Using technology to promote the development of health science libraries in China.

From the point of view of the development of libraries, technology has made possible the emergence and development of library automation; digital libraries; mobile libraries; and smart libraries. This article briefly describes the impact of technological developments and application in Health Science Libraries in China in relation to collections development, service provision and the role of library associations.

Energy efficiency of the industrial sectors in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration: does technological gap matter?

As the political and technological innovation center of China, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration (BTHUA) is an important engine of national economic development. However, the BTHUA is faced with uneven industrial development and environmental pollution problems. Energy efficiency of the industrial sector, critical to energy conservation and environmental protection, is the key to achieving green economic transformation. For this reason, this study adopts the parametric meta-frontier approach to measure the industrial total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) of the BTHUA, centering on the evaluation of regional technology gap ratio (TGR). Empirical results indicate that there are significant regional disparities of industrial TFEE in the BTHUA. In particular, industrial TFEE tends to be underestimated without considering technological heterogeneity in production technology. The TGRs of manufacturing cities, tourist cities, and the modernized metropolis (Beijing) are the highest among the region. On this basis, the influencing factors of industrial TFEE of the BTHUA are further accessed based on the fixed effects model and the Tobit model. This article verifies that the evaluation of TFEE in the BTHUA must take regional technological gap into account, and provides additional empirical evidence on how to promote coordinated regional industrial development and energy efficiency improvement.

Newborn screening system: Safety, technology, advocacy.

Newborn screening (NBS) is more than 50 years old and has proven to be a powerful and successful public health system. NBS must be regarded as a system and not simply as a test. We need to work as a community to improve the culture of safety for the NBS system and thereby to reduce the risk of babies being missed by the NBS system. Adding new technologies will not prevent system failures; that will require adherence to the culture of safety. Some have argued that every newborn should have their genome sequenced at birth and this sequencing could be part of NBS. However, NBS has depended on biomarker phenotypes throughout its history and our understanding of the relationships between genotype and phenotype is imperfect. Therefore, we should avoid being seduced by genomic sequencing technology and continue to focus on phenotypic biomarkers in NBS.

Is a flick-through enough? A content analysis of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) user manuals.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are being developed and installed in increasing numbers. Some of the most popular ADAS include blind spot monitoring and cruise control which are fitted in the majority of new vehicles sold in high-income countries. With more drivers having access to these technologies, it is imperative to develop policy and strategies to guarantee the safe uptake of ADAS. One key issue is that ADAS education has been primarily centred on the user manual which are not widely utilised. Moreover, it is unclear if user manuals are an adequate source of education in terms of content and readability. To address this research gap, a content analysis was used to assess the differences in ADAS-related content and readability among the manuals of the highest selling vehicles in Australia. The qualitative findings showed that there are seven themes in the user manuals: differences between driving with and without ADAS, familiarisation requirements, operational limits of the ADAS, potential ADAS errors, behaviour adaptation warnings, confusion warnings, and malfunction warnings. The quantitative analysis found that some of the manuals require several years of education above the recommended for a universal audience (>8 years) to be understood. Additionally, there is a notable number of text diversions and infographics which could make comprehension of the user manual difficult. This investigation shows that there is a lack of standardisation of ADAS user manuals (in both content and delivery of information) which requires regulatory oversight. Driver ADAS education needs to be prioritised by policymakers and practitioners as smart technology continues to increase across the transport system. It seems that current strategies based on user manuals are insufficient to achieve successful adoption and safe use of these technologies.

Which ship-integrated power system enterprises are more competitive from the perspective of patent?

By analyzing the relevant patent data, the technological competitiveness of enterprises can be objectively evaluated, and the research and development priorities and the technological advantages and disadvantages of each enterprise in the same field can be compared and analyzed. It is considered to be helpful in judging the patent strategy, innovation ability, and the innovation level of enterprises, which is of great practical significance. Based on the field of the ship-integrated power system as an example, considering the Derwent patent holder code, draw the integrated technical strength of ships in the field of the distribution power system; using the ideas of the Boston matrix to measure the field has the competitive advantage of enterprises; by using the social network analysis method for each enterprise, the core technology of mining, based on the S curve of the technology life cycle, analyzes the enterprise concentration each time in order to predict the future trend of development. It can be found that China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation has the largest number of patents, followed by Fuji Electric Co. Ltd, International General Electric, Daewoo shipbuilding ocean engineering Co. Ltd and so on. Considering the patent quantity and the patent quality, the dominant and productive enterprises in this field can be distinguished. The ship-integrated power system and its related core technologies have been rapidly growing at present. The related technology patents will increase rapidly in the next few years, and more and more enterprises will participate in this field.

