A Modified Delphi Methodology to Conduct an Failure Modes Effects Analysis: a Patient-centric Effort in a Clinical Medical Laboratory

This paper describes the use of an information gathering tool, the Delphi technique, to overcome issues encountered when conducting a Failure Modes Effects Analysis (FMEA) as part of a Define, Measure, Analyze, Implement, Control (DMAIC) study to improve the processes of a clinical medical laboratory. The study was conducted with the goals of reducing medical errors in the Total Testing Process (TTP) in order to improve patient safety, patient satisfaction, and improve the overall quality of the healthcare services provided by the subject hospital while meeting its Joint Commission (JC) accreditation requirements. The study found that the Delphi technique was very useful in overcoming four barriers encountered in conducting an FMEA in a hospital’s clinical medical laboratory and in achieving those goals

Subthreshold PTSD and Associated Psycholgical Distress in Trauma Exposed Male and Female Veterans

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) represents the upper end of a stress-response continuum to traumatic events, rather than a discrete pathological syndrome (Ruscio, et al., 2002). Individuals with PTSD report higher levels of anxiety, depression, anger, aggression, and adjustment difficulties compared to non-traumatized individuals (Ginzburg, Ein-Dor, & Soloman, 2009; Thompson et al, 2011; Novaco and Chemtob, 2002; Kotler et al, 2001; Orth & Wieland, 2006). Subthreshold PTSD represents a less severe range on the stress-response continuum and these individuals may experience similar rates of symptoms of anger, aggression, and depression as those with full-PTSD (Jakupcak, et al., 2007; Mylle & Maes, 2004). Consequently, individuals with subthreshold PTSD are often overlooked in research studies, despite significant clinical factors associated with it that may affect overall functioning and recovery from trauma exposure. Additionally, men and women with PTSD report differing levels of aggressive and depressive symptoms than non-trauma exposed individuals. To help explain these findings, emotion regulation has been suggested to underpin the expression of these associated emotions and behaviors in trauma-exposed individuals, including anxiety, aggression, anger, and depression (Crevier et al., 2014). Using a cross-sectional study design, the present study measured for possible difference in traumatic stress symptom severity groups (i.e. full-PTDS, subthreshold PTSD and no-PTDS) on self-report measures of anger, aggression, and depression in military veterans. This study supported other research studies indicating differences in the relationship between traumatic stress symptom severity and symptoms of anger, aggression, in depression in military service members. Contrary to research hypotheses, no gender differences were found in the associations between trauma severity and levels of anger, aggressive behaviors, and depression in military service members. Additionally, emotion regulation was not found to moderate the relationship between trauma severity and levels of aggression and depression in military service members. This study supports existing research by measuring the association between types of trauma severity and associated symptoms of distress, supporting additional treatment services for those individuals with subthreshold PTSD. This study contributes to existing PTSD research regarding gender differences in traumatic stress response groups, especially for subthreshold PTSD population. This study also expands on PTSD research by regarding the possible effects of emotion dysregulation on symptoms of aggression, and depression on trauma severity in veterans

Virtual environment architecture for rapid application development

We describe the MITRE Virtual Environment Architecture (VEA), a product of nearly two years of investigations and prototypes of virtual environment technology. This paper discusses the requirements for rapid prototyping, and an architecture we are developing to support virtual environment construction. VEA supports rapid application development by providing a variety of pre-built modules that can be reconfigured for each application session. The modules supply interfaces for several types of interactive I/O devices, in addition to large-screen or head-mounted displays

Nanotransfer Printing of Organic and Carbon Nanotube Thin-Film Transistors on Plastic Substrates

A printing process for high-resolution transfer of all components for organic electronic devices on plastic substrates has been developed and demonstrated for pentacene (Pn), poly (3-hexylthiophene) and carbon nanotube (CNT) thin-film transistors (TFTs). The nanotransfer printing process allows fabrication of an entire device without exposing any component to incompatible processes and with reduced need for special chemical preparation of transfer or device substrates. Devices on plastic substrates include a Pn TFT with a saturation, field-effect mobility of 0.09 cm^2 (Vs)^-1 and on/off ratio approximately 10^4 and a CNT TFT which exhibits ambipolar behavior and no hysteresis.Comment: to appear in Applied Physics Letter