Planning in Global chemical supply chains with regulatory factors

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

The Jeju Weasel, Mustela sibilica quelpartis, A New Definitive Host for Gnathostoma nipponicum Yamaguti, 1941

Adult gnathostomes were discovered in the stomach of the Jeju weasel, Mustela sibilica quelpartis, road-killed in Jeju-do (Province). Their morphological characters were examined to identify the species. Total 50 gnathostome adults were collected from 6 out of 10 weasels examined. In infected weasels, 4-6 worms were grouped and embedded in each granulomatous gastric tumor, except 1 weasel. Male worms were 25.0×1.4 mm in average size, and had a tail with pedunculate papillae, a spicule, and minute tegumental spines. Females were 40.0×2.5 mm in average size, and had a tail without tegumental spines. Pointed and posteriorly curved hooklets were arranged in 8-10 rows on the head bulb. Tegumental spines were distributed from behind the head bulb to the middle portion of the body. The spines were different in size and shape by the distribution level of the body surface. Fertilized eggs were 65.5×38.9 µm in average size, and had a mucoid plug at 1 pole. These gnathostomes from Jeju weasels were identified as Gnathostoma nipponicum Yamaguti, 1941. By the present study, it was confirmed for the first time that G. nipponicum is distributed in Jeju-do, the Republic of Korea, and the Jeju weasel, M. sibilica quelpartis, plays a crucial role for its definitive host

Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translated into practice. To overcome this bottleneck, we have established the RElevant LIterature SearcH consortium consisting of more than 1500 scientists from 84 countries, who have collectively annotated the relevance of over 180 000 PubMed-listed articles with regard to their respective seed (input) article/s. The majority of annotations were contributed by highly experienced, original authors of the seed articles. The collected data cover 76% of all unique PubMed Medical Subject Headings descriptors. No systematic biases were observed across different experience levels, research fields or time spent on annotations. More importantly, annotations of the same document pairs contributed by different scientists were highly concordant. We further show that the three representative baseline methods used to generate recommended articles for evaluation (Okapi Best Matching 25, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency and PubMed Related Articles) had similar overall performances. Additionally, we found that these methods each tend to produce distinct collections of recommended articles, suggesting that a hybrid method may be required to completely capture all relevant articles. The established database server located at https://relishdb.ict.griffith.edu.au is freely available for the downloading of annotation data and the blind testing of new methods. We expect that this benchmark will be useful for stimulating the development of new powerful techniques for title and title/abstract-based search engines for relevant articles in biomedical research.Peer reviewe

ECONOMIC LOT SCHEDULING PROBLEM WITH SEQUENCE DEPENDENT SETUPS AND FIXED PLANNING HORIZON

Master'sMASTER OF ENGINEERIN

Developing and Evaluating An Automated Bed Assignment Algorithm in A Tertiary Hospital: A case study in Singapore

Objectives: The primary aim of this quality improvement project was to develop, implement and evaluate an automated bed assignment algorithm (ABAA) which can offer objective and consistent bed assignment recommendations that comply with the unique operational constraints and prioritization rules of a tertiary hospital in Singapore. Methods: Using the classical process improvement framework of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA), the quality circle workgroup first developed and tested the ABAA prototype to confirm its feasibility and reliability to meet all hospital operational constraints and prioritization rules. PDSA framework was then also employed in the user interface design and integration of ABAA into existing system setup. The staff satisfaction level of the ABAA was subsequently assessed via an anonymized online survey. Results: In the prototype development phase, the workgroup was able to conclude after nine rounds of review meetings that the ABAA prototype was able to perform bed assignments like hospital staff using data in 64 operational scenarios. Among the 10 eligible staff who completed the online survey, up to 90% of them reported that ABAA was able to generate bed assignment recommendations which met the hospital operational requirements. 90% of these staff also reported that ABAA was easy to use and navigate, while all respondents reported using ABAA before attempting to assign beds manually. 80% of staff felt ABAA was able to reduce human error, while 50% of staff felt ABAA had reduced their time taken for bed assignments by 30 minutes to 2 hours per shift. Conclusions: Evidently, the user-centric design of ABAA has enabled its high adoption and acceptance rate among staff. Overall, it has allowed the staff to make faster, consistent and objective bed assignment decisions which complied with hospital operational constraints and prioritization rules so that newly admitted patients received the most appropriate care at their point of admission

Biopsychosocial factors associated with prurigo nodularis in endogenous eczema

Background: Prurigo nodularis is a dermatological manifestation secondary to chronic scratching or picking on focal areas of the skin. Its pathogenesis remains poorly understood, and limited data has indicated its association with psychological factors. Aim: To determine the biological, psychological and social factors associated with the occurrence of prurigo nodularis in patients with underlying endogenous eczema. Methods: A prospective case-control questionnaire -based study on patients with endogenous eczema, with and without prurigo nodules, was performed. The Impact of Skin Disease on Daily Life questionnaire was used to assess dimensions of physical functioning, including extent and severity of skin disease, itch, pain, fatigue and scratching, as well as dimensions of psychological and social functioning, including mood, illness cognition, disease-related impact, stigmatization and social support. Results: Thirty-six cases and 47 controls were recruited. Patients with endogenous eczema and prurigo nodules indicated a higher itch score on the visual analog scale over the previous 4 weeks compared to those without prurigo nodules (p=0.0292). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in the scores reflecting the other parameters of physical, psychological and social functioning. Conclusion: In patients with endogenous eczema, those with prurigo nodules experience a greater itch intensity compared to those without prurigo nodules. There were no other physical, psychological and social factors that were found to be associated with the occurrence of prurigo nodules in endogenous eczema

