Types Of Distress Research Articles

The Relationships Between Spirituality, Tendency to Forgive, Social Support, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Stress Among Female Survivors of Sexual Assault.

Over the past few years, there has been a growing awareness of the extent and consequences of sexual assault. Sexual assault has long-term consequences for the survivor's mental health and brings into question the resources available to survivors for dealing with the consequences of the assault. The positive effects of spirituality and forgiveness on mental health are well documented; however, few studies have examined how sexual assault survivors use spiritual beliefs and forgiveness to cope with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and stress symptoms. Social support is another resource that has been found to contribute substantially to positive adaptation among trauma survivors. Nevertheless, conflicting results were found regarding the effect of social support on the recovery of sexual assault survivors. Since these resources have a significant impact on individuals who have experienced trauma, the purpose of this study was to examine how these resources relate to the levels of PTSD symptoms and general stress among female survivors of sexual assault. Two hundred and four (N = 204) participants completed a demographic questionnaire and questionnaires about forgiveness, social support, spirituality, PTSD symptoms, and stress. Higher levels of forgiveness, spirituality, and social support were associated with lower levels of PTSD symptoms and stress. A two-step hierarchal regression showed that education, financial status, age at the time of the assault, forgiveness, and social support each contributed significantly to the explained variance of PTSD symptoms. The variability in reported stress could be explained by education, financial status, age at the time of the assault, forgiveness, and spirituality. The study's findings point to the unique roles of forgiveness, spirituality, and social support as beneficial resources for coping with sexual assault. These findings also shed further light on the ways in which these resources can be used to cope with a variety of types of distress.

Novel biallelic nonsense mutation in IGHMBP2 gene linked to neuropathy (CMT2S): A comprehensive clinical, genetic and bioinformatic analysis of a Turkish patient with literature review.

Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 (SMARD1) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2S (CMT2S) typically present before age 10. Genetic factors account for up to 50% of neuropathies, which often display varied symptoms. Mutations in the IGHMBP2 gene are associated with both CMT2S and SMARD1, resulting in a rare clinical condition marked by axonal neuropathy, spinal muscular atrophy, respiratory distress, and muscle weakness. Detailed family histories and medical data were collected. Segregation analysis was performed using Sanger sequencing and whole exome sequencing. Additionally, a review of molecularly confirmed patients was conducted. Protein tertiary structures expressed in the IGHMBP2 gene were tested for topological and conformational changes using modeling programs and in-silico tools. We identified a novel homozygous nonsense mutation (c.2568_2569del p.Gly857Alafs*27) in a family with a member showing neuropathy. This report details the clinical and genetic findings of the affected individuals, including a Turkish patient with neuropathy, and compares them with literature cases. Understanding the clinical impact of the (c.2568_2569del p.Gly857Alafs*27) mutation will enhance our knowledge of IGHMBP2 gene defects role in neuropathy. This study aims to highlight this severe recessive disease caused by pathogenic IGHMBP2 gene mutations and to examine the mutation spectrum and phenotype differences.

Psychological interventions for family members of people with psychological disorders with emotional dysregulation: Introduction to special section.

Clinicians working with people suffering from psychological disorders involving emotional dysregulation often focus on treating the patient. To some extent, this is logical given the urgency and severity of the patient's problems. However, caregivers of these patients experience high levels of burden, depression, and other types of distress. Therefore, not caring for family members means first, neglecting these people who are also suffering, and secondly missing the opportunity to help patients from other perspectives focused on the context around them that can be very helpful. Currently, there is growing interest in studying interventions to help relatives of people with severe mental disorders. This special section presents some studies that analyze several variables that may influence the course of treatment, such as the influence of personality traits of parents of people with eating disorders and affective disorders or the family alliance for therapeutic change, and the level of hopelessness in family members of people with borderline personality disorders. Second, empirically supported interventions are presented for psychological disorders involving emotional dysregulation, for example, in relatives of people with borderline personality disorder and eating disorders. It is essential to make progress in the psychological care of people with psychological disorders and we think a good way to do this is to integrate into our clinical practice the possibility of offering skills training and psychoeducation to family members. So far, good results have been obtained, and we believe it is essential to disseminate these interventions among clinicians and researchers.

