Search results

This paper presents results from a participatory action research study with 46 LGBTQIA+ community leaders and 60 library workers who participated in four community forums at public libraries across the US. The forums identified barriers to LGBTQIA+ communities addressing their health questions and concerns and explored strategies for public libraries to tackle them.

Forums followed the World Café format to facilitate collaborative knowledge development and promote participant-led change. Data sources included collaborative notes taken by participants and observational researcher notes. Data analysis consisted of emic/etic qualitative coding.

Results revealed that barriers experienced by LGBTQIA+ communities are structurally and socially entrenched and require systematic changes. Public libraries must expand their strategies beyond collection development and one-off programming to meet these requirements. Suggested strategies include outreach and community engagement and mutual aid initiatives characterized by explicit advocacy for LGBTQIA+ communities and community organizing approaches.

Limitations include the sample's lack of racial diversity and the gap in the data collection period between forums due to COVID-19. Public libraries can readily adopt strategies overviewed in this paper for LGBTQIA+ health promotion.

This research used a unique methodology within the Library and Information Science (LIS) field to engage LGBTQIA+ community leaders and library workers in conversations about how public libraries can contribute to LGBTQIA+ health promotion. Prior research has often captured these perspectives separately. Uniting the groups facilitated understanding of each other's strengths and challenges, identifying strategies more relevant than asking either group alone.

The purpose of the paper is to present an integrated methodology for identifying trends in a particular subject area based on a combination of advanced text mining and expert methods. The authors aim to test it in an area of clinical psychology and psychotherapy in 2010–2019.

The authors demonstrate the way of applying text-mining and the Word2Vec model to identify hot topics (HT) and emerging trends (ET) in clinical psychology and psychotherapy. The analysis of 11.3 million scientific publications in the Microsoft Academic Graph database revealed the most rapidly growing clinical psychology and psychotherapy terms – those with the largest increase in the number of publications reflecting real or potential trends.

The proposed approach allows one to identify HT and ET for the six thematic clusters related to mental disorders, symptoms, pharmacology, psychotherapy, treatment techniques and important psychological skills.

The developed methodology allows one to see the broad picture of the most dynamic research areas in the field of clinical psychology and psychotherapy in 2010–2019. For clinicians, who are often overwhelmed by practical work, this map of the current research can help identify the areas worthy of further attention to improve the effectiveness of their clinical work. This methodology might be applied for the identification of trends in any other subject area by taking into account its specificity.

The paper demonstrates the value of the advanced text-mining approach for understanding trends in a subject area. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, text-mining and the Word2Vec model have been applied to identifying trends in the field of clinical psychology and psychotherapy.

Human skin temperature data can provide reference advice for diagnosing many diseases, but current wearable skin temperature monitoring systems have few points and may miss temperature information in critical areas. This paper aims to develop a wearable system that can be used for local temperature monitoring and restore better the actual state of local human temperature by exploring ways to extend more temperature measurement points. This will provide better assistance in developing medical targeting and intelligent clothing.

The temperature measurement system contains modules for temperature monitoring, digital-to-analog conversion and regulated power supply, enabling fast reading of 12 channels of monitoring data. The microprocessor unit is the STM32F407. The instructions and control modes are written in C. The waist area was chosen as the monitoring area because it is susceptible to temperature, and many diseases are associated with skin temperature. Twelve points, including temperature-related acupuncture points and heat-sensitive points, were selected for testing and the data results agreed well with the infrared imaging results.

The waist is selected as the monitoring object, and an easy-to-wear waist temperature monitoring belt is designed to verify the application value of the system. The development of the system provides reference suggestions for the exploration of multi-point temperature monitoring systems and the integration capabilities of temperature measurement modules in wearable multifunctional systems.

In addition to waist temperature monitoring, the wearable temperature measurement system developed in this study can also be applied to other body parts. In addition, the system can be efficiently and effectively combined with various garments, making it a useful tool for researching human skin temperature.

The wearable temperature monitoring system designed in this paper extends the number of temperature test points to 12. The number of test points covers as many localized body areas as possible to indeed reproduce the temperature distribution of the human body. In addition, the selection of test points combines medically relevant body points with physiologically relevant heat-sensitive areas, which makes the temperature measurement data more valuable.

This systematic review, following preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines, rigorously investigates the emergent role of virtual reality (VR) technology in human movement training. The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness and evolution of VR in enhancing movement training experiences.

Acknowledging its pivotal role in diverse applications, such as sports and rehabilitation, human movement training is currently experiencing accelerated evolution, facilitated by the proliferation of wearable devices and mobile applications. This review conducted an exhaustive search across five different electronic databases, such as Web of Science, PubMed and ProQuest, resulting in the selection of 69 eligible articles published within the past five years. It also integrates 40 studies into a narrative summary, categorized based on the level of immersion offered by respective VR systems.

