Electronic Modulation Strategy for Mass-Producible Ultrastrong Multifunctional Biomass-Based Fiber Aerogel Devices: Interfacial Bridging.

The emergence of green flexible aerogel electronics based on natural materials is expected to solve part of the global environmental and energy crisis. However, it is still challenging to achieve large-scale production and multifunctional stable applications of natural biomass fiber aerogel (BFA) materials. Herein, we exploit the interfacial bridging between the flower-type titanium dioxide nanoarray (FTNA) and natural fiber substrates to modulate the electronic structure and loss mechanism to achieve multifunctional properties. Specifically, the fibrous substrate with wrinkled features induces lattice strain in titania through precise interfacial bridging, effectively improving the intrinsic properties of the BFA materials. This interfacial bridging regulation strategy is also confirmed by X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAS). More importantly, the construction of BFA products for different macroscopic and multifunctional applications through simple processing methods will facilitate the transition from natural materials to multifunctional flexible electronics. Therefore, the as-prepared blanket-type BFA (TCBFA) has good mechanical properties, electromagnetic protection properties, thermal stealth properties, high-temperature flame retardancy, and UV resistance. Meanwhile, the membrane-type (TCBFAM) multifunctional wearable fiber aerogel device exhibits superior flexibility, efficient Joule heating performance, and a smart response. This regulation strategy provides another concept for the design and innovation of green multifunctional fiber-integrated aerogels.

Disease stigma and intentions to seek care for stress urinary incontinence among community-dwelling women.

OBJECTIVES: Urinary incontinence (UI) threatens women's physical and mental health, but few women seek healthcare for their incontinence. Evidence is substantial that stigma may be associated with health service utilization for such diseases as mental illness, but sparse for UI. We examine the relationship between disease stigma and intentions to seek care for UI. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional community-based study was used. A purposive sample of 305 women aged 40-65 years in a Chinese city who had stress urinary incontinence (SUI) was enrolled from May to October in 2011. MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected on socio-demographic characteristics, UI symptoms, disease stigma and intentions to seek care. RESULTS: Social rejection was positively linearly related to intentions to seek care for UI (ß=0.207; 95% CI=0.152, 0.784), indicating that more social rejection predicted stronger intentions to seek care. Significant curvilinear association between internalized shame and intentions to seek care was observed (ß=-0.169; 95% CI=-0.433, -0.047). Compared to women with the low and high levels of internalized shame, those with the moderate level of internalized shame reported stronger intentions to seek care. CONCLUSION: The impact of stigma on intentions to seek care varies by aspects and levels of stigma. Social rejection enhances intentions to seek care while internalized shame influences intentions to seek care in a quadratic way. The crucial step of targeted interventions will be to disentangle subgroups of SUI women with different aspects and levels of stigma.

Disease stigma and its mediating effect on the relationship between symptom severity and quality of life among community-dwelling women with stress urinary incontinence: a study from a Chinese city.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between disease stigma and quality of life and whether disease stigma mediates the relationship between symptom severity and quality of life among community-dwelling women with stress urinary incontinence in China. BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinent patients perceived great stigma, which inhibited from seeking medical help. There is evidence that stigma associated with some other diseases had a complex relationship with illness severity and quality of life. However, little empirical research has examined the role that stigma plays among urinary incontinent population. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used. METHODS: A purposive sample of 333 women with stress urinary incontinence from a Chinese city was enrolled. Data were collected on symptom severity, disease stigma and quality of life using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form, Social Impact Scale and Incontinence Quality-of-Life Measure, respectively. The mediate effect of disease stigma was analysed using a series of hierarchical regression models. RESULTS: Disease stigma negatively correlated with quality of life among stress urinary incontinent women. Social isolation and internalised shame, but not social rejection, the domains of disease stigma, partially mediated the effect of symptom severity on quality of life, attenuating the effect by 34·3% together. CONCLUSIONS: Disease stigma impairs quality of life of women with stress urinary incontinence and mediates the association between symptom severity and quality of life. Health workers may improve their quality of life by addressing perceived stigma. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Our findings suggest that in clinical practice, stigma reduction may have the potential to not only improve quality of life, but also mitigate the impact of the severity on quality of life among urinary incontinent women. Social isolation and internalised shame should be more concerned in targeted interventions.