Ability Of Technicians Research Articles

A bi-objective model for location, dispatch and relocation of ambulances with a revision of dispatch policies

PurposeUntimely responses to emergency situations in urban areas contribute to a rising mortality rate and impact society's primary capital. The efficient dispatch and relocation of ambulances pose operational and momentary challenges, necessitating an optimal policy based on the system's real-time status. While previous studies have addressed these concerns, limited attention has been given to the optimal allocation of technicians to respond to emergency situation and minimize overall system costs.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, a bi-objective mathematical model is proposed to maximize system coverage and enable flexible movement across bases for location, dispatch and relocation of ambulances. Ambulances relocation involves two key decisions: (1) allocating ambulances to bases after completing services and (2) deciding to change the current ambulance location among existing bases to potentially improve response times to future emergencies. The model also considers the varying capabilities of technicians for proper allocation in emergency situations.FindingsThe Augmented Epsilon-Constrained (AEC) method is employed to solve the proposed model for small-sized problem. Due to the NP-Hardness of the model, the NSGA-II and MOPSO metaheuristic algorithms are utilized to obtain efficient solutions for large-sized problems. The findings demonstrate the superiority of the MOPSO algorithm.Practical implicationsThis study can be useful for emergency medical centers and healthcare companies in providing more effective responses to emergency situations by sending technicians and ambulances.Originality/valueIn this study, a two-objective mathematical model is developed for ambulance location and dispatch and solved by using the AEC method as well as the NSGA-II and MOPSO metaheuristic algorithms. The mathematical model encompasses three primary types of decision-making: (1) Allocating ambulances to bases after completing their service, (2) deciding to relocate the current ambulance among existing bases to potentially enhance response times to future emergencies and (3) considering the diverse abilities of technicians for accurate allocation to emergency situations.

A training program for improving the capacity of infection high-throughput sequencing and diagnosis in China

BackgroundInfectious diseases are a serious threat to human especially since the COVID-19 outbreak has proved the importance and urgency of their diagnosis and treatment again. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has been widely used and recognized in clinical and carried out localized testing in hospitals. Increasing the training of mNGS detection technicians can enhance their professional quality and more effectively realize the application value of the hospital platform.MethodsBased on the initial theoretical understanding and practice of the mNGS platform for localization construction, we have designed a training program to enhance the ability of technicians to detect pathogens by utilizing mNGS, and hence to conduct training practices nationwide.ResultsUntil August 30, 2022, the page views of online classes have reached 51,500 times and 6 of offline small-scale training courses have been conducted. A total of 67 trainees from 67 hospitals have participated in the training with a qualified rate of 100%. After the training course, the localization platform of 1 participating hospital has been put into use, 2 have added the mNGS localization platform for admission, among which 3 have expressed strong intention of localization.ConclusionsThis study focuses on the training procedures and practical experience of the project which is the first systematic standardized program of mNGS in the world. It solves the training difficulties in the current industry, and effectively promotes the localization construction and application of mNGS in hospitals. It has great development potential in the future and is worth further promotion.

Research on the Compilation Ability of Technicians in Construction Enterprises for Innovative Data

In order to study the participation of front-line technicians in construction enterprises in technological innovation activities of enterprises, the cognition of innovation data compilation, the method of each element of innovation data writing, the ability of literature retrieval and the difficulties encountered in the process of writing. In this paper, the questionnaire survey is used to investigate the first-line general contracting project departments of large-scale central enterprises whose main business is energy and power, water resources and environmental engineering, infrastructure construction, design, supervision, investment, and operation management in the past five years. 23 professional and technical personnel with intermediate professional titles were surveyed. The research results show that: 23% of technicians are aware of innovation activities and actively participate in them; 77% of technicians are not aware of innovation activities and have not been guided to participate by the organization, so they do not know much about technological innovation activities; from the perspective of individual technicians, 45% of technicians believe that participation in innovation is optional and has little impact on themselves; 36% of technicians believe that it is necessary to participate in technological innovation activities, but completing their own work is more important and more in line with their actual benefits.

