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BackgroundThe successful completion of medical practices often relies on information collection and analysis. Government agencies and medical institutions have encouraged people to use medical information technology (MIT) to manage their conditions and promote personal health. In 2014, Taiwan established the first electronic personal health record (PHR) platform, My Health Bank (MHB), which allows people to access and manage their PHRs at any time. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Taiwan has used MIT to effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19 and undertaken various prevention measures before the onset of the outbreak. Using MHB to purchase masks in an efficient and orderly way and thoroughly implementing personal protection efforts is highly important to contain disease spread. ObjectiveThis study aims to understand people’s intention to use the electronic PHR platform MHB and to investigate the factors affecting their intention to use this platform. MethodsFrom March 31 to April 9, 2014, in a promotion via email and Facebook, participants were asked to fill out a structured questionnaire after watching an introductory video about MHB on YouTube. The questionnaire included seven dimensions: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, health literacy, privacy and security, computer self-efficacy, attitude toward use, and behavioral intention to use. Each question was measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from “strongly disagree” (1 point) to “strongly agree” (5 points). Descriptive statistics and structural equation analysis were performed using SPSS 21 and AMOS 21 software. ResultsA total of 350 valid questionnaire responses were collected (female: 219/350, 62.6%; age: 21-30 years: 238/350, 68.0%; university-level education: 228/350, 65.1%; occupation as student: 195/350, 56.6%; average monthly income

BackgroundLong-distance running can be a form of stress to the heart. Technological improvements combined with the public’s gradual turn toward mobile health (mHealth), self-health, and exercise effectiveness have resulted in the widespread use of wearable exercise products. The monitoring of dynamic cardiac function changes during running and running performance should be further studied. ObjectiveWe investigated the relationship between dynamic cardiac function changes and finish time for 3000-meter runs. Using a wearable device based on a novel cardiac force index (CFI), we explored potential correlations among 3000-meter runners with stronger and weaker cardiac functions during running. MethodsThis study used the American product BioHarness 3.0 (Zephyr Technology Corporation), which can measure basic physiological parameters including heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, maximum oxygen consumption, and activity. We investigated the correlations among new physiological parameters, including CFI = weight * activity / heart rate, cardiac force ratio (CFR) = CFI of running / CFI of walking, and finish times for 3000-meter runs. ResultsThe results showed that waist circumference, smoking, and CFI were the significant factors for qualifying in the 3000-meter run. The prediction model was as follows: ln (3000 meters running performance pass probability / fail results probability) = –2.702 – 0.096 × [waist circumference] – 1.827 × [smoke] + 0.020 × [ACi7]. If smoking and the ACi7 were controlled, contestants with a larger waist circumference tended to fail the qualification based on the formula above. If waist circumference and ACi7 were controlled, smokers tended to fail more often than nonsmokers. Finally, we investigated a new calculation method for monitoring cardiac status during exercise that uses the CFI of walking for the runner as a reference to obtain the ratio between the cardiac force of exercise and that of walking (CFR) to provide a standard for determining if the heart is capable of exercise. A relationship is documented between the CFR and the performance of 3000-meter runs in a healthy 22-year-old person. During the running period, data are obtained while participant slowly runs 3000 meters, and the relationship between the CFR and time is plotted. The runner’s CFR varies with changes in activity. Since the runner’s acceleration increases, the CFR quickly increases to an explosive peak, indicating the runner’s explosive power. At this period, the CFI revealed a 3-fold increase (CFR=3) in a strong heart. After a time lapse, the CFR is approximately 2.5 during an endurance period until finishing the 3000-meter run. Similar correlation is found in a runner with a weak heart, with the CFR at the beginning period being 4 and approximately 2.5 thereafter. ConclusionsIn conclusion, the study results suggested that measuring the real-time CFR changes could be used in a prediction model for 3000-meter running performance.

