Preferred Placement Research Articles

Perceptions of community care among nursing students: A cross-sectional study with implications to nursing workforce

BackgroundA shift of health care services towards community care has driven the need to develop the community care nursing workforce. However, challenges exist in attracting nursing graduates to a career in community care. AimTo examine perceptions of community care and placement preference among undergraduate nursing students across different years of study in a Singapore university. MethodsThis study examined perceptions of community care and placement preference among undergraduate nursing students across different years of study. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the ‘Scale on COmmunity care Perceptions’ (SCOPE). ResultsOnly 31.3 % of the 501 nursing students who completed the survey preferred community care placement. They rated opportunities for advancement, work status and enthusiastic colleagues in community care with relatively lower scores in the SCOPE. Students' placement preferences and year of study were predictive factors of their perceptions of community care nursing. Students who indicated their placement preference in home-based care (p < 0.001) and intermediate long-term care (p < 0.05) reported significantly positive perceptions towards community nursing as compared to students who indicated acute care as their preferred placement. Despite pre-perceived ideas among the year 1 cohort, the community care placement within their course curriculum had an impact on year 2 to 4 students' perceptions of community care. ConclusionsThese findings identified key strategies to increase the community care nursing workforce which include promoting a better understanding of the role of a community nurse, providing quality community placement opportunities supported by preceptors who are good role models and fostering an optimistic career outlook and advancement in community nursing.

Socioeconomic disparities in education placement for children of primary school age with autism spectrum disorder in China.

Relatively little is known about education placements for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in China. While disparities in ASD diagnoses and services for the population broadly are often documented, the presence and determinants of differences in the educational placement of ASD children are less studied and understood. By identifying who is likely to be in segregated settings, we can discern how to best support them and facilitate a possible transition to a less restrictive setting. This study describes four placements (regular schools, special schools, institutions, homes) and their influencing factors retrospectively in a large sample (n = 2,190) of Chinese primary school-aged children (6-12 years old). We divided ASD into severe and mild to moderate categories for analysis. Children with ASD were more likely to study in a regular school (48.60%), while 13.88% were in a special school. Children with severe ASD were placed in less regular settings than children with mild to moderate ASD. However, families with higher socioeconomic status (SES) were more likely to place their children in regular schools than lower SES families if their children experienced mild to moderate symptoms. Children with severe ASD were more likely to be placed in expensive institutions for families with higher SES than those with lower SES. SES disparities in educational placement existed and had two manifestations. It is important to characterize educational placements of students with ASD to determine the extent to which they are placed in general education settings, which are often the preferred placement.

Factors Influencing Medical Interns' Choice of Hospital for Training, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background High-quality, adequately resourced, and strategically oriented medical internship training plays a pivotal role in the continual growth of junior doctors. Evaluating the perspectives of final-year medical students regarding their internship year and their preferred placement is of paramount importance. This study aims to furnish internship programs with valuable insights into interns' perceptions and attitudes toward an optimal internship experience. By doing so, we aim to empower internship programs with the necessary knowledge to enhance their offerings, ensuring they are better tailored to the needs and preparation of future doctors. Objective The objective of this study was to elucidate the primary factors that influence the preferences of medical interns in selecting a hospital for their internship training. Methods In the academic year spanning September 2023 to 2024, a comprehensive cross-sectional study was conducted at three esteemed medical universities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A meticulously crafted questionnaire, consisting of twenty questions was disseminated via various social media platforms, targeting all final-year medical students of the selected medical schools. Overall 241 students actively participated in the survey, their valuable contributions enriching the overall quality and depth of the research findings. Results Among the 241 respondents, 67.22% were male, 83.40% identified as Saudi, and 43.57% hailed from King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS). A predominant 94.61% of participants fell within the age group of 22-25 years. Notably, the top four influential factors influencing participants' choice of internship training programs were encouraging consultants (93.80%), the hospital working environment (91.29%), an internship program with effective teamwork (88.38%), and a subspecialty residency program (85.48%). Furthermore, our findings underscored that access to electronic health record (EHR) systems, orientation prior to clinical rotations, and seniors' experiences significantly impact students' decisions when selecting a hospital for rotations. It was also observed that considerations such as the number of on-calls and working hours, salary, location, and extracurricular activities wield a substantial influence over their choices, as indicated by the majority of the surveyed students. Conclusion Given that internship training is one of the most critical stages of medical education, it is recommended to take into account the elements that students believe can influence their hospital choice for conducting their internship. We hope that by acknowledging these aspects, potential approaches to improve and advance hospital training can be formulated in order to provide interns with effective training, a reasonable workload, and a conducive and supportive environment to work in.

