Search Results (1,432)

Research on hydrogen production by chemical methods has focused on combining metals to carry out the hydrolysis reaction under ambient conditions. In particular, aluminum and lithium metals were considered, with lithium used at low concentrations in order to activate aluminum. Under these conditions, the metals can react with water to obtain the maximum hydrogen yield. The main objective of this work was to prepare the lithium−aluminum alloy by mechanical milling and its chemical reaction with water to produce hydrogen under laboratory conditions. A high–energy Spex mill was used for material preparation and the time scheduled for alloys preparation was relatively short. Several techniques were used for its characterization, such as X–ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, gas chromatography, and low-temperature physical adsorption. According to the results, two phases were produced during the milling process when using 5% lithium. The volume of hydrogen generated was measured using a graduated burette. Depending on the volume obtained, the aluminum reacted to generate hydrogen with an efficiency of 95.24%. No additives or catalysts were used in material synthesis or hydrogen production. According to these results, the hydrogen does not require any purification because it is clean hydrogen and can therefore be used directly in fuel cells. Full article

Background: An aortic disease diagnosis can be perceived by patients as a stressful and often life-altering event. In addition, an acute event, such as aortic rupture or dissection—and the surgical intervention that will be required to address it—can be viewed as potentially life-threatening and traumatic. Serious health conditions, including stroke and acute coronary syndromes, have been described in the literature to correlate with trauma-like symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is well described in connection with external traumatic events, such as war, assault and similarly catastrophic events. A key element of this type of PTSD is that its occurrence arises secondary to an external traumatizer. However, recent work has suggested that internal events—such as a catastrophic medical event (e.g., acute cardiovascular event and/or surgery)—can trigger PTSD symptoms. An important question is whether medical event-initiated PTSD can (or should) be treated similarly to traditionally defined PTSD, when the triggering threat may persist rather than having been confined to a past event. This systematic review will summarize the literature on the occurrence of PTSD as a consequence of an acute cardiovascular event and attempt to identify effective treatments using meta-analysis, if the literature quantity and quality support it. Methods: The search strategy will include publicly available electronic databases, including MEDLINE via PubMed and OVID, EMBASE via Elsevier, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) via EBSCOhost, SCOPUS, PsychInfo, and the Cochrane Library, to identify publications that report the development and/or treatment of PTSD as a consequence of an acute cardiovascular event, which include cardiac arrest, acute coronary syndromes, and acute aortic syndromes. Identification of publications, article classification, methodological review/quality assessment, and data extraction will be performed by two trained experts in cardiovascular epidemiology, with the resolution of disagreements carried out by a third independent reviewer. The review conduct and meta-analysis will follow PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines. Data will be aggregated using random effects models when quantitative data are reliable and heterogeneity is reasonable. If a quantitative synthesis is not possible due to data quality, a narrative synthesis will be conducted. Statistical heterogeneity will be assessed by I² statistics. The quality of evidence will be assessed using the GRADE criteria. Ethics and Dissemination: This study did not require an institutional review board or human subjects protection committee approval given the nature of the study design. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, along with recommendations for future research. Full article

Background: Healthcare policy in the United Kingdom recognizes that teenagers and young adults (TYAs: 16–24 years at diagnosis) require specialist care. In England, Principal Treatment Centers (PTCs) exist, delivering enhanced care exclusively within the PTC or as ‘joint care’ with designated hospitals (DHs). Central to this is the TYA multidisciplinary team (MDT) and an outreach model coordinating care between hospitals. We previously reported similar outcomes regardless of care location. Aims: To compare TYA experiences of care with healthcare professionals’ perspectives of the service they deliver. Methods: Mixed methods across England and Wales were used. The TYA-MDT identified TYAs who then received a postal invite to a cross-sectional survey capturing experiences of places of care, treatment, healthcare professional support (HCP), mental health, sexuality/fertility, clinical trials and care coordination. Comparisons were made based on exposure to care in a specialist TYA environment within 6 months of diagnosis: all-TYA-PTC (all care in the TYA-PTC, n = 70, 28%), no-TYA-PTC (no care in the TYA-PTC (n = 87, 35%): care delivered in a children/adult unit only), and joint care (care in a TYA-PTC and in a children’s/adult unit, n = 91, 36%). HCP perspectives were captured by rapid ethnography. Results: A total of 250/1056 (24%) TYAs participated. Overall, 200 (80%) rated their teams as excellent/good for helping them prepare for treatment. No evidence of significant differences existed between categories of care for proportions receiving support from key TYA-related professionals: TYA cancer nurse specialists (all-TYA-PTC n = 58, 91%; joint care n = 71, 88%; no-TYA-PTC n = 64, 82%) and social workers (all-TYA-PTC n = 30, 55%; joint care n = 36, 48%; no-TYA-PTC n = 28, 38%). A trend of diminishing support from youth support co-coordinators existed (all-TYA-PTC 63%; joint care 49%; no-TYA-PTC 40%, p = 0.069). This may explain why few differences in patient experiences existed across categories of care. Forty-nine HCPs participated. They were more critical in their interpretation of care, highlighting inequity in resources and challenges in some pathways and coordination. Conclusions: Similar access to age-appropriate support across care settings is likely to reflect recruitment methods. When TYAs are known to the MDT, age-appropriate care can be mobilized beyond TYA units, which could explain the equitable outcomes observed across different care locations in young people who responded to the survey. Nevertheless, gaps persist in communication and coordination, particularly within joint care models, and in the involvement of allied health professionals such as dieticians and physiotherapists, whose input is essential for rehabilitation and return to normal life. Strengthening these areas will require continued investment in workforce capacity and digital infrastructure to support genuinely coordinated, developmentally appropriate TYA cancer care. Full article