Psychological stressors and needs among essential workers at a Singapore hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Hospital workers have borne a large burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, exposed to risks of infection, while enduring elevated workloads, increased workplace stress, prolonged hours in uncomfortable working conditions, and public stigmatisation. Objectives In this cross-sectional study, we examined the psychological stressors of COVID-19 on hospital essential services workers and their needs at a tertiary hospital in Singapore. Methods: We conducted a study of 246 outsourced essential workers comprising housekeeping, maintenance staff, and porting staff. Psychological distress was measured by the Kessler-6 scale. We also surveyed respondents through a questionnaire on the main concerns that worried them, supportive resources available, and additional resources that would most help them. Results Among the survey respondents, concerns related to employment, finances, accommodation, transportation, and likelihood of receiving medical attention for COVID-19 were significantly associated with moderate to severe psychological distress ( p <0.05). Stress from isolation and fear of COVID-19 infection constituted the greatest psychosocial burdens. Respondents felt that main supportive resources came from their employers and social circles. They also listed enhanced individual ability to cope, and additional financial aid from their employers and the government would help them the most. Conclusions Financial and accommodation-related stressors reflect structural factors that exacerbated the psychosocial burdens faced by non-medical hospital workers. Most respondents tended to individualise their coping strategies, which point towards the need for stronger social protections and mental health provisions for hospital essential services workers

Clinical characteristics and satisfaction with the fimasartan in Korean hypertensive patients: a prospective, cross-sectional and open-label, 8-week switching study (Kanarb-hypertension epidemiology medication satisfaction study; K-HEMS study)

Abstract Background Fimasartan (Kanarb; Boryung Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea) is a non-protein angiotensin II receptor blocker that selectively blocks the AT1 receptor. No prior large-scale study has investigated the impact of demographics, disease, treatment, and clinical characteristics on medication satisfaction and quality of life in Korean hypertensive patients. Additionally, it is unclear whether increased medication compliance affects the achievement of hypertension treatment objectives. Methods This was a multicenter, non-interventional, open-label and 8-week switching study. This study was divided into 2 steps. STEP I was a cross-sectional study composed entirely of hypertensive patients undergoing treatment and STEP II was a prospective observational study of hypertensive patients switching to fimasartan. A total of 12,244 and 2023 patients were analyzed in the STEP I and STEP II groups, respectively. In STEP I, we investigated demographics, clinical, disease, and treatment characteristics at the registration point and then analyzed medication satisfaction, patient compliance, and quality of life. In STEP II, the patients who switched to fimasartan were followed up for 8 weeks, and the data analyzed included changes in medication effects, satisfaction, compliance, and adverse events. Results Some baseline characteristics, such as sex, body mass index, region of residence, educational level, and income level, affected the quality of life and medication duration in hypertensive patients. At 4 and 8 weeks, 62.5 and 69.9% of patients, respectively, reached their target blood pressure. The medication satisfaction scores were increased 4.0 ± 1.2, 5.1 ± 1.1, and 5.4 ± 1.0 at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Most patients (76.4%) who changed from prior antihypertensive drug to fimasartan were not satisfied with conventional antihypertensive drugs (e.g., lack of efficacy). Among 2183 patients, 234 adverse events occurred in 151 (6.9%) and 50 adverse drug reactions occurred in 39 (1.8%). Conclusion The demographic, clinical, disease, and treatment characteristics of hypertensive patients were investigated in this study. After switching to fimasartan, blood pressure was significantly decreased and patient satisfaction was improved. Fimasartan treatment was well tolerated and safe in hypertensive patients in Korea. Trial registration. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: (NCT02394392)

Association between proximity to COVID-19 and the quality of life of healthcare workers.

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects almost all countries in the world and it impacts every aspect of people's life-physically, mentally, and socio-economically. There are several research studies examining the impact of this pandemic on health, however, very few studies examining the impact of this pandemic on quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the association between proximity to the COVID-19 and quality of life of healthcare workers and identify factors influencing quality of life.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among hospital staff in a tertiary hospital in Singapore. Data on demographic, medical history, lifestyle factors, psychosocial factors, and quality of life were collected using online self-administered questionnaire. Quality of life (QoL) was measured by the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Robust linear regression was used to determine factors associated with quality of life.ResultsA total of 1911 participants were included in the analysis. The average age of participants was 38.25 (SD = 11.28) years old. 26.90% of participants had been quarantined, hospitalised, being suspected or diagnosed of having COVID-19 infection and they were found to have the lowest levels of QoL across all four domains (physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains). Participants who were singles or nurses, worked in shifts or worked longer hours, had chronic diseases were likely to have lower QoL scores compared to participants in other categories. Healthy lifestyle, social connectivity, resilience, social and workplace support were associated with higher QoL scores.ConclusionsIn planning of measures which aim to improve QoL of healthcare workers, priority should be given to individuals who have been quarantined, hospitalised, being suspected, or diagnosed of having COVID-19 infection. In addition to the proximity of the COVID, lifestyle and psychosocial factors contribute to QoL of healthcare workers. Hence, multifaceted interventions are needed to improve QoL of healthcare workers