Search Results (723)

Work–family conflicts (WFCs) and family–work conflicts (FWCs) have been found to be important to worker morale and retention as well as family (as defined by the respondents) well-being, with particular importance within the military, as indicated by a number of studies in the United States, Canada, and European countries. However, few studies have focused on the impact of WFC and FWC for high ranking officers and their families. This study involved two samples of officers attending an advanced leadership course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 2007, featuring a total of 262 Army officers and another 45 officers from other services and countries. The sample of Army officers included 239 men (85.4% of whom were a parent) and 22 women (63.6% of whom were a parent; Fisher’s Exact Test, p < 0.02), with one missing case for sex. Of the men and women, respectively, most were married for the first time (190/11), with some never married (14/5), married but divorced (10/1), married/divorced/remarried (20/4), married/spouse died/remarried (1/0), married/divorced/remarried/divorced/remarried (4/0), and married/divorced/remarried/divorced/remarried (0/1). Measures for cohabitation or same-sex partnerships were not used. Two modified measures of WFC and FWC of four items each were tested and found to represent different factors and to have high internal consistency reliability. In general we found few sex differences, but female officers seemed to be more influenced by family–work conflict than male officers. One of our most substantial findings was that work–family conflict was more prevalent than family–work conflict within our sample. Also, we found that marital satisfaction tended to be higher than parental satisfaction and that officers usually found their own retention intentions to be higher than their perception of that of their spouses. Satisfaction with the military was consistently and strongly related to lower levels of work–family conflict while similar but weaker trends were found for family–work conflict. Most of our results were found to cross-validate with a subsample of non-Army officers in our sample. We found bias from marital social desirability to be lower for our marital process scale and for FWC than for marital satisfaction and WFC. In sum, our results confirm adverse effects of deployments and other stressors on military families and a continuing need for military support for families, even among higher ranking officer families. Full article

Magnesium alloys, like AZ31, possess a desirable low weight and high specific strength, which make them favorable for aerospace and auto applications, yet their difficulty to machine limits their broader implementation for the industry. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is an effective technology for machining difficult-to-machine materials, particularly when the materials are reinforced with ceramic and graphene-based fillers. This study examines the impact of reinforcement percentage (R) and different electrical discharge machining (EDM) parameters such as current (I), pulse on time (T_on) and pulse off time (T_off) on the material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (SR) of AZ31/B₄C/GNPs composites. The combined reinforcement range varies from 2 wt.% to 4 wt.%. The Taguchi design (L27) is utilized to conduct the experiments in this study. ANOVA of the experimental data indicated that current (I) significantly affects MRR and SR, exhibiting the greatest contribution of 44.93% and 51.39% on MRR and SR, respectively, among the variables analyzed. The surface integrity properties of EDMed surfaces are examined using SEM under both higher and lower material removal rate settings. Diverse machine learning techniques, including linear regression (LR), polynomial regression (PR), Random Forest (RF), and Gradient Boost Regression (GBR), are employed to construct an efficient predictive model for outcome estimation. The built models are trained and evaluated using 80% and 20% of the total data points, respectively. Statistical measures (MSE, RMSE, and R²) are utilized to evaluate the performance of the models. Among all the developed models, GBR exhibited superior performance in predicting MRR and SR, achieving high accuracy (exceeding 92%) and lower error rates compared to the other models evaluated in this work. This work demonstrated the synergy between techniques in optimizing EDM performance for hybrid composites using a statistical design and machine learning strategies that will facilitate greater use of hybrid composites in high-precision engineering applications and advanced manufacturing sectors. Full article

This paper presents a neural network–driven framework for solving the inverse problem of initial parameter estimation in air-dropped package missions. Unlike traditional analytical methods, which are computationally intensive and often impractical in real time, the proposed system leverages the flexibility of multilayer perceptrons to model both forward and inverse relationships between drop conditions and flight outcomes. In the forward stage, a trained network predicts range, flight time, and impact velocity from predefined release parameters. In the inverse stage, a deeper neural model reconstructs the required release velocity, angle, and altitude directly from the desired operational outcomes. By employing a hybrid workflow—combining physics-based simulation with neural approximation—our approach generates large, high-quality datasets at low computational cost. Results demonstrate that the inverse network achieves high accuracy across deterministic and stochastic tests, with minimal error when operating within the training domain. The study confirms the suitability of neural architectures for tackling complex, nonlinear identification tasks in precision airdrop operations. Beyond their technical efficiency, such models enable agile, GPS-independent mission planning, offering a reliable and low-cost decision support tool for humanitarian aid, scientific research, and defense logistics. This work highlights how artificial intelligence can transform conventional trajectory design into a fast, adaptive, and autonomous capability. Full article

