Supporting Inclusive Design of Mobile Devices with a Context Model

The aim of inclusive product design is to successfully integrate a broad range of diverse human factors in the product development process with the intention of making products accessible to and usable by the largest possible group of users. However, the main barriers for adopting inclusive product design include technical complexity, lack of time, lack of knowledge and techniques, and lack of guidelines. Although manufacturers of consumer products are nowadays more likely to invest efforts in user studies, consumer products in general only nominally fulfill, if at all, the accessibility requirements of as many users as they potentially could. The main reason is that any user-centered design prototyping or testing aiming to incorporate real user input, is often done at a rather late stage of the product development process. Thus, the more progressed a product design has evolved - the more time-consuming and costly it will be to alter the design. This is increasingly the case for contemporary mobile devices such as mobile phones or remote controls

Chapter Supporting Inclusive Design of Mobile Devices with a Context Model

Embedded system

Humble Doctors, Healthy Patients? Exploring the Relationships Between Clinician Humility and Patient Satisfaction, Trust, and Health Status

Objective: In medicine, numerous commentaries implore clinicians (e.g., physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners) to display more humility. However, given the complex power dynamics between patients and clinicians, one should not presume that patients desire and appreciate humble clinicians. This paper examines the relationship between clinician humility and patient outcomes, and aims to provide empirical evidence for the significance of clinician humility. Methods: In two studies, patients (N = 497) recalled their most recent visit to a clinician through an online survey platform (Qualtrics). Patients rated their clinician’s humility, their satisfaction and trust with their clinician, and their health status. They also provided demographic information (e.g., gender, race, subjective SES), details about their clinician (e.g., gender, race, professional status) and information about their last medical visit with this clinician (e.g., purpose of visit, wait time during visit). Results: Through hierarchical multiple regression, we demonstrated that clinician humility positively predicted patient satisfaction, trust, and self-report health (only in Study 2) above and beyond patient, clinician, and visit characteristics. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that clinician humility can predict important patient outcomes above and beyond objective characteristics of the medical interaction. Practice Implications: These findings may shape clinician-patient interactions by validating the pursuit of humility during medical encounters

Sphaerodoridae (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) with the description of two new species

The examination of polychaete collections obtained during the Spanish Bentart 2006expedition to the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) revealed the presence of several sphaerodorid species. In this work, species belonging to the genera Sphaerodorum Örsted, 1843, Ephesiella Chamberlin, 1919, Clavodorum Hartman and Fauchald, 1971 and Sphaerephesia Fauchald, 1972 are reported including two new species belonging to Sphaerodorum and Sphaerephesia, respectively. A specimen identified as Ephesiella sp. might also represent a new species but, due to its poor state of preservation, a formal description is not possible yet. Furthermore, Sphaerodoropsis polypapillata Hartmann-Schröder and Rosenfeldt, 1988 is transferred to the genus Clavodorum Hartman and Fauchald, 1971 after examination of the type series and specimens obtained from the Bellingshausen Sea.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología; REN 2001-1074/ANTComisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología; CGL2004-0185

Results of the COVID-19 mental health international for the general population (COMET-G) study.

INTRODUCTION: There are few published empirical data on the effects of COVID-19 on mental health, and until now, there is no large international study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, an online questionnaire gathered data from 55,589 participants from 40 countries (64.85% females aged 35.80 ± 13.61; 34.05% males aged 34.90±13.29 and 1.10% other aged 31.64±13.15). Distress and probable depression were identified with the use of a previously developed cut-off and algorithm respectively. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics were calculated. Chi-square tests, multiple forward stepwise linear regression analyses and Factorial Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tested relations among variables. RESULTS: Probable depression was detected in 17.80% and distress in 16.71%. A significant percentage reported a deterioration in mental state, family dynamics and everyday lifestyle. Persons with a history of mental disorders had higher rates of current depression (31.82% vs. 13.07%). At least half of participants were accepting (at least to a moderate degree) a non-bizarre conspiracy. The highest Relative Risk (RR) to develop depression was associated with history of Bipolar disorder and self-harm/attempts (RR = 5.88). Suicidality was not increased in persons without a history of any mental disorder. Based on these results a model was developed. CONCLUSIONS: The final model revealed multiple vulnerabilities and an interplay leading from simple anxiety to probable depression and suicidality through distress. This could be of practical utility since many of these factors are modifiable. Future research and interventions should specifically focus on them

Butyronitrile-Based Electrolytes for Fast Charging of Lithium-Ion Batteries

After determining the optimum composition of the butyronitrile: ethylene carbonate: fluoroethylene carbonate (BN:EC:FEC) solvent/co-solvent/additive mixture, the resulting electrolyte formulation (1M LiPF6 in BN:EC (9:1) + 3% FEC) was evaluated in terms of ionic conductivity and the electrochemical stability window, as well as galvanostatic cycling performance in NMC/graphite cells. This cell chemistry results in remarkable fast charging, required, for instance, for automotive applications. In addition, a good long-term cycling behavior lasts for 1000 charge/discharge cycles and improved ionic conductivity compared to the benchmark counterpart was achieved. XPS sputter depth profiling analysis proved the beneficial behavior of the tuned BN-based electrolyte on the graphite surface, by confirming the formation of an effective solid electrolyte interphase (SEI)