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Background: Earlier research has found that female healthcare providers often report greater spirituality and spiritual care than males. This would evoke attention toward factors contributing to such differences, particularly gender. Aim: To examine the moderating effects of gender on the relationships between demographic characteristics of ICU nurses and their perceived spirituality and spiritual care. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational design was used to recruit a national sample of 865 nurses working in ICUs in Jordan and providing care to patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Data were collected using a self-report bilingual version of Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSC) and analysed using the SPSS software package. Results: Social status, monthly income, and receiving previous courses or lecture training on spirituality and spiritual care were predictors of higher SSCRS scores. Working with COVID-19 patients was a positive predictor (B = 0.074, p = 0.023), suggesting that working with COVID-19 patients is more likely to have a higher level of SSC. Gender was a negative predictor (B = − 0.066, p = 0.046), suggesting that female participants are likelier to have a lower SSC score. Conclusion: Working with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic positively impacted nurses' perception of SCC, but female nurses had lower score than male nurses indicating the need for more emphasis on training female nurses and exploring further the areas in which they need more training and to be able to provide an effective SSC. A sustainable up-to-date training and in-service education programs responding to nurses' needs and emerged emergencies crisis need to be integrated into nursing quality of care policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-Textiles have gained enormous attention due to their specific characteristics in various non-conventional applications such as electromagnetic shielding materials. With the advent of various high frequency-driven devices, the need to restrict the non-ionizing radiations from their undesired effects became imperative. Due to the ease of production, better electrical conductivity and durability, the conductive hybrid cover yarns with continuous metallic filaments have earned its place as the most convenient form of yarns to develop E-textiles. However, controlling the amount of conducting material in yarns poses a challenge as the increase in size of the metallic filaments are associated with reduced electromagnetic shielding effectiveness due to increased stiffness of yarns, which resists in proper interlacement and hence causes openness in fabrics. The proposed design of conductive hybrid cover yarns is proven to have better tensile properties and modulus, therefore this design is more suitable to produced fabrics with higher cover factors. The amount of conducting material in the proposed design increased significantly without changing the size of the continuous filaments. Moreover, 99.9% shielding effectiveness is achieved with this increased metal content in fabrics in S-band and partly C-band microwave frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presented the microstrip-fed circular disc monopole antenna with defected waveguide structure. First, the microstrip-fed circular disc monopole antenna was designed. Next, the monopole antenna was designed with waveguide and lastly followed by the defected waveguide structure where the uniplanar compact (UC) structure was used. CST Microwave studio software was used for simulation and parametric studies process. Initially, the microstrip-fed circular disc monopole antenna was designed to achieve return loss less than -10dB for wideband frequencies. Then, the gain and directivity was improved with the integration of waveguide. The highest directivity of 11.38dBi found at 13.5GHz. However, low efficiency and narrower bandwidth were obtained. Next, uniplanar compact defected waveguide structure (UC DWS) was designed at inner surface of waveguide. The bandwidth achieved 3.09GHz where it covered from 10.91GHz to 14GHz. Meanwhile, the directivity maintained higher than the monopole antenna with highest directivity of 8.84dBi at 10GHz. The gain was also improved from 11GHz to 14GHz with highest gain of 6.38dB occurred at 13.5GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are daily occurrences in Malaysia but the extent to which victims are psychologically affected is not well known. The objective of this study is to determine the incidence and demographic characteristics of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to MVAs at a university hospital in Malaysia. Methods: Patients presenting to the emergency department from August to October 2014 due to MVA-related injuries were recruited. After a period of at least one month, they were followedup and screened using the validated Malay Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Civilian version. A score of 30 was chosen as the cut-off point for PTSD. Results: In total, 112 patients presented to the emergency department following MVAs during the study period. Of these, 60.7% agreed for the follow-up. Among the respondents, the mean age was 26 years, 91.2% were males, 66.2% were married, 85.3% were Malays and 88.3% were Muslims. The calculated incidence of PTSD was 7.4%. There was no significant difference noted between the PTSD and non-PTSD groups. Conclusion: A considerable number of MVA victims in Malaysia may develop PTSD after the accident. Further research is needed to explore the factors that contribute or protect to develop the condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, activated carbon produced from coconut (Co) and oil palm (Op) shells has been applied in different percentages (5, 10 and 15%) on polyester and cotton fabrics through coating and pigment printing techniques. Two types of odour measurements are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the anti-odour activated carbon, namely through the human olfactory tests and by using a device called portable electronic nose 3 (PEN 3). Prior to the tests, the treated and control fabric samples are exposed to onion odour simulating to body odour. The results show that fabrics containing activated carbon are able to reduce odour. The coated activated carbon fabrics show a better result than the printed activated carbon