Seasonal anomaly of particulate matter concentration in an equatorial climate: Evaluating the transboundary impact from neighboring provinces on Padang City, Indonesia.

This study investigated the anomalous seasonal variations in particulate matter (PM) concentrations-specifically PM2.5 and PM10-in Padang City, Indonesia, situated within the Equatorial climate zone. A one-year dataset of half-hourly PM measurements from January to December 2023, collected by the Air Quality Monitoring System (AQMS) managed by the Environmental Agency of West Sumatra (DLH), was utilized. Maps of hotspots and air mass backward trajectories were used to identify possible transboundary emissions affecting Padang City. Despite the region experiencing nearly continuous rainfall, significant elevations in PM levels were observed during the typically drier months of August to October. Specifically, PM2.5 levels peaked at 36.57 µg/m3 and PM10 at 39.58 µg/m3 in October, significantly higher than in other months and indicating a substantial deviation from the typical expectations for equatorial climates. These results suggest that the high PM concentrations are not solely due to local urban emissions or normal seasonal variations but are also significantly influenced by transboundary smoke from peatland fires and agricultural burning in neighboring provinces such as Bengkulu, Riau, Jambi, and South Sumatra. Backward trajectory analysis further confirmed the substantial impact of regional activities on degradation of air quality in Padang City. The study underscores the need for integrated air quality management that includes both local and transboundary pollution sources. Enhanced monitoring, public engagement, and inter-regional collaboration are emphasized as crucial strategies for mitigating the adverse effects of PM pollution in equatorial regions like Padang City.

Predicting collaborative practice between midwives and obstetricians: A regression analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Effective collaborative practice between midwives and obstetricians improves patient safety and obstetrical outcomes, but its implementation remains challenging. Therefore, its determinants need to be better understood. This study examined factors impacting collaborative practice (CP) between these professional groups. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional survey that took place in Swiss hospital labor wards in 2021. Collaborative practice perceptions of 70 midwives (57.4% response rate) and 44 obstetricians (29.0% response rate) were assessed using the Interprofessional Collaboration Scale, with the score serving as the main outcome. A total of 13 individual, behavioral, and organizational predictors were analyzed by multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Participants rated collaborative practice with a median score of 3.1 (IQR: 2.8-3.4) out of a maximum score of 4.0. Results showed that five predictors significantly influenced collaborative practice: type of profession (ß= -0.180; 95% CI: -0.296 - -0.040, p=0.011), trust/respect (ß=0.343; 95% CI: 0.085-0.040, p=0.000), shared visions/goals (ß=0.218; 95% CI: 0.030-0.204, p=0.009), workplace (ß=0.253; 95% CI: 0.089-0.445, p=0.004) and shared power (ß=0.163; 95% CI: 0.042-0.222, p=0.015). The model explained 66% of the variance (adjusted R2) in collaborative practice in labor wards. CONCLUSIONS: This study has identified key factors influencing CP in Swiss labor wards: workplace characteristics that require tailored CP models, and a power-sharing culture that fosters trust, respectful interactions and shared goals, requiring active exchange between midwives and obstetricians.

Assessing the effects of interprofessional education by hospital pharmacists on pharmaceutical students using a self-evaluation scale.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the roles and competencies of professions outside of one's specialty is essential for providing efficient healthcare. However, it is difficult for medical professionals to understand the roles and competencies of other related professions while performing their duties. This study examined the impact of clinical practice-based interprofessional education (IPE) on pharmacy students, who are future medical professionals. METHODS: Sixty-eight pharmaceutical students undergoing clinical practice were divided into non-IPE or IPE groups, with the IPE group attending an educational program with medical students conducted by doctors, pharmacists, and teachers during the clinical practice period. The effect was evaluated through a group survey using self-administered questionnaires focusing on contributing to multidisciplinary team medicine based on the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale. The survey included specific behavioral objectives (SBOs), the Readiness for Interpersonal Learning Scale (RIPLS), and Kikuchi's Scale of Social Skills (KiSS-18). RESULTS: Regardless of group, SBOs [non-IPE: 3.2, 95% CI (2.6-3.8), p < 0.001; IPE: 3.7, 95% CI (2.5-4.9), p < 0.001] and social skills [non-IPE: 4.0, 95% CI (2.5-6.1), p < 0.001; IPE: 6.7 95% CI (3.0-10.4), p < 0.001] showed improvement after the clinical practice. In RIPLS Factor 3, pharmacy students with IPE awareness scored significantly higher by 1.5 points [95% CI (0.2-2.8), p = 0.025] post-practice than those without IPE awareness. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that IPE for students during clinical practice could enhance their expertise in multidisciplinary medicine and facilitate the development of seamless team care in the future. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was retrospectively registered and conducted in compliance with the "Ethical Guidelines for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects" and was approved by The Ethics Committee of Tokushima University Hospital (approval number: 3544).

