Development of a Pre-Evaluation and Health Monitoring System for FAST Cable-Net Structure

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) is one of China’s major pieces of national infrastructure. A variable cable-net structure is used as the main supporting structure of the active reflector. The displacement of the cable net works through actuators. The realization of linkage control is a multi-degree-of-freedom and complex coupling control system. Due to factors such as the temperature difference between day and night, as well as actuator failure, the reflector control accuracy and even structural safety are affected during the position-control process of the cable net, so realizing evaluation of control accuracy and fault warning of the reflector is a significant problem. This paper proposes a pre-evaluation and health monitoring system based on advanced mechanical simulation technology. Through this system, on-site staff can expeditiously analyze the model to determine whether the cable net is currently in a safe state, predict the fatigue degree of the components, and maintain the structure when appropriate. The pre-evaluation and health monitoring system adequately ensure the stable functioning of the FAST cable net, improve the efficiency of on-site maintenance work, and markedly reduce the safety risk of the structure.

Experiences of trial participants and site staff of participating in and running a large randomised trial within fertility (the endometrial scratch trial): a qualitative interview study

ObjectivesTo explore the experiences of endometrial scratch (ES) trial participants and site staff of trial recruitment and participation, in order to improve the experience of participants in future trials.DesignQualitative study of a subset of participants in the ES randomised controlled trial and a subset of trial site staff.SettingA purposeful sample of 9 of the 16 UK Fertility Units that participated in the trial.ParticipantsA purposeful sample of 27 trial participants and 7 site staff.ResultsParticipants were largely happy with the recruitment practices, however, some were overwhelmed with the amount of information received. Interviewees had positive preconceptions regarding the possible effect of the ES on the outcome of their in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycle, which often originated from their own internet research and seemed to be exacerbated by how site staff described the intervention. Some participants appeared to not understand that receiving the ES could potentially reduce their chances of a successful IVF outcome. Those randomised to the control arm discussed feeling discontent; site staff developed mechanisms of dealing with this.ConclusionsA lack of equipoise in both study participants and the recruiting site staff led to trial participants having positive preconceptions of the potential impact of the ES on their upcoming IVF cycle. Trial participants may not have understood the potential harms of participating in a randomised trial. The trial information sheet did not clearly state this; further research should assess how such information should be presented to potential participants, to proportionately present the level of risk, but to not unduly discourage participation. The amount of information fertility patients require about a research study should also be investigated, in order to avoid participants feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information they receive prior to starting IVF.Trial registration numberISRCTN23800982.

Adapting and Validating the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire to Study Sexual Harassment Among University Women in Jordan

Despite the adverse effects of sexual harassment, measurement gaps persist. Using a sequential, mixed-methods approach, we adapted and validated the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ) to measure sexual harassment victimization among college-going women in Jordan. From a 213-item pool and qualitative data from students at the study site, we removed 50 items and collapsed or rephrased 163 items into selected 27 items for examination. After expert reviewers and study-site staff assessed content validity, we replaced three items. Items were tested using cognitive interviews ( n = 7) and then administered in a survey to 567 women students. We sequentially performed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with a random split-half sample ( N1 = 283), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with the second sample ( N2 = 284), and confirmatory bifactor analysis. Five items with cross-factor loadings were dropped. Model fit for the final four-factor EFA and CFA was adequate (EFA: RMSEA: 0.013, CFI: 0.996, TLI: 0.994; CFA: RMSEA 0.020, CFI: 0.988, TLI: 0.986). Three factors were similar to those identified in the SEQ—gender harassment, sexual coercion, and unwanted sexual attention—but we also identified a fourth factor—physical-contact sexual harassment. The bifactor analysis suggested that the scale was unidimensional (general factor ECV=.701 and PUC =.727). The unidimensional scale was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Using an adapted SEQ, sexual harassment is a measurable construct in the Jordanian university context. Further validation of this tool and efforts to capture each dimension of sexual harassment in the Arab region is needed.

Coping with the Covid-19 pandemic: an exploration of the strategies adopted by construction firms

Purpose The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has tested the resilience of the construction industry, putting the safety of workers and overall businesses at risk. This study aims to explore the different strategies adopted by construction companies to protect the health and well-being of employees, security of the construction sites and projects, and keep the overall business operational amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach A preliminary study that involves field study and survey research was used to collect data for the study. The results from the preliminary analysis served as inputs for constructing the questionnaire, which was analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis. Findings The results reveal that the key underlying measures put in place by construction businesses include restricted site access, support bubbling of office and site staff, enhanced hygiene and social distancing protocol, contract risk identification and mitigation, self-isolation measures and heightened construction site safety. Along with a further discussion of the underlying measures, the top-rated strategies that were adopted by construction firms are also discussed in the paper. Originality/value As many construction companies remained opened handling essential projects amid the pandemic, the study presents the effective and efficient strategies that were used in plowing through the trying times. This study provides the opportunity for construction companies that escaped the early impacts of Covid-19 due to site closure and policymakers to learn from the strategies adopted by construction companies that were operational amid the pandemic.

