Profiling Metacognition in Binge Eating Disorder

© 2020, The Author(s). Research has shown that metacognition may play a role in problem eating. In this study we explored whether aspects of metacognition are relevant to the understanding of binge eating in patients with Binge Eating Disorder. We aimed to ascertain: (1) the presence of metacognitive beliefs about binge eating; (2) the goal of, and stop signal for, binge eating; and (3) the impact of binge eating on self-consciousness. Ten Binge Eating Disorder patients took part in the study and were assessed using the metacognitive profiling semi-structured interview. Results suggested that all patients endorsed both positive and negative metacognitive beliefs about binge eating. The goals of binge eating were stop thinking about personal concerns and improve emotional state. All patients reported that they did not know when these goals had been reached. The stop signals for binge eating included physical discomfort, beliefs about binge eating not being the best way to solve problems, and environmental stimuli. All patients also confirmed that a reduction in self-consciousness occurred during a binge eating episode. The results of this study confirm that metacognition may indeed be relevant to the understanding of Binge Eating Disorder

Methodologies for determining staffing needs in healthcare: systematic literature review

The determination of staffing needs in healthcare is not just calculating the optimal number of professionals but is defining how the professional contingent accompanies the development of the healthcare organisation and of the population’s care needs. This research investigates the existence of a gold standard for determining health personnel requirements. We perform a systematic literature review to explore several approaches worldwide, examining a wide range of contextual variables, useful for the definition of an omni-comprehensive approach. A total of 557 articles was initially detected, then reduced to 57 after excluding everything not related to healthcare context and staff planning models. Results do not reveal a recognized standard for determining staffing needs. Approaches to the definition of staffing standards are mainly ex-ante (31%), based on the characteristics of specific models and organisational needs, or ex-post (62%), based on production analysis and historical trends. Most of these refer to the medical and nursing category (68.4%), while the minority proposes a multi-professional approach (17.5%). This review highlights innovative approaches based on algorithms which, starting from historical data, are adjusted by moderating key variables such as contextual factors, healthcare organisation models and professional attributes. The review suggests: 1. Develop and share a unique tool for defining standards based on several variables that identify the characteristics of the context 2. Use up-to-date information flows and quality data 3. Consider a multi-professional approach 4. Adopt a long-term vision and continuous dialogue with the training process It is clear the need to develop a tool for the definition of personnel requirements in line with internal and external changes in the health system. Therefore, such models need to account for an adequate number of variables, useful to identify the characteristics of the overall context. Key messages: The development of staffing needs estimates must necessarily rely on a certain level of standardisation, but at the same time must take into account the variability characterising different contexts. In order to respond to recent demographic and epidemiological trends, it is crucial to include in the model skill mix and task shifting strategies involving health professionals as a whole

Design optimization of a contact-aided continuum robot for endobronchial interventions based on anatomical constraints

PURPOSE: A laser-profiled continuum robot (CR) with a series of interlocking joints has been developed in our center to reach deeper areas of the airways. However, it deflects with constant curvature, which thus increases the difficulty of entering specific bronchi without relying on the tissue reaction forces. This paper aims to propose an optimization framework to find the best design parameters for nonconstant curvature CRs to reach distal targets while attempting to avoid the collision with the surrounding tissue. METHODS: First, the contact-aided compliant mechanisms (CCMs) are integrated with the continuum robot to achieve the nonconstant curvature. Second, forward kinematics considering CCMs is built. Third, inverse kinematics is implemented to steer the robot tip toward the desired targets within the confined anatomy. Finally, an optimization framework is proposed to find the best robot design to reach the target with the least collision to the bronchi walls. RESULTS: Experiments are carried out to verify the feasibility of CCMs to enable the nonconstant curvature deflection, and simulations demonstrate a lower cost function value to reach a target for the nonconstant curvature optimized design with respect to the standard constant curvature robot (0.11 vs. 2.66). In addition, the higher capacity of the optimized design to complete the task is validated by interventional experiments using fluoroscopy. CONCLUSION: Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework to find an optimized CR with nonconstant curvature to perform safer interventions to reach distal targets

Investigation of Air Pollution Impact on Kinta River Water Quality at a Tropical Region