Capacité discriminative de la normalité de l’examen ophtalmologique par les orthoptistes

Ophthalmology care has been growing for several years. Since ophthalmic technicians have the opportunity to perform delegated procedures, it is important to evaluate their training. To evaluate the ability of 3rd year ophthalmic technician students and graduates to assess the normality of an ophthalmological examination and to determine a proposed time delay for seeing an ophthalmologist. One hundred records including ophthalmology examinations were shown to 8 ophthalmic technician students in their third year of study and to 3 graduated technicians. Three ophthalmologists determined the content of the files, the pathological nature or not of the case, as well as the proposed time for seeing an ophthalmologist. We calculated the sensitivity and specificity to recognize the normality of the case, as well as the concordance between the proposed time for seeing an ophthalmologist. For recognition of a normal case, the sensitivity was 80%, and the specificity was 83% in the group of technician students, and 81% versus 80% respectively in the group of graduated technicians. For the proposed time of consultation for seeing an ophthalmologist, the kappa agreement coefficient was 0.30 in the group of students and 0.41 in the group of graduates (low and moderate agreement respectively). The study showed a good ability of technicians to recognize the normality or not of clinical cases, but their ability to judge the appropriate timing of treatment by an ophthalmologist remains insufficient.

Forecasting Car Demand in Indonesia with Moving Average Method

The automotive industry is an industry that requires a long process and high manufacturing costs. improper can have fatal consequences if not planned properly will cause financial losses. Production planning using statistical tools such as statistical process control can control the right amount of production according to customer demand. Part of the statistics that makes planning for future production planned is forecasting. Precise production quantities require the specialized abilities of technicians experienced in forecasting. The approach used in forecasting uses a quantitative approach using production data, and sales data of the Gabungan Industri Kendaraan Bermotor Indonesia 2020. The use of the Moving Average method in forecasting will determine the number of production limits so that excess production can be avoided, and the automotive industry in Indonesian has many opportunities to develop its production.

A Novel Simulation Technician Laboratory Design: Results of a Survey-Based Study.

Objective The purpose of this study was to elicit feedback from simulation technicians prior to developing the first simulation technician-specific simulation laboratory in Akron, OH.BackgroundSimulation technicians serve a vital role in simulation centers within hospitals/health centers around the world. The first simulation technician degree program in the US has been approved in Akron, OH. To satisfy the requirements of this program and to meet the needs of this special audience of learners, a customized simulation lab is essential. MethodA web-based survey was circulated to simulation technicians prior to completion of the lab for the new program. The survey consisted of questions aimed at identifying structural and functional design elements of a novel simulation center for the training of simulation technicians. Quantitative methods were utilized to analyze data.ResultsOver 90% of technicians (n=65) think that a lab designed explicitly for the training of technicians is novel and beneficial. Approximately 75% of respondents think that the space provided appropriate audiovisual (AV) infrastructure and space to evaluate the ability of technicians to be independent. The respondents think that the lab needed more storage space, visualization space for a large number of students, and more space in the technical/repair area.Conclusions A space designed for the training of simulation technicians was considered to be beneficial. This laboratory requires distinct space for technical repair, adequate bench space for the maintenance and repair of simulators, an appropriate AV infrastructure, and space to evaluate the ability of technicians to be independent.

Featured Co-Op: Boston Children’s Hospital

Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com available for those drugs, I would say I most learned how to work in a pharmacy in general. In any professional setting, one needs to be able to work with others well. In a pharmacy, however, it is really all about teamwork, using the collaborative abilities of technicians, interns, and pharmacists in order to provide outstanding patient care. I also gained a new skill in how to communicate with other professionals outside of pharmacy, including nurses and other hospital staff. Overall, while I would recommend this co-op for pharmacy students of all years, Boston Children’s Hospital is a great starting place for your pharmacy career and would be an excellent first co-op in order to learn and transition from typical high school jobs into the professional world of pharmacy. Opinion Opinion

SITEGI Project: Applying Geotechnologies to Road Inspection. Sensor Integration and software processing

Abstract. Infrastructure management represents a critical economic milestone. The current decision-making process in infrastructure rehabilitation is essentially based on qualitative parameters obtained from visual inspections and subject to the ability of technicians. In order to increase both efficiency and productivity in infrastructure management, this work addresses the integration of different instrumentation and sensors in a mobile mapping vehicle. This vehicle allows the continuous recording of quantitative data suitable for roadside inspection. The geometric integration and synchronization of these sensors is achieved through hardware and/or software strategies that permit the georeferencing of the data obtained with each sensor. In addition, a visualization software for simpler data management was implemented using Qt framework, PCL library and C++. As a result, the developed system supports the decision-making in road inspection, providing quantitative information suitable for sophisticated analysis systems.

