Associative learning, a critical learning principle to improve an individual's adaptability, has been emulated by few organic electrochemical devices. However, complicated bias schemes, high write ...voltages, as well as process irreversibility hinder the further development of associative learning circuits. Here, by adopting a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):tosylate/Polytetrahydrofuran composite as the active channel, we present a non-volatile organic electrochemical transistor that shows a write bias less than 0.8 V and retention time longer than 200 min without decoupling the write and read operations. By incorporating a pressure sensor and a photoresistor, a neuromorphic circuit is demonstrated with the ability to associate two physical inputs (light and pressure) instead of normally demonstrated electrical inputs in other associative learning circuits. To unravel the non-volatility of this material, ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering are used to characterize the oxidation level variation, compositional change, and the structural modulation of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):tosylate/Polytetrahydrofuran films in various conductance states. The implementation of the associative learning circuit as well as the understanding of the non-volatile material represent critical advances for organic electrochemical devices in neuromorphic applications.
Doctor-patient trust is not strong in China, but studies examining this factor remain insufficient. The present study aimed to explore the effect of doctor-patient communication, medical service ...quality, and service satisfaction on patient trust in doctors. Five hundred sixty-four patients with tuberculosis participated in this cross-sectional study in Dalian, China. They completed questionnaires assessing socio-demographic characteristics, doctor-patient communication, medical service quality, service satisfaction and patient trust in medical staff. A structural equation model was applied to examine the hypotheses, and all the study hypotheses were supported: (1) doctor-patient communication, medical service quality and service satisfaction were positively associated with building doctor-patient trust; (2) service quality positively mediated the relationship between doctor-patient communication and trust; (3) medical service satisfaction positively mediated the relationship between doctor-patient communication and trust; (4) medical service satisfaction positively mediated the relationship between medical service quality and doctor-patient trust; and (5) medical service quality and service satisfaction were the positively sequential mediators between communication and doctor-patient trust. Based on these findings, improvements in doctor-patient communication, medical service quality, and service satisfaction are the important issues contributing to the rebuilding of doctor-patient trust in medical service delivery.
N‐type conjugated polymers as the semiconducting component of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are still undeveloped with respect to their p‐type counterparts. Herein, we report two rigid ...n‐type conjugated polymers bearing oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) side chains, PgNaN and PgNgN, which demonstrated an essentially torsion‐free π‐conjugated backbone. The planarity and electron‐deficient rigid structures enable the resulting polymers to achieve high electron mobility in an OECT device of up to the 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1 range, with a deep‐lying LUMO energy level lower than −4.0 eV. Prominently, the polymers exhibited a high device performance with a maximum dimensionally normalized transconductance of 0.212 S cm−1 and the product of charge‐carrier mobility μ and volumetric capacitance C* of 0.662±0.113 F cm−1 V−1 s−1, which are among the highest in n‐type conjugated polymers reported to date. Moreover, the polymers are synthesized via a metal‐free aldol‐condensation polymerization, which is beneficial to their application in bioelectronics.
Two new n‐type semiconducting polymers, PgNaN and PgNgN, bearing oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) side chain are developed with a fully conformationally locked backbone and deep‐lying LUMO energy level. As a result, the polymer of PgNaN exhibits a good performance on OECT devices with a maximum dimensionally normalized transconductance of 0.212 S cm−1 and a product μC* of 0.662±0.113 F cm−1 V−1 s−1.
The complex relationships among social support, experienced stigma, psychological distress, and quality of life (QOL) among tuberculosis (TB) patients are insufficiently understood. The purpose of ...this study was to explore the interrelationships among social support, experienced stigma, psychological distress, and QOL and to examine whether experienced stigma and psychological distress play a mediating role. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between November 2020 and March 2021 in Dalian, Liaoning Province, Northeast China. Data were obtained from 473 TB patients using a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the hypothetical model. The research model provided a good fit to the measured data. All research hypotheses were supported: (1) social support, experienced stigma and psychological distress were associated with QOL; (2) experienced stigma fully mediated the effect of social support on psychological distress; (3) psychological distress fully mediated the effect of experienced stigma on QOL; and (4) experienced stigma and psychological distress were sequential mediators between social support and QOL. This study elucidated the pathways linking social support, experienced stigma, and psychological distress to QOL and provides an empirical basis for improving the QOL of TB patients.
The stigma of tuberculosis (TB) poses a significant challenge to TB control because it leads to delayed diagnosis and non-adherence. However, few studies on TB-related stigma have been completed in ...China. The aim of the current study was to explore the status of TB-related stigma and its associated predictive factors among TB patients in Dalian, Northeast China.
An institution-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted among outpatients at Dalian Tuberculosis Hospital in Liaoning Province, Northeast China. Data were collected by using a questionnaire that measured TB-related stigma, treatment status, anxiety, social support, doctor-patient communication and so on. A multiple linear regression model was used to determine the predictors of TB-related stigma.
A total of 601 eligible participants were recruited. The mean score for TB-related stigma was 9.07, and the median score was 10. The average scores for anxiety, social support and doctor-patient communication were 4.03, 25.41 and 17.17, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that patients who were female (β = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.38-2.01, P < 0.05), had self-assessed moderate or severe disease (β = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.12-2.03 and β = 1.36, 95% CI: 0.03-2.70, respectively, P < 0.05), and had anxiety (β = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.30-0.46, P < 0.001) were more likely to have a greater level of TB-related stigma than their counterparts. However, a significantly lower level of TB-related stigma was observed in patients with good social support (β = - 0.25, 95% CI: - 0.33--0.17, P < 0.001) and doctor-patient communication (β = - 0.14, 95% CI: - 0.29--0.00, P < 0.05).