Sudden Changes in Workability during Concrete Pumping – An Industrial Approach

Abstract Pumping is the preferred placement method for concrete. The pumping process influences fresh properties of concrete. Competent producers handle these issues when composing the mix design. However, sudden changes in workability sometimes appear, both in the form of increased and decreased workability. Both changes might be handled on-site. However, even the situations that are sufficiently handled, cause delays and extra costs. Sometimes the final result’s quality is compromised, resulting in repairs and economic compensation claims. The extent and causes of incidents with sudden changes in workability are still to be investigated. It is suggested that around 1 100 000 m3 or 30% of concrete experience sudden change in workability annually in Norway, and that 200 000 kg of chemical admixtures is used on-site. It appears that the most relevant cause is to find within variations in the fine aggregate. Increase in workability might also be caused by lack of compatibility between superplasticiser and binding materials in low-carbon concrete, enhanced by the extra mixing process caused by the pumping process. To approach these questions, the Quality Assessment system of a medium-sized Norwegian concrete producer has been investigated. It comprises documentation of 1 500 000 m3 of concrete, over 10 years.

Interrupting a cycle of placement instability with short-term residential care: Trauma-informed family-like relational practice in one specialist unit

Continuous caring relationships are crucial to the wellbeing of children living in out-of-home care, with the family environment of long-term foster care usually the preferred placement for achieving relational permanence. Some children, however, experience a cycle of instability with the impact of placement disruption exacerbating emotional and behavioural difficulties and thereby undermining subsequent foster relationships. This paper reports on a service evaluation of a residential facility specialising in short-term placements for children who have experienced disruption, with the aim of interrupting the cycle of placement instability. Overview of 34 children’s placement trajectories show that most were enabled to re-enter foster care and of those who are now aged over 18 years ( n = 29), over half ( n = 16) remained in family placements until adulthood. For four children, detailed individualised assessment indicated residential care as the most appropriate option for avoiding future disruption. The paper gives cause for optimism that relationships in the residential setting have the potential to build emotional resilience and capacity for connection. There is paucity of information on how residential staff achieve these relationships in practice. Focus groups and interviews with ten staff and managers illuminate relational practices in the residential setting that are simultaneously family-like and trauma-informed.

Improving oncology first-in-human and Window of opportunity informed consent forms through participant feedback

BackgroundAlthough patient advocates have developed templates for standard consent forms, evaluating patient preferences for first in human (FIH) and window of opportunity (Window) trial consent forms is critical due to their unique risks. FIH trials are the initial use of a novel compound in study participants. In contrast, Window trials give an investigational agent over a fixed duration to treatment naïve patients in the time between diagnosis and standard of care (SOC) surgery. Our goal was to determine the patient-preferred presentation of important information in consent forms for these trials.MethodsThe study consisted of two phases: (1) analyses of oncology FIH and Window consents; (2) interviews of trial participants. FIH consent forms were analyzed for the location(s) of information stating that the study drug has not been tested in humans (FIH information); Window consents were analyzed for the location(s) of information stating the trial may delay SOC surgery (delay information). Participants were asked about their preferred placement of the information in their own trial’s consent form. The location of information in the consent forms was compared to the participants’ suggestions for placement.Results34 [17 FIH; 17 Window] of 42(81%) cancer patients approached participated. 25 consents [20 FIH; 5 Window] were analyzed. 19/20 FIH consent forms included FIH information, and 4/5 Window consent forms included delay information. 19/20(95%) FIH consent forms contained FIH information in the risks section 12/17(71%) patients preferred the same. Fourteen (82%) patients wanted FIH information in the purpose, but only 5(25%) consents mentioned it there. 9/17(53%) Window patients preferred delay information to be located early in the consent, before the “Risks” section. 3/5(60%) consents did this.ConclusionsDesigning consents that reflect patient preferences more accurately is essential for ethical informed consent; however, a one-size fits all approach will not accurately capture patient preferences. We found that preferences differed for FIH and Window trial consents, though for both, patients preferred key risk information early in the consent. Next steps include determining if FIH and Window consent templates improve understanding.

