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[In Press] A systematic review of research gaps in the built environment of inpatient healthcare settings
No full textObjective: This study utilized the evidence-gap map method and critically examined the scope, methodologies, and focus of the studies that investigated the influence of the built environment on inpatient healthcare settings over a decade (2010–2021). Methods: We conducted a systematic review per the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines and surveyed 406 articles, primarily from North America and Europe. Results: Our findings revealed a dominant focus on architectural features (73%), such as room design and ward layout. Comparatively, there was less emphasis on interior-, ambient-, social-, and nature-related features. Most previous studies explored multiple environmental features, which indicated the intricacy of this field. Research outcomes were diverse, with person-centered care (PCC) being the most frequently investigated, followed by safe care, emotional well-being, activity, and behavior. Furthermore, research methods varied considerably based on the study’s outcomes and features. Clinical outcomes and safe care favored quantitative methods, activity and behavior favored mixed methods, and PCC favored qualitative research. Conclusion: This review provides an in-depth overview of the existing studies on health- care design research and sheds light on the current trends and methodological choices. The insights garnered can guide future research, policy-making, and the development of healthcare facilities
Willingness of patients with end-stage renal disease to accept a kidney transplant and related factors
No full textBackground The prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Taiwan is among the highest in the world. Although kidney transplant is the most effective treatment for ESRD, the willingness of patients with ESRD to undergo kidney transplantation is low in Taiwan. The factors associated with willingness to accept kidney transplantation remain unclear, and studies on kidney transplant willingness and associated factors among Taiwanese patients with ESRD are scarce. Purpose The aim of this study was to assess willingness to undergo a kidney transplant and related factors among patients with ESRD in Taiwan. Methods A cross-sectional design was employed. Two hundred fourteen participants from a single medical center in Taiwan were recruited, and 209 valid questionnaires were collected (valid response rate: 97.7%). The study instruments included a kidney transplant knowledge scale, a kidney transplant attitude scale, and a kidney transplant willingness scale. Data were analyzed using Pearson's product-moment correlations, t tests, one-way analyses of variance, and multiple regressions. Results The mean kidney transplant willingness in the sample was 13.23 (out of 20). Being male, younger, married, or employed; having a college education or above; and having a shorter dialysis duration were all associated with higher kidney transplant willingness. Sociodemographics, dialysis duration, knowledge, and attitudes explained 45.4% of the variance in kidney transplant willingness, with two of these, kidney transplant attitudes (β =.61, p <.001) and dialysis duration (β = -.11, p =.041), identified as significant. Conclusions/Implications for Practice The findings support the important role of cultivating positive attitudes in patients with ESRD to increasing willingness to undergo kidney transplantation interventions
Optimization design of hydro turbine support structure based on GA-FA-BP method
No full textThe rational design of the turbine support structure ensures the safe operation of the system, achieves significant economic benefits and improves the efficiency of the turbine. This paper presents a novel turbine support structure capable of vertical movement along the guide column. In addition, the GA-FA-BP method has been developed for the optimization design of the support structure, which combines genetic algorithm (GA), firefly algorithm (FA) and back-propagation neural network (BP). The use of quadratic response surface (RS) method along with NSGA-II for the result validation of the GA-FA-BP model ensures the robustness and reliability of the optimization results. A finite element model is set up to analyse the mechanical behaviour of the support structure under 10 different combined load conditions. The most critical load conditions in the static mechanical models are used to generate training data, and the mass, deformation and equivalent stress of the optimized and unoptimized support structures are analyzed and compared. The results show that the optimized support structure can maintain deformation and equivalent stress within a weight reduction of 21.83% compared to the original design. Compared to a single optimization model, the proposed GA-FA-BP model shows higher accuracy with a correlation coefficient up to 0.9989
[In Press] Identification and quantification of precursory changes of rheumatoid vasculitis in the dorsalis pedis artery
No full textObjective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic connective tissue autoimmune disease that can infiltrate arterial walls. The delay in diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid vasculitis (RV) in patients with RA may lead to irreversible damage to the arterial walls of small-to-medium vessels, which has serious and devastating consequences, most notably lung and cardiac damage. In this work an ultrasound image-based biomarker was developed to detect precursory changes in RV. Methods: The ground truth was initiated from a medical diagnosis of RA, with arterial wall thickening of the proximal dorsalis pedis artery (DPA) indicating precursory changes of RV identified with ultrasound scanning. Ultrasound images of the DPA from 49 healthy subjects in the control group and 46 patients in the RA group were obtained. In total, 187 texture features were extracted from the images, followed by principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis. Results: The proposed biomarker detected a significant difference between the two groups (p = 5.74 × 10-18) with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.85. Ten major textural features contributing most heavily to the biomarker were identified, with these textures being consistent with clinical observations of RV identified in previous studies. Interscan reproducibility was assessed by computing the biomarker twice based on repeated scans of each ankle. High interscan reproducibility was demonstrated by a strong and significant Pearson's coefficient (r = 0.85, p < 0.01) between the two repeated measurements of the proposed biomarker. Conclusion: The proposed biomarker can discriminate image textural differences seen in images acquired from RA patients, demonstrating precursory changes in RV compared with healthy controls. The major discriminative features identified in this study may facilitate the early identification and treatment of RV
Care ethics in music therapy higher education in Australia
No full textWe are in a ‘new time’ within the music therapy profession, where intersectionality and transversality are being considered within the context of service provision, and henceforth within music therapy training programs (Gilbertson, 2023). International music therapy higher education leaders are imploring educators to embrace a broadly inclusive approach within teaching frameworks and program application processes (Goodman, 2023); and higher education institutions are prioritising diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as indicated across a broad range of updated university policies and procedures (Wang, 2023). As music therapy higher education programs in Australia progress towards rebuilding teaching foundations based on a more diverse, equitable and inclusive approach, assumptions of accredited programs being seen as the 'gatekeepers’ and somewhat ‘caretakers’ of the profession are being challenged. Additionally, music therapy accreditation and registration associations around the world are being prompted to address the significant challenge of equally valuing different expressions of musicking, while being called upon to provide a framework whereby validated education institutions can evolve beyond the practice of measuring applicant skills against traditional western music grading systems. As the profile of the music therapy participant broadens, so should the profile of the music therapy practitioner, and consequently, the music therapy higher education applicant. Within this presentation the program leaders from both AMTA accredited courses will jointly present on DEI considerations within their respective programs, framed within care ethics models (Noddings, 2013) and related literatures (Schultz, 2022). The ‘creative journeys’ theme of this conference will be addressed, as the presenters extend the notion of celebrating diversity in music therapy practice and research, to include a celebration of higher education post graduate training in Australia
Dynamics of rhizosphere microbial structure and function associated with the biennial bearing of moso bamboo
No full textMoso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) is a valuable nontimber forestry product with a biennial cycle, producing abundant bamboo shoots within one year (on-year) and few shoots within the following year (off-year). Moso bamboo plants undergo clonal reproduction, resulting in similar genetic backgrounds. However, the number of moso bamboo shoots produced each year varies. Despite this variation, the impact of soil nutrients and the root microbiome on the biennial bearing of moso bamboo is poorly understood. We collected 139 soil samples and determined 14 major physicochemical properties of the rhizosphere, rhizoplane, and bulk soil in different seasons (i.e., the growing and deciduous seasons) and different years (i.e., on- and off-years). Based on 16S rRNA and metagenomic sequencing, major variations were found in the rhizospheric microbial composition during different seasons and years in the moso bamboo forest. Environmental driver analysis revealed that essential nutrients (i.e., SOC, TOC, TN, P, and NH4+) were the main drivers of the soil microbial community composition and were correlated with the on- and off-year cycles. Moreover, 19 MAGs were identified as important biomarkers that could distinguish on- and off-years. We found that both season and year influenced both the microbial community structure and functional pathways through the biosynthesis of nutrients that potentially interact with the moso bamboo growth rhythm, especially the on-year root-associated microbiome, which had a greater abundance of specific nutrients such as gibberellins and vitamin B6. This work provides a dynamic perspective of the differential responses of various on- and off-year microbial communities and enhances our understanding of bamboo soil microbiome biodiversity and stability
Streptomyces-triggered coordination between rhizosphere microbiomes and plant transcriptome enables watermelon Fusarium wilt resistance