Using the technology acceptance model to explore health provider and administrator perceptions of the usefulness and ease of using technology in palliative care.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that telehealth applications in palliative care are feasible, can improve quality of care, and reduce costs but few studies have focused on user acceptance of current technology applications in palliative care. Furthermore, the perspectives of health administrators have not been explored in palliative care and yet they are often heavily involved, alongside providers, in the coordination and use of health technologies. The study aim was to explore both health care provider and administrator perceptions regarding the usefulness and ease of using technology in palliative care. METHODS: The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used as the guiding theoretical framework to provide insight into two key determinants that influence user acceptance of technology (perceived usefulness and ease of use). Semi-structured interviews (n = 18) with health providers and administrators with experience coordinating or using technology in palliative care explored the usefulness of technologies in palliative care and recommendations to support adoption. Interview data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to identify common, meaningful themes. RESULTS: Four themes were identified; themes related to perceived usefulness were: enabling remote connection and information-sharing platform. Themes surrounding ease of use included: integration with existing IT systems and user-friendly with ready access to technical support. Telehealth can enable remote connection between patients and providers to help address insufficiencies in the current palliative care environment. Telehealth, as an information sharing platform, could support the coordination and collaboration of interdisciplinary providers caring for patients with palliative needs. However, health technologies need to passively integrate with existing IT systems to enhance providers' workflow and productivity. User-friendliness with ready access to technical support was considered especially important in palliative care as patients often experience diminished function. CONCLUSION: Participants' perspectives of technology acceptance in palliative care were largely dependent on their potential to help address major challenges in the field without imposing significant burden on providers and patients.

The Current State of Research, Challenges, and Future Research Directions of Blockchain Technology in Patient Care: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Blockchain offers a promising new distributed technology to address the challenges of data standardization, system interoperability, security, privacy, and accessibility of medical records. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review is to assess the research on the use of blockchain technology for patient care and the associated challenges and to provide a research agenda for future research. METHODS: This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. We queried the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE), and Web of Science databases for peer-reviewed research articles published up to December 2019 that examined the implementation of blockchain technology in health care settings. We identified 800 articles from which we selected 70 empirical research articles for a detailed review. RESULTS: Blockchain-based patient care applications include medical information systems, personal health records, mobile health and telemedicine, data preservation systems and social networks, health information exchanges and remote monitoring systems, and medical research systems. These blockchain-based health care applications may improve patient engagement and empowerment, improve health care provider access to information, and enhance the use of health care information for medical research. CONCLUSIONS: Blockchain health information technology (HIT) provides benefits such as ensuring data privacy and security of health data, facilitating interoperability of heterogeneous HIT systems, and improving the quality of health care outcomes. However, barriers to using blockchain technology to build HIT include security and privacy vulnerabilities, user resistance, high computing power requirements and implementation costs, inefficient consensus algorithms, and challenges of integrating blockchain with existing HIT. With 51% of the research focused on medical information systems such as electronic health record and electronic medical record, and 53% of the research focused on data security and privacy issues, this review shows that HIT research is primarily focused on the use of blockchain technologies to address the current challenges HIT faces. Although Blockchain presents significant potential for disrupting health care, most ideas are in their infancy.

Evaluation of technological competence and operations efficiency in the defense industry: The strategic planning of South Korea.

This research aims to contribute to efficiency improvement by providing the implications for decision-making on continuous defense R&D investment strategies and acquisition methods via analyzing the current position and measuring the efficiency of overall weapon systems on technological competence and operations. This research is distinctive in comparison to previous studies because it is structured in a two-stage DEA analysis for efficiency by distinguishing between the technology and operations of the current eight fields of weapon systems and by adding the external index for government competence and market competence. In 2016, in comparison to the year 2013, the eight major weapon systems' efficiency fields of the overall system of Korea, efficiency of technological competence, and efficiency of operations all increased. This research introduced the input and output variable that fits in with the defense industry by connecting the weapon systems efficiency with the national innovation system and the sectoral innovation system that are both projected in this industry. It also formed the concepts of technological competence efficiency and operations efficiency using the two-stage Network DEA method.

Can Mobile Technology Improve Weight Loss in Overweight Adults? A Systematic Review.

The purpose of this systematic review was to identify evidence concerning the effectiveness of mobile applications and wearable devices for weight loss in overweight adults. A database search of PubMed and CINAHL yielded 12 eligible articles following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria consisted of studies primarily pertaining to obesity, inclusion of adult population only (18 years and older), use of experimental study designs only, use of mobile apps or wearable devices as intervention(s), and primary outcome of weight loss. Overall, the research evidence suggests that mobile apps and wearables are effective self-regulating tools for weight loss. Although study design concerns, such as lack of non-intervention comparator groups, prevent a definitive conclusion regarding the relative power of mobile apps and wearables over other self-monitoring methods, evidence indicates that mobile technology can be used as integral tools within overarching weight loss strategies recommended in the primary care setting.