Objective: This longitudinal study examined how preceptors’ perceived difficulty and role performance in instructing newly graduated nurses impacted by restricted clinical practicum opportunities because of COVID-19 impact their mental health outcomes, including stressors, burnout, and turnover intention. Methods: The study surveyed 426 preceptors responsible for newly graduated nurses across 39 hospitals during fiscal year 2022. Data were collected at three time points: June, September, and December 2022. The questionnaire assessed personal attributes, perceived instructional difficulty (PID) due to limited clinical practice, self-rated preceptor role performance, nursing job stressors, burnout, and intention to resign. Two-way ANOVA was conducted to analyze the effects of perceived difficulty (high/low) and role performance (high/low) on mental health indicators. Results: Seventy-six preceptors (6 males, 70 females) completed all three surveys. In June 2022, preceptors reporting high perceived difficulty demonstrated significantly higher scores in role performance subscales, including “goal achievement and accident prevention” and “continuation of instruction with cooperation.” Significant main effects of perceived difficulty and role performance were observed on stressors such as role conflict, physician conflict, and death-related stress, as well as on burnout dimensions such as emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment. By December, significant interaction effects emerged for outcomes related to “intention to quit nursing” and “desire to change departments.” Conclusions: Preceptors’ PID and role performance significantly influence their stress, burnout, and turnover intentions. Those experiencing both high difficulty and high role performance experience increased psychological burdens. This underscores the importance of targeted mental health support for preceptors. Full article

Dementia is a global health issue. For adults with intellectual disabilities living with dementia, diagnosis and support pose unique challenges. For those who reside in shared disability supported accommodation (group homes), there are additional considerations regarding support and ageing in place. Semi-structured interviews with twelve staff from three disability service providers in Australia were conducted to explore the experiences of disability service providers supporting adults with intellectual disabilities and dementia. The study found that delays in diagnosis hampered timely and effective interventions and, consequently, the care and support received by those adults with intellectual disabilities living with dementia. This impacted organisations’ ability to adequately staff accommodation and remunerate disability support workers. This had implications for those in group homes, where the needs of other residents were affected. Lastly, while ageing in place was considered desirable, none of the provider organisations had guidelines for remaining in the home. This study highlights the need for further investigation into this growing population, including those living in the community. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vancomycin is a commonly used antibiotic in critically ill patients with severe methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. Due to its narrow therapeutic window, under- or overdosing is likely to result in adverse effects, especially in patients with conditions associated with altered pharmacokinetics such as obesity. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of obesity on serum concentrations of vancomycin in critically ill patients receiving intravenous vancomycin by continuous infusion based on ideal body weight (IBW). Methods: This retrospective observational study performed at the University Hospital of Leipzig, Germany, included all patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) between January 2009 and December 2015 who received guideline-based vancomycin therapy based on IBW. Serum concentrations were obtained through routinely performed therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). Results: A total of 1066 patients with a median age of 62 years were included in this study. The median (25%; 75% quantile) vancomycin treatment duration was 4 (2; 7) days and the median time to reach target concentrations of 20–25 mg L⁻¹ was 3 (2; 4) days without a significant difference between BMI groups. Overall, only 25.9% of patients were in the therapeutic range of 20–25 mg L⁻¹ in the entire treatment interval. 47.8% of vancomycin concentrations obtained from TDM were below the desired target range with no differences between the BMI groups (p = 0.077). 26.3% of measurements exceeded the target range, with a significant increase in the morbidly obese group (p < 0.001). A higher BMI was associated with an increased ICU, in-hospital, 28- and 90-day mortality in morbidly obese patients (p < 0.05). Age, BMI and high SAPS-II and SOFA scores were significant predictors of an increased risk of death. Conclusions: Our preliminary findings suggest that IBW-based dosing may help reduce the risk of supratherapeutic concentrations in morbidly obese patients. The high rates of sub- and supratherapeutic vancomycin serum concentrations across all patients highlight the need for close TDM and dose adjustments, particularly in morbidly obese patients with the highest rates of supratherapeutic vancomycin serum concentrations and of RRT. Full article

This present review aims to provide a clear overview of the environmental impact of non-biodegradable materials, and the use of biodegradable materials as their replacements. Non-biodegradable polymers have been used in the past, and now they are considered a threat to the environment. Recently, it has become a necessity to manufacture products with biodegradable polymers to alleviate waste pollution because they can degrade in a short period of time in the environment. Biodegradable polymers can be used in various applications like cosmetics, coatings, wound dressings, gene delivery, and tissue engineering scaffolds. Blending biodegradable polymers could provide an excellent opportunity to produce innovative green biocomposites suitable for any desired applications. This paper reviews all the recent related works on biodegradable PLA and PCL materials and the introduction of fillers for the development of green biocomposites. The properties and characterisation of PLA/PCL blends and PLA-PCL-filler green biocomposites on morphology, thermal, mechanical, thermomechanical, and barrier properties are thoroughly reviewed. The applications, limitations, and future prospects of these green biocomposites is also highlighted. Full article

