The Importance of Access to the SCOPUS Database in the Economic Crisis Condition

Data acquisition and delivering information resources to clients are among the most vital functions of libraries. However, current political and economic crisis has imposed unpleasant effects on these functions. In such conditions, selecting information resources becomes an ever more complex task. This research intends to answer the question on whether or not the purchase of Scopus services in such a crisis, which makes the subscription of credible scientific journals much more difficult, is a beneficial choice for Iranian medical libraries. The problem will be answered by analyzing the accessibility to full text articles via “view at publisher” image links in Scopus database. Different studies have already been carried out on the abilities and features of Scopus database in scientometric and citation analysis. However, it seems that current study is the first research to examine the value and importance of existing link for accessing the full-text articles such as "view at publisher" link. This link is one of the remarkable features devised in Scopus which has a special importance for end users. Hence, access ratio to full-text documents cited in articles written by Iranian medical faculties was studied through the "view at publisher" link in Scopus, and also via a link devised in the A-Z list of full-text journals in the Iranian National Medical Digital Library database, available at URL: www.inlm.org, followed by comparing the results obtained through the study. Results showed the ability of Scopus to make full-text articles accessible for users' depending on the type and level of individuals or institutional subscription. Such ability itself could justify the necessity for subscribing to Scopus by the universities of medical sciences. Regardless of other features of Scopus such as scientometric studies, etc., this ability becomes more important when access to some articles depends on paying subscription fee either privately or institutionally. Moreover, this ability provides the end-users to have access to a large volume of free papers. So, Scopus could be introduced as a gateway/portal for an easier access to full-text documents of various databases

A Mobile Cloud-Based eHealth Scheme

Mobile cloud computing is an emerging field that is gaining popularity across borders at a rapid pace. Similarly, the field of health informatics is also considered as an extremely important field. This work observes the collaboration between these two fields to solve the traditional problem of extracting Electrocardiogram signals from trace reports and then performing analysis. The developed system has two front ends, the first dedicated for the user to perform the photographing of the trace report. Once the photographing is complete, mobile computing is used to extract the signal. Once the signal is extracted, it is uploaded into the server and further analysis is performed on the signal in the cloud. Once this is done, the second interface, intended for the use of the physician, can download and view the trace from the cloud. The data is securely held using a password-based authentication method. The system presented here is one of the first attempts at delivering the total solution, and after further upgrades, it will be possible to deploy the system in a commercial setting.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Impacts of COVID-19 and Taliban Takeover on U.S. Afghan Refugee Women’s Mental Health: A Socio-Ecological Approach to Resilience Resources

In response to the escalating global refugee crisis, intensified by ongoing conflicts and environmental changes, this dissertation research focuses on the mental health of Afghan refugee women in the United States (U.S.), particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 Taliban takeover. With over 114 million people displaced globally, Afghan refugees, notably women, encounter heightened mental health risks due to violence, deprivation, systemic persecution, and the challenges of migration. This vulnerability is exacerbated by recent mass traumatic events, including the pandemic and political upheaval in Afghanistan. Our study, conducted through semi-structured interviews with Afghan refugee women and service providers in California, U.S., employs a grounded theory-based thematic analysis to investigate the mental health impacts, support mechanisms, and integration challenges faced by Afghan women in the U.S. The research unfolds in three interconnected studies, each addressing different aspects of the refugee experience under the dual crises of COVID-19 and the Taliban takeover. The first study reveals the multifaceted stressors Afghan women face, including sociocultural challenges, economic hardship, health access barriers, and family struggles leading to significant mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Their coping strategies range from problem-focused efforts, such as skill acquisition and professional consultation, to emotion-focused practices, including social support and religious engagement. The second study assesses the support provided by governmental and non-governmental organizations, identifying both successes and gaps in services like financial aid, educational support, and mental health care. Barriers to effective support include policy inefficiencies, cultural and language differences, and patriarchal norms, while facilitators involve political attention and community contributions. The third study explores the pandemic’s impact on Afghan women’s integration into U.S. society, highlighting challenges and facilitators across individual, interpersonal, community, and societal levels. Integration challenges exacerbated by the pandemic include changing roles, financial literacy, language acquisition, and access to employment and education. Overall, our findings underscore the complex interplay of mental health, support systems, and integration processes for Afghan refugee women in the U.S. and advocate for cultural competence and long-term strategies to enhance their well-being and social inclusion. This dissertation research contributes a tailored conceptual framework for understanding and addressing the mental health needs of Afghan refugee women amid the pandemic and political turmoil, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive, culturally competent interventions and support networks

