Short-term Service Research Articles

What Car for Car-Sharing? Conventional, Electric, Hybrid or Hydrogen Fleet? Analysis of the Vehicle Selection Criteria for Car-Sharing Systems

Short-term car rental services called “car-sharing” or “carsharing” are systems that in recent years have been an alternative form of transport by individual car in an increasing number of cities around the world. With the growing popularity of services, new decision-making problems have arisen among system operators. Among the challenges faced by operators, due to the constantly growing environmental requirements, is the fleet of vehicles for car-sharing systems-appropriate selection. Noticing this research gap, this article was dedicated to determining the criteria that are important when choosing a fleet of vehicles for car-sharing and to indicate the best suited to the needs of car-sharing vehicles. Own research was proposed, considering desk research, expert research and analyses using the multi-criteria decision support method (ELECTRE III). This research was carried out for the Polish market of car-sharing services. Studying the Polish market is appropriate due to the occurrence of significant difficulties with the fleet incorrectly adjusted to the needs of urban conditions. This study covers vehicles with conventional, electric, hybrid and hydrogen propulsion. The analyses allowed for the determination of the vehicles best suited to the needs of car-sharing. The results show the dominance of hydrogen-powered vehicles over conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles. What is more, it was determined that the most important criteria are the purchase price of the vehicle and energy/fuel consumption per 100 km. The obtained results are a guide to proceeding when making decisions regarding the implementation or modernization of the fleet in car-sharing systems. The results also support achieving more sustainable urban mobility in the zero-emission trend through hydrogen mobility.

On the superplastic deformation mechanisms of near-α TNW700 titanium alloy

The new near-α TNW700 titanium alloy is a potential candidate material for high performance ultrasonic/hypersonic aircrafts, which is designed for short-term service at 700°C. This study systematically investigated the superplastic deformation microstructure evolution and mechanism of TNW700 alloy at different strain rates and true strains at 925°C. Results show that TNW700 alloy exhibits excellent superplastic behavior in a constant strain rate range of 0.0005–0.005 s−1 with elongation above 400%. The peak stress decreases with decreasing strain rate, which is related to the increase of β-phase volume fraction caused by the increase of thermal exposure time. In addition, significant strain hardening is observed in early-middle stage of superplastic deformation, and flow softening is followed in middle-late stage. To rationalize these complex flow behaviors, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to characterize the microstructure. Strain hardening is correlated to the synergistic effect of β grain growth, dislocation accumulation, silicide precipitate, and solid solution strengthening of α phase. Continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) induced the fragmentation of primary α grains in middle-late stage of superplastic deformation, and the refinement of α grains, the increase of β phase volume fraction and dynamic dislocation recovery are main causes of high strain softening. In addition, EBSD and TEM observations confirmed texture randomization, fine equiaxed primary α grains and intragranular dislocation movement, indicating that grain boundary sliding (GBS) accommodated by dislocation sliding / climb is the dominant superplastic deformation mechanism of TNW700 alloy.

A study on the efficiency of pediatric healthcare services and its influencing factors in China ——estimation of a three-stage DEA model based on provincial-level data