Enhanced immersion in VR potentially augments the effectiveness of movement training by engendering more realistic and captivating experiences for users. The immersive and interactive environments provided by VR technology enable tailored training experiences accompanied by precise, objective feedback. This review highlights the benefits of VR in human movement training and its potential to revolutionize the way training is conducted.

This systematic review contributes significantly to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive examination of the efficacy and evolution of VR in human movement training. By organizing the findings based on the level of immersion offered by VR systems, it provides valuable insights into the importance of immersion in enhancing training outcomes. In addition, this study identifies the need for future research focusing on the impacts of VR on learning and performance, as well as strategies to optimize its effectiveness and improve accessibility.

The purpose of this paper is to study haemodynamic flow characteristics and entropy analysis in a bifurcated artery system subjected to stenosis, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow and aneurysm conditions. The findings of this study offer significant insights into the intricate interplay encompassing electro-osmosis, MHD flow, microorganisms, Joule heating and the ternary hybrid nanofluid.

The governing equations are first non-dimensionalised, and subsequently, a coordinate transformation is used to regularise the irregular boundaries. The discretisation of the governing equations is accomplished by using the Crank–Nicolson scheme. Furthermore, the tri-diagonal matrix algorithm is applied to solve the resulting matrix arising from the discretisation.

The investigation reveals that the velocity profile experiences enhancement with an increase in the Debye–Hückel parameter, whereas the magnetic field parameter exhibits the opposite effect, reducing the velocity profile. A comparative study demonstrates the velocity distribution in Au-CuO hybrid nanofluid and Au-CuO-GO ternary hybrid nanofluid. The results indicate a notable enhancement in velocity for the ternary hybrid nanofluid compared to the hybrid nanofluids. Moreover, an increase in the Brinkmann number results in an augmentation in entropy generation.

This study investigates the flow characteristics and entropy analysis in a bifurcated artery system subjected to stenosis, MHD flow and aneurysm conditions. The governing equations are non-dimensionalised, and a coordinate transformation is applied to regularise the irregular boundaries. The Crank–Nicolson scheme is used to model blood flow in the presence of a ternary hybrid nanofluid (Au-CuO-GO/blood) within the arterial domain. The findings shed light on the complex interactions involving stenosis, MHD flow, aneurysms, Joule heating and the ternary hybrid nanofluid. The results indicate a decrease in the wall shear stress (WSS) profile with increasing stenosis size. The MHD effects are observed to influence the velocity distribution, as the velocity profile exhibits a declining nature with an increase in the Hartmann number. In addition, entropy generation increases with an enhancement in the Brinkmann number. This research contributes to understanding fluid dynamics and heat transfer mechanisms in bifurcated arteries, providing valuable insights for diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases.

This review aims to provide synoptic documentation on acclaimed anecdotal plant-based remedies used by Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) communities to manage COVID-19. The theoretical approaches that form the basis for using the anecdotally claimed phytotherapies were reviewed against current scientific evidence.

In this paper plant-based remedies for managing COVID-19 were searched on social and print media to identify testimonies of people from different communities in LAC countries. Information was extracted, evaluated and reviewed against current scientific evidence based on a literature search from databases such as Journal Storage (JSTOR), Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), SpringerLink, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Google Scholar and Medline to explore the scientific basis for anecdotal claims.

A total of 23 medicinal plants belonging to 15 families were identified as phytotherapies used in managing COVID-19 in LAC communities.

The plant-based remedies contained valuable phytochemicals scientifically reported for their anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant and anticancer effects. Anecdotal information helps researchers investigate disease patterns, management and new drug discoveries. The identified acclaimed plant-based remedies are potential candidates for pharmacological evaluations for possible drug discovery for future pandemics.

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of two-phase power law nanofluid on a curved arterial blood flow under the presence of ovelapped stenosis. Over the past couple of decades, the percentage of deaths associated with blood vessel diseases has risen sharply to nearly one third of all fatalities. For vascular disease to be stopped in its tracks, it is essential to understand the vascular geometry and blood flow within the artery. In recent scenarios, because of higher thermal properties and the ability to move across stenosis and tumor cells, nanoparticles are becoming a more common and effective approach in treating cardiovascular diseases and cancer cells.

The present mathematical study investigates the blood flow behavior in the overlapped stenosed curved artery with cylinder shape catheter. The induced magnetic field and entropy generation for blood flow in the presence of a heat source, magnetic field and nanoparticle (Fe₃O₄) have been analyzed numerically. Blood is considered in artery as two-phases: core and plasma region. Power-law fluid has been considered for core region fluid, whereas Newtonian fluid is considered in the plasma region. Strongly implicit Stone’s method has been considered to solve the system of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDE’s) with 10–6 tolerance error.

