Design Study Research Articles

Blood donation practices, motivators and barriers in the Caribbean: A narrative review

AbstractAdequacy and safety are the twin prerogatives of the blood transfusion service which in turn is an indispensable component of public health delivery; however, many Caribbean countries have inadequate blood supply for the current and projected demands of their health care systems. Understanding blood donor motivators and barriers is crucial to improving the rate of voluntary non‐remunerated blood donation (VNRD) to meet World Health Organisation (WHO) targets. The objective of this study was to review current research on the landscape of blood donation practices and attitudes in the Caribbean. We undertook a systematic search of electronic databases through September 2023 to identify studies of blood donation practices, knowledge and attitudes, including motivators and barriers to donation in the English‐speaking Caribbean. We identified eight (8) relevant studies of observational study design. VNRD remain relatively uncommon; family replacement or remunerated donations were most common. Barriers to blood donation included lack of a known recipient such as a family member who needed blood, never having been asked to donate, presumed ineligibility to donate, and fear of needles or adverse reactions. Study participants indicated willingness to donate blood if provided more information about the importance of blood donation. There is a paucity of published research regarding blood donor knowledge, motivators and barriers in the Caribbean context. Such research could indicate the necessary interventions for achieving the goals of an adequate and safe blood supply.

Design and DFT study of new nano buds from the combination of C60 fullerene and nanobowl

In this research, new nano buds of C60 fullerene compound and nanobowls were designed and their structure, electrical properties and optical properties were calculated. The absence of imaginary frequency and high cohesive energies is proof of stability and confirmation of the possibility of their formation. Calculation of the relative population showed that the E configuration is the dominant population. The calculation of electrical properties showed that combining the structures with each other improves the electrical properties of nanobuds. The highest electric charge transfer from nanobowl to C60 was observed in the configuration of C nanobuds. A high improvement in NLO properties was observed in all nanobud configurations. Calculating the contribution of the dispersion term in the energy of the nanobuds showed that compared to the parents, larger dispersion energy was obtained for the designed nanobuds (especially configuration E). It was shown that the energy of nano buds and their parents decreases in the presence of solvents. The decrease in energy as a function of increasing the dielectric constant of the solvents may be due to the increase in the dipole moments of the nanobud as a result of the electron transfer from the nanobowl to the C60 fullerene.

Effects of Kinesio tape on individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized controlled study

ObjectiveCarpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common neuromuscular disorder with an incidence rate of 4.9%. Research on the impact of Kinesio taping (KT) on electroneurography in individuals with CTS is limited, highlighting a significant gap in the literature. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of KT on palm numbness, pain intensity, hand grip strength, and median nerve electroneuromyography in individuals with mild to moderate CTS.MethodThis was a randomized, controlled, parallel design study. Twenty-seven participants diagnosed with CTS through hospital outpatient clinics were randomly assigned to either the control or KT group. The outcome measurements included hand grip strength, the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ), and electroneurography, assessed at baseline and after 6 weeks of intervention. The statistical method used was non-parametric analysis, comparing differences with the median and interquartile range (IQR).ResultsBoth the KT and control groups significantly improved the numbness grades, hand grip strength, and the BCTQ. The kinesio-taping group demonstrated an improvement in grip strength with a median increase of 2.21 kg (IQR: 0.65–3.79 kg), compared to the control group, which showed a median increase of only 0.70 kg (IQR: 0.22–1.45 kg). Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.039), with an effect size of r = 0.33.ConclusionThis study suggested that KT can be a supplementary treatment to relieve pain intensity, enhance hand grip strength, and improve sensory conduction velocity, motor latency, and motor amplitude.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN82192319, ISRCTNregistry (No. ISRCTN82192319).

Supporting Organizations in Improving Employee Bulk E-mail --- A Tool Design and Evaluation Study

Organizations often send bulk emails to employees to make them aware of policy changes, organization plans, and events. Many of these emails, however, are long digests with many separate messages that waste employees' time and reduce their awareness. This study introduces CommTool--a prototype tool to help organizational communicators better understand their emails' performance and cost. We first interviewed 5 communicators and identified the need to measure the performance of each message within bulk email. Then we iteratively designed and deployed an organizational bulk email evaluation platform (CommTool), which enables communicators to get diverse message-level metrics such as reading time, relevance rate, comments, etc. We evaluated these designs through a 2-month field deployment with 5 communicators and 149 organization employees. We found that 1) the message-level metrics, such as reading time and relevance rate, helped communicators understand their audience and design bulk emails; 2) the cost and reputation metrics did not influence the organization leaders' decisions. We summarize with suggestions on designing organizational bulk email evaluation platforms that provide message-level performance and cost information.

