Identificación de tipologías de síntomas de estrés postraumático en el personal de salud clĺnico y no clínico: un análisis de perfil latente

oai:repository.uel.ac.uk:8y01wBackground: There has been growing concern regarding increasing levels of post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms experienced by healthcare workers (HCW) in the UK, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: PTS symptom typologies have been investigated in other adult populations using person-centred latent variable approaches, revealing profiles showing differing symptom levels and patterns. We aimed to explore typologies among clinical and non-clinical healthcare staff to elucidate heterogeneity of presentation.   Methods: This was a retrospective study using referral data from treatment-seeking healthcare staff in the North of England (N = 1600). We employed latent profile analysis using the PTSD International Trauma Questionnaire domains as profile indicators. We included covariates relating to role-type, depression, anxiety and mental health concerns before March of 2020.    Results: A model with six profiles fit the data best. Profile names were given as follows: ‘No symptom’; ‘Low symptom’; ‘Low symptom (moderate Sense of current threat (Th_dx) and Functional impairment (FI))’; ‘Moderate symptom (low Th_dx and high Avoidance (Av_dx))’; ‘Moderate symptom’; and ‘High symptom’. Covariates were shown to have differential predictive power on profile membership.  Conclusions: The finding of profiles with pattern differences suggests a need for both differential and specifically targeted treatments, as well as a consideration of early intervention for those individuals with subclinical PTS symptoms. As expected, anxiety and depression were both predictors of several of the symptomatic profiles, with anxiety producing a larger effect. Further research is required to fully understand the link between role-type and PTS symptom typologies among HCW. Antecedentes: Ha habido una creciente preocupación en relación al aumento de los niveles de síntomas de estrés postraumático (PTS en sus siglas en inglés) experimentados por los trabajadores de salud (HCW en sus siglas en ingles) en el Reino Unido, particularmente tras la pandemia de COVID-19. Objetivos: Las tipologías de síntomas de PTS se han investigado en otras poblaciones adultas utilizando enfoques de variables latentes centrados en la persona, revelando perfiles que muestran diferentes niveles y patrones de síntomas. Nuestro objetivo fue explorar las tipologías entre el personal de salud clínico y no clínico para dilucidar la heterogeneidad de la presentación. Métodos: Este fue un estudio retrospectivo que utilizo datos de derivaciones del personal de salud que buscaba tratamiento en el Norte de Inglaterra (N = 1.600). Empleamos análisis de perfil latente utilizando los dominios del Cuestionario Internacional de Trauma para TEPT como indicadores de perfil. Incluimos covariables relacionadas con el tipo de rol, depresión, ansiedad y preocupaciones de salud mental antes de marzo del 2020. Resultados: Un modelo con seis perfiles se ajusta mejor a los datos. Los perfiles fueron denominados como sigue: ‘Sin síntomas’, ‘Síntomas bajos’, ‘Síntomas bajos (sensación de amenaza actual (Th_dx) y Deterioro funcional (IF) moderados)’, ‘Síntomas moderados (bajo TH_dx y Evitación Alta (Av_dx))’, ‘Síntomas moderados’ y ‘Síntomas Altos’. Las covariables demostraron tener poder predictivo diferencial sobre la pertenencia al perfil. Conclusiones:  El hallazgo de perfiles con patrones diferentes sugiere una necesidad de tratamientos tanto diferenciados como específicamente dirigidos, así como una consideración de intervenciones tempranas para aquellos individuos con síntomas subclínicos de PTS. Como era de esperar, la ansiedad y depresión fueron predictores de varios de los perfiles sintomáticos y la ansiedad produjo un mayor efecto. Se requiere más investigación para comprender totalmente el vínculo entre tipo de rol y tipología de síntomas de PTS entre los HCW

Cepstral analysis based on the Glimpse proportion measure for improving the intelligibility of HMM-based synthetic speech in noise

In this paper we introduce a new cepstral coefficient extraction method based on an intelligibility measure for speech in noise, the Glimpse Proportion measure. This new method aims to increase the intelligibility of speech in noise by modifying the clean speech, and has applications in scenarios such as public announcement and car navigation systems. We first explain how the Glimpse Proportion measure operates and further show how we approximated it to integrate it into an existing spectral envelope parameter extraction method commonly used in the HMM-based speech synthesis framework. We then demonstrate how this new method changes the modelled spectrum according to the characteristics of the noise and show results for a listening test with vocoded and HMM-based synthetic speech. The test indicates that the proposed method can significantly improve intelligibility of synthetic speech in speech shaped noise. Index Terms — cepstral coefficient extraction, objective measure for speech intelligibility, Lombard speech, HMM-based speech synthesis 1

Near- to mid-infrared spectroscopy of the heavily obscured AGN LEDA 1712304 with AKARI/IRC

Context. Although heavily obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been found by many observational studies, the properties of the surrounding dust are poorly understood. Using AKARI/IRC spectroscopy, we discover a new sample of a heavily obscured AGN in LEDA 1712304 which shows a deep spectral absorption feature due to silicate dust. Aims. We study the infrared (IR) spectral properties of circumnuclear silicate dust in LEDA 1712304. Methods. We perform IR spectral fitting, considering silicate dust properties such as composition, porosity, size and crystallinity. Spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting is also performed to the flux densities in the UV to sub-millimeter range to investigate the global spectral properties. Results. The best-fit model indicates 0.1 $\mu$m-sized porous amorphous olivine (${\rm Mg_{2x}Fe_{2-2x}SiO_4}$; $x=0.4$) with $4\%$ crystalline pyroxene. The optical depth is $\tau_{\rm sil}{\sim}2.3$, while the total IR luminosity and stellar mass are estimated to be $L_{\rm IR}=(5\pm1){\times}10^{10}\,L_{\odot}$ and $M_{\rm star}=(2.7\pm0.8){\times}10^{9}\,M_{\odot}$, respectively. In such low $L_{\rm IR}$ and $M_{\rm star}$ ranges, there are few galaxies which show that large ${\tau}_{\rm sil}$. Conclusions. The silicate dust in the AGN torus of LEDA 1712304 has properties notably similar to those in other AGNs as a whole, but slightly different in the wing shape of the absorption profile. The porosity of the silicate dust suggests dust coagulation or processing in the circumnuclear environments, while the crystallinity suggests that the silicate dust is relatively fresh.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Detection of regional scale sea-to-air oxygen emission related to spring bloom near Japan by using in-situ measurements of atmospheric oxygen/nitrogen ratio

International audienceWe have been carrying out in-situ monitoring of atmospheric O2/N2 ratio at Cape Ochi-ishi (COI; 43°10´ N, 145°30´ E) in the northern part of Japan since March 2005 by using a modified gas chromatography/thermal conductivity detector (GC/TCD). The standard deviation of the O2/N2 ratio is estimated to be about ±14 per meg (?3 ppm) with intervals of 10 min. Thus, the in-situ measurement system has a 1? precision of ±6 per meg ((?1.2 ppm) for one-hour mean O2/N2 ratio. Atmospheric potential oxygen (APO ?O2+1.1CO2), which is conserved with respect to terrestrial photosynthesis and respiration but reflects changes in air-sea O2 and CO2 fluxes, shows large variabilities from April to early July 2005. Distribution of satellite-derived marine primary production indicates occurrences of strong bloom in the Japan Sea in April and in the Okhotsk Sea and the western North Pacific near Hokkaido Island in June. Back trajectory analysis of air masses indicates that high values of APO, which last for several hours or several days, can be attributed to the oxygen emission associated with the spring bloom of active primary production