Establishment of seminars to improve the diagnostic accuracy and effectiveness of breast ultrasound.

To improve the ability of technicians and physicians to find and diagnose breast lesions in breast ultrasound screening. Seminars were organized for technicians and physicians engaged in breast ultrasound screening, and tests were carried out to evaluate the usefulness of the seminars. Each seminar lasted 2 days and comprised lectures and group activities. Pretests and post-tests conducted before and after each seminar, respectively, consisted of 100 questions: 50 about animated images, and 50 about static images. The tests required the participant to find lesions in animated images and estimate the probability of malignancy from static images. In the animated image tests, sensitivity was greater after the seminar, although specificity did not change significantly. In the static image tests, sensitivity increased, and a significant increase was also observed in the receiver operating curve analysis for degree of certainty in diagnosing cancer. The seminars improved the participants' ability to find and diagnose breast lesions during ultrasound screening.

Short Communication: Colour vision and proficiency in diagnostic microscopy

The microscopical diagnosis of infectious diseases is an essential medical laboratory service in resource-poor countries. We conducted an external quality assessment (EQA) of peripheral laboratories in southern Ethiopia using a panel of 20 ready-prepared sputum and blood smears containing either no pathogens or locally common pathogens. Microscopists also undertook a colour discrimination test (Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test). Twenty microscopists from 10 health centres participated. Their microscopy results were compared with that of the EQA controllers. Their Kappa indices of agreement ranged from 0.1 to 0.89 (mean+/-SD: 0.58+/-0.21). Kappa values were analysed according to microscopists' colour discrimination ability. The Kappa indices for the correct reading of diagnostic smears were associated with the colour vision ability of the technicians. Our results suggest that routine quality improvement activities may not achieve their desired effect if the colour discrimination abilities of technicians are not considered.

Ultrasonic Testing Procedures, Technician Skills, and Qualifications

Following the Northridge earthquake, the quality and accuracy of the ultrasonic testing (UT) of structural steel connections, and the abilities of technicians to perform such testing, was drawn into question. In establishing new weld quality acceptance criteria and appropriate inspection guidelines, it was important to validate the ability, or lack thereof, of ultrasonic testing technicians to accurately characterize and locate weld flaws in a variety of welded joint types. Round-robin testing of mock-up specimens representative of a variety of common joints used in steel moment frames, fabricated with embedded discontinuities of known size, location, and orientation, were examined by a number of ultrasonic testing technicians. The inconsistencies noted in the test results indicate a need for more specific UT procedures when used for weld acceptance, and a need for validation of the skill level of the UT technicians in their ability to perform the inspections.

Esophageal Exfoliative Cytology Samplers

To compare three types of esophageal exfoliative cytology samplers in terms of patient acceptability, ease of use, final destination of the sampler tip in the gastrointestinal tract and cellular yield. A controlled, single-blind, cross-over study was undertaken to compare the balloon, sponge and sponge-mesh samplers in healthy volunteers. After completing the three procedures in random order, participants were asked about their preferred method. Ease of use was defined as the technician's ability to perform the intubation successfully. Final destination of the samplers was assessed fluoroscopically. Cytopathologists determined the cellular yield of each sampler using the Bethesda System. Sixty-two volunteers participated. The two encapsulated samplers were significantly preferred over the balloon (P < .0001). There was no significant difference in ease of use, final destination or cellular yield of the three techniques. All three samplers were successfully intubated on the first attempt and retrieved adequate numbers of squamous and glandular cells in > 78% of cases. All three samplers obtained satisfactory yields of squamous and glandular cells, but the encapsulated samplers were more patient acceptable. The sponge-mesh sampler may be the least complicated sampler for field screening use. Larger-scale studies will be required to test the accuracy of these three samplers for detecting esophageal dysplasia and carcinoma.

