489 research outputs found
In pursuit of happiness : Creation of an academic hospitalist wellness committee and well-being survey
Physician burnout poses a critical threat to the delivery of healthcare. A solution to this problem is a leadership imperative. Managing demands on physicians can prevent burnout and foster engagement. This study assesses stress and burnout within an academic hospitalist group and identifies areas to focus interventions on both personal and systemic levels.Includes bibliographical reference
Neutrino mass and low-scale leptogenesis in a testable SUSY SO(10) model
It is shown that a supersymmetric SO(10) model extended with fermion singlets
can accommodate the observed neutrino masses and mixings as well as generate
the desired lepton asymmetry in concordance with the gravitino constraint. A
necessary prediction of the model is near-TeV scale doubly-charged Higgs
scalars which should be detectable at the LHC.Comment: Latex, 7 pages, 2 figures, minor clarifications added, to appear in
Physics Letters
Interplay between Topological States and Rashba States as Manifested on Surface Steps at Room Temperature
The unique spin texture of quantum states in topological materials underpins
many proposed spintronic applications. However, realizations of such great
potential are stymied by perturbations, such as temperature and local fields
imposed by impurities and defects, that can render a promising quantum state
uncontrollable. Here, we report room-temperature observation of interaction
between Rashba states and topological surface states, which manifests unique
spin textures controllable by layer thickness of thin films. Specifically, we
combine scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy with the first-principles
theoretical calculation to find the robust Rashba states coexisting with
topological surface states along the surface steps with characteristic spin
textures in momentum space. The Rashba edge states can be switched off by
reducing the thickness of a topological insulator Bi2Se3 to bolster their
interaction with the hybridized topological surface states. The study unveils a
manipulating mechanism of the spin textures at room temperature, reinforcing
the necessity of thin film technology in controlling quantum states
Risk and protective factors of depression in the general population during the COVID-19 epidemic in Korea
Background: The risk of depression has risen in the general population during the COVID-19 epidemic. This study was conducted to explore risk and protective factors associated with depression among the general population uninfected by COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,500 representative South Korean citizens aged 19–65 years through an anonymous online survey. Depression was defined as a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score of 10 or higher. Other questionnaires included one measuring psycho-behavioural and social changes, and stress, due to COVID-19, a six-item version of the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6), and a three-item version of the UCLA loneliness scale. Results: Of the 1492 participants not infected by COVID-19, 312 (20.9%) exhibited depression. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that depression was positively associated with COVID-19-related stress and psycho-behavioural variables such as disturbances in eating and sleeping, younger age, smoking, underlying mental illness, and loneliness scale scores. In contrast, exercise three or more times per week and GQ-6 scale scores were inversely associated with depression. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining daily routines including eating, sleeping, and regular exercise and focusing on gratitude may be important for the prevention of depression. In addition, more attention should be paid to vulnerable populations, including young people, those with mental illnesses, and smokers, who might be more susceptible to depression
Heart Rate Variability and Urinary Catecholamines from Job Stress in Korean Male Manufacturing Workers According to Work Seniority
The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between job stress and indicators of autonomic nervous system activity in employees of the manufacturing industry. A total of 140 employees from a company that manufactures consumer goods (i.e., diapers and paper towels) were recruited for participation in this study. Job stress was assessed using Karasek`s Job Content Questionnaire. Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured using a heart rate monitor, and urinary catecholamines were measured by an HPLC-ECD. Information on demographic characteristics, previous job history, smoking status and alcohol consumption was also collected. Job stress did not have a significant effect on HRV or catecholamines. However, low-frequency HRV was significantly higher in the high-strain group of subjects with a short duration of employment. Low- and high-frequency HRV were higher in the high-strain group than in the low-strain group, but these differences were not statistically significant. The results of the present study indicate that low-frequency HRV was significantly higher in the high-strain group of subjects with a short duration of employment. In addition, the results of this study show that HRV can be used as a potential physiologic indicator of job stress in employees with a short duration of employment.Schubert C, 2009, BIOL PSYCHOL, V80, P325, DOI 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2008.11.005Mitoma M, 2008, PROG NEURO-PSYCHOPH, V32, P679, DOI 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2007.11.011Burr RL, 2007, SLEEP, V30, P913Collins SM, 2005, AM J IND MED, V48, P182, DOI 10.1002/ajim.20204Kang MG, 2004, YONSEI MED J, V45, P838Sztajzel J, 2004, SWISS MED WKLY, V134, P514Towa S, 2004, EXP ANIM TOKYO, V53, P137, DOI 10.1538/expanim.53.137Bunker SJ, 2003, MED J AUSTRALIA, V178, P272Peter R, 2002, J EPIDEMIOL COMMUN H, V56, P294VANGELOVA K, 2002, CENT EUR J PUBL HEAL, V10, P149HA M, 2001, STANDARDIZATION DEVvan Amelsvoort LGPM, 2000, INT ARCH OCC ENV HEA, V73, P255Goldstein IB, 1999, PSYCHOSOM MED, V61, P387PIERCECCHIMARTI MD, 1999, MED LAW, V18, P125Sluiter JK, 1998, OCCUP ENVIRON MED, V55, P407KARASEK R, 1998, J OCCUP HEALTH PSYCH, V3, P322ROVERE MTL, 1998, LANCET, V351, P478Sloan RP, 1996, PSYCHOSOM MED, V58, P25VANDERBEEK AJ, 1995, OCCUP ENVIRON MED, V52, P464HUIKURI HV, 1993, CIRCULATION, V87, P1220PAGANI M, 1991, J AUTONOM NERV SYST, V35, P33PAGANI M, 1991, CIRCULATION, V83, P1143PEASTON RT, 1988, J CHROMATOGR-BIOMED, V424, P263
A More Appropriate Cardiac Troponin T Level That Can Predict Outcomes in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome
Purpose: Cardiac troponin T (cTnT), a useful marker for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the general population, is significantly higher than the usual cut-off value in many end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients without clinically apparent evidence of AMI. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of cTnT in ESRD patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
Materials and methods: Two hundred eighty-four ESRD patients with ACS were enrolled between March 2002 and February 2008. These patients were followed until death or June 2009. Medical records were reviewed retrospectively. The cut-off value of cTnT for AMI was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. We calculated Kaplan-Meier survival curves, and potential outcome predictors were determined by Cox proportional hazard analysis.
Results: AMIs were diagnosed in 40 patients (14.1%). The area under the curve was 0.98 in the ROC curve (p<0.001; 95% CI, 0.95-1.00). The summation of sensitivity and specificity was highest at the initial cTnT value of 0.35 ng/mL (sensitivity, 0.95; specificity, 0.97). Survival analysis showed a statistically significant difference in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities for the group with an initial cTnT ≥0.35 ng/mL compared to the other groups. Initial serum cTnT concentration was an independent predictor for mortality.
Conclusion: Because ESRD patients with an initial cTnT concentration ≥0.35 ng/mL have a poor prognosis, it is suggested that urgent diagnosis and treatment be indicated in dialysis patients with ACS when the initial cTnT levels are ≥0.35 ng/mL.ope
Universal sublinear resistivity in vanadium kagome materials hosting charge density waves
The recent discovery of a charge density (CDW) state in ScVSn at
= 91 K offers new opportunities to understand the origins of
electronic instabilities in topological kagome systems. By comparing to the
isostructural non-CDW compound LuVSn, we unravel interesting electrical
transport properties in ScVSn, above and below the charge ordering
temperature. We observed that by applying a magnetic field along the axis,
the temperature behavior of the longitudinal resistivity in ScVSn
changes from metal-like to insulator-like above the CDW transition. We show
that in the charge ordered state ScVSn follows the Fermi liquid
behavior while above that, it transforms into a non-Fermi liquid phase in which
the resistivity varies sublinearly over a broad temperature range. The
sublinear resistivity, which scales by is a common feature among
other vanadium-containing kagome compounds exhibiting CDW states such as
KVSb, RbVSb, and CsVSb. By contrast, the non-Fermi
liquid behavior does not occur in LuVSn. We explain the
universal scaling behavior from the Coulomb scattering between Dirac electrons
and Van Hove singularities; common features in the electronic structure of
kagome materials. Finally, we show anomalous Hall-like behavior in
ScVSn below , which is absent in the Lu compound.
Comparing the transport properties of ScVSn and LuVSn is
valuable to highlight the impacts of the unusual CDW in the Sc compound.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures. Power law behavior of resistivity as a function
temperature is modified and theoretical explanation is added in the second
versio
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