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Background: With an increase in elderly people, it is essential to address the issue of cognitive impairment and support healthy aging. This study aimed to assess cognitive impairment and factors associated with it among older adults. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in different catchment areas within the Jerash governorate in the north of Jordan. The Elderly Cognitive Assessment Questionnaire (ECAQ) and a household face-to-face interview were used to collect data from 220 older adult participants aged 60 years and more. Descriptive statistics were conducted to describe the study variables. Correlation tests were applied to find associations between them. Logistic regression analysis was applied, with a minimum significance level (p < 0.05). Results: About 9.10% of the older adults had cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment was correlated with age, self-perceived health, hypertension, stroke, and mental illness. The primary predictors of cognitive impairment were age [odds ratio (OR) =1.07 (1.01–1.14), p = 0.001] and stroke [OR = 10.92 (1.44–82.85), p = 0.001]. Conclusions: While many factors were correlated with cognitive impairment, the strongest predictors of cognitive impairment were age and stroke.

Background: Tracheostomy care is a standard procedure that nurses perform in Critical Care Units (CCUs) to reduce complications from tracheostomy. The literature indicates a clear variety of care and practice in managing tracheostomy patients within the healthcare system. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge level of tracheostomy care among nurses in CCUs in Jordanian hospitals. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used for this study. A convenience sample of 260 nurses working in the CCUs of four government hospitals completed a self-reported structured questionnaire. Data were collected from January 2021 to March 2021. A t-test and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to assess the differences among socio-demographic variables in terms of knowledge score. Results: The result revealed that the level of knowledge was suboptimal. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean level of knowledge regarding tracheostomy care (in all dimensions) by age (F = 22.595, p < 0.001), educational level (F = 355.30, p < 0.001), and work experience (F = 13.63, p < 0.001). For gender, there was a statistically significant difference in knowledge of the tracheostomy suctioning dimension (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The level of knowledge among nurses regarding tracheostomy care was moderate, indicating an urgent need for education.

The Internet of Things (IoT) constitutes a vast network comprising various components such as physical devices, vehicles, buildings, and other items equipped with sensors, actuators, and software. These components are interconnected, facilitating the collection and exchange of copious data across networked communications. IoT empowers extensive monitoring and control over a myriad of objects, enabling them to gather and disseminate data that bolster applications, thereby enhancing the system’s capacity for informed decision making, environmental surveillance, and autonomous inter-object interaction, all without the need for direct human involvement. These systems have achieved seamless connectivity requirements using the next-generation wireless network infrastructures (5G, 6G, etc.), while their diverse reliability and quality of service (QoS) requirements across various domains require more efficient solutions. Open RAN (O-RAN), i.e., open radio open access network (RAN), promotes flexibility and intelligence in the next-generation RAN. This article reviews the applications of O-RAN in supporting the next-generation smart world IoT systems by conducting a thorough survey. We propose a generic problem space, which consists of (i) IoT Systems: transportation, industry, healthcare, and energy; (ii) targets: reliable communication, real-time analytics, fault tolerance, interoperability, and integration; and (iii) artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML): reinforcement learning (RL), deep neural networks (DNNs), etc. Furthermore, we outline future research directions concerning robust and scalable solutions, interoperability and standardization, privacy, and security. We present a taxonomy to unveil the security threats to emerge from the O-RAN-assisted IoT systems and the feasible directions to move this research forward.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of crickets enriched with a source of carotenoids on fish’s growth, colour, and total carotenoid content in juvenile Asian Arowana (Scleropages formosus). Six juveniles were fed with different enriched crickets (G. sigilatus) based on the following treatments: (A) Crickets fed with fish feed without enrichment, (B) Crickets fed with fish feed containing 500 ppm of synthetic astaxanthin, and (C) Crickets fed with a combination of 50% fish feed, 48% sand crab meal and 2% marigold petal meal. The results of the study revealed that The weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), feed efficiency (FE), length gain (LG), and survival rate (SR) for treatment A were 110 g, 1.16% head/day, 45.79%, 10.98 cm, and 100% respectively. There was also no significant difference (P>0.05) with the other treatments. However, treatment B had a positive effect on the redness (a*) of the Arowana tail with a value of 9.52, and treatment C increased the yellowness (b*) of the Arowana body with a value of 2.77 (P

The study aimed to assess the level of students' satisfaction with the hostel facilities in the Gubi Campus of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi to evaluate the performance of the hostels. A survey approach was used to collect relevant data for the study. Two hundred forty-three students were selected to participate in the study using a systematic random sampling strategy. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that the students were delighted with the alternative power supply, artificial lighting, and the room's natural lighting. It was also found that students were dissatisfied with the bathroom facilities, handheld fire extinguishers and toilet facilities. The result of the ANOVA revealed that there is no significant difference among the students occupying different blocks of hostels regarding their satisfaction with the facilities provided similarly. The result of the t-test showed that there is no significant difference between male and female students in satisfaction with the hostel facilities offered.

