Full Shift Research Articles

The Role of Nursing Guidelines on Successful License Renewal for Nurses and Midwives in Ubungo District Public Hospitals in Tanzania

In the recent years, nurses and mid wives are struggling to keep their knowledge current knowledge and skills current and relevant through to changing requirements and situations. Through engaging in continuing professional development (CPD), care givers become updated knowledge and practice to provide quality care to patients. This study sought to unveil the role of CPD on license renewal of midwives and nurses with a special focus on Ubungo district as Ubungo has more health Centres as compared to other districts in Dar es Salaam. Specifically, the study sought to determine the role of nursing guidelines on successful license renewal for Nurses and Midwives in Ubungo District Public Hospitals, The study was guided by the Kirkpatrick Model as the theoretical framework. The study used descriptive research design while simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select members of sample size who were 99 respondents. The target population of the study included all public hospitals, dispensaries and health centres located in the Ubungo district. The data was collected using documents review, in-depth interview, and structured interviews, and then analyzed using content analysis, narrative analysis, and descriptive analysis. Findings revealed that the CPD acquisition and license renewal guidelines are available at the Tanzania nursing and midwifery council(TNMC) website, however, they require registration and login to access them. The license acquisition process was through paper document submission at the TNMC office and later on changed to online in 2022. Apart from insufficient computers and limited internet access, some challenges result from nurses and midwives negative attitude towards license renewal as they tend to not renew them until there is a tactical advantage such as a promotion. Management staff at the hospitals also does not focus on license renewal as they focus more on accomplishment of daily tasks, and only care when a malpractice occurs. CPD points determine the eligibility of the license renewal applicant. The study concludes that the online availability of CPD guidelines is a good way of reaching all stakeholders. The study recommends awareness raising activities regarding access to the guidelines, raise more awareness regarding the online license renewal system, and design more effective and efficient means of stakeholder outreach.

Rates in Almost Sure Invariance Principle for Nonuniformly Hyperbolic Maps

We prove the almost sure invariance principle (ASIP) with close to optimal error rates for nonuniformly hyperbolic maps. We do not assume exponential contraction along stable leaves, therefore our result covers in particular slowly mixing invertible dynamical systems as Bunimovich flowers, billiards with flat points as in Chernov and Zhang (Stoch Dyn 5:535–553, 2005a, Nonlinearity 18:1527–1553, 2005b) and Wojtkowski’ (Commun Math Phys 126:507–533, 1990) system of two falling balls.For these examples, the ASIP is a new result, not covered by prior works for various reasons, notably because in absence of exponential contraction along stable leaves, it is challenging to employ the so-called Sinai’s trick (Sinai in Russ Math Surv 27:21–70, 1972; Bowen, Lecture Notes in Math vol. 470 (1975)) of reducing a nonuniformly hyperbolic system to a nonuniformly expanding one. Our strategy follows our previous papers on the ASIP for nonuniformly expanding maps, where we build a semiconjugacy to a specific renewal Markov shift and adapt the argument of Berkes et al. (Ann Probab 42:794–817, 2014). The main difference is that now the Markov shift is two-sided, the observables depend on the full trajectory, both the future and the past.

Equilibrium measures for two-sided shift spaces via dimension theory

Abstract Given a two-sided shift space on a finite alphabet and a continuous potential function, we give conditions under which an equilibrium measure can be described using a construction analogous to Hausdorff measure that goes back to the work of Bowen. This construction was previously applied to smooth uniformly and partially hyperbolic systems by the first author, Pesin, and Zelerowicz. Our results here apply to all subshifts of finite type and Hölder continuous potentials, but extend beyond this setting, and we also apply them to shift spaces with synchronizing words.

