Study in the field of sleep and memory has greatly expanded recently and the number of publications supporting the association between sleep and memory consolidation is rapidly growing. This study presents evidence related to sleep-dependent memory consolidation, ranging from behavioral task-performing studies to molecular studies, and several arguments against the association. Basic researches show that many genes are upwardly regulated during sleep and patterns of brain activation seen during daytime task training are repeated during subsequent REM sleep. Several electrophysiological studies demonstrate the correlation between spindle density increase following training and subsequent improvement in performing the training task. Overnight improvement or deterioration in task performance correlates with REM or SWS sleep. In the end, a lot of issues remain to be studied and discussed further in the future in spite of supporting evidence now available.
Brain ; Memory* ; Sleep, REM ; Task Performance and Analysis

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the balance confidence and balance ability among community-residing stroke patients. METHODS: The sample for this study was a convenience sample obtained from patients who visited welfare centers for the disabled in three cities from October to December in 2009. The Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale and Berg Balance Scale were used to measure confidence in task performance and balance ability. RESULTS: The level of balance confidence and balance ability were low in these subjects. There was a significant relationship between balance confidence and balance ability (r=.424, p=.000). Subjects with less balance ability felt less balance confidence. CONCLUSION: Among community-residing stroke patients, falls are common. Falls prevention which may contribute to the incidence of fall and fall related injury should be part of stroke rehabilitation plan. Also, it is necessary that an intervention for falls prevention after stroke should take into account factors such as the balance confidence and balance ability.
Humans ; Incidence ; Stroke ; Task Performance and Analysis

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of the social support and ego-resilience on the nursing performance among hospital nurses. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 369 nurses in a senior general hospital. We used the self-reported questionnaire to assess the level of ego-resilience, social support and nursing performance of hospital nurses. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: This study showed the positive relationship between the social support and ego-resilience on tne the nursing performance of hospital nurses. The higher group of the social support and ego-resilience showed the more performance of hospital nurses. And, the influencing factors on the performance are age, ego-resilience, social support, night working days a month in the order. CONCLUSION: Further studies will be needed to promote the performance of nurse in hospital and policies to be develop to elevate the social support and ego-resilience of nurses.
Hospitals, General ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Task Performance and Analysis

OBJECTIVES: Euthymic patients with bipolar disorder have been reported to show deficits in sustained attention. This study aimed to compare the attention capacities of euthymic bipolar patients with those of control subjects using the sustained attention to response task (SART) and to examine the differences in the performance of SART related to the type of the stimulus. METHODS: The four SART tasks were performed to measure attention capacities in 42 euthymic patients with bipolar disorder and 28 control subjects. Happy, neutral, fearful faces and digit '3' were used as target stimuli in happy, neutral, fear and digit task conditions, respectively. The severity of mood symptoms was assessed with 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depressive symptoms and Young Mania Rating Scale for manic symptoms. The efficiency estimate which reflects both the response accuracy and speed was used as the main outcome variable. RESULTS: Bipolar patients showed significantly lower correct response rate than control group in all task conditions. Efficiency estimates of the bipolar patient group were significantly lower than those of the control group in the SART using facial stimuli, but not in the digit task condition. There was no significant difference in task performances related to the emotional categories of facial stimuli. CONCLUSION: Bipolar patients showed deficits in sustained attention even in the euthymic state. The attention deficits shown in the euthymic bipolar patients may be prominent in a more complex task condition with stimuli such as facial stimuli.
Bipolar Disorder ; Depression ; Humans ; Task Performance and Analysis

PURPOSE: This study was performed to examine the effects of image filter on observer performance by counting the number of holes at each wedge step on a radiographic image. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An aluminum step wedge with 11 steps ranged in thickness from 1.5 mm to 16.5 mm in 1.5 mm increments was fabricated for this study. Each step had 10 notched holes with 1.0 mm diameter on the bottom of the step wedge which were ranged in depths from 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm in 0.1 mm increments. Digital radiographic raw images of the aluminum step wedge were acquired by using CCD intraoral sensor. The images were processed using several types of noise reduction filters and kernel sizes. Three observers counted the number of holes which could be discriminated on each step. The data were analyzed by ANOVA. RESULTS: The number of holes at each step was decreased as the thickness of step was increased. The number of holes at each step on the raw images was significantly higher than that on the processed images. The number of holes was different according to the types and kernel sizes of the image filters. CONCLUSION: The types and kernel sizes of image filters on observer performance were important, therefore, they should be standardized for commercial digital imaging systems.
Aluminum ; Noise ; Radiographic Image Enhancement ; Radiography, Dental ; Task Performance and Analysis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the postural control factors influencing the automatic (reflex-controlled) and attentional (high cortical) factors on dual task. METHODS: We used a dual task model to examine the attentional factors affecting the control of posture, subjecting test subjects to vibration stimulation, one-leg standing and verbal or nonverbal task trials. Twenty-three young, healthy participants were asked to stand on force plates and their centers of pressure were measured during dual task trials. We acquired 15 seconds of data for each volunteer during six dual task trials involving varying task combinations. RESULTS: We observed significantly different sway patterns between the early and late phases of dual task trials, which probably reflect the attentional demands. Vibration stimulation perturbed sway more during the early than the late phases; with or without vibration stimulation, the addition of secondary tasks decreased sway in all phases, and greater decreases in sway were observed in the late phases, when subjects were assigned nonverbal tasks. Less sway was observed during the nonverbal task in a sequential study. CONCLUSION: The attentional and automatic factors were analyzed during a sequential study. By controlling the postural control factors, optimal parameters and training methods might be used in clinical applications.
Postural Balance ; Posture ; Resource Allocation ; Task Performance and Analysis ; Vibration