Introduction/Background: Medical treatments received by transgender and/or gender diverse (TGD) people can impact fertility, yet the literature lacks data on factors that influence fertility decisions among TGD people. Specific Aim(s): This study aimed to identify predictors of interest in fertility preservation (IFP). Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study utilized data from 2021–2023 from an adult gender registry for patients receiving care at academic medical center (n = 206). Patient demographic data and survey responses to questions about fertility were queried and analyzed. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using logistic regression. Results: Most patients (73.8%, n = 152) were not interested in fertility preservation (FP) and 16.5% (n = 34) were unsure. Reasons most often cited were not wanting biological children (55.9%, n = 104), preferring adoption (20.4%, n = 38), cost (19.9%, n = 37), and dysphoria (19.4%, n = 36). Bivariate analyses showed that increasing age, being married, and already having children were significantly inversely associated with IFP (p = 0.03, 0.01, 0.02, respectively). Non-Hispanic Black race/ethnicity (OR (95% CI): 3.43 (1.19, 9.84)) and disability or unemployment (OR (95% CI): 4.19 (1.42, 13.00)) were significantly associated with IFP vs. Non-Hispanic White race/ethnicity and full-time employment, respectively. In multivariate models, being married was significantly inversely associated with IFP, e.g., OR (95% CI): 0.30, (0.07, 0.99), when accounting for age and already having children. Race/ethnicity and employment comparisons remained significant after adjusting for other factors. Conclusions: Most patients did not desire FP. Among those IFP, potential predictors include age, marital status, already having children, race and ethnicity, and employment and disability status. Full article

The present study investigates the tensile properties of 3D-printed PA12 composites reinforced with short carbon fibers, focusing on the impact of printing parameters on material performance. We employed both experimental testing and machine learning-based predictive modeling to evaluate the influence of layer thickness, extrusion width, and raster angles on failure stress, failure strain, and stress–strain curves. Four machine learning models, including Gaussian process regression (GPR), gradient boosting regression (GBR), random forest (RF), and artificial neural network (ANN), were developed and trained on the experimental data. The results indicated that ANN and GPR models outperformed RF and GBR in predicting mechanical properties, with ANN demonstrating the highest accuracy across all tasks. A SHAP analysis was conducted to interpret the models, revealing that raster angles significantly influence failure stress predictions, while extrusion width predominantly affects failure strain predictions. The ability of the models to predict entire stress–strain curves provides a comprehensive understanding of the material’s mechanical behavior, which is crucial for applications requiring detailed material response data. This study highlights the potential of machine learning models, particularly ANN, in predicting the tensile properties of 3D-printed composites. The findings offer valuable insights for optimizing the 3D printing process to achieve desired material characteristics and pave the way for further research in integrating these predictive tools into additive manufacturing workflows for real-time optimization and quality control. Full article

In recent years, a type of biochip known as a Digital Microfluidic Biochip (DMFB) has been actively researched in the field of life sciences. DMFBs perform dilution operations by mixing reagent solutions and buffer solutions at a 1:1 ratio to generate droplets with the desired concentration. One of the challenges of DMFBs is that droplets may not always be evenly split during the droplet division process. To address this issue, an error correction method utilizing error cancellation has been proposed. This method modifies the dilution graph to minimize the impact of division errors on the target node. However, this approach has a significant drawback: when large division errors occur in nodes close to the target node, they can introduce substantial concentration errors at the target node. In this paper, we propose a method that duplicates nodes near the target node and performs re-dilution to correct errors. Furthermore, we present an efficient and accurate error correction approach by modifying the dilution graph so that the output nodes of the dilution operation are at equal levels relative to the target node. Through simulations conducted 10,000 times, we demonstrate that our method effectively reduces the average concentration error at the target node. Full article

The safety-critical functions of autonomous drones heavily rely on Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) information provided by Global Satellite Navigation Systems (GNSSs). This makes GNSS technology a critical element as the PNT solution can be affected by several threats, mostly in urban and suburban environments. In order to evaluate safe and reliable GNSS-based solutions in Urban Air Mobility (UAM) scenarios, a proper GNSS security impact simulator is needed. In this context, the present work details the design, implementation and testing of a GNSS Threat Simulator (GTS) capable of reproducing typical issues within a GNSS system in a UAM environment, such as satellite visibility (i.e., the actual visibility condition of the receiver’s antenna with respect to terrain and ground obstacle), multipath, electromagnetic interference, cyber threats (i.e., spoofing and jamming) and satellites failures. The GTS elaborates and modifies dual-frequency multi-constellation GNSS observables in order to inject the desired threats. The effectiveness of the proposed simulator has been demonstrated through both fast-time and real-time simulations, in which the GTS was used to validate a hybrid navigation unit installed on a drone operating in a representative urban scenario. Full article