Advercasting: Young Adult Preferences for Advertising Placement in Podcasts

Abstract: With the increase in volume of podcast series, episodes, and listeners, an important element of this new media technology is advertising. Advercasting, an informal term referring to podcast advertising, helps offset costs associated with the production of this increasingly popular new media platform. But, how do consumers of podcasts feel about ads within the context of podcasts? This study surveyed college-aged podcast listeners (primarily Generation Z) to understand their preferences for podcast advertising with a focus on message congruency. Results revealed that matching advertising and podcast content matters to podcast listeners. Additional results reveal the preferred placement of ads, preferred promotional type, and how podcast listeners respond to ads placed within the content of podcasts.

South Korean immigrant workers in Germany: L2 German verb placement and sociolinguistic factors

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: This study explores the asymmetric placement of the finite verb in Korean L2 German speakers and examines the effect of sociolinguistic factors on the produced verb placement patterns. Design/methodology/approach: Fifty-eight participants performed a sentence completion task that elicited the preferred placement of the (finite) verb in matrix and subordinate clauses. In addition, language background interviews were conducted to better understand the sociolinguistic circumstances of the Korean immigrants. Data and analysis: The experimental data are analyzed using implicational scaling to identify patterns of verb placement. The effect of sociolinguistic factors was tested fitting an ordinal logistic regression model. Findings/conclusions: Contrary to the developmental stages of L2 German syntax found in previous research, the experimental results revealed that target-like subordinate clauses are produced more robustly than verb second (V2) constructions. It is argued that this result is better explained with difficulties producing subject-verb inversion, V2, than with facilitative L1 transfer effects from Korean, producing German subordinate clauses with V-final order. Concerning social factors, the type of occupation (coal miner or nurse) was most significant in predicting the preferred L2 verb placement pattern, followed by L2 education and age of immigration. Originality: This article adds to the understanding of L2 German syntax by revisiting previously identified stages of L2 German development with data that target the preferred verb placement in matrix and subordinate clauses from less-researched L1 Korean speakers. The intra-group distinction of Korean immigrants into coal miners and nurses further allows a differentiated look at the role of sociolinguistic factors. Significance/implications: This research is significant as it aims to draw a comprehensive picture of L2 German acquisition and usage in the context of labor migration, highlighting a less-studied group of immigrants.