Navigating the complexity of a collaborative, system-wide public health programme: learning from a longitudinal qualitative evaluation of the ActEarly City Collaboratory.

BACKGROUND: Addressing the upstream social determinants of health (e.g. built environment, education) can reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. To do so effectively often requires system-wide collaboration. However, collaborating across multiple sectors, organizations and disciplines within a complex system can be challenging. ActEarly was a public health research consortium that aimed to improve child health by building an interdisciplinary, cross-city partnership to develop and/or evaluate upstream interventions, increase research capacity and improve collaboration between researchers, local authorities and communities. This paper explores ActEarly's experiences of navigating complexity to identify mechanisms that supported its implementation and proposes recommendations for future intersectoral and interdisciplinary population health research collaborations. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal qualitative study of ActEarly, integrating findings from inductive documentary analysis of internal documents (mainly meetings minutes and reports) (n = 114) and interviews (n = 70) with 45 consortium members at three different timepoints (2018, 2021, 2023). Participants worked across different organizations, cities, roles and levels of seniority in the consortium. FINDINGS: Clarity, Unity, Flexibility and Feasibility were seen as the key mechanisms required to support ActEarly's implementation. Clear aims, governance structures and communication were necessary to manage the uncertainty of the complex system. A unified approach, characterized by strong relationships, having a shared vision and communal access to resources supported effective collaboration. Flexibility was required to adjust to different ways of working, respond to wider system events and manage the consortium. Establishing feasible aims that responded to the limitations of the system, the available resources and research infrastructure was required for teams to deliver the work. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing multi-faceted programmes in a complex system can be challenging. We recommend that future whole-systems consortia seeking to improve population health build Clarity, Unity, Flexibility and Feasibility into their programmes, noting the complex interrelationships between these factors. Iterative reflections from all parties should support delivery amidst the uncertainty that comes with running a population health research collaboration, and strong leadership and governance should play a key role in ensuring that these are built into foundations the programme.

Design of a Cancer Infusion Center: Results from a Pre- and Post-Occupancy Evaluation.

PURPOSE: The current study performed a post-occupancy evaluation on a new cancer infusion center with pod-like layout and compared results to a pre-occupancy evaluation to investigate the impact of different cancer infusion center designs on staff efficiency and patient and staff satisfaction. BACKGROUND: The new cancer infusion center opened in October 2020 and replaced two previously existing infusion centers, in the same healthcare system. METHODS: The study used a similar mixed-method approach as the pre-occupancy research, which included staff shadowing, medication delivery shadowing, and staff and patient questionnaires. RESULTS: The new infusion center improved staff efficiencies by reducing nurse travel time compared to pre-occupancy infusion centers. Results also showed an increase in satisfaction with different aspects of the new infusion center including patient privacy, by both patients and nurses. The pod design allowed for better audio and visual privacy for patients, provided a higher amount of worksurface and availability of workstations, reduced noise levels, and enhanced nurse concentration at workstations. Findings indicated that nurses who had prior experience working in the pre-occupancy infusion centers expressed significantly lower levels of satisfaction in the new infusion center, especially in the ability to connect with nurses in other pods. CONCLUSIONS: Although the new pod design had limitations in terms of collaborative opportunities across pods, it showed to provide a more efficient work environment for the staff and increase staff and patient satisfactions. The results also highlight the importance of effective change management strategies when nurses transition to a new work environment.

In silico prediction of drug-induced nephrotoxicity: current progress and pitfalls.

INTRODUCTION: Due to its role in absorption and metabolism, the kidney is an important target for drug toxicity. Drug-induced nephrotoxicity (DIN) presents a significant challenge in clinical practice and drug development. Conventional methods for assessing nephrotoxicity have limitations, highlighting the need for innovative approaches. In recent years, in silico methods have emerged as promising tools for predicting DIN. AREAS COVERED: A literature search was performed using PubMed and Web of Science, from 2013 to February 2023 for this review. This review provides an overview of the current progress and pitfalls in the in silico prediction of DIN, which discusses the principles and methodologies of computational models. EXPERT OPINION: Despite significant advancements, this review identified issues accentuates the pivotal imperatives of data fidelity, model optimization, interdisciplinary collaboration, and mechanistic comprehension in sculpting the vista of DIN prediction. Integration of multiple data sources and collaboration between disciplines are essential for improving predictive models. Ultimately, a holistic approach combining computational, experimental, and clinical methods will enhance our understanding and management of DIN.

