Evaluation of airborne asbestos concentrations associated with the maintenance of brakes on an industrial overhead crane.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate potential airborne asbestos exposures during brake maintenance and repair activities on a P&H overhead crane, and during subsequent handling of the mechanic's clothing. METHODS: Personal (n = 27) and area (n = 61) airborne fiber concentrations were measured during brake tests, removal, hand sanding, compressed air use, removal and reattachment of chrysotile-containing brake linings, and reinstallation of the brake linings. The mechanic's clothing was used to measure potential exposure during clothes handling. RESULTS: All brake linings contained between 19.9% to 52.4% chrysotile asbestos. No amphibole fibers were detected in any bulk or airborne samples. The average full-shift airborne chrysotile concentration was 0.035 f/cc (PCM-equivalent asbestos-specific fibers, or PCME). Average task-based personal air samples collected during brake maintenance, sanding, compressed air use, and brake lining removal tasks ranged from 0 to 0.48 f/cc (PCME). The calculated 30-minute time-weighted average (TWA) airborne chrysotile concentration associated with 5-15 minutes of clothes handling was 0-0.035 f/cc PCME. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that personal and area TWA fiber concentrations measured during all crane brake maintenance and clothes handling tasks were below the current OSHA 8-h TWA Permissible Exposure Limit for asbestos of 0.1 f/cc. Further, no airborne asbestos fibers were measured during routine brake maintenance tasks following the manufacturer's maintenance manual procedures. All short-term airborne chrysotile concentrations measured during non-routine tasks were below the current 30-minute OSHA excursion limit for asbestos of 1 f/cc. This study adds to the available data regarding chrysotile exposure potential during maintenance on overhead cranes.

BPKEM: A biometric-based private key encryption and management framework for blockchain.

The fundamental technology behind bitcoin, known as blockchain, has been studied and used in a variety of industries especially in finance. The security of blockchain is extremely important as it will affects the assets of the clients as well as it is the lifeline feature of the entire system that needs to be guaranteed. Currently, there is a lack of a methodical approach to guarantee the security and dependability of the private key during its whole life. Furthermore, there is no quick, easy, or secure way to create the encryption key. A biometric-based private key encryption and management framework (BPKEM) for blockchain is proposed not only to solve the private key lifecycle manag- ement problem, but also it maintains compatibility with existing blockchain systems. For the problem of private key encryption, a biometric-based stable key generation method is proposed. By using the relative invariance between facial and fingerprint feature points, this measure can convert feature points into stable and distinguishable descriptors, then using a reusable fuzzy extractor to create a stable key. The correct- ness and efficiency of the newly proposed biometric-based blockchain encryption tech- nique in this paper has been validated in the experiments.

Evaluation of the Chilean National Orthopaedic Examination Over 11 Years: Progress and Outcomes of National and International Examinees.

INTRODUCTION: The National Orthopaedics Examination (EMNOT) was initially designed for Chilean orthopaedic program graduates and is now a crucial component of the revalidation process for international orthopaedic surgeons seeking practice in Chile. This study aims to describe participation and performance of EMNOT examinees based on their origin and to analyze the difficulty and discrimination indexes during its first 11 years of implementation. METHODS: A retrospective assessment was conducted on all EMNOT results from 2009 to 2019. The study evaluated the participation and performance of examinees according to their origin and examined the difficulty and discrimination indexes of the examination. RESULTS: A total of 975 examinees were evaluated, with 41.23% from national resident programs (National Medical Graduates) and 58.77% from international examinees (International Medical Graduates). The number of participating universities increased from 4 in 2009 to 17 in 2019. National Medical Graduates examinees achieved a mean score of 66.52 ± 8.67 (0 to 100 points) while International Medical Graduates examinees scored 55.13 ± 11.42 (P < 0.001). The difficulty and discrimination indexes remained adequate throughout this period. DISCUSSION: Over the course of 11 years, the number of EMNOT examinees exhibited notable growth. The examination effectively differentiates between candidates based on their origin and maintains appropriate levels of difficulty and discrimination.

Humans create more novelty than ChatGPT when asked to retell a story.

