levels. The results of the Pearson correlation analysis and the hierarchical regression analysis further indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between leadership and work readiness of new head nurses (r = 0.85, P < .001), as well as charisma (β = 0.19, P < .01), affinity (β = 0.18, P < .01), coordination ability (β = 0.32, P < .01), and motivational ability (β = 0.21, P < .01) in leadership were found to be positively associated with work readiness. This study found that the leadership and work readiness of the new head nurses still needed improvement. A significant relationship was found between these 2 variables, and charisma, affinity, coordination ability, and motivational ability in the leadership ability of the new head nurses facilitated the level of work readiness. Nursing administration should create a leadership development series program focusing on the development of charisma, affinity, coordination ability, and motivational ability to support the work readiness of new nurse managers and help them with role transition.
Topics: Humans; Leadership; Cross-Sectional Studies; China; Female; Male; Adult; Surveys and Questionnaires; Nurse Administrators; Nursing Staff, Hospital; Young Adult
PubMed: 38941399
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000038731 -
PloS One 2024Social prescribing (SP) is a promising intersectoral strategy of integrated and person-centered care that can improve individual health and well-being by going beyond...
Implementing a social prescribing program in primary care units in Portugal: A qualitative study exploring enablers, barriers and lessons learned from the perspectives of stakeholders involved in the program implementation.
Social prescribing (SP) is a promising intersectoral strategy of integrated and person-centered care that can improve individual health and well-being by going beyond medical treatment, potentially reducing overall disease burden on health system. SP addresses health and social determinants of health by linking patients to community responses, i.e. services and initiatives fostering social interaction, physical activity and creativity, among other health-promoting aspects, provided by local public, private, and non-profit entities. There is limited research on the implementation processes of SP beyond the UK, hindering improvement and scale-up. This study aims to identify enablers and barriers of implementation of an SP program conducted in Portugal. A participatory and qualitative approach was used to assess the implementation of an SP program in health units. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with family doctors, social workers and representatives of community partners who participated in SP implementation. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to conduct thematic analysis. The main enablers of SP implementation included its recognition as an evolution towards a holistic model of health, the personal characteristics of professionals as being proactive, motivated, and concerned with social determinants of health, and the communication strategy used to engage the stakeholders. Perceived challenges included raising users' awareness of SP and ensuring intervention adherence. Lack of preparedness for intersectoral working processes, including insufficient communication channels, limited community responses and the need for a more systematic collection of data on activities adherence and progress were also highlighted as barriers to SP implementation. SP implementation seems simple, but the results show that in practice, we are facing a complex intervention with multiple stakeholders, diverse community responses and factors influencing project success. A deeper understanding of SP specificities, local context, enablers, and barriers is vital to develop strategies for improvement and successful implementation, ensuring scalability and sustainability.
Topics: Humans; Portugal; Primary Health Care; Qualitative Research; Stakeholder Participation; Male; Social Determinants of Health; Female
PubMed: 38941342
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306404 -
PloS One 2024The reactor coolant pump is a key equipment in a nuclear power plant. If the leakage exceeds a certain threshold, it may cause reactor overheating and shutdown. The...
The reactor coolant pump is a key equipment in a nuclear power plant. If the leakage exceeds a certain threshold, it may cause reactor overheating and shutdown. The reactor coolant pump leakage fault usually has two problems: corrosion and scaling. Accurately and efficiently diagnosing the leakage fault mode as early as possible and predicting its remaining useful life (RUL) are important for taking timely maintenance measures. In this paper, an integrated method is proposed. First, the cross-sectional area of the first seal is extracted as a fault indicator. The motivation is that corrosion may enlarge the cross-sectional area, and scaling may reduce the cross-sectional area. Based on the fluid mechanics theory, an integrated model with several uncertain parameters is established among the cross-sectional area, temperature, and leakage at the inlet and outlet of the first seal. In the diagnosing process, a modified change-detection method is proposed to detect the starting point of degradation. Then, the unknown parameters in the previous relation are estimated, and the degrading data before the starting point of degradation are used to diagnose the leakage fault mode. Second, a time-series model of the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) is established to predict the remaining useful life based on the degrading data after the starting point of degradation. Finally, the leakage degrading data from six reactor coolant pumps of a nuclear power plant is used to perform the leakage fault mode diagnosis and life prediction with degradation point detection error rates not exceeding 4%, fault mode diagnosis correction rates 100% and practical RUL predicting results, which proves that the proposed integrated method is accurate and efficient. The proposed integrated method combines the advantages of both the physical model diagnosis and the data-driven model diagnosis and innovatively make use of the quantity of flow from the output side of the primary pump as the monitoring indicator and the cross-sectional area as the characteristic index together to diagnose the leakage fault mode happened to the seal and predict its RUL, which can meet the needs of actual operation and maintenance to ensure a healthy and stable operation of the pump and prevent unexpected shutdowns of nuclear power plants and serious accidents.
Topics: Nuclear Power Plants; Models, Theoretical; Nuclear Reactors; Equipment Failure; Equipment Failure Analysis
PubMed: 38941331
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304652