The rapid development of socio-economic has challenged pediatric health services in the new era. Assessing the efficiency of pediatric health services in China and utilizing them will facilitate the continued and stable development of pediatric health services in the face of these challenges. Based on a Three-stage DEA model of generalized modified panel, this paper uses panel data from 31 provinces and cities in China from 2008 to 2019 to estimate efficiency of pediatric health services and analyze the influential factors influencing the efficiency of pediatric services. The research establishes a multi-dimensional evaluation model of input-output-environment-impact. Fully consider the transformation of input elements such as pediatric beds, technical experts, pediatric finance, and pediatric policies in technical, professional, and economic environments. And with the help of long-term and short-term service effects of pediatrics, pediatric income, pediatric infrastructure, social satisfaction and other factors to output. Objectively summarize the real service effect of pediatrics. The model corrects for the interference of technical and non-administrative factors and obtains the most realistic pediatric performance based on changing social dynamics. The study found: (1) while the efficiency of pediatric healthcare services in China's provincial areas has been increasing year by year, there are specific geographical differences, and further improvements and rational allocation of healthcare resources are needed. Among them, the southern developed regions are 16.25% higher than the average efficiency of the northern regions. The annual floating span is 9.54%. Geography is a key factor that dominates the efficiency gap.(2) There is significant redundancy and disparity in the resources invested in pediatric services, and optimization of the economic, technological, and professional environment will continue to eliminate the impact of redundancy and drive the growth of pediatric service efficiency.The redundant scale of various input elements accounted for 31.81%. It shows that nearly 30% of the input resources have not been fully utilized. Among them, the redundancy of beds is relatively small in China, only 21.77%. It shows that the construction of pediatric beds in China is relatively effective, but the pediatric redundancy in developed areas is only 3.24%, and the adjustment of input resources across regions is the key to the optimization of pediatric services. (3) Increase in the health care price index will have a negative effect on the efficiency of pediatric services. In contrast, an increase in urbanization levels, education levels, and birth rates will drive the optimization of pediatric service efficiency.

The early and later-life care experiences of individuals using short-term homeless services: an attachment-informed interpretative phenomenological analysis

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the care experiences of individuals using short-term homeless services in the UK, who identify as being neglected in childhood. The study endeavours to give voice to the subjective experiences of homeless individuals in these specific domains and optimise therapeutic and housing services provided to individuals from this sub-population.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews containing elements of the “Adult Attachment Interview” (AAI) were conducted with eight individuals who had experienced childhood neglect and used short-term homeless services in adulthood. Interviews were analysed using an attachment informed version of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (AI-IPA).FindingsAnalysis parsed participants’ data into four master themes: “Everything was wrecking all the time”: Unsafe spaces; “Kind of pretending I was […] dead”: Strategies for survival; “My mum didn’t believe me”: Traumatic self-shaping; and “My first reckoning with self”: Restoration & Recovery. Together, themes indicated that participants had undergone traumatic early and later-life care experiences but were engaged in idiosyncratic recovery journeys. The meanings that participants derived from their past experiences of neglect were nuanced and interacted with their current relationships in complex and highly personal ways.Originality/valueBy applying an innovative methodology to a predominantly unchartered empirical area, this project extends existing research and presents a meaningful set of results. Implications for the delivery of short-term homeless services and therapeutic practitioners are discussed.

Analysis on the localized corrosion of hydraulic support after short-term service in coal mine

The corrosion of hydraulic support has brought huge economic losses to coal enterprises. Using laser cladding stainless steel coating on the surface can improve its wear resistance and corrosion resistance. However, dense corrosion pits appeared on the hydraulic support coated 304 stainless steel after 25 d use in a coal mine. At present, there are few studies on the corrosion effect of this laser cladding layer under the actual mine. In this work, the oxide scales are characterized by 3D Optical Microscope (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) equipped with x-ray Energy Spectrometer (EDS), x-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS) and x-ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. Based on the results, the localized corrosion mechanism is discussed. It was found that the corrosion products were mainly a mixture of (Fe,Cr)2O3 and CaCO3. The maximum pitting rate calculated from the depth data of pits. which were collected by ultra-depth of field optical microscopy, was 2.32 mm a−1. The mechanism of corrosion of hydraulic support was discussed form perspectives of the under-deposit corrosion and corrosive ions (i.e. Cl− and S2)− in the environment.

