Inconsistent Schedules Research Articles

Challenges and Alternatives of Parents as Home Learning Partners in the Implementation of Printed Modular Distance Learning

Because of the risks posed by COVID-19, most public educational institutions have implemented printed modular distance learning instruction. The purpose of this study was to determine the challenges and alternatives faced by parents as they performed their role as home learning partners during the last two quarters of the school year 2020-2021 using the printed modular distance learning modality. It also sought to investigate the suggestions of parents as home learning partners. The study used an exploratory descriptive qualitative (EDQ) approach. It included fourteen parents from a public elementary school who were purposively chosen. In-depth interviews (IDI) were used to gather information. The different themes were identified through inductive coding. The study found that parents face the following challenges: lack of electronic gadgets, difficulty explaining/teaching, insufficient time, non-conforming modules, and an inconsistent schedule for SLM distribution. To fulfill their responsibilities, parents have employed a variety of coping strategies, such as effective time management, the use of ICT, approaching MKOs, motivation through a reward system, and spoon-feeding. Although parents considered various options for fulfilling their role as home learning partners, most participants preferred to unburden themselves by returning to in-person classes. To reduce their workload, parents suggest the following: (1) a free mobile phone for parents who do not already have one, (2) a free Wi-Fi zone, (3) module updates, and (4) monthly distribution of self-learning modules. Being a home learning partner imposes an additional burden on parents. It is suggested that the government or school work with other government agencies or non-governmental organizations to implement parents’ suggestions. Keywords: challenges, alternatives, home learning partner, modular distance learning

Reasons for why Medical Students Prefer Specific Sleep Management Strategies

ABSTRACT Objectives Insomnia symptoms are common among medical students. This study explored the perspectives of medical students about which sleep management strategies to use. Methods Medical students responded to an online survey on their thoughts about the use of various sleep management strategies. Results Of the 828 respondents, 568 (69%) provided responses to questions about the most preferred strategies and 450 (54%) provided responses about their least preferred strategies. About 48.5% felt their insomnia symptoms were too mild to see a clinician and 23.9% did not think their symptoms warranted sleep medication. Over 40% of students could not avoid work before sleep, have consistent sleep/wake times, or engage in regular exercise because of their busy and inconsistent schedules. Approximately 40–60% could not improve their sleep environment (e.g. better heating and bed) because of the associated costs. Over 80% reported an inability to change their pre-sleep habits (e.g. using electronics close to bedtime, using bed for activities other than sleep or sex). Half of the students disliked relaxation techniques or felt they would not help. Around 30–50% did not believe that changing caffeine and/or alcohol intake would affect their sleep. Conclusions Medical students may benefit from additional sleep education. Clinicians may need to discuss which strategies individual students prefer and modify their recommendations accordingly.

Thoughts of Courses Construction of Graduate Student with Master of Medicine Based on Online Open Courses

Under the “double-track integration” training model, there are problems with short learning time, scattered locations, and inconsistent schedules for master of medicine. The traditional method of face-to-face teaching in a centralized setting cannot meet the new training requirements. The standardized training for resident physicians strictly requires a 33-month period for clinical skills training. How can we reform the teaching methods while maintaining the same length of the curriculum, in order to balance the standardized training for resident physicians and course learning? Online open courses have the characteristics of fragmented knowledge, abundant resources, diverse formats, flexible choices, and unrestricted learning time and location. They can effectively resolve the conflict between course learning and standardized training for master of medicine under the “double-track integration” training model. How to successfully develop online courses has become a key issue in the reform of course teaching for master of medicine. Based on the experience of course teaching management for master of medicine, this article discusses some considerations for the construction of online open courses.

Compliance With In-Home Self-Managed Rehabilitation Post-Stroke is Largely Independent of Scheduling Approach

ObjectiveTo investigate how participants self-schedule their engagement with domestic rehabilitation gaming platform, and how their scheduling behavior in turn influence overall compliance. DesignCohort of individuals randomized to receive in-home rehabilitation gaming during a multi-site randomized controlled trial. SettingIn-home self-managed rehabilitation. ParticipantsEighty community-dwelling participants who were >6 months post-stroke and had mild to moderate upper extremity impairment (N=80). InterventionsParticipants were prescribed 15 hours of independent in-home self-scheduled game play for upper extremity mobility over 3 weeks. Main Outcome MeasuresTotal number of hours of active game play was objectively measured by the rehabilitation gaming system. Cluster analysis identified scheduling patterns from the following scheduling characteristics: total number of sessions, average session length, and consistency of play schedule. ResultsFour distinct scheduling profiles were revealed, 3 of which were associated with complete or near-complete compliance, while a fourth (inconsistent schedule of short, infrequent sessions) was associated with very poor compliance. Poor compliance could be predicted within the first 7 days of the program with 78% accuracy based on the same play pattern metrics used to identify player profiles. ConclusionsOur findings support client autonomy in selecting the home practice schedule that works best for them, as compliance can successfully be achieved through a variety of different scheduling patterns. The objective measurements of compliance provided through rehabilitation gaming can assist therapists to identify individuals early on who exhibit scheduling behavior that is predictive of poor compliance.

