The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected all spheres of life, including the healthcare workforce. While the COVID-19 pandemic has started driving organizational and societal shifts, it is vital for healthcare organizations and decision-makers to analyse trends towards a changing workforce. In this study, we aim to identify patterns in healthcare job postings during the pandemic to understand the situation of healthcare job market during COVID-19 pandemic. Content analysis of job postings was conducted using data-driven approach over two time intervals in the pandemic. The topic modelling results clearly show a trend towards increased number of keywords associated with telehealth services in the US job postings. This study also suggests that there has been steady demand for telehealth services in the USA healthcare industry during the pandemic. The results and methods used in the study can help monitor rapid changes in the job market due to pandemics and crises.
Falls initiated by slips or trips are major safety and health concerns to older adults causing fatal and non-fatal injuries. This study analytically overviews the status of research and practices on the effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) technology as an advanced exercise method for fall prevention in the elderly. Relevant literature is detected by searching keywords and phrases through the databases of PubMed, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, and ResearchGate to find answers for the major questions on WBV practices. A thorough review analysis recognizes whether the effect of adapting WBV exercises to conventional ones will be beneficial to improve balance and prevent fall incidents amongst independently living community-dwelling elderly people.
Direct solar steam generation-based desalination processes require spontaneous transport of seawater/brine through porous wicks. Herein, we propose a nano/micro-structured wicks to enable unidirectional water propagation by chemically etching titanium meshes. Owing to the superhydrophilic and anti-corrosion nature of as-grown TiO2 nanostructures on titanium mesh, it promises great potential for seawater desalination and brine treatment. By utilizing infrared thermal imaging, we evaluate the wickability of nano/microstructured meshes by characterizing water propagation through its wetting front. Our experimental results confirm the proposed nano/microstructured TiO2/Ti meshes exhibit superior and reliable wicking performance.
This work presents the exploration of the rare earth high entropy oxides based catalysts: 5%Ni-500/CeGdLaPrSmO-CP, 10%Ni-500/CeGdLaPrSmO-CP, 10%Ni-900/CeGdLaPrSmO-CP and 15%Ni-500/CeGdLaPrSmO-CP and shades the light on investigating their catalytic activity for CO2 hydrogenation to methane reaction and explains their performance based on their morphological and textural properties. The high entropy oxide support CeGdLaPrSmO that crystalized into fluorite structure was synthesized by coprecipitation method and the nickel was added to it by the wet impregnation. The nickel loaded high entropy oxide based catalysts exhibited maximum activity that reached up to 51.2 % of converting CO2 at 500 ?C.
Water scarcity is one of the largest global risks to impact humanity in the upcoming decades, especially in the arid and undeveloped regions. The lack of readily available water in dry regions have caused a variety of animals and plants to adapt techniques to efficiently harvest fog and dew as a source of water. In this paper we report the ability of Tamarix aphylla, a desert shrub to efficiently harvest and absorb water from humid conditions in the desert.
In this work, influence of weight percent on the mechanical and physical properties of CNT-reinforced PVC(Poly-VinlyChloride) and Polyethylene/PVC composites has been studied by using Classical Molecular Dynamics simulation with Materials Studio 2017. 5wt.% single walled CNT (10,10) is used as a reinforcing agent with PVC and 9.0wt.% polyethylene were added to 91.0wt.% of PVC matrix. The simulation results i.e. longitudinal young's modulus, shear modulus and bulk modulus in composites support the idea that it is possible to use CNTs and Polyethylene to mechanically enhance the polymer matrix. The results obtained by this simulation are compared with conventional rule of mixtures
The digital light processing (DLP) technique is utilized to manufacture CNT-based nanocomposites with different concentrations of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). An optimization of resin development and additive manufacturing parameters was carried out to print the pristine and composite samples successfully. The prepared samples were tested for their mechanical properties and self-sensing capabilities to analyze the effect of the addition of CNTs in a polymeric matrix. A tensile test was carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties of pristine and nanocomposite samples. Electrical resistance data was collected while performing uniaxial tensile tests and used to compare the piezoresistive behavior of different nanocomposite specimens.
In this paper, an overview of the use of ionic liquids in 3rd generation solar cells is presented. Third generation photovoltaics are facile to prepare and their efficiencies to convert solar energy to electrical energy at a low cost is augmented every year. In particular, dye-sensitized solar cells, although not the proprietors of the highest efficiency among their 3rd generation peers, they come at a low cost and ease of production. However, they possess several disadvantages such as leakage and vaporization of electrolytes. The utilization of ionic liquids partially solves the issue of the stability and improves the performance of the solar cells at various electrolyte states.
The main challenge that hinders the use of lithium-ion batteries in space applications is their low performance at ultra-low temperatures. Such low performance is mostly due to the low ionic conductivity and freezing of the electrolyte leading to a significant loss in the battery's capacity. In this research, the behavior of a half-cell lithium-ion battery is investigated by employing electrochemical characterization techniques to study their performance at low temperatures. Based on the electrochemical behavior, the performance of half-cell batteries decreases rapidly at subzero temperatures in which it is completely degraded at -30 ℃. This study contributes to the development of Li-ion batteries for low temperature and space applications by understanding their electrochemical behavior.
This study was carried out to improve the strength of AA6061 Friction Stir Welded (FSW) joints by incorporating particulate reinforcements (B4C). Sheets of Al 6061 were welded by friction stir welding and the weld nugget was reinforced using B4C particles. The prepared weldment was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and optical microscopy for studying microstructural and electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) for elemental analysis. It was observed that the addition of reinforcement increased in the ultimate tensile strength and hardness of the welded area. Scanning electron micrographs were taken to observe the dispersion and changes occurred to the reinforcements during friction stir welding. Universal testing machine (UTM) was used to perform tensile testing and hardness will be performed on Vickers's hardness tester. Reinforced welds resulted in the increase in the strength of the Al alloy joint.