We compare how humans retell stories to how ChatGPT retells stories in chains of three retellings by different people or different accounts on ChatGPT. ChatGPT provides competent summaries of the original narrative texts in one step of retelling. In subsequent retellings few additional changes occur. Human retellers, by contrast, reduce the original text incrementally and by creating 55-60% of novel words and concepts (synsets) at each iteration. The retellings by both ChatGPT and humans show very stable emotion ratings, which is a puzzle for human retellers given the high degree of novel inventions across retellings. ChatGPT maintains more nouns, adjectives, and prepositions and also uses language later acquired in life, while humans use more verbs, adverbs, and negations and use language acquired at a younger age. The results reveal that spontaneous retelling by humans involves ongoing creativity, anchored by emotions, beyond the default probabilistic wording of large language models such as ChatGPT.

Resilient performance in building maintenance: A macro-cognition perspective during sudden breakdowns.

Building maintenance encompasses multiple tightly inter-connected agents (e.g., technicians, occupants, supervisors, and equipment). Variable working conditions and limited resources may affect the safety and sustainability of the activities. Although recent studies have explored how complex systems can perform resilient behavior in facing the complexity of everyday activities, the factors that effectively contribute to resilient performance are still paired with limited empirical evidence. We studied the performance of the maintenance team during sudden breakdowns of air-conditioning devices in a large university campus, using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM). A FRAM diagram containing 30 functions was organized including six macro-cognitive functions (expertise, sensemaking, communication, coordination, collaboration, and adaptation/improvisation), examining their role in anticipating, and responding to emergencies, and eight functional units that are directly impacted by disturbances were analyzed in more detail. Results indicate that macro-cognitive functions can greatly impact the functionality of the maintenance team in pursuit of their goals. Moreover, we noted those macro-cognitive functions here analyzed depend on each other to produce resilient performance.

Evaluation of medical equipment maintenance and skilled manpower requirement among private dental centres in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Adequate equipment maintenance is necessary to ensure efficient dental care facilities and satisfactory medical equipment performance. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess maintenance practices and manpower adequacy in private dental centres (DCs) across Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A questionnaire was designed to evaluate equipment maintenance and manpower strength based on international and national standards. Thirty-three private DCs were visited in-person with the designed questionnaire to conduct the study. The Chi-square test and t-test were performed. RESULTS: Only 21 dental centres had a scheduled maintenance plan for medical equipment, whereas the rest had no plan. Furthermore, only 22 DCs maintained equipment maintenance records, while 11 DCs did not have any records. Additionally, the study found a lack of trained personnel to handle medical equipment and overall inadequate maintenance practices. Significant differences were observed between the responses for many questions (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings increase health risks to both the patient and the user. To address these issues, DC administrators should implement stricter measures to adhere to local DCs standards and hire qualified personnel who can periodically maintain and repair medical equipment.

Applying Microsoft Power Platform to Improve Primary Medical Equipment Maintenance Processes.

Post-COVID, our hospital shifted to online systems using Microsoft Power Platform to mitigate errors and delays. SharePoint and Power Apps manage equipment maintenance records and submissions, enhancing immediacy and transparency. Power Automate automates report generation and reminders, improving task completion rates. Power BI visualizes data for streamlined management. Adjustments to real-time reporting enhanced efficiency, reducing manual efforts and improving completion rates.

Ab initio real-time quantum dynamics of charge carriers in momentum space.

Application of the non-adiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) approach is limited to studying carrier dynamics in the momentum space, as a supercell is required to sample the phonon excitation and electron-phonon (e-ph) interaction at different momenta in a molecular dynamics simulation. Here we develop an ab initio approach for the real-time charge carrier quantum dynamics in the momentum space (NAMD_k) by directly introducing e-ph coupling into the Hamiltonian based on the harmonic approximation. The NAMD_k approach maintains the zero-point energy and includes memory effects of carrier dynamics. The application of NAMD_k to the hot carrier dynamics in graphene reveals the phonon-specific relaxation mechanism. An energy threshold of 0.2 eV-defined by two optical phonon modes-separates the hot electron relaxation into fast and slow regions with lifetimes of pico- and nanoseconds, respectively. The NAMD_k approach provides an effective tool to understand real-time carrier dynamics in the momentum space for different materials.