Better than expected: client and clinician experiences of videoconferencing therapy (VT) during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Videoconferencing therapy (VT) has been an emerging medium of psychological therapy, and during the COVID-19 pandemic there has been substantial growth in its usage as a result of home working. However, there is a paucity of research into client and clinician perceptions of VT. This study sought to assess client and staff experiences of VT. This mixed methods study produced both quantitative and qualitative data. Seven clients who had previously received VT and 11 psychotherapists who had previously delivered VT were recruited from two NHS sites. Clients and psychotherapists took part in qualitative interviews which were analysed using thematic analysis. Quantitative surveys were developed based on themes generated from the interviews and were completed by 172 clients and 117 psychotherapists. These were analysed using simple percentages. VT often exceeded client and psychotherapist expectations and overall experiences of VT were generally positive, although there were mixed findings regarding the therapeutic alliance. Several barriers to VT were cited, such as IT issues, and challenges identified in conducting behavioural experiments, and potential exclusion of certain populations were also cited. The medium of VT was received well by both clients and clinicians, with advantages around convenience seemingly outweighing losses in quality of therapeutic relationship. Future research should focus on overcoming barriers to accessing VT in populations prone to digital exclusion. NHS services not currently employing VT may wish to reconsider their stance, expanding choice of therapy delivery and improving accessibility. Key learning aims (1) To gain insight into client and clinician experiences of VT during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) To assess the acceptability and feasibility of VT within two NHS short-term psychological support services. (3) To identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of VT within two NHS short-term psychological support services.

Developing a conceptual business model framework for shared electric-micro-mobility services: a systematic literature review

Different from conventional Shared Micro-mobility Services (SMS), such as bike and scooter, Electric-SMS (ESMS) involves more stakeholders, higher capital investment, and potentially more constraints like safety and charging network. How to develop an innovative business model that can prompt the services and ensure the sustainable development of ESMS is challenging. Our research objective is twofold. First, to obtain an in-depth understanding of ESMS through a comprehensive review of literature and practices; Second, to extend the existing Business model Canvas (BMC) that better fits the new development of ESMS with a focus on e-scooter. The original BMC design tool are used to frame the selection and analysis of the literature and practices. The finding suggests that: (1) The business model of the ESMS is increasing, and optimized, more focused on consumers. (2) Lending privately owned vehicles to other customers are the development trend of urban public transportation. (3) Long-term rental service is better off than short-term rental services, which is also a cost-saving strategy. As a result, the extended BMC is developed and several initiatives are proposed to promote the managers from the ESMS sector to better understand different business models.

Client Experiences With a Short-Term Case Management Mental Health Service.

Short Term Case Management (STCM) was introduced in 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, as a brief intervention to address long wait-lists for case management services. STCM provides individuals with mental illness, living in the community, case management services on a weekly basis over 3 months to identify personal goals and work toward an improved state of health and well-being. Despite the small but growing body of evidence on short-term case management, there is limited research on clients’ reported experiences of these services. This study used a phenomenological approach to answer the question “What are the experiences with services of individuals who received short-term case management services?” Eight qualitative semistructured interviews were conducted between November 2019 and January 2020 to collect the perspectives and experiences of clients who had received STCM. Most participants valued engaging in a brief therapeutic relationship. Additionally, participants described that the intervention helped them connect with other agencies for ongoing support and begin achieving their own long-term goals. Some participants voiced concerns about the brief duration of the intervention. Future research should explore the role of briefcase management in the continuum of services and the typology of clients who may benefit from longer therapeutic relationship to achieve their goals.

Conditions and characteristics of older adults and primary caregivers who use short-stay services: a comparison between long-term and short-term service groups by service type.

Objective: This study was conducted to examine the conditions and characteristics of older adults who use short-stay services as well as those of their primary caregivers by categorizing them into long-term use and short-term use groups. Patients and Methods: We conducted logistic regression analyses on the data of 679 short-term residential care (short-stay) users using the χ2 test, with the type of use as the dependent variable. Results: The results of the comparison show that users in long-term care were likely to be men, ≥95 years old, live alone, and require care for severe dementia (level three or more). Primary caregivers lived farther away from the user's neighborhood, felt burdened by and lacked knowledge about providing care, and preferred that the patient continue to receive care in a facility or be hospitalized. Conclusion: It was suggested that care support specialists in charge of elderly persons requiring severe nursing care who live alone may be adjusting to the long-term use of short stays, which is not usually expected, because they are influenced by the nursing care burden of the primary caregiver who lives far away, the level of knowledge and skills of nursing care, and the primary caregiver's willingness to continue caring, and because they cannot immediately enter a facility when they are no longer able to live alone.