“Savoring” the Joy: Reducing Principal Burnout and Improving Well-Being through Positive Psychology Interventions

Principals are pivotal for creating schools that meet the needs of all students. However, the exodus of principals has been on the rise especially in the last two years as the pandemic accelerated turnover rates. Principals are experiencing greater levels of workload, stress, and burnout often without the tools for maintaining mental health. While many strategies for self-care are widely discussed—consistent exercise routine, eating healthy, and adequate sleep—many are not easily adaptable for principals who often experience time constraints and inconsistent schedules. The field of positive psychology has shown that interventions focused on human strengths and enhancing positive emotions can significantly boost well-being. The most promising aspect of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) is the ease with which these strategies can be integrated into the busy demands of the principalship. This article provides evidence for PPIs as potential strategies to emotionally and mentally support principals from individual and organizational approaches. Specifically, this article describes several PPI recommendations for principals to practice and begin building upon positive experiences in their daily lives such as savoring and cultivating sacred moments. The article also provides recommendations for school districts to consider such as cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused coaching; positive principal supervisor interventions; and systematic spaces to address principals’ complaints. While these recommendations are not comprehensive, we believe they serve as a starting point for principals to move beyond surviving and toward thriving in their careers.

Professional Master's Athletic Training Students' Career Influences Part I: Perceptions of Athletic Training

ContextAs athletic training education transitions to a professional master's degree, understanding the perceptions professional master's athletic training students have of athletic training is important.ObjectiveTo examine second-year professional master's students' perceptions of the athletic training profession, a career in the profession, and identify the factors that influence their perceptions.DesignConvergent mixed methods.SettingOnline surveys and individual phone interviews.Patients or Other ParticipantsA total of 80 second-year professional master's students (63 female, 13 male, 4 no response, age = 24.63 ± 2.29 years), who were enrolled in the final semester of their program in the spring of 2019, completed the online survey. Ten survey respondents completed the follow-up phone interviews.Data Collection and AnalysisA survey instrument and a semistructured interview guide were developed to answer the research questions. Both were validated externally by 3 independent researchers using a content-validity indexing tool. The data from the survey and interviews were woven together and merged to provide 1 comprehensive results section. Trustworthiness was established using triangulation, member checks, memos, and peer debriefing.ResultsThree higher-order themes emerged from the data: (1) perceptions of the athletic training profession: lack of appreciation and awareness for the profession from others, rewarding profession, and dynamic profession; (2) perceptions of a career in athletic training: low pay, long hours and inconsistent schedules, and inability to have work-life balance; (3) factors influencing perceptions: clinical experiences and interactions with athletic trainers.ConclusionsSecond-year professional master's athletic training students developed positive and negative perceptions about the profession and a career in the profession during their professional education experiences. The factors identified were professional socializing agents and should be considered when designing clinical education experiences.

Prevalence and predictors of obesity among women in the fire service

ObjectivesFirefighter health has received a great deal of increased attention over the past decade, but most work has been specific to men in the fire service due to small numbers...

Analysis of Ferry Fleet Operation Planning: A Case Study of Ujung - Kamal Ports

Ujung - Kamal Ports is a ferry port that connects the island of East Java with Madura Island. These ports have a distance of about 2.5 nautical miles with shipping times of approximately 30-45 minutes. Since the operation of the Suramadu Bridge in 2009, the flow of passenger and vehicle visits at the Ujung-Kamal ports has decreased. this causes shipping operators for the Ujung-Kamal ferry port to reduce fleet size and operating time. Not only that, the number of fleets operated is uncertain, this has resulted in an inconsistent schedule for ship departures. besides that, it also resulted in many passengers having to wait or be late with ship departures. This study aims to plan the optimal Ujung-Kamal ferry operation. The method used in this research is the optimization method with scedulling problem. After optimizing the number of operating vessels, 2 ships were selected. The vessels are KMP Jokotole and KMP Tongkol. the ship sailing schedule in one day is 10 and 8 trips. The minimum cost for KMP Jokotole is IDR 6.357.855 per day and for KMP Tongkol is IDR 5.615.357 per day and the total cost per day is IDR 11,973,213.

