Many organisations promote eHealth applications as a feasible, low-cost method of addressing mental ill-health and stress amongst their employees. However, there are good reasons why the efficacy ...identified in clinical or other samples may not generalize to employees, and many Apps are being developed specifically for this group. The aim of this paper is to conduct the first comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the evidence for the effectiveness and examine the relative efficacy of different types of eHealth interventions for employees.
Systematic searches were conducted for relevant articles published from 1975 until November 17, 2016, of trials of eHealth mental health interventions (App or web-based) focused on the mental health of employees. The quality and bias of all identified studies was assessed. We extracted means and standard deviations from published reports, comparing the difference in effect sizes (Hedge's g) in standardized mental health outcomes. We meta-analysed these using a random effects model, stratified by length of follow up, intervention type, and whether the intervention was universal (unselected) or targeted to selected groups e.g. "stressed".
23 controlled trials of eHealth interventions were identified which overall suggested a small positive effect at both post intervention (g = 0.24, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.35) and follow up (g = 0.23, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.42). There were differential short term effects seen between the intervention types whereby Mindfulness based interventions (g = 0.60, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.85, n = 6) showed larger effects than the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) based (g = 0.15, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.29, n = 11) and Stress Management based (g = 0.17, 95%CI -0.01 to 0.34, n = 6) interventions. The Stress Management interventions however differed by whether delivered to universal or targeted groups with a moderately large effect size at both post-intervention (g = 0.64, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.85) and follow-up (g = 0.69, 95% CI 0.06 to 1.33) in targeted groups, but no effect in unselected groups.
There is reasonable evidence that eHealth interventions delivered to employees may reduce mental health and stress symptoms post intervention and still have a benefit, although reduced at follow-up. Despite the enthusiasm in the corporate world for such approaches, employers and other organisations should be aware not all such interventions are equal, many lack evidence, and achieving the best outcomes depends upon providing the right type of intervention to the correct population.
Research in psychology has shown that both motivation and wellbeing are contingent on the satisfaction of certain psychological needs. Yet, despite a long-standing pursuit in human-computer ...interaction (HCI) for design strategies that foster sustained engagement, behavior change and wellbeing, the basic psychological needs shown to mediate these outcomes are rarely taken into account. This is possibly due to the lack of a clear model to explain these needs in the context of HCI. Herein we introduce such a model: Motivation, Engagement and Thriving in User Experience (METUX). The model provides a framework grounded in psychological research that can allow HCI researchers and practitioners to form actionable insights with respect to how technology designs support or undermine basic psychological needs, thereby increasing motivation and engagement, and ultimately, improving user wellbeing. We propose that in order to address wellbeing, psychological needs must be considered within five different spheres of analysis including: at the point of technology
, during interaction with the
, as a result of engagement with technology-specific
, as part of the technology-supported
, and as part of an individual's
overall. These five spheres of experience sit within a sixth,
, which encompasses both direct and collateral effects of technology use as well as
-user experiences. We build this model based on existing evidence for basic psychological need satisfaction, including evidence within the context of the workplace, computer games, and health. We extend and hone these ideas to provide practical advice for designers along with real world examples of how to apply the model to design practice.
Multiscale phenomenology of the cosmic web Aragón-Calvo, Miguel A.; van de Weygaert, Rien; Jones, Bernard J. T.
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
11/2010, Letnik:
408, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
We analyse the structure and connectivity of the distinct morphologies that define the cosmic web. With the help of our multiscale morphology filter (MMF), we dissect the matter distribution of a ...cosmological λ cold dark matter N-body computer simulation into cluster, filaments and walls. The MMF is ideally suited to address both the anisotropic morphological character of filaments and sheets, and the multiscale nature of the hierarchically evolved cosmic matter distribution. The results of our study may be summarized as follows. (i) While all morphologies occupy a roughly well-defined range in density, this alone is not sufficient to differentiate between them given their overlap. Environment defined only in terms of density fails to incorporate the intrinsic dynamics of each morphology. This plays an important role in both linear and non-linear interactions between haloes. (ii) Most of the mass in the Universe is concentrated in filaments, narrowly followed by clusters. In terms of volume, clusters only represent a minute fraction and filaments not more than 9 per cent. Walls are relatively inconspicuous in terms of mass and volume. (iii) On average, massive clusters are connected to more filaments than low-mass clusters. Clusters with M∼ 1014 M⊙ h−1 have on average two connecting filaments, while clusters with M≥ 1015 M⊙ h−1 have on average five connecting filaments. (iv) Density profiles indicate that the typical width of filaments is 2 h−1 Mpc. Walls have less well-defined boundaries with widths between 5 and 8 Mpc h−1. In their interior, filaments have a power-law density profile with slope γ≈−1, corresponding to an isothermal density profile.
Alkylating agents constitute a major class of frontline chemotherapeutic drugs that inflict cytotoxic DNA damage as their main mode of action, in addition to collateral mutagenic damage. Numerous ...cellular pathways, including direct DNA damage reversal, base excision repair (BER) and mismatch repair (MMR), respond to alkylation damage to defend against alkylation-induced cell death or mutation. However, maintaining a proper balance of activity both within and between these pathways is crucial for a favourable response of an organism to alkylating agents. Furthermore, the response of an individual to alkylating agents can vary considerably from tissue to tissue and from person to person, pointing to genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that modulate alkylating agent toxicity.