The influence of various parameters has been discussed graphically. This study concludes that arterial curvature increases the probability of atherosclerosis deposition, while using an external heating source flow temperature and entropy production. In addition, if the thermal treatment procedure is carried out inside a magnetic field, it will aid in controlling blood flow velocity.

The findings of this computational analysis hold great significance for clinical researchers and biologists, as they offer the ability to anticipate the occurrence of endothelial cell injury and plaque accumulation in curved arteries with specific wall shear stress patterns. Consequently, these insights may contribute to the potential alleviation of the severity of these illnesses. Furthermore, the application of nanoparticles and external heat sources in the discipline of blood circulation has potential in the medically healing of illness conditions such as stenosis, cancer cells and muscular discomfort through the usage of beneficial effects.

In the past decade, the biopolymeric properties of chitosan (CH) have been largely exploited for various applications. This paper aims to study the use of CH in its nanoform, i.e. as nanofibers blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for various antimicrobial applications in detail. In particular, their ability toward bacterial growth inhibition, in vitro drug release and their biocompatibility toward tissue growth have been investigated in detail.

Electrospinning technique was adapted for depositing CH/PVA blended nanofilms on the silver foil under optimized conditions of high voltage. Three different concentrations of blended nanofiber samples were prepared and their antimicrobial properties were studied.

The bead diameter and average diameter of blended nanofibers increase with CH concentration. Antibacterial activity increases as CH concentration increases. Increased hydrophilicity in CH-enriched samples contributes to a higher drug release profile.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, chick chorioallantoic membrane assay analysis has been carried out for the first time for CH/PVA films which shows that CH/PVA blends are biocompatible. CH after being converted as nanoparticles exhibits higher drug release rate by in vitro method.

Prior research on relations between mental health and pain has focused on negative mental health aspects (e.g. depression), while the literature is scarce in terms of positive aspects, such as mental well-being. This study aims to investigate prospective associations of mental well-being at baseline with pain and functional impairment due to pain in the following year.

Data stem from a Danish nationally representative survey of 5,000 adults (aged 15+) conducted in 2019 and 2020, which was linked to register data. The Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale was used to assess mental well-being, both continuously (range 7–35) and categorically (low, moderate, high). Logistic regressions were conducted to assess associations between mental well-being in 2019 and pain and functional impairment due to pain (among those reporting any pain) in 2020.

In the fully adjusted models, each point increase in mental well-being was inversely associated with pain (OR = 0.97, 95%CI 0.95–0.99) and functional impairment due to pain (OR = 0.96, 95%CI 0.94–0.99). As compared to low mental well-being, moderate mental well-being was associated with an OR of 0.76 (95%CI 0.58–0.99) for pain and an OR of 0.63 (95%CI 0.46–0.87) of functional impairment due to pain, while high mental well-being was associated with an OR of 0.56 (95%CI 0.40–0.77) for pain and an OR of 0.53 (95%CI 0.34–0.79) for functional impairment due to pain.

Higher mental well-being levels may be protective against pain and functional impairment due to pain. Wider mental health promotion may be considered to prevent pain and associated functional impairments in the general population.

Gallic acid is a substance that is widely found in nature. Initially, it was only used as a corrosion inhibitor to retard the rate of corrosion of metals. In recent years, with intensive research by scholars, the modification of coatings containing gallic acid has become a hot topic in the field of metal protection. This study aims to summarize the various preparation methods of gallic acid and its research progress in corrosion inhibitors and coatings, as well as related studies using quantum chemical methods to assess the predicted corrosion inhibition effects and to systematically describe the prospects and current status of gallic acid applications in the field of metal corrosion inhibition and protection.

First, the various methods of preparation of gallic acid in industry are understood. Second, the corrosion inhibition principles and research progress of gallic acid as a metal corrosion inhibitor are presented. Then, the corrosion inhibition principles and research progress of gallic acid involved in the synthesis and modification of various rust conversion coatings, nano-coatings and organic resin coatings are described. After that, studies related to the evaluation and prediction of gallic acid corrosion inhibition on metals by quantum chemical methods are presented. Finally, new research ideas on gallic acid in the field of corrosion inhibition and protection of metals are summarized.

Gallic acid can be used as a corrosion inhibitor or coating in metal protection.

There is a lack of research on the synergistic improvement of gallic acid and other substances.

The specific application of gallic acid in the field of metal protection was summarized, and the future research focus was put forward.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper systematically expounds on the research progress of gallic acid in the field of metal protection for the first time and provides new ideas and directions for future research.