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BMC Public Health Nov 2023The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the aviation and education sectors in China. This study examined the relationships between risk perceptions of the pandemic,...
BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the aviation and education sectors in China. This study examined the relationships between risk perceptions of the pandemic, vocational identity, and employment aspirations of Chinese aviation students.
METHODS
The study used a convenience sampling approach to collect data (n = 276 respondents) from August 2 to 8, 2022. An online survey was sent via WeChat and QQ to Chinese students majoring in aviation service management who were under lockdown at six Chinese schools.
RESULTS
In spite of the strong support for the stringent COVID policies and full awareness of infection risk and protective measures, respondents were worried about the current unstable situation and felt fear for its severity and long-lasting symptoms. The casual path from career commitment to employment aspiration was supported, but high risk perceptions of the pandemic failed to have any psychological effect on the two constructs of vocational identity and employment aspirations.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings not only demonstrate the power of career commitment on employment aspirations but also reveal that a relatively high self-assessment of career proficiency may not necessarily lead to a clear career aspiration, possibly due to poor risk communication and insufficient career planning guidance. Thus, Chinese aviation students should improve their career proficiency and commitment, broaden their career options and adaptability, and have a clear career plan, in order to be well prepared for the fierce job market that will face the next wave of the ongoing pandemic.
Topics: Humans; East Asian People; Latent Class Analysis; Pandemics; COVID-19; Communicable Disease Control; Employment; Students; Aviation
PubMed: 37932723
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17144-y -
PloS One 2023The landscape of financial technology is undergoing a continuous evolution, driven by the relentless advancement of information technology. In this transformative...
The landscape of financial technology is undergoing a continuous evolution, driven by the relentless advancement of information technology. In this transformative milieu, digital finance has emerged as a novel financial paradigm, offering a blueprint for fostering inclusive finance. With a particular emphasis on its implications for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), this article harnesses a comprehensive dataset spanning the years 2011 to 2021, encompassing digital inclusive finance and SMEs listed on the SME board. Employing fixed effects models, this study performs a regression analysis to verify the driving effect of digital inclusive finance on SMEs' innovation activities. The findings unequivocally affirm the potency of inclusive finance in ameliorating the longstanding financing constraints that have historically constrained the growth trajectory of SMEs. Furthermore, the study elucidated the nuanced nature of the promotional impact of digital inclusive finance on SMEs, contingent upon their distinct property rights and technological attributes. Specifically, the empirical findings unveil a discernible pattern wherein digital inclusive finance exerts a conspicuously stronger promotional effect on non-state-owned enterprises and high-tech SMEs' endeavors in technological innovation. The conclusions derived from this research furnish a salient point of reference for governmental authorities engaged in the formulation and advancement of digital inclusive finance strategies, thereby imparting strategic guidance for the cultivation of innovation and holistic development within the SME sector.
Topics: Humans; Inventions; Rehabilitation, Vocational; Technology; Government; Group Processes; China
PubMed: 37917741
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293500 -
Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology... Aug 2023Parkinson's disease (PD) often presents with autonomic dysregulation, leading to blood pressure irregularities such as neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (nOH),... (Review)
Review
Parkinson's disease (PD) often presents with autonomic dysregulation, leading to blood pressure irregularities such as neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (nOH), neurogenic supine hypertension (nSH), and postprandial hypotension (PPH). Unfortunately, these conditions remain prevalent and receive insufficient attention in scientific discourse. They not only cause complications like syncope, falls, and fractures but also result in long-term damage to vital organs, diminishing patients' quality of life. Early implementation of appropriate non-pharmacologic management is crucial to prevent severe adverse events later on. This review focuses on the types, clinical characteristics, mechanisms, and common non-pharmacologic management measures for PD complicated by abnormal blood pressure. By promoting early diagnosis, recognizing symptoms of abnormal blood pressure, and employing non-pharmacologic interventions such as health education, dietary adjustments, exercise, and Chinese medicine techniques, we aim to improve patients' symptoms and quality of life while providing practical guidance for managing PD-related blood pressure abnormalities.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Blood Pressure; Quality of Life; Hypotension, Orthostatic; Hypertension
PubMed: 37865954
DOI: 10.26402/jpp.2023.4.01 -
BMJ Open Oct 2023This study investigated the experiences of front-line healthcare workers who had been in close contact with COVID-19 patients and had been quarantined in order to...
BACKGROUND
This study investigated the experiences of front-line healthcare workers who had been in close contact with COVID-19 patients and had been quarantined in order to provide guidance on quarantine measures with more humanistic care when dealing with future public health emergencies.
METHODS
We conducted a qualitative study using semistructured, qualitative, in-depth interviews between April and June 2022. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, followed by a thematic analysis. The study followed the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.
