Examining the Interplay between Trait Mindfulness and Thriving at Work among Teachers in Western China:The Mediating Role of General Self-Efficacy

This study explores the nuanced relationship between trait mindfulness and thriving at work among educators in Western China,emphasizing the mediating role of general self-efficacy.Employing a sample of 378 primary and secondary school teachers,this research utilizes the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire(FFMQ),Thriving at Work Scale(TWS),and the General Self-Efficacy Scale(GSES)to conduct a thorough investigation.The findings indicate a significant positive correlation between trait mindfulness and thriving at work,between trait mindfulness and general self-efficacy,and between general self-efficacy and thriving at work.Additionally,trait mindfulness was found to have a positive predictive effect on both thriving at work and general self-efficacy,with general self-efficacy also showing a positive predictive effect on thriving at work.Importantly,general self-efficacy was identified as playing a partial mediating role in the relationship between trait mindfulness and thriving at work.These results underscore the importance of cultivating mindfulness and self-efficacy among teachers to enhance their enthusiasm for work,suggesting potential pathways for professional development and well-being in the educational sector.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale

Objective:To translate the English version of Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale into Chinese and to validate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale(CISE).Method(s):Participants were recruited from the Gynecology Department of two city hospitals.Five main processes were involved in the formation of CISE[1]:scale translation based on expert consultation[2];pre-test questionnaire development with infertile women's feedback(N=20)[3];factor structure assessed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis(N=177)[4];assessment of reliability by internal consistency(N=177)and test-retest reliability(N=21);and[5]assessment of convergent validity with Self-rating Anxiety Scale,Self-rating Depression Scale,and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire(N=177).Results:This study established a 16-item CISE.Factor analyses confirmed a onecomponent solution,which explained 54.59% of total variances and showed an acceptable model fit.Cronbach's a and test-retest correlation coefficients for the scale were 0.94 and 0.84,respectively.The CISE score was significantly correlated with anxiety(r=0.47),depression(r=0.60),positive coping style(r=0.37),and certain negative coping style items.Conclusion:This 16-item CISE is a reliable and valid measure to evaluate perceived selfefficacy among a sample of Chinese women who underwent infertility treatment.

Measurement invariance and latent mean differences of the Chinese version physical activity self-efficacy scale across gender and education levels

Background: Self-efficacy has been identified as an important determinant of youth's behavior change including physical activity(PA) participation. However, the dimensionality check of a PA self-efficacy scale has rarely been conducted in China. The current study aims to examine(1) the unidimensionality of a shortened Chinese version of PA self-efficacy scale(S-PASESC);(2) the measurement invariance of S-PASESC across gender and levels of education;(3) the latent factor mean difference between gender and levels of education;(4) the direct effects of self-efficacy on PA by different gender and education levels; and(5) the comparisons of the direct effects of self-efficacy on PA across gender and education levels.Methods: The participants were 5 th through 11 th grade public school students recruited from 7 cities located in different geographic regions of China. The final data include a total of 3003 participants(49.7% boys) who have completed the scales.Results: Confirmatory factor analysis(CFA) test supported the unidimensionality of S-PASESC. The S-PASESC is invariant across gender and 3 levels of education at both configural, full metric, and full scalar levels. Findings from latent mean comparisons showed that boys reported higher PA self-efficacy than girls. Students' perceived PA self-efficacy tend to decrease from elementary to high school. Finally, self-efficacy positively related to PA by groups of different gender and education levels and the relationship between self-efficacy and PA is stronger among middle school boys than girls.Conclusion: Findings suggest S-PASESC is a valid scale for measuring Chinese students' PA self-efficacy.

Development of a Scale to Evaluate the Depressive State among Elderly Patients in General Wards

This study aims to develop a scale to evaluate depressive states among elderly patients in general wards, and verify the reliability and validity of the scale. Based on the results of interviews with nurses, we developed a draft of a scale comprised of 48 questions (NDE48). The Geriatric Depression Scale short version (GDS15), and the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) were administered to 54 elderly patients. Two groups of nurses completed the NDE48 on different days. After performing an explanatory factor analysis, the NDE48 was simplified to a 16 question item scale (NDE16), comprising three factors. The correlation coefficient between GDS15 and NDE16 was 0.41 (p = 0.00191), and between SDS and NDE16 was 0.30 (p = 0.02633). Alpha coefficient of the total score of NDE16 was 0.88. For inter-rater reliability, the correlation coefficient was 0.57 (p = 0.00005). The findings suggest that the NDE16 will be highly useful when nurses evaluate depressive states among elderly inpatients.