Multiple studies have assessed the potential for improvement for genetic and antigenic match of influenza vaccines to circulating viruses by altering the timing of vaccine strain decisions. The advent of new technologies for vaccination has generated global discussion around moving the seasonal influenza strain recommendations closer to the start of the vaccination period. The window between influenza vaccine strain recommendations and the availability of vaccine supply for immunization comprises sequential processes required to produce vaccine components, reagents for manufacture and release, and regulatory approvals. This commentary examines one company’s perspective on requirements for enabling manufacture and release of seasonal influenza vaccine in more detail, describes preparations to reduce risk, and highlights the potential impact on vaccine supply for all platforms (egg, cell, mRNA) when strain decisions are issued closer to the desired vaccination timing. Full article

Background: Tracking differential growth of secondary liver metastases is important for early detection of progression but remains challenging due to variable tumor growth rates. We aimed to automate accurate, consistent, and efficient longitudinal monitoring. Methods: We developed an automatic 3D segmentation and tracking algorithm to quantify differential growth, tested on contrast-enhanced MRI follow-ups of patients with neuroendocrine liver metastases (NELMs). The output was integrated into a decision support tool to distinguish between progressive disease, stable disease, and partial/complete response. A user study involving an expert group of seven expert radiologists evaluated its impact. Group comparisons used the Friedman test with post hoc analyses. Results: Our algorithm detected 991 metastases in 30 patients: 13% new, 30% progressive, 18% stable, and 18% regressive; the remainder were either too small to measure (15%) or merged with another metastasis in the follow-up assessment (6%). Diagnostic accuracy improved with additional information on hepatic tumor load and differential growth, albeit not significantly (p = 0.72). The diagnosis time increased (p < 0.001). All radiologists found the method useful and expressed a desire to integrate it in existing diagnostic tools. Conclusions: We automated segmentation and quantification of individual NELMs, enabling comprehensive longitudinal analysis of differential tumor growth with the potential to enhance clinical decision-making. Full article

The cosmetic industry is growing at an impressive rate worldwide. In the cosmetic field, natural-origin ingredients represent the new frontier in this industry. Among the main components of cosmetics, lipids, emulsifiers, rheological modifiers, preservatives, colorants, and antioxidants can be found. These compounds form emulsions, which are among the main cosmetic formulations. An important aspect in this regard is the evaluation of emulsions’ stability over time and emulsions’ production methodology. In this paper, a comparison is made between two emulsion production technologies, the Standard and the “One-Pot” methods, through the characterization of the raw material ABWAX^® Revomul, a multifunctional wax for cosmetic use which consists of a low-melting structuring wax of vegetal origin (Rhus wax) and a natural emulsifier (Polyglyceril-3 Stearate). First, we evaluated the affinity between the wax raw materials and emollients of different chemical nature; then, we analyzed the impact of the production method on the emulsions to identify similarities and differences. ABWAX^® Revomul demonstrated a high level of effectiveness in regard to stabilizing oil-in-water emulsions. This study suggests that from an industrial point of view, the application of the two procedures allows products with different characteristics to be obtained, consequently allowing a specific method to be chosen to obtain the desired product. Full article

Some of nuclear power’s primary detractors are the unique environmental challenges and impacts of radioactive wastes generated during fuel cycle operations. Key benefits of spent fuel reprocessing (SFR) are reductions in primary high active waste (HAW) masses, volumes, and lengths of radiotoxicity at the expense of secondary waste generation and high capital and operational costs. By employing advanced waste management and resource recovery concepts in SFR beyond the existing standard PUREX process, such as minor actinide and fission product partitioning, these challenges could be mitigated, alongside further reductions in HAW volumes, masses, and duration of radiotoxicity. This work assesses various current and proposed SFR and fuel cycle options as base cases, with further options for fission product partitioning of the high heat radionuclides (HHRs), rare earths, and platinum group metals investigated. A focus on primary waste outputs and the additional energy that could be generated by the reprocessing of high-burnup PWR fuel from Gen III(+) reactors using a simple fuel cycle model is used; the effects of 5- and 10-year spent fuel cooling times before reprocessing are explored. We demonstrate that longer cooling times are preferable in all cases except where short-lived isotope recovery may be desired, and that the partitioning of high-heat fission products (Cs and Sr) could allow for the reclassification of traditional raffinates to intermediate level waste. Highly active waste volume reductions approaching 50% vs. PUREX raffinate could be achieved in single-target partitioning of the inactive and low-activity rare earth elements, and the need for geological disposal could potentially be mitigated completely if HHRs are separated and utilised. Full article