The Importance of Access to the SCOPUS Database in the Economic Crisis Condition

Data acquisition and delivering information resources to clients are among the most vital functions of libraries. However, current political and economic crisis has imposed unpleasant effects on these functions. In such conditions, selecting information resources becomes an ever more complex task. This research intends to answer the question on whether or not the purchase of Scopus services in such a crisis, which makes the subscription of credible scientific journals much more difficult, is a beneficial choice for Iranian medical libraries. The problem will be answered by analyzing the accessibility to full text articles via “view at publisher” image links in Scopus database. Different studies have already been carried out on the abilities and features of Scopus database in scientometric and citation analysis. However, it seems that current study is the first research to examine the value and importance of existing link for accessing the full-text articles such as "view at publisher" link. This link is one of the remarkable features devised in Scopus which has a special importance for end users. Hence, access ratio to full-text documents cited in articles written by Iranian medical faculties was studied through the "view at publisher" link in Scopus, and also via a link devised in the A-Z list of full-text journals in the Iranian National Medical Digital Library database, available at URL: www.inlm.org, followed by comparing the results obtained through the study. Results showed the ability of Scopus to make full-text articles accessible for users' depending on the type and level of individuals or institutional subscription. Such ability itself could justify the necessity for subscribing to Scopus by the universities of medical sciences. Regardless of other features of Scopus such as scientometric studies, etc., this ability becomes more important when access to some articles depends on paying subscription fee either privately or institutionally. Moreover, this ability provides the end-users to have access to a large volume of free papers. So, Scopus could be introduced as a gateway/portal for an easier access to full-text documents of various databases

The Role of Social Media in the Experiences of COVID-19 Among Long-Hauler Women: Qualitative Study

BackgroundThe extant literature suggests that women are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and at higher risk for developing long COVID. Due to pandemic mitigation recommendations, social media was relied upon for various aspects of daily life, likely with differences of usage between genders. ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the role and functions of social media in the lives of long-hauler women. MethodsParticipants were purposively snowball-sampled from an online health promotion intervention for long-hauler women with COVID-19 from March to June 2021. During this time, one-on-one, semistructured interviews were conducted online until data saturation was agreed to have been achieved (ie, 15 interviews). Interview transcripts and field notes were analyzed using an emergent, inductive approach. ResultsIn total, 15 women were enrolled. The main roles of social media included facilitating support group participation, experience sharing, interpersonal connections, and media consumption. Emergent themes demonstrated that participants rely on social media to fulfill needs of emotional support, social engagement, spirituality, health planning, information gathering, professional support, and recreationally for relaxation. As long-hauler women turn to social media to discuss symptom and health management as well as the intention to vaccinate, this study demonstrates both the associated benefits (ie, decreased isolation) and challenges (ie, misinformation, rumination, resentment, jealousy). ConclusionsThe public health implications of these findings support the development of gender-tailored health promotion interventions that leverage the benefits of social media, while mitigating the negative impacts, for women with long COVID

Resilience Resources and Coping Strategies of COVID-19 Female Long Haulers: A Qualitative Study

Background: Female long haulers deal with persistent post-acute COVID-19 symptoms that have serious health implications. This study aimed to identify resilience resources at multiple socio-ecological levels for female long haulers and describe how resilience resources affect their responses to long COVID. Methods: Purposive sampling was adopted to recruit participants through social media from April to June 2021 followed by 15 semi-structured interviews. An inductive analytical approach was adopted to categorize themes by open and axial coding that were verified by peer review. Results: Female long haulers relied on resources at various socio-ecological levels to foster their resilience in response to long COVID. At the individual level, they utilized cognitive and emotional resources to increase knowledge, learn new skills, set goals, and manage emotions; behavioral resources (e.g., internal motivation and executive functioning) to perform physical, creative, and recreational activities, and adopt healthier eating habits; and spiritual resources to perform spiritual rituals and connect with God. At the social level, the support from existing relationships and/or online social support groups enhanced their social identity and provided material and informational resources. At the health systems level, the guidance from counselors and physicians and availability of clinics, medicines, and health equipment assisted them in symptom management and medication adherence. Conclusion: The resilience of female long haulers can be enhanced through (1) offering financial and health-related resources, (2) developing online social-support groups, (3) counseling and care service training for healthcare professionals, and (4) implementing more psychosocial interventions by labor organizations