Ikan cupang alam (Betta channoides) merupakan ikan asli dan endemik dari Kalimantan Timur. Ikan ini mempunyai warna yang indah dan menarik sebagai komoditas ikan hias. Ikan ini bisa memijah alami baik secara berpasangan maupun secara massal. Sejauh ini data reproduksi dan umur matang gonad pertama kali ikan generasi pertama (G1) belum diketahui. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui data reproduksi dari pemijahan secara berpasangan dan pertumbuhan serta umur matang gonad generasi pertama. Untuk melihat data reproduksinya dalam penelitian ini dilakukan pemijahan secara berpasangan (1 jantan : 1 betina). Hasil anakan dari pemijahan ini kemudian dipelihara dan dibesarkan dengan tujuan untuk melihat pertumbuhan dan umur matang gonad. Parameter yang akan diamati pada penelitian ini adalah data reproduksi : jumlah anakan, jumlah larva, sintasan larva dan benih, pertumbuhan dan umur matang gonad pertama anakan (G1). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa data reproduksi ikan B chanoides yang dipijahkan secara berpasangan menghasilkan larva sebanyak 61 ± 7,00 ekor, sintasan larva sampai pemeliharaan umur 30 hari sebesar 88 ± 2,65 %, sintasan benih sampai pemeliharaan umur 120 hari sebesar 71,33 ± 3,21 %. Pertumbuhan panjang mutlak dari larva sampai ukuran induk umur 120 hari sebesar 34,02 mm dan anakan generasi pertama memerlukan waktu untuk menjadi induk selama 120 hari atau 4 bulan. Kata Kunci : pemijahan, berpasangan, reproduksi, sintasan, pertumbuhan, umur matang gonad, generasi pertama, B channoides

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) refer to systems that integrate communication, control, and computational elements into physical processes to facilitate the control of physical systems and effective monitoring. The systems are designed to interact with the physical world, monitor and control the physical processes while in operation, and generate data. Deep Neural Networks (DNN) comprise multiple layers of interconnected neurons that process input data to produce predictions. Spatial-temporal data represents the physical world and its evolution over time and space. The generated spatial-temporal data is used to make decisions and control the behavior of CPS. This paper systematically reviews the applications of DNNs, namely convolutional, recurrent, and graphs, in handling spatial-temporal data in CPS. An extensive literature survey is conducted to determine the areas in which DNNs have successfully captured spatial-temporal data in CPS and the emerging areas that require attention. The research proposes a three-dimensional framework that considers: CPS (transportation, manufacturing, and others), Target (spatial-temporal data processing, anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, resource allocation, real-time decisions, and multi-modal data fusion), and DNN schemes (CNNs, RNNs, and GNNs). Finally, research areas that need further investigation are identified, such as performance and security. Addressing data quality, strict performance assurance, reliability, safety, and security resilience challenges are the areas that are required for further research.

An oblique angle and polarization insensitive metamaterial absorber (MA) are highly desired for the visible and infrared optical applications like, wave energy harvesting, optical filters, and detecting thermal leaks and electrical defects. In this paper, a multi-layered MA consisting of two layers of tungsten resonators on a silicon dioxide substrate, coated with additional SiO2 materials is investigated. The unit cell size of the MA is 0.5λ × 0.5λ × 0.8λ, at the lowest wavelength. The proposed MA offers an average absorption of 92% from 400 nm to 2400 nm with stable oblique incident angles up to 45°. The structure also achieves polarization insensitivity at the entire visible and near-infrared spectrum. Moreover, the MA is found highly compatible for solar absorber applications with high y AAM1.5. The structure is also compatible for filter application in optical communication system by modifying the plasmonic nano structure. The modified structure can block the wavelengths of the visible band (450 nm to 800 nm) and transmit optical communication bands (800 to 1675 nm). These versatile absorption and filtering performance make the proposed design highly potential for solar energy harvesting, photodetection, thermal imaging, photo-trapping, and optical communications applications.

ABSTRACT Objectives: to analyze and compare levels of stress and resilience in nurses before and after the assessment for maintenance of the Hospital Accreditation Certification. Methods: quantitative, observational, and longitudinal research, with 53 nurses from a philanthropic hospital, in the Rio Grande do Sul. Data collected in two stages, March, and July 2019, before the assessment visit and 60 days after, using the Bianchi Stress Scale and Resilience Scale. Descriptive and analytical statistics were employed. Results: the majority of participants showed an average stress level before and after the evaluation. The highest stress scores were related to Domains E (coordination of unit activities) and C (activities related to personnel administration). In both moments of the study, the participants had medium and high resilience. Conclusions: managing people, processes, and assistance are stressful activities in the Accreditation process and increase the nurses’ stress levels.