Turkish validity and reliability of the Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale

Purpose:The aim of this methodological study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale adapted to the Turkish community.Methods:The study sample was completed with 319 patients who had been diagnosed at least 1 year before and hospitalized in the Malatya Turgut Ozal Health Center and Malatya State Hospital in Turkey.A questionnaire that consists of items on sociodemographic characteristics,drug use and information about the disease of patients and the Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale were used for data collection in the study.In reliability analysis of the scale,the Cronbach'sαcoefficient was calculated and item analysis method was utilized.Factor analysis was used for the construct validity,and Principal Component Analysis and Varimax Rotation method were used for analyzing the factor structures.Results:According to data obtained in the study,item-total correlation of the items of the scale was found to be at an adequate level(0.297-0.803).The scale's Cronbach'sαreliability coefficient was found to be 0.86,and there was one factor that explains 52.38%of the total variance with an eigenvalue was greater than 1.0.As a result of the analysis,the factor loadings of the items of the scale were found to bebetween 0.59 and 0.81.Conclusion:Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale is a valid and reliable instrument for determining the self-efficacy of patients and providing a proper care.It can be suggested to investigate and evaluate the consistency of the scale by applying it to broader sample groups representing different socioeconomic levels.

Interactive Generalization on Large-Scale Topographical Map Supported by a Database Platform

This paper makes astudy on the interactive digital gener-alization, where map generalizationcan be divided into intellective reason-ing procedure and operational proce-dure, which are done by human andcomputer, respectively. And an inter-active map generalization environmentfor large scale topographic map is thendesigned and realized. This researchfocuses on: ① the significance of re-searching an interactive map generali-zation environment, ② the features oflarge scale topographic map and inter-active map generalization, ③ the con-struction of map generalization-orien-ted database platform.

Development of a Scale to Evaluate Depressive States among Elderly Patients in General Wards —Verification of the Contents to Improve the Accuracy of the Scale

Purpose: This study aims to verify the validity of the contents of the Nurse Administered Depression Scale for Elderly Inpatients16 (NDE16) using the Delphi approach in order to further improve the accuracy of the NDE16, a scale for rating potential depressive states in elderly inpatients through the observations reported by nurses. Methods: Participants were nurses working in general wards for longer than 3 years and who expressed consent to the study participation. Data were collected using the Delphi method (3 times). Responses are scored from 1 to 5 (3 - 5 points as positive) using the Likert method. The standard criteria for inclusion in the further evaluation are “mean ≥ 3.0”, “standard deviation < 1.0”, “median ≥ 3.0”, and “IQR ≤ 1.0”. Items that meet all the criteria at the third survey are employed as question items in the final questionnaire. Results: The respondents were 139 females, 10 males, and 1 unknown, aged 25 to 65. The collection rates of the three surveys were 75% to 82%. Based on the results of the first survey, wordings of 9 questions were modified. Since Question 13 “Queries are not really responded to.” did not meet the criteria (IQR = 2) at the third survey, we excluded this question and named the revised scale NDE15. Discussion: The reason why Question 13 did not meet the criteria could be due to the difficulty in distinguishing “Expressing thought suppression” from the state of cognitive decline in dementia. Further studies are needed to determine cutoff points.

Formula for calculating spatial similarity degrees between point clouds on multi-scale maps taking map scale change as the only independent variable

The degree of spatial similarity plays an important role in map generalization, yet there has been no quantitative research into it. To fill this gap, this study first defines map scale change and spatial similarity degree/relation in multi-scale map spaces and then proposes a model for calculating the degree of spatial similarity between a point cloud at one scale and its gener- alized counterpart at another scale. After validation, the new model features 16 points with map scale change as the x coordinate and the degree of spatial similarity as the y coordinate. Finally, using an application for curve fitting, the model achieves an empirical formula that can calculate the degree of spatial similarity using map scale change as the sole independent variable, and vice versa. This formula can be used to automate algorithms for point feature generalization and to determine when to terminate them during the generalization.

Exact Solutions and Invariant Sets to General Reaction-Diffusion Equation

In this paper, we introduce new invariant sets, and the invariant sets and exact solutions to general reactiondiffusion equation are discussed. It is shown that there exist a class of exact solutions to the equations that belong to the invariant sets.