RESULTS
This study identified the following four themes: (1) personal psychological changes, (2) increased reflection on life and work during quarantine, (3) the important role of others' support and (4) different types of demands during quarantine and isolation. Each theme is supported by several subthemes that further illustrate the participants' experiences.
CONCLUSIONS
Quarantine of close contacts is necessary to prevent outbreaks. Front-line doctors and nurses are at a greater risk of COVID-19 infection than others. The results showed the psychological reactions of ordinary close contacts, and the unique feelings and experiences of doctors and nurses during the epidemic. Therefore, future research should cooperate with multiple departments to assess their needs, provide them with individualised care and love and give them incentives in order to reduce their psychological burden, improve their quality of life and allow them to engage in healthcare with a healthy mind.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Quarantine; Quality of Life; Health Personnel; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 37865408
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073868 -
Tobacco Induced Diseases 2023The use of e-cigarettes has steadily increased, and vocational students are one primary target of e-cigarette marketing. This cross-sectional survey research aimed to...
INTRODUCTION
The use of e-cigarettes has steadily increased, and vocational students are one primary target of e-cigarette marketing. This cross-sectional survey research aimed to explore e-cigarette use and examine the factors associated with it.
METHODS
Multistage cluster random sampling was employed to select 1536 students in vocational education institutions. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from September to December 2019. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to obtain the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) to determine the associated factors of e-cigarette use.
RESULTS
Altogether, 28.7% of the subjects were currently e-cigarette users, 7.4% used e-cigarettes only, and 21.3% were dual users. Various factors were found to be significantly associated with e-cigarette use by 43.7%. Those consisted of sex (male) (AOR=2.183; 95% CI: 1.510-3.157), grade point average (GPA) of <2.5 (AOR=2.363; 95% CI: 1.502-3.717), having neutral attitudes toward e-cigarette use (AOR=2.676; 95% CI: 1.499-4.779) and positive attitudes toward e-cigarette use (AOR=4.171; 95% CI: 2.250-7.734), moderate level of perceived behavioral control on e-cigarette use (AOR=3.520; 95% CI: 2.287-5.418) and low level of perceived behavioral control on e-cigarettes use (AOR=4.959; 95% CI: 3.274-7.511), moderate price of e-cigarettes (AOR=1.436; 95% CI: 1.009-2.044), and e-cigarette use of their parents (AOR=1.827; 95% CI: 1.137-2.938), close friends (AOR=4.327; 95% CI: 2.954-6.338) and idols (AOR=4.604; 95% CI: 1.844-11.497).
CONCLUSIONS
Students should be encouraged to develop negative attitudes toward e-cigarette use and increase their self-confidence to control the use of e-cigarettes. This can be achieved by regularly distributing information on the product's risks. Moreover, students can find inspiration and guidance from peers, close friends, or their idols, who will act as positive role models and inspire them not to initiate e-cigarette use.
PubMed: 37781237
DOI: 10.18332/tid/170421 -
BMC Health Services Research Sep 2023This study aimed to explore the experiences and needs of (ex-)welfare benefit recipients from a large urban municipality in the Netherlands regarding their...
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to explore the experiences and needs of (ex-)welfare benefit recipients from a large urban municipality in the Netherlands regarding their welfare-to-work services and their case workers.
METHODS
Quantitative data from a client satisfaction survey that was filled out by 213 people (response rate 11%) who received welfare-to-work services was combined with results from four group interviews with a total of 15 people receiving welfare-to-work services. Verbatim transcripts from the interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
RESULTS
The survey results showed that most clients were reasonably satisfied with the welfare-to-work services they received. Four main themes emerged from the interviews: (1) experiences and needs related to the interactions between case workers and benefit recipients; (2) the need for tailored services; (3) the complicating role of the system the case workers operate within; and (4) the existence of differences between case workers regarding how strict they followed the rules and to what extent they connected with their clients on a personal level.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings show that clients were reasonably satisfied with the welfare-to-work services provided by their municipality but that there is still room for improvement. Case workers should have good social skills to build a trusting relationship with the client, welfare-to-work services should be tailored to the individual, and clear concise information should be given to welfare benefit recipients, especially with regard to what benefit recipients can expect of the municipality and the case workers, given their dual role in supporting (re-)integration to work and monitoring benefit eligibility.
Topics: Humans; Netherlands; Patient Satisfaction; Trust; Vulnerable Populations
PubMed: 37710259
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-09954-y -
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 -
Polymers Aug 2023For rubber-like materials, there are three popular methods of equibiaxial tension available: inflation tension, equibiaxial planar tension, and radial tension. However,...