Introduction: Family functioning, particularly among primary family caregivers for patients with schizophrenia, is a global concern that poses unprecedented challenges. The family unit is a pivotal agent for the preservation of the integrity of individual members. Little attention has been paid to the changes in family functioning and their predictors in primary family caregivers. This study aimed to examine the changes in and the correlates of family functioning in primary family caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia over a 6‐month post‐discharge period. Design: A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted. Methods: A total of 58 primary family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia were recruited from two psychiatric hospitals in Taiwan. Data were collected four times, including 1 week before hospital discharge and at 1‐, 3‐, and 6‐month intervals post‐discharge. Demographic and clinical questionnaires, the Affiliate Stigma Scale, the Family Empowerment Scale, and the General Functioning subscale were used to collect data. Generalized Estimating Equations were applied for data analysis. Results: Approximately 59.6%–77.6% of primary family caregivers presented unhealthy family functioning during the 6‐month post‐discharge period. Significant reductions in family functioning of primary family caregivers were noted in the group with unhealthy family functioning; however, family functioning of primary family caregivers remained unchanged in the group with healthy family functioning over 6 months. Affiliate stigma and family empowerment significantly accounted for the changes in family functioning of primary family caregivers in the groups with unhealthy and healthy family functioning, respectively. Conclusion: This study highlights affiliate stigma and family empowerment as long‐term predictors of changes in family functioning for primary family caregivers and as pivotal targets of mental health care. Clinical Relevance: Family‐centered interventions with a focus on ameliorating affiliate stigma and enhancing family empowerment are recommended to improve family functioning for primary family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia at different periods after hospital discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To develop and test a mobile application that supports the disease self‐management of adolescents with type 1 diabetes during their transition to early adulthood. Design: A sequential mixed‐methods design was employed. Methods: The application content was designed according to previously identified care needs and expectations, followed by application development on the Android operating system. From the outpatient clinic of the Department of Paediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism at a medical centre in northern Taiwan, 35 individuals aged between 16–25 years participated in application testing. Results: The overall median score of the QUIS was 4–5, most of the 25% quartile was 4–5, and all of the 75% quartile was 5, indicating adequate user interaction satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Robertson and Wride method is the most widely used cone penetration test (CPT)-based method for soil liquefaction evaluation. This method is a deterministic model, which expresses liquefaction potential in terms of factor of safety. On many occasions, there is a need to express the liquefaction potential in terms of liquefaction probability. Although several probabilistic models are available in the literature, there is an advantage having a probabilistic version of the Robertson and Wride method so that the engineer who prefers to use this method can obtain additional information of liquefaction probability with minimal extra effort. In this paper, a simple model is developed, which links the factor of safety determined by the Robertson and Wride method to the liquefaction probability. The model, referred to as the probabilistic RW model, is developed, and verified, in a mathematically rigorous manner. Simplified equations for assessing the variation of liquefaction probability caused by the uncertainty in input parameters are also developed. Example applications are presented to demonstrate the developed models. Key words: statistical analysis, probability, liquefaction, earthquakes, case histories, in situ testing, cone penetration test. La methode de Wride et Robertson est la methode la plus couramment utilisee pour l'evaluation de la liquefaction du sol a partir d'essais de penetration du cone. Cette methode est un modele deterministe, qui exprime le potentiel de liquefaction en termes de facteur de securite. A plusieurs occasions, il peut etre necessaire d'exprimer le potentiel de liquefaction en termes de probabilite de liquefaction. Meme si plusieurs modeles probabilistes sont disponibles dans la litterature, l'avantage d'utiliser une version probabiliste de la methode de Robertson et Wride est que l'ingenieur qui prefere utiliser cette methode peut obtenir des informations additionnelles sur la probabilite de liquefaction en fournissant peu d'efforts supplementaires. Dans cet article, un modele simple est developpe reliant le facteur de securite determine par la methode de Robertson et Wride a la probabilite de liquefaction. Le modele, appele le modele RW probabiliste, est developpe et verifie selon une methode mathematique rigoureuse. Des equations simplifiees pour evaluer la variation de la probabilite de liquefaction causee par l'incertitude liee aux parametres d'entree sont aussi developpees. Des exemples d'application sont presentes pour demontrer les modeles developpes. Mots-cles : analyse statistique, probabilite, liquefaction, seismes, histoire de cas, essais in situ, essai de penetration du cone. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Earthquake-induced liquefaction of soils may cause ground failure, such as surface settlement, lateral spreading, sand boils, and flow failures, which in turn may cause damage to infrastructure, such as [...]

Genetic co-expression network (GCN) analysis augments the understanding of breast cancer (BC). We aimed to propose GCN-based modeling for BC relapse-free survival (RFS) prediction and to discover novel biomarkers. We used GCN and Cox proportional hazard regression to create various prediction models using mRNA microarray of 920 tumors and conduct external validation using independent data of 1056 tumors. GCNs of 34 identified candidate genes were plotted in various sizes. Compared to the reference model, the genetic predictors selected from bigger GCNs composed better prediction models. The prediction accuracy and AUC of 3 ~ 15-year RFS are 71.0–81.4% and 74.6–78% respectively (rfm, ACC 63.2–65.5%, AUC 61.9–74.9%). The hazard ratios of risk scores of developing relapse ranged from 1.89 ~ 3.32 (p < 10–8) over all models under the control of the node status. External validation showed the consistent finding. We found top 12 co-expressed genes are relative new or novel biomarkers that have not been explored in BC prognosis or other cancers until this decade. GCN-based modeling creates better prediction models and facilitates novel genes exploration on BC prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]