Gerontotechnology for fall prevention of the elderly with Parkinson.

OBJECTIVE: to develop the gerontological nursing care process among the elderly with Parkinson's disease, aiming at the promotion of health through the creation of gerontotechnologies for fall prevention. METHOD: Convergent Care Research was used as a methodological route. Data were collected from February to October 2017, with the participation of nine elderly people with Parkinson's disease. An educational booklet, a memory game called "não cai istepô", a memory game called "caiu de maduro" were developed through clinical evaluation through scales, recorded semi-structured interview and workshops. RESULTS: the application of gerontotechnology resulted from the elderly in self-care, empowerment and knowledge through play, revealing interest in behavior change, independence and learning, as well as serving as a facilitator of care. CONCLUSION: the gerontotechnologies presented as a playful and innovative instrument for the nursing gerontological care process.

Selection and evaluation of water pretreatment technologies for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) with reclaimed water.

Managed aquifer recharge with reclaimed water is a promising strategy for indirect potable reuse. However, residual contaminants in the treated wastewater effluent could potentially have adverse effects on human health. Hence, adequate water pretreatment is required. A multi-criteria approach was used to select and evaluate suitable water pretreatment technologies that can remove these critical contaminants in wastewater effluent for MAR identified in a previous study (Yuan et al., 2017). The treatment efficiency targets were calculated based on the concentrations and the suggested limits of critical contaminants. Treatment efficiency credits were then assigned to each treatment option for the removal of critical contaminants based on literature data. Treatment units that resulted in the highest efficiency credit scores were selected and combined into treatment train options, which were evaluated in terms of treatability, cost, and sustainability. This paper proposes an approach for the selection and evaluation of water treatment options, which will be helpful to guide the future implementation of MAR projects with reclaimed water.

FAST DASH: Program overview and key findings from initial technology evaluations.

One focus of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is to provide leadership in the testing and evaluation of promising safety technologies developed for use in commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). To this end, a program was developed by FMCSA to conduct independent, short-turnaround evaluations of promising safety technologies. Vendors who had promising safety technologies, focused in the commercial vehicle domain, were solicited to participate and submit an application. One technology was selected by FMCSA for each evaluation cycle (lasting approximately 18 months). The technology was tested in both static and dynamic conditions, after which a trucking fleet, and its drivers, were brought in to test the technology in a field operational test (FOT) lasting approximately 6 weeks. During the FOT, 15-20 trucks were instrumented with the technology and other data collection equipment, including sensors and video cameras. A study was then conducted during which drivers used the technology in their revenue-producing operations. Initially, often for the first 2 months, the technology collected data but did but not actively present alerts to the driver. Following this baseline period, a four-month intervention period was conducted. Each evaluation has resulted in more than 1,000,000 km of driving data including continuous video data. Data analyses focused on understanding the efficacy of the technology in terms of (i) safety improvements, (ii) challenges to implementation (e.g., unintended consequences), and (iii) user acceptance (including driver, fleet manager, and other fleet personnel as appropriate). The technology vendors who applied for the first three evaluations can be classified into the following general categories: fatigue/drowsiness, fleet management, visibility safety systems, cell phone policy/enforcement, and other systems. Three technology evaluations were completed in the first 5 years of (i) a blind spot detection and warning system, (ii) an onboard monitoring system, and (iii) a novel mirror technology. High-level results of each of these three evaluations are highlighted in the paper.

Gerontotechnology for fall prevention of the elderly with Parkinson / Gerontotecnología para prevención de quedas de los ancianos con Parkinson / Gerontotecnologia para prevenção de quedas dos idosos com Parkinson

ABSTRACT Objective: to develop the gerontological nursing care process among the elderly with Parkinson's disease, aiming at the promotion of health through the creation of gerontotechnologies for fall prevention. Method: Convergent Care Research was used as a methodological route. Data were collected from February to October 2017, with the participation of nine elderly people with Parkinson's disease. An educational booklet, a memory game called "não cai istepô", a memory game called "caiu de maduro" were developed through clinical evaluation through scales, recorded semi-structured interview and workshops. Results: the application of gerontotechnology resulted from the elderly in self-care, empowerment and knowledge through play, revealing interest in behavior change, independence and learning, as well as serving as a facilitator of care. Conclusion: the gerontotechnologies presented as a playful and innovative instrument for the nursing gerontological care process.