Adherencia a medicación antineoplásica oral en oncología pediátrica. Estudio multicéntrico / Adherence to oral antineoplastic agents in pediatric oncology. A multicenter study

Objetivo. Determinar la adherencia de pacientes oncológicos pediátricos a la medicación oral del mantenimiento y conocer sus creencias sobre la medicación.Población y métodos. Durante 2018-19, se recogió información de padres, adolescentes y oncólogos en seis hospitales públicos pediátricos de la Argentina. Se administraron cuestionarios de adherencia (Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire) y de creencias sobre la medicación (Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire). Se consideró adherente a quien refirió tomar la medicación sin saltear dosis y respetando el tiempo de ayuno.Resultados. N = 203 pacientes. La adherencia informada por los padres fue del 75 %; la estimada por los oncólogos, del 82 %, y la referida por adolescentes, del 45 %. Las variables que mostraron asociación con la adherencia fueron solvencia económica, diagnóstico, hospital tratante, cantidad de hijos a cargo, tratamientos oncológicos realizados y existencia de obstáculos en el cumplimiento. Esta muestra no percibía los medicamentos como dañinos, pero consideró que se los utilizaba abusivamente. La mayoría percibía la necesidad de tomar la medicación antineoplásica para mantener/recuperar la salud, pero también expresó preocupaciones. La percepción sobre la medicación fue similar entre los padres y los adolescentes, y no se asoció con el nivel de adherencia.Conclusiones. La adherencia informada por los padres en esta muestra fue del 75 %. Los padres y los pacientes percibían la medicación como necesaria y manifestaron preocupaciones vinculadas al tratamiento

Objective. To determine the adherence to oral maintenance medication among pediatric cancer patients and know their beliefs about medications.Population and methods. Information was obtained from parents, adolescents, and oncologists from six public children's hospitals of Argentina during 2018 and 2019. Questionnaires on adherence (Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire) and beliefs about medication (Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire) were administered. Patients were considered adherent if they referred taking their medication without missing a dose and complying with fasting time.Results. N = 203 patients. Parent-reported adherence was 75 %; adherence estimated by oncologists, 82 %; and that referred by adolescents, 45 %. The outcome measures associated with adherence were financial solvency, diagnosis, treating hospital, number of children under the care of the caregiver, cancer treatments received, and presence of barriers in compliance. Sample subjects did not perceive medications as harmful, but considered they were overused. Most subjects perceived the necessity to take antineoplastic agents to maintain or recover their health, but also expressed their concerns. The perception about medication was similar between parents and adolescents, and was not associated with the level of adherence.Conclusions. In this sample, parent-reported adherence was 75 %. Parents and patients perceived a necessity for medication and expressed their concerns about treatment.

Periodontitis y Alzheimer: posibles mecanismos de vinculación: revisión de la literatura / Periodontitis and Alzheimer: possible linking mechanisms: a review of the literature

La periodontitis es una enfermedad inflamatoria, crónica que afecta a los tejidos de soporte de los dientes y puede repercutir en la salud general, afectando la calidad de vida del paciente. La enfermedad de Alzheimer es una condición neurodegenerativa y progresiva que va disminuyendo la memoria, el lenguaje y aprendizaje de los pacientes. El objetivo de la investigación es realizar una revisión bibliográfica para comprender la posible vinculación entre la periodontitis y el Alzheimer. Los microorganismos periodontopatógenos producen una respuesta inflamatoria que, por vía sistémica, puede desencadenar un mecanismo inflamatorio dentro del sistema nervioso central. La respuesta del hospedero es liberar gran cantidad de moléculas proinflamatorias que comprometen la barrera hematoencefálica sobreestimulando a las células microgliales, esto conduce a la destrucción de neuronas vitales y al mantenimiento de la inflamación crónica que contribuye a la progresión del Alzheimer. Por otra parte, la periodontitis puede favorecer la formación de placas ateromatosas que afectan la integridad vascular siendo éste un factor a considerar en el desarrollo de la patología cerebrovascular. A pesar que son pocos los estudios clínicos experimentales, ya se puede sugerir la correlación entre ambas enfermedades (AU)

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the supporting tissues of teeth, affecting the systemic health and quality of life of the patient. Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative and progressive condition that decreases memory, speech and learning of patients. The objective of this literature review was to report the possible link between periodontitis and Alzheimer's disease. Periodontopathogens produce an inflammatory response that, systemically, can trigger an inflammatory mechanism within the central nervous system. Due to this attack, the host releases a great quantity of proinflammatory molecules that compromise the blood-brain barrier by over- stimulation microglial cells, this produces destruction of vital neurons and maintenance the chronic inflammation in CNS and that contribute to the progression of Alzheimer's disease. On the other hand, periodontitis can favor the formation of atheromatous plaques that affect vascular integrity, being a factor to consider in the development of the cerebrovascular disease. Although there are few experimental clinical studies, the correlation between both diseases can already be suggested (AU)