Social Pain Minimization Mediates Discrimination’s Effect on Sleep Health

ABSTRACT Objective Discrimination disrupts sleep and contributes to race-based health inequities for Black Americans, but less is known about the psychological mechanisms underlying this relation. The current work tests whether emotion invalidation, termed Social Pain Minimization (SPM), mediates discrimination’s negative effects on sleep quality. We focus on the experiences of Black Americans because of racism’s disproportionate effect on the health outcomes of Black individuals in the U.S. Methods Four studies with cross-sectional (Studies 1a-1b) and cross-lagged panel designs (Studies 2–3; N total = 1,176) were used. Discrimination and SPM were assessed with established measures and self-reported sleep quality was assessed with three different operationalizations including the short form Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Sleep-Related Impairment (SRI) subscale and composites of the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Results Cross-sectional (Studies 1a-1b) and longitudinal mediation analyses (Studies 2–3) indicated discrimination’s negative effect on sleep quality partially operated through SPM (Study 1a, 95% CI = [−.24, −.016]); Study 1b, 95% CI = [−.22, −.03]; Study 2, 95% CI = [−.268, −.007]]; Study 3, 95% CI = [−0.043, −.002]). Conclusion Beyond its direct negative effect on sleep, discrimination also operates through SPM to reduce sleep quality. Emotion invalidation stemming from discrimination damages sleep.

A DEVICE-BASED (GAITON) SAGITTAL PLANE KINEMATICS ANALYSIS OF LOWER EXTREMITY JOINTS AMONG PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS – A METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH.

Background: Gait assessment is an effective method for identifying functional limitations associated with knee Osteoarthritis and understanding the relationship between disease symptoms and gait quality. Objective: To evaluate the mean difference in the kinematics of lower extremity joints among patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: A total of 20 people living with Knee OA were recruited as of 25th September 2024 in this prospective cross-sectional design study. The eligible participants were conveniently recruited from the SRM physiotherapy OPD based on voluntary participation after signing the informed consent. Adult participants aged 18 years and above, both sexes and able to walk independently without mobility aids were recruited and the joint kinematics were measured using the GaitOn Software, 2-dimensional analysis, and sagittal kinematic parameters of stance phase. Results: The mean age of the patients was 53.6 ± 7.3, and the mean BMI was 29.1±4.6. The one sample t-test demonstrated a statistically significant difference between kinematic angles of the lower extremity joint in sagittal plane of population mean (reference value) and sample mean (measured by GaitOn); Initial contact phase (hip: mean diff -4.06, p<0.01, ankle: mean diff 34.1, p < 0.0001), Loading response (hip: mean diff -5.8. p <0.001, knee: mean diff 9.6, p < 0.001, ankle: mean diff 32.4, p < 0.001). Midstance (hip: mean diff 11.06, p <0.001, ankle: 31.4, p< 0.001). Terminal stance (hip: mean diff 28.3, p< 0.004, ankle: mean diff 31.4, p< 0.001) and Pre-swing (hip: mean diff 16.5, p< 0.001, ankle: mean diff 31.4, p< 0.001). Conclusions: The hip and ankle joints equally share knee kinematic compensations. By acknowledging the complex interactions between the hip, ankle, and knee joints, healthcare providers can develop more comprehensive and effective treatment plans for individuals with knee OA.

Leveraging the Power of Storytelling to Encourage and Empower Children towards Strong Passwords

With the increasing use of computer and smartphones by children, their online safety has been of major concern due to their limited security knowledge and skills. User authentication is pivotal for their security protection, where a body of work focused on children's password practices. The insights from these studies highlight children's lack of awareness and skills in creating a strong password. However, there is a dearth in existing literature to understand the scopes of designs for encouraging and empowering children towards strong passwords. As we begin to address this gap, we leveraged the power of storytelling to foster user attachment, encouragement, and empowerment. To this end, we adopted a systematic approach through a series of studies. First, a focus group session with three experts whose research primarily focuses on children contributed to build the narrative of a story, followed by a participatory design study with 20 children (aged between 8 and 12) to understand their preferences and perceptions of design components for the visual depiction of that narrative. The insights from focus group and participatory design led to the design of 'Story', a digital storytelling based design representing password advice for children. We also created the baseline designs and compared them with Story in a within-subject survey with 44 children aged between 8 and 12. The findings from our study unpack the efficacy of storytelling, leading us to offer guidelines for future research in these directions.