Achieving quality assurance in accepting automated pavement condition data: threshold development and error pattern analysis

ABSTRACT Automated pavement condition survey systems are widely used for network-wide pavement distress detection, yet concerns about data quality remain. To address this, it is crucial to develop effective data quality assurance (QA) procedures. This study proposes two indexes for QA procedures: the accuracy index based on the differences between automated measurements and manual audit measurements, and the precision index based on the differences between automated measurements of two consecutive years. Using automated distress data (2017–2021) and manual audit data from Texas, the Difference of Two-Sigma (D2S) method was applied to determine the thresholds of various distress types for the accuracy and precision indexes. Then, a validation of the proposed thresholds was conducted by visually checking the 2022 image data of a selected pavement network. Through this process, the reliability of the thresholds was evaluated, and the error patterns present in the automated data were analysed. The study results demonstrated that the developed thresholds were able to effectively identify data quality issues. The primary source of errors in the automated condition survey system was false-positive detections of pavement distresses, frequently caused by features in the pavement surface background, primarily due to the textures of the pavements.

Self-compassion and psychological distress in chronic illness: A meta-analysis.

Self-compassion is a positive psychological factor linked to improved physical and psychological outcomes across different chronic illness populations. However, the extent to which self-compassion contributes to reduced distress across different conditions or as a function of participant factors is not clear. The current meta-analysis aimed to quantify the association between self-compassion and psychological distress in different chronic illness populations and evaluate the factors that moderate this association. A systematic search of three electronic databases identified research reporting associations between self-compassion and psychological distress in chronic illness. A random effects meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between self-compassion and psychological distress. Moderator analyses were conducted for sample characteristics and distress types. A bespoke tool evaluated study quality. Searches yielded 51 eligible studies with 57 effect sizes. Meta-analysis revealed that self-compassion was negatively associated with psychological distress (r = -.516; 95% CIs [-.55, -.48]; p = .000). Moderator analyses were significant for distress type and chronic illness group, with effects being largest for stress and neurological conditions. Effects did not vary by sex, age or illness duration. Findings from this first comprehensive investigation of the link between self-compassion and distress in chronic illness highlight the protective role of self-compassion for chronic illness populations. These results lay the foundation for further research into understanding the processes that link self-compassion to lower psychological distress, and that examine the effectiveness of self-compassion interventions in chronic illness populations, to further advance knowledge and inform practice in this area.

Burnout among intensive care nurses, physicians and leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national longitudinal study.

Burnout is frequent among intensive care unit (ICU) healthcare professionals and may result in medical errors and absenteeism. The COVID-19 pandemic caused additional strain during working hours and also affected off-duty life. The aims of this study were to survey burnout levels among ICU healthcare professionals during the first year of COVID-19, describe those who reported burnout, and analyse demographic and work-related factors associated with burnout. This was a national prospective longitudinal cohort study of 484 nurses, physicians and leaders working in intensive care units with COVID-19 patients in Norway. Burnout was measured at 6- and 12-month follow-up, after a registration of baseline data during the first months of the COVID epidemic. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), was used (range 0-100), burnout caseness defined as CBI ≥50. Bi- and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine baseline demographic variables and work-related factors associated with burnout caseness at 12 months. At 6 months, the median CBI score was 17, increasing to 21 at 12 months (p = .037), with nurses accounting for most of the increase. Thirty-two per cent had an increase in score of more than 5, whereas 25% had a decrease of more than 5. Ten per cent reported caseness of burnout at 6 months and 14% at 12 months (n.s.). The participants with burnout caseness were of significantly lower age, had fewer years of experience, reported more previous anxiety and/or depression, more moral distress, less perceived hospital recognition, and more fear of infection in the bivariate analyses. Burnout was the single standing most reported type of psychological distress, and 24 out of 41 (59%) with burnout caseness also reported caseness of anxiety, depression and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Multivariate analysis showed statistically significant associations of burnout caseness with fewer years of professional experience (p = .041) and borderline significance of perceived support by leader (p = .049). In Norway, a minority of ICU nurses, physicians and leaders reported burnout 1 year into the pandemic. A majority of those with burnout reported anxiety, depression and/or PTSD symptoms combined. Burnout was associated with less years of professional experience.

