Ubiquitous Real-World Sensing and Audiology-Based Health Informatics

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (09) ◽  
pp. 777-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter G. Jacobs ◽  
Jeffrey A. Kaye

Background: Hearing impairment and hearing rehabilitation strategies have historically been studied within the confines of a sound booth under controlled experimental conditions. The real world is quite different from the clinical setting and it is important to study how a person with hearing impairment interacts with the world both with and without a hearing assist intervention. A person’s ability to hear enables them to communicate and to effectively interact with the world. If a person suffers from hearing impairment, we might anticipate that they could become more disengaged from the world, more socially isolated, potentially depressed, and have additional comorbidities such as cognitive and physical impairment. Indeed, prior research has shown that hearing impairment is associated with social isolation, decreased functional ability and mobility, fall risk, diabetes, and cognitive impairment. However, nearly all of the work that has been done in this area of assessing the impact of hearing impairment on a person’s social, cognitive, and physical health has been done through clinical tests or self-report studies using questionnaires and surveys that attempt to objectively quantify various aspects of health. Unfortunately, clinical tests, questionnaires, and surveys oftentimes inaccurately assess a person’s true social, cognitive, and physical health. Only when a person is observed in their natural living environment can a more accurate assessment of health be obtained. The ability to assess hearing health, social engagement, cognitive, and physical health in natural living environments is becoming possible with the advent of ubiquitous sensing capabilities. Purpose: Here we discuss some of the work that has been done by our group and others that may be of use to the field of audiology e-health. The purpose of this article is not to present new experimental data, but rather to describe a new method of using advanced in-home sensing techniques to better understand how hearing diagnostics, interventions, and rehabilitation influence the lives and behaviors of patients.

2017 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 707-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda R. Franco ◽  
Patrício S. Costa ◽  
Heather A. Butler ◽  
Leandro S. Almeida

Critical thinking is a kind of “good” thinking that integrates a set of cognitive skills and dispositions to use those skills with knowledge to increase the chances of success in academic settings, job market, and daily life. The impact of critical thinking on life events, in face of everyday decisions and challenges, is still unclear, and further research is needed. In this exploratory study, a sample of 230 first-year students of a Bachelor’s Degree or a Master’s Degree in Portugal completed an experimental Portuguese version of the Real-World Outcomes, a self-report inventory measuring everyday negative life events that are mediated by a lack of critical thinking. Based on exploratory factor analysis results and theoretical premises, changes were made to the Portuguese version of the inventory that was administered, and items were aggregated into six dimensions, creating a new version that is more familiar to Portuguese young adults in college. This original proposal of the inventory presents six types of negative life events resulting from a lack of critical thinking: health neglect, mismanagement, slackness, poor impulse control, academic negligence, and rashness. Both limitations and future potentialities of this version are presented.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Benham ◽  
Lee Benham

AbstractWe are delighted to be present today to share in the celebration of Steven Cheung’s 80th birthday. We bring best wishes from several others who could not be here – Yoram Barzel, Chris Hall, and Douglass North. Congratulations to Steve and thanks to Linda for this special occasion. Steve, congratulations on your keen observation, your broad experience, and the impact of your ideas. Our subject today is Steven Cheung’s advice to economists: that personal observation and real-world business experience can lead economists to greater insights and fewer errors. In his own words: “The world is my laboratory and I want to see things with my own eyes.” We certainly could use better economics. Is Steve right? And if he is right, how to implement his advice?


2021 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2020-002722
Author(s):  
Carmen Salaverria ◽  
Erin Plenert ◽  
Roberto Vasquez ◽  
Soad Fuentes-Alabi ◽  
George A Tomlinson ◽  
...  

ObjectivesPaediatric patients with leukaemia with relapse or induction failure have poor prognosis. Anticipated quality of life (QoL) is important in treatment decision making. The objective was to determine if curative intent at relapse or induction failure, when compared with palliative intent, was associated with child’s physical health, pain or general fatigue and parents’ QoL over time among patients with paediatric leukaemia in El Salvador.MethodsThis was a prospective observational cohort study. Children 2–18 years with acute leukaemia at first relapse or induction failure were eligible. Assessments occurred every 2 months for up to 2 years using validated proxy report and self-report scales, where guardians were the primary respondents. Initial curative or palliative intent was categorised at enrolment by physicians. The impact of initial intent on QoL was assessed using linear mixed effects models and interaction between QoL and time.ResultsOf the 60 families enrolled, initial treatment intent was curative in 31 (51.7%) and palliative in 29 (48.3%). During the 2-year observation period, 44 children died. Initial curative intent significantly improved child’s physical health (estimate=8.4, 95% CI 5.1 to 11.6), pain (estimate=5.4, 95% CI 1.5 to 9.2) and fatigue (estimate=6.6, 95% CI 3.2 to 9.9) compared with palliative intent, but not parents’ QoL (estimate=1.0, 95% CI −0.8 to 2.8).ConclusionsAmong paediatric patients with acute leukaemia at relapse or induction failure, initial curative intent treatment plan was associated with better physical health, pain and fatigue when compared with palliative intent. A curative approach may be a reasonable option for patients with acute leukaemia even when prognosis is poor.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Dr. Vikas Jaolkar

