Use Of Appropriate Variables Research Articles

Tobacco prevention interventions - developing life skills through playful activities among children and preteens: A systematic review

In children and adolescents, risky behaviours such as tobacco use may be addressed by developing life skills. In the field of tobacco prevention, the deployment of playful activities for the development of life skills has received little attention. This review describes the methods and results of tobacco prevention interventions using playful activities to develop life skills in children and preteens. A literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Web of Science and PsycInfo databases. Articles were included in the review based on the following five criteria: (1) the article totally or partially concerns a study of a tobacco prevention intervention; (2) the subjects were children and preteens aged between 6 and 12 years (with an average age within this age range or with an interval including all or part of this age range), from a general or specific population; (3) the intervention was a life skills development action or program; (4) playful activities were employed; (5) design, implementation, evaluation methods and/or results are available in the article. A total of 11 studies, composed of 9 interventions, were included in this systematic review. Most were carried out in school settings (n = 8/11) and involved teachers (n = 7/11). Web-based interventions (video games, mobile health games/websites and e-learning programs) were the playful activities most often used (n = 4/11). The majority of the interventions aimed to develop social skills such as the ability to resist pressure (n = 9/11). In this review, there were only four randomized controlled trial (n = 4/11). The evaluation was immediately after the RCTs. Among the measured outcome variables, knowledge (n = 8/11), attitudes (n = 5/11), intentions (n = 5/11), self-efficacy (n = 4/11) and skills (n = 3/11) were the most assessed. Only two of the studies reviewed here conducted a process evaluation (n = 2/11). This systematic review provides guidance for future youth smoking prevention interventions. Among these, a process evaluation is strongly suggested, as well as the use of appropriate variables and validated scales to assess the effectiveness of prevention programs. In addition, participatory research must allow for the design of adapted and relevant interventions, but also for the proper development of intervention research methodologies in health promotion.

Development of an Alarm Algorithm, With Nanotechnology Multimodal Sensor, to Predict Impending Infusion Failure and Improve Safety of Peripheral Intravenous Catheters in Neonates

Peripheral intravenous catheters connected to an infusion pump are necessary for the delivery of fluids, nutrition, and medications to hospitalized neonates but are not without complications. These adverse events contribute to hospital-acquired patient harm. An artificial intelligence theory called fuzzy logic may allow the use of appropriate variables to predict infusion failure. This innovative study aimed to develop an intravenous infusion nanotechnology monitoring system that would alert the nurse to impending peripheral intravenous infusion failure. An intravenous infusion nanotechnology monitoring system, using predictor variables of pressure, pH, and oxygen saturation used in a fuzzy logic alarm algorithm was developed to alert the nurse to impending peripheral intravenous infusion failure. The developed intravenous infusion nanotechnology monitoring system is composed of a peripheral intravenous catheter with nanotechnology multimodal sensor, an intravenous pump, a fuzzy logic algorithm, and alarm. For example, using this system, an elevated in-line pressure, a low pH, and a low venous oxygen level would generate an alarm for possible impending infusion failure. With further development, this technology may help nurses predict and prevent adverse outcomes from intravenous infusions. This work shows how nurses can be content experts and innovators of technology that they use to make clinical decisions. After regulatory approval, a randomized controlled trial may be performed to investigate whether interventions at the time of an alarm would result in fewer adverse outcomes and improve safety.

Three‐phase equilibrium and partitioning calculations for CO2 sequestration in saline aquifers

We show how the use of appropriate variables results in a flash calculation that uses only equilibrium constraints; it is thus not necessary to solve the mass balance equations self‐consistently with the equilibrium equations. We use this implicit material balance in flash calculation. We show its advantages over the current approach that uses an explicit material balance. For the flash calculation for CO2 storage in brine aquifers, use of appropriate variables also allows us to find the dew, bubble, and precipitation points where the liquid, vapor, and solid salt phases, respectively, emerge. Our calculation includes the water content of the vapor phase, which arises from evaporation of the brine. Evaporation leads to increased brine salinity, which results in a large reduction in CO2 solubility in the salting‐out effect, and eventually in precipitation of solid salt and ultimately the disappearance of the liquid phase. The flash calculation also relies on our derivation of fugacities for H2O and CO2 in both the brine and the vapor phase.