Health Related Quality of Life and Mental Health in ICU Survivors: Post-Intensive Care Syndrome Follow-Up and Correlations between the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28)

We investigated the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and psychological distress in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors 12 months after ICU discharge. The purpose of this study, conducted and completed before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, was to find correlations among psychiatric symptoms detected by a screening tool as the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and the different domains of HRQOL measured with the SF-36 health survey (SF-36), in order to identify ICU survivors with Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) who need a specific psychiatric intervention to improve their HRQOL. Among 298 ICU survivors who stayed in the ICU for at least 72 hours, 48 patients were enrolled one year after discharge undergoing a clinical interview to assess their functional impairment (Barthel index), mental health (GHQ-28), and health-related quality of life (SF-36). 19% of those subjects had a GHQ-28 ≥ 5 and were identified as “psychiatric cases”, and they were older and experienced a greater impairment in HRQOL. Anxiety, insomnia, and depressive symptoms seemed to be particularly involved in the impairment of HRQOL. A negative correlation between GHQ-28 total scores and subscales and SF-36 subscales was found. Our findings highlighted that psychological distress in ICU survivors may negatively impact physical health recovery and quality of life;conversely, physical impairment and functional disability may trigger the onset of psychiatric symptoms after discharge. The present study is firstly to investigate the correlations between HRQOL and psychological distress in ICU survivors through the GHQ-28, and then affirms the need to carry out follow-up checks for psychiatric symptoms in ICU survivors.

Three－dimensional Global Scale Permanent－wave Solutions of the Nonlinear Quasigeostrophic Potential Vorticity Equation and Energy Dispersion

The three-dimensional nonlinear quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity equation is reduced to a linear form in the stream function in spherical coordinates for the permanent wave solutions consisting of zonal wavenumbers from 0 to n and rn vertical components with a given degree n.This equation is solved by treating the coefficient of the Coriolis parameter square in the equation as the eigenvalue both for sinusoidal and hyperbolic variations in vertical direction. It is found that these solutions can represent the observed long term flow patterns at the surface and aloft over the globe closely. In addition, the sinusoidal vertical solutions with large eigenvalue G are trapped in low latitude,and the scales of these trapped modes are longer than 10 deg. lat. even for the top layer of the ocean and hence they are much larger than that given by the equatorial β-plane solutions.Therefore such baroclinic disturbances in the ocean can easily interact with those in the atmosphere.Solutions of the shallow water potential vorticity equation are treated in a similar manner but with the effective depth H=RT/g taken as limited within a small range for the atmosphere.The propagation of the flow energy of the wave packet consisting of more than one degree is found to be along the great circle around the globe both for barotropic and for baroclinic flows in the atmosphere.

New analytical imaging algorithm for general case airborne bistatic SAR

This paper focuses on the general case （GC） airborne bistatic synthetic aperture radar （SAR） data processing, and a new analytical imaging algorithm based on the extended Loffeld＇s bistatic formula （ELBF） is proposed. According to the bistatic SAR geometry, the track decoupling formulas that convert the bistatic geometry to the receiver-referenced geometry in a concise way are derived firstly. Then phase terms of ELBF are decomposed into two independent phase terms as the range phase term and the azimuth phase term in a new way. To get the focusing result, the bistatic deformation （BD） term is compensated in the two-dimensional （2- D） frequency domain, and the space-variances of the range phase term and the azimuth phase term are eliminated by chirp scaling （CS） and chirp z-transform （CZT）, respectively. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified by the simulation results.

Maternal Depression and Mother-to-Infant Bonding: The Association of Delivery Mode, General Health and Stress Markers

Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine associations among maternal stress level, general health, mother to infant bonding, maternal depression level, and mode of delivery. Methods: Mothers who delivered a single baby at term were recruited with a total 435 mothers participating in the study. Outcome measures: Data were collected 6 months after delivery using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as well as socio-demographic and medical information at 6 months. Additionally, salivary cortisol and chromogranin levels were determined. Results: The proportion of breast-feeding mothers in the vaginal delivery group (51.4%) was significantly higher than that of the cesarean section group (24%). GHQ-28 scores were significantly related to EPDS scores and MIBS scores (P Conclusion: Maternal general health is associated with maternal psychological health. These results suggest that the support of maternal health is important to maintain maternal psychological status and bonding to infants. Because EPDS scores were significantly worse in the planned cesarean section group (4.2 ± 3.3), careful management is needed of mothers who deliver by planned cesarean section.