Dual inhibition strategy addressing hyperuricemia and oxidative stress: design, biological evaluation and stability studies of febuxostat-probenecid mutual prodrug

Dual inhibition strategy addressing hyperuricemia and oxidative stress: design, biological evaluation and stability studies of febuxostat-probenecid mutual prodrug

The cognitive gap in the mathematical thinking abilities of high school leavers for college: Are they ready?

After students spend approximately 12 years of formal math learning from high school, they bring a store of enormous “learned” mathematics factual knowledge to face the challenges and prepare for college/tertiary level learning. However, research has shown that early tertiary-level students struggle to learn college mathematics. The ability to think mathematically and use this learned factual knowledge (mathematical thinking) to solve higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) problems is essential to tertiary education. Thus, do these high school leavers have access to previously learned factual knowledge and use it effectively in solving these HOTS problems? This sequential research design study was conducted among 640 high school leavers who received an A in their national examination. In the first phase, the researchers investigated their mathematical thinking ability, followed by interviews with selected students on the difficulties and challenges they faced in solving the underlying problems. The findings showed that these students lack the ability to effectively use the previously learned factual knowledge from school mathematics to solve mathematical thinking problems. Secondly, they lack the habitual mind to check their answers after deriving a solution to a given problem. Thirdly, most rarely used heuristics to devise a strategy to solve fundamental math problems. Although the expectation of the school math curriculum over the last decade has been re-engineered towards “teaching students to think,” this expectation has yet to be fulfilled. Thus, university educators must do more to guarantee that high school leavers can deconstruct their mathematical knowledge and reconnect it with the underpinnings and linkages of college mathematics requirement.

Examining Studies on the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Treating Eating Disorders: A Look at Both Western and Asian Studies

This paper explores the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in the treatment of eating disorders, looking at the findings of the past three years by examining Western and Asian studies. Eating disorders (EDs), as a global health problem, cover a range of serious mental health conditions marked by abnormal eating patterns, unhealthy food-related behaviors, and intense or obsessive obsession with weight and body shape. The purpose of this article is to discuss the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of eating disorders. The article reviews the relevant Western and Asian studies and reviews a research result in the past three years. The result shows a more comprehensive assessment of clinical impairment, eating disorder symptoms, and anxiety symptoms in the context of the CBT-E intervention. However, there are limitations to the certainty of results in this literature due to differences between studies in design, follow-up period, sample size, and patient diagnosis and age. Future studies should further discuss the effects of treatment in different cultural contexts to more accurately understand the potential impact of treatment.

Optimizing Rice Heating Efficiency: A Comparative Study of Zigzag Rail Design and Hybrid Induction Heating in a Novel Rice Heating System

Optimizing Rice Heating Efficiency: A Comparative Study of Zigzag Rail Design and Hybrid Induction Heating in a Novel Rice Heating System

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Activity Studies of Myricetin Derivatives Containing a Diisopropanolamine Structure.

A series of myricetin derivatives containing diisopropanolamine were designed and synthesized. The in vitro inhibitory effects of the target compounds on 9 fungal pathogens and 3 bacterial pathogens were also evaluated. A12 had the best inhibitory effect against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), with an EC50 value of 4.9 μg/mL, which was better than zinc-thiazole (ZT: EC50 = 7.3 μg/mL) and thiodiazole-copper (TC: EC50 = 65.5 μg/mL); A25 had the best inhibitory effect against Phomopsis sp. (Ps), with an EC50 value of 17.2 μg/mL, which was better than azoxystrobin (Az: EC50 = 22.3 μg/mL). In vivo inhibition tests were performed on kiwifruit for A25 and rice leaves for A12. At 200 μg/mL, the curative activity of A12 against rice leaf blight was 40.7%, which was better than that of ZT (37.2%) and TC (32.9%), and the protective activity of A12 was 44.8%, which was better than that of ZT (39.5%) and TC (34.6%). The curative activity of A25 against kiwi soft rot disease was 70.1%, which was better than that of Az (62.8%). Preliminary elucidation of the possible mechanisms of action was carried out by experiments on fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, formation of biofilms, density functional theory calculations, and so on.

A Compressive Armchair (OTO) to Perform Deep Pressure Therapy in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: User-Centered Design and Feasibility Study.