Crossdipole Sonic Data Analyzed To Target Stack Pay in the Permian Basin

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 209327, “Analysis of Crossdipole Sonic Data for an Intelligent Targeting of Stack Pay in the Permian Basin,” by Bikash Sinha, Farid Mohamed, and Lili Xu, SPE, Schlumberger, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. The preferred placement of a producer well in unconventional reservoirs is based on available information about the presence of natural fractures and formation stresses. Identifying the depth intervals with natural fractures and the relative magnitudes of the maximum and minimum horizontal stresses enables placement of a producer well that will support effective hydraulic fractures. In the complete paper, the authors apply a work flow to crossdipole sonic data acquired in a vertical pilot well drilled in the Permian Basin. Introduction The authors describe processing, analysis, and interpretation of sonic data acquired in a vertical pilot well with the goal of identifying optimal depth intervals and azimuths for drilling a lateral producer well with a potential for enhanced hydrocarbon productivity. The preferred placement of a lateral producer well requires drilling through an oil-rich layer that exhibits higher fracturability. Theory Borehole sonic data consist of monopole headwave slownesses and borehole Stoneley dispersions together with dipole headwave slownesses and borehole flexural dispersions. While monopole data provide azimuthally averaged formation properties, crossdipole data probe the formation in two opposite quadrants and discriminate formation properties in the two orthogonal directions in the borehole cross-sectional plane. Compressional and shear headwave slownesses can be transformed into compressional and shear moduli of the formation. Borehole Stoneley and flexural dispersions can be inverted to obtain formation transversely isotropic (TI) constants. One can invert for TI constants when the fast- and slow-dipole flexural dispersions overlay, and a subset of orthorhombic constants when the fast- and slow-dipole dispersions are different. Both the borehole flexural and Stoneley dispersions exhibit frequency-dependent sensitivities to changes in the formation anisotropic constants. It is possible to invert for those formation anisotropic constants that show sufficient sensitivities to such measured flexural dispersions. This section of the complete paper is devoted to inversion of borehole Stoneley and flexural dispersions for formation anisotropic constants and associated equations and discusses determination of Young’s moduli and Poisson’s ratio for a transversely isotropic with vertical axis of symmetry (TIV) formation.

Improving first-in-human and window-of-opportunity informed consent forms through participant feedback.

1562 Background: Although patient advocates have created templates for standard consent forms, assessing patient preferences for First in Human (FIH) and Window of Opportunity (WO) trials consents is important given their unique risks. FIH trials are the first time a drug is tested in humans. In WO trials, treatment naïve patients receive a therapeutic agent in the window of time between diagnosis and standard of care (SOC) surgery. Our goal was to determine patient-preferred presentation of important information in FIH and WO consent forms. Methods: The study consisted of two phases: (1) analysis of consents for FIH and WO oncology trials open at a cancer center between 2019 and 2022; (2) interview patients who had reviewed consents for FIH or WO trials during the consent process. FIH consents were analyzed for the location(s) of information stating that the study drug has not been tested in humans (FIH info). The WO consents were analyzed for the location(s) of information stating the risk that trial may delay SOC surgery (WO info). Participants were asked about their preferred placement of the information in their own trial’s consent form and whether the consent was clear. Interviews were audio-recorded and double coded. Consent form analysis was compared to patients’ preferences. Results: 25 consents [20 FIH; 5 WO] were analyzed. 19/20 FIH consent forms included FIH info, and 4/5 WO consent forms included WO info. 42 patients were approached [19 FIH; 23 WO]; 34 [17 FIH; 17 WO] participated. 12/17 (71%) WO participants thought that the trial explanation in the consent form was clear. Conversely, only 9/17 (53%) FIH participants found it clear. Conclusions: Patients preferred that the important FIH and WO information be placed early in the consent, though exactly where varied. 82% of FIH participants wanted FIH information in the purpose, while only 19% of WO participants clearly preferred that WO information be in the purpose, and 41% preferred WO information to remain in the risks section. Using consent templates that reflect patient preferences accurately is essential for ethical informed consent; however, a one-size fits all approach may not accurately capture patient preferences, so multiple templates may be necessary. [Table: see text]

Who are our caregivers? An assessment of the characteristics of foster parents at certain foster parenting milestones across two states

ABSTRACT The number of children in foster care in the United States has risen while new federal regulations in the USA require states to decrease dependence on congregate placements. As family-based settings are the preferred placement option, there is a pressing need to prioritize effective strategies to recruit and retain foster parents. The purpose of this study is to describe the demographic characteristics and life experiences of families who decided to become foster parents at various key points in time in two states: Missouri and Mississippi. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted at key milestones, which include pre-licensure training, completion of training and licensure, shortly after their initial placement, three months after initial placement, and after initial placement disruption occurred. A total of 656 prospective and current foster parents participated in the study. Survey results provide insight into the demographic characteristics of families who are attracted to fostering, those that are successful in obtaining licensure and accepted child placements, providing permanency to the children they care for, and those that decide to dissolve a foster care placement prematurely. Present in the discussion are concerns of those who have been left out of the recruitment process. Implications for policy and practice are also discussed.