일본 최중증뇌병변장애인 단기입소시설 정책 및 운영 사례 연구

Purpose: This study aims to specifically present the core components and operation plans of short-term admission services in Korea by grasping policies and systems related to short-term admission services for the most severely disabled in Japan. Method: Through the literature, the basic status of Japan was identified, and one short-term admission facility in Japan that meets the purpose and purpose of this study was selected as a case institution. Results: Japan has reorganized the system for the independent life of the disabled, and expanded its options by diversifying the types of facilities and opening forms. And it was mandatory to deploy professional manpower. In addition, the care environment for the severely disabled was created by creating an environment inside the facility. Conclusion: Korea needs to complete the legal system so that short-term admission facilities do not become long-term facilities, and it is necessary to diversify the operation and opening forms.

미래 국방을 대비한 인공지능 기반의 방위산업 발전방향 연구

In the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, this study aims to present major trends and prospects related to the artificial intelligence(AI)-based defense industry in preparation for future defense. To this end, major domestic and foreign cases, including the U.S., and the current status of the Ministry of National Defense’s implementation policy, and short-term, medium- and long-term products and services promoted by artificial intelligence(AI) in the defense sector were discovered to distinguish the target projects. Through research related to artificial intelligence(AI) in the defense field, it was possible to seek directions for the development of artificial intelligence(AI)-related policies of the Ministry of National Defense, and to present general restrictions and considerations.

Profile Study of Motorcyclists Victims in Road Traffic Accidents at Jaipur Region- An Observational Antemortem Study

World Health Organization defined accidents as ‘’ an unexpected, unplanned occurrence which may involve injury’’1.Only 28 countries, covering 7% of the world’s population, have comprehensive road safety laws on all five key risk factors: drinking and driving, speeding, and failing to use helmets, seat-belts, and child restraints as per the global status report on Road Safety 2013 by World Health Organization1. India is undergoing major economic and demographic transition coupled with increasing urbanization and motorization. Injuries on roads, at homes, and in the workplace have increased due to lack of safety-related policies and programs. The health sector bears the maximum brunt in terms of provision of acute care, and short-term and long term rehabilitation service. This study describes profile of motorcyclists’ victims in road traffic accidents observation done and they were compared with the previous studies.This study was conducted toanalyzethe sociodemographic profile of motorcycle crashes among total cases of RTA.During study period, a total number of 22618 patients were admitted to trauma centre, from which 10564 were road traffic accident cases, from which 25 % were two wheeler clashes.

Effects of training service dogs on service members with PTSD: A pilot-feasibility randomized study with mixed methods

ABSTRACT This pilot-feasibility randomized control trial examined effects of an adjunctive short-term service dog training program (SDTP) for service members in out-patient treatment for PTSD. Twenty-nine volunteer participants were randomly assigned to either the SDTP (n = 12) or waitlist (n = 17); 20 participants were available for post-treatment evaluation. SDTP protocol consisted of six structured one-hour sessions with a dog-trainer conducted over two weeks, intended to train a service dog to help a fellow Veteran. SMs completed symptom questionnaires (PTSD, insomnia, stress, depression, anxiety), and the SDTP group completed a post-intervention quantitative interview. Most effect sizes demonstrated moderate symptom reductions, both between-groups and within the SDTP group. Between-group effects were strongest for intrusive thoughts (Hedge’s g = −0.66; 95%CI: −1.72, 0.23) and overall PTSD symptoms (g = −0.45; 95%CI: −1.47, 0.45); within-SDTP group effects were strongest for stress (d = −1.31, 95%CI: −2.17, −0.42), intrusive thoughts (d = −0.78, 95%CI: −1.55, 0.01) and hypervigilance (d = −0.77, 95%CI: −1.48, −0.04). Qualitative analyses indicated participants found SDTP in some ways challenging yet beneficial in multiple aspects of personal and social lives. Future work should examine optimal treatment parameters (e.g., duration, “dosing”) when training dogs as an adjunct to other PTSD treatment.