Deep pressure therapy (DPT) is widely used to reduce anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but evidence of its efficacy is limited. This study aims to design a usable, nonstigmatizing compressive armchair that can be easily controlled, electronically, by the user. A user-centered approach was used to assess the usability of the device. Testing was carried out in a day hospital for children with ASD in France, with a convenience sample of children with severe forms of ASD and intellectual deficiency (N=39). The Witteman design guideline was used. The System Usability Scale and time of use were reported. The final product is a compressive armchair designed to be user centered, with 4 different cells that can be inflated to induce tailored pressure on the body. The pressure level is recorded electronically. Usability was between good and excellent. The device was used by 39 children, once or twice weekly, over a period of 31 months. Each session lasted between 3 and 20 minutes. The armchair takes up less space than a hug machine. Performing sessions with the chair is feasible. First clinical impressions show a decrease in anxiety, improved emotional regulation, and improved attention. DPT is widely used in occupational therapy and frequently requested by parents, but efficacy studies are too scarce to make evidence-based recommendations for its use. The results presented here support further controlled efficacy studies of DPT in the treatment of anxiety in children with ASD.

Design and Seismic Performance Study of Multistage Controllable Isolation Bearing for High-Speed Railway Simply Supported Beam

The high-speed railway (HSR) system imposes stringent requirements for track smoothness. However, conventional seismic isolation bearings frequently fail to meet these demands. To address this challenge, a novel seismic isolation bearing was developed based on the principle of functional separation design. This innovative bearing effectively achieves the multistage control objectives, including amplitude limitation to ensure track smoothness during frequent earthquakes, energy dissipation to guarantee train running safety during design earthquakes, and structural integrity maintenance to prevent beam collapse during rare earthquakes. Firstly, an overview of the novel isolation bearing’s structural design and operational principle is provided. Subsequently, a corresponding mechanical model is formulated, with the parameters of the new bearing determined through finite element analysis. The study then compares the seismic performance of the general rubber bearing and the new bearing, using an HSR simply supported bridge as an engineering background. The dynamic response of the bridge under varying seismic waves, pier heights, and bridge spans is meticulously analyzed. The results indicate that the new bearing can achieve multistage control. Compared to general bearings, it reduces bridge displacement vibration by over 46.4% under frequent, design, and rare earthquakes. The bridge deformation under frequent earthquakes remains below 3 mm, thus meeting the track smoothness requirements for normal HSR operations. Additionally, the study reveals that higher pier heights increase the seismic response, peaking at 15 m. The vibration reduction provided by the new bearing varies but remains effective in most earthquake scenarios, with maximum reductions of 92.9% for displacement and 74.17% for bending moment. Furthermore, larger bridge spans also increase the seismic response, with the 24 m span bridge outperforming the 32 m span bridge. In conclusion, the novel seismic isolation bearing significantly enhances the seismic performance of HSR bridges, ensuring train running safety and operational reliability.

Design and performance study of narrowband polarized colloidal quantum dots photodetector

Abstract Colloidal quantum dot-based (CQD) photodetectors have shown exceptional potential for low-cost, room-temperature broadband imaging. However, the isotropic optical properties of the CQD absorber hinder the capability for multi-dimensional photodetection, such as polarization. Here, we design and theoretically study a CQD photodetector with an encapsulation layer and metal grating layer, which can achieve narrowband polarization sensitivity with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 230 nm at a wavelength of 2 μm. We first investigate the effect of the geometric parameters of the architecture. Moreover, we examine the broadband polarized optical properties and analyze the corresponding mechanisms. A large linear polarization ratio of 66 is obtained at an illuminated light wavelength of 2 μm. These results contribute to offering a promising design for constructing narrowband polarized CQD photodetectors, particularly for quantum information processing in the realms of quantum communication and quantum cryptography.

Efficacy and Safety of Amiodarone and Propranolol in Pediatric Cardiology for Arrhythmia After Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Design Study

Efficacy and Safety of Amiodarone and Propranolol in Pediatric Cardiology for Arrhythmia After Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Design Study

Leveraging textured flickers: a leap toward practical, visually comfortable, and high-performance dry EEG code-VEP BCI.

Reactive Brain-Computer Interfaces (rBCIs) typically rely on repetitive visual stimuli, which can strain the eyes and cause attentional distraction. To address these challenges, we propose a novel approach rooted in visual neuroscience to design visual Stimuli for Augmented Response (StAR). The StAR stimuli consist of small, randomly-oriented Gabor or Ricker patches that optimize foveal neural response while reducing peripheral distraction.