Minimal and proximal examples of -stable and -approachable shift spaces

Abstract We study shift spaces over a finite alphabet that can be approximated by mixing shifts of finite type in the sense of (pseudo)metrics connected to Ornstein’s $\bar {d}$ metric ( $\bar {d}$ -approachable shift spaces). The class of $\bar {d}$ -approachable shifts can be considered as a topological analog of measure-theoretical Bernoulli systems. The notion of $\bar {d}$ -approachability, together with a closely connected notion of $\bar {d}$ -shadowing, was introduced by Konieczny, Kupsa, and Kwietniak [Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys.43(3) (2023), 943–970]. These notions were developed with the aim of significantly generalizing specification properties. Indeed, many popular variants of the specification property, including the classic one and the almost/weak specification property, ensure $\bar {d}$ -approachability and $\bar {d}$ -shadowing. Here, we study further properties and connections between $\bar {d}$ -shadowing and $\bar {d}$ -approachability. We prove that $\bar {d}$ -shadowing implies $\bar {d}$ -stability (a notion recently introduced by Tim Austin). We show that for surjective shift spaces with the $\bar {d}$ -shadowing property the Hausdorff pseudodistance ${\bar d}^{\mathrm {H}}$ between shift spaces induced by $\bar {d}$ is the same as the Hausdorff distance between their simplices of invariant measures with respect to the Hausdorff distance induced by Ornstein’s metric $\bar {d}$ between measures. We prove that without $\bar {d}$ -shadowing this need not to be true (it is known that the former distance always bounds the latter). We provide examples illustrating these results, including minimal examples and proximal examples of shift spaces with the $\bar {d}$ -shadowing property. The existence of such shift spaces was announced in the earlier paper mentioned above. It shows that $\bar {d}$ -shadowing indeed generalizes the specification property.

A comparative study of numerical methods for reliability assessment based on semi-Markov processes

The semi-Markov process, renowned for its versatile applications, has garnered significant attention in recent years. However, deriving closed-form expressions for computing reliability metrics proves challenging when sojourn times deviate from exponential distributions. This paper investigates three numerical techniques for computing the transition function matrix of the semi-Markov process, including the algebraic method, the truncated method, and the iterative method. It delves into their truncation and discretization errors, as well as their computational complexities. Additionally, the Laplace-based method and the semi-Markov-chain-based method are discussed to contrast their effectiveness with the three devised numerical approaches. Building on the linkage between the Markov renewal equation and system reliability metrics, five computational methods are applied to the evaluation of system reliability and availability. A case study on sequential cyber-attacks is presented to illustrate the applicability of these methods, considering sojourn times that follow exponential, gamma, lognormal, and Weibull distributions respectively. The results reveal that the three proposed numerical methods not only achieve high precision and rapid speed but also address scenarios beyond the capability of the Laplace-based method.

The Impact of Sleep on Haematological Parameters in Firefighters.

Sleep is a vital process that impacts biological functions such as cell renewal, bone regeneration, and immune system support. Disrupted sleep can interrupt erythropoiesis, leading to fewer red blood cells, reduced haemoglobin concentration, and decreased haematocrit levels, potentially contributing to haematological disorders. This is particularly concerning for shift workers for example firefighters. While previous studies have explored sleep's adverse effects on various professions, research specific to firefighters is limited. This study investigates the relationship between sleep quality and haematological parameters among firefighters in Northeast Portugal. From a sample of 201 firefighters, variations in red blood cells, haemoglobin, and haematocrit values were linked to sleep quality. The study utilised non-parametric tests (Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney, Spearman's correlation) to explore the connection between sleep quality and haematological profile. The impact of covariates on haematological parameters was assessed using non-parametric ANCOVA (Quade's). A multiple regression analysis was employed to further understand how sleep quality and various confounding variables impact haematological levels. Findings suggest a negative link between sleep quality and haematological levels, meaning that as sleep quality deteriorates, there is a tendency for haematological levels to decrease, as indicated by Spearman's correlation (rRBC = -0.157, pRBC = 0.026; rHb = -0.158, pHb = 0.025; rHCT = -0.175, pHCT = 0.013). As observed in scientific literature, the correlation found suggests a possible inhibition of erythropoiesis, the process responsible for red blood cell production. Despite firefighters presenting a haematological profile within the reference range (RBC: 5.1 × 106/mm3 (SD ± 0.4), Hb: 15.6 g/dL (SD ± 1.3), 47% (SD ± 1.0), there is already an observable trend towards lower levels. The analysis of co-variables did not reveal a significant impact of sleep quality on haematological levels. In conclusion, this study underscores the importance of sleep quality in determining haematological parameters among firefighters. Future research should investigate the underlying mechanisms and long-term implications of poor sleep quality on firefighter health. Exploring interventions to enhance sleep quality is vital for evidence-based strategies promoting firefighter well-being.

Preventive maintenance policy optimization for a weighted k-out-of-n: G system using the survival signature

This paper presents a novel preventive maintenance (PM) policy for a weighted k-out-of-n: G system. The system consists of critical components with high weight and other low-weight components, while the critical ones significantly impact the system's total weight. The lifetime distribution of critical and other components follows the Weibull distribution with different shape and scale parameters. Different maintenance actions are performed on the component according to the number of failed critical components and the total weight of the working components. The expected cost per renewal cycle and system availability are analyzed based on survival signature. The optimal PM cycle and the inspection period are derived by minimizing the expected cost per renewal cycle or maximizing availability. Finally, the effectiveness of the presented strategy is illustrated by a numerical case.