Long-Term Impact of Interprofessional Medical Mission Service Trips in Sierra Leone.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of capacity-building short-term mission service trips to Sierra Leone on local health education and perspectives.Methods: This was a prospective, mixed-methods study. During three mission trips between June 2017 and December 2019, health professional students taught multiple locally selected patient care-related topics. Local staff completed knowledge questionnaires and were surveyed or interviewed on mission service impact along with the cultural competence of missionaries. Mission team members completed the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES) and surveys to determine their cultural competence.Results: After initial education, 90% passed the knowledge questionnaire with at least a 50% and the correct response rate was 57.9 vs. 66.7% after 6 months and 2.5 years, respectively (p = 0.40). Local staff ranked education/training as most valuable (84%) and highly desired (53%). Mean IES score and survey responses of both missionaries and local staff rated mission team cultural competence as average.Conclusions: Education-focused mission trips in Sierra Leone seem to have long-lasting benefits and a positive impact on local staff, though improved intercultural competence is needed.

Participant reflections on short-term international volunteering: Benefits, concerns, and perspective change

ABSTRACT Millions of volunteers travel annually on short-term international service trips, often with the motivation of serving host communities. These trips have benefits for both the volunteers and the host communities, but also carry potential risks. The goal of the present study was to investigate how volunteers perceived their trip experiences, including the potential risks and benefits to themselves and the communities they served. Previous volunteers (N = 353) completed a survey about their experiences with short-term international service trips. Qualitative analysis explored four overarching themes: (a) How the volunteers believe they were impacted by their trip, (b) The potential benefits of short-term international volunteer work, (c) The potential concerns resulting from short-term international volunteer work, and (d) How volunteers believe their trips could have been improved. Results suggested that volunteers believed the trips impacted both themselves and the host community in positive and negative ways. Data also revealed that volunteers had serious concerns about current models of short-term international volunteering and believed more pre-trip preparation and focus on sustainable volunteer activities would improve trip outcomes and better serve the intended beneficiary and host communities. Based on these findings, six recommendations for sending agencies were proposed.

CHANGES IN REAL ESTATE VALUE DYNAMICS DURING SERVICE CYCLES AS A SOURCE OF NEGATIVE PERIODIC PROPERTY DEPRECIATION

Main methodological principles of mathematically describing the patterns of changes in the asset’s value/depreciation dynamics are studied in cases when economic measurements are performed by independent expert evaluation. The basic hypothesis suggests that for all tangible assets, which are characterized by redeemable depreciation, there is a possibility of negative periodic depreciation during short-term service periods when remedial and repair work to eliminate depreciation signs is carried out. The most influential price-forming factors that determine the asset’s depreciation indexes and indicators of value dynamics over long periods are identified and analysed. It is shown that when this period is comparable to the asset’s service life, most of tangible assets are characterized by both positive and negative periodic depreciation indexes at separate times. It is noted that the models used in accounting documents do not describe the actual changes in the value dynamics, and amortization in particular, since they do not take into account the possibility of increasing asset value and periodic negative depreciation. A new kind of mathematical model is proposed that takes into account the opposite signs of periodic depreciation in the operation and service periods. It is proved that the actual indicators of fair market value and periodic depreciation indexes of these types of assets can be determined by performing periodic independent expert evaluation (revaluation).

Timely short-term specialized palliative care service intervention for older people with frailty and their family carers in primary care: Development and modelling of the frailty+ intervention using theory of change

Background: Palliative care is advocated for older people with frailty and multimorbidity in the community. However, how to best deliver it is unclear. Aim: To develop and model an intervention of short-term specialized palliative care that is initiated timely based on complex care needs and integrated with primary care for older people with frailty and their family, detailing the intervention components, outcomes and preconditions needed for implementation, using a novel theoretical approach. Design: Observational study informed by the UK MRC guidance for complex interventions integrated with a Theory of Change (i.e. hypothetical causal pathway to impact) approach. We synthesized evidence from a systematic review, semi-structured interviews, group discussions and Theory of Change workshops. Setting: Primary care in Flanders, Belgium. Results: We identified patient and family carer-related long-term outcomes and preconditions to achieve them for example, service providers are willing and able to deliver the intervention. The intervention components included implementation components, for example, training for service providers, and a core component, that is, provision of timely short-term specialized palliative care by a specialized palliative home care nurse. The latter includes: short-term service delivery; collaborative and integrative working within primary care; delivery of holistic needs- and capacity-based care; person-centred and family-focussed; and goal-oriented pro-active care. Conclusions: The Theory of Change approach allowed us to identify multiple intervention components targeting different stakeholders to achieve the desired outcomes. It also facilitated a detailed description of the intervention which aims to increase replicability and effective comparisons with other interventions.