Critical air quality levels lead to an unhealthy environment which disrupts physical activities and human health. Wet deposition of air pollutants might cause a high concentration of water pollution due to rain water washout of nitrate and particulate matter (PM). This study aimed to investigate the impacts of air pollutants deposition on river water quality in Malaysia. The methodology involved in the analysis of secondary data (January to December 2013) for air quality and river water quality using factor, correlation, and regression. Parameters of air quality were PM10, Nitrate (NO3), ozone (O3) and temperature while water quality data were turbidity, Nitrate and PM10 (Ca, As, Hg, Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, Cl, Fe, K, Mg, Na). The results show that there were positive correlations between air quality indicators and Kinta river water quality parameters. Correlation matrix shows that in terms of turbidity, air and water data were having 96% similarities. Regarding Nitrate concentrations, air and water records had only 30% of correlation matrix, which can be due to other sources of Nitrate which was agriculture activities near Kinta River. The factor analysis results showed that PM was the main contributor to river water quality particles with 94%. © 2020 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Deciphering Electron Interplay at the Fullerene/Sputtered TiOxInterface: A Barrier-Free Electron Extraction for Organic Solar Cells

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) technology now offers power conversion efficiency (PCE) of over 18% and is one of the main emerging photovoltaic technologies. In such devices, titanium dioxide (TiOx) has been vastly used as an electron extraction layer, typically showing unwanted charge-extraction barriers and the need for light-soaking. In the present work, using advanced photoemission spectroscopies, we investigate the electronic interplay at the interface between low-temperature-sputtered TiOx and C70 acceptor fullerene molecules. We show that defect states in the band gap of TiOx are quenched by C70 while an interfacial state appears. This new interfacial state is expected to support the favorable energy band alignment observed, showing a perfect match of transport levels, and thus barrier-free extraction of charges, making low-temperature-sputtered TiOx a good candidate for the next generation of organic solar cells

A family of complex potentials with real spectrum

We consider a two-parameter non hermitean quantum-mechanical hamiltonian that is invariant under the combined effects of parity and time reversal transformation. Numerical investigation shows that for some values of the potential parameters the hamiltonian operator supports real eigenvalues and localized eigenfunctions. In contrast with other PT symmetric models, which require special integration paths in the complex plane, our model is integrable along a line parallel to the real axis.Comment: Six figures and four table

The kinematics in the pc-scale jets of AGN The case of S5 1803+784

We present a kinematic analysis of jet component motion in the VLBI jet of the BL Lac object S5 1803+784, which does not reveal long-term outward motion for most of the components. Understanding the complex kinematic phenomena can possibly provide insights into the differences between quasars and BL Lac objects. The blazar S5 1803+784 has been studied with VLBI at $\nu$ =1.6, 2.3, 5, 8.4, and 15 GHz between 1993.88 and 2005.68 in 26 observing runs. We (re)analyzed the data and present Gaussian model-fits. We collected the already published kinematic information for this source from the literature and re-identified the components according to the new scenario presented in this paper. Altogether, 94 epochs of observations have been investigated. A careful study of the long-term kinematics reveals a new picture for component motion in S5 1803+784. In contrast to previously discussed motion scenarios, we find that the jet structure within 12 mas of the core can most easily be described by the coexistence of several bright jet features that remain on the long-term at roughly constant core separations (in addition to the already known {\it stationary} jet component $\sim$ 1.4 mas) and one faint component moving with an apparent superluminal speed ($\sim$ 19c, based on 3 epochs). While most of the components maintain long-term roughly constant distances from the core, we observe significant, smooth changes in their position angles. We report on an evolution of the whole jet ridge line with time over the almost 12 years of observations. The width of the jet changes periodically with a period of $\sim$ 8 to 9 years. We find a correlation between changes in the position angle and maxima in the total flux-density. We present evidence for a geometric origin of the phenomena and discuss possible models.Comment: The manuscript will be published by A&

Trans* and gender variant citizenship and the state in Norway

The last decade has seen the expansion of trans identities that are gender queer, non-binary, androgynous, or multiply-sexed and gendered in Western Europe. These developments mark a shift from a uniformly gender-binaried system to one that encompasses some degree of gender pluralism, as reflected to an extent in policy changes in some European countries. However, gender binarism is still prevalent. This article uses the case of Norway to demonstrate a contrast between the citizenship statuses afforded to transsexual men and women, and the lack of citizenship rights that people with non-binary identities, and other gender-variant people who are not diagnosed as transsexual, face. The article addresses the historical role of the Norwegian state in perpetuating gender binaries, in key areas such as identity recognition. It then explores the ways in which Norwegian social policy is changing towards more trans-sensitive positions

A Reilly formula and eigenvalue estimates for differential forms

We derive a Reilly-type formula for differential p-forms on a compact manifold with boundary and apply it to give a sharp lower bound of the spectrum of the Hodge Laplacian acting on differential forms of an embedded hypersurface of a Riemannian manifold. The equality case of our inequality gives rise to a number of rigidity results, when the geometry of the boundary has special properties and the domain is non-negatively curved. Finally we also obtain, as a by-product of our calculations, an upper bound of the first eigenvalue of the Hodge Laplacian when the ambient manifold supports non-trivial parallel forms.Comment: 22 page