Ighmbp2 mutations and disease pathology: Defining differences that differentiate SMARD1 and CMT2S

Mutations in the Immunoglobulin mu DNA binding protein 2 (IGHMBP2) gene result in two distinct diseases, SMA with Respiratory Distress Type I (SMARD1) and Charcot Marie Tooth Type 2S (CMT2S). To understand the phenotypic and molecular differences between SMARD1 and CMT2S, and the role of IGHMBP2 in disease development, we generated mouse models based on six IGHMBP2 patient mutations. Previously, we reported the development and characterization of Ighmbp2D564N/D564N mice and in this manuscript, we examine two mutations: D565N (D564N in mice) and H924Y (H922Y in mice) in the Ighmbp2H922Y/H922Y and Ighmbp2D564N/H922Y contexts. We found significant differences between these mouse models, providing critical insight into the role of IGHMBP2 in the pathogenesis of SMARD1 and CMT2S. Importantly, these studies also demonstrate how disease pathogenesis is significantly altered in the context of Ighmbp2 D564N and H922Y homozygous recessive and compound heterozygous mutations. Notably, there were short-lived and long-lived lifespan cohorts within Ighmbp2D564N/H922Y mice with early (P12/P16) respiratory pathology serving as a key predictor of lifespan. Despite differences in lifespan, motor function deficits initiated early and progressively worsened in all Ighmbp2D564N/H922Y mice. There was decreased limb skeletal muscle fiber area and increased neuromuscular junction (NMJ) denervation in Ighmbp2D564N/H922Y mice. Consistent with CMT2S, Ighmbp2H922Y/H922Y mice did not have altered lifespans nor respiratory pathology. Interestingly, Ighmbp2H922Y/H922Y limb muscle fibers demonstrated an increase in muscle fiber area followed by a reduction while changes in NMJ innervation were minimal even at P180. This is the first study that demonstrates differences associated with IGHMBP2 function within respiration with those within limb motor function. Significant to our understanding of IGHMBP2 function, we demonstrate that there is a direct correlation between disease pathogenesis associated with these IGHMBP2 patient mutations and IGHMBP2 biochemical activity. Importantly, these studies reveal the dynamic differences that are presented when either a single mutant protein is present (IGHMBP2-D564N or IGHMBP2-H922Y) or two mutant proteins are present (IGHMBP2-D564N and IGHMBP2-H922Y) within cells.

Machine learning modelling the rut depth of WMA mixtures with variable reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and foamed bitumen content

ntroduction. Rutting of flexible, super flexible and semi-rigid pavement structures is a typical and frequently decisive condition parameter, form of pavement deterioration. That is why, any research result in the field can have of high importance for the road engineers. Problem Statement Rutting poses a significant challenge to asphalt pavements, causing permanent deformation under heavy loads, particularly in warm and wet conditions. Purpose. This pavement distress type has — in addition to riding comfort challenges — important traffic safety consequences (e.g. aquaplaning), as well. The research work concentrates on the influence of the use of warm mix asphalt, reclaimed asphalt material and foamed bitumen binder on the rut depth of asphalt pavements.

Patterns of dietary quality, physical activity, and sleep duration among cancer survivors and caregivers.

Fruit and vegetable intake (FVI), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sleep duration are each independently associated with cancer-related and general health outcomes among cancer survivors. Past research suggests that health behaviors cluster among cancer survivors, with caregivers demonstrating similar patterns. This analysis examined co-occurrence of FVI, MVPA, and sleep duration among cancer survivors and informal cancer caregivers and identified sociodemographic and clinical correlates of health behavior engagement. Using data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), an exploratory latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted among those self-reporting a history of cancer or identifying as a cancer caregiver. The LPA model was fit with daily self-reported FVI (cups/d), MPVA (minutes/d) and sleep duration (hours/d). Multinomial logistic regression models were used to predict profile membership based on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Four health behavior profiles were identified (Least Engaged-No MVPA, Least Engaged-Low MVPA, Moderately Engaged, and Highly Engaged). The largest profile membership was Least Engaged-No MVPA, capturing 37% of the sample. Profiles were most distinguished by MVPA, with the lowest variance in sleep duration. Participants reporting higher FVI also often reported greater MVPA and longer sleep duration. Profile membership was significantly associated with age, relationship status, education, income, rurality, alcohol use, self-efficacy, psychological distress, BMI, and cancer type. This study identified four health behaviors patterns and sociodemographic correlates that distinguished those patterns among cancer survivors and caregivers drawn from a nationally representative sample. Results may help identify for whom health behavior interventions could be of greatest benefit.