BACKGROUND: Goal-oriented communication of risk of hazards is necessary in order to reduce risk of workers' exposure to chemicals. Adequate training of workers and enterprise priority setting are essential elements. Cleaning enterprises have many challenges and the existing paradigms influence the risk levels of these enterprises. METHODS: Information on organization and enterprises' prioritization in training programs was gathered from cleaning enterprises. A measure of enterprises' conceptual level of importance of chemical health hazards and a model for working out the risk index (RI) indicating enterprises' conceptual risk level was established and used to categorize the enterprises. RESULTS: In 72.3% of cases, training takes place concurrently with task performances and in 67.4% experienced workers conduct the trainings. There is disparity between employers' opinion on competence level of the workers and reality. Lower conceptual level of importance was observed for cleaning enterprises of different sizes compared with regional safety delegates and occupational hygienists. Risk index values show no difference in risk level between small and large enterprises. CONCLUSION: Training of cleaning workers lacks the prerequisite for suitability and effectiveness to counter risks of chemical health hazards. There is dereliction of duty by management in the sector resulting in a lack of competence among the cleaning workers. Instituting acceptable easily attainable safety competence level for cleaners will conduce to risk reduction, and enforcement of attainment of the competence level would be a positive step.
Education ; Mental Competency ; Risk Reduction Behavior ; Task Performance and Analysis

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the impact of resourcefulness and communication style on nursing performance in nurses working in hospitals. METHOD: Though a convenience sampling method 312 nurses were recruited between from July 4 and 17, 2011. Data were collected using a questionnaire, which included items on work related characteristics, resourcefulness, communication style, and nursing performance. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe test, Pearson correlation coefficient and hierarchical regression analysis. RESULTS: The major findings of this study were as follow; 1) There were significant relationships between nursing performance and resourcefulness (p<.001), informative communication style (p<.001), affiliativeness communication style (p<.001), and dominance communication style (p<.001). 2) The nursing performance was significantly associated with career in current department, resourcefulness, informative communication style, affiliativeness communication style, and dominance communication style in capability which explained 45.6% of variance in nursing performance. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate a relationship between resourcefulness, communication style, and nursing performance in hospital nurses indicating the need to use the study results to plan programs to prompt nurses in their use of resourcefulness and communication style in nursing care.
Hospital Administration ; Nursing Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Task Performance and Analysis

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct and test a structural equation model on nursing work outcomes based on Youssef and Luthans' positive psychological capital and integrated conceptual framework of work performance.METHODS: This study used a structured questionnaire administered to 340 nurses. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.RESULTS: Positive psychological capital showed indirect and direct effects on job satisfaction, retention intention, organizational citizenship behavior, and nursing performance. While, the nursing work environment had direct and indirect effects on job satisfaction and nursing performance, it only had indirect effects on intention to work and organizational citizenship behavior. Additionally, a mediating effect on retention intention and organizational citizenship behavior was found between job satisfaction and nursing performance variables.CONCLUSION: The nursing organization needs to build a supportive work environment and reinforce positive psychological capital to improve nursing performance. Additionally, it needs to actively manage the necessary parameters involved in the stages of job satisfaction, retention intention, nursing performance, and organizational citizenship behavior of nurses. The findings propose the continuous management of nursing personnel based on nurses' attitude outcome, behavioral intention, behavioral outcome, and stage of role performance.
Attitude of Health Personnel ; Intention ; Job Satisfaction ; Negotiating ; Nursing ; Psychology, Industrial ; Task Performance and Analysis ; Work Performance

PURPOSE: This study was carried out to substantiate the application process of activity-based costing on the current cost of hospital home care (HHC) service. The study materials were documents, 120 client charts, health insurance demand bills, salary of 215 HHC nurses, operating expense, 6 HHC agencies, and 31 HHC nurses. METHOD: The research was carried out by analyzing the HHC activities and then collecting labor and operating expenses. For resource drivers, HHC activity performance time and workload were studied. For activity drivers, the number of HHC activity performances and the activity number of visits were studied. RESULT: The HHC activities were classified into 70 activities. In resource, the labor cost was 245wonper minute, operating cost was 9,570won per visit and traffic expense was an average of 12,750won. In resource drivers, education and training had the longest time of 67 minutes. Average length of performance for activities was 13.7 minutes. The workload was applied as a relative value. The average cost of HHC was 62,741won and the cost ranged from 55,560won to 74,016won. CONCLUSION: The fixed base rate for a visit in the current HHC medical fee should be increased. Exclusion from the current fee structure or flexible operation of traveling expenses should be reviewed.
Costs and Cost Analysis ; Fees and Charges ; Home Care Services, Hospital-Based/*economics ; Korea ; Task Performance and Analysis