ABSTRACT
At present, the filtration of virus and other small particles in the air by meltblown cloth produced by electret treatment mainly depends on its electrostatic adsorption mechanism. However, because the surface charge of melt blown fabric can not be maintained for a long time, it can not maintain high efficiency filtration for a long time. Therefore, there is no guarantee for the medical staffs to not be infected by COVID-19. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the mechanical filtration efficiency of melt blown fabric in the situation of an electric charge loss. In this paper, nylon 6 (PA6) nanofibers were electrospun on melt blown cloth by electrospinning technology, and a sandwich material with melt blown cloth as surface layer and PA6 nanofibers as middle layer was made by hot- pressing technology;the surface morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of the sandwich material were characterized, and its filtration performance was tested. The experimental results show that the surface integrity of the sandwich material is high, and the diameter of nanofibers can reach about 67 nm;without the electret treatment, the filtration efficiency of the sandwich material for particles in an size of 0.2 μm is more than 95%,while the filtration efficiency of non-woven fabric is zero;the filtration resistance of the material is about 284 Pa, which is suitable for personal protection. © 2023 Chengdu University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: Depression and anxiety impact recovery and quality of life in 1 in 3 stroke survivors. Caregivers also experience burnout. Creative art-based therapy boosts feelings of accomplishment, self-esteem, and neuroplasticity by stimulating diverse brain regions. Few outpatient art therapy programs exist for stroke survivors and caregivers, limited further during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to implement an outpatient, student-run virtual art therapy curriculum using a patient-carer team approach to foster a supportive peer community, reduce depressive symptoms in survivors, and increase relief for caregivers. Methods: A multidisciplinary team of stroke physician, nurse, occupational therapist, clinic managers, and undergraduate student volunteers created an evidenced-based art therapy curriculum feasible for stroke survivors. An art educator trained volunteers in empathetic communication, teaching techniques, and patient privacy. Participants pre-registered for weekly 1 hour classes held via video conference and received art materials by mail. We administered surveys at initial registration and quarterly. An institutional grant provided funding. Results: From September 2020 - July 2021, Healing Strokes hosted 30 classes using the curriculum (Table 1) for 71 survivors and caregivers from 9 states at a 1:5 volunteer-to-participant ratio. 20 participants (14 survivors, 6 caregivers) self-reported benefits of peer support, creative inspiration, increased sense of accomplishment, and improvement in speech and fine motor skills. Conclusion: Implementation of a virtual outpatient art-based therapy program for stroke survivors and caregivers is feasible with participants self-reporting benefits in functional recovery and mood. Post-stroke supportive care programs can expand to include art therapy during a pandemic. Future studies can validate the impact on peer support, function, and post-stroke depression and anxiety. (Figure Presented).