Identification of complex co-occurring symptom burden in persons with cancer through multisite implementation of health-related social needs assessment in community oncology settings.

306 Background: Health related social needs (HRSN) impact cancer outcomes and patient experience, but their integration into routine cancer care is highly variable. To expand the implementation-centered evidence base for effective HRSN assessments, we studied a scalable HRSN screening tool to identify distress and complex symptom burden in patients with cancer. Methods: We prospectively tracked HRSN screenings (using the National Comprehensive Cancer Network [NCCN] Distress Thermometer [DT]) of patients at varying points during their cancer care between 07/2023-12/2023 at seven multi-site community oncology practices within the US Oncology Network. DT responses were used to evaluate the positive finding rate, types of distress reported, and correlations between distress areas and concerns reported. Results: Overall, 219,720 unique patients with cancer received 269,666 HRSN screenings using the NCCN DT; 27% had a distress score ≥1 and 38.5% reported a concern (of whom, 58.2% reported >1). Co-occurring concerns that were most correlated (Pearson correlation coefficient) were emotional & practical concerns in 49% of screenings, physical & practical 44%, emotional & social 37% and social & practical concerns 36%. Emotional symptoms most frequently reported together were sadness/depression + worry/anxiety 47%, loss of interest + sadness/depression 44%, and loneliness & sadness/depression 38.5%. Regarding complex symptom burden, the physical and psychosocial symptoms that were most correlated were fatigue & sleep 43%, pain & fatigue 40%, pain & sleep 38%, anxiety/worry & fatigue 37%, anxiety/worry & sleep 36%. Fatigue and pain, the two most frequently reported concerns were strongly correlated with emotional and practical concerns like sleep, worry or anxiety, memory or concentration, loss or change of physical abilities, sadness or depression, loss of interest or enjoyment, changes in eating, ability to take care of self, feelings of worthlessness or being a burden, etc. Concerns with the strongest correlations are reported in the table. Conclusions: Distress and its components impact multiple cancer outcomes making their rapid identification and consequent action key to high-quality cancer care. The findings highlight the NCCN DT as a scalable approach to integrate HRSN screening and to identify complex symptom burden in the real-world practice. Co-occurring physical and psychosocial concerns. Concern 1 Concern 2 Correlation r Sadness or depression Worry or anxiety 47.3% 0.5 Loss of interest or enjoyment Sadness or depression 44.3% 0.4 Fatigue Sleep 42.5% 0.4 Pain Fatigue 40.0% 0.4 Loneliness Sadness or depression 38.5% 0.4 Pain Sleep 37.8% 0.4 Worry or anxiety Fatigue 36.7% 0.4 Worry or anxiety Sleep 36.1% 0.4 Taking care of myself Taking care of others 35.9% 0.4

Fracture properties of asphalt mixtures containing high content of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and eco-friendly PET additive at low temperature

Low-temperature cracking is one of the main types of distress that affects asphalt pavement performance over its service life. At the same time, the accumulation of plastics, especially polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the potentially harmful effects of these plastics requires special attention in order to find ways to reduce them. Previous studies have paid less attention to the impact of PET on low-temperature cracking in asphalt mixtures and the simultaneous interaction between PET and reclaimed asphalt pavement materials (RAP) on fracture behavior of asphalt mixture. In this study, a value-added substance called PET Additive (PA), which is extracted from chemical processing of PET was blended with asphalt binder at different dosages (1–3 %) to use in the mixture of hot mix asphalt (HMA). Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) was also added to the HMA mixtures at rates of 25 and 50 % by aggregate mass and the resulting asphalt mixtures were tested to characterize the load carrying ability and cracking resistance indexes of the modified HMA mixtures. Circular shaped test specimens with different mixture types and different geometries were manufactured. Results showed that the asphalt mixture containing PA has better performance than the control mixture; among all mixture types, a mixture containing 2 % PA and 25 % RAP had the better fracture resistance at low temperatures. Finally, the results demonstrate that the fracture behavior in Edge Notch Disc Bend (ENDB) and Semi-Circular Bend (SCB) specimens had similar trends.

