BackgroundPopulation screening might provide a mechanism to enable early detection of dementia. Yet the potential benefits, harms or acceptability of such a large-scale intervention are not well understood. This research aims to examine the attitudes and preferences of the general public, health care professionals, people with dementia and their carers towards population screening for dementia.MethodsA systematic review of the international literature was undertaken. A search of fifteen bibliographic databases was conducted (up to 12 July 2012; no language restriction) using terms related to dementia, screening, specific screening tools, case finding, and attitudes and preferences; genetic screening and biomarkers were excluded. All study designs were included except opinion-based papers. Included papers were doubly quality assessed and thematically analysed using NVivo.Results29,910 papers were identified of which 29 met the inclusion criteria. We identified seventeen themes relating to the 3 phases of the screening process (pre-, in- and post-screen) – none emerged as more of a facilitator than a barrier to the acceptance of dementia screening. Seven themes emerged in relation to the patient, carer and general population: existing health state; lifestyle and life view; awareness of dementia; role of clinician; communication; benefit; and role of the family. Ten themes emerged in relation to the clinician and healthcare professional: patient’s existing health and comorbidities; awareness of dementia; confidence; duration of patient contact; suitability of screening tool; cost; disclosure; time; treatment and prognosis; and stigma.ConclusionsAs for all screening programmes, screening for dementia raises complex issues around preference and choice for clinicians and the public, and it is unclear what specific factors promote or reduce screening acceptance the most. Overall, the level of evidence is low, few large scale studies have been undertaken and none were conducted in representative samples, all affecting the generalizability of identified themes across healthcare contexts. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that population screening for dementia may not be acceptable to either the general public or health care professionals, and highlight where focused efforts are needed to gain insights into dementia specific issues.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12877-015-0064-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The mental health of post-secondary students has dominated recent discourse surrounding higher education. Accordingly, many institutions have introduced a break in the fall term, designed to support student well-being. As part of an interdisciplinary, longitudinal study examining the effects of the fall break on student stress, we held focus groups with undergraduates. We observed mixed feedback surrounding this intervention. Students appreciated the fall break as an opportunity to reduce their stress, yet they frequently reported negative impacts of the break on the timing of academic assessments and their ability to effectively manage study time. Based on extensive dialogue with students, we provide recommendations for institutions which have implemented or are considering implementing a fall break as a way to support student mental health. We aim to address the paucity of qualitative research on student stress and develop a deeper understanding of the factors driving students’ responses to stress intervention policies.

Universities across Canada are responding to increasing levels of student stress and mental illness by introducing a fall break. However, scant research has investigated the effectiveness of this intervention. Our team assessed perceived stress and the number of stressors experienced by students at McMaster University using established self-report stress questionnaires, comparing stress before and after the break. We found that despite the widespread expectation that a fall break will decrease student stress, the effects of this intervention are not straightforward. Students experienced fewer stressors after the break than before it, but experienced higher levels of overall stress. Additionally, stress varied according to several demographic variables, revealing some groups to be at higher risk for stress-related problems. Given the wide-scale adoption of fall breaks, we hope that this investigation can initiate dialogue about the importance of evidence-based decisions in the development of stress-reduction interventions for Canadian university students.

Recently, the Indirect Field Oriented Control (IFOC) scheme for Induction Motors (IM) has gained wide acceptance in high performance applications. The IFOC has remarkable characteristics of decoupling torque and flux along with an easy hardware implementation. However, the detuning limits the performance of drives due to uncertainties of parameters. Conventionally, the use of a Proportional Integral Differential (PID) controller has been very frequent in variable speed drive applications. However, it does not allow for the operation of an IM in a wide range of speeds. In order to tackle these problems, optimal, robust, and adaptive control algorithms are mostly in use. The work presented in this paper is based on new optimal, robust, and adaptive control strategies, including an Adaptive Proportional Integral (PI) controller, sliding mode control, Fuzzy Logic (FL) control based on Steepest Descent (SD), Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithms, and Hybrid Control (HC) or adaptive sliding mode controller to overcome the deficiency of conventional control strategies. The main theme is to design a robust control scheme having faster dynamic response, reliable operation for parameter uncertainties and speed variation, and maximized torque and efficiency of the IM. The test bench of the IM control has three main parts: IM model, Inverter Model, and control structure. The IM is modelled in synchronous frame using d q modelling while the Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation (SVPWM) technique is used for modulation of the inverter. Our proposed controllers are critically analyzed and compared with the PI controller considering different conditions: parameter uncertainties, speed variation, load disturbances, and under electrical faults. In addition, the results validate the effectiveness of the designed controllers and are then related to former works.

No abstract