Oral lesions associated with smokeless tobacco users in Saudi Arabia: Single center cross-sectional study

IntroductionSmokeless tobacco (SLT) causes significant harm to the oral cavity and is considered a risk factor for oral cancer. Various forms, products, and patterns of SLT are used across different populations. Many products, such as nicotine and betel nut, have addictive and carcinogenic properties. SLT use is associated with benign, premalignant, or malignant lesions. This study aimed to identify the characteristics of these oral lesions and their association with SLT exposure. Materials and methodsThis cross-sectional study, performed at our institution’s Faculty of Dentistry, included all the patients with a history of using SLT within a 5-year period at the oral medicine clinic. The patients’ demographic details were collected, and information regarding habit, duration, frequency, site of placement, and history of habit discontinuity were recorded. If a biopsy was performed, the diagnoses were also reported. ResultsOf the 59 patients included, 89.8% were male and 10.2% were female. SLT lesions in the oral cavity were usually focal lesions (76.3%). The most preferred placement site by SLT users was the mandibular posterior vestibule. Follow-up of SLT patients after quitting or clinical changes in the placement site showed a 92.8% regression or complete healing of the lesions. Of the 59 patients who underwent SLT, 18.6% were diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma. ConclusionThis study demonstrated a high percentage of remarkable regression or complete healing of SLT lesions related to early diagnosis and habit change. In contrast, 18.6% of the lesions progressed to SCC.

Wearable Sensor-Based Real-Time Gait Detection: A Systematic Review.

Gait analysis has traditionally been carried out in a laboratory environment using expensive equipment, but, recently, reliable, affordable, and wearable sensors have enabled integration into clinical applications as well as use during activities of daily living. Real-time gait analysis is key to the development of gait rehabilitation techniques and assistive devices such as neuroprostheses. This article presents a systematic review of wearable sensors and techniques used in real-time gait analysis, and their application to pathological gait. From four major scientific databases, we identified 1262 articles of which 113 were analyzed in full-text. We found that heel strike and toe off are the most sought-after gait events. Inertial measurement units (IMU) are the most widely used wearable sensors and the shank and foot are the preferred placements. Insole pressure sensors are the most common sensors for ground-truth validation for IMU-based gait detection. Rule-based techniques relying on threshold or peak detection are the most widely used gait detection method. The heterogeneity of evaluation criteria prevented quantitative performance comparison of all methods. Although most studies predicted that the proposed methods would work on pathological gait, less than one third were validated on such data. Clinical applications of gait detection algorithms were considered, and we recommend a combination of IMU and rule-based methods as an optimal solution.

Trabecular volumetric bone mineral density of the occipital bone at preferred screw placement sites measured by quantitative computed tomography

Trabecular volumetric bone mineral density of the occipital bone at preferred screw placement sites measured by quantitative computed tomography

Feature Selection for Monitoring Erosive Cavitation on a Hydroturbine

This paper presents a method for comparing and evaluating cavitation detection features - the first step towards estimating remaining useful life (RUL) of hydroturbine runners that areimpacted by erosive cavitation. The method can be used to quickly compare features created from cavitation survey data collected on any type of hydroturbine, sensor type, sensor location, and cavitation sensitivity parameter (CSP). Although manual evaluation and knowledge of hydroturbine cavitation is still required for our feature selection method, the use of principal component analysis greatly reduces the number of plots that require evaluation. We present a case study based on a cavitation survey data collected on a Francis hydroturbine located at a hydroelectric plant and demonstrate the selection of the most advantageous sensor type, sensor location, and CSP to use on this hydroturbine for long-term monitoring of erosive cavitation. Our method provides hydroturbine operators and researchers with a clear and effective means to determine preferred sensors, sensor placements, and CSPs while also laying the groundwork for determining RUL in the future.