The local stability of a weakly dissipative heat engine is analyzed and linked to an energetic multi-objective optimization perspective. This constitutes a novel issue in the unified study of cyclic ...energy converters, opening the perspective to the possibility that stability favors self-optimization of thermodynamic quantities including efficiency, power and entropy generation. To this end, a dynamics simulating the restitution forces, which mimics a harmonic potential, bringing the system back to the steady state is analyzed. It is shown that relaxation trajectories are not arbitrary but driven by the improvement of several energetic functions. Insights provided by the statistical behavior of consecutive random perturbations show that the irreversible behavior works as an attractor for the energetics of the system, while the endoreversible limit acts as an upper bound and the Pareto front as a global attractor. Fluctuations around the operation regime reveal a difference between the behavior coming from fast and slow relaxation trajectories: while the former are associated to an energetic self-optimization evolution, the latter are ascribed to better performances. The self-optimization induced by stability and the possible use of instabilities in the operation regime to improve the energetic performance might usher into new useful perspectives in the control of variables for real engines.
Theory and numerical simulations of the thinning of liquid threads at high superficial concentration of surfactants suggest the existence of an asymptotic regime where surface tension balances ...surface viscous stresses, leading to an exponential thinning with an e-fold time F(Θ)(3μs+κs)/σ, where μs and κs are the surface shear and dilatational viscosity coefficients, σ is the interfacial tension, Θ=κs/μs, and F(Θ) is a universal function. The potential use of this phenomenon to measure the surface viscosity coefficients is discussed.
•Paper working electrodes can be modified with nanomaterials for Hg(II) determination in river waters.•Hybrids of Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with gold nanoparticles ...(AuNPs) improved detection.•When CNF/AuNPs were used, Hg(II) could be determined up to 1.2 μM with a detection limit of 30 nM.•There was no interference of Cd (II), Pb (II), Cu(II) or Zn (II).•The CNF/AuNPs modified electrodes were applied to the analysis of Hg (II) in river waters.
A sensor for Hg (II) determination in water was developed by using paper working electrodes modified with nanomaterials. The cellulose matrix was modified with hybrids of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), in order to increase the selectivity and sensitivity. The AuNPs helped the electrodeposition of Hg (II) at more positive potentials, due to their affinity for mercury. The determination was possible up to 1.2 μM with no interference of other heavy metals such as Cd (II), Pb (II), Cu (II) and Zn (II). The CNFs/AuNPs modified paper-based electrode was the most sensitive option with a detection limit of 30 nM. River water samples were evaluated by the standard addition method.
In the current work, we prepared a novel material suitable for additive manufacturing by using acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymer as matrix and a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as ...additive. Conditions for successful printing via fused filament fabrication (FFF) were optimized for the ABS:TPU blends. Compatibility of ABS and TPU in the blends was studied by Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, showing the appearance of new supramolecular interactions via hydrogen bonding. Compositional studies were carried out by confocal Raman microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM), demonstrating the good compatibility between the two compounds. Mechanical and adhesive properties were studied by 3D-printing different normalized test specimens in different directions. It was shown that blends containing 10–20 wt% TPU led to enhanced adhesion between layers without loss in yield strength, while 30 wt% TPU led to a good adhesion between layers and to the printing platform when printing at room temperature.
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•Design of novel materials for fused filament fabrication with enhanced adhesive properties.•Correlation of properties at macro and micro/nanoscale.•Study of the compatibility of thermoplastic and thermoplastic elastomers by spectroscopic and microscopic analysis.•ABS-based material that allows 3D-printing without heating the platform.
Anxiety and depression are associated with a range of adverse outcomes and represent a large global burden to individuals and health care systems. Prevention programs are an important way to avert a ...proportion of the burden associated with such conditions both at a clinical and subclinical level. eHealth interventions provide an opportunity to offer accessible, acceptable, easily disseminated globally low-cost interventions on a wide scale. However, the efficacy of these programs remains unclear. The aim of this study is to review and evaluate the effects of eHealth prevention interventions for anxiety and depression.
A systematic search was conducted on four relevant databases to identify randomized controlled trials of eHealth interventions aimed at the prevention of anxiety and depression in the general population published between 2000 and January 2016. The quality of studies was assessed and a meta-analysis was performed using pooled effect size estimates obtained from a random effects model.
Ten trials were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. All studies were of sufficient quality and utilized cognitive behavioural techniques. At post-treatment, the overall mean difference between the intervention and control groups was 0.25 (95% confidence internal: 0.09, 0.41; p = 0.003) for depression outcome studies and 0.31 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.52; p = 0.004) for anxiety outcome studies, indicating a small but positive effect of the eHealth interventions. The effect sizes for universal and indicated/selective interventions were similar (0.29 and 0.25 respectively). However, there was inadequate evidence to suggest that such interventions have an effect on long-term disorder incidence rates.
Evidence suggests that eHealth prevention interventions for anxiety and depression are associated with small but positive effects on symptom reduction. However, there is inadequate evidence on the medium to long-term effect of such interventions, and importantly, on the reduction of incidence of disorders. Further work to explore the impact of eHealth psychological interventions on long-term incidence rates.
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