Multibarrier Collaborative Modulation Devices with Ultra-High Logic Operation Density.

The demands for highly miniaturized and multifunctional electronics are rapidly increasing. As scaling-down processes of transistors are restricted by physical limits, reconfigurable electronics with switchable operation functions for different tasks are developed for higher function integration based on split- or vertical-dual-gate structures. To promote the present reconfigurable electronics and exceed the function integration limit, the critical issue is to integrate complex operations into simple circuit forms by establishing more control dimensions. This work proposes a multibarrier collaborative (MBC) modulation architecture to increase the control dimension by multiple forms of potential barriers and achieves combinational and reconfigurable logic operations by a single MBC device. The MBC architecture exhibits ultrahigh logic operation density, including 58.8% area reduction for multiplexer operations and 71.4% area reduction for 4-logic reconfigurable operations. Besides, a hardware security module composed of 4 MBC devices implementing 8 types of logic operations is demonstrated. This work reveals an effective design of function integration for next-generation electronics.

[Utilizing ChatGPT in Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses].

The current uses, potential risks, and practical recommendations for using chat generative pre-trained transformers (ChatGPT) in systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) are reviewed in this article. The findings of prior research suggest that, for tasks such as literature screening and information extraction, ChatGPT can match or exceed the performance of human experts. However, for complex tasks such as risk of bias assessment, its performance remains significantly limited, underscoring the critical role of human expertise. The use of ChatGPT as an adjunct tool in SRs and MAs requires careful planning and the implementation of strict quality control and validation mechanisms to mitigate potential errors such as those arising from artificial intelligence (AI) 'hallucinations'. This paper also provides specific recommendations for optimizing human-AI collaboration in SRs and MAs. Assessing the specific context of each task and implementing the most appropriate strategies are critical when using ChatGPT in support of research goals. Furthermore, transparency regarding the use of ChatGPT in research reports is essential to maintaining research integrity. Close attention to ethical norms, including issues of privacy, bias, and fairness, is also imperative. Finally, from a human-centered perspective, this paper emphasizes the importance of researchers cultivating continuous self-iteration, prompt engineering skills, critical thinking, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and ethical awareness skills with the goals of: continuously optimizing human-AI collaboration models within reasonable and compliant norms, enhancing the complex-task performance of AI tools such as ChatGPT, and, ultimately, achieving greater efficiency through technological innovative while upholding scientific rigor.

Collaborative 360° virtual reality training of medical students in clinical examinations.

Simulation-based training in computer-generated environments has always played an important role in clinical medical education. Recently, there has been a growing interest in using 360° videos of real-life situations for training in health professions. Several studies report positive results from using 360° Virtual Reality for individuals, yet there are currently no studies on collaborative 360° Virtual Reality training. In this paper, we evaluate how 360° Virtual Reality can support collaborative training in clinical medical education. The study population consisted of 14 medical students in semester 5 of their Bachelor's programme. The students were divided into three groups before watching and annotating a 360° video of an authentic learning situation inside a collaborative immersive virtual reality space. The original video shows a problem-based examination of the collateral and cruciate ligaments of the knee performed by students under the supervision of a professor. After training in collaborative 360° Virtual Reality, students then had to perform the same tests in a physical examination. The students' performance was subsequently evaluated by a professor with expertise in knee examinations. The results show that 12 out of 14 students received a score of 2 for one or more tests, thereby meeting the required learning objective. One student received a score of 1 and one student did not perform any of the tests. The students actively use the tools provided by the software and different communicative strategies when working collaboratively in 360° Virtual Reality, which enables them to perform the tests in the physical examination by transferring their constructed knowledge. The results indicate that our pedagogical design in collaborative immersive 360° Virtual Reality can become a relevant addition to face-to-face clinical medical training.

Community-engaged research: Bringing the science of developmental psychopathology into the real world.

The science of developmental psychopathology has made outstanding progress over the past 40 years in understanding adaptive and maladaptive developmental processes across the life span. Yet most of this work has been researcher driven with little involvement of community partners in the research process, limiting the potential public health significance of our work. To continue to advance the field we must move beyond the physical and conceptual walls of our research laboratories and into the real world. In this article, we define and describe the importance of community-engaged research, and present our overarching principles for engaging the community including practicing respect, shared power and decision-making, prioritizing the needs of the community, and engaging in consistent and transparent communication. We present several associated recommendations for best practice and highlight examples from our own research that is grounded in a developmental psychopathology perspective to illustrate these practices. Recommendations for the future of the discipline of development and psychopathology, with emphasis on training and continuing education, are described.