VII. Interactions involving semen fertility levels, sperm dose rate, and technician ability

Abstract From among 122 inseminating technicians employed by the Taranaki Livestock Improvement Association, the results obtained by the group of 7 technicians achieving the highest conception rates in cows (C.R. = 1- to 49-day non-return rate) when using semen of above-or below-average fertility were compared with the results obtained by the group of 7 technicians achieving the lowest conception rates in cows. The C.R. difference between the two groups of technicians when using semen of above-average fertility was 11.8% compared with 11.6% when using semen of below-average fertility. A similar trial, with 8 technicians in each group, showed that increasing the dose rate from 2.5 × 106 total sperm did not significantly reduce the C.R. differences between the 2 groups (6.5% v. 6.3%). sperm per insemination with 16 ejaculates of semen when processed in Caprogen containing Split-batch procedures were used to compare dose rates of 2.5, 3.75, and 5.0 × 106 total catalase (8 sires × 2 ejaculates per sire). The ...

III. Differences in records of inseminating technicians

Abstract Records were analysed for inseminating technicians employed by the Auckland (232), Taranaki (87), and Wellington-Hawke's Bay (68) Livestock Improvement Associations in the 1971 season. Each technician recorded at least 850 first inseminations, using semen diluted in Caprogen at dose rates of 2.5 million total sperm per insemination and made the day after semen collection and processing. The mean conception rate (C. R. = 49-day non-return rate to first insemination) for the Taranaki technicians was 67.5%, compared with 64.8% and 60.7% for the Auckland and Weilington-Hawke's Bay technicians respectively. Differences were partly due to a negative relationship between C. R. and % short returns (1 to 17 days), or % long returns (25 to 49 days), rather than technician ability as reflected by % normal returns (18 to 24 days). The standard deviations (S. D.) for C. R. and % normal returns were similar for technicians in each Association, and the technicians employed by each Association exhibited a compar...

Radiologic diagnosis of respiratory lesions in children.

The first problem that presents itself in the radiologic diagnosis of respiratory lesions in children is the securing of adequate roentgenograms from the technical standpoint (11). To obtain satisfactory negatives of the chest of a sick infant who cannot or will not lend any co-operation taxes the available equipment and the ingenuity of the technicians to the utmost. For solving this problem for us, credit should first go to the remarkable capabilities of our technicians. They have worked out four sets of technics for all their radiographic work on children, separating the sick children from the well or recuperating and the co-operative from the unco-operative. Success depends on the technician's ability to judge and handle the patients. Mechanically our equipment is not unusual. We have, however, found the adjunct of an impulse-timer of great advantage. This allows negatives to be made up to 1∕120 of a second, which is usually sufficient to “freeze” even the most active infant. While satisfactory negatives will greatly reduce the problem of interpretation, it remains one of great complexity. In the first place, we are dealing with respiratory structures that are undergoing formative changes (11, 12). There is still controversy as to whether certain degrees of increase in vascular, bronchial, and hilar shadows are to be interpreted as normal or in the realm of pathology (7). But even when unquestionably pathologic shadows are seen, we find that the majority do not fall in the textbook classification of “typical,” and in order to justify any interpretation at all, we must put aside etiologic entities and go back to the basic pathologic and physiologic changes which we can recognize. These include infiltration, consolidation, cavitation, vascular congestion, emphysema, and atelectasis. This basis, I believe, should be re-emphasized in considering the interpretation of any radiograph, namely, that we do not see the disease on the negatives, we merely see shadows increased or decreased as a result of these basic changes. The respiratory tract includes the nose, paranasal sinuses, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and the bronchial tree, as well as the peripheral structures of the lung and the mediastinum. This paper will be limited to lower respiratory tract conditions, which are classified under five main headings: (1) normal physiologic and growth changes, (2) congenital anomalies, (3) foreign bodies, (4) infectious diseases, and (5) neoplasms. By dividing and subdividing these groups any amount of subject material could be included. We shall consider, however, only a few examples of lesions which are relatively common in our practice, typifying the problem of differential diagnosis, and several which are of sufficient interest to warrant a brief discussion.