Gaining Expertise in Creating Metadata: An Exploratory Study

<p>Increasingly, people with little experience of cataloguing, indexing or abstracting are using metadata schemas like the Dublin Core Metadata Elements Set (DC) and the New Zealand Government Locator Service (NZGLS) to describe resources. There is currently little information available about how novices approach the process of metadata creation, and what personal (cognitive) and other factors (particularly organisational) are at work. In this exploratory study, I spoke with novice metadata creators about their skills and knowledge when they began to create metadata and, six weeks later, after they had created records as part of their normal work duties. I asked novices to identify factors that impacted positively or negatively upon their progress, and also sought the opinions of metadata experts who were training and supervising novice creators. The study identified the skills and knowledge that are required to create metadata, and investigated the techniques used to develop expertise. The tools used by metadata creators were evaluated, and the effects of organisational culture were also explored. The insights of the expert and novice participants provide guidance as to how managers can facilitate the production of good quality metadata through developing effective staff training and quality assurance, providing more usable online tools and documentation, and fostering more supportive organisational cultures.</p>

Gaining Expertise in Creating Metadata: An Exploratory Study

<p>Increasingly, people with little experience of cataloguing, indexing or abstracting are using metadata schemas like the Dublin Core Metadata Elements Set (DC) and the New Zealand Government Locator Service (NZGLS) to describe resources. There is currently little information available about how novices approach the process of metadata creation, and what personal (cognitive) and other factors (particularly organisational) are at work. In this exploratory study, I spoke with novice metadata creators about their skills and knowledge when they began to create metadata and, six weeks later, after they had created records as part of their normal work duties. I asked novices to identify factors that impacted positively or negatively upon their progress, and also sought the opinions of metadata experts who were training and supervising novice creators. The study identified the skills and knowledge that are required to create metadata, and investigated the techniques used to develop expertise. The tools used by metadata creators were evaluated, and the effects of organisational culture were also explored. The insights of the expert and novice participants provide guidance as to how managers can facilitate the production of good quality metadata through developing effective staff training and quality assurance, providing more usable online tools and documentation, and fostering more supportive organisational cultures.</p>

Analysis of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) of Pharmaceutical Workers

Pharmaceutical work activities have a high repetition level with a work attitude of standing for 8 hours potentially causing musculoskeletal complaints, which can occur despite the normal work posture. This study aims to determine musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and the level of MSDs based on what categories are felt, the level of complaints, the level of frequency, and the severity. The research design using the questionnaire Nordic Body Map. The study was conducted in 17 pharmacies on 54 pharmaceutical workers. The results obtained by MSDs complaints based on what categories of pain statements obtained (43.2%), cramps (16.13%), aches (53.5%). The category of complaint level obtained statement rather sick (55.9%), sick (33.5%). The category of frequency level obtained by the statement that occurs 1 to 2 times per week (56.5%), and every day (10.6%). And the severity category states that the perceived complaint is still working (49.06%) and uncomfortable (47.1%). Index Terms— Muscle Fatigue, MSDs, Nordic Body Map, Pharmacist Assistant

A Crossover Design for Comparative Efficacy: A 28 Days-Randomized Clinical Trial of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain of Degenerative Conditions

In physiotherapy practice, a number of patients are known to suffer from chronic pain which results in reduced activity levels, interference in sleep, enjoyment of life, mood, and relations with others. Cognitive behavioral therapy, in this aspect will provide a holistic approach to the available treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy has also been shown to target cognitive distortions such as pain catastrophizing, fear avoidance, overgeneralizing and others, all the while improving physical health, activity levels and quality of life. This study assessed the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy in the management of patients with chronic pain at the University Teaching Hospitals in Zambia. A randomized clinical trial utilizing a crossover design was utilized for the study. A random sample of 32 participants was used in the study after fulfilling the study criteria. Data was analyzed using ANCOVA with alpha of 0.05. The study recorded small effects in the reduction of pain intensity in both phase one and two. In phase one, it also recorded small effects in general work interference, sleep interference and enjoyment of life interference but recorded medium effects in normal work interference and mood interference. Phase two of the study recorded small effect size in reduction of general work interference, normal work interference, mood interference, relations with others interference, sleep interference and Enjoyment of Life interference. Cognitive behavioral therapy ensures the management of chronic pain addresses areas in which an individual is affected by pain and which in turn exacerbate the chronic pain. Physiotherapy provides a more holistic approach when used in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy.

Efficacy of Ruiyun procedure for hemorrhoids combined simplified Milligan–Morgan hemorrhoidectomy with dentate line-sparing in treating grade III/IV hemorrhoids: a retrospective study