fabrics. The higher the concentration of activated carbons on the fabrics, the lower it generates odour intensity and odour annoyance, which also lower the odour of onion on the fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrow Bipolar Pulses (NBPs) is a special type of intra-cloud lightning discharge activities and was observed with both polarities: negative (NNBP) and positive (NPBP). It is known with other names also such as Narrow Bipolar Events (NBEs), energetic intracloud events, and Compact Intracloud Discharges (CIDs). NBP signatures have been measured by using various methods such as electric field change recording systems, HF-VHF direct measurement systems (filter-detector receiver), and satellite-based systems. To the best of our knowledge, there are no attempts have been made to measure NBP signatures at microwave region so far. In this paper, observations of microwave radiation from thunderstorms have been made during the northeastern monsoon season of 2012 in Malaysia. Fast electric field change recording and broadband microwave receiver systems have captured simultaneous records of NBPs electric field change and microwave radiation, respectively. Strong noise-like burst of microwave radiation pulses associated with NBP events were detected. The total duration of the microwave bursts of the pulses is in the range between 2 and 8 µs for both NNBPs and NPBPs. More than 70% of the recorded radiation bursts arrived a few microseconds before the onset of the corresponding NBPs. The analyzed temporal characteristics of the microwave radiation bursts for both NNBPs and NPBPs are similar and indistinctive. In contrast, the analyzed NNBPs and NPBPs temporal characteristics are distinctive to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports study on the determination of the actuation performance of shape memory alloy (SMA) friction-spun yarns (SMA FSY). Thin SMA actuator wire has been spun with 100% cotton fibres into the core of the friction spun yarn structure using DREF 3000 friction spinning. The delivery speed (m/min) an suction pressure (rpm) are varied, while the spinning drum speed as well as the core-sheath ratio are kept constant during production. The SMA FSY has been electrically heated using a customized instrument and the results are reported as the work done (potential energy) and output power (Watt) needed to lift the load (constant weight) from staticcondition. The actuation performances of the SMA FSY are compared with SMA wires actuation performance without sheath. The changes in spinning parameters show different actuation performance of SMA FSY, which is measured as the height to lift the load and the time taken for the SMA core to return to the pre-determined shape. The cohesion between the sheath and the wire may have contributed to the difference in the actuation performance based on the internal friction test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports an investigation on the ballistic impact performance of high strength unidirectional (UD) fabrics UHMWPE coated with natural rubber latex (NRL). The effects of adding calcium carbonate in the NRL on the ballistic impact were also studied. Several NRL coated UD fabrics were assembled together with neat UD fabrics in a 12-ply fabric system. The ballistic limit and energy absorption of the fabric systems were determined. Results of the ballistic limit test showed that the NRL coated UD fabrics gave some positive effects in enhancing the ballistic impact performance of the fabric systems in comparison with all-neat fabric systems. Several mechanisms of energy absorption were observed on the fabric systems which include burn marks, fibre stretching, fibre pull-out, shearing, delamination of fabric plies for completely penetrated fabric systems and a punched-out effect on the back ply of partially penetrated fabric systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes some studies on the development of shape memory alloy (SMA) core-sheath friction yarns. SMA wires for actuating purposes were utilised as a conductive element in the core-sheath friction yarn. A DREF 3000 friction spinning machine was used to produce the yarns. The conductive yarn was spun with the SMA actuator wire at the core and 100% cotton fibers in the second layer as the sheath producing a yarn called SMA core-sheath friction yarn (SMA CSFY). During spinning, the core-sheath ratio and spinning drum speeds were varied. The main purposes of the study were to evaluate the SMA CSFY single yarn tensile strength and its actuating performance against changes in the spinning process parameters. The results showed that SMA CSFY with the highest spinning drum speed and 60% core gave the highest tensile strength and fastest actuation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of infill or reinforced masonry to overall response of reinforced concrete frames has been the interest of many researchers for the last five decades. Recently, more attention has been paid to structures made of reinforced masonry with high strength concrete frame. In this study, the effect of different reinforcement patterns aligned horizontally, vertically or in mesh within the masonry panel is investigated. The salient features of the behavior of the system under consideration were the modes of failure, deformational characteristics, strain development, and ultimate capacity. An experimental program was performed and then nonlinear finite element analysis was conducted. The computational model was verified and subsequently employed to provide more insight into the behavior and the transmission of internal forces for the composite system of reinforced masonry panels and reinforced concrete frame. The results indicated some important aspects regarding the reinforcement ratio, location, and the execution process to enhance the performance in cases of gravitational loading as well as push-over analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present work, an inorganic dopant TiO2 nanoparticles are introduced into the PDPP3T polymer host material and deposited as thin films via spin coating. Different solvent are investigated to get efficient dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles as well as effective dissolution of PDPP3T material. The role of TiO2 particles towards optical absorption of PDPP3T material is studied by preparing different PDPP3T/TiO2 blend ratios and annealed at different temperatures. Toluene is found