The Beginnings of Word Order Change in the Arabic Dialects of Southern Iran in Contact with Persian: A Preliminary Study of Data from Four Villages in Bushehr and Hormozgan

This preliminary study explores the hypothesis that Arabic dialects spoken on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf exhibit the beginnings of contact-induced shift in word order from VO to OV. Although the basic VO order is still stable, there is some variation even in this very limited data set. Specifically two phenomena point to a change in progress: clause-final copulae and auxiliaries that are placed after the lexical verb, lending further evidence to the observation that a clause-final copula is an areal feature of western Asia. The study also investigates semantic and pragmatic factors that influence word order choice, pointing to a strong effect of information structure in terms of narrow focus and theme-rheme partition. Furthermore, the study also reveals an effect of semantic role, specifically as far as the preferred placement of goals and recipients in post-verbal position is concerned.

“Para-retinal” Vector Administration into the Deep Vitreous Enhances Retinal Transgene Expression

Intravitreal administration for human adeno-associated vector (AAV) delivery is easier and less traumatic to ocular tissues than subretinal injection, but it gives limited retinal transduction. AAV vectors are large (about 4,000 kDa) compared with most intraocular drugs, such as ranibizumab (48 kDa), and the large size impedes diffusion to reach the retina from the usual injection site in the anterior/mid-vitreous. Intuitively, a preferred placement for the vector would be deep in the vitreous near the retina, which we term “para-retinal” delivery. We explored the consequences of para-retinal intravitreal delivery in the rabbit eye and in non-human primate (NHP) eye. 1 h after para-retinal administration in the rabbit eye, the vector concentration near the retina remained four times greater than in the anterior vitreous, indicating limited vector diffusion through the gelatinous vitreous matrix. In NHP, para-retinal placement showed greater transduction in the fovea than vector applied in the mid-vitreous. More efficient retinal delivery translates to using lower vector doses, with reduced risk of ocular inflammatory exposure. These results indicate that para-retinal delivery yields more effective vector concentration near the retina, thereby increasing the potential for better retinal transduction in human clinical application.

COMPARISON OF THE SPEED OF REMISSION BETWEEN BILATERAL AND RIGHT UNILATERAL ECT IN A COHORT OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY PATIENTS