Establishing and augmenting views on the acceptability of a paediatric critical care randomised controlled trial (the FEVER trial): a mixed methods study

ObjectiveTo explore parent and staff views on the acceptability of a randomised controlled trial investigating temperature thresholds for antipyretic intervention in critically ill children with fever and infection (the FEVER trial) during a multi-phase pilot study.DesignMixed methods study with data collected at three time points: (1) before, (2) during and (3) after a pilot trial.SettingEnglish, Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs).Participants(1) Pre-pilot trial focus groups with pilot site staff (n=56) and interviews with parents (n=25) whose child had been admitted to PICU in the last 3 years with a fever and suspected infection, (2) Questionnaires with parents of randomised children following pilot trial recruitment (n=48 from 47 families) and (3) post-pilot trial interviews with parents (n=19), focus groups (n=50) and a survey (n=48) with site staff. Analysis drew on Sekhon et al’s theoretical framework of acceptability.ResultsThere was initial support for the trial, yet some held concerns regarding the proposed temperature thresholds and not using paracetamol for pain or discomfort. Pre-trial findings informed protocol changes and training, which influenced views on trial acceptability. Staff trained by the FEVER team found the trial more acceptable than those trained by colleagues. Parents and staff found the trial acceptable. Some concerns about pain or discomfort during weaning from ventilation remained.ConclusionsPre-trial findings and pilot trial experience influenced acceptability, providing insight into how challenges may be overcome. We present an adapted theoretical framework of acceptability to inform future trial feasibility studies.Trial registration numbersISRCTN16022198 and NCT03028818.

Multimodal Imagery in Forensic Incident Scene Documentation

Various imaging modalities are evaluated for use in forensic incident (crime or accident) scene documentation. Particular attention is paid to the precision vs. cost tradeoff, accomplished by judiciously combining various 3D scans and photogrammetric reconstructions from 2D photographs. Assumptions are proposed for two complementary software systems: an event scene pilot assisting the on-site staff in their work securing evidence and facilitating their communication with stationary support staff, and an evidence keeper, managing the voluminous and varied database of accumulated imagery, textual notes and physical evidence inventory.

SAFETY PROGRAM TO ADDRESS ETHICAL ISSUES IN CLINICAL TRIALS

Ethical issues in clinical trials are of worth concern, hence for we propose a safety program that will help in achieving excellence in the conduct of the trials. Our paper presents a clear outline of the safety program under headings as: organizational structure remodeling, site staff training and educational programs, a plan for incident reporting and data collection.The proposed Safety Program has been designed on evidence based practice and is dedicated to achieve patient safety and quality assurance in clinical trials. The proposed program will help institutions to develop guidelines for better research outcomes, improve quality of projects, help in data management, provide training opportunities to site staff, ensure professional excellence and will help stakeholders to collaborate for patient safety.

Biopower, Disciplinary Power and Surveillance: An Ethnographic Analysis of the Lived Experience of People Who Use Drugs in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

Focusing on the role of police as primary actors in the arena of citizen safety, this article examines the impact of policing practices on the daily lived experience of people who use drugs in accessing a supervised consumption site in Vancouver, Canada. The site is located in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighborhood at a community center that I refer to as the Hawthorne Resource Centre. The method of data collection for this study comprised five months of ethnographic fieldwork, including focus groups and one-on-one interviews with community members accessing the site, site staff and management. Drawing on Foucauldian conceptualizations of power, the findings of this research suggest that governmental modes of power, including biopower and disciplinary power, are pervasively operative in various realms of the day to day lives of the Hawthorne Resource Centre clients. Evidence of the scalable nature of these modes of power are seen within the internal functioning of the Supervised Consumption Site, outside in the methods of community policing in the DTES and in weekly police practices in Oppenheimer Park. As such, this study represents a multiscalar assessment of how these Foucauldian power structures work at multiple levels and locations in the DTES. Driven by the narratives of the Hawthorne Resource Centre clients, the findings of this research illustrate not only the importance of understanding power relations within specific policy interventions, but further, highlight how specific tactics mobilized within “harm reduction policing” would be relevant and applicable to the context of the DTES.

Relevance and implications of positioning analysis for infection-preventive effectiveness of ventilation systems with low-turbulence dis-placement flow

Ventilation technology in German operating rooms is regulated by DIN 1946-4. Since the release of the latest version in 2018, a positioning analysis (worst-case scenario with the largest space requirement) for determining the required protected area in class 1a operating rooms is mandatory. The aim of this investigation was to use typical workflow scenarios to assess existing installations regarding the match of the required and the built size of the protected area. Positioning analyses were carried out together with the on-site staff for various clinical procedures in 2 hospitals to assess the built versus required protected areas. In all cases, the positioning analysis revealed that required protected areas need to be significantly larger than provided by the existing setup. The size of the protected area that is actually required can only be determined by individual positioning analysis. Most existing installations of low turbulence displacement flow systems (TAV) are likely to be too small. The larger protected areas actually require significantly larger rooms in order to maintain proper thermodynamics. Furthermore, significantly higher volumetric flow rates are required. Finally, the current mismatch between actual and necessary protected area would be a possible explanation for the controversial data situation regarding the infection preventive effects of TAV systems.

Clinical research during coronavirus disease pandemic: Challenges and way forward

With the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) being declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, the Indian health-care sector is at the forefront to deliver optimal care but with constrained resources and several challenges. The pandemic has also brought about a state of urgency to develop suitable management principles for COVID-19 with the help of suitably designed clinical trials. However, the pandemic along with the lockdown and other restrictions has affected the conduct of clinical trials in terms of restrictions on travelling, trial site staff availability, investigational product availability, and medical oversight among others. This article provides structured recommendations for sponsors, investigators, clinical trial personnel to adapt to the situation by identifying potential risks and challenges and mitigating them to conduct clinical trials well within the ambit of local regulatory guidelines and requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic.