scholarly journals Workplace Mental State Monitoring during VR-Based Training for Offshore Environment

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4885
Author(s):  
Rumaisa Abu Hasan ◽  
Shahida Sulaiman ◽  
Nur Nabila Ashykin ◽  
Mohd Nasir Abdullah ◽  
Yasir Hafeez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
State Monitoring ◽  
Positive Direction ◽  
Alpha Asymmetry ◽  
Workplace Conditions ◽  
Stressful Task ◽  
High Beta

Adults are constantly exposed to stressful conditions at their workplace, and this can lead to decreased job performance followed by detrimental clinical health problems. Advancement of sensor technologies has allowed the electroencephalography (EEG) devices to be portable and used in real-time to monitor mental health. However, real-time monitoring is not often practical in workplace environments with complex operations such as kindergarten, firefighting and offshore facilities. Integrating the EEG with virtual reality (VR) that emulates workplace conditions can be a tool to assess and monitor mental health of adults within their working environment. This paper evaluates the mental states induced when performing a stressful task in a VR-based offshore environment. The theta, alpha and beta frequency bands are analysed to assess changes in mental states due to physical discomfort, stress and concentration. During the VR trials, mental states of discomfort and disorientation are observed with the drop of theta activity, whilst the stress induced from the conditional tasks is reflected in the changes of low-alpha and high-beta activities. The deflection of frontal alpha asymmetry from negative to positive direction reflects the learning effects from emotion-focus to problem-solving strategies adopted to accomplish the VR task. This study highlights the need for an integrated VR-EEG system in workplace settings as a tool to monitor and assess mental health of working adults.

Occupational Stress, Mental Health and Attitude Towards Mental Illness of Nursing Staff Working in General and Psychiatric Hospital: A Comparative Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suresh Lukose ◽  
Abdul Azeez E.P.
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Nursing Staff ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Stress Index ◽  
Role Overload

Nurses are identified as one of the professional groups with high level of job related stress and related issues. The magnitude of the problem this segment faces is very intensive as a large number of them are women. They are victimized for multiple roles in the home and hospital. Stressors for nurses are always been identified with workload, dual role and pressures which are associated with demands of the existing working environment. The nature of illness/diseases a nurse dealing with has significant effects on the stress and mental health level. Healthcare professionals dealing with psychiatric illness and other chronic/traumatic conditions faces more stress while comparing to the other domains of healthcare. The present study is a cross sectional hospital based study carried out at four centres and 100 samples were collected by judgmental sampling method which consisted of 50 female nursing staff from general hospital and same number from psychiatric hospitals. A socio-demographic data sheet along with General Health Questionnaire was administered and those who have satisfactory health have been considered as further samples. Mental health, stress level, and attitude towards mental illness were analyzed. The results shows that psychiatric nursing staff scored higher in overall occupational stress index and in the subs-domains of role overload, role ambiguity, role conflict, role unreasonable group and political pressure compared to general nursing staff. Also the mental health inventory total score is negatively correlated with role overload sub-domain of occupational stress index scale. Present study implicates the need of comprehensive psycho-social management plans for the professionals working in psychiatric hospitals.

scholarly journals An Adaptive RBF-NMPC Architecture for Trajectory Tracking Control of Underwater Vehicles

Machines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Zhenzhong Chu ◽  
Da Wang ◽  
Fei Meng
Keyword(s):  
Model Predictive Control ◽  
Prediction Model ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Predictive Control ◽  
Trajectory Tracking ◽  
Tracking Control ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
Trajectory Tracking Control ◽  
System Output

An adaptive control algorithm based on the RBF neural network (RBFNN) and nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) is discussed for underwater vehicle trajectory tracking control. Firstly, in the off-line phase, the improved adaptive Levenberg–Marquardt-error surface compensation (IALM-ESC) algorithm is used to establish the RBFNN prediction model. In the real-time control phase, using the characteristic that the system output will change with the external environment interference, the network parameters are adjusted by using the error between the system output and the network prediction output to adapt to the complex and uncertain working environment. This provides an accurate and real-time prediction model for model predictive control (MPC). For optimization, an improved adaptive gray wolf optimization (AGWO) algorithm is proposed to obtain the trajectory tracking control law. Finally, the tracking control performance of the proposed algorithm is verified by simulation. The simulation results show that the proposed RBF-NMPC can not only achieve the same level of real-time performance as the linear model predictive control (LMPC) but also has a superior anti-interference ability. Compared with LMPC, the tracking performance of RBF-NMPC is improved by at least 43% and 25% in the case of no interference and interference, respectively.

scholarly journals The Role of Employee Relations in Shaping Job Satisfaction as an Element Promoting Positive Mental Health at Work in the Era of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1903
Author(s):  
Helena Bulińska-Stangrecka ◽  
Anna Bagieńska
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Interpersonal Trust ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Mediating Role

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the mental health of employees. Deterioration of the well-being of workers is also caused by changes in the working environment. Remote working can affect both social interactions and job satisfaction. The purpose of the study is to examine what factors influence job satisfaction in the context of remote work caused by a pandemic. The study analyses whether employee relations and interpersonal trust are related to the level of perceived job satisfaction. The investigation started with a literature review and then research hypotheses have been formulated. Based on an empirical study, carried out on a sample of 220 IT employees during the pandemic, an analysis of the mediating role of trust in links between employee relations and perceived job satisfaction was conducted. The current study found that positive employee relations contribute to the level of job satisfaction. Additionally, trust is an important factor that mediates these relationships. Based on the results of the research, it was possible to describe the mechanism of shaping a supportive work environment during a pandemic.

scholarly journals Experiences of nurses caring for respiratory patients during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: an online survey study

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e000987
Author(s):  
Nicola J Roberts ◽  
Carol A Kelly ◽  
Kate A Lippiett ◽  
Emma Ray ◽  
Lindsay Welch
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
British Thoracic Society ◽  
Healthcare Team ◽  
Free Text ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundNurses have been at the forefront of the pandemic response, involved in extensive coordination of services, screening, vaccination and front-line work in respiratory, emergency and intensive care environments. The nature of this work is often intense and stress-provoking with an inevitable psychological impact on nurses and all healthcare workers. This study focused on nurses working in respiratory areas with the aim of identifying and characterising the self-reported issues that exacerbated or alleviated their concerns during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsAn online survey was developed consisting of 90 questions using a mixture of open-ended and closed questions. Participant demographic data were also collected (age, gender, ethnicity, number of years qualified, details of long-term health conditions, geographical location, nursing background/role and home life). The online survey was disseminated via social media and professional respiratory societies (British Thoracic Society, Primary Care Respiratory Society, Association of Respiratory Nurse Specialists) over a 3-week period in May 2020 and the survey closed on 1 June 2020.ResultsThe study highlights the experiences of nurses caring for respiratory patients during the first wave of the pandemic in early 2020. Concerns were expressed over the working environment, the supply and availability of adequate protective personal equipment, the quality of care individuals were able to deliver, and the impact on mental health to nurses and their families. A high number provided free-text comments around their worries and concerns about the impact on their household; these included bringing the virus home, the effect on family members worrying about them, mental health and the impact of changing working patterns, and managing with children. Although both formal and informal support were available, there were inconsistencies in provision, highlighting the importance of nursing leadership and management in ensuring equity of access to services.ConclusionsSupport for staff is essential both throughout the pandemic and afterwards, and it is important that preparation of individuals regarding building resilience is recognised. It is also clear that psychological support and services for nurses and the wider healthcare team need to be available and quickly convened in the event of similar major incidents, either global or local.

A ROBUST AND FRIENDLY HUMAN–ROBOT INTERFACE SYSTEM BASED ON NATURAL HUMAN GESTURES

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (06) ◽  
pp. 847-866 ◽  
Author(s):  
MING-SHAUNG CHANG ◽  
JUNG-HUA CHOU
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Face Detection ◽  
Fuzzy Logic Controller ◽  
Tracking System ◽  
Back Propagation ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Expression Recognition ◽  
Linear Discriminant ◽  
Human Gestures

In this paper, we design a robust and friendly human–robot interface (HRI) system for our intelligent mobile robot based only on natural human gestures. It consists of a triple-face detection method and a fuzzy logic controller (FLC)-Kalman filter tracking system to check the users and predict their current position in a dynamic and cluttered working environment. In addition, through the combined classifier of the principal component analysis (PCA) and back-propagation artificial neural network (BPANN), single and successive commands defined by facial positions and hand gestures are identified for real-time command recognition after dynamic programming (DP). Therefore, the users can instruct this HRI system to make member recognition or expression recognition corresponding to their gesture commands, respectively based on the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and BPANN. The experimental results prove that the proposed HRI system perform accurately in real-time face detection and tracking, and robustly react to the corresponding gesture commands at eight frames per second (fps).

scholarly journals Is there a role of gut microbiota in mental health?

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus W. Lange ◽  
Katharina M. Lange ◽  
Yukiko Nakamura ◽  
Shigehiko Kanaya
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Clinical Findings ◽  
Intestinal Microbes ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Intervention Trials

Research on the interaction between gut microbiota and the brain may have implications for our understanding of brain function, cognition, behavior and mental health. The literature on gut microbiota and its role in the pathophysiology and potential treatment of mental disorders has proliferated in recent years. Several neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, have been linked to the gut microbiota. The present perspective discusses the promise and pitfalls of gut microbiota research in relation to mental health. The manipulation of intestinal microbes in animals has revealed connections between gut microbiota and both normal and pathological brain functions. The hope fueling this research is that gut microbiota could be harnessed to prevent and treat mental disorders. The links observed between an imbalance of gut microbiota and impaired behavioral and mental states in humans are correlational. It is therefore essential to establish cause and effect relationships. No distinct gut microbiota patterns linked to different mental disorders have yet been identified. Large-scale, longitudinal trials need to examine whether the gut microbiota is a valid therapeutic target for mental disorders and whether pre-clinical findings and initial results of intervention trials (e.g., administration of probiotics) are of clinical relevance.

scholarly journals Killing in Combat; the Diverging Mental Health Impact on Distinct Veteran Populations – A Two-Sample Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Espetvedt Nordstrand ◽  
Christer Lunde Gjerstad ◽  
Odin Hjemdal ◽  
Are Holen ◽  
Tore Tveitstul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
The Impact

This study examined the warzone stressors: killing in combat, experiencing personal threats, or traumatic witnessing during deployment in relation to psychological distress, alcohol consumption and quality of life at long-term follow-up. The study was conducted in two samples of Norwegian veterans who had served in Afghanistan (Study 1, N = 4,053) or in Lebanon (Study 2, N = 10,605), respectively. Data were collected through two postdeployment mental health surveys conducted by the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services. Using linear regressions, we investigated the impact of warzone stressors on posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, insomnia, alcohol use, and quality of life. In study 1 (Afghanistan veterans), killing was not a significant predictor of psychological distress, alcohol use, or quality of life, when controlling for Personal Threats and Witnessing exposure. In study 2 (Lebanon veterans) killing remained a significant predictor (p < .001) of symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety, after controlling for other warzone stressors. However, killing was not a significant predictor of alcohol use or quality of life in Study 2. In summary, killing in combat may be associated with increased reports of psychological distress, but there were distinct results in the two studies. Differences in mission statements, rules of engagement, and mental states during combat could explain the diverging outcomes. The results indicate that it may be erroneous to ubiquitously regard killing in combat as a moral stressor, and highlight the importance of clear rules of engagements that accounts for the “on the ground” reality of soldiers.

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