345 research outputs found
Effects of municipal smoke-free ordinances on secondhand smoke exposure in the Republic of Korea
ObjectiveTo reduce premature deaths due to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among non-smokers, the Republic of Korea (ROK) adopted changes to the National Health Promotion Act, which allowed local governments to enact municipal ordinances to strengthen their authority to designate smoke-free areas and levy penalty fines. In this study, we examined national trends in SHS exposure after the introduction of these municipal ordinances at the city level in 2010.MethodsWe used interrupted time series analysis to assess whether the trends of SHS exposure in the workplace and at home, and the primary cigarette smoking rate changed following the policy adjustment in the national legislation in ROK. Population-standardized data for selected variables were retrieved from a nationally representative survey dataset and used to study the policy action’s effectiveness.ResultsFollowing the change in the legislation, SHS exposure in the workplace reversed course from an increasing (18% per year) trend prior to the introduction of these smoke-free ordinances to a decreasing (−10% per year) trend after adoption and enforcement of these laws (β2 = 0.18, p-value = 0.07; β3 = −0.10, p-value = 0.02). SHS exposure at home (β2 = 0.10, p-value = 0.09; β3 = −0.03, p-value = 0.14) and the primary cigarette smoking rate (β2 = 0.03, p-value = 0.10; β3 = 0.008, p-value = 0.15) showed no significant changes in the sampled period. Although analyses stratified by sex showed that the allowance of municipal ordinances resulted in reduced SHS exposure in the workplace for both males and females, they did not affect the primary cigarette smoking rate as much, especially among females.ConclusionStrengthening the role of local governments by giving them the authority to enact and enforce penalties on SHS exposure violation helped ROK to reduce SHS exposure in the workplace. However, smoking behaviors and related activities seemed to shift to less restrictive areas such as on the streets and in apartment hallways, negating some of the effects due to these ordinances. Future studies should investigate how smoke-free policies beyond public places can further reduce the SHS exposure in ROK
Global exponential periodicity of nonlinear neural networks with multiple time-varying delays
Global exponential periodicity of nonlinear neural networks with multiple time-varying delays is investigated. Such neural networks cannot be written in the vector-matrix form because of the existence of the multiple delays. It is noted that although the neural network with multiple time-varying delays has been investigated by Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional method in the literature, the sufficient conditions in the linear matrix inequality form have not been obtained. Two sets of sufficient conditions in the linear matrix inequality form are established by Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and linear matrix inequality to ensure that two arbitrary solutions of the neural network with multiple delays attract each other exponentially. This is a key prerequisite to prove the existence, uniqueness, and global exponential stability of periodic solutions. Some examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the established results. We compare the established theoretical results with the previous results and show that the previous results are not applicable to the systems in these examples
Outcome Measurement in Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder
Outcome measurement in Functional Neurological Symptom Disorders (FNSDs) is particularly complex. Pressing questions include what kind of measure is more accurate or meaningful, or how to achieve standardisation in a clinically heterogenous group where subjective and objective observations of the same construct may deviate. This project aimed to build on the limited knowledge of measuring outcomes in FNSDs and attempts to address one of its inherent complexities; where clinical aspects of the disorder confound the usual prioritisation of "objective" over "subjective" (or patient-rated) measures. This PhD comprised a literature review and three research studies, each using different measures to assess the current status and (potential) outcomes in FNSD patients.
A narrative description of systematically identified literature on stress, distress, and arousal measures in FNSD presents an overarching profile of the relationships between subjective and objective study measures. Eighteen studies (12 functional seizures, six other FNSD) capturing 396 FNSD patients were included. Eleven reported no correlation between subjective and objective measures. Only four studies reported significant correlations (r's=-0.74-0.59, p's <0.05). The small number of studies and diverse methodologies limit the conclusions of this review. However, the review's findings underscore the importance of validating outcome measures in patients with FNSD, carefully selecting the most appropriate measures for the research objectives, and possibly combining different measures optimally to triangulate a patient's current state, level of functioning or disability.
Study One used factor analysis and Rasch modelling to investigate the psychometric properties of a novel FNSD-specific resource-based measure developed as an outcome measure for psychological therapies (The sElf-efficacy, assertiveness, Social support, self-awareness and helpful thinking (EASE) questionnaire). A 4-factor model identified self-efficacy (SE), self-awareness/assertiveness (SA), social support (SS) and interpersonal illness burden (IIB) as relevant domains. Each latent scale fits the Rasch model after refinement of the category responses and removing two items. With further improvement, the EASE-F has the potential to reliably measure self-reported SE, SA, SS, and IIB constructs which were found to be meaningful to patients with FNSD. This can identify patients with strengths and deficits in these constructs, allowing therapists to individualise interventions. Recommendations for refinement of future instrument versions, using the measure in clinical practice, and research in FNSDs are discussed.