As the global climate change mitigation efforts urge the transition towards a green economy, comprehending the carbon footprint of forest industry supply chain is crucial to ensure sustainable management and utilization of renewable resources. This research quantified the carbon footprint of four different forest product industries: chip mill, hardwood sawmill, softwood sawmill, and in-woods chipping in the Northeastern U.S. Additionally, the impact of transportation (road and rail) on carbon footprint was analyzed. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed using SimaPro 9.3.0.3 software and allied databases (USLCI and US-EI). The functional unit was 1 tonne for chip mill (wood chips) and 1 m³ for sawmill (planks). The highest-contributing inputs for the chip mill and softwood sawmill were transportation. However, in-woods chipping and the hardwood sawmill had raw materials, residual wood, and round wood as the highest-contributing input. The study also enumerated the substances that contributed most to environmental impacts. The carbon footprint of chip mill, in-woods chipping, hardwood, and softwood sawmill were 49.5, 21.7, 72.9, and 73.7 kg CO₂ eq per respective functional units, respectively. The results could assist the forest industry in promoting wood feedstock with a minimal carbon footprint and have educated engagement in an ever-evolving carbon market. Full article

Amid the wave of digital transformation and customer service automation, traditional chatbots are increasingly challenged by their inability to handle unstructured data and complex queries. This issue is particularly critical in the import trade industry, where customer service representatives must respond promptly to diverse inquiries involving quality anomalies, order tracking, and product substitution. Existing rule-based or keyword-driven chatbots often fail to provide accurate responses, resulting in reduced customer satisfaction and increased operational burdens. This study proposes and implements a “Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)-based Customer Service Chatbot,” integrating the RAG framework with a Neo4j-based knowledge graph, specifically tailored for the import trade domain. The system constructs a dedicated QA dataset, knowledge graph, and dynamic learning mechanism. It semantically vectorizes internal documents, meeting records, quality assurance procedures, and historical dialogues, establishing interrelated knowledge nodes to enhance the chatbot’s comprehension and response accuracy. The study also incorporates GPT-based response evaluation and a high-score caching strategy, enabling dynamic learning and knowledge enhancement. Experiments were conducted using 101 representative enterprise-level queries across six categories, reflecting real-world operational scenarios and inquiry needs. The results demonstrate that the combination of knowledge graphs and RAG technology effectively reduces AI hallucinations and improves response coverage and accuracy, thereby addressing complex problems in customer service applications. This paper not only presents a feasible AI implementation model for the import trading industry but also offers a practical architectural reference for domain-specific knowledge management in the import trade and allied sectors. Full article

Background/Objectives: In the post-pandemic era, growing concern about the mental health of healthcare professionals has led to the development of various resilience-enhancing programs. Although such programs are not new, having been implemented before the pandemic, it is important to investigate how post-pandemic programs differ from earlier ones. This review aimed to analyze resilience-enhancing programs for nurses and evaluate their effectiveness. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A search was performed in the Cochrane Library, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, and EMBASE. Six studies met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis was conducted using Stata version 16.0 (StataCorp LLC., College Station, TX, USA). Results: Six studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The characteristics of the included studies, such as country, study design, setting, population, outcome variables, and resilience-enhancing programs for nurses, were analyzed. The random-effects meta-analysis indicated a statistically significant positive effect on nurses’ resilience (SMD = 0.58, 95% CI 0.10 to 1.07, Z = 2.35, p = 0.019). Conclusions: This study provides foundational evidence for understanding resilience-enhancing programs for nurses and highlights their potential value in post-pandemic healthcare settings. Full article