Dynamics of nonlinear stochastic operators and associated Markov measures

The aim of this paper is to examine the stability of a class of nonlinear stochastic operators on a finite‐dimensional simplex. We identify a number of properties of the set of the class of stochastic operators, including the stability of each operator. We then use these operators to define non‐homogeneous Markov measures that rely on initial data and carry out an investigation into the absolute continuity and singularity of these measures.

ROBUST QUANTIFICATION OF PERCENT EMPHYSEMA ON CT VIA DOMAIN ATTENTION: THE MULTI-ETHNIC STUDY OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS (MESA) LUNG STUDY.

Robust quantification of pulmonary emphysema on computed tomography (CT) remains challenging for large-scale research studies that involve scans from different scanner types and for translation to clinical scans. Although the domain shifts in different CT scanners are subtle compared to shifts existing in other modalities (e.g., MRI) or cross-modality, emphysema is highly sensitive to it. Such subtle difference limits the application of general domain adaptation methods, such as image translation-based methods, as the contrast difference is too subtle to be distinguished. Existing studies have explored several directions to tackle this challenge, including density correction, noise filtering, regression, hidden Markov measure field (HMMF) model-based segmentation, and volume-adjusted lung density. Despite some promising results, previous studies either required a tedious workflow or eliminated opportunities for downstream emphysema subtyping, limiting efficient adaptation on a large-scale study. To alleviate this dilemma, we developed an end-to-end deep learning framework based on an existing HMMF segmentation framework. We first demonstrate that a regular UNet cannot replicate the existing HMMF results because of the lack of scanner priors. We then design a novel domain attention block, a simple yet efficient cross-modal block to fuse image visual features with quantitative scanner priors (a sequence), which significantly improves the results.

Behavioral Assessment of Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio) Exposed to Acidic and Alkaline pH

This study presents qualitative and behavioral evaluations in Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to acidic and alkaline pH. Renewal system maintained for 96 hours was observed intermittently every 12 hours from pH 4 to 10. Qualitative indicators evaluated were (1) Repeated movement (2) Abrupt swimming (3) Body fatigue (4) Loss of physical activity (5) Loss of appetite (6) Change in body colour (7) Burnt marks (8) Decolouration of muscles (9) Mucous discharge (10) Glossy gills (11) Shedding of scale and (12) Disintegrated body parts. There was no mortality throughout the study. Majority of behavioral aversions and irregularities were observed at acidic (4 and 5) and alkaline (9 and 10) levels. The study suggests that this species is best maintained between pH of 6 to 8 in a domesticated subsystem.

Correction to: Level-2 Large Deviation Principle for Countable Markov Shifts Without Gibbs States

Correction to: Level-2 Large Deviation Principle for Countable Markov Shifts Without Gibbs States

THERMODYNAMIC FORMALISM FOR AMENABLE GROUPS AND COUNTABLE STATE SPACES

Abstract Given the full shift over a countable state space on a countable amenable group, we develop its thermodynamic formalism. First, we introduce the concept of pressure and, using tiling techniques, prove its existence and further properties, such as an infimum rule. Next, we extend the definitions of different notions of Gibbs measures and prove their existence and equivalence, given some regularity and normalization criteria on the potential. Finally, we provide a family of potentials that nontrivially satisfy the conditions for having this equivalence and a nonempty range of inverse temperatures where uniqueness holds.

Riding behaviours of motorcyclists in mixed traffic condition and its association with crash risk

The present work reports an investigation on riding behaviours of motorcyclists in a mid-sized Indian city where road infrastructure and public transportation systems are not well developed, and law-enforcement is also inadequate. A paper–pencil based questionnaire was designed to collect responses from motorcyclists, and the database was analysed in two stages. In stage- I, an exploratory factor analysis was carried out and four latent factors were identified, namely ‘traffic errors’, ‘control errors’, ‘safety perception & attitude’, and ‘deliberate violations’. In stage-II, these latent factors along with socioeconomic related attributes were used to develop a Poisson-regression model to establish a relationship with crash risk. The model indicates that ‘control errors’ (i.e., the errors committed related to controlling the vehicle) is the most influential factor to predict the crash risk. In addition, crash risk was observed to be directly correlated with riding experience. The findings highlight the need for promoting policies favouring stringent enforcement and strengthening driving licensing and renewal system, and target oriented awareness campaign for improving safety of motorcyclists.