RESUMEN Objetivo: desarrollar proceso de cuidado gerontológico de enfermería junto a los ancianos con Enfermedad de Parkinson visando la promoción de la salud, a través de la creación de gerontotecnologías para prevención de caídas. Método: se utilizó como trayecto metodológico la Investigación Convergente Asistencial. La recolección de datos ocurrió de los meses de febrero a octubre de 2017, contó con la participación de nueve ancianos con la Enfermedad de Parkinson. Las gerontotecnologias: cartilla educativa, juego de la memoria: "não cai istepô" y "caiu de maduro" fueron desarrolladas mediante evaluación clínica a través de escalas, entrevista semiestructurada grabada y talleres. Resultados: la aplicación de la gerontotecnología resultó por parte de los ancianos en: autocuidado; empoderamiento y conocimiento, revelando interés en cambio de conducta, independencia y aprendizaje, además de servir como instrumento facilitador del cuidado. Conclusión: las gerontotecnologías se presentaron como instrumento lúdico e innovador para el proceso de cuidado gerontológico de enfermeira.

RESUMO Objetivo: desenvolver o processo de cuidado gerontológico de enfermagem junto aos idosos com doença de Parkinson, visando à promoção da saúde por meio da criação de gerontotecnologias para prevenção de quedas. Método: utilizou-se como trajeto metodológico a Pesquisa Convergente Assistencial. A coleta de dados ocorreu de fevereiro a outubro de 2017, e contou com a participação de nove idosos com a doença de Parkinson. As gerontotecnologias: cartilha educativa, jogo da memória: não cai istepô; jogo da memória: caiu de maduro foram desenvolvidas mediante avaliação clínica através de escalas, entrevista semiestruturada gravada e oficinas. Resultados: a aplicação da gerontotecnologia resultou por parte dos idosos em autocuidado, empoderamento e conhecimento através do jogo, revelando interesse em mudança de conduta, independência e aprendizagem, além de servir como instrumento facilitador do cuidado. Conclusão: as gerontotecnologias apresentaram-se como instrumento lúdico e inovador para o processo de cuidado gerontológico de enfermagem.

Use of appropriate technology to improve mental health service delivery.

This article reviews currently available appropriate technologies which have been used in mental health, in order to reduce confusion and delay. Confusion (for example when and where to refer) can lead to error and waste. Similarly delay impacts quality and accessibility of the whole range of mental health services. As most secondary care mental health services use electronic patient records, it is arguably easier to apply technology in this speciality. However, consideration needs to be given to confidentiality and data security. Doctors of all specialities will be exposed to 'new' technologies over the next decade, and need to be aware of the direction of travel and its implications.

Multi-institutional study of GRE scores as predictors of STEM PhD degree completion: GRE gets a low mark.

The process of selecting students likely to complete science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) doctoral programs has not changed greatly over the last few decades and still relies heavily on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores in most U.S. universities. It has been long debated whether the GRE is an appropriate selection tool and whether overreliance on GRE scores may compromise admission of students historically underrepresented in STEM. Despite many concerns about the test, there are few studies examining the efficacy of the GRE in predicting PhD completion and even fewer examining this question in STEM fields. For the present study, we took advantage of a long-lived collaboration among institutions in the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NEAGEP) to gather comparable data on GRE scores and PhD completion for 1805 U.S./Permanent Resident STEM doctoral students in four state flagship institutions. We found that GRE Verbal (GRE V) and GRE Quantitative (GRE Q) scores were similar for women who completed STEM PhD degrees and those who left programs. Remarkably, GRE scores were significantly higher for men who left than counterparts who completed STEM PhD degrees. In fact, men in the lower quartiles of GRE V or Q scores finished degrees more often than those in the highest quartile. This pattern held for each of the four institutions in the study and for the cohort of male engineering students across institutions. GRE scores also failed to predict time to degree or to identify students who would leave during the first year of their programs. Our results suggests that GRE scores are not an effective tool for identifying students who will be successful in completing STEM doctoral programs. Considering the high cost of attrition from PhD programs and its impact on future leadership for the U.S. STEM workforce, we suggest that it is time to develop more effective and inclusive admissions strategies.

Functional fixedness in tool use: Learning modality, limitations and individual differences.

Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that describes how previous knowledge of a tool's function can negatively impact the use of this tool in novel contexts. As such, functional fixedness disturbs the use of tools during mechanical problem solving. Little is known about whether this bias emerges from different experiences with tools, whether it occurs regardless of problem difficulty, or whether there are protective factors against it. To resolve the first issue, we created five experimental groups: Reading (R), Video (V), Manual (M), No Functional Fixedness (NFF), and No Training (NT). The R group learned to use tools by reading a description of their use, the V group by watching an instructional video, and the M group through direct instruction and active manipulation of the tools. To resolve the remaining two issues, we created mechanical puzzles of distinct difficulty and used tests of intuitive physics, fine motor skills, and creativity. Results showed that misleading functional knowledge is at the core of functional fixedness, and that this bias generates cognitive impasses in simple puzzles, but it does not play a role in higher difficulty problems. Additionally, intuitive physics and motor skills were protective factors against its emergence, but creativity did not influence it. Although functional fixedness leads to inaccurate problem solving, our results suggest that its effects are more limited than previously assumed.