Aluminum–lithium (Al-Li) alloys have attracted great interests in aerospace, solid propellants, and explosives industries. However, the practical use of Al-Li remains challenging because of instability during storage. Poor corrosion resistance and passivation of the Al-Li alloys are ascribed to the surface cracking of the oxidation layer. Using a variety of ab initio quantum chemistry methods, the cracking mechanisms of Al/Li/O oxides induced by H₂O, LiOH, and Li₂O have been revealed theoretically by means of Al₄O₆ and Al₈O₁₂ cluster models. All six reactions are shown to be highly exergonic dissociative adsorption processes. In terms of the Gibbs free energy profiles, the adsorption energy and reactivity are in the order Li₂O > LiOH > H₂O, which is independent of sizes of clusters. However, cluster size does have an impact on the adsorption energies of H₂O, LiOH, and Li₂O. For the reactions of H₂O, the energetic routes are dominated by proton transfer and followed by the O-Al bond cleavage to generate trench or protrusion structures. However, proton transfer is inhibited considerably by the O-Li interaction. As the Li atom migrates to form various Li-O coordinates along with the O-Al bond cleavage, the alumina clusters are cracked stepwisely through the interlayer O-Al bond association or displacement. The edge Al sites are always less reactive than the topmost surface Al. The Li atoms are prone to migrate from the edge to the surface as accompanied by the O-Al bond rearrangement. Present calculations provide a deep understanding of the oxidation behavior of the Al-Li alloys and present new insights towards increasing storage stability. Full article

Students are more likely to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity with university staff compared to staff in high school or college. For some, higher education (HEI) offers the first opportunity to encounter “out” LGBTQIA+ role models, whose visibility can positively influence both students and colleagues. Rainbow Office Hours is an initiative that offers students a supportive, informal opportunity to engage with LGBTQIA+ staff. At a HEI in southwest England, LGBTQIA+ staff and allies were invited to host Rainbow Office Hours during LGBTQIA+ History Month. This research, using semi-structured interviews, is the first to explore the lived experience of staff hosting Rainbow Office Hours. Findings highlighted the impact on staff identity, professional connectedness, and students, as well the importance of visibility, validation, and allyship. Policy and practice recommendations are offered to strengthen LGBTQIA+ inclusion and address the emotional labour and under-recognised workload of equality, diversity, and inclusion activities that is regularly undertaken by minoritised identities. The research highlights the reciprocal benefits of such initiatives for students and staff, emphasising the need for sustained institutional commitment beyond celebratory months. Full article

Emergency departments (EDs) are critical points of contact for treating and responding to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by violence. This study aimed to explore how care, support, and treatment can be improved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have experienced TBI caused by violence by drawing on the perspectives of ED staff in a regional hospital in Queensland (Australia). Using purposeful and snowballing sampling, 24 health professionals (including Indigenous hospital liaison officers and Aboriginal health workers and nursing, medical, and allied health staff) were recruited to participate in the study. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four key recommendations were identified: (1) development of a formalised pathway for head injury from family violence; (2) providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women with a timely acute-care-to-community pathway; (3) resourcing hospital- and community-based services for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their children; and (4) strengthening responses from health professionals to violence and head injury. The findings inform opportunities to strengthen ED and system-level responses to improve care and support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have experienced this injury. Full article

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth.) has gained increasing global attention due to its traditional use, psychoactive properties, and emerging therapeutic potential; however, concerns regarding adulteration, substitution, and inconsistent quality of commercial products necessitate robust authentication strategies. This study aimed to integrate DNA barcoding and comprehensive chemical profiling to authenticate kratom variants and discriminate them from closely allied Mitragyna species for quality control and forensic applications. Nine DNA barcoding regions were analyzed, alongside chemical characterization using UHPLC, GC–MS, and LC–MS/QTOF. Among the tested loci, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and ITS2 regions exhibited the highest interspecific variation and effectively distinguished kratom from allied species. UHPLC and GC–MS analyses confirmed that mitragynine was exclusively detected in kratom variants, with Kan Khiao exhibiting the highest content (94.33 ± 0.14 mg/g) when quantified against the mitragynine standard using UHPLC analysis. LC–MS/QTOF profiling revealed an alkaloid-rich chemotype in kratom dominated by mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, whereas M. diversifolia, M. hirsuta, and M. rotundifolia showed distinct profiles enriched in phenolic acids and flavonoid glycosides. Multivariate analyses further identified procyanidin B1, datiscetin-3-O-rutinoside, mitragynine, and 7-hydroxymitragynine as key discriminatory markers. Overall, the combined molecular and chemical workflow provides a robust framework for kratom authentication, supporting regulatory monitoring, quality assurance, and forensic identification of kratom materials. Full article