Comparative Study of Lightweight Target Detection Methods for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Road Distress Survey.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are effective tools for identifying road anomalies with limited detection coverage due to the discrete spatial distribution of roads. Despite computational, storage, and transmission challenges, existing detection algorithms can be improved to support this task with robustness and efficiency. In this study, the K-means clustering algorithm was used to calculate the best prior anchor boxes; Faster R-CNN (region-based convolutional neural network), YOLOX-s (You Only Look Once version X-small), YOLOv5-s, YOLOv7-tiny, YOLO-MobileNet, and YOLO-RDD models were built based on image data collected by UAVs. YOLO-MobileNet has the most lightweight model but performed worst in accuracy, but greatly reduces detection accuracy. YOLO-RDD (road distress detection) performed best with a mean average precision (mAP) of 0.701 above the Intersection over Union (IoU) value of 0.5 and achieved relatively high accuracy in detecting all four types of distress. The YOLO-RDD model most successfully detected potholes with an AP of 0.790. Significant or severe distresses were better identified, and minor cracks were relatively poorly identified. The YOLO-RDD model achieved an 85% computational reduction compared to YOLOv7-tiny while maintaining high detection accuracy.

Lightweight pruning model for road distress detection using unmanned aerial vehicles

The size and complexity of the multiobjective detection model restrict its applicability to real-time road distress detection with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). To address this issue, this paper proposes a lightweight approach that integrates a performance-aware approximation global channel pruning (PAGCP) algorithm and a channel-wise knowledge distillation method. YOLOv7-RDD was selected as the baseline model, and ablation tests were conducted to analyze the modules. The SIoU loss function demonstrated superior performance to CIoU, Wise IoU, and EIoU, while SimAM exhibited enhanced results compared to SE, CBAM, LSKA, and ELA attention mechanism modules. The integration of the PAGCP pruning model and the channel-wise knowledge distillation method resulted in a 17 % reduction in model size and a 79 % reduction in computational complexity while maintaining accuracy. The model exhibited satisfactory performance in the detection of four types of pavement distress based on UAV-collected image data, with an mAP of 0.712.

Pavement performance and model studies with modified bitumen binder

Flexible pavements experience premature deterioration due to several factors, such as high volumes of traffic, repeated wheel loads, overloading, adverse weather conditions, inferior quality of materials, and other related issues. One of the most commonly found types of distress is rutting, which severely affects pavement performance; hence, the prediction of rutting behaviour is crucial. Research has been done by adding various industrial wastes, chemicals, additives, and modifiers such as rubber, natural rubber, polymers, and waste plastic into the bitumen. These materials are expected to have a substantial impact on enhancing the strength, durability, and performance of pavement while simultaneously reducing the cost of construction. The present research deals with a laboratory investigation of bituminous mixes using both Marshall stability and rutting tests. The performance tests were carried out by Roller Compactor cum Rut Analyzer (RCRA) equipment and Finite Element (FE) analysis in ABAQUS. The experimental findings show that the modified bitumen exhibits 48% greater strength and 20% more resistance to rutting than the conventional bituminous mixes. The model analysis was successfully validated by experimental results. The findings of the research resulted in the development of a mathematical equation that helps to calculate in-service pavement rut depth.

Gender-related measurement invariance on the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) for global mental distress with older adults in Puerto Rico