Sub-harmonic Resonance Solutions of Generalized Strongly Nonlinear Van der Pol Equation with Parametric and External Excitations

In this paper a modified L-P method and multiple scale method are used to solve sub-harmonic resonance solutions of strong and nonlinear resonance of general Van der Pol equation with parametric and external excitations by parametric transformation. Bifurcation response equation and transition sets of sub-harmonic resonance with strong nonlinearity of general Van der Pol equation with parametric and external excitation are worked out.Besides, transition sets and bifurcation graphs are drawn to help to analysis the problems theoretically. Conclusions show that the transition sets of general and nonlinear Van der Pol equation with parametric and external excitations are more complex than those of general and nonlinear Van der Pol equation only with parametric excitation, which is helpful for the qualitative and quantitative reference for engineering and science applications.

Relationship of Smartphone Dependence to General Health Status and Personality Traits among University Students

We investigated associations between smartphone dependence and general health status or personality traits. To 197 medical university students, we administered a set of self-reporting questionnaires designed to evaluate these parameters. For males, smartphone dependence positively correlated with somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, and emotional instability, and negatively correlated with agreeableness. For females, smartphone dependence positively correlated with somatic symptoms, severe depression, and extraversion, and negatively correlated with social dysfunction. These findings suggest that smartphone dependence may be associated with general health status or personality traits and that there may be a gender difference in these associations.

General Operational Protocol for Coherence. Central Limit Theorem as Approximation

A general operational protocol which provides permanent macroscopic coherence of the response of any stable complex system put in an ever-changing environment is proposed. It turns out that the coherent response consists of two parts: 1) a specific discrete pattern, called by the author homeostatic one, whose characteristics are robust to the statistics of the environment;2) the rest part of the response forms a stationary homogeneous process whose coarse-grained structure obeys universal distribution which turns out to be scale-invariant. It is demonstrated that, for relatively short time series, a measurement, viewed as a solitary operation of coarse-graining, superimposed on the universal distribution results in a rich variety of behaviors ranging from periodic-like to stochastic-like, to a sequences of irregular fractal-like objects and sequences of random-like events. The relevance of the Central Limit theorem applies to the latter case. Yet, its application is still an approximation which holds for relatively short time series and for specific low resolution of the measurement equipment. It is proven that the asymptotic behavior in each and every of the above cases is provided by the recently proven decomposition theorem.

Testing the distance-duality relation with a combination of cosmological distance observations

We propose an accurate test of the distance-duality （DD） relation, η = DL（z）（1 ＋ z）^-2/DA（z） = 1 （where DL and DA are the luminosity distances and angular diameter distances, respectively）, with a combination of cosmological observational data of Type Ia Supernovae （SNe Ia） from the Union2 set and the galaxy cluster sample under an assumption of the spherical model. In order to avoid bias brought on by redshift non-coincidence between observational data and to consider redshift error bars of both clusters and SNe Ia in the analysis, we carefully choose the SNe Ia points which have the minimum acceptable redshift difference of the galaxy cluster sample （│△Z│min = σz,SN ＋σz,cluster）. By assuming η to be a constant and defined as functions of the redshift parameterized by six different expressions, we find that there exists no observable evidence for variations in the DD relation based on the collected data, since related statistical tests are well satisfied within the 1σ confidence level for most cases. Further, considering different values of △z as constraints, we also find that the choice of △z may play an important role in this model-independent test of the DD relation for the spherical sample of galaxy clusters.

Constraining Dark Energy and Cosmological Transition Redshift with Type Ia Supernovae

The property of dark energy and the physical reason for the acceleration of the present universe are two of the most difficult problems in modern cosmology. The dark energy contributes about two-thirds of the critical density of the present universe from the observations of type-Ia supernovae （SNe Ia） and anisotropy of cosmic microwave background （CMB）. The SN Ia observations also suggest that the universe expanded from a deceleration to an acceleration phase at some redshift, implying the existence of a nearly uniform component of dark energy with negative pressure. We use the ＂Gold＂ sample containing 157 SNe Ia and two recent well-measured additions, SNe Ia 1994ae and 1998aq to explore the properties of dark energy and the transition redshift. For a fiat universe with the cosmological constant, we measure ΩM=0.28-0.05^＋0.04 which is consistent with Riess et al. The transition redshift is zT=0.60-0.08^＋0.04. We also discuss several dark energy models that define w（z） of the parameterized equation of state of dark energy including one parameter and two parameters （w（z） being the ratio of the pressure to energy density）. Our calculations show that the accurately calculated transition redshift varies from zT =0.29-0.06^＋0.07 to zT =0.60-0.08^＋0.06 across these models. We also calculate the minimum redshift zc at which the current observations need the universe to accelerate.