Background Hemorrhoids are common. Hemorrhoidectomy should typically be offered to patients whose symptoms result from external hemorrhoids or combined internal and external hemorrhoids with prolapse (grades III/IV). However, none of the currently used surgical methods could be considered an ideal surgical option that is effective, safe, and painless. We hypothesized that a combination of Ruiyun procedure for hemorrhoids (RPH) and simplified Milligan–Morgan hemorrhoidectomy (sMMH) will increase the safety and effectiveness of surgical treatment hemorrhoids. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Ruiyun procedure for hemorrhoids combined simplified Milligan–Morgan hemorrhoidectomy with dentate line-sparing (RPH + sMMH) to treat grade III/IV hemorrhoid. Methods Total 452 patients with hemorrhoids of grade III/IV were retrospectively reviewed in China-Japan Friendship Hospital, 244 cases were assigned to RPH + sMMH group, and 208 cases in MMH group. The primary efficacy outcome was rate of curative at 3 month after operation, and the recurrence rate within 12 months post operation. Secondary efficacy outcomes included wound healing time, time required to resume normal work, constipation symptom, quality of life, and pain post operation was also evaluated. The safety outcome included postoperative complications. Results There were no differences between the two groups in demographic characteristics. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the curative rate. The recurrence rate after 12 months post operation in the RPH + sMMH (3.0%) was significantly lower than the sMMH group (7.8%) (P = 0.032). The wound healing time was significantly shorter in RPH + sMMH group than that in MMH group (P < 0.001). The time required to resume normal work in the RPH + sMMH group was significantly shorter than MMH group (P < 0.001). Compared with the MMH group, the RPH + sMMH therapy preserve better life quality and lower constipation symptom (all P < 0.05). Patients who underwent RPH + sMMH had significantly less postoperative pain than MMH therapy. The total rate of patients with postoperative complications in the RPH + sMMH group (8.6%) was significant lower than the MMH group (16.3%) (P = 0.012). Conclusion RPH + sMMH may more effective in treating patients with III/IV hemorrhoids, which indicated lower recurrence rate, lower postoperative complications and pain, shorter recovery and return to normal life.

Study on the Treatment of Ischemic Stroke Based on Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) Nanotechnology

Ischemic stroke is a common disease in neurology, which seriously affects people's normal work and quality of life and brings a heavy social burden. The nanoparticle carrier generally consists of natural polymer material or synthetic polymer material. Among the synthetic polymer materials, PLGA is one of the most popular carrier materials in recent years. This paper introduces the application of PLGA nanomaterials in ischemic stroke, and reviews the application of PLGA nanomaterials in the diagnosis and tissue repair of ischemic stroke, and drug delivery of neuroprotective drugs. It provides a theoretical basis for the research progress of PLGA nanotechnology in the treatment of anti-stroke and the development of anti-stroke drugs.

Laying Open and Curettage under Local Anesthesia to Treat Pilonidal Sinus: Long-Term Follow-Up in 111 Consecutively Operated Patients

(1) Background: Several techniques for the treatment of pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) are in vogue, though none have emerged as the gold standard. Laying open (deroofing) and curettage under local anesthesia is one of the most straightforward procedures to treat PSD. In this study, the long-term follow-up in a large series was analyzed. (2) Methods: The laying open approach was performed for all types of consecutive PSD patients—simple, complicated, and abscess. The primary outcome parameter of the study was the healing rate. The secondary outcome parameters were operating time, hospital stay, time to resumption of normal work, and healing time. (3) Results: 111 (M/F–92/19, mean age-22.9 ± 5.7 years) consecutive patients were operated on and followed for 38 months (6–111 months). Of these, 24 had pilonidal abscesses, 87 had chronic pilonidal disease, while 22 had recurrent disease. Operating time and hospital stay were 24 ± 7 min and 66 ± 23 min, respectively. On average, patients could resume normal work in 3.6 ± 2.9 days and the healing time was 43.8 ± 7.4 days. Three patients were lost to follow-up. Complete resolution of the disease occurred in 104/108 (96.3%) patients, while 4 (3.7%) had a recurrence. One recurrence was due to a missed tract, while three recurrences presented after complete healing had occurred. Two patients with recurrence were operated on again with the same procedure, and both healed completely. Thus, the overall success rate of this procedure was 98.1% (106/108) with a recurrence rate after first surgery of 3.7% over a median follow-up of 38 months. (4) Conclusions: Pilonidal disease managed by laying open (deroofing) with curettage under local anesthesia is associated with a high cure rate. This procedure is effective in treating all kinds of pilonidal disease (simple, complicated, and abscess).

Occupations and exposure events in acute and subacute irritant-induced asthma

BackgroundExposures leading to irritant-induced asthma (IIA) are poorly documented.MethodsWe retrospectively screened the medical records of patients with IIA diagnosed in an occupational medicine clinic during 2000–2018. We classified the cases into acute (onset after single exposure) and subacute (onset after multiple exposures) IIA. We analysed in detail, occupations, causative agents and their air levels in the workplace, exposure events and the root causes of high exposure.ResultsAltogether 69 patients were diagnosed with IIA, 30 with acute and 39 with subacute IIA. The most common occupational groups were industrial operators (n=23, 33%), metal and machinery workers (n=16, 11%) and construction workers (n=12, 8%). Among industrial operators significantly more cases had subacute IIA than acute IIA (p=0.002). Forty cases (57%) were attributable to some type of corrosive acidic or alkaline chemical. Acute IIA followed accidents at work in different types of occupation, while subacute IIA was typical among industrial operators performing their normal work tasks under poor work hygiene conditions. The most common root cause was lack of information or false guidance in acute IIA (n=11, 36%) and neglect of workplace hygiene measures in subacute IIA (n=29, 74%).ConclusionsAccidents are the main causes of acute IIA, whereas subacute IIA can develop in normal work in risk trades with poor work hygiene. Airborne strong acids or bases seem to be the most important causative agents of acute and subacute IIA. The different risk profiles of acute and subacute IIA should be considered in the prevention and identification of the cases.