No full textThe use of microbial inoculant is a promising strategy to improve plant health, but their efficiency often faces challenges due to difficulties in successful microbial colonization in soil environments. To this end, the application of biostimulation products derived from microbes is expected to resolve these barriers via direct interactions with plants or soil pathogens. However, their effectiveness and mechanisms for promoting plant growth and disease resistance remain elusive. In this study, we showed that root irrigation with the extracts of Streptomyces ahygroscopicus strain 769 (S769) solid fermentation products significantly reduced watermelon Fusarium wilt disease incidence by 30% and increased the plant biomass by 150% at a fruiting stage in a continuous cropping field. S769 treatment led to substantial changes in both bacterial and fungal community compositions, and induced a highly interconnected microbial association network in the rhizosphere. The root transcriptome analysis further suggested that S769 treatment significantly improved the expression of the MAPK signalling pathway, plant hormone signal transduction and plant–pathogen interactions, particular those genes related to PR-1 and ethylene, as well as genes associated with auxin production and reception. Together, our study provides mechanistic and empirical evidences for the biostimulation products benefiting plant health through coordinating plant and rhizosphere microbiome interaction
Alternative fire performance screening method of cladding system using cone calorimeter
No full textSmall-scale cone calorimeter tests are commonly used to evaluate the flammability properties of building materials used in cladding systems. However, the combined effect of aluminium composite cladding panels (ACPs) and insulations used in cladding systems has rarely been investigated in the field of small-scale fire assessment. This could be due to a lack of device adaptation for testing multi-component materials, as well as difficulties in translating the results to real-world scenarios. In this study, an alternative fire performance screening method based on a cone calorimeter is developed to evaluate the flammability properties of the cladding system. Two types of assemblies were tested to highlight the interaction between panel and insulation in cladding systems: i) layer-by-layer and ii) side-by-side. The results showed that the more flammable insulation accelerated the global combustion kinetics in side-by-side assemblies. The presence of insulation to the back of the cladding panel in layer-by-layer assemblies caused a thermal thickening, which slowed the combustion of the front cladding panel. Finally, acceptance criteria are developed to assess the fire risk of cladding systems
[In Press] How do disadvantaged groups perceive allies? : women's perceptions of men who confront sexism in an egalitarian or paternalistic way
No full textIn this research, we focused on women's perception of men as allies depending on the type of confrontation. We conducted four experimental scenario studies (Study 1 and 2 in a bar setting; Study 3 and 4 in a workplace setting) where a man confronted a sexist comment using either an egalitarian or paternalistic argument. Results showed that women are more likely to perceive egalitarian (vs. paternalistic) confronters as allies (Studies 1–4). This is explained by the fact that they contribute to reducing power asymmetries (decreasing perceived interpersonal power differences: Studies 2 and 4; or increasing women's empowerment: Studies 3 and 4). Furthermore, the egalitarian (vs. paternalistic) confrontation positively impacts interpersonal and intergroup relations, and this is explained by the perception of the confronter as an ally (Studies 1, 2 and 4). We discuss the role of disadvantaged group members’ perception of advantaged group members to disentangle the complexity of alliances
Deep learning-based intelligent post-bushfire detection using UAVs
No full textBushfires across remote areas can easily spread regionally due to extreme weather conditions. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can play a significant role in postdisaster assessment as they have low-cost and flexible deployment characteristics. Detecting bushfires in their initial phase is important to save the inhabitants, infrastructure, and ecosystem. In the context of smart cities, we have applied state-of-the-art deep learning (DL) algorithms to detect and differentiate between fire and no-fire regions. However, certain factors like reachability to forest fires and timely detection of the region of interest (ROI) are quite challenging. Therefore, we incorporate UAVs for capturing the real-time images and process these images into our proposed YOLOv5-s (you only look once-small) model that helps achieve fast and accurate detection of the affected region. We have proposed a lightweight single-stage network with an improved bottleneck cross-stage partial (CSP) module and pyramid attention network (PAN) layers to enhance precise feature extraction and reduce computation time in fire detection. Notably, the HardSwish activation function outperformed ReLU in a specific fire detection scenario. Based on the provided dataset, simulation results demonstrate that the optimized model can effectively detect and differentiate between fire and nonfire regions, which may be challenging to discern with the naked eye. The results indicate that the proposed model surpasses existing models, achieving an accuracy of 97.4%, a low false-positive rate of 1.258%, and nonmaximum suppression (NMS) of 3 ms. Our model can provide real-time applications for fire and rescue relief teams