BARRIERS, FACILITATORS, BENEFITS, AND ENJOYMENT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MIDDLE-AGED HISPANIC MEN

Little is known about middle-aged Hispanic men’s perceptions of physical activity (PA). Purpose: To examine perceived barriers, facilitators, and benefits of PA and what types of PA are enjoyable. Methods: Seven focus groups (FGs) were conducted with middle-aged Hispanic men (mean age 51.6±6.1 years; n=32) who primarily self-identified as Mexican (78.1%). All FGs were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. A grounded theory approach was used to identify themes. Results: Competing responsibilities (N=7 FGs), laziness/apathy (N=6 FGs), and a lack of habit/routine (N=5 FGs) were identified as the primary barriers to PA. Jobs were perceived as a PA barrier because of physical labor involved, long hours, having multiple jobs, and/or an inconsistent schedule. Laziness/apathy involved the notion that people have time to exercise, but choose not to. Not having a routine resulted in procrastination and not achieving exercise goals. Social support was the primary facilitator to PA, which included having a friend (N=5 FGs), family member (N=5 FGs), or spouse/partner (N=6 FGs) with whom they could participate in PA. Sports were mentioned in all FGs as enjoyable, including soccer (N=5 FGs), basketball (N=5 FGs), tennis/racquetball/handball (N=3 FGs), and baseball (N=2 FGs). Walking/running (N=6 FGs) and hiking (N=5 FGs) were also considered enjoyable. The primary perceived benefits of PA included increased energy after exercising (N=6 FGs) and improved overall health (N=6 FGs). Conclusion: Hispanic men realize the importance of PA and what may be hindrances or facilitators to increasing PA. Funded by the National Institute on Aging (R21 AG050084-01A1).

812-P: High Diabetes Distress Associated with Lower Diabetes Quality of Life in College Students

College is an exciting, challenging, and anxiety-provoking time that introduces new barriers to diabetes, such as inconsistent schedules, changes to diet and exercise routines, and social support issues. For students with diabetes, these barriers may contribute to new or existing psychosocial difficulties. The purpose of this study was to assess diabetes distress, depression, and diabetes quality of life (QoL) in a university population with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Using a descriptive, cross-sectional design, students completed the Type 1 Diabetes Distress Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Self-care Inventory-R, and Diabetes Quality of Life Scale. Linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between diabetes distress and 1) glycemic control, 2) self-care, 3) diabetes QoL. A total of 56 college students with T1D (age=21.5±5.2 years, 80.4% (n=45) female, 89.3% (n=50) white; A1C=8.2±1.6%; duration 10.3±5.4 years; BMI=25.3±4.2 kg/m2) participated in the study. Of the 56 students, 35.7% (n=20) reported high diabetes distress. The subscales with the highest distress scores included: Powerlessness (57.1%, n=32), Management Distress (50.0%, n=28), and Eating Distress (42.9%, n=24). Further, 23.2% (n=13) of T1D participants also screened positive for severe depression; Fisher’s exact tests showed severe depression was associated with high distress (p<0.001). Linear regression models found high scores of diabetes distress (standardized b= 0.718, p<0.001) were independently associated with lower diabetes QoL after controlling for depressive symptoms, age, and gender; this model accounted for 67% of the variation in diabetes QoL. Using the same model, diabetes distress was not associated with A1C levels or self-care. Participating students experienced high levels of diabetes distress at this university in the Midwest. Additional research is needed to establish potential causal effects of the college setting on diabetes distress levels and diabetes QoL. Disclosure E.A. Beverly: None. E.H. Guseman: None. R.G. Rennie: None. A.M. Healy: None. Funding American Osteopathic Association (1291708718)

An investigation of the bus headways and the passenger waiting time on the urban routes

Waiting time at stop for boarding in shuttle vehicles is most unwanted part of passenger transportation difficulty using public transport. The value of average waiting time at bus stop directly affects the degree of traveling satisfaction and is an indicator that determines the quality of transport services. The article made a statistical analysis of bus headway at stops, located at the joint area of several routes in the city Zaporozhye (Ukraine) during the period of morning peak hours. The presence of significant linear correlation between expectation of network headway of different groups of buses, each of which corresponds to the selection of passenger variant, and its standard deviation. It is established that the headway at bus stop for various groups of routes having inconsistent schedules with sufficient accuracy for practical calculations can be described by the law of the gamma distribution with shape parameter that, subject to the random passenger arrival at stop and equiprobable passenger distribution for groups of routes increases the average passenger waiting time at bus stop by 15-25 % in comparison with the case of regular bus traffic.

