Anhydrous and hydrated zinc acetates were found to efficiently catalyze alkoxycarbonylation of the aromatic diamines 2,4-toluenediamine (2,4-TDA) and 4,4′-diphenylmethane diamine (4,4′-MDA) with diethyl and dimethyl carbonate, providing the desired bis-carbamates in yields from 93 to 98%. Driving these reactions to completion required temperatures of ca. 190 °C for 2,4-TDA and ca. 180 °C for 4,4′-MDA, and alkyl carbonate-to-substrate molar ratios of 25:1 to 30:1. Higher catalyst loadings were required for 2,4-TDA (2.5 mol %) than for 4,4′-MDA (1 mol %).

An efficient procedure is presented for the alkoxycarbonylation of industrially important amines using environmentally friendly alkyl carbonates as reagents and Zn4O(OAc)6 as catalyst. Aromatic amines in particular (thirteen examples) consistently give high yields (up to 98%), regardless of the electronic properties of the substituents or the ring substitution pattern.

Background Despite Catalonia being an advanced region in terms of digital health adoption, the “Forum for Professional Dialogue” identified the need to improve information and communication technology (ICT) competences as one of the present and future challenges for health care professionals (HPs). Objective We aimed to validate the digital competence test developed ad hoc for this study and to measure the digital competence level of Catalan HPs to establish their current level as the baseline for designing a strategic training plan. Methods An exploratory observational study was conducted based on a voluntary survey where sociodemographic, professional and digital tool knowledge, digital tool use, and training needs data were collected and based on the score obtained from a digital competence test developed ad hoc. The digital competence test consisted of 2 “real-life scenarios” with 7 and 11 questions. Results In total, 803 HPs, of whom 612 (76.2%) were women, completed the survey between June 28 and July 16, 2021. Most participants self-rated their digital competence level as either intermediate (384/803, 47.8%) or basic (357/803, 44.5%). The mean score in the digital competence test was 22.6 (SD 4.3). Therefore, most participants displayed a basic level of digital competence. The internal consistency of the digital competence test was 0.66, and the discrimination index of all questions was ≥0.2 for all items except for 1 question. Conclusions This exploratory study highlights the need to improve the digital competence of HPs working in Catalonia, with special effort being made to provide training according to the specific needs of the different HP profiles. The results have informed the Health Plan for Catalonia 2021-2025 and lay the foundations for the development and deployment of a framework program for the digital competences of HPs. The developed digital competence test shows acceptable consistency for the objective pursued, although improvements are needed to fine-tune its accuracy.

Wearable electronics are gaining widespread use as enabling technologies, monitoring human physical activity and behavior as part of connected health infrastructures. Attention to human factors and comfort of these devices can greatly positively influence user experience, with a subsequently higher likelihood of user acceptance and lower levels of device rejection. Here, we employ a human factors and comfort assessment methodology grounded in the principles of human-centered design to influence and enhance the design of an instrumented insole. A use case was developed and interrogated by stakeholders, experts, and end users, capturing the context of use and user characteristics for the instrumented insole. This use case informed all stages of the design process through two full design cycles, leading to the development of an initial version 1 and a later version 2 prototype. Each version of the prototype was subjected to an expert human factors inspection and controlled comfort assessment using human volunteers. Structured feedback from the first cycle of testing was the driver of design changes implemented in the version 2 prototype. This prototype was found to have significantly improved human factors and comfort characteristics over the first version of the prototype. Expert inspection found that many of the original problems in the first prototype had been resolved in the second prototype. Furthermore, a comfort assessment of this prototype with a group of young healthy adults showed it to be indistinguishable from their normal footwear. This study demonstrates the power and effectiveness of human factors and comfort assessment methodologies in influencing and improving the design of wearable devices.

There are a range of promising applications for devices that can convert mechanical energy from their local environment into useful electrical energy. Here, mechanical energy harvesting devices have been developed...