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a key technology for manufacturing T-shaped thin-walled structures and avoiding fusion welding defects. However, the quantitative relationship between its process parameters and the microstructure properties of the joint remains unclear. To address this, this study established regression models via response surface methodology (RSM) relating rotational speed (w), welding speed (v), and plunge depth (h) to the mechanical properties of T-joints. The optimal process parameters (400 rpm, 60 mm/min, 0.21 mm) were determined, under which the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and weld nugget hardness (WNH) of the joint reached 74.1% (377 MPa) and 94.4% (153 Hv) of the base materials (BM) respectively, with v showing the most significant influence on joint mechanical properties. Microstructural observations revealed that from the BM to the stirring zone (SZ), the grains underwent a continuous evolution from coarsening, partial recrystallization to complete dynamic recrystallization (DRX). In the SZ, due to severe plastic deformation and high heat input, the continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) was the dominant mechanism, and the grain was significantly refined. The heat input in the thermomechanical affected zone (TMAZ) is relatively low, mainly geometric dynamic recrystallization (GDRX). DRX-driven grain refinement was the primary strengthening factor in the joint, with hardness closely related to grain size. However, thermal cycling induced softening in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and promoted the precipitation of brittle compounds such as Al₃Mg₂ and MgZn₂, which caused crack initiation exhibiting intergranular brittle fracture. Subsequently, under stress drive, it extends to SZ, mainly characterized by ductile fracture. Full article

Background: Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly permeating healthcare; yet, U.S. clinicians still report mixed feelings about its reliability, impact on workflow, and ethical implications. Current data on provider sentiment are needed to guide safe, patient-centered AI implementation in healthcare. Objective: This study aimed to assess U.S. healthcare providers’ perceptions of generative AI adoption, perceived usefulness, training needs, barriers, and strategies for safe integration. Methods: A nationwide, IRB-approved, cross-sectional survey was administered to healthcare professionals using Qualtrics. A convenience sample of clinicians was recruited via professional listservs and e-mail invitations. The 20-page questionnaire captured demographics, GenAI exposure, organizational adoption status, perceived usefulness (5-point scale), barriers, and mitigation strategies. SPSS v27 and Microsoft Excel were used for statistical analysis. Results: Of 130 respondents, 109 completed the core survey (completion rate 83.8%). Participants were 38.5% physicians, 16.5% nurses, 12.8% allied professionals, and 32.2% other providers; 54.2% were women, and 64.8% were ≥50 years. Overall, 86.9% agreed that GenAI is useful in current patient care, rising to 92.9% when asked about future usefulness. Only 42.4% had received formal GenAI training, and just 23.2% reported that their organization had begun adopting AI. The top perceived benefits were improved documentation/clerking (57.0%) and error reduction (49.4%). Dominant barriers included limited AI knowledge (24.7%) and fear of job loss (16.9%). Despite concerns, 72% expressed willingness to support broader GenAI adoption, favoring human oversight (67.1%) and staff training (60.8%) as key safeguards. There were statistically significant findings in perceived AI usefulness by gender (χ² = 29.2; p < 0.001); organizational adoption of AI (χ² = 31.6.2; p = 0.047) and where AI is most useful (χ² = 101.1; p < 0.001) by qualifications; and support for AI adoption by age (χ² = 18.0; p = 0.02). Conclusions: U.S. clinicians in our survey viewed GenAI as useful but reported limited training and organizational infrastructure needed for confident use while also expressing concerns regarding data privacy and ethical risk. Education programs and transparent, provider-led implementation strategies may accelerate responsible GenAI assimilation while addressing ethical and workforce concerns. Also, health administrators should use the efficiency gains to improve provider–patient relationships and clinicians’ work–life balance while reducing clinician burnout rates. Full article