This study showed that stigma among TB patients was high. Targeted attention should be paid to female patients and patients with moderate or severe disease in TB stigma-related interventions. Moreover, the important role of social support and doctor-patient communication in reducing TB-related stigma should also be emphasized.
This study was conducted to investigate (1) the association between solid fuel use for cooking and cognitive function; (2) the moderating effects of gender and residential area on cognitive scores ...among solid fuel users; and (3) the effects of solid fuel use on cognitive decline among different gender and age subgroups in 2011-2018. A total of 5140 Chinese middle-aged and elderly participants were successfully followed for 7 years (2011-2018). Solid fuel use was self-reported as using solid fuel for cooking at home, and cognitive function was assessed by 4 parts: episodic memory, time orientation, numerical ability and picture drawing. After adjusting for covariates, solid fuel users had lower cognitive scores, and the moderation effects of gender and residence on cognitive function were significant among the solid fuel users. In addition, compared with the group of clean fuel users, solid fuel users had a faster decline rate of cognitive function among the subgroups of female and elderly people.
This paper proposes a novel relay algorithm to optimize the communication throughput of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mobile relay formations while considering the challenges posed by obstacle ...avoidance, channel complexity, high dynamics of UAVs, and real-time mission requirements. To tackle the non-convex nature of this problem, we develop the unscented Kalman filter and hybrid particle swarm optimization (UKF-HPSO) algorithm. Initially, real-time prediction of the source and destination of UAV positions is accomplished using the UKF. Subsequently, these predicted coordinates serve as inputs for achieving the optimal deployment of relay UAVs under the constraints imposed by HPSO. The superiority of the UKF-HPSO algorithm compared to baseline approaches is demonstrated through extensive simulations. System throughput is effectively optimized while maintaining real-time performance by our proposed algorithm, which addresses the unique challenges of UAV communication in dynamic environments.
Non-adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment is the most important cause of poor TB outcomes, and improving support for TB patients is a primary priority for governments, but there has been little ...research on the effects of family, social and national policy support factors on TB treatment adherence. The current study evaluated treatment adherence among newly diagnosed TB patients in Dalian, north-eastern China, and determined the effects of family, society, and national policy support factors on treatment adherence. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among newly diagnosed TB patients treated at the outpatient department of Dalian Tuberculosis Hospital from September 2019 to January 2020. Data were collected using a questionnaire that measured medication adherence, family support, social support, and national policy support and so on. Differences between groups were assessed using Chi-square tests and Fisher's exact tests. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of adherence. A total of 481 newly diagnosed TB patients were recruited, of whom 45.7% had good adherence, and 27.4 and 26.8% had moderate and low adherence, respectively. Patients who had family members who frequently supervised medication (OR:0.34, 95% CI:0.16-0.70), family members who often provided spiritual encouragement (OR:0.13, 95% CI:0.02-0.72), a good doctor-patient relationship (OR:0.61, 95% CI:0.40-0.93), more TB-related knowledge (OR:0.49, 95% CI:0.33-0.72) and a high need for TB treatment policy support (OR:0.38, 95% CI:0.22-0.66) had satisfactory medication adherence. However, patients who had a college degree or higher (OR:1.69, 95% CI:1.04-2.74) and who suffered adverse drug reactions (OR:1.45, 95% CI:1.00-2.11) were more likely to have lower adherence. Our findings suggested that non-adherence was high in newly diagnosed TB patients. Patients who had family members who frequently supervised medication and provided spiritual encouragement and a good doctor-patient relationship and TB-related knowledge and a high need for policy support contributed to high adherence. It is recommended to strengthen medical staff training and patient and family health education and to increase financial support for improving adherence.
As a group at high-risk for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) infection, the psychological distress of transgender women cannot be ignored while preventing and controlling AIDS risks. ...Transgender women are a vulnerable group, and their psychological distress deserves attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychological distress of transgender women and further determine the influences of factors on the psychological distress of transgender women.
From March 2021 to August 2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shandong province, China. Data were collected by a questionnaire designed for transgender women, and the GHQ-12 scale was used to measure their psychological distress. The questionnaire combined sociodemographic characteristics, HIV/AIDS cognition, related behaviors, substance abuse, social support, gender identity and other factors. Univariate logistic regression and multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the psychological factors of transgender women.
In this study, the rate of transgender women with psychological distress was 20.08%. Earned monthly income between 10,000-15,000 yuan (OR:0.16, 95% CI:0.06-0.45) and a monthly income greater than 15,000 yuan (OR:0.07, 95% CI:0.01-0.43) were protective factors in the psychology of transgender women. Transgender women who never disclosed sexual orientation and identity (OR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.06-0.58), who only disclosed their sexual orientation and identity to families or friends (OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.18-0.93) were also less likely to have psychological distress. Additionally, transgender women who did not desire to be identified with their sexual orientation and identity (OR: 3.31, 95%CI: 1.08-10.16) and who reported that the Internet did not play an essential role in helping determine sexual orientation (OR: 5.96, 95% CI: 2.91-12.20) were more likely to have psychological distress.
Transgender women were at risk of psychological distress. Earning more money can help transgender women's psychological health. When formulating measures for transgender women, we should pay attention to enhance social inclusion and social acceptance of their gender identity and sexual orientation. Strengthening the role of the internet in transgender women's confirmation of sexual orientation and improving the social acceptance of transgender women will have a positive impact on the psychological status of transgender women.
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