An embedding theorem for subshifts over amenable groups with the comparison property

Abstract We obtain the following embedding theorem for symbolic dynamical systems. Let G be a countable amenable group with the comparison property. Let X be a strongly aperiodic subshift over G. Let Y be a strongly irreducible shift of finite type over G that has no global period, meaning that the shift action is faithful on Y. If the topological entropy of X is strictly less than that of Y and Y contains at least one factor of X, then X embeds into Y. This result partially extends the classical result of Krieger when $G = \mathbb {Z}$ and the results of Lightwood when $G = \mathbb {Z}^d$ for $d \geq 2$ . The proof relies on recent developments in the theory of tilings and quasi-tilings of amenable groups.

Shifts of finite type on locally finite groups

Abstract In this work we prove that every shift of finite type (SFT), sofic shift, and strongly irreducible shift on locally finite groups has strong dynamical properties. These properties include that every sofic shift is an SFT, every SFT is strongly irreducible, every strongly irreducible shift is an SFT, every SFT is entropy minimal, and every SFT has a unique measure of maximal entropy, among others. In addition, we show that if every SFT on a group is strongly irreducible, or if every sofic shift is an SFT, then the group must be locally finite, and this extends to all of the properties we explore. These results are collected in two main theorems which characterize the local finiteness of groups by purely dynamical properties. In pursuit of these results, we present a formal construction of free extension shifts on a group G, which takes a shift on a subgroup H of G, and naturally extends it to a shift on all of G.

Lifting generic points

Abstract Let $(X,T)$ and $(Y,S)$ be two topological dynamical systems, where $(X,T)$ has the weak specification property. Let $\xi $ be an invariant measure on the product system $(X\times Y, T\times S)$ with marginals $\mu $ on X and $\nu $ on Y, with $\mu $ ergodic. Let $y\in Y$ be quasi-generic for $\nu $ . Then there exists a point $x\in X$ generic for $\mu $ such that the pair $(x,y)$ is quasi-generic for $\xi $ . This is a generalization of a similar theorem by T. Kamae, in which $(X,T)$ and $(Y,S)$ are full shifts on finite alphabets.

On the prevalence of the periodicity of maximizing measures

For a continuous map T:X→X on a compact metric space (X,d), we say that a function f:X→R has the property PT if its time averages along forward orbits of T are maximized at a periodic orbit. In this paper, we prove that for the one-sided full shift on two symbols, the property PT is prevalent (in the sense of Hunt–Sauer–Yorke) in spaces of Lipschitz functions with respect to metrics with mildly fast decaying rate on the diameters of cylinder sets. This result is a strengthening of [3, Theorem A], confirms the prediction mentioned in the ICM proceeding contribution of J. Bochi ([1, Section 1]) suggested by experimental evidence, and is another step towards the Hunt–Ott conjectures in the area of ergodic optimization.

Quasi-compactness of transfer operators for topological Markov shifts with holes

Quasi-compactness of transfer operators for topological Markov shifts with holes

'Digitising health protection schemes in Ghana': An enquiry into factors associated with the use of a mobile phone-based health insurance contribution payment system among tertiary students.

In 2018, Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) introduced a mobile money payment system for membership renewal and premium payments to enhance enrolment and retention rates. However, the adoption of such innovations depends on various factors, including personal traits and public perceptions. This study aims to explore the determinants of NHIS membership renewal and premium payment via the mobile renewal system. Conducted at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana, the study used a survey design to gather data from 951 KNUST students. Employing logistic regression analysis, the study identified key factors influencing the use of the NHIS mobile renewal service. The findings revealed that individuals aged 19-21, 25-27 or above 27, without mobile money accounts, and those with no history of online purchases were less likely to adopt the mobile renewal system (P < .05). Conversely, those perceiving the system as useful and easy to use were more likely to utilise it for NHIS membership renewal (P < .05). In conclusion, policymakers should prioritise system quality, accessibility, perceived ease of use, and usefulness to facilitate the adoption and usage of the NHIS mobile payment system. These findings contribute valuable insights for enhancing the effectiveness of health insurance innovations.

On the escape rate of subshifts of finite type and 2-multiplicative integer systems on $\mathbb{N}^d$

In this article, we establish the escape rate formula for an \mathbb{N}^d subshift of finite type X by means of the horizontal transition matrices of the strip shifts induced from X . This extends the previous result of Haritha and Agarwal (2019) to \mathbb{N}^d , d\geq 1 . The concept of the escape rate for \mathbb{N}^d 2-multiplicative integer systems is also introduced, and we give a similar result for the estimate of the escape rate for such systems. Finally, the continuity property for both systems is presented.