Architecture exists at a moment of instability as economic forces narrow professional agency, as knowledge domains challenge disciplinary boundaries, and as calls for decolonisation and sustainability demand epistemological reorientation. Architectural education occupies a strategic position within these dynamics, simultaneously shaped by professional uncertainty and actively constructing alternative futures. This article examines contemporary architectural education as an experiential lens through which a perceptive understanding of how the discipline negotiates transformation can be developed. It draws on a global survey of 345 architecture schools across 159 countries, conducted by the Architectural Education Commission of the International Union of Architects (UIA), and investigates institutional responses to economic constraints, transdisciplinarity, technological transformation, labour precarity, and ethical imperatives. Employing a nine-dimensional framework and six thematic lenses to map global patterns, the findings reveal a convergence–divergence paradox where schools converge around studio pedagogy (78%), national accreditation (92%), and professional degrees (62%), while diverging substantially in thematic priorities. Near-universal engagement with allied disciplines (99%) and SDG integration (88%) contrast sharply with limited efforts at decolonisation (29%) and a health focus (26%), revealing selective adoption of key ethical imperatives. The analysis unveils systematic gaps between declared commitments and enacted practices, with high adoption rates masking shallow implementation, a pattern evidenced by the gap between near-universal SDG declarations (88%) and the persistence of individual-authorship assessment structures (76–78%). Regional patterns reflect resource stratification, reinforcing colonial or dominant knowledge hierarchies. The study concludes that architecture’s agency remains constrained where schools perform transformation rhetorically while reproducing conventional professional formation structurally. Full article

The ontological categorization of the cellular elements of the brain was proposed over a century ago by Santiago Ramón y Cajal (neurons, astroglia) and Pío del Río-Hortega (oligodendroglia, microglia). It combines histochemical observations of morphology with allied inferences about the specialized functions and origins (ectoderm or mesoderm) of each cellular element. This ontology shapes modern neuroscience, with the main non-neuronal cells—astroglia, oligodendroglia and microglia—viewed as having distinct primary roles relating respectively to the metabolic support, myelination and immunoprotection of neurons, the information signaling cells. Yet contemporary techniques, ranging from electrophysiology to single-cell transcriptomics and ultrahigh resolution spectroscopy, are revealing intersecting molecular profiles and functional capacities of these cell groups, for example metabolic support, neuroimmune and signaling functions in oligodendroglia. Here we identify discrepancies in current glial paradigms, from empirical, evolutionary and pragmatic perspectives. We suggest a subset of small, iron-rich glial cells, usually with few processes, often viewed as oligodendroglia with myelin-related primary functions, instead have iron-related primary functions that are central to all aspects of brain activity. We call these ‘ferriglia’. We discuss implications for pathogenesis across the spectrum of neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and other less common cognitive, movement and neurobehavioral disorders, stroke and cerebrovascular disease, glioblastoma and other brain cancers and neuroimmune conditions. We also briefly address the question of where ferriglia may reside within existing glial compartments and lineages, implications for the ontological classification of other glial cells, and research challenges that must be overcome going forward. Full article

Background: Chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) is an increasing global health concern and a multidimensional condition shaped by biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors, with impacts on functioning, quality of life, and healthcare. However, evidence remains fragmented, limiting integrated understanding and care. Objective: This study aimed to synthesize and critically analyze existing evidence on the biological, psychological, social, and cultural dimensions characterizing individuals with CNCP, and their impact on functionality, quality of life, and healthcare. Methodology: An integrative review was conducted following the Whittemore and Knafl framework. Searches were performed in Medline, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Literature Complete (CINAHL), PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and grey literature in English and Spanish, without time restrictions. Studies were screened using predefined eligibility criteria and appraised with Joanna Briggs Institute tools. Data were systematically extracted and synthesized using thematic analysis to identify key attributes of people living with CNCP. Quantitative findings were summarized descriptively and mapped to thematic domains, while qualitative data were analyzed interpretively. Both evidence streams were integrated through convergent thematic synthesis. Results: Forty-four studies were included, predominantly cross-sectional and observational. Five themes emerged: biological aspects; functioning and quality of life; psychological and mental factors; social support and peer relationships; and social and gender determinants. CNCP was consistently associated with multimorbidity, sleep disturbance, psychological distress, and maladaptive coping, contributing to reduced functional capacity, greater disability, poorer quality of life, and increased healthcare utilization. Socioeconomic disadvantages and environmental constraints were linked to higher pain burden, whereas resilience and social support emerged as protective factors mitigating functional and psychosocial impact. Conclusions: Evidence largely concentrates on biomedical, functional, and psychological dimensions, whereas social determinants and healthcare quality remain comparatively underexplored. Broadening these perspectives is essential to inform public health strategies and support multidisciplinary, equitable care for individuals living with CNCP. Full article