The visible and infrared wavelengths are the most frequently used electromagnetic (EM) waves in the frequency spectrum; able to penetrate the atmosphere and reach Earth’s surface. These wavelengths have attracted much attention in solar energy harvesting; thermography; and infrared imaging applications for the detection of electrical failures; faults; or thermal leakage hot spots and inspection of tapped live energized components. This paper presents a numerical analysis of a compact cubic cross-shaped four-layer metamaterial absorber (MA) structure by using a simple metal-dielectric-metal-dielectric configuration for wideband visible and infrared applications. The proposed MA achieved above 80% absorption in both visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum from 350 to 1250 nm wavelength with an overall unit cell size of 0.57λ × 0.57λ × 0.59λ. The SiO2 based anti-reflection coating of sandwiched tungsten facilitates to achieve the wide high absorption bandwidth. The perceptible novelty of the proposed metamaterial is to achieve an average absorptivity of 95.3% for both visible and infrared wavelengths with a maximum absorptivity of 98% from 400 nm to 900 nm. Furthermore, the proposed structure provides polarization insensitivity with a higher oblique incidence angle tolerance up to 45°.

Increasing public awareness of food quality and safety has prompted a rapid increase in food authentication of halal food, which covers the production method, technical processing, identification of undeclared components, and species substitution in halal food products. This urges for extensive research into analytical methods to obtain accurate and reliable results for monitoring and controlling the authenticity of halal food. Nonetheless, authentication of halal food is often challenging because of the complex nature of food and the increasing number of food adulterants that cause detection difficulties. This review provides a comprehensive and impartial overview of recent studies on the analytical techniques used in the analysis of halal food authenticity (from 1980 to the present, but there has been no significant trend in the choice of techniques for authentication of halal food during this period). Additionally, this review highlights the classification of different methodologies based on validity measures that provide valuable information for future developments in advanced technology. In addition, methodological developments, and novel emerging techniques as well as their implementations have been explored in the evaluation of halal food authentication. This includes food categories that require halal authentication, illustrating the advantages and disadvantages as well as shortcomings during the use of all approaches in the halal food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) additive on the fabrication of asymmetric nanofiltration (NF) membranes was investigated in terms of performance, structural details and key properties. On addition of PVP ranging from 2 to 10 wt% into the dope solution, the fabricated NF membranes exhibited significantly different in properties and improved performance. In particular, the membranes made from 2 wt% PVP had the highest water flux and salt rejection of about 3.61 × 10-6 m3/m2s and 44.49 %, respectively. Modeling results revealed that small amount of PVP (2-4 wt%) produced finer structural properties. Moreover, the key properties (rp, Δx/Ak and ζ) of the fabricated NF membranes were found to be within the range of that of commercial NF membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nosocomial infections are frequently caused by bacteria that are resistant to various antibiotics, resulting in the mortality or delayed recovery of hospitalized patients. Several studies have investigated the efficiency of ozone (O3) gas for the disinfection of surfaces to eliminate different nosocomial pathogens. In this study, the efficacy of O3 gas in a heavily contaminated healthcare facility was investigated using a low concentration of FDA-approved and human-safe O3. The total microbial loads on the air conditioning (AC) duct, wall, and tables after 1 month of O3 application were 0 CFU/100 cm², 1 CFU/100 cm2, and 1 CFU/100 cm², respectively. Moreover, the total microbial loads on the AC duct, wall, and tables 2 months after O3 application were 0 CFU/m², 14 CFU/m², and 1 CFU/m², respectively. Finally, after the third month following O3 application, the microbial loads were 0 CFU/100 cm² on the AC duct, 7 CFU/100 cm² on the walls, and 54 CFU/100 cm2on the tables. Overall results show that O3 gas controlled fungal growth, as it was decreased to minimal levels on some swabbed surfaces or even eliminated on most swabbed medical devices and work surfaces. Moreover, O3 is capable of eradicating nosocomial pathogens present in hidden areas even at low concentrations that match the levels approved by the FDA for human exposure. The study concluded that gaseous O3 can serve as an effective, safe, and cheap disinfectant. O3 could effectively work to eliminate both nosocomial bacteria and mould pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: to analyze and compare levels of stress and resilience in nurses before and after the assessment for maintenance of the Hospital Accreditation Certification., Methods: quantitative, observational, and longitudinal research, with 53 nurses from a philanthropic hospital, in the Rio Grande do Sul. Data collected in two stages, March, and July 2019, before the assessment visit and 60 days after, using the Bianchi Stress Scale and Resilience Scale. Descriptive and analytical statistics were employed., Results: the majority of participants showed an average stress level before and after the evaluation. The highest stress scores were related to Domains E (coordination of unit activities) and C (activities related to personnel administration). In both moments of the study, the participants had medium and high resilience., Conclusions: managing people, processes, and assistance are stressful activities in the Accreditation process and increase the nurses' stress levels.