Resilience in the First Episode of Major Depressive Disorder

Aim: Resilience refers to the human ability to adapt to tragedy, trauma, adversity, and significant stressors. Recently, resilience has been defined as a potentially modifiable factor that can be improved through intervention. Here, we examined resilience during a 3-month period as patients experienced their first episode of major depressive disorder (MDD). We hypothesized that despite MDD, resilient people could recover from depressive states more quickly than less resilient people. Methods: Twelve patients experienced their first MDD episode and 21 healthy control individuals participated in the study. Data from the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), S-H Resilience Scale (S-HRS), and State-Trait Anxiety Index (STAI) were collected at two time points. Time 1 was the first visit after registration and Time 2 was 12 weeks later. Based on the symptoms described by the HAM-D results, the MDD group was divided into MDD-remission and MDD-residual subgroups. Results: Compared with controls, patients showed significantly lower resilience (low scores for Factor-A, Factor-B, and total S-HRS). Moreover, total SHRS scores for the MDD-remission group increased significantly from the Time 1 to Time 2, while those in MDD-residual group did not change. No significant differences in STAI scores were observed between MDD-remission and MDD-residual groups at either time point. Conclusion: This is the first report to show that patients experiencing their first episode of MDD show low resilience, and that a resilience scale might be a good index for estimating recovery from depression.

Plate vs reverse shoulder arthroplasty for proximal humeral fractures:The psychological health influence the choice of device?

BACKGROUND Proximal humeral fractures represent the third most common observed osteoporotic fracture;the treatment in three and four-part proximal humeral fractures in patients over 65 years is still controversial.Among the treatments described in literature,open reduction and internal fixation(O.R.I.F)and reverse shoulder arthroplasty(RSA)are gaining an increasing popularity.AIM To investigate the correct treatment for three and four-part proximal humeral fractures according to psychological aspects.METHODS It was conducted a prospective study with a series of 63 patients treated with O.R.I.F.(group A)and with RSA(group B)for three and four-part proximal humeral fractures according to Neer classification system.A conservative treatment group,as control,was finally introduced.One independent observer performed clinical and a psychological evaluation at one(T0),six(T1)and twelve months(T2)postoperatively.The Constant’s score and The Disabilities of the Arm,Shoulder and Hand(DASH score)were used for clinical evaluation,while General Anxiety Disorder-7(GAD-7)and Caregiver Strain Scale(CSS)were used for psychological evaluation.RESULTS At one month follow up in group A the mean values were DASH score 50.8,Constant score 36.1,GAD-7 score 5.4,CSS 5.0.For the group B,the average values at T0 were:DASH score 54.6,Constant score 32.0;GAD-7 score 6.4,CSS 6.2.At six months in group A the average values were DASH score 42.1,Constant score 47.3,GAD-7 score 4.3,CSS 3.9.For the group B,the average values at T1 were:DASH score 39.1,Constant score 43.2,GAD-7 score 5.7,CSS 5.5.At twelve months in the group A,the mean values were DASH score 32.8,Constant score 60.0,GAD-7 score 3.2,CSS 3.1.For the group B shown these mean values:DASH score 33.6,Constant score 52.9,GAD-7 score 4.3,CSS 4.5.We demonstrated a better clinical and psychological outcome at T2 in the group treated with osteosynthesis compared to the group treated with arthroplasty(Constant P=0.049,GAD-7 P=0.012 and CSS P=0.005).A better clinical and psychological outcome emerged in control group at T2 comparing with surgical group(DASH score P=0.014,Constant score P<0.001,GAD-7 P=0.002 and CSS P=0.001).CONCLUSION Both open osteosynthesis and reverse shoulder arthroplasty are valid treatments for proximal humeral fractures.According to the best osteosynthesis results the authors suggested to perform a psychological analysis for each patient in order to choose the appropriate treatment.