Reactive scheduling based on actual logistics data by applying simulation-based optimization

Abstract Background A reasonable management and monitoring of construction projects requires accurate construction schedules. Accuracy depends highly on availability of reliable actual logistics data. Such data contain information about available material, equipment, personnel, updated delivery dates, and other data on site conditions. However, such data is often associated with different types of uncertainties due to infrequent collections, varying transport times, or manual assessments. Nonetheless, consideration of these uncertainties is important for evaluating actual data regarding their impact on the overall construction progress. Currently, the integration of such data into construction schedules is a time-consuming, manual and, thus, error-prone process. Therefore, in practice schedules are not updated as often as they should be. Methods To ease the handling of actual data and their integration into construction schedules, a reactive construction scheduling approach is presented. The approach is structured into four successive steps. To evaluate and systematically analyze uncertain actual data, fuzzy set theory and α-cut method are incorporated. Thus, actual data can be integrated into discrete-event simulation models. These models are used to perform simulation-based sensitivity analyzes, which evaluate impacts on construction schedules. As a result, an actual schedule is generated, such that a target-actual schedule comparison can be performed. If significant deviations or problems are identified, adaption is necessary and a new schedule needs to be generated. Thereby, different restrictions on the target schedule, such as contracted delivery dates, milestones or resource allocation must be considered. To perform this required adaption simulation-based optimization is utilized. Results To validate the method and show its advantages, an initial construction schedule example is created. The example is extended to incorporate uncertain actual logistics data. The proposed method shows how efficient actual data can be analyzed to update construction schedules. Further, the results show a competitive adaption of invalid construction schedules, such that contracted milestones, or other project objectives can be achieved. Conclusion The presented reactive construction scheduling method has the ability to improve current treatment of uncertain actual logistics data. This helps construction project managers to improve the management and monitoring of construction projects by reducing the time-consuming, error-prone process of updating inconsistent schedules.

A Malicious-Resilient Protocol for Consistent Scheduling Problem in the Cloud Computing Environment

In the cloud computing environment, resources are distributed among processors of a computing cluster. When performing a task, processors have to request needed resources that do not exist in them from other processors in the network. If the requested resource is currently used by another processor, they have to wait until the resource is released. If the resource is not released, a deadlock may occur. Deadlocks can be avoided if the order of jobs is properly arranged in advance. However, there may exist malicious faulty components in the cloud computing environment. Malicious faulty components may disturb job scheduling of fault-free servers, causing them to generate inconsistent schedules. In this paper, we investigate the Interactive Consistency (IC) problem in the cloud computing environment to develop a protocol that can exclude influences from malicious faulty components to help servers achieve consistent job scheduling. The proposed IC protocol is called Efficient Interactive Consistency Protocol with Weight Consideration (EICPweight). In this problem, each server will collect job requests from end-users first, then give a weighted value to each job according to its amount, and finally generate a consistent schedule of jobs based on their weighted values. Moreover, we also propose a new Cutoff-test mechanism to enhance the performance of the proposed protocol.

Physical activity status of academic professors during their early career transition: An application of the theory of planned behavior

Life-transitions (e.g. parenthood) have been linked to physical inactivity, yet the topic requires further exploration. In this study, we evaluated changes in the physical activity (PA) of adults during their early career transition using retrospective analysis and the theory of planned behavior. Recruitment from January to March 2010 yielded a random sample of 267 assistant professors, ages 25–44, employed within the last five years. Repeated measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) concluded that PA declined across the transition (d = 0.36–0.43) and was further attenuated by marriage, work hours, and parenthood status. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) identified specific behavioral and control correlates about PA enjoyment, limited time, inconsistent schedule, work demands, and job pressures to distinguish between those who remained active from those who did not across the transition. PA interventions administered prior to career transitions may be needed to prevent physical inactivity.

Staggered push - a linearly scalable architecture for push-based parallel video servers

With the rapid performance improvements in low-cost PCs, it becomes increasingly practical and cost-effective to implement large-scale video-on-demand (VoD) systems around parallel PC servers. This paper proposes a novel parallel video server architecture where video data are striped across an array of autonomous servers connected by an interconnection network. To coordinate data transmissions from multiple autonomous servers to a client station, a staggered push scheduling algorithm is proposed. A system model is constructed to quantify the performance of the architecture. Unlike most studies, this work does not assume the existence of a global clock among the servers and tackles two problems arising from server asynchrony: inconsistent schedule assignment and traffic overlapping. The former problem is solved by using an admission scheduler and the latter problem is solved by an over-rate transmission scheme. Analytical results prove a remarkable property of the staggered push architecture: as long as the network has sufficient capacity, the system can be scaled up linearly to an arbitrary number of servers. Design examples and numerical results are used to evaluate the proposed architecture under realistic assumptions and to compare it against other architecture.