The Retirement Process from the Perspective of Meaningful Social Networks of Retirees / O Processo de Aposentadoria na Perspectiva das Redes Sociais Significativas de Aposentados / El Proceso de Jubilación en la Perspectiva de las Redes Sociales de Jubilados

Abstract Research on retirement have traditionally been centered on the individual perspective of the phenomenon. This qualitative study aimed at understanding the relational dynamics in meaningful social networks during the retirement process, as perceived by members of retirees' networks. Nine people indicated by retirees as members of their social networks (spouses, siblings, friends, and former coworkers) participated in this study. Data collection was performed through the Focus Group technique, and field notes were recorded. Data organization and analysis were based on the Grounded Theory and aided by the Atlas.ti software - Mac version 1.6.0. Results show that retirement triggers a recursive process to break, maintain, or redevelop bonds, with repercussions on the relational issues and proposals among the network of retirees. The study data suggest that the relational dimension greatly affects the retirees' experience as well as their relational network.

Resumo As pesquisas sobre aposentadoria, tradicionalmente, centraram-se na ótica individual desse fenômeno. Este estudo qualitativo teve por objetivo compreender a dinâmica relacional das redes sociais significativas no processo de aposentadoria, na perspectiva de membros das redes de aposentados. Participaram 09 pessoas indicadas por aposentados como membros de suas redes (cônjuges, irmão, amigos e ex-colegas de trabalho). Para a coleta de dados utilizou-se a técnica de Grupo Focal e foram efetivados registros em diário de campo. A organização e a análise dos dados fundamentou-se na Grounded Theory e contou com o auxílio do software Atlas.ti versão 1.6.0 para Mac. Os resultados evidenciaram que a aposentadoria desencadeia um processo recursivo de ruptura, manutenção e/ou reconstrução de vínculos, produzindo repercussões nas propostas relacionais entre os membros da rede dos aposentados. Os dados deste estudo sugerem que a dimensão relacional afeta decididamente as experiências tanto do aposentado quanto da rede configurada em torno dele.

Resumen La investigación sobre la jubilación se ha centrado tradicionalmente en la perspectiva individual del fenómeno. Este estudio cualitativo tuvo como objetivo comprender la dinámica relacional de las redes sociales en el proceso de jubilación, desde la perspectiva de los miembros de las redes de jubilados. Participaron 09 personas nombradas por jubilados como miembros de sus redes. Los datos fueron recolectados usando la técnica de grupo focal y registro de diario de campo. La organización y el análisis de los datos se basaron en la teoría fundamentada y fueron respaldados por el software Atlas.ti versión 1.6.0 para Mac. Los resultados mostraron que la jubilación desencadena un proceso recursivo de ruptura, mantenimiento y/o reconstrucción de enlaces, produciendo repercusiones en la propuesta relacional entre los integrantes de la red. Los datos de este estudio sugieren que la dimensión relacional incide decisivamente en las vivencias tanto del jubilado como de su red social.

Consensus of Chinese stomatological multidisciplinary experts on maintaining periodontal health (First edition) / 中华口腔医学杂志

Periodontal disease is the main cause of tooth loss in adults, and it is also one of the major factors affecting oral and general health. In the process of diagnosing and treating the oral diseases, many subspecialties of stomatology will involve in the maintenance of periodontal tissue health. The Chinese Stomatological Association organized a number of experts in related disciplines to thrash out the present expert consensus in order to enhance the awareness of dental clinicians to maintain the health of periodontal tissues and to standardize the procedures of diagnosis and treatment. The clinicians' abilities in prevention and treatment of oral diseases will be hopefully elevated if the clinicians, especially in such disciplines as prosthodontics, orthodontics, oral implantology, operative dentistry and endodontics, can early recognize and identify the periodontal disease and the damage degree of periodontal tissues, adopt the appropriate intervention measures and predict the prognosis scientifically.