Impact of Mass Media on HIV/AIDS Stigma Reduction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

HIV-related stigma is a major barrier to HIV testing and care engagement. Despite efforts to use mass media to address HIV-related stigma, their impact on reducing HIV-related stigma remains unclear. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed publications quantitatively examining the impact of mass media exposure on HIV-related stigma reduction and published from January 1990 to December 2020. Of 388 articles found in the initial screening from scientific databases, 19 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. Sixteen articles reported the quantitative effect of mass media exposure on HIV-related stigma and were included in the meta-analysis. Systematic review results showed considerable heterogeneity in studied populations with a few interventions and longitudinal studies. Results suggested a higher interest in utilizing mass media by health policymakers in developing countries with greater HIV prevalence to reduce HIV-related stigma. Meta-analysis results showed a modest impact of mass media use on HIV-related stigma reduction. Despite heterogeneity in the impact of mass media on HIV-related stigma, Egger's regression test and funnel graph indicated no evidence for publication bias. Results demonstrated an increase in the impact of mass media on reducing HIV-related stigma over time and no correlation between the HIV prevalence in countries and the impact of mass media. In summary, mass media exposure has a modest and context-specific impact on HIV-related stigma reduction. More large-scale mass media interventions and studies addressing the impact of mass media on different forms of stigma are required to inform policies

Social Life of Females with Persistent COVID-19 Symptoms: A Qualitative Study

Persistent COVID-19 symptoms (long COVID) may bring challenges to long haulers’ social lives. Females may endure more profound impacts given their special social roles and existing structural inequality. This study explores the effects of long COVID on the social life of female long haulers. We conducted semi-structured interviews via Zoom between April and June 2021 with 15 female long haulers in the United States, purposely recruited from Facebook and Slack groups and organization websites related to long COVID. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim with consent. The interview data were managed using MAXQDA and examined by thematic analysis. Long COVID negatively affected female long haulers’ social lives by causing physical limitations, economic issues, altered social relationships, social roles’ conflicts, and social stigma. Long COVID prevented female long haulers’ recovery process. Physical limitations altered their perceptions on body, and family–work conflicts caused tremendous stress. They also experienced internalized stigma and job insecurities. This study provides insights into challenges that COVID-19 female long haulers could face in their return to normal social life, underscoring the vulnerability of females affected by long COVID due to significant alterations in their social lives. Shifting to new methods of communication, especially social media, diminished the adverse effects of long COVID (e.g., social isolation)

Social Life of Females with Persistent COVID-19 Symptoms: A Qualitative Study

Persistent COVID-19 symptoms (long COVID) may bring challenges to long haulers\u27 social lives. Females may endure more profound impacts given their special social roles and existing structural inequality. This study explores the effects of long COVID on the social life of female long haulers. We conducted semi-structured interviews via Zoom between April and June 2021 with 15 female long haulers in the United States, purposely recruited from Facebook and Slack groups and organization websites related to long COVID. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim with consent. The interview data were managed using MAXQDA and examined by thematic analysis. Long COVID negatively affected female long haulers\u27 social lives by causing physical limitations, economic issues, altered social relationships, social roles\u27 conflicts, and social stigma. Long COVID prevented female long haulers\u27 recovery process. Physical limitations altered their perceptions on body, and family-work conflicts caused tremendous stress. They also experienced internalized stigma and job insecurities. This study provides insights into challenges that COVID-19 female long haulers could face in their return to normal social life, underscoring the vulnerability of females affected by long COVID due to significant alterations in their social lives. Shifting to new methods of communication, especially social media, diminished the adverse effects of long COVID (e.g., social isolation)