Study Two sought to understand the urgent and emergency care (UEC) service usage patterns among FNSD patients. Retrospective FNSD patient data from 2013 to 2016 UEC records (including NHS 111 calls, ambulance services, A&E visits, and acute admissions) were used to compare FNSD UEC usage rates with those of the general population and to model rates before and after psychotherapy. FNSD patients displayed 23 to 60 times higher UEC usage than the general population. Emergency service usage rates showed a significant reduction in level (rate level change = -0.90--0.70, p's <0.05) immediately after psychotherapy. While this study was uncontrolled, and a causal relationship between psychotherapy and reduced UEC service use cannot be proven by its design, the decrease in pre-treatment service usage among FNSD patients mirrors treatment-related improvements in health status and functioning previously documented using self-reported outcome measures. Further research is warranted to elucidate features of emergency care service use by patients with FNSD, assess interventions' cost-effectiveness, and help to optimise limited health care resource allocation.
Study Three utilised a delay discounting and emotional bias task to assess if these measures could indicate the health state of FNSD patients and to compare findings in patients with those in healthy controls. This online-based study collected data on cognitive-affective functioning, decision-making and, indirectly, emotion regulation, alongside self-reported health data and indicators of mood while completing the tasks. Delay discounting (DD) was steeper in patients with FNSD, indicating a preference for less subjectively valuable immediate rewards. Patients displayed priming and interference effects for angry and happy facial expressions, which differed from the interference effects observed in healthy controls [F(1,76) = 3.5, p = 0.037, η2p = 0.084]. Modest associations (r's =0.26-0.33, p's <0.05) were found between the DD estimates and self-reported generalised anxiety, but not current feelings of anxiety in FNSD. There were no correlations with indices for negative affective priming or interference. These measures did not show predictive ability for self-reported difficulty regulating emotions, anxiety, depression or coping in FNSD. However, the fact that the DD task and self-reported constructs failed to correlate does not invalidate this objective test. The findings underscore the importance of using a combined approach to outcome measurement.
This project highlights the importance of a more comprehensive understanding of outcomes and measures that capture clinically valid and meaningful health information. Given that subjective and objective measures capture different aspects of health state or function, a combination of measurement approaches will likely produce the most comprehensive understanding of patients' current state or treatment outcome. Because of the attentional, emotional, and perceptual alterations implicated in FNSD and the variable external representations of these, the difference between objective and subjective measures represents an interesting observation in its own right. The size of the discrepancy between subjective and objective measures may provide additional valuable insights into the underlying pathology. Nonetheless, there is still a need for standardisation and consistency in FNSD outcome measurement and reporting. Several important factors, such as the timeframe of measures, the influence of confounding factors, and the variety of presentation of any aspect of the disorder (e.g., physiological, cognitive, social, or behavioural presentations of arousal/stress), will need to be considered when designing and interpreting measurements for research or clinical analysis of the patient group
Complexity Science in Human Change
This reprint encompasses fourteen contributions that offer avenues towards a better understanding of complex systems in human behavior. The phenomena studied here are generally pattern formation processes that originate in social interaction and psychotherapy. Several accounts are also given of the coordination in body movements and in physiological, neuronal and linguistic processes. A common denominator of such pattern formation is that complexity and entropy of the respective systems become reduced spontaneously, which is the hallmark of self-organization. The various methodological approaches of how to model such processes are presented in some detail. Results from the various methods are systematically compared and discussed. Among these approaches are algorithms for the quantification of synchrony by cross-correlational statistics, surrogate control procedures, recurrence mapping and network models.This volume offers an informative and sophisticated resource for scholars of human change, and as well for students at advanced levels, from graduate to post-doctoral. The reprint is multidisciplinary in nature, binding together the fields of medicine, psychology, physics, and neuroscience
Proceedings of the 8th Workshop on Detection and Classification of Acoustic Scenes and Events (DCASE 2023)
This volume gathers the papers presented at the Detection and Classification of Acoustic Scenes and Events 2023 Workshop (DCASE2023), Tampere, Finland, during 21–22 September 2023
Nonlinear Systems
Open Mathematics is a challenging notion for theoretical modeling, technical analysis, and numerical simulation in physics and mathematics, as well as in many other fields, as highly correlated nonlinear phenomena, evolving over a large range of time scales and length scales, control the underlying systems and processes in their spatiotemporal evolution. Indeed, available data, be they physical, biological, or financial, and technologically complex systems and stochastic systems, such as mechanical or electronic devices, can be managed from the same conceptual approach, both analytically and through computer simulation, using effective nonlinear dynamics methods. The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight papers that show the dynamics, control, optimization and applications of nonlinear systems. This has recently become an increasingly popular subject, with impressive growth concerning applications in engineering, economics, biology, and medicine, and can be considered a veritable contribution to the literature. Original papers relating to the objective presented above are especially welcome subjects. Potential topics include, but are not limited to: Stability analysis of discrete and continuous dynamical systems; Nonlinear dynamics in biological complex systems; Stability and stabilization of stochastic systems; Mathematical models in statistics and probability; Synchronization of oscillators and chaotic systems; Optimization methods of complex systems; Reliability modeling and system optimization; Computation and control over networked systems
- …