an efficient solvent for the dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles as well as dissolution of PDPP3T material. Significant increase in optical absorption in UV region 300-400nm is observed for the PDPP3T/TiO2 blend ratio 1:0.2 and the annealing temperature 310oC. The deposited thin film with four layers have demonstrated significant blue shift in peak wavelength and increase in the absorption in UV region (300-400nm). XRD analysis reveals amorphous nature of all deposited thin film. No significant variations in chemical structure are observed with increase in thickness of deposited layer. The addition of TiO2 particle in PDPP3T material significantly enhanced the optical absorption in UV region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of cadmium ion insertion on structural, optical and electrical properties of Zn0.3 Co0.7-xCdxFe2O4 ferrites ( 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.7 with interval 0.14) have been characterized by XRD, EDX, FTIR, UV and I-V techniques. The material was synthesized using coprecipitation route. The growth of single phase cubic structure of samples was confirmed using XRD technique. The crystallite size was calculated from XRD spectra, which was found in the range of 27-39 nm. The FTIR spectra showed the two strong absorption bands at about 443 cm-1 and 547.08 cm-1 which confirmed their spinel cubic phase. The electrical resistivity of synthesized ferrites with the insertion of Cd2+ ion was found to be in the range of 4.14×108 - 9.67×108 Ω-cm. The electrical resistivity was found to be decreasing with increase of temperature. The activation energy also increased with the increase of Cd2+ and was found in the range of 0.02 - 0.05 eV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zn-substituted Cu-Ni ferrite nanoparticles ZnxCu0.5-xNi0.5Fe2O4, (where 0 = x = 0.5 with interval 0.1) have been synthesized using co-precipitation method which have been sintered at 900°C for 3 h. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique has been employed to confirm the single phase formation of spinel ferrite structure. The average particle size has been found in the range of 14-28 nm which has been estimated using Scherer's formula. The morphology of synthesized particle size has been confirmed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The size of particles has been found in close agreement with the XRD analysis. The optical band gap energy has been measured for x = 0.5 which have been found 2.3 eV. Moreover, the magnetic properties of sample x = 0.00 have also been observed. The saturation magnetization (Ms), remanance, Mr/Ms and coercive force have been observed. The obtained information of synthesized samples have super paramagnetic nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of S fertilization, 0 or 138 kg of S/ha, as (NH4)2SO4 on chemical composition, ensiling characteristics, and utilization of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) silage by wether lambs was investigated. Pioneer 947' sorghum forage was ensiled at the soft dough growth stage. Sulfur fertilization increased (P < .01) concentrations of S, N, K, Mn, and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and decreased (P < .05) concentrations of Fe, Cu, Al, and acetic acid after ensiling. Sulfur-fertilized sorghum silage (N:S = 12) and non-S fertilized silage (N:S = 15) were fed alone and supplemented with urea to achieve 14% CP (N:S = 18 and 23, respectively) to 24 crossbred (1/2 Dorset, 1/4 Finn, 1/4 Rambouillet) wether lambs in a metabolism trial. Sulfur fertilization decreased apparent lignin digestibility and increased apparent digestibilities of DM, NDF, and hemicellulose (P < .05), apparent absorption and retention of S, N, P, K, Mg, and Mn (P < .01), and apparent absorption of Ca (P < .05). Apparent absorption and retention of Cu and Al were lower (P < .05) in lambs fed the S-fertilized silages. Digestibilities of DM and NDF were increased by N-supplementation in the non S-fertilized silage (N x S interaction, P < .05). Nitrogen supplementation increased (P < .01) blood urea nitrogen and apparent absorption and retention of N. Results indicate that S fertilization enhanced forage quality primarily due to increased TNC concentration, digestibility of hemicellulose, and N utilization by lambs but could exacerbate Cu deficiency where Cu levels are marginal.

Recent epidemiologic studies have suggested that cardiac disease in common in diabetics and may often have a noncoronary basis. To examine the status of the left ventricle, 17 adult-onset diabetics of familial type without hypertension or obesity underwent hemodynamic study and were compared to 9 controls of similar age. Of the 17, 12 subjects had no significant occlusive lesions by coronary angiography. From this group eight without heart failure had a modest, but significant, elevation of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. End-diastolic and stroke volumes were reduced, but ejection fraction and mean rate of fiber shortening were within normal limits. The left ventricular end-diastolic pressure/volume ratio was significantly higher than controls. Afterload increments effected a significant increase of filling pressure compared to normals without a stroke volume response, consistent with a preclinical cardiomyopathy. Four patients with prior heart failure had similar but more extensive abnormalities. None had local dyskinesia by angiography, and lactate production was not observed during pacing-induced tachycardia. Left ventricular biopsy in two patients without ventricular decompensation showed interstitial collagen deposition with relatively normal muscle cells. These findings suggest a myopathic process without ischemia. Postmortem studies were performed in 11 uncomplicated diabetics. Nine were without significant obstructive disease of the proximal coronary arteries, and the majority succumbed with cardiac failure. On left ventricular sections, none had evident luminal narrowing of the intramural vessels. All nine exhibited periodic acid-Schiff-positive material in the interstitium. Collagen accumulation was present in perivascular loci, between myofibers, or as replacement fibrosis. Multiple samples of left ventricle and septum revealed enhanced triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations, as compared to controls. Thus, a diffuse extravascular abnormality may be a basis for cardiomyopathic features in diabetes.