Methods: In a factorial design study, 24 participants equipped with an 8-dry electrode EEG system focused on series of target flickers presented under three formats: traditional Plain flickers, Gabor-based, or Ricker-based flickers. These flickers were part of a five-class Code Visually Evoked Potentials (c-VEP) paradigm featuring low-frequency, short, and aperiodic visual flashes.

Results: Subjective ratings revealed that Gabor and Ricker stimuli were visually comfortable and nearly invisible in peripheral vision compared to plain flickers. Moreover, Gabor and Ricker-based textures achieved higher accuracy (93.6% and 96.3%, respectively) with only 88 seconds of calibration data, compared to plain flickers (65.6%). A follow-up online implementation of this experiment was conducted to validate our findings in naturalistic operations. During this trial, remarkable accuracies of 97.5% in a cued task and 94.3% in an asynchronous digicode task were achieved, with a mean decoding time as low as 1.68 seconds.

Conclusion: This work demonstrates the potential to expand BCI applications beyond the lab by integrating visually unobtrusive systems with gel-free, low-density EEG technology, thereby making BCIs more accessible and efficient. The datasets, algorithms, and BCI implementations are shared through open-access repositories.

Utilising H5P Simulations to Enhance Social Work Education

Higher education is tasked with the challenge of producing graduate-ready professionals. Thus, alternative learning and assessment activities are needed to provide students with real-life complex experiences, particularly in fields like social work. This quasi-experimental design study explored the effectiveness of H5P virtual simulation to teach assessment and direct practice skills to social work students (n = 80). Mixed-methods data based on the pre/post outcomes of skill development were analysed using descriptive and bi-variate analysis as well as thematic analysis for qualitative data. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test reveals significant outcomes in assessment and practice skills between pre- and post-measures. The qualitative findings include three key themes: (1) realism, (2) engagement, and (3) practice skills. This study provides evidence and highlights the importance of using virtual simulation to help students develop skills to manage complex real-world problems.

Design Method for Low-Ice-Class Propellers Based on Multi-Objective Optimization

The objective of this paper was to establish a comprehensive methodology for the optimized design of propellers for ice-class vessels, aiming to enhance hydrodynamic efficiency while ensuring structural integrity. This paper begins by introducing a novel approach for calculating blade stress, which takes into account both extreme ice loads and hydrodynamic loads, to be utilized in the propeller strength design process. Subsequently, a backpropagation (BP) neural network model was developed based on the data obtained from B-series propeller charts and integrated with a genetic algorithm to achieve a preliminary optimized design of the propeller’s hydrodynamic performance. To illustrate the application of this methodology, a case study of an ice-breaking tug propeller design is presented, detailing the optimization design process, including the preliminary, intermediate, and final design stages. The study also addresses key aspects such as geometric parameterization, the selection of optimization variables, the implementation of optimization algorithms, and the balance of multi-objective trade-offs. The proposed design approach can serve as a valuable reference for the practical engineering design of propellers for ice-class vessels, providing a systematic framework for achieving optimal performance in challenging operating conditions.

Design, synthesis, biological evaluation and computational studies of 4-Aminopiperidine-3, 4-dihyroquinazoline-2-uracil derivatives as promising antidiabetic agents

A novel series of 4-aminopiperidin-3,4-dihyroquinazoline-2-uracil derivatives (9a-9 L) were logically designed and synthesized as potent DPP4 inhibitors as antidiabetic agents. Chemical structure of all new compounds were confirmed by different spectroscopic methods. The designed compounds were evaluated using a MAK 203 kit as DPP4 inhibitors in comparison with Sitagliptin. The biological evaluation revealed that compound 9i bearing chloro substitution on phenyl moiety of 6-bromo quinazoline ring had promising inhibitory activity with IC50 = 9.25 ± 0.57 µM. The toxicity test of all compounds confirmed safety profile of them. Kinetic studies showed that compound 9i exhibited a competitive-type inhibition with a Ki value of 12.01 µM. Computational approach supported the rationality of our design strategy, as 9i represented appropriate binding interactions with the active sites of DPP4 target. MD simulation outputs validated the stability of ligand 9i at DPP4 active site. Also, Density functional theory (DFT) including HOMO-LUMO energies, ESP map, thermochemical parameters, and theoretical IR spectrum was employed to study the reactivity descriptors of 9i and 9a as the most and least potent compounds respectively. Based on the DFT study, compound 9i was softer and, as a result, more reactive than 9a. Taken together, our results showed the potential of 4-aminopiperidin-3,4-dihyroquinazoline-2-uracil derivatives as promising candidates for developing some novel DPP4 inhibitors for managing of type 2 diabetes.