  Rohinton Mistry was born and brought up in Mumbai in the mid fifty’s, migrated to Canada at the age of 23. Mistry belongs to that class of the Indian authors who shifted their base from India to somewhere else but throughout their lives continue missing their mother land. We can easily recall a beautiful song of the movie “Namste London” which says “Main Jahan rahoon main kahin bhi rahoon Teri yaad saath he” means “where ever I am but your memories are always there with me.” The acute pain and feeling of not being with the people who are like you, who speaks your language can be better , felt and expressed by exiled or immigrant writers . Such people might be physically away from their own motherland but deep in their hearts always keep on missing their motherland. According to Hudson “A nation’s life has its moods of exultation and depression, its epochs a strong faith and strenuous idealism now of doubt struggle and disillusion, now of unbelief and flippant disregard for the sanctities of existence and while the manner of expression will vary greatly with the individuality of each writer the dominant spirit of the hour whatever they may be will directly or indirectly reveal itself in his work”. (1) According to Goethe’s statement “Everyman is the citizen of his age as well as of his country.”(2) The impact and influence of the age, psyche, cultural heritage and political up down on the Author’s mind is due to the fact that later is constantly influenced by the spirit of all above fastness and reacts to it vividly and vigorously. Although he left India in 1975 and does not often go back, Mistry told a British Magazine that he feels no hindrance in writing about this home country “So far I have had no difficulty writing about it, even though I have been away for so long”, he said “All fiction relies on the real world in the sense that we all face in the world through our five senses and we accumulate details, consciously or subconsciously. This accumulation of debt can be drawn on when you write fiction. (3) The beauty and delicacy with which Mistry has portrayed the experience of immigration, the immense pain of not being with your own people, no author has done it so far.


Author(s):  
N. Leigh Boyd

Thanks to the polarized nature of politics in the world today, students need to learn how to think critically about social issues. Argumentation can be both a type of critical thinking and a tool with which to teach students to think critically about social issues. This chapter lays out a framework for teaching students how to develop critical thinking about real world issues through the use of dialogic argumentation. The impact of dialogic argumentative activities in the classroom are discussed, particularly as they relate to the development of metacognition and theory of mind, as well as how they help students develop an “inner-locutor” that allows them to evaluate both their position and opposing positions. Finally, a model for how these elements contribute to students' value-loaded critical thinking about social issues is outlined.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 690-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hemant Kassean ◽  
Jeff Vanevenhoven ◽  
Eric Liguori ◽  
Doan E. Winkel

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of common undergraduate entrepreneurship classroom activities on students’ motivational processes related to entrepreneurial careers. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 700 undergraduate students from a variety of majors at a large midwestern university in the USA were invited to take a web-based survey. They were asked to indicate which experiential activities they would participate/were participating in as part of their program. Findings – The findings show that students’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) is a driving force in classroom activities enhancing students’ intentions. However, the authors also found that the type of classroom activities that are common in entrepreneurship education negatively impact students’ ESE. Research limitations/implications – The generalizability is limited to the US region and the link from intention to behavior goes untested, but results strongly supported the adoption of social cognitive career theory to the entrepreneurship domain. Practical implications – This study lends support to the argument that promoting the learning process in entrepreneurship education should focus on real-world experience, action, and reflective processes to engage students in authentic learning, which should lead to greater entrepreneurial abilities and propensity, and eventually to enhanced entrepreneurial performance, which benefits individuals and societies. Social implications – This study suggests that the goals and pedagogical approaches to teaching entrepreneurship are issues that educators may need to revisit and update if the economic benefits of entrepreneurship are to be fully realized. Originality/value – While the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship activity is well documented in extant literature, this study found that activities that are common in entrepreneurship education may negatively impact students’ ESE and need to be further explored.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary S. Mittelman ◽  
Maureen K. O’Connor ◽  
Tiffany Donley ◽  
Cynthia Epstein-Smith ◽  
Andrew Nguyen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The longitudinal study, “Couples Lived Experiences,” focuses on whether and how relationship characteristics of older couples change with the cognitive decline of one member of the couple, and how these changes affect each individual’s emotional and physical health outcomes. Until now, most psychosocial research in dementia has focused either on the person with dementia (PWD) or the caregiver separately. The previous literature examining relationship characteristics and their role in outcomes for the caregiver and PWD is scant and suffers from methodological issues that limit the understanding of which relationship characteristics most influence outcomes for caregivers and care-receivers and what other factors may mitigate or exacerbate their effects. Methods We will enroll 300 dyads and collect information via online interviews of each member of the couple, every 6 months for 3 years. Relationship characteristics will be measured with a set of short, well-validated, and reliable self-report measures, plus the newly developed “Partnership Approach Questionnaire.” Outcomes include global quality of life, subjective physical health, mental health (depression and anxiety), and status change (transitions in levels of care; i.e., placement in a nursing home). Longitudinal data will be used to investigate how relationship characteristics are affected by cognitive, functional, and behavioral changes, and the impact of these changes on health outcomes. Qualitative data will also be collected to enrich the interpretation of results of quantitative analyses. Discussion Psychosocial interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in promoting the wellbeing of PWD and their caregivers. The knowledge gained from this study can lead to the development or enhancement of targeted interventions for older couples that consider the impact of cognitive and functional decline on the relationship between members of a couple and thereby improve their wellbeing. Trial registration This study has been registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier is: NCT04863495.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 391-391
Author(s):  
Omar Staben ◽  
Frank Infurna ◽  
Eileen Crimmins