Introduction • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been clinically proven to be an effective form of treatment for severe depression. It is also a safe treatment option when a quick response is needed. ECT is especially useful in the geriatric population where the complications of severe depression like not eating or drinking, self-neglect, deteriorating medical co morbidities lead to increased morbidity and mortality. •Several studies have compared efficacy of the different electrode placements as well as any resulting cognitive side effects from ECT. • A randomized trial comparing bifrontal, bitemporal and right unilateral electrode placement in ECT (commonly referred to as CORE) showed clinical and statistically significant antidepressant outcomes with all three electrode placements. Bitemporal electrode placement in this study however resulted in a more rapid decline in symptoms over the early course of treatment leading to the recommendation that bitemporal leads be considered the preferred placement for urgent clinical situations. Of note the mean age characteristics of these patients was 53.1 and all carrying a diagnosis of Unipolar/bipolar depression with/without psychosis, receiving acute ECT treatment. • In Phase I of the PRIDE study, a sample of geriatric patients with severe depression were given RUL ECT 3?times a week. One of the secondary outcomes they looked at was the speed of remission which was determined by the number of RUL ECT treatments required to achieve remission. In this study, the mean number of RUL ECT treatments to achieve remission was 7.3. • In this retrospective chart review we hypothesized that using bitemporal electrode placement would lead to remission of symptoms with fewer ECT treatments than right unilateral placement among a strictly geriatric population. • Potentially fewer treatments could lead to lower treatment costs, reduce the risk of cognitive impairment and illness burden by achieving quicker response. Methods •Retrospective chart review of 20 inpatient psychiatry patients all over age 65. Diagnoses included Major depressive disorder with psychosis (6), without psychosis (11), Bipolar disorder, depressed (2) and schizoaffective disorder (1). •All 20 patients received and responded positively to acute ECT treatment at Mount Sinai Hospital administered 3 times a week. •10 patients received bitemporal treatment and 10 received right unilateral treatment. •Treatment outcome was measured by the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS) before each ECT treatment. The QIDS-SR is a self-report inventory that measures depressive symptom severity in the following domains: sleep, psychomotor activity, appetite/weight, sad mood, concentration, energy, interest, guilt and suicidal ideations/intent. • We looked at QIDS scores at baseline and over the course determined how many ECT treatments each group received before their QIDS scores were reduced by 50%. Results Of the 20 patient ECT records reviewed, 11 were male and 9 females. 6 patients were between ages 66-70 and the remaining 14 patients were all above age 70. . At the start of ECT the average QIDS score for patients receiving bitemporal ECT was 19.8 and for RUL was 17. This indicates a moderate to severe depression from the QIDS inventory. . The average number of ECT treatments to achieve 50% QIDS score reduction in bitemporal ECT was 4.5 and that for RUL ECT was 4.1. Conclusions The average number of bitemporal ECT treatments to achieve a QIDS score reduction of 50% was 4.5 whilst that for right unilateral ECT was 4.1. • Patients that received bilateral ECT had higher average QIDS scores of 19.8 suggesting that sicker patients are treated with BL ECT. This could potentially have been because of a perceived need for a quicker response compared to RUL ECT which was not consistent with our findings. •We observed that there was little difference in the number of treatments needed to achieve fifty percent reduction in symptoms. From our findings it appears that in the geriatric population both bitemporal and right unilateral electrode placements have rapid onset of action with only a marginal difference. •Our study was limited by it being a retrospective medical chart review with only 20 patients. This research was funded by: Not Applicable

Layout placement optimization methods using repeated user interface sequence patterns for client applications

We propose a method for automatically optimizing the layout placement of user interfaces in commercial applications. The proposed method suggests an optimal user interface component placement layout for an application by considering behavior cost, repeated user interface sequences, and preferred placement area. We used the Apriori algorithm and a genetic algorithm efficiently to optimize user interface component placement based on the evaluation of a keystroke-level model. We verified the effectiveness of the proposed method using a customizable user interface for three applications, namely, Adobe Photoshop, 3DS MAX, and the massively multiplayer online role-playing game “World of Warcraft.” Our experimental results show that the proposed system can both reduce the behavioral cost of an application at the user level and enable efficient user interface usage by considering interrelationship patterns among user interface components.

Preferred Placement and Usability of a Smart Textile System vs. Inertial Measurement Units for Activity Monitoring.

Wearable sensors and systems have become increasingly popular in recent years. Two prominent wearable technologies for human activity monitoring are smart textile systems (STSs) and inertial measurement units (IMUs). Despite ongoing advances in both, the usability aspects of these devices require further investigation, especially to facilitate future use. In this study, 18 participants evaluate the preferred placement and usability of two STSs, along with a comparison to a commercial IMU system. These evaluations are completed after participants engaged in a range of activities (e.g., sitting, standing, walking, and running), during which they wear two representatives of smart textile systems: (1) a custom smart undershirt (SUS) and commercial smart socks; and (2) a commercial whole-body IMU system. We first analyze responses regarding the usability of the STS, and subsequently compared these results to those for the IMU system. Participants identify a short-sleeved shirt as their preferred activity monitor. In additional, the SUS in combination with the smart socks is rated superior to the IMU system in several aspects of usability. As reported herein, STSs show promise for future applications in human activity monitoring in terms of usability.