Clinical effect of an additional maintenance dose of caffeine before ventilator weaning in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome: a prospective randomized controlled trial / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the clinical effect of an additional maintenance dose (5 mg/kg) of caffeine citrate injection at 1 hour before ventilator weaning in improving the success rate of ventilator weaning in preterm infants (gestational age ≤32 weeks) with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) on mechanical ventilation.@*METHODS@#A total of 338 preterm infants with RDS (gestational age of ≤32 weeks) who were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Xiamen Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2017 to December 2019 and treated with mechanical ventilation were enrolled. They were randomly divided into an observation group and a routine group, with 169 infants in each group. Both groups received early routine treatment with caffeine. The infants in the observation group received an additional maintenance dose of caffeine citrate injection at 1 hour before ventilator weaning. The two groups were compared in terms of reintubation rate and number of apnea episodes within 48 hours after ventilator weaning, changes in blood gas parameters, blood glucose, heart rate, and mean blood pressure at 2 hours after ventilator weaning, and incidence rates of major complications during hospitalization.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the routine group, the observation group had significantly lower reintubation rate (@*CONCLUSIONS@#An additional maintenance dose of caffeine citrate injection at 1 hour before ventilator weaning is safe and effective in improving the success rate of ventilator weaning in preterm infants with RDS and thus holds promise for clinical application.

Versa HD Volume-modulated Accelerator High Voltage Circuit Fault Maintenance / 中国医疗器械杂志

This paper introduces a fast repair methods of Versa HD volume-modulated accelerator's high voltage circuit fault:the key points test method. To identify five key points:①Enter maintenance mode to check for AFC deviation; ② The magnetron waveform MI and PFN waveform PFN V are detected on the maintenance terminal board; ③ Detect thyratron waveform; ④ Check the supply voltage of thyratron; ⑤ HT PSU 600 V DC test 600 V normal or not. The waveform or voltage is also measured to efficiently narrow the fault range to find out the cause of the fault, quickly remove the fault.

Research on Mathematical Distribution of Failure Time and Engineering Evaluation for Medical Electrical Equipment Based on Operation and Maintenance Data / 中国医疗器械杂志

This study mainly discusses the contents, methods and characteristics of the collection of operation and maintenance data, as well as the establishment and evaluation methods of the distribution model of the failure time of medical electrical equipment. The distribution models of failure time at three levels of medical electrical equipment are established by linear regression method and goodness of fit test:The first is the device level MTBF distribution model, the second is the failure rate distribution model of the failure mode of key components, the third is the calculation model of the influence coefficient of influence factor on the failure mode of key components. This study presents a method of establishing MTBF segment model and implements a calculation model of influence coefficient varying with time.

Analysis and Processing of Flow Alarm about Fresenius 4008 S Hemodialysis Machine / 中国医疗器械杂志

The Fresenius 4008 S hemodialysis machine is one of the main hemodialysis machines in our hospital. Because of its longer service life, the probability of malfunction is larger. For flow alarm is the typical fault of this model, we combined with practical maintenance experience and theoretical technology, then briefly analyzed and summarized the malfunction. On the principle of easy to difficult, we check in order from five aspects, they are pipeline blockage, aging of the degassing pump or flow pump, the float switch malfunction, valve abnormality and the control circuit problem. Through this one-by-one and systematic troubleshooting, the flow alarm can usually be solved, also we can save the maintenance time and the cost.

Discussion on Standardization Management Mode of Medical Equipment Based on Whole Process Quality Control / 中国医疗器械杂志

This paper introduced the current situation of medical equipment. Based on the current problems such as technology assessment difficulty, weak consciousness on maintenance management, less quality control during clinic use and backward information level, the standardized management based on the whole process quality control was proposed. Combined the whole process quality control system with the construction of quality management information, the management level of the medical equipment was enhanced. The application of standardized management based on the whole process quality control can make the medical equipment work better in the clinic and set a good foundation for the development of hospital.

Summary of Fault Maintenance Experience of Multifunctional Digital Flat Plate Radiography System-Carestream DR7500 / 中国医疗器械杂志

This paper is a summary of the three types of faults that have occurred in the recent years in the Carestream DR7500:hardware failure, software failure, and communication failure. The specific cases of three types of faults are introduced in a case-by-case basis.

Meticulous Management of the Whole Life Cycle of Medical Equipment in Hospital / 中国医疗器械杂志

OBJECTIVE@#Aiming at the different characteristics of the various stages of medical equipment life cycle in hospital, research on the targeted and meticulous management mode.@*METHODS@#Divides the whole life cycle of medical equipment in hospital into four phases, which are the selection demonstration period, purchase acceptance period, maintenance period, and retirement disposal period, and comparison with human fetal period, infant stage, adult stage and old age.@*RESULTS@#With the meticulous management mode, the service quality of medical equipment in hospital has been improved, and the service benefits have been enhanced.@*CONCLUSIONS@#According to the respective characteristics of different stages, the corresponding meticulous management mode is implemented to make the management more scientific and standardized, and the operation is safer and more reliable, which escorts the whole life cycle of medical equipment in hospital.