The Centrality of Child Maltreatment to Criminology.

Despite sufficient evidence to conclude that maltreatment exposure affects the risk of crime and delinquency, we conclude that the unique effects of child maltreatment on crime and delinquency, and the mechanisms through which those effects operate, remain poorly identified. Key challenges include insufficient attention to the overlap of child maltreatment with various forms of family dysfunction and adversity and a lack of comprehensive measurement of the multiple, often comorbid, forms of child maltreatment. We then consider potential impacts of the child welfare system on the maltreatment-crime link. Because the child welfare system typically provides voluntary, short-term services of unknown quality, it likely neither increases nor reduces risks of delinquency and crime for most children who encounter it. For the comparatively small subset of children experiencing foster care, impacts on delinquency and crime likely vary by the quality of environments within and after their time in care - issues that, to date, have received too little attention.

Responding to intimate partner violence (IPV) in Ontario, Canada: A closer look at police involvement

Over the past 20 years, Ontario child welfare agencies have seen an exponential increase in referrals for exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) for children. Using a mixed methods approach, this paper examines the causes and consequences of the exponential increase in the incidence rates of IPV exposure between 1993 and 2013, providing important context for a maltreatment type that is not well understood in Ontario. The incidence of investigations related to IPV was derived and compared across cycles of the provincially representative Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) (1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013) and informational interviews were conducted with the primary referral source of IPV-related investigations, police departments, to understand the increase in referrals. Short term service dispositions were also compared across cycles. After the nearly two-fold increase of investigations for all maltreatment types in Ontario between 1998 and 2003, IPV investigations are the only type of maltreatment that continued to increase. In 2013, IPV was the most investigated and substantiated form of maltreatment, without a corresponding increase in the number of cases receiving ongoing services. The continued growth in the proportion of child welfare investigations for exposure to IPV that do not receive ongoing child protection services is a significant concern for Ontario. Intersystem collaboration between police, child welfare, and community services is needed to reduce repeated re-referrals and meet the needs of families experiencing IPV.

Superplastic deformation mechanical behavior and constitutive modelling of a near-α titanium alloy TNW700 sheet

TNW700 is a newly developed near-α high temperature titanium alloy and has great application potential in the aerospace industry owing to excellent creep strength and short-term service temperature up to 700 °C. The superplastic tensile deformation behavior and constitutive model of TNW700 alloy in the temperature range of 900–975 °C and strain rate range of 0.0005–0.01s−1 were investigated. Results indicated that TNW700 alloy exhibits significant work hardening behavior, which may be related to dynamic growth of β grains, dislocation evolution, and silicide precipitates. In addition, work hardening coefficient (n) as well as the critical strain between flow hardening and softening increases with decreasing strain rate, and first increases and then decreases with increasing deformation temperature. TNW700 alloy exhibits excellent superplasticity at 900 °C–950 °C corresponding to strain rate sensitivity exponent (m) greater than 0.3, and expresses poor superplasticity at 975 °C with lower m value. The m value decreases monotonously with strain owing to decrease of grain boundary sliding contribution caused by dynamic grain growth of β grains. The deformation activation energy increases with decreasing strain rate due to the change of deformation mechanism. A phenomenological constitutive model considering strain hardening, strain rate hardening and temperature softening was proposed and material constants were calibrated by true stress-strain data. The constitutive model was implemented into Abaqus code by UHARD subroutine to simulate the superplastic forming of cone parts, and thickness distribution and bulging heights under different forming time were used to verify the validity of constitutive model.