Abstract There is a long-standing literature that has documented the importance of both the immediate and distal context in impacting mental and physical health across the adult lifespan. The goal of this symposium is to bring together a collection of papers that target the extent to which the immediate and distal context as measured through objective and subjective indicators relate to pertinent outcomes of mental and physical health. Staben and colleagues use an intensive longitudinal design in middle-aged adults to show that objective and subjective indicators of the neighborhood are associated with higher levels of and are protective against the impact of monthly adversity on mental health and well-being. Munoz and colleagues evaluate associations between objective and subjective early-life neighborhood contexts and whether they play a role in cognitive function at midlife. They find that poorer age-five self-report conditions were associated with lower working memory. Osuna and colleagues examine how both neighborhood and housing conditions play a role on psychological well-being. They find that housing and neighborhood safety conditions are associated with depressive symptoms over time. Piazza and colleagues examine associations between daily financial thoughts, SES, and indices of emotional and physical health. They find that individuals who reported more daily financial thoughts also reported more negative affect and physical symptoms. The discussion by Crimmins will integrate the four papers by highlighting the importance of how different forms of context can impact development in adulthood and old age, particularly in relation to health and well-being and consider future routes of inquiry.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn A. Stewart ◽  
Amanda Nolan ◽  
Jennie Thompson ◽  
Jenelle Power

PurposeInternational studies indicate that offenders have higher rates of infectious diseases, chronic diseases, and physical disorders relative to the general population. Although social determinants of health have been found to affect the mental health of a population, less information is available regarding the impact of social determinants on physical health, especially among offenders. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between social determinants and the physical health status of federal Canadian offenders.Design/methodology/approachThe study included all men admitted to federal institutions between 1 April 2012 and 30 September 2012 (n=2,273) who consented to the intake health assessment. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore whether age group, Aboriginal ancestry, and each of the individual social determinants significantly predicted a variety of health conditions.FindingsThe majority of men reported having a physical health condition and had experienced social determinants associated with adverse health outcomes, especially men of Aboriginal ancestry. Two social determinants factors in particular were consistently related to the health of offenders, a history of childhood abuse, and the use of social assistance.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to the use of self-report data. Additionally, the measures of social determinants of health were indicators taken from assessments that provided only rough estimates of the constructs rather than from established measures.Originality/valueA better understanding of how these factors affect offenders can inform strategies to address correctional health issues and reduce the impact of chronic conditions through targeted correctional education and intervention programmes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariana Colleen Colleen Schrader-Rank

I propose that non fungible tokens (NFTs) will affect the greater public, and specifically the art market, at an exponential rate due to three factors. The first, scarcity mindset, drives the human sense of urgency for a particular commodity (Garvey, 2021). The next factor is the potential use of NFTs in real world applications or throughout the economy. The attraction of NFTs is that they are indiscriminate and allow anyone from various socioeconomic backgrounds to buy in. As scarcity seemingly increases, NFTs appear to be a good investment; but are there real world applications or do they merely exist within the virtual realm? The last determinant I would like to explore is the environmental impact of NFTs on the physical world. When comparing virtual ‘tokens’ used to fund digital art to paper money exchanged for a piece of physical artwork in concrete space, theoretically the former is much less detrimental to society. However, through practice-led research, I have conducted a six month investigation from May 2021 through October 2021 to uncover the true ramifications NFTs have on the world.


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