BackgroundCommon mental disorders (CMD) vary by age, gender, and culture. This study: (1) examined the factor structure of the 20-item Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and (2) explored gender-related measurement invariance in the SRQ’s performance with older adults in Puerto Rico, a U.S. island territory and associate member of the UN Regional Commissions.MethodsWe merged data from two cross-sectional studies on mental health status and needs of older adults in Puerto Rico (N = 367). The first study was conducted in 2019, two years after Hurricane María devastated the island (N = 154); the second study, in 2021, assessed knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) concerning COVID-19 (N = 213). We used chi-square and t-tests to examine gender differences in each SRQ item and assessed internal consistency reliability with Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega (values > 0.70). We ran two CFA models, then multigroup CFA to test for gender-related measurement invariance. We used weighted least square mean and variance adjusted (WLSMV) estimation to account for the binary response options in the SRQ-20 and Mplus version 8.4 for analyses. There were no missing data for any SRQ-20 items.ResultsThe SRQ-20 had strong internal consistency reliability (α = 0.89; omega = 0.89). Female scores were higher than males scores (t = -2.159, p = .031). Both unidimensional and two-factor models fit the data well. We selected the more parsimonious unidimensional model, which is most widely used in practice. Standardized factor loadings were 0.548 to 0.823 and all were statistically significant (p < .001). We tested gender invariance with the one-factor model. Our findings did not support invariance.ConclusionWe favored the unidimensional model. First, the SRQ-20 was designed to assess global distress. Also, physical symptoms have both somatic and psychological components, so their co-occurrence makes a single-factor model more meaningful. Finally, since older adults experience more physical health problems, instruments that emphasize both types of distress may provide a more accurate measure than those that exclude somatic symptoms. Using the unidimensional model, the SRQ-20 was not invariant, meaning that it performed differently for male and female participants. Future studies of common mental disorders with older adults in Puerto Rico should consider using the SRQ-20 for research and practice and should determine appropriate threshold scores for men and women.

Fracture characteristics of SMA mixtures with hydrated lime through the semi-circular bending approach

Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) is a composite mixture made up of high-quality crushed stone, fine aggregates, an asphalt binder, and a significant percentage of mineral filler in contrast to conventional mixtures. Renowned for its durability and rolling resistance, it is predominantly employed as a surface “wearing” course on main roads subjected to heavy traffic, but it can also be used as a binder course under specific project requirements. In this study, we investigated the effect of hydrated lime as a partial replacement of limestone filler at various concentrations on the mechanical and cracking resistance characteristics of 10-mm SMA mixtures. The semi-circular bending (SCB) test, which is pivotal for understanding the cracking mechanism was used to assess the mixtures performance-related response to this distress type. The mixture cores were produced with granite aggregates, limestone filler as natural filler, hydrated lime as natural filler replacement, and a 30/45 penetration asphalt type. Mixtures containing 1.1 %, 2.2 %, and 3.4 % of hydrated lime by weight of aggregates were evaluated, in addition to a control mixture without hydrated lime. The factors considered for comparing the mixtures included: load and deformation curves, stiffness, fracture toughness, fracture energy, and flexibility index of the mixtures. The experimental program also comprised a set of various test temperatures (0°C, 10°C, and 20°C) to better understand the cracking mechanism. Experimental results indicated a significant performance-dependency on the HL concentration and the test temperature. Precisely, it was found that the mixture with the highest hydrated lime content (3.4 %) exhibited the best cracking performance at 0°C and 20°C, making it a suitable filler replacement concentration. However, at 10°C, the mixture containing 2.2 % hydrated lime showed the most consistent performance overall, suggesting and important improvement in asphalt mixtures’ cracking resistance. Overall, these findings obtained from the SCB test approach substantiate the potential benefit of hydrated lime filler replacement in optimizing the cracking performance and durability of SMA mixtures under varying temperature conditions and loading regimes.

A meta-analysis of coping strategies and psychological distress in rheumatoid arthritis.

Theory and research indicate that coping plays a central role in the experience of psychological distress in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study meta-analysed the associations of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies with psychological distress in people with RA to quantify and better understand the proposed differential relationships, as well as the factors that might influence these links. Searches of four databases identified eligible studies according to a pre-registered protocol. Two random effects meta-analyses examined the direction and magnitude of the links between adaptive coping (problem-focused and emotional approach coping) and maladaptive coping (emotional avoidance and pre-occupation coping) and psychological distress (stress, anxiety, and depression). Study quality was evaluated using a bespoke tool. Moderator analyses for sample characteristics and distress type were conducted. Searches identified 16 eligible studies with 46 effects. Meta-analysis of maladaptive coping and distress yielded a significant, medium sized association, k = 12, r = .347, 95% CIs [.23, .46]. Moderator analyses were significant only for type of distress, with effects for depression being larger than that for combined distress. Effects did not vary as a function of age, participant sex, or disease duration. Meta-analysis for adaptive coping was not significant, k = 10, r = -.155, 95% CIs [-.31, .01]. Findings from this first meta-analysis of coping and distress in RA indicate that maladaptive but not adaptive coping is associated with greater distress. Further research is needed to grow the evidence base to verify the current findings especially with respect to adaptive coping.