For rubber-like materials, there are three popular methods of equibiaxial tension available: inflation tension, equibiaxial planar tension, and radial tension. However, no studies have addressed the accuracy and comparability of these tests. In this work, we model the tension tests for a hyperelastic electroactive polymer (EAP) membrane material using finite element method (FEM) and investigate their experimental accuracy. This study also analyzes the impact of apparatus structure parameters and specimen dimensions on experimental performances. Additionally, a tensile efficiency is proposed to assess non-uniform deformation in equibiaxial planar tension and radial tension tests. The sample points for calculating deformation in inflation tensions should be taken near the top of the inflated balloon to obtain a more accurate characteristic curve; the deformation simulation range will be constrained by the material model and its parameters within a specific limit ( ≈ 1.9); if the inflation hole size is halved, the required air pressure must be doubled to maintain equivalent stress and strain values, resulting in a reduction in half in inflation height and decreased accuracy. The equibiaxial planar tension test can enhance uniform deformation and reduce stress errors to as low as 2.1% (at = 4) with single-corner-point tension. For circular diaphragm specimens in radial tension tests, increasing the number of cuts and using larger punched holes results in more uniform deformation and less stress error, with a minimum value of 3.83% achieved for a specimen with 24 cuts and a 5 mm punched hole. In terms of tensile efficiency, increasing the number of tensile points in the equibiaxial planar tension test can improve it; under radial tension, increasing the number of cuts and decreasing the diameter of the punched hole on the specimen has a hedging effect. The findings of this study are valuable for accurately evaluating various equibiaxial tension methods and analyzing their precision, as well as providing sound guidance for the effective design of testing apparatus and test plans.
PubMed: 37688187
DOI: 10.3390/polym15173561 -
Frontiers in Neurology 2023Return-to-work is a key rehabilitation goal for many working aged stroke survivors, promoting an overall improvement of quality of life, social integration, and... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Return-to-work is a key rehabilitation goal for many working aged stroke survivors, promoting an overall improvement of quality of life, social integration, and emotional wellbeing. Conversely, the failure to return-to-work contributes to a loss of identity, lowered self-esteem, social isolation, poorer quality of life and health outcomes. Return-to-work programmes have largely focused on physical and vocational rehabilitation, while neglecting to include mood and fatigue management. This is despite the knowledge that stroke results in changes in physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning, which all impact one's ability to return to work. The purpose of this systematic review is to conduct a comprehensive and up-to-date search of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of return-to-work programmes after stroke. The focus is especially on examining components of mood and fatigue if they were included, and to also report on the screening tools used to measure mood and fatigue.
METHOD
Searches were performed using 7 electronic databases for RCTs published in English from inception to 4 January 2023. A narrative synthesis of intervention design and outcomes was provided.
RESULTS
The search yielded 5 RCTs that satisfied the selection criteria ( = 626). Three studies included components of mood and fatigue management in the intervention, of which 2 studies found a higher percentage of subjects in the intervention group returning to work compared to those in the control group. The remaining 2 studies which did not include components of mood and fatigue management did not find any significant differences in return-to-work rates between the intervention and control groups. Screening tools to assess mood or fatigue were included in 3 studies.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the findings demonstrated that mood and fatigue are poorly addressed in rehabilitation programmes aimed at improving return-to-work after stroke, despite being a significant predictor of return-to-work. There is limited and inconsistent use of mood and fatigue screening tools. The findings were generally able to provide guidance and recommendations in the development of a stroke rehabilitation programme for return-to-work, highlighting the need to include components addressing and measuring psychological support and fatigue management.
PubMed: 37674875
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1145705 -
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry Oct 2023In biomedical research, ultrasonic cavitation, especially inertial cavitation (IC) has attracted extensive attentions due to its ability to induce mechanical, chemical...
In biomedical research, ultrasonic cavitation, especially inertial cavitation (IC) has attracted extensive attentions due to its ability to induce mechanical, chemical and thermal effects. Like ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) microbubbles or droplets, acoustic cavitation can be effectively triggered beyond a certain pressure threshold through the interaction between ultrasound and nucleation particles, leading to an enhanced thrombolytic effect. As a newly developed nanocarbon material, nitrogen-doped annealed nanodiamond (N-AND) has shown promising catalytic performance. To further explore its effects on ultrasonic cavitation, N-AND was synthesized at the temperature of 1000 °C. After systematic material characterization, the potential of N-AND to induce enhanced IC activity was assessed for the first time by using passive cavitation detection (PCD). Based on experiments performed at varied material suspension concentration and cycle number, N-AND demonstrated a strong capability to generate significant cavitation characteristics, indicating the formation of stable bubbles from the surface of the materials. Furthermore, N-AND was applied in the in vitro thrombolysis experiments to verify its contribution to ultrasound thrombolysis. The influence of surface hydrophobicity on the cavitation potentials of ND and N-AND was innovatively discussed in combination with the theory of mote-induced nucleation. It is found that the cavitation stability of N-AND was better than that of the commercial UCA microbubbles. This study would provide better understanding of the potential of novel carbonous nanomaterials as cavitation nuclei and is expected to provide guidance for their future biomedical and industrial applications.
PubMed: 37647744
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2023.106563