Predicting pavement surface conditions through artificial neural networks

In this study, six distinct types of pavement distress were evaluated using the pavement condition index (PCI) rating: ravelling, rutting, cracking (including alligator, transverse and longitudinal cracks), shoving, patching and potholes. The severity levels of these distress types are utilised for classification, and these levels are subsequently converted into PCI values. The proposed methodology incorporates a thorough analysis, considering various variables such as average daily traffic, land-use classification, number of lanes, road width and length, pavement age, road alignment, vehicle type and weather conditions in Berzhite, Tirana, Albania. To predict PCI values, an artificial neural network model was employed due to its versatility in handling diverse inputs. Key performance metrics, including R2, mean squared error and mean absolute error, are used for model assessment. Notably, model 2, featuring two hidden layers, exhibits superior performance over model 1. However, due to size constraints in testing and validation datasets in this study, the accuracy of the model is somewhat limited. Future directions for research involve expanding the dataset to enhance model accuracy and incorporating advanced features to capture a more complex comprehension of pavement conditions.

Effect of different types of fine aggregates on fatigue resistance and self-healing of fine aggregate asphalt matrices

Fatigue cracking is one of the most common types of distress in asphalt pavements. Each asphalt concrete (AC) constituent and its interactions are relevant to characterize the resistance to fatigue cracking of the ACs. Also, for the selection of materials, it is essential to consider not only the capacity of the material resist to fatigue cracking but also its ability to heal. Materials owning self-heal properties can enlarge the ACs fatigue life. Many former studies investigated the self-healing of bituminous materials at the binder level. However, this material property can be dependent on the binder-aggregate interactions. Thus, the current work aims to evaluate the influence of using different fine aggregates on the fatigue cracking resistance and self-healing capacity behavior of fine aggregate matrices (FAMs). First, granite, basalt, and mica schist aggregates were subjected to physical, morphological, and mineralogical characterization. Then, three FAMs were fabricated with the same asphalt binder and these different fine aggregates. To evaluate the fatigue cracking resistance and self-healing capacity of the FAMs, frequency sweep and time sweep tests were conducted. The simplified viscoelastic continuum damage (S-VECD) theory was used to interpret the results of those tests. The mineral composition of the aggregates impacted the stiffness and the fatigue life of the FAMs. However, there was no significant influence of the aggregates on the self-healing capacity of the FAMs, since there was no significant increase in the fatigue life of the materials after the resting periods in the time sweep tests.

Enhancing Hamburg Wheel Tracking Test Analysis: A Novel Energy-Based Performance Index

Rutting and moisture damage are the most common distress types in the pavement; therefore, agencies have adopted performance tests such as the Hamburg wheel tracking test (HWTT) to specify and screen the asphalt concrete rutting performance, following the AASHTO T324 standard. Many studies have shown that the AASHTO parameters can be used to characterize and rank the performance of asphalt mixes. Additionally, researchers proposed new analysis methods and performance parameters to provide a more systematic approach to analyzing the HWTT results. However, some of these performance parameters are determined subjectively by the operator, which may result in ambiguous values, preventing agencies from adopting them in the specification. On top of that, it is also unclear whether each analysis method or the performance parameters can universally distinguish the rutting performance when applied to various HWTT results. Thus, this study investigates the feasibility of different HWTT analysis methods among the performance parameters. 61 HWTT results from various material combinations were analyzed using three different data analysis approaches and calculating the performance parameters. The result showed that the current analysis methods and parameters have certain limitations in analyzing HWTT results. Therefore, a performance parameter, namely the Hamburg performance index (HPI), was introduced, incorporating the number of passes, maximum rut depth, and rut path history into one parameter. It was found that the HPI can resolve the limitation encountered by other analysis approaches and significantly improve the accuracy of distinguishing a mix's rutting and moisture resistance.